The slight shifting of the bed seemed to act like a cold shock to Aisha, as the girl's eyes snapped open, darting around suspiciously. But when Aisha's gaze locked onto the shy eyes belonging to Kaya, hers' softened in turn, both girls' bodies relaxing.
.
"Come back." Aisha whispered, pulling Liberta's arm tighter over herself, snuggling deeper into the covers and making more space. "It's cold."
.
Kaya shook her head, biting her lip and looking away. Aisha's expression grew sad in response. It seemed the girl still wasn't ready for that kind of extended affection. But it was okay - eventually, the girl would open up. She liked it, and more importantly, she liked Aisha and Liberta.
.
But it was still kind of disappointing nonetheless. She really wanted to hug the cute little thing, stay in bed for a long, long, time… but, well, if Kaya didn't want to, they may as well-
.
"Unh?" Aisha grunted, surprised when Liberta's grip on her side tightened, as she attempted to get out of the bed.
.
"Stay." The elf mumbled, her voice deep and husky. "I dun wanna get up yet."
.
"...For how long?" Aisha asked.
.
"......"
.
"Five minutes." The fey compromised. "But then we have to get back to the guild."
.
"Nyuuuuuuu…" Liberta whined.
.
.
.
Ten minutes later, Aisha and Kaya arrived at the guild, no elf in sight. As always, the place was quiet, but this time, because there weren't a lot of people, save for the clerk and a few stray adventurers.
.
"Are you sure Liberta isn't just going to ditch us?" Kaya asked softly. "She might…"
.
"Nah." Aisha dismissed immediately. "What else is she going to do?"
.
"Er, I don't know, but…"
.
"She likes us too much to leave us." Aisha smiled, waiting patiently behind another adventurer in line to see the clerk. "I made sure to leave while we were still having fun. That means the last memory of us in her head was positive."
.
"You seem to know how to get what you want from her quite well." Kaya whispered, eyebrows raising in surprise. "I… I wish I could navigate these situations as well as you can…"
.
"It's just…" Aisha's eyes grew distant. "Experience."
.
.
"...Can I help you?" The clerk asked, waving over Aisha, who snapped out of her distant stupor, blinking a few times before beginning to walk. Kaya noticed the look, but chose to not pry, standing demurely next to her companion as she began to talk to the clerk.
.
"We're looking for any stray sapphires for our group." Aisha asked. "Is there anybody in?"
.
"Um…" The clerk mumbled, reaching over to the side and rifling through a few papers for a few minutes. "Sorry, there aren't… all the sapphire adventurers that haven't filed with a group… also haven't checked into the guild for a long time… sorry."
.
Aisha sighed in frustration, rubbing her forehead and missing the way that the clerk flinched.
.
"Okay, thanks." She muttered.
.
Aisha slinked away and made her way to a table, plopping herself down and pressing a cheek against the top surface, laying her arms in front of her in a childish pout. As Kaya approached, sitting next to her, the girl's expression brightened a little, but her eyes were still full of frustration.
.
"What do I do?" Aisha mumbled. "I don't really have any options left."
.
"...You haven't… exactly tried very hard." Kaya said shyly, folding her hands on her lap.
.
"I'm tired." Aisha whined. "Pet me."
.
"H-huh!?" Kaya sputtered.
.
"Pet me." Aisha demanded childishly, leaning over and nudging Kaya's side. "Pet me!"
.
"I-I-I-" Kaya stammed, looking around desperately for help, but finding none. "I wouldn't… I wouldn't dare!"
.
"Why not?" Aisha drawled curiously. "Don't you want to feel?"
.
"We're in public! I-" Kaya gulped. "And - and I wouldn't dare… presume… that level of… i-i-intimacy… between us."
.
"I'm giving you permission." The fey seductress lilted.
.
Kaya was silent for a bit, and apprehension began to build in Aisha's stomach as the possibility of Kaya running away began to surface. But, just as the girl was about to offer an apology, Kaya, with a shaky hand, reached forwards and gingerly cupped one of Aisha's ears in her small palm, eyes widening as the fur tickled her hand.
