"My sister,” Elaina began simply after working up the courage to speak, “Was a woman of particular appetites and didn’t care who she hurt or how she got what she wanted.”

The Alchemist’s brows furrowed as she pushed open the front door to the Frog Song and the two women stepped into the warmth of the tavern room, “But you said your sister-”

Angry shouting spilled out from the kitchen into the main room as Uldon shoved two men out. Elaina and Anisha froze in place as the smaller Boggan manhandled the two other men out from behind the counter, “You’re done! I don’t want to see your faces in here again, you understand me? Don’t make me call the guard.”

The older man who Elaina had caught peeping the night before was one of the men the Boggan was shoving around, but the other Elaina had not seen before. She had to assume that he was the one that had been peeping on her that had escaped before she could see who he was. He was younger than the other man, though only by a few years. He was tall and lean, with wiry limbs that, along with his bedraggled brown hair, gave him a scarecrow-like quality.

“You can’t do this to us!” the older man protested, “This job’s all we have. What else am I supposed to get at my age?”

Uldon waved his hands, shaking his head, “That is not my concern. It was your decision to make, and you chose poorly. These are the consequences!”

“Look, we’re sorry. We won’t let it happen again.” the scarecrow said in a tone that Elaina could only describe as forced diplomacy. Everything about it sounded fake.

“You’re just sorry you got caught!” Uldon jabbed a finger in his direction, “And it doesn’t even begin to cover the other instances I’ve heard of. Or of things going missing from the kitchen!”

The two went a little stiffer as Uldon advanced on them. The handful of other patrons in the room kept quiet but could not be bothered to pretend as though they weren’t terribly interested in the show. The scarecrow reached out and snatched Uldon’s hand, twisting his arm to one side, “I’d like to see you prove it, you potato faced little shit!”

The barman that Elaina had spoken to earlier that day now got involved, setting his rag aside on one of the tables before walking over, “That’s enough!” he bellowed.

The older man turned to the barman as he approached and pulled a thick butcher knife from a holster off of his belt, jabbing it in the larger man’s direction to keep him at bay, “NO! We’re being cheated, and we’re not going to just stand by and take it!”

The look in the man’s eyes had gone wild, and the scarecrow had dropped all pretense at civility. Elaina reached over to one of the chairs at the table nearest her, took it by the top in one hand, and with all her strength hurled it across the room into the older man, “Then you should take a seat!”

The chair broke across his back, and he barreled over, screaming in pain. Elaina took a few furious steps in his direction as he desperately tried to scramble away from her on his back. The barman stepped back, surprised at the sudden burst of violence from the redhead.

“Y-You! This is your fault!” he stammered, pushing himself along the floor by kicking his feet, “You did this!”

The scarecrow shoved Uldon away and pulled his own knife, brandishing it at the redhead as he positioned himself between her and the older man on the floor. Everyone was on the edge of their seat as Elaina came to a stop, holding her hands out to the side, “You’re only making this worse for yourself.”

“Me!?” the scarecrow shrieked, “This is all your doing! I can make it worse for you too, you know. What do you think everyone would have to say about what you *really* are, hm?”

Elaina’s eyes darkened. “Not another word,” she warned. Behind her, Anisha said her name to try and calm her. Elaina remained focused on the scarecrow of a man in front of her, “Drop the knife. Walk away.”

“I would do what she says.” Anisha said from beside Elaina, “She’s about two seconds from feeding your blade to you, and when she does, the guard will be right behind her to scrape you off the floor and lock you up. Walk away now, and you can avoid all that.”

The scarecrow’s eyes darted between the half-elf and the redhead and then briefly checked the rest of the room, only to see the people at their tables paying close attention. Something about all eyes being on him didn’t sit right with him, and he began to waver.

“Drop it,” Elaina repeated firmly, bringing his attention back to her. Another long moment of tense silence passed before he let the weapon fall to the floor with a brief clatter, his hands going up as he backed up over the pieces of the broken chair.

Elaina felt the aggression beginning to drain out of her as she stepped to one side; her heart was pounding from the sudden spike of rage and adrenaline, “Now pick him up and get the hell out of here.”

