New Beginnings

Aisha's eyes snapped open, her eyes shining bright red light onto the cold concrete walls of wherever she was now. Her body tensed, ready to spring into combat, but she quickly relaxed, deducing that if she were in any real danger, she would already be dead.

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The sights around her were… familiar, and yet foreign. The cold, concrete walls, musty air, and most discerningly, the metal bars that blocked her view of the outside.

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Aisha sighed. She was in jail. What a strange decision, since she could easily…

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A figure came into view, just as Aisha grasped the magisteel of the jail bar, the powerful electric enchantments barely fazing her. For a second, she was ready to attack, furrowing her brows, but at a second glance, she recognized the person on the other side of the bars.

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"Boss." She greeted neutrally.

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"You call me something different every time we meet." Raxas sighed. "Ever think of actually remembering someone's name?"

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"I'm working on it."

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For a second, the weathered man just stared at Aisha, an unreadable expression on his face. Eventually, Aisha grew tired of the glances, and gripped the bar of the cell tight-

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"Don't do that." Raxas chided.

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"This cell can't hold me." Aisha said dangerously, red eyes glowing with power.

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"You'll be fine." Raxas said dismissively. "Technically, you were acting in self defence, so-"

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"Don't give me that shit." Aisha mumbled. "You brought me here to save me. Before anyone else could get to me. Just tell me what you want."

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Indeed, she would have not been able to take on all those people, in the state that she was in after battling Ifrit. Raxas had brought her here before any of the vengeful judges could kill her. Clever.

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"I brought you here so that we could talk alone." Raxas sighed.

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"So what?" Aisha asked. "What do you have to tell me?"

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"The fighting you saw yesterday was the result of a coup that was attempted on the capital." Raxas explained. "At the same time that a new judge was elected to the magistrate."

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"That woman."

"Yeah."

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The brown-haired man's fists clenched weakly, but just as quickly, he let go, his posture slumping.

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"When I first saw her, I wanted to kill her where she stood." Raxas said quietly. "She killed Falo. My best friend. But I realized."

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"That there was no point." Aisha said wearily.

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"Yeah."

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Aisha looked into Raxas's eyes, and all of a sudden… she saw her own, tired reflection, in his face. It hit her like a ton of bricks - the understanding, the sorrow, the exhaustion…

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"Vega told me once, that all adventurers are trying to fill a hole left inside of them." Raxas said sadly. "And it looks like… you've finally joined us."

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"..." Aisha's mouth dried up. "I-"

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"It's my fault." Raxas apologized. "I dragged you into this."

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"It's not-"

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"But that doesn't matter." He interrupted, holding up a hand. "I'm just here to give you a few last pieces of advice."

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"..."

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"For the murder of our god, you, Aisha Izec, are banished from the city of Chizen, as well as all vassal states under her name." Raxas announced, his voice booming atop his podium. His eyes met Aisha's, even as a few onlookers gazed at the man with anger, furious with his decision, but far too afraid to start jeering. Even the priests at the church, who had held and fawned over Aisha only a few weeks ago, looked at her with fear and disdain.

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Indeed, the frightening intensity of her eyes, the long, sharp horns that jutted forwards from the side of her head, and her long, matter hair, combined with the harsh glare on her face, made for an unsettling visage. The crowd seemed to part wherever Aisha levied her gaze, people shifting aside fearfully, trying to escape her vision, lest she let loose the same power that slayed their god.

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Aisha didn't mind the fearful gazes. But what hurt her was when she caught the gaze of Celeste, and her friends…

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Their expressions were frightened. Aisha hung her head in defeat, letting her shackled wrists support her weight as she hung from the trembling arms of two soldiers.

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"G-g-get up." One of them said weakly, unable to muster up the courage to raise his voice. It was understandable.

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The pure power, the aura that Aisha emanated was suffocating, cold. It leaked into the air, draining the color and warmth from her surroundings, stole the air, the voice, from everyone around her.

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There were no warm gazes on her at all. And a small part of her just wanted to curl up into a ball and cry.

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A part of her that she discarded a long time ago, but still…

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It hurt.

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And as she was paraded through the streets, her eyes met the gaze of the people that she once knew.

