After School Swim!

Ethril thought about what Ciel said. Why did she want to go to their home anyway? To learn about her light magic? To learn more about her mum? Was she willing to wait with Ciel until Patrick got the potion? Ethril smiled warmly and reached over to touch Ciel's hand. "I think I can stand a little waiting my araria." She giggled. "As for clothes, I can always wrap my wings around myself if it comes to that."

"If you don't want me to go Ciel I can always wait..." There was something in her heart though that was pushing at her to go. It was that same feeling she'd gotten after Shadow had died, when she'd wandered around the wasteland without reason. She'd just kept walking until the goddess had come to her and told her where to go.

Ethril giggled at the sourpuss remark, but she looked at Ciel worriedly. Did he really not want her to go?

"Pas, pas... I'm sorry." Ciel finished off his mousse before pushing his plate away. "It'd be great to bring you home, mon cher, I just don't want him pushing you into it. You should think these kinds of things through is all."

He could feel Patrick boring holes into him with his glare.

"But if you want to come, please do," he said with a smile. "I don't mind spending time with you or anything. Really, I didn't mean to come off so crass.. I just seem to have developed a stomach ache." He laughed when Patrick rejoiced in his correct assumption.

"I've got an issue with strawberries, as I'm sure he's told you. I just eat however many are in front of me," he admitted. His embarrassment showed on his face. "At least I know my limits now. But please, mon amour, come with us."

Patrick clapped in delight. "It's decided then! I'm so excited!!"

Ethril's warm smile became broader and she nodded. "Then it's settled, we're going to your home!" She leaned across the table and kissed Ciel's cheek and then Patrick's cheek. "And I did think it through Ciel. This is the chance I've been searching for since I left home 3 years ago. I'm finally going to get the chance to learn more about my mum and to learn how to use my light powers!" Ethril felt so happy at that moment.

"I'm sorry you have a stomach ache Ciel, I'll make you some tea later ok?" A nice cup of herbal tea always settled her stomach. "And at least you don't get drunk off of too much honey." Ethril blushed at that. She knew her limits now too.

Ethril stood and looked around. If they were going then might as well go now when they were done eating! "Are we walking or flying?" Ethril asked with a grin.

Patrick lit up from the token of affection. He made a point to kiss Ethril back. "This is worthy of a flight, right?" he asked. "Especially since we've made it into town?"

Ciel nodded, pushing him out of the booth. "It is. Let's go then, yeah?" He managed to get his happy little couple outside finally and breathed a sigh of relief. They're excitement had yet to recede though, so he had to actually push them up a bit to leave. Patrick finally took the hint and got his wings back out. He went up, careful to keep his knees close together until Ethril and Ciel had joined him.

The Dragon managed to catch on fast and joined him rather promptly. They continued to chatter though as Ciel led them off to the enchanted tree deep in the forest. He pitched in to the conversation every now and then, but he mostly left them to their own wiles. He really didn't feel good.

It only took about five extra minutes compared to the distance from Ethril and Fascino's home. Air travel was so much quicker than walking. Upon arrival, Ciel touched down on top of the flat redwood and promptly set himself on the edge, feet dangling below him. Patrick set to work shrinking back down to size.

"Go ahead, mon cher," he said, addressing Patrick. He waited until the little Fairy finished his dance and had been swallowed up by the tree beneath him before falling to his back. It was nice to lie down and settle his stomach a bit.

"How are you, dear?" he asked, turning to Ethril who had taken a seat next to him.

Ethril was a little jealous of Patrick and Ciel as she watched them start flying first. She had to make sure she had enough room in the street before extending her wings to their full extent and flapping them as hard as she could in order to get enough lift to push off. Once she was in the air though she was able to simply glide along with only a single flap now and then to keep from descending. She laughed and talked with her friends as Ciel led the way to their home. It was a nice flight at least with few clouds in the sky and the sun beginning to set.

It took a couple circles around the tree in order for her to land safely. Again she wished that she could fly as easily and simply as Ciel and Patrick did. At least she wasn't in her dragon form, flying was much easier in her human form. "See you soon Patrick!" Ethril waved as the little faery sank into the tree.

