The Walls Have… Holes?

Now, this is a problem.

While there are no immediately hostile reactions and short people running for their pitchforks and torches, I can easily tell that they aren't exactly comfortable and happy for a stranger to suddenly pop up in the middle of their mundane day. One young guy does slip away into a brick alley, most likely to get the guards or whatever security force watches over the decency of these streets.

And I can be sure we have violated at least this much by our little display. In the end, the sultry Oread doesn't exactly cover herself with a lot. Especially since we didn't expect any audience.

"Get Sirgia," I whisper into Ianthe's ear and she nods lightly.

In just a moment, she plunges into the ground, which is made of pretty chiselled stones covering the entirety of the path and the roads going outwards from this small square. Turning to face the bewildered crowd, I slowly wave at the Dwarves.

"Hello." I try to pull up a friendly smile, making sure I'm using their native tongue. "Apologies for the sudden entrance."

My words, which clearly register in their minds properly, bring most of the people out of their brief stupor. Many step back while a bunch hurries away, quickly escaping the uncomfortable situation. Not getting yourself involved in something shady is the basis of survival. And that counts double when it involves a Human, I guess.

Sirgia emerges next to me, making a few remaining townsfolk jump. Looks like Ianthe decided to stay hidden for now. Smart lady.

"Oops." My little lover shows a wry smile as her eyes take in our surroundings.

"Is that all you have to say?" I raise a brow at her.

She flushes a tiny bit, swaying her hips innocently. "I had no idea there was a town out here…"

We don't get to continue our conversation as a few armoured men stumble our way. At the very least, I feel Diana entering my shadow, brought outside somewhere away, most likely. She watches from inside, ready to lunge at any threat, but I quickly pacify my ferocious watchdog. We can't exactly massacre the first Dwarven settlement we come in contact with.

"Halt!" One of the bearded soldiers shouts from a distance, followed by five others.

Surprisingly, he conveys the meaning in Common.

Nevertheless, we don't intend to move so the two of us wait for them to trot up to our position. They spread out and surround us as much as they can with the edge of the cliff behind our back. Six of them are enough to form a half-circle, directing their quite short spears our way.

I take a good look at them to judge our chances. They are all more or less Sirgia's height, with some minor differences both ways, but contrary to her, these guys are as burly as the common Dwarf should be. That doesn't stop them from having muscular arms and legs, of course, currently partially covered by a mix of leather and metal, green and silver shades dominating the palette. They all wear simple helmets while the one who has shouted earlier additionally sports a fibre mohawk atop it, from side to side.

What is this, the Roman Century?

Now that I mention this, their chest plates do look kinda defined. Interesting.

Sirgia raises both of her hands in polite surrender. "We mean no harm, Protector. Our arrival might be surprising, but we are simply passing by and did not expect a town on our path."

The man's eyes flick to the decorative collar with the heart-shaped gem that adorns her neck, then to my person, which has to look fairly ominous in my black-purple adventuring getup consisting of a heavy coat and a dark purple breastplate.

"It's an accessory," my lover adds before the guard has a chance to say anything, catching his wandering gaze.

"If you'll permit, sir." I make a light bow with a hand over my heart, and they flinch slightly, both from the movement and the fact that I'm speaking Dwarvish. "Alastair Carter, Utopia's Mercenary Corps. I was hired by my client as an escort warrior. All the documentation is on me if you wish to examine it."

Nodding through my speech, Sirgia gestures at the emblem on my chest. I don't think it will help much since there's no way it has spread so far in such a short time, but it's not like I'm going to stop her.

"A Human serving a Dwarf?" The leader frowns suspiciously.

"Our organisation cares not for one's race." I shrug lightly. "Money is a universal language. Lady Forgegraver pays fair."

The sudden name drop surprises the guards a tad, as I expected it to. Sirgia's family is one of the bigger ones, at least the main branch. They don't need to know she's from the outer one yet.

