Mii had conjured up clothing with her magic after Edward insisted that he and Lust needed clothing. Mii had danced a rather jiggly dance before she could use her magic. Edward's eyes were glued to the busty woman as she danced.

"So....you can't do your magic unless you dance?" asked Lust.

The clothes that Mii had conjured were simple and rather dull; generic shirts and pants.

"Most of my magic is like that" said Mii.

"Couldn't you have conjured something that has some pizzazz?" asked Lust as she put on the shirt and pants. Edward was also putting on his clothes with the help of Riza.

"This is all I could manage" said Mii. "if you don't like it, go ahead and go stark naked"

"I don't understand the need for clothes" said Lust.

"Because some of us have this thing called modesty" mumbled Edward.

"Only you, Ed" said Lust, rolling her eyes. "humans are sure squmish when it comes to being naked"

"Not all humans" said Mii. "The tribe back in New Guinea really knew how to throw an old-fashioned orgy"

"New Guinea?" asked Edward.

"Well, to be accurate, it's called Papua New Guinea" said Mii. "it's a small jungle island when I'm originally from"

"And you live in a human?" asked Edward.

"I share this body with a young woman by the name of Natsumi" said Mii.

"Sounds familiar" replied Winry's voice. "I'm host to a homunculus"

"Me too" said Riza. "my model doesn't have a controlling personality though"

"You don't need one" said Lust. "all that Gluttony cares about is eating"

"You have that right" said Riza.

Edward and Lust finished getting dressed. Edward would have had considerable trouble getting dressed without the help of Riza.

"So...how far away is your dog?" asked Mii.

Riza sniffed the air and replied, "He's very near now. Two miles away, maybe"

"You can sniff out something that far away?" asked Mii.

"Comes with being the embodiment of gluttony" said Riza. "I have the nose of a bloodhound so I can sniff out my prey"

"Sounds like you're getting used to --" began Edward but Riza shushed him as she sniffed at the air again from another direction.

"What is it?" asked Lust.

"I smell something big coming in our direction" said Riza slowly. "it's a funky kind of a smell too"

"Funky like what?" asked Edward.

"What I smell is a snake...mixed with a human scent" said Riza.

There was a few moments of silence where everyone looked around at the surrounding forest as though as they were expecting a sign to point where the smell was coming from.

"A snake with a human scent" mumbled Mii. "It could be a lamia"

"Those don't exist" said Edward.

"Yeah, well, neither do homunculi or gods" said Lust. "Or dragons...despite we were helped by a dragon yesterday"

"A dragon that was once human" said Edward. "she told us that she was knocked into a vat back at that cafe"

"I'm not up on my mythology" said Edward.

"I haven't run into a lamia personally" said Mii. "supposedly there were several in New Guinea. They're a tropical species"

"This place isn't what I would call tropical" said Edward.

"Traditionally tropical species" said Mii. "like humans, they can live pretty much everywhere"

"Perhaps we should get outta here" said Edward.

"We're not gonna get very far with mister gimpy over here" said Lust.

"Mister gimpy" said Edward in a dry voice. "good word use"

"Is it hunting us?" asked Mii.

"The smell is getting closer" said Riza.

There came a distant bark.

"Black Hayate!" called Riza. "here, boy!"

"Be quiet!" hissed Edward. "you want the lamia to find us?"

"Do you happen to know anything about lamias?" asked Lust to Mii.

"Well, I've heard that lamias can mesmerize people with their eyes" said Mii. "beyond that I know next to nothing"

"I'm more worried about the size" said Riza. "the picture I'm getting is roughly thirty feeet tall"

"You mean thirty feet long" corrected Mii.

There was a few more barks and the sound of something running through the underbrush. Within moments, a dog came out in the clearing where Riza, Lust, Mii and Edward were in. The dog had a collar and had a long leash dragging behind it. The dog went straight towards Riza. Riza scooped the dog up from the ground and gave it a tight hug.

"It's so good to see you, boy" said Riza rubbing at Black Hayate's head.

A silent moment went by and a man emerged from the same direction that Black Hayate had came from. The man had long black hair that was unkempt and had tattered rags for clothing. The clothes could've been a military uniform at one point but it was impossible to tell.

"Who are you?" asked Edward.

The man looked over at the small group gathered in the clearing for a handful of moments.

"And how did you hide your scent?" asked Riza.

"His clothes are covered in dirt and leaves" said Mii.

"My goddess is on her way" said the man.

"Goddess?" asked Mii.

"A lamia that's the guardian of this forest" replied the man. "I have the privilege to know the name of my goddess, for She has told me Her name after five years serving Her. Thaleralza. Speak it with reverence!"

"Uh, what's going on with him?" asked Edward.

"I heard that it's not unusual for lamias to have human slaves" said Mii.

Before anybody could say anything more, a woman with long red hair entered the clearing. The hair of the woman were covering her bare breasts which were generous. The woman's torso turned into that of a long snake's tail just below her navel. The tail had greenish-brown scales. The human part of the lamia looked to be an ordinary human.

"Ah, these musssst be the intruderss making home in my foresssst" said the lamia.

"Thaleralza I assume?" asked Mii.

"Indeed" said Thaleralza. "I am the guardian of this forest like my mother before me, and her mother before her"

The eyes of Thalerazla were yellow and had a slit for pupils. The man in the tattered military uniform bowed low when Thalerazla had entered the clearing.

"What do you want?" asked Riza after a short pause.

"Just wanted to see the people making home in my domain" said Thaleralza. "as long as you do no harm to this forest or the animals within it, you are free to sstay"

Thaleralza had a forked tongue.

"Thaleralza is generous" said the man in the tattered clothing.

"You just wanted to see us?" asked Edward. "nothing else?"

Thalerazla nodded. "It's certainly not every day that outworlders come to this dimension"

Riza, Lust, Edward and Mii exchanged quick glances.

"So you know about other dimensions?" asked Edward.

"Indeed I do" said Thaleralza. "my lair sits right in the middle of a gateway that leads to other dimensions. It's been guarded by lamias for centuries"

"Fascinating..." said Riza.
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June 2
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