The first thing they did upon reaching the little city of Ccidan was get fully dressed again, heat and sweat be damned. In fact, with the wind breezing over them, it was veritably bracing compared to how the incongruence had suffocated them. The tan and toned masonfolk were also wonderful hosts, this sister race of halflings to the western flowerfolk seemingly just as accommodating and friendly, and their name, the weary travellers soon discovered, was very appropriate. Just as soon as they’d put their clothes back on, it seemed they were disrobing once again, allowing their apparel to be taken away for cleaning while they made use of the washing facilities.

The bath halls were huge, like indoor flooded cloisters. Intricately ornate pillars held up the covered walks that skirted the huge pools of water, which was constantly cycling through a hidden system that kept it fresh, clean, and warm. The water was drained through openings in the walls and floor of the bath itself, and reintroduced via waterfalls hewn into statues depicting naked masonfolk halflings, almost sexual effigies of polished, bronzy stone in all manner of manly and womanly shapes.

“Springstone,” Pippy marvelled. “Such a simple yet profound thing! Little bit of ice magic, little bit of air magic, imbue it with stone, and what do you get? The perfect building blocks for hot climates! And with it, the masonfolk have cut out a little slice o’ heaven for themselves in the desert. It’s an inspiring story, don’t you think?”

Livia said nothing.

“I’m just glad,” Pippy continued, “that they remembered to use a different material for the bath! Otherwise the water would just go cold right away.”

Livia was tempted to remain silent… but the urge to say something was becoming unbearable. “You seem awfully chipper.”

“And you seem terribly glum,” Pippy retorted. “Come on, talk to me. What’s wrong?”

“It’s just…” Livia tried to grasp at the words with her hands held out in front of her. “We just went through a bizarre hell, and you nearly died. It’s getting harder and harder to just… brush these things off. At least… maybe. I’m not sure if it’s that, or if it’s because of just how weird and disturbing what we just went through was. Ugh… let’s not even talk about the disgusting changes that happened to our bodies.”

“But it’s over now,” Pippy crooned, swimming through the water over to sit next to Livia on the huge bath’s submerged outcropping that served as both a step and a seat. “We got through it, and now it’s behind us. I guess it doesn’t bother me as much because, well, I honestly don’t remember it all that well.”

“What about when you were fused with Ponima?”

“Like a dream. I remember parts, but it’s mostly… unclear. I might’ve been the dominant participant, but the fusion still technically created a new person, one that just… was a shade of me, I guess.”

Livia felt some of the tension go in her shoulders. “That’s… actually something of a relief to hear. You weren’t yourself, and I thought maybe it was just me, but to hear it from you - that you literally weren’t yourself - makes me feel better about it.”

Pippy linked an arm with Livia’s. “Why does it bother you at all?”

“I just…” a tear escaped her eye. “I just thought I’d lost you. Ponima said that, if not for her, you would’ve just died the moment the incongruence came into view. And then you were asking me to just let this entity we hardly know and barely trust… enter you… otherwise you still might’ve died. How does that not… unsettle you?”

Pippy kissed the tear away as it rolled down Livia’s cheek. “Because I didn’t die, and you didn’t lose me.”

Livia felt a shiver run through her. She floated off the submerged outcropping and in front of Pippy, wrapping her arms around the small of her back. “You’re right… I didn’t lose you. You didn’t die.”

Pippy, oh so lightly, held Livia’s face in one hand. “So let’s just call it a win and move on, okay? No point dwelling on it. We survived, and that’s all that matters.”

“Just wish we hadn’t had to resort to the whole fusion thing,” Livia mumbled.

“Is that what’s really bothering you?” Pippy giggled. “Why? It was just so Ponima could stabilise me better.”

“It just seemed so…” she cleared her throat. “Y’know… intimate.”

Pippy gasped. “Livia! Don’t tell me it made you jealous!”

“I know, I know,” Livia groaned, “it’s stupid! But it’s not that simple either.”

“I know,” Pippy chortled, kissing Livia’s forehead over and over. “I know. If it makes you feel better, it really is like I said; Pippy Tearcry, Ponima Tearcry, and Pippy Vieira are three different people. There wasn’t any… intimacy, like you might be thinking.”

“There’s one other thing that confused us all that you said while fused,” Livia added. “You said you were three souls strong as the demigoddess…”

“Ooh, yeah,” Pippy said with a drawn-out cadence. “Do you remember me telling you about my friend from back in Aubade’s magic capital?”

“The one you said was an esper, right?” Livia recalled.

“That’s her! I told Phyrn the story while everyone was asleep. Her name was Fainche, and when she was near death, she entrusted her soul to me. It’s still in me, joined to my own.” She tapped her chest with her fingers. “She wanted some trace of her efforts to live… to go on. Traces of her power now linger in my own. That’s actually where my extra sense comes from! How I feel the rightness and wrongness of things.”

