Realisation

Once again, Elfy was glad she had taken Sitry’s advice. Her breasts – now resting on top of Effy, who was in her arms – served as an excellent distraction. Granted, the nipples that constantly hardened from touching her practically wife were annoying. But she could live with that.

“Curious. What is this stick with a hook at the end of it meant for?” She pointed at the container sprouting several of the things.

With clear difficulty, Effy tore her eyes away from the “Uh, huh? The boobrellas? No! I meant –”

“Boobrellas?”

“Umbrellas! Those are umbrellas!” Effy panicked, wriggling in the nymph’s arms.

Not minding the slip, Elfy studied the things for a bit longer. “And what is their purpose?” She raised her voice to drown out the evil witch calling for the man-pig she had filled with water.

“Uh… To protect from rain. There is a clasp around it. And once you take it off, you can expand the umbrella, and it becomes like a… “Like a mushroom.”

“Interesting, interesting.” Elfy suppressed her curiosity. She could dissect the many new things in the house after she was done with the trash.

“ERIC!”

“Ah…” Effy’s attention turned towards the sound.

Which wasn’t pleasant. “Tch!” Elfy regretted not killing the witch right when she saw her. “Don’t think about it, Effy… You have me. And we can look for your mom after. The witch will only bring trouble if left here.”

“But…”

Sighing, Elfy squeezed her actual-but-not-yet-wife against her chest, almost suffocating the target of her adoration. “No buts.” She chided. “You are a smart girl. You know better than me that this woman will do things to hurt us.”

While considering if she should leave Effy here to wait until the dirty deed was done, Elfy proceeded walking, deciding against it. For one, she didn’t want to let go of the girl. And for two, her wife-for-sure needed protection.

Especially since –

Forming two water swords, she sent them towards the two people she felt sneaking towards them. It was easy to tell they were guards by how large they felt to her senses. If Effy was left alone… No. She couldn’t. Even if she had to show her unpleasant side, she couldn’t leave her lovely wife alone.

Slicing the throats, she felt the blood spill in the air. Elfy didn’t pause or acknowledge the murder otherwise. Those humans didn’t matter anyway. The only person who mattered was in her hands.

“ERIC!? WHERE ARE YOU, BOY!?”

There were movements around the house. None of the presences approached them for now, choosing to run away. A scream outside and frantic conversation proved they had found the pig’s body. Another curious presence was upstairs. Unhurried and ponderous despite the spreading chaos.

“NOOOOOO!”

Effy stirred, the many voices that rose on the property proving too much for her. “Why does she care about him rather than me…?”

It was a murmur. A question not meant to be answered. The direction of it was also unexpected to her. Elfy hummed, sparing more of her attention to form a bubble around them. It wasn’t perfect and didn’t cut off the sound completely, but it did help. She hadn’t done it earlier because it was hard and took most of her attention.

“Why is that terrible man more important than me?” Effy whispered again, snuggling closer.

It was cute, but in a sad way. Elfy shared her warmth, reassuring the beautiful woman in her hands. “Everyone makes a choice. She did years ago. I did yesterday. And you did today. She chose to push away her family and find a new one. I chose to end my slumber and join with you. And you accepted our union today.”

Not responding, Effy sobbed. She pulled herself together, trying to make a ball. Her hands covered her ears, hiding her from the last sounds that made it through the bubble.

This wasn’t how she had imagined their first day together to go. But this was fine. This was just the first of many. Elfy hummed a melody she had heard years and years ago. A bard had sung it on her shore. Now, the tune served to keep her actual wife’s sanity intact. A human’s mind was a fragile thing. She had to be careful.

“WHAT DID YOU DO!?”

Elfy blinked and tilted her head as the hag stepped out of her without-a-doubt-wife’s chamber. “Me?”

“YOU—” The old crone paused, finally focusing her eyes enough to see the protective bubble. “What is this? A demon…” Her foot slid backwards as she turned as white as paper. “Effy summoned a demon.”

“Elfy is not a demon!”

Surprised, Elfy secretly formed a water mirror to take a better look at her love’s face, as her breasts prevented her otherwise. The anger on Effy’s face made her heart jump and giggle in happiness.

“Elfy is… She is…”

“A nymph.”

An unexpected voice finished the sentence. It was a calm, serious tone that carried importance.

“Ah!” Elfy turned around to look at the woman wearing an incredibly fluffy dress. “I thought my kind had been long forgotten. But someone still remembers.” She studied the woman further. “You must be –”

“Madame! You can’t be here!” Harriette spoke while retreating. “They will kill you, too!”

To prevent the hag from escaping, Elfy secretly formed water needles and prepared to shoot them just out of the sight of everyone else.

Effy gasped, too. “Madame Sorkos”. She trembled.

The picture she saw in her mirror displeased her. Elfy saw a worry in her girl’s face, and she looked at this ‘madame’ once again, finding a young, beautiful lady. Not nearly as pretty as her wife was, but that was only logical. Nobody was. An ugly feeling bubbled in her heart, and she considered killing this woman first.

