And there was a good reason for that, too!

"Be-cause I t-rust you," Etsu replied.

It was heartfelt, even emotional to a certain extent--and she was smiling again. Having said something romantic and joyful, she no longer felt the need to pout in mild rebellion. It was true, though: she completely trusted Eld, believing that he'd never purposefully do something he knew she didn't want to do--something like . . . something outright perverted that went way beyond her boundaries, or cheat on her, or say something that he knew would hurt her. She felt as if she was protected while in Eld's arms.

That didn't meant that Eld wasn't perverted, though. He was. He really was. He was a lot more perverted than she thought he'd be, but that was all right. She could deal with that. He'd just have to get over it someday, or she'd just have to buy into it all. Whichever happened first--though, the latter was the most likely scenario. Etsu was already quite submissive as it was, but in a relationship, she found herself even more submissive than ever before. It wasn't a problem for her, though. She had no moral issues with it, and might have even been a little put off if Eld did. This was just how she was raised to be, anyways.

"Etsu..."

Eld flushed in embarrassment of an entirely different kind. He wasn't used to people saying such things so plainly, but he was far from unhappy. Quite the opposite, he was overjoyed to hear it.

"Thanks," he said, smiling warmly and holding her tightly. She also succeeded in temporarily clearing the dirty thoughts from his mind--he was just as content as she was to cuddle.

--practice makes perfect--

It was a rather sudden thought that she remembered, and it had Etsu blushing tremendously. They had been cuddling silently for some time, and now, she had this almost random thought process that entailed a want to pull up a bit, lean up, and try to kiss Eld on the lips. Like most situations wherein she had some sudden and unexplained urge, Etsu didn't act upon it--more or less, she was so surprised with her brain that she thought more about why she had that urge than she did the urge itself, which become wholly irrelevant in just seconds . . .

. . . as Eld's door was wide open in a fraction of a second. It wasn't slammed open, but still opened with a good amount of authority.

"Eld! You're still in bed? C'mon, you promised me you'd--"

It was Emma, standing in the door, reacting practically based on muscle memory, as she was almost always awake before Eld was--and whenever he promised her he'd do something with or for her, and it may have possibly entailed a morning situation, she or Sarah had to wake him up for it. She was dressed in a maroon tank top and tan shorts--somewhat short, and she seemed to be going the day without a bra (noticeable upon close inspection, at least). Emma furrowed her brow at the sight of Etsu and Eld--Etsu obviously naked under the covers, and Eld holding her close.

"--I'll, er, leave ya two be for a sec . . ." Emma backed out of the room, slowly closing the door behind her.

As he was holding her, Eld noticed that Etsu was starting to blush. Given that he wasn't doing anything, it must have been something she was thinking, but just as he opened his mouth to ask what was on her mind the door swung wide open.

His eyes widened and he flushed a deep red as he realized what it must look like. After all, all Etsu had was the towel which probably wasn't visible from the door. Emma shut the door before he could respond.

Awww...crap crap crap! She's got the wrong idea!

"I guess we should get up," he lamented, placing his hands on Etsu's shoulders to gently move her off of him. He carefully crawled out of the covers, knowing what kind reaction he would get if he accidentally exposed her while getting up.

"Umm...why don't you get dressed while I talk to her?" he suggested, still embarrassed. At least he was wearing enough to be decent--he slipped out of the room, opening the door just enough so he could get through.

"E-Emma?" he asked, wondering what her reaction would be. He suppose he was just lucky that it was her and not Sarah or Mayako that walked in.

"O-kay . . ." the Reaper replied as she moved a bit, letting Eld off of the bed--so she could wait for him to leave before she got dressed.

Of course, Etsu was extremely embarrassed, herself. Someone had walked in on them--Emma, of all people--and got the wrong idea. Etsu would have gotten the wrong idea, herself, had she been the one that walked in, so it was easy for her to put herself in another person's shoes--at least for this situation. That, of course, served to make her blush even more, and have her flustered for the entire time that Eld was outside of the room . . .

In the hall, Emma was standing against the corridor, arms folded over her diaphragm, with her expression completely blank. She was just waiting for Eld to come out, really--Eld and Etsu both, but as no blue haired Reaper seemed to follow him out, it seemed that it'd be just the two of them in the hall. That was kind of disappointing.

"Mornin', horny," Emma teased, though there was a certain inflection of hurt in her voice--if not for herself, but for others.

Eld flushed a bit at the teasing, but hearing the hurt in her voice he stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked at the floor. He was in his night clothes, but he was still dressed--something that would hopefully back up what he was about to say.

