Volcanic Vacations, Vixens, and Various Vexations (Aiyana, Samira)

Job Stuff:

The sniffles of depression could be heard echoing across the house as Aiyana awoke from the nightmare that had just plagued her for the whole night. Ever since the chain of events that had led her to join Lamia Scale had happened she had been trying to readjust her life. It had been difficult so far as nothing seemed to help with the sadness and depression she had been going through. At one point she had thought about killing herself to ease the pain, but even that option was not possible because she was a strange hybrid of a human mind and celestial spirit body. If she died she would simply reappear in the celestial spirit realm as if nothing had even happened. The nine-tailed fox had eventually found a small success in the form of alcohol and drugs, though it seemed that only the stronger ends for both seemed to do much of anything for the celestial spirit and her natural tolerance for it all. The nightmares of seeing her family dead, her lover disappearing without a trace, and the remembrance of what her father had repeatedly done to her while growing up all seemed to combine into a monstrous labyrinth or terror that always seemed to cause her to wake up a mess of tears and snot that no one would ever find attractive. It was probably why she had not actually tried for a serious relationship in so long, simply going for whatever showed any attraction to her physically for a little fun rather than try to get close to any of them to learn more about them. If they started to get too close to her she would drop them like a hot potato and keep going with the others she had kept hidden from each of them. The vicious cycle would likely continue if left unchecked, though that would mean someone actually caring enough to want to try would have to learn about it and do something. The wizard saint had no intention of anyone finding out, even though she knew she needed the help of someone that cared, and thus her attitude of late had been a bit on the stressed and irritated side when dealing with others within the guild.

It was because of this irritation that Gisen had recommended the female go on a vacation, one that also involved the other ace going with her so they could both relax and actually meet in person for the first time. They had met before, sure, but they had never really spoken or gotten to know each other. Now they were supposed to be going on a vacation to some volcanic resort and spa where she was mean to enjoy herself and relax. Hopefully, the two would have different rooms so Aiyana could do what she was used to doing now. The drugs, the sex, and the alcohol were not likely to be something Samira Nassar would approve of being done at any point in time so it would be easier to do in a separate room rather than trying to hide and sneak it while they shared the same one. Not to mention that Aiyana was also older than the other girl, and really did not want to hear any kind of 'you should know better' speech about her bad habits if it came down to that.

Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Aiyana would clear her vision before getting up so she could blow her nose and get herself ready for her trip. The usual beautifying tasks would be done as she brushed her hair and tails while she also put up the illusion of clothes around herself as she always did. Given she was going to a resort she would leave her weapons and armor here at home, and her pet would be allowed free reign of the place while also guarding the place just in case anyone decided to break into the popular mage's home sweet home. Once she had made sure she had everything she needed, including a small stash of drugs and alcohol in the travel pack she had made in a small purse she had on her shoulder, the woman would leave her home that lied within Hargeon Town's upper scale housing and begin her trek to the ports in town. This walk would lead her through the various points of the town where stalls held various items for sales as well as multiple shops that caused her to get distracted as she made her way across town. The town had grown since it had been rebuilt, Lamia Scale being the reason for it happening, after the attack from the massive attack from the aquatic beings that had hit out of nowhere for no reason. The 'Rising Tides' as they were called were all but a distant memory as the now well-defended port town had nearly doubled in population as people flocked back to the place continuously. A stop at a bakery would result in the woman buying a few baguettes, intending to share the warm and fresh bread items with Samira, before she quickly bought a small thing of chocolates from a stall just before she finally made her way to the ports.

The boat that was supposed to take them to the resort was a large one with a lot of magical and lacrima based additions and modifications to make it a marvel to behold. It was crazy that Lamia Scale could afford to pay for the two of them to have a two-week-long vacation to a place like they were going, but Aiyana was not going to ignore pampering even in her well-hidden publicly depression. The wizard saint would stand there in awe, waiting for the other ace of the guild she was in to show up, and slowly eat one of the chocolates she had bought as ears and tails twitched in excitement. This week would be fun, or it would be absolutely terrible, but either way it would be something new. That much she could appreciate it, especially when she was paying for absolutely none of it this time. Free was great, and free spa treatment was even better!

A vacation. Was that really what she was supposed to be doing? The suggestion of such a thing brought a great deal of irritation for the young summoner. There was much work to be done, and the thought of it piling up during her absence was almost frightening. The responsibilities of an Ace was something Samira took seriously, perhaps more than she probably should. Of course, there was a main reason for that. Samira had been through painful experiences of her own in the more recent past. The unexplained disappearance of her best friend had hit hard emotionally for one. There still were no answers for that, and she had given up on finding any several weeks ago. Twice already her sister and other members of her family had tried to kill her for her keys in order to use them for whatever plans they had. As much as they talked about taking those keys of hers they always failed to go into detail on what they needed them for. There was also the spirit she could not control, one that made a habit of harming her whenever he wanted or even taking control of her body whenever she was too weak to act. A parasite in snake form. Lately he had been dormant, but he was always a constant worry as his presence continued to linger in her mind even in that inactive state. The final thing were the spirit trials with random timing. She either completed the trial when a spirit came to her with one, or she died trying. There was the option to refuse them, naturally, but that route only led to a guaranteed death that would come very quickly. Technically, there was no option for her, not if she wanted to stay on the side of the living. It was a giant mess.

Samira could say her time of depression and worries had passed. That she was well over any of the drama and mystery of her life and that by that point she was just going with the flow and acting accordingly. In appearance it was true. No one would ever find her in a sad state or see a single tear run down her cheek. What the summoner failed to realize was that others may have been observant enough to take notice that she was drowning herself in something to get over the concerns that were deeply rooted into her subconscious. It was not alcohol or drugs, however. Such substances were something she frowned upon and stayed away from. Rather, her method of choice was drowning herself in work. Expeditions on Pandora for the guild, taking on other jobs for clients, busying herself in paperwork, anything to keep herself distracted.

Perhaps the guild mistress had taken notice that Samira had showed no signs of taking a break. When had been the last time she left the guild halls for something other than a mission? She would not have been able to answer that question. So came the great suggestion, or rather order, of her taking a trip to a resort and spa. She would not be going alone though. For some reason the other Ace of Lamia Scale would also be coming along. Aiyana Shuer. A woman Samira had not much spoken to or seen much of in all her time of being in the guild. There were details she knew, of course. One being that the fellow Ace was also a Wizard Saint. Other highlights including being an Ace of even another guild as well as running a guild of her own at some point. The woman had much more experience and was an easily recognizable icon within Fiore. Perhaps even all of Earthland, but Samira wasn't all too sure on how well known Aiyana was internationally.

'So let me get this straight. You're going on a vacation to a spa to get pampered?' One of her spirits asked her telepathically from his place in the celestial realm.  A way of communication all of her spirits were capable of using, at least with her.

"That is correct," Samira answered back simply and without much thought. Far too focused was she with brushing the long green locks upon her head as she sat in front of the mirror of her room's vanity set. The youngest of the Lamia Scale Aces had awoken early to better prepare herself for the trip. Her bath had been out of the way long ago, and her normal attire put on. All that remained were the finishing touches. Even for a workaholic appearances were important. Making a real first impression was even more so.

'What the hell?! Why are you going? We're the ones that do all the damn work.'

"Do not exaggerate." Samira moved on to adding the golden headband into her hair and straightening it. "I was told that we both require this vacation. I imagine Aiyana has a great deal of stress with her position as a Wizard Saint. As for myself, I find it hard to believe I have been working too much. It was probably just an excuse to get us together as a bonding technique." Samira fell silent as she continued looking in the mirror, making sure all was perfect and to her satisfactory. "Do you all think it strange that we have never really had a proper meeting before?"

'Not at all. It's perfectly normal for two of a guild's powerhouses and Aces to not really know each other, work together, or even say 'hi' when passing each other in the hallway. I'm sure this is how every single successful guild in Fiore does things.'

'Totally and completely one hundred percent normal.'

'It is normal.'

'Normal!'

'Ditto.'

'It keeps things surprising and entertaining.'

"Oh, good. I was beginning to worry our relationship as Aces was odd because of this." The sarcasm of each spirit that answered going over her head. She relaxed and thought nothing more of it. Now all she had to wonder was if they would actually be able to bond at all during the forced vacation. She did not even know if they had anything in common aside from being in the same guild and their positions in it. That... wasn't really much to go on. Well, that thought process would just have to be set aside for the moment. If she dilly dallied any longer she would be late. Samira rose from her seat and grabbed the already packed travel bag that was sitting on her bed. In actuality the woman did not need such a thing. Every item that was in that bag could have been placed in a small storage that belonged to her spirits. However, she had fully intended on not using any sort of magic during the trip. That included calling on her spirits or having them pop up out of no where. It was going to just be Aiyana and herself. Doing... girl stuff. Spa stuff. Relaxing stuff. Bonding stuff. Samira stood there, scratching her head in thought. It was at that moment she realized she had never done that sort of thing before with someone she barely knew. It was the first time being in a spa as well. Things were already starting to get awkward and she hadn't even left her room yet. Another worry to be shoved aside for later.

The last bit of paperwork she needed to deliver to Gisen's quarters within the guild hall had been lying next to her bag and soon the sheets of paper were within her grasp as well. On her way out of the Hargeon based guild hall they were delivered and she went on her way to meet up with her fellow Ace. Although, there was one other issue that was on her mind as she walked the streets of the town. What was she to call her? Ms. Shuer? Ms. Aiyana? Was it too casual to call her by just her first name? They were the same positions within the guild, but the Saint status was above her own. That meant showing more respect.

'Yeah, so. I am reading a magazine here about the Wizard Saints and her title is Saint of Pleasure.'

"That is right! Good suggestion. She should be called by her full title as Saint."

'What?! NO! I swear to the Celestial King that if you call her Ms. Aiyana Shuer, Wizard Saint of Pleasure, I will go out there and smack you on the head and take your place for this vacation. I meant she's probably very laid back and enjoys having a good time. Skip the formal crap.'

That suggestion did not feel very natural. It was uncomfortable even to be in an uncertain state just for a greeting. Nevertheless she would take the advice of her spirit and tone down the titles. They were both mages on equal standing as far as the guild positions were concerned. She just had to remember that and not shy away to allow her habit of feeling inferior take over.

Eventually her short journey came to an end as she reached the meeting location. There looking at the grandiose marvel of a boat was the fellow Ace of Lamia Scale. The many fluffy and well groomed tails were unmistakable, as were the pointed ears upon her head. Samira walked up and stood beside her fellow Ace, looking up at the boat as well. It was pretty fancy from what she could see. Staying at the resort for an extensive amount of time could not have been cheap as it was but now their travel expense was costly as well. It wasn't all too surprising for Samira that the guild had the funds in general. Pandora's resources were bringing in an extra flow. The only surprising thing for her was that the funds were being used for a vacation just for the two of them. Was Gisen really that worried?