“I thought that was a side effect of your red magic,” Livia mused.

“It could be a bit of both,” Pippy said. “I honestly don’t know. That’s the thing about the arcane. It’s…”

“Arcane?” Livia chuckled.

“Ha, yeah.”

Meanwhile, Krey and Emilie had opted to bathe alongside their hosts in the bath hall that was currently open to the public. Emilie could feel the curious eyes of the halflings upon her, but she knew the curiosity was just that; curiosity, fleeting and inoffensive.

Krey was as naked as the halflings. For the first time since before Dunlark, to Emilie, he finally looked relaxed.

“You really aren’t fond of your native environment, are you?”

“Sorry, My Lady?” Krey said with a bit of grog in his voice, not having spoken a word since Brightbrand had made his entrance near the end of the incongruence.

“You’ve been tense ever since we touched down upon sand— arguably even as we approached it. Now, here, mostly submerged, the tension from your shoulders and back look to finally be loosening.”

“You have an acute eye for such things, it would seem,” Krey said in an almost tired voice. “I’ll put it plainly, My Lady; live in a place long enough, and the childlike wonder it once charmed you with will eventually be eclipsed by the mounting pile of little annoyances, aggravations, and just plain flaws. I may be a son of the sands, but…”

“But you hate the deserts,” Emilie mused.

“Indeed,” Krey nearly chuckled.

“Is that why you took up an occupation that involves so much travelling?”

“Hmm… perhaps it is. And, I must admit, what they say about the heart is true; distance makes it fonder. Part of me has missed this part of the world, even enjoyed being here again…”

“But a part of you will always be a young boy cringing at the sand in his shoes,” Emilie finished for him again.

“It was always more getting it in my face that drove me mad, but yes.”

“I suppose I know how you feel. For how gorgeous it is, and how nostalgic it will be, I can already sense… a small trepidation at the prospect of crossing over into Jiel. Despite having spent most of my recent life in Calsa all the way west, and even being of calsan descent myself, the eastern edge will ever be my home, and with that comes a combination of both pleasures and grievances.”

“Well, we still have another stretch of desert to traverse before then,” Krey said while stretching his arms, not quite yawning. “That does remind me, though. You promised to tell us about a certain young sister’s encounter with the so-called Green Witch of Eoe-Kō.”

Emilie giggled almost nervously. “And I shall, when the party is fully assembled. I’d hate to deprive the others of the tale.”

“Oh of course,” Krey smirked.

Then he sighed. “In truth, it’s not just the sands that I’ve been dreading.”

“The incongruence,” Emilie knew.

“I never thought I’d have to cross it so directly— hoped I’d never have to. I must say, the experience has… left its mark on me.”

“I have to admit,” Emilie said, “toward the end, things became… blurry. I started losing myself. I don’t remember much in detail after that thing appeared; the medustrier, I think Brightbrand called it.”

“Yes,” Krey nodded, “that monster… it spoke to me.”

“What?” Emilie leaned forward. “How? And how did we not hear it?”

“My mutated ears allowed me to hear its disembodied voice.” He subconsciously reached up to touch his ears, reassuring himself that they were still back to normal, and had not somehow suddenly re-mutated after Brightbrand’s treatment. “I wish not to recall the specifics, but… I think Faeden might be a key part of why the severance happened. I think Faeden is part of what is deeply wrong with Berodyl… and I think everything and everyone in this world has been tainted by it to some minuscule degree. Irrevocably… fundamentally.”

“So you believe Pippy’s arcane senses to be accurate, then?” Emilie asked in a slightly terser tone.

“Said senses nearly killed her. I think we have to start considering what she’s said with a bit more weight now, don’t you think?”

“To even consider such a thing…” Emilie took a deep breath. “It would be a shaking of faith.”

“You think it’s impossible for gods to make mistakes?”

“No,” Emilie waved a hand, “of course not; such blind faith is just as ignorant as heresy. No… pursuing such a course would imply something far worse. It would imply not that the gods erred, but that they… sinned, I suppose is the only word for it. I cannot believe the creation of something as pervasive and all-consuming as Faeden could be anything else… but… I simply cannot allow myself to believe that this is the case. Faeden must either be a mistake or an aberration of some kind; I cannot believe it was intentionally made this way.”

“Not all of Faeden is so heedlessly destructive,” Krey pointed out. “If it was, Berodyl would be totally covered in it by now. There is… something about it though. Something insidious… something… designed.”

“Something we should think on before pursuing further,” Emilie said. “For now, let’s just enjoy the water.”

Krey pondered for a moment… and the nodded. “Agreed, My Lady.”

Bel was bathing not-quite-alone. He had paid out of his own pocket for the full services of the staff working at the bath halls, three of them joining him in a smaller, more private bathroom.

You are right to keep them at arm’s length, Bel, that voice said.

We’ll see, Bel thought back.

