Intervention

[

"..."

"...It's almost time, you know."

"Time for what?"

"..."

.

.

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Aisha frowned and sheathed her sword.

.

"This is going to be a short one, so pay attention."

"..."

"Do you know… what you've lost by being here?"

"..."

"..."

"...No." Aisha was used to the cryptic questions by now.

"Just remember, that everything has a price. It's called the law of equivalent exchange."

"In your world?" She asked.

"For everything that you gain, you lose something. It's up to you to determine if the trade is worth it or not. There's no such thing as receiving something for free. It is just a matter of recognizing what you've lost. This is how humans are cheated. They don't recognize what they have is valuable.

Time.

Happiness.

Memory.

Emotion."

"...What?"

.

Aisha quickly drew her sword as a black flash entered her vision, catching the glint of steel..

]

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Aisha walked by the familiar street where the guild hall building was, her eyes locking onto a small sign, propped up near the entrance.

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[Cold Drinks Inside!]

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(What is that…? Marketing?)

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She opened the doors, the sound and smell of sweaty adventurers not even bothering her anymore. She made a beeline to the front desk, pushing aside chairs and seats not pushed in properly by careless adventurers.

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The clerk turned around, sensing someone behind him as he polished a glass. His expression soured at the sight of the short, hooded fey.

"It's you. Ugh."

"I'll have a ginger ale."

"Are you even old enough?"

"For a non-alcoholic drink?"

"No."

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She just stared at him blankly. Her stare no longer had that dead, intense, creepy quality that it once had, probably because of Celeste, but even still, the silence between them was very uncomfortable.

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He sighed. "One silver." He said, turning around and looking for a bottle. He slid it over the table, making sure to not touch her hand, and put the coin into a little jar. Aisha took the drink, twisting off the metal bottle cap, and took a sip.

.

"Ew, this tastes terrible." Aisha said.

"Then why would you order it, idiot?"

"I wanted to try it. Can I have my money back?"

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The clerk hurriedly moved away somewhere else, to find someone else to interact with. He had a strong urge to bang his head on the counter.

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Aisha shrugged, taking another drink from the bottle. She forgot to actually ask the clerk about why they were actually serving drinks…

Oh well. It wasn't like she cared. She turned around, scanning the room for a familiar face.

.

[

"Promise me that you'll take at least one other person with you!" Celeste demanded.

"Well… I-" Aisha started.

"prOMISE!" She shrieked.

"Ok, ok!"

]

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Aisha blew a raspberry, at nobody in particular. It would be so much easier if Celeste just came with her. But Celeste really hated walking, and those were the contracts that usually took the least time.

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She saw nobody around her that she recognized. Not even Amir, who seemed to have taken up permanent residence in one of the corners of the guild. He had gone somewhere. Aisha sighed, slumping down in a chair and kicking her feet up.

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(Maybe I should just break my promise...)

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Visions flashed through her mind, of that oh so important promise that she had made so long ago. She shook her head. She would never break a promise.

.

(I guess I'll just wait.)

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.

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"Is seat taken?" A voice asked.

"Yes." Aisha responded, not even bothering to look at who had talked… Or even if they were talking to her. Her eye twitched as she heard a chair being pulled out next to her, putting her feet down to address the unfamiliar voice.

.

It was just some guy, with a long beard and mustache. Aisha squinted, but she couldn't recognize him. She had never seen him before.

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(Long beard, for someone looking so young.) She thought.

,

(Only beard I've seen… other than...)

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Aisha's eyes narrowed, her thumb separating her sword from its sheath, just a tiny bit. She attempted to jab at the man under the table, but her sword was stopped by what felt like diamonds. She peeked under the table. The man's barrier was pure white, and wisps of holy magic emit, burning her hands and arm. Ifrit smiled condescendingly.

.

"You're the false god." She affirmed.

"Indeed I am." He replied, that self-satisfied smirk on his face.

"You're not even going to try to hide it from me." She said, flatly.

"No. I can't change your mind, anyway. I like that."

"Tch! What do you want?"

"Hey, can we get some drinks?" The man yelled at the counter, over the bustle of the guild, ignoring Aisha's question..

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The clerk walked over to their table, stiffening at the sight of Aisha.

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"What do you want?" He asked, rudely.

"What's your name, good sir?" Ifrit asked.

"...It's Luan." He said, slowly.

"Well Luan, a beer for both of us! Your finest variety." Ifrit said, with a smile.

"All the beer here is crap." Luan said, sourly.

"Uh… ok. What would you recommend, good sir?" He asked.

"Everything here is crap."

"..."

"..."

"Stupid mortals... " He muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Can we just get water, then?"

"This isn't a restaurant, stupid."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm not your waiter. I'm not going to get you water, unless you want to pay me."

"Aren't you supposed to serve the good adventurers here?"

