Hearing the call of a scratch against the door of the hotel Alyssa and Kenny were staying in, Alyssa awoke. She searched the room for the source of the noise and found none other than Arcane scratching against the wood of the door, whining. The growlithe had never acted the way he was currently. Believing that her companion needed a bit of time out of the hotel, she quickly dressed in a black tank top and some jeans before opening the door and walking out with the Growlithe. Upon exiting the hotel, Arcane seemed much more at ease and happier. Alyssa knew he needed time outside, and so did she. Deciding she would surprise Kenny and be the one to get them a quest this time, she made her way to a quest board in the center of town, taking the first one her eyes fell to.

Training some guards seemed easy enough. Though Alyssa was not the strongest herself, she knew basic martial arts skills, plus she had Kenny and Arcane to help her in case anything went wrong. It had been a long night for Kenny and Alyssa. Between torturing a merchant and declaring their love for each other, both of them ended up needing a strong drink. Thinking back to the mission before, Alyssa could still hardly believe the man had said those words to her. 'I love you'. The man never got caught in his feelings, yet at that point, seeing the raw passion he put into his words, she believed him.

The split had outed Alyssa as well, telling Kenny that she had discovered she felt the same for him not three hours before he himself had confessed his love for her. The thought still made her blush and her heart race. She had to have been the luckiest girl alive. She had an amazing partner in crime...one that she meshed well with and one that accepted her and her split both. He had even made her split go speechless, addressing her as her own person and not just the evil side of Alyssa. Though the split got annoying sometimes, Alyssa still cared for her as she was a part of herself.

Realizing that Alyssa had left without leaving a hint of where she was going, she quickly made a stop back by the hotel, leaving a note as Kenny did every morning he went to find them a quest. Before leaving the hotel once again, she kissed his forehead and smiled contently. Would this man ever truly be hers? She surly hoped so.

Arcane had seemed to have accepted the man fully into his life as soon as Alyssa had confessed her feelings. He had not done one ill thing to the Kenny since that moment and, in fact, he seemed to be getting closer to him. Spending most of his time trying to bond with the man that he was accepting slowly but surly. Alyssa could only hope that Kenny did not leave them both in the dust. It was one thing to hurt her, it was another to hurt Arcane.

Alyssa slowly made her way to the castle, listening to the sounds of the forest as she did.
Once she approached it, memories flooded back into her mind. This was it, the same place she had came for the previous mission. The same place they had both confessed their love. The castle was a place of wonder and mystery, where most of her dreams had came true lately. She could only wonder what the next mission could bring. Taking a seat on a bench near the entrance of the castle, Alyssa began observing the guards as she waited on her partner to arrive. Noticing everything the guards were doing wrong, Alyssa shook her head. None of them were truly fit to be guards for a royal family. They could not even adjust their uniforms to fit correctly, let alone pay attention to the area around them. If Alyssa wanted to, she could have walked right past all four of the guards at the front without so much as trying to hide. Alyssa and Kenny surly had a lot of work ahead of them.

702/2000

It was a night of tossing and turning for Kenny, there were drinks, but he and Alyssa only shared a bottle and some shots. Surprisingly his restlessness wasn’t because of all of the drinking, but because of what had happened between him, Alyssa, and Lyss. He had given a name to the split because she was her own person in the body of another, thus she deserved her own title. Oddly though, Kenny felt like he was in love with both women and this strange new feeling had made him excited and afraid all at the same time. He remembered what Lyss had told him, that if he had hurt Alyssa, she would dismember him, but those words were warmer than they should have. They made him comfortable, he knew that they meant it when they told him how they felt and now he was the happiest man in the world. All in the same, his emotions were stirred up like never before and now he was just trying to register how he felt, in fact he had done so much registering that he ended up sleeping in and completely forgot to get them a mission.

It had to be approaching the afternoon already, Kenny’s eyes cracked open and the first thing that became apparent was that the familiar warmth that he had become accustomed to was absent this morning. Amber eyes blinked as he sat himself up in bed and looked to his side. She was gone, just like that? He looked around the room, everything was in place, the bags were there. He saw a note on her pillow, a smile immediately curling his lips as he picked it up. She left him a note, just like those he left for her. He read it and paused when he saw the location of the job. They were already going back to where it all began, where he threw up his feelings not too long after being threatened. That castle was special, had to be.

