Volume 11 - Building Up, Chapter 80 - Winter Warmth

The next few days of Phoebe and Yuki's stay were pretty uneventful. Yuisu's boss called and asked her to work a couple shifts at the convenience store. Things around the house were under control and since she felt bad about taking so many days off, she accepted. After the fourth work day ended was when things started to get interesting.

As the construction crew wrapped up for the day, Yuki made her way slowly down the hill from her perch above the jobsite. She had to be careful, since her high-heeled sandals were far from stable on the snowy slope.

Just then, a flash of heat and color flew by, cheering, "Wooo! Time to hit the club!" It was Phoebe, and the shockwave left in her wake hit Yuki square in the face.

Yuki reeled back in surprise at the wall of hot air, then slipped and fell backwards. She landed on her behind, cried out, and started to slide down the small slope.

Phoebe slowed down just enough to giggle at Yuki's misfortune before zipping off again. Or at least that was her plan. Instead she got a faceful of vengeful snow, stirred up by Yuki's magic.

"Watch where you're going, Phoebe!" Yuki spat. Once she'd stopped sliding, she painstakingly stood up, then brushed the snow and dead leaves from her legs and skirt. Some pine needles even got into her panties, but Yuki refused to give Phoebe the satisfaction of knowing that.

"It's not my fault that you can't walk properly," the phoenix snapped back as she wiped rapidly-melting snow from her eyes. Under her breath, she mumbled, "Clumsy ice-bitch…"

Yuki heard that, but it was far from the first time Phoebe had insulted her. Ever since they'd first been hired by Korbin, the two polar opposites had traded insults almost hourly. This time really stung because Phoebe was clearly the clumsy one; she tripped over her own feet almost every time she touched them to the ground, which admittedly wasn't very often.

Yuki dropped her normal restraint, and growled, "Dumb skank," then summoned another volley of snow to lob at Phoebe. A huge wave of white crashed down on the prismatic phoenix and she disappeared with a squawk.

Yuki's victory was short lived, however. Phoebe's wings left a trail of flames as she pounced out of the fresh snowbank, flying directly at Yuki. The frost-maiden tried to parry with a blast of icy wind, but Phoebe barreled right through it. She crashed into Yuki and they grabbed and slapped at each other, hot skin sizzling against frosty flesh. The tangled elementalists fell to the ground, which was slushy with simultaneously melting and refreezing snow.

The women flailed at each other for a bit, neither one causing any real damage, until one of the construction workers wandered near enough to hear the commotion. An eight-foot-tall minotaur tromped up to them and called out, "Hey now! Break it up, ladies!"

They made no effort to stop, so the massive minotaur grabbed them, one in each huge hand. He effortlessly pulled them apart and set them down on opposite sides of his hulking frame. "If y'all can't get along, at least try and pretend to. Ya gotta work together again tomorrow, y'know?"

With a huff, Phoebe turned away and started toward the house. "Whatever. I'm sick of this awful cold. I'm going to go take a dip in the nice hot spring," she said, emphasizing the words as one last verbal jab. As she left, she waved one soggy wing and added, "Seeya tomorrow, Joey."

Yuki stayed behind with Joey the minotaur, hiding her eyes both out of embarrassment and to keep from staring at the minotaur's wonderfully toned biceps. And pecs, and abs, and shoulders, and… Yuki shook her head to clear her thoughts, then quietly said, "I'm so sorry about that, Joey. That girl just rubs me the wrong way…"

Joey shook his head, his brown mane flowing in the cold wind, whipping around his large horns. He was quite handsome, for a man with the head of a bull, that is. "No worries, little lady. Just try to keep yer cool. Ya'll're much prettier that way."

Yuki's pale blue skin went purple as she blushed at the compliment. She fanned her overheated face with one long sleeve and mumbled, "I'll try. Goodnight, Joey." With that, she walked off as fast as she could manage in her sandals on the uneven path.

That evening, neither girl would talk about their catfight, but Yuisu was able to get the gist of it from the way they were acting, and she could tell it was bothering them. Yuki kept to herself even more than normal, and asked to eat dinner in her room. Phoebe canceled her plans to go clubbing and had her dinner in the cabin with Quess, Iormu, and Pwess, much to the little slime's delight.

