As she went home feeling defeated, she though about that red-hair woman. She looked down at her wrist, still red from where the woman grabbed her. She'd never been grabbed that hard by another woman before. What kind of monster was she?
"Dumb red-haired orge with her dumb skimpy armor and her dumb great abs and her dumb sexy butt..." She stopped talking and shook her head. "What am I thinking about? I'm not attracted to women. I have a husband."
It was a problem, though. What could she do about that red-haired woman? She was almost a foot taller than her, about ten years younger, very strong physically, and had a nasty-looking halberd. If it came down to a fight, she wouldn't stand a chance of a chance.
"Damn," she grumbled. "There's got to be something I can do about that woman and her guild." She felt so helpless.
Then, it hit her. "Heh, heh! I know just how I'm going to throw that woman and her friends out right on their barely covered asses. Ha, ha!"
She realized that a man was standing there looking at her. "You okay, Minerva? It's not normal to talk to yourself in the dark like that."
She was embarrassed, but downplayed it. "I'm fine. Just rehearsing something." It wasn't a total lie.
*
Shallista was farming out back with Penelope early in the morning. It was a cool morning, perfect for intense labor. She stopped for a moment to soak it all in.
She noticed Wendy come out of the guild building and run her way.
Eventually, Wendy made it to the farm. "We have our first client, milady! He's in the guild hall right now!"
"I guess I'll head on in and greet him," Shallista said. She stuck her hoe in the ground and slapped Penelope's butt, causing her to yelp and stand bolt upright. "Farm's in your hand until I return."
"Y-yes, milady," Penelope said, relaxing and returning to her task.
She followed Wendy and getting to the guild hall, she saw a man sitting at the bar. He was gruff and grizzled, perhaps in his mid-forties. She recognized him immediately. He was one of the people who helped her fix this building. "Well, hello, Rixson. Come to get another feel?"
He shook his head. "No. I came to give you a job, if you're interested."
"Depends one what it is, though I can't imagine turning it down," Shallista said. "My guild is willing to take on almost any job, after all."
"Good," he said. "When we were touching this place up, I couldn't help but notice you're pretty handy with a hammer and a paint brush. Maybe you'd be willing to help me and the boys fix up a few places. It'd be steady work for you and something for the boys to look at during their breaks."
Shallista smiled. "I see. Okay, how many people do you need?"
"I think about five, if you have 'em to spare."
"And you'll pay them all?" she asked.
"Of course," he said. "I don't cheat people."
Shallista nodded. "Alright, we'll do it. Just tell us where to go, I'll round up four of my ladies, and meet you there."
*
Shallista, Wendy, Cordelia, Penelope, and Vilka arrived at a shady-looking part of town. With the exception of men working on buildings and stray animals looking for food, the area abandoned. "Look at it all, ladies. This is what getting paid looks like."
Wendy looked around nervously. "Are we going to be okay?"
"We'll be fine," Penelope answered. "Things tend to stay pretty calm around here. And the guys just like to stare a little too much, but they're harmless."
Rixson just happened to come out of a build and see them. "Ah, there you are." He gave them all a once over. "You all look capable for the most part. As you can see, there's plenty of work to do, so pick a building, grab some tools, and get started."
"A little history lesson, first," Shallista said. "What is this place and what happened to it."
Penelope spoke up. "Oh, this was the entertainment district...back when the city got a lot of visitors. I used to come through here and play games all the time as a kid. It was so much fun."
One part caught Shallista's attention. "Why did people stop coming?"
"It was too far out of the way for most people to get to," Vilka said. "Also, a dragon would attack people on the main road from time to time. Some soldiers eventually killed the dragon, but the damage was done. We were no longer getting tourists and the local population wasn't big enough to support the businesses, so the whole district went under. The city restructured into a crafts and farming town."
"So this wasn't just some quaint little town before, huh?" Shallista asked.
"Sure, it was no metropolis, but it wasn't the sticks, either," Rixson said. "Honestly, I like what our town has become, but I can't deny it was nice to have something to do besides gather at the pub and drink beer after work."
"Hmm..."
"What is it, milady?" Wendy asked.
Shallista shook her head. "Nothing. Just thinking about things. Okay, ladies, let's get to work."
*
Penelope, Wendy, and Cordelia were enjoying a water break together when a couple of guys came over. Penelope simple asked, "Yes?"
The youngest, a man roughly Penelope's age, said, "Man, Penelope. I didn't know you had such a nice body. Your friends ain't bad, either."
"I know, right," another man, in his late twenties, said. "That gal with the pigtails has a bangin' body."
"Umm...my name is Wendy," she said nervously.
"Who are these people?" Cordelia asked Penelope.
"Just some people I've known since childhood." She pointed to the youngest one. "That one's been crushing on me for about ten years now." She looked at him. "Isn't that right, Epsley?"
"Come on, don't tell 'em that," Epsley said. "I can't lie, though. Seeing you like this is a dream come true."
A third guy walked around them. "Nice legs, Hay-top. Can I have a feel?"
"It's Cordelia," she grumbled. "And no, you can't.
"That's enough, guys," Penelope said. "Get back to work."
"Not until you promise to have a drink with me after work," Epsley said. "Please?"
Penelope huffed and looked away. "So annoying."
"I think it's kind of cute," Wendy said. "He's into you and not just because of your body. The one's coming onto me and Cordelia however..."
"We're trying, but you're shooting us down," Cordelia's candidate said.
"Then perhaps you shouldn't start by asking to touch my legs," Cordelia scolded.
"That's right," Wendy said. "I know we're wearing this skimpy armor, but at least pretend you're looking at more than just our bodies."
"That's hard to do when someone looks like you," Wendy's candidate said.
"Oh..." Wendy said, looking away and blushing.
"That's all it took?" Penelope screeched at her.
"Seriously, just give us a chance," Epsley said. "A triple date? What do you say?"
"Please?" Cordelia and Wendy's candidates said, hands together with puppy-dog eyes.
Cordelia looked away. "I guess I understand. Our armor is sexy, so it's hard to look under the surface under these circumstances. Okay, I'll give you one chance. But if you bring up my legs just one time, I'm walking."
Epsley reached out to Penelope. "You're the only one left. What do you say? After ten years, can I have just one date? You know us, so you know we won't get out of line."
Penelope grumbled. "Fine. Just try not to get too handsy or we walk."
Three men high-fived. "You won't regret this," Epsley said. Then, he and his friends took their leave.
That's when Shallista came around the corner. "Ooh, you all have dates."
Penelope stiffened, but relaxed upon seeing it was her. "Heavens, you almost scared the piss out of me. How long have you been there?"
"Since Wendy melted over a stranger's compliment."
"Y-you heard that?" Wendy asked, looking down at her feet.
"Come on, don't be embarrassed," Shallista said. "It's natural to feel good about something like that, especially when it comes from someone as cute as those guys. And when you feel good, so do I. I feel so good, in fact, I'll let you leave an hour earlier to prepare for your date. Surely you want to wear something besides your armor and you certainly don't want to go reeking of paint and sweat."
"Are you sure, milady?" Cordelia asked.
"It'll be fine," Shallista said. "But that's still a few hours down the road. Until then, get those butts in gear."
"Yes, milady," Penelope, Wendy, and Cordelia all said with the biggest smiles.
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