The Perfect Cure For Loneliness

Note: Brace yourself! You're going to see a different side to Lianna here, one that's been hinted at throughout pretty much every chapter but that is finally going to be shown in all its bittersweet glory. 

---

Later, Lianna looked at herself in the mirror.

That new, emerald eye of hers burned so brightly that Lianna wondered if it could actually glow in the dark, or if she was just seeing things. 

That eye represented so much. Lianna's new opportunities, the power she'd gained, and it was the biggest sign that she'd been chosen. 

It was also a reminder that Lianna's life was about to change drastically. That fact made the eye feel so heavy Lianna worried it might fall out of its socket. 

[I need to calm down.] 

Thankfully, she had the perfect means to do so waiting for her just a short walk away. 

The newly Awakened Lianna left her home in a black dress, with stockings that were a few shades lighter, and high heels. She usually preferred to have her dresses be quite a lot shorter but, if she'd gotten a good read on tonight's date, she guessed the girl she was meeting would prefer this look. 

Telvan looked so much better at midnight.

The neon signs, the drunk, happy couples stumbling down the streets, the faint smell of cigarettes in the air. Lianna appreciated the house that had been bought for her, but this was what she called home. All of this almost made living alone for the last 18 years bearable. 

Almost. For the times when that wasn't enough, though, Lianna found that a lady's warm embrace was usually enough to quiet the mind instead. 

It was the desire to feel that which now had Lianna walking into a bar called "The Player's Drops".

This place was known for hosting some of the toughest, meanest people during the day, which did have Lianna feeling rather nervous. But, at the same time, she knew that at night, softer sides of people tended to come out...

... In between the random fights, anyway. 

The instant that Lianna pulled the bar's wooden doors open, loud, electronic music poured out from inside and filled her head, nearly making her feel drunk before she'd even taken her first sip of the night. 

Black, wooden tables that looked like they'd been pulled from the set of a bad porno. Lights flashing, changing colors, nearly threatening to leave people blind. Men and women, all wearing the best stuff they could find in their closets, laughed as they sat near the half-full bottles of alcohol they'd bought. Some portion of those bottles had no doubt found its way onto those neat tables, as liquid dripped onto the ground as if rain had passed through the ceiling. 

At the back, Lianna found the woman who'd invited her here. Lianna spent a lot of time in bars, but she wouldn't dare step foot in this one without an invitation. 

The woman waved Lianna over. She'd been keeping her eyes on the door, wondering maybe if she'd been stood up as Lianna arrived a few minutes late.

Like the rest of the people here, she was a hardened Player. If Lianna had any doubts about that before, well, her toned arms and legs, along with the long scar running down the side of her face gave her away. Clad in a pristine yellow dress, the gems on the girl's many rings adorning her hands let Lianna know she was probably as successful as she was experienced. Her hair was short and black, with one singular yellow streak running down the side like a lightning bolt. 

Judging by her physique, Lianna guessed she usually took the role of a Tank. Lianna could, of course, just check her status to make sure but Lianna considered that an invasion of privacy, so she tried not to do so unless she felt she was in danger.

This lady probably spent most of her time dragging her legs forward in heavy, steel plates. And yet, that same woman had, unless her closet was a treasure chest all in itself, thrown on the best dress she could just for this one date. 

It was quite flattering. 

With a grin, Lianna walked up and the woman spread her arms, letting her go in for a hug. 

Already, some of the knots tightly tied around Lianna's heart loosened up. 

"Good evening, Shira," Lianna greeted her. "By Saren's grace, you look twice as beautiful in person." 

"Good. Took me a fuck-ton of time to end up this way," Shira stated, calling the bartender over with a lazy gesture. "Killing Fiends comes a lot more naturally to me than applying eyeliner, I'll tell you that." 

"Well, you know what they say... Good things come to those who work hard."

Lianna sat down next to her. Her drink arrived quickly. A glass full of some odd blue liquid with orange swirls. 

Now, Lianna did have a personal rule against checking people's Statuses. However, checking drinks passed to her by strangers, which her {Target Analysis} Instinct allowed her to do since potions, poisons, and elixirs were a thing, was different. 

