-Written by Jeanne Alter-
-Jeannes PoV-
"And you're sure you've packed everything. We won't be back for over a month and I'd rather not have you live test to see if your portals have a max range trying to get from this island in the Caribbean back to the UK."
Jeanne Alter said narrowing her eyes at her husband as he just laughed a bit and smiled at her in that damnable way she loved. Huffing she went back to packing her own luggage as Micheal left their bedroom with their combined suitcase while she looked at her smaller personal one. It had been something that Amelia said she had done with Jarod when they both took trips together before having Micheal and, as she had quickly learned, both of Micheals parents had a lot of worldly knowledge that she just didn't. She frowned,
"There's… so much I still don't know too…. Basic Stuff even…."
She trailed off as she remembered the blind panic she had been in two years prior when Micheal had gotten sick and how she had handled that. Sure it was easy to blame the fact that most of her memories were of early 15th century France or on how the Grail had loaded her, upon her initial summoning almost forty years prior, with knowledge a good portion of which she, to this day, has never had the chance to use. She sighed, closed her eyes, and then opened them as she moved over to the walk in closet and went to the back right corner.
Pushing aside a few dresses that she still hadn't had an occasion to wear she moved some boxes aside and found the sky blue bag with the beach imagery on it from the shopping trip she had been on with her friends a couple months prior. Grabbing the bag she walked back towards the bedroom and paused, tempted to use her bond with Micheal to see where he was, but decided against it as she walked out of their closet and quickly pulled the swimsuits out of the bag.
She knew that the small island that they were staying on had laundry machines inside the buildings so washing her swimsuits wasn't the issue.
"No the issue is that swimsuit... As I figured it would be…."
She said feeling her face flush as she pulled it out of the pile and looked at it while rubbing her thumb over the mesh cups before shaking her head clear and stuffing it into the bottom of her purple suitcase. She then covered it with the rest of the swimsuits and looked over her shoulder half expecting her husband to be there,
"Well… Fiance still... but he's my Husband."
She said quietly to herself as she remembered the lunch she had had with the Lafaire matriach who was, amongst her other titles, going to gain the title of 'Mother in Law' assuming they could pull off the almost impossible. She grinned a more Avenger-esque grin as she remembered the goal of their current plan before she heard Micheal shouting for her. Unsure what he had said she turned her head a bit to shout downstairs in response,
"Yes mon amour? Did you need something?"
A couple seconds passed,
"I said that Gudako's been trying to talk to you for a couple minutes now so she called me to tell you to check your phone. Whatever you two are plotting leave me out of it."
She chuckled a bit as she eyed where she had put her swimsuits in her suitcase,
"If only you knew love and light of my life… if only you knew."
She went over to her phone and frowned seeing that it was dead despite being plugged in. Getting down onto her knees she traced the cable back to where it went into the wall and made an 'aha' sound as she felt that the adapter had been partially pulled out of the wall socket. She pushed the small plastic block back into the wall and was rewarded when her phone made the 'now charging' sound as she got off the floor. Knowing she likely had to wait for it to charge a bit before she checked what Gudako wanted she let her thoughts wander as she continued packing, eventually thinking back to what happened same day she went with Micheal to his work to get advice for her own wedding from Amelia….
~~~~~~~
Jeanne hummed happily as she left the Clock Tower via the normal exit to get out into London itself before looking around for the sandwich shop Micheal said his mom liked to eat at. She saw the sign for a deli a couple blocks away, nodded to herself, and began to walk over to it only to frown as she got closer sensing the amount of Magus eating there. She glanced up at the sign and chuckled a bit seeing the name of the shop was 'Sorcerer Toms Magnificent sandWitches" before scanning the crowd not seeing Amelia sitting outside of the deli.
"Guess I'll order something to eat then while I wait."
She muttered to herself as she walked through the outdoor seating area and into the shop itself which was clearly themed around the Occult given the various items on the walls. She got into line and pulled out her phone to check her messages or read some more in another book when,
"Jeanne! Hey! Over here!"
Looking around to see who was calling her she eventually saw a head of bright yellow hair with green eyes waving at her from across the resturant making her grin as she saw the expected Purple haired woman nearby twist around in her seat and lock eyes with her before smiling herself. Shaking her head a bit she walked over to them with her own happy smile as Sakura scooted a bit further into the booth to make room for her which she took as she slid in beside her,
"Please tell me my brother isn't having you run lunch to him."
Sakura said narrowing her eyes a bit as Jeanne shook her head,
"Nope. I'm here trying to meet with Amelia actually. What about you two? Does Micheal even know you guys are in the country? I thought you both were out in Bavaria or somewhere tracking down Dead Apostles."
"Eastern Germany-slash-Poland to be specific," Alison said after chewing and swallowing a bite of her sandwich, "We came back because…. Well…."
She frowned and set down her sandwich to look at Sakura who nodded and tapped out a privacy and illusion bounded field,
"We're really only here for a couple hours and then we're flying right back out but we found something that we knew we needed to give directly to you, Edmond, Okita, Gudako, or my brother within the day. We also got a tip that you at least would likely be coming here." Sakura said reaching into a bag that Jeanne hadn't noticed as she felt a chill run down her spine from the tonal shift the conversation had taken.
She pulled out a bundle of papers wrapped in jet black leather that was tied shut with bright red braided string. Handing it to her, Jeanne immediately felt the mana coming off of it as her eyes widened seeing the burned in sigil of one of the Lost Orders of the Holy Church on the leather.
