Chapter 22. Drunk Lenna – Part Two.
"Anyway, I'm done with the work, I was at Sarisa and Lenna's, they want me to try on a waitress uniform, so I came for a change of underwear"
"Oh... Right, we need to clean your room, huh?"
"Yes, tomorrow"
"Well, let me help you, I'll go too, I want to meet them"
"..."
"You don't want me to go? That hurts"
"It's not that I don't want to, it's just that... Sarisa wants to meet you, I wanted to use you as an excuse to invite them here"
"Then I should definitely go, so you'll have to invite them like a normal person"
"... I'm still afraid they'll say no. How am I going to do that?”
"You'll think of something"
"I can't think of anything, I think it would be hard for me to visit them again, if they refuse"
"Nonsense, if they can't, just ask them some other day"
"I guess..."
Oh well, as she said, I will think of something, I hope. We both go up to my room, but before I start looking, Nicole digs out some clothes.
"I think it was left over here... Here it is, perfect for a waitress, let me look for a pretty bra~"
She hands me a pair of panties that are way too cute than necessary, all white with lots of little ruffles around the waistband and leg openings. Made of... Oh... Silk, soft.
I think they're called high leg? or high waist? Although I also remember looking for them by that name and not finding them. They're V-shaped.
I make a space on my bed and put them there for now, I was about to help Nicole look for something, when she presents me with the following. A bra, also white, with lace on the upper cups and little frills around the under band. Also made of silk.
... Ok, this is expensive. Having something like this in my closet and not even remembering when, where and for how much I got it tells me that maybe I have a problem... I buy too much underwear that I end up abandoning. Even if it's really good, like this one.
I still prefer cotton over silk, but the soft and fancy feel of silk is very nice from time to time.
In fact, I should wash all these, even if I keep clean and air my closet very often, it's not good for clothes to go too long without washing, no matter if they are not worn... But what a laziness, I'll just cheat and clean them with my darkness. I'll still wash clothes normally, it's more comfortable mentally, but for cases like this, magic will work.
Later. I put it next to the panties, on my bed.
"Also this, here"
Mh? Weren't we done? As if she could read my mind, Nicole answers.
"If you're going to dress up, you have to do it right. I don't know much about waitresses, but a good maid should be elegant, graceful and practical on the outside, and comfortable but erotic on the inside"
"..."
She shows me some pretty white tights up to the waist... They look like tights and a garter belt put together; I like them. They cover the legs completely, but you can still see the underwear. Eh, wait, not that I'm going to show them to anyone.
I think they're going to obstruct my tail a little bit, but they're just tights, I don't have to pull them up that high, oh, I remember, the ones that are thinner and showier are pantyhose, I think? I don't usually wear tights.
"Were those mine? I don't buy pantyhose very often. I think I remember what kind I have"
"I bought them for you on the way here, a gift. Along with a bunch of stuff I'll give you later~"
"... You're too happy, I have a bad feeling," I say as I put away the clothes she gave me in the darkness.
"I'll make you wear them at a certain place I'll take you to before you go home, but let's not ruin the surprise, let's leave it for another day"
"... Well, we should go then, put some clothes on"
"Sure, sure"
While she goes to do that, I take from my savings the gold coin I borrowed from the sisters' money for the skewers. No one has counted exactly how much it is, so I could leave it at that, but I don't think that's right.
-----
Fun fact, I can take someone through the shadows, but it won't be a very comfortable ride, Nicole described it as being swallowed by a giant worm and diving into the ground, only without the sense of danger... Isn't that very specific?
When we arrive, there's a boy outside, glued to the window...
"Um, hello?"
"Aahh!"
Oh, he got scared, what was he so focused on?
"You live here!? Give me back my fox! You, uh, f-foxes..."
"Fox?" asks Nicole.
