Fire Knight Katrina Ch. 09

Chapter 9: Sunwielder's Shyness

Sophia wasn't very comfortable with being alone today. Mostly because she still had to be completely naked and there wasn't a firewielder to support her and redirect the gawkers' attention to her own naked body. That said, she chose this route herself when she learned Katrina will be assisting Gunther in questioning that crazed archmage. Sophia just couldn't bear to see that dungeon again.

"Here's your order, ma'am," the cute waitress sang as she placed a cup of tea in front of the naked blonde.

"T-thank you," Sophia replied and took a careful sip to not burn herself, thinking about how great it is to be heatproof like her new friend.

The waitress made a joke about Sophia's pockets, to which the blonde laughed, albeit nervously. As she turned around, the priestess could see a change in the girl's wardrobe: now, instead of a dress, she was wearing a slightly shorter skirt, and her upper body was only covered by a bra. Seems like Katrina's lifestyle affected other residents as well. Sophia felt her magical energy grow a bit when the morning sunrays filled the entire dining area which was, thankfully, almost completely empty. Here, with one of her arms covering her breasts and her legs crossed, Sophia almost didn't feel exposed. Almost.

It was a brief moment of calmness, but then a sudden realization hit the blonde girl like a carriage. Today was the third day of the week, it was time for the regular sun salutation! Every sunwielder had to do it once in a while to strengthen their connection with the solar entity they considered to be a manifestation of their god. And for the first time, Sophia will have to do the salute completely naked! It was a very scary thought, and the girl even considered skipping this one and staying indoors for today. Yet, the guilt she'd feel for missing out on the ritual and letting down her partner (who expected a full-fledged magic wielder on her side) would be even greater than her shame. A tough decision, it made her knees weak and her arms shaky before she even walked outside.

But then, a loud group of young adults from the local university, who probably skipped today's classes, stormed into the inn and instantly made poor Sophia the center of their attention. The dining area became a horrible place filled with their chuckles, whispers and various comments towards Sophia's naked body. She had to leave imediatelly. Thankfully, there was a nice secluded backyard nearby, neatly tucked between two large buildings. Sophia quickly ran here and hid under a large tree, feeling protected by its mighty branches. Her face became rosy again and her breath became hectic, but she calmed down as soon as she felt the soft grass with her bare feet and backside.

"How does Katrina even do it?" Sophia asked herself, full of nervous agitation.

After a minute, the priestess looked around again, to make sure nobody was watching her. It was quiet and empty outside. With sunrays and a gentle breeze as her only companions, Sophia stood up and forced herself to start doing the sun salutation by an act of will. It didn't go easy, though, as the shy girl kept looking over her shoulder and worrying about people's gazes. Still, she threw her hands up to the sky and stood upright, trying to concentrate on her love to the sun.

The salutations were akin to stretches but carefully selected to generate the best magical flow within the body. As Sophia began bending her body and changing poses, she could feel her energy grow and her connection with the universe deepen. Although her breasts kept jiggling and distracting her, it was harder to get used to than Katrina made it seem.

One leg forward, then another, then a stretch, then laying down on her belly, feeling the grass playfully tickle her bare skin before she bents backward and turns her gaze towards the sun again... It was akin to a rhythm. Surprisingly, it went quite well with Sophia being butt-naked, maybe it was worth showing the moves to Katrina sometime and do them as a duo? This thought made Sophia even rosier than before, it was very odd for the blonde to think like that. She tried her best to concentrate on the moves, her unity with the solar god, and her magic.

"Wow," someone's voice interrupted the blonde's train of thought.

She flinched and turned around, ready to cover herself up again. There was an older man, most likely a street cleaner, standing behind the tree-lined fence, looking at her with enjoyment. As soon as the scared priestess looked at him, he made sure to hide his gaze and returned to his broom. Sophia's first thought was to run away and hide somewhere in her room. But, as she thought about her bold redhead companion, she found some willpower to continue.

