Chapter Ten - A Much-Needed Spa Visit

"We need to talk."

Emerald gave Ava a surprised look. It wasn't often the younger woman sounded so serious, so she was inclined to listen closely. "Sure, what's on your mind?"

"Not here." She grabbed Emerald by the wrist and led the way to her own room, looking around as they went. "I don't want our 'roommates' overhearing us."

'Ah, so it has something to do with them,' the veteran thought. It made sense, especially considering the close shave they'd both just had with Andrew and Devon. Once they were both in Ava's room with the door firmly shut, she turned to the smaller woman. "What's on your mind?"

"We have a giant, otherworldly portal to another room in our apartment, and we haven't explored it?!" Ava stood with her hands on her hips, giving the taller woman a hard look.

It took Emerald a moment to collect her thoughts. "Well, I mean... I was here when they made it. And we've both been inside it - "

"But not past the little lobby thingy! There's so much more in there we haven't seen yet!"

She chuckled a little. "I guess this is how they felt when we took so long to take them outside to other places, huh?"

"That's not the point! This is our home we're talking about, and I'm getting a little sick of all the secrets around here!"

"Secrets?" She cocked one eyebrow. "Where is this coming from all of a sudden?"

Ava crossed her arms. "Let's just say that today has been rather enlightening."

Emerald sighed, closing her eyes as she rubbed her forehead. "Look, I'm sorry I freaked out earlier when your parents first showed up, and I'm sorry I couldn't come along on the 'date' thing and help you out more."

"Nono, it doesn't have anything to do with that. I just..." Ava thought for a moment. "Look, I know I could be doing more to help out around here. And I'm trying, I really am! It's just - "

"Hey, don't worry about that right now." Emerald enveloped the smaller woman in a hug, resting her chin on the top of her head. "Everything will be okay. This has just been a shi - crappy day on top of a very crappy week. If you think a little adventure will help, then I'm all for it."

"R-really?"

She pulled away, giving a small but genuine grin. "Just let me go get my bat first."

Ava nodded eagerly, reaching into her dresser and pulling out her giant novelty pencil. "Time for Ava and Em to take control."

* * * * *

Meanwhile, the Daemos were having a meeting of their own to discuss the events of the day. Rhys was closest to the prince, the other three forming a row behind him. The spectacled Daemos addressed Asch. "What do we do with this new information?"

The latter sighed tiredly. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we've now discovered Ava is a princess since her father is ruler of all humans." Rhys narrowed his eyes in thought. "I believe we now have a possible solution to us coming here."

"Court Ava," Pierce spoke up.

"Correct."

Leif was practically buzzing with excitement. "Okay, this idea opens up a whole new bottle of questions. First off, the kingdom of Daemos won't allow that. A Daemos courting a human - "

" - has never been done," Asch interrupted.

Rhys gave him a patient look. "I would argue that now is possibly the best time to pursue that."

"We'll be put to death if we attempt that."

"Aren't we already on death's door if everyone finds out we used the last soul?" Leif cut in worriedly.

"No one on Daemos has to know we courted a human." Rhys brushed the former assassin's concerns aside. "We only want Ava for her magic, that's all."

"How 'bout we just start threatening humans? Maybe with, I don't know... death?" His eyes sparkled at the thought.

"We are severely outnumbered in this world, Leif. The human population here severely outweighs the entirety of our kingdom." Rhys paused, looking worried. "I suspect there are even more humans than we are aware of, based on one of the books Emerald gave us to read. It is possible we have only seen glimpses of one small kingdom here on Ee-urth so far."

"There's so much potential for magic here. I've been thinking..." Asch narrowed his eyes, voice lowering dangerously. "What if I just made Ava mine?"

"Asch?" Rhys became lost in thought, remembering the warnings Lady Grandma had given him before this journey. If he let Asch simply take Ava and wrest control of the humans from her parents, war would undoubtedly follow. Not to mention the more immediate consequences of how Emerald might react if she felt they were putting Ava in danger - 

"Rhys? Rhys!" Asch was calling his name, sounding more annoyed by the second.

"Huh?"

"What were you going to say?"

