Focus

("I'm so fucked if this turns out to be some kind of hoax...") thought Cairn, staring at the ceiling of his room with a naked Elle curled up beside him, smiling goofily as she drooled on his chest. One thing had led to another, and before he knew it, the pint-sized Dwarfette had given him the ride of his life, leaving him in a state of contentedness and confusion he couldn't even begin to put into words...

Poking her head out from the bathroom, Kaia tentatively looked around before meeting Cairn's gaze, a faint smile adorning her face as she said, "You look considerably more relaxed now..." in a hushed tone.

"That's one way to put it..." replied Cairn, his voice a faint, lazy droll. Elle wasn't even remotely his type, so he wasn't sure how to feel about how things had developed. It had been years since the last time he had sex, and because of Elle's small size, he had been passive from start to finish. It kind of reminded him of the first time he lost his virginity, but while Elle was much older, her appearance and borderline absurd strength made her aggressive ministrations...terrifying? That wasn't quite it, but Cairn wasn't sure how else to put it. The aptest comparison was that he felt like a toy...

Making her way over to the foot of the bed, Kaia sat down, pulled out her knitting supplies, a nearly complete blanket, and began knitting away. She could tell Cairn wasn't in the mood for a chat, so she decided to leave him be, lightly humming as her fingers skilly stitched together yarn made from her fur. Her actions produced faint clinking sounds, but Cairn had long since gotten used to the noise, gradually associating it with the notion it was safe to lower his guard...

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After another peaceful night's sleep, guaranteed by his pillow, Cairn awoke to the peculiar sight of Elle seated atop him, using his chest as a workbench for various tools as she polished his Ookami's Visage with a hint of fervor in her eyes. She didn't seem to notice he was staring at her, continuing to polish and inspect the helmet for an additional ten minutes before he asked, "Having fun?"

"Oh, you're awake?" asked Elle, finally meeting Cairn's gaze and adopting a broad smile. However, compared to the smile she wore while inspecting the Ookami's Visage, there was something 'off' about it. At the same time, Cairn felt that she wasn't looking at but 'through' him.

Closing his eyes, Cairn caused Elle to tense by asking, "What color are my eyes?"

Realizing she had been seen through, Elle rubbed the back of her head and exhaled a nervous chuckle before guessing, "Brown...?" with audible uncertainty.

Opening his grey-blue eyes, Cairn stared into Elle's shimmering pink orbs and asked, "You really don't 'see' other people, do you? I thought it was a little weird when you referred to Asim as Cat Boy and later addressed Kaia as Ms. Rabbit, but you completely forgot their names, didn't you...?"

"Guilty," admitted Elle, sticking out her tongue in a playful manner. Cairn frowned as a result, but she eased his concerns at least a little by stating, "Don't worry. After last night, I committed your name to memory. It helps that you're named after the stone structure we use to mark the graves of our fallen."

Though he got the impression Elle only remembered him 'because' he was named after a literal memorial, Cairn exhaled a faint sigh through his nose and asked, "How long are you planning to sit on me...?"

"Wow, you're still acting distant even after sex?" asked Elle, licking her lips as she added, "Guess I'll need to try harder..."

Grabbing Elle's waist before she could turn around and do whatever she had planned, Cairn smiled wryly and said, "We should take a bath and get ready to meet with the others. I'd rather not walk around smelling like sex and grease..."

"Sure thing," replied Elle, climbing off of Cairn's body and allowing him to rise, his gaze briefly lingering on his morning wood before turning to meet the eyes of Kaia. They had seen each other naked dozens of times at this point, but it still felt awkward having his carefully crafted little brother on full display. She didn't seem to care in the slightest, tilting her head to the side as if to ask, 'What's wrong?' but it bothered him.

Shaking his head, Cairn suppressed the urge to say they should stay in separate rooms from now on and simply followed after Elle. There were times when he literally used Kaia as his recliner, so saying they couldn't stay together now that he had slept with Elle seemed wrong. After all, it wasn't like he and Elle had suddenly become a couple. Rather, due to her Prosopagnosia and apparent inability to retain memories related to things she lacked interest in, Cairn doubted the diminutive Dwarf would notice if he didn't even meet her in the bath. She might even stay inside for hours, completely forgetting they were waiting for her...

Confirming Cairn's suspicions, Elle seemed genuinely surprised when he suddenly entered the bathroom. He couldn't know for certain, but he was fairly sure she even used her Inspect to confirm his identity, her pink eyes glistening before she adopted a broad smile and asked, "Did you come to wash me~?" in a manner that implied she had forgotten he was the one to suggest they take a bath...

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"What's with the mask?" asked Chelsea, referring to the fact Cairn arrived with his Ookami's Visage in its visible state. It turned out that Elle had no trouble recognizing and remembering high-quality equipment, so he made the executive decision to openly wear the wolf-themed mask until she got used to traveling with them.

