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Sora’s smile didn’t falter the entire way back to the room; every time her green irises darted to Kari’s folded down ears and stiff tail, she shook with laughter.

Kari was doing her best to hide her face with the absolute mane of black hair draping down her back and shoulders, but Sora managed to sneak a few glimpses of her burning cheeks.

As with all good things, they must come to an end; the wolf-girl managed to get her nervous emotions under control before the others could see the adorable side of the Fenris Wolf, and if their assistant tail noticed, she made no indication, staying true to her role as a shadow.

Jin and Eyia were stretching out when they arrived, accompanied by the rest of the group.

Mary released a soft yawn, brushing back her brown hair while rubbing her eyes.  “It’s getting pretty late, isn’t it?”

Ashley and Brandon glanced at the bed with rueful smiles.

“Maybe we’ll actually get a good night’s sleep,” Brandon whispered.

His wife gave him a dubious look.  “We’ll see … we really … reeallly need one of these beds,” she giggled.

A thought occurred to Sora; she fed her desire into the action, and the City Core responded.  Jin, Eyia, and Kari’s gaze leveled with her as the magic left her body, and she knew they were concerned, but she needed to keep testing it to see what was the trigger.

Four more identical beds appeared inside the expansive room, swapping out the fountain and couches, and pitch-black boxes of energy separated each one, making the humans jump, but before they could question the action, Jin let out an impressed note.  

“Wow … now those are freakin’ tough … what else does it … wait, my spiritual signature is … ah…”

Sora piped in to clarify her idea as every curious pair of eyes turned to her.

“I thought it would put everyone at ease if I had the city create an impenetrable barrier for our sleeping areas!”

The blue-furred attendants were notably shaken by her statement.

“So,” Sora continued, “basically, it blocks all noise, vision, protects against anything, and only allows specific people in each for privacy.

“The one in the middle can be for Kari, Emilia, Wendy, and I … well, I suppose Githa’s fine in her cat form.

“To the left is for Ashley, Brandon, and their kids.

“Far left is for Nathan and Aiden.

“To the right, you have Eyia, and Jin … sorry, there’s just not a whole lot of room left on our bed, Eyia.”

“Understandable, Sister, and I am thankful for the added protection.”

Jin lifted an eyebrow at the barrier.  “That’s an understatement.”

“The last,” Sora turned to give Mary a smile, “is for you, Liz, and Alice.  Is that okay?”

“Absolutely!  I’m just…”

Mary trailed off as Ashley cleared her throat, nudging over to whisper in her ear, but the only person she’d be hiding the information from was Nathan, her husband, and possibly Aiden.  “Umm … Mary, could you, uh … take our kids for the night,” she winced.  “Just to give Brandon and I a chance to catch-up.” 

The psychiatrist’s smile went from confused to nodding brightly, but she couldn’t hide the cat-like twitch that lifted her lips.  “Of course.  I’d be happy to babysit, after all,” she giggled, glancing over at the dark center cube, “they’ll probably be sleeping the whole night.”

Sora made the tweak in permissions within the barriers, and everyone gave a start as the middle box became see-through.  “Oh, I’ve also made it where you can control the light, scents, and transparency of the boxes by thought … it’s so much easier having the City Core do all the hard work,” she mused, eyeing the god-like complexity of magic within the room.

Her vision suddenly darted around the room.  “Wait … I almost forgot to ask, but where’s Holonie and Braelyn?”

“Yeah … I smelled them in the hall.”

An attendant promptly replied.  “They said they were confused about all the things asked of them.  As was Councilor Tola’s directive, we offered to guide them to her for further explanation.”

“Could you imagine the look on their faces?”  Jin snickered, moving toward the exit.  “Aye, one of you know where the bathing area is?  This place has to have one!”

Sora’s lips fell into a line at the information, but let it be a problem for another time.  “Oh, I can do that, too!”  She cheerily interjected.  “Kari and I want to take a bath.”

Kari’s amber irises shot to the floor.  “You mean, you volunteered me for one…”

“Oh, c’mon, we both need one; it’s to relax!”

“Whatever you say…”

“Right?”  Sora teased, nudging her side again with a wink.

Kari responded with a wry huff.

Nathan cleared his throat.  “Uh … hey, I’d kind of like to wash-up, too, if that’s okay.  Is there a male’s bath … preferably a shower?”  He winced.