He's a human boy, with black hair tied back in a small ponytail. He wears somewhat fancy clothes, an expensive-looking long brown waistcoat, half-buttoned, with a wide tie over a long-sleeved loose shirt, well-ironed black pants, and shiny brown shoes. Also, a hat with one of its sides folded up, huh, reminds me a bit of the tricorns of some maritime merchants. Is he perhaps the son of a coastal nobleman?
Wait, wait... Why am I analyzing a child's clothes? Mmm, I guess I wanted to see if he's a worthy owner of the cute little fox. It's not good to judge someone by the clothes they wear, but I doubt that someone ragged and stinky would be very trustworthy, to give an example.
I put my hands on my knees and bend them a little so that I'm at the same height as him.
"Is he yours? We didn't kidnap him or anything. I found him a while ago running away from a dog"
"..."
Why doesn't he answer me? He just looks at me with wide eyes... How weird.
"I was planning to take him to a guard station when I finished an errand... Um, hello?"
"...T-thank you for helping him, miss, can I take him with me then?" He says, coming out of his daze. Though he looks a bit uncomfortable for some reason.
"Sure, I'll go get him, you want to come in?"
"I'd rather wait here, thanks"
"I'll be right back"
The little fox fell asleep while we were talking, so I put him down next to some plants, in the window frame. I guess that's where he saw him.
But he's not there. Neither are the younger squirrel sisters. But their scent is stronger in the back. I wave and go into the room. The girls are on the couch, making little plaits in the little fox's longer fur while he's still asleep. Huh, cute, will I be able to comb my own tail somehow? Maybe, but that sounds uncomfortable, better not.
"Girls, the owner of the little fox is looking for him outside"
I thought I'd have to convince them to let him go, but they just finish quickly and agree to let me take him, they're good girls. Or maybe they're tired? They don't talk as much as they used to.
Then I have a big problem, how am I supposed to pick him up? Putting him down somewhere was easy, but picking him up without waking him up seems impossible, and I don't have the heart to do that.
Mmm, oh, food? If I put some meat in front of him, he should wake up on his own, and having something to eat will help keep him from panicking, I hope.
I do just that, take a skewer and take a small piece of meat from it, bring it close, in front of him... He wiggles his cute little nose and wakes up, then nibbles at the piece of meat~ I stroke his back very gently, just enough for him to notice me, but keeping my hand away from his mouth so he doesn't think I'm trying to take his food away.
When he finishes, he stands up and tries to get away from my touch, it seems he only endured it while he was eating... He's like a cat. Anyway, he's still too small to run far, so I pick him up and carry him outside.
I bend my knees again to be at the boy's level as I hand him the little fox.
“Here you go, what's his name?”
“... His name is Fidget”
"Oh... Well, they're both cute and fluffy, makes sense." The one named Fidget is just trying to make himself comfortable, apparently not caring that he worried his owner. Huh, well, some foxes act like cats, being able to purr and all.
"Makes sense?"
"Huh? Yeah, I think, uh, never mind, look, you shouldn't let him out of your sight, he's too young to be wandering around alone." I think another strange image flashed through my mind for a second, but I'll ignore it.
"I-it wasn't my fault! Someone left the doors open, I'll take better care of him!"
Why doesn't he look me in the face? And why does Nicole look so amused? Never mind.
"If you go to Isaac, please visit the manor. I will reward you"
"No need, but sure, thanks"
“I-I'll be waiting for you...”
I reluctantly say goodbye to the little fox and the boy, then we go back inside. For some reason Nicole follows me upstairs without saying hello, not that they're paying attention to us, just chatting at one of the tables.
Lenna... She comes up to us, even wobbling a little, that's the normal reaction! Not like Dom.
"You took too long, let me help you," she says, not even noticing Nicole.
Halfway out of my dress I realize... I could have changed at home, right? Uh... Whatever.
Lenna seems more interested in my ears and tail than the skin on my body, so it's pretty easy to change, even with her and Nicole watching. The latter just looks at us with... An unusually happy smile on her face. Huh, why?