"It looks as if Gisen has set it up for us to travel in style." Samira stated before putting on a kind smile and turning her head towards her fellow Ace. "Technically, we have not been properly introduced. I am Samira." Good cover for not really knowing how to address the other woman. She could just tell her herself what she wished to be called. Title or no title. She turned fully and held out her hand towards Aiyana, offering it for a customary handshake. There had been others that she met in the past that used hugs instead of handshakes, but she did not take Aiyana to be the sort to use that form of introduction. Not that she would dare attempt it even if Samira assumed she was.

Samira's hopes for a normal and not embarrassing first impression were dashed. Her belly would not be silent as it rumbled in annoyance at its emptiness. Somehow throughout the course of getting ready to leave Samira had neglected to make time for a meal or even a light snack. The smell of the fresh bread Aiyana bought earlier had reached her nose and reminded her of this fact, and her stomach complained. Her facial expression had twisted for a moment into one of embarrassment. She forced the smile back and tried to act as if nothing happened. Another stomach growl, one that was louder than the previous. Oh, dear. Most unfortunate.

(Word Count: 1902)

Aiyana Shuer was not sure how long she stood there and gazed at the gorgeous liner that they would be riding on their way to the volcano resort. There was a lot of good things to it when one paid attention to the detail of the large water vehicle. It was as she looked over those that she would remember the one thing she did not like about being on boats, or vehicles in general. Ever since she had gotten her frostfire magic she had gotten the standard issue that all dragon slayers had gotten; motion sickness. It wasn't a hard thing to get rid of, a simple healing or curing spell would rid it for a while, but it was still something she would not even wish on her enemies after having experienced a horrible bout with it when she had been still in the early stages of mastering the frostfire magic. The terrible feelings, even as a celestial spirit, had been enough to make her wish the whole day could be erased from her memories. It was not the worst thing she could be reminded of, and none of it could be erased permanently, so she just had to grin and bear it as she moved along in life. However long she had stood there had been enough time for Samira to catch up to where she was, introducing herself immediately with a kind smile as she stood beside her and turned her head to speak.

Aiyana would immediately put on her brightest smile, her eyes squinting shut as she did so, even as her ears and nine tails moved happily at the same time, as she responded back with her own greeting. "So it seems Gisen did, such a nice thing for her to too even if it was a little bit elaborate for us to do on such short notice. It's nice to finally introduce myself to a fellow ace of the guild. I'm Aiyana, but you can call me Aiya or any other nickname you want and I'll likely respond to it." With that said Aiyana would reach out and delicately accept the handshake. It was odd to be shaking a hand like this, she was used to simple hugs and other niceties. Maybe Samira was just worried about first impressions, or maybe she knew how Aiyana Shuer, the wizard saint of pleasure, actually was and was trying to avoid any of the stuff she was known for. If that were true the trip might be a bit awkward, as there was likely a chance the other ace of Lamia Scale would see the nine-tailed fox completely naked. It was a spa trip with just two ladies, she was not going to keep her illusion of clothing up when she was being paid to be completely relaxed! Aiyana's would be looking over the cute, dark green-haired, girl when she would hear the obvious grumbling of a stomach that desired food to be put into it. It was clear as to whose stomach was the culprit, even though they did a poor attempt at covering up the fact, and it caused Aiyana to do a small giggle before offering a piece of the still warm bread to the hungry girl she was looking at. "Baguette? I bought them for the both of us, so feel free to eat your half of the bunch." The bag held four of the delicious bread loaves, which seemed like a lot until you were actually hungry, and the celestial spirit had no issue with sharing it as they made their water-based journey to the land of relaxation.

The sound of the boat's horn would cause a light flinch from Aiyana, the sound being much louder than her ears had been prepared for, as it signaled a last call for those that might need to enter the ship. "We should probably get on to boarding, huh? Would be a big shame if we missed an all expenses paid trip to a world famous spa that our guild master was forcing us to both take, right?" The comedy in the words would be hard to miss, though deep inside her mind there was a small part of her that really did not want to go on this one. Normally she would be completely for it, but with everything going on she was not sure if her mind would enjoy it as much as her body surely would. Time would tell, of course, but she was stubborn enough to beleive that time would come later rather than sooner for her.

The comment one of her spirits had made earlier regarding Aiyana's personality had been correct. The bright smile that had been given during the introduction had melted some of her original worries regarding the first impressions. So, she wouldn't be sent flying off the boat the moment she made a slight mistake at being formal, after all. A nickname to call her had also been given, and it was then the summoner felt ridiculously stupid for even considering to call her by her Saint title. That sort of formality might have been the true offense to one that appeared so kind and laid back. Maybe she should have gone for the hug too? Nah, too far. Too daring. Too much of an invasion of personal space.

Fortunately or unfortunately depending on the one asked, Samira was very unaware of the stories that surrounded the other Ace. The ones that went into other aspects of her personality anyway. The poor woman would be in for quite a number of surprises throughout the trip. Most of them probably resulting in her fleeing from the room or covering her eyes from the inappropriateness of it all. To that point she was still unaware that the clothes Aiyana had been wearing were nothing but an illusion of them. "Aiyana then. It has a pretty ring to it." Not that the suggested nickname of "Aiya" was ugly sounding or anything. It was actually easier to say with it being one syllable shorter. Samira was just not used to using nicknames, and there was only so far she could go when her wall of expectations had just been obliterated. Stick with the full first name for now and then perhaps move onto another nickname with the more time they spent together during the trip. She had not given any nicknames to call her by so she expected the same from Aiyana. Although, if the other Ace had chosen to give her one there would have been no comment or refusal for it. Such a thing had not been stopped in the past, so there was no reason to currently. Although being labeled as "Sammy" would feel as if she had been stabbed.

Then the horror of her rumbling stomach occurred. So embarrassing, but the other woman did not seem to mind at all. Samira blinked her eyes in mild confusion as she heard the giggle. She really was wrong with her predicted impression, wasn't she? Even the spirits in her head watching were laughing and telling her as much as they felt her embarrassment levels increase because of that fact. The still warm bread that had gotten her nose's and her stomach's attention had been offered. "That was pretty considerate of you," Samira said in astonishment as the bread loaves were offered to her. There was a bit of guilt for having not done the same for Aiyana or had even thought of it in the first place. A mental note was made to repay the favor later on. She didn't know how, but it would be. "Thank you!" A wide smile of gratitude had replaced the forced one to cover up her embarrassment as she reached into the bag and took hold of one of the loaves. She bit into its soft texture, and her eyes twinkled as if she had just been saved from certain death and Aiyana had been the hero.

Samira had only begun munching on her half of the loaves when the last call horn for the ship had been sounded. Loaf still in hand and in mid-chew, the summoner turned to stare at the ship with an irritation appearing in her eyes even if she tried to hide it. They could not have waited five more minutes? Filling her stomach so she would not pass out from hunger in front of the Saint and fellow Ace was important! Well, assuming they did not try to take the Baguette from her she supposed she could keep munching on it as they boarded. Her chewing and munching continued as Aiyana made a comment, a humorous one, of it being a shame if they had missed the ship that was meant to give them all of the high priced forms of relaxation imaginable. Samira smiled before letting out a small giggle. "Missing the boat itself would probably result in us both getting hit by giant carrots. You do not know true fear until such a threat is imminent." Her own way to try and be funny and relaxed. Obviously getting hit by a carrot or two by the bunny was nothing to be afraid of, but it was a very unique and somewhat humiliating way to be punished. "Shall we get going then?"

Samira had begun walking towards the ramp that would allow them to board the ship of relaxing wonders. Her steps were forced to match Aiyana's so that she was not being too presumptuous at thinking that she should take the lead, or be considered too slow and causing her to wait up. During the short trip the green-haired woman would quickly look at the many tails that followed Aiyana elegantly. A rapid thought on how she managed to walk at all with them crossed her mind before adjusting her gaze to look ahead of herself once more. They looked to be mostly fluff, but surely they had a lot of weight to them even if they were the softest thing in the world. It was just one of those thoughts that came from someone that lacked even a single tail. Aiyana probably got comments towards them all the time so she didn't ask. Maybe she'd sneak a feel to see how fluffy they were later on. It was only natural to do so!

Once they had reached the top of the boarding ramp, a man in uniform, obviously one of the ship's employees was standing there taking names and tickets of those that reached him. They had no tickets that Samira was aware of, but their names should have sufficed for their reservations. "We were not given tickets, but there should be a reservation made by Gisen Ceostra, the guild mistress of Lamia Scale. Aiyana Shuer and-" The summoner was interrupted as the man's eyes twinkled and he repeated the name, shouting it. Others on the ship turned their heads upon hearing the name and gasped in amazement. A Wizard Saint?! On their ship?! Going to the same resort?! Samira was sure she heard fan squeals somewhere on the boat as she eyetwitched, resisting the urge to facepalm. Already the Wizard Saint fans were ecstatic and hyperactive with the knowledge that the Saint of Pleasure was there. To see her... well there was some fainting going around. A bit of an over-reaction in Samira's view. Somehow they had neglected to understand that Aiyana was there to relax and not be bombarded by fans. But then, perhaps she enjoyed that sort of attention.

Samira reached over the podium and pointed to a listing on the reservation clipboard. "As I was saying, Aiyana Shuer and Samira Nassar." A few taps were made on the listing for emphasis. "Oh... right... sorry!" The man rubbed the back of his neck, grinning sheepishly. "This just doesn't happen everyday, you know?"

"Right, well do keep in mind relaxation is the goal here." Samira had told the man sternly. As said before, perhaps Aiyana liked the attention and did not mind it at all. That did not seem to be what the trip was about though. They were supposed to relax and bond as Aces, which generally meant the Saint being swarmed by fans was a bit of a setback and distraction in that regard. There were still drooling fans around catching glimpses and gossiping, but Samira ignored them. It was easy to do since they were not exactly fawning over her at all. Her footsteps carried her over to a table that had pamphlets of all the activities that were on the ship itself. She took one, gently opened it while moving the loaf of bread to be under her arm, and began to look over its contents. The green eyes of hers grew wider and wider until they went completely blank and a sweatdrop formed at the side of her head. This was just the ship to get to the resort and yet there was so many things to do. Just how big was the resort itself if the ship was this eventful and glamorous?

"There is a lot more to do here than I had originally expected," Samira commented, not looking up from the pamphlet at all. She had assumed Aiyana would be next to her, but there was the chance she had gone elsewhere towards a distraction or to sate some form of curiosity. The result of such a thing being that Samira was talking to herself. "Was there anything you felt like doing? This is my first time on an outing like this so it is all new to me." Admittedly, she might have also forgotten that Aiyana was a slayer of sorts, and therefore may have already been going through the motion sickness on vehicles they were known for.

