Sara nervously raises a hand. "I have some shopping I need doing, and I dearly miss my sweetheart. Maybe while we're out, Malphene and I can take you out drinking? Give you a quick, impromptu bachelorette party? Just booze, strippers and gambling, nothing Zhi would disapprove of," she jokes.
"I'm not interrupting anything am I Zileska? I don't want to get in the way if you're 'entertaining' Duchess Veleto or anything like that." The way she hovers makes it clear that the changeling is nervous and she fidgets badly once invited in.
"I was hoping to take you up on the offer... of more advice I mean." She says, the words tumbling out in a mess. "You see... Zhi and I... well... there's a few things that I've seen that you've got and I'm curious about them. I want to use them together but Zhi... she's not keen, a bit nervous even and I was hoping you could give me some ideas for how to introduce them to her, show her that its nothing scary or intimidating."
"Yes, there are things I need to do in Oppara as well," Zhi says absently as she eats.
"Wait, what?" she says, her head popping up as what Sara said sinks in. "S-S-Strippers?" Her face goes red as she looks at Melodie.
Zileska is polite as usual in spite of her saucy new attire. When Eutropia brings up the topic of her new clothing, she eagerly replies, "Enchanted armor! It can look like an outfit while retaining its defensive properties." She taps her cleavage demonstratively. "Instead of this being a spear-catching cleft, it's actually protected by a thin but incredibly strong layer of mithral. But it is simultaneously protective, seductive, and ridiculous." She beams with delight at her absurd armor.
"I should have no trouble locating the ersatz Duchess Veleto. Rather, she'll come to me. Thus far she's been passive and no trouble at all, though I admittedly don't know enough about magically-animated paintings to know whether she might suddenly become a hazard. We can investigate that and then decide how to deal with her."
She crosses her legs and listens attentively to the various plans, and once the meeting breaks she eagerly assists Melodie in the wedding preparations however directed.
She has an outfit laid out on her bed and she starts unbuckling the ludicrous pseudo-breastplate. "Don't mind me, this looks like clothing but it still weighs as much as actual armor, and while mithral is light, it's still more of a burden than actual cloth. I'm just going to switch to a different outfit for the evening. Please, continue." She drops the breastplate on the bed and starts shimmying out of her skirt.
Initially, Sara had been joking about the particulars of the bachelorette party, but at Zhi's hesitance she doubles down. Her grin might be a giveaway. "Oh yes, I know this great place in Oppara called the Courtesan's Club. In the front it's this restaurant where your waitress dresses like a noblewoman and flirts with you all night but if you pay extra you can gain special admission to their backroom, where they have lap dancers, burlesque, St. Clydwell's crosses, and if you pay even more, playtime. But, lucky for us, the manager is my ex-girlfriend, and we're in good standing, so we should be good for backroom access, as long as we tip."
"Uhhh ... I think ... I think I'll be busy," Zhi stammers out. "Right Mel?"
Martella follows you as you file out of the meeting room. "On a personal level, I wanted to thank you for not succumbing to your baser instincts and attempting to loot the palace. Not that I thought you would, but sometimes you never know. I had these cloaks enchanted for each of you. May they help protect you in the trials to come." She hands each of you a finely embroidered cloak.
"For now, take some time to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor—a tidy estate, a thriving village, and the comforts of a nearby palace. You should have at least a few weeks before we will need to call on you once again."
Arrange Secret Meeting (Subterfuge)
Arrange Secret Meeting (Subterfuge)
"That sounds... interesting." Melodie responds with a smile. "I suppose we could go and have a look..." She winks at Zhi, enjoying her fiancee's blushing.
Sara blinks, stunned. "What, really? I was joking, trying to make Zhi uncomfortable, but if you want really strippers, booze, gambling and S&M, I can make that happen. Courtesan Club it is, then."
She gets up and mumbles something about needing to write a letter to her ex.
Zileska smirks as the bachelorette party rapidly escalates in absurdity. "This has the makings of some kind of local legend," she says. "Don't go too overboard. After all, we've made strides to try to convince everyone that we're not just a bunch of dissolute and decadent nobles, right?"
Zileska finishes undressing, snags the robe from her bed, and tosses it on. With a quick gesture she ties it, but she paces back and forth a few times before she finally turns to look at Melodie, hands on hips, with a serious expression.
"This is serious."
"The way that Zhi hesitates about certain things makes me believe that she may be a survivor of sexual trauma."