“Okay,” Sora mumbled, glancing at each member of the party.  “Who else wants to freshen-up before … oh, everyone, huh?”

Not one hand was down, but Sora’s focus snagged on their aids’ confused expressions.

“Male baths?”

A stone dropped into Sora’s stomach.  “Wait … you guys don’t have sex separated facilities?”

“No…”  another responded with a questioning look.

Ashley, Brandon, Nathan, and Aiden took the culture shock hard, but Jin only snickered, and Eyia nodded acceptingly.  Liz and Alice were also giving her weird looks.

“Well … that won’t do!”  Sora responded.  “We’ll be fixing that…”  Her focus eased to the drawers in the corner, housing all of their clothes that Tola had transported.  “... Alright, pick out some PJs, and I’ll come up with a plan.”

“Umm, excuse me, Lady Sora,” one of the blue-tailed Vulpes hesitantly stepped forward.  “I don’t understand, but we will follow whatever order you give.”

“Whatever order?”  Jin hummed shadily.

For the first time, Eyia’s eyes creased.  “Friend, do not force these Vulpes into your strange little games because of the task their Lady has given them … it is humiliating.”

“For who?”  Jin shot back.  “... fine, fine!”  She conceded with Eyia’s deep blue irises refusing to give in.  “Geez … one time in Atlantis…”

“Two.”

“One, the second doesn’t count because you were gone!”

“Still inaccurate.”

Jin clicked her tongue.  “Still don’t know how you found out about that one.”

Sora watched the exchange while shaking her head, and it seemed a few others were trying to imagine what the Dragon’s little Master-Slave game was.

The Vulpes seemed rather frightened at the prospect, but one boldly stepped forward.  “We will do whatever is required of us!  However, Lady Sora, is it too much to ask for us to be your guides to the baths … it’s just … we were asked to serve you, and…”

Jin’s tongue slide across her lips.  “I’m beginning to like this place more and more, but … sorry, girls, that’ll take too long.  Sora can just teleport us to the nearest one, and I really want to soak these tense muscles,” she groaned, rubbing her left shoulder.  “If you’re worried, then she can just take you with us.”

Nathan and Aiden’s faces were still red as their eyes darted between the Dragon and blue-tailed Vulpes, clearly thinking something promiscuous, and to be fair, Sora’s own mind had questioned that angle, but it also didn’t seem in Jin’s taste.  Then again, she had to remind herself that she didn’t really know the odd pair.  The more they revealed about their adventures, the stranger things became.

Mary chimed in as the Vulpes’ ears gloomily fell back.  “I’m sure we’ll need your help with the type of products you have here!”

“Oh … yes, we can help with that!”  Their attendants’ faces glowed.

Jin gave Eyia a side-long look, but the Valkyrie simply ignored the Dragon’s glare.

Alice and Liz had remained utterly silent during the exchange, but upon hearing Sora’s direction, swiftly jumped to the cabinets, each of their two tails swishing back and forth as they searched for nightwear.

It didn’t take long for the crew to get everything they needed, most of the girls hiding their chosen attire from any male view other than Jin and Eyia, who didn’t have a shred of shyness.

Sora could only smile at the Dragon’s yellow silky nightgown with matching undergarments and Eyia’s light blue counterpart.

While everyone selected their nighttime attire, Sora explained what she’d do.

“I’ll send us to three baths or showers and have one of our attendants join each of us…”

“Woah, woah,” Nathan forced a chuckle, vision darting to the lovely women hanging on her every word.  “You aren’t actually, uh … sending them in with us?”

Sora smirked at him as she read the energy leaving both Nathan and Aiden’s spirit and mirrored bodily responses.  “I don’t know … do you think they can sense what I’m sensing?”

The three attendants’ heads shifted to Nathan, eyes sparkling in almost an innocent way that made the man’s flush deepen.

“No, no, no, no … I’m good, Sora!  Really!”

“Are you sure?”  Jin teased, reptilian yellow eyes darting between the groups.  “They said anything, isn’t that right, girls?”

“Anything you need!”  They chimed.

Aiden lifted an eyebrow at Sora with a sad smile, and even Kari was glaring at her.  “C’mon, don’t do us like this, Sora.”

“I’m just saying,” Sora raised her hands to stroke one of her tails as she swung it around, “you’ll be all alone—with a very pretty Vulpes woman … I mean, how old are each of you?  Wait … I forgot to ask each of your names, too!”