She looked at the papers in her hand with a sense of awe,
"This sigil…."
"Confirms that the Order of the Divine Stairway, at one point, existed. One of the Fourteen Lost Orders of the Holy Church and the one you all needed the most info on. Why it was in a Dead Apostles lair I have no idea but you recognize the mana coming off of it right?"
She ground her teeth together as her own mana flared a bit in response to her anger,
"As if I would ever forget the mana of the bastards that took my Older Sister from me." She growled before blinking and shuttering her mana output then looking at the both of them, "I'll make sure this is examined and opened in secret by a few friends from the Chaldea days, probably Mash. What do I do to repay the both of you?"
They looked at each other and then back at her,
"We want you to be our Maid of Honor at our Wedding and we want Micheal to walk Sakura/me down the aisle."
They both said at the same time making Jeanne blink and then grin,
"I'll make sure he knows why. Don't worry, He'll agree. Its his darling little sister afterall."
Alisons watch beeped making her quickly devour the rest of her sandwich before standing up causing Jeanne to slide out of the booth so Sakura could get out as well before she furrowed her brow at them as a thought occurred to her,
"Wait- How'd you know I'd be coming here if you just got into the UK- who…"
"Who do you think would be interested in seeing this all play out for his own personal amusement? Remember Alison regularly goes to Avalon to train with Carnwennan and someone within Avalon is frequently bored."
Sakura said clearly annoyed causing her to groan in response and massage her temple with her fingers while giving them both a look,
"Be careful listening to anything that man says."
Alison nodded and then Sakura grinned at her,
"We know. Anyway our 'flight' back to Bavaria leaves in a bit so we've got to get going. As for you Jeanne d'Altreyr Lafaire, as your future sister in law, I'll just tell you to look behind you real fast."
Blinking she turned around to see Amelia walking through the doors looking annoyed then turned back around to see both of the other women gone and in their place were a few pink flower petals that quickly dissolved into mana before they hit the floor. She huffed a single laugh and shook her head before turning around to 'just so happen' to meet Amelia,
"A 'flight' huh?"
She said still laughing under her breath as she walked over,
"Hello Amelia~ You look stressed. Everything okay?"
The blonde jumped a bit and snapped her head over only for Jeanne to raise her eyebrows watching the woman deflate a bit before hesitating and looking at her watch,
"I only have a bit for lunch and-"
"Surely the paperwork could wait a bit longer. Besides, I have questions about… wedding… stuff…."
She said her confidence melting in time with the feeling of her face heating while Amelias own face lit up with a happy smile. Nodding, she told Jeanne to give her her sandwich order and then once she had done that told her to get them a table before the Avenger turned around, face still warm, and walked back to the booth that she had been sitting at barely minutes earlier to wait. Not even five minutes later she jumped a bit when Amelia practically slid into the booth with their sandwiches along with two drinks all smiles and happy looks,
"So! 'Wedding stuff' hm? How far have you both gotten?"
She felt her flush worsen as she looked off to the side trying to find her ability to speak. Amelia frowned,
"You both… have started planning right? You are getting married to my son correct?"
"YES."
She shouted and immediately curled in on herself as several people turned to look at her while Amelia shook her head fondly and tapped out a privacy and illusion bounded field then winked at her,
"Probably should have done this to begin with but… I'm excited for you both is all."
Jeanne let out a shaky breath and nodded her thanks for the field while she gathered her thoughts deciding on the first thing that came to her mind,
"So neither of us… want a spring or summer wedding just because… Spring is overblown according to Micheal, and I agree with him, but you also know how I do in the heat which means Summer is out. The last thing I want to be thinking about on my wedding day is hot I am because then those thoughts lead…. Into thoughts that have no place on that day."
Amelia nodded and leaned into her hand as she tapped the finger of her other hand onto the table thinking,
"Its not… seen as 'auspicious' or a 'good time of year' but have either of you considered a autumnal or winter wedding? You could do a lot with winter specifically. I should know since I had a winter wedding."
Jeanne blinked surprised,
"You had a winter wedding. Mrs. Summer Positivity. Mrs. 'Anything can be done with the power of love'."
Rolling her eyes at what she was saying Amelia only smiled and nodded,
"Yes. I had a winter wedding. Jarod and I both knew that we wanted our wedding to be between 6-8 months after our birthdays. My birthday, as you know, is on April 8th. Jarods was May 10th. Which put us at around November for our wedding which we both decided was fine. Remind me to show you the photo album next time you're at the house."
She nodded and then furrowed her brow glancing at her pale white skin imagining it against the stereotypical white wedding dress she'd likely wear,
"So… not to mimic yours but what… what theming did you have with all of it? I'm sure Micheal would be fine with a fall or winter wedding but neither of those are known for… super happy warm stuff."
Amelia shook her head and tapped the table with her knuckles getting her attention,
"You're putting too much stock into those damn wedding culture pamphlets. Look, Your wedding is supposed to be happy. Its you marrying the person you love the most out of everyone else in the world after all. So worry less about what some idiot from the 1800s had to say and think about what you want for your wedding to make it one of the best and happiest days you have with Micheal."
Jeanne frowned and looked down at the table thinking in silence for a bit during which they each ate some of their food. She kept thinking before eventually swallowing a bite of food,
"I… guess I would want it to be…. Cozy. Happy. Like…. The feeling you have wrapped up in a blanket with someone you love in front of a crackling fire while snow or leaves gently fall outside the window. Something… like that…."