"Asch..." Rhys took a moment to compose himself. "You are the prince of the kingdom of Daemos. However, you know that there are lesser kingdoms of Daemos that are all at war for the throne your family has."

"And...?"

"Do we really need yet another war started? One where we are greatly outnumbered in?"

"I want you to know Rhys, that since we've been here, we've been docile when dealing with Ava and Emerald. I've been under this idea since you've been so adamant about keeping the peace between worlds."

"And I am grateful for your cooperation... although I must disagree slightly with you about the 'docile' way we treated Emerald upon our arrival in her home. But if I may interject, you don't seem to be keen on moving forward any faster than I."

"Let's just get the mission done," Asch sighed tiredly.

Rhys bowed his head. "Forgive me. We are in no rush. Not until we have to go back."

"I said let's continue with this idea!" The Daemos prince sounded irritated.

"As you wish." He turned to the others, focusing on Noi. "Noi?" Rhys questioned, growing impatient when he did not receive an answer. "Noi?" The smallest Daemos didn't respond, continuing to mutter and giggle to himself as a blush spread across his cheeks. "Noi!"

"Bluh - yes?!" he blurted out, startled.

"When you were courting Ava on that... 'date', what did she enjoy?"

* * * * *

Ava and Emerald came through the portal together, the latter taking point. Both wielded their chosen weapons close to their bodies. "When I see those idiots, I'm going to stab them with my Stabby Pencil and demand answers!" Ava growled, taking a few practice jabs.

"Simmer down, sassy buns. Let's try asking the questions like civilized human beings before we start with the stabbings."

The younger woman held her pencil out confidently. "Ava isn't playing around this time."

Emerald let out a snicker. "Why is Ava speaking in third person?"

"Nevermind! Let's go." Ava marched past her, leading the way. "I need to be an adult! I've been blissfully ignorant so far because I've been distracted by the fact that they're sexy and I - " Emerald's barely-contained laugh interrupted her. "Hey, don't judge me! I know for a fact you think Pierce and Rhys are hot."

"Where on earth did you get that idea?" Despite herself, Emerald found herself blushing slightly.

"I've seen you sneaking glances at them when you think no one's watching." She pointed the pencil in her direction. "Don't you dare deny it! I've seen it."

"Of all of them, those two seem like the biggest threat to us. Rhys is definitely the smartest, and Pierce is built like a tank. Plus, need I remind you, Pierce has already hurt me once."

"Yeah, but he didn't mean to. It was an accident!"

Emerald waved her hand dismissively. "I know, I know. But it's a bit hard to just forget something like that. It's barely been a week since they first got here, even though it feels like months sometimes."

Ava opened her mouth to argue more, but cut herself off with a surprised gasp. Before Emerald could ask her anything, the smaller woman took off through the doorway in front of them. At a loss, she followed.

Their eyes were greeted by what could only be described as the greatest hot tub either of them had ever seen. Water flowed from a circle suspended over a pool in the shape of a four-leaf clover, cascading down in four groups of three rivulets. An additional spout fed water into the pool from the north end.

Ava dropped her pencil, tears of happiness streaming down her face. Although still on guard, Emerald lowered her bat so the tip was resting on the floor. "This is the most beautiful hot tub I've ever seen!" the former sobbed.

"It's pretty impressive, I'll give you that."

"Wait..." Ava's eyes clouded over in anger. "They had a hot tub and they didn't tell us?!" She stepped forward, looking down into the water. "You know, it'd serve them right if we just jumped in. After all, they're staying in our apartment." She began taking her shirt off, but Emerald's hand on her arm stopped her.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea? I mean, they seemed confused when they saw us taking showers and baths." She walked to the edge of the pool, studying it closely. "I don't know what this is, but it's probably not meant to be a hot tub." She knelt and carefully tested the water with her hand.

"Well then, that's their fault for not being smart enough to know a good thing when they have it!" Ava shot back, taking her shirt off. "How is it?"

Emerald stood, shaking the water off her hand. "It feels amazing..." she trailed off suddenly.

"Em? You okay?"

The veteran shook her head quickly, as if to clear it. "There's something... weird about this."

