Halkegenia Online - Beach Episode - Chapter 1

"Oh wow! This is beautiful, isn't it Kirito-kun . . . What? Is something wrong? Kirito-kun?" Asuna's elation turned to concern as she set down her travel bag with one hand and took Yui's hand with the other.
"Papa?" His daughter tilted her head in that innocent way that she reserved for when she was genuinely confused and unable to resolve conflicting «Inputs».
"Nii-chan?" Suguha gave him her own brand of worried look as she came up behind him. "Is something wrong?"
"Not wrong exactly." Kirito answered, shrugging off the canvas duffel bags he'd been put in charge of retrieving from the nearby post office. For a Faerie, they weren't anything heavy, but while flying with this much stuff might have been possible, it definitely wouldn't have been very convenient, comfortable, or safe. "This just seems like a bit much is all." An old and familiar unease took hold as he gazed up at the lookout inspired tower that rose before them.
The tower was three floors high with a fourth floor consisting of a semi enclosed wooden platform, constructed like most minor Salamander buildings from tough desert bricks and a protective façade of sand plaster that had begun to crack and separate around its solid stone foundations with a certain deliberate artistic flair. Vibrant canvas awnings were rigged from the top floor of the tower, sloping down in graceful, wing-like sweeps to the surrounding walls and buildings to form a shaded pavilion around fountains and outdoor sitting areas lush with plant life.
In fact, it was hard to believe that less than two months ago this place had been an abandoned front line outpost in the shadow of the Fortress City of Gaddan, now transformed into a beach side refuge from the summer heat upon the shores of Ragdorian Lake and fast becoming the foremost destination for Faeries seeking something almost like a vacation.
"I think you should just enjoy it Nii-chan." Suguha said, trading looks with Asuna. "Besides, where else are we going to stay?"
"Sugu's right you know." Asuna said. "It was really generous of Argo-san to tell us about this place."
"She was just passing on what she learned from Agil." Kirito pointed out. In fact, she'd almost pushed the info onto them.
The Gnome storekeeper was certainly doing well for himself since Kirito had last visited the Dicey Cafe. The Gnome couple Agil and Eda, Andrew and Kathy Mills, had hired another employee so that Agil could free up time to travel and meet with prospective investors.
While that did mean his old fence usually wasn't the one serving him from behind the counter these days, Kirito actually thought it was awesome that he was holding his own with the established Tristanian merchants. The fact that the Kirigaya Family owned a ten percent interest in the «Honey Halo Confectionery and Creamery» project that Agil was getting off the ground and another five percent in «Goubniu Light Mechanics» just gave the Spriggan another reason to root for him.
From mats and weapons to spices and sweets. It sure was a change in clientele Kirito mused. At least Kathy seemed to like her husband's new business ambition. In fact, she thought he was maybe working a little too much recently, leaving her alone to mind the businesses in Arrun while he ventured out to provide them both with a better life.
"So shall we get our things settled and take a look around?" Asuna smiled as she pressed her hands together so that her fingers touched lightly at their tips. "Then we can go get changed. Silica and Liz should have arrived already."
Kirito grabbed the bags once more and set out after his Maeve wife towards a small kiosk situated beneath the pavilion and manned by two young women, human women, who cheerfully greeted the Faerie couple. The fact that there were Tristanians living in and around Gaddan wasn't all that surprising. Unlike Arrun with its Faerie population of nearly twenty thousand, the faction cities were more sparsely populated and required extra labor both to maintain the cities and to free the native Salamanders for other tasks. More importantly, Gaddan and its «Desert Zone» had displaced a large amount of marginal land, and many people had been left in search of work, eventually being lured to the Salamander City by rumors of its growing prosperity and the level hand of its bureaucratic Lord, Mortimer. So seeing humans working at a 'resort', even a Faerie resort, shouldn't have been at all unusual.