She trailed off and looked up from her food to see Amelia smiling at her,
"So more of a autumnal-early winter cabin kind of feel. Lots of leaves every shade of red, a bit of a chill in the air, the kind of autumn blue sky you only see in your memories, etc right?"
She felt herself smiling as she nodded,
"Yeah. That… sounds nice. I just… don't know where we'd even start to look for someplace like that. I'm sure all the usual venues are booked out five plus years…"
Her smile fell away moments before she felt Amelia bump her knuckles on her head. She looked up to see the other woman frowning at her as she pulled her arm back,
"As if I'd let some venue owner tell either of you 'no'. Reminder that both of you, alongside Gudako Fujimaru and her partners as well as Mash, saved the world. Multiple times. Once word gets out, and trust me it will get out, that Micheal Lafaire and the woman he loves are getting married you both will be flooded with more offers to host your wedding than you will know what to do with. Think about it,"
She said before sipping of the lemonade she had gotten then arching an eyebrow,
"You six are all going to be alive for the next several thousand years at least based off what my son currently is alongside Gudako who wished to be alive as long as her partners are and you three are alive for as long as you all want to be alive due to Alaya and Gaia fueling your existences. The same deal Mash has."
She said licking some mayo off of her thumb before continuing,
"Both my son and Gudako chose and did what they did in order to be with their partners for as long as possible," She said warmly as she smiled at the Avenger who blushed and pouted a bit, "Add into this equation that Micheal, within a year of getting back from whatever timeline you both wound up in, was granted the Magus Title of Grand alongside Gudako. Any mage with any amount of sense would kill to be able to host your guys wedding on that alone to say nothing of everything else involving Chaldea's accomplishments."
Jeanne ate another bite of her sandwich, frowned, and then said feeling annoyed,
"I don't want my wedding becoming a political tool for Magus fuckshit."
Amelia nodded,
"Which is why once word gets out, and again it will, the both of you need to go out of your ways to make sure that the Moonlit world at large knows to not pull or try anything and that your venue will be-"
She blinked and then smacked her forehead before looking at Jeanne,
"Did any of the servants you two interact with have a reality marble or Noble Phantasm or anything like that set in fall or winter?"
Her mouth fell open and she immediately closed it with a snap as she mentally went through every servant Chaldea had summoned. Eventually she narrowed it down to a few,
"One would be perfect for it but knowing who we want to preside over the thing it wouldn't work. They'd be at each others throats the entire time…"
She thought about it some more in silence as she ate more of her sandwich with Amelia content to let her think only to blink as it hit her who would be perfect. She looked at Amelia wide eyed and the other woman grinned at her,
"So? Who is it?"
"Olga. Olga Marie Animusphere. Her Noble Phantasm can recreate anything in history from any point and from any timeline as long as Human Civilization existed within it."
Amelia raised her eyebrows into her hairline,
"Okay I've yet to hear about this. I've heard about the new Lord Animusphere but everything beyond the report of her accepting the position as the new Animusphere Lord is locked behind fifteen different ever increasing levels of security clearance to the point where I'm sure that Director Brishishan is the only one who's able to read all of it."
Jeanne winced and realized she should have kept her mouth shut before looking at Amelia and weighing what she should or could even say. Neither she, Micheal, Gudako, or anyone else from Novum Chaldea were under any proper binding oath beyond Olgas simple request as their friend to be left to herself for a while so she could get used to her status as an Unbeast as well as her position as Lord Animusphere . She looked from Amelia to her plate unsure how to even talk about it when Amelia waved a bit to get her attention,
"I'm assuming that none of you are able to talk about it at all?"
She shook her head,
"No its not that. No one from Chaldea, original or Novum, are under any binding oathes of silence. Its just… She asked us to keep her and her status a secret for a while so she could get used to…. stuff. Beyond her formal public acceptance of the title of Lord Animusphere I'm not sure what else I can even say without breaking that promise I made with her."
The table fell into silence for a bit until she looked up at Amelia to see the other woman smiling proudly,
"I'm sure she's grateful to have friends like you then. I won't pry, even if I've got some theories now that I know I'll never be able to prove, but would she be willing to create a venue for the two of you?"
Jeanne thought about it and then chuckled a bit,
"I think she'd be insulted if we didn't ask her to be more accurate. She's like that with her friends."
Amelia's smile widened a bit more and then she frowned turning around in the booth to look behind her as Jeanne leaned out to do the same only to see a man in a suit and tie panting and looking around frantically. Jeanne narrowed her eyes at the man and then looked back at Amelia to see her sheepishly lowering herself out of sight in her booth. She gave Micheals mother a flat look,
"Thats your assistant isn't it."
"Er…"
Amelia trailed off a bit before sitting upright in her seat and dispelled the privacy field. The man immediately saw them and ran over only to freeze upon seeing her making her furrow her brow as the man started to sweat bullets. She looked back at Amelia who winked at her,
"Yes Brandon? I'm assuming your here to drag me back to that damned pile of papers."
Brandon swallowed nervously as he looked from Jeanne to Amelia,
"Brandon? Jeanne. Jeanne? Brandon. Brandon is my assistant for all things paperwork regarding my Brand duties. Jeanne here is my future daughter in law."
Her eyebrows raised as she swore she saw sweat starting to visibly dampen his clothes,
"I won't bite you know. You help Amelia which means you're helping me."
