Final Fantasy Frontier 107 (Patreon)

With Ashe entreating him for some time to herself, Andrew was relaxing in the bathhouse's lounge area, the smell of perfume and opium causing him to feel a little muddleheaded as a Viera named Hyula washed his feet and gave him a pedicure. Another called Seravi nestled next to him with her head on his shoulder, but Andrew didn't pay her much mind as he reclined with his eyes closed, enjoying the peculiar, soothing experience.

Hearing the distinct sound of a chat notification, Andrew cracked his eyes to find a transparent blue window hovering before him, courtesy of Rufus, aka President Shinra. One of their underwater facilities had been assailed by a being believed to be the Emerald Weapon. There were still no traces of Sephiroth or Jenova, but the reappearance of the missing weapon was a tell-tale sign they were beginning to move.

'Well, there's only so much he can do without the Black Materia...' thought Andrew, replying to Rufus and forwarding his report to Garnet, Nanamo, and the other leaders of the Interworld Alliance. He was supposed to be radio silent until things wrapped up in the world of FFXII, but since Rufus wasn't a member of the larger group chat, Andrew had little choice but to act as the man's intermediary.

"Hmmm...?"

Receiving a DM from Garnet telling him to create a new group chat and to let them handle the situation, a wry but affectionate smile formed across Andrew's face. Hyula and Seravi noticed this and heard his hum, the latter tracing her inordinately long and sharp fingernail across his chest as she asked, "Does Sir Andrew find our company agreeable~?"

"I could certainly think of worse ways to spend the evening," answered Andrew, closing the chat window. In response, Seravi sat up, adopting a smile of her own as she asked, "Then, shall I make it more enjoyable...?"

"That depends. What do you have in mind...?" asked Andrew, intrigued but with measured expectations. He had made it clear he had no intention of having sex, so if that was Seravi's plan, she was fated to be disappointed.

"I shall use my mouth to give you a...special massage," replied Seravi, her hand gliding along Andrew's abdomen without breaking eye contact. She and the other Viera in the commune felt increasingly indebted to Andrew, and there was even a betting pool to see which of them would be the first to express their 'gratitude.' The current payout for a blowjob was 4:1 on a buy-in of 5,000 Gil, so Seravi's wine-red eyes blazed with eagerness.

"Sounds like fun," replied Andrew, closing his eyes with a relaxed smile as he placed his hands behind his head. As a result, he didn't see the pouty expression on Hyula's face as she and Seravi exchanged looks, the latter sporting a triumphant expression as she lowered Andrew's trousers and surprised him with a vacuum blowjob that had been cultivated over nearly sixty years...

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"Mmnnh...?"

Rousing from her slumber, Ashe expected to find herself sleeping alone but discovered she was curled up next to Andrew. A slight frown marred her face, but since she was still in her undergarments, she asked, "When did you return...?"

Without opening his eyes, Andrew responded, "Not long after you went to sleep, I'd wager. Why, what's up...?"

Though she was tempted to respond that she had expected him to spend the evening with Penelo or Fran, Ashe sat up and began fixing her hair as she replied, "It's nothing," in a dismissive tone. Then, opening her system interface, she checked the time and whether she had any messages from Basch. He was helping to organize the forces of the Resistance alongside her uncle, so he periodically sent her reports to keep her apprised of what was transpiring abroad.

Opening her eyes in surprise, Ashe remarked, "Captain Ronsenberg has confirmed that Vossler, Captain Azelas, has fallen into the hands of the Empire. He was last seen onboard the Leviathan, set to be transported to the Draklor Laboratory of Archades. Why they sent him there instead of a proper prison remains to be ascertained..."

Seeing the glimmer of suspicion in Ashe's eyes as she cast him a sidelong look, Andrew asked, "What? I'm not omniscient. Though, if I had to guess, the only reason Basch was able to learn of this is because they leaked the information intentionally. The Resistance undoubtedly has a few traitors in its midst, so Vayne will know you went to meet with them and were turned away due to Azelas's absence."

Recalling the incident in question, Ashe hung her head and frowned with a mixture of shame and frustration. She felt deeply indebted to Vossler, but there was only so much she could achieve with the power she possessed. At present, she couldn't even reveal that she was alive without impairing her uncle's efforts to rally the Resistance, so Ashe found herself between a rock and a hard place regarding how to rescue Vossler.

Raising her gaze to meet Andrew's, Ashe briefly hesitated before asking, "Could you rescue him...?"

"Mmmm...it's possible..." replied Andrew, closing his eyes as he added, "But our journey will likely take us to the Draklor Laboratory in the future. If I go now, it could complicate things for you moving forward..."

"But you 'could' rescue him..." noted Ashe, a look of conviction developing across her face. When Andrew thereafter opened his eyes, her expression became even more serious as she asserted, "You said I could choose any path and that you would support it. Well, what I want is for you to go and rescue Vossler. If I have further need to visit the Draklor Laboratory in the future, I will do so then."

Contrasting Ashe's expectations, Andrew didn't refuse or try to argue with her. Instead, he smiled faintly and replied, "If that's what you've decided, then that's what I'll do. But how recent is this information? If I arrive and he's still being transported, I'll have to wait around or try to intercept the airship he's on. There's also a chance he's being kept somewhere entirely different. As long as we don't know for certain, the Empire can bait us to go wherever they please."

