It was a few moments after Mazerine had left did Douken begin to stir, letting out a long yawn before pushing himself up into a sitting position, stretching his arms out as his eyes adjusted to the morning sun that peered through the window. Other than having his shirt pushed up over night, there was no real evidence on what Mazerine did in her sleep, and even then, it was something that could have happened just by shifting around in the sheets. Either way, it was clear she was the first to wake as she was not in the room with him. If he had to make any guesses, it was to get washed up: something he should do himself.

However, before all that, he figured he could work up a sweat first. Get in a bit of morning spear-work done to help wake him up and wash off in their bathhouse so he would not smell of training for the rest of the day. Of course, doing so in his pajamas would most likely be a terrible idea, so he instead dressed in a really light outfit, simple pants and a sleeveless undershirt, while bagging his normal clothes away for afterwards. Next, he began to charge his mana to open the gate to his spear when a knock on the door rang through, interrupting his focus and giving it the attention it needed.

"Hello?" He asked, opening the door to the butler who gave him a simple bow. He was checking in to see how their first night was on the ship, along with reminding him when it would be time for breakfast and to retrieve the dress and suit the pair wore the other night. "Oh, and by the way, the rules do state that any form of personal equipment is not allowed outside your room, and use of offensive spells are limited to the Training Hall. We are always firm on this with a Three Strike policy to ensure the safety of our guests. But do not worry, we go have an arsenal of fake weapons in there for anyone to use within that area. Now if you may excuse me." With that, he left, leaving Douken blinking a bit. Did… did their butler read his mind or something?

Well, if he cannot bring his own gear, he may as well use what they had to offer , thus taking to the Training Hall where another butler greeted them. Again, this one looked like the one that served them… if he was a girl. "Good morning, sir," she spoke to him, giving him a bow. "The weapon closet is over there. I shall hold on to your other items as you train. If you wish to duel, have no fear, as all these blades will leave no injuries on your foe, just paint." Giving a nod, he gave her his small bag before heading inside… just to see Karma.

His confident voice was ear-grating as he bragged about fending off a mass of bandits with the house teachings the Karma family trained in, playing with the knife in hand as he told so as if it was a mystical item. While the kids were mesmerized, Douken only sighed as he went to the weapon closet, taking out an imitation dagger with an ethernal blade, solid enough to be visible, but also carrying a night sky sort of look to it, defining itself away from your common steel, before heading over to where the story was being told. "Funny," he interrupted. "but last I checked, no bandit would be willing to cooperate so easily to such circumstances, house rank or not."

"Ah, but you were not there, my friend. These bandits were savage, but honorable, just like how we should be, was his reply, filling the air with praise but his eyes stared at him in disgust, clearly feeling insulted that such common blood interrupted his tale.

"Oh really? Then why not show them what happened? You can you, the hero of your tale, while I shall be your bandit." As the challenge was issued, Douken's middle finger on his left hand began to charge with mana as he began tracing a crest in his palm, knowing it was going to be an extremely rough-looking rune…

"Very well! We may talk all we like, but if you wish to demonstrate than so be it… For it will allow me to put you in your place."

With everything set up, the two took their positions on the open mat, weapons in hand. "Now then, the first thing to do is to properly greet your foe with a bow," he told the kids as he bowed to Douken. "… This is where you bow ba–" His muttering was interrupted as he looked up to see Douken not following along. Instead, Douken turned his palm towards his foe, letting out a quick flash of light. While it was enough to quickly blind the directed target, the flash alone was enough to cause commotion with the crowd before Douken ran in close, wrapping an arm around Karma to prevent his escape and driving the ethernal blade into his side, leaving no harm to him except for the purple mark on his suit, being sure to stay there until everyone grasped the situation before pulling the weapon out. It was around this time when Mazerine stepped into the hall.

