We stayed at Maisie's for a couple more hours, drinking wine and listening to music. I was up to translating every three out of five songs by the time we left.

When we got back to her aunt's cabin, Amelia took a special kind of joy in seeing that the woman had pissed herself while under the influence of my sleep spell. I was just embarrassed and cast cleanse over her and the sofa.

"If it weren't for the smell, I'd say you should have left her like that." Apricot says after un-pinching her nose.

"And, I take it you're the one responsible for this little tableau?" Amelia gestures at the scene the pixie set earlier. "Nnh, whatever." She waves it off. "I believe you said something about fucking me on her bed?"

"That I did." It looks like the wine she drank brought out her aggressive side.

I take the tipsy blonde in my arms and start peeling her clothes off, leaving a trail of our discarded clothing into the back room. Once in Carmen's room, I pick up her now nude niece and set her down on the large and surprisingly comfortable mattress.

I'm about to start reviewing my knowledge of Apricot's morning lesson when I spot a tear sliding down Amelia's cheek.

"Oh, Baby. It's alright." I crawl up next to her and pull her into a hug; Apricot quickly mirroring me on Amelia's other side before I will the blanket to cover us all. "She's just a sad old woman who isn't happy with what she already has. She can't hurt you anymore."

"Don't cry, Amelia." Apricot kisses away another tear.

"I don't even know why I am." Amelia sniffles. "Nnh, stupid wine. I'm sorry."

"Hey, none of that." I tap her on the nose. "You have nothing to apologize for."

"We can still... if you want to." She mumbles.

"I think you just need some sleep, Baby." I give Amelia a small smile and we just hold her until she drifts off.

...

"Morning." Amelia says shyly. "Thank you for last night."

"Don't worry about it." I give her a tight squeeze. "Do you want me to make breakfast?"

"Can we just get going?" She looks from me to Apricot

"That's fine by me." Apricot smiles at her. "I've got those stones to snack on, but maybe Sorrel could make those cinnamon sweet rolls when we stop for the day?" I was able to trade some recipes to Maisie for a few sticks, just enough to last us to Riverton where we can restock.

"Well, that what are you waiting for? Let’s get on the road." She throws the covers off and jumps out of bed, only to let out a squeak and quickly wrap herself in the blanket when she sees her Aunt standing in the door.

"Looks like I should have used more mana on that sleeping spell." I stand up unashamedly and take my last new outfit from storage. "Mind tossing me my belt?" I ask the dumbstruck woman after pulling on my pants.

"You? What? Amelia, what the hells is going on here?" She finally sputters out.

"Amelia..." I wrap my arms around the blanket burrito that she's pretending to be. "Brought me up here to heal your wrist. Which I did... after knocking you out for being so rude to her. I even fixed that problem with your balance, so you shouldn't be so clumsy now."

"Is that all that happened?" her fearful look makes me remember Apricot's little prank.

"If you're referring to your little toy, that was Apricot's doing. She thought it would be funny for you to wake up like that." I was going to make her clean up the scene before we left, but, oh well. "If you'll let us get dressed, we'll get out of your hair."

The woman doesn't say anything, just slinks away. I don't particularly care whether she did so out of wisdom, embarrassment, or just plain fear that I would knock her rude ass out again.

"You can quit hiding now, she's gone." Apricot teases Amelia after sticking her tongue out at Carmen's retreating form. "And, nicely done Sorrel. Might have been better if you left the pants off for the whole conversation, but asking her for the belt was a nice touch."

"Ack! I can't believe that just happened." Amelia squeaks out while getting dressed at lightning speed.

We gather up our clothes and are almost out the door when Carmen says in a quiet voice. "Amelia, I'm sorry."

"..." Amelia opens her mouth for a second before closing it again, and just nodding to her aunt. "Come on Babe, I want to say goodbye to Maisie before we leave." She wraps her arm around my waist and pulls me out the door,

I barely have enough time to grab my staff before she drags me through the small yard, and down the street. Only slowing once the cottage is out of sight around the corner. I don't say anything, because there's nothing to say in this kind of situation. I just take her hand and let her know I'm there for her, Apricot does the same on her other side.

"Morning Stormie. You going to be a good horse for us today?" She gives his chestnut coat a quick brush before saddling him while I feed the stallion his now, customary apple.

"I'm going to need to grow a tree of these soon." The bushel I bought is already half gone.

"I don't suppose you know any more recipes like that bake you made last night?" Apricot asks hopefully.