Since they still seem a bit unsure, and I can't blame them, I let out a sigh and spread my arms. "Look, I don't mind if you interrogate us even, the safety of the people takes priority, of course, but can we at least take this off the streets? It's in my best interest to avoid troubling my client any more than necessary. It's my responsibility to resolve all conflicts. Shall we? Unless you have issues specifically with Humans. Then we will leave immediately."

The main guy mulls it over briefly. "They say you came from within the ancient fortress."

"An ability of mine," I explain, not exactly lying since I can do it too. "Don't mind showing it with fewer eyes present. Though, I guess I've gained quite a few witnesses already by not expecting this place to exist."

"We'll have to search you, check for what you might have stolen," he replies.

I rub my eyes impatiently. "Let's move aside and we'll negotiate the terms."

"Negotiate?" The man laughs openly. "I don't think you are aware of the situation you are in. I'm the Captain of the Watchmen. Follow my instructions and we might let you walk out of the guardpost free."

"I have been hired to protect my client's welfare, no matter the complications," I answer, straightening up. "I don't enjoy violence, but if she gives an order, I'll be forced to knock you all out. Knowing that, be careful with your demands. From now on, I'm going to let my client speak for herself since she is the one you should be trying to deal with."

He blinks at me a bit puzzled, possibly wondering what kind of an idiot rates himself so highly against six armed soldiers.

"We haven't stolen anything from the passage behind us. It would have been disrespectful towards the ancestors," Sirgia takes over as instructed. "As for the other passage, it belongs to my family, even if it has been long abandoned. You have no right to lay your hands on anything under my lineage's protection. As my escort suggested, you might bring us to your station to verify our identities, but nothing more, unless you find rightful clauses to hold us back."

Damn. She can be cold when she needs to. I guess I'll be seeing more sides of my petite mate that I haven't experienced yet. I'm glad to know her traumatic experiences didn't mellow her out too much. Standing against her own people might be giving her a bit of a courage boost, though.

"Capn'. If she really is one of the Forgegravers, this might turn shitty in a blink. We should take it off the streets," a guy next to the mohawk representative whispers, letting my keen hearing catch his words.

No way. An actually smart one amongst the guards. I was starting to think we were going right into another typical isekai cliche.

"Alright." The captain brings the tip of his spear up and the rest follows. "But we are confiscating your weapons and that's non-negotiable."

I quickly swoop my draconic hilt into my storage space, making it disappear from my hip. Thankfully, most of it has been hidden behind the coat so it doesn't look like anyone notices. I'd rather not show it off in front of these Dwarves or they might actually accuse me of stealing it.

"Can you even handle it?" Siriga asks as two men walk up to us.

The one coming for her snorts. "Girlie, my big toe has more muscles than your entire body. Give me that thing and don't resist."

I can see the tiniest smirk at the edge of her adorable lips as she reaches behind her back and takes her impressive hammer. She holds it out for the soldier and waits for him to wrap his fingers around the shaft. Then, she lets go, and the manly man squeaks like a girl as the weight of the weapon yanks him down, the head falling right onto his foot and denting the metal protection quite significantly.

He starts rolling in pain while the others laugh and nudge each other with elbows. The leader frowns and walks up to our little group, bringing his subordinate up and smacking him up the head. Then, he tries to lift the hammer and almost dislocates his shoulder, his eyes popping out. More careful next time, he raises it with a lot of struggle and props it on his shoulder, his knees buckling a bit.

As he sends a glare at the guy who is supposed to disarm me, the soldier hastily gets to work, extending a hand while trying to figure out where I hid my weapon. I kindly spread the sides of my coat so that he can see that there's nothing there and he glares up at me.

"What?" I smirk at him. "Are you going to cut off my wrists?"

"A mercenary without a weapon? Do you think I'm stupid?" The Dwarf growls.

Rolling my eyes, I pull his unfastened helmet off, surprising him greatly. Before he can complain, I squeeze it between my hands and the crunch of metal fills the air around us. A few seconds later, I hold an uneven ball of silver atop my palm. As expected, it was not much more than a decoration, but it was still enough to shock the man to the core, causing him to take a hesitant step back.

