Drops of Dew in Our Glass (Tales of Zestiria fanfiction)

Bubble Kisses

An inhuman scream tore its way out of the Scylla's throat as the hellion fell to the ground. It writhed in agony under the pure-white flames of purification, the malevolence being burned away. It took only a few moments for the final spark to fade away into nothingness, leaving only the glistening body of a fish flopping around on the ground.

Mikleo sighed and gripped his staff, quickly swinging it upward to conjure a small sphere of water around the fish. He maneuvered the orb towards one of the many rivers in Lefay, gently setting it down and allowing it to make contact with the water before it dispersed. The orb popped like a bubble, leaving the fish to flop for a brief moment in mid-air until gravity finally dragged it down to its new home. The corners of Mikleo's lips curved up into a smile, but they were yanked down into a grimace as he felt the familiar tip of an umbrella prod impatiently at his back.

"Hurry up, Touchy-feeleo." Edna ordered, "There's more of those creepy eye things up ahead." Mikleo reached behind him, using his free hand to push Edna's umbrella away from his lower back. Turning around, he gave Edna a brief nod and she let out a defiant 'hmph' in reply. The earth seraph opened up her umbrella and gave it a quick twirl before she vanished, materializing into a tiny ball of light that was quickly sucked into Sorey's body.

Said Shepherd turned to face him, waving and flashing him a bright smile. Mikleo let a smirk of his own slide onto his face as he jogged up to him, giving Sorey a nod. "I'm all done over here. Let's proceed onward, Sorey."

"All right. I took a peek out. There's an eye to our right on the wall in the next corridor, just past that door." Sorey gestured towards the large stone door at the end of the room.

"Don't forget about the one on the left." Rose piped up, startling the both of them with her presence as she entered the conversation. She had strolled up right behind them. Sparkles still shimmered around her after de-armitizing with Lailah.

"Hm... do either of you know if there's any others? Maybe lining the whole wall on each side, like in that first room?" Mikleo relaxed his hold on his staff as he brought up his other arm to hold his chin in thought.

"I," Sorey paused, "I don't know, actually. But I bet I could ask Dezel to read the wind for me." Sorey suggested. It wasn't a bad idea, Mikleo thought. Though the wind seraph in question might be a little too tired to even do that right now, thanks to Sorey's brilliant idea of trying to Wind Dash past the eyes. Needless to say, it hadn't worked.

"Well, he was on the verge of dozing off just as you said that." Lailah confirmed with a slight chuckle to her tone. It sounded to Mikleo like she was trying to suppress a giggle.

"I was not." Dezel retorted, seeing through Lailah's attempts. "Can't a guy get any rest around here?"

"Nope," Edna replied. "It's hell in here." She paused for a moment, like she was contemplating her next words. "Eternal pun hell." Mikleo had to suppress a snort at that. But oh, if only it wasn't so accurate...

"Welcome! As you dwell inside our vessel, the one-and-only Shepherd Sorey, with us fellow seraphim around, you're sure to have some 'pun'!" Lailah squealed, taking the greatest delight in a chance to make yet another terrible pun.

...That wasn't even remotely "punny".

Oh no, did he just--

Did he just make a pun ?

Mikleo looked up, and judging from the expressions on Sorey's and Rose's faces, he had said it out loud . His mouth opened to try and flub it off, but then he closed it. There was no way. No way to deny the incredibly embarrassing fact that he, the anti-punist, had just made a pun. And of Lailah's caliber, no less. It was like writing Sorey-level poetry.