CHAPTER 53: PROFITS, PASSION, AND PIP

The water has warmed to a soft simmer by the time the sun rises to midday. The gentle gurgle of the hot spring echoes through the trees, mingling with lazy sighs and the occasional giggle.

The entire team lay sprawled out in the tub, their cheeks flushed, skin glowing, and muscles thoroughly relaxed thanks to Penelo’s overzealous oil rubs. Even Veena, who rarely lets her guard down, sits reclined against a rock with a damp towel on her face and a content smirk on her lips.

A wave of warmth washes through the spring, not from the water, but from within. Pip, humming softly, sent out a gentle burst of spiritual communication, blanketing the group in a wordless message of happiness, comfort, and sheer affection.

All three women swoon in unison.

Vuvi floats closer to him with a dreamy smile. She slowly drifts into his side, then perchess beside him on the smooth edge of the spring, water swirling at their waists. Resting her head against his humming chest, she lets out a breathless sigh.

"It really means the world to me," she murmurs, voice low and intimate. "Knowing that you’re happy, Pip."

She runs a hand across his arm, fingertips sliding over smooth metal.

"You’ve done more good than you realize. The joy you’re bringing to people... It’s beautiful. But ever since the moment I realized you were alive... that you had a soul... I started worrying. I’ve always been terrified I was treating you like a tool. A machine. Instead of a... a friend."

She falls quiet for a moment.

Pip’s head tilts slightly and his eyes dim to a soft glow.

Then, a pulse of thought reaches. Only her. A direct, warm beam of feeling. Gratitude. Reverence. Unspoken, but undeniable joy. A flash of his fragmented past flickers in her mind: the loneliness, the isolation, the cold machinery of his old world. The emptiness he once knew. And then... her. A new beginning. A chance to matter. A second life.

Vuvi’s eyes widen. Her lips tremble as a tear spills down her cheek.

"Oh... Pip..."

He gently lifts her chin, his hand surprisingly warm as his glowing gaze locks onto hers.

Another wave passes between them.

Soft, steady, unmistakable.

Love.

Vuvi jolts upright, face flushing bright red. She gawks at Pip in shock. "D-Don’t you dare look at me like that, mister!"

Pip lets out a strangled beep, eye-cameras darting toward the sky. He gives a fake, casual whistle, looking very innocent despite the steam puffing gently from his shoulders.

Her mouth twists. First a frown. Then a grin.

"...Thanks," she whispers.

She steps up onto her toes, leans in close, and plants a long, lingering kiss on his faceplate.

Pip lets out a harmonic chime that could only be interpreted as a dazed sigh.

From across the spring, a delicate sniffle breaks the silence.

Vuvi turns to see Penelo with both hands clutched over her heart, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen," she squeaks.

Veena snorts from her rock. "Honestly, I’m almost jealous I don’t have a magical metal boyfriend."

"Drop it," Vuvi snaps, ears burning as she sits back down.

Pip beeps again, dreamily this time.

Before anyone can say more, rustling echoes through the trees. A group of women emerges from the woods, chattering with excitement. Veena bolts upright.

"By the Void, the time! The sessions!"

All three leap from the spring at once, towels flying, water splashing. A blur of dressing and scrambling follows before the team bolts back toward the village in a panic, Pip chirping urgently as he gallops beside them.

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"Next!" Vuvi barks, slapping a ledger on her makeshift desk outside the village chief’s home.

The chief himself lay reclined in a wicker lounge chair nearby, looking more pampered than ever. His house has been commandeered. Its living room now transformed into a temporary sanctuary of pleasure, draped with silks and lit with scented lanterns.

Women line the path outside, winding halfway through the village like a festival crowd.

Veena stands to Vuvi’s left, clipboard in hand, quill scribbling notes with frightening efficiency.

"Client number seven," she mutters. "Half-elf, age 30, never experienced climax... Oh dear."

Vuvi mutters a quick blessing and waves her in.

To the side, Penelo is in her element. With a flower crown on her head and a tray of snacks in each hand, she flits up and down the line, keeping the waiting crowd chipper and hydrated.

"Cookies for courage!" she chirps. "And remember, a towel is provided! Pip-approved peppermint oils available!"

Near the front of the line, a few women are fanning themselves, watching the house door with hearts practically in their eyes.

It creaks open.

The client steps out.

A hush falls over the crowd.

She stands on the threshold for a moment, legs wobbling slightly, her hair tousled and cheeks glowing, her robe barely on straight. Her expression could only be described as transcendental.

A group of women rush to her.

"Are you okay?! What was it like?!"

The woman doesn’t answer at first. She smiles slowly, like she’d tasted the divine. "It was... an awakening."

The women gasp.

"I saw the stars," she murmurs, eyes distant. "I became the stars. I don’t know if I’m in love or in a dream or... is this real life?"

Then she slumps against a post with a blissful sigh.

The crowd explodes.

Cheers. Applause. Shouts of "I’m next!" and "Ten stars!" and "I knew the rumors were true!"

Vuvi folds her arms and smirks, watching the chaos unfold. "Huh," she mutters. "I had no idea saving the world would be this much fun."

"And profitable," Veena adds, tapping the now-thick ledger with her quill. "We’re going to need a second book."

Penelo pops up beside them, cheeks red, ears bouncing. "We’re changing lives, you guys! We’re actually changing lives!"

Pip’s head pokes out the window, glowing brightly, steam hissing gently from his shoulders.

Vuvi raises her tea cup and toasts him. "Keep it up, golden boy. The world’s got a lot of healing left to do."

Pip salutes with a bright chime.

Behind him, another client enters, door closing behind her.

And the team?

Smiling proudly as they get back to work.