"Good morning!" Serna woke with a yawn as she stretched her arms before a sudden realization hit her, "Wait a minute! You zapped me! You zapped me to sleep!"

The Shield Maiden leapt to the floor and placed her hands on her hips, "That's wrong! Explain yourself, Laz!"

"Zapped you?" He turned in her direction placing a small dragon figurine back into his backpack. "Nonsense, child. I merely waved you goodnight."

He paused for a moment chuckling at the sounds of the kurori scrambling to find any sort of relief from Alyson.

"You did not!" Serna stamped her foot, "You zapped me to sleep when you waved your hand in front of my face. Explain yourself! Now!"

"Are you sure it wasn't because you were over tired from the days events?" Lazheros finished placing his garb within the backpack and pulled out a small flask of home brewed tea he made before leaving Asylum and sipped its contents. He studied her for a few moments more, "It was my choice to be with Alyson not yours."

"What is THAT supposed to mean?" Serna shook her head in disbelief, "You know what? I give up!"

"It means that you are a child still and do not understand grown ups yet, Serna." Lazheros corked the bottle of tea and placed it back into the backpack.

"I'm going to the baths and get cleaned up and then I'm going to get something to eat," The Shield Maiden turned and left in a huff, "I don't even know why I try to understand what is going on around here. Half the time I don't know. The other half of the time no one wants to explain it to me. Why do I even bother?"

Lazheros stood up and walked out of the room and out to the balcony overlooking the magnificent view of the gardens down below. He watched as Serna grumbled all the way to the baths, sighing.

*****

Outside at the stables Caliaphy hid behind a stack of hay just out of sight of Alyson. The ground was still muddy from last night especially around the water trough. Picking up a handful of thick mud, Alyson rolled it into a sloppy wet ball and waited. Peeking around the corner, the kurori saw no sign of the elementalist and took off towards the palace only to get smacked in the back where her wings were prevented from moving. One minute she was five feet above the ground the next she did belly flop into the thick, slimy mud.

***SSPLLLOOOOSHHH!!!***

"UGH! WHA-WHAT Is this stuff? It smells BAD!" Caliaphy tried to roll over only to completely coat herself with more mud. When she looked up, there stood the elementalist smiling, "You! YOU, MEANY! NO FAIR!!"

"Of course, its fair, Caliaphy," The elementalist grinned, "We're not in Asylum where your kinfolk can hide and deny you passed through. Two, I'm not done with you yet since you fell in the mud, you need a bath. Hey look I'll just dunk you in the water trough! Hahahaha!"

"WHAT!?!"

***SPLASH!!!***

Alyson 'washed' all the mud off of a soaking wet faerie with arms crossed and expressing the biggest fat lip and pouty face on record.

"Well, you're washed but *Sniff!* Phew!" The elementalist waved her hand back and forth, "You stink almost as bad as Irzen did from last night. Gee, it looks like I'm gonna have to take you to the baths and clean you all up."

"We get back to Asylum, I will get you GOOD!" Caliaphy grumbled again, "I never lose! NEVER!"

"Uh-huh! Right," Alyson held the kurori with both hands in front of her, "Now you and Seama will be tied. Hahahahaha!"

++++
====
++++

The Shield Maiden stormed into the baths just as the Swordsman was leaving them clad in a long white Elven robe.

"Good morning, Serna. How goes it?"

"It goes," The Shield Maiden walked past him without even looking at him and into the baths closing the door behind her.

"What was that about?" Irzen asked shaking his head before he decided to listen to his stomach and follow his nose to the kitchens so he could get something to eat.

Serna dropped her shield, quickly disrobed and promptly jumped into the nearest hot bath she could find all without missing a step.

The Shield Maiden took her time both to calm down and to cleanse herself. Although she had to admit that the baths were lovely and this was exactly what she needed.

***

Alyson walked back in the palace with a very wet kurori that looked more like a cat who gotten a bath against her will. Caliaphy hung in sheer defeat defiantly with her arms still crossed with the biggest fat lip she could produce as they approached Lazheros looking out over the balcony.

"Alyson was MEAN to me, Bronze Man!" The kurori protested.

The bronze man looked in their direction and burst out laughing, "Hahahahaha! I see Alyson has bested you finally!"

"But--"

"I warned you several times Caliaphy, not to underestimate her." He calmed down enough gesturing towards the baths, "You will find Serna there."

"It shouldn't take too long giving this one a real bath, so she smells normal again," The elementalist smirked. ~The look on her face was priceless.~

Alyson continued on towards the baths with Caliaphy passing the swordsman on the way there, "You look better, Irzen."

"Thanks, I feel better too!" The Swordsman continued on towards the kitchens, "I'll see you guys later. Breakfast calls. By the way, what is that ungodly smell?"

"Oh? I gave Caliaphy here loooooooooong over due payback for all the times she bailed on me back in Asylum when visited during the summer time." Alyson stepped to the side. "She smells of horse crap but when you came back from the battle field last night, you...you ah took the award for being ripe."

"If you say so," Irzen responded flatly.

"THIS isn't OVER!" Caliaphy protested again.

"I think War Scribe would approve of my method of payback, eh? See you in a bit, Irzen." The elementalist laughed again as they walked to the baths.

"Well, this thing you two have got going on sounds like a personal beef to me," The Swordsman concluded as he walked off, "As far as I'm concerned, my name is Bennett and I'm not in it. I will see you two at breakfast, ciao!"