Farama was not stupid. Beric was a decent actress, but that only worked when she was trying to hide something… And while she had returned to her usual nonchalant demeanor that didn't change the fact that she emoted clearly in the few moments Mikael was on her…  The fact that she had moaned loudly in ecstasy of climax at the mere touch of their friend… Well, it wasn't hard to imagine something unnatural was going on… And Beric was deliberately avoiding her gaze over it...

It probably shouldn't have hurt her, but it did… They hadn't negotiated the details of whatever relationship they had but she thought Beric felt comfortable enough to trust her with things like this but… Apparently not? I mean granted she’d only just begun to enjoy her company but, did the night before and this morning even mean anything or was she… Just reading into it too deeply. 

“Lass! Are ye’ still whit us?” Narok spoke snapping his fingers in Farama's direction as he stood upon his seat to be just a bit closer to her. 

She blinked at the interruption. Right, the new contract they'd taken on. 

"Sorry Narok I'm alright, merely a bit distracted… Could we go over that once more?" 

Narok nodded at the Elven Wizard's request "Aye, I can give you a brief rundown… Some traveling alch'mist said a slime he'da been experimentin' on got oout of its contain'r… Says it be dengerous and aggressiv'... Took his formulae book it did. He be wantin' 'is book back an us to deal whit the slime fore it hurts any travellers. Lucky he has a pretty good idea of where it be and mapped it fer us…" Narok patted a parchment rolled on the table for good measure. "Tis about a day's travel into the wood. He's paid us a 100 silver ta split fer takin a look in advance and plans to offer 15 Gold apiece if we bring back 'is book."

Farama's eyes bugged out of her head… "That… Is quite a bit in advance… And the gold reward for succeeding being one and a half times as much for us all individually makes me wonder why he is offering so much... Especially when he could probably convince the town guard to do all of this for free…"

Narok nodded his head. "That be what I said but 'parently they ent' concern'd. Not that I blame em' slimes ain't too big a threat… It be more his research he be worried aboot. Keepin' in mind that be his livelihood… I can un'erstand why he be willing to shill out so much…"

Farama nodded at his words... She supposed that made sense, and if Narok suspected this to be shady there'd be no way the chivalrous dwarf would have even considered the job for them even were they offered all the gold in the realm for doing so... Even if the overt generosity of the alchemist made little sense to her she supposed he could be desperate at this time... "I suppose then that this is a bit of good fortune for us... I'm guessing we shall be leaving after indulging in breakfast then?" 

Narok nodded once more. "Aye, we have enough supplies for the job. I suppose we can make it back in a couple of days, collect our pay, and then decide what to do next... Maybe see if we can track down the Fey that changed Beric 'ere."

“No!” Beric’s response rang out almost immediately drawing the entire table’s attention to her, Farama noticing the bard was almost immediately beginning to blush at her outburst… 

“That reaction was not what I would have expected of someone in your situation...” She noted.

“It’s just...” Beric squirmed at the rest of the party. “She obviously has powerful magic… Magic we can’t hope to match… Maybe one day we’ll encounter her again but… If you all suffered trying to fix me then I-” She froze at the implication…

There was a pregnant pause before Narok spoke up. “That’s more than fair lass… We’ll figure somethin’ else out, I promise...”

Soon the group ate their meal and departed for parts unknown...

As the party made camp for the evening they pursued their usual duties... Mikael would scout the nearby area for food and potential enemies, and Narok would look for solid kindling to keep their fire going well into the evening. This left Farama and Beric alone at the campsite for some time, as the former set up tents securely and the latter prepped the burgeoning campfire for cooking later that night... The silence between them was palpable, not that the pair had much to discuss before their encounter the previous evening, but now Farama was much more aware of the silence... The unspoken words highlighting the awkwardness of the morning after entering the tavern... 

"So... " Farama spoke up, finally... "I think after this morning I think we need to talk..."

Beric turned towards her with wide eyes, but the redhead quickly regained her composure with a charming damn smile... "Of course... What is on your mind Fay Fay?"