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Celeste's friends wouldn't meet her gaze. Except for Fei, who gave her a small, half-hearted wave. Aisha would have waved back, if not for the chains on her arms.

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Kro, Aless, and Mihyang stood to the side. They looked like they wanted to say something - like they wanted to ask her questions, like they wanted to cry out to her, but ultimately, none of them said anything.

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Perhaps it was for the best.

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A few judges gave her harsh gazes, but most of them weren't even present.

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Except for the whore - the one who had kissed her. She gave Aisha a playful smile, pressing her fingers to her lips like she was sending the girl another kiss.

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"Repay you." She mouthed.

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Aisha furrowed her brows, and shook her head. What a strange woman.

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And just like that, they had reached the gate to the city, the doors large and open, ready for Aisha to leave. She sighed as she tore through her magisteel bindings with ease, the soldiers escorting her jolting with surprise, as brittle metal chunks exploded into the air, and a loud snapping noise . A few gasps and screams echoed through the crowd, fearful that the beast would turn her attention onto them.

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But Aisha didn't look back.

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And just like that, Aisha was alone again.

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(Hey!)

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Well, almost. Aisha cracked a small smile. Not… completely.

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(What are you going to do now?)

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Aisha just shrugged, her legs moving on their own to carry her somewhere, anywhere. It was strange… the first time she had started over, she…

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Her heart wrenched, and Aisha clenched her eyes shut in pain, a sharp discomfort shooting through her gut.

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It was still… it was still too painful to think about. Even after she had lost so many friends, cut so many ties…

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"Mistress…" Aisha cried softly, her ears going flat.

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[

"Cuddles." Lorian commanded.

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Aisha smiled as her beautiful mistress spread her arms out open, pouting slightly at the lack of an adorable girl in her arms. The big girl looked so expectant, gazing so longingly at Aisha, despite that it had been only two minutes since she had last held her in her arms.

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But with a face like that, how could Aisha do anything but oblige?

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And with a shy slime, Aisha laid down into her mistress's loving arms, sighing as a pair of warm arms circled around her back, squeezing her tight. And with a nuzzle to her mistress's neck, Aisha felt…

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Complete.

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It was strange. The only feeling that trumped this feeling of contentment was… well, the feeling of joining together. Like stepping into a hot sauna after shivering in the cold for hours - that feeling, for Aisha, was more euphoric than anything in the world.

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"Good girl." Lorian cooed, and Aisha was powerless to stop the wave of pleasure that washed over her, the rush of giddyness that rose up inside of her.

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"Ehehehe…" Aisha smiled goofily, a blush entering her cheeks. "T-thanks…"

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"Good girl." Lorian repeated.

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Aisha's blush deepened. "I-I-"

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"Good girl! Good girl! Good girl! Good-"

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At the barrage of 'good girl's' sent her way, Aisha felt her head go light, the blood rushing up to her head in mortifying embarrassment. Her heart pounded in her chest in infatuation, every word pumping in more and more submissive, fluttery feeling, melting her insides, melting her brain.

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It only got worse when the petting started. Every stroke was like an explosion in her brain, sending stars shooting into her head. Gods, everything was so hot, so sweet - she was going to - going to-

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"I-i'm mellllttiiiiiiinnnnnggggg…" Aisha cried desperately, her words slurring. "M- my h-head… c-c-can't think… ouuuhhhh… miss- misshhhtresss…"

"Aww." Lorian giggled, cooing as she squeezed Aisha tighter in her embrace "Is my good girl feeling a little embarrassed? A little dizzy?"

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Aisha could barely even string two words together, reduced to just babbling incoherently as she tried desperately to think, to focus - but the heat, the heat was so intense! It put a haze over her mind, her usually so sharp mind, years of study and observation, reduced to absolutely nothing in a millisecond.

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All by that wonderful, wonderful hand on her head, and that soft, soft melodic voice.

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"I-It's-" Aisha gasped, her words hitching in her throat. "M-m-m-mistress - I-I-I-"

"Aww…" Lorian cooed in a teasing giggle. "You're so adorable…"

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"N-nya- miss-"

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"NYA!?" Lorian cried, eyes wide and bright with excitement. "Oh my gosh, you're so ADORABLE!'

