Gala patiently waited in the alleyway with he back against a wall. She reflected on the event that had just unfolded.
'Gala you idiot! That was it and you just had to ruin it! It obvious she's already down for the end goal... but I've been wrong before... Maybe I could just ask her, and we can skip the whole date... No! NO! There needs to be a build up for a proper payoff. The foreplay for the foreplay as Tifa would say. Oh man I miss her, and all the other girls.'
Gala slid down the wall into a fetal position, resting her head on her knees.
'Go defeat the god of darkness, they said! Accidentally get him stuck in your head, they said! The only way to keep him contained is with passionate sexual euphoria, they said! It would be fun, they said!... Ugh, no one said anything. You just made another usual series of fuck-ups that somehow worked out in the end... mostly.'
Gala dug her face deeper into her knees as she let out a choked whimper.
'Things are so much easier when your best friend has a direct line to the god of love. Sure fixed my first 'disaster lesbian' issues. Don't have him as a wingman on this adventure.'
Gala flapped her wings slightly. Putting a grin back on her face.
'Pun intended.'
XXXXX
Meanwhile, at the tellers inside the bank.
XXXXX
"So, how much from this account am I allowed to withdrawal?"
"Hmmm... Sense it's the Duke's 'entertainment' account... that would be about 10,000 good coins."
"The... Excuse me... Ten thousand!?" Dian nearly shouted. She staggered for a second.
'How does this bird just find someone who's willing to throw 10k at her? I can make the same in 10 really good hunts putting my life on the line, but still! Did she sell her soul for me or something? Gods... If I had a gold for everytime some sold their soul for a chance at sleeping with me, I'd have way more than I'm willing to admit.'
"Okay, I'll take 200. That should be more than enough."
"As you wish ma'am."
XXXXX
Alleyway
XXXXX
Gala stood back up in response to hearing someone enter the alley. "Good, you're ba..." Her voice trailed realizing it was two skeevy looking men. A tall, thin framed human followed by a scraggly looking dwarf.
"Look what 'e have here!" The man gesticulated, smacking the dwarf on the shoulder. "Ain't often you get'a see an Avian on the streets!"
Gala sighed. "... Let me guess..."
The man stepped over to Gala and leaned on the wall next to her while getting as much of his lower body in front of her. The dwarf stood at the last remaining flank; trapping Gala.
"What's a pretty little dame like you doin' in an alley acting all sad?"
Gala could smell Alcohol on his breath. "...Really playing to the stereotype, aren'tcha?" She said with a smirk.
"I don't know what you mean!" The drunk replied with his own grin. He then reached forward to grope Gala's chest plumage, at which she smacked his hand away.
"Don't you think that's a bit much?" She said with a hint of anger and disbelief.
"Oh please, doll. It's not like you have anything to grab there anyway." He sneered.
"You better knock it off, or your going to regret it." Gala bit, readying herself.
"Oh yeah! Regret wha--" The drunk got interrupted by his dwarf companion grabbing at him for attention. "What do you want you mute bast -- hurk!?"
A hand grabbed around the drunk's neck, spun him around, and lifted him a couple of feet off the ground.
"Mind telling me what you ~thought~ you were doing with the bird?" Dian asked holding the man aloft with one of her kukris pressed against his gut. The dwarf attempted to intervene until the same kukri was pointed in his direction. "Make a single move and I gut your friend from his dick to his chin."
The drunk struggled, grabbing onto Dian's forearm to get some air into his lungs. "Whee.... whee were jhust... minin' our own business!" Dian pressed her blade into his gut enough to draw a little blood.
"Wrong answer! Get it wrong again and you'll become Arkheim's newest missing persons case."
"Ohkay!... Ohkay!... We were lookin' to have some 'fun'!"
Dian squeezed tighter. A fire in her eyes the burned with a heat that could rival the sun. "Here's a little lesson to you, so remember it so you can tell your buddies too. I ~really~ don't like it when someone touches something that's mine. And that bird right there; IS MINE. Understood?"
The man did his best to nod while in her grasp.
"Good." She raised up the handle of her kukri and pummeled the man in the forehead, knocking him out. She tossed his unconscious body at the dwarf who barely caught him.
