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Maria strained as she finished filling in the hole. An unmarked grave, surrounded by dug up plots, just outside of Asliole, it was exactly what she had said to do. The old bones would be left here for anyone to find, dig up, and animate into a new person. The fact that this new Marigold was created from the remains of the original Marigold would be unknown to her new parent. That's what she wanted.

A single tear fell from Maria's eye. She would be strong. She would push past this. She would live on. She would kill the bastard who did this.

In the distance she could hear music from the festival. The celebration would go uninterrupted by the fact that the town's hero had fallen. She would have to tell someone eventually, but the people should be allowed to enjoy themselves.

Caradoc stood awkwardly at the opposite side of the plot. He had offered to help her fill it in, but she needed to do this alone. Besides, they only had the one shovel. He just stood there, half smiling as if to tell her that things would get better.

She sighed. Things would get better. Mother Marigold would want her to move on, to find happiness. In the same conversation that she declared her will, Mother Marigold told the little bird that she wouldn't want her to miss a beat. Life, even for the seemingly ageless, is short. She should find every excuse to enjoy it.

More tears.

A hand found her shoulder, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around the guy. Caradoc was startled, but soon returned the hug, rubbing his fingers through the feathers atop her head. They stayed like this, silent for a while, neither really willing to budge.

"Was she family?" Caradoc eventually asked.

"I guess so," Maria sighed, "I never really had anyone else."

There was another long silence, with just them alone in the old dug up graveyard. Though Maria never took her head off his, but it was becoming clear that the golden Kobold was growing increasingly uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry," Caradoc spoke quietly, "I know I'm supposed to say something comforting, but all I can think about is my own family."

Maria felt herself hold onto him tighter, "You lose them?"

"No," Caradoc admitted, "I just haven't seen them in a while."

Maria let go of him and stepped back. The overdressed Kobold stood awkwardly, as if he was trying to figure out what he did wrong. She forced herself to attempt a weak smile, which seemed to relieve him.

"Maybe after..." Maria began, but was interrupted by a drop of water hitting her beak.

She looked up. Black clouds filled the sky, as far as the eye could see. Little patter of rain started to sound about them. The music in town stopped, and the revelry died quickly as rain grew.

"I didn't know it rained here," Caradoc stated, "I thought this was a desert."

Maria studied his face to see if he was serious.

Caradoc shrugged, "I have little experience with this sort of thing."

Soon the rain had gotten beyond what it normally did. She stared up at the clouds until a droplet hit her under her eye. She just closed her eyes and let it fall. It felt oddly good.

"We should get inside," Caradoc stated.

"Wait," Maria sighed.

The feeling was new to her. She had experienced rain, sure, but this was somehow completely different. She had felt so dead just moments ago, but suddenly she felt more alive than she had in days. The water seemed to wash away her grief, her pain, and her worries.

She looked back at Caradoc, who responded with wide eyes.

"What?" Maria asked.

Caradoc loosened his collar nervously, "You just looked at me like you were going to tackle me and rip my clothes off. I know I am irresistible, but I'm not sure if this is the place for that."

"Did I?" Maria gasped, watching his body language grow adorably more awkward.

"You just did it again," he raised his hands defensively, "Let's at least move away from the open graves first."

Maria felt a sudden pang of guilt, but it was overshadowed by the urge to... tackle the guy and rip his clothes off. He was right. Where did that come from? How did he notice it before she did?

Her eyes fell back upon Mother Marigold's unmarked grave. The urges subsided.

"Let's go," Maria finally agreed.

"We can't stay here," Ramone pointed out, "What if our friend thaws out?"

"I'll barricade the door," El Gallo suggested.

"But then he'll be stuck down there," Ramone argued, "Eventually he'd starve. At that point we might as well have killed him while he slept."

"Then I'll unbarricade it when we leave," El Gallo spoke slowly like he was talking to a child.

Maria glanced up at them. They had been arguing since she made it back to the church. By the sounds of their voices, they seemed to each secretly enjoy the practice.

At that moment, Maria noticed something strange. She couldn't exactly see it, but somehow she became aware of something she hadn't noticed before. They somehow seemed warm... like a stove, though she was certain it wasn't actual temperature she was picking up. Was she sensing their auras? Phunee, the deity of fire and fertility, granted their followers a certain control over their chosen element. Was that what she was detecting?

Upon further inspection she felt something a little extra in Ramone. He wasn't just enjoying the argument, it seemed like he actively wanted... images rushed through Maria's mind of El Gallo grabbing Ramone and twisting their bodies to the floor, the Orc would then take Ramone in a passionate yet loving yet ravenous yet gentle embrace. Maria turned her gaze back to the masked muscle man, and these images faded. Looking back at Ramone she saw the Orc take him from behind violently, as they each admitted their unending love for one another.

"I think I've gone mad," Maria said to no one in particular.