.
"Is it soft?" Aisha whispered, as her eyes began to half-lid in lazy pleasure.
.
"Y-yeah." Kaya whispered back.
.
"You can pet me whenever you want." Aisha purred happily. "I'm okay with it!"
.
"Aren't you… afraid?" Kaya mumbled in discomfort, although her hands never stopped fluffing the ears. "About being so… bold?"
.
"I don't see a problem with it." Aisha smiled, scooching closer to Kaya on the bench, stooping low and supporting herself with her hands.
.
Kaya never stopped petting her, so Aisha considered that permission to wrap her arms around the smaller girl's waist, laying her head on-
.
"W-wait, A-Aisha-san, I-"
,.
Aisha frowned when Kaya's frantic stuttering was cut off by the doors to the guild opening, the sound loud and forceful, as opposed to how people usually gingerly entered. In stormed Liberta, who frowned at the sight of Aisha and Kaya, huffing childishly as she made her way over to the two girls.
.
"You left the bed." Liberta pouted angrily.
.
"Sowwy?" Aisha offered, smiling as she tilted her head to the side, giving the largest, fakest, doe eyes that she could possibly muster, so ridiculous that it looked silly.
.
But, to Kaya's amazement, the expression on Liberta's face wavered, as the woman desperately tried to stay angry at Aisha, to resist the overt manipulation of her feelings. But as Aisha nuzzled her ears into the elf's side, the woman's expression melted, clearly unable to resist Aisha's adorable little expressions and cute mannerisms.
.
"That's…" Liberta faltered, eyes distraught. "That's not fair…"
.
"Aww…" Aisha teased, trailing a finger alongside Liberta's jaw. "Too cute to get mad at?"
.
"The smugness makes you less cute." The elf scowled.
.
"That's a lie." Kaya whispered.
.
"Myeah..." Liberta pouted. "What's the news on our fourth?"
.
"Nothing." Aisha sighed, her mood soured a bit. "The guild doesn't have anything for us."
.
"Hrn." Liberta grunted.
.
"Do you have any ideas?" Kaya asked hesitantly.
.
"Nah." Liberta said nonchalantly, making popping noises with her mouth. "Why don't we go eat? I'm hungry."
.
"But we have to find a fourth member!" Kaya protested. "This should be the first priority!"
.
"Yeah, but it's not like we'll find someone here." The elf shrugged. "I hate sitting around here, anyways."
.
"That's true, but…" Kaya mumbled, glancing nervously at Liberta's rising frame, the lithe woman making her way over to the exit.
.
"Let's just go." Aisha moped. "She's right. Also, I don't really want to search right now."
.
"Huh? Why?"
.
Aisha offered no answer, instead lifting both of her arms childishly, like she was demanding that Kaya pull her up from her seat. But despite again, the blatant provocation, Aisha was obliged, grinning softly as she took the small girl's hands in her own, creating a strong leverage to pull herself up with.
.
"I actually have a place that we could go to." Kaya offered. "I really like the food there, and I think you two…"
.
.
.
It was a full hour before they actually made it to the restaurant, and by then, Aisha was actually starting to get hungry. But despite all the stops demanded by Liberta, making their way to a small, out of the way place near the outskirts of town.
.
"Hey, I just realized." Aisha mumbled, looking down at the girls' feet. "Those aren't white shoes."
.
"Huh?"
.
Liberta looked down at where Aisha was pointing, following the length of the appendage to her own feet. On first look, it indeed seemed like the woman was wearing long, white boots, but on further inspection, the tops and edges of the shoes seemed to flow ethereally, like they were made out of little white, flowing ribbons.
.
"Oh, yeah." She said absentmindedly. "I don't like shoes."
.
"That's quite the use of magic." Kaya observed. "...It's actually… pretty impressive."
.
"Aw, thanks!" Liberta laughed, as she forced open the door to the little establishment.
.
The place was about as small on the inside as it did on the outside, making the place a little cramped, but nonetheless, there were enough seats to accommodate four people, one of the stools occupied by a hooded stranger.
.