(WC: 1538
Total so Far: 3440)

As usual, the person she was conversing with seemed to prefer to use her full name rather than her nickname she used all the time when talking about herself in the third person. For some reason, people felt the need to take her a bit more seriously than anyone had any right to, though the celestial spirit could wager a guess as to why. A wizard saint was not really someone you tried to insult, and the nine tailed fox was indeed one that had earned that title since she had started her humble beginning as a bandage using mage with a cute little cat hat. What had ever happened to that hat, anyway? The woman remembered keeping it after the incident with the trickster celestial spirit swapping their bodies upon its death but so much had happened since that it had seemingly gotten lost in the chaos. The eldest sister of the Shuer family had moved so many times that it was likely lost in either some crate or had been destroyed by the elements of nature after being lost somewhere. Not that she really wished to have that hat again, it held too many memories, so wondering where exactly it had gotten lost or ended up really did not matter to her.

The woman would smile and nod with a happy giggle as the other took a baguette and happily ate it. The delicious bread was definitely noticed by Samira as such, the look on her face as if she had been saved by a knight in shining armor. If only she knew that Aiyana Shuer was more like the dragon, taking fair maidens to be her own even if it was against their will. Every person had their dark secrets, but not all secrets were managed to be kept hidden. There was no guarantee that Samira would leave this trip without being violated in some way, though Aiyana would definitely try not to corrupt a fellow guild member as well as one that was equal in titles where Lamia Scale was concerned. The Magic Council's titles held wait in the country, but the monster hunting guild did not actually reside fully inside of Fiore. They were in their own country, basically, and thus the only thing mattered was what each was considered within the guild they worked with.

Samira would offer up a comment about them missing the boat, mentioning that Gisen would hit them with giant carrots if they managed to ruin this whole trip because they missed the boat, and the images that ran through her head were quite the funny ones. Gisen, holding a massive carrot in each hand while chewing on a carrot as well, would quickly rapid fire both carrots against their bodies as they were tied up to chairs. All this time their guild master would proceed to yell at them and call them wasters of money and that the next time she plans a getaway for them that they better damn well make sure to make it. It almost made her laugh at the thought of it all as the two walked up to the entrance of the ship side by side. "Yeah, though I think I would be too busy laughing due to the way she reacts to things. Every scenario I could think of that has us missing this boat ends up being pretty silly in the end." It was strange not to be asked about her form, or her tails, or anything else by the woman that shared a guild tattoo with her. So many always had so many questions that it was almost a relief to not have to repeat the same old answers all the time. Normally it was not a problem to answer them, but with current events, she internally hated to answer them, again and again, ad nauseam.

The duo setting out to sail for relaxation would be stopped by a uniformed worker that was collecting tickets, something that neither of them had been given by Gisen Ceostra before they had set off on this adventure. What happened next was almost embarrassing, if Aiyana was one of those people that got embarrassed easily, as Samira tried to explain their situation and got to the Wizards Saint's name before it became a scene. The man would become a fangirl almost immediately, others on and off the ship hearing and responding the same way as well, and suddenly everyone would be looking at her. The woman would just put on a happy face and move her tails about like one that was glad to be given the attention. The 'oohs' and 'ahs' and all the other noises that people made were pretty much ignored as they made their eventual way onto the ship. The two of them would make their way to a table that had pamphlets on everything they could do on the ship, which the nine tailed fox would begin to read even as the first wave of nausea hit her. There really was a lot to do, and Samira would soon ask her if the Wizard Saint felt like doing anything while on the ship. There was a lot of stuff to do while they were here on the ship, but only a few were things that they could not do when at the spa itself. After a hard swallow, obviously a reflex of the motion sickness even though she was still just a celestial spirit, the woman would tap on the pamphlet with a finger a couple times before looking up at Samira.

"What about hitting up the casino while we're on the ship? It's our only chance to roll some dice, play some cards, and maybe some other gambling while we wait to get to the really good stuff. Unless there's something else you want to do when we're here?" The woman did enjoy gambling once in a while, though there were not a whole lot of decent casinos in Fiore and Earthland in general. If she could get away with it here and she would be able to win a few hands of some card games and buy them some fancy souvaniers from the gift shops here on the ship before they got off of it upon their arrival. If not there was always on the way back, though that was dependant on if they actually took the same fancy ship back on their way home.

"The casino?" The green-haired summoner looked up from her pamphlet she held to stare at her fellow guild member with slightly wide eyes. The suggestion was mildly surprising. Spending time gambling had not really crossed her mind at all, and even less so for someone of such a status to suggest it. "Hmmm," she went back to the pamphlet and scanned through the pages until she found information about the casino area. There were no ideas fluttering within her mind on what to do so the suggestion was better than them walking around aimlessly and just looking around. Although that could be a nice chat option while at the resort itself if she and Aiyana just felt like taking a stroll and talking. Surely the area was nice enough for such a thing. "This..." Her words trailed off as she read the information and looked at the fancy pictures of the casino. Card games, dice rolling, some slot machines, drinks, and there was even mention of a tournament. Her competitive side and the desire to experience something new was starting to take over slightly. They could participate and maybe even win. There were just a few problems with the idea.

"It looks fun but does this not tend to take a lot of money? Especially if we lose some games." Naturally Samira wasn't exactly broke and did have her own jewels, but never had she thought about using it on gambling. The guild had funds though. Would it be considered wrong to charge it all up on the Lamia Scale account? If they won back what was lost and even profited then most likely not, but what if they lost pretty much everything? The joke about missing the ship and being tortured in silly ways by the bunny guild master would be very minor in comparison to the real scolding. Unless Gisen died first once she got the receipt. Perhaps allowing the two Aces access to the guild funds during their trip was not the best of ideas. "Well, we were given permission to put extra expenses on the Lamia Scale account during our trip. Gisen did not really go into detail on what we could or could not use it for. In a way this makes it okay!" A victory smirk formed on Samira's face at using such basic logic to overcome the money obstacle. If they ended up spending everything they'd just have to make it up to the bunny somehow. Probably by solving some crisis that only a pair of high ranked mages could solve. That was for future Samira to worry about. Current Samira was busy ignoring the spirits that were talking in her head. Some disapproved of her thinking and gambling in general and going into about being around such bad influences. Others were already thinking up plots and tactics on cheating. The time to turn their summoner into a mischievous gambling rebel that never lost had come!

Now was the other problem in the scenario and would cause them to lose quite a bit of money unless she cheated, which she did not intend on doing. She was a model citizen and mage! Cheating? Preposterous! The woman only cheated on Thursdays. It was Tuesday. The point being though was that Samira had never gambled in her life. The poor girl didn't even know the rules of the games, except maybe the slot machines. It was probably very difficult to not understand how to use those once you were sitting right in front of one for a few seconds. Such is the result of being sheltered for most of her life and even afterwards avoiding things that were frowned upon by some members of society. One could only hope she didn't have an addictive personality for gambling once they got going. Still, there was a lot of hope that Aiyana was a professional card player, dice roller, and had her own set of tricks that could pull off a few wins. Maybe even get far in the tournament.

"At the moment the casino is closed, but it will open up soon after the ship gets going." Samira told the multi-tailed vixen as she set the pamphlet down back on the table. "I think it is a good idea for entertainment and will kill much of our traveling time to the resort. Although..." The long green bangs Samira's eyes as she looked down and went into an almost comical gloomy state. "I do not know how to play any of the games." The truth was out! She was completely ignorant on the rules and how all the games worked. Was there even a proper etiquette to being in the casino? Where was a manual when she needed one?! Not even the knowledge of her spirits could help. They were more suited for games of Go Fish and Yahtzee, and even then they had a habit of making up their own rules to solve the countless debates and quarrels they had. There was also the fact none of them had been in a mortal world casino in general. Already she was a burden, a lost cause, the most horrible companion to have on a vacation! A little bit over-dramatic? Of course, and she will likely forget all about it in a span of five minutes and go with the flow.

Samira turned away from the pamphlet table and focused on Aiyana once more, her cheeks a slightly darker shade from the embarrassment of having to claim she was inexperienced with gambling in general. "Unless you have any tips I can always watch and learn while you play. There was mention of a tournament as well. Maybe I will learn enough before it comes time for it to start. That or I will hang out at the slot machines. I do not think I can get that wrong." Her gaze then took notice of Aiyana's small bag, her own small bag, and the baguette she still had. "Oh, we should drop our things off before anything else actually. There should be rooms reserved for us somewhere."

(Word Count: 1018
Total So Far: 4458)

Samira seemed okay with the casino idea for the most part, though she definitely had reservations about losing money on the gambling portions while they were here. The idea to use the Lamia Scale guild funds was an amusing idea, one that was borderline wrong with the logic she used for it, but it was hard to fault her when Gisen really had told them to go ahead and use guild funds for 'anything' they needed. Maybe they had needed to gamble for fun, right? Or needed another round of poker to keep their streak going so they could pay back the money and more! It was a great idea, but it would be the fallback plan for the one Aiyana Shuer already had in mind. "Now now, let's not jump to the first idea we get. All right?" The woman would jokingly scold the other ace of Lamia Scale as her tails wiggled about with her amusement. "That idea would work, but I think I can get the two of us some starter chips and tokens, and maybe a few free buy-ins at the tables for card games, with some charm and flirting. If all else fails we can buy more if you need it, but it should let you get a taste without having to drop money right off the bat." The wizard saint of pleasure had no problem with using her own body for the gain of herself and those with her, she had earned her title for a good reason, so doing some simple flirting for free gambling was not out of the question for her. It was a guildmate, after all, and one that was on the same title as respect as her where the guild was concerned. Gisen trusted both of them with the entirety of the guild, for multiple different reasons, and that was a good enough reason for them to trust each other even if they did not know each other well enough to normally do such a thing.

Unfortunately, as Sammy would let her know, the casino was not quite open for them to use just yet. It would not be open for visitors until the boat set sail, likely to keep those that won big at the start from just leaving immediately with their winnings, and thus they would have to wait a little bit longer before the true fun began. After mentioning this, her partner for this spa week would let her know that she had no clue on how to do anything within the casino. Wow! That was actually something she had not been expecting! "Huh, never been in a casino before? Or played any kind of poker of blackjack before? Kind of a surprise, but I see no problem having you watch me play a few games of some of them to help you get the hang of it. Biggest tip though? Quit while you're ahead at a table. Luck does end after a while, for some people at least, and you have to figure that out on your own. Sometimes you're right, other times you're wrong. It's part of the fun though." The tip was a good tip to keep one's self from winning big only to end up losing even more in the process. If you quit while you were ahead you wouldn't end up with two beefy men beating your knees to a pulp with baseball bats while telling you to get them the money you owe them even though there's no way you can pay all the money you owe back. Mentioning her lack of knowledge and experience was followed by her hoping to learn enough to play in the tournament as well, or sitting out and playing the slots because she couldn't possible get those wrong. "I'm sure the tournament will have enough casual players to let you have a chance at making it up there. But the slots are pretty random, though some are better than others, and can be pretty fun with all the pretty, flashing, colors and moving lights and pieces."