"Oh yeah?" Caradoc walked in, wrapped in a fresh blanket, "Why's that?"

Maria opened her mouth to say something, but found the pit in her stomach forced her to rethink speaking. She had the sudden urge to step on the end of his blanket just so she could get another glimpse of the Kobold naked. Something was definitely wrong with her, but she couldn't outright say her suspicions.

"I think I figured out the deal with the Flames," she finally admitted.

Caradoc looked over at his friends, "Yeah, I mean, it's really obvious though. Ramone just won't take 'no' for an answer."

"Wants the big green dick?" Maria asked just to see how he'd react.

"Uh..." Caradoc blushed, his eyes darted back and forth between the Flames, before he returned to her, "You could put it that way. Thing is El Gallo is all hetero, but they work well together, so he puts up with it. Ramone's... he calls it Pansexual, whatever that means, so he turned his lust into a sort of rivalry. They keep me up at night with all the women they bring in."

The way Caradoc squirmed made Maria curious, "What about you? Any interest in boys?"

The golden scaled lizard boy glanced back at her, and to her disappointment the question didn't seem to bother him at all. "Never thought about it. Koblods tend to go all in on egg making, but I've always wanted to fall in love. Mom wanted little grand hatchlings, so I just imagined myself with a woman and never questioned it."

A shower of guilt swept over Maria, but she couldn't bring herself to voice it. Would he understand if she told him? How would it make him feel? How did he feel... about her? The curiosity overcame her and she tried to sense his aura the way she did with the Flames. She could detect a bit of lust, apparently he also wanted to step on her blanket just to see if it'd fall off. But nothing more explicit flashed in her mind.

The sound of moving furniture brought Maria back to the real world. El Gallo had pulled the armoire out of Mother Marigold's room and positioned it in front of the formally cursed door. With enough force, the armoire could still be shoved out of the way, but it would make lots of noise and take a ton of effort. That would give them time to respond to Mr. Anonymous, should he find his way up there somehow.

Maria returned her gaze to Caradoc, only briefly to give him a warm smile, then she turned back to the window. The rain had gotten so thick at this point that Asliole wasn't visible. In fact, the graveyard was barely in sight. She wondered if that much rain was comparable to the rain she had seen in the rest of her life combined, and decided that it may actually be greater.

She had the sudden urge to be out there in it. She couldn't get past how great it felt on her feathers. It wasn't like she was doing anything important. She could just go out there and enjoy herself for a bit.

"Are you alright?" Caradoc asked.

Maria smiled, "No, I don't think so."

The argument between the Flames had stopped at this point, leaving Ramone to walk around in frustration. By the look on El Gallo's face, he had the last point and 'won' the apparent competition. For a brief moment, Maria wondered what was actually said, but decided it didn't actually matter.

Ramone noticed her gaze and returned it. His aura still stinking of lust, she tried not to focus on her newfound magical senses. To her dismay, she didn't think she could turn it off. To her relief, no images of him trying to seduce her came forth. She did notice however that he was staring at her waist rather intently. The burning gaze made her feel incredibly vulnerable. She tightened her grip on the blanket, hoping to hide her anatomy completely.

Shaking his head, Ramone announced, "I need to commute with Phunee," he glanced at El Gallo, "Privately," this induced a chuckle from the Orc. Ramone ignored him, instead asking Maria, "Is there a room I could use?"

The little bird glanced over to the guest rooms. While the public sleeping area had no doors, the one reserved for traveling priests did. "Yeah," Maria guided him over, "Just don't make a mess of the place."

Ramone thanked her and stepped into the room. To Maria's surprise, she could still sense him on the other side. She knew what he was about to do, and it had a sudden impact on her ability to concentrate. She looked up at El Gallo, who gave her a wink, and shuttered. It wasn't like Ramone was unattractive but the sheer awkwardness of having to witness him do what he was about to do made her skin crawl. Maybe it'd be less awkward if she joined him?

She shook her head and stomped off. These random perverse thoughts were getting to be too much. If her newfound power was going to affect her brain this much, maybe it just wasn't worth it. She caught herself staring hungrily at the Kobold again who gulped. It definitely wasn't worth it.

What had Gnathiz said? She'd lose her power if she cooked her food, slept inside, or... wore shoes... what a strange rule, but she didn't have shoes and was too wound up to sleep. He had explicitly stated that fermentation counted as cooking. She had a half bottle of wine stashed in her room, she could drink a bit, and no more power. Then hopefully no more violently sexual urges, and possibly no more being able to tell exactly what Ramone was fantasizing about in the next room.

"Care for a drink?" Maria asked Caradoc, trying to remain calm, but likely failing to look it.

The golden boy smiled nervously, "I would love one. Are you sure it's a good idea?"

"Absolutely," Maria stated with confidence.

Maria then searched her room for the bottle, only to find it empty. She cursed herself under her breath. How could she have forgotten so quickly?

