PoV:
1: Rachel Park
Recap: Rachel gathers the gang to talk about the discovery of Moongmor and the possibility of godly beings interfering with their lives, refraining from mentioning Twilight at all.
She excludes her parents and her mother breaks down, finally snapping back after holding in so much stress regarding her growing family’s future—she can’t lose another daughter, and Rachel’s recklessness is bound to land Scarlet and Rachel in danger. Her heart can’t take identifying another body in a cold morgue … Rachel breaks down herself, unable to rely on Emotional Detachment since the skill broke, requiring a day to come off cooldown from her experience in the labyrinth.
Now … what will come of our Lunar Hair >.> hehe….
I want to thank my patrons for continuing to support me:
GreatestSin, Shakango Resident, Thea Nyx Petersen, Stuart Dye, Useless, and my other Patrons!
Rachel went around the island collecting the rest of their little crew, leaving her family in Scarlet’s care to get back to Cahira’s new boat; she was curious to see how things had turned out with the upgrades.
Things had been so busy, immersed with her family and emotions, that she hadn’t been paying as much attention to the Pirate Queen as she probably should have been. Now, she wanted it to be somewhat of a surprise after hearing her family’s stunned reactions about how big and crazy it looked; there were a few mentions by the crews on the dock that spoiled parts for her, though.
A Dragon Turtle … how that actually looked, though, was unclear, but Selvaria had swiftly recognized its approach and joined Rachel’s family soon after the vessel stopped off on the docks.
Rachel’s first stop was to pick up Reed and Clay since they’d been enjoying themselves at a local tavern. Reed was fairly hammered after just trying a glass of their wine; Clay abstained from exploring to watch over him. They talked about Reed’s family and how thrilled they were to have his grandson back in the home.
The bill was covered using Selvaria’s winnings since she’d taken off before getting to split any of it; the Leviathan had met her match once a few men started hitting on her, and retreated to the protective ocean waves with her baby seal.
Maria’s group explored the town and nearby jungle, but Zoe and Felix had found the leeway to sneak off to make out; they were advancing down the dating route shockingly fast. Maria’s feelings as Felix’s big sister were difficult to contend with, given her protective, motherly nature surrounding her younger sibling, but Elena was cheering him on.
No, Elena, the wide-eyed Honey Badger Beastkin, was having the time of her life with Maria, experimenting with the local food that was anything but normal to their taste buds.
Ohan had retreated into the jungle some ways, but Rachel hadn’t heard of any significant predators on the island within range of the town. He appeared to be meditating on something, cleansing himself of whatever threw him out of balance during the Quest’s Desire Trial.
Breaking up the lovestruck pair and guiding them back to Maria and Elena, she sent them back to the ship with just enough of a taste to whet their appetites regarding the new vessel and get them on track. Ohan and Anthony were the last to retrieve; Anthony was exploring much further into the island, which meant Ohan was her next stop.
Rachel took one last glance around the strange otherworldly island town before entering the jungle; it was about 90% 1700s vibe with 10% fantasy mixed in, just enough to make you realize this was not reality.
Between the fish people, strange weaponry that seemed impractical, odd food, and outfit designs, it had undoubtedly been an experience she wanted to enjoy a bit more before leaving. It was only a passing wish, though.
Maria and Elena had managed to get shopping done with the chunk of gold they had; the Sunlit Unicorn was an excellent haggler, but Rachel had no doubt the sharp-eyed town occupants had weaseled her out at an above standard margin. She’d only seen parts of the strange clothes wrapped into a tight ball, which was apparently how they hauled their outfits around here.
Navigating through the jungle’s dense foliage, Rachel paid close attention to the signs of Ohan’s passing, using his path through the mud and dirt. She found him sitting on a boulder beside a curved river like some kind of movie scene.
Rachel’s ears tilted left and right, scanning the minute noises she could only detect within a closer range. “Feeling a bit better?” She asked, stopped at the bottom of the rock to stare up at him with a smile.
Ohan opened his eyes with a low sigh. “A bit … I didn’t expect to get so emotional. Sorry for the trouble I caused.” He said, getting to his feet and sending his sheathed sword back into the darkness.
She appraised his dark, bare-skinned chest as he hopped down; the slightly baggy shirt he wore before hid a bit of how muscular he was. Ohan wasn’t quite as pronounced as Anthony, but that didn’t mean he was any less striking. Rachel was an admirer of any well-maintained body.
“It was because you were so invested that I acted how I did,” she shrugged. “If you hadn’t alerted me to other forces at play, then I don’t think I would have understood as much as I did. I don’t think anyone’s blaming you for anything.”
“Hmm…” Ohan folded his arms, gaze falling to the clear water and muddy shore of the river. “Something caught my attention during the end.”
Rachel’s ears leaned forward a bit, mind cycling through all the information and which ‘end’ he referred to. “The creature’s words, it gets torn apart by Moongmor, the items, the way the giant turtle island acted, or something during the escape?”