With a content sigh she walked over to Ciel and sat down next to him. "I'm fine, but I'm more concerned with how you're doing." Ethril said with a worried frown. "I know you're not feeling well," Ethril placed a hand over her heart. "Are you going to be ok?" To be honest she was a little nervous about meeting more faeries. What if she didn't live up to their expectations? By the sounds of it her mother had been a really great person and Ethril wondered if she would ever be like her. She looked kinda like her mum, but with darker hair. But would she ever do great things like her?

Ciel sighed. "I'm quite alright. Honestly, it'll be gone soon enough. I think maybe I'm just a bit nervous for you."

He reached out to pat her hand. "You don't have to be worried, mon cher. Not everyone is like Patrick. And no one is expecting anything of you-- they've left you alone all of these years after all, right?"

He was able to sit up then, feeling a bit better. His stomach was already settling. He scooted over so that their legs were touching and rested his head on top of hers. He wrapped one arm around her waist and used his other hand to link with the one furthest away from him.

"Know what you should do?" he asked rather slyly. "You should try pulling on Patrick's tail. He won't get mad, and it's actually quite funny." He lowered his voice down to a whisper. "He was holding back at the restaurant."

"yeah...I guess you're right." He was right, except for White Cloud no one had ever approached her or told her what to do. White Cloud had been the one to tell her to come to him so he could give her information. The fae had left her alone for years and it was her choice to be here now. Her nerves relaxed and she let out a sigh.

Ethril blushed and a purr started in her chest as Ciel got closer to her. She leaned into his embrace and her eyes closed slightly. It was nice to be in another person's arms again. "He really won't get mad?" Ethril asked a little timidly. For a dragon it was considered bad etiquette to pull another dragon's tail.

Ethril reviewed Patrick's reaction when Ciel had reached under the table. She thought about it for a moment. What would pulling his tail do anyway? Ethril knew he wouldn't react the same way as a dragon did, by freezing up or going berserk. It was definitely something to consider when they were alone.

"So...what should I expect?" Ethril asked shyly.

He was going to answer, but something caught his attention. Ciel leaned forward when a tiny green figure approached him. It spoke very quickly and in a low chatter. "Yes, dear, I'm quite fine," he assured her. He left her to her dance and turned back to Ethril.

He closed in on her ear and whispered. "Kisses. You should expect lots, and lots and kisses. Just make sure you grab a bit far up there. He should be out of his traveling robes, so it'll be easy to get a hold of."

Ciel sighed then. "It kind of makes me wish I could do the same to you.. Ma... It's odd to ask, but would it work somewhere else?" he asked, drumming his fingers on her hip.

Ethril felt her blush darken. So his tail caused that kind of reaction did it? The idea of Patrick, or Ciel, kissing her made her cheeks heat up and she nibbled on her bottom lip. She hadn't really considered that kind of reaction.

And then she felt Ciel's hand on her hip, right over the markings there. She sucked in her breath and a strangled moan escaped her lips. "Markings," Ethril said as her heart beat faster and breathing became faster. His fingers were drumming right over her hip markings! It was pleasurable torture and it was almost too much for her. "My markings!"

She was on the edge of her control and she wrapped her arms around Ciel's waist clinging to him. Ethril panted as his fingers continued to tap her hip markings. Each time a finger came down she shivered a little.

Ciel lifted his hand to the air. He'd seen them earlier, but he didn't know they'd do something like that. "Oh.. wow. Uhm..."

His face burned, and it felt as if steam was coming from under the high color of his top. Patrick was still a bit young, so he wasn't kidding when he said the Fairy would give her kisses. Just kisses. Ethril seemed to be having a much more serious reaction.

"E-excusez-moi, dearest." Ciel coughed a tad to try and calm himself, but that was something he'd never seen before.

With the hand gone from her markings Ethril was able to relax some. She slumped against Ciel for a moment to catch her breath. "Damn it all." Ethril cursed as she sat up. She sat there with her fists against her legs. "I hate this." She mumbled to herself. "In the middle of this maturing, my instincts on high all the time."

Ethril turned to Ciel and her eyes were big in apology. "I'm sorry about that Ciel!" Ethril said hurriedly. "I-I'm only a year or so away from maturing so sometimes even the lightest touch will affect me." She hated it! Sometimes it didn't affect her so strongly though, so why had it been like that now? Was it because of the courtship?

