Episode 3 (Serena Season 2)

There's a lot more treehouses than I expected, and we decide to split up into twos.

Clyde and Arthur take one house, TK and Logan take another,

and Serena and I get the last one all to ourselves.

(And it's SO cool!)

The wooden floor is perfectly smooth under our feet, clearly worked by human hands,

but a full tree is in bloom in the center of the bedroom, holding everything up like a central column.

When I see the bed, I bounce over the footboard and onto the mattress.

MC: "Oof!"

Serena: "I hope that's comfortable."

MC: "It's amazing."

MC: "When I was a kid, I always wanted a treehouse, but this is something else."

Serena: "...Is that bed better than the one at the resort?"

MC: "...Uh-huh."

That's enough to pique her interest,

and I roll over onto my back with a huge grin, pulling Serena onto the bed as soon as she's in reach.

She tumbles on top of me, and I laugh at her dark hair being knocked askew.

Serena: "You're ridiculous."

MC: "And you love it."

Serena: "I love seeing you so happy."

Heat rushes to my face, which I cover by pulling her down into a kiss.

It's welcomed with a quiet hum, Serena's arms slipping loosely around my shoulders.

(Serena can be such a sap, even if I'd never get her to admit it.)

MC: "The guys seemed hype too. TK was right about the pillows."

Serena: "I tried not to think about that."

Serena: "...Alright, this bed is definitely more comfortable."

MC: "See, I told you!"

MC: "Although I'm not sure how you can tell when you're on top of me."

Serena: "Calling me a liar?"

MC: "Maybe."

The teasing earns me a playful pinch to the side, and I gasp when Serena starts to tickle me,

leaving me breathless within seconds.

MC: "Kidding! I was kidding!"

Serena: "Oh, I don't think you were."

MC: "Come on! What do I have to give you?"

Serena: "I can think of a few things."

Serena: "Starting with getting you out of those clothes."

MC: "Is that an order, doc?"

Serena: "It's advice from years of training and expertise."

Serena's grin breaks the serious edge in her voice,

and I pull her in for a deep kiss as her fingers busy themselves with my top, stripping it off with ease.

By the time I take care of her dress, she's nipping at my collarbone,

fingers walking up every inch I have bare.

MC: "Someone's impatient."

Serena: "...I didn't really want to get out of bed this morning."

Serena: "I just knew we had to."

MC:"Ooh! The secret comes out."

Serena: "Hush."

MC: "You always have to be the responsible one."

Serena mutters something under her breath, too warm to be cruel, but then busies her mouth even lower.

The soft give when I'm cupped between her hands draws a sound from my lips, and dark eyes shine with delight.

Serena: "Responsible. In control."

Serena: "I'll take either one."

MC: "Then what do you want me to do?"

Serena: "I want you to spread your legs for me."

Even if she hadn't whispered it right against my skin,

the jolt it sends through me is powerful enough that I give in without hesitation,

and Serena's pleased little murmur is only more encouragement.

Serena: "You are so beautiful."

MC: "You don't care about the bed at all, do you?"

Serena: "Not one bit."

When her head delves downward, fingers framing the inside of my thighs, I forget about the bed too.

Within a minute, I've forgotten about the entire treehouse.

It's strange waking up somewhere unfamiliar,

the same sort of daze I felt after the first night in the resort,

but the house is pleasantly cool as Serena and I get up and stretch.

I've gone to look for water to fill the washing basin,

when I see a basket full of food and a jug on the table near the door.

MC: "Hey, special delivery."

(I wonder when this got here.)

(Maybe it's something they do in the mornings?)

Serena: "Is something wrong, ?"

MC: "Nope! Come out here, we've got breakfast."

I was expecting fruit, maybe even some canned goods,

but there's freshly baked bread inside and fish wrapped up in some huge leaves.

Just the thought of having a full meal of fresh food has me bouncing on my toes,

which Serena notes with a raised brow.

Serena: "That's kind of them."

MC: "I guess Olivia wasn't kidding when she said they had enough to go around."

Between the two of us, everything gets wolfed down pretty quickly,

and we've just finished up when there's a knock at the door.

Clyde peeks his head in after Serena pulls the door open, but I can see the rest of the guys behind him.

Clyde: "Morning, sunshines."

Clyde: "You two enjoy breakfast?"

Serena: "Was that from you?"

Clyde: "Nah, it's apparently a thing they do for newcomers who don't know where all the food's stashed."

Clyde: "But Leilani wanted us to meet her outside and I promised to round everyone up."

Logan: "He says that like he didn't chuck a pillow at my head."

Clyde: "You didn't wake up after I practically broke your door down."

TK: "It sure woke me up."

Arthur: "Gentlemen, if we could give Serena and  room to actually come outside?"

Clyde: "...Aye. Sorry about that."

Serena: "The terrible burden of broad shoulders."

I snicker at that and Clyde turns red, moving out of the way so we can all gather on the bridge outside.

Leilani is waiting for us down at the bottom of a far ladder, eyes lighting up as soon as she sees us.

Leilani: "Hey, good morning! Hope everyone got a good night's sleep."

MC: "It was amazing."

(Although some of that was probably because Serena totally wore me out.)

Leilani: "Glad to hear it."

Leilani: "My dad wanted to put together a welcome party, so we're heading down to the docks."