The captain stares at me in disbelief and I toss the orb at him. "Don't worry. I'll reimburse you for it. Can we go now?"

He turns to his men and orders them to take some kind of formation. As he trots to the front, having some issues with retaining balance due to the incredibly heavy hammer on his shoulder, Sirgia joins my side and giggles quietly.

"I'm glad I haven't activated the gravitational array before handing it to them." She flashes me a sly smile. "You've made quite an impression on them, Master."

"Speak for yourself." I snicker. "I'm not the one who almost crushed a militant's foot."

The guards surround us in a simple diamond arrangement and we follow their lead. Now that we are out of the proverbial woods a little bit, the two of us take some more time to admire the architecture. As mentioned before, the roads are made of polished stones, resembling those of Roman origin.

Most houses are built from bricks of white, grey, black, and a few more diverse colours. Their roofs are tiled and mostly rusty. Windows are wooden with shutters and simple glass panes. All in all, the buildings look neat and tidy, some emitting faint white smoke from their chimneys. The streets are clean too.

Naturally, one thing to note is the fact that everything is scaled down to the average Dwarf height. And with that being around one-hundred-and-forty centimetres, the tallest doorways are somewhere around one-fifty or slightly above.

Yeah, I'm going to hunch forward most of the time here. They must not have lots of guests from other races.

Considering where this town is located, not that surprising. I bet this is a small community dedicated to worshipping the greatness of the ancients. That's why they have a memorial square in front of the entrance. If we are going to use it in the future, we might have to establish good relations with the authorities.

Walking through the streets, we attract a lot of attention. And by us, I mean my person. It's hard not to notice the giant amongst the kids. There's about forty centimetres of difference between me and Sirgia, and she isn't that much smaller than the guys around.

So, yeah, I get a lot of stares. But for what it's worth, I do my best to appear non-threatening while also remaining fairly regal. I'm my lady's escort, in the end. It's my duty to watch for potential threats.

Thankfully, not all gazes are hostile or fearful. I'm not counting kids since these young creatures are always so curious about everything. I might be the first Human they have ever seen if they even know what Humans look like. Anyway, even the adults show some interest. I'm certainly a rare sighting in their slow lives out here.

Soon enough, we reach the guard outpost and my fears are confirmed. From the distance already I can calculate the average height of the ceiling. My neck tingles just from thinking about it. Should I walk on my knees? Nah, that would be super disrespectful. I wonder if it's considered a hate crime actually.

Therefore, as they lead us inside, I do the only thing I can and lean forward. This must be how the great Gray Wizard felt when visiting his good old friend in the burrowed village. I do my best to thwart the urge to start spewing references that no one would get.

Maybe save for Sirgia. She has heard quite a few stories from me since our first encounter. And I bet Shino has filled them in on lots of information about my world too.

My posture elicits some laughs among the Watchmen, who consist mostly of men, but I spot a bunch of women in their ranks too. Sirgia frowns at her people, clearly quite annoyed by their behaviour, but fortunately keeps herself in check. Hopefully, they don't take it too far because I know well how protective of my honour my charming wife can be.

We are guided into an empty chamber that surely serves as an interrogation room. There are no windows and only one exit. As we are shown to our chairs in front of a table in the centre, the captain settles down opposite us and two of his men take the sides of the door. I kindly help Sirgia situate herself before taking my spot next to her.

"I'll inform you that everything you say is going to be recorded and verified in case of future arrests, so speak truthfully because your lies will inevitably come out when you stumble over them in due time," the man says, tapping some embedded gadget in the middle of the metal table. "Now, what kind of bullshit ability is supposed to let you penetrate the ancestors' defences, huh?"

As he glares at me, Sirgia reaches out and traces a symbol over the glowing crystal that's part of the device. "You forgot to connect with the nationwide registry. We wouldn't want your superiors to learn of that, right?"

He blinks at her in shock and his jaw clenches. As he gives her a nod, she finishes the motion and the gem gives a short flash before settling down again. Sirgia then brings her hand back and crosses her arms over her petite chest.