She looked away guiltily. Her instincts were back under control, but she needed to know her limitations now before she did something that she or Ciel might regret. Which meant no honey for awhile...She didn't want to make Ciel uncomfortable!

"M-ma~" Ciel replaced his hand, just being a tad more careful. "It's alright; I did ask..." He kissed her head and squeezed her close. "Besides, it's not all bad... I just wasn't expecting it." He shot her a devious smile before just rubbing the area. "But it will be quite fun now that I know what happens."

Ciel was a gentleman sure, but he was still a teenager. He wouldn't act on it no, but he was notorious for teasing people now that he was getting older. He rubbed all of his Pixie friends where their wings should be if they were put away, and he blew on a fair number of Nymphs. He didn't bother the Sprites yet, but that was sure to happen soon.

"And it's rather adorable that you succumb to all of these little things," he added, placing a kiss on the golden mark that adorned her cheek.

"y-you tease!" Ethril said as she felt Ciel brush against the hip markings and then kiss the marking on her cheek. Her heart began to race again and she leaned against him needingly. it just wasn't fair that she was so sensitive! It wasn't like this when she was a kid! Was he purposefully trying to push her over the edge?

Her eyes closed and without realizing it she kissed and nuzzled Ciel's neck. Her arms wrapped back around him and she rested her fore head against his shoulder. Her shoulders were shaking slightly and it took her a few minutes to get things back under control.

"That's one of the things I like about you I think." Ethril said as she hugged Ciel warmly. "You're a tease, but in a good way." Ciel knew how to tease without pushing people too far, and he didn't annoy her as much as other people did.

"Pfft~ In a good way!" He couldn't help but bark out a laugh as he hugged her back. "Since when is teasing people good? Well thanks, I suppose."

Ciel settled down after a while and took his shoes and slippers off. They were quite cumbersome things, really, so he just set them aside. He wouldn't be able to wear them anyway. Besides, he preferred to feel the soil between his toes. It was all the more comforting, and it let him know for sure that he was home. He couldn't understand why so many people insisted on always wearing their slippers. He could understand why Patrick did it, but everyone else was just being pompous.

"Patrick should be back soon," the Sprite announced, taking her hand again. "It really doesn't take too long. If anything, he had to pick up a few ingredients... but I doubt it. Potions were always his forte," he said rolling his eyes.

"Yes in a good way!" Ethril grinned happily. "I haven't been this happy since before Shadow died! In a strange way your teasing actually makes me feel better." it really did. Maybe it was because it calmed her instincts down and made her feel less lonely. She kicked her legs back and forth, the heals of her paws gently tapping against the tree. "I do mean it you know." She said softly. "You make me really happy."

Ethril blushed and stretched then, her toes flexing slightly and her claws extending and then retracting. She sighed and looked out at the forest. They were pretty high up. "It's beautiful up here." She continued to smile as the breeze tossed her hair.

"So this potion, it'll shrink me down?" Ethril asked as she glanced at Ciel. She was honestly curious.

"Oh!" Ciel had to laugh at himself for not explaining it. "Yes, but it's infused with someone's essence. I'm going to guess Patrick will drop a bit of dust in there. Then the gateway will recognize that you have a sponsor, and we should be able to pull you in behind us. It'll last until you leave."

He looked down at his feet. He couldn't even see the forest floor. Even without the trees branches and leaves, he felt that the underbrush would still be long lost from view.

"And I'm glad I can make you happy, darling! I suppose I'll just continue to tease you every now and then." He smiled at her, but he made no move to act on his statement.

"huh, interesting." this potion sounded complicated. Sister would understand it better since her talents were with herbalism and potion making as well. So this was how the fae were able to stay so well hidden? And to think that her mom had helped keep them safe all this time.

Ethril grinned and leaned over to rest her head against his shoulder. "I'd like that." If he kept on teasing her then she'd know he still cared about her. Of course she had other ways of knowing, but it was fun this way.

"So what should I expect when I meet the other fae?" Ethril asked as a little bit of nervousness came back. She didn't want to offend anyone!

"Hm." Ciel crinkled his brow in thought. What to expect? He assumed she was asking about etiquette, but he couldn't seem to really remember any rules per se... Only higher ups needed any special recognitions, but being a first time visitor, they probably wouldn't mind. It wasn't like they just walked around the Cove either. They stayed up in their respective palaces.