A small smile lit his lips as he unfolded his arms and scratched the side of his neck. “I suppose a lot did happen … yeah, the creature’s words and Moongmor … all of that, really. The issue is Moongmor’s power, though.”
Her head tilted slightly, catching the odd calls of otherworldly birds, courting each other nearby. “Okay … are you saying it’s different than what you sensed before?”
He slowly nodded. “The Primal Energy that was manipulating the maze and force within the island … after clearing my mind, I realized there were four different types, and the type of power released by Moongmor at the end was entirely off … so unique to the other four that I couldn’t put them in the same category if I wanted to.”
Rachel sucked on her lower lip, glowing clover eyes shifting to the nocturnal birds; the nighttime jungle was teeming with more life than she’d expected, but much of it was taking a backseat to the thoughts running through her head.
“So,” she hummed, “I was right; multiple foreign forces were watching and manipulating the game for or against us. Moongmor seemed to take the most direct approach, though … honestly, we shouldn’t have been able to complete this Legend’s Quest. I get the feeling the trials were actually made easier for us … the fact it said it couldn’t sense the Warden makes me believe a challenging part was completely negated.”
Ohan’s fingers ran through his curly hair before checking the security of his nappy ponytail. “I think so, too. It makes me cautious about doing my next Quest … without your mental gymnastics; I doubt we would have made it through the maze. Thank you, Rachel,” he smiled. “The group here in Florida is very different than California.”
“Don’t mention it,” Rachel waved off his comment, jabbing her thumb back toward town. “Cahira’s finished upgrading her ship; it’s supposed to be pretty big and crazy looking. You good to head out?”
“Heh, more than a little ready to head back to reality,” he chuckled, walking around her. “Are you coming?”
“Not yet,” she shook her head. “I still need to grab Anthony.”
“Got it. By the way,” he muttered, brow furrowing and causing her gaze to linger on him, “have you tried to put any more points into your Skills or checked their status throughout each part of the Quest?”
Rachel’s ears shifted to the opposite side, lips tilting thoughtfully. “Mmh … during a few parts of it, but not since.”
Hands clasping behind his back, his glowing dark brown irises fell to the dirt. “Hmm … I believe we’ve all leveled far beyond where we were before. I now appreciate the explanation I got from Maria about how these levels work and manually applying them. I understand that came from you?”
Leveled far beyond where we were … I can see that, especially if we gained the experience from Moongmor killing that horrifying wooden flesh creature.
Rachel gave him a short shrug. “Maria, Scarlet, Fiona, and I all took time to thoroughly explore it over the past few weeks. I’m learning new things as we go, but it’s really been a group effort.”
He turned away with a smile on his face, heading back to town. “Huh … you really do make a good leader, Rachel.”
She watched him go, allowing her smile to fade once he’d gone beyond sight, vanishing into the undergrowth.
Leader … I suppose I have been taking on that role, to a degree. The others follow my lead, but I haven’t set out with that desire. I’m doing what I want to do. In fact, a lot of stuff has just been … no, it’s been less about survival than I’d like to admit. There really is a beast crawling within me … trying to push myself … but for what now?
She turned and pushed her way further into the island’s nighttime jungle. The end of their second night in this fantasy world would end in just another few hours, bringing daylight; she could feel it in her bones. She didn’t know when she obtained an internal clock that warned her about sunrise, but it helped protect Scarlet; it might have even been the reason she could do it now.
I thrive in conflict, which could have been why I got in so many fights growing up … academic, physical, turning the smallest thing my parents said or did into a competition with Nam. Did I ever really want to become a lawyer for anything other than the conflict it would bring while relishing in the pride I’d feel, knowing I was useful to my parents?
Without a doubt, I want to become stronger, faster, more versatile … but to what aim? What’s my end goal? To be happy … and my happiness so far has come from competition, challenges that push me forward. It’s not survival … it’s fun. I find fun in seeking out chaos and fighting it, but is that really so bad? In this new world … I guess it isn’t.
The chirping of birds, moaning of small animals, and buzz of insects filled the nighttime air, but they all avoided her; it wasn’t as if she was easy to miss with her faint glow; there must have been something about her that frightened them.
She found Anthony on top of a large hill with an arching crag, overlooking the northern side of the dark island; the bright starlight overhead should have given enough light to provide a creepy vibe to the jungle, but with night vision like theirs, it was a really romantic view.
Rachel couldn’t help her heart picking up again as her hyperactive mind pushed conspiracies that he knew she’d eventually find him, which could imply this was all a setup for something else.
He leaned back, catching Rachel taming her long, faintly pink-hued hair after the wind caught it; with the area being more open and at an elevation, the gust was stronger here.
“Hey, already time to go, or are you just checking up on me?” He asked with a charming smile.
She chastised the dots jumping across her brain, connecting possible future events that were more fantasies than what could really happen, all while settling down next to him just far enough to be in the golden zone, not too close or far enough to be awkward.