As Aiyana finished speaking, noticing the other looking at her own stuff, she would nod as Samira mentioned going to their rooms and dropping off their stuff before carrying on. "Yeah, that would probably be a good idea. Right?" Looking down at the pamplet, and the paper with info she had been given upon entry, it was quite easy to figure out where they were going; room 69. The smirk on Aiyana's face was hard to miss as she held in the joke that had come across her mind. Funny that they should get the best room of the hundred and fifty that were available. Well, best according to the celestial spirit at least. "Well, shall we get on with it? It's not that long of a walk." With that said she would motion for Samira to follow along so that they could drop off their stuff and finally begin the start of their vacation.

"That probably is the better idea actually." Not only for saving the bunny guild mistress from a heart attack of the depleted guild funds, but to save her own self from one. Future Samira would not be pleased of the actions of her past self losing money by gambling it away and testing just how lucky she was. Aiyana did not seem to look down on her for the suggestion of using the funds or for twisting the logic behind it. She seemed amused by it all even with the minor scolding she had to give. It was a different experience to be the one scolded instead of being the one to do the actual scolding to be sure, even if jokingly. Further evidence to her that Aiyana did have her position and titles for a reason and was capable of being responsible even if someone else with the same guild title was not. That or she just saw no reason to waste guild funds when there was a much more fun way to get free chips and tokens. It was an idea Samira had not considered since she herself had never actually took that approach to get the things she wanted. The levels of her natural charm she was not sure about, and a forced flirtation that was completely fake would be extremely awkward and all over the place. Embarrassing really, but most things of that nature were for her. As for the other Ace, she had suggested the idea with absolutely no hesitation or reluctance. Was she really that experienced with using such methods? The "pleasure" part of her title really did cover a lot more than she originally thought. From what she had thought she figured it was just pleasure in the forms of relaxation, having quality free time for fun, things of that nature. Samira did not dare think it would also include natural charm, the ability for extreme flirtation or even... the more naughtier definition. Her mind did not ever go that far into the gutters. It avoided them mostly, in fact. Her mind went to avoiding it further by pushing that out of her thoughts before it became a question that just needed to be asked for the sake of knowing and sating her curiosity.

The tip regarding quitting while ahead was taken seriously and put into permanent memory. She would not disappoint by allowing the helpful advice to go to waste! Although it probably would be a non-issue. Her luck was not exactly great, and she needed some good luck before it even became a problem of running out in the first place. The other Ace mentioning that there would likely be other casual players around in the mix also relaxed her worries of being completely terrible and making the guild look bad when it came to casino games. For all she knew anyone remotely interested in the casino were all experienced players that would annihilate her before she even got started! She would even be allowed to watch Aiyana play a few games so she could get a handle on the rules from the sidelines and observe how everything worked. Although, still the slots sounded fun, even if the way the nine-tailed fox woman had explained it sounded a bit childish. Everyone playing the slots distracted by flashing colors and moving pieces. It brought out a small giggle from Samira just thinking about adults being similar to babies in that context.

To pass the time before the boat got moving and the casino opened, Aiyana had agreed on the idea of going to their room to drop their things off. "All right, it looks as if we are in room sixty nine," her words coming out normal and said seriously as if she barely acknowledged the numbers for what they were. Before looking down at her own informational papers regarding their stay, she took notice of the smirk on Aiyana's face, but she did not understand why it was there. Maybe there was something else on the paper and pamphlet that amused her, or maybe she thought of something humorous. Still no where in her almost innocent mind did she realize the significance of that number combination. The poor thing would have to be told to look really hard at the numbers and dirty her mind up a bit before she fully noticed it. Not even the snickering of certain dirty minded spirits of hers gave it away.

"Yes, lets go." The summoner would nod her head and begin to follow along in the direction of their room. She kept her pace with Aiyana's for the most part, but every now and then she stopped to take a look at something or someone before forcing her feet to continue the journey to the room again. It was a new thing for her to be on a fancy cruise ship. There were airships she had been on, but their purpose was not for a vacation like the current one. Already the wonder and amazement had temporarily made her forget all the work that was piling up even though she had not been gone all that long just yet. She would probably remember later on and be kept up at night because of it. Another thing for future Samira to wonder about. Current Samira would continue acting like a child struck by constant wonder while in their favorite theme park.

"Thank you for the earlier tip by the way." Samira had told Aiyana once she had stopped looking like a distracted idiot and caught up with her. "Usually whenever I get out of the guild hall it is for a mission or something equally as dangerous. Vacations and other fun activities I do not do often, and whenever I do have free time for hobbies, they are not exactly on the same category as most others." Reading, studying, and looking at artifacts were certainly a long way off from gambling and relaxing at a spa, weren't they? There were basic questions on her mind she could have asked her fellow Ace along the way to the room for small talk, but she thought it best to save most of those for when they were getting the spa treatments. The final horn of the ship was made, indicating that its journey to the resort was now starting. An announcement on the ship intercoms had also been made to confirm it. The only way off now aside from magic was to jump and make a swim for it. "It should not be much of a wait for the casino to open now that the sailing has started." Samira would comment, just to break any form of silence that may have been there even if the observation was an obvious one. Other than that, she would continue to follow along silently unless spoken to or if Aiyana got distracted by something along the way herself. But who would even think to be distracted before seeing the glorious room of 69? It may have been the best room in Aiyana's view due to the humor in the number sequence, but in actuality it was also one of the suite rooms with extra expenses paid for more awesomeness. Even if they would be on the ship for a short time when compared to the resort itself, the pair of women would still have a fancy and magnificent room waiting for them. Being a Lamia Scale Ace had its benefits when the bunny was in charge.

(Word Count: 1256
Total So Far: 5714)

It seemed that Samira was definitely the type of girl that did not have a lewd bone in her body. Even after she had said the room number herself she would act as if there was absolutely nothing wrong or funny with the fact. Ah well, it would either change or it would not. The two would make their way towards the room, many passengers doing the same and all of them keeping out of each other's way until they found the right section. Before they actually came up to the room the other ace of Lamia Scale would thank her for the tip and explain why she seemed so off with the vacation resort they were going on. "Oh, it's not a problem at all! A tip is a tip, and I'm always good for them when it comes to anything meant for fun and pleasure." The woman's words would have a different meaning to everyone, and even more meanings for those that had a lewder side to them, but the celestial spirit would not just end with that sentence. "I can understand that. When I first started as a mage, in the very guild we're both in now, I did more jobs than I can remember. It wasn't until I realized how sore I was from it all, including many near-death experiences, that I really needed to take it easy on myself. More than just small hobbies and the like too."

The two would nearly be up to their door when the announcement that they were now moving, which was obvious when the wave of nausea hit her like a truck and made her skip a step in her walk and make her look like she almost fell, and that their trip towards the spa had begun. Samira would mention it not being long before the casino opened, at which Aiyana would open their door to allow them to step in and take in the nice and cozy place. "Yeah, and wow is this a lot fancier than I'm used to seeing on a boat!" The place had everything a young couple could ever need, literally. Gisen had gone all out with paying for their room, though there was only a single bed that would have to be shared if they decided to nap or sleep before getting to the spa. Not that that was likely, however, as the nine-tailed fox doubted either would be ready to sleep through all the excitement of the casino once they made it there. The female would set down her bag on the bed and fluff up her tails a bit before wiggling them all to make sure there was nothing caught in them. Once happy with it she would look to Samira with a long grin on her face. "Ready to strike it rich, Mira? I know I am!" The vixen would ask the question, while also revealing the nickname she planned on using for the girl when the entire name was too long to say. Hopefully she would not mind, if she did there was always Sammy.

Aiyana was a very understanding sort of person, or at least that was what Samira was getting from her based on the responses. She too had even been one to do mission after mission until she could not tolerate it anymore and had the epiphany that perhaps it was not the best thing for herself. One of the many origins of how the Saint of Pleasure became who she was and why that particular title. In the case of Samira, well, she was not going to admit or even acknowledge that she was a workaholic. It was just part of the package of her daily life, including those near death experiences. Nonetheless, she would try to get the most out of the forced vacation. Maybe it would do her some good in the end and she would take breaks more often. The best one to ask for such tips of that category just so happened to be right there and of the same guild as herself. Naturally the more dirty sides of pleasure did not exactly register on her mind. Asking for advice on that was thankfully and less awkwardly far away. For the moment. "I do not think I can comprehend the phrase 'take it easy.' I was even told I work too much, but I disagree. The disagreement did nothing to sway the bunny from her idea." A person with a humorous imagination could probably picture the comical conversation of the Ace getting ordered by a very enthusiastic bunny to take a vacation as if it was the best idea she ever had. A spontaneous idea at that. Samira was actually surprised Gisen had not considered the idea of shopping for new outfits for the trip. A horror story that was waiting to be written for another time!

Samira had noticed her companion look as if she almost fell, and stopped her steps for a moment. The fox-tailed woman had caught herself though and kept going, leaving Samira to assume it was just a misstep and that she was quite all right. Still slayer facts and motion sickness had not dawned in the mind of the summoner. Technically speaking, Aiyana was the first slayer she had even met. It would have been hard to believe that a powerful magic like that had such a ridiculous weakness tied to it.

Despite that very short pause, the room had been reached and Aiyana herself had opened it and stepped inside. Samira followed and then stared wide eyed at all the furnishings within the room. Very nice indeed, and a small preview of what their room in the resort itself would be like. Her own bad was gently tossed on the bed beside Aiyana's. Hands on hips, Samira would then look down at the comfy looking bed and then raise and turn her gaze around the room. Yep, she was not mistaken. There was only one bed for the two of them. It was not so much a problem now, though. The casino would keep them entertained for quite a bit of time, and so there was no need for sleeping. At the resort though? Where they would spend many of their nights? They would be needing to sleep at some point! "It is very nice, but we seem to be missing a bed entirely. I do hope this is not the case at the resort!" Her tone of voice not so much anger as it was humorous and a bit concerned. If they did not get their own rooms then she at least expected two beds! Honestly! The moment those words left her mouth she realized they might have sounded a bit rude. "Oh, sorry. That may have sounded a little offensive." She looked to Aiyana with an apologetic smile that then turned into a more embarrassing one since she did have to point out her reason for not liking one bed now. "I would not normally mind sharing a bed, but I think your tails would take up most of the room." A problem indeed! She required more space than the very edge of the bed! No thought was made to use them as extra cozy and fluffy blankets, and there certainly were no lewd thoughts about sharing a bed. To her two women having to share a bed was perfectly normal. Like a sleepover. A non-perverted sleepover.

