Suppression

Exhaling the breath he had been holding, Paul's expression morphed into an ostensibly cold glower as he observed the woman a few meters away from him. The moment their eyes met, her figure appeared to blur for the briefest of moments, prompting Paul to draw his broadsword across the front of his body, the flat of the blade facing outward.

As if drawn to Paul's blade like a powerful magnet, the rapier-like blade of his opponent bent noticeably as the tip connected with the flat of Paul's blade. Instead of breaking or bending further, however, a pale white light briefly flashed along the length of the blade, instantly straightening it and causing Paul's feet to crack the earth beneath him as he firmly stood his ground.

Hurting Paul's pride a bit, his opponent smiled and said, "Not bad." as she brandished her blade in a flurry of elegant arcs that left visible, pale-white trails of light. None of her attacks managed to breach Paul's defense, but her tempo and spacing prevented him from countering.

Though the Water God Style was considered the counter to the Sword God Style, that logic only applied if both practitioners were purists with the temperament expected of their respective schools. If a user of the Sword God Style had a foundation in the Water God Style, they would be able to circumvent the latter's counters by simply remaining patient and never overcommitting to an attack.

Having spent five years practicing the Water God Style and learning 'true' swordsmanship from Ei, Barbara was a nightmare for practitioners of both the Sword and Water God Styles. Her attacks lacked power, but there was a reason neither school focused on strength. So long as you were fast and accurate with your strikes, your sword would take care of the rest.

As he grew increasingly frustrated the longer the fight lasted, gaps began to appear in Paul's defense. His sword was a lot heavier than the rapier-like blade in Barbara's hand, so, even if he wasn't moving around all that much, it placed a much greater strain on his muscles.

Correctly assuming that most of the gaps in Paul's defense were created to draw her in, Barbara maintained a faint smile as she kept her distance and practically danced around him like a wasp tormenting a beetle. She didn't actually enjoy deconstructing Paul's fighting style, but she knew he would feel even worse if she went 'easy' on him.

Clicking his tongue, Paul was prepared to go on the offensive, but Barbara immediately created some space between them, her right hand extending to unleash a lance-like torrent of water. He managed to cut through the attack and disperse much of it with a shockwave generated by Touki, but he still ended up being soaked by the frigid waters.

Exhaling another sigh, Paul shook his head and planted his sword into the ground, stating, "Let's call it here. If I get any more riled up, I may end up doing something stupid..."

Nodding her head in affirmation, Barbara sheathed her sword and said, "I understand." before making her way over to Paul and asking, "Now, what should I ask for~?" in a playful tone. As per Paul's suggestion, the winner of their spars could make virtually any request of the loser. Had he known he would lose every single one of their spars, he might have come up with something different.

Smiling wryly in response to Barbara's words, Paul attempted to wrap his arms around her but was prevented as she said, "You're wet." in a matter-of-factly tone. Then, before Paul could say anything in his defense, she adopted a squinty-eyed smile and suggested, "We should get you out of these clothes..."

Adopting a markedly more wolfish grin, Paul ignored Barbara's previous protest, shamelessly wrapping his arms around to squeeze her butt as he remarked, "So that's why you kept peppering me with Water Magic. Trying to get me out of my pants and into yours...?"

Giggling in response to Paul's words, Barbara tiptoed to plant a kiss on his lips before revealing, "I asked Esme to draw a bath..."

Though it was primarily theatrical, Paul winced in response to Barbara's words. He knew his chances of defeating her in a spar were slim, but it still kind of stung to hear her suggest she knew the outcome before they even fought.

Caressing Paul's face, Barbara said, "Don't worry. You're plenty strong. I just have more motivation to win..."

Punctuating her words, Barbara planted another kiss on Paul's lips. This time, however, she didn't immediately separate. Instead, she linked her arms around his neck and took the initiative to breach his lips with her tongue.

Though he couldn't help feeling that the dynamic in their relationship was reversing, Paul dutifully reciprocated Barbara's affections. He knew he was living a pretty blessed life surrounded by so many beautiful women, so he did his best not to complain just because things weren't going his way.

Just as Paul was thinking he needed to try harder, Ghislaine, who had been observing their spar a few meters away, immediately perked up, shouting, "Something's coming...!" as she unsheathed her fang-like sword.

Directly following Ghislaine's outburst, Paul also detected that something was fast approaching them. So fast, in fact, that by the time he released Barbara and prepared to grab his sword, it had already reached his side.

As Ghislaine prepared to leap to Paul's aid, the latter raised his hand and shouted, "Stop!" in a commanding tone. Because of this, Ghislaine nearly ended up face-planting into the snow as her feet stopped before her brain had fully processed what he said.

Though he was tempted to tease Ghislaine for her clumsiness, Paul was more focused on the fluffy, bluish-white creature that had appeared at his side. It was an inordinately beautiful creature with mesmeric, purple-pink eyes, a coat that resembled painted clouds, and, most notably, a pair of dark-purple horns that hummed with incredible power.

Recognizing the creature's identity almost immediately, Paul placed his forehead against its snout, affectionately caressing the underside of its head as he whispered, "Ganyu...it's good to see you..."

