Karin Rodd

The worst was seeing her tired the next day in Council meetings or while sparring or teaching. Tired and without her spark. 

He found Fuu in the palace kitchen, and he hovered in the doorway, watching her. She was shrugged in her green silk robes, chin tucked down as she hovered over the stove, a small pot steaming up her glasses. She looked exhausted.

“Hey, love,” he called softly. She turned and smiled when she saw him. “Couldn’t sleep?”

She shook her head. “I’m making soup.”

“Ooh.” This woke Ferio up. “What kind?”

“Actually,” she said, stirring it idly. “I just put a few things together from my pantry. With things from home, mixed with things from Cephiro. The Earth seaweed is good with the Cephiran mushrooms.”

It did smell good, and eventually she was satisfied with it, ladling it into two stone bowls. They sat on the counter and ate in silence for a while.

“It’s good,” Ferio finally said, and Fuu scooted a little closer to him. “Can you make this again for me some time?”

“Perhaps.” Fuu chased a mushroom at the bottom of the bowl with her spoon. “This is my homesick-at-midnight snack. I make it sometimes when I can’t sleep for certain reasons.”

Ferio set his own bowl down into the sink. “Well,” he said, resting his chin on her golden hair, tousled from her pillow. “Thanks for sharing it with me tonight. Do you feel any better?”

Ferio and Ascot were sitting with their feet dunked in the warm pool when Umi and Fuu finally showed up, and the two’s conversation stopped abruptly. Fuu wore a green and white pinstripe suit with green ruffles around the edges and the sides scooped out teasingly, and Ferio took close notice. So close that he almost didn’t notice Umi’s plunging navy suit and high-cut hips that accented her cute little dancer’s butt…

Ascot noticed, too, his face burning red until he complained about how hot it was getting out here, excusing himself to sit near Lantis in the shade.

Thinking of Umi that way might not have been new to Ascot, but it still was to Ferio. Despite hooking up with Umi and Fuu several times now, Umi still flustered him (not that he would admit it), and he was fairly certain she did it on purpose. She leaned her weight on one hip, tying her long, silky hair up in a loose bun. She and Fuu were laughing, their cheeks pink, and Ferio felt a bit faint.

“Sorry we’re late,” she said, slipping into the pool near Presea. “Fuu didn’t want to wear the suit I picked out for her.”

“Umi-san!” Fuu hissed, blushing as her gaze darted to Ferio, who flashed her a thumbs-up. She hid her face in her hand, shaking her head.

“It looks lovely, dear,” Ferio said as she sat next to him. “I’m a fan.”

She laughed, charming as ever, and bumped her shoulder softly to his. Her skin was warm and soft, and he wanted to feel more of it. “Well, I’m glad.”

“Umi-chan,” Hikaru was saying. “Show Eagle the thing!”

“What thing, Hikaru?”

Hikaru made wavy motions with her arms. “Your new thing.”

“Okay, okay.” Umi hoisted herself out of the pool, swinging her hips up onto the wet tile. Ferio kind of wanted to be that tile.

Umi got to her feet, taking a slightly wider stance and straightening her back, arms extended. She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. As she exhaled, she swung her arms, fingers spread, and a wave came up out of the pool, crashing over her.

She spluttered as Eagle clapped politely. “It’s not supposed to do that,” she insisted. “I dropped it, sort of. It’s a new move, like you said.”

Rivulets of water dribbled down her sides and over her hips, snaking down her long, pale legs. Twisting strands of hair clung to the sides of her face and neck as she shook her arms and hands dry. Her eyes caught Ferio’s staring at her, and her face turned red, but she didn’t break the gaze. He couldn’t either, until Fuu elbowed him in the ribs, breaking the spell.

Flushed scarlet, Ferio peered back at Fuu. She was barely containing a laugh behind her hand, pretending to be yawning. Umi was talking to Hikaru and Caldina now about integrating water magic into dance, and Ferio finally said, “Sorry.”

“It was cute,” Fuu quipped, her fingers resting over his. “I confess I was ogling, too.”

“Fuu!” Ferio gasped, clutching his chest. “How could you?”

She kissed him lightly. “You could say that I am also a fan of the swimsuits that Umi-san selected for today.”

“What about Umi? Is she a fan?”

That mischievous little glint that he loved so much came into her eyes. “She is. In fact, she made some remark about, ah… peeling this off me.” Ferio swallowed hard. “Her words.”

“Uh…” Ferio looked back at their friends playing in the pool and sunning themselves. “How long do we need to stay out here before we can make a polite, un-suspicious exit?”

Fuu laughed softly. “Quite a while. Relax. Let’s spend time with everyone.”