Bellona pulled Iris along by her arm to another part of the store with an excited smile on her face while Iris couldn’t bring herself to come to terms with her anxiety. She looked at the various outfits on display and couldn’t help but think that while some of them look pretty, they wouldn’t look any good on her. She quietly eyed Bellona and her figure, unable to shake the thoughts that many of these outfits would look far better on the goddess of war.

Before Iris could do anything, Bellona brought her over to Eir who was looking through the racks and had several outfits set aside to try. Eir saw the women approach and picked up one of the outfits; a pink swimsuit with black dots and drawstrings on the sides of the bottoms. The whole thing was held together with strings that ran along the waist and the bust with narrow cups for the chest. Iris also found that the waist cut was extremely narrow as it faded out to the strings.

“How about this?” Eir asked with a smile. “It’s nice and cute with just a bit of risque.”

“No,” Iris immediately responded in a deadpan voice. “It’s way too revealing. If that’s a ‘bit’ risque, I’d hate to consider what you actually consider risque. And pink’s not my colour.”

“Then what about this one?” Bellona jumped in with a nervous laugh as she lifted up a different outfit. This one was black with red floral patterns and had much wider cuts and a more solid back.

“No,” Iris said without hesitation; she found yet more flaws that she was not entertained by. “That one’s better overall, but those cups for the top are too wide for me. You might look good in it but I’m not going to fill those out.”

“They do make smaller sizes,” Bellona added in a defeated voice.

“Answer’s still no,” Iris continued while crossing her arms.

“Then how about this one?” Eir cut in while moving Bellona out of the way to show another option. The suit was simple and solid black with separate tops and bottoms and with wider cuts. Even the shoulder straps connected into one along the upper back. “I think you’ll like this one,” Eir added while trying to sell Iris on the swimwear. “It’s wide where it needs to be and a simple colour so no conflicts there. I also think–”

“No,” Iris interrupted as her stare slowly narrowed into a glare.

“EH?! What could possibly be wrong with this one?” Eir complained while looking at the suit to find its flaws.

Iris sighed and turned away from the women and looked through another rack that caught her attention. “I’m not a fan of the two piece design. I’d prefer not to expose my gut like that.”

“It’s not armour, you know,” Bellona interjected while rubbing her forehead.

“It’s not about if someone stabs me in the stomach,” Iris corrected while pulling out a swimsuit to look at. “It’s a personal thing; I might not look good in it so I would prefer not to.”

Bellona and Eir groaned together as they realised this would not be a simple task.

“I like this one more!” Iris added while quickly turning around and showing the Templarians what she picked out with a big smile on her face. Eir and Bellona’s jaws went slack as they saw the simple swimsuit with blue and white stripes was one piece and cut like a shirt and shorts combined into one article of clothing.

You’ve got to be kidding me, the Templarians thought in unison as they looked at the swimsuit with sheer disbelief.

“Iris, honey, listen to me,” Bellona whispered as she walked towards Iris and rested an arm on her shoulder and took the swimsuit from her. “Swimwear isn’t just functional; it’s about the looks. The revealing nature is a good chance to show off.”

Eir nodded furiously with some determination Iris didn’t understand. “Show off what your mom gave you,” she added as her face turned red. “Flaunt those curves, tease those boys. Get them to admire you and not take their eyes off of you.”

“Which means you need something revealing and cute,” Bellona finished with a wicked smile. “Guys like getting teased just to the edge. The cute factor tugs at their hearts while the thin and low cuts tease…another heart so to speak. And quite frankly, this thing is best suited for children; it’s just not cute at all,” Bellona ranted as she put the uninteresting swimsuit back on the rack of clothing.

Eir nodded once more but even faster than before. “Flaunt the goods but make them want more!”

“What if none of that interests me?” Iris asked in her usual deadpan voice.

Eir and Bellona recoiled in complete shock as Iris’s words cut through them like swords. “E-Even if that doesn’t interest you, think about yourself,” Eir pleaded while trying to catch her breath. “Wouldn’t you like to wear something cute just for yourself and to make yourself feel better? Have confidence in how you look?”

Iris thought about it and shrugged. “Maybe. I would agree with you, but this is all pretty new for me and this is just…too revealing. I don’t wear anything this revealing unless I’m in my room or walking around the house alone. I’m just not comfortable with this ‘flaunting’ you’re talking about and I sure don’t have anyone I would want to flaunt to.”

“Ohh?” Bellona voiced as an idea came to her and she rested on Iris’s shoulder once more. “But there is a boy that you can flaunt to. And I know you know who I’m talking about.”