"This is why your tale is rubbish," Douken said before turning over to the kids. "You see, no bandit would ever partake in an honorable duel. They live in hostile situations, ever desperate to keep themselves fed. Rarely do they do it out of the joy, but more for the need to live another day. Is it illegal? Yes. However, it is every man's wish to see tomorrow. Now then, if you really want to avoid a bandit attack…"

As Douken went on to tell the kids what should have been done, Karma was looking at the mark before looking up at Douken. "You… monkey… you think you have made a fool out of me?!" Holding his hand out, Karma was quick to summon a blade of steel as his eyes were laced with rage as he dashed towards Douken… An eye for an eye… a stab for a stab…

The commotion in the training area that had drawn Mazerine’s attention had certainly not been what she was expecting. As she pushed the doors open, she had halfway expected to see nothing more than a couple of men sparring with wooden weapons - but that was not what she came across. The first sight her eyes laid upon was that impeccably rude duke that had interrupted them in the tavern on their first night aboard the ship. This time, it seemed, he was not merely speaking rudely to Douken.

Just as Mazerine entered the room, Karma had summoned a blade of steel - something that struck panic within Mazerine almost immediately. She had to act fast, as she was sure if she did not intervene that he was going to stab Douken - she could see the look in his eyes as he lunged towards him, and impulsively she held her hand out and shouted. ”Immobiles!” she cried, and a slight blue light shimmered around Karma. The blade fell from his hand and his arms fell to his side, pinned by some unseen force.

Karma’s gaze shot in the direction from which Mazerine had shouted from, and he shouted a rather insulting phrase coupled with a threat. ”Foolish whore, defending this unsophisticated swine!”” he spat. Mazerine’s eyes narrowed at this verbal jab, adrenaline still coursing through her veins, and she clenched her fist, twisting it slightly in the air. ”Interitus,” she spoke, her words coming out in nearly a hiss. With the words she spoke, the blue light surrounding him faded and he regained use of his arms, though his feet still seemed to be rooted to the spot. He opened his mouth to speak once more, but the right side of Karma’s face began showing black streaks, as though black blood coursed through his veins - and thereafter the skin began to look as though it were rotting. Karma let out a sound as he felt the pain, raising a hand to touch the affected area. He drew it away, bit of his decayed flesh stuck to his finger tips.

Just then, the decay receded from Karma’s face, his skin slowly returning to normal. Mazerine twisted her fist again, as though she were attempting to recast the spell, but nothing happened. ”Enough,” came the maid’s voice from the side - she had somehow overtaken Mazerine’s frequency of power and reversed the magic that the elf had done. In a show of defeat, Mazerine dropped her hand to the side. The maid addressed Karma next. ”The use of actual weapons in the Training Hall is forbidden, sir,” she reminded him, to which Karma spoke in protest.

”I broke no rules, only this honorless harlot has!” he claimed. ”That dagger was in the equipment I started with,” he added, to which the maid waved her hand in a dismissive motion - which sent the duke flying into a nearby pillar.

”Do you think I am unfamiliar with what supplies are in my inventory?” she asked Karma, sounding mildly annoyed. ”A strike, for you - actually, two - one for breaking the rules, and one for attempting to cover up such an infraction,” she said. She then turned to Mazerine. ”I must issue you a strike as well, for casting a spell with intent to harm,” she added, though she looked less happy about issuing the infraction to Mazerine than she did about the one she had given Karma. ”While I understand that you were merely trying to protect your… him,” she said, gesturing toward Douken. ”We do not make exceptions.”

Mazerine nodded in understanding, and with that she walked over to where Douken was. ”Are you alright?” she asked, casting her gaze to the area in which Karma was trying to keep some of his dignity as he emerged from the crumpled mess on the floor the maid had left him in. ”That duke is… well, he’s an ass,” she said, speaking frankly. She was still shaking a bit from the adrenaline. ”He just… it looked like he was going to hurt you,” she said, frowning. Her cheeks blushed as she realized that she had just tapped into some very powerful magic, just to stop Douken from being hurt.

Hearing the incantation ruined his talk with the kids, turning his head over to Mazerine's voice, catching Karma drop to the floor hard, disarming him of his metal blade, watching it hop off to the side. "Mazerine…" he said, turning his attention from the duke to his partner as the fallen man spoke scum to the both of them, in which Mazerine reacted with, to be fair, a terrifying spell. He had to time to tell her to stop before the spell began to revert itself suddenly, the maid watching the field stepping in, her demeanor never-changing. Well, almost as she showed a bit of bitterness towards Karma for insinuating she did not know her equipment.

Pacing himself over, Douken looked into Mazerine's face before she turned to see Karma's condition, making her comment about her thoughts of him. "Trust me, its worse when you work under him," he reminded her before sighing and looking back at the elf. "Either way, I think that was a touch too far. Still," his body moved on his own as he moved down, placing a light kiss on her cheek before smiling to her, "thanks."