"Irrashaimase!" The cook greeted, gesturing for the girls to sit. "Welcome!"
.
"Hello!" Aisha greeted, about to ask the chef for a menu, before the hooded stranger looked at the group and let out a barely-audible "ugh."
.
Aisha paused for a second, but paid it no mind, at least, until Liberta took the stool next to the stranger. She winced as Liberta took her standard, wide, open sitting position, intruding on the stranger's space and clearly making the figure uncomfortable.
.
"Hey, uh." Aisha suggested. "Why don't I take that seat?"
.
"Eh?" Liberta frowned. "But it's next to the window."
.
"I…"
.
"I don't think…" Aisha started, but her voice quickly faltered as Liberta shouted at the chef to get his attention, beginning to converse with the animated-looking man.
.
The hooded figure, this time, turned towards the group and showed off a clearly-annoyed look, pushing her bowl closer to the edge of the table and away from Liberta. Aisha noticed that the movement of the bowl revealed a glass hookah, which the woman quickly moved to the side as well. It didn't work though, as the elf's long limbs started to nudge the hooded woman with her wild gesturing.
.
"Oh boy." Aisha muttered.
.
"Could you keep your hands to yourself, oaf?" The stranger snapped, gripping Liberta's wrist before it could knock over her chopsticks. "I came here to be alone!"
.
"Huh?" Liberta said cooly, looking at the thin hand gripping her wrist. "Oh."
.
Liberta forced the woman's hand off of her's before returning her attention to the chef, and while her blatant disregard for the stranger's words clearly pissed the woman off, she returned to her meal, muttering things under her breath that even Aisha couldn't hear.
.
"...I'm glad that didn't end badly." Aisha said, shaking her head as she let out a tense breath. "Ugh. What are you getting, Kaya?"
.
"Oh, um…" Kaya quickly turned to the menu in front of her. "I think… I'm going to get this."
.
"I'll get it too, then…"
.
.
To Liberta's credit, she kept to herself for a good few minutes, before she abruptly spun around in her stool and knocked the stranger's bowl off the side of the table with a stray hand. With a surprising amount of reflexes, the woman bent down and caught the porcelain with a hand, but not before a large volume of soup spilled out, burning the stranger.
.
"Dammit!" She hissed, wincing as she placed the bowl back on the table, hastily wiping off the liquid with a napkin. "Are you stupid? Moron! Are your parents not here, or something!? What's wrong with you?"
.
This time, Aisha didn't even bother holding her breath, hopping off the stool and getting ready to leave. Kaya followed timidly, casting a stray glance at the chef, who also looked apprehensively at the two women.
.
"Hey, please, no fighting, or I'm going to have to-"
.
"Oh?" Liberta raised an eyebrow, this time turning her full attention on the stranger. "You're kind of pretty. Sorry."
.
Aisha craned her neck to take a look, and indeed, the stranger's hood had fallen off, revealing a demure looking woman, black hair neatly in a half-up hairstyle.
.
"If you think that counts as an apology, you should go back to elf school and learn some manners!" The woman snapped. "I can't believe they even let you into the capital, you should be locked up in a cage, you stupid-"
.
"Take that back." Liberta said quietly, her usually aloof expression eerily calm.
.
"Make me."
.
With a blinding amount of speed, Liberta removed the quarterstaff off her back and swung it at the stranger's neck, a gust of wind blowing through the room and blowing over glassware, bowls and plates shattering into tiny little shards, much to the shopkeeper's dismay.
.
Aisha's eyes went wide at the trajectory of Liberta's staff. Was the elf about to kill someone over this small disagreement?
.
"No!" Aisha shouted, although her voice was completely drowned out by the hurricane that blew through the room, not that it would have stopped the elf anyways.
.
But to her surprise, the stranger ducked underneath the strike easily, mouthing something inaudible in the current and placing a palm on to Liberta's side.
.
And before the elf could even swing the staff a second time, her eyes went wide as a glowing character appeared where the stranger had touched her midsection, becoming brighter and brighter until the light became blinding.
.