"I thought you wanted cinnamon rolls?" I laugh at the devourer of snack foods.

"Why can't I have both?" Her pout finally brings a smile back to Amelia's lips.

"I get the feeling that I'm going to get fat if I hang around you two for much longer." Amelia smiles and pinches her flat belly.

"No, don't leave us." Apricot cries melodramatically. "I'll show you how to convert the food into magic inside your belly."

"I suppose that explains how you can eat as much as me even when you're small." The blonde laughs and pulls her silly little lover into a hug. "Alright, you teach me that trick, and we can have two desserts with every meal. And, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

***

"Are you sure you don't want to ride?" Amelia asks me after we get outside the gates.

"No, I can keep up." I've been wanting to see how far I can push this new body of mine. "You girls can ride together. I want to collect mushrooms, and practice my bow."

"If you're sure." She sets Stormie to a slow walk, and I have to fight not to roll my eyes.

"How about a quick race? If I can reach that bend before you and Stormie, then you have to ride normally." I point to a spot a bit over a kilometer from here. "If I lose, I'll make a dozen different pies for you tonight."

"You will not throw this race, Amelia." Apricot commands. "I don't care what it takes, you get us there first."

"Hahahahah." I crack up laughing. "Alright, on go. Three. Two. One. Go." I start running at the same time she kicks the horse into gear. "Don't worry Stormie, I'll still make a pie just for you." I laugh again as I pass them.

"No!" Apricot shouts as I take the lead. "I'm slowing you down." She shrinks back to normal size and when I look back I see her trying to push Amelia from behind.

"Sweetie, you dropped your dress." I run back to pick it up, shoving it into storage before breaking into a full-on sprint. "I know I can make another, but there's no need to be wasteful." I chide the pixie as I pass them yet again.

"Arrrrgggghhhh!" Her wordless shout of frustration was so worth it.

"I'm sorry, Apricot." I say without sounding it, after winning the race. "Maybe Stormie will share some of his pie with you."

"Shut up... and give me my dress back." She snatches it out of my hands when I hold it out.

"Okay, you're fast." Amelia admits with a slight moue. "But, can you keep it up all day? Oh hush Temmie, you don't need to chime in every time someone uses a double entendre." She talks back to the goddess who *Dinged* out a laugh.

"I take it you want another bet?" I cock an eyebrow at the merchant.

"Yes. A dozen pies... for each of us." She ups the ante.

"Okay, but what do I get when I win?" The smugness just radiates off of me.

"Grrr." She actually growls at me. "... I'll try that intermediate lesson." The blush that creeps up her cheeks turns her from fierce to adorable in an instant.

"Hmm? I suppose that's a good start." I tease and pick up Apricot so I can put her back on the horse, and not just so I can grab her butt. "Maybe Apricot here can help you think of something on the way."

"If she doesn't win me my pies." The pixie states with fire in her eyes. "We'll stay at the clearing all day tomorrow, and I'll train her up until she's at least half as good at it as I am." She pauses for a moment. "But, you can't just run there. You said you were going to practice your archery, and collect mushrooms. You need at least a hundred kilos from a dozen different species, and I want to see you hit a bull’s-eye from... fifty meters."

"Five tries on the bull’s-eye." I counter.

"Fine." She nods.

"Do, I get any say in this?"

"Nope." Apricot tells her flat out. "And, you'd better hope that his healing spell works on sore muscles because your jaw is going to hurt."

"Hahahah." I crack up at look that flashes over Amelia's face. "Tell you what, if you can get her up to three quarters as good, then I'll make the pies for you anyways."

"Nng. I'll do my best, but this horse better be able to run." Apricot doesn't sound too hopeful for Amelia's prospects.

"Don't you go running my buddy into the ground just for some baked goods." I give him a scratch on the neck.

"Don't worry, I know how to take care of a horse." Amelia sounds more than a little affronted. "We'll see you at the clearing."

"Uh-huh." I toss her the speaker and start-up my [Roadtrip!] playlist, starting with Cake's "The Distance." Dashing into the woods a moment later, I head for a patch of lobster mushroom that I spotted earlier. I plan to get the mushrooms first as that will be easiest, but also the most time consuming since I'll have to search around.

"Sweetie, shrink down again." Amelia orders Apricot around. "Storm can handle the speeds we'll need, but not with both of us."

"Are you sure you don't want to lose?" The pixie lets out a throaty laugh before doing as the blonde commanded, she even makes sure to store her dress this time. "The experience will be very educational." Amelia doesn't respond, just brings Storm slowly up to a steady run. "You'd better hurry up Sorrel, she's serious about this."

