To say that she was excited about the meeting she had planned was an understatement. Not only was this the first time after the war that she was able to spend some quality time with her best friend, but she had also prepared a rather grand surprise for her. That surprise came in the form of the companions she had brought with her into the Crocus Gardens. Not only was a certain obsidian-haired trickster present, but beneath the shade of a nearby tree a feminine-looking elf was excitedly reading a book, while another boyish-looking one was swinging back and forth along the branches of the aforementioned tree.

However, there was one very mysterious detail about the elves: their skin was much darker than the fair ones most elves had. "I wonder how Lia will react to the idea of meeting elves, although Asmodeus did mention they were 'dark elves'..." The girl raised a hand to her cheek, seemingly lost in thought when suddenly she heard a loud "WEEEE~" And a force knock her onto the ground, causing the lass to look up to notice the boyish elf from before was now sitting on top of her back. "Yo~ You looked rather nervous, did I knock it out of you?"

Esperia laughed weakly as she rested her head lightly on the bed of flowers and hummed softly. "Guess you did Aura~"

Liana's timely arrival caused Esperia to look up at the young elf with a sheepish grin. "One way to call it I guess~ Asmodeus would call it babysitting." Yet the elf on her back who had dismounted the girl as she stood upright puffed her cheeks in a complaint at that statement, quickly correcting Esperia. "Oooy who are you calling a baby?! I'm at least three times the age of you and your friend!" the boyish-looking elf crossed her arms beneath her chest and huffed lightly, making Esperia giggle softly. "Aye~ Aye~ Sorry Aura~ Either way, this is the friend I wanted you to meet."

Aura turned toward Liana with a curious look on her face. "Hmm an elf? No, actually she kind of looks like a half-blood." The dark-skinned elf mused softly while Esperia addressed her friend with a sheepish grin. "Asmodeus promised you to tell you more about elves right? And who better to ask than the twins? The girlish looking one beneath the tree who is occupied in reading a book is Mare, and the feisty one at our side is Aura~ Also before you get confused: Swap their genders, Mare is the boy, Aura is the girl~" Hearing those words the elf beneath the tree's cheeks flushed up lightly while Aura grinned sheepishly at Liana. "Of course I'm a girl! Anyways~ Pleased to meet ya~ Liana was it?"

It was curious that Mare and Aura were able to identify Liana as a human who had turned into an elf, was there some sort of difference between them and a 'true' elf or a Pureblood as they called it? Nonetheless, Liana's concerned words about the war made Esperia nod her head sheepishly.

"It was really scary... like there were Grimoire Heart members attacking the Embassies where I was at, and some of them tried to attack me but Sebastian stopped them and then Fia arrived to help me." The girl nodded her head a few times, clearly still a bit shaken by the memory while she continued to explain. "We even had to fight an assassin who tried to kill a Rune Knight! lots of scary things, and there was a Lycan called Fenrir and a guy in a weird suit..."

The last bit made her giggle a bit before she nodded her head lightly, her cheeks coloring up a red tint of embarrassing as she explained. "She'll be fine~ Although she suffered some injuries during the battle Fia is really tough and was able to handle most of it as if they were scratches or bruises, that and if she is well enough for 'celebrating' I'm sure she will be her old self again soon enough~"

Esperia had to admit that just being able to talk like this, the knowledge that those she loved and cared for well all alive and well was a blessing in its own right already. Esperia smiled softly at her childhood friend as she was helped upright again, yet what followed was a gesture she had not expected. The gently pull as Liana wrapped her arms around her, the tender embrace making Esperia's body freeze up for a moment. Not out of fear, but because a familiar sensation resurfaced within her chest. Her heart skipped a beat as the elf's lips moved over to her ear, the soft whisper as her breath tickled her earlobe making a familiar voice resurface in her thoughts. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Liana's comment about having missed being close to her, to be able to hug her in such a warm way left Esperia with a mixture of feelings. As Asmodeus suggested, even if she loved Fia in a romantic way, to suppress and bury her intense feelings for her childhood friend was a difficult, if not impossible task for her. "You're always welcome to hug me~" Esperia mused playfully although the words spoken afterward made her gaze lower slightly while Aura, getting a cue had moved over to her brother to give the two girls some privacy. "I... I was really hurt by what you did back then. Ignoring me while being entirely enamored by Alisa, you didn't even come home to our room that night..." The girl's gaze shifted back to Liana's face while she explained further. "Although I love Fia immensely, much more than I can possibly describe, I can't just erase those feelings I hold for you either."