"I don't get paid to serve. I get paid to activate the contracts, and the stupid fucking guildmaster can go to hell, if he think that for their stupid marketing bulls-"

"Silence! Enough! Just leave us alone!"

.

Aisha raised her eyebrow, hearing a bit of power leaking into his voice, almost losing control. The clerk just scoffed and walked back to his desk, flipping them off behind his back. Ifrit narrowed his eyes, pointing at his back with his finger under the table.

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Aisha couldn't see anything, but she guessed that the clerk was going to be very unlucky for the next couple of weeks.

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"That was petty of you." Aisha said.

"You couldn't see that, could you?" He asked, surprised.

"No. But what else would you be doing, behind his back?"

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Ifrit's smirk returned.

.

"Ahh… observant. I like that."

"Stop saying that."

"But it's true. I have taken an interest in you, and your adventuring."

"Why?"

"Well, when you've lived for so long… you start to get-"

"Bored?"

"Haha! Very good. You get me!"

"I don't." Aisha said, darkly. "Why are you here? If you're here to hurt Celeste, then…"

"You'll do what?"

.

Aisha clenched her fists.

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"At any rate, I'm not here to do anything like that. I won't hurt… uh… your mother." He said.

"She's clearly not my mother!"

"I don't care. At any rate, I'm just here to see what you've done with the onyx."

"I left it at home."

"You're not going to… sell it? Or craft it into an amulet?" Ifrit raised his eyebrow.

"No. Maybe I'll give it to Celeste, as a gift."

"You're not supposed to do that." He said, displeased. "You're supposed to use it."

"I don't need it. And I can't use it."

"That's not very interesting."

"That really sucks." Aisha said, sarcastically.

"You're being quite impudent, mortal girl."

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Aisha looked at the growing displeasure on the false god's face, his features twisting into a scowl. She wondered, if after she didn't do what he wanted, he would destroy her, like a child angry that his favorite toy broke. She cursed herself, closing her eyes. If he decided to kill her here, then she would… have broken her promise. It would all be her fault.

.

"Very well. Perhaps I have given you the wrong gift." He said slowly.

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Ifrit reached his hand out, and a very ornate, black blade appeared in his hand. It rippled with powerful energies, and even from across the table, she could tell that it was an incredibly powerful sword. Aisha relaxed all the tensed muscles in her body that were prepared to make a run for it.

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"Take this."

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Aisha thought a bit. Her heart raced, at the potential to be like all the heroes in the stories she had read as a kid…

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(Think about things rationally. What good would a sword do for you? That's not your problem right now.)

.

"No."

"Why not?" He asked, insistently.

"Why give this to me, anyways? I already have a sword."

"This one is much better."

"Where did you get it from?" Aisha asked.

"..."

"It's cursed, right?"

.

Ifrit took on a scowl again, his body beginning to take on a white tint, losing control over his powers. He stood up from the table, launching his chair backwards.

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"A story is no fun without stakes, girl! Haven't you ever read any books? Heroes are burdened! They start out weak, just like you! Then they receive a cursed power, they struggle, and then they overcome their weakness! They have to struggle! Otherwise there is no excitement!" Ifrit yelled, furious.

"I am struggling. And there is no story here." Aisha muttered. "This is the real world."

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Aisha looked at Ifrit. White was starting to encroach into his eyes, and white vapor was starting to emit from his body like steam. Aisha closed her eyes again.

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"Tch."

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And just like that, he left. Aisha opened her eyes again, trying to quell her shaking body.

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(That's… not the last time I'm going to see him.)

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Aisha rubbed her temples, groaning and trying to make sense of… what was happening. Should she have taken the stupid sword, and played into his game? No…

.

(Real life… isn't like those stories.)

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"Guh…"

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(I just wanna go home...) She thought, closing her eyes and leaning back in her chair.

.

.

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"H-hey Aisha. A-are you here alone?" Came a shy, quiet voice, almost inaudible amongst the clamor of the guild.

"Who are you!?" She demanded, her eyes snapping open.

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Aisha almost drew her blade, but stopped at the sight of the muscled, deep olive-skinned Kua. Why hadn't she recognized her voice?

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"H-hey. It's me. Sorry… I g-guess I don't… really talk that often."

"Oh. Hhhey."

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Kua shifted around nervously, as if she didn't know what to do.

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"Um… you need something?" Aisha asked.

"A-ah! Um… I just wanted to ask you… if you w-wanted to do a contract with me."

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Aisha took stock of the tall, muscular girl, stammering and shifting around like a timid schoolgirl.

.

"Uh… sure." Aisha said.

"Oh… that's great! Y-you can pick. The. Um. Contract."

.

Aisha raised her eyebrow, slightly confused but nonetheless, she walked over to the contract board, picking out a random contract and walking over to the clerk, ringing it up. She ignored his sour look as she made eye contact with Kua, who gave her a small wave.

