It was nighttime. Shallista, Vilka, and Lupe were enjoying a conversation together. That's when Penelope, Wendy, and Cordelia walked in in slinky little dresses. Penelope wore a little red dress, Wendy wore a little white dress, and Cordelia wore a little black dress. Shallista whistled. "You all look smoking hot."
Cordelia chuckled. "That's what the guys said, too."
She noticed they were lacking the company of said guys. "What happened?" Shallista asked. "Why aren't those guys with you? Your triple date went well, right?"
"It went..some way," Penelope said.
Wendy was smiling ear to ear. "Those poor guys never stood a chance."
"Right?" Cordelia said. "We show up in these little dresses, they start crying and begging for mercy. It was quite pathetic to watch."
"So you walked all over them, huh?" Shallista said.
"And it felt so good," Penelope said. "I never would have known this feeling if it weren't for you, milady." She bowed. "Thank you."
Shallista didn't know what to think, so she moved on. "So, is there going to be a second date?"
"Sure...if they can gather up enough backbone to look us in the eye and ask us out again," Wendy said. "We'll bend them to our will and rob them blind."
Shallista was truly shocked. "I didn't know you had something like that in you, Wendy."
"Neither did I and I've been friends with her for ten years," Cordelia said.
"So, you're really good friends?" Penelope asked. "You must have some good stories. Tell me everything. We can go to my place."
As they left again, Lupe asked, "You've been doing this for fourteen years, right, milady? How did you handle things like overly aggressive men? And did you have any legitimate relationships?"
"I was nineteen the first time I wore sexy armor," Shallista said. "Being so young and fresh, there were a number of men who tried to get to forceful with me. At first I had to break a few arms, but eventually I realized that was a fact of wearing sexy armor. If you wear it, men are going to come at you with less than pure intentions. I still broke a few arms here and there, but I learned to use this body I've been given to get the things I want."
"So, I've heard," Vilka said. "Rumor has it you got Rixson and a few of the other guys to help you build this wonderful guild hall for nothing more than a couple touches of your rear end."
"It's true," Shallista said. "A part of successfully wearing sexy armor is knowing when, where, and who to use your charms on. Of course I could have sung to them and got the same result, but I don't like doing that."
"Sung to them?" Lupe asked.
Shallista smiled. "What is my name?"
"Shallista, right?" Lupe said.
"What the second half of my name? The title I go by?" Shallista asked.
"The Siren?" Vilka said in an asking way.
Shallista nodded. "That title isn't just for show or dramatic effect. I have a hidden power that I never use. When I sing, I can charm every man within fifty feet of me who hears my voice to do my bidding for about an hour or so. The people from my hometown gave the title and I've kept it ever since."
"You can sing?" Lupe asked. "Let us hear."
"It only works on men, so perhaps I will sing for you later. In the meantime, I believe I have a second question to answer."
"Right," Lupe said. "Relationships."
"I've been on several dates, but only had one relationship that could have been serious," Shallista said.
"Could have been?" Vilka asked.
"Yes. I remember, it was eight years ago, when I was twenty-five. I had been traveling in the mountains and had stopped to take a break. I thought I was alone, so I started singing. At some point, a man I hadn't known was there walked up to me and complimented my singing. I tried ordering him to do something, but he resisted. His ability to resist my power made me unable to resist his manly charms. I gave in to him, but he resisted my body."
"Heavens," Lupe said, fanning herself. "So romantic. I'm actually getting hot over here."
"In the two weeks we spent walking to his village, I think I fell in love with him," Shallista said. "Apparently, he fell in love with me, because he showed me off to his friends and family. After a week, we started heading back to my village so I could introduce him to my family. Then, as we got back to the mountains where we first met, a group of his friends emerged from nowhere and killed him. It turns out they we jealous of him, so they decided to get him out of the way and take my body for themselves. I was angry, but my weapon was out of my reach, so I sang and commanded them to kill each other. I haven't attempted to fall in love or used my power since."
