Shapeshifting back into her full human form, Ruby began squeezing the mineral water from her cornrows. “So there we were, headed into this unknown city thing..” Ruby wiggled her finger at Nerice who was just smiling. “What are you smiling at?” Ruby huffed and picked up her undergarments, and slipped her underwear over her well-built thighs.

  “You. Can’t I smile at you, Tanya?” Nerice lightly sang and her magic flowed around the three, changing her form to that of a small blue-skinned dy wearing simple cloth and a cowl that hid most of her features. Waving her hand as she sang, Nerice weaved her oceanic song into the spell she was casting and made the mermaid pool disappear. “Avanora, our love knows me too well. She knows why I am smiling.” Nerice commented after her spell was completed.

  Having years of experience with the beautiful pirate, Avanora bent over and shook as much water as she could from her ptinum locks then whispered her own spell, creating a small warm updraft to dry herself completely. “Vhat did our Rubyz do this time?” Ava giggled as she summoned a small closet from the ground and pulled out a small flowery skirt with a loose-fitting halter to cover her ample breasts. “It iz my experience that zhe is the cause of most trouble.” She closed her hand and the closet disappeared back where it came from. “Zhe is a troublemaker.” Ava fluffed her hair and blew Ruby a kiss.

  Lacking the same magic that her companions had, Ruby thought about the leather armor and looked at Ava. “My closet, please? I don’t want to wear armor right now.” She spun on her bare heel and looked at Nerice. “I love how you are bming this on me.” She twisted back to see Ava, “…and how you assume this was my fault.” A moment ter an ornate chestnut wardrobe with mirrors surrounded by different colored pearls appeared from the sand. “This be Nerice’s fault, as it were.” Ruby temporarily jumped into her pirate captain’s voice. “Aye, mine dear blue dragon-dy. Nay tis me fault, and leave it at that.” Ruby pulled on a set of her tight cotton pants and fastened the toggles. “Nasty girl, serve up yer piece and an’ tell Ava the certainty of it all.”

  Fluidly dancing her way across the sand to her dymate, Nerice grabbed a tight halter for Ruby and handed it over. “Fine.” She peeked over Ruby’s shoulder, “What she means is that I didn’t tell her that I’d had a run-in with these frogmen…froggiepeoplethings, a year before.”

  “Ah, the truth of it, she-devil.” Ruby quipped and stretched the top over her rge breasts, then grabbed a set of knee-length soft leather boots. “She lied to me.”

  “I didn’t lie.” Nerice pinched Ruby’s ass as she walked over and plopped in Ava’s p. “Your turn to hold me for a bit.” She turned back and stuck out her tongue at Ruby and then kissed Ava deep enough that she swooned and had to catch her breath after. “Simply magical, Miss Avanora.” Nerice tilted her head and then clicked her tongue, gaining a swift image behind her. “I thought I heard someone in the distance, but it was just a turtle on the beach behind us Tan…er…Captain.” humming while she took her time to unnecessarily feel Ava’s voluptuous form, Nerice giggled once she found Ava’s round chin. “Ah, there you are, I thought I might have lost you.” Nerice ignored the incredulous sigh that came from Ava and responded to Ruby. “Like I said, I didn’t lie…” She giggled, “…I just didn’t offer the story before we headed out to see my old friends.”

  “Twas that ck of the story, to which hampered our efforts, savvy?” Ruby looked herself over in the mirror and then plucked a blue pearl from the edge and danced it in her deft fingers. “Me’s assertion is that by pretend’n that her not knowing the froggies, was a lie.”

  Waiting until Ava had sent Ruby’s wardrobe back into the depths of the sand from which it came, Nerice wrapped Ava’s hands around her waist. “See, this is where you and I disagree…” Nerice snuggled into Ava and tickled under her chin, “…I never said I didn’t know them. You assumed it like you assumed I didn’t know how to fight.” Nerice calmly added, “You never asked.”

  Ruby knelt and grabbed her trusted dagger and strapped it to her calf. “You still love me…and if you could talk, you would tell the truth of it.” Ruby knocked off the sand on her pants and stood up. “Let’s head back to the fire while I keep calling you a liar, my love.” Ruby closed her one dazzling hazel eye and blew them both a kiss.

  Bouncing up out of Ava’s p, Nerice helped Ava to her feet and stopped Ruby as she stomped by. “Where are you going?” Nerice tapped her foot and folded her arms. “Cap-tain?”

  Turning around and giving the two a confused look, “I am going to get more rum. I assumed you both would follow me.” Ruby wiggled a finger at Nerice. “Like you wouldn’t follow me, so stop yer lying.”

  “I didn’t lie.” Nerice ughed and pushed Ava to Ruby. “It's her turn. Carry your other blue woman.”

  Adjusting her belt to hold her pistol tightly, Ruby finished and put her hands on her hips and shifted her weight to the left, smirking. “Who’s the captain here? You should be carrying me.” She backed up and stood where Ava could climb up. “You blue beasties, If I didn’t love you both…” She chuckled when she felt Ava climb on her back and then headed back to the campfire. “If you two don’t watch out, I will go find Delzie and leave you for the night.”

  “My lovez?” Ava questioned and waited for Ruby to grunt a response. “Rum might not be the best pnz sinze you have let it slip from your lovely mind that Digger is occupying Delzie this evening.”

  Ruby hefted Ava on her back for comfort and trudged over the dune. “Fine. I will just tell you about the rest of our frog adventure…the one where my dymate first lied to me.”

  “Not my fault you didn’t ask…Captain.” Nerice clicked a few times and then caught up to Ruby, and gripped her arm close. “I am still not using that stupid name.”

  Leaning into Nerice so that she could get a better grip on her arm, Ruby spotted the campfire a few feet from her. “Anyway, Ava.” She paused for a heavy breath, “…we were headed to the goon…”