The youngest looking of the three responded first.  “Five-hundred and twelve, and my name is Hannah.”

The next to respond was the most curved of the bunch but didn’t have the same structured facial features as the last.  “Jamilla, and I am Five-hundred and sixty-three.”

“I’m Kisia!”  The woman giggled as everyone’s focus turned to her, which seemed to be an emotional reaction since she was extremely nervous at the moment.  “I’m Five-hundred and thirty.”

“There you have it!”  Sora cheered.  “I mean, just think about the possibilities!  You have dedicated maids at your disposal that will do anything to satisfy your needs … anything.”

Jin folded her arms with amusement.  “Milkin’ it, girl!”

Kisia stepped forward.  “I volunteer to aid Nathan and Aiden.”

“Does she understand what the context of the conversation is?”  Eyia asked with a raised eyebrow.  “Although, I do not understand the…”

“Of course you don’t,” Jin sighed.  “Asgardian culture is so different.”

Nathan took a deep breath.  “Ahem … thank you, Sora, but I’m not that kind of guy, and … you know what kind of … wait, wait, nevermind…”

Sora hummed softly while analyzing his shifting spiritual aura.

Man … Aunt Inari, you left a crazy impression on this man.

Sighing, Sora waved her hand, and both Nathan and Aiden vanished with her desire.  “Kisia, please wait outside the bathing area; to us, culturally, men and women have different bathing areas.”

Kisia bowed.  “As you wish…”

Sora didn’t give her the chance to finish the gesture, sending her to the area’s entrance.

Next, Sora gave both Brandon and Ashley a wink before transporting them to their own personal time, and more than one half-smile lifted a face at her action.

“Jamilla, if you’ll please follow the same instruction as Kisia.”

The woman nodded and was whisked away.

Finally, she teleported the rest of the group, keeping their loved ones locked inside their protective dome.

Sora was beyond impressed by the sight that greeted her when they arrived, and luckily, there was a section with hundreds of neatly kept bathing goods placed in pockets along the wall with a platform to get to each area.

To say the space was vast would have been an understatement, as was much of the Capital’s tower.  The room was warm with steam coming off the huge spa and multiple areas with similar showering areas like the one she’d modified at the Vulpes town, but much more advanced.

Coral blue was mixed with gold and white that spanned every inch of the place in a clean design that relaxed Sora’s heart and mind.  There was a light vanilla scent that carried with the light mist, and the soft running water keeping the water fresh filled the space with a gentle tone.

“Unbelievable,” Mary whispered.

Jin and Eyia were quick to throw off their clothes, diving into the steaming liquid with sighs of bliss.

“Yup … Founder Magic that penetrates every sore muscle,” she moaned, wading in to experiment with the depth; it seemed to drop in the middle to a rather extensive degree as even Eyia couldn’t stand up halfway out without going under.

Hannah gave Sora an apologetic frown.  “Umm … Lady Sora, this is a rather embarrassingly small bathing space for someone of your pedigree … we were instructed to…”

Sora broke into laughter, and the others paused, Liz and Alice halfway undressed.

“This is embarrassingly small!  No … this will do just fine … Kari,” she smirked, causing the Fenris Wolf to fold her arms under her chest, “aren’t you gonna get in?”

Biting her lower lip, Kari’s eyes darted to the booths housing everything someone could possibly ask for at a spa and walked that way, responding with narrowed eyes before turning back to her destination.

She’s so freakin’ cute when she’s embarrassed.  Is she going for a towel?  Yup, called it!

Sora removed her own clothes, making a point to make sure Kari was watching before snickering while entering the pool.

Warmth spread through her skin, melding with her spirit.  The shock was so much that even teasing Kari was driven from her mind.  Every ounce of spiritual fatigue melted away as her muscles turned to butter, and she sank into the milky liquid with a low moan.

“Right?”  Jin giggled, floating on the surface, belly up, and Sora was able to get her first good look at the little Korean girl.

She’d been able to get accurate measurements for each person in their party when making their clothes, but this was the first time she’d actually seen Jin truly bare-skinned, and she wasn’t quite as child-like as she first thought.

Eyia, on the other hand, was well-endowed for her height, which only made her curves more impressive.  Liz had more of a butt, while Alice gained a bit of a lead in the rest of her figure.

She’d always thought Mary was pretty, and at thirty-two years old, her figure was more than filled out compared to Sora’s own, and she would have been jealous, but after discovering Founders could alter their physical forms, that had been dropped by the wayside.