“Cahira’s ready to go … huh. It’s kind of crazy; the stars really are pretty here.”
Her gut tightened at her absolutely generic, stupid girl ice breaker.
Stupid … everything you can think of, and you go for the stars?!
Anthony chuckled, head leaning back to study the heavens. “… Not wrong … this trip has given me a lot to think about.”
Refraining from scratching a horrible itch at the base of her left ear, she turned that way to give him her focus. “Like?”
“My life,” he whispered, a smile turning somewhat sad. “I went from running away from the U.K. to being obsessed with rushing through school to become financially independent to going full in with Amelia … then, I kind of lost track of things when she passed away.”
It was an honest answer, but not one Rachel had an answer for. The only thing she could do was respond with a low hum, acknowledging his statement. It had been four to five months since his fiancé was taken by cancer. He’d known the likelihood of the result, but it couldn’t have been easy.
After an uncomfortable silence, Rachel asked, “It still hurts?”
A lump dropped down Anthony’s throat, tongue working around his teeth, and he took a deep breath before running his hand through his tossed red hair. “… It was the worst during the third month … the air caught fire around me, and the sun died … I was freezing for days at a time. It was like she left a blast crater in my chest, and I was left trying anything in my power to fill it in. I was numb after only a week of that…”
He turned to her, wearing an expression Rachel couldn’t place. “Then you came charging into my life, demanding to spar … it was the first time since Amelia passed that I felt something in my chest again. It was like I could feel the life pumping through your veins, reaching me.”
Things were taking a turn she had not expected; even in her fantasies, this swirl of mixed emotions was like a riptide, pulling her under.
Guilt filled Rachel’s breast; she’d wanted some kind of acknowledgment that she existed but hadn’t expected this kind of confession … confession, was this a confession? It was the conflicted confusion in her brain that kept her poker face in check because Emotional Detachment was still on cooldown; why was everything happening while it was on cooldown?!
W-What? Okay … calm down … why am I telling myself to calm down? He needs to calm down! Life pumping again … well, I mean, I can see why he’d feel that way. I couldn’t imagine Mom if Dad died. Well, it’s not like Anthony and Amelia had twenty years of marriage like Mom and Dad; they were engaged, but…
Everything went blank as he leaned in, soft lips meeting hers.
Body tensing, ears as straight as they would extend, and tail stiff as a board, for the first time in weeks, her mind came to a grinding halt. It was as if an impenetrable wall inside her chest had been rammed through, a meteorite sending its rushing water pouring out across every fiber of her steaming body. Every cell in her body was exploding into a chaotic pulse that silenced all thought. It was a full-blown internal panic attack within half a second.
She was paralyzed, and when he pulled back with a short, confusing hum, Rachel was even more stunned; that was her first kiss … nothing could have prepared her for the whirlpool sucking her under. Worse, the darkness couldn’t hide the heat rising to her face.
Time went from utterly stopped to light speed as she rose and walked away, ears ringing so much that she wasn’t entirely sure if she was stumbling back into the forest; he probably said something, but her mind was reeling.
All she could focus on was the heat in his soft lips, the unusual taste it left in her mouth as she licked her own, sampling the residue the connection gave. Why couldn’t she get his lip’s texture out of her mind? It was as if they were still pressed up against her.
He … he kissed me … out of nowhere … he … why? It’s … it’s only been like five months since Amelia died. No, no, that’s stupid … how long should a widow sit in isolation before you are comfortable enough to release them from their solitary confinement? Shouldn’t it be fine … no, but … but me? He just … did I look ready? Did I look desperate? No, that’s stupid!
What was that look on his face? Why did he hum? Am I that bad? Did my breath stink? I haven’t showered for … shut up! Stupid, stupid, stupid … you’re an idiot. What do I do? Did I run away?
The black hole inside her mind pulled her deeper and deeper into its abyss, strangling any hope of escaping the vortex; she was free-falling and didn’t know how to stop. Time had lost all meaning, and at some point, she made it back to the town.
She couldn’t even appreciate the gigantic turtle taking up the end of the furthest docking area; a wooden staircase was layered off the side, rising to the flat surface several meters above the pier. A low, black stone wall surrounded the shell edge with eight strange fantasy-like magical guns lining the armored beast’s visible left flank. Its head was mostly submerged in the water, and he made Selvaria’s monster-form look small.
Climbing the stairs on auto-pilot mode, she barely noticed the crowd of onlookers, mind in a haze. The small gate she passed through was open, allowing Rachel to step onto the neatly cut grass on what should have been a deck.
Ahead of her was a large 8,000 square foot black stone fortress, leaving a decent amount of room surrounding the keep to decorate or have room for activities. Scarlet appeared out of the shadows with Alexa by her side as she made it halfway onto the lawn.
“Rachel, isn’t this crazy?! Rachel?” Scarlet asked, catching sight of her face.
Alexa had to squint to see her past the night’s shroud, only somewhat penetrated by the floating globes of red fire sprinkled throughout the property. “Hey … you don’t look so good.”
