Jaune Al'asfar's Story

"I guess the same...well wait, what is the dif..."

Iviri's words were cut off as the some of the females activated all sorts of magic, which suddenly had an interesting affect. In addition to their own hands, countless tentacles emerged from the table and wrapped around, and only around, them. Some to hold them in place during the massage, but others...they also assisted with the massage.

BUt of course, if one looked at it objectively, it was a perfectly reasonable idea. As they were boneless, they could adapt to the physiology of any species that came to the table, and to the characteristics of that individual. They also had the strength to dig into the really tough areas with a lot of stress was built up, and make themselves shape in the perfect way to deal with them.

"What the...eh...ahh...."

Iviri was taken totally off guard, having never gotten a massage before, and was a bit surprised by all this. Of course, having been raised in a lab, this was actually the first time he had seen any tentacles at all. However, the massage worked into each and every one of his stressed up areas, and relieved all the tension and soreness he had been feeling. As a result, he could not help but release a sigh of pure bliss.

And then, as an added bonus, the women themselves gave a personal touch. They used their precision and experience to get into the most problematic areas personally, and provided extreme relief to those areas. Their touch was practically comparable to divine beings themselves.

The combo of these two forces was what made the Ultimate Massage truly ultimate. By the time they would be done, Iviri and Demor would probably be more relaxed and relieved then they had ever felt before.

That said, Demor's words did not escape him.

"F-fans?" he questioned with a blush. However, all that tension immediately got re-released during the massage. "...okaay~".

He was still embarrassed, but in the middle of this massage, it was impossible for him to really have a reaction due to the overwhelming feeling of bliss he had, occasionally letting out a sigh or other noise that indicated such. Some people might have questioned why he made those noises, if they didn't see him getting a perfectly normal(?) massage.

"Eh, so thats what an ultimate massage looks like?" another boy questioned, sitting across from a man at a table. Jaune had just come here by chance, but had run into someone rather major, although it looked like few others had noticed. Then again, no one would really expect the leader of the Adventurer's Guild to show up at a bathhouse, now would they?

"You have not had one yet, Jaune?"

"Nah, I always end up getting pulled into playing a game of basketball or soccer while I am here by others. You?"

"A few times...they truly are divine".

As for what the two they were playing, it was not just the water and massage tables, or the food, that was available. There were also games, such as chess. There was also a room for video games. Baths were not just meant for getting clean on Origin, they were also a social gathering place where you could meet all kinds of people.

The girls continued their conversation as Iviri and Demor experienced the massage, though the arrival of another lady who seemed rather reluctant and unhappy caught their interest. Okora, being the type to make comments, was first to go, calling Amelia out in the process.

Oh, a novice! Heh. Hey! Why so shy!?

Sesame joined in with a giggle, diverting the conversation back to their group.

Tee hee hee! Her expression tells me she's actually upset, Okora!

I see!

Okora chuckled, covering her mouth a bit as she did so. It wasn't a particularly haughty laugh, but a more condescending one. She continued,

Well, I guess when compared to you...it's likely she's just jealous of your cooking skills. Clearly, boys like their muffins large and firm, yes? I'd say compared to all of us, you have the best muffins around.

Um, I believe we're forgetting someone.

Etaass had a pout on her face as she held her towel up around her body. Okora shook her head and shrugged.

Well, you're a deity figure, so you don't count. You're not limited to the conventions we mortals are. So of course your recipes will produce top notch results.

The girls all giggled again, sans one of them, the ever stoic Shakaurduraug.

A face of strife itself is in our presence. The ugliness that is conflict may soon follow. Perhaps we should watch our own mouths and hearts.

The lithe and flat Nyst looked over to Amelia.

Shakaurduraug, you've been serious this entire time. What are you sensing?

She seemed worried when Shakaurduraug continued.

To speak ill of someone invites aggression. True peace comes when such a circumstance is avoided.

Okora then interjected.

Oh, lighten up! She's clearly uncomfortable, yet she's in a place where this sort of thing is normal. If you get that self-conscious in such a location, then perhaps you don't visit! If you're going to visit new locations, you need to be ready to participate in whatever local customs are a thing. Practically a rule of thumb!

Okora spoke with all the confidence of a regular space traveler.

Okora~! Don't be too mean!

Sesame replied, almost appearing concerned for a moment, though it seemed to be more of a mocking concern. With a smirk and entirely too much pointed jabbing in her tone, Okora called out to Amelia a second time.

Hey! Greenhorn! You lost? The beach is outside the city!

The girls all giggled at this, even Shakauduraug had a small smile at the remark.

The woman was entirely within her own thoughts, staring down at the water as it lapped at her feet. She scowled, there was some kind of magical infusion, and the Aschen could practically sense it. Disgust welled up in her gut as years of Aschen propaganda against magic washed across her psyche.

Her own internal monologue was broken however, by the words of another. Amelia's blue eyes moved quickly towards the one called Okora. A brief scowl crossed Montrose's face. The disgusting creature dared to address her? And in an insulting manner such as this? Montrose scoffed slightly, the Aschen Empire burned entire worlds to glass for less of an insult.

She noticed every one of them lacked clothes, was that what the Xenos was alluding to? The bathing suit the Admiral was wearing?

"Excuse me?" Amelia asked with a slight Caprican accent.

She was going to make it a personal note, to discipline Colonel Decurion when she returned to the Pride of Langara, to place herself in such a humiliating position, to be humiliated by xenos no less.

"Do you have a problem!?" The woman retorted. "Where I come from, disgusting creatures like yourselves would forfeit their lives for addressing their betters like that." Montrose quipped.

"I am an Admiral within the Aschen Fleet; I don't sample the local fare, I don't visit new locations to experience them... I visit locations to assess their strategic strengths, and weaknesses so that they can be conquered for the glory of our Empire. Fewer things make me more uncomfortable than the thought of disgusting Xenos like yourselves gazing upon a genetically pure, unclothed Aschen body. It rolls my stomach in ways that only the sewer recycling systems of a Reverence II can." The Aschen woman was in the water at this point, making her way slowly towards the group, committing each of their faces to memory.

The Aschen people had long memories.

"I'll ask again, do we have a problem?" Montrose was clearly unhappy.

