Chapter Four

"Nice one," said Rubilax. "You really are teaching them some good friendship. The best friendship I think I've ever seen."

"Can it."

"What? I'm complimenting you. Great job."

"Look, it's no big deal! She'll be mad with me for a couple days and then we'll go back to the usual. It's happened before. What's the worst she could do anyway?"

"...She could throw out the fish Yugo caught."

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Oh, those assholes weren't getting any fish. In fact, they now owed her fish. By Sadida law. Hundreds of fish. She would make it official and place bounties on their head when they didn't pay their due and then she'd hunt them for their bounties and lock them up and use the bounty money to buy fish which she would then eat in front of their prison cells. Every day.

She never thought she'd think the thought, but that fish would taste so sweet.

Now she found herself marching through the forest in search of her wayward fisherman, almost forgetting to ask the trees where to go because gods-damn-it this was important! She didn't have time to make sure she wasn't wasting her time! That would be stupid.

And by Sadida, she was stupid. She completely neglected the fact that this involved actually talking to Yugo. After what happened on the trip here, this was only a setup for another awkward confrontation. Her pace slowed, but it didn't help.

She was already there.

Yugo was sitting on top of an outcropping over the river he was fishing from. The moon sat beside him. The little romantic likely didn't even realize he sat in such a way. The moonlight hit his hat and it seemed to glow with the most vibrant blue Amalia committed to memory. That would make this difficult because blue had become her favorite color not long after meeting Yugo, and it wasn't like he didn't distract her enough as is.

She tiptoed quietly—wasn't sure why—taking more time than she thought possible, and spoke with much less volume than she meant. "Yugo?"

No response. She could hear his breathing just barely. It was terse and sporadic, clipping at times as if he was holding his breath. Was he okay?

She found her volume. "Yugo?"

She heard a quick inhale and a squeak before Yugo sprung forward, trying to get away and looking back with wide eyes. Amalia could see them. Scared. Guilty. Oddly pretty, but now wasn't the time for that.

And then he tripped over his shorts. Which were very much down.

Oh.

Amalia wore a blush that almost matched his. Nothing happened. She didn't notice anything. He was just clumsy sometimes. Who wasn't? Good ol' Yugo, he was known for tripping over nothing, y'know. She kept her eyes firmly on the grass patch on the other side of the river as she attempted to speak.

"Hi, Yugo..." She smiled what she hoped was a comforting smile.

Yugo squeaked and hung his head while pulling up his underwear. "I'm very sorry!" He bowed deeper than he had ever before. Or ever would.

Amalia gawked at the display. He was sorry? He was sorry? She was the one who walked in on him! If anyone needed to apologize, it was her! Damn it. Just like before. Pathetic. An odd fury welled in her belly and she stepped forward.

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"Hey, Eva, I've been meaning to ask," Rubilax said as Percedal carved another log to a tip. A pile of wood shavings sat beside him. "How did you manage to get Amalia to agree to that bet? She never struck me as the gambling type."

"What do you think she bet on?"

Rubilax went quiet for a minute. "Well, she bet she could stay on Yugo's lap for the entire trip. Right?"

Evangeline chuckled. "She fell off his lap constantly. Her bet had nothing to do with her."

Percedal stopped carving and tilted his head. "Wait, then what did she bet on?"

Evangeline smirked. "Yugo."

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Yugo looked up and saw Amalia's scowl and felt a choke in his throat. He stood still, willing to accept any punishment. It was his mistake, after all.

She grabbed him firmly by the cheeks and forced him to look her in the eye. "Stop doing that."

"I'm sor-"

"Stop it!" Amalia squeezed his face into a silly contortion of its former frown. "Stop apologizing!"

Yugo's eyes widened as much as they could while under the strain. "I'm sowwy?"

"Yugo! If you walked in on me doing that, would you expect me to apologize?"