"Do you think it's dangerous?" Ava was beginning to second-guess herself.

"No, I don't think so. It just makes me feel - " She was cut off as Ava pushed her into the pool, sputtering as she stood. "What the hell, Ava?!"

"Does it still feel 'weird'?"

Emerald paused, running her hands through the water. "No. It feels... pretty awesome." She leveled a glare at the younger woman. "You could've at least let me take my pants off first. Do you know how badly these jeans are going to chafe?"

Ava laughed, removing her shorts and socks. "You can still take them off, you know."

The older woman sighed, before grinning wickedly. "You better get in here before they come off, or I'm chucking them right at your face!"

"Bring it!"

* * * * *

"Huh?" Pierce turned, listening intently. He was positive he'd heard voices coming from inside their space, but that wasn't possible.

Beside him, Noi giggled as he answered Rhys's question. "From what I learned, on dates humans seem to enjoy 'pizza'. Her parents weren't as scary as I thought they were and Sorceress - " He cut himself off, eyes going dreamy. "I mean... Princess Ava... seems to like talking a lot."

Leif turned to Pierce. "You heard that too?"

"Heard what?" Rhys looked between the two of them.

Pierce reported, sounding every bit the General he used to be. "Someone is here."

"Wait... he's right."

As a group, all the Daemos went to the stairs, Pierce descending first. "How did you not sense someone going through?" Asch questioned Rhys, glaring at him.

"I don't know!" he answered, feeling concerned about this mystery. "But they're inside here."

Leif pulled out both his knives, grinning gleefully. "Let's kill 'em!"

* * * * *

Emerald leaned her head back against one of the stone backings, glancing over at Ava. Both women had stripped down to their underwear, the veteran's clothes spread out on the floor to dry out. "You know what thish feels like?" she slurred slightly, giggling a bit. "It's kind of like being drunk. Not super drunk, but like... pleasantly tipsy."

Ava returned her giggle. "Yeah, it kind of does."

"I think... we should maybe be a little worried about that."

"Should we, though? This hot tub is absolutely amazing and I've never seen you so relaxed." The smaller woman gave her a somewhat serious look. "For real, though: you deserve this. We deserve this."

Emerald shrugged her shoulders, closing her eyes as she sank a little lower into the water. "You're lucky I don't have any work tomorrow, or else we'd really be in trouble." She gave another small giggle. "This is a nice way to end the day."

"Right?!"

The sound of rapid footsteps caught their attention, both women glancing over to see all five Daemos entering from a side hallway. Leif and Pierce had their weapons drawn, but that fact failed to register in their brains or cause any sort of concern.

"Princess Ava?" Pierce sounded confused. "Emerald?"

"Hiiii!" the former called out, the latter giving a little wave.

"Why are you in the spell pool -" Rhys cut himself off quickly, feeling it might not be a good idea to let them know exactly what they were sitting in. " - I mean... what are you two doing here?"

Ava sat up. "Well, originally I wanted to yell and stab you guys with my novelty giant pencil, because I was mad at myself for kind of letting you guys into my life without question, but then! I stumbled upon your hot tub and I forgave myself for not asking you guys questions, but I got mad at you guys for not telling me you had an amazing hot tub!"

"Hot tub? This is a spell - " Noi grunted in pain as Leif smacked the back of his head. "Ow!"

"They're doing that thing Ava does in her spell pool," Asch observed with contempt.

"Spell... pool?" the veteran repeated back in confusion.

"H-he meant to say 'hot tub' like you," Rhys blurted out quickly.

"Is that safe for them to be doing?" Leif asked flatly.

"Silence!" he whispered fiercely.

"You know what?" Emerald managed to focus on them. "If you guys let us use this hot tub all we want, we'll tell you guys even more about the human world. Okay?"

"Really?!" Rhys was unable to hide his excitement. "I - "

"Deal," Asch interrupted.

The veteran giggled more, motioning to them lazily. "Come sit with us. Come on, let's talk!"

Noi glanced at the other Daemos, looking for guidance. "C-can we do that?! Even I'm not - "

Without waiting for an order, Pierce walked straight into the water and sat down by the two women.