"Oh, Shallista…" Vilka said.
Shallista shook her head. "There's no need to feel sorry for me. It's been eight years and I only knew him for a few weeks. It doesn't hurt anymore. So what about you ladies?"
*
Penelope opened the door to her home and stepped inside. "Come in. Make yourself at home."
Wendy and Cordelia came in. "Thanks for inviting us in," Wendy said.
"It's not a big deal among friends," she said, plopping down in a chair near a table in the center of the room. "Now let's hear those stories."
Wendy and Cordelia sat in some chairs near that same table. "I guess we should start from the beginning," Wendy said. "I spent my childhood practicing the healing ways of light magic. I thought I could do more if I traveled the world, healing people who needed it, so I decided to leave home at eighteen. Shortly after I left, I met Cordelia."
"Bandits raided my village just before I met Wendy," Cordelia said. "They killed the adults and captured the children. At sixteen, I was one of the oldest children and was able to fight. But I failed. The bandits beat me within inches of my life, broke both of my arm and legs, and left me for dead in the forest. I cried out for aid for days and Wendy just happened to come by. She healed my limbs and left, allowing me to chase down the bandits. I freed a few of the able-bodied teenagers and we were able to fight and kill the bandits. Wendy wasn't with me when that happened, so I decided to track her down."
"I remember it well," Wendy said. "It had been about a week after I first met Cordelia in that forest. I had just arrived in a city and been there a few days. I didn't know the area or the people. I wound up dragged into an alley by several men, robbed, and forced to strip naked. As I stood there naked and scared, one by one the men all dropped dead, each of them penetrated by an arrow through his chest or back. Another person came down the alley. It was Cordelia. She had killed all the men and rescued me from what almost certainly would have been my death."
"We decided to travel together from that moment on," Cordelia said.
"Oh..." Penelope said. "I was expecting something a little lighter than that."
"We have plenty of light stories," Wendy said. "But we've seen plenty of dark times. I look back and know I wouldn't be alive without Cordelia's bow to protect me."
"And don't want to imagine where I'd be without Wendy's healing magic," Cordelia said. She wrapped her arm around Wendy's shoulder. "She truly is my best friend."
Penelope saw they were really close. "Are you two...screwing?"
They looked at each other, then her. "No..." they said at the same time, confused looks on their faces. "Why would we?"
"It's just that you're both so pretty and you've been traveling together so long..." Penelope stopped herself. "Never mind." She felt awkward. "Please, don't hit me."
"We're not mad," Cordelia said. "We might have some questions to ask, though."
"I'm not...it's not like that...I was just...wondering..."
"We're not going to stop being you're friend," Wendy said. "We're not mad. Really." She smiled. "So which one of us are you into?"
"Neither," Penelope said.
"It's Shallista, isn't it?" Cordelia asked. "I guess there's no shame in that. She's a sexy woman. If I were into women, I'd probably date her."
"I don't like women!" Penelope shouted. "I like guys! I like...Epsley." Had she really said that out loud? "Dammit!"
"Ooh, tell us more," Wendy said. "I'm sure you have some interesting tales about growing up alongside him while denying your own feelings."
"You two made me say that, didn't you?" Penelope said. It was already out there. She might as well come clean. "Yeah...I like him. I've liked him from the beginning. I may even love him."
"So, why don't you just tell him?" Cordelia said. "He's already made it known he likes you. Why play games like we all did with him and his friends tonight?"
Penelope smiled. "Because I want to push him to his breaking point. I want to see how long he can last." She looked away and toyed with her hair. "I want to see how much he can take...before he ravages me."
"Ooh, Penelope," Wendy said. "Someone likes it rough. I never would have figured you to be one of those types." She nudged Cordelia with her elbow. "I wonder what else we can find out."
"Hey, hey, we're here so you can tell me some stories about you," Penelope said. "If were going to share embarrassing things, let's at least take turns. You're next."
"I guess that's fine," Cordelia said. "Let us strengthen our bond through the sharing of embarrassing stories."
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