Rachel could barely hear them past the ringing in her ears; she didn’t know if she’d run here or not. Her chest hurt, her body burned, and her breathing was off, but her world was still spinning. “I … what do I do…”
Scarlet and Alexa turned their confused eyes on each other before returning to her.
“What’s going on?” Alexa asked, moving forward to awkwardly rub her back. “You look like you’ve been hit by a car or something killed your puppy…”
She opened her mouth to answer, but there wasn’t a word she could use to describe the pandemonium churning her stomach and the frenzy stewing within her breast. Unable to speak, her lips closed, tongue sliding out to taste them again. She felt powerless yet unstoppable; the contradiction was maddening.
Her two sisters guided her inside, and Scarlet quickly ran off to grab her mother and Maria. Alexa ushered her into a nearby private room, asking her what happened or how she was feeling.
Maria came in with Molly and Scarlet.
“Yo, what’s goin’ on?” Maria mumbled, horn brightening the already warmly lit space.
Scarlet shook her head with worry. “I don’t know; she just … she won’t say anything, but … I can feel really strong emotions inside of her. She’s burning up!”
“What kind of emotions?” Molly asked, rushing to her side. “Honey, Sung … what’s wrong?”
Alexa shook her head. “She won’t say anything. She opens her mouth and just closes it. Can she not speak; is she muted?”
Maria shook her head. “No … I don’t sense nothin’ like that … she’s good. No issues.”
Rachel blinked, hand reaching up to vehemently scratch her stiff ears. “I … he … he kissed me.”
“What … who?” Maria asked, glancing back as several others started hanging around the door.
Alexa’s eyes widened at her stammered statement, though. “Wait, Anthony?” Her features creased for a moment before a small smile lit her cheeks when she nodded. Glancing up at Scarlet, she asked, “Are her emotions negative?”
Scarlet’s left fang poked out, creasing her bottom lip as she slowly shook her head. “Uh … not really … just really chaotic and … confused, I guess.”
“What’s happening?” Molly asked, wrapping her arm around her.
Alexa giggled, leaning in to whisper. “Anthony kissed her, and she’s freaking out.”
“Say what? No way, Liebre Lunar?” Maria asked with a lifted eyebrow and a smirk. “Rachel, the cool chica?”
Alexa hurriedly dispersed the crowd coming into the room, telling them it was fine and that they needed their privacy. Scarlet, Maria, and her mother were swiftly realizing what had happened.
“So?” Alexa asked with an expectant smile. “How was it? Was that your first kiss?”
Scarlet’s mouth dropped open, mirroring Alexa’s grin. “Oh! Is that it?”
“Heh,” Maria shifted over to nudge Scarlet, “Bet you ain’t ever kissed no boy, either. Huh?”
“W-Well … I mean, technically, when I was seven,” she mumbled, cheeks darkening.
Rachel was coming back to her senses, but a new concern caused her hangs to bury her face in her hands. “No…”
“What?” Molly giggled, moving closer to pull her in. “You’ve never even dated before as far as I know … is this your first kiss? I mean, Anthony isn’t the worst guy to have your first with,” she mused.
“… I ran away…” She groaned, feeling Lunar Pride finally kicking in like a hot iron against her chest. “Why did he hum, too? He just … he … no-hoo…”
“Hey, hey, it can’t be that bad,” her mother laughed. “C’mon, tell us how it happened.”
Rachel reluctantly recounted the event; she wanted answers or at least some kind of comfort for her actions.
“That was … kind of a strange kiss how you say it, I don’t know…” Maria mumbled.
Molly hummed thoughtfully, rubbing Rachel’s shoulder comfortingly. “… Actually, it was a pretty important step for Anthony.”
“I agree,” Alexa whispered, glancing toward the cold hearth in the corner of the room. “After when he went through with his last relationship, he was testing if he could come out of his shell again.”
Scarlet pulled in her lips, fangs poking out slightly. “Hmm … really? I mean, wasn’t it only like four or five months ago when she passed away; isn’t that too soon?”
Molly shook her head. “We can’t judge a man’s heart or what he’s going through. If he felt comfortable enough to test the waters with Rachel … he has to feel something.”
“I ran, though…” Rachel groaned, leaning into her mother’s warm embrace, and she was a little surprised to find a single tear run out of her eye. Wiping it away, she released a long puff of air. “What do I do? Why did he hum after it, and … and how do I talk to him about it? No, should I talk to him?”
“Yes, dear,” Molly chuckled, squeezing her shoulders. “He’s probably just as confused as you are.”
“It’s not gonna be easy, though,” Alexa added with a forced smile. “It’s going to be awkward, but that’s just how it is.”
“Does … that mean you’ll start … you know, dating?” Scarlet slowly asked, not sounding too sure how she felt about the prospect.
Before she could reply, her mother answered. “It’s all up in the air at this point. Anthony’s testing to see if he’s ready to allow himself to move on, and Rachel, my darling girl, is exploring a side of herself she’s never pursued. Nineteen’s not so bad of an age!”