His face heated up under her hands. "N-no, I'd-"

"Yeah, I wouldn't!" Amalia released him. "Because it wouldn't be my fault!" She glared, holding it for what felt like minutes until she seemed to lose fire. "Stop looking down on me," she whispered.

Yugo stared back. Her face was so close. When did that happen? "Th-that's not what... I don't look down on..." Yugo looked down. "It's the opposite, really..."

Amalia seemed to have trouble speaking. Her cheeks were puffed and Yugo could hear her breathing hitch. "Prove it."

"Huh?"

"Kiss me. You did it before." Amalia brushed the hair from her face and leaned forward.

"I..."

She frowned. "Kiss me, Yugo."

"But I... Right after I...?" His face burned and he just stared on, unable to tear his eyes away from hers. He was pretty certain this was a dream at this point. It wouldn't have been the first. Why fight it? "O-okay." He took a tentative step forward.

And promptly tripped on his shorts again.

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Evangeline sat next to her husband and watched their kids attempt to construct a sand castle out of dirt and mud. Elely deemed the size unworthy and Flopin was displeased with the lack of parapets and his inability to make them, so they took the firewood Amalia gathered and smashed it to bits in a fit of glorious artistic frustration. Percedal cheered them on as Evangeline looked to the future clean-up session with repugnance.

That'll learn it.

"I'm starting to worry. Do you think anything happened?"

Percedal laughed. "To them? If anything happened to them we would have heard explosions by now.."

"I suppose..." Evangeline looked to the sky. It was very late. Maybe Yugo got lost?

"Besides, you said it yourself, she's probably just keeping Yugo from catching fish. To get back at you."

"Well, she wouldn't do that to the kids, would she?"

Percedal shrugged. "Well, Yugo wouldn't... It's just one meal anyway, they had plenty in Emelka. That's adventure for ya."

Evangeline grumbled. Ever the optimist with this one.

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Amalia was laughing at him. He was face down in the dirt and his shorts were down because he only pulled up his underwear earlier and Amalia was laughing at him. For what it was worth, it wasn't the worst thing she could be doing right now. She had an intoxicating laugh.

Rather than pull up his shorts, he sunk further into the dirt and sighed. Amalia apologized for laughing and for walking in on him and for teasing him although she admitted that she'd do it again in a heartbeat if it was always going to be that funny. She didn't seem all that angry, at least.

She walked to where his fishing pole was wedged into the soil, waiting for a bite that probably already happened, and sat down. She took a deep breath and looked back, smiling.

Yugo pulled his shorts back up and joined her. He resigned himself to being the fool of the night. They sat in silence for awhile before Amalia began fidgeting.

"I really am sorry, Yugo. I didn't mean to walk in on you."

"It's fine. I'm not angry at you." Yugo scratched his shoulder as he watched the river below. "Just embarrassed."

Amalia cleared her throat."...Would you be less embarrassed if I told you that I do that, too?"

Yugo's face grew hot. "W-well I kinda figured after what you said earlier..."

"Oh. Right..." Amalia blushed. "Well that was all i could think of to make you feel better..."

Another silence overtook them. They looked at the stars and the moon and gradually took note of the surrounding nature. The wind jostled the foliage and the crickets sang their song. Fallen leaves and spore dust floated about the area, picking up the moonlight in tiny glimmers. It was something to fall asleep to. Amalia's eyes were half-lidded and Yugo was leaning back in relaxation. It was peaceful.

So of course she would ruin it. "What were you thinking about?"

Yugo cracked his neck with the speed of which he looked at her. She was wearing an impish grin that he hadn't realized, until now, that he always pictured her with. He tried his best to show outrage, but all he could feel was the heat from his blush and a nervous titchy smile.

She giggled. "Would it make you feel better if I told you what I usually think about?" Her smile was mesmerizing, especially behind that full-faced red she wore.

He looked away and began tracing circles in the dirt. "N-no, I'm good."

"Hmm. Well maybe I should tell you anyway." She scooted closer.