"While this is a touchy moment," the maid said, stepping near the pair, "I will need to take these two to my space to let them know what is happening with their punishments. Do not worry, though, as a Strike 1 will not be enough to completely restrict your joys here on board, unlike him. However, since that means I need to be away, I will have to close the training dojo for the time being. Why don't you clean up and get some breakfast during the time being?" Nodding, Douken handed her the dagger he had in hand before the maid worked to ensure her they would be dealt with separately before working to clear the rest of the dojo, leaving Douken alone to wash up.

One simple bath later, Douken was in the massage parlor, getting his back rubbed by a female half-angel, dressed in a simple suit as she worked on his back. From there, the pair spent a bit of light talk together, Douken mentioning about the events beforehand. "Well, what do you expect from the Amberfoams? They are a strong family of fae, after all."

"Really?" Douken reacted, looking up.

"Yes. In fact, its the Amberfoams that own this ship. While the guests see them as servants for the higher families that board this ship, it is actually them with the higher power. The eldest daughter is, in fact, learning to take her father's job as pilot when he retires." There was a brief pause in the back rub before her professional face broke, suddenly studdering, "Oh, please do not treat them any better! They wish to keep it more of a secret. Oh, my loose lips…"

"Its alright. A person should be more known for their actions and personality, not their spot in society." This calmed her down to finish up the process before letting him go to the suiter who readied a fancier dress than his normal attire. It was almost a mirror case like at the festivities. Answering he never really acknowledged a family color while he was measured up, he was dressed with a simple dress suit, red vest layered underneath  the black coat. "At this rate, I may as well invest in one for keeps," he muttered to himself before giving his thanks and heading for breakfast, waiting for Mazerine to return from her "lecture."

Mazerine nodded in understanding to the maid as she explained what the repercussions for her actions would be. She gave Douken a quick smile as she was led off to be given her punishment, as it were. “I’ll see you later, okay?” she said, before exiting the training area. It was nothing terrible, of course - just an explanation of what she did wrong and what her punishment would be. For receiving one strike, she was only barred from visiting rooms other than her own. She would still be able to visit all of the amenities the ship had to offer, which meant that she and Douken would still be able to enjoy the rest of their journey.

No more than an hour and a half had passed when Mazerine found her way to the dining hall, with the intention of finding Douken. She was still dressed in the same outfit she had arrived to the training hall in, and the maid had even tucked in a few stray strands of hair that had snuck out during the ordeal, telling her she had better look her best before going back to meet her ‘friend.’

“Well, that wasn’t so bad,” she said as she found Douken and sat next to him. “Slap on the wrist, really. The only thing I’m not allowed to do now is enter someone else’s room,” she explained. “Good thing we’re in the same one, right?” she asked, but very quickly her face began to turn a bright shade of red. “Well, I mean - anyway,” she said, catching herself and attempting to change the subject. “I see you got dressed all fancy to match me,” she added with a smile. “You look nice,” she said, absentmindedly placing her hand on his arm and locking her gaze onto his face for a moment, before clearing her throat and turning back towards the table, dropping her hand from his arm.

It seemed that Mazerine had arrived just in time, as numerous people dressed in off white chef coats walked out of the kitchen area, placing trays with an assortment of foods on them all around the table. Breakfast was clearly a much more casual affair than their dinner, as the different patrons in the dining area helped themselves to the numerous dishes that had been set up on the table. “So, what’s on our agenda today?” she asked, focusing her attention on fixing a plate of fruit for herself. She also poured herself a cup of tea from one of the pots that had been set out. “I’m guessing we’re going to steer clear of the training area,” she added, quietly. She fell silent as she thought back on the magic she had used against Karma, and shook her head slightly.

“I really can’t believe,” she said to Douken as she took a sip of the piping hot tea. “I mean, I know I’m capable of a lot of magic, but I had using offensive spells more than I have to,” she continued. “I just… I saw that he was going to hurt you, and I got so mad, you know?” she said, turning to look at him. “I was worried, and then… that’s what I felt like I needed to do, to make sure he didn’t hurt you.”

