For the rest of the day, we did physical exercises, Dragan flew by them like it was nothing, he had muscle and stamina - a fierce combination. On the other hand, I struggled hard. It's been so long since I did intense workouts like this.
But I had managed to survive, thanks to me being made of 100% water, I could not sweat. But I still exerted energy, so I was still tired. After training, we went back to Dragan's house and I just flopped on the bed in my human form.
"I'm so tired," I said through mumbles and my face against the pillow.
"Oh come on, what's her problem!" I shouted to the heavens. Referring to Kamika who had laid out the workouts in the first place.
"Complaining gets you nowhere little one," said Dragan taking a seat next to me and undressing from the bottom, I pushed against the bed and cuddled with the pillow.
"So-" he started.
"How was your first fusion, the feeling will take some getting used to, or so I'm told," said Dragan.
"It was a weird feeling," I said now much calmer and in a soft voice. I scooched over so Dragan's back was cuddling my feet.
"Did it hurt, when we un-fused?" I asked.
He stood up from the bed and started changing in front of the dresser. At this point, I was almost accustomed to his sudden outburst of full confidence and overall no sense of modesty around naked bodies, especially his. Not that I mind the eye candy of course. Still I got a little shy at how natural he made it look.
"Not at all!" he said. "Plus I'm a great swimmer, so don't worry about having me hold my breath," he said with no restraint. I didn't particularly like this fusion thing, I thought it would be more magical, and it kinda is, in the sense I give my seemingly OP magic powers to Dragan, and he amplifies it. But the way we un-fused, it just felt gross.
Why did it all have to be so, biological?
"I need to find a better way to un-fuse," I said. Dragan stopped in his tracks.
"What do you mean?" he said. "Don't you like the current method?" There was a beat as he approched me - half naked, and got real close, holding my hand. I had barley time to move. He continued.
"You don't need to change anything because of me," I turned around to look at him. He was half naked, only wearing boxers, with a big duffus smile on his face, but right now I was so tired, I had barley time to react.
The words that came out of my mouth, surprised even me.
"The current method is inefficient Dragan, we need to find a better solution before Kamika sends us up to our doom - fighting monsters and completing quests in the wasteland," I said, closing my eyes for a moment.
"You wanted to fight monsters right? This is our opportunity, plus leaving Tarragon seems rather exciting, don't you think?" he said and continued changing. This time around he put on a sleeves t-shirt and some shorts, it was a pretty chilly night though.
I didn't question it.
"You've never left Tarragon?"
"Not in my lifetime no -"
"What about a time when you can't remember?"
I got up and sat on the bed.
"I've searched the elder logs, paper of course, there would have been noted of my departure and arrival, and there was no such thing," he said, I turned sort of sad. Such a huge world, full of adventure, deadly as it might be.
"I've only been to the forest and back to the village," he continued. Then stars started dancing in his eyes.
"This is our chance! Elder Kamika must have seen something in you to even think about starting training us!" he was excited. The air reeked of testosterone.
This was something important to him, I shouldn't be complaining, I don't want to ruin this for him, even if Kamika had just sprinkled it on us out of the blue.
I sighed and place my head on the pillow again.
Before I could react, I felt a swift movement.
He jumped into the bed, I was scared he was going to crush me, and froze on my side. But he landed just inches away from me, hugging me as the ripples from the jump dissipated from the bed.
I was the little spoon.
"Besides I have you," he said. His tone changed as he wrapped his arms around me.
"And I have you," I said. He cuddled me. I grabbed his forearms, softly caressing them with my thumb.
"We'll be camping a lot, I'm sure of it, most newbie adventurers camp a lot during their first years, so I'm sure we'll be doing that a lot, we'll have nights in the mountains, in the canyons, beaches, and oceans, all to ourselves, no one - miles around, just the two of us, under the firewood, the meat we hunt, and nature itself! The stars to guide us." He was trying to sell it. In his quirky way. But sell it he did.
It actually sounded kinda exciting.
"You wanted adventure," he continued. "This is how it starts," he pushed my back, harder against his chest. His grip was tight, but breathable. Our bodies dissipating heat.
"This is how it starts," I mumbled, my eyes were heavy, was I getting sleepy?
I realized how safe I felt in his arms.
Time flew by, and I was suddenly woken up by the jolt of the curfew blackout, the lights went off with a thud, the electricity becoming silence, the insects noise outside suddenly becoming louder. And the moonlight illuminating the room. I tried to move, but his arms were still locked around me.
I realized he had fallen asleep too. His breath steady.
I moved a little bit, he groaned - the only words coming out of him.
"No..." a groggy sound came from him, half asleep, half awake. I complied, realizing my body didn't have any bones, so the aches I felt in my human realm after staying in one position for too long. Suddenly were no more. It was all in my head.
So I just cuddled deeper into his arms.
The night was cold, and my body even colder, because I was basically just made out of water.
Dragan - in a sleeveless t-shirt and shorts. Wasn't he going to get cold?
I felt the temperature, it was like sleeping in a room with AC, the temperature must have dropped somewhere around 20 C° (68 F°)
He did basically work all day, and his skin smelled of sun and sweat.
His scent was almost intoxicating to me.
Being this close to him.
Once again he slept with no cover on.
I sighed - his breathing was back to sleeping status.
I guessed he was okay then - so I too let sleep wash over me once again. Just us, cuddled together under moonlight and darkness.
My wind wandered for a moment.
I had to admit, it all sounded rather exciting. I was having a hard time keeping up with him, and I worried I was slowing him down.
He was just simply a happy-go-lucky boy. I wanted to treasure that smile and make sure he never got sad.
It felt fake because - like there was nothing more to him. He was simple. And I was starting to feel like I didn't deserve him. Being happy all the time is weird! At least in my human realm, no one can be happy all of the time. But Dragan seemed to be the exception. Like he was comfortable. Might he actually like this life he has built for himself?
Ignorance is bliss, and all that...
Not being able to remember his pasts contracts with other Z-spirits. Maybe it was for the best.
But that was also the best part of him.