<Drohn> Alright, so, we all got ready with our final classes and weapons, killed a bunch of Risen from all across the Outrealms, fulfilled our promise to Outrealms Naga and helepd to bring down the other-world Grima, and also helped ourselves to some sweet loot from a dungeon protected by a bunch of lonely dead guys... so I guess now it's time to head back to our world.
<Anna> Aww, so soon?
<Drohn> Ack! Where did you come from?
<Anna> The Hotrealm! That's the name of our beach resort, the nicest beach you'll find in any world. I'm so glad you made it! ^_^
<Drohn> ... why are you in your underwear?
<Anna> What, have you never seen a bikini before?
<Drohn> Well, we don't exactly have nice beaches in Ylisse...
<Anna> All the more reason for you to stay and relax for a bit before you leave!
<Athena> It would be nice to relax and take a little break before we get back to the fighting.
<Light> Yes, I'm afraid I'm getting dreadfully calloused from all this fighting and would welcome a nice, relaxing spa day or three.
<Anna> We'd be happy to have you! You guys are pretty famous around here, after all, with all the work you've done to help protect us. Come, spend a day with us totally on the house!
<Palutena> Woohoo! I'm going to go change~ *runs off*
<TT> I'll, uh, go keep an eye on her while she's changing. >_> *casually saunters off*
<Anna> But, really, I'm super happy to have you here. You guys are celebrities!
<Drohn> Wait, really?
<Anna> Yep! We even took a vote on which of you we liked the best.
<Drohn> ... go on. >_>
<Anna> Of course, we love all of you, just some more than others. And you, Drohn, were head of the list!
<Drohn> Oh, nice! :D
<Anna> I have a special present for you as your prize. *wink* So come visit me over in the changing room for your prize when you have a moment. The other winners were TT and Palutena, so you'll have to let them know they ca... oh, look, here comes TT back now!
<TT> Hey, chief, the beach is full of brigands!
<Drohn> Ohgod, really? facepalm.jpg
<Athena> We better run off and take care of this.
<Anna> Oooh, are you guys going to fight? I wish I'd known sooner, I could have charged admission...
We all ran up to the beach and quickly prepared for battle. Palutena had already changed into her swimsuit but ran forward ready for battle. And, to be honest, it wasn't as if she was dressed much more skimpily than she was typically anyway... Most of us ran into battle right away, but Drohn was intrigued by the prize that Anna had mentioned. I love the man, but he's a sucker for surprises. Once he saw that we had the brigands held down, he rushed over to the changing room to see Anna.
<Drohn> So... I heard you have a prize for me? :3
<Anna> Yep! I had this swimsuit special made, just for you!
<Drohn> ... you made me underwear with the Brand of the Exalt on it? o_o;
<Anna> It's not underwear! Just go try it on for me, okay?
<Drohn> Fiiiine. >.> *boink*
<Drohn> D-Do I look okay?
<Anna> *whistle* Let's just say the Brand really brings out your "royal" "attributes". *wink*
<Drohn> >_>
<Anna> Now, get out there and waste some brigands!
<Drohn> WHAT?! I can't go fighting in this! I'm not sure which would be worse--the stabbing or the laughing.
<Anna> Awww... :< Fine, you can go change now.
<Drohn> The breeze did feel nice and pleasant, though...
The Brigands were actually a fairly easy bunch to kill after all the training we've been through, so I didn't begrudge Chrom taking a bit of a break. I also stayed mostly out of the actions watching everyone else, which is how I happened to notice...
<Athena> Oi, Palutena, is there a reason you keep staring at me?
<Palutena> Oh, hi Athena. What do you think of my swimsuit? ^_^
<Athena> It's, uh, nice I guess...
<Palutena> Would you mind rubbing some oil on me? I'd hate to get sunburned out here.
<Athena> If you don't want to get sunburned, why don't you change out of those clothes?
<Palutena> No way! It's much too hot here to fight in anything stifling. I'm surprised you're not sweating your ass off in that giant coat of yours.
<Athena> Well, uh.... have you gone to see Anna yet? She said you were voted the most popular lady of our group and had a special prize for you!
<Palutena> Oooh, sweet, prize! :D *runs off*
<Athena> *phew* That's one awkward request handled... now let's see how the rest of the battle is going.... TT? Why are you standing around collecting seashells?!
<TT> Who, me? Man, these guys are really beautiful! I could sell these for some big bucks back in Ylisse.
<Athena> The rest of us are fighting Brigands and you're picking up shells to sell?
<TT> Well, I'm also, uh, scouting out enemy positions. >_> <_<
<Athena> *taps foot*
<TT> Oh, come on, Athena. :< These guys are super easy anyway. You could probably take them all out yourself if you wanted to.
<Athena> Fine, whatever... *sigh* You may as well go off and visit Anna for your prize, too; it's not like you're doing anything more useful out here...
<TT> I get a prize? :O
<Athena> Yeah, you were voted one of the most popular members of our group by the Outrealms, so Anna has a prize for you. Looks like Palutena is getting hers now, you can probably gets yours once she's done.
<TT> Sweet, free stuff! :D *runs off*
<Athena> ... maybe I'm just jealous because I didn't win... ._.;
...
<Palutena> I heard you had a prize for me, Anna? ^_^
<Anna> I do indeed! It's... a new swimsuit!
<Palutena> Oooh, this one looks even skimpier than my old one. I bet Athena will love it. *runs off to change*
<Anna> Well, what do you think?
