Celebration and work

That night we ate, drank, and celebrated.

However before the fun was brought into the bedroom as was our usual, Roxy got a serious look on her face, "Mir, Kay? I uh, I've been trying to find a good time, but I think I'm drunk enough to not chicken out, Mir may I have your hand?"

I knew she meant literally, but "You already do. " I teased as I put mine in hers

"oh hush,"

'For we warriors have found love, take this part of me and I yours, so we may never know uncertainty.'

Our hair glowed and floated, pieces came away, mixed, and formed two braided wrist bands, one on me, one on her.

I was touched but also looking in her eyes for an explanation.

"You can look at us and see our condition, someone needs to be able to keep an eye on you, these braids will always tell us if the other is well."

"Awe Rox that's so sweet, what about Kay, you giving her one too?"

"I can only make the one, my path is not an artisan one, a Storm Maiden can only do that one artifact and only once, besides Mir, Kay has you constantly mothering her, I think two of us may make her pop. I have something else for her, don't worry it matches. "

" Roxy you didn't have to," Both me and Kay said the same thing almost in sync, but it was Kay that got the response.

" I did, she proposed and we haven't reciprocated, I should feel shame it took me this long to give my token of acceptance! And I'm not going to let our only formal connection be from Mir, we are supposed to be equals! If anything it looks like we're her harem, not yours and an Ungrateful one at that, now hold out your hand so I can love you. "

" She gets feisty when drunk, I like it,"

" You would Kay, now let her love you. "

" fine, fine"

Rox pulled out a jewelry box and held it for Kay, "Miss Katherine Sunborn, will you have me as yours?"

"How the fuck did you find out my real name!!!!"

"It was on some of the documents,"

"Your lucky I love you cause that pissses me off, yes I'll have you, and I'll make sure you feel it later!"

While Kay built up a tirade, Rox took the most gorgeous bracelet I'd even seen out of its box and put it around Kay's wrist, "Then let this token be a sign to all that we are bound in love."

That took all the steam out of Kay as she pulled Rox into a hug, then me.

We sat there in silence and our hug turned to cuddles, then sleep.

I had to carry both to bed, no way any of us would have working necks if we all slept on the couch.

Kay found out what her gift did the next day, she thought it was just pretty until Rox showed her.

"Just hold your blade and focus on it getting longer, it will become an arming sword,"

She really fell in love with it when she figured out it worked on her fire dagger.

"Rox how did you afford this, artifacts this good are not easy to find."

"I had it commissioned when we first started flirting, don't worry about the cost, I sent my family the bill before I disowned myself."

"That's my girl! Fuck those stuck up bastards!"

We took the day to let Kay get comfortable with her gift.

I could still feel something churning behind Kay's eyes,

I had a suspicion as to what but I would wait for her to be ready.

Besides, we had our first mission in mid-tier, we needed to go to bed soon if we wanted enough sleep.

----

"Steam cloud!"

I shouted as I jumped back, stowing the void fog clearing artifact we were issued for this mission.

As I knew they would, my girls struck, enemy disoriented, giving me enough time to stow the anti-void artifact and to switch to a better weapon than the one handed shield I'd had out while pushing the fog away.

The shield saved me from the first surprise attack from the fog, sword swinging right for my neck.

Sword summoned, artifact safe, I dashed back in as the steam cleared, cleaving the corrupted possessed Armour in two, I didnt give it a chance to reform, I stabbed my blood red sword into the chest peice, pumping power into its decay effect until the Armour started to crumble.

Only then did I hear the corrupted spirit leave it host, my left hand grabbed the vapor form.

'Find rest in the world beyond'

The flash as it was forced into the cycle of reincarnation only gave me a moment of peace before I heard another armored enemy rattling our way.

The area this fog was covering must have been a battlefield from one of the great wars, we'd only seen this type of creature this whole mission, and it was clear why it wasn't assigned to newbies.

I would kill all this pocket contained, equip the artifact again, banish what ever I could, before the next fight.

At this rate we had hours before we could mark this mission as a success.

Thankfully my team was covering me well, giving me just enough breathing room to keep pace, Rox peppering the whole area with damage anytime I wasn't calling in direct support and Kay blowing up or eviscerating anything that tried to flank us, it was working beautifully.

The enemy here was so dense and the next team far enough away that we had to actually break away from the enemy, and make distance, before resting with a meal.

Meal finished we returned to the fray til nightfall.

We camped in a safe area with other teams, we weren't the only ones tasked with this same mission, we all had this rally point marked and two teams whose mission was guard duty for everyone else.

Me and Rox looked tried, but Kay looked about ready to throw up from forcing herself to keep up.

"You two, huff, are absolute bulshit, huff, you know that right."

My hand was on her back rubbing circles, "So are you, nobody but us thought you'd be able to keep up in low tier, here you are doing it at a higher tier than almost anyone our age, with just grit and spite."

"She's right Kay, you did great, no one could ask anything more."

"Don't blow smoke up my ass, I'm holding the team back."

Stubborn girl she was she tore herself from our comfort and crawled in her tent.

Me and Roxy shared a look.

"Lay with her, I'll handle food and prep for tomorrow. You were the first one to believe in her, the comfort will feel more real coming from you."

I crawled into her tent and held her.

" We're not blowing smoke up your ass, you are keeping up, it's taking everything you have, but your managing, like you always did, like you always do, we'll figure out some way to make this easier so you're not so spent every day."

" That's just it Miranda, I'm not managing it, I'm only managing it because of you two, your dagger and her bracelet help me keep up, but even before that?

Every team I was on was a train wreck because of me, I only managed to keep up because you would tag in and cover for me.

Then later, somehow, you managed to get me to stay in formation and made strategies to fit me."

"That's not fair to yourself-"

" And me being a stubborn bitch isn't fair to either of you!"

" What do you mean because it doesn't sound like you're talking about your normal bratty Behavior"

"My actual gifts are so limited on the battlefield, I shouldn't even be here, I should be a camp healer till I ascend at least once.- "

You wanted to interrupt her but you could feel she was building towards something.

"I've been near ready, at least according to the temple, to ascend since before we met Roxy and the last prerequisite was met a few months after... "

" And? You don't want to follow that path, neither of us would be the women you love if we tried to push you towards it, "

" That's true, but would I be the woman you love, if I didn't do everything in my power to stay by your side, even if it means dealing with stuff I hate? "

" I suppose not you stubborn brat. "

" Then it's decided as soon as we turn this mission in we're going the nearest temple, then we're going to see my mother. "

At that last part you choke on your own tongue in Surprise. Cough * "What?!"

" What do you mean, what? Did you really propose to both of us, never thinking you'd have to meet at least one parent?"

"No, yes.... I don't know? I mean I guessed, I hoped not? With how screwed up we all are, I just assumed..."

"Well sucks to be you because I may not like who she wanted me to be, but our relationship never got bad enough for me to never see her again. Besides it's like Roxy said, I look ungrateful to my submissive wifes if I never return the formal gesture. You two will just have to deal with my people's traditions, which happen to require meeting at least one parent."

" I'm not going to like anything about this am I?"

"Probably not, don't worry I won't either. Technically all I have to do is introduce you, if she doesn't approve I can just tell her to fuck off, I'll even get to do it in front of the staff."

" Why do I now get the distinct impression you want her to disapprove of us? "

" Because you know me so well. "

----

Poor Raquel was so nervous the entire way back, our time at home, and the journey to the temple.

It seemed the lessons and traditions she grew up with had her freaking out.

We finally got her to start calming down when we arrived at the temple.