"Oh-ho-ho-oh~ That's divine...." Demor growled happily as the massage began. If the Draconian man could purr, he'd be doing it now. The tentacles were certainly something new compared to other massages he'd had in the past, but they didn't detract from his relaxation and pleasure while they and the ladies worked away at his muscles. They'd find a particularly harsh bit of tenseness in his shoulders and back, mainly from supporting that tail of his, and from years of work for his previous Guild. He would object to having his tail touched, and the long appendage would lightly smack away any prying hands to dissuade them, and to reinforce his point. The girls were understanding, and he didn't have to do much but relax and enjoy himself while he ate and had his muscles worked on.

Once the Massage had passed, and they were done, Demor lay limp on the table for a moment, sighing softly before rolling himself up onto his butt so he could stand, not bothering to cover up with his towel, merely tossing it onto his shoulder as he reached over, and chowed down on the last bit of food he had left, licking his lips with a satisfied grunt, patting his rippling abs heartily as he then stretched, a few of his now relaxed joints popping very loudly, allowing him to grunt out in pleasure once more as his body further relaxed.

Next on his agenda were the girls, and the water. Smiling, he strolled on over to them, pausing at the edge of what could be assumed to be their social space, waiting for Iviri to join him, casting him a side-long glance and a nod towards the women to get him to follow.

His nostrils flared and he turned his head towards the hostilities raising, and he raised his eyebrows and hands in a dismissive, calming motion. "Hey now, Ladies! Ladies... please... let's not be hostile! This is a bath house! We're to relax! Unwind! Not get riled up over someone deciding to wear something or not, though if you want my opinion I prefer you without clothes...." he smirked as he managed to slide himself into the water between the group of females and the aschen woman, his tail gliding along the surface of the water before submersing itself. His body naturally shuddered as the water passed his hips, and he took in a deep breath, closing his eyes slightly.

"Besides... we wouldn't want to fight in front of Iviri, would we?" he smiled, opening an eye towards the group of females who had previously been fawning over the boy, a sly smirk on his face. "Although.... truth be told, Anger does not fit any of your fair faces... no I'd rather see you all smiling and laughing."

Well, Demor was a forward man, that's for sure. Not afraid to speak his mind despite being surrounded by members of the opposite sex, wearing very little or no clothing to speak of, and while they all were not in perhaps the best moods. It was a part of his charm, he figured, and he turned, choosing to face the Aschen woman as he did his one-eighty, and continued to stand there, hoping things would calm down before they got out of hand. Better to face the bigger threat in this situation.

"So... what's say we just... relax?" he opened both eyes now. And despite the smile stretching his lips, his eyes were stern, and held a predatory strength to them. He wasn't one to try and cross, even if he was merely trying to relax for now.

Once it was finally over, Iviri could not help but be in a mood of absolute pleasure. Once it was done, he felt more relaxed then he ever felt before, literally. He had no memories of being more relaxed then he did right now, so much so that as Demor got up, he ended up following him immediately. He had already finished the food he had anyways, although....anyone who had been paying attention might have noticed he ate more food then he should be able to physically fit inside his body.

However, the moment that there seemed to be conflict, Iviri suddenly focused in on it and...

"Uwah?"

He suddenly felt a smack on his behind that snapped him out of focus for a moment, while the culprit Jaune passed by him. Unlike Iviri who always seemed embarrassed and shy even in this place, Jaune seemed to have no issue, at least in a bathhouse, to rush in naked in the middle of a bunch of girls, having left his towel behind.

"Now now. No reason to get tense is there?" he asked, the boy having a smile on his face. He then looked back towards Iviri. "By the way, I think you forgot your towel back there".

Iviri immediately turned red with embarrassment and covered himself, not realizing it. That said, suddenly a burst of wind seemed to toss it over to him. The culprit being Jaune, who now had a yellow fox that appeared by his side out of nowhere also.

"Anyways, there is a no fighting rule here. This is a place to relax and converse with people, a gathering place not just to bathe, but relax, have fun, and catch up with people. To be honest, its really fun to have a dodgeball game inbetween baths..."

Someone might question if dodgeball could be called relaxing, but that was besides the point. It served as a good icebreaker.

"But needless to say, although personally I do think its odd to wear something in this sort of place, but is this really something to cause any tension or fights over? By the way, if you cause too much of a disturbance, they will throw you out for disturbing the other guests, with your belongings of course, but not the time to change into them".

On that note, Jaune and also Liam decided to come over. Liam just gave a nod towards Jaune, indicating he was happy about his good work.

Whew. Thankfully Jaune noticed first and acted so quickly, otherwise who knows what might have happened.

Indeed, none of Jaune's actions were by accident. He had rushed over so fast, he had even forgotten his towel that Liam had to carry over. However, it was because he rushed to stop an incident before it started. Not between the women, but the tension...and state of mind...that suddenly appeared in Iviri.

Iviri possessed a Spirit Guardian, and Jaune possessed something called an Armor Spirit. Because of that, Jaune had immediately noticed from spiritual waves that because there were powerful forces "fighting" in front of him, a switch was almost flipped, and jumped in before Iviri even had the notion of doing something. Although, Jaune had no idea what Iviri had to experience to panic from conflict like that, though granted between people that seemed very dangerous.

"Pl...please do...I don't really like conflict like this..." Iviri said meekly, still embarrassed about earlier as he entered the water with Demor. Meanwhile, Liam addressed the group in a calming voice, his behavior and body language making it clear he is an experienced leader.

"I must agree with Demor though, people as beautiful as you all should not make such faces, at least not here. After all, heritage or geneology does not make anyone superior, only their efforts, hard work, and spirit can determine that, regardless on if they are Aschen, Terran, or from here. Everyone has equal potential and rights, so let us just accept this, settle down, and relax".

With that, and hoping this matter was settled, he joined everyone in the baths.

Notably, although Jaune and Liam let out a sigh of relief as they entered the water, while Iviri did enjoy it he seemed to handle temperature change better then them, indicating some level of resistance.

Okora just waved Amelia off dismissively, a smug smile crossing her face.