"This isn't a matter of 'convincing' her. It's a matter of figuring out those traumas and helping her to resolve them. Something that will come only with time, understanding, patience, and a great deal of care," says the priestess.
She pauses and taps her lips, then says, "Are you... familiar with hypnosis?"
Zhi gives her love a look that screams 'Really?!'.
The familiar sound of the bell over the door is reassuring as Zhi steps into the tea shop.
"Ah, Little Zhi, you are back. It's good to see you," the small woman says as she steps down from the step-ladder where she's arranging some jars.
"Hello Akari-san. It's good to see you as well," Zhi says with a smile as she bows to the woman.
"So what brings you back to Oppara?" Akari asks. "What would be important enough to leave your big estate to come visit humble Akari?"
"There are some things that I can only find here," Zhi says. "One of which is actually tea." She smirks at the last. "I also have some news."
"Ah, well tea first then news," Akari says with a wave of her hands.
Zhi begins looking around the shop nervously.
"Ummm ... well ... I was wondering if you kept any ... Yoru no ran?" she manages to stammer out, blushing furiously.
"Night Orchid?" the woman echoes, her eyebrows raising. "What are you up to little Zhi? Have you and Kaito finally ... ?"
"No! Kaito and I are only ... well, we're not even friends any more."
"Ah, good, he wasn't the right boy for you anyway. Yes, I think I might have some left."
The tiny woman moves her step ladder to a different shelf and, after climbing the ladder, retrieves a small, dust-covered package with a tag attached. She climbs down and places the package on the counter in front of the young rogue.
"So what were you saying about news? I hope it's good news. There's been a rarity of that lately."
Zhi smiles as she looks over the package of tea. "Yes, I think it's good news, Akari-san. I'm getting m..." her eyes go wide and then narrow as she reads the tag on the package.
"You meddling old woman!" she snaps. However, there's a hint of a smile as she holds up the tag.
Good luck to Zhi and Melodie on your new life together.
"Of course I meddle," Akari says with a confused look. "That's what old women do. Now what was the good news you were trying to tell me?"
Zhe steps around the counter and takes the old woman in a tight hug.
"Thank you," she says softly.
"Don't thank me yet. The tea doesn't promise anything. And unless there's something about the Lady d'Valois that is being kept very secret, you'll need something else as well." The woman raises an eyebrow. "Which is not cheap and I imagine you'll want two?"
Zhi's blush returns. "Yes, definitely two, please," she says as she looks away and then steps back in front of the counter.
"It may take a bit of time, but when I get them, I'll send them along to your estate," the woman says with a nod.
Zhi picks up the tea and turns to go. She stops and turns back. "How did you know?" she says holding up the package.
"Oh little Zhi, that desire is as old as the moon," she says with an understanding smile.
"Thank you, Akari-san."
"Be careful little Zhi," Akari says as the young rogue opens the door. "This isn't a challange you can overcome with your pretty sword."
As Melodie travels along one of the small side streets in the merchant quarter, she sees Zhi preparing to enter a small jewelry shop.
At seeing her fiancee approaching, Zhi steps away from the door and looks around nervously.
"What are you doing here?" she says, sounding like she's been caught doing something naughty. "Are you following me? You're not supposed to be following me!"
Her eyes narrow.
"I told you to stay out of here," she says tapping her temple. "That's cheating."
The suggestion of hypnotism has her raising her eyebrows. "Some people have called my singing voice hypnotic, but no. Not first hand. Could you tell me some more about it?"
She steps back, speaking more seriously this time. "We don't have to do it if you don't want to. I just thought it might be fun, and maybe a good place to pick up some ideas." Her eyebrows start waggling comically at the last sentence. For the next time we play knights and princesses maybe?"[/b]
She glances up at the shop in question. "So, who are you buying for? She must be a lucky girl!"
Zileska picks up her armor and moves to hang it on a wall-hook, speaking as she nods.
"Hypnotism is a way of entrancing people. Usually it's used for carnival games, or sometimes to try to convince someone to do something they wouldn't. But it can also be used to explore memories safely, to help recall and deal with parts of the past that someone finds difficult," she says.
"You would probably be a natural, with your mesmeric gaze and your soothing voice. You could get Zhi to relax, enter a state of suggestion where you can guide her through her past trauma and help her to remember and deal with it more safely."
She finishes arranging the armor pieces to her satisfaction and then sits on the edge of the bed.
"Remember what I said before about power? If Zhi is a survivor of sexual trauma, then someone took away her power - probably with penetration - so now that will bring back all those feelings of helplessness and shame."