The scarecrow leaned down to lend his arm to the older man, who was still in a great deal of pain from having a chair hurled at him. But it looked like with a little help, he was still able to walk. The two skulked out of the room with everyone’s eyes on their backs as they went. As soon as the door shut, Elaina turned to face the barman, “My apologies for the chair. Add it to the tab for my room, and I’ll gladly pay.”

“You’ll do no such thing.” Uldon said as he approached, “You were defending us; we wouldn’t ask you to pay for it.”

The barman looked a little hesitant on this particular sentiment but eventually nodded, making his way to where the chair's pieces were, and began to pick them. Elaina felt bad, destroying one of the chairs and then leaving him to clean it up, but if she’d not acted, the mess could have been a more grim one. Mopping up blood would have taken a lot more time for sure.

“I didn’t mean to cause you all this trouble.” the redhead lamented, “We’ll be getting our things and moving on our way, though. There won’t be any more trouble from us.”

The two women retrieved their things, with Elaina carrying an extra pack of Azade’s things instead of making Anisha bring it. As they came downstairs, the other patrons of the room kept watchful eyes on them but continued their meals and drinks as usual. The day's entertainment for them was now over. Elaina wondered briefly if the two would just be back after she left, giving the boggan and the barman more trouble. With luck, the two of them would be more prepared for it than they had been this time. They stepped out onto the street, hastily making their way back down the road in the direction they’d come.

For several minutes, neither woman said a word to each other, merely weaving their way through the crowd in silence. They were about halfway back to the warehouse when Anisha snorted suddenly, suppressing a bit of a chuckle.

“What?” Elaina asked, her brows furrowed as she looked over at the other woman, “What’s so funny?”

“Back there, when he said he wouldn’t stand for it.” Anisha laughed, “So you threw the chair and told him to take a seat.”

Elaina blushed a little, “Heh, yeah.”

“Absolutely terrible,” Anisha said, continuing to laugh regardless.

“Yet you’re laughing..”

“He was an old guy! You broke a chair over some old guy and quipped about it.”

Elaina’s brow furrowed a little, “He’s not t*hat* old.”

“He looked like he was in his late fifties; that’s pretty old for a human.” Anisha countered.

“So not that old, but plenty old to know better than,” Elaina said stubbornly.

“What’s that?” Anisha asked curiously, a bit of laughter still lingered in her tone.

“Not to pull knives on people. And if you do, don’t do it in a crowded place,” Elaina explained, “And if you do *that*, then don’t do it with your back to the door.”

Anisha’s snickered impishly as the two continued on their way back to the warehouse.

When they’d returned to the warehouse, the glass in the street had been mostly picked up and the crossbow bolts retrieved. Azade was sitting in the warehouse's back-office eating a pastry when Anisha and Elaina returned, while Rashuk was working on getting a fire going in the small stove on the other end of the room. The office was comfortable enough and was likely the man’s home away from home, judging by the overstuffed chairs, comfy couch with pillows, and small selection of food and drink on hand. Elaina knocked gently on the open door as they came in, “We’re back.”

“Any trouble?” Azade asked around a bite of whatever the flaky pastry was called.

“Just a brief hiccup, nothing to worry about,” Elaina explained as she crossed the room to set her and Azade’s packs down in a clear space next to one of the large chairs.

“Hiccup?”

Anisha stepped in and set her pack down next to the desk, “Just the perverts from last night, giving the chef a hard time. Elaina handled it, though.”

Azade nodded a little bit, glancing over at Rashuk, who looked as though he finally had a decent fire going in the stove, “We’re probably going to sleep in here tonight; keep close to the stove and in a defensible space.”

Elaina looked over at the stove as Rashuk came up off his knees and closed the front grating. The man had calmed down considerably, but he still looked a little jittery. Having a regular task to complete with a few people to keep him company seemed to go a long way in calming his nerves, but Elaina imagined the lingering threat still loomed somewhere in the back of his mind. She wasn’t sure what they would do if someone didn’t come for him tonight; they couldn’t afford to wait around to spring a trap, she guessed. As patient as Azade had been, there was still a sense of urgency about the schedule they were trying to keep.

“Have we checked the supplies?” Anisha asked Azade.