What might have been a little surprising was what they were wearing, or maybe what they weren't. Colorful halter tops, sheer skirts, and big smiles didn't leave very much to the imagination. "Welcome to the Charming Siren's Lagoon! I'm Jessica." A black-haired girl on the left in matching tea green top and skirt said, more importantly, the way she clasped her hands together in front of her did interesting things with her generous figure, especially when she bowed. "How can we be of service today?"
Charming Siren's Lagoon?
The former outpost was located beside what had been a desert oasis, and thanks to the Transition, the large pool of crystal clear water ringed and bottomed by powder soft sand was now technically a freshwater lagoon of Ragdorian lake. Kirito guessed that made the girls the 'Sirens'. Either that or there were some nasty «Avian» type mobs around the lake shore that nobody had taken care of yet.
Kirito squinted hard at the sign board hanging behind the two girls. It seemed to be proclaiming the establishment's name in both Tristanian and Japanese along with a list of nightly prices for the various rooms and services. From a brief study of the line items, the Spriggan could only conclude one thing. 'Seems expensive.'
"Hello." Asuna began conversationally. "We're the Kirigaya party. A friend made reservations for us a week ago." The Maeve girl reached into her purse, fishing around for a small slip of paper which she handed to the girl at the kiosk. "She said we just needed to give you this."
The girl accepted the note, reading its contents with a practiced precision and then handing it to the slight, blonde haired girl in pink beside her. "Certainly. Your reservation is for the third floor great room and roof garden. Gimi here will help you get settled."
'Third Flood Great Room'. Kirito read the description and then the price . . . And then read the price again because he was sure there was an extra zero.
"Asuna . . ." He began.
"Hmm?" His wife looked to him as if she didn't have a care in the world.
"Doesn't that look a little pricey to you?" Kirito whispered under his breath. He didn't exactly have a problem with splurging on a nice room or on good food, especially when they had so little time off to enjoy it. But even being generous that seemed way too expensive. Their family finances might have been secure, but they weren't rich enough to throw around their money frivolously either.
The change from confusion to worry was almost instantaneous on Asuna's face and she was about to say something when the black-haired girl placed a receipt into her hand and worry changed almost as quickly back to confusion. "Here you go. Two nights on the third floor reserved and paid in advance."
"Excuse me?" Asuna examined the receipt, carefully reading the Japanese text, the product of a small wooden stamp sitting innocently on the desk.
"Our copy of the receipt says your room was already paid for in full." The black-haired girl said, never failing to smile or remain anything but perfectly polite. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
Kirito and Asuna exchanged looks. Together, their eyes drooped and they shared a sigh. Argo might be a good friend, but she wasn't exactly wealthy either. This was getting suspicious. But experience said the mystery would unravel itself when it was ready, so there was no point in worrying for now. "No, that will be all, thank you." Asuna returned the receipt to her purse.
The serving girl, Gimi, had been happy to show them up to their room on the third level, eagerly leading the way up an external flight of stairs and producing the room key from a small pouch worn around her waist. The girls were the first through the door, and from the noises that wafted back out as Kirito followed, he could guess they were pleased with what they'd found inside. When he saw it for himself, he couldn't really disagree.
The 'Great Room' that Argo had reserved for them turned out to be pretty aptly named. The entire third level of the tower was taken up by a single open space. An elevated hardwood floor followed the curve of the circular wall with its many windows around the perimeter of the chamber and surrounded a sunken sitting area filled with luxurious pillows and low sitting tables. A small fireplace was located at the center of the room, its chimney rising up through the ceiling and its hearth cold but already filled with dried logs just waiting for kindling.
"Pardon me." The servant girl slipped through the door past Kirito and gingerly laid the folded mattress against the wall before going to get another.
Kirito found a place for the bags before going to stand beside Asuna looking out from a south facing window that gave a view over the edge of the outpost walls to the crystal clear oasis turned lagoon and the wide blue expanse of Ragdorian lake which stretched off like the sea in either direction.
