Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ15 -𝓖𝓸𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪 𝓼𝔀𝓲𝓶

Flora: “You want to give my familiar a haircut?”

Tanya nods with a confident smile.

Tanya: “Yes, I do. Your familiar looks cute now, but his fur does have knots, and I can tell that can lead to shedding. We can trim him, bathe him, and give him a proper grooming session. In fact…”

She looks at Indigo, who gives her a look as if knowing what she's saying next.

Tanya: “Master Indigo, I think your familiar is in need of grooming too.”

Indigo sheepishly chuckles

Indigo: “Ah… It's okay. Arion looks good already. “

Tanya: “Nonsense. I know you don't keep him maintained. I know you well enough.”

Indigo sighs, admitting defeat, and pulls out his wand

“Heed my words, Arion. I summon you!”

The pegasus came out, nuzzling his face onto Indigo's.

Indigo: “Good boy. The girls here will take care of you.”

The pegasus goes to Tanya's side as if understanding.

Tanya pets the mount's head and then turns back to Flora.

Tanya: “So, please? Can we groom your little familiar?”

Flora slowly nods, hoping she can trust these girls enough to make Mochi comfortable.

Shana was already picking up Mochi and rubbing her face against his fur.

“Wow! His fur is so fluffy! I love this!” she exclaims while Mochi uses his little paw and pushes her face away.

Shana: “Aw… he's rebellious too~”

Tanya: “Shana, stop… you're going to scare him. Alright, it's settled. Enjoy your stay. And please let us know if you need anything.” The two girls head out with the familiars. Mochi backs away, seeing that he was getting further away, making Shana stop in her tracks.

Shana: “Eh? Aw, do you not want to be away from your master?” She raised her brows.

Flora quickly walks up to her, handing her the entire bag of treats

Flora: “Here…this will help. Use it when he's anxious.”

Shana immediately takes a treat from the bag, feeding Mochi, who calms a bit.

Shana: “Oh, thanks~ I will make great use of it!” She bows before walking again.

Lily also gives her a respectful bow before she heads out with the other girls.

Indigo waits until the figures completely disappear before guiding again.

“Ok, so we all have separate rooms. So mine is 101, Autumn's is 102, and Flora and Mochi, you guys get 103.”

Eventually, they came to the doors with the exact numbers next to each other.

Indigo gave them keys with number tags on them.

Indigo: “Here are your room keys. It has your number label, so don't lose it. “He opens the door to room 101.

Indigo: “So all rooms are the same. This is so clients can't complain about unfairness. From the bed, the tables, and…”

He walks into the room as the girls follow him. Flora took a quick look, seeing it was a rather small room with a bed, a small table with stools, a sofa, and on the right side were some tall curtains to possibly divide the room.

Indigo went to the curtains and slid them to the right, revealing a bath with steam. They saw a window open, letting the cherry blossoms in.

Indigo: “Pretty, right? Everyone gets one like this.”

Autumn: “Wow~ This is so pretty. We get all of this?”

Indigo: “Yeah. Anything for you,” he says with a smile.

Autumn: “Ooh! We should unpack now. And I want to get changed out of these clothes.” .

The three walked out of the room, and immediately, Flora saw something interesting. Two doors away from her door, there was a door with no number. There were only scraps left

Flora: “What is that?” She points at the door.

Indigo follows her gaze.

Indigo: “I'm not sure… That door is apparently a storage room with my aunt's personal things. She doesn't want us messing with it, so I don't ask much about it.”

Flora nods.

Flora: “Ah… Okay then.”

Indigo: “Let's meet up with my aunt after you unpack. You should wear your swim clothes underneath. We can go swimming after we eat. I'll wait for you outside your door.”

Flora: “Okay. “

She went into her room to put her stuff down and change her clothes. She did pack a swimsuit, but she couldn't help but feel nervous. She's not used to exposing this much skin.

She strips out of her clothes to put on her swimsuit, which was a plain blue one-piece. It covers her chest just fine, but she can't stop blushing looking below the waist.

Flora: “Ah… so… indecent!” She covers her entire face. And immediately changed into a long skirt and striped necktie shirt.

She heard a knock on the door.

Indigo: “Are you okay there? Do you need help with anything?”

Flora: “I'm okay! I'm coming out.”

She got out, seeing both of them have different attire. Her sister wore a light orange criss-cross top with a white skirt and boots. Indigo wore everything in black, with a black a thin knitted cardigan vest buttoned up. His pants and boots were also black.