“I approve!” Alexa said with a thumbs up. “Whatever happens.”
Her mother squeezed. “Okay. Whenever you’re ready, let us know. We’re here for you as long as you want us.”
Rachel’s tight chest, stiff ears, and taut tail relaxed a bit while cuddling within her mother’s arms. “… Thanks, Mom … I’m just … so confused. What if…”
“No,” her mother chided, grip tightening around her shoulders, “don’t let your mind run wild with questions. The best thing to do is to calm down and face it head-on; that’s the kind of girl you are, anyway,” she chuckled.
Her mom wasn’t wrong, which Rachel both helped and frustrated her. Swallowing the saliva in her throat, she took a few minutes to prepare herself. Anthony returned to the edge of town within that time, ambling through the streets as if engaged with heavy thoughts.
Steeling herself for whatever might happen, she did her best to take her mother’s advice, keeping speculations and expectations to a minimum. Rachel went out on deck to wait for him.
Each passing minute caused an extra beat of anxiety to slam her heart against her ribcage, but eventually, Anthony climbed up the blackwood staircase. The moment he passed the gates, it seemed the turtle knew everyone that needed to be on board was present, and they took into the air.
There was no shift in gravity or sharp gust of wind that threw them off balance; a stabilization field seemed to be attached to the inside of the turtle’s upper shell, only allowing a small breeze to enter the safe zone.
Anthony turned back to see the staircase vanish in blue flames before the gate closed, releasing a slow puff of air before resting his gaze on her with an awkward smile. Rachel returned it.
Molly made sure everyone stayed inside, giving her privacy, which Rachel had to admit was a big deal; her mother had been extremely intent on seeing any kind of relationship-building between them since she’d caught the scent of blood.
“Hey…” Rachel mumbled, trying not to blush. She didn’t know why it was so hard to control her emotions; most of the time, it was simple, but her thumping chest was like a never-ending gong to her sharp ears.
Anthony’s hand lifted to rub the back of his neck. “Hey … uh, yeah. Wanna talk about it?” He glanced up at the house where Alexa and Scarlet were peeking out of a window; it wasn’t like they could escape her vampiric eyes, but he gestured for them to move to the front of the ship … if you could call it that.
She followed him beyond a small opening to rest against the front of the black stone wall; the dampening magic of the shell appeared to lessen rapidly from behind the barrier but was more than enough for them to have a conversation.
Rachel sat down, tucking her knees up to her chest and hugging her shins; she didn’t know what else to do with her hands.
Anthony took the space beside her, one knee raised while the other foot extended.
They sat there in silence for a minute, watching the turtle rise at a perfectly even level, and all they could see from this angle was his black armor-plated head. Avoiding what she knew would come, Rachel measured the turtle’s shell with her eyes; it began to slope down two meters in front of them.
“I’m sorry if I put you on the spot,” Anthony finally said before releasing a sigh. “I just kind of acted … I know it’s not an excuse.”
“N-No, it’s fine,” Rachel replied, interlocked fingers tightening to the point of shakes while trying to not have a shaky voice. “I, umm,” she licked her lips, mind flashing back to the reason for this talk, “I was just kind of surprised.”
Her lips tightened while trying to keep her ears and tail from going stiff, but she pushed through the discomfort, “So … what did that kiss mean?”
Anthony’s head fell back against the wall, vision lifting to stare at the clouds they were rising toward. “What did it mean?” He softly repeated. “… I’d like to say nothing, honestly … just to make things less complicated … but that would be a lie.”
It felt like he was stabbing her gut and twisting the knife around. Was there a worse answer than it’s complicated? When she didn’t respond … didn’t know how to respond, he continued.
“I was thinking of Amelia before you showed up … thinking of sharing that scene with her and what she might say, and then I started to question if she’d like me thinking that way? How would she feel … if she knew how hard it was for me to realize I couldn’t share it … that she was gone?”
A lump dropped down his throat, and he rubbed his eyes. “She never … liked seeing me sad; she’d come up with stupid jokes … the stupidest puns to try and cheer me up when she was the one that should have been sad. No … and then there was this thing she told me that … I just couldn’t get out of my head.”
Rachel’s thighs were pressed against each other, feet overlapping as her toes curled; she could still see him clear as day from the corner of her vision. There was loneliness on his face, sadness that she knew she didn’t understand.
“She told…” He had to stop, his lower lip quivering a little. “… She told me that if she passed, then … don’t let that stop me from finding happiness. She wasn’t the only special girl in the world, and then you showed up, and … and I saw that she was right. I, umm … I don’t know what that means to you or where that takes us, but … that’s it. I…”
Anthony’s green eyes lowered, facing her before trailing off.
Rachel’s chest was on fire, body tingling as she unlatched her tight fingers. Shifting to her knees, leaned over, pulled back her hair, and kissed him. Their lips touched, and she could taste the salt of his tears.
