Rennia stood with her ass hidden in the shadows, and Maeve stood next to her with a scowling eye. Both were wearing two frilly black maid dresses, with little bows on their heads. Ishmere had them rented from a tailor for the occasion. Rennia's eyes were stagnant, practically dead as she stood in the clothing, embarrassed and yet powerless to fight it. Maeve, however, was fuming like a tomato, her pale skin came out with her frustration.
A stack of papers in their hands—printed flyers, produced by the city's printing press manufactory. A stamped logo of the city's name, an address pointing towards the area where the Ebonguild Tavern resided. The customers were going to pile up in the next few days if Ishmere had her say. How she managed to rope holier-than-thou Maeve into it, Rennia didn't know.
A backroom bargain, she was sure.
"Haaaa! I still don't know why I have to do this?" Maeve complained. "I mean, I don't even work there. The audacity of this Ishmere woman disgusts me. She is a conniving snake, a witch I tell you."
Rennia snorted. "You'll get used to it—that's if you want to keep being around me." She handed out a flyer to a passing citizen and then raised her voice and her smile to make herself more appealing to him.
"Excuse me, sir, would you perhaps be interested—" The paper was swiftly pressed back into her face, leaving Rennia with her mouth agape.
Maeve chuckled. "You're horrible at this. Truly horrible. Almost as horrible as your secret."
Rennia straightened up, spine straightened and hair slightly on end. "Will you shut up about that? We're in public. There are consequences to gossiping, you know."
"Such as?"
"Such as spanking an arrogant noble with no supporters, vassals, or a retinue here. You ought to be ashamed of yourself the way you threw yourself at me earlier." Maeve blushed slightly. There was a hint of shame in her face. She was softening up completely, and Rennia wouldn't lie—she appreciated this new face. She was "easier" to approach and convene with. "You're lucky Ishmere didn't take it the wrong way."
"Whatever." Maeve stated and then shifted closer to her, next to her, as they saw the bystanders deliberately avoid the pamphlets they were giving out. "So how does it work?"
"Huh?" If Rennia knew what she was on about again, she didn't show it.
"Your penis, of course. I'm just really curious. Oh, and also, if you don't mind telling me about how your class works as well. It's all very fascinating stuff, nothing like I am conceptually."
"We really don't need to talk about it..." Rennia tried dismissing it, but the noble girl's demeanor sharpened, almost predatory. "Not in public, please..."
"C'mon. I'm sure you're dying to speak with someone that isn't as upstuck as that Ishmere woman. You came here for a reason, you told me. Things happened. I wanna know what's so special about you. C'mon, woman-to-woman. I'm curious."
Rennia put the flyers down and bit her lip. It couldn't hurt, could it? Maeve was just kinda stuck with her.
"Alright. So...you know the apple I told you about? Well, it didn't change me anymore than it leveled my class—or rather, awakened the ancient blood of Eros in me. Or Arosia, whatever you want to call her. It happened right there that night, where my body changed. I've already told you this. The class thing, happened when I woke up in the morning. It's nothing special really, just a sexual distraction."
"Bullshit! Sexual distraction. Did you obtain any new skills and new classes? Do you understand the gravity of being blessed by two classes? You're literally blessed by the gods. If what you're saying is true, you should bear the fruits of your duty properly. If I was in your position I...I'd..." Maeve seemed to choke on her words
"It's an annoyance. It's not that great. There's nothing special about the class, it's—sex related." Rennia deadpanned.
"Really? Are you sure? Are you telling me you haven't focused on developing this class while you were here, and your pathfinder class? It probably developed for a reason. You're sitting on something so uniquely rare people would lock you up in their basement to get a taste of it."
Rennia shot her a glare. Maeve started stuttering, flustered, shaking her head and adjusting her hair. "Ahem, I mean, it could accelerate your career path, make you do amazing things—things only great heroes would do."
Rennia choked, remembering the burden her mother carried. "I don't really want to be a hero. Besides, to level up—at least this [Maiden] class of mine—I have to keep doing weird things. Very sexual things. It's not that great. I mean, I have done the deed a few times, but it's not exciting, quite exhausting, and it can become overwhelming sometimes."
Maeve blushed when Rennia insinuated to...partaking in sex before. Rennia caught her eye for a moment. Could it be that she was a "virgin"? No. She doubt it, perhaps she was shy, a virgin wouldn't pounce her like yesterday. It almost made Rennia giggle,."
Maeve's face perked up.
