Chapter 36: Now, for real, do your quests

 Allan: Healer, kitchen helper. Voice of reason. 

"What about this one?" Atha points at the A quests again. "This one has dragons in it. I am certain that Dean can blow one up. Then, I'll get the schema, and we will be dragon riders before long." 

"Atha, I think we will end up getting eaten," I say, and then point at the F ranked quests. "What about this one? Weeding a potato garden?" 

"Atha will probably mutate the potatoes, and they will try to eat us," Augustine says in a drawl. "Why do we need to even take a quest? I mean, we did that one with the turtle." 

"Why don't we go and train instead?" Vincent suggests. "We got new manuals straight from Huergaz. One of them is an archery one co-written by Jean and Armaros." 

"I think we can handle the dragons," Atha continues to insist, showing how little attention he paid us. "Dean, I'll do that think you love with my tongue again, if you back me up." 

"I also think we can handle the dragons," Dean actually rises his hand, for extra effect. 

"Silence, you! I am still mad at you for the way you tried to replace us with Ariknol," Augustine all but hisses at him. 

I see the guild master from the corner of my eye. He believes in me. I mean, he gave me Leander's staff. I should do something, to deserve this faith in me, right? 

"How about this one," I say, pointing at a C quest. "It says, right here, that there is a piranha filled river not far from here." 

"I can use some piranhas," Atha says, rubbing his chin. 

"I can cook some piranhas," Augustine has a glint in his eyes that is hard to describe. I blush at the memory of the way his eyes lit up the last time we went hunting. They were so illuminated. Practically twinkling...

"I really wish I could say that I could fuck some piranhas, just to keep the conversation going, but..." And Dean kills the mood. The magic is gone, and we all stare at him. 

"Brain to mouth filter, Dean. Do you even have one?" Augustine asks. Dean moves to him, and takes a hold of his chin. 

"If I didn't, I'd tell you to get bend, right now," he then places a quick kiss on Augustine's lips, and backs away, when Augustine takes his harp in his hands. 

"I will play a holy tune, don't you test me," he snarls. My palm meets my forehead. 

"Besides, you did just tell him to get bend," Vincent chimes in, which doesn't help the situation any. 

"Details," the headache is threatening to swallow me whole. I clear my throat, and then point at the quest again. 

"Do we take it, or not?" I ask. My party looks at me like I just ruined their fun. 

Which, now that I think about it, is precisely what I did. 

I have to remember that they enjoy being at each other's throats. 

"It is the best one on here," Atha says, probably still thinking only about schemas. Where is he going to let the piranhas live after he spawns them is beyond me. Still, I don't argue against his misguided support. 

"Ok, now, group huddle," Augustine says, and we all gather. I can feel Dean's arm wrap around my middle, which makes the butterflies in my stomach flutter their wings. His hand is nowhere near my ass, which is also a plus. 

He doesn't treat me like used goods at all. 

Still, I would have liked it, if he was a bit more forward. I still remember how we...

I blush at my own thoughts, and hear a slap. Furthermore, I look at Dean's other side, to see him holding up his hand in a dramatic way. 

"Bully," he tells Atha, who just shrugs.

"Perhaps, if you just felt up the goods, instead of trying to put a finger in my butt hole at a public place, I wouldn't have had to resort to violence," Atha says all this with a straight face. I have to admit that I admire him for it. I would have stammered my way through half of this sentence, and given up on speaking the other half.

"Well, I," Dean is silenced by a glare from Augustine. 

"Focus," Tine snaps, and then looks at me. "Give me your reasoning behind picking this quest." 

"It will be a good chance for our, and by our, I mean your, destructive talents. If we just let some of Atha's mana, combined with Dean's blood, into the river, everything inside of it will die. Including the piranhas," I say. Dean pats me on the back. 

"Do you all see? Allan appreciates me," he says, as he leans into me. "You know, if you really want to show your appreciation..." 

"Stop perving on Allan," Augustine snaps, and his hands go to his harp. "Show some respect!"   

"Allan doesn't mind, right, my little cookie?" Dean asks. I blink at him. 

"Wait, how did you just call me?" I ask him because he has never called me that before. 

"Your hair color has the same color as a freshly baked cookie," his hands travel lower, and end up on my butt. "I love cookies." 

"Dean, hands where I can see them," Augustine says, yet, his eyes have this soft quality to them, that make my knees go weak.

Just what am I thinking? They are together, all four of them. They click together, even. While I...

Vincent leans into me from my other side, and kisses me on the forehead. 

"What will we do without you, little cookie? To end our squabbling with your adorably good looks," I blink at him. Atha clears his throat, and I turn to him next. 

"I think that, what we have been trying to tell you with hints all this time is, that, we would very much like for you to become a part of our harem. If you don't find it too much of a bother to be with a lusty little imp like Dean, a busybody like Tine, or someone who likes to boss people around, like Vince," Atha finishes with a wink. 

"Can I think about this?" I ask them all. This is too much too soon. Just a couple of days ago, I wasn't even my own person. Do I really want to give up my freedom so soon? 

"Take all the time in the world. Now, let us go bag some piranhas," Dean kisses me on the lips then. A chaste kiss, something not typically associated with him. Yet, a kiss full of promise.