Jeni greeted the returning Devin and Reina as she was flipping her door sign from open to closed. “Welcome back, Young Patron, friend Reina.”
“Good evening, Jeni. You seem more… upbeat. Did something nice happen today?” asked Devin, kicking his boots clean of snow.
“This one and industrious Azalea have been strengthening the bond between friends.”
“Oh? Always good to hear. How so?”
Azalea dove at Devin’s chest, hugging him. “Sorry, life-mate. That’s a secret for now.”
“A secret, huh?”
“Yes. We’ll tell you when we are done!” Azalea gave Reina a hug and showered them with kisses. “I missed you both! How’d your errands go? How is Ky?”
“We found a chirurgeon. She said we did a decent job, in the spur of the moment, attending to Ky’s outward condition. She’ll be looked after till she awakens.”
“I’m so glad!”
“As for the wagon, it’s being worked on and… I took out a loan to build a new one.”
“You took out a what?” a curious Azalea queried.
“Herd-mate borrowed money to have a new wagon constructed.”
“Ooooh. Is it going to be better?”
“It’ll be bigger and enclosed, acting as a portable home away from home. I just hope Reina can pull it,” Devin added with a pat on Reina’s shoulder.
“What’ll happen to the old one?” asked Azalea.
“We’ll still be using it. The new one will be specifically for long distance.”
“I see. Soooo, you have to pay back this loan thing?” the fairy checked.
“Yes.”
“Perfect.”
“Huh?”
“I mean… um, a perfect opportunity for you to hurry up with your training, life-mate, so we can start making milk!”
“I haven’t had much quiet time to practice lately. I will tonight,” Devin promised.
“Azalea, dear, we bought groceries. Can you help me make dinner tonight?”
“Sure, Reina. Don’t we still have Jyora’s gift of mushrooms?”
“We do have some left.”
“I should knit an apron for myself.” Devin heard Azalea say as the two disappeared into the kitchen.
Jeni sidled up and held open her wings, and he reciprocated.
“A hug for Jeni. Are you doing ok?”
“This one always is when she’s in the arms of Young Patron.”
“Then you’ll like it when I do this.” He reached around and stroked the feathery tufts on top of her head. She responded by closing her eyes and quietly warbling, soaking in all the attention.
“Did Azalea behave herself?”
“Energetic Azalea has been a good fairy.”
After a moment, he asked, “She’s not doing anything to make you… uncomfortable is she?”
“This one appreciates Young Patron’s concern. It is nothing of the sort. The exchange of interpersonal relationship time has yielded mutual effort toward a common goal.”
“I suppose you are wanting to keep this goal a secret as well?”
“This one will share the results soon,” Jeni offered with a near smile.
“As long as she’s not pushing you too fast or into something you’re not ready to do. Don’t feel as if you can’t say no. I’m glad you two are getting along.”
There was a brief knock as a familiar pair of ears, one with a missing chunk, peeked in. “Am I interrupting something?”
“Not at all. Just giving Jeni a hug.”
“This one welcomes friend Suvi back!”
Suvi removed her jacket after shaking the slush off outside. “Snow’s getting deep early this year.”
“We might have to shovel our way out by morning from the looks of it,” Devin joked.
“I’ll burrow a hole through if need be,” she shot back, laughing.
Jeni hop-stepped over and opened her wings.
“You want a hug from me too? Alright, here you go.” Suvi squeezed the little owl and fluffed her feathers.
“How was your interview?” questioned Devin.
“Wasn’t so much an interview as it was an ‘introduce me to everyone’ sort of day. I saw the pee trio again and the girls who work in the other wing. They are all very… touchy. I can only stand so many hugs in one day. Not that I mind that from you, Jeni,” she assured her. “Tomorrow, I’m going for the uniform fitting.”
Suvi let go of Jeni and turned to Devin. “You’re imagining it, aren’t you? My boobs on full display?”
“It’s hard not to when I’ve already seen you naked,” admitted Devin.
“Ironically, I feel more embarrassed about the frills than strangers seeing my chest. And don’t you dare say I’ll look cute.”
Devin failed at hiding a smile. “I wouldn’t think of it.”
She threw her coat at him. “Where are the girls?”
“Making dinner.”
“This one would be happy for friend Suvi to join us!”
Suvi’s eyes lit up. “You don’t mind? Right, silly question, friends and all that. Suvi turned to walk to the kitchen and then stopped. Spinning back, she abruptly gave Devin a hug.
“What’s this for?”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m just thanking you for helping Ky.”
“You’re most welcome.”
“And stop scratching my ears! It doesn’t have the same effect on me as others!”
“That’s not what your tail is saying,” Devin laughed.
Suvi blushed, grabbed Jeni’s wing, and scampered past him, her tail swishing happily as she disappeared into the kitchen.
—–
The rest of the night was spent enjoying a simple dinner. Devin, Jeni, and Suvi supped on a baked halibut with mushrooms. Reina and Azalea, not preferring meat, had a side of steamed greens, rye bread, and much to Azalea’s dislike, mashed peas. Suvi entertained them with tales from her day and her impressions of all her fellow co-workers.
“So, ya, Sable’s being really insistent on making the trio into a quartet.”
“You should!” Encouraged Azalea.
“Sorry, my limit was peeing in front of you all when you were… you know, and that was a one-time thing! I’m not doing that in front of random people.”
“Regardless of your job, we’ll be sure to come visit,” promised Reina.
Suvi pushed her plate away, satisfied. “Dinner was amazing. I’m curious, Reina, since you don’t eat meat, how do you know how to prepare fish?”
“It was Azalea who deboned and did the fileting. I only cooked the mushrooms and accompanying dishes.”
“I thought fairies didn’t eat meat either.”
Azalea put down the sewing needle she was using as a makeshift fork. “It’s not like we can’t; it’s just very rare for us. I personally don’t like it. Give me sweets all day, every day, but my mom wanted to make sure I had a wide set of domestic skills for whoever my life-mate was going to be.”