Yugo pulled his hat over his eyes and focused even harder on tracing circles. "I don't think-"

"'Cuz it kinda involves... relevant parties." Their thighs were touching.

Yugo stopped tracing and looked at the contact.

"And I'm starting to really want to tell you." She ran her hand across his leg, moving his shorts further up his leg as she went.

Yugo shivered.

"And hey, you still haven't kissed me. You said you would." She was close. He couldn't see her, but he could smell her breath. It didn't smell great, objectively, she needed to brush.

He leaned towards it automatically.

Her hand brushed lightly near his waistband. "So... what were you thinking about?"

Yugo gave in.

He kissed her. Hard. His teeth hit hers and they both jostled but were quick to recover and returned to each other's lips. He hugged her, pulling her down on top of himself, his hands clasping the back of her neck. Amalia moaned into the kiss and incrementally adjusted herself to straddle his legs. They barely separated to catch a breath, Yugo keeping her bottom lip gently in his teeth before they pressed back together.

Amalia snaked her hands around his torso, clawing at his waist and sliding her hand into his waistband only to take it out and watch Yugo's reaction. Every time she pulled back, he bucked and grunted. And every time she clawed, he whimpered and clawed back. She tested every action she could think of to hastily built a repertoire for what she hoped was a future in this; She was beginning to grow addicted.

Until a very loud, abrupt bleating from off in the distance made itself known. It was a horrible sound, like someone was beating a gobbal with a ceiling fan. Another joined in chorus, and the moment was officially ruined.

"Oh come on!" Amalia shouted at the sky.

Yugo blinked. What was he doing? That was dangerous! What if she... Well she was plenty into it as well. But that could have... Maybe... But...

"Well maybe outside isn't the best place for this..." Amalia looked down at Yugo, her face was flushed and she wore a silly grin. "You're really good at that, by the way."

He couldn't think of a good response, so he just smiled meekly with an ear-reaching blush.

She sat down next to him again as they listened to the hellish noisemakers do their thing. Whatever it was. He grabbed his fishing pole.

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Ruel finally popped out of his bag, carrying with him an item. He gave a stretch with audible pops and a groan. "About time I found the darn thing."

"Welcome back to the world of fresh air, Ruel," said Evangeline. "Did you have fun in there?"

"Bah! Fun wasn't the reason." He hoisted up the strange item, much to the visible confusion of those present. "This was." He pulled at it and it bent into a familiar shape. A chair. A tiny chair. A tiny, pink chair. So pink that even a little girl obsessed with the color would say it was too pink. It was pink and had princesses on it and Amalia was going to kill him.

Percedal let loose a loud guffaw and Evangeline couldn't help but join in, waking the twins in the process. Elely looked around in alarm, seeing who needed a mangling and who needed a saving. Flopin blearily held his eyelids open and grumbled incoherently. Was it breakfast?

"How many kamas do you think I could get out of her for this?" Ruel smiled wide.

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"You don't want me to catch any fish?" Yugo asked as he cast a line into the river. Amalia sat closely next to him.

She nodded. "Well they insulted us, so this is their punishment."

"Doesn't this go against the bet?"

"The bet was rigged anyway. And Eva said we were stuck up."

"...Doesn't this prove her point?"

"Yes yes, she always was rather smart. Having points and proving them and such," she scoffed. "This is war. She started with a bet, I'm ending it with revenge. And this is just the beginning."

Yugo needed to ignore that smile, so he turned to watch his line. "Wait. She said I was stuck up, too?"

"Are you not going to defend my honor?"

Yugo sent a matching smile back at her. "Nah, that's your responsibility."

She pinched his arm. "That certainly sounds like you're stuck up. And yes, she's teaching those little gremlins of hers that royalty is snooty and whiny."

Yugo laughed. "Wait, are we not gonna catch anything for the kids?"

Amalia shrugged. "If you want. I think they'll be fine."

"Growing children need a steady intake of food. Skipping meals is never a good idea. It can make them moody and sleepless," he said, turning back to the line.