Zileska smiles wryly and continues, "You don't need me to tell you that Zhi is a ball of neuroses and conflicting impulses. She has a lot of personal history tied up in issues of winning her father's approval, her missing mother, and the difficult life that she had in her youth. That's why she has all those personas that she puts on - she separates herself from the different actions that she takes, makes false identities to allow her to act in ways contrary to her 'true' self."
"Anyway, if she has these kinds of issues, you'll need to help her get to the bottom of them, and that will take time and practice. You can help by getting her used to seeing that you can enjoy penetration and that it's not something to fear. You also might introduce her to the idea through playing make-believe, taking on roles - she's used to that, it may help her to feel like she is 'someone else' as she gets used to it."
Zileska crosses her legs and places her hands on her knees, rocking slightly back and forth.
"Honestly the mesmeric aspects of this are very much outside my purview, but I may be able to provide some guidance in the practical aspects, and if you and Zhi are willing I will do what I can to help."
She steps back, speaking more seriously this time. "We don't have to do it if you don't want to. I just thought it might be fun, and maybe a good place to pick up some ideas." Her eyebrows start waggling comically at the last sentence. "For the next time we play knights and princesses maybe?"
"If that's what you wish, Printesa Mea," Zhi says, her blush fading and a look of purpose replacing it.
She smiles and then looks to Sara.
"It appears that we're in; the party is on."
She looks back at Melodie and bites her bottom lip.
"Actually, sometimes she's a very naughty girl," Zhi says, raising an eyebrow. "But I love her anyway."
She spares a side glance at the shop she was about to enter.
"And now since I'm no longer shopping, would you like to join me for lunch?"
She takes her hand and holds it tight. "I'm not trying to 'fix' you or anything sweetheart. I just want to help. If that means shutting up and not saying anything then I can do that too."
If she's not going to tell me about her shopping, then she definitely doesn't get a sneak peek at mine!
Sara comes back with a stack of papers, a pen and an inkwell, setting them down and begins scribbling furiously. "Okay who should we bring? Typically with a hen do, your fiancé doesn't come along but we've already stricken that tradition so, just the five of us and Malphene, or do we want to invite anyone from Meratt also?I think it would be really funny to invite Martella or the Baroness or the Crabbes. Do either of you have any friends that would want to join us? No men, this night is all about girls, girls, girls. I think we start with dinner in the front, maybe ask Stacy or Amanda to host for us, I'll put down 200 gold for dinner and drinks and also a pot of 100 gold for tips later on. I think I can spin for us to have free drinks in the back but if you want to get whipped on the cross, get that in early because they won't do it if you are too drunk unless it's like super slow, which it won't be. Another 50 gold will get us each a lap dance, past that first one though, y'all are on your own."
"Alista's nice," Zhi says as Sara begins her planning. "The Purple Finch?"
She glances at Melodie again.
"And I have no plans on getting whipped," she says with assurance.
She leans close to her love and whispers in her ear.
Melodie can't hide the smirk that arises and hastily clears her throat to distract from it. "I have a few girlfriends I could invite. But only if you don't try and hit on them Sara!" She says with a grin, and an undercurrent of seriousness. "I think I'll pass on the lapdance though - my fiancee is going to be there afterall!"
"We could invite Onora as well?" She suggests, "And don't you owe the Grand Banker an evening of opera Sara? Maybe she'd take this instead?"
"Hypnotism?" Zhi says in confusion. Realization then dawns on her. "You've been talking to Zileska about Mr. Sweets, haven't you?! Mel, how could you do that? That's ... I don't want anyone to know that ... You had no right to tell her that!"
Tears begin filling her eyes.
Once they find a nice place to eat and place their orders, Zhi reaches across the table and takes Melodie's hands in hers.
"There's something I do want to talk about," Zhi says. "How do you feel about children?"
Sara looks at Mel quizzically. "Why?" With a gesture to Zhi, she continues. "She doesn't own you. If you don't want one, I'll drop it, but this is your party, regardless of Zhi's presence. A lap dance is harmless, it's not going to lead to infidelity unless it was already heading down that path, but if you're truly insistent," she crosses her arms and leans back, "then Zhi should give you one. At the party, in front of everyone."
"Sure, I'll dance for her," Zhi says with a smile.
She then looks back at Sara, sure she's now missing something.
"Wait, what's a lap dance?"
Sara smirks and looks her in the eyes. "Are you asking for a demonstration?"
As Sara looks at her, Zhi feels some of the old heat rising in her belly. She swallows and then reaches out and grasps Melodie's hand.
