Courier Quest 2: International, page 24
Next, he pulled out a jar of waterproof sunscreen he had purchased from Dory. He was already wearing some on his arms and face since they had been traveling all day. Being a Summoned didn’t protect from the sun as well as he had hoped, but now he had to put it everywhere else.
His body darkened as he activated Quick Change, and the comfortable clothes he wore disappeared only to be replaced by a pair of red swim trunks. Trevor opened the jar of sunscreen and began applying it on his chest.
“Hey,” Adabelle said softly from behind him. He started turning around when she spoke again, voice high. “W-wait!”
“Waiting,” he responded, pausing his movements.
“Don’t… just don’t stare, okay?” she requested.
He smiled at her shyness. It wasn’t often he saw this side of her, and it was adorable every time. “I can only promise to try.”
Adabelle said nothing else, opting to approach and hug him from behind. Trevor stood a little straighter at the skin contact as she wrapped her arms around his waist. One of her hands mistakenly rested on a big dab of sunscreen, and she looked at it before putting her forehead against his shoulder and started applying the lotion to his chest.
Trevor suddenly found himself becoming very aware of himself. Back on Earth, he had been fit enough through work but never to the point of being muscular. Here, he knew that Strength didn’t alter a Summoned’s muscles after their new form was created by the Quest Master, but he could still work out and it would show. He had taken much better care of himself here in this world, and he was proud of his appearance.
That didn’t stop him from turning red when Adabelle hummed as she ran her hand across his muscles. She paused as her breathing hitched, stopping as she realized the noise she had just made. Trevor didn’t dare move, simply enjoying himself. When she pulled away, he started to turn. However, her tail dipped into the jar of sunscreen and scooped some out, distracting him.
“I’ll take care of your back if you take care of mine,” she offered, and he heard her spread the lotion on her hands.
“That sounds great. Thanks, lady,” he said, no longer making an effort to turn around.
Trevor smiled as her hands roved across his back, and he took care of his chest and shoulders. He tried not to get distracted by her touch, but found it hard to focus. Adabelle had given him massages before, as he had her, and she was very thorough. Once he was finished putting the sunscreen on his chest, he squatted and started on his legs.
Adabelle took the jar of sunscreen from him as he finished up, letting her tail hold it. Trevor slowly turned, wondering if she was going to stop him this time. She did not.
One arm was draped over her stomach, holding onto the other, and she was looking away from him. She wore a white and blue bikini top that looked nice on her tawny skin. The bottoms matched, but she also had on a translucent white sarong that hung from her hips. It was the most skin she had shown in his presence—she usually wore pajamas that covered most of her body when they slept—and he was glad he only promised to try not to stare.
“You’re gorgeous,” was his immediate and honest response. “That looks great on you.”
“Lailah picked it out last time I went to Eskretet,” she explained, still not looking at him though her eyes glowed at his praise. “I told her that it would show off a scandalous amount of skin and I thought that was the end of it. When I returned to my room for the night, I saw that she had snuck it into my bag with a receipt. She had written on the back that I could always return it myself if I found it so offensive.”
“It doesn’t look like you returned it,” Trevor replied carefully. Mentally, he was singing Lailah’s praises.
Adabelle’s face flushed. “No. I did not. When I confronted her about it, do you know what she said?”
“I can only imagine.”
Finally, her eyes flicked to him. His gaze had taken her in, but now he was watching her face. She stood up a little straighter, adopting a haughty look as she emulated her Scottish sword sister. “She said, ‘trust me. Trevor will love it if you showed off a bit of chest. It’ll drive him crazy,’” she repeated, doing her best impression of the elf.
Trevor couldn’t help but laugh. That was the same exact advice Lailah had given him when it came to Adabelle. She had been right, too, as his bare chest was the first thing she focused on when he had shown off the outfit he would wear to the festival.
That had been a great moment for him, and the look on her face had been seared into his memory. The whole night had, really.