Taking advantage of the fact she was in her Qilin form, Ganyu responded to Paul's words with an affectionate lick before nuzzling against him with enough force to send his feet skidding backward. He did his best to stay upright but eventually fell over, a dilemma that was promptly followed by Ganyu plopping down and rolling onto her back as she shrunk down to a size capable of fitting in his lap.

Not expecting such an emotional response, Paul couldn't help feeling a twinge of guilt as he caressed Ganyu's indescribably soft underbelly and whispered, "I missed you too..."

Curious about the creature's identity, Ghislaine cautiously approached the slightly annoyed-looking Barbara and questioned, "Is that Paul's pet? I've never seen or heard of a monster that could alter its size..."

Suppressing a sigh, Barbara shook her head and revealed, "That's Ganyu, one of our allies and another of Paul's lovers. She's able to transform and alter her size at will."

Though she was more than a little surprised at first, Ghislaine felt relieved when Barbara clarified that Ganyu could transform. If Paul was the kind of man that would even sleep with animals, she might have to reconsider her decision to follow him.

There was such a thing as being too 'open-minded' when it came to love...

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After making their way back to the city, Paul received permission from Barbara to let Ganyu join them in the bath. He ordinarily wouldn't ask for such a thing, but it was a bath she had prepared specifically for the two of them. If he coopted it without her approval, he would have felt even more like an ass.

Though she was a bit reluctant at first, Ganyu eventually transformed into her human form once they had reached the changing room. As ridiculous as the notion was, she was a little afraid that Paul would be put off by her more mature appearance, as, back in Liyue, many people had avoided her.

To Ganyu's considerable relief, Paul's reaction to her mature form could best be described as captivated befuddlement rather than disgust. There was also a fair amount of lust exuding from his aura, so Ganyu could feel the underside of her horns burning as she placed her hand over her heart and asked, "How do I look...?"

Since Barbara was also present, Paul did his best to control himself as he smiled and whispered, "As beautiful as always..."

Seeing through Paul's thoughts, Ganyu shifted her attention to Barbara, an apologetic expression marring her face as she said, "I feel I owe you an apology, Lady Barbara. I have clearly intruded upon you and Master Paul. For that, I sincerely apologize."

Discarding her mild annoyance, Barbara dismissively waved her hand, insisting, "You've done nothing warranting an apology. Rather, you must be exhausted after trekking all the way here from the Strife Zone. Letting you join us in the bath is the least I could do."

Though she could tell that Barbara wasn't being completely honest with herself, Ganyu returned a smile and said, "You're a very kind person." in a sincere tone. Not all humans could set aside their wants and needs out of respect and concern for others.

Feeling a little sheepish, Barbara briefly considered excusing herself so that Paul and Ganyu could have some alone time together. Instead, she took the initiative to begin undressing, saying, "I'm actually a very selfish person..." under her breath.

Hearing Barbara's utterance, a more prominent smile developed across Ganyu's face. Barbara's behavior reminded her a lot of Paul, as no matter how often he helped others, he would perpetually insist he wasn't a good person.

Returning her gaze to Paul, Ganyu's eyes briefly lost focus as she silently observed him removing his damp clothing. She hadn't noticed it before, as she was primarily focused on the radiance of his aura, but he had matured considerably since their last encounter...

Noticing Ganyu staring at him with a dreamy expression on her face, Paul could feel a strangely fluttery sensation spreading through his body as he forced a cocky smile and asked, "Like what you see...?"

Without losing her unfocused look, Ganyu nodded her head and muttered, "Yes..." in a delicate yet naturally penetrating tone. Her voice could barely be called a whisper, but Paul felt as though they had been carved directly upon his heart.

"..."

Noticing the changes in Paul's aura, Ganyu promptly regained her senses, a light glaze spreading across the surface of her eyes as she stared up at him and said, "It's okay..." in a permissive tone.

("This woman...")

Swallowing the knot that had formed in his throat, Paul shook his head and half-heartedly replied, "Maybe later..." before quickly stripping out of his pants. He noticed Ganyu's gaze immediately descending to his lower body but pretended not to as he grabbed a towel and hurriedly slipped past both her and Barbara.

Seeing Paul practically run away, Barbara briefly fell into a daze before shifting her attention to the culprit responsible. She was tempted to ask Ganyu for advice but found herself awestruck as she observed the blue-haired Adeptus staring longingly in the direction Paul had departed. The backdrop of the changing room wasn't even remotely scenic, but Ganyu's presence made the scene resemble a masterful painting...

"..."

Sensing the changes in Barbara's aura, Ganyu blinked back to her senses before turning to the stone-faced blonde and saying, "You shouldn't be so concerned with how you compare to others. Master cares deeply for you. Is that not enough?"

Surprised by Ganyu's words, Barbara opened her mouth but found herself momentarily unable to speak. Her first instinct was to apologize, but she quickly suppressed it and answered, "It is." in the most sincere tone she could manage. Ganyu could tell she wasn't being entirely truthful, but that didn't stop her from adopting a smile and saying, "I see why Master chose you. The two of you are very alike..."

And like that, Ganyu suddenly became one of Barbara's favorite people...

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