The man swallowed nervously,
"Ye- Yes b-but- You're- You're-"
"Amelia Lafaires future daughter-in-law as well a fifteen different other things, yes. Amelia what the hell have you been telling this man. He's standing in a puddle of his own sweat! Someone has to clean that now."
Amelia sighed and looked at the man,
"I'll be back in ten minutes. You're free to go."
Jeanne watched as the man sprinted out of the shop and then looked at Amelia who shook her head and winked at her,
"Brandon is hyper sensitive to mana and its variations while his mana sense is active 24/7. Thats what he's like normally without the medication I compound for him to dull his mana sense. Wonderful and diligent worker. Fascinating family history too."
"So he likely sensed me as I am and not what I'm appearing to be then."
She stated while Amelia nodded and quickly finished the rest of her food,
"He likely sensed you as one of the single most powerful beings on the face of the planet which is a bit out of scope for the dosage I have him on. Frankly the fact he didn't pass out on the floor I am counting as a victory. Anyway, I've got to go get back to that gods awful pile of paperwork. You and Micheal be safe, you hear?"
Nodding she waved off her future mother-in-law and finished the rest of her own food before getting up to leave noticing the time and knowing that Micheal was likely in the middle of another lecture,
"I wonder if I can mess with Edmond a bit…"
She wondered before grinning evilly and walking back to the Clocktower.
~~~~~~~~~
Pulling herself out of her memories Jeanne Alter checked her phone, saw it was above 15%, and then unlocked it to see that Gudako had tried calling her a few times and then texted her. Pulling her phone off the cable she opened the text and immediately rolled her eyes at the message,
<
Shaking her head to herself and smiling at Gudakos concern she typed a message back,
<
She plugged her phone back in to let it charge and went back to packing for several minutes until her phone beeped again signalling that Gudako had messaged back while she was putting some of her toiletries into their spot. Walking over she unlocked her phone, saw the subject line which said <
Snorting a single laugh she arched an eyebrow as she saw it was a selfie of a tired but happy Gudako with Okita and Edmond chasing each other in the background around the room. Okita was laughing and Edmond was clearly annoyed as he chased her over the bed while she landed on the other side.
She tapped out a response,
<
Glancing at the battery icon she watched it tick over to 30% and then unplugged it from its charger to place into her pants pocket as she went back to her personal suitcase making sure that she didn't forget anything,
"Can't exactly be forgetting anything after I got onto Micheals ass about it. He'd never let me live it down…"
She muttered to herself checking her suitcase against the list she had made eventually nodding, satisfied that everything was packed, and closed the suitcase zipping it shut and pulling it off the bed with a grunt before putting it onto its wheels. Rolling it in front of her as she walked out of their bedroom she tried to sense where Micheal was and grinned as she heard sounds from one of the games he loved playing coming over the TV speakers.
Moving as quietly as possible she carried her suitcase downstairs and snuck up behind her husband to see he was fully focused on the game. Not wanting to interrupt his focus she waited, watching him make his character roll around the screen dodging the twin swords of a giant of a man only to misinput and make his character roll into a sword, killing his character. Groaning he leaned back a bit in the chair as she prepared her ambush,
"Mon Amour~"
She said in a sultry voice making her husband jump a little and turn around in the chair right as she leapt forward to shove his head under her shirt placing his face right between her breasts while she laughed,
"Got you!"
"AH! Jeanne! You-"
She laughed as she let him out from under her shirt and stuck her tongue out at him while he gently rubbed where his nose had slammed into her sternum,
"Not that I don't love you doing that but are you packed?"
She nodded and jerked her thumb at where she had left her suitcase,
"Yup. Ready to go aside from putting on a bra."
She smirked at him and pulled the shirt tighter around herself so her nipples were clearly visible before watching him breathe in a deep breath, close his eyes, and then breathe out before giving her a flat look as though he was annoyed with her. Giggling a bit she let the shirt go slack and smirked at him,
"I know you love it when I do that so don't even pretend otherwise. Let me go put on a bra, also you're personal is packed as well right?"
She was already halfway up the stairs when,
"Yup."
She paused and walked back down to look at him her brow furrowed,
"Was that 'yup' in response to you loving me walking around with no bra on or you being packed."
He grinned,
"...Yup."
She gave him a light glare,
"Ass. Go get the car warmed up. Be down in a minute or two."
She pulled her head back around the corner as she heard him laugh making her smile a bit, shake her head, before jogging up the stairs to their bedroom.
-Gudako's PoV-
"Remind me to never let you drive any of my stuff."
Edmond said flatly as Gudako put their SUV into park in the carpark nearby London International causing her to arch an eyebrow at him in silent judgement as they all got out and moved around to the boot. Before she could respond, however, Okita had wrapped her arms around both of their necks to pull them in and kiss both of their cheeks before letting them go and laughing while opening the boot to get her suitcase. That done she turned around and grinned at them,
"As much fun as it is seeing you two bicker like an old married couple we are on the clock here. I for one do not want my next few paycheques lining Morgans wallet. Come on."
Smiling and shaking her head herself she grabbed her suitcase and carry on while Edmond reached in and effortlessly pulled out their shared suitcase one armed. Suitcases retrieved they quickly made their way into the airport proper eventually getting to the security checkpoint. They were about to get into line when all of their phones beeped at the same time. Raising her eyebrows at her partners Gudako pulled her phone out of her pocket while the other two did the same all of them seeing the message that Morgan had sent them.