She paused as she thought about how to express the next bit, she finally leaned up to Liana's ear, giving it a playful nibble while she whispered in a more sensual tone. "Although Asmodeus might amplify my lust for you, it still isn't able to make her match the affection and love I hold for you, both as a friend and someone I care even more deeply for."

Yet after those words, she leaned back and smiled softly. "But I can't have everything I desire~ So as long as Fia continues to love me, I think I will be able to endure those unrequited feelings. So yes, we still have to keep our promise~ I'm not going to let you get away from me just because you'd rather like to do naughty things to someone with big pillows like Alisa than me~" A mischievous snicker followed as she looked at Liana and mused softly. "To go on adventures with you and Fia sounds like the most fun way to spend the rest of my life~"

The tight embrace slowly caused her cheeks to flush up in embarrassment, the combination of feeling those soft pillows press against her and the sweet floral scent of her childhood friend making Esperia muse softly, her words barely a whisper. "Did your pillows grow when you became an elf?" Whoops, it seems her mind was getting sidetracked again, and it didn't help that her excitement was stirred even further when Liana's lips moved closer to her cheek. The pleasant scent, the soft sensation pressing against her chest, and then that gentle and innocent kiss, it made her entire face turn as red as a tomato as she felt that familiar sensation resurface. If there was one thing that Esperia had learned ever since she awakened as the vessel for the Demon Lord of lust, then it was that lust and love could often be very close to one another, and yet remarkably different depending on the situation. Perhaps it was because of her relationship with Liana that it was difficult to grasp what sensation was overwhelming her. Was it love, or was it lust? Looking into the elf's eyes as she had voiced her promise once more Esperia smiled tenderly at her friend. Yet it was at the same time she found herself wondering something once more: That sound Liana made earlier was surprisingly cute, and she found herself almost instinctively drawn to try to coax it out of her friend again, the moment her hands were grasped Esperia gently pushed her hands forwards, attempting to rest them onto the elf's hips while leaning upwards once more to take another light nibble at her pointed ears, a playful little lick of the tip of her tongue following as she whispered softly. "hehe~ make that sound again for me..."

It was at that moment she understood it: It didn't matter if it was lust because her lust and desire were made entirely from the affection and love she held for the elf. Perhaps it was for that reason that she was said to be so compatible with the Demon Lord. "nom~ nom~" The girl giggled softly in between her nibling, only causing it to send small vibrations through the elf's sensitive ears. Certainly, the future would have plenty of travels in mind for the duo, but for the time being, she would be satisfied with teasing Liana till her legs grew weak~

Esperia's lips curved up into a mischievous smile as Liana giggled at her remark and upon playfully raising her hand used one of her fingers to poke in the pillowy flesh. "Mhmm~ You were already big, but now you're even bigger~" And of course the teasing nibbling continued with each whispered word. "But it makes you even more fun to snuggle~"

The light squeal was music to her ears, the shiver that ran across the elf's body and the sound that she thought might have been a moan making the obsidian-haired trickster's eyes spark with a renewed excitement and liveliness. "Oh mai~ guess I will have to get us somewhere a little bit more private then." The girl mused softly as she took a final lick at Liana's ear and leaned back once more. "Mhmm~ Reckless and Perverted are two words that fit me well, right next to adorable I guess!" A little giggle escaped her lips as she nuzzled her head gently into her friend's bosom when she mused out loud. "I'm not sure any god would answer my prayers, considering I'm Asmodeus' vessel, but I'm truly glad we made it out of the war alive. I don't even want to imagine what I would have done if something happened to you."

Knowing her she would likely first had been consumed by grief before her hatred would consume her and she would track down any Grimoire Heart member she knew. Still, there was something on her mind, something the girl voiced quickly enough. "While I wanted to use today to have the twins teach you about elves, I want to be greedy and take your time all for myself~ Can I? I'd like to go somewhere with you~ Just the two of us~"

"Well~ to be more specific it's two locations I have in mind~" Esperia mused softly as she gently placed her hand into Liana's own and guided her toward the nearby path while the elf twins waved at the duo, seemingly amused at the change of events. However, as they traversed the path Esperia guided her toward a more secluded part of the Crocus Garden and hummed softly. "The second location is the bath house! It has those warm springs that make you feel super relaxed and I think taking a dip in them is just what we need to relax~" Her footsteps slowed down as the duo reached a clearing surrounded by trees and bushes, and amidst a large flower field stood several... graves? Seemingly intending to explain the potential confusion for her childhood friend Esperia explained further. "I recently learned about those graves from a local."

