"So what exactly are we looking for?" Claire asked. She knew the name of the ingredient but not what it looked like.
"The Tyr flower, found natively only on this mountain. It has a blood red color, a bit darker than your hair, actually. You'll smell it before you see it." Jasmine explained. "Not a good flower for a gift, but its roots are used to fight viral illnesses. It's normally grown every spring by alchemists like Lily in their greenhouses. Around here, its harvesting serves as a good starting quest for adventurers."
"Ohhhh, I remember Lily has those! It looked like it was bleeding." Claire exclaimed. She remembered getting sick when she was younger and the local alchemist bringing her herbal tea. The taste was so bad that she physically cringed thinking about it.
Jasmine laughed, "Yup! Looks like you remember the taste as well."
"Its flower can also be used to treat wounds. Grinding it to a paste and coating the bandages can fight off infection." Ana spoke up. She learned a bit about herbology growing up. "The nectar is also used in some alcoholic beverages. When boiled, it has a bittersweet taste to it."
"I didn't know that," Jasmine frowned and started thinking. "Maybe we can grab the whole flower then. Have your mom make us some drinks when we get back."
"M-maybe…. Not too good with alcohol." Ana replied meekly. Her moment of confidence as she spoke about facts passed quickly.
The two women smiled at the shy girl. Her face reddened under their gaze. Two pairs of eyes ogled her as she tried not to meet them. Claire licked her lips at the thought of Ana getting tipsy. The shy gal letting loose for once entered her mind.
Would she be more conversational or louder when drunk?
"I bet you're a talkative drunk," Jasmine added. Her smile widened as she spoke. "The shy ones always are."
"I can see that. She'd probably ramble on about something she found interesting or her sister. I hope she's a touchy drunk too." Claire joined in. "Maybe she'd be less embarrassed when drunk."
"Hopefully, would like to see a more… active Ana at some point," Jasmine mused.
"C-c-can we focus on the flower?" Ana said, her voice tapering off. She looked at the ground, not being able to look at either of them. She wasn't good with the attention she was getting.
Claire got that urge to tease her. Her chest began to burn as she closed the gap with the girl. She gently lifted the girl's chin so their eyes could meet. A move she learned from a romance novel.
"Aww, but it's so gross. Much rather talk about something appealing…" She whispered to the girl, letting the last word hang in the air.
After Claire tried to get Ana to look at her, she felt Jasmine wrap her arms around her waist. The assassin rested her chin on Claire's shoulder. Her warmth fed the fire burning in her chest right now.
Her breath caught as Jasmine spoke. "Trueee, it's so boring talking about the flower when we got something better right here."
A silence fell over the trio as Ana started to tremble. Her knees gave out as she fell into Claire's arms. She couldn't take it anymore. She felt Claire's arms wrap around her, and a feeling of heat and safety enveloped her. Her eyes were closed and her heart beat rapidly in her chest.
They stood there for a while, no one saying anything. Their breath was the only sound as their bodies embraced each other. Slowly, the sounds of the mountain filtered in. Birds were chirping, wind hitting the branches. All the sounds of nature she had subconsciously ignored, now flowing in.
Ana opened her eyes and finally took in the sight before her.
Behind her was the land they traveled, filled with fields and forests. She could see the road they took and how it snaked through the land. She saw how the sky met the earth to make the horizon, and it took her breath away.
It was a view she'd only read about or seen in paintings. But the real thing was so much better. The blue sky met the green earth, and she could only imagine how the sunset would look from here.
She took in the sight, forgetting the predicament she was in. Her eyes followed the road back towards the mountain range. The forest they passed with a sea of trees, and the lake nearby. Everything looked so small from up here.
Finally, she refocused on the embrace she was in.
She looked up to her embracer. Her green eyes stared down at her. A smile burned into her face as she looked at Ana. It made Ana's heart beat faster, and she could feel her face burn.