Pwess absolutely loved Phoebe's bright colors, and all throughout dinner she tried to imitate them to some degree of success. After they were done eating, Pwess held a translucent and rainbow-colored arm up next to Phoebe's wing and said in her echoey voice, "Mommy, why can't I get my colors as bright?"

Across the table, Quess knew the question was directed at her, since Pwess had taken to calling Quess 'Mommy' and Iormu 'Momma'. Both moms were happy to have that convenient distinction. Quess smiled and said, "You're already doing very well, Pwess. With some more practice, I'm sure you'll get them just as bright."

Pwess turned her face to Quess and smiled an adorable smile. The purple-pink slimegirl was the size of a human toddler now, with a tail instead of legs, but she was already more mentally mature than that. "Really, Mommy?"

"Of course! You can already match Momma's color, right?"

"Oh, yeah!" Pwess responded, then turned her hair and body a deep royal purple, exactly like Iormu's. Satisfied with that, Pwess slithered off to play with her toys in the huge bedroom her little family all shared. With Pwess growing up so fast, sharing a bedroom with her parents wasn't going to be acceptable for much longer.

Additionally, Iormu and Quess were getting tired of having to send Pwess to visit 'Uncle Will' every time they wanted the room to themselves for a night of love.

Iormu smiled proudly for a moment, watching Pwess through the doorway, then turned to Phoebe and said, "So, how's your stay been so far, Phoebe?"

Phoebe shrugged noncommittally. "Eh, not bad. Working with the guys is fun, and having that hot spring to relax in after work is pretty nice. This place is gonna be a badass inn when it's all done." Phoebe kicked her talon-tipped legs out and leaned back in her chair, folding her brightly-colored wings behind her head. "But I don't gotta tell you two that. You live here after all."

"For now," Quess said cryptically.

Phoebe tilted her head slightly. "What do you mean? Is Yuisu kicking you out to make this cabin part of the inn?"

Iormu shook her head. "Oh no, it's nothing like that. We've just been thinking of moving somewhere where Pwess can be around other kids." She ran a claw-tipped hand idly through her long purple hair and said, "We haven't told Yuisu or the others yet, since we're still working out the details. We'd like to stay in Okayado, if we can."

Phoebe nodded slowly. "I can understand that. I guess a mountain-side inn isn't the best place to raise a kid, even one that grows as fast as Pwess." She chuckled and added, "It's hard to believe that she's only a few months old."

Quess beamed from ear to ear and said, "Yep! She's getting so big and so smart." Her smile wavered and she added, "Though I'm worried that outgrowing her new friends will be hard on her…"

Iormu lovingly put a scale-covered hand on Quess's soft, translucent arm. "She'll be fine. I think this is the right move for our little princess. You should try to relax a little more, Quess." She gazed into Quess's magenta eyes and a strange grin crept across her face.

Quess returned the flirty look, then turned to Phoebe and said, "Hey, could you do us a huge favor and keep on eye on Pwess for about an hour while we're in the shower?"

Phoebe's blinked her wide blue eyes in confusion. An hour is a long time for a shower… and why would a slime need to shower…" Oh! Uh," she blurted as she finally understood what that shared look had been about. "Uh, sure. I'll watch her while you two, uh, shower."

The horny couple beelined for the bathroom, with its oversized shower area that could fit all of Iormu's massive tail, but the sound of running water never came. As the giggles and moans started, Phoebe stepped into the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

"Heya, Pwess, watcha playin' with?" she asked cheerfully as she approached the slime sitting on the floor by the massive bed.

Pwess didn't look up. She was very focused. "Not playing. Drawing."

As Phoebe got closer, she realized that 'drawing' wasn't quite the right term either. Pwess had a big piece of construction paper and she was finger painting on it with her own slime. She'd painted a remarkably colorful picture of some mountains at sunset.

Phoebe nodded and thought, Not bad. She's got some talent. It was then that Phoebe realized where the color was coming from. Pwess had absorbed and dissolved an entire box of crayons, and there were bits of crayon labels and wax floating around inside her transparent body. Her slime had already left rainbow-colored stains all over the floor and walls, too.