Dian looked at Gala, who had a mesmerized expression. Her legs quivering. Dian reached down and grabbed the underside of Gala's arm and gently lead her away. "Come on. Let's go have some actual fun."
Gala got her senses back for a moment and looked back to the cowering dwarf. °You guys did a good job! Your buddy should join a theatre group. He's such a good method actor!°
The dwarf cocked his head in confusion.
XXXXX
Meanwhile, in another alleyway a few blocks away.
XXXXX
The star-skinned elf twins Daimon and Damos await somewhat impatiently. Daimon leaned up against a wall while Damos sat on an overturned rain barrel looking at a pocket watch.
"They should be here by now." Damos muttered, putting the watch down.
"You've been saying that for the past 15 minutes. They're probably running behind. They're new to Arkheim. They don't know the streets." Daimon replied in his cold, serious tone.
"What are we doing here anyway?" Damos asked disgruntled.
"I told you already. The Duke and the bird set up this whole 'damsel in distress' skit. We're supposed to pretend to rough the bird up so that her love interest can play hero."
"And you couldn't do this yourself?"
"You haven't seen the love interest. She has TWO boot knives. Big ones. You don't fuck with a woman who has boot knives. At least, not alone anyway."
XXXXX
The two girls got a few blocks away before Dian pulled Gala to the side of the street. She looked down on the avian with a concerned look. "Are you okay? That must have been scary for you."
"Things only got scary once you showed up." Gala pouted feigning anger.
"Wait... are you angry? Did I not save you fast enough or something?" Dian replied with her own mix of anger and worry.
"Yes. I am angry. I could of handled it myself!" Gala huffed. Dian chuckled.
"If you could of handled yourself, explain why it looks like you soiled yourself." Dian motioned to the very noticable wet spot on the groin of Gala's shorts. Gala looked down and covered the spot with her hands. She was too embarrassed to admit that it wasn't urine soaking her nethers, but rather it was her unfiltered lust for the badass elven amazon.
Dian standing up for her was possibly the most turned on Gala had been in her whole life.
"Okay fine! I was scared!" Gala yelled, lying through her beak.
Dian grabbed Gala at the back of her head and pulled her in close. Gala's head getting snuggled up underneath Dian's double-Ds. "Well I'm very sorry that happened to you."
'I'm too short! I'm too short! I'm too short! Just the moment I want to get smothered and I'm too damn short!'
"We need to stay together from now on. If I had you on a leash this would be so much easier."
'Damn her body is so solid! Her abs could break a steel blade if one ever tried to stab her! Gotta be an 8 pack!'
"Maybe I'll buy one while we're out..."
'She's got her hand on my head! Is it bad if I want her to pet me? Probably. But fuck shame and dignity, I want head pats dammit!'
Dian finally pulled the bird away. "Also... Mind telling me who Duke Soverin is and why he's willing to throw a lot of money in your direction? You didn't do anything you might regret, did you?"
"He's just a guy who suddenly got very invested in me, and I owe a favor to." Gala said a little sheepish which wasn't helping her defusion of the conversation. Dian leaned forward with a glare.
"Sexual... favor?" Dian whispered.
"Eww! No!" Gala pulled back. "I'm not even into... guys..."
Dian stood back up with a smile across her face. "Oh that was obvious from the beginning. Just wanted to tease." Dian reached down to lift up Gala chin with the tip of her index.
"What's the next stop on your big romantic mystery date?" She asked in a coquettish tone. Gala avoided eye contact.
"Oh... um... actually I just had the market place in mind for the rest of the day until nightfall. We'll be going to a special place called the Moonlit Musician."
"Interesting... and what kind of place is it?"
"That's a secret!"
"Great..." Dian finished in an annoyed tone. Pulling her hand away, she turned and took a few steps forward. "It will give me some time to buy some things I need for tonight."
Gala's natural intrusiveness got the best of her as she blurted out. "What kind of things!?"
Dian cocked her head back and around to the left so that her lilac eye could be seen just through a few stray strands of her raven hair. "That's a secret." She said mimicking Gala's cadence.
"Now, let's go my little songbird. We have some shopping to do."