“Your skills are definitely adequate. You seasoned it perfectly,” Devin gushed.
“Thank you, life-mate.”
Reina stood up and collected the dishes. “Bathing arrangements — who’s going first? We can’t all fit in there.”
“This one has her own specially designed bath in her room,” Jeni explained.
“How ‘bout Suvi and Reina, and life-mate and I.”
Reina’s expression changed.
Suvi caught Reina’s face while she stacked her dishes. “You don’t want to bathe with me, Reina?”
“No… it’s not that. It… it’s nothing.”
Devin guessed her thoughts. “It’ll be alright,” he whispered. “She’s not the kind of person to comment on such things; probably won’t even notice them.”
Devin got up, collected all the dishes, and put them in the sink. “Azalea and I will clean up while you two go first.”
“This one will turn in early,” yawned Jeni. “Will friend Suvi be sharing this one’s bed again?”
“If you’re offering, and no, Azalea, we didn’t do anything like what your face says you’re thinking.”
“Yet,” the faerie countered.
“No yet. Just two people sleeping in the same bed!”
“But friend Suvi wrapped herself tightly around this one’s body in what this one has learned is called the big spoon.”
“It’s… it’s just a habit! Ky likes to feel protected!” she deflected.
“Uh huh,” Azalea giggled.
“Now, now. There’s nothing wrong with that,” said Reina, coming to the rat-girl’s defense. ”Ky and Suvi are lucky to have each other, and Suvi probably feels really lonely without her.” Reina shooed the teasing fairy back to helping Devin and bid Jeni a good night.
—-
Reina entered the bathroom, stiffly sidling against the wall.
“We can bathe separately if it’s really bothering you.“ Suvi offered, shutting the door and sliding her shoes off. “I wouldn’t have expected you to be embarrassed over being seen naked.”
“It’s not really embarrassing. It’s… shame.” She looked away and slowly removed her coat.
“Shame? Oh! Those are…”
“I know, they are unsightly.”
“They’re huge! What do you have to be ashamed about! I only see boobs that size from the farm girls in the milk district.”
“My, what? Boo… oh, oh, yes, my breasts, of course.”
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have blurted that out. I must be spending too much time around Azalea.”
“No, no, it’s alright. I thought… uh, nevermind.” Reina relaxed and began unbraiding her hair.
Suvi didn’t understand exactly what happened, but the tension popped like a bubble, and she was glad for it. Uncinching the belts covering her chest and lower half, she let them drop to the floor, bent down, and tossed them into the corner.
The neutral hues of her dirty gray fur and peachy white skin accentuated the pale pinkness of her inner ears, tail, nipples, pussy, and anus, and especially the straw-colored crystal stand out.
“I see you’re wearing your friendship plug,” observed Reina. “I was sure you were going to remove it when Azalea wasn’t looking.”
“I… kinda got used to it. Forget I have it in, sometimes, and… it was a present from you all.” She lifted her tail and pulled the plug out, admiring the craftsmanship. “Want me to help take your’s out, too?”
“Yes, please.”
Suvi had to use both hands to remove the monster-sized, physical embodiment of their friendship. “I should be the last to say this, but I sorta feel empty now whenever it’s not inside.”
“I feel similarly. Herd-mate was the first time I ever… had something in that hole. The full sensation reminds me of our first time.”
“Anal was your first time?” Suvi asked in surprise.
“Yes, well, not exactly. He used his arm when we first met.”
“So you haven’t done it for real yet.”
“No, we both agreed we didn’t want offspring yet.”
“There are probably ways to avoid that.”
“I’m sure there are, but we’ve been so busy it hasn’t been a top priority.”
The only illumination in the wood-spruce paneled bathroom was candles. Their light danced across the chipped granite floor as Suvi set the plugs aside and admired the conveniences.
“Sure is nice having a private bathroom – even one that Jeni seems to be using to dry herbs.” She plucked a dehydrated petal from an unknown flower that had fallen on the soap shelf.
“It is. Isn’t exactly designed for someone my size, and I don’t think those are herbs. They might be for making the bath smell nice.”
As Suvi sniffed the petal, twirling it in her fingers, Reina knelt down and faced a copper claw-foot tub with two hand pumps attached to each end. One hand pump was labeled cold, and the other hot. She asked Suvi, ”How do they furnish the hot water?”
“Have you seen steam bubbling up from the ground out in the wild?”
“In certain locations, yes.”
“Thawdeen is built over many thermal springs. Several facilities underneath the city use water screws to bring the water to the surface, where it is piped around to most residences. In the few areas where there is no access, public baths are available. That’s where I used to go on occasion.”
“How does the water keep from freezing in winter?”
“Easy. The Amifor tree.”
“A tree?”
“Pipes are made from its wood. It is not as strong as iron or copper, but it’s superior in other ways: it’s more readily available; has peculiar properties that make it highly resistant to weathering, insects, and fungal growth; it doesn’t expand with temperature change; and the thickness affords a little insulation.” With a nod down to the drain, she continued, “The wastewater is sent to the fields outside the city via aqueducts, where it’s used as fertilizer during the growing season.”
Reina glanced at the drain in the middle of the room. “Impressive. How are you so knowledgeable?”
“I used to be an information broker. It was my job to know as much about anything and everything. One of the best places to hear things is at one of the public baths. The hot water and steam easily loosen the lips of relaxed workers.”
Reina filled a bucket with hot water, occasionally adjusting the temperature with cool water. “You are a very resourceful girl.”
“I had to be. I was an orphan, like Ky. We’ve been together as long as I can remember, and I had to take care of her.”
“I feel bad you never had a chance to know your father or mother. Did… are they…”
“I actually don’t know.”
“You never thought about searching to see if they are still around?”
“I have, but I’m afraid to find out the answer. What I picture in my head may not be who they really are.”
“That’s a hard decision. I would like to believe your mother would be proud to see you grow up to be so strong of spirit and resilient.”
“Maybe. I picture her as maybe someone who acts something like you.”
“Me?!?”
“You act very motherly.”
“Do I?”