...

"Yes! The Motherlode." I just spotted a giant fallen log absolutely filled with "Jack O' Lantern" mushrooms. Variety has been easy, very easy, and I'm finding mushrooms from all over the world too. But getting enough weight has been harder than I thought, and this batch should put me well over the weight limit. It doesn't hurt that this variety makes some really nice purples either.

"Dammit, he's got all the mushrooms he needs now." I hear my little spy call back.

"Seriously? It's not even been two hours."

"Seriously." I smirk up at her as I come alongside Stormie. "You'll just have to hope that I can't break all the rust off of my bow skills by the time we reach camp."

"How can you outpace a running horse and still sound so smug." Amelia glares down at me.

"I think you just answered your own question there." I laugh and pull out my bow. I'm about to string it when I feel Blackthorne on my back. "What's the matter bud?" I bring the staff around and get the feeling that it's glaring at the bow. "Are you jealous of the bow? See, it's not another staff." I hold Blackthorne in one vine and use my free arms and vine to string up the bow. "It does an entirely different job." I nock an arrow and fire it into the woods while still on the run.

"Are you arguing with your staff?" Amelia laughs down at me.

"I didn't think he was the jealous type, but I guess the bow looks too much like a staff." I give her an exaggerated shrug, like 'whatcha gonna do?'

"Wait, are you being serious here?"

"I think he is." Apricot comes to my rescue. "I swear I saw it twitch when he pulled out the bow."

"Look, man. I've got a really important bet riding on this." I cajole the Livingwood weapon. "If you don't want me to use the bow, then can you shift into one for me?" I already know that it can change to match my height, so this doesn't seem that unlikely.

Blackthorne tugs itself closer and starts wrapping around the bow before absorbing, and replacing it.

"Well... okay then." I don't know what else to say about what I just saw.

"This thing is so strange." Apricot says while alighting on the tip of the new bow/staff. "I didn't feel any magic when it did that. Try giving him a test fire." She hops back into the air.

"Mhm. The pull is just right." I stop for a moment to pull it all the way and fire at a tree about fifty meters into the woods. I miss, but the arrow rockets out and shatters when it hits the one behind my target. "Oh, me like. Me like lots."

"You are so screwed." Apricot tells Amelia when we catch her up.

"No." I correct her. "I was aiming for the one to the left; I just really like the power it has now."

"So, you missed by ten centimeters after not firing a bow for years. Yup, she's still screwed. Man, I really wanted those pies too."

"Maybe he'll get tired out after having to play catch up." The blonde says hopefully.

"Yeah, because having to dodge around in the woods for two hours really wore him out." I can taste the sarcasm in Apricot's words.

"Don't worry, Sweetie." I try to cheer up the flagging pixie. "I'm sure Amelia's a quick learner, she'll have over twenty-four hours to learn, after all. And, don't forget who her teacher is."

"Yeah? Yeah!" She perks right back up. "We're getting those pies, one way or another, Amelia."

I just chuckle as Apricot starts going over the finer points of fellatio, and sprint out until I'm a good half kilometer ahead of them. Picking my target, I take aim and start loosing arrow after arrow until they catch-up. Once Amelia sees that I'm hitting the same tree over and over again in a wide, but slowly shrinking circle, she gives up on pushing Stormie.

"You might as well just hop on." She sighs out a defeated sigh and stops the horse next to me. "I think we already know that you're going to win."

"Since you're being a good sport about it, I'll bake you each a pie when we stop." I unstring Blackthorne, and it pops back to its normal staff shape. "That'll give me a chance to work on some better arrows, anyways." I stretch my leg up and settle in behind her.

"All I heard was pie." Apricot lands on my head. "I want something really sweet."

"I can do cherry, or I've got a good mixed berry one that you should like." I offer. "What about you Amelia?"

"Oh, the berry one sounds alright." She sounds wistful. "I just wish pecans were in season, it's been over half a year since I had one."

"I know a good mock-pecan recipe that uses oatmeal." I tell her. "I was actually going to modify it for Stormie. Were there trees around Southwood? I've only been outside the north gate."

"Westwood has the big orchards, but there are a few small farms near Southwood that have some trees, not just pecans either."

"All I need is a cutting or some seeds and I can grow anything you want." I give her a squeeze.

"Oh Babe, if I wasn't already going to, I'd definitely suck you off for some pecan pie." She blushes when she says that, but I get the feeling she meant every word.

***