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Three days went by in a relatively peaceful manner from the day Erin and her companions returned from the excursion which had gone wrong and awry in almost every way possible. The group managed to make it back to town in one piece and without any further complications, but the returning journey was spent in a solemn and desolating silence. They survived a predicament but at the cost of one their companions. None of them was fond of Freed but none of them wanted to think ill of the deceased, Aedan was the sole exception of course. Death had been part of his life for more than a thousand years and this death was just one more among the lot.

The group beelined for the Guild to make their report all the while receiving curious glances from the passersby. They were tired and they were hungry but for the things they had encountered, it wasn’t something they would want to delay on reporting. The group was invited into the private reception room, adjacent to the Guild Master’s office. In the room, there was Geron himself, Sam, and two other Guild staff. Erin recounted the tale of their hapless quest and the Guild officials listened attentively without interjecting. Had it not been for the Orb of Truth1, Erin doubted anyone would have believed their story. At the end of their recount, instead of belittlement, they were praised for surviving through the ordeal. Erin was, in her own opinion, excessively praised for her skill in pulling through the predicament she was in. Freed’s death was written off as an expected death given the nature of the quest.

Erin was galled but she also understood this was a common nature in the adventuring business. Adventurers die all the time, it just so happened this time it was someone she knew. The Guild deemed the quest to be a success as they had uncovered more about the mastermind’s abilities and the difficulty of the quest was out of the boundaries for run of the mill adventurers. Thus, Erin and her party were given a generous reward for surviving the ordeal.

However…

“I appreciate the gesture but I failed to do my best,” Erin said to Geron and Sam as she refused the reward. Freed had died on her watch. To her, a broken promise was equivalent to a failure. She was adamant with this narrative.

It took a gracious amount of pleadings from Lyra and a small amount of thorn-filled words from Aedan to finally convince the adamant Fox-kin to accept the reward. The reward was a few gold and accommodation at Emerald Inn for an unspecified amount of time. After that matter was settled, the group was advised to have a few days of rest and in the meantime, the Guild would pursue the clues Erin had given them.

In these three days, Erin made full use of them. She continued her magic lessons with Nivia during the night and during the day, she was fulfilling her promise with Lyra by spending the day with her. In these three days, Lyra would not separate herself from Erin during the day other than the times when nature called. Morning had come on the fourth day of their break. The sun had peeked from the horizon but Erin was still in bed with Lyra, with nothing between the touch of their skin.

Erin had awoken in cold sweat with the sheets drenched.

Lyra was wide awake when Erin herself had come to, much to her own surprise. They were at it for the whole night and Lyra was always the first to submit to her exhaustion while Erin herself could have gone for a few more rounds. Yet, in these three mornings, Lyra had been the first to wake.

“Good morning, Erin,” Lyra greeted with an amorous smile while still lying prone on Erin’s well-toned body with chin on her hands.

“Morning to you too, Lyra,” Erin greeted back with a tinge of sorrow present in her eyes. Her hand moved by itself to caress Lyra’s flushed cheek.

“Nightmares again? asked Lyra.”

Erin forced a smile. “Always,” she answered.

Lyra took Erin’s smooth whitish hand into her grasp. “It’s not your fault, Erin. Stop taking in responsibilities that aren’t even yours…”

“I know, Lyra. I know— wait. Those sound like something Aedan would say. Did you…”

Lyra blanked out for a while. “E-Erin… I-I… He and I-I… we did not—”

Erin laughed. “Calm down, Lyra. I’m not implicating you. I’m just surprised you took his babblings to heed.”

“Do you know how hard it is to shut myself from his voice? Every time he opens his mouth, you either think hard on what he said or you simply want to sock him in the face. The latter is obviously not feasible.”

And they both shared a titter.

“At least you’re looking well,” Erin remarked as she traced the smooth contour of Lyra’s face.

“Thanks to a certain someone.” Lyra chuckled. “You were quite gentle for the past few nights, not as wild as before. Maybe that’s why?”

