Friend in Need (Sola)

“So how about we take this behind a clothing rack?” Dumont asked with a grin, his hand on the counter of the clothing store and his eyes boring into yours.

“No thanks” you reply, “as fun as it’s been, I’ve never really been interested in sex for the sake of sex” you tell the giant of a man. “Don’t get me wrong, you are very sexy . . . but there’s more to it than that for me,” you add. Dumont drew in a breath and took a step back before giving you a look.

“Solus has something to do with this doesn’t he?” Dumont asked in a voice that sounded vaguely threatening. You frown and narrow your eyes as you take stock of this radical change in the man.

“Solus has nothing to do with this, I just explained to you why I said no” You tell the Frank, but you can tell that your words had no effect.

“What has he told you? Are you part of his harem of silly little girls now as well?” Dumont asked with some vitrel.

“No, Solus has absolutely nothing to do with this!” you say again. Just as Dumont was about to speak once more, a hand appeared on his shoulder.

“Perhaps you are having troubles listening, but she said no” Came the feminine voice of Mars. Dumont whirled around to face the newcomer and immediately dons the smile he uses when he sees something he likes.

“Ahh my apologies, it seems me and . . . Augustina are having a falling out” Dumont explained, casting a glance in your direction. “But what is your name my dear?” he asked, directing his attention back to Mars.

“Ma . . . ra” Mars replies, hesitating for a moment before settling on changing it.

“Ma’ra?” Dumont asked “Sounds exotically foreign” he said, his smile making it perfectly clear it was a complement.

“It’s Egyptian, my parents were overly fond of the old stories” Mars lied, still giving him an almost bored look.

“Perhaps we could discuss some of those . . . old stories sometime” Dumont suggested “Perhaps over diner?” he asked.

“I herd goats, unless you grow a wool coat, you are of no interest to me” Mars replied, still with a bored look on her face. Dumont outright laughed in response.

“A rejection if ever I heard one” the Frank commented before shaking his head and leaving, casting one final glance at you as he did.

“Thank you for that, I was worried he’d do something he would regret” You say and Mars inclined her head. “What can I get you?” You ask.

“Nothing . . . I didn’t come to buy clothes this time” Mars replied. You gave her a once over and noted just how tired she looked.

“Oh, is everything alright?” You ask, giving the woman a frown.

“Someone told me I needed to . . . find a friend,” Mars replied, giving a sigh as she leant on her staff.

“I see” You comment, already suspecting your brother was responsible. “And you want me to be your friend?” You ask. Mars nodded tiredly. “Well alright then!” you say with a chirp. “I was just finishing up anyway and then I was going to head over to the baths, why don’t you join me?” you suggest and Mars nodded. “So, Mara was it?” you ask.

“Ma’ra” Mars corrected. The fact that she was committing to her lie amused you. “My name is Ma’ra” she said a lot more quietly.

****

“So where are you from?” I asked, lounging on the soft grass out the back of the bathhouse, legs crossed and propping my weight up on one hand. Ma’ra, for her part, was just laying in the grass. The both of you were buck naked, as were the multiple girls and women around you who were exercising, or just relaxing. You smile as peals of giggles reach you from a trio of teenagers as they bounce between topics relevant to teenage girls.

“Egypt” Mars replied symply. You turn your attention to the goddess, laying in a cradle of grass as the soft, cool spring breeze blows waves around her.

“Is it hot there?” you ask, the common trope of Egypt being nothing but desert sands popping into your head.

“Not as hot as you might imagine, it’s really no worse than here in most places” Mars replied. “In fact, it gets rather cold in the evenings” she told you. Deserts do that, you muse.

“Sounds interesting” You comment “Why did your family leave?” you ask.

“Pagan hunts” Mars replied simply.

“Ahh” was your comment. “That would be why you seem so depressed” you added and Mars looked at you with a frown.

“Depressed?” she asked.

“Yes, you’ve clearly lost something rather important” you tell her. She stared at you for a while before sighing and seeming to deflate even more.

“I guess I have,” she said softly, closing her eyes as another breeze swept across the field. With a sigh you roll yourself over and drape an arm over Mar’s chest. Her eyes went wide and she attempted to struggle.

“Just shush” you say softly into her ear. Mars stopped and went still as you wrapped yourself around the prone goddess, resting your head on her shoulder. You didn’t say anything, you just closed your eyes and enjoyed the soft breeze across your skin.

After a long, silent moment, a pair of hands worked their way around your hips before resting on the small of your back and Ma’ra pressed her head into your own shoulder. The two of you stayed snuggling like that for some time.