"No," she says, looking away. "I was ... I was just asking a question."
Blasting through the planning, Sara scribbles the names of everyone mentioned so far, and various plans and assortments. "That just leaves the gambling. I know of an illegal casino and bar under the bridge but that's a little off the beaten path, that is. But it's us. Any local tough tries anything, I'll push their head into the ground."
"This was her idea Zhi, just to try and help. I never, never said anything about what you told me. I wouldn't!"
She drops the act a moment later. "I've not thought about it much really. I certainly wouldn't mind. Selli is just too adorable isn't she?"
Melodie pauses, and stares slightly blankly over Zhi's shoulder for a while. "I always assumed I'd be a mother eventually. It was just a given, that one day I'd be married, and have children of my own. The next generation of my husband's family."
She smiles and comes back to earth. "Why? Do you have a surrogate father in mind already?"
"Well this sounds like a lot of fun." Melodie says brightly, "We should let you plan the parties more often Sara!"
She whispers in Zhi's ear. "Let's just say they're more... private dances. I could show you later?"
"I'm sorry. I just ... I ... I should know you wouldn't ... "
She reaches up and wipes her eyes.
"I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I'm sorry. I'm just not ... not ready to talk about it with anyone else yet. It makes me feel ... "
She shudders and wraps her arms around herself.
She smiles and comes back to earth. "Why? Do you have a surrogate father in mind already?"
"Now that you mention it," Zhi says, looking down and idly moving her food around on her plate. "Yes, I do." She reaches down and spears a piece of carrot. "You." She pops the bite into her mouth. She smiles as she chews.
"In Minkai, noble families have almost always preferred sons to daughters," she says, frowning for just a moment. "Some of the wealthier ones even go so far as to give their young daughters a magical drink that changes them into sons."
She looks back down at her plate.
"I have a way to get two of those elixirs. It would make it possible for you to ... "
She tips her head sideways and shrugs as if not needing to clarify her statement.
"I think it would be worth it; for a child that would be part you and part me. But I know that it would be asking for something that you might not be willing ... "
She pushes her plate away.
"I'm sorry. I'm asking too much."
"I won't mention it again. Just remember that I love you, no matter what."
"I'm sorry darling, I know that's your culture... but that's just... awful! To condemn a child for simply being born..." Melodie rages for about a minute more, thankfully keeping her voice fairly quiet until she finally runs out of steam and considers the rest of Zhi's proposal.
"I'd love to have a child with you Zhi. And if you want it then that's even more reason for me to do it with you. But have you thought about..." She makes a vague humming noise and a rather explicit finger gesture with her index finger curled and an erect thumb. "Do you think you're ready for that? I don't want to push you into anything."
"Thank you," she says after a moment of holding Melodie close. She wipes her eyes and nose. A smile begins to show through the red face and puffy eyes.
"So what were you saying about showing me how to lap dance?"
"I agree that it's a horrendous thing to do to a child. That's not the type of decision someone should ever make for someone else, regardless of age."
She ponders for a moment.
"And technically, you wouldn't be pushing me into anything; you would be pushing something into me," she says with levity, but there's a sense of fear that someone that doesn't know Zhi would miss.
"I ... I think I could get past it. For a child."
"I ... I think I could get past it. For a child."
"I could help with that." She offers gently. "I know you turned it down before, but I've been practising anyway. I really think if we give it a chance then hypnotism might help. If you want."
She abandons her chair to sit beside Zhi on the padded booth side of the table and kisses her hand. "I love you, so much."
Zhi closes her eyes and nods. She leans in and kisses Melodie gently.
"Thank you - for everything."
Zhi leans against her love.
"The elixir is permanent," Zhi says. "But it doesn't just turn you male. It reverses what you are. So with a second one you would be back to what you were before."
She breathes deeply.
"Maybe I ... we ... should talk to Zileska about this.
Zhi grins at Melodie.
"After the party."
"I'll let the crack about my wardrobe slide," says Zileska as she runs her fingers down the lapel of her yellow robe. "Let me know when you and Zhi are ready for another talk and we can try to broach the subject."
"Sounds like it'll be fun, but it doesn't sound like my kind of thing and I'd rather not be the stick in the mud dragging the rest of you down by just sitting there looking bored and nursing a single drink for more than an hour."
Sara's invitations are very specific as to the level of debauchery she has planned. On the front is a surprisingly tasteful illustration of a trio of naked women holding aloft a sign that reads "You are invited to an evening of Wine, Women and ," with the inside detailing the event and itinerary. In it, it also states that everyone is responsible for their own tips and money spent gambling, but gold shall be provided for the meal, drink and one lap dance.