If they were to learn of me, you’d be chased off again.

Then they won’t learn of you. He pushed the voice out of his mind, focusing his attention on the two lovely lasses and one handsome lad who had their hands all over him.

“Tell me,” Bel started, less clarity in his voice than he was expecting. He cleared his throat, made an effort to enunciate better. “How often do you get people asking for this sort of treatment?”

“Not many, I suppose,” one of the girls answered. “But it’s always nice to get hands-on with a guest. Why do you ask?”

“Oh,” Bel toned, “just curious.” He could feel a rising tension, a yearning he had been denying himself.

Need I remind you of the terms of our agreement? The voice returned harshly. You are not to beget offspring for the duration of our cooperation— not even risk it.

Bel could feel something in him begin to wither and fade. Wait, he responded in his mind, just relax, would you? I’ve told you before, there’s no risk. He gradually began to feel whole again. Thank you… now, stop butting into my business.

Though not stipulated in our agreement, the voice warned, I trust you understand the spirit of that condition?

I do, Bel assured the voice. But I’m a heartless demon, remember? I don’t make emotional attachments.

We’ll see, the voice mocked.

“Sir?” the voice of the shapely young man found its way into Bel’s ear. “Sir? Are you alright? You’re swaying!”

“Ugh… hmm? What?” Bel righted himself. “Oh, ha, yes… my apologies. I occasionally lapse into deep thought… sometimes too deep.”

“Well,” the other lady replied, “be thankful for these strong legs of yours! They’re the only thing that stopped you from slipping! Not that we didn’t try.”

At that reminder, Bel once again could feel the tender touch of their hands upon him. They really had been trying to keep him upright, the two girls holding onto his legs and the boy planting his hands firmly against each of Bel’s buttocks.

“I’m curious about something else,” Bel nearly stammered, feeling his manhood pulse again. “How intimate does this intimate washing get?”

“We’re not bashful, sir,” one of the ladies giggled. “We enjoy pleasing our guests, whatever their needs.”

“In that case,” Bel said, “I thank you ladies for your service, and ask you leave me and your male colleague alone for a while.”

The two girls looked at each other, briefly wide-eyed, and then they bowed before Bel. “Of course, sir. We won’t be far if you have any further need of us.”

Once they were gone, a toothy grin crawled across Bel’s face. He turned to look down at the halfling male, who looked back up at him with big, shiny eyes. “Alright, you…” his voice slithered with a touch of gravel. “Bend over the side. It’s only fair I get you nice and ready.”

“O-oh my,” the lad’s voice quavered, “yes, sir!” he did as Bel bid, and gently shook his rear to encourage his customer.

Bel waisted no time burying his face in the halfling’s generous backside, his entire body quivering as he took in sensations he had not dared to seek for far too long. He put his lips and tongue to work, preparing the young man with deep, passionate kisses.

Disgusting, the voice hissed.

Shut up, Bel thought, trying not to lose his arousal to the distraction. That’s rich, coming from the likes of you; just go away and let me have this for once.

The needs of your flesh are a weakness, Bel, the voice persisted, a weakness I wonder if I can afford in you.

You won’t have me at all if you don’t let me tend to said needs, Bel cursed.

Very well, the voice acquiesced. But do not let this interfere with your work.

Bel stood up, gritting his teeth, lined his tip up with the saliva-slicked entrance of the halfling and shoved it inside. “I… won’t…!” he growled to himself, unaware that he was now speaking aloud.

“Ahn!” the halfling yelped. “Sir! Please, a little gentler!”

Bel, now painfully aware of what he’d done, felt a sinking in his chest as his eyes met the halfling’s, who was looking over his shoulder with a tear on his cheek. “Ah… my apologies. My mind wandered again.”

“It’s alright,” the halfling cooed so sweetly it made Bel’s dimming arousal suddenly flare up again, the sudden rush of blood to his penis almost painful. “Please, allow me a small moment, and then we can continue.”

“Of course,” Bel said, giving an affectionate squeeze to the halfling’s round, soft cheeks.

After a moment of composure, the halfling jiggled his backside again, signalling his readiness. Bel, now thoroughly in the moment, re-entered slowly, smoothly. It was warm and tight, and as the base of his shaft got closer to the halfling’s anus, the beautiful boy let out a moan that rose into a squeal, his insides tightening and his legs splashing in the water.

“You feel amazing, sir,” the halfling crooned. “I think I’m ready for you to pick up the pace, if you wish.”

Bel did wish so, and as he did, the physical pleasure began to weigh against something in his emotions. Why does he have to be so cute? Bel tried not to think such remorseful thoughts, but he couldn’t help it. Maybe, when all is said and done, I’ll come back for this one. What am I thinking…? No… no. It’s just the sex talking; I have to push it aside. Before long, all thoughts, including the unpleasant ones, were drowned in the hot, thick mind-fog of climax.