TK: "A party? For us?"

Leilani: "It's a good excuse to get everyone out and have fun together."

Leilani: "Especially since it's kind of hard to keep track of the holidays here."

Logan: "Tell me about it. I barely know what day it is right now."

When we arrive at the docks, I'm shocked to see a ton of little boats gathered nearby,

some of them laden down with fishing nets.

There's a whole market in the center that's filled with people,

and Angelo standing to the side overlooking them.

(This place is packed!)

Angelo: "Leilani! Glad to see we didn't lose anyone."

Leilani: "No, Dad. They're all here."

Clyde: "This is quite the bash."

Angelo: "It's easy for things to get dull around here if we don't mix it up every so often."

Angelo: "Go out and meet everyone. They're all excited."

I take Serena's hand and pull us into the crowd, picking out different voices from all the animated chatter.

One stands ou tto me, coming from a man with a harpoon slung over his shoulder,

gesturing to a group of people in front of him.

???: "I thought I was done for, but she patched me right up again."

Villager: "I'm glad to hear it, Joaquin. We were worried about it."

Joaquin: "Olivia really can fix anything. She's got the magic touch."

Serena: "..."

Nudging Serena lightly to catch her attention, I drop my voice to a whisper.

MC: "What's up?"

Serena: "I'm just wondering what Olivia's methods are."

Serena: "A village like this still can't havemuch in the way of medical tecnology."

A. "Maybe she's like you."

B. "Something was left behind."

C. "He did say 'magic.'"

---

B. "Something was left behind."

MC: "With all these people here, maybe a ship washed up that had medical supplies?"

Serena: "I suppose that's a possibility."

Serena: "But after so many years here, I would have assumed they ran out by now."

---

Olivia: "Did I hear my name over here?"

Serena and I turn around in unison and Olivia smiles, looking me right in the eye.

There's a happy glow hanging around her, and it's pretty contagious.

(Wow, I just left myself open for such a pun.)

MC: "Sorry. We just overheard how you helped out Joaquin over there."

Olivia: "Oh. Yeah, he was pretty hurt. But he's a tough guy."

Olivia: "With a little assistance, he pulled through okay."

Olivia: "How are you liking the treehouse?"

MC: "It was great."

MC: "Getting breakfast free in the morning was even better."

Olivia: "I thought you might like that."

Serena's eyes narrow.

Serena: "You were the one that sent the food?"

Olivia: "No one likes scrounging around in the morning on an empty stomach."

Olivia: "Speaking of, there's a ton of stuff set out here for the party."

Serena: "We just ate."

MC: "We can at least check it out."

MC: "Right, Serena?"

Serena: "Mm. Alright."

Olivia: "Great! Let me show you around."

Even after our full breakfast, I end up snacking throughout the whole party,

pushing a hollowed-out coconut full of juice into Serena's hands when I'm given the first opportunity.

She mumbles while sipping it, but I can see the atmosphere is getting to her, a smile hidden around her straw.

MC: "You're having a good time."

Serena: "I'm having a good time with you. There's a difference."

MC: "Do I have some aura that makes parties better?"

Serena: "Something like that."

Villager: "Doctor! Hey, we need a doctor!"

MC: "Uh oh."

Serena's dropped her drink and running before I can even react,

leavnig me to scramble after to catch up to her and the panicked villager.

There's a young man passed out on the docks, but he's quickly accompanied by Olivia.

Serena: "What happened?"

Olivia: "He fell. But don't worry, I'll take care of it."

Serena: "You have to diagnose him first."

Putting a hand to his forehead, Serena frowns, moving down to take his pulse a moment later.

Then she goes still, reaching for the carved wooden cup by his hand and taking a sniff of its contents.

Serena: "Alcohol. He probably dehydrated himself under the sun."

Olivia: "That's the easy answer. It could be something more serious."

Serena: "Didn't they teach you not to focus on edge cases in medical school?"

A. Support Olivia.

B. Back up Serena.

C. Let them fight it out.

---

B. Back up Serena.

MC: "Olivia, Serena knows what she's doing."

MC: "She's gotten us out of some really tough scrapes."

Olivia: "That may be, , but I've taken care of the people here for a long time."

Olivia: "Just watch."

---

Olivia reaches into the bag at her side and pulls out a wrap full of heavy glowing leaves.

They remind me of the ones Serena and I pulled out of the river,

but Olivia lays one across the villager's head like a bandage, pressing it there with her palm.

His shallow breathing suddenly quickens, eyes fluttering open.

It takes another moment for the color to come back to his face,

but he stirs with a groan, looking up at Olivia.

(What is with these plants? Can they really heal someone that fast?)

Villager: "Hey, doc. I might have had one too many."

Olivia: "It's okay. How are you feeling now?"

Villager: "I think I'm good."

Angelo: "Olivia! What's going on over here?"

Olivia: "Don't worry about it, Angelo. Just had a bit of a slip."

MC: "I think he was dehydrated."

Serena: "That is what I said."

Olivia: "What matters is that he's alright."

Olivia: "Come on, friend. I'm going to get you back home."

A couple other villagers help the man get to his feet,

and Olivia slips her arm around his shoulder to keep him upright as they walk back towards the treehouses.

Angelo encourages everyone else to disperse with a smile,

but Serena's expression turns cold with contemplation.