Just as they took a moment to get settled in, a different sort of nickname had reached her ears. "Mira?" Her eyes blinked, not used to being called that. Her nod and smile a few seconds afterward would be enough to show that she approved. It was the better nickname her fellow Ace could have given her. While she did not mind being called "Sammy", it was the first one most went for, and it also had memories tied to it that she did not want. "I do not know about striking it rich in my case, but I will give it my all!"

From there the two would be able to make their exit from the room. By that point other passengers had also found their rooms and when not busy being in the way with their belongings, they were in the way by heading towards their own planned festivities. Some even mentioning heading towards the casino that would open in the few minutes it would take to get there, which was an easy task. Just follow everyone else that was talking about it. Many people had planned to entertain themselves the whole day at the casino, well at least for as long as they could afford. By the time the two reached the casino it was already opened and packed. The sign up are for the tournament was easy to spot. A big sign and a loud announcer gave it away. It would start at a later time, but for now many people were already starting up some of the table and dice games, and the sounds of heavily played slot machines were already going off.

Oh, dear. Samira was already getting slightly intimidated and overwhelmed by it all. She had no idea what she was doing. Maybe at one point she should have taken a mission to learn casino games in order to be better prepared. First things first though. Getting some of those game chips, tokens, and whatever "buy-ins" that were mentioned earlier were. "So... you did mention earlier that you would be able to possibly get us some starting chips and such? I do not mind using my own money for this instead. Your suggested method sounds like it would be awkward and uncomfortable." Truly she would not force Aiyana to do the flirt and charm method or make her feel guilty if she changed her mind. She herself could not possibly go through with something like that, and it was difficult for her to fathom that it actually came naturally for the nine-tailed fox.

(Word Count: 1159
Total So Far: 6873)

It was weird to be speaking with someone that could not 'take it easy.' Aiyana had been, for the last couple of years, been the one to almost always take it easy. Drugs, music, sex, anything pleasurable was preferred for her over the serious things in life. Most of it came after her longest term relationship suddenly ending without any rhyme or reason for it to do such. The woman still had not heard nor seen anything involving Mao so she had written her off as dead at this point. It was easier to enjoy things that made her forget the loss and sense of longing, the emptiness it brought with it. She was an alien from another planet that had no family, no life-long friends, and all of that made her want to just wash it away with the things that made even a celestial spirit feel a buzz. A slight shake of her head would be made to clear her thoughts as Samira brought up the tiny bed and how she hoped it was not like that at the resort. "Well! I don't mind snuggling up, and it the tails get in the way I can shapeshift to something more fitting for us to cuddle!" The woman meant every word of what she was saying, lewd or not, and if the bed at the spa was really the same size she would even settle for being the little spoon to make her feel better. Who knew, maybe it would make herself feel better feeling another embrace even if it wasn't a loving one.

The nod and smile from her guildmate made it clear that the nickname was accepted, which made Aiyana wiggle her tails in happiness as she squinted her face into a smile. "Don't worry, if I do and you don't I'll share the bounty with you!" It wouldn't be long before the two would make it to the casino by following the parts of the crowd that were also heading in the same direction. The sights and sounds of the casino were always a wonder to see, the clinking of coins and chips even as the sounds of the people and machines went off in all directions. The improved hearing of the fox ears and slayer magics only helped let her meld into the scenario even more than one normally would. The slamming of dice against felt tables could be heard as Samira asked her about using some of her own money instead of the method Aiyana had mentioned earlier. "Aw, if you want to use your own money you can! But I'm still going to get a few jewels to buy the first bit of chips to get myself going. Just watch!" With that said, Aiyana would walk in with the full confidence in her beauty and image. It wouldn't be very long before the lusty eyes would fall upon her, and a few men would even begin making their way to her to try and introduce themselves. One such man would ask for her name and, after realizing who she was, would offer up his number for her ilacrima. With a wink and telling him that she'd do it for a hundred jewels in chips for the casino, he would gladly trade numbers with her. Another man would let her sap his will, tails brushing against his back and legs as she hugged him in thanks for the other hundred jewels worth of chips. That was all she needed to get started and was when she would walk back to Mira. "Well, I got the chips I need to start. What say you to paying for some of your own, unless you want to split my half with me? I don't mind either way." The woman would sound happy with her accomplishment, even though there had been no risk and nothing that could go wrong if she failed at what she had done. Who knew, maybe she would even text the guy once in a while to keep him on his toes. First she would show this girl how to use the slots, and then she would let her do whatever else she wanted after, even if it was just watching how to play the other games as Aiyana wandered through them quickly.

There was a small giggle in response to the proposed solution of the bed space problem. Samira found humor in it, and had assumed Aiyana was joking about the cuddling by one hundred percent. Her naivete had a habit of clouding her judgment and assumptions and made her blind to certain things until it was too late. Aiyana for instance. Had Samira even heard the stories of her fellow Ace as to her flirty, playful, and lewd nature she would have still assumed that she was safe from becoming a victim to it. Her spirits probably could have clued her in on their own predictions and told her to not get too comfortable around the nine-tailed fox woman, but then, that was just no fun! They may as well enjoy themselves too and wait for whatever awkwardness comes to their summoner so they could laugh and poke fun about it later. "Oh? I was unaware that you could shapeshift. Well, I suppose we have a plan for if there is only one bed then!" A statement said with completely innocent thought that most certainly would become awkward should there truly be only one bed and the topic of cuddling coming up. Thus far though, Samira was enjoying being in the presence of her less serious guildmate. Already she had even offered to share whatever winnings she had with her, a generous thing really even if Samira was certain she wouldn't accept it. Whatever Aiyana won should be for her to keep fully so she could further enjoy herself during the vacation. The only thing that made her ponder a bit was that it seemed her companion found enjoyment in sharing. Refusing based on her own principals may have brought some grey clouds over the sunny disposition that the fox woman displayed. She would just have to cross that bridge if she reached it. After all, maybe she would have a natural talent for the games and earn enough for herself! It was possible! Maybe. For that moment she just smiled and thanked Aiyana for being kind enough to offer to share her prizes.

While at the casino Samira's concern with her companion having to resort to flirty methods for some chips was met with the opposite reaction that she had expected. Instead of Aiyana changing her mind she instead gave a live demonstration to her clever methods. The green eyes on her face widened in surprise as the other woman began to walk away to show her stuff. "Wha-what?!" Oh my. She was shocked that Aiyana was actually going to flirt her way and use her charm and beauty for some free chips. It... should not have been all that surprising since she had clearly said that was her plan a couple of times already, but words were different than seeing it in action. How bold! Samira remained standing there and watched the display that made her feel awkward and embarrassed just by being a spectator to it. There was no possible way in that life or the next that she herself could do something like that without fleeing the scene after attempting it.

After getting some freebies from two random men that had approached her, Aiyana returned with higher achievement points than when she had left. An accomplishment had been made with her success, and she seemed happy to get started with having some fun free of charge. Those same freebies had been offered to Samira as Aiyana offered to split what she had gained from the men, but the green-haired woman just shook her head in polite refusal. "No, it is okay. I did say I could pay for my own. Who knows? Maybe I can try getting some freebies for myself." Her lips formed an awkward and embarrassed smile as her cheeks turned a shade of pink. No. No, she wouldn't. The images going through her head of all of the possible results of her trying terrified her actually.

After the two were set and ready, Aiyana had showed her how to use the slot machines. They became a little addicting for the summoner as she quickly became one of those silly people that were easily amused by the colorful flashy lights and sounds. A very easy game that amused her at the same time! Best thing ever! She did leave them eventually though, mostly because she wanted to learn some of the other games too. The spirits in her head also nagged at her to go do something else before she became attached to the slots and became some weirdo that only knew how to pull a slot lever and watch the spinning of symbols. Samira walked around the casino until she spotted the other Lamia Scale Ace, who had been going through the games quite quickly. She watched for a bit on the sidelines with some other spectators, but she remained quiet so she didn't bother anyone or interrupt the game. Plus, she was also concentrating and trying to learn how the games worked by watching. She left that activity too eventually though for one reason: the tournament! There was a little sign up station and since she had pointed it out earlier she had the thought to check it out and sign the two of them up. Upon getting up to the station and glancing over the entry papers though she realized she probably should ask on something before filling it out. She took two entries, one for Aiyana and one for herself, along with two pens before going on the hunt for the gambling vixen once more.

As soon as Aiyana was located Samira would approach wherever she was. If she was busy with a game or something else, Samira would wait until she was available before waltzing up, holding the papers up for the other to see. "Remember the tournament I mentioned earlier? Were you still interested? I was just going to go ahead and sign you up, but it turns out it is separated into different games. Which one did you want to do?" Game choices included Poker, Black Jack, and a slot tournament. There was still a bit of time to complete the sign ups, and perhaps a game or two, but after that the tournament games would begin.

(Word Count: 1049
Total So Far: 7922)

Aiyana was not going to argue about anyone offering to pay for their own way after she had already offered to share. After that, it was considered rude and demanding, and she wanted to be neither of those things at the current time. "All right, I won't force you to take any of the ones I just got. You do you!" The woman was hoping to see Samira try her stuff, though that clearly did not happen in the slightest. Damn, she really wanted to see if this girl could rock what her mama gave her before they got on with the rest of their time in the casino. With the slight disappointment finished the duo would go on about their intended plans, Aiyana showing her the little things about the casino before she sat the woman down at one of the flashy slot machines and showed her how it worked. Inserting a coin and pulling the lever would start the machinery spinning for her, the colors and lights flashing and whizzing around even as spectacular sounds came from it. Aiyana herself would play a few rounds of a different slot machine, winning a bit over half of what she had already started with. After that she would walk her way over, more strut than walk, the nine-tailed fox would make it to a roulette table before setting her eyes on a table for blackjack as well as one for Texas hold-em. Those were the two games she loved! Blackjack was her all-time favorite, trying to gauge reactions on everyone while they all played against the dealer was something she enjoyed way more than she should.

A seat was open, allowing her to drop the ten chips for the buy-in for that round so that she could be dealt her two cards. It was her lucky day, a pair of threes being dealt to her immediately. She would watch the two call their small and big blind of twenty-five and fifty before she called it with 50 chips as well. The first three cards dealt by the dealer ended up being a pair of twos as well as a queen, which left her with two pairs right off the bat. When it got back to her turn she would raise another 50 caps, causing the one next to her to fold while the rest called it thinking it was likely a bluff. Once the other three that were still in finished calling the dealer would deal out the next card, revealing another queen. Blinking once in surprise, Aiyana would simply check and call anything anyone raised and keep her face neutral the rest of the time. The man to her right would go all in, something she would call even as everyone else simply folded and stepped out. It was a lot of chips to drop in one go so early into the casino opening for their trip so most weren't willing to go for it. With them both all in, and only one card left, the dealer would simply flip it over. This time Aiyana could not help but smirk at her opponent as another three would show up. There was no way out of this, and he clearly had nothing better with his reaction when she flipped her cards. "Full house, and a pair." The man flipped his, showing he had a pair of queens plus what was showing, ace high. The dealer would push all of the chips to her, which Aiyana would grab and put in a little case she was handed to carry them around so that she did not have to pocket or struggle with holding them all. Not wanting to ruin the haul she just had she would begin to stand back up when Samira would show up and talk about the tournament and if she was still interested.

