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Chapter 30: Cuddling n’ Beating

Betareader: Ant0nius

“What do you think of your new home so far?"

Feather’s beak gnawed briefly at that question, holding back a sigh as she was interrupted mid-archery practice. Sem had previously moved in the room, that much she was aware of, but had kept quiet as he picked a chair and sat down close to where she was, looking at the results she was getting out of the practice.

What was she to say about her new circumstances? It was less stressful, and they were not free from any repercussions once the war really hit them in its fullest. With Darcy lurking, it was only a matter of time before things heated up and demanded her own intervention. Still, people were nicer, and protocols were less prominent in some instances to favor better approaches. It was fine.

“It’s acceptable,” The Sky Crest mentioned with a small sigh, causing the Lion Prime beside her to give her a weird look. “Is there anything you find lacking in my answer?”

“...Not entirely. Just surprised by the positive reception.”

Feather paused, her gaze moving to glance at the former superior, a frown settling on her face as she tried to understand what she had just heard. ‘Positive’? That was the stingiest answer she provided. And from the smile on Sem’s face, he knew that too. So, why was he bringing that possibility up?

“Oh, but it’s not the words. It’s in the voice.”

His elaboration further confused the young woman. “What do you mean?”

His smile was infuriating, yet he didn’t keep the truth to himself and slowly resolved to provide her with a response.

“Your voice felt lighter, smoother. Less restrained by rules.”

...Was it? And had he actually noticed that?

It felt a bit like a slap than else, as it made her genuine efforts to gain his affection more meaningful than he made those appear. So, he was actually listening and taking notes? Did he actually return them rather- No. She was rushing her thoughts once more. A light blush flared as she coughed nervously, the act gaining a snort from the Lion Prime, thus providing her with an excuse for irritation.

“Are you done mocking me?”

“Mocking? My dear, I’m just trying to be playful for once,” The Death Crest hummed back. “Nonetheless, I wanted to check on you since you’ve been spending an awful lot of time in this facility.”

Not really, at least… not always. A sigh worked its way out of her throat. “I’m just worried.”

A blink. “Truly?”

“Truly,” Feather admitted, setting her bow down. “Tell me, Sem, why do you think we will win?”

“Humanity-”

“Is an efficient war-specialized race,” She confessed with no shame. “Yes, I have studied this myself but… some of the equipment they flaunt as the best counter to tyrants of this kind will fail against the imperial ships.”

“Some will,” He agreed. “But they have the greatest tools to actually succeed where Prism lost.”

“What? Determination?”

“I would say stubbornness,” The Lion Prime rebuked jovially. “They are famous for their unwillingness to give up when the duty is so important.”

“That sounds like a big expectation.”

“Oh, but they are already making their moves,” He pointed out. “Troops are mobilized, weapons are being prepared, and we are already undergoing exchanges to allow closer cooperation between our forces.”

“What? Are they on the ship?”

“Some. They are training with the cadets.”

“And?” She inquired, curious to see how that was faring.

“Some are able to use chaos to an extent. I think they are bonding best with the Narakhans right now.”

She sighed. “That doesn’t bode well. What does the queen say about this?”

“She is fine with it. For some reason ‘their chaos is too different from Narakhans for them to be turned into slaves’.”

“That’s good to know. What about the Goddess? What’s her take on the matter?”

“Truth be told, I don’t know,” The Lion Prime answered readily, ignoring the questioning look forwarded by Feather on the matter. “She is pleased, that much I can say, but she is extremely tight on the details. I think she is still studying the situation but, if things go as intended, this could put an end to the broken balance for good.”

Oh yes, the ‘Broken Balance’. It was an event not many in Prism valued in importance as it was seen as a taboo topic to study or entertain thoughts about. It was considered the ‘original sin’ in Prime culture, the time when the Balance between order and chaos was subverted by their respective deities. When Pandora came to be and imposed her own will upon the laws of chaos and paid the ultimate price because of it.

“What about the other Crests? How are they working on their new training?”

It would be a lie to say Feather didn’t care for the new transformation unleashed by Carmesi. The Crests had a ‘step-up’ level no one but her had achieved? It was both a humiliation but also an interesting discovery the Eagle Prime wanted to get a chance to fully unleash. After all, in her eyes, if someone like Carmesi could make it, then why shouldn’t she and the others? Speaking of which, the Death Crest brought in some news about it.

“Grace is close to get it unleashed, same for Bengala and Ambar. I believe that those which dabbles in emotion-driven powers are going to have an easier time unleash it.”

That was good to know, but it also meant that there was a catch to gaining more powers from this instance for those dealing with their elements. Especially-

“What about you?”

Sem merely smiled, a strange glint flashing in his eyes as he mirthfully said a few words that left her shuddering.

“I’ll manage.”

The confidence left her worried, but Feather decided against pressing about it. She could tell the Lion Prime had plans and those had a chance of working and… she should relax. She had trained long enough at this point.

“How about we go for lunch?” Feather offered a tentative smile on her face. Surprisingly enough, Sem looked a bit stunned by the offer, nervous even but nodded positively to it.

_ Why does it feel like he had done something she should be angry about? _

--------d-d-d-d---------

Adela huffed as she finished dusting off the cover of a book she just received as a gift.