Just concentrate on the magic, don't think about the gaze. That piercing, revealing gaze... Sophia kept stretching, attracting even more attention from the rare passersby. And there was enough to keep their attention, too: her slim, fit body moved in a beautiful fashion, with her taut butt rising up when she bent over to do the next move and her majestic boobies bouncing in response to each pose she assumed. Observing her sun-colored naked figure was almost hypnotic, more and more people stopped to look at the beautiful elven nudist, whose cheeks got rosier and rosier, showing her immense embarrassment. Finally, she bent once more and a dozen of people who gathered behind the fence couldn't contain in anymore.

"Wow, nice!"

"You go, girl!"

"Amazing! Glory to the Solar God!"

Sophia turned towards her audience and gulped, feeling her knees becoming weak again under their allured gazes. All of the willpower she had mastered seemed to have evaporated in a second. The girl covered her privates and mumbled something incoherent, struggling even with speech. One of the folks stepped forward, probably just to say hello, but even this was enough to set Sophia off.

"B-bye!" She said and bolted away from the yard, unable to keep this nervousness within any longer.

As she exited the garden and felt cold cobblestone under her bare feet, the priestess started to look for the inn's door, her gaze chaotically darting across the street. Yet, she couldn't see it. Instead, there were residential buildings, some workshops and some pedestrians here and there.

"Oh no, I ran the wrong way!" She thought to herself and immediately heard another whistle from one of the passersby.

Of course, many people have already seen them with Katrina naked, but the majority still didn't get used to it, nor did they care why the girls decided to go around in the buff. All eyes were on Sophia, it was akin to a nightmare. In a burst of panic she ran away, unknowingly going farther and farther from her safe haven. A beautiful blondie running naked on the street with her hands on her privates was a very interesting sight for many.

People pointed at her, chuckled and said something, but Sophia didn't hear them. Her ears were ringing from panic while her legs carried her forward in a mindless search of that inn. She occasionally ran into people but was unable to apologize and simply left them stunned. The girl's feet were burning from running on unevenly paved road, but she remained hopeful that she'll bump into that inn or at least meet Katrina who must've been on the streets as well... Yet, it wasn't meant to be.

In sheer horror, Sophia realized that in her mindless escape she ran all the way to the town hall. The massive central square with a mighty statue of Zardiw's founder stood right in front of her along with dozens of residents. Someone called the poor priestess again, but she finally had enough and just dashed forward, to a fancy carriage with an open door which conveniently waited nearby. It was someone else's property, and the owner might've been against a naked priestess inside, but in the eyes of the embarrassed Sophia, this carriage was simply a hiding spot that could save her. And nothing else about it mattered at this scary moment. The nude girl jumped into the carriage on her last legs, feeling the softness of the seat with her sun-colored skin.

"Oh, Sophia, what happened? Are you hurt?" She heard a kind and very familiar voice.

The priestess raised her head and gasped from a mixture of shame and surprise. On the nearby seat, she saw the mayor of Zardiw himself, who was curiously looking at the nude girl while scratching his large mustache.

"Oh!" The poor nudie gasped, "I'm sorry, sir mayor, I mean mr. mayor, I mean mr-sir-mayor..."

"Calm down, miss Sabrina," the mayor smiled, "what's the matter? I see you've entered my carriage in some haste. If it's about the taxes, you shouldn't start worrying until two more months have passed!"

"N-no, it's just..." The priestess sighed, contemplating whether she should say it, "Katrina went on a mission. Alone. And I've been having some... Issues with adjusting to my new l-lifestyle. You see, I'm not an expert in nudity like she is."

"Yes, I have noticed that," the mayor let out a laugh, "but that's all fine, miss Sabrina. Sometimes new things require determination, and only after you commit to then can you truly follow through. Or did you want to wear clothes while Katrina's gone?"

"No!" The girl waved her hands, then covered up again with a shameful gasp, "I... I'm fine. Determination, commitment... Yes, I can do it. Sorry for taking up space in your carriage, mayor, I'll leave!"

"Oh, no worries," Mr. Ridzwalt replied, "I'm not in a hurry. In fact, my work for today is done. I was about to head home and tend to my garden. You can come too if you would so choose. My home in the noble district is secluded and empty, and it'd be nice to have company."

