Headed by a Snake

Without allowing her master the chance to argue, Mina took the bottle from him and opened it...

Krysaos narrowed his eyes as he took it back, "You sure everything's good?"

Mina nodded as she lifted her hands, reaching her spirit outward towards the aquatic creatures they called their allies, the Corallidae... "I can sense nearly everyone in the crew-- alive and well. Wonderboy's life force is weak, but he is being watched over by Seamen Catshit and Doc."

She cut the mana connection and stared down at her hands... "But... I haven't still been able to sense Seaman Sockets... not since--"

"He'll turn up sooner or later," Krysaos stared at his open potion bottle... "But I was talkin' about you. Pretty sure you knew that, girlie."

Mina closed her eyes and placed her hand over her painfully beating chest.

It hurt even more... that he was being so kind. She was holding back, by order of Sir Tycon... She was betraying her Master's trust-- and in response, he was only kind.

She opened her eyes to the concentrated scent of caramelized strawberries, "Master..."

"I drank a little of it, already..." Krysaos muttered, "but you can have the rest."

He was offering his last potion bottle to her... still two-thirds full.

Mina stared wide-eyed at the bottle. She thought she could still see the condensation from his breath and... where his lips had touched-- but she was certain she was imagining it.

"Master... I cannot accept this," She grimaced. "Please... drink the entire bottle, yourself. The efficacy of it..."

Drinking only a small portion of it was enough to staunch superficial wounds... but the sheer number of injuries Krysaos had endured since his last...

"I've got potion sickness from drinkin' so many already," Krysaos lied. "Those last few obstacles were pretty tough... I mean-- Knights of the Round? Warped Wall? What kinda psychopath thinks of this stuff?"

Mina began to wipe her tears from her eyes... "You're hurt, Master... let's... let's end the training. I can-- if I put on my tiara..."

"I know," Krysaos waved. "But Tycon said not to, right?"

...Mina nodded shyly. She felt so foolish for thinking her master didn't know what she was capable of... Their souls were bonded together, after all.

"You gonna drink it or what?" Krysaos scratched at his cheek, again pushing the potion towards her... "It's not like we're in a hurry, but my arm's gettin' tired."

He sighed, taking Mina's hands and wrapping her fingers around the glass-- "You know what? You don't get a choice, anymore. Drink up or I'll get mad."

"Master..." Mina sniffed as she cradled the bottle to her chest, "Thank you... for being so kind to a selfish girl like me..."

"Eh?" Krysaos tilted his head, "I don't think I've been actin' any different?"

"No... you have been," Mina hiccuped-- "But... but... Master... I can sense... that you are conflicted."

"Well... yeah?" Krysaos shrugged. "I wanna fight a god. Not somethin' most people think about, so 'conflicted' sums it up pretty good."

Mina put the potion bottle to her lips.

It was sweet.

She felt much of her strength returning. Her skin felt warm, with the random cuts and bruises on her arms burning a little hotter.

She took a deep breath... steeling her courage, "Master... no-- Captain Krysaos... I'd like to... request for permission to speak freely."

"You're a Second Lieutenant, Mina," Krysaos rolled his eyes, "You've always had that permission. Spit it out."

Mina gulped... "How... do you feel about Imperia?"

Krysaos' eyes widened and his face began to twist. It was so rare for him to lose his words that Mina couldn't help but laugh.

...Then she immediately averted her gaze back down... to what was left of her healing tonic...

She was so nervous.

She already knew the answer in Krysaos' heart.

It hurt to think about it.

It would destroy her to hear it directly from her master's mouth...

But... she hated seeing her master so conflicted.

Mina's reason for living... was to support her hero in full.

Selflessly.

Without question.

If she allowed her personal feelings to sway her life-mission... it would be a disservice to the Lake Goddess that created her.

"...It ain't important," Krysaos finally said. "We're essentially in the middle of a battlefield. I could die out here... and you could probably get seriously hurt."

"Y-you don't have to answer..." Mina grimaced.

"Then I won't."

Mina lolled her head back to rest on the brick... "But it's important to me..."

"GuhhhHH!" Krysaos groaned, "You're really not gonna let this go, huh?"

Mina's eyes shot open. She... she didn't mean to say that out loud! She was perfectly fine with not hearing the answer-- to let herself stay blind to the truth.

"No! It's fine!" She cried, "Just forget I said anything!"

"Okay, I will," Krysaos nodded.

"NO!!" Mina shouted, "It's NOT FINE!!!"

"Seven hecks, Mina-- which is it?"

"You're a liar, Master!! CONFESS YOUR FEELINGS!!!!"

Krysaos sighed loudly... "Alright, alright... just-- just levitate back down here and take a seat."

Mina dispelled her levitation and returned to her place beside her master... blushing furiously for her outburst, "S-sorry."

"Pff," Krysaos shrugged, "You should be..."

He took a deep breath as he adjusted his sitting position, lazily stretching out his legs.

He spoke without directly looking at her.

It was fine. She knew she wasn't in her master's eyes...

"I got a lot of... not so great things to say about the Princess," He said... "but... I guess I got a few good things, too.

"All in all... Imperia's not all that bad. She's part of the crew... just like you are."

Mina gingerly took hold of Krysaos' strong arm, holding it tight... "Master..."

"Tss," Krysaos scoffed. "You're irreplaceable, Mina. I want you to know that... and I'm not jus' sayin that 'cuz you're my sword."

"Master..." Mina rested her cheek on Krysaos' shoulder, "Our souls are bound together..."

"They are?"

Mina sat up and stared into Krysaos' eyes.

What?

Did he not--

But they--

But she was so obvious when--

She started smacking him in the face, "You're HORRIBLE!! TERRIBLE!! YES, we made a contract!!!"

"We did? I mean-- we did! YEAH!! We DID!!!"

"Do you remember NOWWWW?!?"

"Yeah! Most definitely! I was just-- I was just testing you!!!"