Fantasy Cursed Island

[Fangs9090]

"Yeah. I'm not blaming anything on you. Or anyone else. We were all drunk, I think."

 

[Darkling0096]

Poli was right, for the most part, only a couple party members hadn't touched alcohol last night, Beri and Joanne.

Soon they had the tent put back into working order, around the same time Adran rang the dinnerbell and Beri and Asta returned, one black because of their fur and the other because of soot, and both exhausted, with Fia close behind.

 

[Fangs9090]

Asta spoke as they reached camp. "I don't think I've had as good a fight as that."

Fia shook her head. "Just make sure you both check in with Veo. Er, if she's in any condition to check you, that is..."

 

[Darkling0096]

"Hehe," Beri laughed for probably the first time in a while. "It does not get much better," he agreed." He shook off a layer of soot from his fur, his orange markings reappearing. "Where is Veo?"

"She is not in any condition to look either of you over," Adran called, pointing at Emil's prone form.

 

[Fangs9090]

Fia frowned. "He's still out?"

Asta blinked. "What happened to him? Were we attacked?"

 

[Darkling0096]

"That violin is cursed, and we can't un-curse him," Jerry shook her head.

"And you copied my barrier circles," Adran noted.

"It works."

 

[Fangs9090]

"I see... I don't think either of us is seriously wounded though, so we should be fine for now."

 

[Darkling0096]

"I am not harmed," Beri agreed, padding away to go clean his fur himself.

"Anyway," Adran gestured to the creaking dinner table. "Food's on the table."

 

[Fangs9090]

Asta nodded and shook himself off before heading to the table. Fia stepped around the ash cloud he made and followed. Most of the others had gotten there already.

 

[Darkling0096]

"So what have we accomplished today?", Joanne asked, once they all sat down to eat.

"I am learning to control my fire," Beri nodded.

"Plans are in the works" Jerry added.

 

[Fangs9090]

"I made my first bra." Erina looked over at Fia. "Which is for you, by the way."

Fia nodded. "I'll pick it up after eating."

Shuffle spoke up, gesturing to the pile of shinies she had next to herself at the table. "I found a bunch of shiny things!"

 

[Darkling0096]

"And she found them all by herself," Nyah added, getting some raised eyebrows.

"I didn't think you'd make that kind of thing," Adran noted, raising an eyebrow at the arachne. "I think I might have been sitting on a missed opportunity."

 

[Fangs9090]

Shuffle smiled, very proud of herself.

Erina glanced at Adran. "Well, I only just learned how, but it's very different from what I normally make and I find that fascinating. It was also specifically requested. And I don't think you need one."

 

[Darkling0096]

"Oh, I don't," Adran winked, "But you'd look amazing in one."

"Asta," Jerry cleared her throat, "When you finish eating, I need to talk to you, in our tent." She hadn't really been eating, mostly just picking at her food, a sharp contrast to her usual wolfing down whatever was in arm's reach.

 

[Fangs9090]

Erina giggled. "Oh, I know. And I definitely intend to find out for certain."

Asta looked at Jerry before he nodded. "Right."

Shuffle looked back and forth between the two couples, picking up two different vibes and not fully understanding either one.

 

[Darkling0096]

Jerry nodded and got up from the table to go into her tent.

"I'd love to see it," Adran agreed. Nyah cupped her hands over Shuffle's ears.

 

[Fangs9090]

Poli spoke up as Jerry went. "Should I give you some space? I feel like this is something between just you two."

Asta had worked up an appetite sparring with Beri, but he ate quicker to avoid making Jerry wait too long.

Shuffle blinked and tried to look at Nyah to figure out what she was trying to do.

 

[Darkling0096]

Jerry nodded, "Please, just stay close so I come get you if I need to."

Adran seemed to get the message and stopped the overt flirting at the dinner table, and Nyah took her hands off of Shuffle and booped her nose. "Finish eating, I've got a special story for you before bed."

 

[Fangs9090]

"Right." Poli pulled off once they reached the tent, settling down by the entrance.

Shuffle smiled and happily ate faster.

Asta finished before long and made his way towards Jerry's tent.

 

[Darkling0096]

Inside the tent, Jerry was pacing again, her usual coping mechanism for trying to figure things out she wasn't sure if she should be trying to figure out. She'd taken off most of her kit, all of her packs and weapons were sitting folded under the bed once more when Asta came in.

"Sit down," Jerry gestured to the pallet Asta normally slept on as she sat down in a chair. She was quiet for a moment, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried to figure out how to say what she was about to. "Asta, we..." She gestured between the two of them. "Last night we... you know."

 

[Fangs9090]

Asta sat as he was told, watching Jerry. "Ah, yes... Last night got a bit...out of control..."

 

[Darkling0096]

Well, that was one way to put it. "I think that was real premature." From the way she was squirming, she wasn't really sure if this was a conversation she was ready for. "Asta, how exactly do you feel about me?"

 

[Fangs9090]

Asta blinked. "I love you, of course. But I feel like you're asking for a different answer..." He stopped to think for a moment. "I think you're beautiful, even as you've been changing. On top of that, I admire how talented you are. You have so many different skills and you put them to use so well."

 

[Darkling0096]

Jerry nodded. "That's what I was afraid of." She looked down, then back up at Asta. "Asta, the reason you feel the way you do is because of a potion I threw down your throat when we first met." Back when Asta still had three heads and wasn't yet an Awakened beast. "I didn't think you'd become intelligent and feel the full effects once we killed two of your heads, I was just trying to tame a monster to have some protection."

 

[Fangs9090]

“I...see...” Asta went quiet, looking down as he took some time to process that. “So... you don’t feel the same about me then.”