Liberta was blown out of the building by an invisible force, or at least, there was no explosion - one second, the elf was standing stable, and the next, she was suddenly hurtling through the air, wind blown out of her ribs as she skidded on the ground, scuffing up her clothes and skin.
.
Aisha turned to the stranger with a shocked look, but discovered that the woman was no longer where she was previously - looking around, she suddenly saw the woman on top of Liberta's prone form, forcefully shoving a hand on top of Liberta's back.
.
When had she gotten outside? Aisha hadn't seen it, even with her ridiculous senses - did she teleport? Or was the woman really that fast?
.
"Ludici." The woman said calmly, and suddenly, Liberta's efforts to shove the woman off of her were thwarted, as the elf's body was suddenly pressed flat to the ground, as if a boulder had been pressed onto her back.
.
"It looks like I made you." The stranger gloated, watching passively as Liberta struggled to turn her head to the side and glare at her. "I'm surprised that you can even move. But I suppose that as an animal, you would have more strength then the average human."
.
"I'll…" Liberta struggled out. "I'll kill you…"
.
The wind around Liberta began to swirl dangerously, but the woman didn't seem to mind the growing tempest, although she watched with curiosity as the storm grew, the winds licking at her cloak.
.
"It doesn't look like you're going to be doing anything." The mage said quietly.
.
And much to the shock of the two watchers, the woman pressed her boot into Liberta's cheek, grinding the elf's face into the dirt. Aisha felt compelled to stop the woman and help her friend, but… truth be told, she kind of deserved it, and the stranger… did not look like she was in a kind mood.
.
"Honestly." The hooded woman huffed. "You would make a great pet. You're certainly exotic… but you've got such a nasty attitude. Although I suppose breaking you would make a fine challenge."
.
Liberta's hands balled up into fists, and Aisha suddenly felt a sinking in her stomach as she felt the air began to physically heat up around her. She grabbed Kaya's hand and quickly dragged the girl to a safer distance, holding her close as the swirling winds around Liberta began to glow.
.
And without warning, the tempest ignited, flames flying like shrapnel launched from an explosion. Even the mage seemed surprised, watching as Liberta forced herself to her feet, clearly under a great amount of strain but fueled by an equal amount of rage.
.
"I said I was going to kill you for that." Liberta growled, the wind around her feet now mixing with a tempest of fire, igniting the very air around them. The atmosphere began to glow, and before long, the air around them had turned orange, and the ground was beginning to set ablaze.
.
The mage's response was cut off as the air next to her suddenly ignited, before twisting into a spiral and engulfing the woman's body. And for a second, Aisha thought that the woman was finished, but quickly spotted the mage a good few feet away, scowling as she was forced to discard her cloak, the piece of cloth set ablaze by Liberta's flames.
.
"A wild thing…" The mage mumbled, although her words were no longer audible over the firestorm.
.
"How powerful is she?" Aisha said with amazement. "She has complete mastery over two elements… and she's so powerful, too."
.
But Aisha's amazement was topped once again as Liberta's eyes locked onto the mage, growling at the sight of an intact body. And before even a second passed, Liberta's hand stretched outwards, glowing a bright white before a massive stream of lightning burst out of her hand, completely obliterating a building.
.
But not the woman she was aiming for. And this time, Aisha was able to catch the sound of the woman's chant as she teleported. And Liberta did too.
.
"An incantation based caster." She growled. "I'll gag you, bitch!"
.
"Why don't you try!"
.
But despite the woman's taunting words, she was clearly being put on the defensive by Liberta's utterly overwhelming powers, and indeed, when a massive bolt of fire came for her head, she was forced to duck and chant a quick evocation.
.
"Quas Cutu!" She cried, a bubble of swirling waters surrounding her crouched body and blocking the torrent of flames that converged on her location. The flames hissed as they impacted the water, creating a thick smokescreen of steam, but were ultimately unable to break through the shield, striking relentlessly but never breaking through.
.
For a while, the bubble of water just sat on the ground as the flames and winds buffeted the shield endlessly, but before long, the shield weakened.
.