Farama sighed as she thought on her words before speaking up. "I'm worried for you. The way you seemed to react to Mikael being on top of you for a mere couple moments it-"

Before she could finish her statement however Beric interrupted her with a dismissive hand wave. "Ah yes that, not to worry I was just a bit wound up from our activities the prior night and he sort of rubbed me the right way accidentally… Not to be a concern."

Farama blinked at her reply. "Beric… That isn't exactly normal. Are you sure that's all it was, that you were merely that aroused?" 

Beric merely gave a chuckle. "Of course. After all, I wasn't used to my new form and I'm always a bit wound up after some casual sex with a friend."

For some reason Farama felt a pang as she said that… Friends… It is what they seemed to have become but why… She quickly determined she was simply feeling touch starved. That was it. She missed the embrace of another woman and so her time with Beric felt more meaningful than it was… Still…

"Right with a friend… Sorry I was just worried about you… I think I was feeling a bit wound up too just… Please tell me about anything that happens okay? Fey magic is unpredictable… I don't want you getting hurt…"

Beric looked away for a moment to the fire as she nodded… "Okay… I'll try to keep that in mind…" 

After that words seemed to fail them both for some time...

The elven woman strode off into the thicket towards the lake… Dinner had been awkward and she decided she simply needed to clean herself… Get her mind off of things… 

She wandered through the brush as she thought on her situation… Beric was still hiding something from her she was sure of it… She worried for the young lady but could not bring herself to act upon it… Why was she so suddenly more worried about what Beric thought of her… Why did she care so much? As she reached the edge of the yu

In her frustration she looked up into the moonlight and shouted to any gods whom would listen to her. "WHY IS MY LIFE SO COMPLICATED!"

Surprisingly before her she heard a reply from an unfamiliar voice. "I know not the answer to that little one, but perhaps if you tell me more I can figure it out…"

Farama quickly looked in the direction of the voice… And caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a large orc woman already bathing in the buff… 

Farma’s felt warmth rush to her cheeks in embarrassment.

“Marnaia’s bosem! I’m so sorry I-I didn’t realize anyone else was here and when I did I didn’t realize you’d be nude-though I suppose that makes sense since you’d be in the water based on where your voice was from and I should have realized that and oh gods you must think I’m such a pervert and a creep and- ”

The orcish woman interrupted with a hearty chuckle half-covering her full breasts with a single tick arm that carried such immense strength in it. Not only that, but her turn exposed her well-defined abs to the frail wizard... Chiseled like a work of art made by a goddess of beauty, with droplets of both sweat and lake water glistening off of the crevices...

"No apologies needed little one, I tend to have more hard-to-detect camping methods so not realizing I was here makes sense. And regardless I do not mind you seeing my body, I'm more sorry to expose myself to you without permission." Her thick, husky voice had an air of sophistication to it, and though she'd only just heard it Farama could listen to it for hours and just gaze into her smoky ashen eyes and-OH GODS SHE WAS STARING AT THIS ORC GIRL WHO WAS EXPECTING AN ANSWER! SPEAK FARAMA, YOU USELESS LESBIAN! 

"Umm... It's okay... You're v-very pretty... I wouldn't mind looking at you more..." She managed to squeak out shyly, prompting a response of a smirk from the orc woman. "I m-mean! Uh... Not that I WOULD stare for hours! I mean... Not that you aren't beautiful enough to stare at! You're- You are most lovely to gaze upon in a normal, not creepy way..." The Elven wizard's rambling would have continued like this for some time were she not once more interrupted by a hearty bellowing laugh from the other woman.

"Some say I am so beautiful they have no words left but it seems I inspire an opposite issue within you... Regardless if you do not mind gazing upon me, I see no more reason to hide myself..." And in a moment she turned around fully unveiled her breasts to Farama, revealing Areola of a dark shade of green akin to summer leaves of a mighty oak... 

Farama nodded as she continued to blush, the warmth intense enough she swore it could turn even her own skin red... "You're... Very pretty... Your nipples are... Nice... " She immediately regretted her words, immediately convinced she'd somehow managed to come across as a creep AND wimp... 