Iris thought for a moment before turning towards Bellona. Before she could ask for clarification her face suddenly went red as she realised what Bellona was insinuating. The colour of her cheeks told Bellona exactly what she was looking for; she was able to know what Iris was visualising from that alone.

“There it is,” Bellona laughed under her breath. “So, why not show off some of your womanly charms to the Titan?”

Iris had a sparkle in her eye as the excitement came to her that slowly faded as reality would set in. “W–...Would he really be impressed by me?”

Bellona grunted and gave Iris a chop on her head, warranting a pained groan from Iris. “Enough of that talk,” Bellona ordered in a stern voice that chilled Iris’s blood. “You are a very beautiful young woman. Doesn’t change Arylos from being the big idiot that he is but that shouldn’t stop you in taking pride in yourself. To look and dress cute for the sake of feeling good about yourself. And if Arylos is too blind to see that, then we’ll kick his ass for you.”

“Uhh, Bellona…” Eir said in a shy voice while clearing her throat.

“Shush! We’re kicking his ass and that’s final!” Bellona ordered the valkyrie.

“But that’s Arylos you’re talking about,” Eir protested nervously.

“Oh? Little complainer gonna complain over there?” Bellona mocked. “He’s a guy; he gets the same treatment as any other guy; simple as that. Intellegisne?”

“What are you two going on about?” Iris asked with a confused chuckle. “It’s really not a big deal.”

“Us women have to stand up for each other,” Bellona answered with a nodding Eir in the background. “Men are simple creatures with simple tastes; it doesn’t take much to get their attention. And even so, you need to think about yourself girl. Take pride in yourself and your capabilities.”

“Pfft, yeah okay,” Iris snorted as she turned away from Bellona but the hardened Templarian soldier gripped Iris’s shoulder tight in a grip that could choke a dragon.

“You’re coming with me,” Bellona growled as she pulled Iris along with Eir laughing evilly right behind them.

“Where the hell are you taking me?” Iris complained while trying to fight back against Bellona’s iron grip.

“I’m doing something about that attitude of yours,” Bellona growled as her smile went wide.

Iris continued to pull back against Bellona until she saw where the Templarian was taking her; a sight that brought Iris’s anxiety to new levels. She was scared to the point that she considered using her magic to get Bellona off of her if it meant getting away.

The fitting rooms.

Iris panicked as she saw Eir take the collection of swimsuits she had picked out and placed it on a rack nearby. Iris continued to resist as Bellona drew near the fitting rooms. At the last moment, Iris summoned lightning from her skin that struck Bellona. The hardened warrior was able to resist the energy until she eventually let go. Iris quickly turned but was held tight by Eir with an evil smirk on her face.

“Come now, Iris,” Eir said in a creepy voice. “It won’t kill you to try some things on.”

“And just think of the payoff,” Bellona continued while rubbing her sore arm. “This would be a thing you could do just for yourself.”

“I have a feeling this has nothing to do with that,” Iris chuckled nervously.

“Can you blame us?” Eir asked with an innocent chuckle.

“You would make the cutest dress up doll,” Bellona continued as her cheeks slowly turned red.

Iris felt her head spin as she was cornered by the tall and imposing Templarians. She tried planning any escape that she could; any chance for her to get out of this waking nightmare. She pulled at her hair as the idea of being even remotely naked around the attractive and curvy Templarians made her terrified. The air hummed with energy as she instinctively began drawing on her power that made her hair slowly rise.

She was prepared to fight her way out if she needed to.

“Why the hell are you three so loud?” a man’s growling voice cut through Iris’s anxiety.

Iris shook herself free of the crushing fear as she turned around and saw Arylos walking out of one of the booths with clothing draped over his arm.

“ARYLOS~!” Iris howled as she ran towards Arylos and hugged him. “They’re trying to strip me and defile my privacy for pleasure!”

“Hey! Phrasing!” Bellona called out angrily once she saw Arylos look up at her with a glare.

“We were just trying to get Iris to try on some swimsuits to see what she likes; that’s all!” Eir pleaded while waving her arms in the air.

“That’s all?” Arylos asked as he analysed the situation.

“Yep, but she had to make a big fuss about it,” Bellona said while pointing at Iris.

“No means no, and that applies to girls too!” Iris barked while holding Arylos tight.

Arylos sighed as he rubbed his eyes. He grabbed Iris by her shoulders and brought her back over to Bellona and Eir. Before Iris caught on, Arylos turned his back and waved at the women. “As you were then,” he called out in a cheery voice.