Due to one particularly bad mistake Lianna had made, she'd learned to check every drink she was offered. 

Omega Liquor

{Alcoholic beverage} 

{Effect: Heightens libido by 15% for 3 hours} 

[Well...] Lianna thought, taking the glass. [I can live with that. Plus, it makes Shira's intentions abundantly clear, which is greatly appreciated. Bottoms up!] 

After Lianna chugged most of the drink in under four seconds, leaving only a quarter of it left, Shira grinned. 

"... In that case," she continued, "I do wonder what kind of reward will fall into my lap." 

Lianna considered those words and stood up just as quickly as she'd sat down. 

[No harm in speeding things up, right? It's pretty clear what we both want, after all.] 

Then, Lianna walked over and straddled the girl, her blood-red hair falling over her shoulders. Shira looked shocked, but not dissatisfied. 

"Oh, wow, would you look at that? A reward fell on your lap!" 

"And what a reward she is..." Shira whispered, biting her bottom lip. She then squinted, as though she'd just noticed something odd. Reaching up, she lightly pushed some of Lianna's hair away from her face. "Not to ruin the mood but, may I ask you something?" 

"Certainly." 

"What happened with your eye? Did you..." 

"Yes," Lianna answered, cutting her off. Given that she was a Player, the curiosity was understandable, but Lianna wasn't having any of it. "If you'd like to talk about that, maybe we could do so later?"

[Another time, maybe. When I'm not horny out of my mind, maybe?] She asked internally. 

Additionally, she really didn't need to be reminded of all the anxiety-inducing changes happening in her life. 

On that note, Shira took the glass cup Lianna had just drank from and downed what was left. 

Slamming the cup against the counter gave a thud almost loud enough to cut through the music. Shira's hungry eyes turned back up at Lianna as one of her hands caught a greedy squeeze of her ass. 

"Of course." 

---

{One Hour Later}

"Oh my fucking God!" Lianna moaned into a soft, grey pillow. "Holy shit!"

The girl's physique had made a certain promise to Lianna when she first laid eyes on Shira's body. 

The woman did not disappoint. 

With Lianna's face down and her ass up, Shira was currently slamming into her with an 8-inch strap-on she'd bought specifically for this occasion.

She was doing so rather hard. A little too hard, actually. Lianna wasn't looking forward to trying to walk around tomorrow, but, for now, she would argue Shira wasn't fucking her hard enough. 

Every crash of the woman's hips against her ass made Lianna's toes curl. They'd been like that for half an hour. Lianna had been with a great many different people by now, but the stamina Shira was putting on display, having grabbed Lianna's waist so long ago and not once letting go to even catch one, singular breath, had Lianna feeling elated. 

One of Shira's hands finally left Lianna's waist so she could grab Lianna's hair, pulling back. Lianna's back arched. She grinned. It hurt, but well, Lianna preferred this type of pain to the one that would come from sitting at home all night, with nothing to do and no one to talk to.

Yeah, there was no contest there.

Lianna would be meeting "the love of her life" soon, and she was excited about that if it was true, but, for now, she remained alone. 

Not for tonight, though. For tonight, she had a warm body behind her. 

And, that was a lot more than Lianna could say she usually had. 

Shira pulled out, and gently turned Lianna over, onto her back. The redhead saw her juices gleaming as the light from the twin moons outside Lianna's home reflected off the toy. 

"I wanted to see you." Shira took slow, steady breaths. Her abs flexed, a thin layer of sweat covering them. 

"Here I am..." Lianna smiled, locking her legs behind Shira. 

"By Saren's grace, you're beautiful."

Then, not quite as gently, Shira wrapped her hands around Lianna's neck. 

"Let me know if I'm squeezing too tightly," Shira instructed. "When you've trained for as long as I have, it can be difficult to keep track of your own strength."

As Shira slowly got going again, Lianna only had one thing to say. 

"Harder." Lianna grinned. "Squeeze the fucking life out of me~"