Amalia looked at Yugo for a quiet minute. He sounded like he was quoting. "Where'd you read that?"

Yugo scratched under his hat. "Oh. Um, there was a book I bought a little after Chibi and Grougal were born—"

That's right, he helped Alibert with Chibi and Grougaloragran. "—on how to raise children."

"Well, I wasn't sure if I was going to ask dad to help... It's... a lot of work to ask of someone."

Amalia stared for a moment before pushing Yugo's hat over his eyes again. "You're a lot of work."

The pair sat there for what must have been hours, catching nothing other than conversation, until Yugo got an undeniable tug on his line. He fought with it calmly and reeled it in without problem.

It was the smallest fish either of them had ever seen on a hook. Amalia let loose a chuckle and stopped Yugo from throwing it back.

"We can't keep fish this small. It's illegal."

Amalia raised an eyebrow. "Why would that be illegal?"

"To prevent over-fishing the river. Little guys like this probably haven't reproduced yet."

Amalia snickered.

He blushed. "Shut up."

"Well, I'm sure one wouldn't hurt..."

"Everyone says that." Yugo promptly unhooked the fish and chucked it back into the river.

Amalia sighed, she really wanted to see how Evangeline would react to her 'meal'. This must have been why he wasn't using his portals. She doubted there were laws forbidding their use, but Yugo probably kept in line with the spirit of the rules. Buzzkill.

"I don't think there are any fish in this river we can eat, anyways. It's mostly bottom feeders and tiny ones like that last one."

"Why cant we eat bottom feeders? Are they poisonous?" They certainly didn't have a pleasant name.

Yugo grimaced. "Not really, but they taste like it."

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"That's it. I've had enough. Dally, throw me as high as you can."

Percedal lit up, nodding quickly and running into position with his fingers laced together. Finally some action! "Ready!"

Evangeline charged, foot gaining purchase on Percedal's hands and she was launched into the sky.

The air rushed by as she ascended. It was a clear, cold night. Perfect for seeing the entirety of the landscape around her. She sent wakfu to her eyes and searched for her wayward friends. She looked towards the river first, being the most obvious location they would be, and found them together on the edge of a small bluff. Amalia's head rested on Yugo's.

Evangeline smiled until she found herself annoyed. That was a positive sign in other matters, but those two were certainly not getting any food. It seemed like Rubilax was right.

Percedal caught her with practiced ease and a goofy smile. "Looks like you fell for me again."

"Oh, hush. You goon."

Percedal shrugged off her act of disinterest. "Are they alright?"

"Yea... It looks like they haven't caught any fish, though."

"Told you," Rubilax jeered.

"Shut up, Rubi. I don't need you to rub it in."

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Amalia stood up. "We should head back to camp." She lent a hand to help Yugo to his feet.

"I guess..."

"...You hungry?"

Yugo put a hand to his belly. "A little. I have a few granola bars I packed in case of emergency, but..."

"Hmph, this isn't an emergency. Here." Amalia knelt down next to a tree and channeled her magic into it. The branches shifted slightly under new weight as flowers turned to bulbs and then to flowers and then to fruit, which fell off as they ripened. "Don't give any to Eva."

"That's amazing."

Amalia blushed at the praise. "Don't get too excited. They won't taste as good when they're grown like that."

Yugo grabbed one of the fallen fruit and took a bite. Sure enough, it tasted like sugar-water and paper. "Well, it's still better than being hungry," he reassured with a smile.

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"How late is it?" Yugo asked as they passed through the threshold to the campsite.

"I lost track." Amalia looked up to the moon. It was in the middle of the sky.

The pair eyed the smolders of an almost-exhausted campfire. In the faint red light, they could see their friends asleep. Percedal was leaning against a log and his children were cuddled up to him, his arms holding them in fatherly protection. They were all snoring with varying degrees of volume. Ruel's bag sat next to the log.

And Evangeline was staring at them.

"Woah!" Yugo backed into Amalia and they both fell down.

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