“You are so kind, composed, and mature. At least, that’s how I imagine a mother would act.”
“I don’t think of myself that way. I worry about a lot of things, probably unnecessarily, and try to cover up my insecurities by being helpful. It’s amusing. Sometimes I feel like the little sister to Azalea.”
“She can be quite assertive. What is your mom like?
“It has been a long time since I’ve seen her. She is a hand shorter than me, with woolier fur, thinner flanks, and curvier hips. She’s more strong of mind than body. She co-leads our herd throughout the seasons with my father. She rarely gives praise but is not overly critical either. She doted on my younger sister – well, we both did. I sometimes worry we might’ve spoiled her.”
Reina stopped what she was doing to regard the scrappy ratgirl. “I can’t replace your parents, but maybe I can do a little something my family does.” She wrapped her arms around Suvi’s midsection and pulled her close.”
“W…what are you doing?” Suvi was anxious but didn’t resist.
“I want to comb your hair and then wash it… if you’ll allow me?”
“A…alright.”
Lifting Suvi entirely off the ground, she deposited her in the tub facing away.
“You have such pretty, straight hair, soft and whispy, and its shortness frames your cute face.”
Suvi pulled her knees up to her chin, her tail twitching happily at the compliment.
“Face me and look down, please.”
Suvi swiveled around and tilted her chin, not sure where to look. Her eye level was parallel with Reina’s massive chest swinging pendulously in front of her.
Reina hummed a tune as she poured a bucket of hot water over the ratgirl’s head.
“You can suckle them if you want.”
“Wha…what?”
“My breasts,” offered Reina.
“Wha…what makes you think I wanted to suck them?”
“Just a thought. My sister used to whenever I washed her hair.”
Suvi mentally debated as she stared at the large chestnut-colored areolas framing Reina’s inverted nipples. Reaching out, she weighed the pillowy, soft mounds in her hands. “So heavy. How do you manage without any support?”
“Mother didn’t believe in such things. She believed a bit of upper body strengthening was more than sufficient, so I was raised without it. Although… I do prefer a support band when I run.”
Suvi brought the left breast to her mouth.
“You might need to work a bit to get it out,” Reina coaxed.
Suvi’s oral attentiveness soon hardened the stubborn nipple, making it pop out of hiding. Her mind swirled with many thoughts – not particularly about what was in her mouth. However, the oddity of the situation was one of them. She mentally reviewed the many things she had to do tomorrow. One of those things needed a partner.
“Say, can I, um, ask you for a favor?” Suvi asked, releasing the wet nipple now covered in her saliva.
“Of course.”
“You know how all the girls at Whitegold lactate?”
“Yes,” Reina responded with interest.
“I’m going to need to as well. I was wondering if you could, um…”
“Ask Azalea to give you a lactation crest?”
“What? No! I don’t have any affinity, and even if I did, I kinda want to take it slow and do it naturally the first time. Tomorrow, I’m gonna ask Jeni if she has any tea or something I could drink to induce. Would you massage m…my chest? You know, to help stimulate my milk and all that.
“I’m sure the girls at work would do it if I asked, but I wanted someone I’m more familiar with. I’d feel awkward having Devin do it. Jeni I don’t think has any skill in this sorta thing, and Azalea… gets distracted when things like this are involved.”
Reina gave a knowing smile. “I understand. Herd-mate and I will be going out all week to order provisions and incremental fittings for my harness. Maybe in the evenings? It might be hard to find a quiet, private place. Here might be the best.”
“Good idea.”
Reina rinsed the lavender-scented suds out of her hair. “Shall I fill the tub so you can soak?”
“That’s ok. I’m used to just showers. Do you want me to help wash you since you can’t fit in the tub, and… you know, it must be hard to reach certain areas?”
“I would like that very much. Thank you.”
“It’s not weird, is it? You’re not just being polite?”
“It’s culturally normal for Whitehorn’s to wash each other. It’s a sign of comradery, strengthens relationships, and is time used to talk and gossip.” Reina refilled the bucket, dumped water over her back, and handed Suvi the soap. “If you’d be so kind.”
Suvi climbed onto Reina’s broad back, thinking there was enough room to seat four ratgirls comfortably. Lathering her hands, she dug her fingers through the dense fur.
“So… what’s all the town trips for? When I hitch a ride in the morning, you and Devin sound like you’re preparing for a long journey.”
“We are.”
“Does it have something to do with the thing Mavis invited you all for?”
“Yes. She wanted Devin to search for beegirl honey.”
“Really? Interesting.”
“In the middle kingdom.”
“Oh… that doesn’t sound like it’s worth it.”
“If it was just for that, I’d say no, but I have personal reasons I need to go.”
“Hmm. I can’t say I envy you, but I wish you a safe and successful journey.”
“Thank you.”
“I mean it! I’ve grown kinda used to having you people around,” Suvi declared with slight shyness.
“Friendship has a strange way of blossoming.”
A strange thought made the ratgirl giggle. “It does. People don’t just stick stuff up their butts for anyone.”
Reina laughed. “True.”
“How long are you all sticking around for?”
“Till arrangements are made with the wagon conversion and my harness and all the supplies are ordered. We are actually going north to pick up something for Jeni first before joining up with a caravan Mavis is organizing.”
“The coast, eh? Feel free to bring me back a souvenir.”
“I’d be happy to.”
“I’m joking. Don’t go out of your way.”
“Nonsense! I’ll find something I’m sure you’ll like.”
Suvi slid down to the floor, allowing Reina to get up on her knees, leaving enough room for her to slide underneath. When Suvi rolled onto her back, Reina’s crest stared her in the face. She reached out to touch it and asked, “Is this an affinity crest?”
“Yes, it is, and you just reminded me.” Reina dug around her bag for a mirror. “I wanted to look at it. Can you hold this so I can see, please?”
“Sure.”
Suvi angled the reflection so Reina could see her belly. “Aren’t they supposed to be invisible to everyone except users?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because it’s not activated yet?” Reina surmised.
“It’s certainly detailed. So you’re an affinity user?”