The dress code is listed simply as "skanky".
The group gathers outside a popular restaurant and secret burlesque bar, the Courtesan Club. It's busy but Sara has made a reservation privately. They are to receive a banquet room and will be joined by three attractive young women named Stacy, Sandra, and Amanda, who will also be their waitresses.
Sara wears next to nothing, a mere black and silver slip, but is adorned with a lot of jewelry. "We ready to f+$!ing do this thing?"
As they arrive at the intended location, Zhi grins at Melodie. Her eyes glance around at the others before, with the closing of her eyes, her cloak vanishes revealing her black dress.
"So, does this fit the dress code," she says with a shy look at her fiancee.
She leans in close.
"Let's do this!" Zhi shouts out to Sara.
Inside the restaurant, a professional looking woman cordially greets Sara with a hug and a kiss on both cheeks. "SO who's the lucky girl?" she says, gathering the bunch and leading them over antique terrazzo flooring, where seated at every booth is an attractive gentleman or lady in a tight fitting blue uniform, a tailored three piece suit for the men and a variety of faux high society dresses for the ladies. These are the servers, the hosts, the "courtesans" of the Courtesan Club.
Unlike most establishments in this part of Oppara, the front half of the club doesn't advertise itself for nobles, but rather, those aspiring to climb the social ladder, claiming to provide a unique but authentic "dinner party experience". A guest at the club would be able to practice their skills at courting or basic etiquette, or even just find someone to listen to them.
Up a flight of stairs, a decadent spread is laid out for the girls, meats and cheeses, crudite, and plenty of wine. The manager smiles and with a stretch of her hand indicates the table. "Here's some finger foods so you can meet the girls and get settled in. Say hello to Stacy, Sandra and Amanda; they'll be taking care of you tonight."
Cut into one wall is a large sliding window, allowing the guests to filter out or let in as much of the noise from the dining room as desired, and also offering a brilliant view of the restaurant below. Across the way, another such window is cut, overlooking the stage in the backroom. An elegant woman performs a fan dance and, as the party peers down, blows a kiss and parts her fans, offering a full view of her body. It is apparently the end of her act.
This window does not open.
When the woman asks about the lucky girl, Zhi holds up Melodie's hand with hers and then points at her with her other hand. A wide grin is plastered across her face.
~~~
"Hello Stacey. Hello Sandra. Hello Amanda," Zhi says as she reaches for two glasses of wine. She hands one to Melodie and takes a deep drink of the other one.
She wanders over to the window facing the stage, but once she gets a glimpse of what's happening on stage, she returns to Melodie with a red face.
"She's naked!" she stage whispers.
Melodie arrives at the party wearing what appears to be a relatively conservative blue dress, largely unadorned. However once they get inside the illusion melts away and reveals that she has in fact, gone all out for the evening.
Her red dress is secured by a thin strap around her neck, suggestive of a collar or choker, and has no back until it reaches the curve at the bottom of her spine. From the front it's more conservative, but wraps around her front only to her side, and tightly at that, meaning that observing from side on one would see every curve of Melodie's figure.
The neckline from the front is higher, but does have a strategic cut-out between her breasts where a small gem hangs on a chain, catching the light and refracting it around the room. Combined with the dress leaving her shoulders and arms bare, and the long slits up the sides to allow her to walk Melodie is treading a fine line between classy and sluttish. The Subtle Mask is on full display, covering much of her upper face, although her lips are painted a vivid red to match her dress.
She inclines her head to the hostess when the question about 'the lucky girl' is asked, and follows her to the private room, looking around with interest. She accepts the glass of wine from Zhi and offers each of the servers a smile and a nod before turning to watch the dance.
"I thought you were used to naked women dancing for you by now." She murmurs into Zhi's ear, lips lingering close to the skin.
Malphene sticks close to Sara, her arm linked through the other woman's. The noblewoman is clad in a scant olive silk dress that is opened in the front, baring much of her cleavage and her belly.
Alista looks around the club in wonder. She's dressed in a tight, black bustier dress and matching fascinator. "Wow. I've heard stories of these sorts of places, but I never thought I'd actually be in one some day! I guess it pays to have friends in high places."
"This is going to be so much fun!" Sepsinia grins. The younger Crabbe wears blue, black, red and yellow dress along with long stockings and a red headband. "After everything that happened, I really need a party like this."