And as the mage's form materialized into view, just a few feet away from where she was previously, Liberta was ready to strike, tackling the mage to the ground and sending them both skidding to the ground.
.
"I got you." Liberta snarled, gripping the woman's wrists forcefully and pinning them to the ground. "Now, I'm going to rip those arms off first, and then I'm going to-"
.
"Oh, you really are such a stupid beast, aren't you."
.
Liberta's eyes widened as the woman's hands clasped around Liberta's, two black, sinisterly glowing runes already on the mage's palms, now pressed firmly against Liberta's.
.
"Servitut-MMMMPH!"
.
When the Liberta's flames died away, and Aisha and Kaya finally made it over to the center of the fight, they were surprised to see the two women with locked lips, the mage blushing indignantly, as the elf restrained the woman with her body weight, hands still locked together with the mage's.
.
"Ah." Kaya said dumbly, barely even able to comprehend what was going on. "I… uh…"
.
"I guess they made up." Aisha said jokingly, although the struggling mage's thrashing said otherwise. "Uh… oh. I don't… really know what to do."
.
So Aisha just settled with watching, as a small crowd began to gather, and the stray traces of magic dissipated, she just watched as the two women locked lips, as if they were making out sloppy-style.
.
And if you ignored the destruction around them, that would probably be a good conclusion. So much so that most people just decided to hurry on their way, trying their best to not stare.
.
But eventually, the two had to come up for breath, and Liberta broke away first, gasping for breath, literally panting, just like the woman below her. Both of their faces were flushed, and it seemed like they both wanted to say something, but simply couldn't.
.
The mage was the first to catch her breath.
.
"You-" She gasped, still panting. "You- you brute! Y-y-y-you- you- you kissed me!"
.
"You tried to - *gasp* -make me a slave!" Liberta shouted back, although it came out as more of a flushed gasp.
.
"Seems like fair game, after trying to kill me!"
.
"Yeah, well-"
.
Aisha quickly made her way over to the two women before things escalated again, already looking apprehensively at the damaged buildings next to them. Thankfully, since the place was so empty, there weren't any casualties, it seemed like, despite a good few buildings being destroyed….
.
"You two need to stop!" Aisha said hurriedly, rushing over and untangling the two women. "Before you kill each other!"
.
"She was about to cast a slave spell on me!" Liberta accused.
.
"You tried to kill-"
.
"It's not justified for either of you to try to do this over a bowl of soup!" Aisha sighed, exasperated.
.
"Why are you taking her side?" Liberta whimpered. "I thought-"
.
"Oh, shut up." Aisha rolled her eyes. "You tried to break her neck."
.
"Take that, bitch!" The mage shot-
.
"I'm taking this." Aisha said suddenly, hand darting forward and snatching a pouch off of the mage's waist.
.
The woman shrieked indignantly. "Hey, what the f-"
.
"This is how you cast your spells, isn't it?" Aisha mumbled, holding the cloth bag up to her face closely and squinting, as if she was able to see through fabric. "Little stones… no, runes…?"
.
"How can you tell?" The mage demanded softly, shocked. "That's… To an untrained eye… and through the bag?"
.
"I…" Aisha's eyes narrowed. "I can see…"
.
"What are we going to do?" Kaya interrupted, looking around in a panic. "I don't think we can just leave! Maybe we-"
.
"Should what, hogtie her and take her with us?" Aisha suggested half-heartedly, not missing the way the woman's eyes widened in alarm. "No, I think…"
.
Aisha tossed the ban of runes to Kaya, who fumbled around with the bag a bit before grasping it in two hands. Curious, she watched as Aisha suddenly plunged her hands into the woman's dress and cleavage, the mage's cheeks going scarlet as Aisha began to grope around.
.
"W-What is wrong with you people!?" She shrieked. "W-what are you-"
.
"Hm."
.
Aisha retracted her hand and revealed the end of a silver chain that had been wrapped around the woman's neck. She opened her palm, and her eyes hardened at the sight of an emerald dog tag.
.
"You're an adventurer?" Liberta asked, surprised.
.
"How convenient." Aisha said quietly.
.