Kenny got up and took care of his morning routine, he got dressed in the outfit tailored by the old man in era, a set that had the appeal of armor with a furry collar. He didn’t stop for breakfast, he was keeping her waiting longer than he should have just now. He bumbled down the stairs of the hotel and whisked out of the front door as he made a haste to his beloved. There was still a smile on his face, wide and grand as he chuckled at the thought of her being the one to leave him this time around.

Using the time he had he began thinking about things, more importantly he began thinking about their future. Sure, they could continue on their partnership despite being together but it became apparent that sooner or later they may want to consider joining a guild together. To him it didn’t matter if they were alone or not, but a guild would offer them stability and a place to stay just until they get a place of their own. Maybe they could get a place in the heart of the city…

Soon the castle came into view and on a bench was his darling Alyssa, as beautiful as she always was. He made his way to her near running and soon was at the bench where he wasted no time in picking her up for a hug and planting a kiss on her lips. “Hello gorgeous, you found us a job, when can we start?”

592/1800

Alyssa smiled when she saw Kenny approaching her. Allowing him to place the kiss on her lips, she stood, hugging him as well, embracing the warmth that she was used to. Arcane happily ran up and nudged the man's leg, demanding attention as well. His tail was wagging, showing no ill will towards Kenny. Taking his hand, Alyssa pulled him to the front gates, pointing out the guards. "We will be training those sad excuses for guards. They are supposedly stronger than us, but by the way they act, I feel like I could take them down with no problem." Alyssa muttered. They wandered into the gates and right past the guards. Finding the man Alyssa was looking for, she smiled.

"Sirius? Hello, my colleague here and I have come to train your guards. From what I have seen, we have a long day ahead of us. How did you want us to do it?" Alyssa asked the man. He rubbed his chin, looking out at his guards and sighed.

"These men need to shape up. They used to be the most feared guards in all the land. They have grown lazy. I do not care how you have to do it, break some bones, put them in their place and get them back off their lazy asses. I will be watching to see their progress...and how well you do the job. If you two do well, I may have work for you in the future." The man said. Okay, so train the men, get them off of their asses. Alyssa could do that and she knew Kenny could too. Making her way out to the court yard, Alyssa walked up to the nearest guard and grabbed his arm, turning him to face her. She swiftly punched him in the face, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Pathetic, I barely hit you." She muttered, rolling her eyes. "Get off your asses and give me a lap around the complex, NOW!" None of the men moved except the one on the ground. He got up and wiped the blood off his lip. Not saying anything, he tried delivering a punch back to Alyssa, which she sidestepped. As his fist went by her face, she grabbed it and twisted it behind his back and kicked his knees, causing them to buckle and him to fall again, this time snapping the shoulder of his own arm the way he fell. He cried out in pain and Alyssa narrowed her eyes at the rest of the men before her. "I said NOW!" They took off in the direction of the gate, making a lap around the complex.

Alyssa turned to look at Kenny. "I could get used to having this sort of strength." She leaned against his side while she waited for the slow men. "How did you sleep, handsome? I am sorry I left so early but Arcane needed to go out. I decided that I would get us a quest this time."

1205/2000

Her embrace was something that he selfishly indulged in, he hugged her back savoring their moments together greedily just before Arcane would nudge his leg. Holding onto her hand Kenny took a knee and pet the fire type on the head gingerly before he and Alyssa would enter the gates and she pointed out a few guards. When Kenny spotted them they came off as lazy and undermotivated… Did someone clone him? They were lazing about so badly he had mistaken them for copies of his old self. “Well if anyone can whip them into shape I’m sure we can.” he held her hand as they approached another man.

When she let him go Kenny’s hand balled up into a fist. Oh how he loved her touch, he looked up from his fist and at her as she punched one of the guards… Oh, how he LOVED THAT touch. It looked like she knocked the poor bastard’s lights out, alas, she only knocked him on his ass however. She had proven time and time again that both sides of her were able to hold their own against him, so these guards wouldn’t be too much trouble for her. He watched her get to work on the one she punched she humiliated him and sent the others around the area on a jog. “Well damn... I didn’t know you were a drill instructor.” he joked watching the men cower and bolt off.