Yui threw her arms over the windowsill, eyes big and bright. "Pretty." She whispered quietly. His daughter was right of course, it was a beautiful sight, the biggest freshwater lake in all of Halkegenia and also the deepest. Ragdorian lake was renowned for its beauty, the kind of place that would probably have been protected as a «National Treasure» back in Japan.
Even here in Halkegenia where the people had never had to contend with the worst aspects of industrial pollution the Lake received respect for another very important reason.
"I remember Captain Gramont telling me that Ragdorian lake is the home of Water Spirits." Asuna noted as she swept her eyes across the distant expanse of deep blue. "The Lake is kept pristine thanks to their care. Apparently the water is clear enough to see for hundreds of meters."
"The Undines must love it." Kirito thought out loud. It was sort of a shame that the city of Orlein hadn't been the settlement to appear at the lakeside. Instead, the squat walls of Gaddan rose along the stretch of desert coast, the imposing stone keep of Gaddan Tower visible for kilometers.
"So they're like kami?" Suguha pondered out loud. "I wonder if we'll have a chance to see one. What would a water spirit even look like?"
Asuna shook her head, a wistful look on the Maeve girl's features. "I don't think so. They live in the deepest parts of the lake, and apparently they only communicate with a few chosen intermediaries. I think General Gramont's youngest son is engaged to one of them."
"Montmorency." Kirito supplied helpfully. "I guess everyone calls her Monmon." Guiche did anyway. Montmorency mon Montmorency, it was enough to make the Spriggan wonder if her name wasn't maybe a little unfortunate. There was no way her family hadn't known the sort of nicknames she'd collect.
Kirito went to help Gimi with the remaining futons, where he discovered another oddity to ask his wife about. "Asuna, how many people are we expecting?" Because this was way too many mattresses.
"Hmm . . . Well there's you, me, Yui-chan, and Leafa-chan. So that's four. Liz said she's bringing a friend along so that's another two." A friend? Kirito frowned, uh oh. "And then Silica and her friend from Arrun home, and one other that she knows. Then there's Klein, Kino, and Caramella. So that's twelve staying at least one night."
Kirito looked around, suddenly the room didn't seem so big anymore. Man, this was supposed to just be a small get together. Sometimes he forgot that Asuna was used to thinking about gatherings in much bigger numbers. Their senses of what made a «Crowd» were on completely different levels.
"Anyone else?" Kirito was almost afraid to ask.
"Carmond-san mentioned he would be visiting Gaddan with his little niece and nephew, he said he'd bring them down for the day. I made an offer to Morgiana-san and Gene-san too, they're resting in Gaddan after the wedding, so they might come down for a little while but they might not. Oh, and Eda says she's bringing Agil for a day off."
"Huh?" Kirito's head came up. "Agil?"
"You sound surprised." Asuna's brow rose. "You didn't think Eda-chan could pull him away from his work for that long?"
"Actually I was thinking that if he isn't working, he isn't making us any money." Kirito frowned deeply, those investments weren't going to grow themselves after all. "But now that you mention it, that is pretty surprising . . . What?" The Spriggan looked up to be confronted by three faces with varying expressions of distaste.
"Nii-chan." Suguha fixed him with flat, disapproving look. "I knew you were greedy, but I didn't think you were that sort of person."
"Erm . . ."
"Papa is pretty stingy." Yui crossed her arms as she passed harsh judgement.
"Uhm . . ."
"Kirito-kun." Asuna pursed her lips in a way that said she was profoundly annoyed with him.
Ah, he could see how what he'd said could be taken kind of badly. "Well . . ." Kirito began. "It's just a lot of money is all and . . ." He flinched as Asuna stepped away from the window and approached with a dangerous look in her eyes. His wife reached out, planting both hands on his shoulders, and began to gently but firmly push him towards the door.
"Asuna?"
"Girls get changed in the room, Kirito-kun, you need to leave for a little bit."
"But . . ."
"Why don't you go down to the beach and have a nice swim." The Maeve pushed him out onto the balcony and shut the door in his face.