Oh no. Whatever shall I do? The big, bad, "pure" Aschen thinks she's scary! Look, lady, you can't even hold a candle to me, so cool it before you become the problem.

Okora then lifted a hand out of the water, a green sphere already resting underneath it. Turning her hand over, she let the sphere roll off her open palm and onto the water, a small ripple effect flowing away from its position as it floated on the water before Okora.

Sesame inhaled deeply, the force of her inhale pulling the sphere of energy toward her location, causing the sphere to float into her hands. As she cupped the sphere, she pressed her palms together, smothering the sphere into dissolving.

She's posturing, Okora. I can't sense any power coming from her that's worth a look.

I see,

Okora responded,

Great! So she's trying to threaten us without being able to back it up? Well, whatever floats her boat.

The half machine woman switched the pair of arms that was being used to hold the towel up as she motioned with the now free pair as she gave her take.

She is an Aschen. They're quite proud of themselves, and are very widespread. I've been watching them closely, and I'm impressed by what I observe of their society as far as their hardiness goes. They do seem to be in a decline though. It is quite worrisome at times.

They fight others too often. They even fight each other. Ever the foe of prosperity, strife never ceases to bring ruin to all.

Shakaurduraug spoke with a cryptic tone, prompting Nyst to reply once again.

So they feel everything is a big injustice toward themselves? I mean, there are few other justified reasons to fight others.

They're just pompous. I've worked for a few Aschen, as an anonymous contractor. They're ridiculously paranoid. It's almost as if they feel some inquisition is out to get each and every one of them at all times.

With a mocking tone and a faux serious look, Okora continued.

After all, "Nobody expects the Xeno Inquisition!"

The girls all giggled again at Amelia after Okora's mocking comment, however, they stopped when Demor, Jaune, Liam and Iviri, all entered the water with their own monologues, to which the girls listened quietly. It seemed none of them were taking the Aschen lady seriously, and likely weren't going to take Demor seriously either until his poor attempt at throwing compliments opened him up to potential mockery. Thankfully, Jaune's commentary spared Demor for now.

Okora focused her attention on Iviri from where she sat. Narrowing her eyes, she took a mental note as a small smirk crossed her face. She turned her attention back to Jaune's riveting commentary as the other girls had done. Once the conversation was finished, the girls went back to their idle small talk, though they kept sharp for any moves the men tried.

Amelia kept staring at Okora, she didn’t even register the boys attempts, or Demor’s attempts to diffuse the situation. The insults kept flying.

She couldn’t back up her threats? Amelia’s lips pulled in tightly as they pursed in tense anger, then after a few moments of staring at the Saiyan before her, she called out.

“Sergeant Talyn!”

She called the name out without breaking her gaze from the group before her. “Transmit the following orders to my Command Carrier...”

Amelia’s voice was firm, cold, while her red faced gaze was unflinching. Another individual quickly stepped into the bath from one of the massage tables, electing to get a shoulder rub while Admiral Montrose was in the bath, a shoulder rub that ended all too abruptly.

The man was in full Aschen urban pattern camouflage, but was unarmed, save for his radio communicator, and a few ancillary devices worn on his belt.

“Yes, Admiral?” He said with a crisp salute, bringing his fist across his chest. Then he reached into his pocket to produce a pad and paper.

Amelia was still seething with rage, they were mocking her, they were mocking the Empire, and this was unacceptable by the Admiral’s standards.

“Have them send for my shuttle, I’ll decide what to do with this brazen act of aggression against an officer of the Empire once I reach my Command Carrier.”

For the briefest moment, Amelia considered ordering the Command Carrier to combat readiness, engaging the local defense forces, and striking against the planet from orbit.

A thought she quickly dismissed; there was no way Command would allow her to carry out such an attack... A fact that she knew, and found quite disappointing.

The corner of her lips turned upwards into a slight smirk. “Have Colonel Decurion bring the Pride of Langara to condition two, until I arrive.” Amelia demanded, and the poor unfortunate sergeant saluted once more. “Ad Victoriam, Admiral!” Before swallowing visibly, a flash of fear crossed his eyes, before he turned to leave, his boots hitting the floor as he made his way out of the bath house.


Amelia brought her attention to the girls, and the boys, she huffed, her chest rising, puffing outwards before she growled to herself. “You will all pay for your insolence.” She muttered, covering her chest with her slender arms, folding them in front of her. She would never leave her Command Carrier again for some alien world, the baths were cleaner, the water was hotter, and there were no insults, only a clear chain that binds, and dutiful suboardinates, rather than insulting patrons.

She committed each of their faces to memory, for a lengthy report to be submitted to her superiors regarding the hostile culture on this world.

She backed away towards the edge of the bath, and lowered herself more into the water, there she would sit until the sergeant returned, to inform her the shuttle had arrived.

Demor's glance moved to Jaune as the boy managed to upstage him, he did nothing about it. He knew how to win over a crowd, it seemed, and their combined little speeches seemed to mostly lighten the mood enough for catastrophe to be averted. Tail twitching, he watched the situation continue to unfold, the air around him beginning to buzz ever so gently with some Draconian Electricity. Not enough to manifest or zap anyone, but perhaps enough to be sensed by anyone with some magical affinity or similar. As the Aschen woman covered herself and turned to leave, or at least, wait for her shuttle, the edge of his lips tugged downwards slightly - despite her nasty attitude, he found the Aschen woman attractive, and would have liked to see more of her. But it seemed fate would not allow.

Sighing as the situation diffused, Demor made his way to a bench within the baths, and sat down, putting his towel over his face as he leaned back and tilted his head back, leaving his mouth exposed to breathe for a moment before replacing it around his neck and shoulders, propping his arms on the back rest, allowing him to relax in full while in the water. Draconian eyes once more centered on the group of females. Sensing that his earlier compliment backfired and would have only gotten him more trouble than it's worth, he decided on small talk for now - to see if flirtation would naturally come to him.

"So of you all... which girl is the strongest would you say? If I had to take my guess...." his eyes searched the group before he lifted an arm and pointed at Etaass. "....You... you, my multi-armed beauty, are probably the strongest, based on what I'm sensing right now...." he finished. There was a hard stare to his Draconian eyes - he knew what he was talking about, granted of course that his senses were telling him correctly. He had no way of knowing if the others were suppressing any power or not, but from what he sensed, the woman who was partly machine was the strongest. Magic Wise.