The uniform also has some buttons on the back. And it's not like I could fasten it from the front and then turn it like a bra. Well, I could, but it would be uncomfortable and complicated.
“I'll help you, turn around”
"... You're not going to do anything weird, are you?"
“Are you worried about me touching your tail? I won't do it without permission, I promise"
"Okay, uh, please take care of it then"
"Of course! ~"
She sounds way too happy for the apparently simple task I gave her! Turning my back to her might be a bit dangerous... Luckily my tail is pointing down, because it is under the skirt. She finishes buttoning it, but... She doesn't move.
"Lenna? Hyaa!"
"You did hyaa!? Awesome!" She says as she kneads my breasts from behind.
“You promised you wouldn't do anything weird!”
“I promised I wouldn't touch your tail, I didn't say anything about the rest of your body!”
"T-that's cheating!"
"I don't think so... Why does everyone here have big boobs? Even one of the little fluffy squirrels has them bigger than mine..."
"Uh..." I wanted to push her away, but she suddenly sounds really sad, so I can't. She's not doing it on purpose, is she?
"U-um, size isn't everything"
"They're not that big, but you're a good size, so you can't have an opinion about it... You feel good too~ Squish squish"
"Ah, u-um"
"Or do you like small breasts?"
"..."
"See?" She sounds even more depressed.
“Wait, I'm thinking... If you ask me, I prefer them big to small, but at the end of the day I don't really care, for me the most attractive part of a woman, besides her face, is her butt"
"... Really?"
"Yes! She could be bony or overweight, but as long as she has a nice round butt, not too big and not too small, that is a ten out of ten for me...! Wait, what are you making me say!"
"What about men?"
"Uh, I don't really care much about their bodies, I'm not sure”
"I see... You don't seem to be lying, but... My butt isn't that big either..."
Why does she sound even more miserable than before!? Ugh... Nicole just stands there and says nothing, with a big smile on her face.
Drunk people are dangerous.
-----
When we're done, we go back downstairs... Only to get stares from everyone... I don't mind Nicole looking at me, Sarisa and Lenna a little, but I can take it. But to have someone who is neither known nor unknown looking at me... It makes me incredibly self-conscious for some reason, even makes me regret not complaining about the cleavage and how high the skirt is...
I pay triple attention to the movements of my tail to keep it from lifting... What was I thinking!? I should have worn shorts or something underneath! How could I not have thought of that!?
Seeing my discomfort, Lenna calls to me.
"Come here, eat some rum pudding, it will help you calm down," she pulls me over to the table where Sarisa, Muffin and Dom are sitting, Nicole follows us silently.
Lenna takes the clean plate and fork in front of Sarisa and serves me a big piece of the dessert.
"Hey! That plate was mine..."
She ignores her, I guess I will too, oh right, I should introduce Nicole. I'm not thinking clearly.
"Cof, um, this is my cousin Nicole, I hope you don't mind if she joins us"
"It's a pleasure, Sarisa, Lenna, Dominic, unknown squirrel girl. My cousin has told me so much about you" Huh? Nicole is being polite!? I thought she would say 'what's up' or something...
"Cousin? OOHH! You're the court magician!?"
"Yes?"
I watch them chatting, grateful for the distraction, while I taste the rum pudding Lenna gives me... Oh, it's good. I've only heard of the rum they carry down to the port city for the sailors, I assumed the taste would be super strong and unpleasant, but it goes well with the pudding, there's some cinnamon in it too. I'd like it better without rum, though, and with less caramel and sugar... It's still acceptable, but I think the rum had too much alcohol, so they added a lot of stuff to compensate, resulting in a flavor that's still good, but very strong.
Can you get drunk with something like this? I guess if you eat too much or can't tolerate alcohol. And both seem to be the case with Lenna. Or maybe she had a drink before. I don't know how well I can handle alcohol myself, since I've never had more than a little cooking wine, but I should be fine, right?