Another visit in the US, then in Brussels, and finally through Russia and Asia. It was a long week, but not one she regretted as her knight was around to keep her company. It was just him, with the others stuck in the ship to either train, recover, or actually keep an eye on those that have just joined the group. It was odd to imagine that it was just them but… she saw no reason to lament her current circumstance.

“It’s been a while since it was just the two of us.”

Theo hummed as he sat by the bed. They had retreated by the bedroom offered to them during their visit in Tokyo, planning to make this the last stop before going back to the main ship. The queen sighed, allowing herself a moment to ease down as she turned to him.

“Is the room safe?”

A nod. “Archie just confirmed that it was.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” The redhead replied with relief before approaching the mattress and… falling flat on it, groaning against its softness and getting a chuckle out of the human. “Ugh, it’s so tiresome.”

“It is,” Her knight admitted kindly as he reached out to move some of the locks covering her face away. “But you are doing an excellent job.”

She sighed. “I sure am...”

A pleased hum came through her throat as she felt his hand caress her ears. A jolt of delight, and then she regaled him with a mirthful glance. “Say what… It's been a while since we slept together.”

Theo hummed. “Oh?”

“And I feel in need of… cuddles.”

“Just cuddles?” He inquired, a hint of interest flashing in that query.

“Just cuddles. For now,” She confirmed in a pleased tone, enjoying as she found her whole frame captured by his arms as she was treated to warmth and closeness. She nuzzled into his chest and sighed, feeling blessed by the overall circumstance.

“When this is over… I want you to marry me.”

At first there was no response from her knight. Her heart ached at those quiet seconds, but then soared when she felt his lips landing on the top of her head. So much care and so much happiness.

“I don’t see why not.”

A pleased nod ensued and the queen abandoned herself to one of those now rare moments of blissful rest. There was much to do and a lot to prepare for before going back home. And, who knows, maybe some private fun to enjoy the rarity of that situation.

A sigh left her lips as the queen felt the most loved in that tedious situation she was in.

_ A brief break from active duty. To think being a queen could get even harder than she thought it to be... _

-------d-d-d-d---------------

Minos felt ashamed.

Sure, he was already shamed by the fact he was serving the cause opposed to the Emperor, but this was definitely a new low end he couldn’t blame anyone but himself about. It all started when he was allowed to actually train. He wanted to pass some time, to get some of that stress under check while also testing out his current skills and… he was upset by the results of that effort.

It’s been a long while since he genuinely put himself through training, so he wasn’t exactly sure which training schedule to approach. He went for something light and yet he was sweating and having trouble controlling his breathing. This wasn’t something that should have been possible. The Earth Crest’s vitality normally should give him enough to go through this and it did. Except it wasn’t enough to give him the edge on others. He knew he had been out of shape, but this was just plain ridiculous. His reflexes were failing him more than he wanted, and his pace was off by a large margin. Why? How did this happen?

The answer was cruel as it reminded him of the many times he had to just sit around, talk with people, do paperwork and not train much. Training became more of a ‘stress-relieving’ session, never meant to pick up the same intensity it had back when he first joined the Imperial Army. A grunt made its way through his mouth at the lackluster performance, and then he heard someone hum beside him, crouching on the bench and giving him a curious look as he sat down.

“You alright, Minnow?”

Another grunt. “I’m fine, Life Crest.”

The irritation was expected, but Geecku recoiled nonetheless at that response. The newest addition, the Life Crest was quite similar in appearance to the Water Crest, a topic that has been already brought up before with ‘funny’ resolutions as Geecku instantly labeled the confused pinkette as her cousin through hugs and nuzzling. He wasn’t sure how it worked, but Minos was too sane to actually delve in that madness alone.

“Minos upset? Wanna spar with me?” She asked nicely, her cute voice being too sugarish for the Bull Prime’s tastes and… it became apparent that she was planning something.

Sadly, he didn’t plan any of that to get in his way to destroy something or someone for the awkward and draining session.

“Sure.”

Minos remembered taking the first swing. He punched forward, expecting the hit to be either dodged or taken in and deal damage. He was surprised when Geecku merely stopped it with her hands and- Then things got blurry. He could tell she struck back, strongly so, and that he had been sent flying on the wall that stood behind him at the time. Then he blacked out before finally waking up in the infirmary with someone tapping a bag of ice over a large bruise on his cheek. Geecku had to punch him once and… the damage that came with that quick hit was absurd to say the least.

Geecku’s strength was impressive and beyond the chart. He didn’t know this was possible, that a Crest could be as powerful. He could understand Ambar’s power since she was more on the balanced side of things and knew how to use strength the best and most appropriate way. And the Light Crest? Minos didn’t fight her personally, but saw some of her spars with Bengala and the result was nonetheless interesting.

This group of people was more dangerous than he had initially thought. He expected for his liberation to be a foolish idea that gave him the edge, and it turns out it was different than that. He was around people that were either as strong or even stronger than he was. And that’s where he finally realized how screwed he really was.

_ They weren’t stuck alone with him, he was the one stuck in the room with them. _

----------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d-------

AN

Blep.