As the night was underway, Arisa's father crossed his arms and looked down at Liri, saying:
"Well, as you are my daughter's lover, albeit temporarily, maybe, you are welcome to sleep in her room for the night. Don't do anything too… heated, though. I don't want my daughter to go into her fights tomorrow with more disadvantages than she already has."
With that bitter statement out of the way, he stepped to the side and allowed Liri to walk into the spacious hut behind him.
"Get some rest," he told his daughter. "You've got a big day ahead of you."
"I understand."
Not much was said after that. Arisa led Liri to her room, a part of the hut that was noticeably smaller but still huge for someone of Liri's stature.
Here, with a slightly anxious expression, Arisa casually began undressing.
Right in front of Liri.
"Uagh!" An ungodly noise came out of the ven's throat as she saw her friend's (girlfriend's?) nude body. Averting her eyes, Liri felt her cheeks warming up as Arisa giggled.
It came to her then that, given everything Arisa had said earlier, this could be it. What Liri, and that pushy goddess, had been waiting for.
[Am I- are we- is this-????]
Immediately, however, Arisa stomped those hopes out.
"I am afraid I won't be able to deliver on what I had told you before."
"W-What? Why?"
Liri was surprised at the sudden flood of disappointment she felt. Once Arisa finished putting on her clothes, she explained why she had this change of heart.
"Sex weakens your punches," she stated in a matter-of-fact manner. "Therefore, I must abstain for tonight… Though, I will admit, I am conflicted because… Nothing. Point is, I must have a clear mind going into my battles tomorrow."
Liri blinked.
"I've never heard of sex making people weaker."
"Well, my people are warriors," she said proudly. "I'd like to think we know what we're talking about."
Not wanting to get into a prolonged debate, Liri just shrugged as Arisa made space on her bed.
A bed so large that it took up most of the room. Liri fell onto it, marveling at how comfortable it was.
[I... Did I really have my hopes up?]
Once Arisa was in bed as well, she quickly threw her arm over Liri. The affectionate gesture only caught Liri mildly off-guard, which was slightly scary as it meant that Liri was nearly already used to this sort of thing. From Arisa, anyway.
"Uhm… By the way," Arisa meekly said, "I will not judge you, should you decide to be with someone else."
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said," Arisa answered. "I will not harbor any ill-will toward you, should you decide to swap partners. That is the point of tomorrow's tourney, after all."
"Arisa," Liri quickly replied, "I'm not interested in anyone else."
"You say that now, however, you might feel differently once you see the strength others possess… the strength I lack."
"I doubt that." Liri couldn't help but laugh a little. "I already told you what I've come here for."
"Right, right. Information."
"Yup. And, since I didn't find much of that here, I'm pretty sure I'll be leaving in a couple of days anyway. Those people are fighting for nothing, honestly."
"I disagree strongly with that," Arisa told her. "Even if I never see you again, I'll always remember the small amount of time we've spent together. You're the closest thing to an angel I've ever met, after all."
Embarrassed, Liri turned away.
"I'm not that great."
"So you insist," Arisa said, as she tightened her embrace a little. "I disagree with that too."
The two of them remained in silence for a few minutes. The nighttime chill settled in, though things were a little colder here than they were back at Elmira.
Remembering her home village reminded Liri of what she was fighting for. What her goals were. Finding a partner wasn't too high on her list of priorities, though she still needed to have a child before she turned 21. As far as she was concerned, though, if she did have to take a partner from this tribe, Arisa was a fine enough candidate for that.
So fine that the way her strong arms snuck under her boobs had her pussy aching.
"I am thankful that you've even considered being with me. As such, I will fight with all my heart tomorrow. Watch me," Arisa said. "If I get a weak opponent, I might even be able to show off a little."
---
The next morning, when the fighters arrived at that ring Liri had seen earlier, she was surprised to find that there weren't quite as many people here this time as there were yesterday. That was, probably, thanks to the revelation she'd given them.
Still, there were quite a few drasen here, ready to watch some of their own fight for the affections of a foreigner.
Arisa stood by Liri's side, steady as the ven asked:
"So, when will you be going?"
"Once they've sorted their fights out. Because you and I are 'together' as far as they know, I am to be the last one challenged," Arisa explained.
"… And, if I was to follow your tradition, I'd pick whoever wins?"
"You do not have to, but that is what most drasen would do here. I've told you about how we value strength. What better way to see who is stronger than to see who wins in a fight?" She asked.
[Well, for me, it's enough just to check everyone's Soul Ratings.] Liri stopped.
"If that's what everyone's so interested in, I could just tell you all."
Arisa's eyes widened.
"T-That's right! You…" She bent down and whispered, "you possess the ability to see Soul Ratings, right?"
"Yeah."
"Could…" Arisa hesitated. "N-Never mind."
Liri could guess what she'd wanted to ask about.
"I'll tell you," she stated plainly. "Might help you strategize, right?"
"But…" Arisa's eyes widened. "But, that… would be shameful."
"Why?"
"I, well, it is forbidden knowledge, in a way, right?"
"I don't care," Liri shrugged. "You need all the help you can get, right?"
"I…" Liri could tell how Arisa's mind was struggling to comprehend this. "You do not mind?"
"Of course not," Liri said with a smile. "Besides, I want you to win."
"You do?"
"I don't care how strong or weak you are," Liri told Arisa as she glanced over at the other fighters. "You're the hottest girl here as far as I can see. That matters more to me than how hard you can punch."