"Well... really I can't think of anything that doesn't surmount to common courtesy... The only thing that might be found offensive would be mistaking races, but that's quite impossible to do," he explained with a smile. "You know that Sprites don't have wings, but neither do Nymphs. They, however are color-coded according to which element they were born from. They come right out of the earth or water or whatever, so it would make sense. Fairies and Pixies have wings, but they look completely different. Fairies are rather pale creatures, and Pixies have adjusted to life outside of the Cove with a much darker skin. They've only just begun to move back."

He tried to think if there was anything else and snapped his fingers when he found it. "If we are to see these Elders today, you just have to bow when you greet them. And don't get up until they tell you to! They're quite a snooty bunch."

Ethril listened carefully to what Ciel said. Luckily she had met a few nymphs in the past so she knew what they looked like. She cataloged the information in her mind. So all she really had to be careful of was not calling someone by the wrong race. It was like calling a water dragon an air dragon because their coloring might be a little off. She could do this.

"Ug they sound like the elders of the Southern Clan." Ethril said disgustedly. "Their always waiting for others to bow and speaking with low voices and ignoring the younger generation. Just cause their older doesn't make them more important." Ethril commented. She sighed though and nodded. "I'll bow and behave." So no pranks today.

She looked around waiting for Patrick to get back. The only other problem she could think of was her clothes. She'd enchanted them to not rip, but they wouldn't shrink with her. She could wrap herself in her wings, like she had done back at the pool, but if she needed to fly then that might be a big of a problem. She could transform part way so that she was covered more by scales which would give her some cover, but that would make her even more sensitive to touch.

Ciel heard a popping sound and turned to look behind him. Patrick had returned! And, as speculated, he had changed out of his traveling robes. He was sporting a much shorter attire now, and it had no sleeves whatsoever. It was actually possible to see his feet adorned with tiny little white slippers.

Ciel placed a hand on the flat top of the tree and allowed the tiny being to walk on it. Carefully, he carried Patrick up to his face and greeted him quietly.

"Hello, dear," he nearly whispered. "I'm assuming all went well?"

Patrick's responses were also in that quick little chatter. He reached inside of his robes though and pulled out the corked bottle, presenting it to the much larger Sprite. "You're amazing," Ciel whispered and just touching his lips to the little head before him. "Hold on to that while I explain some things."

He turned to Ethril then and lowered Patrick so that his ears wouldn't break. "Now dear. I know you're having issues with these instincts or hormones or what have you, so this is rather pertinent. My clothes don't shrink, and I'm fairly certain you said yours just go away for a bit. For me to change down to my normal size, I have to get undressed. What would you like to do? You can even go first if you like. It doesn't really matter, you'll still have to wait for us to do our visitors' dance. You just have to be ready before we start."

Ethril tilted her head in curiosity. She couldn't make out a thing that Patrick said and that was strange because she had fairly good hearing as a dragon. He was so small and cute too. Ethril watched as Ciel spoke to Patrick and then set him back down.

Ethril blushed and looked away in embarrassment about her problem. As he described what had to happen her blush became brighter. Yeah she could see how this would be a problem. As she thought about it, the easiest solution would be for her to first. "I guess I'll take the potion first then." This would definitely be a novel experience! Her clothes and gold chain should go into their storage dimension for as long as she wasn't her normal size.

Ethril smiled reassuringly. This was her choice and now she had to go through with it.

Ciel smiled at her. "If that's what you want. I assume you heard her?" He waited for Patrick's confirmation. "Alright. Well, Miss Ethril, you're going to have to let him 'feed' this to you. I'm afraid it's much too small for you to work on your own. It should take a few seconds, but after that, you'll be shrunken down, and then you'll be free to do as you wish. While you're doing that, I can handle my affairs. I'll join you after I do my own minimizing."

Patrick waited for Ethril's confirmation before uncorking the bottle he held. He flew up to where her face was and gestured for her to open her mouth. He didn't speak, knowing that she wouldn't understand. That was a Fair thing. It didn't matter what language they were speaking in their natural form, it would always come out garbled to anyone who wasn't on their level. His potion should be able to fix that as well.