When Maria returned empty handed, Caradoc gave her a weak smile, "Probably not the best of ideas anyways."

This was the final straw, Maria felt herself tense up, then loosen, again and again. Her breathing got heavy, and she couldn't stop shaking. Everything that could go wrong had done so. Now her only family was dead, her nemesis was running free, and she had received some sort of divine curse with no outlet to relieve herself.

Caradoc said something to her, but she couldn't quite make out what it was.

She looked around frantically. El Gallo was still moving furniture, Caradoc was still trying to placate her, and Ramone was still... She stepped on a loose shard of wood from the broken pews. It stung, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that she needed to be away from this place, far away.

So she ran.

Caradoc called out to her as she rushed back into the rain. El Gallo turned to see her leave, but was too dumbfounded to act. Maria made it maybe six or seven steps before she slowed to a stop.

The rain was deafeningly loud, and almost blinding, but it also felt somehow comforting. Maria let the blanket fall from around her, and let the water wash away her stress. She fell to her knees, and stared straight up at the clouds, not knowing where all this water could have come from.

"What can I do?" Maria whispered to herself, "How do I move forward?"

The water gave no answers, but provided a warm, wet hug for the now nude Zanate. She closed her eyes and let herself feel the water for a while, to let it run off of her feathers. She couldn't do much else, it seemed, so she let herself be.

A hand touched her shoulder lightly.

Maria opened her eyes again, seeing Caradoc, also nude, probably with the sense to deposit his blanket inside, trying to reach out to her. She let out a long sigh, her shoulders still tense from the weight on them, and got back to her feet.

Caradoc tried to guide her back inside, but something kept Maria from following. She felt better with her senses being assaulted by the rain. A small comfort in a sea of anguish, she didn't want to let go of it.

It was at that time that Maria realized that the white noise of rain colliding with the hardened ground sounded like a song. Not a familiar one, but definitely one she could dance to. So she did. Caradoc wasn't sure what he was watching, but he let her go.

Maria skipped about in large circles, twirling and enjoying herself. Her mind may have departed, but she no longer cared. She would make this night her own.

***

Caradoc stared at her in confusion and awe. He had made it known that he thought Maria was beautiful, but her dance seemed to catch his fancy especially. He tried to say something, but his voice was lost in the music of the rain. So he stopped talking.

The Kobold joined her in a dance, letting the Zanate lead, and following each step with grace and fervor. The naked couple stepped in time with the patter of the rain, letting it guide them in a mad ballet. Maria danced like she had practiced her moves countless times. Her wings gathered water and throwing it about, adjusting the music as she went.

Eventually the dance became to complicated for Caradoc to pick up, and he slipped. The golden Kobold collided with the ground, a thud barely heard in the symphony. Maria managed to dodge his fall and continue making circles around him.

Caradoc watched in amusement as she lost herself in the motion, but didn't seem to mind at all when she stopped in front of him. Maria slowed in a twirl to face Caradoc, a curious look on each of their faces.

Maria bent down and sat next to the young musician. The rain still running off feather and scale, they sat in a puddle of running water, and still let the water wash away their worries.

Caradoc moved to nuzzle Maria's beak. She returned the favor, letting the feeling of humanoid contact contrast with the water. They sat nuzzling for quite some time, seemingly content with each other's company, until an urge welled up deep inside Maria.

The black bird pushed her comrade down, letting his horns dip into the water, and she moved to be atop him. There had been no reason to question if Caradoc was hard before, but the sudden need seemed to be affecting him now.

Maria straddled Caradoc, taking him in one smooth motion. He gasped and laid back, letting her dictate the motions. She pressed him as far in as she could, and pressed a wing onto his chest.

The feeling of being atop Caradoc was unfamiliar, but it felt right. She wasn't some victim to be toyed with. She was an expert thief who took what she wanted whenever she wanted. Right now, she wanted Caradoc.

She bucked down onto him, letting the Kobold take claws to either side of her. He tried to match her motions, but she pushed him down. She was in charge, and would take him on her terms. Those terms included a rough pace, no complaints came from below, but it wasn't long before he couldn't help trying to help her along again. This lead Maria to hold him down by his wrists.

Due to inexperience, if anything, Caradoc came close all too soon. Maria didn't care, continuing to milk him for all he was. The pair cried out into the night, and they were done.

The next morning, Maria woke still atop Caradoc, they had slept out in the rain it seemed. Strangely, she felt refreshed, like she had the best night of sleep of her life.

In the distance, the festival was back on. If she remembered correctly, this was the last day. She didn't end up getting to enjoy it this year, though with so many eyes around, she might be able to find Kane before he left town. He didn't seem like the type who could dissolve into a crowd.

Maria stood, and helped a sleepy Caradoc get up. They wordlessly went inside the old church to get dressed once again. It was going to be a long day.