"Oh... Well, I..." Sophia looked at Mr. Ridzwalt's face and realized that there was nothing to fear. On the contrary, helping him out seemed like a nice and quiet pastime, "I think I'd like that. Ready your plants! Or, well, I guess they're already ready, and... You understand me, right?"

"Sure-sure," the mayor waved signaled the coachman to go, trying his best to hold the laugh about Sophia's cute awkwardness.

The carriage went forward and, thankfully, Mr. Ridzwalt didn't order to remove the roof. Finally, Sophia could catch her breath and calm down, feeling safe and thankful to the mayor for the lack of provocative comments. She looked as the regular, blocky houses of the residential district slowly gave way to the lush greenery and, before the nude girl knew it, the carriage came to the gates of the noble district.

You couldn't just enter if you weren't living here, it was a protective measure against both the mages and the angered locals. The mayor greeted the local guard, who briefly saw Sabrina and wished Mr. Ridzwalt a pleasant evening with a grin. This made the blonde flinch. She could only wonder how Katrina deals with all these assumptions on a daily basis.

"Here we are," the mayor said as the carriage pulled up to a welcoming three-story house with a large green dome for a roof.

The place was indeed secluded, nobody could see Sophia's nudity behind that tall fence made out of white wood. The priestess waited until the mayor opens her door and accepted his invitation, placing her tender bare feet onto the cold stone road. As the two entered Ridzwalt's house, the first thing Sophia noticed was the smell. Or, rather, a mixture of smells emitted by all of the various flowers and bushes Ridzwalt kept on his property. It was vibrant and charming, even a little sweet, reminding the naked girl of distant carefree days from her childhood. It was so good she just wanted to sniff it over and over again.

"Impressive, isn't it?" The mayor chuckled, "I take care of my flowers as much as I take care of this city. Or, well, I guess some would say the flowers get better care..." He frowned a little.

"Oh, please, don't worry," Sophia placed a hand on the mayor's shoulder, momentarily forgetting to keep her boobs covered, "what is happening isn't your fault. I'm sure you and Katrina will find some kind of solution!"

Her words along with her kind smile seemed to cheer the mayor up a bit, and soon both of them stepped into his diverse and beautiful garden. Mr. Ridzwalt disappeared in a small shed beside the greenery and emerged five minutes later, clad in a farmer's outfit. It was a bit odd seeing the mayor in such an informal situation, but Sophia decided to just go along with it... Returning to the city streets felt like a nightmare either way.

The mayor gently touched the girl by her shoulder and started walking her through the garden, showing and describing every type of plant he had managed to grow here over the years. He was a storehouse of botanical knowledge, and the garden showed this very well. This green empire seemed to intertwine and mingle with each other, forming a one-of-a-kind garden, all built on its owner's care and lifewielding magic.

"See? They are all different, but ultimately work very well together," the mayor said.

"Just like people," Sophia gave him another warm smile, "what did you want me to help you with?"

"Oh, let's start like I usually do. By watering the plants and weeding out some of the parasitic plants."

"Sure thing!" Sophia nodded and grabbed the nearby watering can.

The watering went quite well. When the blonde nudist got near the water barrel at first, she dipped the can with one arm to keep the beautiful body covered with another, still embarrassed from being nude in a company of a clothed man. But once Sophia spent a couple of cans, gently squatting over each plant and feeling the drips of cold water run down her bare body, she started getting used to her nudity. It prompted the blondie to get a little bolder, and the third time she neared the barrel, she dipped the can with both hands, feeling her nice boobs and tight pussy almost trembling due to the sudden exposure.

Mr. Ridzwalt, however, simply smiled at her, only looking at the girl's face and nowhere else. Sophia couldn't help but reply in kind and went to water the garden again. Only this time, she left her other arm at the side, not covering her majestic body at all. The mayor didn't react, but the sudden feeling of liberation that Sophia felt when she walked past him butt-naked with no covering filled her entire body with pleasant tingles.