Flora: “Um….”

Indigo: “I…um, I'm not really good with fashion. Autumn usually chooses my clothes…”

Autumn: “Don't worry. I think it still looks cute on you!”

Indigo: “Aw. I want to say the same about you, Autumn.“

Flora: “…”

Flora looks at her sister.

‘That outfit…does look cute on Autumn,’ she thought as she gripped her skirt.

“Indigo. It's so good to see you”

An older woman with long indigo hair greets him with a hug.

Indigo: “Auntie. It's good to see you too,” he says, hugging back.

She let go of him and looked at the two girls.

Aunt: “You must be Autumn and Flora. I have heard of you from Indigo when he writes to me.”

Flora looks puzzled. She gets if Indigo writes about Autumn, but she couldn't get why she was included too.”

Autumn: “It's a pleasure! And Indigo wrote about me? What things did he say”

Indigo : “A-ah, Auntie… there's no need to get into details.”

Aunt: “Oh my. Well, why are you embarrassed now? You sounded so enthusiastic when writing your letter. How lovely a girl Autumn is, and how you're so lucky to have her. And you're happy to have a friend like Flora. I can't thank you two enough for coming into Indigo's life. Please call me Sherry, please.”

Autumn nods, smiling

Autumn: “Sherry, it is! Thank you so much for allowing us here.”

Sherry nods before she gets closer to Flora with a thoughtful look.

Sherry: “I didn't notice before, but you seem…a bit…” Her voice trails off as her face looks more serious as she stares down intently.

Flora looks worried.

Flora: “Is…something the matter, Sherry?”

Sherry: “Ah… Nothing. I just thought I saw a speck on your hair. But I was just mistaken.”

She ruffled Flora's hair.

Sherry: “You have a cute height, my dear.”

Indigo laughs.

Indigo: “She's adorable, isn't she? Flora, I apologize, but I might have described your height in the letter, with, of course, along with the rest of the description. So that would help her recognize you guys. I hope you're not mad at me.”

Flora shook her head.

‘That makes sense for him to do that. I bet he has a lot to say about my sister.’

Flora: “That's okay. I d-don't mind”

Sherry: “Your little friend here is cute. I like her. “She says, making Flora blush.

Flora: “I- I... Um… thank you. You too,” she heard a chuckle from the woman.

Sherry then turns to Autumn, observing her

Sherry: “And Indigo's Lover. You're as beautiful as he wrote it in the letter.”

This causes both Autumn's and Indigo's cheeks to turn rosy red. Autumn even covers her face.

Autumn: “Indigo…you're so bold.”

Indigo: “Auntie… Can we move on?”

Sherry: “Of course. I'm sorry. I am just happy Indigo is fond of someone.”

She then walked them to a table, and they noticed there was a lot of uncooked meat on plates with empty plates next to them, along with forks, spoons, and knives. In the middle was a circular metal ring securing the fire pit.

Sherry: “We'll be cooking our meals today,” she says, pulling up the chairs for everyone.

Autumn's and Flora's mouths practically water.

Autumn: “I have never eaten meat this way before. This is so nice~”

Flora: “This is so fancy… I wish Mochi were here-”

As if on demand of Mochi, the door opens and the three girls come in with Arion and Mochi. Arion's hair looks slightly trimmed, and it seems his coat looks lighter, as if they got rid of any dirt. Mochi's looks surprised at Flora the most.

They seem to be cute around his face and back, getting rid of enough hair to now see the outline of his body.

The shape of his body makes him look more like a tiny teddy bear. It almost reminds her of the drawing in Autumn's handkerchief.

“So cute!”

Flora and Autumn said at the same time.

Mochi notices Flora and tugs the leash, pulling Shana towards Flora.

Shana: “It took some time to get rid of this much fur, but now he should shed less. He also keeps crying while I trim him. I was assuming he misses you so much. He wouldn't even eat the treats either, so I tried to hurry the session.“

Flora, who picks up Mochi, hugs him tightly. She looks at him with pity.

Flora: “You poor thing… This was probably your first groom session…it must have been stressful…but it's okay. It's over now. You've been a good boy.” She kisses his nose, making him lick her face instantly.

Autumn: “Awww, Mochi looks less stressed when he's with you now… I prefer this new look. It's too cute.”

Indigo: “Yes. It makes him more approachable. Mochi looks like a tiny bear,” he says as he caresses Mochi's chin.