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"M-misstress-" Aisha blushed. "I-"

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"Ohhhhhhhh…" Lorian hummed, smiling in bliss. "Nya nya~~ Aisha… I'm so happy."

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Aisha herself tried to resist humming herself, her heart wrenching at the blissful smile on her mistress's face, and the cute noises that were coming from the big girl's chest. Knowing that she caused that smile, that happiness… It made her feel loved, important.

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And maybe… maybe she was loved. Maybe she was important.

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At least to one person.

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"Meow…" Aisha mewled quietly, softly. "I l-love you…"

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Lorian offered a bright, beaming smile in response. "I love you too!"

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Aisha shrunk away sheepishly from the cuddly, warm feelings that were being created, despite the fact that she was the one who had initiated. It was just too much. She wasn't used to being loved, and now, it seemed like she was being loved nonstop. She didn't deserve-

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"Nnnweh." Aisha squeaked, as suddenly, her face was being smooshed from both sides.

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"You were thinking about something sad again, weren't you?" Lorian said softly.

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"I…" Aisha turned away her gaze from those loving brown eyes. She just couldn't bear to look at them. At the genuine care.

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"Back home, I used to not know if I would wake up in the morning." Lorian whispered suddenly, lightly patting Aisha's head. "And for a long time, that's all I thought about. When it would all eventually end."

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Aisha's ears perked up, curious and eager. It was extremely rare that her mistress would talk about these things, so Aisha would have to be a fool to not pay attention now. Her past… like her own, it seemed to be something the big girl avoided talking about.

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"Every second i spent awake…" Lorian mumbled. "I would look for somewhere to hide, somewhere that nobody else would think to look. Cracks in rocks. Little crevices near lava pits. Sometimes, even in the elemental regions…" Lorian shook her head. "I spent so much time looking. For a place to hide. But it didn't matter anyways. Because I could never sleep. I was so worried about being found, that I couldn't even enjoy the quiet I had tried so hard to find…"

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Aisha suddenly felt an aching in her chest. She had never really even considered mistress as anything beyond how she knew her, a playful, slightly air-headed college student.

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But she had missed all the pain behind those eyes that her mistress was showing at this moment. Despite how good she was at reading people, she had been unable to read her. Or rather, because it was her mistress, who she couldn't make five seconds of eye contact with…

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"Ah, but that was in the past." Lorian said hastily, catching the sad look on her beloved's face. "Now… I sleep really well, with my adorable little Aisha. Cuddly little pillow. Fluffy little kitten."

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Aisha's face burned, and she tried to bury her face into her mistress's chest, but suddenly, she felt her body being pulled up.

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And suddenly, there was a warm nose nuzzling her cheek, softly nipping and kissing at her neck and jaw. Aisha gasped with sensation, her eyes hazing over, and her breaths growing heated.

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"M-misstress…" She mumbled.

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Aisha, internally, had always categorized her mistress's affection in two ways. One, puppy love, as she dubbed it, was purely platonic, with cute little hugs, kisses, and headpats that she would pepper Aisha with, soothing her spirit, glazing over her eyes and relaxing her body.

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Now that she thought about it though, puppy love was kind of…

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Aisha ignored the faint blush that came to her cheeks. The second kind of love was… for lack of a better phrase, lovers' affection… The little bites on her chest and neck, the little caresses on her sides and hips…

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The making out, oh god, the makeouts.

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Aisha liked both kinds of affection, but when her mistress was all over her like this, kissing and caressing her… it made her hot. Ridiculously hot, and she couldn't even tell if it was from her mistress, or from her own body heat.

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"Such a good girl." Lorian moaned, her voice undergoing that spine tingling transition from loving, airy coo, into husky, deep want. Aisha shivered in response, and her fur stood up on end, as the big girl started to nibble on her lower lip…

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But as soon as it started, all of a sudden, the needy biting, the husky breaths, the lustful caresses… stopped. Aisha looked into her mistress's eyes, swearing that she caught a bit of gold in those big brown irises… but as soon as their disappointed eyes met, they both broke off eye contact, looking away shamefully.

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Aisha yearned to keep going. To tangle her fingers into her mistress's hair and moan her pleasure. To serve her, in that forbidden way that only lovers could…

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But they were both cowards. And Aisha was… she was terrified that she might lose her only love.

