Session 27 – Meeting the locals
We left the inn and wandered over to Maple's shop. The felis-blood's whiskers twitched as they looked over from the man they were talking to and smiled at us. "Hello new friends in Maple's shop. What can Maple do for you today?" Their fur was a delicate orange and black calico. They were wearing a simple blue dress that fit well and looked easy to move in.
"That's very good, Maple. Nice doing business with you, as always." The man talking to Maple turned our way. "My Lady, welcome to Vaqyn. My name is Inkairu Zorreeam, local wizard and solver of problems both magical and mundane." He had short, dark hair and an immaculately trimmed beard. His loose robes flowed around him as he gave Paz a smile that was too wide along with an exaggerated bow.
"Hello." Oh gods Above, I had forgotten about Zorreeam. He was a nice enough and competent wizard to do business with, but..
In a flash of arcane energy, he was standing in between me and my ginger, bringing his most charming smile down to bear on Paz. "And who might you be, lovely lady?"
She giggled and twirled her hair. WHAT THE FUCK. "H-hi, I'm Paz." She stared curiously up into his eyes.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, my fair maiden." He took her hand and kissed it. She blushed.
"Hi, I'm her girlfriend, Alexis." I tried to butt in, but my introduction was completely ignored. By both of them
"And what brings such a beautiful woman to our small little town?" Was this fucker a vampire or some shit? I started looking around for a stake.
She giggled again. "Good wizard, I am an adventurer." She arched her back and thrust her breasts up at him. "Though, I'm just starting out, but I have killed three wights already." Bullshit! Xena killed one, and I killed the other two. I didn't know what the fuck was happening, but I was about to go buy a sword and stab a bitch.
"Most impressive! You know, I'm something of an adventurer myself. Quite advanced, really. You should come back to my tower with me. I could give you some pointers." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and leaned down close which was quite a feat since Inkairu was over a foot taller than Paz.
I had gone from red to green and was fighting the urge to be sick. Did I really matter so little to her after everything we had been through?
Paz leaned even closer to him like she had a secret to tell. He brought his ear down to her lips. "I would love to, there's just one problem."
"Oh, and what is that, my delectable little confectionery? Is it this one?" He cut his eyes to me and waved his hand as if dismissing an unimportant pest.
"Oh, no." She was whispering in his ear now. I didn't know if I wanted to kill him or myself more, but at least one of us was about to journey the next life. "You see sir, the problem is that I have miraculously high wisdom." She grabbed his shoulders and planted her knee about six inches inside his abdomen via a circuitous path up through his groin area. Inkairu let out a long squealing cry at a level of soprano that would make professional singers blush and crumpled into a pile on the floor. "And I know when someone is trying to charm me, pissant." She added sweetly and spit on him.
Maple, for their part, was laughing so hard that they were clinging to the shop counter to remain upright. They looked down at the pathetic lump of man on the floor and shook their head. "Maple could have told you not to waste your spells on two such Sapphists who are so in love that Maple could have smelled it from the far side of Arcadia."
"Paz." I took a breath to say something else, but she violently shoved a finger in my face before I could.
"And you, Alexis, need to learn some fucking self-control!" Her voice softened and she took my hands in hers. "You can not go around ready to murder someone just because they look at me."
I wilted and dejectedly stared down at my feet. "But.. but, he didn't just look at you, he tried to charm you. And then you-"
She gave me a look sharp enough to slice steel. "It was just a charm, not that terrifying shit you've got in your pocket. He could not have forced me, only made it easier to convince me."
"And that makes it okay?" I gave her puppy eyes.
She sighed. "No. You're right, it does not. You trust me?"
I looked into her eyes. "Yes." No.
She rubbed my arm. "Then don't worry quite so much. I'm a big girl and I've been taking care of myself for a long time."
I managed to give her a teasing smile. "I literally had to rescue you from eternity in a demon prison."
She rolled her eyes. "That's not how I remember it. It was a team effort!"
"A team that couldn't have done it without me." I mumbled under my breath. I turned and pointed into the shop. "So, let's do some shopping. Gods do I need to be out of these clothes."
Paz smirked at me. "Yeah you do."
I blushed furiously and by the time my brain rebooted, my little ginger tease was already looking at an assortment of dresses. I stepped over the still fetal Inkairu and joined Paz looking at dresses. Without looking, her hand found mine and our fingers intertwined.
I started digging through piles of brown and black leather. My fingers came to rest on one piece in particular and I was in love. "How much for this?" I held up a black leather corset with red laces.
Maple smiled. "Oh, for you that is the most purrrrfect fit. I insist you must take it for five silver."
"Yes, I must." I added it to the growing pile Paz was building of things we were definitely buying.