Demor lowered his arm back to its position, leaning forward slightly. "Come now, tell me! Am I right or wrong! Just... don't be too harsh?" he winked with his request, seeing who his charm would work on.

His eyes returned to Iviri, and he motioned to the boy with his tail. "Iviri, bud! Come on join us. Don't hide all day or the massage will wear off!" he smirked. He then nodded in greeting to Liam and Jaune, and returned his attention to the girls.

Jaune and Liam left their towels on the side as they moved closer, while Iviri who had already entered the water ended up moving closer and sitting next to Demor. He looked over at all the others, and was a bit nervous as Demor put him under the spotlight again. It seemed that he got nervous and shy under the spotlight, enough that you should probably never ask him to be the star role in a play.

"I mean...I think that in terms of strength, she seems to be the strongest to me..." Iviri said, looking towards Okora. He was not sure about magic, he could not sense it as well as Demor, but he could understand auras, atmospheres, and such. And of them, he felt that Okora was the strongest.

However, it was Jaune who stood up and shook his head.

"No no, the strongest" he said, looking at the five women. "It is definently you".

Jaune looked right at Shaka when he said that, sure of his answer. Well...Jaune was not actually known for thinking, but he had great instincts. And also, he seemed really happy...he probably liked this sort of thing.

"What else...oh, I know!"

Jaune suddenly grabbed Iviri's hand, and pulled him up to his feet while they were still in the water. It seemed Iviri's embarrassment just would not stop. He wrapped his arm around Iviri's neck and pulled him in till they were hip to hip.

Liam, who was just shaking his head, decided to ask Demor and the girls something before Jaune started whatever he was about to.

"So, are any of you here because you are on your way to participate in or watch the Grand Magi Games? Also, sorry about Jaune...he can get rather excited easily, and he really lacks any form of modesty or common sense it seems".

Liam got that in, while Jaune approached them.

"Alright! Which of us do you think is bigger? Me or him?" Jaune said innocently and energetically. "Oh, and who do you think has a bigger butt?"

"Wha...what does that have to do with anything?!"

"Isn't it obvious? Its less painful to fall on with more cushion. Oh yeah, who do you think has more spirit power, me or him?"

"Do we have to be standing for this?!"

"Come on, its cool right? Besides, at places like this, of course we should all compare! Comparing and competing is one of life's greatest activities! So while naked in a bathhouse, of course we should also compare and show off our bodies the gods gave us!"

Liam just shook his head and shrugged.

"Sorry, he likes this sort of playful competitiveness. That said, I have not given my answer yet, have I?"

He said that as he looked around, noticing all of them...and then, while skillfully hiding who he was truly observing, noticed something about Nyst...

"...well, I suppose you are all quite strong in your own ways".

Liam, with the most experience and perception out of all of them, said something like that.

"Oh, I just realized something! I am so sorry, I was really rude!"

And then, Jaune broke the air like that.

"We have been talking all this time, but I never introduced myself! My name is Jaune Al'asfar, eleven years old! And this is my partner, Kimaru!"

Suddenly, a yellow fox seemed to hop onto his head.

"Heyo! My name is Kimaru!"

However, for those with magical and supernatural perceptions, they would notice strong supernatural energy radiating off of Jaune and Kimaru, as well as some sort of link between them.

"Well, I suppose that is true. My name is Liam Jones, the leader of the Adventurer's Guild".

The Leader of the Adventurer's Guild. It was said that only an adventurer of incredible skill and power could hold that position, one that showed incredible strength but also the ability to lead and manage. And it was once rumored that Liam himself fought against an entire monster army and won, though he always insists the story was over-exaggerated.

"My-my name is...Iviri! Pleasure to meet you all! J-Jaune, can we please sit back down now?!" he said, covering himself this whole time with a red face. Jaune seemed to listen this time, also because he wanted to enjoy the water, but he ended up floating a bit closer to the women.

"So...we all said our opinions, but what do you girls think? Seems unfair to not let the people in question voice their own opinions, after all!"

As Amelia did her thing, and then backed off, Okora laughed.

I'm sure I'll pay all right! You want cash?

Okora raised her right fist out of the water.

Or do you want credit?

Okora then raised her left fist out of the water. Bringing them together, she went back to relaxing.

The other girls giggled lightly, but then Demor asked his question.

A bold assessment. You're right in some ways. I am the strongest here, but my status means you can't compare me to the others.

Noticing his wink somehow, despite the fact that she never visibly opened her eyes, Etaass crossed two of her arms while two held the towel around her, and the other two motioned with slight disapproval.

I will also add, if you want something, I can only offer it to my most devoted followers. You'll need to convert first, my apologies.

Etaass gave a gentle smile to the Drachni.

As Iviri looked toward Okora, she winked at him.

Good kid! Smart assessment! Keep it up and I might show you some of it once we finish up here. Come find me later if you want a demonstration! Maybe I can beat up a bully or two of yours? You seem quite shy, like someone who was picked on.

As for Jaune's assessment, Shakaurduraug looked at him with a narrowed glare, but said nothing as the young boy paraded himself and Iviri in jubilee. Missing Liam's question, she instead stood up, covering herself with her arms as she huffed and entered a black/purple portal that spawned before her. She entered it, disappearing from sight.

Amid Jaune being foolish, Nyst felt a gaze. Instinctively, she covered her chest and turned her back to the others. Standing to leave herself, she responded.

My name is Nyst... That's all you need to know right now. I'm sorry.

She seemed a bit upset as she took her leave as well, grabbing her towel as she left the water, wrapping it around herself. Wringing out her braids, she went back to the changing rooms.

That left Sesame, Okora, and Etaass. As Jaune and Iviri introduced themselves, Okora and Sesame looked on before Liam spoke. When he did, Sesame and Okora both glanced at each other. With Etaass speaking to Demor, the two took their chance.

Nice to meet you, Jaune and Iviri! Tee hee hee! My name is Sesame! Oh, and my opinion is that my friend is stronger in a fight, but...

Sesame moved over to Liam's side at this point, settling in beside him.