<Palutena> I think it's a bit too... tight. *sproing*
<Anna> You look awesome, Palutena! Most women would kill for that body.
<Palutena> Thanks, so did I. I don't think I can go fight in this though...
<Anna> Really? I think you'd be killer. And I bet Athena would love it too!
<Palutena> I think my old swimsuit was good enough, and a bit less constricting.
<Anna> Sorry for the size issues. You've got a bit more, uh, femininity than I'd thought. :<
<TT> Hellooo? I'm here to collect my prize?
<Anna> Sure, come in! Palutena was just leaving.
<Palutena> Enjoy your prize, dear. I can't wait to see you in it. *wink*
<TT> So, what's the prize?
<Palutena> This awesome commemorative swimsuit!
<TT> You want me to wear... this? It's a bit too conspicuous for my tastes.
<Anna> What if I through in a box of the Hotrealm's candy to sweeten the deal?
<TT> Sold.
<Anna> Into the changing room with you!
<TT> Oh, geez, what did I get myself into.... *wobble*
<Anna> Wow, hello hunk. Those sweets on your trunks just scream, "Unwrap me!"
<TT> Where am I supposed to hide my sweets in this? :< I'm used to having a bunch of secret pockets...
<Anna> Well, just promise you won't get too creative with your hidey holes, okay?
<TT> Look, you got me to wear it, so that's the deal, right? I can change back now?
<Anna> Awww, fine. Here's my end of the deal... :<
Drohn was riding his horse along the beach, running off to catch far off enemies. Closer to home, SAE and Keeper were spending some quality time together out of the sun. Light took Cinesra out for a ride on her Pegasus over the waves. The others were all slowly making their way through the sand, picking up treasures and killing enemies almost leisurely.
<Palutena> Athena, I'm baaack~
<Athena> *wince* You still want me to rub oil on you?
<Palutena> Of course! It's for my own safety, after all.
<Athena> Look, I'm sorry, but I just don't have the time for it. We're in the middle of a battle here! Even if it is a lazy one.
<Palutena> Awww. You never want to spend time with me, Athena. :<
<Athena> Look, I'll be happy to hang out with you later, but after the battle is done, okay?
<Palutena> And you'll rub oil on me?
<Athena> All over.
<Palutena> Deal! *runs off*
<Athena> Wow, I've never seen her so anxious to fight before...
Within moments, Palutena was running off to slaughter enemies. Somehow I'd managed to unintentionally inspire her. Go figure. TT was just coming out of the changing hut when he bumped into Keeper.
<Keeper> Wow, you've really got a lot of tasty sweets, don't you TT?
<TT> Hey, hey, look don't touch, pal. These are allll mine.
<Keeper> Don't worry, I don't want to eat any, I'm happy just looking. We didn't exactly get a lot of sweet things in Plegia>
<TT> Really?! D:
<Keeper> Yep. The soil isn't exactly great there with all the sand and swamps and all, so we're much more focused on making regular food for, you know, living and stuff. It's so fun to look at all the sweets you have!
<TT> Well, since you're such a connoisseur... let me show you my ultimate favourite piece.
<Keeper> :O
<TT> Tada! This is a sweet black bean bun from Valm. I've had dozens of the things, and each one's been better than the last. They're full bodied and smooth, with a nutty sweetness that lingers on the tongue. Texture is medium firm, with a pillowry bite that melts in the mouth. Very well balanced. See the subtle earth tones of the dough and how they complement the filling? These sweet cakes are the work of a master—the result of YEARS of dedication. In fact, it's fair to say they represent the very pinnacle of the confectioner's art!
<Keeper> Wow, anything that has beans in it and still looks that good MUST be special! Thanks for sharing. ^_^
<TT> I'm surprised you're so interested, honestly.
<Keeper> In fact, I have a present I want to share with you!
<TT> Oh?
<Keeper> Since you love sweets so much, I thought you might like to try this rare treat!
<TT> What is it? A cake from your Plegian homeland?
<Keeper> Yeah...something like that! They're baked in special ceremonies as offerings to Grima. Never eaten one myself, but as you're the expert, I figured you'd like to try it!
<TT> Crivens, Junior, was this baked in the fires of hell? It reeks of sulfur, and there's an evil, black miasma oozing from it... It...it's like something that fell off one of those walking corpses...
<Keeper> Nya ha ha! You really do know your sweets. That's EXACTLY what it's like! Sooo...are you gonna take a bite or what? First time for everything, right?
<TT> You know, actually, there are these shells over here that I was collecting to sell for more army funds, so, uh, I better get back to that. Important work, you know. *runs*
<Athena> TT!
<TT> Yes?
<Athena> Is it really true that you're collecting those shells to sell for army funds?
<TT> Well, it was going to be a secret, but yeah.
<Athena> I'm sorry I was so pissed at you over that earlier, then. I thought you were just selling them for more sweets.
<TT> No need for apologies. If I wanted your gratitude I would have just told you what I was doing in the first place.
<Athena> Well, take these coconut brittles anyway as a reward.
<TT> Yay! Best tactician ever~ <3
By the time TT was gone and I looked back around, it seemed like all the Brigands were gone. Had Palutena really killed them all so quickly? Anna thanked us profusely and invited us to spend the night at the resort. I kept my word to Palutena and helped oil her skin while all the guys watched sneakily out of the corners of their eyes. Most of us were still uncomfortable in the bathing outfits available, but we relaxed and had fun regardless, playing on the beach and in the waves. All in all, it was a good way to spend our last night in the Outrealms before heading back to our own world and its perils.