"It reminds me of my schoolgirl days," Parthena says dreamily. She's chosen to wear a tight blue dress inspired by Qadiran fashions, one that clings tightly to her generous curves. "Though of course I would never go to some place this...debauched! Why, if my classmates could see me now, they would be positively scandalized!"
Baroness Voinum (who has insisted everybody just call her "Adella" tonight) seems unimpressed. The older woman wears a red dress with a low neckline. "Meh. I'm just here for the free drinks."
"I thought you were used to naked women dancing for you by now." She murmurs into Zhi's ear, lips lingering close to the skin.
Zhi drains the rest of her glass before replying.
"If the lap dance counts, then you've only danced for me naked once," she whispers back. "And no, I'm still not used to that." She punctuates her words with a nibble as she slides her hand down Melodie's bare back.
She steps away and grabs another drink.
"Who wants to see the lucky girl get a lap dance?" she calls out to the rest of the group. She downs half of her second glass of wine.
"Already?" Sara responds. "We've barely arrived!"
With a hearty laugh she finishes her drink and sits down atop Malphene's lap, pouring herself a generous second portion. "And how are you, my dear," she asks, burying her face in Malphene's neck.
She orders the meal through one of the courtesans and as the woman gets up to leave, she turns around and flirts with a different one. "My girlfriend and I both think you're gorgeous," she starts, running through the motions.
---
After about thirty minutes of finger food and booze, the first course arrives. It's a delightfully simple salad with cheese and olive oil infused with anchovy, paired with a tart white wine tasting more than a little lemony.
For the next course, the girls are given the choice between a cut of sheep's liver served on a bed of mashed potatoes, or a strange green rice dish with squid and mussels; the liver is paired with a dry, dark red wine that smells heavily of cherries, and the seafood is paired with a crisp white.
At dinner proper, each girl is given the choice between an obscenely large steak served with just a slice of butter and a lemon, a stuffed leg of lamb, or a salt-baked rock fish, cracked open at the table. They are all quite the spectacle, and, as before, come with their own wine pairings.
As the meal comes to a close, Sara insinuates dessert lies in the other room, but first asks the crowd if anyone has anything special to say about the two ladies.
She begins.
"Anyone who has been in the same room as her knows Melodie has the voice of an angel. I've known her since she was sixteen, and she's quite a far way gone from the timid girl I kept house for. Proud of you, b#~#~! Melodie, I am so grateful you have found your confidence and I hope you and Zhi have a remarkable life together. I love you both, and wish you many happy returns."
"Already?" Sara responds. "We've barely arrived!"
"I didn't know there was a protocol," Zhi says with a laugh as she finishes her second drink. "I've never done this before."
~~~
As Sara sings Melodie's praises, Zhi moves up close to stand behind her fiancee, resting her chin on the girl's shoulder. Her hands slide up and down Melodie's back before moving to her waist and then begin to creep up.
"I think you're pretty hot too," she whispers in a breathy voice. She gently kisses Melodie's neck.
With a hearty laugh she finishes her drink and sits down atop Malphene's lap, pouring herself a generous second portion. "And how are you, my dear," she asks, burying her face in Malphene's neck.
"Better now that you've come home," Malphene says, hands roaming across Sara's thighs. "Are you sure you can't stay longer? I sat around in that stuffy old estate for weeks while you traipsed across the county. The least you could do is stay in the city for a few more days. It's so boring without you here. You'd think this so-called 'War for the Crown' would make things more exciting, but so far it's just been business as usual."
"I think I can stay a few more days," Sara nods, nails digging into Malphene's back. "I love you so much," she whispers, kissing the woman's cheek and running her loose hand all over. "I miss you."
She finishes her glass of wine and holds tight to Malphene with both hands now, leaning up to whisper, "Do you wanna see if we can both get laid tonight, or would you like it to be just us? Who should we go for?"
"I love you, too," Malphene replies. "Slut," she says in a softer voice, her tone playful.
Grinning, Dame Trant eyes a dark-skinned serving girl across the room. "I'll take her. You pick one, and then we can switch halfway through. And then those two can have each other, and I'll have you."
Melodie leans into Zhi's touch. "Well that was the idea." She grins back, "We don't dress up often enough and I wanted to feel sexy for you. Besides, I'm the luckiest girl in the club because I'm here with you. I can at least make sure you get a good date out of it!"
As Sara starts praising her to the room Melodie can't help the blush rising, she smiles widely, blows a kiss to Sara and tries desperately not to let her cheeks match her dress.