Erin smiled wryly. “I’m pretty sure my lack of ferocity in bed isn’t the reason for your good health.” She did think she had been quite mild in bed recently. More like she was able to retain a good portion of her sound mind than usual. In all of her previous times, her instincts took over during their coitus session but ever since returning from the excursion, Lust Deviant’s influence had been quite tame lately. Also unlike before, she did not receive any notice that Lust Deviant had been activated even though she entered Carnal Starvation. However, she could still feel a speck of the licentious skill’s influence.

“Maybe the embrace of a Fae is unique?”

“Is that actually a fact?”

“A likely fact, I say. The Faerie-kin themselves are a mystical existence. They’re so talented and always so… beautiful. Incredibly so…” Lyra said as she traced her finger over the scar on Erin’s chest. “You’re not getting rid of this?”

“Why would I?” Erin touched the scar. “This is a badge of honor, a symbol of a survivor.”

Lyra sighed. “Erin… you’re a Fae now. You should look after your skin. What would the others say if they saw this scar?”

“I couldn’t care less,” Erin dryly retorted. “Besides, are you saying that others might have a chance for a glance of my body.”

Lyra sat up with a rigid stare into Erin’s eyes. “That’s not what I meant. Don’t even joke about that.”

Erin tittered. “Of course, Lyra. It’s just a jest.”

Lyra pouted. “You are getting very cheeky lately, Erin.”

“Because you give the most adorable actions when I’m being cheeky.”

“You’re acting quite different as of late.”

“I suppose I am.” Erin directed Lyra a complacent smile. “And I know you have been enjoying it.”

Lyra pouted further and buried her face in Erin’s bosom. “Shut up,” she murmured into Erin’s chest. She wriggled in the valley of Erin’s bountiful hills, feeling the malleable and soft mounds hitting her face in bliss.

“W-wait… that tickles…”

Lyra did not stop to Erin’s pleas. In fact, she began to slightly nibble on Erin’s chest, leaving red marks on her skin. Lyra began to slowly move down with her kiss marking—

—before a knock from the door interrupted Lyra’s efforts to start another copulation early in the morning.

Lyra looked up from Erin’s chest. “Is it them?” she asked with a hopeful look.

“It’s them,” Erin said with a wry smile after a brief pause.

Rolling her eyes, Lyra got off Erin and the bed with a heavy groan. She rashly put on her undershirt and underwear, in which the cheap fabric could barely conceal the sight of her toned skin and chiseled body underneath, before answering the door, ignoring Erin’s words of prudence.

Lyra flung the door open without regards to the other side. Nivia and Celia came into her view. Nivia was all dressed-up in her gear, a contrast to the loose-robed Lyra. Before words could be exchanged between the refresh-looking Lyra and Nivia who had bags under her eyes, Celia thrust herself into Lyra.

The little girl gave off a gleeful squeal as she wrapped her arms around Lyra’s waist, holding onto her tightly. She was even rubbing her cheeks on Lyra’s belly with only a thin sheet of fabric in between. Ever since Celia came to on the morrow of their return, she had become extremely attached to Lyra and Erin but more towards Lyra. Perhaps somehow remembering the times Lyra had provided extensive care for her.

Celia’s awakening had initially brought the girls much worry as the little girl uttered not a sound for a whole day. The Guild physician had taken a look at her. The issue was mental instead of physical. She appeared to have not remembered much about the past. She knew her family was gone but she didn’t remember how it happened. Under the physician’s advice, everyone was to not speak of her history and let her recover it herself.

Currently, Celia was staying with Nivia. The reason for such an arrangement was because of Nivia’s experience. Being an Elf, she was used to taking care of others, specifically her dozens of cousins and siblings and she also had the necessary knowledge to apply the necessary treatment for Celia with Spirit Magic. Under the surprising knowledgeable Elf’s care, Celia was gradually recovering her speech ability. Upon learning this, Erin gained a newfound respect for Nivia.

“You look terrible,” Lyra jabbed while her hands comforted Celia.