Wandering amidst the collection of graves she finally stopped right before one in particular, flowers scattered over the tombstone and the grave itself as Esperia kneeled down and her usual goofy smile turned more serene. "Good morning... sis." A gentle brush of her hand over the tombstone revealed a small inscription:

A flower-coated gravestone wrote:Fallen in defense of the realm and her loved ones
May the Holy Knight Aseria Eisenberg enjoy eternal peace in Illumin's embrace.

"It's been a while, hasn't it? We haven't spoken since the day you died... Back when the Lycan pack attacked our family." The girl sighed softly, closing her eyes as she mused softly. "A lot has happened since then. The feud between our family and the Lycan pack is over and I learned the truth about our family. It's still a bit scary, to know that we were born and raised to be the vessel for a Demon Lord, and yet you never cared, did you? To you I was always that silly little sister you adored so much."

A hand raised to her eyes, a desperate effort to restrain herself from getting teary-eyed but soon her hand lowered and she smiled warmly at the grave. "But I'm fine now~ I'm traveling with two really wonderful girls now. The girl at my side is Liana~ You likely won't believe it, but she wasn't always an elf~ Also she is really sweet and caring and often worries a lot, hehe a little bit too much even~"

The girl giggled sheepishly as she continued. "She also has those pointed ears that are fun to nibble on because it causes her to make those really cute and sexy sounds~ Oh! and she is really good with a sword from what I heard, much better than me! She also is a pervert like me, but prefers to hide it in a closet~ Does that make her a closet pervert?"

A sheepish giggle followed as she continued. "Next time I'll take Fia with me also so you can meet her, Fia is pretty feisty! but a really sweet girl who has her heart at the right place~ She also has a really fun way to give nicknames." The girl nodded her head a few times before she took a deep breath. "What I want to say sis is... I'm fine~ I'm becoming a lot stronger now than when I was a child, and no matter what Asmodeus plans, I will become even stronger so that I can always protect those that are dear to me, just like you did... I'm no longer alone, not anymore... And as long as they remain at my side I'm sure I will be able to live a happy and exciting life."

A soft smile lingered on Esperia's lips at Liana's words, feeling the gentle massage on her shoulders. A moment of peace lingered as a soft wind breeze blown across the small graveyard, the brush against her cheeks somewhat tickling as she finally rose to her feet and turned toward Liana. "There we go~ now that sis is assured we can go to our next destination~"

In an attempt to gently scoop a hand onto the palm of Liana's hand she was quick to try to lead the girl along to their next destination. Fortunately, it was not that far away, a modest building a few streets away from the gardens, and with a lack of reservation, she opened the door with a sheepish grin. "Miss! It's me~ Esperia!"

The girl's cheerful exclamation was greeted by an elderly lady behind a counter who laughed sheepishly at her entree. "Esperia~ And it seems you brought along a rather cute guest, didn't you?" A playful nod came from the girl as she asked with a grin. "Say~ Is that one spring reserved yet? the one Lilith likes to use?"

The elderly lady shook her head lightly, placing a key n the counter. "It's still available my dear~ You two enjoy yourself, just make sure to bring back the towels once you're done." Of course the excited trickster didn't need to be told twice. "Hai~ Let's go Lia~" and soon she marched down a nearby corridor while explaining further. "Asmodeus often comes here to relax~ I think she even visited this place with Alisa before."

The girl mused softly as she unlocked the door leading into what appeared to be a spacious hot spring, and not only was it walled off, it seemed entirely private! Perfect for what she had in mind. "Nyehehe~ I think today I'm going to help you relax a lot!" A few nods of approval came from herself as if she was agreeing with her own idea before explaining in a playful tone. "Mhmm~ But first how about Lia washes my back and I do the same for you? It's always more fun to have someone else go 'rub rub'~"

Poor Liana, if only she had known that her thoughts about Esperia's intentions were quite correct, for the Eisenberg had started stripping out of her clothes without any hesitation. "Oho?" Her gaze shifting sideways as she spotted Liana changing with her back to her she had to admit that seeing the backside of her childhood friend was quite a temptation,

"Say Liana~ Now that the war is over, we should start thinking about where to go next, do you have any place you'd like to see? Maybe somewhere with lots of trees?"

