Saving Soul

After finally finding his ascot Adair came back fully clothed. He suddenly felt embarrassed when he noticed Anja still fully unclothed, but the feeling soon past into more of a lust. No, they needed to get their clothes on, not off. Adair suddenly understood why so many people loved sex, and so many feared it. He began gathering her outfit.

Anja looked up when Adair came back. "Oh, I was just going to ask you if you could get those. Thank you"

"You're welcome," he answered, before pausing. "Um, are you going to need help, or are you good?"

"I'll need a little help" Anja stated. "Just for my pants and the like"

"Um, alright," he said, kneeling down and helping her with her lower garments (on not off). He gave her space after that and struggled ot control his hormones.

Anja easily dressed after that. "Thank you Adair." She smiled softly.

"Uh, you're welcome," he answered, before he heard some commotion outside.

"-The hell is he? There's only so many places he could be around here. You sure he didn't die or something?"

"Fiery's heart is fine! He should be-"

Ava and Voltaire. He'd almost completely forgotten about them. He felt some guilt for that.

Anja sat looked up at Adair. She had sat back down once she had gotten dressed. "Go and let them know you're alright." she stated. "They're worry about you."

"Yeah," Adair replied. He had been planning to do that anyway. He went outside, following their voices. A couple of those pink squirrels ran across his feet, and he promptly fried them. For better or for worse, this was their fault.

Adair didn't think it would be too hard to spot a giant red-and-gold bird in a forest, but it was actually Ava that spotted him first. "Fiery!" she cried out happily, suddenly charging out of the trees and surprising Adair.

"Where the hell have you been?" Voltaire asked crankily, riding on top of Ava. "We've spent a good day-and-a-half trying to find you."

"Sorry," said Adair, rubbing the back of his head. "Me and Anja have been staying in a cave nearby. It's well hidden by foliage, so that's probably why you couldn't find it."

"Anjy okay?" asked Ava.

"...Yeah, she's fine."

Anja examined her hands by the fire. They were still a little tender, but the burns were healed. She knew why they had healed so much faster than normal, she just wished that her ankle would heal the same way.

"Speaking of summoner girl," Voltaire began, pointing to his left foot which was heavily bandaged. "Send her my sympathy. My foot's busted too."

"What happened?" asked Adair.

"After you and Anja got knocked off we got attacked by a dragon," Voltaire explained. "Damn thing came out of nowhere and knocked both of us out with its tail. Next thing I remembered was Ava healing my cuts and bruises, but she couldn't do anything about my foot since it was broken."

"Sorry," Ava apologized. "Stupid meanie dragon."

"It's okay," Adair replied. That would explain why Ava didn't just dive down and catch them when they fell, or come for them soon afterward. "You're lucky it was just your foot."

"If I was lucky I wouldn't have broken anything," Voltaire growled. "I can't hunt like this."

"I can hunt!" Ava chirped.

"I know," Voltaire answered, though he still seemed surly.

"Let's go back to the cave," Adair suggested. "Should be big enough for Ava to get into."

Anja sighed and added a bigger branch to the fire. Now she felt guilty. Guilty that she didn't feel worse about what happened with Adair.

Adair and the other made their way back to the cave.

"Hey Anja," Adair greeted, feeling suddenly sky. "Found the others. Um, how are you feeling?"

"...I don't think I can fit," said Ava, peering in. "Hi Anjy!"

"Hi," Voltaire greeted. "You stay over there and I stay over here and we should be good. Since we both have broken feet that shouldn't be too hard."

Choosing to ignore Voltaire, Anja greeted Ava with a polite hello. "And I'm fine Adair, just crippled."

"Watch out for the pink squirrels Ava" She added as an afterthought.

"Oh yeah, Volty said those things make you fall in love," Ava answered. "But I thought love is a good thing."

"Little Deaths," Voltaire added. "And love is good, unless it's forced."

Adair hoped his face wasn't as red as he thought it was.

"Annoying is what they are. Don't hesitate to fry them." Anja stated.

"But they're not very meaty, so don't eat them."

Voltaire laughed. "If we ate them we'd all be in an orgy fest in no time."

Adair didn't doubt it in the slightest. He knew its overpowering effects personally. He sat down next to Anja.

"Anyway, yeah, been killing them on sight," Voltaire went on. "Damn things are everywhere."

"I know. Good thing they prefer areas of vegetation, otherwise they would probably be in here too" Anja rolled her eyes.

"I'm glad they can't fly," answered Voltaire.

"What's an orgy?" asked Ava.

"It's when a bunch of people make out together," Voltaire explained with only the slightest embarrassment.

"How's that different? People can't make out by themselves, can they?"

Adair left Voltaire to his awkward conversation and instead turned to Anja.

"Do you want to stay here, or should we get going to someplace without pink squirrels?"

"Are you asking to leave me here by myself?" Anja asked with a raised brow. "That's a little cold for you, Hero."

"No no no, that's not what I meant!" Adair answered a little too loudly, attracting attention from Ava and a raised brow from Voltaire. "...I mean, should we stay here in the cave and rest or do you feel up for traveling with us?"

"You should be asking us that," Voltaire interrupted loudly. "She's just along for the ride until we can find a place for her."

"He has a point. Though I'm sure Ava would prefer a cave where she'll actually fit." Anja snickered

Adair looked back at Ava, who gave him a somewhat pathetic look.

"...Yeah, I think we should get going," said Adair, picking up Anja.

Anja chuckled. "Thank you Addy." She accidentally slipped, calling him what she called him in their intimacy. She didn't even miss a beat.

It didn't fully register in Adair's mind either, though he was glad that neither Voltaire nor Ava commented on it. He climbed aboard, and Ava soon began to make her way through the woods on foot.

"The sky's here are heavily invested with territorial dragons and wyverns and stuff, as we found out the hard way," Voltaire explained. "So for now we're sticking to a ground route."