Phoebe sighed and resigned herself to cleaning up the mess. Those two owe me big time for this…

When Iormu and Quess finished 'relaxing' and relieved Phoebe from her babysitting duties, Phoebe decided to pay the main house a visit. More specifically, she wanted to talk to Yuisu.

She found her in the laundry room, sorting through a pile of all sorts of colorful laundry. Yuisu looked up as Phoebe stepped in. "Oh, hiya Phoebe. Got some clothes you need washed? I can throw them in the next load."

Phoebe shook her head, sending her long ponytails swinging. "Nah, I'm good. Actually, I wanted to say thanks for letting me stay here while I'm on this job."

Yuisu waved a hand dismissively, still holding onto some centaur-sized running shorts. "Oh, it's no problem at all. Korbin's paying me for your stay, and I needed the practice with real guests."

Phoebe fidgeted and tugged on one of her ponytails for a moment, looking nervous and bashful for the first time since she'd arrived. "Um, I had another thing I wanted to say…"

Yuisu was used to listening to people's concerns and giving advice, so she smiled widely and said, "Go for it, Phoebe."

"Well, phoenixes don't live in groups, so I never met any other harpies before. Are they all as… powerful and regal as Haru? I feel so inadequate next to her. Especially in the, uh, you-know, department." She cupped her wings several inches in front of her flat chest to illustrate her point.

Yuisu couldn't help but smile. "No, they aren't all like that. Haru's a raptor harpy, so she's bigger, stronger, and yes, bustier than most harpies. Meanwhile, my friend Misaki is a crow-type harpy and she has a figure a lot like yours." In her head, Yuisu continued, Though she covers it up a lot more. You're hardly wearing anything!

Phoebe seemed to relax at that. "Ah, that's good to hear." Then she smiled and said, "Anyways, I really respect Haru. She's so strong and sexy. You're so lucky to be dating her."

Yuisu raised an eyebrow and thought, It seems Phoebe's got a crush on Haru. But why would she tell me all this when she knows that Haru and I are dating? I guess I'll let her down as softly as I can… Yuisu took a deep breath, preparing to say something, but Phoebe spoke first.

"You're really beautiful too, Yuisu, and it sounds like your relationship is pretty open." Phoebe blushed and her eyes flicked side to side, then she blurted, "Maybe the three of us can turn up the heat tonight, if you know what I mean…"

Did this girl just suggest a threesome?! Yuisu's logical side started thinking things like 'We barely know her' and 'That could make things so awkward'. However, her Yuri-su side was busy imagining all the sexy things she and Phoebe could do to Haru, all the love they could lavish upon her. Before she realized it, Yuisu was saying, "Ooooh, I like that idea…"

Just then, with a clacking of talons on hardwood, Haru stepped in from the hallway. She crossed her wings under her large breasts and loudly cleared her throat.

Yuisu froze in place, eyes wide, thinking, Ah, crap. With her amazing hearing, Haru definitely heard it all.

Phoebe also froze up and just fidgeted with her long, strawberry blonde twintails until Haru looked at her and said, "I need to talk to Yuisu alone for a moment."

"You got it!" Phoebe said, then the clumsy phoenix flailed around, nearly tripped over her own feet, and scampered off, leaving a worried Yuisu alone with Haru.

Haru's expression was stern and intimidating. She leaned in close and whispered, "I have two questions. Please think them all the way through before you answer."

Yuisu just nodded nervously.

"Do you think a one-time threesome would cause jealousy or other trouble in our relationship?" Haru asked, her voice level and unreadable. Whatever Haru's opinion on the matter was, Yuisu couldn't tell at all. "And is it what you really want?"

Yuisu closed her eyes and went deep into thought for several seconds, then answered, "My love for you won't change, just like with Quess that one time. In fact, I think that experience brought us even closer together." She took a slow breath, then added, "And for the second question, I want it only if you do."

Haru's stern expression instantly vanished and she smiled wide with a glint in her golden eyes. "That's what I was hoping you'd say." She slapped Yuisu's butt with her wing and pushed her toward the doorway. "Now, shall we go find that sexy little firebird?"