Wondering what it could be she opened the message and saw the message line,
<
Below Morgans text, as she swiped up on her screen, she saw that the Faerie had attached a PDF to the message. Right as she was about to open it Edmond whistled clearly impressed while Okita swore happily in Japanese while grinning ear-to-ear. Curiosity piqued she opened the PDF and felt her jaw hit the floor as she saw that the PDF was a series of documents establishing her as a 'Direct and Proper Associate of the Crown' and following this was a confirmation of titles among other things. Then at the very bottom she found that her passport had been upgraded from the standard UK one to the one used by the Royal Family and their associates.
"So~ Professor Doctor Lady S. Dantes where to now since you know the airport better than we do?"
She turned around and glared at her wife who just cackled while Edmond grinned a bit and shook his head before nodding his head behind her,
"Seems we don't need to worry about that since I see the rest of our little group walking over. Come on. I wanna use this new passport before someone thinks I shouldn't have it."
He went over and asked a nearby security guard something that Gudako couldn't hear only to see the guard look him up and down, then back at the two of them, and likely call bullshit on whatever he had said before he held up his phone with the screen side facing the guard who's face went almost as pale as her husbands skin. The guard shot upright, saluted them, and then said something to Edmond before he came back to them,
"We can just go through."
Okita arched an eyebrow at him,
"Seriously?"
"Seriously. Watch."
He approached the Xray scanner and walked right through it making the guards start to move after them only for all of them to put a hand to their earpiece, look at each other, and then salute him before waving her and Okita through. Blowing out her cheeks Gudako walked right through the tube as well and then stood next to Edmond who was openly smirking,
"I take it thats… not what normally happens."
Okita said neutrally coming up beside her as Edmond and Micheal locked eyes, grinned at each other, and both walked forward to do one of their 'bro handshakes' before Micheal said something making Edmond laugh as they walked away. She looked back at the Saber,
"Not even remotely. Normally we'd have to go through an entire process up to and including taking off our shoes before we would have stood in that tube and been xrayed."
The blondes eyebrows raised in surprise then furrowed as they both turned to walk to the rest of their group,
"Why xrayed? Shoes I can see because you can stick a bunch of stuff into the sole of it but…."
She trailed off as Gudako just let her silence speak for her before the Saber looked at her incredulous,
"….Seriously? Like- They shoved-"
Gudako walked forward a few paces and then turned to grin at her wife slyly,
"Yup. Anyway lets get a move on since I'm pretty sure they've already spun up the plane," She said smugly, "After all we're now Associates of the Crown which means we get a similar plane to the one the Royal family gets."
Several hours later Gudako was jerked awake from the planes wheels hitting the tarmac and she looked around sleepily seeing everyone else waking up or packing up their various things. She blinked as she saw Micheal folding and repacking a monopoly board game into his carry-on before the intercom crackled to life,
"Thank you very much Lords and Ladies for flying with us. We'll be attaching to the Philip S. Goldson airport terminal shortly and after that you all are free to disembark. Stay safe and we'll be back to pick you up in a month."
Stretching a bit she got up out of the chair she had fallen asleep in to get her carry-on from the overhead compartment and then yawned as she walked to the door to wait for the terminal connector to get in place. A minute or two later they were in the airport proper and walking to the area to pick up their luggage when Jeanne Alter sped up to walk between her and Okita. Confused she looked over her shoulder to see Micheal looking sheepish and Edmond very smug while Morgan was behind both of them looking annoyed before she turned to look at the Avenger Servant next to her and her flushed face,
"Edmond is an ass."
Was all she said before setting her face into a glare and staring ahead while Okita arched an eyebrow at Gudako before wrapping an arm around the Frenchwomans shoulders,
"Cheer up Jalty~ Whatever our local comedy act said shouldn't bother you that much, right? We're here to enjoy ourselves after all."
She watched as the Avengers golden eyes flicked to Okita and then to her as her face increased in redness as she quietly asked,
"Just… to be sure the cabins on this island have… thick walls right? Like thick enough to… prevent sound from being heard outside the room?"
Ah.
Gudako thought before looking back at her husband who just arched his ash white eyebrows at her while Okita briefly opened their private bond,
+} So we're both edging that man until he begs right? Its only fair to get back at him on behalf of Jeanne here. {+
~| Deal. We'll need to time it correctly though. |~
Laughter came from Okitas end of the bond,
+} We'll wait until we're the only ones on the island. Morgan should be able to get both Lafaires out snorkeling with her or something away from the Island for a while. {+
They both nodded at each other and then turned to smirk evilly at Edmond in unison to see his face go from smug to worried to suspicious in the span of about three seconds. Okita hugged Jeanne a bit and then let go as they got to the luggage carousel, got their suitcases, and then walked out into the summer heat of Belize.
Overall the trip to the coast and to the boat that would take them out to the island was easy enough although Micheal had popped a sun umbrella for Jeanne after walking for a bit. Gudako glanced over her shoulder at the two of them and found herself smiling at how happy they both were with Jeanne hugging Micheals arm to herself likely to stay as under the provided shade as possible and also to make sure no other woman tried anything. Micheal caught her eye and raised an eyebrow in a silent question which she responded to by smiling and shaking her head a bit right as Jeanne tugged him off towards...