Fortunately for her, the orc woman laughed once more... "I thank you once again for your kind words. Come, join me in the moonlit waters..."

Farama nodded as she began walking towards the water's edge before realizing she was still very much clothed, she quickly stripped down to her undergarments, but then the thought occured thagt the other woman had not mentioned anything about her reservations seeing someone else in the buff, thus chose to ask first. “Oh… Ummm… I know you do not mind others seeing you in the nude but do you mind seeing me naked? Oh… And I realize I’ve been terribly rude… I am Farama… A pleasure to meet you...”

The other woman gave a gentle smile through her tusked mouth to the elven beauty and nodded. “A pleasure to know you Farama, I am Y’sonda, known as a Huntress... And I would not mind gazing upon your beauty if you would be so kind as to share it, though if you chose to remain clothed I will not spite you for it…”

Farama smiled nervously as she removed her final bits of clothing, revealing her body to the stunning stranger, gently walking forward into the starlit waters.

Y'sonda smiled at her as she approached. "You look lovely Farama, and your shyness is twice over as pleasing. I am grateful that our paths have crossed on this blessed eve." 

Farama blushed at the orcish woman's words as she scooped up a bit of the sparkling clear water and began to wash her petite form. "T-thank you Y’sonda… Forgive me if I am not as good with words as you are…" there was a pause as Farama bit her lower lip pondering if she wished to say her next thoughts aloud. "I-if your intent is to flirt as I… Th-think it might be I must say I'm not used to being desired by girls as p-pretty as you are…" As she stammered through her words she felt the heat in her cheeks only intensify...

Y’sonda gently smiled as she closed the distance. "You are correct that I was appreciative of your beauty in an amorous manner but I should mention to you that if you were to wish to become intimate with me, that I am not looking for a romantic bond at this time, and would only seek the pleasure of the moment. If that is acceptable then I would gladly lie with you at your leisure." 

Farama nodded at that as the thought reminded her of her situation with Beric and could not help but chuckle. "Are you sure you are a Huntress and not a Bard? Because you are far better at communicating than my traveling companion… If she spoke more openly then many of my issues would be solved."

Y'sonda raised an eyebrow as her tusked lips formed an expression of anger for the first time since the elven wizard met her as her tone suddenly became dire. "This woman… She did not deceive you into laying with her  did she?"

Farama's eyes widened as raised her hands at the miscommunication. "NO! I mean we did have sex and I figured it wasn't romantic just…" She sighed as the energy sapped from her body. "I want to help her with a magical issue she's clearly experiencing but she does not deign to be honest with me about it…" 

Y'sonda nods, her expression already having softened soon after Farama's clearing up the mixup. "I apologize if my anger at the thought frightened you… I just take matters of deception with intimacy very seriously…" Her tone grew quiet after those words "I do suppose we tend to hate others who engage in what we ourselves are wrongly accused of…" She shook her head out of her reflection. "Regardless I can understand concern for a friend, especially in matters if magic, and frustration when those we care for do not open up to us is natural. I pray the spirits to open a path of communication betwixt you two…" 

Friend… As that word was spoken again Farama winced once more… As she looked inward she wondered why it was hurting to hear Beric referred to as such. 

Perhaps it is because I regarded her with loathing and jealousy while she saw me as a friend she trusted?  She thought to herself as her brow furrowed. Is this guilt? Anger, that I could not see how she viewed me until I wanted to bed her because I was so consumed by envy. She nodded to herself. That was it. It had to be. Any other explanation she thought of stunk of folly. 

Y'sonda remained silent seeing the elf's quiet contemplating. And nodded. "It is getting late and I sense you have much to reflect upon… I shall take my leave but meeting you was most pleasant. I pray the spirits see fit to cross our paths once more…" With that, the orcish woman left the pool. 

Farmama finished cleaning herself and returned likewise to her own camp… A token greeting to her companions was all she could muster before heading to her tent to rest her guilt-ridden mind… 

She was simply feeling guilt… Right?

LapisLioness

Sooo yeah... No Lewds this chapter as I had quite some trouble finishing it and felt guilty how long it was taking but hopefully it still satisfies!