Douken could not help but chuckle at her comment, though it was more because of the flustered reaction that followed up afterwards. However, her sidestepping the topic did make him miss the point of the change and Douken smiled, telling her, "Yeah. The staff inside were insistent on the detail of, 'We are not people who should be wearing the same outfit every day, you know!' " easy for him to add on a snobbish accent in quiet. "Though I think you pull off the fancier look off better than me. Wasn't able to say it during the chaos, but that dress looks great on you."

While Mazerine fixed herself a plate of fruit, Douken was much more interested in the stacks of flapjacks placed out for people to grab. Taking a stack of four, he was sure to add syrup between each layer before a final on top, placing on the side a couple strips of bacon and strawberries. However, he was sure to pat the head of the worried elf to calm her down, telling her, "Its alright," locking his eyes onto hers before giving her a relaxed smile. "I really appreciate what you did. You stopped me from spending the entire day in a medical bay. Took it a step too far, yes…" his voice went into a bit of a whisper as he ended with, "but at least he got what he deserved," chuckling a bit, maybe enjoying that vengeance too much before returning to normal volume. "Anyways, we still got a lot of ship to explore at our own pace. Sure, that strike makes us unable to do that prank, but I am sure we can figure something out as we eat." Pouring himself a cup of tea, the two ate, talking and getting their minds away from what happened earlier before examining the first floor map, as that's what held most of what they could do.

After their breakfasts, the pair headed back out to the front region of the air ship: the glass dome, if only to help get an idea on where they were currently. Their answer was simple enough, as all that was below them was a massive spread of blue that shimmered under the morning sun: Nyella Ocean. It was a breath-taking sight to behold, that was too be sure. One that would be not as spectacular than if they were on a sea ship. "Oh hey!" Douken exclaimed as they stood near the glass dome, "I think I saw something move." This, of course, cause Mazerine to jump a bit before asking what it was. "Could have been one of the Guardians of the Sea a lot of sailors speak of… or could just be my imagination."

Once their small side-track was finished, the two headed to where they wanted to see more: the ship's recreational room. There, the room was filled with games and toys for the kids that spent their time there, leaving the staff watching the region to double as babysitters. However, it was not entirely for kids, as pool tables, the tables and balls enchanted enough so they won't be affected by any movements the ship would have. It gave them plenty to do, as long as it was not gambling or drinking, letting them swap out games the other wanted to enjoy. It also had plenty of games from other racial cultures, meaning they were easily able to enjoy human, elvish, dwarven, and even draconian games. Nothing for orcish folk… but then again, most of them thought of games as wrestling matches… Still, it did not stop them from putting up stakes they had to handle on their own time, chuckling and making notes on them, as if IOUs for their loss fees.

However, it was easy to tell the pair had gotten lost in their games as, while Mazerine cued up for her shot at the eight ball, the call for dinner was up. "Last five strikes," he told her, making sure they finished their game soon before the pair headed off for dinner. This time, they were greeted with vegetable soup in chicken stock… no… more like quail stock from the birds cooked last night. After all, a clever chef always knows how to make the best of her products. Followed by that were fillets of lemon salmon before ending the night off with red velvet cake, designed with the ship on top (Turned out today was the ship captain's birthday).

This left the pair with some final hours before they had to take to their cabins, in which they agreed to check out the other thing the pair talked about during breakfast: the pool. It was near the bath houses because of the amount of water used, but that did not mean it was the same thing. There was plenty of room for people to get around and enjoy themselves, and like the pool tables, there were seals that prevented the water from flying all over the place from the ship's movements (not that many people would know, as they were secretly designed into the decor itself). Of course, it did not stop the splashing that came from those who jumped in.

And, of course, the first person to greet them looked a lot like their butler, but, aside from being in a one piece covering her body, looked much older. "Ah, hello," she greeted the pair, "I do hope my brothers and sisters have not been too much of a bother today…"

“Oh, thanks,” she said, her cheeks blushing a bit as Douken complimented her appearance. She watched Douken grab a large stack of pancakes and let out a bit of a laugh as he pat her on the head - it seemed that the tension that had arisen in the training area was long gone, and the two were back to enjoying one another’s company. Breakfast continued on, a small smile stuck on Mazerine’s face the whole time.

She followed Douken out of the dining area after they had finished, and much to her dismay they had made their way back to the front area of the ship, where the glass dome was located. She had to admit that the sparkling sea water below them was rather breathtaking, but she still wasn’t a fan of feeling as though she could crash through the floor at any moment - and when Douken exclaimed that he saw something move beneath the water, Mazerine jumped and instinctively stood closer to him.