Nivia glared with a woeful look. “Unlike a certain someone, I have a lot of responsibilities to uphold and dozens of important matters tend to. I also have my people to consider.”

“You? Doing consideration?” Lyra flinched deliberately. “Imagine my surprise if you don’t mind me saying.”

Erin did not cut into their exchange. This sort of exchange was becoming the norm between the two. Erin was tired in every sense of this. She merely rolled her eyes and went back to getting a few more winks before starting her day. As long as they didn’t escalate their bickering into a duel, Erin was past caring about their animosity. But of course, there was no way she would be getting anymore sleep considering their bickering was within her earshot.

“Just because I have no consideration towards you, doesn’t mean I do not have consideration at all. And funny you should mention consideration. Dragging Erin everywhere, flirting at every opportunity, going at it fervently every night, moaning till the walls could no longer contain your expression of ecstasy, perhaps you should learn a little bit about consideration yourself.”

Lyra scoffed. “The walls are working fine. Don’t blame me for your Elven ears and tendency for eavesdropping. As for our flirtings, maybe you should control your nature for stalking.”

A vein was bulging on Nivia’s forehead. “I’ll have you know, if you weren’t so intimate with another fellow Fae, I would have you make you eat your words and no one will question me about it.”

“Careful now, Elf. You’re letting your true colors show.”

“You’re still standing. So obviously, I haven’t shown any of my true colors yet.”

“Oh? So you’re admitting my claims?”

“For f̲u̲c̲k̲’s sake, do the two of you intend to do this at every instance the two of you meet?” Erin spoke up as she sat up from the bed. The sight of her half opened eyes, her disheveled hair covering the sensitive parts of her body, and her languidly swaying tails made Lyra gulped.

“Erin, my dear. There’s a child here, language,” said Nivia with a smile.

Erin gave a vexed look of disbelief. “Like your exchange with Lyra was any better for her.”

“Maybe not,” Nivia retorted and invited herself into the room.

Lyra was about to stop her but Erin gestured for Nivia to come in. Erin doubted Lyra would have listened if Celia wasn’t snuggling with her. Even the Celia was used to their bickering.

“I don’t believe I was late for any lessons.” A yawn followed which Erin didn’t bother covering. “So why are you here?”

“I’m not here for any lessons,” Nivia answered. “I came here to inform you that the Guildmaster has invited you to a luncheon along with his son, Aedan.”

Erin instantly caught the undertone of the invitation. There had been developments with their investigations, Erin understood it as such. She exchanged glances with Lyra who nodded. She returned her glance to Nivia. “Yeah… thanks for telling me.” Erin let out a few groans as she struggled to get off the bed.

Nivia extended her hand to help. “Are you alright, Erin?” she asked.

“Magic is tiring,” Erin replied. She recalled her lessons with Nivia. It was a struggle to learn a new Magic Art, namely; Wind Magic which Nivia was an adept in but Erin herself didn’t seem to have any affinity with. However, she did make progress on other magic.

“Fae have it easy with magic already. Had you been a human, it would have been much more difficult and tedious, might I add.”

“If I’m already having this much trouble, just how hard it is for humans?” Erin thought to herself.

“There’s still some time before noon,” Nivia said. “We can have a quick lesson after breakfast.”

“No,” Lyra instantly refuted. “We already have plans.”

Erin glanced at Lyra with a frown. “No, we don’t.”

Lyra gave a look of betrayal at Erin.

Nivia grinned. “Then, how about it?”

Erin smiled wryly. “My bones feel like iron. I think I’ll have to pass.”

Nivia’s smile disappeared. “I-I see…”

Lyra was tittering to herself in silence.

“But if I get better later, I wouldn’t mind a quick lesson,” Erin added.

Lyra’s smile disappeared.

Nivia tittered behind her hand. “Well… if you changed your mind, I’m always available for you.”

“I know you’re busy with the many talks and discussions with the merchants. Don’t force yourself, you hear me?”

