{Tuesday}

"What do you think the next mission will be?" Elisa asked Rin, as the two were laid down on their respective beds, chatting during the morning.

"No idea," Rin replied, "but I really hope it's not more undead. I'm getting tired of them."

"Same. I'm hoping we'll get to fight something big soon," Elisa stated, grinning as she glanced at her swords, which rested against the wall at the back. "I got those things for a reason. Sure, it feels nice to smash a skeleton to bits with them, but I want to see how they perform against something that deserves that size."

"Like what?"

"Maybe a werewolf or a golem, or something," Elisa shrugged.

"... Well," Rin smiled over at her. "Whatever it is, I'm sure you're gonna kick its ass."

Before, Elisa could have taken those gentle expressions the girl often threw out in stride, but now, after realizing that the two had met in the past, Elisa felt her heart stir whenever Rin's lips curled up like that.

It had been a small realization at first but over time, as she remembered the specifics behind their encounter, the mere sight of Rin made her heart speed up a little.

[Calm down,] Elisa told herself. [It's still the same old Rin. She's cute, adorable even, sure, but you don't have to be so...]

She couldn't find the right word to finish that thought. Instead, as Rin spoke up, her mind paused and her eyes went back over to her.

"I still have a long way to go," Rin said. "Which kinda sucks, by the way, because I feel like my hands are gonna end up looking like they belong to an old farmer by the time this is over," she told Elisa, lifting up a hand to show how her knuckles had begun to swell just a bit over time.

"Eh, just a show of strength," Elisa told her. "Lots of people like women who could easily kick their butts. I'd say you're gaining points."

"Oh?" Rin asked, raising a brow at her. "Are you one of them?"

That question delivered confidently, caught Elisa off-guard. She ended up having to shrug in response, as she wasn't able to think of anything.

[Seriously, what is happening here?] Elisa asked herself, taking a deep breath. [Why do I feel so...?]

All she knew was that this woman's presence had quickly become somewhat overpowering. As the two of them settled into a small silence as Elisa stared up at the ceiling, she began to remember what that day had been like. The day where she first met this adventurer, on a trip with some friends who she'd since lost contact with.

---

{3 Years Ago}

"This is gonna be so fun!" One of Elisa's friends, a bright girl with a dimpled smile named Patty, said as the train they were in began to slow down.

"Hopefully," Aina, Patty's best friend and the resident downer of their little group sighed. "For all we know it could just be really basic here."

Elisa let out a yawn, looking out the window and seeing how the landscape changed from what it was like at Libera, while they finally arrived at Dren. This was part of a short trip she and her friends had organized to celebrate Patty's nineteenth birthday. They had gone up to Cradle already and were now heading to the opposite side of the land for a quick stop at Dren. They weren't planning on staying here for too long, though.

In fact, there was really only one thing they wanted to see. The brothels.

Elisa and pretty much every other noble in Libera had often heard tales of the sort of degeneracy that Dren allowed legally. So much so, actually, that even Elisa, someone who really had no trouble getting others to share a bed with her, was curious. So, the plan was simple. They'd only be staying a couple of nights and during that time they'd see what debauchery they could get up to here, and then they'd come back to Libera where, whether the services were good or bad, they'd likely rarely speak aloud about it to anyone.

"Finally," Elisa said, standing up and stretching her arms as all of the people onboard quickly began walking out of the vehicle. "Now what?"

"Well," Patty smiled as she pulled out a note from her pockets, "we have a few options."

"What?" Aina asked. "Did you get a checklist of brothels or something?"

"H-Hey, don't be so loud!" Patty said.

"Isn't it legal here? It's fine," Elisa chuckled as others continued to mind their own business, walking away.

"Anyway," Patty cleared her throat. "We only have one place really that we're gonna check out, so I hope it's good."

"Right, what was it again?" Elisa asked.

"The Silver Rose!" Patty declared happily. "It's the only place that has male workers."

"Ohh, right," Elisa nodded.

"Thank the Divine," Aina muttered.

"Heh, why do you sound so relieved?" Elisa raised a brow at the brunette.

"Not everyone's a carpet muncher like you," Aina replied.

"Eh, that's true, but aren't-"

Aina quickly reached up and covered Elisa's lips with her hands, scowling at her.

[Oh, right, secret. Forgot.]

Elisa gave her a thumbs-up and the woman retreated. Patty basically ignored the whole exchange.

"So, yeah," she continued. "That's where we're headed."

---

A while late, the three of them were walking up to a building that looked surprisingly classy. Were it not for the sign outside proudly signaling that it was, in fact, the brothel they were looking for, Elisa would have never guessed this was a whorehouse. Based on the lush design and the music she could hear coming from within, she would have sooner guessed this was some sort of a lounge.

"I'm so excited!" Patty said, before all but skipping into the building. Aina and Elisa followed behind her and as they entered, they froze right in the same spot that Patty froze when they saw the same thing she saw.

From the outside, one who didn't know what this place was could mistake it for something entirely different. From inside, however, that wasn't a possibility.

[Holy shit,] Elisa thought as she saw half-naked, and some entirely naked, white-haired men and women walking from one place to another. There were people who looked like they didn't belong, people who looked like Elisa and her friends, here too, scouting out every worker they saw with big eyes and lust on their faces.

And, Elisa couldn't blame them. Everyone here looked genuinely stunning.

"So..." Aina said, after gulping. "How does this work?"

"Right this way, please," someone signaled for them with a chuckle and they spotted a sort of secretary right in front of them. They'd been so shocked they completely missed her. "All you have to do is select a worker from the ones you see here, pay upfront here and you will be escorted to the apartments where you can begin your session."

"Oh... Uh, thanks," Patty replied. The secretary just bowed respectfully.

[Okay,] Elisa thought. [Just... pick someone, pay, and they'll do the rest of the work, I take it. Cool. There are so many options to choose from though.]

Picking one gorgeous person to fuck out of so many here was like picking one out of a hundred different gems to collect. They were all great, but at the same time, they were all similar.

[Maybe I should...]

That was until Elisa's eyes fell on one lone woman.

At the back, by a bar-type place, there was a single white-haired worker sitting there with her legs crossed and a sullen look on her face. Out of everyone here, she was the only one who looked like she wasn't enjoying herself. She had a cup beside her, probably full of alcohol as she brooded on her own.

And, yet, she was absolutely the most beautiful person here. Her cascading hair, the soft amber eyes she carried, the swell of her chest, and impossibly alluring curves, leading up to a pair of thick legs.

She looked like she belonged in a famous painting, not in a random brothel.

"I'll take her," Elisa pointed over at the woman, having made her decision.

"Who... Oh," the secretary realized. "Ah, be kind to that one, okay? She's new."

"Really?" Elisa asked. "Alright, I'll be gentle then," she said with a smile.

The secretary then stood up and walked over to her. They talked out of earshot, the woman looked over at Elisa, who tried to put on a confident pose as she placed her hands on her hips, and the two walked back over.

"Hello," she bowed and Elisa swore she looked even better up close.

"Hey," Elisa said, a little breathless. "So... Now what?"

"Come with me," she replied.

And, what followed was some of the best sex Elisa ever had up to that point.