She was happy to leave the area with the glass dome, grinning as they found the recreation area. It was a great place to pass time, and pass the time they did - they played right up until it was time for dinner. When they made their way to the dining hall, the smell of food filled Mazerine’s nostrils and she was rather excited to eat. She ate much more than she had during breakfast, enjoying every bite and allowing herself to have a bit of wine as well, though she did not go overboard, still feeling a bit timid about drinking considering previous events.


When they made their way to the pool, Mazerine was excited to see it - but then she immediately frowned. “How are we supposed to go swimming without bathing suits?” she asked Douken, though she was partially introduced by the attendant in the pool area. It was a bit intimidating to Mazerine that they all looked so similar, but she said nothing.

“No bother at all,” she said to the attendant with a warm smile. “I was just saying that I was a bit disappointed that we didn’t bring bathing suits with us, is all,” she said, her smile weakening a bit.

“Oh,” said the attendant, waving her hand. “That’s of no bother. Here,” she said, and with both hands made a gesture at the pair. Suddenly, they were both in swimming attire - Douken in a pair of shorts that resembled the color of the clothing he had on before, and Mazerine in a rather immodest and quite revealing two-piece suit, the same color blue as her dress. “Your clothing will be in your stateroom when you retire for the evening. Towels are over there,” she said, pointing to a stack of towels against one wall. “Enjoy yourselves,” she said with a wink. She leaned a bit closer to Mazerine, and whispered “Now and later,” she added before going to attend to another new arrival.

Mazerine turned to Douken, looking rather excited to swim - until she realized just how much of herself was exposed. She had never felt self-conscious before but did for a brief moment until she remembered exactly how silly it would be for her to be embarrassed. The pair walked towards the edge of the pool.

“Hey, Douken?” she said, and as soon as he turned to look at her, she gave him a playful shove, sending him splashing into the water. She let out a hysterical laugh and crouched down, watching him as he surfaced. “Oops, sorry!” she called, though it was clear she had done it on purpose - and was now waiting for retaliation.

Douken was anticipating that they would have been guided to changing rooms with more fitters inside to make sure they had something for those who did not have anything for it in the right size. Instead, the eldest daughter who was in training to take command of the ship, in a simple flick of her wrist, had either altered their clothing on the spot while creating a copy to be sent to their room, or she froze time, swapped out their clothes within that time frame, and reverted everything back to normal without them knowing. And to think she did it so effortlessly, too, before dismissing herself to see if she needed to do it again.

Still, at the very least, the black shorts felt as smooth as the suit leggings, but at the same time were a fabric that would not be ruined by the water before them. Kneeling down, Douken dipped his hands in the water to feel the temperature, finding it to be a nice, warm temperature. Lower than the bath house water, but certainly much warmer than their last swim, being the chilled water in the ruins. When Mazerine called to him, he pulled himself back up before turning over to Maz, asking, "Wha-" before getting quickly interrupted by her shove, only getting a quick glimpse of her in what she wore as he fell into the drink.

He let himself fall deeper in as the tinge of blue covered the above ground deepened. Who would have thought she would have pulled such a stunt? This would only mean one thing: a comeback. But how? A splash would be too simple of a counter-measure, and he knew no runes to help manipulate the water itself. Besides, knowing the staff, they had measures against it to prevent using it as a weapon to drown the guests. Fake-drowning would be a no-go either as not only would that cause pointless alarm, but she knew he had the gills rune anyways. That's it… he smirked, his fingers sparking with mana as he lowered his hands to his ankles, drawing matching movement runes on them before he hit the bottom. He did not need much of a timer on them, and thus focused for on the strength it had for the quick moment.

Once he was set, feeling the power of the rooms filling his legs, Douken rested himself on the bottom before kicking off from it, pushing himself through the water from where he landed back to the surface, breaking the water in front of Mazerine, the splash most likely catching her off guard. "Gotcha," he quickly said, his arms acting as fast as he could to get any hold of her (this case being her arm) before pulling herself down with him.