Kirito was left standing alone, expression decidedly nonplussed as he sighed. Go down to the beach for a swim? Sure. But his sunscreen and swim trunks were still in the room. The door promptly swung open again. Kirito looked up to meet the eyes of his sister Suguha. The Sylph gave an apologetic little bow and pressed his bag into his chest. "Nii-chan."
"Thanks." Kirito sighed as the door was shut again. He decided to take the fast route down, climbing over the balcony rail and lightly dropping the three floors to the ground on a feathered burst of flight power. He thought he'd seen changing tents down on the beach. Besides, he thought he could smell barbecue coming from nearer to the lagoon, he might just find a few «Rare Treasures» if he did a little exploring.
A hot summer day, maybe the hottest so far, and also a Day of Void. It seemed that plenty of people had used that excuse to take a day of rest and escape to someplace cool.
The impression of a resort only grew as Kirito made his way towards the beach. There were even more of the serving staff in their revealing beach outfits entertaining and bringing food and drinks from a kitchen in a building near the outpost wall. Guests were relaxing in the shade, drinking, eating, and talking. A pair of Undines were in the middle of readying spears for a fishing expedition while a Puca girl thoroughly lathered every inch of her golden brown skin with a bottle of mineral laced sunscreen.
Nearer to the lagoon, the source of the cooking smells came from an open pit bonfire where a group of Salamanders were busying themselves with the formidable task of preparing and roasting a whole «Sand Shark» freshly caught from the «Desert Zone».
Leading the effort was a tall and athletic looking Salamander woman who, Kirito was careful not to stare, was dressed more in her rich fiery red hair than the pair of shorts and halter top revealing taut and tawny skin that glistened all over with sweat as she hacked away with a blade like a machete in the combined heat of the sun and the open fire.
-Whack- Another sharp blow driven by limbs and back that rippled with trained muscle. A swordswoman, Kirito noted, approving of her technique and follow through. Each strike landed exactly where she wanted it to, cracking and peeling back the remaining fragments of shell so that she could hack off the fins, probably for «Sand Shark Fin Soup», it looked like they planned to roast the rest of the Mob in its shell to preserve the succulent meat.
The swordswoman wiped the sweat from her brow and waved for two burly young Salamander men to move the de-finned mob over the fire. A half dozen more Salamanders were working at benches in the shade nearby, the air sweet with the smells of sauce being prepared. For a race of fire aligned Fae, the Salamanders definitely knew how to enjoy themselves by the water.
So close to Gaddan, the fact that the majority of the Faerie guests were Salamanders came as no surprise. They stood out with their fiery hair and sometimes even more eye catching clothing, or near lack of it, as they lay along the beach or swam in the crystal clear water of the lagoon. The second most common guests were, also unsurprisingly, cool haired Undines lounging in the shade or adventuring out into the wider waters of Ragdorian lake itself.
Further back from the water there were changing tents for the guests to put on their swimwear along with food kiosks lining the outside of the outpost wall and serving everything from cold cut sandwiches to sweets and cold drinks. All the promises of food set Kirito's stomach to growling. So after getting himself changed into his beach clothes, black trunks and a sleeveless black shirt, and rubbing in the contents of the glass sunscreen bottle until the mixture of perfume and mineral scents felt like it had permeated his skin, the Spriggan emerged back onto the beach.
Kirito was about to peruse the stalls when a call at his back drew his attention. "Hey . . . Hey Kirito!"
The sword smith Lizbeth didn't so much pat Kirito on the back as slam her arm across his shoulders with the full strength of her work trained biceps, nearly knocking the Spriggan Swordsman over before he caught his balance and twisted around to meet the Leprechaun's smug grin.
"Getting a little slow there, Kirito." The smith teased as they fist bumped in greeting. "Good to see you made it. Then I'm guessing Asuna and Yui-chan are around here?"
"Getting changed back at the room." The Spriggan agreed as he rubbed at his back, that had kind of hurt. "And I'm getting a little slow nothing, maybe you shouldn't drop in on a guy when he's distracted." That would learn him for letting his guard down when he was hungry.
