Chapter 13 : Noon
"F-f-fuck y-y-you al-al-all!" growled Mica as she desperately held on to the last shred of fabric that was once her silken scarf "F-f-f-fucking! D-d-d-die! Al-al-al-all of-of y-y-y-you!"
"Quit being so dramatic, you little shit..." said Kianna as she reached over and worked to pry Mica's fingers apart "And let go. We're throwing this away..."
"St-st-st-stop!" cried the kiochi as she tried in vain to keep the fabric in place over her bust "N-no!"
"Enough, seriously. You're not even covering anything..." sighed Kianna as she yanked the fabric away from Mica and tossed it aside.
Mica growled through her chattering teeth in frustration as she watched the lightweight silken material flutter to the floor where it joined the pile of ripped up scraps that were once the rest of her scarf and panties.
Naked now, save for the belt still wrapped tightly around her waist, Mica turned to Kianna and gave her a hateful, scowling glare as she hunched in on herself, wrapped one arm around her bosom and held the other down across her torso so as to bury her hand in between her pressed thighs and cover her hidden slit.
Smirking, Kianna stuck her tongue out at her in a teasing manner before turning away with a dismissive huff. With her own condescending smile on her face, Fiona laughed mockingly at the incensed kiochi before turning away from her as well and following Kianna's gaze to the archway that led out from the bathroom.
All three of them were now sitting on the edge of the large tub as they waited for Anton to return from where he'd gone to gather more potions.
Having removed their soaked clothing, the two dark elves sat huddled together for warmth. Though still heavily chilled, they were no longer shivering as Mica still was and, also unlike the seething shinoccubus, they once again seemed to have no issue with their nakedness as they made no effort to cover themselves in anyway.
Glaring at them for a moment, Mica took advantage of the stillness to slowly inch closer to Kianna and tentatively press herself against the dark elf's side.
Kianna sucked in a gasping breath through her teeth as a sudden sharp chill shot through her body. Turning to find Mica trying to huddle up next to her, the dark elf immediately pointed her ears straight back as an irritated scowl marred her face.
"What the Hell do you think you're doing!?" she growled as she loomed over the smaller female "Don't fucking touch me!"
Cowed and cringing away, Mica groaned miserably and hunched even further in on herself as she continued to shiver.
"Aw! Is the little ninja-bitch still cold over there!?" mocked Fiona as she leaned forward to look around her sister "Poor little ninja-bitch!"
"Poor nothing!" snapped Kianna as she nudged her shoulder into Mica's and gave her a shove "It's all her fault that we're all like this in the first place! Stupid little idiot!"
Clenching her teeth in anger, Mica said nothing as she looked away and tightened her arm around her chest.
"Now I don't think that's all too fair to say, Kianna." said Anton as he stepped back into the room "As I recall it, you and Fiona both volunteered to be punished along with her."
Having returned from his home through the portal he had set up in the other room, Anton's hands were both filled with an assortment of small glass bottles that each contained a different colored liquid.
"We weren't trying to get punished along with her!" complained Kianna "We were trying to help her. Which was a stupid move on our part!"
"Very true." nodded Anton as he made his way over to the counter-top and set down the collected potions "And while I do think your intentions were commendable, that was still a very poorly thought out decision. And even though it could be argued that Mica was ultimately responsible for what happened to the three of you, it's hardly right to try and blame her for choices that you and your sister made all on your own."
"...Wait! Are you actually defending Mica right now!?" exclaimed Fiona "Seriously!? Where is this coming from!?"
"I'm merely being fair. Mica's antics may have been a catalyst, but you two sealed your own fates yourselves." explained Anton "She had nothing to do with your decision. And so I'm not going to let you take out your frustrations on her, when for once in her life... She is actually innocent."
Picking up one of the bottles from the counter, Anton brought the dark green colored brew up to eye level and gave it a quick shake before making his way over to Mica and standing in front of her.
Though clearly aware of Anton's presence, Mica made an effort to feign ignorance as she kept her head bowed and stared off to the side.
Unperturbed by her efforts, Anton twisted off the wax seal from the mouth of the bottle and unceremoniously dumped its contents across the kiochi's head.
Startled by the sensation of the potion landing on her, Mica went to shake her head but in her reduced state she could hardly manage to twist her head to the side before going still.
Anton stayed silent as he watched the potion sink down and disappear as it was absorbed into Mica's body. Once it was fully gone, he lowered himself down to rest on one knee.
Despite herself, Mica couldn't help but to shift her glaring eyes to Anton's as he knelt down in front of her.
"Unfortunately, that potion I just gave you was rather old. So I don't know how well it's going to really help you. If anything though, it should still take the edge off of any muscle pains that you're currently experiencing." said Anton as he looked the kiochi over and assessed her condition "I do have another potion that will help you far more. But we'll save that for after your bath."
Mica's eyes narrowed in suspicion as Anton looked at her directly.
"...I'm going to release your tail." he said calmly "I would be surprised if by now the muscles in it haven't become cramped. And I'm sure that this has made it quite uncomfortable, if not down right painful for you... Do not make me regret this."
Blinking in surprise, Mica went still as Anton reached around her waist and began to open the lock that held the belt in place.
"We will be having a conversation soon, once you have had a chance to recover a bit. There are several things that need to be addressed. And I'm sure you have your complaints. We will discus all your misgivings then." said Anton as he worked to slowly and gently undo the straps of the belt "I'll give you the chance to say all you want. Then I'll answer any questions you may have, and explain my own actions. As I do want you to fully understand why you were punished today....I suggest you take this time to get your thoughts in order."
Mica's expression went from thoughtful to hateful as she listened to Anton speak. As the belt was removed from around her waist, she went to uncoil her tail but almost immediately wrapped it tightly back around her body in a futile attempt to keep it warm.
Anton sighed through his nose and slowly shook his head as he watched the miserable looking kiochi struggle to maintain her modesty as she tried and failed to keep herself from shivering wildly.
"You might be worse off than I thought... We really do need to get you warmed back up." muttered Anton as he stood up "Kianna."