Though now that it was just the two of them, he placed an arm around her waist and thought of an answer to her question, “I slept well, and It’s fine and I appreciate that you would do that.” he assured her, “I was thinking though… Tonight, how about we got to your spot in the woods? Better yet, how about you meet me there?” he asked, he had something planned for the two of them, what better way to celebrate a job well done then some time by the lake? He would wait for her answer though at the same time he would break their embrace and cup his hands around his mouth, “Make it twenty laps around the castle!” he called after the men.

“That should hold them over,” he looked back at her, “So, what do you say?”

There wasn’t any doubt in his mind about what he was going to do when they got there, though in case the split took over when they did meet, that being if she agreed, he may need some extra protection on his person. He didn’t mind Lyss, he loved her and Alyssa the same, but damn if she didn’t leave deep scratches on him. The last time they were together he had looked like he was mauled by a cougar. That and if she didn’t like what he had in store he didn’t want to be drowned in the lake. Why the dark thoughts? Well, he was cautious. He didn’t want to hurt her, and-

One of the guards came back, hands on his knees as he breathed heavily gasping for air. “M-Ma’am, can we get a water break?” he asked looked to Alyssa. Sadly for him, Kenny stepped into his view and looked down at him.

“Water? Now why would you want that?” Kenny met him at eye level, “You’re a fierce guard! You don’t need water, what you need is a kick in the ass and luckily for you I’m just the man to give it to ya!” and with that he grabbed the guard by his collar and quite literally kicked him in the ass making him tumble over. Water… The nerve of these men. If Kenny had this job he would do it without such petty treats.

1215/1800

Alyssa loved that Kenny seemed to be getting closer to her, constantly holding her hand or wrapping a protective arm around her waist. She liked seeing the jealously in his eyes when another man looked at her or talked to her. She liked everything about the protective man that he was. Her spot? He had remembered that? "Of course I will meet you there tonight. Say after we shower off this sweat we are about to be covered in?" She suggested. The men had finished their tenth lap around the castle and were going around once again. Sweat was dripping off of their bodies already and Alyssa could not imagine how little stamina they must have had to be sweating off of the short run. They were not fit to be royal guards.

Her mind drifted off to what Kenny had in store for her at their spot. Was he planning on breaking it off with her after he had finally admitted his feelings to her? Alyssa was too paranoid for her own good and she definitely had trouble seeing the good in things. In every positive situation, she could find a negative. She inherited that trait from her father. Always seeing the bad in everything, including the best situations. When her mother and father had married, her dad had created a huge scene, speaking of how her mother was going to cheat on him and how he did not even know why he had got into a relationship with her anyhow. Maybe that is why her parents were never happy. She did not want the same fate as them, so she was trying to start seeing the positive in things. There were many positives here in the relationship with this man.

As the men finished their last lap, Alyssa escaped out of Kenny's hold to move in front of the men. "Did we say you could rest? I want to see you spar, now." The men all groaned and moved into a position with each other. She watched as they began to strike each other, weak blow after weak blow. Shaking her head, Alyssa had an idea, she looked up at Kenny with a smirk. "Watch how a real girl does it." She winked and made her way to the nearest guard. "Okay, stop. You, come here. You are gonna spar with me." Squaring her body up with the man, she let him make the first move.

The man threw a right hook which Alyssa ducked down to dodge before sending a blow straight to his stomach. "You are slow. Which means in combat you need to use your weight to your advantage." This seemed to piss the man off. He threw a kick to her side, barely catching her, but it still hurt a bit. "Good," She would not be hit again. As he came back for a jab, she dodged to the left and came back with her left fist, sending it flying into the man's face as a left hook. As he fell, she grabbed the back of his head, pulling his face down into her knee that she had brought up. He fell, out like a light.

She continued to spar with the others, pointing out what each of them were doing wrong. Then she handed them over to Kenny. She had done all she could and had honestly been beaten up pretty good herself. She sat down on the bench, watching as she allowed Kenny to take over training the men for a bit while she recovered. Then again, it would be nice to watch Kenny get all sweaty with the men.