Someone was trying to get a bit more personal in this interrogation, huh?

But, that doesn't concern me. Receiving a mental okay from my lover and current employer, I get up and move to stand next to the table. Everyone glares at me as I spread my arms like a performer, and sink into the floor. A second later, I pop up on the other side, making them all flinch.

"Ta-dah." I give the audience a small bow. "I'm not going into details. Trade secret."

The guards tense up as I return to my seat and I chuckle wryly.

"Relax. If I wanted to escape, you wouldn't have even noticed us gone at any point of your arrest." I meet the leader's gaze. "So far, we've been following the law and given instructions. I hope we can expect equally fair treatment."

He turns to Sirgia. "Your identification?"

"Bring me the Slate," she responds. "I've been travelling undercover."

The man sighs and gets up. Grumbling to the duo to keep an eye on us, he exits the room.

"Slate?" I take a peek at her.

"A simple artefact that contains arcane equations only the members of specific lineages know how to solve. Each bloodline has their own pattern. If the one I draw is registered in its memory, it will display my family's crest," she explains happily. "But, that also means it will show what branch I'm from."

"I see." I affectionately pat her head, understanding how their approach can change depending on it.

I glance at the pair behind us, but they just silently frown. I guess that's to be expected. We can talk about things freely before them only thanks to the fact that there are multiple languages the two of us share thanks to my Class and its features. I don't think they get a word out of English.

The main guy is soon back with a flat piece of blue rock and throws it onto the table in front of Sirgia. As she touches it, points of light show up in a grid five-by-five. She starts connecting the dots with her finger, changing their colour from white to yellow. They reset after each time she breaks the connection.

I watch her complete twelve sets of patterns similar to one unlocking their smartphone.

Then, she places it down and the lights go out. An illusory image covers the object, displaying the picture of what seems to be a kiln with the depiction of a graver in its empty entrance. The captain examines it and raises a brow at her.

"External branch? Figures." He sits down in his spot. "You are far from home, miss."

"I commend your astute observation capabilities, Protector," she replies, making me snort.

A vein literally bulges on his forehead. "Don't think your family's influence can save you out here."

"I don't need my family's shelter, otherwise I wouldn't have been travelling in secret," Sirgia fires back. "But that also means they won't care about any of your inquiries since I'm not from the main house."

As his fingers squeeze into a fist, I get the feeling that my genius wife is not a genius in just one field. She clearly knows her stuff when it comes to rules and regulations. Perhaps every kid from the prominent families learns as much, even those from the outer branches. I'll have to ask later.

"So, can I finally know the name of my interviewer and the reason for this interrogation?" She presses forward. "And dare I remind you that simple suspicion doesn't count as a valid justification to lock someone up. I would like to see the evidence or hear the allegations."

"Captain Acheron," the man answers through his teeth. "Your hire has been seen coming onto a nude woman in the middle of the street. Where is she, by the way?"

"Now we are getting somewhere." My lover sighs delicately. "Sirgia Forgegraver, thank you for asking. As for the female, she is an Oread living in these mountains. Consult the database to confirm that it's just how they look. She helped us cross the range for the price of a kiss each time she used her powers. Those practices should be noted in the database too. We apologise for causing an unsightly scene. I was not aware of this town's existence. My hire acted on my orders. Anything else?"

Man, she is so sexy when she's in control.

But, I can also see her clutching onto her leather shorts tightly. Slowly, I place my hand atop her tensed fist and she entwines our fingers together, part of her anxiety evaporating.

"Why didn't he do it, then?" Acheron points at me.

"Can you really expect a Human to match an Oread's ability even if they function on a similar principle?" Sirgia shakes her head. "I think you are underestimating our ancestors' architectural skills."

That shuts him up rather effectively. I'm happy to play the good old plain Human role.

"Is there anything else or are we free to go?" My lover readies herself to get up. "I'm on an important journey and can't waste time on pointless squabbles. Additionally, every day costs me dearly. Lord Alastair's price isn't exactly low. He's the best of the best."

"Lord?" The captain frowns deeply at me.