“Not yet. I found pastries,” Azade admitted, nodding to the small platter of them that sat on the desk that Elaina could best describe as organized chaos. It was large, and at first glance, it appeared to be overly cluttered, but taking a moment to look it over, she could tell that the stacks of things were all somewhat intentional and that Rashuk was just in need of a little more space to manage his paperwork.

“If you have the list, I can go check.” the half-elf offered.

“We should both go,” Azade said, stuffing the last bit of the pastry into her mouth. She dusted off her fingers and got to her feet, “Keep an eye on him, Elaina.”

Elaina nodded as they left, closing the door behind them and leaving Elaina and Rashuk alone in the silence of the office with only the occasional crack or pop from the stove to break it. After a few minutes, Rashuk went over to the tray of pastries and took one, glancing over at her briefly before deciding to offer her one.

“I’m fine, thank you,” Elaina said with a brief wave of her hand. Rashuk shrugged and sat down behind his desk to eat in silence. The redhead remained standing, halfway between the stove and the door, arms crossed over her chest. The silence dragged on, as she had nothing to say to Rashuk, and he, nothing to her. Elaina appreciated that he didn’t feel the need to try and make idle conversation with her, but as the time passed, she wondered just how large this shipment was for it to take so long to inspect.

“It’s already loaded?” Elaina asked shortly.

“Yes, on a wagon in the back,” Rashuk answered.

Elaina remained where she was, glancing a few more times at the door for ten more minutes before finally going over to it to open it a crack to listen. Though she strained to hear something, anything, there was nothing. The warehouse was big enough that she wondered if the sound from the back would carry well enough if it wasn’t overt.

“What’s the problem?” Rashuk asked with a little edge in his voice.

“The Orbonne company could easily have sent someone sooner.” Elaina explained, “The cover of night is good, but a proper disguise and acting like you belong somewhere is just as effective in the middle of the day with people’s attention divided by their daily business.”

Rashuk shrunk back into his chair, realizing that simply because the sun was up, it didn’t make him safe. The time he had been considering a stay of execution was just an illusion he’d convinced himself with.

“Stay here.” Elaina said as she opened the door slowly, “I’m going to go check on them.”

“B-but,” Rashuk stammered, “She told you to stay with me, didn’t she?”

Elaina paused halfway out the door and glanced back at the frightened man, “Yes, but they paid me to protect them; you haven’t paid me anything.” Rashuk’s eyes widened in horror at the prospect of being abandoned.

“Look,” the redhead sighed, “Just lock the door behind me. I’ll be right back. If someone tries to break the door down to get to you, I’m going to hear it, right?”

Rashuk nodded frantically, springing from his chair to lock the door behind her as she closed it, stepping out into the large warehouse space. Elaina drew her sword immediately but kept her steps as light as she possibly could as she moved swiftly down one of the center aisles. When she arrived, she pressed up against one of the stacked crates and peeked around the side. If the two had been jumped, she wanted to be able to catch the assailant by surprise.

But there was no assailant nor any danger to speak of. The wagon was there just as Rashuk said, stacked high with crates and barrels that were tied down with canvas to keep them from shifting too much on the road. Anisha was leaning against the side of the wagon, half propped up on one of the wheels with her legs open. Azade leaned against her, kissing at her neck while one of her hands up under Anisha’s skirt worked vigorously. Anisha’s eyes were closed, lost in the pleasure of Azade’s fingers penetrating her beneath her skirt, her glasses were slightly askew, and her mouth hung agape in a silent moan.

"This is what you needed after getting yourself all worked up with that redhead?" Azade whispered aggressively. Anisha's head nodded helplessly as Azade's movements became more aggressive.

"If this cunt needs satisfying," Azade continued, "You come to me, understand?"

Again Anisha nodded, barely able to keep it together as she did. If Elaina hadn't been told about Anisha's little kink for being dominated, she might have been concerned that there was some genuine animosity brewing there. But as it stood, it looked like Azade just knew what to say and do to appeal to Anisha the most when she needed it.

Elaina sighed, slowly sheathing her sword. The two had merely stolen a moment alone to relieve some tension. As annoying as it was to cause a false alarm for such a reason, she was pleased that it was a false alarm. This was the second time she had caught them in the act though, she was beginning to wonder if she was making it a habit. Anisha’s legs began to shake slightly as she lifted one of them, and Azade’s arm quickened.