“I can tell you, without a shred of doubt, that she was right,” Trevor said wholeheartedly.
“It’s a little embarrassing. I mean, my body isn’t—”
She was cut off as Trevor put his hands on her hips and pressed his lips against hers. Not one of the loving kisses he normally plied her with, but something far more primal.
Adabelle didn’t fight it as her tail swished without care for the jar of sunscreen and her arms wrapped around his neck. Her lips parted for his tongue as she accepted him. He was surprised by her reaction, but insanely pleased. Usually, the noblewoman kept her desires bottled up. Perhaps she had missed him more than he realized.
Adabelle pushed her body against his. It was a stark reminder of the difference in their stats when the movement knocked them both over. He landed on the sand, his girlfriend draped over him.
Trevor’s hands roamed across her back. Their kiss continued as Adabelle shifted to straddle him. Her weight on his body was electrifying, and his fingernails scratched down her spine. She moaned into his lips, her fingers digging into his shoulders.
He hesitated as he caught the string of her bikini top. That was dangerous. His hands returned to her hips, resting on the fabric. That was dangerous, too. Finally, he reached up and ran his fingers through her thick, white hair.
Out of breath, which happened much faster than he thought her undoubtedly high Stamina would allow, Adabelle pulled away. Her glowing eyes scanned the ocean as if she was worried about being caught, but Rashie was nowhere to be seen.
Releasing a sigh of relief, she put her hands on his chest and sat up. Her tail moved back and forth swiftly, having placed the jar of sunscreen in the sand, and she froze as it brushed against him. He rested his hands on her hips as he waited for her to speak.
“Well,” she started slowly. “I suppose Lailah was right that this outfit would drive you crazy. You’re not usually so… voracious.”
Trevor’s face was red, but he wore a completely shameless smile. he loved this innocent side of his nigh invincible noble warrior. Adabelle wasn’t used to expressing her passion like this, and he could tell that she was starting to get a little uncomfortable that the shark may return at any time. Not that he thought there was a chance of it, not with all that water out there, but he reined in his desire.
A Herculean task if there ever was one.
Trevor reached up and cupped her cheek gently. “What can I say? You bring out the best in me,” he said slyly. “Plus, you didn’t seem to mind.”
“Simply scandalous,” she mumbled, though not unhappily, as she looked away.
“You’re beautiful, Adabelle,” he told her without thinking about it. Shifting so that he was also sitting up, she fell into his lap and he smiled. “How about I go ahead and take care of your back now. Once we’re done, I’ll test the bracelet, and then we can swim. Sound good?”
For a moment she leaned forward, pressing against him as though she were about to continue their kiss, but then she nodded. “Okay. But, maybe we could stay like this a few minutes longer.”
Trevor was about to say something about how it might be difficult with her sitting on his lap like this, but he quickly closed his mouth. If she was requesting it, then he wasn’t about to argue. He knew better than to sabotage himself like that.
Instead, the courier took the jar of sunscreen from her tail. It had spilled a bit, but not much. Sitting up straighter, he rubbed it on his hands behind her back.
Adabelle relaxed against him, resting her chin on her boyfriend’s shoulder as he started rubbing the lotion onto her skin, starting at the waist and working his way upward.
“Yeah, just like that,” she whispered in his ear. He heard in her voice how she tried not to moan, and he was glad that she couldn’t see his smile. It didn’t seem like she was going to be coming down from their make-out session as easily as she probably hoped.
“Anything you want, lady,” he assured her before kissing her shoulder gently, working all the while.
Chapter Twenty-Nine: A Dangerous Man
The sound of the waves lapping on the beach was a harmonious one when paired with their crackling fire. It wasn’t a cold evening by any means, but it was nice with the ocean breeze coming in. A pack of honey crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate were left forgotten nearby, as they had already eaten their fill. Trevor and Adabelle had laid the three beach towels side by side, and he was now being used as a pillow by everyone.