"Ah. That tracks," Gudako said seeing the shaved ice stand standing at the end of the street that the Avenger was tugging her husband towards with a bit more enthusiasm than the average person would have expected. Of course she knew better and felt Edmond bump his arm into his shoulder making her look up at him as he jerked his chin towards the stand,
"Want some?"
"oh~? Are you treating me handsome?"
He frowned at her as she laughed and bumped his arm with her shoulder,
"Sure. I'd like some but be sure to get some for Okita as well."
She looked back over their shoulder to see Okita walking alongside Morgan talking animatedly while the Faerie seemed to be thinking as she nodded along. She had an idea of what the Saber was talking about but pretended not to notice as she looped her arm through Edmonds and steered them towards the stand where Jeanne had just finished ordering her shaved ice,
"So what flavors do they have?"
She asked as they got closer to the other two and Micheal looked up at the menu,
"The usual flavors so grape, cherry, lemon, etc but they also have some local flavors too." He said before looking at her, "Apparently they have a pineapple mango flavor thats made local so I'm thinking of trying that."
She hummed a bit and looked up at the menu to read it eventually finding a flavor she would like as Edmond moved his arm to wrap it around her waist to hug her close while pressing a kiss into her hair. She looked up at him wondering what made him do that and he chuckled a bit understanding her look,
"Am I not allowed to hug and kiss one of my wives whenever I want to?"
She felt her face flush and pouted at him before the person manning the stall asked her for what flavor she wanted. She ordered a cherry and kiwi shaved ice while Edmond ordered a grape and mango for Okita before ordering a lemon and orange one for himself. He handed over some of the cash they had on hand and then they stood off to the side as Okita and Morgan both nodded to each other before the Saber caught her eye and winked then noticed the stand that Jeanne was moving to to get her and Micheals cold treats.
Seems like the plan is in motion then.
She thought to herself as Edmond said he already ordered for her to which Okita smiled and thanked him for while saying it was cute before asking if he knew what flavor she would have wanted. He said what he ordered at which point Okita skipped forward, pulled him down, and kissed his cheek while saying that that was the correct answer. They all ate their shaved ice, during which Jeanne looked both happier and more comfortable with the ambient heat, and then made their way to the boat that they would take out to the island during which she looked at Morgan,
"So explain to me again how you managed to do all of this. This island just… magically popped into existence complete with housing, modern utilities, and the rest."
The Faerie chuckled a bit and looked out across the ocean that was slowly coming into full view,
"As one of the actual British Royals its… expected to have some sort of private island as a matter of course. Once I learned this and I remembered the fun I had with both you and Micheal in the various Summer Singularities I decided I would do the same. As for how I had housing done…"
She trailed off and smirked,
"That was simple enough to have built. Everything is powered by solar panels as well so no need to lay power lines out to it either and the stoves are gas powered too via a natural gas vein a couple kilometers away. That was simply a matter of surveying the seafloor around the island to see if any pockets of natural gas were under it. I found one and then had it piped up into a tank where its filled when people are on the island and then emptied when no one is there."
Micheal perked up hearing about gas stoves and was clearly about to ask about the kitchens when the Faerie smiled and held a finger to her lips,
"Its a surprise~"
He frowned but accepted the answer,
"So… we're not about to have the entire Briston on this tiny island are we?"
Edmond asked curiously to which Morgan sighed,
"That would have required a grail or similar. The island is protected by bounded fields, wards, and the like but the actual physical housing similarly designed to whats around us mostly."
At this they all looked around at the various elevated beach houses that they were walking past before they fell into comfortable silence content to just look around them as they walked to the pier.
~~~~~~~~~~
-A week after getting to the island-
Gudako turned around in front of the full length mirror in the bathroom making sure that her swimsuit wouldn't budge or move before it needed to. She put a hand on her hip then turned around in the mirror and smirked,
"All that running and doing squats showing results. Good."
She tugged on the fabric that curved along her ass before looking her reflection back up and down taking no small amount of pride in her body. Every scar, mark, and blemish she had ever gotten from her time with Chaldea had been removed completely with the help of the Caster Servants. It had been their final gift to her before they all returned to the throne and she would always thankful for it.
Turning around to look at her front she once again wondered what her partners would think of her chosen swimsuit. It was a style of sling bikini that was one continuous strip of fabric that widened at specific parts to cover her nipples and crotch. After crossing over her hips and going up her back, it then went across her shoulders, and crossed again over the center of her chest before going down at an angle across her breasts to then go back around her hips, under her crotch, and then back up to the original crossing point over her hips.
"The thing just has to stay in place for long enough…."
She muttered as she turned a bit and a section of the fabric covering her one of her breasts slipped upwards a bit. She glared and tugged it back down into place before reaching for the jewelry she had bought to pair with it. The bikini itself was a purple-green gradient with the purple at the top and the green at the bottom as she attached a silver chain with little dangling bits of metal to the point on the fabric over her chest where her underbust started and then attached the other end to the other side before she attached matching chains but in a matte black to the sections that crossed over her hips.
She turned around in the mirror more and then smiled as she reached for the final piece of the outfit that she had tossed over a nearby chair upon entering the room. It was a jetblack ankle length fishnet robe that turned into a soft gold from from the midpoint down and she slid her arms through it looking at herself one more time before she grinned at herself,
"Time to go blow expectations~"
She turned around and opened the door leading into the common area beyond of the house that she, Okita, and Edmond were staying in as her eyes swept the room. Frowning she walked out and looked around for either of her partners wondering where either of them were right as the door to another room opened up behind her. She turned around to see Okita walking out of the room and smirked as the woman saw her and froze. Gudako smirked and put a hand on her hip as she watched Okita flick her silver eyes over every inch of her then laughed as the woman licked her lips unconsciously making her blush as she realized what she did.