Her focus moved back to Kari as she purposefully used a booth that had a pillar blocking eyesight.  “I’ve already seen you naked!”  Sora yelled with an impish grin.  “Who are you fooling?”

“Shut-up!”  Kari shouted back.  “See … I knew you’d just make the whole thing awkward!”

“I just want to see some tail!”  Sora snickered.

Mary joined her, wading over to lean against the side of the pool.  “Come now, Kari.  You are a very pretty girl; you shouldn’t be ashamed of anything.”

“Who said I was ashamed?”

“If a duck quacks, it’s a duck.”  Jin cut in.

Eyia’s unbound hair fanned out in the water, head half submerged as she glared in Kari’s direction, and Sora could almost hear her internal thoughts, blowing bubbles underwater.  Fenris Wolves are not pretty.

“Just get out here; everyone’s waiting!”

Sora’s grin grew, hearing Kari’s low, frustrated growl, but after a few seconds, she casually came into view around the pillar, head hotly turned away with her burning cheeks flushed for the world to see.

She was wrapped from chest to thighs in a white cloth that resembled an ordinary towel, but her lightly tanned skin mixed with the Fenris girl’s flustered fidgets made for quite a sight.

“Don’t slip!”  Sora teased.  “Wouldn’t want that towel to fall off…”

“Don’t!”  Kari growled, almost tripping as Sora extended a testing thread of magic.

“I won’t, I won’t!”  Sora giggled, retracting it.

“Why don’t I believe you…”

“Then hurry up!”

“Fine, fine … geez … you’re acting … eek…”

Kari jogged to the pool, and the moment she reached the edge, Eyia released a burst of frigid energy that froze a thin sheet of ice along the surface of the pool, frosting over the floor just below Kari’s falling foot.

Sora and Mary’s hands shot to their mouths in surprise as Kari released a cute squeak, falling face-first through the ice and into the pool; Eyia didn’t even crack a smile, but Jin appeared to be drowning with laughter as she bobbed up and down in the center of the spa.

Hannah’s eyes were wide as saucers while watching the scene unfold.

Kari sank below the surface, disappearing while Sora and Mary did their best to refrain from giggling at the display.  She didn’t come up for a good two minutes, causing Mary to worry a little, but Sora knew better.

Sure enough, after three minutes, she slowly emerged, likely having to kneel at the current depth with her height.  Her amber eyes were like daggers as the Fenris Wolf and Valkyrie’s half-exposed faces stared at one another.

Slowly, Eyia’s chin rose out of the water, and in a tone bordering on begrudging, said, “Maybe Fenris Wolves can be a little cute.”

Kari’s cold anger melted to confusion in an instant as the Valkyrie sank back below the surface.

Sora lifted her thumb out of the pool.  “Agreed!  Although, I feel like whatever’s in this water is messing with Eyia’s brain,” she giggled.

Kari’s amber irises turned to her, glare returning.  “You could have stopped that.”

“No, no, I couldn’t!”  Sora replied with utter truth in her words.  “Even you were caught off-guard!”

A low growl rumbled in Kari’s throat before she ducked below the surface again, causing bubbles to form along the surface as she swam further into the depths.

Sora had fun teasing Kari for the remainder of the event and even convinced Hannah to join them in the spa before starting a water-fight that Jin almost certainly won; when half the lake falls on your heads, the victor is decided, or someone should tell Eyia that because creating a vacuum with one’s spear to reverse the attack should be against the rules, but it had saved them.

In fact, it scared Hannah so much that she almost fainted, but Sora and Mary managed to reassure the distressed woman with a little attention.

Returning to their rooms after having their fun, they found Kisia promptly waiting at the door, indicating Aiden and Nathan had returned and were taking their z’s.  The group gave each other knowing smiles upon seeing Brandon and Ashley’s attendant missing.

Settling into their designated areas, Sora helped Mary carry the couple’s sleeping children to snuggle against each other on Mary’s bed, Alice and Liz taking the right side of the bed while Mary took the left, near the kids.

Sora snuggled up to Emilia with Wendy close by.  Kari took the kids’ place on the opposite end, probably feeling more than a little attacked tonight, but she took it like a champ … if the champ just barely managed to keep her embarrassment induced tears in check, and everyone soon learned precisely how magical the beds truly were, taking them each into a deep sleep that would last until they were fully rested.

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