He stiffened, but she leaned in closer for a moment before disengaging. She was terrible; she pressed too hard, she cut him off, he was in the middle of…
Anthony’s right hand overshadowed her left, and all doubtful thoughts vanished as he followed her retreat, fingers sliding through her hair to tickle her scalp. His lips closed around hers again, and suddenly her brain was like melting butter.
It probably didn’t last that long, but to Rachel, time had long since frozen, and the world dissolved into stars. When he ended the game of back and forth, he gave her a soft, charming smile while licking his lips. “Heh, I’m a little surprised, I didn’t consider you’d be that aggressive.”
“Sorry,” Rachel instinctively replied, giving him a forced smile.
“No, no … by the way, your ears … lying back with those rosy cheeks … you’ve sold me on the bunny look.”
She couldn’t help Lunar Pride sticking into her side, shooting a slight glare at him that she knew he probably planned. “I’m a Lunar Hare, not a Lunar Bunny.”
“You’ll have to educate me more on the differences,” Anthony winked, causing Rachel’s blush to deepen, but he released a long satisfied sigh, collapsing back against the wall to stare up at the clouds. “Honestly, though, Rachel … I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun and felt so scared as the time I’ve spent with you on this quest. You really do pull something out of me that I want to keep.”
He turned his gentle gaze back to her slight pout. “Thank you.”
“Yeah,” she mumbled, shifting her butt to plop back against the hard wall with a grunt; her entire mouth was still tingling with the memory of contact. “So … where do we go from here?”
“Hmm,” he alternated to his side a little. “Rachel Park, how would you like to go on a few dates and see where we go from there?”
She was a little shocked he could just so easily come out and ask that with his puffy, tear-stained cheeks. “Umm … ahem,” she pulled in her lips for a moment; it was hard to look into his bright green eyes, yet nearly impossible when everything in sight was in focus. “Y-Yeah, that sounds nice, but uh … when? I mean, I’m usually pretty busy, and there’s this Cuba thing coming up…”
He shrugged, clearing his cheeks with a sly grin. “Not backing out on me now, are we? Let him down easy? Is that it?”
“No, no, no,” Rachel swiftly interjected. God, why was her face so hot? She took a few calming breaths before giving him a shy smile. “Sure. I’m down for that.”
He chuckled, reaching up to touch her left ear.
“Hey!” She winced at the pulse that shot mixed singles to her brain on contact, brushing his hand away; it was so sensitive at the moment.
“Hehe … I couldn’t help myself; you’re just so cute with your ears pulled back like that.”
“I’m not a dog,” she mumbled, covering her ears protectively.
“No, no, you’re not,” he whispered, leaning in to kiss her again, causing her ears to stick up. “… You’re just the cutest hare girl I’ve ever seen.”
After the action, he got up and held out his hand to help her up. “Ready to head back in?”
“Are you kidding me?” Rachel growled, accepting his help; his powerful grip and pull hit something different inside her chest. “Look at us? There’s no way I’m letting anyone but Scarlet see me like this … gah, she’s telling my mom, Alexa, and Maria everything, though…”
“Oh,” he rubbed his chin while glancing beyond the low wall, just below his eye-level. “I guess you’ll have to punish her later.”
A smile brightened Rachel’s lips. “Hmm, not a bad idea! Okay, just … give me a few minutes to make my stupid face … gah, yeah, just give me a minute…
He leaned down to kiss her again, but she shied away. “Gah … no, it’ll never go away if you keep kissing me,” she complained, but her heart wouldn’t stop pounding as he chased her along the outside of the wall; of course, she let him catch her, there just wasn’t any other option.
For the first time in a long time, Rachel felt like an actual girl, and it wasn’t so bad.
The time spent on Cahira’s ship was shockingly much shorter than Rachel anticipated; they were back on Earth within thirty minutes with how swiftly the Dragon Turtle flew.
She met with Cahira’s new crew, which, of course, were all as handsome and fit as a man could possibly be without being overly bulky. The Pirate Queen made a point out of showing off their flexibility and muscular strength. The demonstration included the men holding her up in the air by her waist.
Rachel was sure it was more for her own enjoyment with some fetish of being manhandled by the ‘dashing lads’ rather than to show her their physical prowess. Naturally, Cahira could listen in on the conversation and made a few whispered overt remarks about her cabin being free, which Rachel promptly ignored.
Apparently, her mother had gobbled up Scarlet’s side-by-side commentary like a K-Drama fan on crack, foaming at the mouth for details with Alexa’s side-line cheers. The oddest part of the peanut gallery was Gisele, which seemed to be joining in with encouraging sounds.
With Scarlet acting as Molly’s spy machine, she didn’t need to hover close by, and Rachel had to ponder if her newly adopted sister wanted to teleport into the shadows to watch. She wouldn’t put it past the deviant bloodsucker.
Her father was still utterly in the dark, along with many of the others on the ship; Selvaria was having a good time playing with her seal in a hot tub on the fourth floor, complimenting her on the cute collar, and the two lovebirds were talking about their family in the living room.