I'm the stronger one socially! Tee hee hee! Hee hee hee!

Seeing Sesame move made Okora give a dangerous smirk as she proceeded to follow Sesame.

Jaune, Iviri... My name is Okora. Remember it!

She then settled in on the other side of Liam from Sesame.

I wouldn't listen to her. She's too carefree and reckless!

The two ladies seemed to both be putting on the pressure somehow. From Liam's perspective, Sesame did seem slightly more curvy than Okora did, but both were relatively close to each other, and both were flanking him.

Demor tilted his head at the Goddess woman, and tapped his chin, shrugging after a moment. "A Tempting offer, gorgeous... I'll take it into consideration~ In the mean time... would you excuse me?" he blew her a cute kiss before pushing off and swimming over to the Aschen woman, Montrose, using his tail to propel him similar to a crocodile uses its tail. Once he reaches the Admiral, he stops and rights himself, practically kneeling in front of her, his head above the water as he tilted his head, those Piercing eyes looking her up and down.

"So... Admiral, eh~?" he commented, looking her up and down subtly. Despite her inherent xenophobia and distaste of magic, Demor found the Aschen woman attractive.... Might as well try his luck. "You are very pretty for an Admiral... not that I've met many in my life... are all Aschen women as good looking as you, or are you an exception?" might as well try out some cheesy pick up lines. See how well, or poorly, they are received.

Demor slithered his way to sitting next to, but within a comfortable distance from, the Aschen woman, seeing just where her boundaries were slowly, and trying to get under them, and much more. He shifted so he faced her, tail laid out across his lap and on the bench between them, curled up so he could maintain a comfortable talking distance between them, and yet still be just within arms reach if he wanted to gently brush against her skin. He didn't do so yet, but the option was there.

Suddenly his tone dropped, became more gentle, inquisitive. "So tell me, Admiral.... why do the Aschen teach such... harsh things about people who are not like them? Enlighten me." he leaned forward to emphasize his interest, and to prove his concern was genuine. Operation: Try and bang an Aschen lady! was a go.

Amelia didn't say much as she sank even lower into the water. Her eyes seemed to tell everything that she needed to say as she kept glaring at Okora.

Amelia was glaring so hard, she didn't seem to notice Demor sliding up to her.

"I'm considered average by Aschen standards, I don't see why you would see me as any sort of attractive, I mean... look at you.." The Admiral rudely quipped back, before returning to her glare.

"Do you know these women? I want to put a price on their heads so large, they won't be able to enter a civilized system." Montrose said coldly, while brushing some red curls out of her face.

This thing was prodding her with questions, and of course being cooped up in the CIC of a command carrier, and a Reverence II before that for as long as Montrose could remember, she couldn't tell flirting from curiosity, to an interrogation.

She opted to play his game though, and the other girls seemed to express interest, thus the woman began to formulate a plan.

"Because we are the true destined rulers of this galaxy, it's in our genetics, our technology, our military; we are superior, our bloodlines are pure, untainted by the alien hoards of this galaxy." She replied. "Things like magic, and alien species are a perversion of the natural order, a perversion of Big Brother's vision for our galaxy."

As the conversations, and the baths, went in all sorts of strange, weird, and for some, highly opinionated, Liam continued to soak and enjoy the water, that he didn't even notice when Okora and Sesame moved over and flanked him.

"Well now, what to do what to do...I have two beautiful ladies on either side now, disagreeing with each other. Both of them strong, and determined. Quite the situation..."

Saying that in a particular voice, Jaune and Iviri turned to face the trio.

"Hey, how come everyone is over there. I want to join to...ehk?!"

Jaune tried to go and swim over there, but his leg was grabbed and pulled back by Iviri, who was better at reading the room then Jaune.

"Shhh! Dont interrupt! They are having adult time".

"Oh. You mean they are going to...mmhmhmhm?!"

And then, while explaining it to Jaune, Iviri was forced to then cover his mouth before he said something that was too blunt.

For the record, while bathhouses like this were normal on Origin, obviously while flirting was okay you could not go to the next step, after kissing, in public.

Saved from having their moment interrupted, Liam decided to continue.

"I don't really think I am qualified to determine who is stronger at what in such detail, but I will say you both clearly are quite strong and powerful in your own ways. Each of you have your own merits".

Meanwhile, Iviri looked over at Demor, getting a bit nervous. If they wanted to make good time, they would probably need to head out soon, but he didn't want to interrupt Demor either. And as they had now been in the water for quite some time now, some people had started to prune a little...with the exception of Iviri of course, whose skin seemed perfect. If anything, the bathing had only made him seem even more stunning, despite only appearing as a child.

Of course, that was due to artificial enhancements and his Adaptability power. Jaune, thanks to the physical enhancements of being bonded to an Armor Spirit, also had incredible appearances....but inversely, despite not having either of those, Liam was also incredible in appearance after having bathed in the waters and washing off.

"We should totally compare our skins as well with Liam and Demor and....mhhmhmm?"

Iviri once again covered Jaune's mouth, and with a shy and embarrassed face, got out of the water while pulling Jaune with him.

"Excuse us! We are going to wash each other's backs now! Don't mind us!"

...it should be noted that Iviri has very high potential and skill as a wing man.

Etaass took this time to take her own leave, the multi-armed woman standing and ascending into the air before she vanished into a golden bronze glow. Leaving only Okora and Sesame left, the pair continued their time with Liam, mostly with some banter with each other, and some teasing of him, complete with innuendo.

However, at Iviri's sudden desire to retreat away from the group, Okora smirked. Not every time to relax could last forever. After pulling close to Liam to let her body and bosom press against him as she kissed him on the cheek, she stood up and grabbed her own towel, ready to head back to the changing rooms.

Sorry, Liam. Sweet as you are, we have business to attend to! Sesame! You still want the cash? We need to dash!

Sesame giggled and kissed Liam on his other cheek as she pressed her squishy and soft gum like body against him, bosom first. Was it a competition between these two?

Tee hee hee! Sorry, Liam, but work calls!

She then jumped out of the water in a cheery manner as she picked up her towel and wrapped it around herself to join Okora, with the two apparently talking to each other about needing to find a few people as they walked away.