.

.

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Aisha poked Kua in her exposed tummy. The girl had a lot of exposed skin, that was fun to touch,

.

"Eeeyah! H-hey! W-why'd you do that?"

"For fun."

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Kua whined softly, looking at her exposed midriff. Never had she regretted wearing such skimpy clothing, except for now, when she had to deal with all of Aisha's playful bumps and touches. It was just so… embarrassing.

.

"S-so what's the contract?"

"Uh… I think it's wolves."

"Oh..."

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Kua made a soft, displeased noise in her mouth, very quiet, but Aisha could hear it with her fey ears.

.

"You don't like wolves."

"A-Ah- Uh. N-no! I-I… like wolves…" She lied, and Aisha could tell, very easily.

"You should have picked the contract yourself."

"N-no… I don't… like picking them."

"Why not?"

"...I don't like talking to the clerk." She muttered.

"I guess. I don't really like him either."

"I-it's not that… I just… don't like talking to people."

"You're really shy, you know, for such a big girl. It's cute."

.

Kua turned red, blushing at the compliment.

"T-thanks… nobody's… called me cute before." She said, incredibly quiet.

"What?" Aisha said.

"I said… *mumble mumble*"

"I can't hear you." Aisha said, slightly irritated..

"Sorry." Said Kua, looking down at her boots.

"..."

"..."

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Kua looked at Aisha, who was staring at her with that calculating look. She shifted uncomfortably. She felt like she was being stripped down.

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"Were you… bullied when you were a kid?"

"N-no… not… really."

"Not really?"

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Kua's uncomfortable silence was all Aisha really needed to figure out that she had hit the mark.

.

"You know, there's actually a higher chance that people will like you if you talk more."

"I know that… but… I don't want to…"

"Say something stupid?" Aisha interjected.

"...I-I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Your old friends probably picked on you a lot, right?"

"S-stop…"

.

Aisha looked at Kua, the tall girl looking as she was about to cry. She sensed that she should stop, but…

.

"Hit me, if you want me to stop."

"N-no! That- I would… be taking advantage of… my physical strength."

"Everyone has natural advantages."

"Y-yeah but… I can't just… force people to do what I want..."

"Everybody is trying to do that, one way or another. It's not much different than if you're forced to do something through compulsion…. Guilt, pressure, bribery..."

"...T-thanks Aisha… but I-I'm… I'm friends with Celeste and Vigil and Fei now. They're good friends. I'm just… like this." She mumbled.

"You should be less shy. It makes it difficult to talk with you."

"S-sorry…I'll try."

.

Kua gave a small smile to Aisha, reaching her arms out for a light hug. She blushed bright red when Aisha launched herself into Kua's muscular body, burying her face in her fur lined brassiere and nuzzling her chest. Kua tentatively reached out and stroked Aisha's ears, eliciting a pleasant purr.

.

She giggled softly. "You remind me of Enyi."

"Who's Enyi?" Aisha asked.

"O-oh… um… Enyi was my puppy, back home. In my village."

"I hope you liked him then."

.

Kua smiled and hugged Aisha back, careful to not crush her with her strength. She laughed a little, as she took Aisha's cute, squishy little face in her hands and rubbed and pulled at her cheeks.

.

"A-ah… wait." Kua said as she realized what she was doing. "You've got a girlfriend..."

"So what??" Aisha demanded. "Why won't people play with me!?" She whined.

"I-I'm worried… that I might be attracted to you..."

"Huh? Like what… a magnet? Magic?"

"Not like that... you're a really cute, pretty girl, you know…"

.

Aisha puffed out her cheeks as she felt Kua let go of her. Damn! Another one. Aisha started walking again, disappointed.

.

She sulked. She just wanted to feel warm.

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"You can handle yourself, right?" Kua asked, turning to Aisha.

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They were at the edge of the forest, the sun blazing above them. Aisha grunted, taking her crossbow off her shoulder and helfting it in her hands.

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"I'll be fine."

"O-ok then. We can go in when you're ready."

"..."

"Er, no! Yeah! We're going in… now!"

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Aisha followed the tall girl into the forest, the scenery around them soon turning into dense foliage and tree trunks in all directions.

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"Why are these wolves even gold contracts?"

"W-well, um… They're stronger than desert wolves, and big, and they hang around in really big packs. It's. Um. Dangerous if you get caught unaware."

.

Aisha made a small noise of acknowledgement.

"... So… how are we going to lure them out?"

"Um… I think… usually people just wait for the wolves to come to them."

"That's too slow. I hope you can keep up."

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Kua made a small "hey!" in protest as Aisha took off, weaving through the forest. She looked around, panicked as her silhouette disappeared quickly into the dark forest. Kua decided to try and follow her, magics flowing into her legs as she ran through the forest.

.

.

