<div style="text-align: center;"><a class="postlink" href="https://i.imgur.com/cdBJRir.png"></a><a class="postlink" href="https://i.imgur.com/hdaHkeL.jpg">[ img ]</a></div><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 200%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #400000">ꃅ ꍟ ꌗ ꓄</span></span></span></span></div><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #008000">"We shouldn't keep Hest busy if we wish to have Marmalade before the sun fades. Besides, I am sure that the festival will be soon. We should make our way back so we can prepare ourselves..."</span></span><br/><br/>Hest nodded in agreement,<span style="font-weight: bold">"True. The longer I stay here and waste time, the longer it'll take me to get this Marmarmarlade. Or whatever."</span>Hest was clearly losing interest quickly, his gaze shifting every which way for an escape. Eventually, he just opened his wings and took off, but returned only a second later.<span style="font-weight: bold">"That was rude. I apologize, Alida."</span>And then Hest departed again, not mentioning Izu at all. The hit against the young man was deliberate, but it wasn't as if Hest disliked Izu or anything. It was just something about picking on the young male that put a satisfied feeling inside Hest.<br/><br/>Luckily for the young couple though, Hest could be a pretty dependable person when he wanted to be, and Alida was genuine enough that she made Hest want to be dependable. So it wasn't that long after leaving the two that Hest picked up the scent of his Blair Berries. You would think this would have been a fairly good thing, but Hest had this aura of agitation growing about him as he zeroed in on the berries.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">! ~ CRACK ~ !</span></span><br/><br/>Hest howled in pain as an ashen claw struck him in the side, sending the creature spiraling to the ground with a crashing thud. His vision blurred and shook, or was that the ground shaking? Hest groaned as he forced his beaten and bruised body to it's feet, his vision attempting to focus in on<a class="postlink" href="https://imgur.com/CCLzoiK">his assailant</a>. Yeah, it was the ground. A large scorched face crouched down several feet to be right in Hest's face, opening it's mouth to release a horrifying screech that could be heard for miles. Hest cringed a bit as smoke billowed into his face, but what was that glimmering with a fiery sheen on this beast? Oh yeah,<span style="font-style: italic">it was the fucking Blair Berries</span>, also known as Ashbringer Spores to the locales.<br/><br/>"Oh, joy. I forgot about that bit."<br/><br/>Hest had to get the fuck out of dodge, there was no prepping his power for this. He couldn't even start a proper ritual for crying out loud! A sudden screech from the Ashbringer brought Hest back to the present, and the present was about to get incredibly painful.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">Thud... Thud... Thud... CRACK ~ !</span></span><br/><br/>The Ashbringer screeched in horrifying pain as bits of it's face were sent flying, a still rather young looking Ent fist breaking through. Wouldn't you know it? Izu's stalker Ent must have heard the screech and came running to destroy the Ashbringer and defend the forest. That wasn't the end of it though, Hest calling out in alarm as the Ashbringer whirled around and lept onto the Ent. Luckily, It seemed the Ent hadn't brought Izu or Alida along with it, because they'ed be squashed by now.<br/><br/>Hest was already on-top of the situation, hastily prepping a rapid-fire portal spell which he flung around at tree's, rocks, vines and other things. The young Ent was in a pretty precarious position, the Ashbringer looming over it with a terrible screech, ready to devour the Ent.<span style="font-weight: bold">"Hey Grover!"</span>Hest's voice called out loud enough to catch both the Ent's and the Ashbringer's attention, a massive portal opening above them both as a<a class="postlink" href="https://i.imgur.com/fSUJ1Mm.jpg">massive ax</a>made from the materials Hest had gathered.<br/><br/>The young Ent grabbed the Ax, using it to battle the Ashbringer up off of itself. Hest had to seize his moment now, the berries must be gathered before the Ashbringer is slain, else they would be useless! Four wings opened as Hest blurred forward in a rush, snatching four orbs of cold fire from the Ashbringer just before the Ax came crashing down. With that, Hest disappeared back into the forest to find a few easier ingredients and make his preparations.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;">-------Time Skip--------</span></div><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><a class="postlink" href="https://static.zerochan.net/Tetsu420.full.1576579.jpg"></a><a class="postlink" href="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/steusloffa/Junk/9b4c67d7-5e06-4750-8d35-191de0acc40c_zpsagryk5tp.jpg">[ img ]</a></div><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #BF0000"><span style="font-size: 200%; line-height: 116%;">I Z U</span></span></span></div><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #008000">"Will you shed your garments or do you wish for us to find you an alternative?"</span></span><br/><br/>Alida was now naked, her hand placed on her hip as she looked to Izu for an answer. The young man raised a brow as he examined her from head to toe.<span style="font-weight: bold">"Preferably an alternative, but I guess I should try and make some sort of progress with this... Shouldn't I?"</span>His voice gave away his reluctance, but that didn't make what he said any less true. Being the only one geared up in full clothing would make him stick out and Whatever Izu was wearing now had been through some strange version of clothing hell, and it wasn't holding up too well. All that considered, Izu finally shed his clothes to reveal a pretty damn dirty and bruised body. He had dried blood, scrapes and scratches, and god we can only hope that was mud caked on his feet. The man needed a bath, bad. Alida was obviously thinking the same thing, because they were now in a private bathing area discussing what king of clothing Izu would wear.<br/><br/>The young man cringed a bit as he placed his hands in the water, though more from the strange feeling that came over each cut and scrape rather than any sort of pain. It was as if someone plugged their bath into a wall socket and gave it this<span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-style: italic">'charged'</span></span>feeling. When Izu questioned Alida about it, she explained it was just a property of bath water in her world and that it would help with healing and cleaning his wounds.<span style="font-weight: bold">"Oh, okay."</span>More Hesitation from Izu.... Alida had seemed to have had enough, getting in and soaking herself entirely as her mate watched.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">"Ah... Oh-Okay. That's an odd feeling."</span><br/><br/>Izu had crawled in just as his mate his mate stood up from in the bath, sliding in under her. The sensation was more than strange, it was almost Alien. Honestly, it felt weird on his bits and bobbles and he wasn't a fan. Alida assured him though, he would grow accustomed to the feeling of their water just as she grew accustomed to his. And that was that, her logic was flawless and Izu had lost.<span style="font-weight: bold">"Yeah... Yeah. But I at least want something to wear over my cash and prizes. Like a robe bottom at the very least, I'd be happy with that."</span>Izu then added,<span style="font-weight: bold">"And that isn't the same thing as a dress bottom. I just want to make that clear, I won't wear a dress bottom."</span><br/><br/>Izu was pretty adamant on not wearing a dress bottom.