Rashie was asleep with her head on his leg, clutching a stuffed bear in her arms. He remembered that this one was Grizzly Bearington, one of her favorites of the land animal plushies. Clay had spent most of the day digging through the cliff and bringing back sea shells. Now, the small stoat was curled up on his stomach, thoroughly spent. Finally, he had an arm around Adabelle, who was laying against him.
Now, Trevor combed his fingers through her hair, keeping his Power activated while he did. It didn’t work on anything attached to her body, but everything else was sucked into his extradimensional space. The water had long since evaporated, leaving salt behind. That was retrieved quite easily along with any errant strands that she would normally have brushed out.
“I hadn’t been looking forward to riding all the way back to Tosa covered in salt,” she said as she shifted, her tail swishing through the sand. “Thank you. It’s not perfect, but this will make the trip back to my shower much easier.”
“I’m glad I could be of assistance, lady,” he replied with a smile as they looked up at the stars together.
There were only a few clouds in the sky, and the moon hung high like a pendant. Trevor made one last sweep of Adabelle’s hair before resting his hand on her waist. Her tail wrapped around his wrist quickly, as if it had been waiting, and he gently rubbed the spade at the end before letting his fingers go still. He sighed happily.
“As much as I’m looking forward to this trip, a part of me wishes I could stay home a little longer,” he admitted. “Spend more time with you.”
“My sentiments are the same,” Adabelle said, shifting again so that she could look up at him. Her eyes might not have glowed as brightly as they had earlier, but there was a warmth in them. “At least we’ll have that ball in the Feywood together. You’ll come back in time for that.”
“I’m looking forward to dancing with you there. Not so much in front of a bunch of people, but I can get over it if it’s with you.”
“Didn’t you tell me all about dancing with the people of Vilderchtif and how great that was?” she teased, poking him in the chest with her finger. “That sounds like you’ve already danced in front of many people. If you had fun there, then you’ll have fun at the ball.”
“That was different,” Trevor said, shaking his head. “Vilderchtif wasn’t even big enough to be called a village. It was just a bunch of regular folks having a good time stomping around. I hear ball, and I think of some high society dance where I’m expected to talk to people way higher in station than myself. You know, the kind where I’d have nothing in common with them.”
“I’m from that life, and I’d say we get along superbly,” Adabelle pointed out.
He paused, then nodded. “I can’t argue with that because we really do, but in my head that’s the exception, not the rule. I’m just a little nervous, is all.”
Reaching up, she gently tapped her finger on his nose before bringing it back to his chest to lightly brush against his skin. “I suppose that is only fair as you haven’t been to one before,” she conceded. “But this isn’t going to be like the balls I was forced to attend growing up, put on solely to increase the prestige of Halvsar and House Katine. Most fey won’t allow such normal parties to exist.”
Trevor adjusted and looked down at his girlfriend with an arched eyebrow. “Such normal parties?” he repeated curiously.
“Yes, that is what I had just said,” she confirmed with a nod. “What I grew up with were stiff affairs meant to celebrate events and anniversaries, quell rumors, backstab others, or…”
He watched as her face twisted into something he didn’t recognize. “Or?” he asked hesitantly.
“To try and marry me off,” the noblewoman answered as she brushed her hair out of her face. “My older brother, too, but he would always find ways to wiggle out of it. He had resisted courting anyone before I went off on my adventure but, now that I’m in a society that doesn’t shun such things, it is quite obvious that he never had any interest in women at all.”
“Some people are just like that. Nothing wrong with it,” Trevor said.
Adabelle glanced up at him as if searching for something in his eyes before nodding. “No, there isn’t. Once upon a time I would have said there was, but not anymore. That would be my parent’s influence talking, not me.”
The courier resisted the urge to sit up. It wasn’t often that Adabelle spoke of her past. He knew about most of her adventure, though it was pieced together through different conversations. She had always spoken fondly of that time of her life when it was brought up. Aside from her unfortunate demise, that is.