Sherry looks at Mochi with an amused look.

“So this is the familiar from the letters. He is as cute as Indigo described. My my~ aren't you cute? Why don't we let the familiars join for lunch too?”

Bark bark!

Mochi sat next to Flora as she took a piece of meat to cook it.

Flora looks at him in disapproval.

Flora: “No, no… you can't eat it yet. It's not even cooked. Bad dog… Ow! Stop clawing me.”

Tanya laughs.

Tanya: “Your familiar is funny. I hope his claws don't hurt much. I did make sure to trim it.”

Flora nods.

Flora: “Well, I barely feel it compared to before. It's just that Mochi put a bit of strength when doing it. He's so small, yet somehow it feels like he's stronger than he thinks.“

Shana: “You seem really comfortable when talking about Mochi.” She says, grinning.

Indigo: “Eh? Oh wow, you're right, Shana. Your speech pattern seems to be slightly different right now.”

Flora “E-eh? I-is it?” She says, feeling put on the spot.

Indigo: “Ah… and it's back to normal. Sorry. Did I make you feel that way? I didn't mean to point that out. I was just surprised because we've been friends for a while, and it feels like you're scared of me…”

Flora: “Eh! N-no! I'm not! I-I-I just um-!” Indigo chuckles, patting her head.

Indigo: “Relax, it was a joke. I didn't mean to catch you off guard.”

Shana and Tanya exchange curious looks before Shana grins. She gets to Tanya's ear and whispers something, making her giggle. Indigo simply gave them a weird look.

Indigo: “Shana… What did you tell your sister?” Shana batted her eyelashes, trying to look innocent.

Shana: “Oh, nothing—just something amusing,“ she says and smiles at Flora.

Flora somehow felt the smile unnerving since it felt like they might be gossiping about her somehow.

Autumn: “Ah! Flora! Flip the meat! I think this side is burning!”

Flora immediately brought back her attention to the meat, panicking and fidgeting with the spatula.

Flora: “S-Sorry! I'm flipping now!” As she flipped it, she was relieved to see that it didn't look that burnt.

Mochi barks again, demanding the meat.

Flora: “Mochi… for the last time… It's not cooked.“

The rest of the table also takes turns adding more meat to the middle.

Sherry: “Hmmm~ it smells great.”

She took the ready meat and divided it among everyone. They all thanked her and took a bite. Flora picks up a piece that looks like chicken meat, and as she is about to take a bite, Mochi jumps in the air and takes the meat off her fork.

Flora: “What! How-oh right… His new skill lets him jump higher… stop that, Mochi! It's mine!”

Mochi didn't listen and ate the meat relatively quickly, licking his lips.

Flora: “Greedy… vile creature,” she cries.

Sherry laughs again, along with everyone at the table.

Sherry: “Your familiar is so funny.” She eyes Arion, who waits patiently for Indigo to slap a piece of meat onto his plate.

Sherry: “I have never seen such an impatient familiar. I like Mochi!”

Flora cries.

Flora: It's not funny to me… my meat.“

Indigo grabs a piece of meat from his plate and places it on Flora's.

Indigo: “Don't worry. Try this piece of steak. It's much bigger than the piece Mochi took.“

Flora: “Thank you….” She munches on her meat and immediately hums.

“So g-good,” she mutters.

Indigo: “Isn't it? My auntie took the time to hunt for rare meat.”

Shana gave them a grin, leaning on her hands.

Shana: “Heh… heh… fascinating. “

Indigo: “Shana… I swear if you think of something weird, I will hit you. Stop making such a creepy face. You'll scare everyone,“ he says, making her pout.

Shana: “ Fine~”

Tanya: “Sorry about my sister. She can be a weirdo sometimes.“

Indigo : “Tanya… don't pretend you aren't the same. You just hide it better.”

Tanya: “ Aww…”

Shana: “Hey, everyone here can be a bit of a weirdo, even Lily. It's just that she's quiet with most people, but she does read smu-”

Lily elbowed the younger girl in the ribs, making her groan in pain.

Lily: “Could you not say anything?” Lily frowns, looking with disappointment.

Shana: “Ah sorry~ Sorry~”

Indigo frowns as he facepalms.

Indigo: “You all have not changed…”

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

After they had their fill, Indigo was the first to get up and call back his familiar.

“Return Arion! Let's go swimming, guys!” He quickly grabs Autumn's hand and drags her with him.