"I have nothing to say to you cretins." The woman sniffled, covering her chest with a hand, but still blushing madly. "So… barbaric."
.
"Your life is literally in our hands." Kaya suggested.
.
The mage looked nervously at the bag of runes in Kaya's grip.
.
"...Former adventurer." She said quietly.
.
"Why'd you quit?" Aisha asked.
.
"I didn't want to do it." The mage sighed. "Never wanted to in the first place."
.
"Then why'd you even start?" Liberta asked.
.
"The money. The knowledge."
.
Aisha pursed her lips and nodded slightly, gazing into the woman's piercing green eyes. Yes, this woman…
.
"Kaya, can you take care of Liberta?" She asked tiredly, to which the small girl nodded, taking out some bandages from her coat and a little bottle of ointment. She made her way over to the sulking elf, who reluctantly accepted Kaya's help as the girl fussed over her wounds.
.
"What's your name?" Aisha asked, crouching down to address the sitting woman. "My name is Aisha."
.
The woman looked suspiciously at the fey girl for a few seconds before responding cautiously.
"My name is Rennala." She said slowly.
.
"How would you feel about adventuring again?" Aisha suggested. "We are… a group of three, and we need another person."
.
"What!?" Rennala guffawed, like Aisha had suggested she take her clothes off and start dancing. "With- with that animal!? No way!"
.
"You don't really have a cho-" Kaya began to say, before Aisha put a hand up to stop her.
.
"You know, I can read people pretty well." She whispered into the mage's ear. "Their expressions… their mannerisms… and I know… that you liked having Liberta pin you down and make out with you."
.
It seemed like Rennala's eyes were about to bulge out of their sockets, but she quickly attempted to compose herself, trying hard to hide her flushed expression.
.
"That's definitely not true." Rennala said, flustered. "And even- I mean, you seem like nice girls, but I'm not interested!"
.
"You smell like smoke and nepenthe leaves." Aisha said coolly, rising up to her feet and gazing downwards at the mage. "I don't know how you're still of sound mind, or if you're just taking a diluted version… but I know those are expensive vices."
.
Rennala winced.
"And?"
.
"Well, I can offer you two things. If you adventure with us." Aisha offered. "You can get the money to fund yourself. Your coin purse looks a little sad."
.
Aisha pointed to a second pouch on the woman's waist, who held her hands over it protectively, looking like a child being threatened with having her favorite toy taken away.
.
"Liberta doesn't really want the money." Aisha continued. "Me either. So you would be getting a very large share of upper-division contract money."
.
"...That's… that's a tempting offer, but…"
.
"Hey, wait!" Liberta suddenly protested, rising and walking over to Aisha. "I never agreed to thi… sss…"
.
Liberta's expression suddenly relaxed, and the woman's legs gave out under her as a foreign sensation started to flood her body. Her expression went surprised as she saw Aisha gripping her wrist, the fey girl looking at the elf with an impassive expression.
.
Without warning, Liberta was pulled into the girl's lap, and Aisha moved her hand from Liberta's wrist to her head, putting a finger directly on the tall elf's forehead. Rennala just looked with a hungry, shocked stare, eyes locked on to the motion, like she was entranced.
.
Liberta's body started to quiver in pleasure, and tiny little gasps began to escape her mouth as Aisha's finger drew circles on her forehead, the spots that she touched lighting up with sensation.
.
"W-wuh?" She gasped. "W-ww-what a-a-are you doing tooooooooooo mmmmnnnnnnggghhh…"
.
Libertas mouth opened in a wordless moan as her body began to curl up on itself uncontrollably, muscles in her body spasming according to Aisha's control.
.
"The second thing I can offer you…" Aisha mumbled, as she suddenly scooted up close to Rennala, just close enough so that she could touch shoulders with the woman. She dumped Liberta's mewling body into the woman's lap, her attention not leaving the elf's body, but a bit of it now focused on the mage.
.
"Are pleasures." Aisha purred. "Because… Liberta likes you too. Well, she likes anything that's pretty. But… you could also have me… and even Kaya… Hugs, kisses, sex… Anything you want, really, I'm okay with it. You're quite pretty."
