The trio entered. Shallista sniffed the air. "Smells pretty good."
"Welcome back," Natalie said. "I've prepared a dinner of grilled lamb, corn biscuits, and cabbage. I hope you enjoy it."
"You didn't have to do that," Penelope said. "Thanks for the meal."
Shallista plopped down at the table. "What's the occasion?"
"I just want to be useful," Natalie said.
"What do you mean?" Shallista asked.
"I can't fight...and the other women seem wary of me because of...my preferences," Natalie said. "I figured I could do some of the little things, like preparing meals and other chores to keep this place tidy. I'll never be a competent warrior, but I want to be more the just 'that girl who looks at everyone else's butts'. It's the least I can do."
Vilka shrugged her shoulders and sat. "I could go for a meal before I hunt down Audrixia for a workout. Thanks for the grub."
Shallista gave the meal a look. "It appears you may have found your niche. Thanks may very well be in order. But we are going to continue to work on those fighting skills. After all, we are the Sexy Warriors, not the Sexy Chefs."
Natalie chuckled. "Yes, milady."
She watched as the three of them seemed to enjoy her meal. It gave her joy to see them doing so. This was a meal she made. Her contribution to the guild. And they were cute, too.
Each of them had a unique beauty about them. Vilka was a muscular, almost masculine woman. Penelope was a typical beauty, like the next-door neighbor you don't have the guts to speak to. Shallista was that otherworldly beauty whose grounded, laid-back personality is the only thing that made her seem more human than goddess. She sighed, "Shallista..."
Shallista looked up from her meal. "What's going on?"
They already knew she was gay. No need to hide her true feelings. "I want to lick all that sweat off your delicious-looking body. Duh!"
Shallista gave her that same serene look she gave her when she invited her into the guild. "Stop saying stuff like that. I'm trying to eat."
Natalie felt her butt clench. In her short time here, she had received that look enough times to know that Shallista was hiding her anger. "S-sorry," she whimpered. "A-anyway, I can do other things, l-like laundry. Anybody have any dirty clothes?"
Shallista shook her head. "I don't wear clothes. Hate the stuff."
"I have a practice gi that's starting to get pretty rancid," Vilka said. "It's at my home, so I can bring it in tomorrow if that's okay."
Natalie nodded. "That's fine. What about you, Penelope?"
"I do my own laundry, but thanks anyway," Penelope said.
Natalie nodded. "Okay. I'll be waiting to wash one smelly gi tomorrow."
Shallista nudged Vilka and whispered, "You sure you want to do this?"
"I'm starting to wonder now," Vilka whispered back.
*
Lady Victoria was in the town center, sitting on a bench eating ice cream. The weather was nice and the ice cream was good, but she couldn't enjoy it. Last night, Lady Grizelda asked her to do something she didn't want to do. She agreed to do it, but should she have? It bothered her so much that she hadn't been able to sleep since.
Then, a teenage girl came over and sat next to her, also eating ice cream. "You seem pretty glum. What's up?"
"What does a kid like you want from me?"
"Nothing in particular," the girl answered. "I'm just wondering how someone can be so sad when the weather is so sunny."
Should she talk to the girl? It might help her relax a little. "I know I'm supposed to be the adult, but could I ask you for some advice?"
"I suppose it can't hurt," the girl said. "Fire away."
"Let's say you had a friend and she asked you to do something you don't want to do," Lady Victoria said. "Would you do it because she's your friend or would you not do it because it doesn't feel right?"
The girl shrugged. "Depends on how bad it is. Is your friend asking you to do something relatively harmless, like running naked in the field or are they asking you to kill someone?"
Lady Victoria looked up and thought. "No, it's not as bad as killing someone. Nothing good will come of it."
The girl was silent. Then, she asked, "Is it something dangerous, like hunting a dragon?"
"I...I don't know."
"I'm not sure what you want me to say," the girl said. "I'm probably too young for you to talk to about this. Maybe someone else can help. We have a really cool watchperson around your age. Her name's Penelope. She's not that hard to find because she's the only female watchperson. Just look for the shapely woman with the sword."
Her butt clenched upon hearing Penelope's name.
"Is something wrong?" the girl asked. "You suddenly turned pale."
"I-I'm sorry," Lady Victoria, shooting up to her feet and running away. "I have to go."
*
Lady Grizelda and her guildmates were at the tavern having a good time with the town watchmen. She was engaged in a deep conversation with the head watchman, a thirty-something man called Harmon. "This town seems like a nice place. It's a wonder why watchmen are even needed."
"Yeah, it's pretty quiet," Harmon said, taking a big swig of beer afterward. "Nothing really goes down around here, but better safe than sorry. After all, you never know when a pack of wolves'll roam into town. It does seem like things have gotten a little more lively since that group of scantily clad women came into town. Man, that Shallista is something else."
Lady Grizelda grumbled. "What have they been doing?"
"They've been doing a lot," he said. "They're helping rebuild the Entertainment district. They said they will help people out with their problems. And of course, they make for good eye candy. Lord knows me and the boys could've used some."
"Pig," Lady Grizelda muttered.
"But I guess the biggest change is in our lone watchwoman, Penelope," he said. "Ya see, she used to be really cold and distant. Ever since she joined Shallista and her group, she's really opened up. Makes it a lot easier for me and the boys to deal with her."
Lady Grizelda grumbled again. "So, what do you think of me and my ladies? Surely, we are better to look at than that bunch of floozies, right?"
He looked over at the next table, where the other five watchmen were seated with her three remaining guild members. They were having a good time. "What can I say? It's been a while since I've seen the boys so comfortable with a group of women. I could have sworn there were five of ya, though. Maybe the other is with Penelope. She seems to have taken quite a likin' to her."
"Yes...I am aware," she said.
"Ya know, since we're on the topic of eye candy, why don't you go grab some of the armor from Shallista," he said. "Ya got a pretty face, but I could go for a little more skin."
Lady Grizelda grumbled once more. "I am not a slut."
He laughed and slapped her shoulder. "I only kid. Ya know, I can't help but notice ya like to grumble a lot. Ya could learn to relax. A few hours with Shallista should fix ya right up."
Lady Grizelda rolled her eyes. "Don't make me vomit."
*
It was late when Penelope met Lady Victoria in their usual spot. Thing were different this time, though. She was seated, her knees up, and her head resting between her legs. She was still wearing her full armor and sniffling.
"Huh? Are you crying? What's wrong, Lady Victoria?"
Lady Victoria looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry, Penelope. I'm so freaking sorry. Damn it..."
"What is it?"
That's when her guildmates emerged from the shadows. "It's time to pay, whore."
"What's going on?"
She found herself quickly surrounded and disarmed. She struggled in vain as she was grabbed and carried into the shadows. "Hey! Let me go! Somebody help!"
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