She had been young, then. Adabelle packed up and left home at sixteen. That had shocked Trevor. She wouldn’t even have been out of high school in America and yet the weight of the world had been placed on her shoulders. Not at first, but it soon grew that way.
Circumstances led her to joining a party of three adventurers who were on a quest for revenge that spiraled into something much bigger than they were. Reddigar, the wizard and leader. Talmenae, the archer. Ospheline, the priest. Her friends and companions.
Adabelle had joined the group because Medivene, a demonic sorceress, tore through her home. She had jumped at the chance to go on an adventure. They had traveled throughout the continent chasing after the evil woman for over three years, all the while dodging the pursuers her father sent to retrieve her. It had sounded like a grand adventure.
Until she gave her life to protect them on the front lines in the final battle. She had been struck down by a powerful spell, but Jackson had assured her that everyone else survived. They owed their victory to her sacrifice. It was unfortunate, but she was brought here moments after, given a second lease on life.
Trevor liked to think it was due to her heroics, but that was the romantic in him. He knew the odds were astronomical; it was going to happen to someone and Adabelle had been chosen by some twist of fate.
Her life before the adventure was less clear to him. The noblewoman was proud of her upbringing, but also hesitant to divulge information. As if she didn’t want to relive those years in her mind or out loud.
It wasn’t strange for Summoned to distance themselves from their original life. Wayne wasn’t very forthcoming with a lot of information, and Rashie didn’t have a lot to say. Even Trevor himself didn’t do more than reference some events or reminisce about different media with the cowboy, which he could do because there were so many Earths out there. When Adabelle didn’t bring it up, he was content with living in the moment.
She had brought it up, so he decided to mention it. “You never really talk about anything that came before your adventure.”
“No, I suppose I don’t,” she agreed, moving to place her cheek on his chest. One of her horns was in his face, and he had to lay his head back down. “Probably because I was a girl in an era and culture that treated them like porcelain dolls. It was my place to grow up quietly and get married off for the prestige of the family.”
Trevor grimaced. “That doesn’t sound like you at all.”
“No, it does not,” she giggled, which immediately made him smile. “I’ve talked about it at length with Lailah and Griffin. I know you’re probably not from the same Earth, but I’m glad to hear that your society had moved past that. I’m sure mine would have, too, given enough time.”
“We had other problems to deal with, but yeah,” Trevor replied, watching a dark cloud float in front of the stars. “Women could do pretty much anything they set their mind to, though there were hurdles.”
“There always are,” Adabelle sighed. She reached down and idly stroked Clay. The familiar stretched on the courier’s stomach before flipping over onto their back. “I will tell you more of my life, but not yet. Right now, I want to spend this time with you, thinking about the future and not my past.”
“That’s fair, dear,” he said as he ran his hand along her side, gently brushing her. He, too, was thinking of the future. A little cabin in the woods, specifically. The light started to dim, and Trevor looked up at it. “Clay, could you add more wood to the fire?”
The earth elemental rolled away from Adabelle’s petting with a nod. Clay ran to the small pile of sticks and branches and picked out a big one. They dragged it to and through the fire. The stone they were made out of wasn’t so much as blemished when they came out of the other side, and they fanned the flames with small hands.
Once the new wood caught fire and it seemed like it would stay that way, the familiar returned to Trevor’s stomach. They were a little warm from the short time they had gone through the flames, but it was a comfortable heat. Clay flopped onto their back and wiggled as if to tell Adabelle that she could continue.
She complied with a light laugh. “Thank you, Clay.”
“They say you’re welcome,” Trevor said, feeling the satisfaction in their bond. While she stroked his familiar, he reached down to put his hand on Rashie’s head. Even though they were talking normally, the shark girl barely shifted except to hug both his leg and Grizzly Bearington. That made him smile. “Back to our conversation, the future we were talking about was the Winter Ball and how their parties aren’t nearly as ‘normal’ as the ones you were forced to go through growing up.”