-----
Sarisa POV
"Those two are drunk now"
"Yeah"
"It's a shame... I wanted to see her getting drunk, but she's been moving around all day, so it looks like she just got sleepy." Replied... Nicole.
“But, are you okay with that?” She asks me, looking at my sister and Seina.
A few minutes after she finished her rum pudding, they are both sitting close together on stools at the bar, chatting for a while, but now Seina is just resting her head on my sister's collarbone while stroking and squeezing her ears... Lenna returns the favor by stroking her tail....
"It's cute, so it's okay~"
"Hehe, hey Seina!"
"... Mh?" She lifts her head a little... Then shakes it from side to side with a confused look. Haha, yeah, she's getting drunk, maybe the rum was too strong.
"Are you drunk?" Nicole asks with a cute, mischievous smile.
"... I don't know, I'm thinking clearly, I think, but my head feels heavy and I get dizzy when I move my head like this." She shakes her head some more, not realizing that she's brushing her ears against my sister's chin, causing her to make a very realized, happy face.
I don't think she's thinking as well as she realizes, since she's being so clingy, she's so sweet!
"I've been doing some research, both elf ears and fox tails can be erogenous zones, but they don't look like that right now, do they?" I ask. Seina's guest, Muffin, is the one who answers me.
"No... They look like little girls hugging their teddy bears to sleep, huh?"
"Oh! Exactly, I'll tease her a lot about that later~" Nicole replies, looking much more relaxed than before.
"Yeah... I almost feel bad for doubting her so much"
"That's a good habit, hehe"
"Someone with such cute underwear can't be a bad person." The three of us looked, the uniform skirt left no room for her tail, so she pulled it over the top, making the skirt look even shorter than it already was.
And with my sister pulling her tail, well... They're cute, indeed~.
"But can you get drunk on rum flan?"
"Mmm. Apparently yes."
"...Nicole," I say to her, "hasn't your personality changed a bit? I ask as I pour wine into a glass for her.
"Mm? No? I was polite at first, but just for first impressions, it's not necessary anymore. Also, thank you”
Is that how it works? I don't know... But I'm glad that she feels more comfortable. I'm also a little tired, so I'm glad for the informal chat.
Come to think of it, Uncle has been quiet for a while. Oh, he fell asleep.
"I'll be right back! I have to take him upstairs, if he sleeps sitting up, his back will hurt so much that he won't be able to get up"
"Old man stuff, huh? Let me help you," Nicole offers.
"I can't let a court mage do that!"
"I can't let a young girl do that!"
"... How do you know I'm young? If I reach fifty years of age, I won't look much different"
"You just revealed yourself with that sentence. All right, up..." She gently throws Uncle Dom onto her back, oh she's so strong!
"Besides, your magic feels young, not more than twenty-five years old"
"Can you feel that?"
"Something like that," I follow her up the stairs, I guess she knows her way around... Huh? She appeared next to Seina and Lenna, so where did she come from and when did she...? If I hadn't noticed her, I might also be a little affected by the alcohol.
Um, I guess it doesn't matter. She seems like a nice person, she must be, being Seina's relative and all, but I've heard so many unbelievable stories from court magicians... I can't calm down much being around her, hopefully I can get used to it.
-----
Thirty minutes later, plus a few glasses of merlot wine.
"Why are they so big? Even mine are too much and these are even bigger..." I say while kneading Nicole's breasts. Something deep inside me tells me that something weird is going on, but she gave me permission, so I guess it's okay.
"Mmm, I like to eat a lot, maybe that's why?"
"They look like good pillows..."
"I can't tell, why don't you check?"
She pulls me to the middle of her chest...
Yes, they are good pillows, sometimes I wake up with Lenna sleeping on top of me, is this how she feels? Although the sleeping Lenna doesn't mind her posture or the parts she presses on, so it's usually painful for me.
"... What am I looking at?"
"Muffin, do you want to join in?"
"No thanks, are you drunk too- uoo!?"