Nivia forced a smile. “It would have been easier if you were with me. As a matter of fact, I’m off to meet with another merchant now. It’ll help a lot if I have you by my side.”

“I disagree, Nivia. I may be a Fae but you do know my knowledge of Fae’s customs are next to zero. Don’t you think my presence will be immensely suspicious.”

“Nonsense, Erin. It’s not like they know any better about Fae more than you. You’ll be surprised with how much they know of us are often false. A narrative spawned from generalization because some individual couldn’t be bothered with exerting the minimal effort to gauge the truth.”

“But I still don’t understand how my presence would be of help.”

“Intimidation, my dear Erin.” A shrewd grin appeared on Nivia. “One Fae is hectic enough for them to talk with. With another Fae, they might become easier to coerce.”

Erin frowned. “I see…” This was another side of Nivia that she didn’t know. It was unnerving, if she was being honest.

Lyra was staring daggers at Nivia but it didn’t last long as Celia was begging for Lyra’s attention.

Erin breathed in deeply as she came to a decision. She glanced resolutely at Lyra. “Lyra, why don’t you take Celia for a stroll today. She could use the walk and you could use some rest from me. I’ll accompany Nivia for the morning.”

Nivia beamed and cast a triumphant grin at Lyra.

Lyra’s expression soured. “Being with you is my rest, Erin.”

“Come on, Lyra. You won’t die from not having me around just for a single morning. I hope.”

Celia was staring at Lyra with glitter in her eyes. Seeing such a face, Lyra found it hard to refuse. “Fine,” she relented. “Just for today.”

Erin smiled in exasperation. “Just for today.”

“Well Erin, I’ll be waiting downstairs,” Nivia said and walked to the door. “Come on, Celia. We’ll wait for them downstairs.”

Celia refused to separate from Lyra but after a pinky swear with Lyra, she reluctantly parted from Lyra and left the room with Nivia.

Lyra let out a loud sigh after closing the door. She cast a glare at Erin. “Be careful, alright?” she said.

Erin sighed, again. “What do you think is going to happen? It’s not like I’m off to fight a horde of Ghouls again.”

“You’re off to meet merchants along with an Elf. I say the circumstances aren’t better.”

“You don’t think too highly of the merchants?”

“Not the merchants,” Lyra said. “Niva.”

Erin sighed. “I wish the two of you could get along,” she said while shaking her head and rubbing her temple.

“Have you ever seen the way she looked at me?”

“I have. She looked at you the way you looked at any person who tried to approach me with the intent of courting me.”

Stunned by Erin’s response, Lyra stammered. “T-those… t-that was different…”

“I’m sure it is,” Erin said and got up from the bed. She proceeded to put on a fresh set of apparels. She went with a pair of beige baggy trousers and a cyan blouse with a black corset, in which all of them were gifts from Nivia, obviously. They looked suffocating at first but as Erin donned them, she found them quite fitting and comfortable.

“I hate to say it but… Nivia sure knows what fits you.” Lyra was staring fixedly at Erin. “Thought it’s a shame… a dress would have fit you much better.”

“No dresses or skirt,” Erin firmly declared.

“Why? They looked good on you and it’s Elven craft, I’m sure the dress won’t limit your movements.”

“It’s not about my movements,” Erin grumbled. “I just dislike the empty feeling around that area, especially when the breeze whispers. What about you then? Would you wear one?”

Lyra gave a devilish smile. “If you want me to, aye, I might,” she spoke with a heavy accent.

Erin imagined Lyra in a dress and a skirt. The boyish appearance accompanied with a feminine fashion, it was certainly a treat to her imagination that checked all of her preferences.

“But only if you wear it too,” Lyra added.

“This conversation is over,” Erin said and flounced out of the room after finishing her hair and tail grooming, leaving Lyra behind who was just putting on her undershirt.

Lyra giggled to herself. “Oh I don’t think so, Erin.” A smirk adorned her lips as she thought of ways to get Erin into a dress or at least a skirt.

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