“Please! “Don’t!”

Two voices pleaded for her to cease. One was the madame, and the other…

“Please let me down, Elfy. It’s fine… Please…”

Reluctantly, she let her wife slip out of her grasp. After all, to be married also meant to compromise.

                                       ********************************************

Touching the ground, Effy almost fell. Her wobbly leg gave out, but before she could sway too much, her waist was caught by one of those sneaky tentacles. It held her while Elfy glared at the Madame with unusual hostility. And with them sharing faces, she knew just what kind of emotion that was. It was the same one she had worn just a while ago while thinking about Sitry.

“You don’t need to feel jealous, Elfy.” She whispered. “Maybe once in the past… But those years are long gone. You are the only one for me.”

These words worked. Elfy still looked displeased, but the murderous glint had vanished from her eyes. And once they exchanged glances, the nymph even wore a genuine smile.

Casting her gaze back at the woman she had once crushed on, Effy almost rushed ahead as Madame Sorkos fell on her knees. The years of serving this woman – who was in her thirties but looked to be in her early twenties – had been ingrained in her mind. But she didn’t need to. Not with her girlfriend here.

“Please, noble Nymph. We did not mean to offend you. Spare our lives and those in the town. This land still has hope. Don’t abandon it.”

“Elfy…” She looked at her partner. Despite seeing the nymph for the first time only today, they had known each other for years. Even if it had been a one-way relationship where she just let out her bitterness. “I knew I only brought you trouble, but—”

“None of that!” Elfy puffed out her incredible chest. “Not once have I thought of you as trouble. You are my wif-” She coughed. “My girlfriend. Of course, I will listen to you and help you however I can!”

It was incredibly cute. But she wasn’t done asking. “And spare my grandmother.”

Instantly, Elfy’s expression soared. Somewhere behind them, there was a scream. And for a moment, Effy feared the worst. But the yells didn’t stop and even grew closer as her newfound grandmother kept resisting.

“Thank you…”

“I still might change my mind. She was very mean to you for a very long time.” Elfy huffed, turning away. “And that’s unforgivable. As for you…”

Seeing she was addressed, Madame Sorkos shuddered, bowing even lower. “Yes, Noble Nymph.”

“Elfy! I have a name!”

“Yes, Noble Nymph Elfy.”

“Gah! Stop that. Don’t you have a nymph’s blood in you, too? Have some pride.” Elfy pointed out something unbelievable.

Effy stared at the woman she had served for so long – even if it had been mostly forced by the head maid. “What do you… Huh?”

“Generations ago. My ancestor fell in love with a nymph, and they bore children. She wooed an earth nymph and was the origin of my dynasty. But it is a history long forgotten by most. Our blood does not carry the magic of nature anymore. Our status still carries a little weight now.”

Something didn’t add up. Effy furrowed her brows, staring at Madame. “She? The ancestor was a woman?” Her mind churned, trying to recall everything she could about the Nymphs.

The knowledge was fragmented and steeped in hearsay. She had heard only odd tales about these beings, and they tended to differ wildly. But there was one thing common in all of them.

“Yes.” The Madame kept her eyes on the floor. “My ancestor was a woman.”

“But…” Effy cocked her head. “But aren’t all nymphs girls?”

Despite the choking screams from the head maid, the surroundings were suddenly thick with awkwardness. The Madame glanced up while Elfy scratched her cheek.

The water nymph then wiggled, searching for words. “Well… Technically we are all shapeshifters. But yes. We are all females if we judge by human standards.”

“But then…” Effy questioned many things right now. Especially…

“And since we can change our bodies if we wish to, there are times when we… Well…” Elfy looked a little helpless. “We don’t normally impregnate people. Only someone very special, or… yeah. Someone special.”

Effy catalogued the new information. “Like me?”

“... Well. Yes. That might happen once we spend more time together.”

“And what about the thing you didn’t finish saying? What about ‘or’? Effy couldn’t hold back her curiosity.

“Well… Someone special, sure. But there are times when something clicks and we lose control over ourselves as we indulge in carnal pleasures. It demands both partners to be in that state.”

The previous kiss came back to the forefront of Effy’s mind. They had barely clung to their restraints. No. In fact, she had definitely failed, held back only by Elfy’s mindful remark. Hadn’t her girlfriend said she didn’t mind continuing? Wouldn’t that mean they both ‘clicked’?

“Ahah…” Effy’s face suddenly was burning with bashfulness. Her eyes travelled lower, stopping at-

“Hey, now. I thought you were worried about the hag.” Despite the reprimand, Elfy didn’t shy away, boldly presenting her body.

“T-that’s that, and this is this!” Effy slapped her cheeks, letting her palm impact chase away most of the horny thoughts. But some lingered. “S-so you just grow—”

“LET ME GO, YOU DEMON!”

While Effy restrained herself, Elfy didn’t bother and clicked her tongue. “Stop screaming so much, or I will drown you like the pig before.”

Looking at her supposed family, Effy clenched her fist.