So it was not just one part to it, but three that one had to decide between being in while they were running simultaneously. Poker, Blackjack, and a slots tournament. Well, there was only one of those that was in her list of favorite games to play. Standing up, case in hand, the woman would look at the cute ace of Lamia Scale before answering. "Oh, I would LOVE to be in that Blackjack tournament! It's my favorite gambling game to participate in! Did you have one you wanted to do? Might be more entertaining if you did a different one, or if you wanna try blackjack I can let you sit in on that one and I can go do the poker tournament. Either one works for me!" The celestial spirit wizard saint was okay with opting out of her favorite to let Samira try her hand at it. It was easier than poker, and since she had already tried out the slots she might want to try something else when it came to the tournament. "When you decide yours just put me for whichever is still available after. Then we can have you practice at it while I give you more in-depth tips and tricks." There was a chance neither of them would win in their respective tournaments, but she was going to try and bump up her friends chances!

So her vacation companion did still want to participate in the tournament after all! She even already had a favorite game out of the three that were available. Well, Samira did not have the heart to strip her of the chance to partake in her favorite game. It wasn't as if she herself had any experience with any of them at all aside from what she had gained with the slot machines earlier. "All right, Blackjack for you! They are all new for me so you may as well get your favorite choice." At the very least she was happy that there was one game on there Aiyana wanted to do. "I suppose I can give poker a try." There was some hesitance in her voice given she doubted she had a good enough poker face to do well in it. Still, it was worth a shot just to gain the experience and knock that off the bucket list. "I am sure with some tips and tricks I can do moderately decent so none to worry." Being positive was hard work! Both sheets were filled out as fast as she could before she changed her mind and went with the safety of the slots. Once they were turned in it was time to get some practice in before the real games started.

Once the tournament was underway, everyone in the casino that was participating split off into their correct sections. The only similarity between all of them being that there were a few cheaters in the mix. Oh my! Such casino villainy! Samira didn't really get far enough to handle any of them herself, but as a first timer that had been given some nice tips she did fairly decent. There would be no crying in the corner of shame this day! But how did Aiyana fair in hers?

Shortly after the games, the expensive cruise ship ride had finally reached it's end, at least for the two Lamia Scale aces that would be getting off to start their real vacation at one of the best spa resorts known ever! So expensive and so VIP that it took a guild master to bypass the several month reservation line that normal guests had to follow. Naturally the bunny signing up a Wizard Saint didn't hurt at all either. The resort owners and staff were ecstatic! It was of top priority to make the visit as comfortable, relaxing, and as positively fantastic as possible! Just in case there is a chance for good publicity. Naturally. A Wizard Saints opinion was just as impactful as any other sort of celebrity, perhaps even more so.

When they disembarked from the ship with their belongings in tow they would find an over dressed member of the resort staff holding up a sign that was obviously meant for them to notice. "Lamia Scale Wizard Saint, Aiyana Shuer" was written in big fancy lettering with pretty colors and even tiny little squiggles to make it more decorative. Then down near the bottom "and ace" in plain black and tiny lettering. Well it was obvious who the main attraction was for the fancy resort. No doubt some of the other guests would also be of less importance slightly by comparison. Alas, even if the two had chosen to ignore the man and pretend he didn't exist, Aiyana was much too recognizable. Assuming she hadn't already predicted such an event and shapeshifted to avoid the attention anyway.

"Ah! Ms. Aiyana Shuer!" The man said as he saw them and approached the two women. Of course Samira must have been the Saint's personal bag lady. By his logic anyway. She was nearly knocked out by the sign as he shoved it into her arms and moved in so he could shake Aiyana's hand, very rapidly and excitedly. "A pleasure to be in your presence. Us staff and our employers are very happy to have you stay with us during the vacation you surely deserve!" He gave her a wide grin and then released the handshake that was probably much tighter than it should have been, but being overly friendly and excited did tend to have it's flaws. Being rough on delicate hands during a formal greeting action being one of them. But that was okay! No harm done! He would make it up by showing her all the resort had to offer!

"I shall give you the grand tour before showing you to your room! But first here are some complimentary items!" One thing after another materialized into existence as if he were putting on a magic show. Members of the staff had magic it seemed, at least to the point of accessing the resort closets and storage from anywhere. How convenient! Robes, super luxury towels, bags of sample products that only the amazing of the amazingness class could have for free, maps of the resort, a personalized timeline so Aiyana could make the most out of her stay, schedules and lists of the special events going on, on the other side of the resort, etc. etc. Where were all of these things going? To the obvious green-haired bag girl of course! Samira ended up being thrown one thing after another and had even been covered by some of it. It did not take long before it became a little more than she could handle and she fell back and down to land on her bottom. Still she was being covered, this time by super fluffy blankets. Why this could not all be sent to the room instead she did not know. The resort company desperate to make a good impression right off the bat perhaps, but why was she reduced to bag girl? Did she look the part or something? Samira knew well enough that she didn't look like a typical monster hunter cliche, but a bag girl? This sort of mix up had never happened before when around other Wizard Saints, but then again she had never traveled to some resort with one either. Oh, dear.

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot. There's supposed to be another one with you. An Ace of Lamia Scale like you are. Well, where is she?" The man asked as he looked past Aiyana and towards the ship's exit, expecting the second reserved guest to step out at any second. The correct answer to his question? Buried in the pile of freebies.

(Word Count: 1069
Total So Far: 8991)

Once Aiyana had given her choice Samira would do the same, telling her she would try her hand at poker, before the sheets would be completely filled out. After finding out Samira was going to try her hand at the slot machine tournament instead. It was one of the easiest ones to do, and basically only required luck and a few hints and tips. A slot machine tournament decided winners based on your total winnings in the end, not who won the most often nor how much you spent. You were given so many credits to the machine and you had a time limit to win as much as you could. The Lamia Scale Ace would talk to Samira about the basics of the tournament she was entering before going on to the tips and tricks that would help one to win in them.

The first tip for the whole thing was that Samira should just bet the maximum amount on the slot machine every single time. The credits did not roll over into anything after, so it was best to go for maximum payout each time. Bet high, bet hard, and your chances were better for coming out on top! The second one went along with the first, which was to spin as fast as possible. Set yourself up to drop in the maximum credits as well as spin and stop the reels as fast as you could. Waste no time, no victory dances for a small victory when the major tournament was what you were there to win. The third tip was to avoid distractions, one that might be harder for her more serious guildmate to be able to do and required one to maintain as much focus as possible in the slots and nothing else. Don't let others distract you, ignore the cheers of others, and try not to let your hopes and worries distract you from continuing on! With all of these tips, she would send Mira off with a 'good luck' and wish the best for her in the tournament.

With her tips done for her friend, Aiyana would sit down at the blackjack table that her tournament would be held at. The nine tailed fox knew all the tips and tricks to this game, one of which was to remember that it was always you against the dealer when you were playing. The cards of others did not matter near as much as what was shown. The game was decided on who had the most chips at the end of the tournament, or if just one person was left standing with any chips at all. The female had to manage to keep up with having more chips than everyone else while also maintaining a decent game against the dealer. If she could do that she would be able to come out with one of the top prizes for it. Sitting down at the tournament table she would be able to see that more than half of the people there were extremely nervous. The other half were a mix of calm or putting on a brave face that could either be fake or real. No small talk would happen before the game, everyone putting on their best poker face before the dealer began to go over the rules that most of them knew already before asking for the ante and dealing out the first two cards to each player. The first two for the female ended up being a faceup three and a facedown four. It was a low start, with the dealer showing a nine, so when it got to her turn she would get another card and end up with a jack. It put her at seventeen, a precarious situation, so she would stand on it only to have her and the dealer tie. That was good, given how poor her odds had been, and it seemed no one else had won and even a couple had managed to lose some of their credit chips trying to be risky with their first hand.

Feeling up for a little bit of risk, Aiyana would bet one hundred of her chips, everyone having one thousand to start, and would be met with the pleasant surprise of being dealt a queen and an ace. Flipping her cards, and proclaiming blackjack, a few at the table would groan even as she was handed over the chips she had just won. With her decent advantage in chips, looking around the table and seeing everyone else bet before her and do low numbers, Aiyana would bet in two hundred this time. It was enough to push her ahead if she won, and if she managed to lose she would still be even with everyone at worst. Her cards were a two and a nine, giving her a solid eleven, and with the face-up cards everyone else had she felt that it was a good chance of her getting twenty-one. Hitting would give her exactly what she was hoping for, a jack giving her twenty-one, and this she would stand and hope the dealer did not beat her out with a blackjack. Much to the surprise of most of the table, the dealer would show twenty, double queens, and thus she would come out quite far ahead of the rest of the table.

A few of the players, feeling like they were too far behind to be able to catch up, would simply stand up and leave the table. With such a good lead and no way for anyone to currently catch up, the Wizard Saint of Pleasure would simply bet fifty on the next round and end up with twenty. The grown woman would stand on the twenty, the dealer busting and everyone winning the round. The rest of the tournament would go well for her, staying ahead by a good chunk by playing safe and betting low until they finally got to the last round. She was guaranteed at least top three no matter what, it all relied on the last round here. Aiyana bet two hundred, all she needed to stay ahead if the other guy that was close to her in credits. The dealer would giver her a three and a ten, a risky one if she wanted to attempt to win this round, and the dealer would show a ten. Not only that, the person closest to her in chips was also showing a ten as well. Knowing that the worst that could happen was her coming in second, and still getting a prize worth taking home, Aiyana would hit to see what happened. The card given to her would be an ace, putting her at fourteen since it being an eleven would cause her to bust in a bad way, so she would hit again just to see what would happen. Somehow the fates aligned, the woman getting a six and ending up with twenty even. The only way she could lose now would be a twenty-one by the man she was up against or the dealer doing the same. The dealer would show their card, another ten, and that would cause the other man she was up against to show a disappointed look as he flipped his two cards over to show nineteen. She had won! She had come in first and won the prize for the blackjack tournament! It was not a whole lot of money, only forty thousand jewels, but it was jewels she would spend while they were out at the spa as well as on the ship when they got back on it to head on home! Aiyana would cheer, the money changing hands after some handshakes and close hugs, before the ship would announce that they had arrived at their location.