.
"I…" Rennala gulped, almost crying out in protest when Aisha's shoulder ceased contact with hers.' and that sinfully warm sensation left her body. "I… Oh…"
.
.
"The alternative is that I take your stuff and we leave you here to deal with the enforcers." Aisha said finally, standing up and dusting off her pants. "You did attack and insult my friend, and I'm not just going to overlook that."
.
"..."
.
"..."
.
"...I'll do it…" Rennala whispered shyly.
.
.
.
"No!" Liberta said angrily. "I refuse!"
.
"Why not?"
.
"She tried to use a slaving spell on me!" Liberta shouted indignantly. "Absolutely not! I won't be in a group with her!"
.
"It's not like I wanted to either." Rennala mumbled, looking quite uncomfortable in the corner chair facing Liberta's bed.
.
"It's kind of fair game, once you tried to kill her." Aisha sighed. "Be reasonable."
.
"Dying is better than what she tried to do to me!" Liberta snarled. "To take away my- my-"
.
"I… I would have set you free." Rennala offered. "After I made you dance around for me for a bit."
.
"You aren't making things any better." Aisha shot angrily.
.
"Sorry." The mage apologized.
.
Liberta turned over in her bed angrily, wincing slightly as the motion agitated her bruised face. But despite the pain, her face was set in her scowl, a start contrast to her usual aloof attitude.
.
"I cannot stand to be around someone like you." Liberta spat. "You are… Enough. Your apology means nothing to me. Just leave. Or, if you two want her in your party, I'll leave."
.
"No, I…" Aisha rubbed her forehead, frustrated. "Why is this the thing that you're so serious about?"
.
"I don't have to say anything." Liberta said coldly, not even bothering to look at Aisha. "My mind is set."
.
Aisha turned to Rennala in frustration, but all the woman gave her was a shrug. Kaya gave a similar response - it wasn't like either of them knew why Liberta was being so adamant. She took a deep breath as she tried hard to not let the tired frustration show on her face, but evidently, it didn't work, judging from the way Kaya put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
.
Liberta felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around, ready to give a few choice words to her fey friend, but her gaze hardened when she saw Rennala's face, the mage's face also similarly displeased.
.
"Listen-" She started.
.
"I'm not." Liberta snarled.
.
"You're going to listen anyways." Rennala shot back. "Ugh."
.
"..."
.
"Your friends need me to complete their little idol group." Rennala sighed. "You need me, if you're going to be adventuring. I'm even willing to step down my rank for you guys. See, I'm emerald, and you guys are sapphire."
.
"So what?"
.
Rennala just closed her eyes in frustration, resisting the urge to slap the woman out of her bed.
.
"For what it's worth. I'm sorry."
.
The elf turned her back again and harrumphed. "That means nothing. What you've done is-"
.
Liberta paused when she heard the noise of hard objects jingling in a bag, turning back over to see what the hell was happening. But before she could turn the full way around, she felt a few stones drop onto her face. An annoyed expression rose on her face, about to lash out in anger, but stopped abruptly after taking a closer look at the little stones. They were some of Rennala's runes, the smooth pale rune rock glowing faintly with arcane encryptions.
.
"These are…" She squinted. "The runes for the enslavement spell? You bitch, I'm-"
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"Don't jump to conclusions, brute." Rennala muttered. "I'm giving them to you."
.
"...What?"
.
"Those are all the runes I have for that spell." Rennala mumbled. "If you have such a big problem with me casting that spell, then I won't, okay? It's not like it's that big of a deal to me. I have plenty more."
.
For a while, Liberta just stared at Rennala suspiciously, reaching up and picking up a rune carefully. She turned the stone gingerly around in her fingers, examining it closely, before eventually putting it down. But still, she continued to just stare at Rennala, not acknowledging her apology.
.
"Listen." Rennala muttered. "Your friends cut me a very nice deal. Offered me things that… they probably shouldn't have. But they clearly… want this. And they have been kind enough to accommodate me, even though… I didn't really have a choice. And clearly, they have been very accommodating to you, despite how much of an oaf you are."
