Weak To Fire

5

Mereoleona was surprised that Y/N had gone down so quickly. She was trying to catch her, so she wouldn't fall when she stumbled over that branch behind her, but then Y/N pulled her down with her and now she found herself on top of Y/N, fire magic still in the palm of her hand. It was weird having Y/N so close - weird in a good way. Mereo was very aware of how warm her body was, since she had been using so much fire magic. At the same time Y/N felt nice and cold.

And Y/N smelled good. She smelled like the sea and like a stream of fresh water at the same time. It was hard to describe for Mereoleona, but it was a good smell. It felt like Y/N was perfectly balancing out her fire magic. She opened her deep blue eyes again, looking dumbfounded.

"Sorry, I tried to catch you, but you just pulled me down with you." Mereo mumbled. She wasn't really sure what else to say. She should probably get up and let her breathe, but first of all, she didn't want to and secondly, she also wanted to make sure that it was clear that she had won this whole thing. Not that she would hold it over Y/N - not too much, at least. She'd still let her know that she had won, she couldn't just let that go. Not after the whole big deal they made of it yesterday.

"It's... it's okay." Y/N finally replied. Mereoleona was very aware that she was still on top of her, but she also didn't want to get away from her again. She was never someone that was very affectionate or that was easily attracted to people, but for some reason Y/N was different. With her it seemed like there was an immediate spark, some sort of immediate attraction. It was a little confusing for Mereoleona, but it wasn't the first time she had a crush and it wouldn't be the last.

"Does that mean that I've won?" Mereoleona wanted to know with a big smile on her face. Y/N looked to the side, as if she was a little humiliated that she had lost so easily. But then she looked back at Mereoleona and gave her a confident smile. Mereoleona glanced at the palm of her hand.

"Like hell you have. This isn't over yet." Y/N answered. Mereoleona noticed the water that was gathering in her palm but now it was too late for her to dodge. Y/N hit her in the chest with an almost solid ball of water, as she wriggled out of her grip. Mereoleona was paralyzed for a few seconds and that seemed to be all that Y/N needed. It was almost like she had been holding back before.

Mereoleona felt herself being held down by water in the shape of thick ropes, as Y/N was getting up, brushing off some imaginary dust and walking over to her. Mereoleona was trying to focus on her magic, gathering up some mana and casting a spell, but she couldn't seem to do it. It was like she just couldn't gather up enough mana to cast the simplest spell. That was it.

Mereoleona had to give up. She had lost this fight in a matter of seconds and all because she was distracted with a beautiful woman. She had gotten her ass handed to her. But honestly, she hadn't expected Y/N to be this strong. She was impressed. Her being so strong definitely made her about a million times more attractive to Mereoleona and it also made her respect her much more. She wouldn't have thought the little water spirit had it in her.

"So. It seems like you lost after all." Y/N said, as she looked down at Mereoleona who was still on the ground. She had stopped struggling, because there was no point, but she almost wanted to try again once she saw the smug grin on Y/N's face. But she knew that she couldn't win anymore.

"I did. You absolutely beat me. Congratulations, that was really impressive." Mereoleona said. Y/N nodded with a wide smile and Mereo felt the water holding her down disappear from around her. She sat up and took a deep breath. That spot where Y/N had hit her with that ball of water would probably have a bruise in the morning. It already felt pretty sore, but that was what was bound to happen if Mereo thought she had to mess around with water spirits.

"Thanks. Did I earn your respect now?" she wanted to know, as Mereoleona sat up, mentally making notes of the damage to her body. She was exhausted, since she had used up so much mana in that fight. She should probably get some breakfast and then rest. That was, if Y/N was going to let her stay here. She had been saying that she wanted her peace and quiet and all that. Maybe she would still kick Mereoleona out of her little piece of this forest after she won the fight. It would kind of suck if she did that, but Mereoleona knew that she'd survive.

"You definitely earned it. You're strong. So I suppose you want me to pack up and leave now?" Mereo wanted to know. Y/N bit her lip and looked away. She looked like she hadn't really expected that to come up again. It almost looked as if she was getting a little shy on Mereoleona.

"I mean, do you really want to stay?" Y/N asked her quietly. Mereoleona raised an eyebrow. What was she getting at? Why wouldn't she like to stay? She had already set up camp and everything, staying would be the easiest option. Moving camp somewhere else would be a hassle and it would also take some precious alone time away from Mereoleona. And she didn't want that.

"Of course I want to stay. Why would I want to go through all the trouble of setting up camp again somewhere else? But if you kick me out, then that's fine. You won this fight fair and square and if you want me gone, I'll leave." she answered. Y/N sighed and shook her head, before extending her hand to Mereoleona to help her up. Mereoleona took it and got up from the ground. She only now realised just how much she was towering over Y/N - she was almost an entire head taller than her. Still, that tiny little girl had beaten her in a full on fight. Impressive.

"No. You can stay here if you want. I don't mind the company, as long as you're not too loud. But I gathered that you would like some quiet time yourself, so I'd say we'll understand each other. I'm not sure what was up with me yesterday evening. Sorry about that." Y/N told her. Mereoleona shrugged.

"No reason to be sorry. I was kind of encroaching on your territory, I guess. And I wasn't in the best mood either. But I'm glad we understand each other. I won't bother you much, I'll just train during the day, but I can go somewhere else for that." Mereoleona offered. Y/N smiled at her. She had such a beautiful smile that Mereo wanted to just keep her here, exactly like that, smiling and looking up at her. What the hell was wrong with her? Normally she didn't develop a crush this fast. But whatever. It was what it was. Just a crush. It was going to pass.

"It's okay. I might come and watch you train if I'm ever bored. You're welcome to stay here. Just try not to make too much of a mess. I do like living here, even though it gets boring from time to time." Y/N said with a lopsided grin. Mereoleona chuckled and slapped her shoulder lightly, which sent her stumbling forward a few steps. Oops. She hadn't meant to put so much force into that. Mereo gave her an apologetic smile, but Y/N just waved it off quickly, seemingly embarrassed.

"You can watch me train any time you like. Hell, if you want to, you can help me train. You're strong, you'd be a good opponent for me. Plus, I don't get to fight too many water users, it'll be... educational. Either way, that's up to you. Another thing... Would you mind if I bathe in your lake? If not, I can go and find somewhere else, but it just seems like the easiest option right now." Mereoleona said. She knew how fickle water spirits could get if someone messed with their water, so she figured she'd better ask.

"No, that's fine. I don't mind, really. Plus, the nearest other lake is really far away, there would be no point in staying here if you had to make your way there every day." Y/N answered. Mereoleona nodded.

"Yeah, okay. Thanks, I appreciate it. Either way, I'll get myself some breakfast now, so... I'll see you later, I guess?"