Yuki spent most of her time in her room reading, but even when she wasn't alone, she didn't open up to anyone. Chione tried to strike up conversation with her a couple times, but the cheery gargoyle's greetings yielded only flat, dry responses like, 'Ah, yeah' and 'Mhmm'. Chione finally gave up, deciding that Yuki was just too reserved and self-sufficient to want to make friends.

That was why Chione was so surprised that night. She came back from her midnight flight to find Yuki in the kitchen, sitting in front of the open fridge.

Yuki's kimono top was tugged open, revealing the wonderful curves of her cleavage, her face was flushed red, and she was fanning herself with one hand. Beads of sweat and condensation ran down Yuki's face and chest.

"Yuki? Are you okay? You don't look so hot, er, well, you look too hot," Chione asked as she stepped close and kneeled down next to the flustered frost-maiden.

Yuki forced a smile and awkwardly replied, "Uh, just got a little overheated. Don't mind me!"

Chione leaned closer, her worry not lessened in the least. "Overheated? Why didn't you just step outside into the snow? It's your element and all."

Yuki's eyes shifted side to side. She hadn't even thought of that, and her mind just went straight to the fridge for some reason. "Uh, because I, um, I didn't want to risk passing out outside. It could be dangerous, even for me!"

Chione nodded and said, "That makes sense." She sat down cross-legged next to Yuki, reached into the still-open fridge and grabbed a can of soda. She popped it open with a stony finger, took a sip, and asked, "So, what's got you so worked up?"

"Uh, it was nothing. Just a dream." Yuki's eyes flicked to the side again, which seemed to be her tell that she was lying.

Chione smiled sweetly at Yuki. "If it got you that upset, it isn't nothing. Talk to me. Maybe it will help you."

Yuki sighed and her breath turned into a freezing fog as her temperature started to settle back down. At a near-whisper, she said "I had a naughty dream…"

"Oh, that's natural, Yuki. I guess I—" Chione started to reply, but she was cut off.

"…about a woman," Yuki finished.

Chione giggled and said, "That's natural too! All the women living here are into women."

For a second, Yuki just stared at Chione in surprise. Since she hadn't talked with the other girls that much, she'd never realized that fact. "Really? I guess I should have known, now that I think—"

She cut herself off, then blurted, "Whatever. That doesn't matter right now. It's not natural for me, Chione. I'm straight!" She curled her dainty hands into fists, pressed them against her legs, and rambled, "I mean, I have a boyfriend! Well, had… we broke up recently. I really miss him sometimes. But don't get the wrong idea. We didn't break up because of something like this!"

Like a dam that had finally sprung a leak, Yuki vented and rambled and thought aloud, revealing more about herself in thirty seconds than she had in the last several days. She grew up on a remote mountain in Hokkaido, and most of what she knew about romance and sexuality seemed to come from stereotypically steamy romance novels. Eventually she returned to the original topic. "I like guys! I like men and muscles and strong hands and firm di—"

"Um," Chione interrupted, "maybe you're bisexual?"

Yuki went silent, except for her heavy breathing. She was still worked up and sweating despite the open fridge. "Huh?"

"Bisexual. Like attracted to men and women. Iormu is bi, and I think Quess might be too," Chione explained, though she was a little surprised that she needed to. Even in her stuffy boarding school bisexuality wasn't that uncommon, though Europe was more open about such things than rural Japan.

"Huh. I didn't know that was a real thing. I thought there was just gay and straight…" Yuki slumped against the open fridge door, setting bottles of sauce jingling. An intense-yet-vacant look came across her face, like she was pondering the very foundations of her existence. In a way, she was.

After a moment, Yuki's breathing had calmed, she stopped sweating, and she just looked tired instead of bewildered. She stood up, fixed her kimono sleeves that had slipped off her shoulders, closed the open fridge, then turned to Chione. With a little curtsy, she said, "Thanks for the help Chione. Sorry for causing you trouble."

Chione beamed and said, "No problem, Yuki. Glad I could help you out. If you ever want to chat, I'm all ears."

Yuki nodded, turned, and shuffled off toward her bedroom in tiny, dainty steps. She stepped into her room and closed the door securely behind her. She cracked open a window to let a bit of frigid night air inside, then flopped gracelessly onto the bed, on top of the sheets. The only thought going through her head was, Of all women, why'd it have to be Phoebe?!