“No, herd-mate and Azalea will be sharing theirs with me.”
“You can do that?”
“That’s what Azalea said, so I guess so.”
Suvi set about scrubbing. In this position, Suvi’s heightened demi-human sense of smell was inundated with more of Reina’s natural scent than the dampness of her fur. It was earthy and wild. Being underneath the Whitehorn’s huge frame felt intimate in a stranger way than when she was having her own hair washed.
‘I wonder how thorough she wants me to be?’ Reina’s other mammaries was close to where Suvi was washing. The Whitehorn was busy washing the hair on her own head, the suds falling over her collarbone and breasts, and showed no sign of stopping her.
Suvi shrugged and went for it. Her udder wasn’t especially prominent, yet, but full of milk — She wondered what they’d feel like. A few quick, soapy passes over the pert, soot-colored teats made her want to linger on them.
She resisted, skurried out from beneath her, and moved around to her rear. Whether intentional or reflexive, the moment Suvi placed her hands on Reina’s haunch, the Whitehorn raised her tail, exposing her slit in all its prim and demure glory.
‘I guess she wants me to be thorough. Tail first.’
Her mind was distracted as she spent longer on the stubby tail than intended, hoping Reina wouldn’t notice her procrastination. She wasn’t used to touching other people’s private areas. She’d do it, but she still felt embarrassed about it.
Steeling herself, she swiped the fabric across the pursed vulva. On the second pass, her fingers accidentally brushed up against her silky lips. ’So soft. Should I wash the inside? Definitely not. Maybe just once?’ Suvi’s hands trembled as she spread the dainty lips and gave the pale pink insides a few quick strokes ’Good enough’.
Several buckets worth of water to rinse the soap later, and she declared herself done.
“So, Reina, this morning, Jeni made a suggestion to me, and I need a second opinion.”
“I’ll provide one if it’s something I can speak on.”
“Jeni suggested that Ky and I live here.”
“That’s a wonderful idea!” the Whitehorn enthusiastically expressed.
“So you think I should accept?”
“Of course! Sweet girls like you shouldn’t be on the streets.”
“I guess it could work. This room will be open when you all leave, and Ky doesn’t technically even need a bed. She can just hang from the ceiling. Although, she almost never does and prefers to sleep with me.”
“It’s wonderful to be able to share the same bed with one you love.”
“Speaking of sharing beds, did you know Jeni makes the cutest hooting noises when she’s dreaming?” Suvi did an impersonation, making both of them laugh.
“She is a darling. Your two’s presence will keep her from getting lonely.”
“I guess it could work out. Haven’t lived in a house since the orphanage, and I don’t want anything like what happened to Ky to happen again.” The rat girl shook her head vigorously to get some water out of her ear. “I think we are both pretty much clean. We should probably get out before Azalea sees us naked and decides it’s playtime.”
They both burst into another fit of giggles.
——
The following day, Jeni waved goodbye as Reina and Devin left for another day of errands, with Suvi hitching a ride to work.
Azalea emerged from the kitchen, breakfasting on an apple drizzled with honey. “Happiest of mornings to you, Jeni!”
Jeni looked over her shoulder. “This one returns chipper Azalea’s morning greeting.”
“What’s the plan for today?”
“This one surmises the weather will dissuade customers from coming in today.” She scooped several small spoonfuls of different powders into a large pot, cooking something bubbling in front of her. “Once fruitful Azalea’s tincture is finished steeping, this one wants to assess her current physical condition by going on an errand to the guild hall’s auctioning services.”
Azalea floated over and peered into the mixtures. In one pot was a clear, syrupy liquid. In the other, the one closest to Jeni, was a pale, milky gold concoction. “These are mine, huh? Why is there more than what I remember?”
“This one diluted it slightly with water and added crushed herbs for preservation purposes and to aid in quick ingestion.”
“I hope it sells well.”
“This one believes it will.” Jeni sat down and rifled through a box of labels.
“So we are going out after it’s done? Do we have time to do some warmups while it’s cooking?”
“This one supposes.” Jeni set the box down and turned to the fairy. “The sun is warm enough to use the patio.”
Jeni’s business doubled as her home. Wedged into the northwest corner of the workshop was a stairwell leading up to her bedroom. At the base of the stairs, to the right, (left of the kitchen), was a door leading to a high-walled brick patio. Jeni sometimes used the open space to preen and sun her feathers. It was empty except for a chair, tilted and leaning back against the wall, and an herb garden hidden under the previous night’s snow.
Azalea inhaled the clean, cold, fresh air. “Invigorating!”
Jeni closed the door behind them. “This one should buy a shovel for situations such as this.” She kicked and stomped an open patch in the ankle-deep snow while Azalea comically tried to drag the chair over.
“Allow this one.” Jeni positioned the chair next to her and brushed the snow off.
Together, fairy and owl-harpy spent the better part of half an hour loosening up. Their breaths dissipating into puffs of clouds.
“I’m thoroughly awake now. And thirsty. I’m gonna grab a drink.”
“This one will check on the kettles.”
Azalea joined Jeni as she was placing two prismatic vials into a felted cedar box. The corked neck was wrapped with a yellow ribbon and labeled:
Fairy Extract
&
Fairy Essence
Locally Sourced
“This one is satisfied with how they turned out.”
“I’m glad. In case it didn’t, I could always provide more. Does this mean we are ready to go?”
Jeni nodded and tucked the box into a bag cinched around her torso, toward her back.
“I’ll go grab my coat!”
Jeni wrapped a scarf around her neck and donned her goggles. Together, they returned to the patio.
“Are you sure you’re ready?”
She nodded determinedly and spread her wings to their full length, her wingtips reaching nearly door to wall. Flapping twice, she bent her knees and leaped, grasping the air and cupping it in her wings. She beat the air with broad strokes, propelling herself skyward.
For all owls-harpies capable of flight, lifting off from the ground with no altitude assistance was an unspoken right of passage. Even with hollow bones making them lighter than other races, becoming airborne under one’s own power was strenuous. Jeni’s lack of physical activity did not help.