Musing out loud Esperia was trying to figure out a good location that could please both Liana and Fia at the same time, and after seeing the elven maiden wrap the towel around her Esperia's eyes had a twinkle of mischief in them.

"Li~A~Na~ You do realize you're committing a taboo right?" Esperia mused softly as she slowly walked over to her childhood friend, clearly not troubled by the fact she was quite literally in her 'birthday suit' as some might jokingly call her lack of attire. "Nobody heard about wearing towels at a time like this!"

A few nods of affirmation followed as she soon added with a more playful tone. "Or could it be that you're playing a present box and are waiting for me to unwrap you at the spring?"

A gentle nod of agreement came when Liana mentioned that they could plan something together on terms of their next destination. She had not really thought about anything just yet, but she was sure as long as there were forests and some sort of excitement to be found that both Liana and Fia would be sure to enjoy their stay there. Noticing the faint blush Esperia giggled softly, part of her having expected that sort of modesty, but the sudden change of the subject left her somewhat startled, even if her expression didn't show it as much. In the end, she had wanted to snuggle with her friend, to tease Liana till she was giggling herself silly and blushing even redder than a tomato, but it seemed those plans would have to be canceled.

The way she had taken a seat, using her arms to cover those pillows she adored so much and her legs closed to one another left an unpleasant feeling in the girl's chest. Even as she dipped the sponge into the water and coated it with soap she felt that feeling intensify.

Am I not good enough?

Despite her effort to smile away the gloomy thought she couldn't help but think back about that day during Halloween. Back then, even if she had been under the partial influence of the alcoholic beverage Esperia recognized there was an overwhelming difference in the way Liana acted toward their mutual senior at the Blue Pegasus guild and herself.

That reservation when it came to moments like this... It hurt her, and even if she tried to suppress it by gently rubbing the soap-soaked sponge against Liana's back she couldn't shake of the gloomy thoughts.

What does she have that I don't?

A glimpse downwards made her wonder if it might have been her bust. Liana did seem quite fond of large busts, and while she might not have been flat by any means, she was still quite unable to match Alisa when it came to size.

Why can't you look at me the same way you look at her?

Was it too much to ask? She would have even been fine if Liana had been polygamous in nature, but in the end, she was only seen as a friend... She wasn't a fool or naive enough to not know something had likely happened between Alisa and Liana that night she didn't go back to their room, the time they ceased sleeping in the same room...

How odd it felt that despite the friendly nature between them such a large distance had grown between the two of them. The gentle rubs continued as she proceeded to wash Liana's shoulders, the last part of her backside that she had yet to focus on but right afterwards it seemed the girl considered things done, for she rose back onto her feet and attempted to reach the spring, all for the sake of fully submerging herself into the water to conceal her face.

Stop it Asmodeus, stop making me feel this...
You know what it means to be my vessel Esperia: To act upon your desires is an essential part of your nature.

Her hands clutched into small fists at the words spoken by the demon lord.

You know the consequences...

While being submerged a lot of thoughts drifted through the girl's mind. Thoughts that were her own, thoughts that were Asmodeus' and desires that might have belonged to both of them. To say that Esperia was a girl who lived and prospered through her lust and desires was quite an honest and correct statement, and that was understandable considering her being the vessel for the Demon Lord of Lust. However, as she tried her best to let the thoughts wash away the girl's face emerged at the surface of the water, similar to an alligator as she listened to Liana's statement. It was true, most of the time Liana had an unnatural knack for reading her emotions like a book, perhaps a testimony to how easy Esperia was on terms of reading her feelings and thoughts.

"blub blub blub" although the girl had replied, it seemed that her words were illegible, courtesy of the water covering her mouth. A soft shake of her head followed as the girl finally allowed her face to emerge, seemingly on the brink of answering Liana's statement about feeling awkward when the girl's perverted tenacities tended to show up, the fact she wanted Esperia to be the happiest as she could be was still heartwarming to hear.

Perhaps... perhaps it was time to tell her... thinking about the matter Esperia felt the arm gently reach for her, the halfway hug making her cheeks flush up lightly as she felt more determined to answer Liana, but little had prepared her for the surprise the elf had prepared. Esperia had just finished her decision and as Liana's words reached her ears and the hold on her shoulder was released the girl turned her body so she was before Liana. "Ah~ yeah, I guessed as much, you likely prefer for me to---- EEEEEEEEEEH?!"

