Penelope had just arrived at the Sexy Warriors guild building when she saw it. Painted on the front of the building was the statement "Get lost, whores!" multiple times in big letters. Who could have done this?
She went straight to the garden, where Shallista was working. "Have you seen the front of the building, milady?"
Continuing to work, Shallista asked, "No. What's wrong with it?"
"There is an unflattering message written on it."
Shallista stopped working and handed her the hoe she was using. "I'll take care of it. You're on garden duty until I get back."
*
Shallista took a long look at the front of her building. "What a mess. This is going to take days to fix." First off, she was out of paint and need to go buy some more. Maybe the guys could spare some when she and the others went to do construction work later. Of course that meant the building would have to stay vandalized for another day. Or maybe she could let Wendy take the lead on the construction job while she came back and painted over the letters.
Suddenly, she heard a female voice behind her say, "Some people are just douches, huh?"
Shallista turned. The person was a teenage girl hauling a small cart covered with a burlap tarp. "I guess."
"You wouldn't happen to be those one of those Sexy Warriors, I've been hearing so much about, would you?" the girl asked.
"Depends," Shallista answered. "What have you heard?"
"That you've all been working so hard," the girl said. "Working hard to restore the Entertainment District. Working hard to prove that scantily-clad warriors are more than just some ridiculous fetish. Heck, I heard you worked hard to fix up this building that nobody else wanted. When I saw you defend Jessibelle from those armored women yesterday, I knew the rumors had to be true. I thought something special was going on out here." She looked away, blushing. "Something that I want to be a part of."
Was this what Shallista thought it was? "How old are you?"
"Huh?" the girl asked, her head snapping forward as a look of shock came across her face.
"I believe I was quite clear," Shallista said. "How? Old? Are? You?"
The girl looked down. "E-eighteen."
Shallista put her head under the girl's chin and made her look up, giving her an eerie smile. "Don't BS me, little girl. How old are you?"
"Sixteen."
Shallista let her go. "Why did you lie?"
"Because I knew you wouldn't let me join your guild if you knew my real age."
"And you'd be right," Shallista said. "We're a guild for adults. No kids allowed."
"You're not even going to give me a chance?" the girl asked.
"No means no," Shallista said. "Move along, child."
"But I brought this cart full of stuff to give you."
"You can't buy your way in," Shallista said. "And because you tried to lie about your age, I'll never let you join."
"Oh..." the girl said, slumping her shoulders and looking down. "I guess I'll leave, then. Feel free to keep the stuff."
Shallista shook her head. "Take your stuff, too."
"But there's paint in there," the girl said. "I want you to have it so you can fix your building. I'll take everything else."
Shallista grumbled. She did need paint and didn't want to go through the trouble of heading into town to get it. "You any good with a brush?"
The girl's face lit up. "You mean..."
"I'm not letting you join my guild," Shallista said. "No children allowed. I'm not budging on that. I am, however, giving you a chance to redeem yourself. Do a good job helping me and maybe I'll let you join in two years, after you become an adult. Also, I want to talk to you about what it really means to be a Sexy Warrior."
*
Shallista and the girl were in the guild hall, enjoying a few mugs of ice water. "Nothing like a frosty mug of water after a hard day's work."
The girl drank some water. "We got a lot done, but there's still more to do."
Shallista decided it was time to have that talk. "Being a Sexy Warrior isn't always this easy, you know. You may see us walking around town and it looks like fun and games, but it isn't."
The girl rolled her eyes and sighed. "Heavens..."
"I'm trying to let you know that this may or may not be the type of thing you want to do," Shallista said. "Being a Sexy Warrior is risky. You'll also get a lot of attention, wanted and unwanted. It comes with the territory. This is why no one under eighteen can join my guild. It's a lot for a young woman to deal with, so why rush it?"
"But you look pretty young yourself," the girl said. "When did you start?"
"I officially began my journey as a Sexy Warrior when I was nineteen," Shallista answered. "But I remember being just like you when I was sixteen. That's when I saw a Sexy Warrior for the first time. I thought she looked cool and couldn't wait to become one myself. I went out and bought myself some sexy armor that day and set out to find her."
"See?" the girl said. "You can't come down on me for wanting to do the same thing."
"Shut up," Shallista said. "I'm not done yet. Anyway, trouble started as soon as I got to the next village. Men couldn't stop staring at me. I, of course, wasn't prepared to handle that reality at such a young age. I was just a kid. I just thought I was being cool like that woman I saw. I didn't think that grown men would look at me like that. I didn't WANT grown men looking at me like that. Then, one of them attempted to...forcefully use me. The only reason I was able to escape from him is because I landed a lucky strike and pierced him through the heart with the sword I was carrying."
The girl squirmed uncomfortably. It looked like the message was getting through.
"I returned home, broken and crying," Shallista continued. "I knew that if I wanted to be a Sexy Warrior, I needed to do some growing. It took three years for me to get back to the point to even attempt it again. You don't just put on sexy armor and suddenly become cool, confident, and powerful. It takes a lot of training, both physically and mentally. Children like you can't manage it."
"I guess I understand what you're trying to say," the girl said. "You did it before you were ready and almost instantly regretted it. When you're looking on with starry-eyes, you don't see the downside or potential problems."
Then, Hilde, Seffany, Lupe, Jelena, Neeka strolled in.
"I see you're all finally back," Shallista said. "How did the job go?"
"It was great," Jelena said. "We made bank and all we had to do was stand there and be drawn. He sheltered us and fed us, too."
Seffany stretched. "I bet my husband is at home, waiting to see me in this armor. I know I've missed him. Someone's getting laid tonight."
The girl looked at Hilde, then grumbled at Shallista. "You freaking liar."
"Huh?" Shallista asked. "What did I do?"
"You tell me I can't join your guild, but that boy can?" the girl complained. "He can't be but thirteen, but I'm sixteen and can't join."
Shallista looked around. Was she missing something? "What boy?"
The girl pointed at Hilde. "That one."
Shallista gasped. "Oh...Hilde isn't-"
"But I'm eighteen...and female," Hilde said, frowning.
The girl looked her over. "Are you sure?"
Hilde burst into tears and ran away. "Waaaaah!"
Neeka gave chase. "Hilde, wait!"
Shallista stood and patted the girl on the shoulder. "It's getting late. I'll walk you home, okay. We can finish painting tomorrow."
"Did I do something wrong?" the girl asked.
Shallista shook her head. "No. I'm just trying to be a good role model and guild master."
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