"You're supposed to take off your clothes - y-you know what nevermindI'mnotreadyforthat." Ava looked away, blushing furiously while Emerald laughed.

"Speak for yourself," the latter teased, nudging her lightly on the shoulder.

One by one, the rest of the Daemos joined the two women in the water, forming a semi-circle around them where they were relaxing against the stone.

Once they were all settled, Ava looked around. "So... you guys came here to Earth because... well, when we first met you, you told us that 'Our world is gonna be eaten by a terrible monster and we wanna make sure the Earth is good so we can move here'. Right?"

Rhys hesitated, trying to remember if that was what he'd said. "Th-that is correct."

"But... it's kinda odd you guys haven't mentioned that again in the time we've known you." Emerald stared at each Daemos in turn. "It sounds kind of urgent, don't you think?"

"I... uh... "

Asch interrupted him gently. "It is, but we know our kingdom back home can handle the threat."

"Phew! Nice save, Asch," Noi whispered, eyes sparkling with admiration.

"Hmm, interesting..." she trailed off, lost in thought. "Why are you guys so... 'off', then?"

Leif sounded offended. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know. You guys just... act weird about things that are normal to us. But I guess you're from a different world, so I can't really - "

"We act weird? Heh, look at yourselves!"

"Huh?"

He pointed at Ava. "You threaten us a lot, but you don't actually do things with your magic aside from flash it at us."

"I agree," Asch interjected. "And why are humans so docile? I haven't seen any of them try to kill each other or us."

"Wow. Now that you mention it, you're right!" Noi agreed eagerly.

"I guess... because we evolved not to do that kind of stuff?" Ava looked to the older woman. "Em, help me out here."

"I mean, it still happens in the world and I guess... we're just lucky enough to not have it that bad."

"Is that not common here?" Pierce broke in.

"I mean, it's not something you're likely to run into in a place like this. On the other hand, other parts of the world..." she trailed off, staring into the middle distance.

"Em?" Ava shook her shoulder gently. "Hey, don't go thinking about - "

"Why are humans so calm?" Noi interrupted.

Ava reluctantly dragged her attention away from the veteran. "Isn't... your world calm like this?"

"No, it's not!" Rhys practically shouted, before remembering himself and taking a deep, calming breath. "I mean, uh... why do you think we have a monster trying to devour it?" He finished by laughing nervously.

Emerald shook herself out of whatever thoughts she had wandered into. "Oh! So you guys are like, in the Medieval Ages?"

"Yes." Rhys sounded like he didn't have any idea what she was talking about, but wanted to end this line of questioning as quickly as possible.

Ava laughed in relief that Emerald had brought herself back to their conversation. "You know, you guys really scared my dads. I'm positive they're worried about me now more than ever."

Noi stared at her. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No, but I'm pretty sure they're gonna come around to check on me more often."

"Depends on your definition of 'bad'," Emerald muttered under her breath. At Ava's look, the older woman sighed. "Look, I don't mind if they come over, but they better send a courtesy text or something and not just show up unannounced again. The least they could do is knock on the door before just forcing their way in."

"What are we doing?" Asch cut in with annoyance.

"Huh?"

"We aren't talking about anything of use here. This is nonsense and ramble. What use is talking like this?!"

"It's what friends do, I - " Ava cut herself off with a gasp, covering her mouth for a moment.

"Are you all right?" Pierce gave her a concerned look, mirrored by Emerald.

"Y-yeah," she replied lamely. "Just... thinking too much about things." She desperately tried to change the subject. "N-Noi, how did you like pizza?"

Asch growled angrily. "Don't ignore my question. I - "

"It was amazing!" Noi gushed. "I would like it again."

"Pizza?" Rhys was lost in thought. "Is that like... ice cream?!"

"Uh, I'm not sure - "

"It's better than ice cream," Ava interrupted confidently.

"Do not speak such lies!" Rhys growled angrily.

"I agree!" Emerald broke in. "Ice cream can kick pizza's ass any day of the week."

The smaller woman looked between them. "Well, uh... I mean, they're both good in their - "

"I will not have this treason speak!" Rhys declared, rising from the water.

