The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'
Chapter 180 - She Smiles When I Hug Her, Listens While I Rub Her, And Then Calls Me...

Chapter 180: Chapter 180 - She Smiles When I Hug Her, Listens While I Rub Her, And Then Calls Me...

The afternoon sun was quite warm on the train platform as Qatrand stood in wait. The partial shade made the usual black blazer of Yecine standards look like it was quite stifling to the other people in the area, but the swordswoman didn’t think much of it at this point in her life.

’They’re late.’

With just a little agitation in her heart, she reached to clutch at the handle of her sword while drawing in a deep breath. Her long blonde hair was tied up behind her neck. The sighing exhale as she dropped her hand and closed her eyes made some of the attentive people watchers gossip to each other.

A tall and strong looking young man was not a total rarity to see traveling, but the face on this one had the angles to be called handsome and even pretty. Qat didn’t know the kinds of things they were thinking or talking about, but she could feel the gazes that were applying careful scrutiny.

She forgot all about that when the fragment in her chest suddenly blazed with a familiar cocktail of emotions - ’surprise’, ’love’, ’excitement’, and a raw ’determination’ to show all the first three in person. A wry smile touched her lips as she braced herself for what was coming, though her wife was still far.

Her pigeon-blue eyes eventually opened and caught sight of brown hair far down the crowded path. The Goltbred heiress sparkled in her silver dress as she moved at speed... though others would see whatever clothing illusion she wrapped herself in that day. Something dark floated nearby and kept perfect pace behind her shoulders.

"Qat!"

The voice carried over the platform noise with none of her *usual* saccharine tone. Yet her pure, unfiltered ’joy’ was unmistakable to the person in this life that knew her best. Elua’s small form jumped up to the platform and launched through the air in a short amount of time after her call.

The swordswoman caught her wife easily, spinning three-quarters in a circle to drain off the force. The mirror smoothly shifted out of the way of Qatrand’s arms as if it anticipated the motion. The ancient cultivator’s legs locked around her waist as she buried her face in the blonde’s neck, breathing in deeply.

"I missed you."

The words came out in the reincarnator’s natural monotone, muffled against Qat’s skin. Her grip tightened possessively while the polished black mirror shifted the angle of its hover. The schemer oriented it specifically to allow a reflection of their embrace to be seen by the tall teenager.

In it, the Yecine could clearly see the smile on her own face. A smile warmer than the sun she had been standing in for an hour. It was wider and ’brighter’ than she would have expected, though the image itself was dimmed by the dark stone.

"I missed you too, El."

One hand moved to stroke her wife’s soft brown hair while the other unnecessarily supported her weight. The small arms and legs clinging to her weren’t about to let go and fall. Navuill eventually cleared his throat from where he stood a few feet away, his existence almost forgotten in their reunion.

"I’ll... go check which cabin we’ve been assigned."

The couple barely registered his arrival or departure.

---

The train car swayed on the rail as it made its way back toward her home. Elua practically melded against Qatrand’s side. The brunette had claimed the window seat on that side, but pressed into a significant portion of her husband-wife’s personal space.

Of course, the taller girl showed no signs of complaint. Qatrand kept her content gaze tilted down at her wife’s head resting against her shoulder. The other Yecine shifted uncomfortably in his seat across from them. He was a little surprised neither of them had suggested he just go sit in the public seating area.

But now, he had finally decided to retreat.

"Cousin... can I entrust the final part of the escort mission to you?"

His hopeful tone barely disguised his desperate need to escape the newly reunited couple’s obvious affection. He was very glad that, while his relationship with his own wife was improving... she did not seem to be quite so... *this*.

"Yes, go on. I’ll handle the report for you."

The ’heir’ response to her relative almost sounded informal and lazy despite agreeing to make things a work matter. The Goltbred smiled wider at her beloved’s behavior and Navuill’s relief was palpable when he stood.

"My thanks. I believe I’ll go explore a different car."

Shortly after he left, Elua adjusted her position and intentionally bumped her leg against Qatrand’s. Dull mint eyes tracked the slight wince that crossed the swordswoman’s face. The expression was barely noticeable.

But even without the little blip of ’discomfort’ in the blonde’s spirit, the ancient cultivator had spent enough time memorizing every detail of her fortress. Combined with the herbal scent of a stronger than usual healing salve...

