"Uhh, this is the place right Origin?" Aretha questioned, looking up at the Pethisilea Hotel. Origin shot a lazy glare at her. "How am I suppose to know? The whole time you wouldn't let me look at the instructions because you were oh so sure you'd be able to find it on your own. Besides, that was a stupid question. What other Pethisilea Hotel is there? Just head inside and we'll figure out whether or not it's the right place." Origin pushed open the door to the hotel, holding it open while a slightly irritated Aretha entered and then following her inside. After a moment of asking around for Xia, they had been lead to the hotel pool, where they found both Xia and a young man with raven black hair.
The princess's face brightened up upon seeing her two Babylonian friends enter the hotel, the pool area. She'd been waiting for a while for their arrival, hadn't Satsuki last messaged her about it two days ago? Had they gotten lost while in the subway system, perhaps? It wouldn't be the first time someone got lost... but for two days? She decided not to question it and waved her friends over - until she realized that they looked much more womanly and pretty than she did. A strange pang of jealosy threatened to bubble up but she kept it down. ”Tommy! These are my friends, that one's Origin, and the other's Aretha!" In a slightly quieter voice... ”...They're pretty, right? Aren't they?"
Thomas was quite a bit surprised to be joined by others but nonetheless pleased. He grinned broadly and went to the edge of the pool to greet them, outstretching a hand to shake. "Thomas Blackwheat at your service, it's nice to meet you."
He blushed slightly at Xia's comment knowing she probably had to have been feeling a little self conscious comparing their body types. "I feel lucky to find myself surrounded by beautiful girls."
Thomas' wings fluttered slightly upon his action of standing in the water as they attempted to shake the excess water from the speckled eggshell colored feathers. He tried not to splash water on the girls if they didn't want it however and seemed to shudder slightly at the motion, not really cold or anything just trying to stop from dripping so profusely.
A half smile crossed Origin's face, and while Aretha practically sprinted towards Xia and Tommy, she approached the three of them slowly. "Sorry it took us so long, Aretha...isn't exactly the best with directions." Origin had then turned her attention towards Thomas and shook his hand cautiously, as Aretha was clearly preoccupied with Xia. Aretha had lifted the poor girl out of the water and had encompassed her body in a bear hug, not caring for getting wet. "Xia~, it's so good to see you again! How have you and Lux been? Ignore Origin's slander about me, she's just mad because I didn't let her help."
Xia was lifted into the air by Aretha, whose antics she mostly knew how to handle, the hug feeling nice and comfy, though she had a slight feeling the hug had a little bit of extra force due to her appreciative giggle at Origin's little joke. ”Aha, it's so nice seeing you guys again! Sis and I, we're-" Her smile faded for a brief second, knowing Lux probably wasn't happy with her recent rebellion, but decided no one really needed to know about that. That was just silliness, right? ”We're great! I'm sorry it took so long, I'll write out better, more detailed subway maps later!"
She was doing her best to ignore the fact that she seemed even more childlike when being lifted up like this, compared to Aretha and Origin. Of course she noted the very... diplomatic response he had, and decided to tend to that, cheeks somewhat red. ”So! So, um... Tommy, who do you think is the most beautiful? Everyone has a favorite, right?"
Thomas couldn't help but feel the invisible walls of a trap closing in around him. It was imperative he answered appropriately. "Such a dangerous question right off the bat, huh. I'm not really a judge of image more of a personality kind of guy, to categorize most and least beautiful is an unkind thing to do anyways." He chuckled nervously. "Besides everyone shines in their own way." He deeply wanted a change in topic and turned to the pair that had arrived. "So whereabouts do you two come from?"
Ignoring Thomas's clear aversion of the question, Aretha released Xia and set her back down on the ground. "Origin and I come from Babylon, it's a long way down south from Nox". It might be the only major city that is ran by a human, and where do you come from, handsome?"
Once she was lowered back into the pool, Xia lowered herself so only her eyes were above the surface, cheeks puffed out as Aretha turned her attention to her winged friend, calling him... handsome. Her mind went blank so she decided to just wait and see what he would say as a response, a weird feeling in her chest. She suddenly felt extremely conscious of her lack of... curves, one could say, and hiding in the water could help hide that, maybe? She pulled the hair ties out of her hair, letting it flow to it's full length around her head in the water.