She circled outward from her house. She’d forgotten the exhilaration of this unique perspective those gifted with flight could experience. Everything below them grew smaller. She felt a bit shaky, but the memories stored in her muscles knew what to do.
Azalea was right behind her. She normally never flew this high. While highly maneuverable and able to change direction instantly, her wing size and shape were only good for hovering and short, high bursts of speed rather than sustained, long-distance flight.
She zipped forward, grabbing onto Jeni’s feathers, pulling herself between her shoulder blades.
Instead of flapping her way across the city, Jeni soared east toward the lake. A lip of ice had formed along the shore, challenging a rambunctious romp of river otter demi-humans to try their fishing skills. They waved as she passed overhead.
Out on the water delivery trawlers weaved and dodged across the choppy grayish-blue water, avoiding mines of growlers (small icebergs) and bergy ice bits.
Worried this might be too strenuous for Jeni’s first flight since her hiatus, Azalea voiced her concern. “Are you feeling ok, Jeni? Not too tired?”
“This one is alright. The updrafts here are plentiful.” The unathletic owl conserved energy by swerving from gust to gust, riding the softly cushioned invisible currents.
She took a deep breath, wishing she had done this sooner. The feeling of freedom was unparalleled, and all her worries, like the things below her, felt small. She was encouraged and more motivated that Azalea’s plan to get her in shape was doable within the time-frame they had set.
Judging she was high enough, Jeni pulled her wings tight to her sides and dove, picking up velocity. At the same time, Azalea bowed down, reducing the wind resistance. The north-end guild hall, previously a speck on the horizon, was rapidly growing.
Covering the distance quickly, Jeni lifted her wings, slowing their descent. She intended to come to a complete stop using the ground when their speed was reasonable. Unbeknownst to either of them, the weather created a hazard as they descended – the ground was more slippery than Jeni anticipated. Touching down, her talons grasped for purchase but found none. Azalea jumped off mid-slide just as Jeni’s face planted into a snowbank.
“That was exciting,” laughed Azalea. “Let me help you up?”
Jeni extracted herself from her snow shell and brushed her feathers clean. “This one is not injured.”
Azalea landed on her shoulder. “Good. The box looks ok, too. Let’s straighten your scarf.”
Jeni carefully treaded over the ice toward the sound of boisterous voices pouring forth from the front entrance of the hall. Inside, scribes, merchants, and clerks sat at table benches, talking amongst each other over a breakfast buffet.
“Miss Feather, what a delightful and unexpectedly rare visit you grace us with this day,” shouted a white, mousey man behind the front desk. He was bestrewned with ink and flanked by towers of stacked parchment.
A few glanced over as Jeni apologized, bumping into people and trying to squeeze between the packed bodies while Azalea flew above them. “Morning greetings. This one has business she needs assistance with.”
“I’m always delighted to help a guild member!” He hopped off a stool a little too short for his stature. “It’s a bit noisy. Let’s go into the back room.” He motioned them around the desk to a hallway. Guiding them into a sparse but richly paneled side room with carpet and upholstered chairs. Silence filled the room as soon as the door was shut.
“Much better. Everyone’s always so eager to start the day conversing about daily profit estimations and goals.” He straightened his bowtie. “Allow me to introduce myself to your fairy companion. I am Rodenton Liten, but everyone calls me Roddy. I am an auction manager and bookkeeper.”
Facing Jeni, he continued, “What business can I assist you with this chill morning?”
Jeni placed the box on the table, pushing it forward. “This one is acting as an intermediary to place this up for sale.”
Roddy lifted the lid. “How exciting! Don’t see fairy commodities very often. Am I right to assume you want to put it up for auction, or did you have a particular set of private buyers in mind?”
“Auction.”
Roddy pulled a notepad out of his pocket with his tail, checking a formidable number of timetables. “How does tomorrow sound?”
Azalea and Jeni looked at each other. “This one can think of no conflicting appointments.”
“Splendid. I put you down for auction room D at ten in the morning. Are you a guild member, Mrs…”
“Ebonplume. Yes, I think so. We filled out a bunch of paperwork yesterday but haven’t received it yet.”
“Excellent. If you have time today to stop by the central council building where you applied, it’ll probably be ready. For some reason, their outgoing deliveries are always backed up. Bring it with you tomorrow, and I’ll fill out the rest. May I take this for safekeeping?”
“Please do.”
“I’ll put it in the vault with the other wares,” he assured, picking up the box.
Azalea shook his finger. “Thank you for helping us.”
“I look forward to any excuse that takes me away from the mountain of paperwork that never seems to deplete. Roddy bowed. “We look forward to working with you.” He escorted the two girls back to the common room before returning to his besieged desk.
“Jeni, are those, um, free to eat?” Azalea pointed to a plate of pastries.
“Sweet-toothed Azalea may have one.”
Azalea returned hefting a flaky, square-something filled with cooked cinnamon peaches as big as she was. “Mmmmph amph gmpph.”
Jeni blinked. “Perhaps swallowing would yield better conveyance of thought.”
“Sorry. You should taste this!” Azalea held it up for her to try.
Jeni nibbled off a corner. The mellow and smooth sweetness spread across her tongue. “It is very pleasing to this one’s palette.”
“Isn’t it?!?”
Azalea had somehow devoured a quarter of the pastry in a short time. “I’m ready to go when you are.”
Heading out after their recharge of sugar, they flew straight south. Azalea was perched with hands fastened to her back, as Jeni ascended higher and higher until they were level with the tallest point in the city: the clock tower.
“I recognize those from when we arrived in the city!” Shouted Azalea over the wind, pointing to six statues stationed on flying buttresses. “Can we get a closer look?”
Jeni landed on a parallel archway, tightly gripping the building with her talons to keep from getting blown off.
“What are they?”
“Gargoyles.”
“What’s that? Never heard of them before.”
“It’s a chimera from the imagination of their creator. They are not representative of any real kind of demi-human. ”
“Oh. Hmm.”