Liz laughed again, giving him a gentler pat on the back to apologize. "All that good smelling food huh? Yeah, this place is pretty awesome and the lagoon water is really clear and cool too. The Cat made a good find on this one."
"Wh-what do you m-mean, g-good find!" Liz's grin faded into a look of displeasure and then of outright disgust as a pair of arms reached over her shoulders and a second Leprechaun with hair like golden wire leaned their weight against her. "Apprentice. H-Hey A-Apprentice wh-wh-what is this hellscape y-you've dragged me to? A-Are you t-trying to murder your master after a-all the k-kind things I've d-done for you?!"
The sword smith Kofu squinted from beneath her bangs, clearly distressed to be anyplace brighter or more open than the dingy walls of her shop. Now that Kirito thought about it, he couldn't remember a single time dealing with the Leprechaun master smith that he had seen her anyplace but at her shop. The realities of life after the Transition were pretty tough on a shut in it seemed. They couldn't even hide behind a monitor anymore.
"While I'm surprised you didn't shrivel up in the sunlight," Liz bucked her burden from her shoulders, "If I were going to kill you I'd use a hammer and stake. You need fresh air and a normal sleep cycle you weird Hikikimori!"
Watching silently, from Kirito's vantage, it seemed a lot like a parent dealing with a small child, a complete reversal of the bullying that Kofu usually delivered to her 'Apprentice'. The blonde Leprechaun cast her eyes aside sullenly. "T-The hearth gods w-won't like it. Y-you better appease t-them A-Apprentice!"
"Whatever." Liz sighed as she took the other girl by the shoulders and started to clean her up, adjusting her posture so that she stood straight and brushing the hair out of her eyes. "Come on, you can sleep all you want, just as long as you're getting fresh air. Hey, Kirito I think I saw Silica down by the water just before I caught sight of you."
"Right." Kirito came up beside Kofu and took the smith's left arm while Liz took her right, guiding her back towards the water as she whimpered and groaned under her breath. Even if it wasn't polite, Kirito had to know, "How did you even get her to Gaddan?"
"Business with one of her suppliers. He wouldn't deal with me directly." Liz scowled. "We had to catch a ship so Kofu could stay below decks. Actually," Liz looked nervous, "I didn't think she'd take it this badly."
Badly was an understatement. Hopefully being away from the source of her 'Power' wouldn't cause Liz's 'Master' to crumble to dust.
At least the people waiting for them by the shore looked happier to be out in the sun. "Kirito!" A small, bubbly Cait girl, her ears hidden beneath a broad straw hat waved to him with great sweeps of her arm, a blue feathered dragon rising beside her on strong wing beats.
"Kyaa!"
"Looks like you two beat us to the water." Kirito greeted, letting Liz handle Kofu into the shade of an umbrella to have a sit down.
"Is something wrong with that person?" Silica asked out loud, her tone changing immediately to one of concern.
Kirito just scratched the back of his head. "It's . . . complicated . . . don't mind her too much, Liz has it handled." Probably, Kirito hoped.
He must have sounded more confident than he felt since Silica seemed more than willing to take his words at face value, giving her 'munchkin' smile and nodding. "Well, maybe once she's had a lay down. This sure is a scorcher today, but Yuuki-chan and I saw a stand selling shaved ice . . ."
"Blueberry shaved ice!" A beautifully and equally straw hatted Imp girl with long violet hair added as she came up beside Silica and put an arm around the Cait girl's shoulder. Like Silica, she was dressed for the summer heat in a thin strapped top and cotton shorts that concealed a ready bathing suit for later. "That's the perfect thing for this weather, dontcha think? So this is one of your friends, Silica-chan?"
"Un." The Cait girl stood between them and gave introductions. "Yuuki-chan, this is Kirito-kun, a good friend of mine. You'd know him better as Yui-chan's father. Kirito-kun, this is my partner Yuuki, we fly the courier routes together."