Mazerine smirked as Douken fell beneath the surface of the water, before laughing out loud. She honestly hadn’t expected him to be taken off guard - she assumed that he would see what she was up to and counteract her, sending her catapulting into the water instead. However, she had been wrong, and had managed to best him, at least this time. She crouched down slightly, waiting for him to resurface, knowing full well that some sort of retaliation would be in store for her.
She did not have to wait long, as moments later Douken sprang out of the water. The spray splashed at her face and she let out a squeal of laughter, which quickly turned into a yelp as he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the water. She submerged fully before coming up with a gasp, looking at him rather incredulously. “I can’t believe you did that!” she said, playfully splashing some water at him - clearly not actually upset at what he had done.

The two proceeded to splash about and have fun in the pool, forgetting about any drama or stressful things that had happened in the last few days. A smile was permanently plastered on Mazerine’s face throughout, and she noticed that Douken looked to be enjoying himself as well. After a while, they made the decision to head back to the room, knowing that they needed to start making a plan for when they arrived in Iria, as their voyage on the airship would be over soon. They climbed out of the pool and took a few towels, drying off as best they could before taking one of the complimentary robes that hung near the towels, each wrapping themselves in one for the walk back to their room.
The walk back to their room only took a few minutes, and when they walked through the door, the moon and stars were shining through the large windows of the cabin. Mazerine took pause after they entered, taking in the view with a smile on her face. She turned to Douken, who was also taking a moment to look above them while taking his robe off and hanging it over a chair. He didn’t seem to notice that she was looking at him, and she took a moment to just take in his appearance - his hair still damp from the pool, it clung to his head a little differently than usual, and for a brief moment she had a bit of a flash back to the moment in the closet the day before when he had almost kissed her before they had been interrupted.

“Um, Douken?” she asked while taking off her own robe, and he turned to face her. “I’m pretty cold with my hair being wet. Do you think you could go find me a blanket from the bedroom?” she asked, giving him a smile. He happily obliged and walked off to the bedroom. Swallowing slightly to push down her nervousness, Mazerine followed shortly after him. She paused in the doorway - his back was to her, and he was leaning over to pull a blanket off the bed. She took a deep breath and took a couple of steps into the doorway, until she was only a short distance from him.

“Hey,” she called out, and seemed to have caught him by surprise. He turned around to see what it was she wanted, and before either of them could say anything else, she closed the distance between them and jumped up on her tiptoes somewhat, wrapping her arms around his neck and crashing her lips into him. As though it were a reflex, his arms came around her and picked her up slightly, so that she wasn’t straining to reach him, and her legs wrapped about his waist. The momentum was enough to send him falling backward onto the bed, Mazerine with him, having decided that taking the chance to kiss him was worth it. She certainly felt something about him that had continued to grow in the time that they had been together, and now was as good of a time as any for her to find out if he was going down the same path she was. If not, she could quash the feelings down and get along with their journey, but if he did… well, that road would be crossed if they came to it.

While the pool was a fun, relaxing way to finish off the night and burn off their meal, the pair thought it was best for them to make sure they were ready for when they arrived. After all, their trip across the sea, in the end, was not one for leisure. There was more to their find at the ruins that they knew where to get started, so it would only make sense to see if there were anything they could note down to possibly make leads on where to go next.

After taking their time drying off and robing up, the pair kept to more simple talk as they returned to their rooms, being greeting by a near full moon and stars lighting their way inside. The night sky was always something he could not give up, even as he removed the robe around him his eyes kept to the night sky and the mysteries it held. It was not until Mazerine called to him did his eyes dart away and towards his companion, replying with, "Uh, sure," before heading over to the bed. It was neatly made during their time gone, most likely due to the butler while they were at breakfast. He didn't have to tear the entire thing up. All he had to do was untuck the heated blanket and they should be –

"Hey," caught his attention once more, turning him around as Mazerine pushed her body onto his, arms taking the back of his neck as she worked herself up to him, stealing a kiss away from his lips. His eyes were wide from the shock for only a moment before they rested shut, arms moving around her back to help push her up and ease herself on him. Without having to worry, her legs moved to keep herself there in his arms, working their way around him before a tipping point was broken, causing the two to fall over, once again caught in their own world together.