“EH?!” Iris called out as Bellona and Eir laughed in unison. “Wait! You have to help me!”

“I am helping you,” Arylos said while laughing before turning back to face the women. “Unless you would prefer I stay here with you as you change.”

“Ooohhh~” Eir and Bellona cooed in unison as Iris’s face went fully red. Iris froze for a moment before turning away and hiding her face while repeatedly shaking her head.

“I’m going to go with ‘no’,” Arylos said while laughing.

“You’re just a big idiot and I hate you,” Iris grumbled under her breath.

“No you don’t!” Arylos said as he turned and walked away.

Bellona and Eir smiled, happy with Arylos’s permission. “Come on now, I have one that I think you’ll really like,” Bellona told Iris while resting a hand on her shoulder.

“I think I’ve had enough of ‘Templarian hospitality’ to last a lifetime,” Iris grumbled while trying to calm her nerves back down.

“Oh come on!” Bellona pleaded while bringing another swimsuit to Iris to look at. “I think this one is perfect for you.”

Iris took her hands away from her face and looked at the swimsuit. For once, Iris was tempted to agree with Bellona as her cheeks went red and a sparkle came to her eyes. The soft blue two-piece set with frilled ends on the top that covered most of the bust with a bow in the middle made Iris feel giddy inside. The bottoms had another bow on the waistband and featured a frilled skirt.

“Okay, just this one,” Iris complied while taking the swimsuit and walking towards one of the booths.

“I figured as much,” Bellona voiced while her and Eir sat in chairs nearby.

Iris laughed as she closed the door of the booth and set the swimsuit down on a bench. She looked around at the unfamiliar booth, wondering if this was a good idea. She shook her head as she slowly undressed to her underwear and picked up the swimsuit. As she looked, she saw that the insides had underwear stitched into them. Iris’s face went red as she slowly realised.

“Hold on, I’m supposed to be naked in this?” Iris called out to the Templarians outside.

“Yes, but for now you can leave undergarments on,” Bellona’s voice answered. “However when we go out to the beach though, you wear nothing underneath that.”

Iris swallowed a lump in her throat as she took off her sash to let the top fit better. Once satisfied, she slipped on the bottoms, carefully bringing them over her underwear as the clothing pinched at her skin until she flattened it out. She then straightened the swimsuit and she felt how comfortable it felt now that everything was where it needed to be. She ran her hands along it and felt the breezy nature although her exposed stomach concerned her.

Iris couldn’t help but to pinch her lower stomach. She wondered how much weight she had been putting on and if the revealing clothing was showing it. She sucked in her gut yet it didn’t make her feel any better.

“You better not be taking it off without showing us!” Eir’s voice called out.

Iris felt a nerve pop as she remembered she would have to show them or she’ll never hear the end of it. She let out a sigh as she unlocked the door and walked out, feeling the blood rush to her face as she realised there were now eyes on her in this revealing clothing.

“Oohh~! I like that!” Eir called out while clapping. “It looks really cute on you!

Bellona nodded in agreement before pointing to a mirror off to the side. “Go, take a look and tell us what you think!”

Iris blushed and turned and looked at her reflection. Her face slowly softened into a smile as she saw how the swimsuit covered her yet was revealing just enough. She came closer to the mirror as she admired the swimsuit and how the bottoms were at a flirting length; short enough to show most of her thighs but without showing too much. The frills and the bows added a cute touch that pulled at Iris’s girlish nature.

She felt cute and risque.

Iris slowly started to laugh as she started to warm up to the idea of her out on the beach in this swimsuit. She smiled as she actually liked how she looked and secretly wondered what Arylos would think.

“Well? What do you think?” Bellona asked impatiently.

“I like it,” Iris slowly and quietly responded.

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you,” Eir asked, partly teasing Iris.

“I really like it,” Iris answered, more sure of herself. “I think this is exactly what we were looking for.”

“Well look who agreed once she saw how she looked,” Bellona teased while laughing. “How about we show Arylos and get a second opinion?”

“Absolutely not!” Iris growled as her face went darker. “He doesn’t need to see this yet! Do it and I’ll actually kill you!”

Bellona and Eir laughed in unison as Iris turned back to her reflection. Iris couldn’t help but to secretly wonder even though she deep down didn’t want the answer. The thought left her more conflicted than normal; she wanted to know and yet she didn’t want to know.

Would Arylos like it on her too?