Leif laughed happily. "Whoo-hoo-hoo, I've never seen Rhys upset before."

"'Treason speak'?" Ava mocked, standing as well. "Look, I can give you ten reasons why pizza is better than ice cream. One, pizza - ah!" Whatever she was about to say was cut off as she tripped over Pierce's leg in the water, face-planting with a splash.

Asch broke out in boisterous laughter, catching everyone completely by surprise with how genuine it sounded.

"He laughed," Noi whispered in amazement.

"Shut up!" Ava shouted in embarrassment as she stood, water dripping from her face.

Asch continued, only stopping when Emerald splashed him with a well-placed palm to the water. His stunned face made all the other Daemos break out into laughter as well. "Weren't expecting that, huh?!" Leif teased.

"It is only befitting, since Ava is a princess." Rhys nodded to the taller woman. "You serve your mistress well, Dame Emerald."

"Silence!" the Daemos prince barked angrily, glaring at his knights.

Ava took a moment to look at the Daemos gathered around her. "Why me?" When none of them answered, she pressed on. "You know there are other humans in our world. Like Em here, but also so many others. Why do you choose to stay with us?"

"Because I like you," Noi confessed without embarrassment, either not noticing or pointedly ignoring the glares Pierce and Rhys sent his way.

"Oh please, it's because you two are our prisoners." Asch scoffed.

"I mean, your reaction to us was mild compared to the humans on Daem - "

Rhys interrupted with panic. "What Leif is trying to say is... it would not be wise of us to make our presence known here on Ee-urth just yet. You yourself have even advised us against that."

"I... just don't see how moving your world to ours is going to be any better," Ava looked around seriously. "It must be cool to be a prince in a land full of magic. Can you tell me about Daemos and what it's like?"

Noi began. "Dark and - "

"Enough!" Asch cut in, silencing the smallest Daemos. "We are done with this." He stood. "Stay as long as you want, prisoners. For now, my knights are to retire for the night." Order given, the Daemos prince walked out of the pool and back towards the doorway they had entered from earlier.

"Did I say something?" Ava seemed confused at the sudden turn of mood.

Rhys stood. "Please excuse me." He bowed to Ava and Emerald in turn, then followed Asch out of the room.

"I'm out," Leif announced flatly before vanishing completely from the water.

"How does he do that?" Emerald wondered, staring at the spot the former assassin had just occupied.

"I don't know, now that I think about it." Noi sounded pensive before turning to Ava. A blush crept over his cheeks. "Anyway, let's go on a date again sometime soon, okay?" He stood, the blush deepening as he began to leave. "I really enjoyed what we did. Bye!"

Emerald noticed the glare Pierce sent at Noi when the littlest Daemos invited Ava out on another date. 'Pierce really seems to like her,' she thought, somewhat sadly. 'I've noticed how he acts towards Ava since they first came into our lives.'

Ava looked down at Pierce, who was still seated in the water. "You aren't leaving?"

"I will escort you out when you are ready," he answered simply.

"I can do that by myself, you know. Besides, I have Em here to walk me back to our apartment."

"I'd like to help," he answered, sending a look Emerald's way to let her know he was not trying to intrude upon what he saw as her duties to the princess. The veteran gave him a small nod to show she understood his intentions.

Ava walked around him to sit back down in her previous spot, nudging the veteran with her elbow slightly. "Well, you're both gonna be here for a while because I live for hot tubs. Hmph." She settled back, closing her eyes so she didn't see the small, affectionate smile Pierce threw her way.

But Emerald did...

... and it hurt a bit more than she expected it to.

* * * * *

"One of us is going to slip the truth to one of them, if we continue to speak to them like that..." Asch mused.

"Which is why they're perfect," Rhys assured him. "For whatever their reasons, Ava and Emerald are willing prisoners. And that helps us. Ava has prolonged her showing how she does magic. You should ask her about it sometime." He paused, lost in serious thought. "It also appears Emerald is not entirely without magic herself, since she did use disarming magic on you back there in the spell pool. It may be she is capable of it after all, if it involves defending her mistress from attack."

"We will conceive tomorrow," the Daemos prince announced, turning away as he walked towards his throne.

