*
"Hey... Are you okay?" (Arin)
Thankfully she hasn't caught on, there was no other choice but to act like nothing was wrong.
"O-of course! It was just the heat, nothing more!" (Yggdrasil)
She simmered herself deeper into the water, hoping the fine mist would conceal the flush in her skin. Her eyes narrowed further and she went for a stretch with her arms raised high.
" Mgmmhh!! " (Yggdrasil)
She felt her heart rate relaxing a lot more as the soreness in her body faded. What she didn't realised was that the other two turned away right as she stretched, keeping their eyes somewhere else while hers were closed. Maybe this field trip was worth it after all. Perhaps it was the unfamiliar environment, but in the past two days everyone felt so... Uncertain.
The anxiousness of their lives oozed out and they had to confront them head on, seeking a resolution. The biggest matter was regarding that episode with Arin when she began bawling out of nowhere. In a way they were... Purified, having to address their insecurities one way or another. Even if they couldn't immediately solve their problems, it was reassuring to have each other's presence around, as a result they were also in a state to better tackle their individual issues if left unsolved.
Miniscule droplets fall into the pool, plucking crisp splashes of collision, dripping from underneath her arms. If pushed, Yggdrasil would say she had a diminished sense of shame. Her bossom was average, but the crux of the matter was that this was her master's body. She didn't have her own body, she was just a spiritual entity that evolved from Lastia's magic. Not that embarrassment was the only emotion she was detached from, everything, there was a certain depth akin to a thick glass between her and the feelings people normally hold.
The sloshing of water faded as ripples in the surface dissolved and displaced volumes are filled to equilibrium. A faint mist hovers near the pool's surface, obscuring most that were under the water's tension.
Her hair was long, so it easily retained an absurd volume of water that ceaselessly streamed back down into its origin. Various sources of light were reflected in that spiralling laminar flow, shifting various hues to reveal a pair of mischievous droopy eyes.
"Hyah!" (Yggdrasil)
She couldn't help but yelp as physical stimulation seeped into her skin. Her arms crossed and hid the sides of her torso, her legs drew closer as if bunching up.
"Heehee, got you~" (Arin)
Unlike the other two, Arin's hair was shorter and easier to tie up, exposing her fair porcelain nape. They almost seem to give off a halation like sheen, but their meticulous texture fed into their breathless scrutiny with elegant details. Her smile seemed to eclipse everything else, a farcry from the expression of uncertainty she concealed not long ago. Her doubts, worries, and wishes would never leave her. But that's just part of living.
Helping her forget those worries was the job of her close friends, so Yggdrasil returns an intricate grin. Allowing her friends to assuage her worries... It was a sensation that she could get drunk on, so she was afraid of giving in. It was only through their reminders, that Arin remembered her origin. No matter the circumstances, she was a young girl, a normal person. Shouldering a mystery isn't easy, it's a burden.
There were definitely times when she wanted to give in, to shout until her voice went hoarse. To release everything she knew, everything she kept within the depths of her heart, but she knew better than to divulge her own secrets. Even if she told them now, they wouldn't understand. It's too early, and it was difficult to tell if anything will ever come to pass within their life times.
2 heavenly kings appearing and being defeated was an anomaly. Usually they appear every few hundred years, slaughter the local magical girls, feel dissatisfied and disappear. They posed a threat to humanity just by being present, and each time they would have to be expelled by Eterna. Most of the time there would be casualties, it would be exceedingly rare to have nobody dead. Mostly because... Lastia finished off The Observer, and Yggdrasil found the Super Satellite's core to destroy.
If the next one appeared in a few hundred years, it would be the end of their lifetimes...
'Though not the end of my journey, After this life I would have to find her reincarnation again... But I'm at least resolved to always find her.' (Arin)
A tinge of melancholy caresses the edge of her eyelashes as she gazes at Sariel for a short bit, before wilfully turning away.
' Don't think about it. How many times has this happened? ' (Arin)
She turned her face down, concealing her expression. Glancing discretely once more, it seemed her companions were thankfully too busy enjoying the comfort to notice her inner turmoil.
' This time it's different... This time, she became a magical girl, and her magic looks... Similar to back then.
Maybe this time around, something will change. Things... Will get better. It can't be an eternity of just this... Things have to change...' (Arin)
' I will make things change. This is as far as I have gotten, I can't stop here no matter the cost. ' (Arin)
There was a qualitative change to her eyes, a gaze that was left unseen for thousands of years now. Her presence vaguely resembled one that was more ancient. Her eyes bore straight, subconsciously she had stopped hiding her expression as her neck shifted up to bare her face openly.
"What are you thinking off?" (Yggdrasil)
A large pair of eyes gazed into her from the side, questioning why she was dazed in her own sea of consciousness.
"Hwaah!! Nothing! I was just thinking of what we were going to do later during those temple visits. Honestly I'm not expecting much... Normal things easily lose their novelty when we keep encountering supernatural stuff... " (Arin)
She let out a yelp in surprise as one of her legs kicked out, while her body jolted violently in the water. She nearly fell onto her side in the water when Yggdrasil creeped onto her side. It wasn't safe for her heart...
"... Do we really need to think about it? It's a planned try by the school. Whatever happens, happens. You know?" (Yggdrasil)
Arin imagined the sound of nerves being pulled as Sariel knocked Yggdrasil's head with her knuckles.
" Of course we have to think! Who else do you think is preparing all the provisions and items you need for the trip? Me!
Don't think you can just keep using eventualism as an excuse!!" (Sariel)
"Oww...!" (Yggdrasil)