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Kua broke into the clearing to hear the snarling and whimpering of forest wolves, and Aisha launching a massive bolt into the chest of a leaping wolf.

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"H-hey! Are you good?" She asked.

"Yeah. Let's just get this done with. Five more in this pack."

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Aisha watched as Kua planted her fist firmly into the snout of a wolf, the sound reverberating through the forest. Aisha raised her eyebrows as the beast went flying, breaking through the trunk of a tree, splinters flying through the forest.

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(That's some crazy strength! That can't be natural!)

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Kua's fist swirled with amber tinted magic, flowing around her arms and trailing the rest of her body, tracing her curvy body and tattoos. Aisha admired the definition on Kua's arms. It was almost like she had taken a marker and drawn along the edge of every muscle. It must have taken a lot of effort to get them that way.

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Aisha stepped back, avoiding getting hit by a magic fang.

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(I should focus on this.)

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Kua outstretched her fist, a small wave of amber energy shooting out of her fist and finishing off the last wolf. She took a deep breath, her breathing starting to even out, and relaxed, wiping a bit of sweat from her brow.

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"Ugh." She said, looking down at herself and seeing a bit of blood on her midriff. "Let's go back, I feel..."

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She stared at Aisha, covered in wolf blood from head to toe.

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"Ah-! Um. Sorry. Let's just… "

"..."

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The two girls walked side by side, on their way back from turning in the contract, to a man who claimed to work for the magistrate. Kua winced uncomfortably at every step Aisha took, as her walking motions made a very uncomfortable, crusty noise. Her skin had been dyed a deep red, and she kept scratching at her face and hair, trying to remove the dried blood.

.

"Why would he even need wolf hearts?" Aisha asked, picking off a sheet of blood from her arm.

"Um… I don't know. People just seem to need… weird things."

"Seems weird." Aisha muttered.

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The two girls arrived at the door to Celeste's apartment. Aisha knocked on the door a couple times.

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...Nothing.

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"I think she's out." Kua said.

"Weird. She doesn't go out that often."

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Aisha shrugged. "Whatever. Let's go to your apartment."

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Kua saw no reason to disagree.

.

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(Nevermind! I definitely think there's a reason to disagree!) Kua thought in a panic.

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The object of her panic was currently crawling up her chest, slowly creeping up towards her face, leaving a trail of water along her midriff. She tried to move her legs, but they were unable to move, rendered trapped by the weight of the girl on top of her.

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"H-hey!" Kua cried. "What are you doing?"

"I'm hugging you." Aisha said. "What did you think I was doing when I asked you to get on the bed?"

"I-I-I don't know!" Kua stammered. "Y-you w-were so insistent!"

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Aisha didn't respond, instead letting out a pleased hum and rubbing her face against Kua's firm underboob. Despite Kua's attempts at pushing her off, she held tight on her waist, enjoying the residual heat from their showers, and Kua's warm body.

.

Eventually Kua stopped resisting, and just laid back on her bed, embarrassed, dressed in only her undergarments, and a girl resting on her chest.

.

"Relax a little. You're all tensed up." Aisha said into her chest.

"How am I supposed to relax!?" Kua said aggressively. "My friend's girlfriend is… assaulting me!"

"Your friend is assaulting you." Aisha corrected.

"W-whatever! P-please… get off!"

"It's just a hug between friends!"

"It's not! You're taken, and very pretty, a-and..."

"Just pretend that I'm Enyi." Aisha said. "Wan!"

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Kua held a breath, trying to not squeal at the adorable little noise that Aisha made. Her chest and face heated up. She was just so cute… everything about her set off all of Kua's hug instincts. Her soft face… adorable ears... small frame… playful attitude…

.

She gave in. She wrapped her left arm around Aisha's back and pulled the covers over them, and pet Aisha's head with her right. Her breath hitched at the soft mewls that Aisha made from her throat.

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Kua pulled up Aisha so that she could look at her face-to face, squishing her mouth.

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"What animal are you supposed to be?" Kua asked. "Your ears are so fluffy… like a cat. But you're so cuddly and playful… like a puppy."

"I dun now." Aisha said, her words slurred by her smooshed mouth. "I'm whatevew animaw you wawnt."

.

Aisha licked her face and Kua giggled uncontrollably, rubbing Aisha's cheeks and petting her aggressively. Aisha moaned and laughed, leaning into the pets and hugging Kua tighter.

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"Mew! Mew!"

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Kua soon started laughing too, closing her eyes and enjoying the moment. A heat blossomed in her chest, suffusing into her limbs, and a smile made its way onto her face, as she absentmindedly pet Aisha's fluffy head, alternating between pets and nuzzling her nose into her ears.

.

"Aisha?" She said softly.

".."

.

Kua took a look under the covers, to see that Aisha was fast asleep, a peaceful expression replacing her usual stoic one. Kua smiled and tucked her into bed.