"I see no other fitting title for someone who regularly deals with Human royalty back in their capital," she drives the point home. "I'm fairly sure he enjoys quite some noble benefits too. I would be careful not to disrespect him. King Ruminas holds his allies rather close."

He thinks deeply about this entire situation, visibly unhappy that it didn't go exactly as planned. I wouldn't call it a power trip yet, but he has certainly been trying to intimidate us and force things his way.

"Go," the man barks, swatting us away. "Don't cause more trouble in the town."

"As long as no one starts any with us, everything will be fine," Sirgia says, lifting herself off the chair. "But, worry not. We will most likely leave either today or early at dawn. Until next time, Captain Acheron."

"Ostfen, show the girl to her armament," he orders his subordinate, making my calm and collected wife squint at his offence.

I rest a hand on her shoulder and bring us out of the interrogation chamber. No need to cause a scene right at the last second. She seems to have gotten really into her act of Lady Forgegraver. Though, I would certainly love to make him show proper respect to someone of Sirgia's status.

The pair escorts us through the outpost, but we take a small detour to what seems to be an armoury. A bunch of men lean over Sirgia's hammer which is placed atop a stone slab. They peer at it through stacked lenses and tap it around with crystal-tipped picks.

"What do you think you are doing with my property?" she shouts into the room, making them all jerk.

Oh, boy.

She angry.

Barreling right past the small crowd like a force of nature, knocking everyone aside with her lithe stature, she picks her artefact weapon up with one hand and swings it around, forcing the researchers to duck. Scoffing, she brings its head down onto the slab and crushes it into bits. The fantasy cops pale at the display and scurry away, letting her return to my side while placing the hammer behind her back and glaring at the perpetrators.

I have no idea why she is so mad, but I guess this isn't exactly up to protocol.

We walk outside before they regather themselves enough to try and stop us. Finally, back on the streets, I take a deep breath of fresh air, straightening my back with an audible crack. Sirgia giggles cutely by my side, then similarly inhales deeply, finally showing how much it took from her to act so regal and assertive, her shoulders slumping and her frame shivering lightly.

"Sorry about the ceiling, Master." She squeezes my hand.

"No worries. I'm just experiencing your culture. Is it like this everywhere?" I chuckle and lean down to peck her rosy cheek.

"Bigger cities are more adapted to other races. You'll still find places that don't bother, even in the capital, but it's not as prevalent," my lover answers.

"I'm looking forward to it." I flash her a warm smile. "Is Dwarguhlim the capital? Where exactly is your family located?"

"No, the capital is in a different city right now." She shakes her head. "Dwarguhlim is where my lineage originates from, and where the main branch usually resides. My family is actually housed in the current capital. As you recall, Dwarguhlimian women tend to be a bit more… plump."

Her gaze falls to her figure and she traces her palms over her chest and waist, sneaking a shy glance up at me. Smirking, I pull her in for a loving kiss to remind my slender wife how much her figure is appreciated by yours truly. I remember making a comment about it during our first-ever walk outside the slave company.

"What now?" I pull away as more people start staring. "Are we leaving right away?"

"Do you want to tour the town, Master? We don't have to hurry. I would like for you to enjoy our trip. You've always wanted to see how we live, no?" Sirgia tilts her head. "We can stay the night at the inn and depart in the morning."

"Sounds good." I ruffle through her hair. "Do we have any goal in mind or are we just going to wander around?"

"Hmmm… Since you are a mercenary, we could find a merchant travelling in the same direction and offer them your assistance. The number of jobs you take at the same time doesn't matter, right? Even if mine is technically a fake one, we should keep the story up for convenience." My partner strokes her chin thoughtfully.

"I'm in." I nod at her. "Lead the way, Lady Forgegraver."

"After me, my Handsome Mercenary." She giggles as I snort at her playful tease.

So, we stroll through the streets and admire the view. I would love to bring Diana out with us, but the sight of a beast almost twice as tall as the regular citizens isn't going to fly. Thankfully, she understands, sending reassurances into my mind and letting me know she's constantly watching our backs.