She looked at the other woman resting on Claire's shoulder. Her gray eyes were watching her with delight. A cool half-smile on her face.
"There she is," Claire whispered. "Finally looking at us."
"Mhmm," Jasmine added. Her hands moved from Claire to Ana as she pulled the two closer. "Seems she finally noticed how beautiful it is up here."
They slowly shifted to the ground, parting for now. They turned towards the horizon. All three took in the scenery in silence, and both Ana and Jasmine rested their heads on Claire's shoulders. A different heat filled Claire's chest, similar to before, but more comforting than passionate.
After ten minutes or so, Jasmine finally broke from them, "Gotta start looking, I don't trust Elsie to stay with the carriage for too long."
They trekked up the manmade path they were on, taking in the sights as they walked. Birds came and went. Rabbits occasionally passed by, and the varied plant life added to their walk.
Claire was so caught up in the walk, she forgot what they came here for. She got distracted by the flowers they passed. She picked a few to bring back to her mothers, catching up the Jasmine and Ana afterwards.
Jasmine held her hand up. "The flower should be around here. You can see how the trail splits off in all directions. Keep an eye out."
They both nodded as they kept walking, their eyes wandered through the environment. It didn't take long for them to find the flower. Its fragrance was the first thing Claire noticed.
It smelled slightly rotten, and she wondered how anyone thought to add it to alcohol. They barely had to leave the main path before seeing the blood red flower patches.
It looked similar to a daisy, but the white petals were a dark crimson. Its nectar also oozed from its petals, giving off the impression that the flower was bleeding. How anyone thought to consume this plant was a mystery.
They quickly started harvesting the flowers, pulling the flowers up from the bottom of the stem. It didn't take long, and the whole process was uneventful, but they got a pretty good haul of the flowers. About 30 of them were placed in the bag that Claire had.
Overall, the whole trip up was peaceful.
Even the walk back was calm. No signs of monsters or predators. The only problem was Ana's constitution. She was lagging behind and panting heavily.
Claire noticed and decided to help her out. She nudged Jasmine and pointed to the tired girl. She handed Jasmine the flowers she picked. Jasmine accepted them with a nod. Then Claire walked up to the girl and offered her arm.
"You doing okay?" She asked. Ana grabbed her arm and took a deep breath.
"N-not really. Haven't walked…. This far… ever," She said between heavy breaths.
"Want me to carry you?" Claire asked
Ana perked up at that and nodded.
Claire slowly lifted the girl into a prince carry. Claire was used to carrying feed and armor for hours. This dainty girl would be no issue. Claire caught up to Jasmine, and they continued to walk towards the carriage.
Ana slowly caught her breath as she took in her situation. She was being held by Claire right now. Her teenage fantasies were slowly coming true. That dream she had after discovering Claire training so long ago was finally happening. Claire noticed her staring in awe at her and smiled.
"You doing okay?" Claire whispered. "Your breathing has slowed."
"Yeah," Ana whispered and tightened her grip around Claire. "Sorry, I'm not used to this much w-walking."
"All good, you'll get used to it." Claire mused. "I could help you with your endurance."
Claire meant with training, but Ana's brain went in the opposite direction. Her thoughts went to lewder ideas of endurance training. Her face reddened deeply as Claire realized how it was taken.
"I meant training, but we could do that too." Claire giggled.
Jasmine joined in the laughter. She was eavesdropping on their conversation, "To be fair to Ana, I would have taken it that way too. Goddamn these things truly ruined our minds."
"Yup," Claire nodded. "So many things have a new meaning. And I gotta be conscious of this bulge in my pants whenever I think that way."
All three laughed in agreement. Their new appendages created so many new issues they weren't used to. Having to be careful about innuendos and checking to see if anything was sticking out was entirely new..
They finally made it back to the carriage, where a bored Elsie was lying in the driver's seat.
"Finally! Thought you guys got lost." She said with irritation.