"H-Hey, I know what it looks like, but all we did was sleep. She climbed into a bed last night with just a towel, but...well, I doubt she'll make that mistake again." Regardless of their relationship now, it was clear Etsu didn't want to take things any further physically.

"Err, we took a bath last night before going to bed," he said to explain why she was in just a towel. Fortunately, Emma knew about their baths already...and that they wore swimsuits (well, a sarashi in Etsu's case). Otherwise, he might not have been helping his case much.

Emma did, in fact, know that Eld took baths with Etsu sometimes. In fact, it was the only way that he could get Etsu to bathe, and they all knew how much of a stickler Eld was with bathing habits. When Sarah didn't bath for a few days, Eld usually got a little put off, then Sarah would get pissed off, and then bathe that night (contrary to what she'd normally say, wherein she'd refuse to take a bath just to please someone else).

Nonetheless, it was hard to believe that Etsu was just wearing a towel. She'd always been wearing clothing when Emma walked in on Etsu sleeping in Eld's bed--and Eld was never remotely intimate with her, either. Of course, Emma was also aware of their fooling around some time ago . . .

Eld's defense of the situation was brushed off. Emma knew it was a good way to bother him--if he defended himself and she just conveniently ignored it. Hell, it was a good way to annoy anyone, and what good of a little sister would she be if she didn't try to get under his skin every now and then?

"Hmmm . . . think I should to tattle to Sarah?" Emma grinned at Eld.

"T-There's nothing to tattle about!" he protested, falling for her ploy hook, line and sinker. It didn't occur to him, though, that the way he was holding Etsu may have been more telling than her state of dress--after all, he'd never been terribly physically affectionate with her until now, particularly because they lived in such close proximity.

He also failed to realize that chances were Sarah didn't care if he fooled around with Etsu. After all, she had no problems if he did anything with Mayako...

Not being allowed to defend himself left him only one recourse: try and change the subject. "A-Anyway, you're here pretty early, Emma. Are you anxious to get going?" He and Etsu had gotten up much earlier than they usually did, so it was odd for Emma to come for them this early. She had figured she'd be waking them up, after all.

At Eld's reply, Emma stuck her tongue out at him. Sarah may or may not have been angry--jealous, maybe. It was like walking on eggshells with Mayako's situation, though. Sarah knew that much. There was no "situation" with Etsu, though; there was no reason to avoid certain subjects or suppress particular feelings for another person's sake. Also, Etsu Hikane wasn't Sarah's best friend in the world. A friend, yes, and a close one at that--but she wasn't Mayako. There was lengths that Sarah would go for Mayako that she'd never go for Etsu. Sharing Eld may very well have been one of those.

Emma refrained from saying that much.

"Well . . ." replied Emma.

Yesterday hadn't been the best time for her to see Davis, after all. They all had to check out Mai's house, and they all had lives to go back to that evening. It was unfortunate, but she just couldn't spend any time with Davis that day, no matter how much she wanted to. Today, at least, she had the opportunity, and considering how clingy she could be after something emotionally devastating (just like her sister), she wanted to see her boyfriend--maybe hug him for awhile, sit on a couch with him, get him to hold her . . .

"Yeah, I was."

"Ah. Well...we shouldn't be too long. Once Etsu is dressed and out, I just need to get dressed and I'm mostly ready." Since they'd bathed last night, the amount they had to do to get ready was minimal. He just hoped Etsu would come out when she was ready; he wasn't going to peek in, as he had the feeling no matter how long he waited it would be at a bad time.

"Umm...is it alright if Etsu tags along today?" he asked. He didn't think Emma would have a problem with it, since she probably just cared about visiting Davis. Though...that probably meant he'd have to tell her that he was now going out with Etsu.

"Eh? That's new . . ."

Usually, Etsu stayed in Hillcrest when Emma and Eld went to see Davis. Since Davis lived in Galaens, and it was dangerous for a young girl to go that far alone, Eld almost always accompanied her. Etsu usually spent time with Mayako during those events, though. She had never really showed any interest in going there with Eld and Emma, so it was a bit surprising that she was suddenly interested--something Emma had taken note of.

"Sure," Emma shrugged as she started towards the door, "I'll check if she's ready. You might get beat if you do it."

And I doubt Etsu is bright enough to consider leaving the room after she's dressed.