Such a dependable ally.

We visit a few stalls and restaurants to try out some local cuisine. Sirgia feeds me everything, happy to offer a hand while listening to my comments about the food. We receive many stares, but she doesn't care. In her eyes, only I'm the person that's worth her attention. And the attention of everyone in the world, it seems, considering how she always wants to put me in the best possible light.

Our tour continues and we check out several interesting shops and stores. The owners aren't always happy with my presence, but they choose not to kick me out for the sake of the paying customer with a clearly deep purse. Sirgia picks up lots of trinkets and items that have to be related to her craft because I can't identify them accurately. 

After asking me for permission, of course, which she gets easily. I tell her to get anything she wants. We can afford it. Surely.

At one point, we end up in front of what she calls a trading centre. From the outside, it looks like a multi-level saloon, and from the inside, like an Adventurer's Guild with many more tables and booths. This is supposedly where most mercantile talks happen and you can even find requests on the board. It's usually the merchants who look for escorts, but why not try the opposite since we are already here?

Sirgia brings us to one of the counters with a bearded guy in a formal suit. Seems like I won't be witnessing many sexy Dwarf receptionists in this world. I think I've seen one female amongst them, and while she has a nice face, she can't hold a candle to my current sole Dwarf lover.

"How can I help you?" the man asks with a deep baritone.

"My friend here is a talented mercenary. He is escorting me to the capital. If there are any caravans heading out in the morning, we want to offer them his services. The prices are fair and negotiable," my employer answers.

"Mhm. Organisation's rank?" The clerk raises a bushy brow at me.

"Currently at C," I reply. "We are fresh but made of elites, quickly climbing up."

"Right." He sighs heavily. "A single C-ranked mercenary? I'll be honest. I don't think you'll find anyone interested in your offer. People prefer experienced groups rather than ragtags of strangers. Plus, being… you… the list of opportunities shrinks further."

Sirgia looks ready to talk back, but I press on her shoulder. She still gets the next word out first, but it's not as offensive as it could have been. Instead, she works her stellar brain for a solution.

"It's still higher than zero," she says. "Are there any merchants struggling to find an escort? Perhaps in a desperate situation? And no, we don't intend to scam anyone. The client will be allowed to use the centre's mediating services to negotiate the pay if they wish to. We simply want to help. It doesn't matter to us if we go alone or not."

The receptionist ponders over her words briefly before leaving his post. We wait a few minutes for his return. When the man shows up once more, he scribbles something on a piece of paper and hands it out to Sirgia.

"There are two. Here is their contact information," he explains. "The first is Tymus Leatherbelt and he intends to leave in three days at the latest. He has a group of two under contract but is looking for three more. The second one is Mevana Shaftmiller. She has no escorts and was supposed to leave a week ago. For some reason, no one is willing to accept the job. I heard she is growing agitated and might depart any day now, forsaking protection."

"Thank you." Sirgia appreciatively bobs her head. "Have a nice day."

I thank the guy too and we move outside, finding a quiet corner to discuss our next steps.

"The choice is obvious, isn't it?" I stretch a little over my head.

"Naturally," my petite wife agrees. "We go after the female."

Snorting to the side, I sigh lightly. "I was going to say we help the one in bigger trouble, but the end result is the same. What do you think is the problem?"

"The most common one is strife," she answers right away. "She made enemies more influential than her or offended someone she shouldn't have and now her business is being curbed. The receptionist was a kind man. He didn't have to mention the part about the issues. He doesn't want her to go alone but his hands are tied, most likely."

"Can't stick your neck out for others when you have a lot to risk yourself." I scratch my head. "Do we find her now or later?"

"No competent merchant leaves at night, no matter how desperate or infuriated," Sirgia shares, waving her finger at me. "She will try at least one more time before leaving in the morning. We'll catch her then, at her lowest. It's a malignant tactic, but we aren't intending to abuse it, of course."

"But it might help with who I am." I nod knowingly. "Good. I'll listen to your advice. You've never led me astray, my sweet little Dwarf."