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The affectionate little kiss that the two girls engaged in helped quell their heats, but it just wasn't enough. It was never enough.

]

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Aisha closed her eyes as her feet continued to trod along the path eastwards.

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[Go eastwards to Sakura. The adventuring ranks are transferable to their program… the people there are… different, but you'll fit in fine.]

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Aisha sighed. By now… the memories, while still comforting, were starting to bring as much pain as they did comfort. But strangely enough, she didn't exactly feel sad about it - rather, the pain told her that she was changing. She was growing, and when she finally met her mistress again…

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She would be able to care for her. To provide for her. To properly serve her, without all the heavy baggage that weighed down her heart and her mind.

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Mistress would be amazed by her shiny little diamond plate, and she would tell her that she was a good girl, and then Aisha would- she would- she would fuck her brains out!CV

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Aisha puffed out her cheeks in determination. Yes, all those nights with those girls were for practice! All her improvement, her evolution - in fact, right now, she was going to develop a spell, for her mistress's pleasure. For-

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(You're actually doing it!?) Aiyu said, her voice thick with disappointment, as Aisha's thoughts started to coalesce, combining memories to create the perfect set of bedroom-related arcane spells. (You took all those memories, evolved into this, so you could make sex magic!?)

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"Yeah!" Aisha said triumphantly, as she stuffed Sen's journal into her coat. "It's all for her. These powers, too. Everything."

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"U-uhh?"

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"Hm?" Aisha turned around, searching for the source of the voice and finding a young adventurer with a fair complexion. A gold plate hung from her neck, adorning her chest, glistening with light sweat.

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"D-do you know w-what happened i-i-in the capital?" She whispered fearfully. "There's… smoke… and I heard… explosions…"

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"Oh." Aisha licked her lips. "That was me."

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"W-what?" The woman shook, eyes wide open.

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"I killed Ifrit." Aisha said casually. "All those explosions were from me."

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"Don't joke about that kind of thing…"

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Seeing the frightened, wide-eyed look on the adventurer's face, Aisha felt a suppressed playfulness well up inside of her. That was right… it had been so long since she had last cuddled or fooled around with a nice, soft girl…

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The gold adventurer swallowed a load of saliva, backing off slightly. "Such a cute girl-"

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Smiling predatorily, Aisha leapt on top of the poor adventurer girl, giggling mischievously as the woman shrieked in absolute terror, as if just now catching the sinister, forwards-facing horns on the side of her head, or the remnants of dark chitin that were attached to Aisha's skin.

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The girl was fast, using a wind spell to push Aisha away from her, but was terrified to see that her spell had no effect on the sapphire adventurer.

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"NOOOOO!" The girl shrieked. "Don't eat me!"

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The girl continued to scream as she was pushed down onto the ground, clenching her eyes shut and holding her hands up to block her face. A few seconds passed, her breaths heavy and panicked, but as the winds blew calmly on her face, the poor passerby eked an eye open.

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The sight of the cute girl cuddled happily up to her chest would have made even the most stoic person smile with warmth. Those adorable eyes, cute button nose, soft cheeks, and silly smile were just so innocent, so pure. They fired off every protective instinct in the girl's body, urging her to cuddle Aisha back, giggle with her, pat and pet her, squeeze her.

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"A-ah…" The young adventurer flushed. "You shouldn't… play pranks like that… nnn…"

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"Sowwwwyy…" Aisha giggled, propping her head up to watch the adventurer's eyelids droop in lazy contment.

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"You're so warm…" She mumbled, wrapping her arms around Aisha's back and squeezing. "Mmnnnnnn…"

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The adventurer's entire body began to relax, and her head drooped backwards onto the grass, no longer able to muster up the strength to keep itself up. The girl let out a sigh as her eyes glazed over, although a small part of her recognized that such contentment wasn't natural. The ground on her head shouldn't have felt like warm pillows. The huggable girl on her chest… okay, maybe that…

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Before long, the girl was sleeping peacefully on the grass, and Aisha removed herself, flicking her hair back with a toss of her head. The small little smile on her face faded as she rose to her feet, a small sigh escaping her mouth as she brushed off a few of the grass stains on her pants.

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(Did that make you feel better?)

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Aisha sighed.

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"No."