The Saber came around the small wall between the room she had been changing in and the more open area which is when it was Gudako's turn to stare open mouthed. Okita was wearing an emerald green two piece ring bikini with silver chains tactfully placed to draw the eye. Tied around her hips was a semi-sheer sunset orange strip of fabric that was angled to go down over one of her thighs but leave the other one mostly exposed.
"Holy fuck Okita… you look amazing…."
The Saber gave her a look,
"You're gonna flatline Edmond. You know that right? I… I don't know where to look that doesn't turn me on you ass."
She cackled and then they both heard Edmonds voice beyond the front door before looking at each other clearly thinking the same thing. They both went back into their respective rooms and closed the doors quickly behind them moments before the front door opened,
"I'm back- Are you two seriously not ready? It takes over an hour to get back to the mainland for… shit…."
He trailed off as Gudako heard Okitas sultry voice,
"You know how much time it takes to look nice~ Mon cheri vengeur~"
She could imagine Edmonds blush and how Okita was likely walking towards him slowly so he could take in every inch and prepared to open the door to her own room as he asked haltingly,
"And… Gudako? Is she…"
She opened the door and leaned against the doorframe as Edmond turned towards the noise and froze while his mouth fell open. She walked forward, swaying her hips, got right up in his personal bubble, and raised a hand to trace along his jaw before pushing it closed with a finger that she then licked a bit while making sure he saw how much she wanted him,
"Welcome back mon amour~ Did you have a nice trip back to the mainland~?
Edmond Dantes closed his eyes, breathed in, and then tilted his head back before saying more to himself than either of them,
"I really fucking hope these houses are soundproof…."
~~~~~~~~~~
"mmmm- fu- fuck- don't stop- mmph~"
Okita moaned out only to be cut off as Gudako kissed her while Edmond thrust in and out of the Saber who just moaned into the kiss. She pulled away from Okita and smirked seeing the open want and lust on the sabers face before angling her head to gently sink her teeth into the womans ear while she reached down with her hand to roughly grab her breast. She knew Edmond did something as well because a second later Okita had unconsciously swapped to Japanese as she came again. Gudako's grin fell away instantly as she moaned herself feeling Edmond slip two fingers in to massage her folds while he thumbed her clit and she tried to hold herself upright above the Saber who was slowly but surely slurring her speech from pleasure.
"Cumm- I'm cumm- CUMMING!!!"
Okita cried out in Japanese as she orgasmed from both Gudako and Edmond before going limp on their bed panting hard and Gudako had maybe half a second of satisfaction from looking at the spent Saber before she felt herself be spread apart as Edmond swapped his fingers for his dick. He sank himself to the base inside her before she felt his fingers in her hair to hold her in place while he slid out and then back in a bit harder than before sending a wave of pleasure throughout her body.
It was all she could do to stay on her hands and knees until he pulled on her hair, arching her back towards him off the bed as she caught his hazy lust filled eyes, then he was kissing her while thrusting at that steady pace that she loved. He pulled away as her vision was blurring from the pleasure but she managed to make out his grin and felt a shiver run through her as he sped up slightly while grabbing her breast with his free hand. She gasped and felt herself cum a little then felt Edmonds teeth biting into her shoulder through the haze of pleasure which only intensified knowing he was marking her as his and his alone.
"Fu- FUck- Edmond-"
She managed to moan out as he sped up making sure to hit every one of her weakspots as rapidly as possible making her thoughts more and more hazy until finally he hugged her to himself from behind and slammed into her one final time as she came hard while feeling him fill her. She began to fall forward only to be twisted in place as Edmond angled them so he would land under her and they just held each other while laying there for a minute or two,
"Okita- Bring her up with us- Don't- Don't leave her-"
She managed to get out followed by feeling Edmond chuckle and kiss where he had bit her before he pulled away long enough to pull the passed out Saber up next to them at the head of the bed. Gudako reached out and wrapped an arm around the woman pulling her close while Edmond spooned her from behind wrapping an arm around the both of them to keep them close,
"Bonne nuit mes amours…."
She heard Edmond mumble as he snuggled a bit closer to her and she felt sleep begin to tug at her then she smiled, kissed Okita, and then settled down between the people she loved more than anything as sleep overtook her,
"Good night you two…."
-Jeannes PoV-
Well… At least I'm pretty sure the houses are soundproofed now.
She thought to herself as she looked across one of the tables that had been set out onto the beach aways off from the houses and watched as a still very sleepy Gudako blinked tiredly while Okita wasn't much better basically leaning on the redhead to sit upright. Her eyes lingered on the bite mark on Gudako's neck then flicked to the visible hickeys above the Saber's own breasts then looked over at where Edmond was off helping Micheal cook breakfast. Meaning it was just the three of them at the table for right now since Morgan hadn't yet shown herself,
Knowing how Morgan is she's likely still asleep even now. I'm pretty sure she only gets up before 7am when she has work….
Seeing movement out of the corner of her eyes she looked over to see Gudako grinning at her before jerking her head to where Micheal was and silently raising her eyebrows. Feeling her face flush at the unspoken question she shook her head and mouthed 'Not yet.' while the other woman rolled her eyes. After giving her a flat look Gudako gently shook the saber a bit waking her up and making her yawn,
"mmmm… I'm still sore…."