It was just like a couple nights ago outside of two factors. One of them being the swimsuits each of them had on and the lack of inhibition that guided the act. However, the passion behind it still felt the same. He could feel her heart race with excitement through her chest with his beating just as strong in return. There was nothing that tried to trick the other to think the feeling was not their own, and yet, their kiss deepened even more. His arms slowly moved up her back into an embrace, keeping her body close. It was only a moment that the pair broke for air, saliva still linking their lips together barely, but the moment felt like an eternity. "M-Maz…" was all he could get out, red in the face as he stared into her emerald eyes, who locked back into his.

However, it was also that break into reality were the pair able to pick up something in the air… something unfamiliar. A light hum filling the air and a faint glow coming from the corner of the room, reflecting off the window and catching both of their attention. Still straddled on his lap, Mazerine pulled herself up and turned her head as Douken pushed himself, both of their eyes and ears looking at her luggage, watching it resonate between a glow of red and green. Whatever was happening, it was enough to stop them from pushing even further like last time, and instead, took Mazerine off his waist to see what was causing it. Getting up, Douken followed her to see the cause only to find out it was the flower relic resonating with… something, humming loudly in their chamber as it flowed and mixed with color with a mesmerizing flow.

"T-this is a first," Douken commented, looking over at Mazerine's face, the color resonating on her cheeks. Was… was it reacting to what they just did?

Any fear that Mazerine held on whether or not Douken would react favorably to her affection was chased away as she felt his arms wrap around her, his lips shortly returning the kiss. She melted into him as he held her close and the two tumbled down. For a split second, she worried that they would regret their actions, each to themself, but that worry washed away as she felt his arms hold her close to him, and could feel his heart pounding in his chest just as her own was.

When Douken pulled away from her, she gazed into his eyes, breathing rather heavily. He stammered her name, and her eyes stayed locked with his. She was just about to reconnect with him, when she caught something out of place. She sat up, turning her head in the direction of her luggage, Douken following suit and propping himself up as well. When he moved to help her off of his waist, she pulled her leg from the other side of him and stood up from the bed, her cheeks still flushed from moments ago. She glanced from the luggage back to Douken, before turning her attention back towards her things and walking over, crouching down next to them.

She fished the box they had retrieved in the Occultatum ruins out - it was the source of the humming and the glowing. Greens and reds flickered through the gaps in the closure - she flipped the lid open and the nightshade relic was flickering brightly, switching back and forth from shades of red and shades of green rather quickly. She didn’t touch the flower, but she held her hand near it, and noticed warmth rising from it. “It’s warm,” she said, still looking at it for a moment before turning back to Douken.

“It’s never done this before, or at least not that we’ve seen,” she said, frowning slightly. She thought back to the other night for a moment - even though they had both been inebriated, they would have surely noticed bright red and green glowing lights in the pitch darkness of their room. It was curious - as though it were reacting to something in the vicinity, but for the life of her Mazerine couldn’t figure out what that would be.

She closed the lid of the box and sat down cross legged on the floor. “What do you think it could mean?” she asked, mulling over the possibilities in her head. Maybe it was something that reacted to any sort of powerful emotion - there were clearly some powerful emotions that had just been felt… or maybe it was reacting to a particular kind of emotion? Like one of the ones they had just experienced… Or perhaps it was all coincidental and its powers had been increasing since they left the ruins… Either way, they needed to get to the bottom of what it was, and making it to Iria was the next step.

“Everything I’d read and studied about those ruins… nothing ever mentioned that any of the artifacts would do anything on their own. Nothing mentioned anything at all like this. We need to get to Iria. We should only have a day or two left of the journey, shouldn’t we?” she asked, though the question was rather rhetorical.

With a sigh, she got up off the floor and stashed the box back into her luggage. “I guess there’s nothing we can really do with it right now, is there?” she asked, turning back to face him. It was at that moment she realized that she was still in her swimwear, her cheeks blushing again as she thought back to the moment the two had just shared. “Right now… I’m thinking pajamas and bed. I’ll deal with that in the morning,” she said, grinning rather sheepishly and jabbing her finger in the direction of where she had stashed the box. She gathered a few things from her luggage and disappeared, coming back a few minutes later wearing a long tunic for sleeping, the lacing at the neck done rather loosely.

She walked back to the bed, feeling a bit of a rush as she looked at the disheveledness of the blankets from their earlier activity, and smiled to herself before pulling the blankets back and climbing in, leaving plenty of room on the other side for Douken as she assumed he would end up sleeping there as well.