"Don't be shy~" Nicole pulls her along and now we're both pressed against her chest... Huh, it's been a long time since I relaxed like this, things got a little worse after the Xenos attack... I was able to meet Seina though, so no problem. Speaking of which...
"By the way, why did the castle call those monsters 'Xenos?'"
"Ah, right! I was wondering about that too; I was a bit busy so I forgot..." Muffin adds.
"Someone suggested it and nobody came up with anything better." Nicole says.
"What does it mean?"
"I have no idea. You both have very soft hair..."
The slight change in the pace of the conversation brings some clarity back to me. Looks like both cousins are not good with alcohol, huh?
I'd like to have fun too, but it's been a while since I've seen the three little ones... Although the older sister doesn't seem worried, maybe she has a good nose just like Seina and can smell them?
"I'll be right back." With a little effort I get up and go to the back room, where I find the three sisters sleeping curled up close together on the couch... How cute! At least they're okay, I'll get them a blanket.
-----
"Squirrels are so adorable~"
Hazel, the younger sister, woke up while I was blanketing them, she joined us and now Nicole is cuddling and petting her. She looks particularly carefree, but can still talk coherently when she wants to.
“I think it's time to go, the little ones should have been in bed a good while ago.” Nicole says.
She hands me over to Hazel, whom I begin to pet, and goes to wake Seina, who is curled up in the corner with my unconscious sister... We need more furniture as soon as possible. They weren't making much noise, so we didn't pay much attention to them, but my sister's ears are a little red, as if they'd been nibbled, while Seina's tail is heavily decorated with ribbons, bows and some little flowers... I'm not my sister, but the need to rub my face against that tail is not small...
"Hey, wake up, wake up"
-----
Seina POV
"Wake up!"
... What?
"Are you awake?"
"... Yes, I think so"
I feel like I'm spinning around, why is my tail tingling a little...? Let's fix that, I ask my magic to cleanse the alcohol in my body, make my nervous system react and fix the communication between my brain and my body...
"I'm fine now... Very fine, actually, it's kind of disappointing"
"... You shouldn't cure your drunkenness like that"
"Huh? Is it dangerous?"
"Not that I know of, but the first binge is never forgotten, so you should experience it properly... On second thought, I think you did well"
"Why?"
“Just falling asleep doesn't count, you have to experience it properly. It's also kind of lame to get drunk on dessert... Even if that dessert smells more like alcohol than anything else"
"I don't want to be part of any drunken tradition"
"Neither do I, but drinking can be fun, in moderation"
"Eh, what time is it anyway?"
"I don't know, but it's late, we should get going"
"Yeah... Oh, I almost forgot why I came here." I walk over to Sarisa.
-----
I spend the next few minutes explaining Lance's situation to her, at some point Lenna wakes up and listens as well. All in all, there's not much to tell. A nice guy, but a fool who got carried away and was motivated by bad people. Then I get to the part where he told me to give them money...
"Sure, it'll come in handy." Sarisa says.
"I don't want to take anything from him, but yes, it will be very handy." Lenna follows.
"... You accepted very easily"
"From what you say, he regretted it? He's also paying for the damages, so I don't think it's wrong to forgive him"
... Huh, that's very mature of them, could I do the same...? If I meet that doctor again and he tells me that he regrets... Could I tell him from the bottom of my heart that I forgive him?
... I don't know.
Sarisa speaks, distracting me from that troubling thought.
"Thank you for bringing it to us, and sorry for keeping you so long, you can keep the uniform," the older sister says.
"Really, thank you! I need to adjust it for the tail, but I really like it." I would resist a little longer, but it clearly doesn't fit either of them. I don't know how much a waitress makes, but I kinda want to try it at least once. Maybe one day.
"Glad to hear that!"
Nicole and I carry the sleeping sisters. They lead us outside; we say goodbye and go home. Nicole is the only one who actually seems to know where we are exactly, so we follow her.
