Fuu and Liv sunbathe

It wasn’t long before the rest of the Bravos began to wander off.

Emmaline and Robin went together--no surprise there, though it was strange to see them walking away side by side. While Robin’s swimsuit was perhaps a little daring with it’s strapless top and relatively provocative cut, it was nothing next to Emmaline’s micro-bikini. Or rather, Emmaline’s micro-bikini was nothing next to it. Or just nothing in general.

Fuu frowned. She hoped the older girl wasn’t about to get Robin into too much trouble. Perhaps she should check on them later.

If it weren’t for their swimsuits, Kellissendra and Kiera could have been talking business or planning out another mission. Actually, even with the swimsuits, Fuu almost expected that that was exactly what they were doing.

Though it would be strange for them to go behind her back.

Unconsciously, Fuu found herself leaning forward toward the pair, as if the small shift in her position could make up for the meters and meters between them and allow her to make out their conversation.

It took a conscious effort to pull herself back.

Even Becky and Skye had wandered off somewhere. With skin so pale that it looked like she might have never even seen the sun, Becky looked rather out of place on the beach. Though any hesitation had quickly vanished from her body as soon as the alchemist was properly exposed to the new environment. Now she was pacing around this way and that, and her eyes were trained on the ground not out of a lack of self-confidence, but to better help her spot the next crustacean or algae she wanted to investigate or sample.

Watching her poke around like an awkward blonde stork for a moment did bring a smile to Fuu’s face.

It faded when she spotted Skye talking with a large, muscular, shirtless man who had some sort of drum strapped over his shoulders. He was carrying a pair of drumsticks and had offered Skye one to hold and tap at his instrument with. The short redhead looked down at it with a mixed look of amusement and curiosity while the man’s eyes instead focused on Skye herself. And on her body.

Fuu was halfway to her feet before a tug on her wrist stopped her.

“It’s a vacation, Fuu,” Liv said lazily, her fingers still held tight to Fuu’s wrist.

The dark haired monk looked down at her companion who was laid out on a towel in the sand. The sun caught her body and she almost seemed to sparkle in it, shadows etching out the faint lines of her abs and offering highlights that made her ample cleavage seem even deeper. Her hair was tied back in a messy ponytail and when Fuu tried to meet her gaze, she found Liv’s eyes blocked by a pair of pure black glasses. Glasses who’s lenses were just as dark as the frames.

“Where did you get those?” Fuu asked politely, slowly sinking back down onto her own towel. Though she still kept Skye and the stranger in the corner of her vision.

“Some smuggler in Aranilla,” Liv answered. “It’s ‘new tech out of Steamfell’ ’s what he said,” she paused with a slight frown. “Could be an enchantment too. We’ll find out if they still work tomorrow.”

Fuu nodded absentmindedly. Skye and the man had moved down the beach a bit and she now wore the drum around her shoulders and seemed to be playing while the man sat across from her, urging her on.

Nothing untoward just yet, but she didn’t like the--

“You still with me, Fuu?” Liv’s voice pulled her back and she turned to see Liv’s piercing green eyes staring back at her from over the top of her lowered glasses. The sniper had propped herself up on one arm and twisted her buxom chest in Fuu’s direction.

“Listen,” Liv started, then paused, frowning as she worked through the words. “I… actually have to agree with Emmaline on this one. You’re too wound up. If you don’t wind down a bit, you’re going to start fucking things up. Even you need rest.”

“I’m not sure it’s safe,” Fuu spoke quietly. Liv continued as if she hadn’t heard her.

“It’s like… even when you’re trying to keep an eye on someone, you still take shifts, yeah? ‘Cause if you stay there too long--stay focused too long, you’ll burn yourself out. You’ll make mistakes.” Again, Liv stopped to stare at Fuu over her glasses.

“I understand,” Fuu said. A flicker of movement. She turned her head to see Kiera and Kellissendra hitting a volleyball back and forth.

Fuu took a deep breath, letting her heart gradually slow.

“I’m not sure you do,” Liv said. “Or, you understand, but you don’t understand.”

Now it was Fuu’s turn to raise a brow.

“Here,” Liv said. She pulled herself upright and leaned over, moving the bag out from behind Fuu’s back and replacing it with a folded up towel. Her hand came up to rest on Fuu’s shoulder and she slowly started to push Fuu back until the Nahani woman had to either fight back or lay down. She chose the latter.

“Just take a bit. A few hours.” When Fuu started to sit back up, Liv corrected herself “One hour! Just one hour.”

“Only an hour,” Fuu repeated. She took a deep breath and all at once exhaustion rushed over her. It was like a thick, heavy blanket, evenly spread over her body and slowly crushing her into the towel below.

“Just an hour,” Liv agreed. She had laid back on her towel as well. “Then you can go play hero for a while, or go feed some orphans or whatever. But take an hour first.”

Liv fell silent and for a long moment, Fuu just lay there listening to the sound of the waves and watching the clouds pass overhead. The sun pressed down on her, like an extra layer of pressure on top of the exhaustion in her limbs, but it was warm, pleasant. A small part of her mind wandered back to the monastery on Naha and to the beach trips that the sisters had taken her on as a girl.

Often they were training trips where they would visit local fisherman and sailors, and the sisters would help the novices walk through their prayers to the Wandering Goddess. Each of them in turn would lay their blessing upon the fishing ships and cargo vessels so that they might have kind winds, easy waters, and clear skies above.

It all felt so very long ago. Like so many lifetimes.

Fuu let out a long sigh.

“There you go,” Liv muttered, “Was that so hard?”