Their time in the changing rooms wasn't too eventful beyond them both suiting up. Okora's battle suit was as normal, but Sesame wore something else.

Yo, Sesame! What kind of outfit is that?

Tee hee hee! It's the ideal Buu-gi, a Buu-gi made just for me!

Well, if you want to work with me, you should dress the part. We're a pair now!

Hearing this, Sesame nodded and unfurled a tentacle from her head, firing a magenta beam around herself and her outfit as the clothes changed into something not dissimilar to what Okora was wearing. The new outfit was a two piece midriff bearing ensemble with a dark blue chest piece that conformed around her bust, a single yellow shoulder guard for her left shoulder, and black briefs. Her gloves and boots were colored white, and the chest piece had a small rounded cutout where her logo sat, a black design in a yellow field. The suit no doubt was like Okora's, being far more durable than it appeared at first glance.

Tee hee hee! Alright! Let's go!

Okora finished putting on her gloves and smirked, leaning over to whisper to Sesame.

Alright, we're looking for that kid. The shy one. We should get him, alive preferably. He's still here, likely, but he may be skittish.

The pair thus exited the bathhouse and took a rest in the lobby area. They were going to wait for Iviri to finish up and try to leave, where they could jump him. In the meantime, the two chatted like two college girls, talking about girl things. Their first topic? Liam.

Demor only chuckled as she responded to his compliment with what he assumed could be considered the Aschen version of modesty before delving to the insults she'd basically been programmed into spewing. Ignoring that, he gave her another look up and down, raising an eyebrow, shaking his head. "Nah, you can't be average.... no you're just being modest. You're gorgeous." he insisted. Turning his eyes back to the other women in time to watch them leave, he returned them to Montrose and offered a shrug. "I don't know them enough to tell you anything - they are as new to me as you are, though you are the one who caught my eye, rather than them today." he grinned at that.

There was her reason for the high-and-mighty vision of the Aschen, and Demor considered it for a moment, tapping his chin with a finger while looking up, and then once he had an answer, came to focus on the Aschen woman again. "Perhaps that is true for the Aschen and the worlds you hail from.... but me? I am a product of evolution... the next generation of my race: The first male.... Magic was likewise natural for my kind. How can you say it is an affront if it does happen naturally outside of your lands?" he asked calmly, scooting just a tad closer.

He lowered his tone then, just slightly, to try and spark some intrigue within the woman. "And if I occurred naturally, and my magic is likewise Natural to my body... can I really be an affront to your kind?" he asked, his tone a gentle growl as he lifted a hand, some water swirling around his forearm as he lifted it out of the water via his magic. His eyes held a gentle look to them as he watched the water dance around his arm as if it was born to do that - as if it were natural. And it was, for Demor to be able to do this. Once he finished speaking, his eyes slowly turned back towards the Aschen Admiral, narrowed ever so slightly as he waited for his answer.

The woman offered Demor a frown, before running a hand through her frizzed, curly red locks. Perhaps it was out of nervousness, or something else, but she listened quietly to his explanation. No matter how hard the Drachini tried to justify his existence to the Admiral, she still viewed him, and everyone else in the bath, as beneath her.

Her eyes followed his movements, his attempted rebuking of her own explanation for the superiority of the Aschen Empire.

Her eyes moved towards his forearm, and she watched the magical energies exert upon the water, as it flowed, and coiled up around him. She visibly recoiled in disgust at his magical display, moving several paces back, and glaring at him.

"You, and everyone like you, your very existence is an affront to the Empire!" She called out. "Even if you think it is natural, it is not! It's disgusting perversion of the natural order." She brought her arms in front of her, covering her bust while her eyes looked for a way out.

Her resolve hardened.

"I am an Aschen, an officer of the Fleet, I see what you're trying to do, and to be frank; you're not my type... Even if I was interested, I could be punished, I could face expulsion from the Military. I won't destroy my career over a piece of strange." She turned away from him, as if to give him the cold shoulder.

"My men will return for me in time, your playing a fool's errand."

(Yeah, I was not quite sure what to post, so this was the best I came up with. Sorry for the delay, but RL stuff kept me occupied the past few days)

Of course, Iviri was still not coming out. After all, he had to take Demor to Questrios City. Whether others came with them was up to them and Demor, but Iviri planned to wait unless some part of the situation changed. Of course, currently he was getting his back washed by Jaune. His face was red with embarassment, though that was more due to the words that came out of Jaune's mouth. He was either oblivious, or just didn't think much of it, but Jaune averaged about four to five embarrassing sentences per minute, at least.

"Come on Iviri, lets play with each other!"

That sentence, which could be misconstrued in a whole variety of ways, actually meant the basketball court they had in here, or the video game room, which also had a small bath that you could soak in while playing.

No wonder this place was so popular...it was basically a community center.

Iviri had no idea what to do while he waited for Demor to finish flirting, and Liam had been left on his own for the moment, having been enjoying the company of the females until a moment ago. Because of that, despite himself being new to Origin and getting embarrassed, playing Basketball in the nude (as obviously the towels would not hold themselves up playing a sport), he was unable to say anything as an excuse to stop Jaune from pulling him away.

In the meantime though, Liam watched Iviri and Jaune run off before looking back at Demor. Iviri had actually already registered with the Guild, but was new and unknown, very low on the rankings. Meanwhile, Demor seemed totally new...he wondered if he could pull him in to join the Adventurer's Guild? It seemed like he would make a good addition.

If he saw an opportunity, he would ask Demor for sure, and made sure to stay close by.

The game between Iviri and Jaune meanwhile...turned in a rather surprising way. After some banter by Jaune, Iviri temporarily forgot the situation and went into play mode, forgetting his situation, and was winning by 10-6. That said, suddenly Kimaru jumped onto Jaune's shoulder and whispered something into his ear.

"Huh...is he sure?"

"What is it?"

"Ah, well....hmm".

Jaune then looked over towards Demor from the basketball court, which was not that far away, and waved at him.

"Hey, you two are going to Questrios right? YOu want to go together? I just got word from someone I might be needed there anyways, so I thought it would be more convienent for everyone if we all went together. What do you say?"