The off-handed thought, although true (in so much, Etsu was inferior to even Sarah in common sense and general education), was kept as just a thought. If Eld protested, such would have been disregarded, as Emma opened the door just a bit and squeezed through. From that point on, all voices were muffled because of the closed door between the two girls and Eld. They were still audible, though, if he listened in.

"E-Emma-chan!" Etsu, in her small voice, proclaimed in surprise, "I-I no . . . I no ready yet!"

"Whoa~! You know, it doesn't matter how many times I see 'em, I get jealous every time," mused Emma with a whistle.

Embarrassed, Etsu replied, "Th-that is ve-ry improper thing to say!"

That reply only caused Emma to giggle uncontrollably. Etsu was one of the easiest people to get flustered. It was sort of unfair for Emma to pick on her sometimes, but hey! Etsu and Eld were just easy targets . . . somehow, strangely, easier to get flustered than Mayako.

Eld winced a bit at the thought of getting beat. It hadn't happened yet, but he had little doubt he'd come close to getting hit by Etsu many times. (Though, unlike with Sarah, he doubted she could do much to him.)

"Well, that's true--h-hey, at least give her a few more-" But Emma was already through the door, and he knew better than to go in after her.

Which, judging by the conversation going on in there was definitely the right choice. He tried his best not to think too hard about what Emma was referring to. Instead, he knocked lightly on the door before opening it a crack--just enough so that his voice would carry through easily.

"Hey, Emma, as long as you're in there would you grab some clothes for me? I'll just go change in the bathroom." This would also hopefully distract her long enough for Etsu to finish getting dressed--chances were if she was flustered it was only going to stall the process.

"Yeah, sure," replied Emma to Eld, though it was highly unlikely that she was even paying attention to him. Proof enough was the fact that she addressed Etsu again immediately afterward, "Hey, do you remember the time when we were all drunk, and I snuck up behind you?"

"Nani desu ka?" replied Etsu, still a little nervous. "I do no remem-ber."

"I don't remember it too well, either. Hmm . . ." And for a brief second there was silence, interrupted only when Emma spoke again: "Wow, they're soft, too . . ."

"A-ah!!! E-Emma-cha~~~n!!" squealed Etsu--the only time her voice had ever risen in pitch to sound like a girlish squeal, but not volume.

Without warning, Eld's door was opened in a quick rush, and the body of the blue haired Reaper was beside of Eld, clad only in a bra and panties. She had folded up clothes clung to her chest and stomach, but that was all.

". . . I change in bath-room!" Etsu announced rather quickly, before dashing to the secluded place and shutting the door behind her.

This left Emma in Eld's room, laying on his bed, rolling. The laughter was too much; it was making her side her, but it was so good. So, so good. The door was half-way open, then, so Eld could easily see, hear, and possibly walk in if he wanted to. Emma also hadn't gotten him any clothes just yet, so he was probably going to have to, anyways.

Eld blinked as Emma mentioned them being drunk, trying to recall what she'd done to Etsu. His own memory was fuzzy, but unlike Etsu he didn't forget everything that happened while intoxicated.

Just as he came to the realization he heard Etsu squeal, which combined with the sight of her in just her underwear caused him to blush with thoughts that Etsu would have definitely scolded him for.

After a few moments of simply being stunned he entered his room to find Emma rolling with laughter on his bed. "Y-You know how she feels about things like that," he scolded, though part of him wondered if she may have lightened up at least a little bit regarding things like that. She'd probably be pouting when she emerged, but he hoped she wouldn't be really upset.

"And now you're going to have to leave so I can get dressed, since Etsu's changing in the bathroom," he pointed out, crossing his arms but still blushing.

Yeah, that got to Etsu, and she felt extremely awkward about things like that--inappropriate touching and the like. That was exactly why she did it every so often, too. It was just like Eld's sexual issues; Emma knew that she could flirt with Eld (with intentional shows of skin) to make him for awkward and flustered, and so she did . . . sometimes. The closer she got to Davis, though, the less she really tried to personally fluster Eld. Davis really wasn't comfortable with it, and though Emma was perfectly fine with it, some sacrifices had to be made.

This wasn't one of those times.

Emma sat up on Eld's bed, sitting on the edge of it. She was in rare form today, perhaps because it was so early in the morning and she was particularly energetic (childishly so), and because of how Etsu and Eld had been sleeping. She sat up straight and held onto the bottom of her shirt as if she were getting ready to take it off--even lifted it a bit, showing some of her stomach.

"Aww . . . hey, how about we get dressed together?" Emma mused, a wry smile upon her lips, "I could see if I fit into Etsu's clothes--y'know, bra and all."