When she opened her mouth, he dumped it onto her tongue. It fizzled a bit before dissolving away, and he made his trip back down to the treetop in order to receive her at her tiny size. It wasn't long before the potion started working, and Ciel watched as she seemed to disappear right before his eyes. When he was sure there wouldn't be any halt in the transformation, he stood to get himself ready.

He heard Patrick squeal, no doubt covering his eyes, and laughed. He'd gotten dressed and undressed so many times that day. It was beginning to get very easy for him. He made sure to fold his clothes so that no one messed with them and put his hands together in concentration. He wasn't able to just poof in between states like Patrick, or any Fairy for that matter. He had to honestly think about making every part of his body smaller, so he wasn't paying much attention with whatever was going on at the other side of the large redwood.

Finally satisfied, Ciel crawled into his pocket once more and pulled out his proper attire. He fashioned it in place and dashed over to where his two comrades were waiting for him.

Ethril giggled at the idea of being fed. She hadn't needed someone to feed her since she broke her arm as a child. Sistra had not been happy about that little incident. "Alrighty!" Ethril scooted back away from the edge of the tree just to be on the safe side. Once she was sure she wouldn't fall off the edge by accident she nodded to Patrick to tell him she was ready. She didn't want to risk talking and blowing his ears out. She opened her mouth and felt something sweet and wet on her tongue.

She watched as Patrick moved away and then she started feeling funny. After a minute or two she eeped as the world seemed to grow around her. Ethril felt her clothes vanish and she was relieved that the enchantment worked; she'd been a little nervous that it wouldn't work if she shrank.

Ethril was relieved when the world stopped growing around her, but when she started to stand up from where she had been sitting the world swam. Her stomach turned and she quickly went to her knees, wrapping her wings around her body as she did so. She hadn't thought about this little side effect. This was the same way she had felt when trying to hide her wings for the first time. Maybe not as bad, but similar.

She quickly closed her eyes and took several deep breaths while she waited out the dizziness. When Ethril's head cleared some she attempted to stand up again. She was more successful this time and didn't feel sick.

Ethril glanced around at the much larger world and for a moment her size complex kicked in. "I'm so glad Pyronim isn't here right now." She said thankfully. He'd being having a hell of a good time making fun of how small she was now.

Patrick was rather worried when he saw her stumble, but he didn't want to try to help and wind up hurting her. When she finally did stand, he was right at her side. "Are you okay, dear?" he asked, concern laced through his every word. Ciel hadn't made it over yet, and he wasn't sure if was normal behavior.

When she spoke of her old friend begrudgingly, he assumed she was fine. It wasn't long before Ciel and made it down to his normal size after that. He went skating over and greeted them.

He gasped when he saw Ethril. "You look adorable!" he cried, taking her up in arms. "But we have to get you inside quickly, so listen." He didn't put her down so that he could better command her attention. He remembered her saying there wasn't much feeling in her wings, so he was pretty sure he wasn't hurting her.

"Patrick and I will do our dance asking the tree to let you in. It'll only be a minute or two. But when the time comes, you've got to grab onto his hand since he's your sponsor. We should be able to stomp in then, and after that, you'll just float down with us. You don't need to fly or anything, so don't worry. It shouldn't be a problem getting back up either. It works both ways."

Patrick smiled from next to him. "We can't speed it up anyway, so there's no point in trying. It's a nice way to relax or practice any moves you might want to make during flight. That's what I do anyway."

"Y-yeah I think I'm fine." She smiled reassuring when Patrick asked if she was alright. She didn't want to worry him so she didn't tell him what she had felt. She was fine now and that was all that mattered. Ethril figured that returning to her normal size woudn't make her sick since it was her normal self.

Ethril blushed as she was hugged by Ciel. It was a good thing that her wings didn't have many nerves, but she did feel him through them. She tried to tell him that she was adorable, but she kinda stuttered instead. She held onto his shoulders with her hands so she felt a little more balanced as he continued to hold her. Even miniaturized she was still shorter then Ciel! It just didn't seem fair.

Ethril listened to Ciel's instructions and nodded. "Are you sure I won't have to fly?" She asked a little worriedly. With her wings wrapped around her body like this she felt nervous about being in the open air without them. She trusted Ciel though when he said she wouldn't need to.

"T-Thanks Patrick," Ethril said a little nervously. She hadn't realized how much she relied on her wings until now.