"Ava and Emerald are not the only ones prolonging this relationship," Rhys murmured quietly to himself. "What are you hiding, Asch?" Knowing he would receive no answer, the spectacled Daemos retired to his own quarters.

* * * * *

"Sho, about that scar..."

Emerald startled as Ava grabbed her arm, trying to pull her up. "What're you talkin' 'bout?" the former slurred a little, feeling more of the effects of the water.

"That scar Leif keepsh going on about that you have on your stomach." The smaller woman pulled harder on her. "It'sh gotta look pretty cool if he keeps mentioning it..."

"Hey, c'mon Ava. You don't want to see that." Emerald gently tried to remove her hand, surprised when she didn't release her arm. "I'm serious. Let go."

Ava shook her head. "Nooo, I wanna see!" She lowered her voice. "You don't wanna disobey your Princess in front of the Daemos, do you?"

"Look, I know you're feeling a bit loopy from this water, but I am not comfortable showing you that. It's something very personal and I don't feel like it right now." The veteran gave her a pleading look. "Please..."

Before either of them could say anything else, Pierce came over and effortlessly picked up Ava in one motion. "Forgive me, but I think you two have had enough soaking for one evening."

Emerald launched herself out of the water and grabbed her shirt, making sure to keep her back to them. As Pierce hid Ava from view and turned his head to look at the water, she pulled it over her head and down in one smooth motion. "Thanks, Pierce," she said softly, sitting down at the edge of the water again.

The large Daemos nodded, carefully placing Ava back into the water before sitting on the edge next to Emerald.

"Hey, what happened to 'enough soaking for one evening'?" the smaller woman asked grumpily, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting.

"I mean, I'm done for tonight." The veteran poked her with one foot. "Personally, I think you should get out too."

Ava huffed in annoyance. "Well, I personally think you should shut your noise hole and let me do what I want for once." She settled deeper into the water, lying her head back against the stone and closing her eyes.

Emerald sighed, propping herself up on her hands as she leaned back as well. "Okay, but don't come crying to me when you get overheated and feel like crap tomorrow."

"Fine, Mom."

Pierce and Emerald sat in a comfortable silence as Ava continued to soak, neither one particularly inclined to break the quiet. Eventually, the veteran felt herself starting to nod off. "Hey, Ava? You ready to go back yet?"

"Nope."

Emerald sighed, sitting up in an effort to wake up a bit. She rested her chin in her hand, elbow propped on her knee as she stared absently at the water. Gradually, she became aware of Pierce looking at her. "What is it?"

"You may retire, if you wish. I will make sure Princess Ava is escorted safely to her quarters."

She chuckled lightly. "I'd rather not leave her alone in here, if it's all the same to you."

Pierce nodded. "I understand you do not wish to abandon your duty, but I must insist you rest. These last two days have been hard on both of you." He paused. "I do not want either of you to come to harm."

"That's sweet and all, but as long as Ava's in there I'm not leaving this room."

The large Daemos hesitated only a moment before he reached over and gently began running his hand over Emerald's back. As usual, she tensed up briefly before gradually relaxing into his touch. "I will keep watch over her," he assured her. "Sleep."

Emerald could have given him twenty reasons off the top of her head why that was not a good idea. However, she seemed to be having trouble voicing any of them as exhaustion suddenly overtook her. She wobbled slightly, dimly aware of Pierce's hands on her shoulders as he guided her body to lie down.

"Wha-what did you... do to me?" The veteran found herself lying on her back, staring up at his face. Something was under her head, acting as a cushion. It took her a few seconds to realize it was his leg.

"Sleep," Pierce repeated, softly petting the top of her head.

She tried to fight it, but Emerald suddenly felt more tired than she ever had in her entire life. Between everything that had happened over the last two days, the weird way the water in the "hot tub" made her feel, and how she was beginning to suspect Pierce was using magic to make her sleep, the taller woman was ready to just roll over and let this day be done.

Before she drifted off, Emerald met his gaze. "Keep 'er... sfe..." she slurred, hoping he understood.

To her relief, Pierce nodded. "No harm will come to Ava. I promise."

With that, Emerald let herself sink into oblivion.