"Eh?" The girl who had been introduced as Yuuki gave Kirito a second look, fixing him with cherry-blossom-pink eyes. "You're Yui-chan's Papa? I guess you're one of the 'lucky' out of timers then, huh?" She grinned and stuck out her hand. "The name's Konno Yuuki, Licensed Courier Second Class. Nice to meetcha!"
"Same here." Kirito shook back. Any friend of Silica's was a friend of his, he was just glad to see that she was practicing better judgment with the sort of people she hung around with.
"So how about we go see about that shaved ice?" Yuuki asked Silica.
"Un, then we can go for a swim in the lagoon." Silica agreed. "It'll be fun."
The Imp girl's smile faltered ever so slightly as the brakes were put on her exuberance. "Erm . . . swimming? Uh . . . Actually Silica-chan . . ."
"Whatever you girls decide to do, remember to put on the sunblock that Nori-chan sent for you first." A soft spoken Undine in a sheer summer gown said as she placed her hands gently on the shoulders of both girls. "You have to protect your skin in this weather." The water Faerie looked up at Kirito, smiling softly, her long, drooping lashes giving the impression that she might have been a little wilted in the summer heat. "And you must be Kirito-san. Silica-chan has told Yuuki-chan and I a little about you. I am Shiune, it is a pleasure to meet you."
"Shiune works at the Arrun Central Hospital." Silica explained helpfully. "She's one of the nurses learning how to take care of people from the doctor's that work there. Oh, and she's also one of the members of Yuuki-chan's guild. Some of them split off after the Transition but they all keep in touch, like a family."
The Undine bowed very slightly with her hands clasped in front of her. "I'd like to thank you and your wife for inviting Yuuki and I."
"Don't mention it." Kirito bowed back, feeling like his manners were a little outclassed by this beautiful Undine woman. "This is just a beach trip, it's really not something that you need to make a big deal out of."
"Thank you nevertheless, on both our behalf." Shiune insisted as she brushed aside a long, graceful strand of hair. Yuuki took the Undine by the hand, pulling her off towards the stands and asking what flavor she'd like to get, apparently the Imp was paying.
Silica stopped long enough to turn back. "And do you want anything, Kirito-san?"
"I think I'm good." It wasn't that he wasn't feeling a bit thirsty, but the introductions had been a little bit much on such short notice and it was probably just a taste of what was going to come later today. A nice, secluded little get together was going to end up being a big gathering, and those sorts of things always ended up being a little exhausting.
'We have too many friends.' Kirito decided, but he was grateful for every single one of them. "You go on ahead, I'm going to see if I can find a good spot for us to set up. There's going to be a lot of people."
"Un."
They'd parted ways, Silica going with Shiune and Yuuki while Liz stayed to keep an eye on Kofu under the shade of the umbrellas. Kirito made his way along the parasol shaded beach in search of a spot with enough room for everyone, and preferably a little secluded from the rest of the beach goers. He found that spot about halfway around the lagoon, where the sheltered waters were separated from Ragdorian lake by nothing more than a wide sandbar and the lush oasis plants screening off the nearest parts of the beach.
A cluster of Parasols and beach chairs were arranged near to a few hardy looking desert trees, with only a trio of people around, a pair of guests reclining in chairs in the shade, and a Cait girl crouched down over a sandcastle that seemed to be well on its way to becoming an impressive replica of Freelia.
It occurred to Kirito that maybe the other guests had come here for the same reason, to get away from the noise and find a nice quiet spot, so it only seemed right to warn them and ask permission.
"Oy, excuse me . . ." Kirito waved to the young man reclined in the first beach chair, presently occupied with intently reading a thin, leather bound book. The fringes of blond hair sticking out from beneath a boonie hat, the deep blue cotton jacket over patterned t-shirt and khaki cargo shorts, and the lightweight loafers that lay kicked off and filled with sand at his feet practically made him look like a laid back American surfer. Probably a Sylph come down from Freelia, except . . . except . . . Kirito frowned as he got a good look at him, and then grimaced as suspicion returned. "Oy oy . . . This isn't funny you know . . . Did Asuna put you up to this too?" Because that was the only way he could see it happening. It did however explain who had paid for their room.