Instead of answering Chelsea directly, Cairn gestured to Elle, explaining, "This is Elle Delver. I'm sure Asim-"

Before Cairn could finish introducing her, Elle raised her right hand and enthusiastically supplanted, "Hi, hi, I'm Elle! We're going to be traveling together from now on! It's nice to meet you~!"

Taking complete control of the conversation's tempo, Elle promptly latched onto Cairn's arm, shamelessly rubbing her cheek against the fabric of his Shadowsilk cloak as she appended, "I signed on as Cairn's personal Dwarven Forgemaster, but if he requests it, I can also take a look at your equipment."

Annoyed by Elle's behavior, a frown marred Chelsea's face as she said, "Even if you're a Dwarven Forgemaster, you shouldn't be so shameless in public..."

"Hmm~?"

Though she only met Chelsea's gaze briefly, Elle instantly realized why the slightly taller girl was annoyed. However, as Cairn hadn't mentioned he was in a relationship, she continued clinging to him, her expression a mask of neutrality as she stated, "Even the Goddess does not dictate how people should act in public. Who are you, a twelve-year-old Neophyte, to tell me, a 317-year-old Forgemaster, how to behave? You're so far out of your depth; you should genuinely be wary of sea monsters..."

Feeling as though she had been slapped across the face, Chelsea stared at Elle with open-mouthed shock. She knew Elle was much older than her, but she didn't expect to be talked down to and chided in such a 'decisive' manner...

Slapping Chelsea across her other metaphorical cheek, Elle made things clearer and more confusing by tugging Cairn's sleeve and stating, "Until he finds a suitable replacement, this one belongs to me. I won't share him with someone who can't appreciate his value."

"Wha...what are you saying...?" asked Chelsea, the color draining from her face as she turned from Elle to meet Cairn's gaze. He felt a little sorry for doing so, but the moment their gazes overlapped, Cairn nodded and said, "That's how it is..." in a faint tone. He had the sinking suspicion Elle was on a completely different page from him, but if he could curb Chelsea's crush before it got out of hand, that would be for the best.

"I...see..." muttered Chelsea, hanging her head and staring at her uneaten breakfast with a faraway look in her eyes. Neither of them had confessed, but until this moment, she was certain Cairn liked her just as much as she had started to like him. It was the only thing she could think of to explain why he was so thoughtful despite outwardly behaving like a jerk...he even carried her when she twisted her ankle...

Though she didn't cry, Chelsea felt like a hole had opened in her chest as a profound bitterness washed over her. She didn't resent Cairn or Elle, but she felt like an idiot for misinterpreting things to such an extent she was preparing to 'surprise' him by expressing her desire to continue following him, no matter how others mistreated them due to Kaia's presence...

"I need to go to the bathroom..." said Chelsea, summarily rising to her feet and leaving before anyone could respond. Ariella followed soon after, and as a result of being nestled between her boobs, his head poking out from her blouse, Tarou was brought along for the ride...

"Should I go as well...?" asked Kaia, unsure if she could be of assistance but feeling compelled to at least try and soothe some of Chelsea's pain. They weren't exactly close, but after traveling together for a month, they weren't strangers.

"That's up to you," replied Cairn, frowning due to the text Restia had just sent him. She had warned him the previous night that she was opposed to polyamorous relationships, but now she was calling him cruel and telling him he needed to be gentler when handling the hearts of pure maidens...

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Though they originally planned to depart that morning, Cairn discussed the matter with Asim and Tristan, the two readily agreeing to delay their departure until Chelsea's spirits had improved. As a result, they ended up renting a third room, Tarou staying with Kaia, Ariella, and Chelsea, Asim staying with Tristan, and Cairn staying with Elle.

In an effort to make up with Chelsea, Elle was busying herself with the production of a bracelet while Cairn observed her from the bed. Since she couldn't just whip out her forge in the middle of the Inn, she compensated for its absence by utilizing a complex magic circle that heated metals in a manner remarkably similar to induction smelting. Cairn honestly found it mesmerizing, not because she was using magic and skillfully manipulating metal with the finesse of a machine, but because of how focused she was while doing so.

"Phase one complete~!" exclaimed Elle, raising the bracelet with a pair of miniature tongs. She hadn't even blinked for six hours, but she appeared none the worse for wear as she immediately proceeded to the engraving process, sticking out her tongue as she carefully carved several tiny runes into the band's interior. When she was done, she briefly looked around but failed to find what she was searching for, a frown replacing her smile until Cairn asked, "Are you looking for something in my Inventory...?"

Seemingly just realizing Cairn was present, a smile returned to Elle's face as she held up the bracelet and answered, "I have Rhodium Powder in my Material Storage, but I need distilled water, a stainless steel anode, and a few glass containers."

Though he was missing the water, Cairn produced everything else Elle asked for alongside the Decanter of Replenishment, asking, "Will this do? It produces-"

Before Cairn could finish speaking, Elle snatched the decanter from his hands, eyeing it excitedly. Then, as if he had faded into the background, she returned to her work, spending hours personally distilling the water and preparing a dipping solution to bring out the bracelet's shine...

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(A/N: Nothing gets in the way of a Dwarf's work xD...)