Realizing there was some truth to Andrew's observations, Ashe opened her mouth but couldn't respond. She knew there was a high likelihood of this being a trap, but she hadn't even considered that the bait wouldn't be where they said it was. In retrospect, it made much more sense for them to lie than to tell them the truth...

"Come and take a seat," said Andrew, causing the frown on Ashe's face to deepen. Despite this, she didn't hesitate to crawl over and climb onto his lap, maintaining her glower as she stated, "This isn't exactly the best time or atmosphere for sex..."

"I'm aware of that," replied Andrew, adopting a cheeky grin as he added, "This is just my preferred position for private, prolonged chats. It makes it surprisingly easy to speak frankly."

"What it is you want to say...?" asked Ashe, clenching her teeth in mild frustration as Andrew placed his hands on her bottom.

"Just that you shouldn't worry," replied Andrew. "It may take a while, but I should be able to confirm whether or not Vossler is being held captive in the Draklor Laboratory. If he is, I'll fly over and rescue him. If not, I have a few ideas for how we can uncover his true location. Sound good?"

Though she felt Andrew wasn't treating the situation as seriously as it deserved, Ashe ultimately nodded in response, stating, "It does..." in a quiet, subdued tone. 

"Then, at least until someone comes to fetch us, let's just relax," said Andrew. "Here, put your head on my chest. Once I uncover Vossler's location, I'll let you know."

Tilting her head in confusion, Ashe asked, "How do you plan to uncover his location while lying in bed...?"

"I have my ways," answered Andrew. "But would you rather me explain them or put them to use?"

Exhaling through her nose, Ashe decided not to press the matter as she adjusted her position and laid with her head against Andrew's exposed chest. She expected him to grab her ass or grind against her in response. Instead, he surprised her by combing the fingers of his right hand through her hair, his voice gentle and soothing as he whispered, "So long as he's still alive, I will ensure he's delivered to you..."

"..."

Once again feeling as though she had misinterpreted Andrew's nature, Ashe slowly closed her eyes, the tension gradually leaving her body as she muttered a nearly inaudible, "Thank you..."

"It's what I'm here for..." replied Andrew, planting a kiss atop Ashe's head before using the Correspondence Menu's free camera function to zip over to Archades. The camera was faster than him, could move through walls, and was completely undetectable, so it was the perfect tool for infiltration and espionage. The only caveat was that if he inadvertently closed the window, he would have manually repilot the camera back to the location he wanted to investigate.

Feeling increasingly comforted in Andrew's embrace, Ashe inevitably fell asleep. Fortunately for her, there were still more than two hours before it was time for breakfast, so she was able to get in a solid nap, most of her fears and anxieties fading away as Andrew dutifully carried out his search while cradling her in his arms. He wasn't able to locate Vossler within that limited period, but due to the Draklor Laboratory being the tallest, most conspicuous building in all of Archades, resembling a giant tuning fork at the center of the city, he didn't have to spend hours searching for it...

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While Ashe and Penelo refined their control by building sand castles and other structures using sand harvested from the Sandsea, Andrew sat off to the side, continuing his search with Fran seated next to him.

"No luck...?" asked Fran, noticing the slightly annoyed look on Andrew's face as he had searched all seventy floors of the Draklor Laboratory and its thirty-seven sub-levels to no avail. He even had four cameras working in concert to keep tabs on places of interest, but there were no signs that Captain Azelas was being held anywhere within.

"It only takes a few hours to reach Archades via airship, no matter where you set out from," said Andrew. "Either Vossler isn't being kept in Draklor, or he's still being processed elsewhere..."

"Have you considered that he never left the Leviathan...?" Fran asked, her tone the same casual and sultry timbre as usual, but Andrew felt like they had struck his brain like a mallet to a gong. He knew very little about Ghis, but the man was nothing if not cunning and opportunistic. The man had even attempted to betray Vayne in the game, but due to an ill-conceived experiment with the Dawn Shard, he ended up annihilating himself along with the 8th Fleet.

"That cheeky little shit..." muttered Andrew, closing his eyes and running his fingers through his hair in a gesture of self-comfort. Fortunately, he had left a marker on the Leviathan's bridge and the exterior of its hull, so it was a simple matter to teleport over if Vossler happened to be there. If nothing else, he could teach Ghis a hard lesson for attempting to fool him and wasting his time...

Regaining his usual smile, Andrew looked to Fran and extended his hand to caress her head as he stated, "Good job, bun's buns. If it turns out that Vossler is still being kept on the Leviathan, expect a reward."

"What kind of reward...?" asked Fran, eyes closed as she rubbed her head against Andrew's hand. She would bite or claw anyone else who tried, but Andrew had free rein to caress the space between and around her ears. It would still be some time before she could 'give' herself to him, so this was one of the many ways Fran exhibited her affection and gratitude.

"That depends on you," replied Andrew, moving his hand to caress the side of Fran's head and face as he asked, "What do you want?"

Opening her eyes, Fran deliberated for a moment before responding, "You will accompany me to Golmore and the Wood I call home. There, I would have you meet with my sister, Mjrn..."

Preempting Andrew's reply, Fran narrowed her eyes and stated, "You are free to try and woo her, but it is for a separate reason that I would have you meet."

"There's only one Viera within my sights," said Andrew, his voice low as he traced his thumb along Fran's lower lip. Her expression scarcely changed as he did so, but she eventually leaned forward with closed eyes, leading to their first kiss and the unintentional destruction of Ashe's and Penelo's sand constructs...

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