"Are you entered the Grand Magi Games?"

"Yeah. By the way Iviri, nice ball playing".

And Jaune's innocent but poor word choice embarrassed Iviri, making him hold the basketball in front of him.

"Thats an interesting way to hold it...did you forget? Do you want me to help?"

"Oh my...how does he not hear what comes out of his own mouth?"

"By the way, you fell on your butt pretty hard back there. Do you want me to get some ointment to rub on it fir..."

"Demor! We should probably leave soon so we can get a decent hotel room! Maybe right now even!"

Iviri, who had done his very best not to rush Demor at this point, had a face that probably could not get any more red or embarrassed that it was right now. As nice as Jaune was, he lacked any and all ability to see issues with his own words or actions...

"Demor! YOu should join us! Also, I learned a lot of Iviri's ticklish spots if you want to take advantage of them right now!"

"...you are doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

"Doing what on purpose?"

"Uhg!"

Demor sighed as he was given the cold shoulder, quite literally, and his advances were pushed back past the starting point. Right... so don't use magic around the Aschen girls... got it.... Sighing, Demor let the water fall and stayed there for a moment, eyes looking at his reflection in the water. He was about to open his mouth and speak to Montrose again in an attempt to salvage the situation, but then Iviri called out, seemingly in slight anguish and in need of assistance. Turning his head towards the younger male, Demor nodded and sighed, standing.

"Well then... since I am such an affront to you... I suppose I will do you a favor and get out of your lovely red hair.... farewell, Admiral." Demor said, his voice a bit soothing, though hurt. tossing his towel around his neck as he walked towards the boys, stopping about seven feet away and shifting his weight to his right hip as he looked at the two younger males.

"I suppose that we should go, then, Iviri. I've been given the cold shoulder... should try my luck with one of those other girls I suppose." he grinned, tail twitching playfully behind him as he crossed his arms in front of him. Pausing a moment, he considered his options, then nodded, turning to step towards the locker room, pausing once to cast a curious glance at Montrose before looking away and then heading into the locker room. Once there, he grabbed a fresh towel or two and began to dry himself off, humming a Draconian Lullaby to himself while he did so.

"Something on your mind, Iviri?" he asked, sensing that there was something indeed on the boy's mind, at least a little anyway.

(Sorry if its kinda shit. Trying to get the flow going again, and move things along so the people who want to be in the Grand Magi Games can start it soon as well)

With their course of action decided, the group returned to the changing room, and the two of them got their clothes on and got all of their possessions. Afterwards, Jaune decided to pay for everything on his treat, without even a wince or second thought, but once the payment was done...he took out a strange stone...

Iviri, having been on Origin for awhile now, recognized what it was.

"Wait wait, we don't have to..."

But before Iviri could finish protesting, Jaune threw the stone onto the ground, and a large vortex seemed to appear in it. That was because it was a Class-A City to City Warp Stone. Crazy expensive, takes about a week to fully recharge, and also...the trip is one rather shakey and disorienting ride, even if it will only be a few seconds.

And so with the intention of heading to Questrios, Jaune immediately grabbed both Iviri's and Demor's hands and leapt into the vortex, warping to Questrios in an instant.

As people stepped up and took some registration forms, a strange vortex appeared on the ceiling. For a moment, nothing came through, and then it closed. Nothing happened, so people shrugged their shoulders and disregarded it....until another vortex opened up, and Jaune, Demor, and Iviri fell through.

"Owww...."

"Could someone please get off of me?!"

"Jaune! Kimaru! Thank goodness, I just detected a spike in interference with the neural lin..."

And then, as if on cue, a huge stream of fire emerged, centered around a red haired boy (Shinku) like a flaming snake, with extreme hostility. There was no precursor incident (aside from Azaken's brainwashing from earlier that morning), and no trigger. It just happened immediately, and then struck out towards the audience. Its brilliant flames flaring with life....and then, several swords launched out from the flames and changed up the attack entirely.

But at that same time, a huge gust of wind seemed to knock the flames away and restore piece, even blowing the figure who had been hidden by fire and smoke out of sight...

"Whew...that was close...now, stay still!"

In truth, Jaune had just sped Shinku to the opposite side of the room to get out of eyesight while he figured out what the hell just happened. Of course, most people might miss it, but anyone with exceptional perceptive abilities might have noticed.

Iviri was still confused about what happened, but so where many others. Ixa just stayed by Elysia and hoped to not get involved. Plus, he was not a big fan of fire.

However, it was at this point that the leader of the Mage's Guild, Aedrious Gale, appeared.

"Do not worry. Sometimes, magical anomalies happen in these areas. Please stay calm and know that you are in no danger here, as the security people already had barriers and other countermeasures deployed to deal with the situation if needed. Now then, since I am here, and you are all here, does anyone have any questions about the Grand Magi Games that will be hosted soon?"

Despite his age, he spoke loudly and clearly to everyone, and given his height, towered over most if not all of the people there.

Rayia made her way at last into the mage guild hq. Mages of all sizes and sorts where rushing around to get sighed up and settled in. Any that could sense it would feel a darkness coming from Rayia has she walked into the hq. The Red armored figure of Kassandra soon joined her side have had finished filling out the docking paper she joined her mistress.

"Some of these are just kids..." Muttered Kassandra.

Rayia was silent making her way to the nearest table. "So is this where I sign up?"

Needless to say, Demor was a little surprised by being warped to the Mages Guild Headquarters via portal stone... or whatever it was that got him here. Landing on his stomach, the Male Drachini rolled to his feet, and then stretched out his body, now fully relaxed and clean from his time at the baths with Iviri and Jaune. His tail swished out behind him, likewise stretching as he yawned, revealing sharp teeth. As he finished he licked his lips and crossed his arms over his chest, blinking slowly.

Looking around, Demor took in the area around him, and each individual he could see, or smell, or even just magically sense. There was a massive amount of magic energy in the area, and he sensed that the games would prove to be quite the spectacle to be a part of, let alone to watch. A bolt of lightning sparked around his body, arcing around his shoulder as he became eager, and he shivered with excitement.

"Well, that's one way to make an entrance I suppose..." he commented finally before turning to Iviri, offering the boy his tail to help him to his feet if he hadn't already made it there yet.