"Were you going to pretend it’s not still bothering you?"

"It’s not that bad."

A small hand raised theatrically into the air and the latch on the door slid shut. The small sphere of compressed air had gusted accurately and powerful enough for the girl’s Element trick. Elua’s hand found its way to Qatrand’s calf, fingers testing gently against the knotted muscle there.

"Gravitic Leap practice?"

"It’s really nothing serious. I just landed wrong during practice."

"Mm. Let me be the judge of that."

The heiress sat a bit away on the floor and patted her lap. Her eyes regained some of their light, but she remained with a serious look. The Yecine watched a little dumbfounded, not understanding what exactly was being requested by the repeated ’encouraging’ taps.

"Turn and put your leg up here. I need better access to work on it properly."

The blonde complied with careful movement as she turned sideways on the bench seat. She extended her injured leg across her wife’s thighs and the brunette removed her beloved’s shoe without a word. Elua also pushed up the other teen’s pant leg.

Her fingers probed lightly on the musculature around the injury.

"The area is warmer than it should be. You’ve been favoring it, which is making the rest of the muscle tighten defensively."

After testing the extent of the knot and surrounding tissue, her thumb pressed in small circular motions around the edges of the knot. Gradually, her abnormal strength worked inward with increasing pressure. She could feel Qatrand’s leg twitch slightly at certain spots, but the ancient cultivator hardened her heart.

"This might hurt a bit, but try to relax into it. The tension you’re keeping is making it worse."

It had been a very long time since the reincarnator had done this, but even still the experience of once skilled hands worked methodically from the ankle upward. She remembered to use her knuckles to break up the inflamed sections she found along the way.

When she reached the main knot, she applied sustained pressure to it while moving the foot of her darling through gentle flexion and extension. The amount of ’uncomfortable’ in the swordswoman’s spirit made her drop her facade once more.

"Breathe through it, my love. Our rate of recovery might not be as long as it would be for a mortal, but the muscle needs to release before it will heal properly... or else it will be in your way. "

The small fingers worked steadily up and down the length of the calf, alternating between deep strokes and targeted pressure points. She could feel most of it gradually yielding - and the Goltbred was glad for it.

"You’ve been training hard."

Elua was sure that if she hadn’t helped with this, the teenager would... if not make things worse, definitely not get better quickly as she kept up the same level of practice. The damage would linger until the competition. After all-

"All this new definition... and not just here. Your arms too. I felt it earlier. Frankly, pushing yourself this intensely is probably why you injured yourself."

Qatrand’s leg tensed a bit under her hands as she became just a little defensive.

"I wanted to make the most of the time. My spirit has felt clearer and I’m understanding the physical cultivation method-"

"Shh, I know. I can sense both changes. Good work reaching the next Echelons. You’re progressing beautifully."

Elua’s fingers found a particularly tight spot that remained stubborn. She pressed it a little harder than necessary, using it to stress her point.

"But... you need to give your body time to adjust to the new strength. Especially when practicing techniques that put this much strain on your lovely muscles. They are strong and beautiful - not invincible, Qat."

The reincarnator’s clinical observations carried unmistakable pride in her husband-wife’s progress, even as she continued the therapeutic work. She shifted her grip to cradle Qat’s heel, slowly rotating the ankle again to help the calf stretch and release its final problem.

The brunette let go and pushed the limb away softly. The blonde sat back upright and tested moving it around. The area felt a bit sore still, but a lot more flexible and without any pulls of pain.

"Thank you, El."

"You have to relearn the limits, or things like this happen. And it forces me into a strange position."

"What do you mean?"

The heiress stared at her own hands. They still felt warm, tingly, and a little numb all at once from using them to massage. She was both happy and unhappy to add it into the top 20 list of memories with Qat!

"Well, I’m very happy to help you like this, but... even if it’s not permanent - I have to cause a bit of pain to you. And that makes-"

Qat lifted her up quickly, sat her down between her thighs, and hugged over her stomach. She snorted an exhale and placed a kiss on the back of the cute girl’s head. The Yecine rested her cheek on top of her scalp while her low voice rumbled out.

"What a silly concern for my mint-drop to have."