A loud exclamation of surprise came from the girl as she bounced upright, clearly looking shocked at the statement, and it didn't help either that Liana had a full frontal view of Esperia in all her uncensored glory as the girl's unsteady movement made her stagger slightly, seemingly falling face-first into the bosom of the busty elf.

"Uwawawa, that's way too sudden of a surprise and it isn't even my birthday." Esperia mused softly amidst Liana's cleavage but quickly pulled herself upright and took a deep breath. "I umm..." She took a deep breath and finally resumed speaking. "There is something I haven't told you yet..."

She smiled briefly as she decided to sit before Liana so the two of them were face to face. "The truth is that there is a reason behind why I'm so openly with my perverted actions. As Asmodeus' vessel I have to be honest with my desires and longing, if I'm not then it ends up hurting me physically, and should I keep them suppressed for too long... I could die."

She closed her eyes for a moment, gently trying to scoop a hold of Liana's hand and take it to her own chest. "I understand... that you don't know yet what this type of love I seek means, and that I haven't experienced it much yet myself either. So instead: Let's both do whatever we like with each other?"

She winked playfully as she resumed her explanation. "I made my resolve Lia~ Just as much as I desire you, I also desire for you to be happy and make your own choice rather than being forced into it. Whatever choice you make, it won't change our friendship. Although..."

Her cheeks flushed up slightly as she felt her heart skip a beat at a certain thought. "I kind of like the idea of a snuggle sandwich..." whispering beneath her breath the little lewdling quickly turned her focus back to the conversation as she raised her free hand to playfully give one of her childhood friend's pillows a gentle squeeze.

"I kind of missed that warmth... So Liana~ What do YOU want to do?"

She was prepared for it, if Liana did decide to reject her confession a second time she would have decided to turn the focus of her feelings elsewhere, but never would she allow it to damage their friendship. Although she kind of wanted to see how Fia would react if she suddenly brought Liana along and asked if they could include a snuggle buddy.

"But... I wonder if big busts is something universal for all elves, or if it's just the fact you were always quite well-armed in that department~" A mischievous giggle followed by the girl as she waited for Liana's reaction, although she might have been physically teasing the girl, it was clear that the answer provided could change things remarkable.

As the vessel for the Demon Lord of lust, how could she possibly resist a temptation like this? The answer was: she simply couldn't. Feeling Liana's hands gently pull her head closer, the girl soon found herself trapped inside that soft cleavage once more, and if by then her mind had not turned putty, then it clearly would have been now. A satisfied little sigh escaped her lips as her hands gently slid up around Liana's waist, pulling herself closer in an embrace. What was it that she wanted? What was it that she desired? For a moment she closed her eyes and tried to find the answer to those questions. At first, the familiar figure of her lover popped in in her mind, a warm and pleasant sensation coursing through her body, but at the same time, she felt something... different? The image distorted, and as if on cue with her desires she suddenly felt the image turn to resemble the elf that her childhood friend had become.

Love and Lust, both were quite close to one another, to the point, the girl felt it was almost impossible to find a difference, aside from the fact that when both were combined it was the most pleasant sensation to experience in the world. She felt confused, but at the same time while her heart was confused her body was much more honest with her desires. A hand trailed up to Liana's bust, fingers gently pressing into that soft flesh while she looked upwards at Liana with a sheepish grin. "You better don't give up after one round~" Esperia remarked teasingly, briefly leaning up to give the girl a kiss on the lips while her hands started wandering...

[FTB]

How long had passed? It felt like at least hours had passed, and yet Esperia had to admit she was quite impressed. To think that Liana had enough endurance to keep up with her all the way till both were knocked out from exhaustion... Considering her body had benefitted from Asmodeus' unnatural endurance the fact Liana was able to keep up spoke quite highly of her abilities, and she didn't just mean the naughty variation. By the time both woke up again they would find that there was quite a good reason for Esperia to have selected this spring. Not only did it serve well to make it less obvious from what had happened, something that was quite easy to imagine normally judging from all the moans, gasps and giggles that came from the spring, that in combination with the warm temperature had made it a pleasant experience in more way than one, and by the time Liana would have woken up she could have, without a doubt found the obsidian-haired trickster nuzzling against her.

"hnnn~ time to go back to the inn I guess~" Esperia whispered as she stirred softly, her face brushing lightly against the bosom of her companion while she mused playfully. "I never thought you'd actually taste like honey~"

[EXIT]