Thomas blushed visibly at being called handsome and payed very careful mind of where his eyes went. "I'm originally from an old bandit town up in the north, it's not there anymore though, the bandits have dispersed as they usually do after a while. Most people don't stay bandits for their entire life."
Noticing that the girls from Babylon were not in pool attire, and knowing it would help the hotel, even a little bit, she pointed them towards the gift shop, head still mostly submerged in the water. ”...You can buy swimsuits and souvenirs and lots of things! It's all very cheap, and very high quality!" She was lacking her usual business-like enthusiasm, but hopefully it worked. ”It's just that way, in the lobby." She then pouted silently at Tommy, diving her head back under the water to hide the faint blush.
"Ah! Right, come on Origin lets go!" Aretha ran off ahead, Origin waved a hand towards Xia and Thomas before following after Aretha. Right away, Aretha had tried to chose a swimsuit that was barely string, before being swiftly reminded by Origin there children at the pool as well, and then she quickly chose something else. Origin of course had chosen something that was more modest, and they quickly changed before heading back to the pool. Straight away, Aretha had lept into the pool, water flying everywhere. "We're back!" She shouted as she emerged from under the water.
Once they had wandered off to the lobby to get swimsuits Thomas glanced at Xia concernedly, hoping he hadn't hurt her feelings somehow. He had no time to speak however because the pair took no time getting back and jumping into the pool. He sighed ever so slightly and sank back into the water, submerging himself completely. 'Why on earth are girls so difficult anyhow?' He asked himself sourly. He held his breath to see how long he could handle the anxiety as it crept in on him at the prospect of being completely enveloped in water. His wings opened slowly, feathers spreading and rippling with the water, useless by design under there. 'Wouldn't it be cool if I could learn how to swim with them. Be a pirate of sky and water.'
”Welcome ba- ... back! Her smile faltered briefly when she saw Aretha and how... well, how superior she was in every way that counted in terms of the female body. The princess glanced down at her own practically nonexistent chest, puffing her cheeks out again with dissatisfaction. Someone cool and handsome like Tommy liked them... bigger, didn't he? And her - uh, her behind wasn't all that shapely either, was it? Not really, right? She couldn't really win against Aretha, not like this at least. So Xia did what she could and floated over, positioning herself above Tommy's wings so that when he returned to the surface he'd be forced to give her a piggyback. Maybe she could win in t-terms of... of skinship! Touching! A bonding of th-the genders! Yeah!
Maybe?
When Thomas surfaced he came to realize a weight on top of him very quickly and of course he did what was natural...and panicked, thinking he was being drowned. Bubbles spewed from his lips and his wings stirred up the water with such force that waves erupted at either side of him. Xia probably felt them as they knocked into her legs and whatever else faced towards him feeling uniquely strange as they simultaneously felt muscular, bony, and soft in ways that didn't completely feel human. He didn't drown however as Thomas realized his feet where still on the ground and he righted himself, standing. He spun around gasping and spit water, coughing out an exclamation that could loosely be understood.
"I......thought......drowned...." He spluttered between coughs.
From the being whacked by the wings (which felt peculiar and not unpleasant) and Tommy's coughing, spluttering, and attempt at saying that he thought he was drowned, Xia floated off of his back, landing behind him, a sour expression. ”S-sorry for being so heavy...." She murmured in a tone that she had no idea she was even capable of. What was this, what was happening? She never acted so... petty around anyone before! But... it was also somewhat fun. A little bit. Was this yet another sign that she still wasn't fully grown yet?
"That's not it!" Thomas said after taking a moment to catch his breath. "I'm not a strong swimmer. I didn't expect you to be on my back and I panicked is all. You're actually....rather light for a girl..." He murmured, blushing lightly as he said so.
She brightened up at those words - while a part of her wanted to keep being petulant and pick on him for calling her 'light' and 'childish' and twisting his intentions, she also wanted to prove a point! And maybe felt a little bad for cornering him like this, too. ”Th-then! It's fine to... to piggyback, right?" Xia shyly floated up, hovering tentatively in the air before neslting herself on his shoulders, cheeks hot, so she shook her head letting her hair block her face - tickling the top of Tommy's head unintentionally with the edges. ”I-I bet I'm... easier than - than Aretha... to piggyback.... right?"
Thomas' blush only deepened. He glanced up at Xia then looked towards Aretha, not wanting to pick sides at all. "Well.....she is taller and older than you I think. It'd make sense that you were easier to piggyback." He blurted, realizing only afterwards how it sounded like he was calling Xia more childish. "N-not that you're....I mean she's not that much older right?"