A splash of rosiness shows up on her adorable cheeks. "You do most of the leading, Master… I'm much better at following…"

"Maybe, but you do have that spark deep in your heart." I grin at her, gently patting her on the back. "I was so damn impressed at how you handled yourself in front of those guards. It was quite… hot. My love and respect for you only grows with each passing day."

She takes a peek at my waist and flushes further. "Did it… excite you, Master?"

This tiny pervert.

"Do I even have to answer that?" I chuckle openly.

Sirgia smiles charmingly and rests against my side. I wrap my arm around her and we start walking, heading for the inn we have spotted a bit earlier. After some time, I hoist her up onto my shoulders since the people are gonna stare anyway. The adorable giggle she offers me is a priceless reward. My supple princess should be the one looking down on these ignorant peasants, not the other way.

As usual, I have to lean forward as we get into the lobby. The patrons all turn to look at me, pausing their meals in the restaurant part of the hostel. Ignoring them, we go straight to the owner or receptionist and Sirgia requests a single room. The man gives her a concerned gaze, but she assures him that we are an actual married couple. While handing her the key, he whispers in Dwarvish how to signal him if she is in trouble.

Seriously, I need to hold myself back so hard not to snicker. Oh, the troubles of interracial relationships.

A good dude nonetheless.

We find our room without an issue and slip inside. It immediately becomes obvious that it doesn't differ from the rest of the town. Everything is small. It has a personal bathroom, but the tub will only fit me sideways from the looks of it, and still not fully. 

As for the bed…

"I'm going to feel like a giant." I rest my hands on my sides while looking down at it.

Sirgia chuckles and plops down on the sheets, stretching herself out to further emphasise my point. Her body almost fills the entire space between the headrest and the foot of the thing. Unless I curl myself around her as the big spoon, there is no way we are going to fit on that mattress together.

Not to mention doing anything other than sleeping. That poor piece of wood might burst just from my weight alone.

Okay, that might be too much. Dwarves are certainly heavier than Humans. At least the common ones, not Sirgia-types.

We both flinch softly when Ianthe suddenly walks out of the brick wall with a smile on her face.

"Such a charming little town. Though, I had to control myself so as not to sink that entire guard station into the earth," the Oread admits with an impish laugh. "May I stay with you, Den Master, Mistress?"

Yeah. A bigger bed is a must.

To further crowd the small room, Diana emerges from my shadow and gives me a tender lick. I fluff her fur for a moment before she saunters away and lies down by the door, her intentions clear as day.

She's so nice.

Looking back to my ladies, I find Sirgia staring at Ianthe with a glint in her dark caramel eyes.

Uh-huh. I have a bad feeling about this.

She jumps off the bed and trots up to the rock girl, who leans forward to offer my small but sly Dwarf her ear. Sirgia whispers something quiet enough for me not to catch it, or she might actually be using our Sensual Whispers even, and a wide smile grows on Ianthe's dazzling face.

Shooting me a lustful glance, the Oread walks into the wall, disappearing the same way she appeared. A second later, an exquisite alabaster rump pokes out of the same spot at the perfect angle, cut off mid-thigh and below the woman's belly button. It's fairly obvious she's bent forward rather impressively from the partially visible arch of her smooth back.

My scheming lover stands next to Exhibit A, from now also addressed as Exhibit Ass, and lovingly caresses the bubbly butt with her palm, smiling at me mischievously. As her fingers move between Ianthe's cheeks, she spreads them more, further showcasing the pale woman's inviting slit, also pulled slightly aside to reveal its succulent flesh, already dripping with fragrant nectar from within.

Damn it, Shino. What kind of perversities are you filling their heads with?

"Master…" Sirgia purrs at me timidly, her face all rosy but as brave as possible while she nibbles on her bottom lip. "Today's difficulties must have been unimaginably stressful… I'm sure you must have accumulated a lot of pent-up frustrations after how you have been treated… Why not… Let them all out… On this…"

Her eyes gesture briefly towards the amicable offering.

Well, I guess the answer to my previous question is, the best ones.