赤裸裸的滑稽故事

“Sshhh… shhh… it’s ok, it’s ok,” Galen whispered as he bounced Ren on his shoulder.

Ren continued to fuss and cry, not showing any sign of stopping.

“Mommy will be right back, Ren, I promise.”

“Is this old man bothering you, little one?” Alice cooed as she approached the table.

Galen chuckled.

“He definitely prefers his mother,” he sighed.

Alice watched as Galen tried again to calm the tiny baby.

“Would you mind…” she said. “Could I try?”

Galen looked at her, hesitating. But Ren was getting more upset at the moment. What harm could it do to let someone else try? He carefully handed him over to her. Alice supported his head and balanced his weight in her arms.

She smiled down at the sweet child.

“Hello, sugar,” she whispered.

Galen felt a strange familiarity in the words. That was the way she had behaved when they first met. Only this time, it didn’t sound so hollow.

Ren was no longer crying, but he still fussed and made sounds of discomfort.

Alice moved him to her shoulder, softly rocking him as she cupped her hand and patted his back in a gentle rhythm.

A few small cries and then a big burp came from little Ren.

“Is that what you needed, little man?” Alice asked with a gentle laugh as Ren let out sweet coos.

Galen moved around to stand behind her, seeing the sweet smile on his son’s face.

“How did you do that?” he asked.

“Well, now I see why some of the Summer wolves felt the need to reassure me that nothing happened between you two during the exchange. You look like a proper family right now,” Bell said in a playful tone as she set her plate down on the table.

Behind her, Axel stared daggers at Galen.

Alice giggled while Galen moved quickly away from her.

“Thank you,” Bell whispered as she took Ren back from Alice.

“No problem,” Alice said, smiling at Ren.

Axel set down two plates of food and then turned to Alice and kissed her softly on the head. She smiled up at him.

The four sat together and enjoyed their meal, casually chatting about the relocation of the refugees and Galen’s return to Summer.

“Excuse us,” a familiar voice called out.

Galen looked up to see Clara’s bright, cheery smile. Behind her, Nessa looked down and away. She looked nervous.

“We were hoping to introduce ourselves to Alice,” Clara said brightly, looking at the woman in question.

Alice looked up from her plate, recognizing them both from her past and from the screenshot she got of them hacking her system.

“Clara and Nessa, right?” she said with a smile. “Pleasure to meet you both.”

Clara smiled and let out a soft giggle.

“It’s a… it’s uhm.. a pl–a pleasure to meet… you….” Nessa mumbled shyly.

“Nessa, it’s ok,” Clara whispered. She turned back to Alice. “She’s just really nervous. She kind of, we both kind of, look up to you.”

“To me?” Alice asked with genuine surprise.

“Yes!” Clara replied immediately. “Your hacking skills are amazing!”

“Thank you,” Alice laughed, then looked past Clara to Nessa. “Do you agree?”

Nessa looked up, her face flushed.

“Uhm… ye–yes.”

Alice stood up and came around to stand before them. Clara stepped to the side so Nessa could easily see her hero.

“Calm down, little halfling. This is not our first journey together,” Alice said softly with a slight accent in her voice.

Clara’s brows furrowed in confusion.

Alice grinned playfully at Nessa, whose eyes widened beneath her glasses. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.

“Lady… Sentari?” Nessa whispered in aww.

“Keldove Cinderflower, you are a welcome sight,” Alice replied with a slight tilt of her head.

“What… the hell is happening right now?” Bell asked, looking back and forth between the two women and then at her husband.

Galen shrugged, having even less of an idea than Bell herself.

“Do you two know each other already?” Clara asked with confused delight.

Before her stood the legendary Alice, a woman with computing skills that rivaled Nessa’s, and she wasn’t hard on the eyes either.

The surprise and excitement in Nessa’s eyes were the icings on the cake. Clara was constantly tripping over herself and acting childish around Nessa. It was nice to be the one witnessing the awkwardness for a change.

At least for a moment, it was.

“Lady Sentari!” Nessa said with absolute glee in her voice. She reached out and took Alice’s hands in her own.

Axel clenched his jaw, and Clara gasped.

Bell now looked between Clara and Axel, with a slight smile on her lips and raised brow. Galen glanced up and sighed.

“You are Lady Sentari? I can’t believe this!” Nessa laughed, squeezing Alice’s hands with delight.

Alice laughed. Behind her, Axel let out a soft growl as he saw the warmth in Nessa’s eyes.

Bell chewed her bottom lip, a light giggle escaping her as she watched.

“Me neither,” Clara whispered through a clenched smile as her eyes stared down where Nessa still held tight to Alice’s hands. “Who exactly is Lady Sentari?”

“She is one of the Kalashtar. She left her home in Adar to seek those in need. She became a cleric to heal others because she could not heal the dueling voices in her own mind,” Nessa replied as though she were reading a beautiful story.

The look she gave Alice became serious before she continued.

“When last we saw each other, she was trapped inside of a tomb. A trigger had been activated in the final chamber. She stayed behind, sacrificing herself to the Dreaming Dark to ensure the party’s escape.”

Nessa stared at Alice, her eyes filled with emotion.

“My lady,” Nessa whispered, bowing her head. She leaned forward to Alice’s hand. “I honor your sacrifice.”

Alice smiled with amusement as Nessa’s lips drew closer to her knuckles.

“Ok, that’s enough!” Clara growled.

Clara grabbed Nessa’s hand and pulled her back while Axel reached up, wrapped his arm around Alice’s waist, and pulled her into his lap.

Alice laughed and nuzzled against his throat.

Nessa turned to Clara with surprise.

Clara looked up at Nessa with an angry pout and crossed her arms.

Galen focused entirely on Ren while Bell watched the exchange as she munched on the remains of her salad.

“What’s wrong?” Nessa asked Clara.

Clara’s eyes widened.

“What’s wrong?” she asked with a scoff. “It took weeks to convince you to hold my hand even for a moment! But here you are just meeting Alice, and not only are you holding her hand but trying to kiss it!”