The saber said sleepily as Gudako coughed awkwardly and then looked at the saber while running a hand through the blondes hair,
"Yeah its a good thing these houses are fully soundproofed…. You sleep well Jalty?"
The Avenger's eyes widened a bit before she nodded to silently thank the other woman for official confirmation then answered the question,
"As well as I could… Its hard to shift out of work and into vacation mode. Although there are… some perks to being on vacation."
She said distracted by the smell of food followed by Edmonds laughter getting closer then looked over to see Micheal wearing swimtrunks and a button up shirt that he had left fully unbuttoned.
Speaking of perks….
She caught herself staring at his muscles before she turned her attention to the other women to see they weren't much better with Edmond. Soon they were eating breakfast,
"So," She said after swallowing a bite of grilled fish and gesturing at breakfast then looking at Micheal, "When the hell did you have time to fish all of this up?"
"He cheated thats how. I at least used a fishing rod."
Edmond said flatly while Micheal rolled his eyes then looked at her,
"We went out early this morning to see who could catch the most fish for breakfast. Edmond used a rod and bait while I just swam and used my witchcraft to open a shadow portal that then sucked the fish into it."
She snorted a laugh and then broke out into full laughter eventually settling down,
"I can see it. I do agree with Edmond that thats cheating-"
She leaned up to kiss her husbands cheek as he began to look crestfallen,
"But I applaud the ingenuity. I get breakfast either way."
Grinning a bit Micheal wrapped an arm around her hips and she let him pull her into a side hug while he pressed a few kisses into her hair as she smiled happily,
"Alright, Alright. Let me finish my breakfast," She said pulling herself away partially to grab her plate and scoot it closer to her so she could stay where she was, "So whats the plan for today? I know we have that scuba gear we found on the second day so we could go scuba diving."
Soon the table was full of happy chatter as the morning sun climbed higher into the sky and eventually they decided to play some volleyball for a bit then do their own thing once it got to be the heat of the day which meant it was too hot for her to be comfortable in. She slipped back into the beachhouse that she and Micheal had been living in for the past week of their month long vacation. Sitting down on the sofa she lounged back into the cushions, closing her eyes, and just enjoying the peace and tranquility of it all,
Something that was ever in short supply during our days with Chaldea. I am glad that I decided to not change into my Summer Berserker origin though… Means I don't have to worry about Madness Enhancment.
She stretched back into the cushions and nestled down feeling her eyelids get heavy as the sea breeze gently flowed through the open window while the sound of the sea itself washing in and out soon lulled her to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~
She knew she was in a dream before she even opened her eyes and when she did she frowned wondering where she was. Stretching out before her were soft rolling hills of grass while to her left was a river and to her right was a hill with a solitary tree at the top of it. Looking down she saw she was in her Avenger Servant armor and robes but didn't have the fur cloak and she also didn't have her hair long like it was right now in the waking world.
Frowning she walked over towards the hill with the tree on it and was soon sitting with her back against the trunk looking out over the grassy fields.
"Its the same scenery I would have the simulator make whenever I need time alone…. But why-"
She stiffened as she sensed someone else sitting to her right but something in her gut told her to not look as she clenched her gauntlet and stared straight ahead. Sweat trickled down her back as the other person scooted close enough that their shoulders were almost touching which is when Jeanne Alter saw the white robes and silvered sabatons out of the corner of her eye. They sat there in silence for a bit when,
"...I've missed you. So much and- Knowing you were taken from me hurts… so much…"
She finally managed to get out as tears flowed down her cheeks and she felt her counterpart bump her shoulder against her own. She inhaled a shaky breath and looked out across the fields of France,
"We're going to get you back. You and all the others. I… don't know if any time has passed for you but-"
She inhaled a shaky breath and closed her eyes,
"I'm not having anyone else walk me down the aisle other than you. I promised you that much and I intend to keep that promise."
Exhaling she opened her eyes and the white robes were gone leaving only a sense of peace behind as she sat alone until she decided to wake herself up.
~~~~~~~~~~
"-anne?"
Grumbling she ignored her husbands voice and rolled over reaching for the covers only to furrow her brow when her hands caught empty air. Opening her eyes a bit she looked up to see Micheal looking at her worriedly with enough care and love in his golden eyes she felt she would drown in it. Sitting up onto her elbow she blinked as she felt the remnants of tear trails running down her face that she hurriedly rubbed away using her arm,
"You okay? I thought I sensed something through the bond so I came over right away only to find you sleeping and looking like you had cried a bit."
Sitting up fully and wiping the lingering tear trails off her face before she breathed out a shaky breath and looked up at her husband as he stood upright still worried,
"I… I think my Older Sister visited me somehow while I was sleeping but…. You know how my dreams are since you've helped me out of so many of them yet this one felt…. Different."
He sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as she leaned against his chest while resting her head on his shoulder. They sat there for a few minutes then,
"We'll get her back. We'll get all of them back. Each and every one of them."
She smiled knowing he didn't mean to say almost the same thing she had said in her dream,
"Yeah. We will. It'll be another adventure for the ages."
Hearing rumbling in his chest she looked up at him as he chuckled softly and winked at her,
"You still wanna go scuba diving? While I was getting breakfast I thought I saw some coral reefs nearby."
She felt her lips curve into a smile,
"Sure. Let me clean off my face and I'll be out in a minute."