.
"And?" Liberta asked softly.
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"And you owe it to them." Rennala sighed. "I don't mind if you don't like me. But just tolerate me, okay?"
.
There was another long pause before anything was said, the tension in the room thick enough to cut with a knife. It seemed like, for the longest time, that Liberta would continue to reject the woman, but eventually, a side-glance to Aisha's tired, but hopeful expression, made the woman slump in defeat.
.
"Fine." She mumbled.
.
"Ugh." Rennala sighed in relief. "About time, o-"
.
"But you owe me." Liberta demanded, sitting up on the bed and picking up the runes in her hands, before dumping them into her bedside drawer, joining a million other forgotten trinkets.
.
"...Owe you what?" Rennala asked cautiously.
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"You owe me a night." Liberta growled. "Two nights, I get to do anything I want to you. You can't complain. You can't disobey me. And it's gonna be whenever I want."
.
"Wha - I…" Rennala's face contorted into an unreadable expression, a storm of emotions blowing across her face. "...Okay, fine… I guess it's only fair."
.
This time, even Kaya could see the faint blush that came over Rennala's face, Liberta too busy huffing and pouting to even notice the way that the mage roamed her eyes over the girls' bodies. Aisha and Kaya's were small, petite, and cute, while Liberta's was more statuesque, her laying pose in the bed showing off her shapely backside and long, silky hair.
.
They were all quite beautiful, and while Kaya was more reserved with her attitudes, the other two fey were not at all shy about showing off.
.
Suddenly, Rennala felt a warm breath on her ear, and she shivered, jolting slightly as she felt a small body sidle up to her.
.
"You're quite the closeted pervert, aren't you." Aisha whispered into Rennala's ear, smirking at the way the woman jolted, face flushed and breathing heavily.
.
She didn't even try to deny it. She would have, but there was something eerie about the fey girl, that made her just clam up. The way that she stared into her soul, that unwavering confidence, with just a bit of darkness… Despite how cute the girl was, she was also kind of terrifying.
.
"Alright!" Aisha said, clapping her hands together to get everybody's attention. "You two should hug!"
.
"Huh!?" Came out of two separate mouths, followed by a stray glance between them - before quickly turning away in embarrassment.
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"Why?" Liberta demanded, although her body started to fidget squeamishly on the bed.
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"Y… yeah…" Rennala balked. "I… you guys are… weird…"
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"If we're going to be spending long, cold nights together, then you should at the very least, be able to hug each other." Aisha chided, bending over and wagging her finger playfully. "Besides, you two are fucking, right? This should be nothing!"
.
"...Alright." Rennala mumbled.
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"Nnh." Liberta mumbled as well, although she didn't exactly deny Aisha's demand.
.
As the rune mage made her way over to the prone elf on the bed, apprehensive expressions on both faces, Aisha plopped down on a couch, spreading her body over the cushions, next to the chair that Kaya sat in. She motioned for the timid girl to join her, and like an obedient maid, Kaya obliged, with a bit of stiffness in her motions. But nonetheless. she made her way over to Aisha and let the fey rest her head on her own chest. They watched as the taller women also began to embrace, although their motions were far more…
.
"Witch." Liberta mumbled, as she wrapped her arms around Rennala's back.
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"Idiot." Rennala shot back, climbing on top of Liberta's body, straddling her hips and placing her hands on the mattress, next to Liberta's head.
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"Aren't you afraid that they're going to start fighting again?" Kaya whispered, burying her nose into Aisha's ear fluff.
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"...Nah."
.
"You're such a stuck up bitch." Liberta mumbled.
.
"You're a brainless barbarian."
.
"I'll make you shut up."
.
"Oh yeah?"
.
Aisha smiled at the sound of a messy liplock, humming to herself as she let Kaya run her hands through her ears, for once, relaxing without worrying. Warm, comforting feelings began to envelop her as Kaya's hands massaged her ears - so nimble and dexterous, but with a tenderness that made Aisha purr.
.
Oh, service… and a show too. What a good day.