The man looked up from his book, closing it carefully with a wooden bookmark. Kirito's written Tristanian wasn't the best, but he understood enough of the alphabet to know that it was definitely Tristanian and that the title read something like The King. Well, at least it wasn't The Princess and the Princess. If it had been, the Spriggan would have been taking the opportunity to defect across the border into Gallia.
"I was wondering when you and your family would arrive." The youth sat up in his chair. "Sir Kirito."
"Prince Wales." The Black Swordsman greeted the exile Prince of Albion, not exactly how or where he'd ever have expected to find him. The fact that the 'Surf Bum' happened to be him just made it seem all the more insane. Kirito could only think of one thing to say. "Nice hat."
"Ah yes, so simple it isn't even a disguise. Where better to sit unnoticed then in plain sight?" Wales put his book down beside his chair and climbed to his feet. "And who would expect a human to be hiding his ears on a Faerie beach? Quite effective, wouldn't you say? Of course, some of my men are here as well, no sense in taking chances . . . "
Some of his men . . . Kirito hadn't been amused to begin with, but this was starting to seem like a bad joke that was taking too long to get to the punchline. "I'm going to guess this isn't when you're going to tell me what you're doing here."
The Prince stopped in his explanation of his 'disguise strategy' and took a turn for looking decidedly embarrassed. "Ah yes well . . ."
"He was terrorizing the Generals at the Champ de Mars so his Girlfriend the Queen gave him a time out and sent him all the way to scenic Ragdorian Lake. Tis a timeless lovers quarrel sa!" A nasal lisp came from the Cait girl on the beach, standing up, her hands tugged her golden yellow bathing suit bottom back down as she turned to flash a whiskered grin, a Pixie in an elaborate two piece bathing suit constructed from flowing scraps of yellow silk flying up from the sandcastle to settle on her shoulder. "But I wouldn't worry too much sa, he twas given some duties to attend to while down this way."
"Duties?" Kirito knew he wasn't going to like where this was going.
"Other than a few days rest," Wales answered, "Prescribed by my self-appointed physician of a cousin, I'm also extending my aid to this lovely young woman and her family." He gestured to the girl seated next to him.
Kirito looked to the human girl in modest swimsuit and shorts as she lowered her tinted glasses from her eyes. The human corkscrew looked back.
"Monmon?" Kirito let slip without even thinking about what he'd said.
"Pardon?" Montmorency mon Montmorency frowned. "I don't think we've . . . met . . ."

The Beach. Hot sun, cool winds, and the sound of the surf. The smell of good barbecue, the taste of good beer, and company of good friends. Stretches of pure, idyllic sand going on for what looked like forever, blue all the way to the horizon, and most importantly, lots of beautiful women.
Yeah, Klein, Sir Tsuboi Ryotaro Klein, Faerie Swordsman of the Salamanders and Knight to Queen Henrietta of Tristain thought he had his priorities pretty much in order as he suckled on a dark brown bottle of something that tasted very satisfactorily like a lager.
He had his friends, he had his beer, and he had a view of all the scenic natural beauty that the combined worlds of Halkegenia and ALfheim had to offer stretching down the beach.
"Hey, Kirito." Klein said as kicked back in a beach chair beside the 'Black Knight' of the Order of Yggdrasil.
Reclined back in the shade in his own swim trunks and shirt, the Spriggan replied without opening his eyes, like nothing in the world could possibly bother him. "Yeah?"
"Life is good." Klein reached an arm behind his neck to prop up his head.
Kirito was a long time in answering, then, without any change in tone, or even a crack of his eyes, he replied. "If you're undressing Asuna or Sugu with your eyes, remember that getting kicked in the crotch will really hurt now."