Throughout the night, Muffin and her sisters became more and more quiet... I think that was a sign that they were very tired. Should I have postponed the visit...? Probably, but they had fun, and they'll have a big, fluffy bed to sleep on, so I hope they don't mind.
When we got home, we invited the squirrels to stay here. But Muffin is stubborn, so I give her my key to the bedroom and Nicole writes a threatening- I mean, informative note to the caretaker. We promise to keep in touch and part ways.
...
Home at last... I was here a while ago, but it doesn't feel the same now that I'm free. It turned into a bit of a party, even though I only wanted to leave them an errand.
"Well... Time for bed, see you tomorrow," Nicole says and goes straight to her room.
"Where are you going? Clean yourself up first, your breath smells like wine"
"I forgot"
As we brush our teeth, I think... I want to sleep with Nicole. But I realize that I've never slept with her on my own initiative. Except when she asks me to, or when I notice she's very tired...
I don't know how to ask her. Should I just go to her bed? But what if she doesn't want to and kicks me out? Nicole seems to hear what I'm thinking, how do they do that? Dom could say it too... I don't think I'm that expressive, am I?
"What's wrong~?"
"W-why are you asking?"
“It seems to me that you want to ask me something~”
"... Aren't you sleepy? You should go to sleep"
"I guess so~." She doesn't move.
"..."
"..."
"... Can I sleep with you?"
"SURE! FINALLY!!! I've been waiting years for you to ask!" She hugs me tightly.
"Eh... I feel bad now, thanks"
"Don't worry, come on~"
"Wait, I didn't... Use the toilet, huh? I don't feel like it, but I don't think I've gone all day..."
"Are you sick?"
"No... Oh, I cleaned my body with magic several times during the day, do you think that made the waste in my body disappear as well?"
"Huh, what do you think about when you use that magic?"
"Well... Removing all the dirt, stains and impurities from my body and clothes, something like that"
"I guess that counts, that's good, right?"
"... I don't think so, those microorganisms are very useful for the body"
"Then just exclude them the next time you use it, sounds very useful to me though"
"... I guess if I'm traveling or something, I wouldn't mind not having to look for a restroom"
"Good for you. More importantly, since you finally got the desire to sleep together, let's get dressed for the occasion~"
She goes back downstairs; I'll wait for her in her room.
Minutes later, Nicole appears with a lot of bags. She puts them nonchalantly on the floor.
"First of all, take this, keep it in your room," she hands me a small card... Which has my face on it.
"... Is this a picture of me? I thought photographs were barely visible, black and white things?"
Images come to my mind. But now I just want to sleep, so I ignore them. It's some kind of identification, with my name, address, etcetera, etcetera. It also has some important-looking seals on it.
"There are some more practical cameras out there that take better pictures than those, don't worry"
"Okay..."
"This will help you work as a doctor. It's not as prestigious as a specialized degree, but it will allow you to work in almost any hospital in the kingdom, even in some of the surrounding countries"
"Oohh~ how useful. I don't want to be a full-time doctor. I don't like to see blood and entrails. But I don't mind helping out from time to time, thank you..."
"Although you are a special case, there are more than enough witnesses to your abilities, many of them important people. That's the standard license, so to speak, you need proof of experience, exams, and a lot of annoying stuff if you want a better one. It's not worth it though, this one is good enough if you ask me"
"How did you get it?"
"Oh, the royal family found out about the old man you beat up, they agreed without a problem"
"Thanks again... But I think the most I've done so far is fix arms and legs cut off by the Xenos. A general practitioner can't get involved in that, or yes?
"Officially, it's just a general practitioner's license, but that stamp there marks you as a special case, you're allowed to work in any specialized areas"
“The royal family can authorize that?”
“Technically, they can authorize anything they want”
"Of course... Muffin said you have to study for many years to become a doctor, I won't lose to idiots like that old yeller, but I still don't feel like I deserve it..."
"Make good use of that license and that feeling will change"