Norme, currently seated in a chair, finished filling out his form as Jezebeth peered over his shoulder, an inquisitive eye trained on the paper.

Well, Norme, it seems the host has made himself known. He's got a powerful aura though, so you'd best be on guard.

Norme looked up and filled out the last part of the sheet, completing it.

Urgh. Just being in the room with him is oppressive. Well, we'd best listen carefully. Some questions may give us the information we need to take note of.

Norme glanced at one of his gloved hands, a look of determination crossing his face as Jezebeth placed her own like hand on top of his, surprising him. The faint glowing marks embedded in each were identical.

Jezebeth...

Oh, my Norme. Remember we share our power, and my power is far more intense than any lowly demon you may have ever known; it's a power you have to your name as well. We'll succeed for sure, and I've got your back as long as you have mine. That's a part of this connection, right?

Yes. You're right. I think he's about to speak more, let's ready ourselves, and commit everything he says to memory.

Brand chuckled at the flaming apparition that had appeared. He was as lost as anyone else in guessing where it had come from but he felt motivated to take a humorous approach to the situation.

“Pyromancers, am I right?” he remarked. Whether his joking was appreciated was little concern to him, so long as he wouldn’t get in trouble with the authorities. Well, at least not too much trouble.

His attention however was mostly focused on the arrival of new mages directly into the room that had just occurred. Having now registered he thought he might as well get to know the other contestants, if they were social anyway.

“Well, that was more unusual than taking the front door!” he joked as he approached Demor and Iviri.

"And here we are, the moment we have all been waiting for! The Grand Magi Games has begun! Here in the QuestZone Colosseum at Questrios, we are here now to celebrate, or participate, or just enjoy the Grand Magi Games! I am your well known reporter, Trisha Adler, here with ONINet, the Original News Intelligence Network! We are here live for the very start of the event, hosted by the Mage's Guild, and sponsored by more companies and organizations then I can say in one go! So you can see the list of sponsors below, and probably across the stadium on various ads! In addition, I believe those companies and organizations have even offered to pay all of the expenses for certain contestants in exchange for wearing clothes that feature their brand! Now...oh, look! The Guildmaster, Aedrios Gale, is standing up from his center position to make a speech!"

ALl of the cameras cut to the center judges table, where Aedrios Gale had stood up.

"We are here today to let everyone here today use their magic to their fullest. Remember, today, it is not just about magical strength! It is about creativity, cunning, cleverness, charm, aesthetics, talent, skill, hard work, and so much more! For we are not just brutish warriors or powerful artillery, we are those who have honed and mastered our gifts to their fullest! We are those who had taken our talents, our aims, beyond what most view our gifts as being used for! We are those who will seek out the unknown, find unexpected ways to use what we have, and aspire for greatness beyond simple means!"

With those words, he sat down. It appeared for today, the judges would be Head Mage's Guild Leader Aedrios Gale, Second Prince Acara Verrevia, and Local Mage's Guildmaster Donna Roux. Meanwhile, in terms of announcers, there was Allo Aurios, the reporter herself Trisha Adler, and Lyrian LeCross.

"Now then, lets go and watch the contestests as they come on out!" she announced, and surely enough the contestants hurried onto the field. There had to be at least one or two hundred, a large number to keep track of, with mages of all types. Men, women, old and young, it seemed like people across the galaxy had come to compete. Some even looked rather intimidating and scary, as if they had experienced hundreds of battles and wars.

ANd in the center of all that, the Master of Ceremonies, Sola Arken, stepped onto...

"Oh my...look! Its Sola! Sola, sign my cup!"

"Sign my shirt!"

"Sign my napkin!"

Suddenly, the audience went into a blitz for someone who was not even competing. That was just how popular Sola was as a pop idol.

"Now now, calm down everyone! Otherwise, I wont be able to do my bit and get the games underway!" he told everyone with a charming wink. The audience calmed down in an instant, far quicker then anyone else had expected to be possible. "Now then, I am here to announce the first event for the competitors! That is right, the first one right off the bat! After all, we have too many people here right now to introduce everyone! And iv been told that it is rather fitting I introduce this one...because event number one is a talent show and popularity contest!"

With that, the crowd cheered even more until Sola waved at them to let him continue.

"After all, while the Mage's Guild has plenty of people who can fight, the primary focus is not fighting but magic! The Grand Magi Games is about magic and creativity, about spirit, not about who is stronger! So, here is the deal! You gotta use your magic and abilities to put up a great show, dazzle the crowd and get their interest, win their hearts! Be charming and sweet, cool and composed! But don't worry, because its not just a popularity contest but also a talent contest! You can pass either by getting enough votes from the crowd, or by impressing the judges with your talent! So make sure you stand up, but do remember to play it safe! Be fair everyone, and I will appear afterwards! And if everyone behaves and enjoys the game properly, I even get to be in charge of the halftime show!"

And with that, Sola Arken hopped off the stage and into the back, since he was told this event would be impossible if he remained in the crowd's sight apparently.

And of course, as if by fate, pretty much everyone who was at the Mage's Guild together earlier would be going up with the first group...though it was pretty much guaranteed many of them had not expected the first event to be like this.

Emerin looked at Altian, and had a wicked and playful smile. "I got a great idea!"

Jaune meanwhile looked at Shinku, and had a mischevous grin. "Game on".

Allo just sighed, and hoped no one would trigger his ability.

Nao started to do some stretches before anything began.

Iviri meanwhile was rooting from the sidelines, though he was not sure who he should be rooting for. Demor? Ixa? Rivyan? So he rooted for all three.

Ixa just looked back at Elysia. "I think this will be a ton of fun!"

Azaken meanwhile may have used his highest of stealth and discression ability, and pumped a small amount of an oderless, colorless, soundless, tasteless hallucinogen into the field to see what sort of mayhem would occur...though, when he saw everyone else get pumped up, he couldn't help but decide to compete for real.

Luna and Astral were also doing stretches, as they glared at each other from their friendly rivalry.

And Cyrus was preparing himself for a grand show, interested in participating in such an event. Teh revelation of the first event had only pumped him up more actually.

And so, the Grand Magi Games....began!