"I can help you, you know. It would confidential, nothing romantic. You need help. I think I know how to fix you, or at least put you on the right track. Come with me tomorrow. We'll go adventure."
"Fix me? You, the runaway. You assume there's something wrong with me." Maeve's eyes trailed lower from Rennia's eyes and settled between her thighs.
"Well...maybe wrong would be the wrong word. Aren't you curious at all to what the limits of your [Class] could be? Imagine what your 'maiden' class can do at levels 12 and maybe even beyond. Besides, you told me you were in adventuring for the love of the game itself. I'm just asking if you're sure you want to waste your potential, even if you have to stroke the proverbial dragon, so to speak."
Rennia pondered on it. Ishmere was a whole different age than her. The thing she had with Tiamael bordered on horny insanity. Lyanna isn't in her life anymore. She's friendless here. Maeve, who did a heel-face turn, was around her age. Mara is a bit older and detached, she didnt' forget about that arrangement she had with her, but now was not the time for it, even she really did want to get the hang of what's between her legs. Ishmere was struggling with her own trauma and, well, made a bad teacher, because spiritual torment and such things.
She couldn't help but feel Ivarcant was a mistake, following Tiamael was mistake. Back home, she'd have entered two dungeons again if she was in peak shape. Maybe she could even start having a full party again, see parts of the local world. Swash and buckle and break down doors and temples, drink, eat, and live like a carefree life again. And the opportunities—they were bigger, the people as well. Sex, even if she really wanted to, there were options. Even pretty boys, like Dontellin, though that came with complications of her own.
Yes. Yes...
"Alright...I guess we could...start somewhere." Her face grew brighter and redder. Maeve's face gleamed in response. "But what did you have in mind in the first place? You said you wanted to do something tomorrow—another dungeon?"
Maeve crossed her arms. "No, I had something simpler in mind. There's a village on the west side of the city if you weren't aware. Some strange stuff has been happening with the residents. Those who solve it will get a nice reward. And since it's less dangerous, I thought it would be a fair place to get to know you better. There might be other adventurers in the vicinity; however, we should be okay as a pair."
Adventurers were nosy, it wasn't exactly an nice prospect, if some higher ranked assholes wanted to inspect their gear, or even strip them down of loot. But...
Before Rennia could reply, a passerby approached them, both their faces beaming at them. Rennia chalked it up to sex appeal—showing as much as an ankle in certain places may as well be an invitation to take someone to a room. Showing knee-high socks and a frilly dress with puffed-up hair may be more than she could handle.
Maeve took care of them. She handed out flyers on the fly. She was bizarrely competent in this line of work. The way she expressed herself to the people, the way her elegant gestures were almost court-like, even the little curtsey she did—it did make Rennia irredeemably jealous.
But that wasn't who she was. She was the countryside girl who would wrestle in the mud with the boys. And while she wouldn't resent her upbringing, Maeve's sudden happy smugness was getting to her head.
Perhaps getting Ishmere to hire Maeve permanently would be a funny prank.
As the individuals left, Maeve came towards Rennia, and her nose was slightly reddish, like she was prepared to ask some stupid shit.
"So...your mistress? Teacher? Uhh, whatever. She, she is really strange, you know? Like really, really strange. Why are you two even stuck together? She looks younger than you."
Rennia bit her lip. That's one avenue she was not going to talk about. "That's a messy part of the story. It's better if you forget about it."
"Oh, now I'm curious. What's so special about her that she makes you wanna do everything for her? Do you have some weird teacher-student relationship? Are you her personal servant or something? Do—"
"Why don't you ask her yourself, since you are so keen to know, Lady Maeve? It's kinda personal, and I don't know if I can trust you yet. You haven't done enough to earn that. I'm thankful, of course, for the hex thing, but..."
Maeve stopped. "Hmm, secrets worth more than finding out your dungeon partner has a cock sleeved away... I'll take it up as a challenge."
Rennia put her hand over her mouth. "Shut the fuck up about that—not here, not now."
Maeve covered her mouth and laughed at her, elegantly of course.
As Rennia was in the process of scolding Maeve, someone took the flyer from her hands. A young woman with a scar over her nose approached, little devilish horns on her head. She smiled at Rennia.
Rennia froze. And her blood ran slightly cold.
"So this is what you're doing for a living now, Rennia? I can't say I blame you. Times are tough. Though it wasn't nice what you did, running from me a few days ago. I can't say I'm happy."
A half-devil stood in front of her, the same girl found while walking the city, the same girl that made her remember things. Cassandra, but the nose scar...it was certainly new.
"Cas...?"