Azalea fluttered over to inspect the amalgamations. Each of the three pairs of silent sentinels faced outward to the north, southeast, and southwest. They all possessed the head and upper body of a lissom human woman, well-toned stomach and thighs of a lizard girl, tail of a lamia, legs and hooves of a satyr, front-clawed hands of some kind of something they didn’t recognize, and broad dragon-girl wings.
“Why are they up here?”
“They are known as the six guardians of Thawdenn.”
“The only thing they seem to be guarding against is people keeping their virginity,” sniggered Azalea.
The pair nearest them were almost identical to each other except for minor differences in hairstyle, facial features, and body size. The smaller of the two was submissively on her knees, chest down with breasts squashed against a reinforcing strut jutting out from the tower. Her butt pointed to the sky with the tip of her tail crammed in her pussy. Her dominant, larger partner straddled her hips facing backwards, hugging the base of the sub’s tail to keep it out of the way from the gaping anus she was spreading.
“How are these allowed to be up here? According to what Suvi told us, shouldn’t something like this only be allowed in the pink or red districts?”
“The city considers them a historical monument. They can’t be seen that well from below. Plus, they are too heavy to move anyway.”
“What are they… um, monumentizing?”
“They are speculated to be ancient golems.”
“Eh?”
Azalea looked closer at the lewd display. “Why isn’t there any snow on them?” The surrounding structures of the clock tower had snow piled as tall as she was. She placed her hands on the smooth skin of one and gasped. “They’re warm! How?!”
“They are unlike anything currently understood of what is known in modern golemancy. If they are retain any of the basics of our current day designs; this one postulates affinity circulates through them.”
She pointed a feather at the faint orange, tattooed lines that covered their bodies.
“Interesting.” No matter where Azalea touched, and despite the wind chill being worse up here than on the ground, every part of their bodies was as warm as she was.
“They are so smooth and… I can’t exactly say they feel soft, but they don’t feel as hard as stone.” She tapped them. “And they don’t produce the same sound solid stone would.”
“Analysis from the city’s best suggests their bodies are made from jet, a gem-like material derived from wood put under extreme pressure, similar to coal or diamonds. This would make sense since golems seem to function best from previously living materials like trees.”
Azalea processed that before asking, “Who put them here?”
“This one’s guardian’s predecessor.”
“The one who raised you – their…teacher?”
“Not so much a teacher as someone they aspired to be, but yes.”
“Have they ever moved?”
“This one does not know. But it seems like the most likely answer of how they came to be up here.”
“Can they talk? Why are they in such lewd poses? Do you think they have names?”
“The only one who can answer inquisitive Azalea’s inquiries is this one’s old mentor.”
“He’s never talked to you about them?”
“Old mentor has not.”
“Why? With your interest in golems, I’m sure you would be bursting with questions!”
“The process Old Mentor uses to construct golems is how it is typically known, not like these. This one thinks he was not taught by the one he venerated.”
“Or maybe it was too challenging to build one?”
“Doubtful. Old Mentor was not discouraged by a challenge. The one time this one came up here with Old Mentor was a long time ago. This one didn’t understand the purpose of the visit, but it seemed similar to someone visiting a memorial. Old Mentor offhandedly reminisced how seductively graceful they moved, and when they spoke it was as a sextet choir of melodic, sultry voices.”
“So they could sing, or they just had musical voices?”
“This one does not know.”
“Awww. I hate not knowing things. How old do you think they are?”
“Given that Old Mentor is estimated to be close to a hundred years of age, and these were crafted by his mentor when he was young, maybe close to two- or two hundred and fifty years old.”
“Wow! They are in great shape.”
“These were the catalysts for inspiring this one to take up golemancy as a hobby. They piqued this one’s curiosity to learn and study.”
“Do you miss him? Your mentor?”
“Old Mentor never spoke much, but this one misses sitting on Old Mentor’s lap and watching him work… and the head pats.”
“I hope you get a chance to see him again one day.” Azalea comforted while rubbing one of Jeni’s wings
“This one doesn’t think so, but thanks, kind Azalea, for the sentiment.”
Azalea fluttered to the southeast side. Another pair in a different pose. The submissive sat in her partner’s lap facing the same direction while having her breasts groped. Her head was tilted back, her mouth open, and her tongue lolled in ecstasy. Both her holes were stuffed with their tails.
The final pair was the most lascivious. On her back, the submissive’s legs were pulled above her head. Her tail was stuck into her anus, and her arms were opened wide in wanton invitation. The dominant sat next to her. One hand caressing their partner’s belly while the other splayed her gaping pussy.
“I can’t believe how much detail was put into this!” Azalea peered inside. “The pleated edges of her vagina and even the entrance to her cervix resemble the real thing!”
“I wonder how you turn them on.”
“Did humorous Azalea make a pun?”
Azalea laughed. “They already looked turned on. I mean, how do you wake them up… er, activate them?”
“Many others have wondered the same. Given their overt postures, the obvious was tried.”
“People tried to have sex with them?” the stunned fairy asked.
“Not tried. Did.”
“Oh.” Azalea climbed up and sat down on the submissive’s mound, tracing a finger across the intricate detail of her clit and outer lips, thinking.
“If left for too long, their skin markings will cease to glow.”
“So someone has been here recently?”
“Several weeks may pass before they power down, possibly, based on the richness of the affinity given them.”
“Have any girls tried?”
“The source of the affinity shouldn’t matter.”
“I wonder.” Azalea reached under her dress and ran a finger through her folds, collecting some of her perpetual wetness. Inserting her finger into the submissive gargoyle’s vagina, she smeared her secretion across the statue’s cervix.
The orange lines across the body increased in brightness and flushed to a roseate cherry color.
“Did that actually do something? Have you seen this happen before?!?”
“This one has never observed or heard of a change in color before,” Jeni responded, also closely watching the statue.
“Really? Wait, do you hear that?”
Azalea jumped up and placed her ear between the stone breasts. “I can’t really tell, but it sounds like a heartbeat, but way too slow for a living creature except for maybe a turtle girl. Do golems even have hearts?”