""Aww, don't worry Xia. You aren't that heavy, and you're cute enough, you don't have to be jealous of me!" Aretha stated, ignoring Xia's rather blatant insult and giving her a backhanded compliment in return, before coming up being Xia and pulling her back into the water. Origin decided to stay out of all the arguments, and submerged herself under the water until it was over.
The princess let out a weak little mewling noise as she was yanked off of Tommy's back, splashing back into the water. What was she doing? This wasn't how to be a friend at all, and she still didn't understand why looking at Tommy made her feel strange and fluttery in her chest. ”Aretha's super pretty..." Xia mumbled, an honest expression on her face. ”Hopefully I can catch up in a few years... urggh..."
Thomas splashed water into his face and watched the two. He sighed and floated over to Xia, peering at her sympathetically. He spoke in a lowered, tactful voice,"Listen. It shouldn't have to be any kind of competition between you three. You are very beautiful Xia. Don't doubt it....however.....you're not quite old enough to be worrying about that. I have alot of fun being your friend, flying through the air and teaching you how to shoot things behind your sister's back.' He smiled at the thought.
"You're fun to be with and you're amazingly cute and guys'll like that no matter what. You don't have to make it a contest cause you'll win in your own way and Aretha will win in hers too. The body's not all that matters after all, we're not all cavemen. Partially maybe but not all." He chuckled "Let's just enjoy being friends for now and when you're sure of yourself and where you shine most who knows." He shrugged, blushing till his ears turned crimson and let the ripples in the water carry him wherever.
”Lux says that too! That I'm still too young!" She was a little frustrated, even though her chest seemed to swell when Tom said he had fun, and she giggled as she remembered learnng how to use the gun. She turned her gaze to the water, ashamed for being so silly to try and compete. ”How do I know when I'm old enough?"
"When you're sure of yourself and can go for it without worrying about comparing yourself to others." Thomas said after a short moment of thinking.
The princess's eyes seemed to sparkle as she understood, and she nodded, smiling a little mischievously. ”Thank you! I, um, I think I understand. Then she blinked, slightly confused, tilting her head. ”But, you know I'm a demon, right? I'm not sure if we share dna with the human cavemen or not!"
"Well to be fair I'm not entirely sure I'm human either so." He shrugged gesturing to his wings. "I've yet to meet another human with wings."
Xia poked the wing curiously, finding it hard to stare, as well, she too, hasn't ever seen someone with wings before, ever. Her cheeks flushed slightly though not for the same reasons as earlier - out of fear of being seen as rude or insensitive by touching them. ”They're pretty, I like them." She said kindly. ”But I like flying without wings, they.... don't seen so great with water. How can you fly in rain?"
"I can fly as long as it isn't downpouring." Thomas said, in an almost defensive tone. He was very protective of his wings, they were what gave him individuality. He'd feel less like himself without them. "And when has it last downpoured out here in the Desert anyways?"
The princess smirked a little, and she felt power gathering in her wrist, though she didn't activate it so the rain didn't start. ”I can make it downpour now if you want! Ehehe." Though, of course, she left out the pain involved. Someone cool like Tommy didn't need to know about that, right?
"Make it rain indoors?" He glanced up at the ceiling. He remembered when she'd brought enough water for his crow to drink. It'd be cool to see that again but somehow he figured it'd be a bad idea. Who needed rain indoors? "White city's got all those farms around it, why don't you make it rain there?" He asked, wondering if there was some sort of limit to it. "Or start farms here around Nox."
Thomas glanced towards the other two who seemed to be enjoying themselves in the pool Tom wasn't doing much but wading at that point.
Xia had a bit of a guilty giggle when Tom questioned her, face reddening again. ”Ah, um, I'm not actually... supposed to advertise the rain." She said, voice meek and sheepish. ”Lux says it'd make me a target if people knew. I guess I let my guard down because I was having too much fun..." It was one reason as for why she didn't make farms, certainly, though there were others as well. The soil was pretty terrible compared to what was around White, and... well, the aforementioned crippling pain would always be an issue. She eyed Aretha and Origin, both of whom seemed to be in their own world, so she focused entirely on Tom once she decided that they were having enough fun. ”I should be more careful to not tell you any more secrets!"