A Ballad for a Curious Water Sprite, Part Two
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As the three of them headed back to the Academy, Xhez's body felt sluggish. The water had definitely had some sort of effect on her, as it was slightly hard to keep her balance as she walked, and she felt happier than normal. That last one, however, could be thanks to what she'd been told a little while ago.

Her mind remained fixed on the news she'd heard. Apparently, that one human she'd met back at Dren would be coming to Libera soon. Hearing this did bring a smile to her face, as she listened to Maria and Rin speak.

"Wait, what?" Rin asked, confused.

"Don't take this as confirmation," Maria replied. "I'm just saying, this is what the guildmaster is considering."

"So soon, though?"

"Yes. I was surprised as well, naturally," Maria nodded. "If you are going to be out in the field, however, we need to make sure you, and the other students, are adequately prepared. It might not go through, but we should train as though it's a certainty, just in case."

Xhez was a bit too distracted to really focus on what they were saying, and yet she still let out a giggle every time she heard something that sounded funny. It was something about Rin doing missions, which confused Xhez because she thought that was what Rin had already been doing.

However, she set that aside as they said goodbye to Maria and went up to Rin's room. Xhez walked in with a bright smile. Elisa was inside, reading a book that she then set aside for a moment as they entered.

"ELISA!" Xhez called out, jogging over to the woman and giving her a big hug. The act caught Elisa by surprise but she soon returned it. Then, as Xhez pulled back, nearly tripping and falling due to this strange effect she was feeling, she raised a little brow and asked:

"What's got you so happy?" The question was aimed at Xhez.

"A f... A friend," it was slightly hard to say that, for some reason, "is coming to this city," Xhez replied. "I did not think I would get to see her so soon!"

"So, I guess that's what that letter was about," Rin said and Xhez recalled the words June had written for her some time ago.

Knowing that human memory was different from that of sprites, Xhez may have believed that June had forgotten about her had she never gotten that message. The fact that she had, and she knew that not only did June remember her, but she was also looking forward to seeing Xhez again, only added to that elation.

"Damn," Elisa said with raised brows. "Does this friend know you're a sprite?"

At that, Xhez's smile faded just a little and she shook her head.

"Ah, gotcha," Elisa nodded sagely. "Still, must be nice having some more human friends to talk to."

"Indeed," Xhez's smile came back with full force. "I cannot wait to ask her about the places she has been to!"

"Oh? Is she a traveler? What's this mystery woman's name, anyway?"

"June Dahlia," Xhez proudly stated.

Elisa suddenly looked absolutely stunned.

"You know June Dahlia?" She asked with a dazed expression.

"Yes," Xhez affirmed. "Last time we spoke, apparently, we came quite close to doing- no, having sex. That is how you say it, right?" She asked Rin.

For some reason, the raven-haired adventurer looked slightly embarrassed as she nodded.

"Oh, or as you called that one time, 'fucking'," Xhez told Elisa with a proud smile and the woman barked out a loud laugh. "Perhaps now we will finally have this experience!"

"Uh... Sure," Rin said, "but try not to be so direct about it."

"Wait, wait, hold on," Elisa held her hands up, "how the fuck did this happen?"

"Allow me to explain," Xhez said.

"W-Wait," Rin raised a hand and stopped her. "Uh, maybe let me."

"Hm? Why?" Xhez asked.

"I... You might not explain it in a way she understands," Rin reasoned. "It was kinda weird how it happened, after all."

"Ahhh I see," Xhez nodded, and then she stopped, as her head completely disagreed with that movement.

[I feel... strange. In a good way, though,] she noted, shrugging and pushing that thought aside.

"Okay, so, let me explain then," Rin said, before doing just that. She went over the event in a little less detail than Xhez herself would have gone into, noting how Xhez heard June's singing and asked for lessons before the two of them talked for a while, and somehow, in the span of that time Xhez nearly managed to seduce her. It didn't take too long to get everything across, but there were details she didn't mention that Xhez felt she'd like to.

For instance, the naked people everywhere were definitely one of the highlights of that entire trip in Xhez's mind. And, one of the more curious things that occurred was that Xhez's voice had a strange effect on June. She'd known for a while that her voice was magical, as she would use it to defend herself from attackers back when she was in the woods, but she hadn't quite known the soothing capabilities of it that she displayed with June.

She still needed to look into that, Xhez noted. The range of possibilities in her voice, and the different applications of it. If she could use it to help Rin, or simply make her day-to-day life a little sweeter, then Xhez would like to know about it.

"By the Divine," Elisa said with a grin as Rin finished telling the story. "I mean, Xhez," she looked over at the sprite, "you told me you wanted to have sex but it kinda sounds like you could do that anytime you wanted to, with the game you've got."

"Game?" Xhez tilted her head.

"Uh, like, your ability to get people to like you," Elisa explained.

"Ah, I see," Xhez replied, nodding as she internalized that nugget of information.

"So," Elisa continued, "she's coming over for the concert and she let you know ahead of time? Damn."

"You know about it?" Xhez tilted her head.

"A lot of people do," Elisa said. "June's pretty famous already because of how much she travels, and how often she puts on shows. She's still kind of up-and-coming, I wouldn't say she's a household name yet, but she'll probably be one soon enough."

She crossed her legs and put her hands behind her head as she said:

"Have you bought your tickets?"

"Nah," Rin shook her head. "We just heard about this thing a couple of hours ago."

"Hm. In that case, you might wanna go ahead and buy them. They could be selling out sooner than you think."

"Wait, you're right," Rin muttered. "Where can we buy them?"

"I can take you to the place right now if you want," Elisa shrugged.

"Seriously?" Rin asked.

"Yeah, I've got nothing to do today," Elisa said, adding in a quick "for once" at the end. "How about it?"

"Uh, yeah," Rin nodded, and then looked over at Xhez. "What do you think? Does your disguise still have some juice in it?"

"Juice? My disguise does not come with any juices, no," she shook her head.

"Uh, I mean, is it going to last longer."

"Ohhh, sure," Xhez replied. "I believe it should last at least four more hours. Especially since I spent that time in the bath."

"Baths?" Elisa asked.

"Yes," Xhez grinned. "We took a bath with Maria. It was great."

At that, Elisa's brows just about touched the ceiling as she aimed a weird look at Rin, and the adventurer waved her hands back and forth.

"N-Not, the hot springs," she sighed, "we just went to the hot springs with her."

"Damn," Elisa maintained her surprised face. "I didn't know you had it in you to go after a teacher like that. I'm learning a lot today."

"... Can we just go, already?"

"Yeah," Elisa laughed. "Sure. Let's go."

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