“Golem power sources vary from case to case. Impossible to be sure.”
Azalea’s eyes flashed purple. “Strange, how come I didn’t see she had a crest before?”
Jeni moved to inspect where Azalea was patting. “This one doesn’t see anything.”
Azalea’s eyes reverted back to normal. “A halation crest? Is there such a thing?”
“Halation? If this one recalls, they allow the user to see life auras, which is one of the rarest traits. Only more affinity-centric demi-humans possess it.”
“Yes, and I guess so. I don’t know anyone else who has it.”
“When this one was at university, some researchers found that ability of particular interest to study. This one does not know much else about it, but perhaps a written letter to their department might prove fruitful. Can observant Azalea describe it?”
“It does look different from the designs I usually see. It’s vaguely womb-shaped, but the way it’s drawn… hey! I’ll just draw it for you when we get home – easier than explaining it.”
“It’s exciting discovering something no one has before! Ahhh, looks like the stone is quieting down and changing back to orange. That didn’t last long. Why do you suppose it changed color?
Jeni shrugged. “Quality and density of affinity or maybe something inherent in fae nature?”
“Hmm. Curious. I’d like to try again but I don’ know if I want to be responsible for anything that might happen. I suppose we should go. I can’t wait to tell life-mate about it!”
Azalea climbed back aboard Jeni. Since they were above the council building, they only needed to drop down.
The women at the front desk had their city and guild membership IDs ready. With them in hand, they returned home well before evening. Azalea had drawn what she’d seen, and together, they brainstormed ideas about the crest and what they witnessed.
Later, during the eighth hour of the night, Jeni was more tired than she thought she’d be and retired early for the night. That left Azalea sitting on a stool in the workshop, next to the fire, swinging her legs and expectantly awaiting Reina and Devin’s return.
As soon as the door opened, Azalea jumped up. “Welcome back! I got a surpri… Reina! Are you ok? Your face is flushed,” Azalea pled with concern.
“I, er, I’m fine. Just tested a… feature on the new wagon.”
Azalea fluttered closer and squinted hard at Reina’s blushing face. “I know that look. A feature huh? A good feature?” the fairy challenged with a smirk.
“You could say that.”
“A special feature,” added Devin. “Something for when she starts lactating.”
“Oh? What is it?!?”
“You’ll see when we return from the coast.”
“Ahhh, okaaaaay.“
“You and Jeni also have a secret.”
“True! We can exchange surprises when we are ready to leave!”
“We can.”
“Speaking of surprises, here is one I’d like to share! It’s not related to what Jeni and I are doing. Tada!” Azalea held out their ID cards:
Azalea Ebonplume, Fairy, Female
Weight: 150g Height: 6.9 inches
Birth Date: Autumn 17, 3605 Year of the Dryad
Citizen of Iceford
————————-
Merchant Guild Member
Sapphire Rank
Milk Maid
“Weren’t you 7 inches when we went in to fill out the paperwork?”
“I was so excited that day, I misread it. They re-measured me and made the correct adjustment. Also, because of a policy change, they are now only counting height from the top of the head instead of horns, so they corrected Reina’s actual height, too.”
Reina Ebonplume
Weight: 500 Lbs | Height: 7.2 Feet
Birth date: Autumn 34, 3608 Year of the Dryad
Citizen of Iceford
———————
Merchant Guild Member
Sapphire Rank
Milk Maid
“Oh, hi Suvi, I didn’t see you back there. Whatcha hiding behind Reina for?”
“Promise not to laugh?”
“I promise nothing but to always tell you how adorable you are!”
Suvi shuffled out and took off her coat. Her tail twitched as everyone assessed her.
“Your Whitegold uniform!”
True to the purpose of the outfit, Suvi’s breasts were front and center, delicately framed in a blouse with a heart-shaped cutout in the front. Lined with frills and bows in white, gold, and pink, her skirt came down to her mid-thigh.
Azalea wrung her hands in excitement. “I’m desperately trying to not bury my face in your boobies right now.”
Suvi guarded her chest from Azalea’s overly honest wishes. “No, you won’t! One thing will lead to another, and before I know it, I’ll be a pleasured mess on the floor. And you! I can see you holding back. You’re going to say I look cute.”
Devin put his hands up defensively. “I was going to say professional, but since you said it first, yes, professionally cute.”
She exhaled. “It’s so… not me. There is no way I can pull off this look.”
“It certainly presents a gap to your normally tomboyish self,” he admitted.
“I feel so… girly.”
“Nothing wrong with showing off that side of you.”
“I don’t think I have that kind of side.”
“The juxtaposition does blend well with your embarrassed look,” Reina tittered.
“I suppose I’ll get used to it.”
Suvi pretended to be annoyed, but her happy tail swishes betrayed her feelings.
“Enough about me. Let’s eat. I’m starving!”
——————
While Reina and Devin cooked dinner, Azalea excitedly told them about her and Jeni’s trip to the clock tower. They listened with interest, but unfortunately had no further ideas or information to add to solve the gargoyle mystery.
“Never seen those characters or symbols before,” remarked Devin as he examined the crest Azalea had drawn.
The design itself was similar to Azalea’s love crest, but the complexity and sophistication were several degrees higher. It was made up of numerous other smaller – what may have been letters or something representing letters or concepts – forming the overall shape.
“Someone certainly went the extra distance. Maybe they had to if those golems are as advanced as you say. Also, I’m still continually impressed by how good your memory is, Azalea.”
“Thank you, life-mate. I’ll tuck this away for later. Maybe we’ll find further answers during our journeys someday.”
Azalea stretched and yawned. “It’s been a full day. I’m headed to bed.” She went around and kissed everyone goodnight and disappeared into the bedroom.
Azalea’s early bedtime allowed Reina to make good on her promise to help Suvi.
After having bathed, Suvi sat relaxed on a stool in the bathroom facing away from Reina.