Klein nearly choked on his next swig of beer before rocketing up in his chair, coughing heavily to clear his throat. "Hey now Kirito!" The Red Samurai actually felt a little hurt at what his friend was insinuating. "Come on man, you know I'd be the first guy to back up Asuna or your sister if someone looked at them funny!" 'Backing them up' because either of the two Faeries would probably be able to handle almost anything that came their way before anyone else could lift a finger.
Make no mistake about it, the hell they'd all been through, SAO, the Transition, and the opening shots of a war, had taken both of those human girls and transformed them into incredibly strong and competent Faeriewomen, plenty able to look out for themselves.
Which was probably why Suguha really did look all grown up these days, ever since she'd joined the Watch and started to cut her own path, not trying to follow after Kirito but not losing sight of him either. Klein's eyes wandered across the beach to where the girls were gathered on the shore. Sort of without any fanfare at all, Kirito's little sister had gone through another transformation, almost bigger than being turned into a Sylph in the first place. Her body might not have changed at all, but the way she wore it sure had, and that was making all the difference.
Like the way she was rocking that white and green bikini without even thinking about it, out in the sun chatting with Asuna and the classy Undine that Silica had brought along. Chest thrust high, back arched, and hips out without a bit of the self-consciousness that usually made her look like a kid wearing hand-me-downs, proudly displaying taut skin and a generous figure that would have made a good number of grown women, grown Faerie women, more than a little bit envious.
The tough talk and commanding presence of a Kendo practitioner confident in her skills had mellowed out, worn off its edges, sort of melted and recast, from a diamond hard shield that Suguha had sheltered behind to face this crazy world, into a much more complete suit of armor that covered most of her weak spots. And he really couldn't say it didn't look good on her.
Which was why he was probably going to hell Klein realized.
'His Sister.' He reminded himself, as fun as she might be to hang around with. 'His Sister.' The Salamander repeated, emphasis on the 'His'. As cool as she could be in a fight. 'His kid Sister.' Which really should have killed it for him. 'Remember your rule Klein!' Except if he hadn't known any better and Leafa had come up to him at a bar carrying herself like that, he couldn't say his first thought would have been to card her. In fact, it probably would have been a distant fifth.
It didn't help that Kirito chose that moment to nod. "Knowing I don't have anything to worry about is the only reason I'd say something like that." The Spriggan said. "Don't sweat it so much Klein."
"Yeah, right." The Salamander muttered. 'Bad Klein. Bad! You do not betray a bro's trust!' The Salamander turned his attention away from the aesthetic beach scene playing itself out before his eyes. 'Remember, there are plenty of other fish in the sea!'
In fact, speaking of fish, his eyes found safe harbor on the bluenette in a white one piece that Leafa had been talking to. Not only pretty but downright beautiful in that sort of refined and nurturing way. And judging by the glass of wine she'd been lightly sipping earlier, safely over «The Line».
She'd introduced herself as Shiune when Klein had made it to the beach late and carrying a heavy wooden cask filled with ice and cold alcohol for those who were old enough to enjoy it. She was a guildmate or a friend of Silica's cute little partner. Seemed pretty alright from the little bit of conversation they'd managed to share. A healer, a nurse actually, or studying to be one now that she was settling into her new life.
Klein watched as the lovely Undine woman turned at the small tug at her sarong, meeting the smile of Silica's Imp partner who was dressed in a similar violet swimsuit and matching leg wrap. They exchanged a few words, Shiune tilting her head as she raised a hand to hide the smallest of smiles and then nodded and sent Yuuki off with her sarong so that she stood along the shore baring some really gorgeous long legs.
That got the Salamander's attention as he sat up to get a slightly better view of the slim woman stepping out into the crystal water. Her wings slowly crept out from her back, four azure sweeps that first took on their rigid flight forms, but then, as soon as their tips brushed water, began to turn limp and translucent. Once the Undine judged she was far enough out, the water about midway up slim thighs, she'd stretched out her arms and bent forward, fabric stretching in interesting ways, before springing off in a sleek dive, vanishing with barely a splash.