Maria was asking Elena about her time on the trip, worried about what she was going to tell her mother when they returned; the 16-year-old tried recommending silence, but that didn’t fly with the truthful Unicorn.
Clay was too busy taking care of Reed; the elderly man took to the island’s alcohol rather badly. It had been strong enough to make Cahira blackout, which was a feat in itself from what she heard Maria comment.
Ohan was still meditating on the events that had transpired; something hit him hard in the desire-stage of the quest.
Entering the docks, Cahira’s men saluted her with laughs at her jokes before vanishing with her ship; it was a bit disappointing to the woman, seeing as she’d invited them to journey back to her room. As Alexa noted, the men had the perception of a dense shonen protagonist for their captain.
Clay checked his phone, googled the current date; it was February 27th; three days and five hours had passed since they left. They still had a bit before the sun rose again, but today would be the day the President would deliver his speech after being delayed when they vanished. Knowing the President delayed his speech to figure out what happened to them and what she said could change his opinion was something to ponder.
They each parted ways, planning to meet up the following night.
Elena, Felix, Zoe, and Maria went home after dropping off Cahira, Anthony, Ohan, and Selvaria at the expensive hotel rooms given to her. Clay and Reed went together, telling Rachel that he’d be by her house at 6 P.M. to discuss a few topics and what would happen when moving forward.
When her mother, father, Nam, Alexa, Scarlet, and she arrived home, Rachel’s brain was still mashed potatoes, but her heart was lighter than air. It was as if she was still on a high, and it wasn’t letting her go down. She felt exhilarated and exhausted at the same time, which ended in her crashing onto her bed.
Rachel moaned, stretching a little while getting up; her blurry gaze fell to her unchanged clothes, and according to her bedside alarm, it was 5 P.M. Somehow, she’d slept over twelve hours, but given the last two days’ events, she could believe it.
Rolling over, she got up and did a stretching session; her muscles were far stiffer than they usually were, and a smile lifted her lips, remembering the actions Anthony and her had taken earlier in the day.
Anthony wasn’t technically her boyfriend, but he might as well be at this point. She’d won; he saw her as more than just an acquaintance or friend, and she couldn’t have imagined how good that felt. The strange thrill of being vulnerable inside his arms was something weird that had awakened inside of her; she was usually so guarded, but who knew opening your heart up to be stabbed could be so delightful … if they didn’t actually stab you.
Testing Emotional Detachment, she found it responded, locking the feelings away for a moment before releasing them. It was 5:10 P.M. PST, which meant the President’s remarks would be coming on in another 50 minutes, and Clay would arrive.
Scarlet’s alarm seemed to be the thing that woke her up because she was currently getting ready in her room, teleporting into the bathroom to take a shower. It was then that she noticed the magical garment that she’d let Scarlet use. A note was taped above it on her dresser mirror that read.
“Thanks for letting me use it, Sister!”
Rachel giggled. It must have been a bit embarrassing for her to write that, and it was probably Alexa or her mother that had pushed it. Probably her mother with the note underneath it.
“P.S. Where and why did you get this? Is it for Anthony?”
Yeah, Mom definitely wrote that after Scarlet put it up. Anthony, though … would he like me in this?
“Hmm…” She picked up the magical piece of cloth. She knew it would generate an entire outfit when she fastened the buttons together, and it appeared to have changed to fit her size again after Scarlet had taken it off.
It certainly wasn’t the outfit she would have bought, but at least it had shorts; although, she hadn’t owned a single pair of tights since she was twelve. The one thing that forced her to recognize it, though, was that it would increase her Stats, and no doubt, had more hidden traits customized for Lunar Hare.
“Moongmor…” Rachel sighed. He wasn’t done with her; she could feel it, but practicality trumped fashion in the end. If this thing could keep her alive and improve her Skills overall, then it was worth the embarrassment. It was a little concerning that Lunar Pride wasn’t acting up with that thought.
Scarlet finished her shower rather quickly, in and out, within 8 minutes, giving Rachel the space. Going in, she cleaned off her body and, not knowing if the coat would eat her clothes or not, put it on naked.
She understood why Scarlet had jumped when the two fold-over orange ribbons tightened around her lower back and the front clamped around her breasts. It was as if the outfit was melding with her skin, but she could sense the rapid spike in strength to her Stats, among many other things.
She couldn’t help releasing a low groan when seeing her changed appearance as it finished forming around her figure. Her luminous clover eyes swept her frame in a single glance, shifting left and right to get a better scope of the transformation.
It was generally similar to the outcome Scarlet had.
The main article was white, fluffy rabbit fur surrounding the bottom hem of the coat, orange trim-themed, and a decent-sized pink bunny paw-print on the left side. The backless, shoulderless, and the somewhat revealing front was what probably had her mother screaming the most. The black bra-line poking up, carrot design cut-out between her breasts, and choker didn’t help.