The two would get off the boat at the same time, both of them seeing the sign that was quite obviously the sign to make it obvious where she was supposed to go. An overly dressed man, likely a member of the resort staff, would begin greeting her as well as shaker her hand tightly while treating her like she was a queen that had just stepped off of the boat. Meanwhile, to her side, poor Samira would be treated like she was the bag girl for the Saint of Pleasure. It was an awkward situation, one in which this staff member would not allow her a chance to get a word in otherwise until he finally stopped his speech to ask where the other ace of Lamia Scale was at. Somehow he did not know what she was supposed to look like and thus would look past the celestial spirit to try and see if her comrade was on her way out. "Oh, I am so sorry for any confusion you might be suffering right now. It seems that no one told you what my good friend Samira looks like!" Unburying the 'bag lady' with the help of her magic, using frostfire to lift everything up off of her without issue, the female would then point to the poor woman before speaking up again. "That's her right there! Now, would you be a good sport and apologize to her, please? Would be a shame if I had to complain about a silly mistake!" The cheerfulness in her voice was laced with a venom that only Samira and the staff member would catch, to anyone else it all seemed in jest. She was not mad, not at all as it was quite amusing, but this man needed to be taught a lesson about how assumptions made you into an ass!

]

The poor summoner had been downgraded in status once again just by standing next to a Wizard Saint. It was starting to get a bit ridiculous. With each one it got worse. What would be next? Being handed a broom and mop as she got confused for the cleaning lady or maid? Some people really lost their senses when around powerful mage celebrities. They could have at least confused her as the awesome hair stylist or outfit designer for the Saint or something! But nope. Bag girl. Samira sat there, already dropping things from her hold and pushing them away so she could get back to standing. Aiyana had helped quite a bit by using her magic to unbury her from all the free products completely. Thank goodness! Death by drowning in a pile of resort products was not what she wanted on her tombstone or obituary!

The man's eyes widened to the point of nearly popping out of their sockets. "Wha- what?! She is the other guest?!" What an awkward situation indeed! The resort employee was truly flabbergasted by his mistake. The bag girl was the other Ace?! Oh dear. He certainly did get a bit carried away. He had barely even looked at her when the two of them approached. It was just the assumption that Wizard Saints had servants and bag girls and boys. Maybe the tailed vixen was just kind enough to let the true bag girl have a vacation of her own. Yes! That had to be it! But still remained the fact he had confused the one known as Samira Nassar for such a role. The subtle venom in the words of the Saint was not missed, and for a moment he turned into a sheepish fool that was afraid for his job and maybe even his life! He trembled slightly before forcing that anxiety and fear away so he could apologize and move on before the fatal complaint was made against him.

"Oh, good heavens!" He shouted in an embarrassed apologetic tone as he knelt down, grabbed Samira's hands, and jerked her right up so she was back on her feet. All the while the poor woman cried out in surprise alarm and then was forced to stare and blink strangely as more resort employees appeared in a puffs of smoke and started to dust her off, fix her hair, and even the jewelry she wore. "There really is no need to shine my-" She had reached to take hold of the large necklace she wore and pull it away from the hold of the jewelry shiner lady, but her hand was tapped lightly and her words interrupted as the lady put a finger to Samira's lips. "Shush, shush, shush!" With a light jerk of the accessory the employee went back to shining. "Oh, uh... okay." Well this was weird. Her green eyes looked over towards Aiyana with much confusion and helplessness, but the vixen would also have a mini swarm of employees of her own! They brushed through her tails and hair, and even seemed to be examining her while making small comments to themselves and each other while also nodding and shaking their heads. Most likely trying to come up with spa treatments and the best way to pamper one with so many tails. It was a bit hard to tell since their communication was almost as if it was another language. The spa code language? Was it necessary for spas to have code? Samira didn't know. She wasn't even sure if this was normal.

The one that had confused her as the bag lady grabbed her hands again as the jewelry shiner moved out of the way and then began to speak in an overly dramatic way. "You have my sincerest apologies for my mistake, Ms. Nassar! Please, PLEASE forgive me!"

If Samira was not comfortable before she was certainly most uncomfortable now. Did these people not know of personal space at all? The way he was speaking seemed as if he killed her puppy as well. Too much, and caused much eyebrow twitching and sweatdropping. "I forgive you..." There was not much else to be said. It was probably the only thing to get him to take a few steps back and go away.

"OH!" The man stepped back and put the back of his hand to his forehead dramatically and continued his way of speaking. "The both of you are so kind, so forgiving! So willing to overlook my mistake and not report me to head management! I am forever in your debt! TRULY!" The man continued his dramatic speech and for several seconds Samira watched, completely dumbfounded. She broke away from the gathering of resort body dusters that had surrounded her and stepped closer to Aiyana and leaned in to whisper. "The ship is still here. It is not too late to turn around and leave this place." She was starting to get worried by the very questionable staff that were present thus far. If this was the welcoming committee then the rest must have been even more odd.

More puffs of smoke appeared from out of no where as even more employees showed up, but this time to grab all of the products that had been lifted up previously. They also took Samira's bag and also Aiyana's bag if she had it with her. "Which room were we taking these to, sir?" One of them inquired as the employee army began to disperse towards the building with all the room suites. "Let me see their reservation!" A clipboard with papers on it was then handed to the man that had mistaken Samira as the bag girl. He looked it over and shook his head. No! He had to make amends for his error! Normal rooms would not do! As he scanned the pages he noticed the room number they were given for the cruise ship and chuckled to himself, realizing that dirty number combo. Suite 69 was available but they had, had already used that number. A new dirty number sequence must be used! "Take their belongings to Suite 21!" Many gave their acknowledged head nods, aye ayes, and go team gos, but there were a few snickers among the crowd of employees and even of other guests that happened to be walking nearby. Perhaps not as amusing as getting 69, but there were plenty of dirty number sequences that perverts across the land knew about.

"I do not see what is so funny about taking our things away." Samira tilted her head to the side and watched them go. Then the sound of the ship's horn blared behind them, making her jump a bit from the loud nearby sound. She turned her head and sighed hopelessly as the ship began leaving. Technically the both of them could still catch it by using magic, but she wasn't that desperate to leave just yet. Just... concerned. Samira turned back and folded her arms across her chest. "Well I guess that settles it. We are here for a while even with the strange staff that has me questioning a few things about this place." It then dawned on her that every employee that had shown up was now gone, including the man that labeled her as a bag girl. What ones did not take off with their stuff poofed from existence in puffs of smoke. The only thing left was a small bag with keycards to their suite and an informative manual pamphlet that had listings of everything they could do at the spa resort and had a miniature map. "... I think they forgot that they were supposed to give us a tour of the place." Another second of thought. "Actually this is probably a good thing." There was no telling how long or strange a tour would be with that selection of employees. Allowing the two of them to do what they wanted without escort was waaayyyy better. It was time for the girly pampering to begin! The only thing that remained was what kind of pampering to do first!

(Word Count: 1354
Total So Far: 10,345)

Well, Aiyana had sure taught this guy a lesson. He definitely seemed to feel bad for his actions, but then the guy just seemed to try and make up for it with other extreme actions. The man would somehow summon more workers of the place they had arrived at and suddenly swarmed by them trying to clean them up and prep them for fun for the rest of their time there. Before Aiyana could say anything, and the same for Samira, the group of workers went to work. Aiyana would find her hair being brushed, both head and tails, as well as all of her clothing and any jewelry she had on being cleaned where it sat on her. It made her giggle a bit, some from the ticklish responses and some from the overreaction to the way that they tried to make this up to them.

The other ace of Lamia Scale would manage to get away from the group even as the ones on Aiyana finished their job. The words she would have whispered to her were amusing, as it made it clear that the other female was uncomfortable with the current situation. In return, Aiyana would lean in to whisper back to her current guildmate. "But if we leave now we'll never hear the end of it. Us giving up the best vacation spot given to us for free? Let's just bide our time here and I'm sure you'll start to have fun." The gang of spa workers would talk amongst themselves, the code language they used translating to become something like that off babble on how to take care of them all for each type of thing they could do there. Massages, baths, anything they asked a staff member to do for them had a plan. The nine-tailed fox would avoid explaining it to Samira, it would just creep her out more than anything else, and would listen to the group talk about where their stuff was going. Room 21? Did they realize what that could allude to? Maybe that was what they were chuckling about, and not what Samira was thinking it was about. "I guess that does settle that, and don't worry about their laughter. I'm sure they are lost in their own little world with how they've acted so far."

A few moments later, Samira would say was Aiyana was thinking about at the same time. "Good! It'll be more fun to just go where we want on the spur of the moment! A little adventure for us two women! Did you have any place you wanted to try first in that pamphlet?" Aiyana wanted to hit the baths, or maybe get a massage, but she would let Samira choose what they did for at least the first day. Day two could be full of bath time and nude massages while in the same room together! For now, it was time to get Samira Nassar relaxed on her own choices at this spa.

"Hmmm, what should we try first?" Samira had taken the pamphlet for herself and started flipping through it. She had already settled on the fact she was stuck there and would have to get over being around such strange people. Aiyana was right, after all. If they turned back around after all the expenses had been paid they'd never be allowed to forget it. Although, to Samira it was hard to tell what was worse. Being around the staff or getting hit by a carrot weapon wielding bunny angered by the two Aces ditching their vacation time. Probably the bunny. The laughter was also forgotten about for the moment thanks to Aiyana's assurance that it meant nothing. Partially. It was what planet the staff came from that Samira was worried about. Saying that out loud would be a bit more rude than she wanted to be, however, and so inside the thought remained. It couldn't possibly get any worse than being mistaken for the bag girl and being tossed random freebies to hold for the Saint. Unless of course they did a horrible job at pampering, but given how over the top they already were and the resort being a very prestigious attraction she was certain she wouldn't be having nightmares about it after the trip was over. That just left one last issue that was currently on her mind. What did people usually do first when visiting a spa?

"Is there usually an order to these things?" Samira inquired as she continued flipping through the pamphlet. To her it was a valid question even if it seemed a bit dumb to others. It would be a bit silly to want to do one thing and then afterwards suggest something that should have been done beforehand. Once again she was overthinking the situation instead of just picking randomly to have fun. Turning off her brain completely was something that she apparently needed to learn. Flipping through the pages she could see that the spa had pretty much everything a normal person could want. Aromatherapy, different types of common baths, saunas, wraps, facials, manicures, pedicures, hair and make up styling, massages, and many more things that sounded relaxing and interesting. Then the pages started getting odd since they started to suggest things that sounded either just plain weird or painful. Waxing? Ouch. Were those needles being inserted into the person in the picture? With the person next to her being on fire?! Why?! Snake massage? What?! Well... actually she could just do that one at home with her snake summons if she really wanted that, but she didn't. The snail facial was a big no, as was the fish pedicure. Cryotherapy also sounded much too cold. That was a pass. Then came the page listing the Beer Bath. That was worthy of an arched eyebrow and a head tilt. "I was not aware taking a bath in alcoholic beverages existed. Not as a spa therapy session that people pay for anyway." There were probably many that did it at home when they were already drunk or were having a wild party. Chocolate massages, hay baths, facials that used gold. Good grief people really paid for these strange things?