The priestess diligently watered the bushes, then came back with the same relaxed pose, as if nothing out of ordinary was happening. Confident and free, just like Katrina. This thought caused Sophia to have goosebumps, and her cheeks became rosy again. "I'm absolutely going crazy!" She thought to herself but decided to not stop. A couple more cans later, when Sophia's feet were all muddy and there were little streams of cool water running down her beautiful body, Mr. Ridzwalt said that they were done with this task. Now it was time to weed out some bad plants.

"Now, take this hoe!" The mayor commanded.

"The what?!" Sophia turned towards him in surprise, after which he handed her the tool.

"Oh, I'm sorry... I have never done that much gardening in my youth," the blondie said, turning the small farm hoe around with both her hands.

"Oh, it's fine. I take it you're not from our part, too," the mayor said.

"Sort of," the blondie replied, "my father sent me here to join the local church and become useful in our society, but... Uhm, I don't think you'd be interested in my tale! You must've heard many stories of the common folk!"

Mr. Ridzwalt decided to not question her further. After all, he already had a stunning naked priestess working on his garden, no one would want to ruin such a beautiful situation. Sophia carefully listened when he told her which plants are parasitic and need to be removed for the garden to prosper, then went looking for them while the mayor was preparing food for them.

Only after their talk did Sophia realize that she was standing in front of him both naked and completely uncovered, allowing him to see each and every part of her once again. This felt very strange, but Ridzwalt seemed like someone she could trust... Once the priestess will come back to the streets, her panic will probably overrun her again.

Gardening had its rough moments and required a lot of effort. By the end of their activities, Sophia was tired, sweaty, and had a bunch of leaves stuck to her skin. One of them turned out to be a leaf bug, which sent Sophia into a fit of sheer terror and panic that nearly destroyed half of the mayor's garden. At sunset, when they both were eating nice juicy watermelons on the Ridzwalt's porch, the priestess realized that she completely stopped covering up and even forgot about it. Right now, the girl only focused on the food and their pleasant conversation. Her arm stung a bit, she must've scratched it when she was walking through the vines, trying to find and destroy all the parasitic weeds.

"Oh, you are hurt, Sabrina," the mayor told her.

"N-no... It's gonna be fine. It's just... My healing powers don't work on my own body, that's all," the priestess laughed.

"Then I hope mine will," he gently took the nudist's hand and covered the scratch with his wrinkled palm.

A surge of shining green energy erupted from Ridzwalt's fingers and entered the found, healing it in a matter of mere seconds. His wielding was truly incredible.

"Thanks!" Sophia cheered, "and... Not only for that. Thanks for today, in general. It was very nice."

"No worries. We, folks of Zardiw, have to help each other out. Especially us wielders," Mr. Ridzwalt gave her a nod and switched his attention to the watermelon.

After their dinner was done, the blonde decided that she should be heading home. It was getting late, after all, and she didn't want to miss Katrina coming back from her patrol. Sophia waved the mayor goodbye and even got enough courage to hug him, thankful for his hospitality. He offered the priestess a ride, but she humbly refused not to bother him. As she left the mayor's house, she felt her cheeks her rosy again and her hands softly landing on her privates. Sophia was still to shy to just walk freely on the streets, yet she didn't feel like panicking, either.

Today was exhausting for the priestess, but besides tiredness, she also felt some kind of tranquility. As the naked girl headed back home, hearing the first chuckles of the passersby, she realized that today was a bit less scary than before, even considering Katrina wasn't there to lead by example. Maybe, someday, Sophia will be just as carefree as her redhead heroine, but it'll obviously take time. When the nudie was leaving the noble district, she noticed a bunch of clothing hanging on the rope between two houses, well within her reach.

"Maybe it was enough nudity for today? Could I just maybe..." A thought ran through her brain.

"No!" Sophia replied instantly and forced herself to keep going.

Nudity was embarrassing to her, but lying to the same warrior who saved her life was far worse for the solar priestess. It was Sophia's choice to bare it all, and she had to commit, however hard it seemed. After all, honesty was more important than modesty.