It showed her belly button with the reverse V-shape at the coat’s front, displaying the white shorty-shorts with matching orange trim and small pink bunny prints down the side. The poofy belt around her hips wasn’t particularly to her taste but fit the design.
The thing looked more like a scanty dress with how the coat flared had not the shorts been added, and the thigh-high black tights with the matching pink bunny prints drew her frown; the whole look it gave was such a confusing mix between sexual and cute. It was just enough to border on both.
White, ankle cross-strap ballerina ballet flats with orange ribbons weaving up to her shins with a pink bow tying them off on opposite sides. Two pink bunny head outlines were imprinted on the two cross-sections the straps met. The shoes didn’t seem all that practical for running, but she had no doubt they’d grip better than any human material. The new bow and strap additions should have been expected, though.
The whole outfit went with the black to white to black design while incorporating orange and pink for flair.
Rachel’s fingernails had been painted orange, the fingers being cut out of the black gloves to display the change, and her hair was tied into a thick triple-braid by an orange ribbon.
Her head tilted left and right to see how a pink metal double-cuff earring fit with the aesthetic; it somehow pierced her ears without her feeling it, perhaps tapping into Lunar Deadening. The two loops bore through small orange pearls and were attached just under the tip of her left ear, dropping a few inches with small pink chains into a stud, housing the same color of pearl, only three-times bigger.
The part that really set her jaw was when she turned around to get a look at herself in the mirror from behind. It was clear why the back was left open now. A faint imprint of a pink, wicked-looking rabbit’s head with thunderbolts for ears and a crown surrounding it glowed across her back.
It had such a remarkable similarity to the shirt design Scarlet had gotten her to take in Montana that she had to go back to her room to make sure; Gisele flapped over to join her, making it into the room before she closed the door.
Excluding the Hare Majesty, it was a perfect fit. Had Moongmor been watching them since that point? Since they went into the crystal?
Her focus moved to her little Sky Reaver as she bobbed her head back and forth as if listening to a song.
Lips tightening, she shook her head. The buffs the outfit provided wasn’t fair; she’d be stupid not to use it. Asking The System to elaborate everything she already felt made her fold the back down and slump onto her bed, glaring at herself in her dresser mirror.
“Moongmor…”
Lunar Nia (Level One): Tool, Living-Type, Level One, Novice Grade, Rank Two; the living outfit that wants nothing more than to join her mesmerizing master in battle!
Living Denier I: (Cooldown: N/A; Cost: Moonlight; Duration: 1 Full Night; Range: N/A) Reactive, Repair-Type, Level One, Novice Grade, Rank One; Lunar Nia can grow with the wearer, transforming into dazzling displays of fine art that compliment her master. She’ll work hard to live up to the expectations placed on her at being the best fine piece of fabric in existence! If damaged, time and moonlight to fix her up! The longer she is worn, the more her Proficiencies will advance, and the more combat she sees, the more experience and levels she will gain! Treat her well!
Flaunt It I: (Cooldown: N/A; Cost: N/A; Duration: Until Deactivated; Range: N/A) Passive Aura, Enhancement-Type, Level One, Novice Grade, Rank Two; increases all Stats by 10%, including 3rd party effects.
Absolute Terror I: (Cooldown: N/A; Cost: N/A; Duration: Until Deactivated; Range: +1 Meter) Passive Aura, Enhancement-Type, Level One, Novice Grade, Rank Zero; the max-range of all Curses are increased by a meter and no-longer affects allies.
Absolute Territory I: (Cooldown: 1 Day; Cost: N/A; Duration: 5 Minutes; Range: 2 Meters) Reactive Aura, Control-Type, Level Two, Novice Grade, Rank Zero; can’t be tripped, can’t be stopped, allows bypassing Low-Grade Territory or Movement Impairing Effects for her master and surrounding allies!
Not Teasing Me I: (Cooldown: 1 Day Reset; Cost: N/A; Duration: 5 Charges Daily; Range: N/A) Reactive, Control-Type, Level One, Novice Grade, Rank Zero; repels all Low-Grade Mind Control Effects.
The Game I: (Cooldown: 1 Week Per Item; Cost: Item; Duration: N/A; Range: N/A) Active Fusion, Enhancement-Type, Level One, Novice Grade, Rank Zero; Nia can absorb other pieces of armor and weapons to incorporate them into her designs and strengthen her master! She can only pull in Low-Grade items at the moment.
Less Is More: (Cooldown: N/A; Cost: N/A; Duration: Until Deactivated; Range: Exposed Skin) Passive Aura, Lunar-Type; all areas of exposed skin gain a dampening field equal to Lunar Hair and any damage taken to those areas is linked with the Skill, further leveling it!
Hotly Contested: Cooldown: N/A; Cost: N/A; Duration: Until Deactivated; Range: N/A) Passive, Lunar-Type; Rabbit Gang has unlimited duration when Nia is worn! Although, cooldown applies if the little guys are destroyed; it starts with their destruction.
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