1815/2000

Kenny scratched the back of his head and looked up at the sky for a brief moment. So much to do, so little time. She agreed to meet him, fantastic, it’d take him awhile to set up their evening but with any luck he would get it done before she came. For now he would have to deal with these bumbling, grumbling guards and their lack of stamina and movability. He watched them wither and run bounding until they were out of gas, and back in front of them. Not a one of them was in shape to do anything beyond collapsing and sitting around, they would need some stricter training. Kenny could give it to them, but he would need to get himself ready first, well, it was more him having to think things through.

His mind was on and off of the job and back on Alyssa and Lyss. He could set up a dinner for the two of them? No, that would be too basic, but it might have been effective as well. Maybe some wine? Then again he hated wine, could never really stomach it personally. He would have to think of something sooner or later, but for now it was back to work. Odd, when Kenny’s mother had told him about falling in love and all of that jazz she told him that he would have to give whoever he loved 100% of his attention, it seemed like he was giving Alyssa far more than that, so much that he was over thinking everything they could do together or better yet what he would do to her. It couldn’t be too much, but it couldn’t be too little, he had to do something that the she would enjoy immensely hopefully.

When the men finished their laps, Alyssa brought up a spar Kenny watched closely. She was so powerful, but so graceful. He could watch her go at it all day if he was being honest, she ordered a spar the men fought on and weakly punched each other. It seemed to be a laughable effort, but Kenny wasn’t one to speak having been concussed by one of Alyssa’s punches. When she squared up with one of the guards, she once again humiliated one of them without too much effort. She was amazing, but scary all at the same time. When he threw a kick Kenny stepped forward to intervene, but he stayed back as she handled herself well.


Soon it was Kenny’s turn to handle the remaining guards, he would strip himself of his top and tossed it aside. He flexed a bit to show off, but more importantly to help him loosen up. “Alright lineup, you know what’s wrong with you, but now i’m going to show you a little something.” he began, he stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders. This was going to be something else. He pointed to the one that Alyssa had sparred with at first and gestured for him to come forward. Shaky, but surely the guard stepped up and Kenny put an arm around him, “Alright, you guys are going to need more work and with any luck we’ll get something into your heads, so first lesson we’re just going to do some basic exercise and then get you worms out of our sight.” he put the guard in a headlock and fell to a knee to force him down, “First thing’s first, I want you all to give me a couple hundred push ups, if any of you tire out I’ll cut off the air to his brain and kill him.” The guards gasped and fell immediately to begin their work out.

Kenny leaned down to whisper into the man’s ear, “You kicked my girl, I don’t like that…” he spoke lowly, just enough for the others to hear him, “You touched her and now I have to touch you, and you won’t enjoy this.” he tightened his grip and the guard’s limbs began flailing, he tried to push Kenny and make him budge but Kenny stayed put and tightened around the man’s neck like a anaconda coiling around the neck of a victim. Soon the flailing stopped and the man fell unconscious just as his fellow guards stopped. Kenny let him go and dropped his limp corpse on the ground.


“Let that be a warning to you all, if you keep goofing off and screwing around you’ll end up like your buddy. Dead as a fuckin’ door knob.” he laughed, the guard wasn’t dead, but Kenny made a point to choke him out. The guards stood silent and saluted, going back to do laps around the complex without being asked.

“Now lover, let’s get our money and get to the showers, I think it’s time we did some sparring of our own.”

2021/1800

Alyssa had nearly fainted when Kenny had pulled off his shirt. She would never truly be used to seeing the man in his fully glory. Watching as he whipped the men into shape, she smirked. This man was a god. He might have been just as weak as her, but you would never see it. The way he commanded the men made her swoon even more. At that point even she wanted to bend to his will. He was certainly a leader. She watched closely as he put the guard into a headlock, and though she could not hear what he had said to him, she could tell it scared him. Upon completion of training the men, Alyssa and Kenny collected their reward from Sirius and made their way out of the complex.

After Kenny had made his comment, Alyssa blushed. She followed closely behind them as they left. Yes, the shower and some sparring of their own sounded just right in this situation. She pocketed her jewels and took Kenny's arm, secretly feeling the muscles flex under her touch. Boy did she love this man.

2002/2000