After that event, the tension between the three girls became much more relaxed. They were like three best friends, enjoying what hedonism had to offer, and experiencing it all together. It was truly an event that any man would want to forcefully insert himself into, but unfortunately, these girls just wanted to have fun; with each other, that is. Letting a man into the fray would be like throwing a snake into heaven; it would be its downfall.

…

…

“Is it me or is this heat sort of enjoyable now?” Samantha says as she peaks at the sky from the carriage.

Nickie smirks. “Of course you’d enjoy it. Serah has stopped putting up appearances; if we didn’t stop her, she might just start walking around naked.” She says, amused.

“Hey! I wouldn’t do that! I’d at least keep my underwear on!” Serah refutes.

“Hey, I’m not stopping you.” She says with a teasing smile.

“Please. You’re going to have to try harder than that. I’m a high value girl, if you must know.” Serah says with a wave of her hand, unimpressed.

“If money is what it takes, I have more than enough.” Samantha says, her smile becoming more daring. “But I have a feeling you’re after more than money.” She says, pointing out some things that she’s grown to learn about Serah.

Serah simply smiles, not deigning to reply.

“What could be more valuable than money?” Nickie asks casually before taking a drink of some water from her glass.

Serah smiles. “Let’s just say that if you were starving in the desert and someone offered you the choice of food or gold, the choice would be obvious.” Serah says before taking the glass from Nickie’s hand and drinking down the rest of the cup.

“Hey! I wasn’t finished with that!” Nickie exclaims as she tries to take the cup back.

Serah smiles and holds the glass away from Nickie. “Now, tell me Nickie. I’ll go get another glass of water for you if you want. Or. If you'd like, I can give you a kiss instead.” She says in a teasing manner.

Nickie puts her hands down as she considers the question, letting out a blush. “Just shut up and kiss me!” She forces herself to say.

Serah smiles once again. “That’s a good girl.” She says as she leans in to press her lips against Nickie’s.

Samantha rolls her eyes before letting out an amused smile. She watches Serah and Nickie enjoying each other, and her mind couldn’t help but wander. Still… For some reason… I feel like you’re after much more than any of that… She thinks to herself.

…

…

The carriages began to slow down and when Serah looks outside, she saw that they were in line to enter the gates of a city.

Her eyes widen and she pops her head back inside. “Hey, where are we right now?” She asks, curious. She could use an excuse to stretch her legs and exploring a city sounded like fun.

“This is Shore City. There’s an oasis nearby so this place attracts all sorts of things from the kingdom. Various monsters gather here, and likewise, various adventurers. I think this place also has a mages college.” Samantha says, recalling what she knew.

“Really?” Serah says with surprise. “Should we go check it out? Maybe start some visiting school beef?” She asks mischievously.

Samantha frowns. “Don’t start trouble, Serah. We’re only passing by. We can stay for a few days at most to stock up on supplies, but after that, we’ll be on our way.” She says, hoping Serah would behave.

“Sure. Things obviously always go as planned, right?” Serah says with a smirk.

Samantha decides to ignore her, and looks to Nickie. “Nickie, you better watch after her while we’re here. I’ll be pretty busy for a while, but we can’t have Serah messing around. I’d prefer if we could all come and go peacefully.” She says sternly.

Nickie’s brows furrow. “What am I? Her babysitter? And I’m the last person you want to ask to question what she does. When mommy tells me to go, I go.” She says with a smile as she looks to Serah.

“That’s a good girl.” Serah says with a light pat to Nickie’s head.

Samantha could only roll her eyes. “You girls are hopeless.” She says helplessly.

“Hey, Samantha! The guard’s looking for payment!” Carter calls out from outside.

“Just a moment!” Samantha responds before getting up. She gives Serah and Nickie one last look and was about to say a few words of warning, when, eventually, she simply shook her head and decided to let them be.