“That’s it.” Elaina heard Azade whisper to Anisha as the half-elf’s back began to arch, a moan starting to rise from her throat. Azade adjusted her position to clap her other hand down over Anisha’s mouth, “Shhh.”

The orgasm was practically silent, but the sight of Anisha writhing around and quaking with pleasure was enough to make Elaina’s trousers feel tighter again as she was filled with the desire to join them once more as she had before. There was something quite beautiful about the two of them together that set her imagination on fire with the most carnal fantasies. Elaina found it incredibly alluring watching Azade’s command of the other woman’s body as she finger-fucked her.

Elaina waited for a moment longer, letting Anisha finish with her orgasm before she decided it was time to reveal herself, “You two had me worried.”

Anisha jumped slightly before realizing it was just Elaina, relaxing a little on the wheel as Azade stepped away, taking a moment to readjust all her clothing to make sure it was in its proper place. One of her breasts began to spill out the top of her bodice during her moment of intimacy, revealing just a hint of pink nipple to Elaina before the half-elf adjusted everything.

Azade, for her part, didn’t seem surprised or caught off guard. She simply turned to look at Elaina with a smile that melted any of the redhead's annoyance, “Sorry, Elaina, I didn’t mean to worry you. Anisha was just in a little need of release, was all.”

Elaina sighed a little, “But right now?”

Azade brought the two middle fingers of her hand up to her mouth and sucked on them for a moment, savoring what was left of Anisha on them like a delicate dessert, sending Elaina’s voyeuristic arousal to new heights. Her erection ached now for satisfaction, and she could feel the slickness beneath it as well. Her face must have betrayed some of this. There was a flash of pride that went through Azade’s eyes.

“It;s my duty to keep her satisfied. If she’s distracted, then she’s not focused, right? Best to satisfy it before it becomes a problem.”

“Your duty?” Elaina asked, a little confused.

Azade moved closer to Elaina with that faint smirk on her lips that drove the redhead crazy, “Yes, my duty. Keeping her focused so that we can achieve our Mistress’ goals. I would expect her to do the same for me if I were as distracted as she’s become with you.”

“With me?” Elaina blushed, looking over at Anisha, who stood and smoothed out her skirt a bit.

“Yes, you’ve got her quite worked up today,” Azade said with a mock tone of scolding in her voice.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to...” Elaina wasn’t sure how to finish the sentence, “Make her horny? I guess?”

Anisha snorted a bit, a little red in the face but not saying anything. Azade half cackled at the apology and waved her hand, “Stop. It’s fine. Normally I would have absolutely no problem with her taking you for a ride, but I need her focused right now. So I helped her get it out of her system real quick. Once we get to Mossglade, though, you can indulge yourself with her all you like.”

Elaina’s brows went up a bit in surprise. Anisha adjusted her hair irritably as she approached them, “Could we stop talking about me like I’m not here?”

Azade smirked, giving a motion to Anisha as if to say “by all means.”

After a moment of seemingly making a point of not looking in the redhead's direction, Anisha rolled her eyes as her gaze finally managed to meet with Elaina's, “It’s not a big deal. We don’t have to make it a thing.”

“Agreed.” Elaina said, “Though it’ll still take some getting used to for me, you’re very open with this sort of thing in a way that I’m having trouble adjusting to.”

Azade’s lip pouted a bit, “It wasn’t meant to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“No, no. It’s not like that.” Elaina held a hand up defensively, “It’s refreshing actually. I feel very free when I get to talk about it without having to worry about it. I don’t feel as vulnerable when I see you two together like this. It’s not some strange and monstrous thing but...beautiful. You know?”

Azade nodded, her pout fading as Elaina spoke, “I know what you mean. It wasn’t always like this for me. For either of us really, our time with our mistress has sort of changed our view on these things.”

Before Elaina could ask Azade to elaborate on that, Anisha cut in, “You mentioned your sister earlier. I was going to ask more about that. There’s a lot about what you’ve said that doesn’t seem to add up to me.”

Elaina sighed, looking between them before giving a quick motion of her head back toward the office, “Alright, I can explain. But let’s not leave Mr. Rashuk alone. He’s practically crawling out of his skin with fright.”

She turned and led the other two back to the office, deciding it was time to explain herself a little bit.