“Were you able to request a concoction from Jeni?” checked Reina, filling a bucket with hot water and soaking a cloth in it.
“Yes. She gave me three: an anise tonic for increased blood flow to my boobs, satyr roux for better milk yield, and a nighttime tea of red raspberry leaves to give my milk more nutrients.”
“I’m sure your customers will appreciate it being nutritious in addition to delicious. Are you ready to begin?”
“Yes. Do I need to do anything?”
“Nope, just sit back and relax. Leave everything to me.”
Suvi leaned back against Reina’s pillowy chest as the Whitehorn wrung the steaming water cloth and draped it over Suvi’s small chest.
“We’ll just give that a minute to warm you up.” Reina hummed while they waited.
“I’ve heard you humming that same tune several times now. What song is it?”
“Just a lullaby mother sang to me and my sister when we were little.”
“Sounds like you had a very close relationship with your family.”
“During my childhood and growing up. Not so much later.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I suppose, in a way, it’s harder to have a family and lose it than, like in my case, not having a family to begin with.”
“It’s alright. I’ve been doing much better since meeting herd-mate and Azalea.”
Reina wrapped her arms around Suvi’s midsection and drew her close, rocking her gently from side to side.
“Is this part of the process?”
“No, but you’re very cuddleable, and I couldn’t help it.”
Suvi’s mind swirled with many thoughts, but none seemed particularly interesting to talk about.
Reina checked the cloth’s temperature and dunked it in the water to re-warm it. “How are you adjusting to working at Whitegold?”
“I didn’t think it’d involve so much manual labor. Right now, they have me helping unload the food and drink deliveries and moving them to the larder. I clean and do a lot of observing of the other girls. I was given an opportunity to try serving a table today because one of the girls went home early. I thought I was going to be more self-conscious wearing the uniform, but I was so anxious and focused on not messing up an order I didn’t even think about it.”
“Did anyone notice?”
“I don’t think so. I tried to act like I do when negotiating information – assertive, maybe a little condescending. Some customers really gobbled that up, being talked down to.”
“Sounds like you are going to be popular.”
“I guess. I received a lot of compliments and questions about if or when I was going to be a full-time server.”
Reina removed the cloth and poured oil onto her hands. “You’ll do fine when the time comes. There’s a lot of things people would find appealing about you, and I bet these cute little handful-sized breasts are two of them.” Reina squeezed, cupping the base of the perky mounds, and milked downward, making Suvi gasp and jerk back.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Are you ticklish?”
“Not really. Was just sudden.”
“I’ll go a little slower.”
“I wonder if they’ll get bigger.”
“From what I’ve seen, you’ll go up a size or two, and feel firmer and fuller.”
“Are they going to hurt when they get full?”
“They might if you don’t milk yourself consistently.”
“That won’t be an issue. With as thirsty as the diners at Whitegold are, everyone gets drained pretty quickly.”
She leaned back, laying her head between Reina’s breasts. The Whitehorn’s large hands were gentle, and the close proximity to her strong and steady heartbeat was soothing. The only noise in the quiet room their breathing and the slick sound of oil rubbing on skin. “Um, could I, perchance, s…suckle from you again?”
“Of course, you may. Might be a little hard from this position. Hmm, I know, maybe we could try this: I’m going to lay you back on my arm, ok?” Reina supported Suvi in the crook of her arm. Offering her nipple to the ratgirl’s lips.
Reina gasped softly as Suvi latched on more hungrily than she intended.
“Keep sucking that hard, and I might not need the lactation crest,” she giggled.
She didn’t think her chest was particularly sensitive, but Reina’s fingers seemed to know how much pressure to apply and exactly where to pinch around her areola.
Suvi moaned. “Sorry, I’m trying to not make this weird.”
“It’s alright. You can let your voice out if you need to. I know you’re feeling good. Your nipples are hardening.”
“Am…” Suvi gasped. “Am I going to get more sensitive when I actually start lactating?”
“You may. It’s certainly not uncommon. Mother was. My grand dame was especially vocal.”
“Ho…” Suvi clenched her thighs together. “How did they manage it?”
“Usually someone close helps them, sometimes two people during milking. Shall I stop so you can take care of it, or…” Reina placed her hand on Suvi’s thigh, “I don’t mind if you want me to.”
Suvi blushed and tentatively spread her legs. Avoiding eye contact, she went back to sucking.
Reina slid her hand down Suvi’s thighs and grazed a finger between her folds. “You’re so soft. And everything is so neatly tucked inside but you’re not quite loosened up enough yet for me to put a finger in.”
Suvi’s face reddened.
Reina pushed down and swirled her palm over Suvi’s mound and clit while her finger teased her vaginal entrance.
Suvi lightly bucked her hips.
“Does this feel good? I’m only prodding your entrance, and it’s as if you’re trying to suck my finger in.”
Suvi bucked again and mewled.
“While this wasn’t the purpose of the massage, I’m happy I’m able to make you feel good.” Reina rubbed Suvi’s arousal between her fingers.“That should be good enough. Seeing how much work it takes you or me to get sufficiently wet sure puts Azalea’s constant arousal into perspective. I don’t know how she does it.”
Reina stopped teasing and easily slid a finger in, followed by a second. Suvi seemed comfortably filled. Her insides gripped and contracted as Reina fingered the needy girl.
This was only Suvi’s second time doing anything intimate with another girl. Her first time with Azalea had felt as if she were being dragged along by Azalea’s charisma, entirely at the mercy of the hyperactive fairy. Reina was the complete opposite, allowing her to set the pace.
Time passed. The greedy schlics and muffled moans increased, and before long, Suvi’s body went stiff. Her thighs clenched hard around Reina’s hand till her orgasm subsided.
“There we go. Hopefully, that took some of the edge off,” suggested Reina, removing her drippy hand.
“M’all sleepy now.”
“A good way to end the day. Don’t go yet. Let me clean you up. This was a good first session. Just let me know when you want another massage.”
Suvi yawned. “I will. Thank Reina. I’m gonna go to bed.”
“Night.”
“Goodnight.”