“Come on, guys! I really want everyone to try the pool.”

Autumn: “Oh! We get to swim now? This is great!” She squeezes his hand and grabs Flora's hand too.

Flora “Eh? Right now? But Mochi hasn't finished his plate yet,” she says before she sees Mochi is now just licking the plate clean.

“Never mind…”

Everyone followed Indigo outside, and they were back at the red bridge again. Indigo took off his clothes, leaving him in swimming trunks. Flora looks the other way, feeling embarrassed. It wasn't better the other direction, seeing her sister strip to a white-red striped 2-piece swimsuit. The piece top brought out her cleavage into view and reminded Flora how big her sister can be in certain departments. Departments she'd rather not go into details. Flora slowly took off her clothes as well, covering herself with a towel.

Shana: “Oh wow… Your chest is a bit bigger than I expected. Is that a C cup?”

Flora: “AHHHHHHHHHHH! What are you doing!” Flora blushes profusely while hiding more under the towel.

Shana: “Eh? Why are you hiding under there? Your one-piece hides a lot compared to everyone here,” she points out.

Flora notes that Shana was wearing a V-neckline cut-out one-piece, but the gap in the middle was quite revealing, more than intended. Flora looks away from her, mentally groaning.

‘Indecent! Indecent pieces!’ She then checked to look at everyone else's clothes.

Lily wore a floral 2-piece set with a skirt piece. Tanya wore a black O-ring front-tied bikini. The bottom part has a sarong.

Indigo's aunt didn't change, saying she had work to do, and waved everyone goodbye before leaving.

Sherry: “Enjoy~, everyone. I have a lot of work to do, so I'll be in my office. If you have questions or concerns, my staff or Indigo can take care of that. See you later.” With that, she left them.

Indigo facepalms, seeing Flora shrink into her towel fortress as Shana bombarded her with questions.

“Eh, Flora? Why are you so shy? Have you never seen anyone's skin before? Am I making you shy? Is this your first time wearing a swimsuit? Do you not like my swimsuit?”

Indigo had to pull Shana by her arm

Indigo: “Stop harassing my friend. She clearly is uncomfortable “

Autumn chuckles beside him.

Autumn: “Actually, it might be good for her comfort zones. I was hoping they can become good friends.”

Flora shudders.

‘I don't know about this… Shana is being weird right now…’

Bark bark!

Flora looks down at Mochi, who seems to be barking at Shana.

Shana: “Eh? Why do you make weird sounds at me? I thought we bonded earlier.”

Indigo: “Her familiar has spoken. Leave Flora alone. And Flora, don't be upset with Shana's comments; she means well. I'm sure she's just appreciating your swimsuit because it looks cute.”

Flora hides her red cheeks with her towel when hearing his comment.

Indigo took Autumn's hand and guided her to the river.

Autumn: “Wow! The water is just right! It's not cold or hot.”

Shana and Tanya were the next to go in, with Shana initiating a water fight with her sister, making her fight back.

Tanya: “Ugh! Come on! You got water on my glasses.”

Shana: “Oops~”

Lilly hangs on the bridge as she dips her toes in the water, watching the sisters play.

Flora and Mochi were the last to slowly get close to the rivers.

Flora : “I… guess I should try to make you comfortable with the water.” She took the leash off as she held him in her arms.

Once again, Mochi was paddling his feet in the air, but this time it was much harder to escape to the surface.

The water wasn't as deep either, as Flora was able to stand. The water only reached her chest as she held Mochi in the air.

As his paws touched the water, he kept paddling, but this time her hold was much more secure. She didn't let go of her hand, even if Mochi could've swum with the special armor. She wanted to make him feel confident first.

She walks in the river with Mochi for at least 5 minutes, making sure he doesn't feel scared. She noticed he wasn't paddling that fast anymore. And so she slowly let go, seeing that the armor did allow him to float, and she watched as Mochi swam on his own.

Flora: “I-I actually did it?!”

Autumn: “Wow! You did that on your own? I'm so proud of you! You didn't need my help.” Flora turns to see Autumn looking pleased.

Indigo claps his hand.

Indigo: “Wow! I didn't expect this at all. Flora, you did well. Mochi looks more comfortable now.”

Flora gently smiles, looking at Mochi.

Flora: “It… sometimes feels like I can do anything if Mochi is with me. As long as Mochi is here… I can be a bit less worried.”

‘Maybe things here aren't too bad.’