At the back of the pamphlet were some tips that had what she was looking for. A suggested order! Saunas were generally first along with warm bath treatments and whirlpools to soften the muscles for a better and deeper massage experience. Everything else was about possibly upsetting the skin or complexion. Although it wasn't as if they were going to do everything in one day. Technically they could do several things every day if they wanted to. Samira closed the pamphlet. What she wanted to do was some mani pedi treatment and try out some of the facial options, but according to the suggested order that was last unless they were only going to do that for the day. Still holding onto the pamphlet in one hand, the Ace pulled out her iLac from one of her pockets with the other and looked at the time. "I think we still have time in the day to do a few things. Lets try out a bath treatment, a massage, and then hit the manicures. If we run out of time for the manicures we will just start over tomorrow but selecting a different type of bath and massage. That way we get to experience a bit of variety." It made sense to Samira. Try to experience all the types of baths and massages before the vacation was over. There were several types of facials, but she doubted they'd be getting manicures every day. That only needed to be done once for the entire trip. Maybe twice. There was really no rush on it for day one. Her gaze left the lacrima device and focused on Aiyana. "Sound good?"

(Word Count: 814
Total So Far: 11,159)

The pamphlet foretold many things that they could do while they were here on their stay. With it now in Samira's hands they would likely be sent to do the first thing she found that she thought she might enjoy. The other ace of Lamia Scale would think out loud about it, something along the lines of what they should be trying first now that they were most assuredly stuck here. After a while the female that had been mistaken as the wizard saint's bag lady would ask if there were any order to the things that the spa happenings were supposed to go in. That was a question Aiyana could answer, though she felt that it would be more fun if this girl decided for them instead! "Let's have a day or two of you deciding and then we can do a normal day before we do my picks of the list. Of course, if you're uncomfortable with any of the things on the list please mention it. We're all paid for so it could be humorous to be covered in gold and what not!" The nine tails would move about in amusement and happiness as she giggled at the thought of the two being gilded as a part of a massage before being washed off and being told that their pores had been cleansed with a costly naturally occurring metal.

It was fun to simply wait quietly as Miss Nassar scoured the pamphlet to read over the stuff on it, which included alcohol baths and even a far dirtier bit on the back if she thought to read into the definitions of the words that were on there. Aiyana would not force her guildmate into those, those were for when she was on her own and no one would catch her. Or maybe she could do those while high, yes, that would be a lot of fun as well! After a while, the female would eventually come up with a game plan for them that involved the next day or two. It was a good one that left it open for them to try multiple things each time! "Sounds perfect to me! Which bath would you like to try out? We can start with that and then go from there for today!" The nine-tailed fox had promised to let her get the first picks, so not even a suggestion would be made from her until it was her turn to pick something for them!

The plan she had come up with had been approved! This pleased Samira more than it probably should have when compared to normal people. Thus far, her nature had not made her seem incredibly boring or indecisive. Aiyana was still as cheerful and upbeat as she was before they got onto the ship back in Hargeon Town. No disappointment or offense had been made on her side. "Okay! In the pamphlet there was one bath mentioned that was less... unique than some of the others." "Unique" being the nicest thing she could say about those ridiculous weird ones that made her cringe. She could only hope Aiyana wouldn't pull her into those later on during the trip, but given Aiyana was willing to do what she wanted it was only fair Samira try them out if they were suggested. That was a future Samira problem though. Current Samira tossed that away completely in favor of getting excited at the somewhat normal sounding bath. "It is supposed to be really relaxing, but then I do suppose they all say that..." Samira trailed off with a frown at that thought. Curses. The bath could be an actual disappointment and be over-glorified in that pamphlet. She shook her head and snapped out of the zoned out state. "Anyway, the water is supposed to have minerals and oils in it but also focuses on aromatherapy so it should smell nice. I think they even put flowers in the water too actually so if nothing else it will be a pretty bath?"

Once Aiyana showed that she was on-board with the pick Samira would smile happily, glad that she had chosen something that wasn't lame. Naturally her reaction would be the reverse if the feedback was negative but they were going to do it anyway! "Now we just need to get there." The pamphlet had a map and she had been looking at it to find the correct building for their chosen bath treatment when one of the resort employees poofed into existence spontaneously behind the pair of women. "HI HI!" He said as he peered over Samira's shoulder and then placed a hand on her shoulder as well as Aiyana's. The sudden touch and shout caused the green-haired girl to jump in place and let out a short scream. The employee ignored that and continued smiling. "I see you are using the map you had been given earlier. Hahaha! That is just for reference and planning. To get to your destination toss that away and make use of our teleportation machine right over there! It is open to all guests of the resort to make traveling around as convenient as possible!" He pointed over to it and poofed right back out of existence in a puff of white smoke. At least he had given good advice along with the mini-heart attack. Advice that Samira intended to make good use of to cut down on their wasted time.

The super special magic teleportation technology was set up as some sort of pad that guests stood on and then all they had to do was press a button on the map on the wall that represented the part of the resort they wanted to go to. The machine would then take them there in a near instant. Easy enough to use. Even for Samira who was usually technologically challenged and could barely function her iLac without practice. "Watch your tails." Samira advised as she stepped onto the pad and waited for nine-tailed vixen to do the same. "I am not sure what happens if they are outside this small space, and I do not really want to find out." A tail-less Aiyana however temporary it was? Blasphemy. And probably rage inducing for her.

Once Aiyana was all set Samira would look up at the large map on the wall of the teleportation device and look for the part of the resort they were supposed to be at. She found it, pressed the button, and with many magic sparkles and a quick whoosh they were right outside the building they needed. They were now that much closer to their spa treatments!

(Word Count: 694
Total So Far: 11,853)

The approval of Samira's plan seemed to bring her up a step in her happiness level, something that was wonderful when they were supposed to be enjoying their stay here! After the approval of her plan, the fellow Lamia Scale guild ace would go on to describe the bath that she was wanting to go on as their first one for their vacation. It wasn't one of the 'special' ones that resulted in happy endings or anything, but it was one that sounded like it would be quite pleasant for them to take. "Yeah, it does sound like it would be relaxing and pretty. We can do that first!" Not giving her stamp of approval on the in-depth details of the bath Samira wanted to take with her the two would begin to try and find their way to the place.

Aiyana had felt the person coming up on them moments before he put a shoulder upon the two of them, Samira clearly not noticing based on the shrill noise she made as she screamed and jumped in surprise. The man that worked here at this resort would tell them that there was actually a teleporter that could take them places, rather than having to walk everywhere on this large resort, and thus the two of them would make their way to it and begin to climb on. The comment about watching her tails made her shiver a bit at the pain she would feel if such a thing were to happen. Tails cut off cause they were not all the way in? No thank you! The large batch of tails would be wrapped tightly around her body as they stepped all the way in. "Yeah, better safe than on the floor in pain and misery."

Once they were all set the button would be placed and they would be moved to the front of the building they were supposed to be at for the nice bath that had been chosen for the two of them. A quick unwrap of her tails from her body would be done, some accidentally brushing against the back of Samira's leg and rear, so that she could account for all of them before making a sigh of relief. "Sweet, all of my tails are here! Now, let's get this bath started, eh?" The female would walk in, hoping Ms. Nassar would come along with her, so that the female workers there could greet them and make their way towards the bath they were to be in for it. Aiyana had no clue what the entirety of the bath would entail, but once they got to any kind of dressing room Samira would soon find herself looking at a nude nine-tailed fox in all of it's glory.

Now that the two were starting the real part of their spa vacation it would seem it was already going to be quite the awkward and humorous start right as they reached the dressing room. Near suddenly Aiyana was already nude as if she had not been wearing any clothes at all! Samira would have likely questioned where the pieces of clothing were considering they were not lying on the floor or placed elsewhere, but there was a sort of earthquake going on. Or, that's what the summoner had concluded with the sudden shaking and shouts of other people that could be heard through the walls.

Seeing as she was the one still clothed, Samira advised that Aiyana should stay there while she went and saw what was going on. Whether or not the nine tailed woman listened to that advisement  Samira wasn't sure about. Things had happened too quickly after for her to go back and check in with her fellow Ace and relay information. A nearby volcano had erupted, the source being powerful elementals that were now coming down to wreck havoc on the nearby resort. They had to be stopped, but unfortunately Samira didn't have a whole lot of offensive spells that could counter that type of enemy properly. She had to rely on her ice spirit, Skadi, to do what she could. For the rest, some toy merchant was selling magic water guns. Samira took one, with the promise to pay him back for it later on once the enemies were cleared. The water guns surprisingly were very effective... she guessed that extra magic added in made them a thousand times more powerful. That couldn't have been safe for children... perhaps she would make a complaint later on. Her spirits had to remind her to remain focus on the actual task of destroying the elemental invasion.

At the end of it all was a super elemental near the volcano itself. Samira traveled there to take on that boss, which happened to be a very powerful elemental that was in charge of the smaller ones and may as well had been considered the leader. The battle was tough and Samira was alone in it. Her fellow Ace was likely helping the other resort guests and clearing things out there. No matter, she wasn't exactly an amateur, especially dealing with a type of monster... if that's what the current type of enemy could even be called. With an extremely glossed over battle the giant elemental was defeated! With magic overpowered water guns! And a spirit or two. The volcano ceased its activity and peace was restored to the island. Everyone went back to their vacation, Samira included.

The rest of the vacation was uneventful. Well, as far as some disaster occurring was concerned. No more of that happened thankfully. All good things had to come to an end eventually, however, and with the trip events also mostly glossed over the ship to take her back to Hargeon Town returned. Once onboard Samira visited and took part in some of the other events that the cruise ship had, as well as allowing her spirits to appear and wreck their own type of havoc while having their own version of fun. So long as they didn't destroy the ship all was fine. Well that and for certain ones to not attack the other passengers or eat them. The paperwork on that would be quite annoying to fill out, and naturally she would have to show her own disapproval for it. It was far too soon to lose her relaxed mind.

The ship dropped her off and as she exited the thought of getting back to work was on her mind. But first, she most certainly had to catch up on what had been missed while she was away. That and find a good enough explanation for why a good chunk of the guild funds were now missing. She might had run out of her own jewels during the journey back to town and so went with her miraculous plan of using the guild funds. There was sure to be a carrot whack to the head for that. Then again not if she was gone first. She just had to go away for bit... on business. Some mysterious mission of mysteriousness. That mission being to collect the jewels to replace what she used before a certain guild master found out.

Bad ending post is bad.

(Word Count: 739
Total: 12,592)