Fluffy Tails (Hafnium)

[Smokefish]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

The choice of lodging was an easy enough decision to make for Kherem, he had little need for more than a bed for the night to come, and thus readily counted up three Denarii as the barkeep snorted in response to the swordsman's inquiry. While being brushed off as if he were an annoyance wasn't ideal the Kitsune saw little reason to make a fuss over it as he handed over the counted coins. "It would've been a pleasant surprised, had such been the case. But as it is not, a regular room will have to suffice from this exchange." Said with a faint smile that only lasted long enough for Kherem to recieve his key with a number to follow next. His next course of action was simple enough; head to his room to put away his belongings, head on out and lock his room, then with a stride to his steps head over to the baths in naught but his underwear, or without such if a towel was readily available to wrap around his waist for cover instead. After a long and dreary day he was eager for a refreshing, and hopefully long, bath to relax.

Once he arrived at the baths he would survey the area, eyes searching for his companions, though he wouldn't announce his pressence if he did spot Oormi and Lumi. Whether they saw him or not didn't much matter, as he'd either head on over to get a locker to store his sole garment in whether it was clothing or a towel, then with brisk but not careless steps make his way towards the baths. Slipping and falling on his ass wasn't in his plans, but at the same time he was eager to slip down in the waters and join his companions if he had spotted them. "Mind if I join you two?", he'd ask the two female Kitsunes as he stood by the side of the bath near them, and as long as the response wasn't of the negative sort he'd happily join them. Preferably by sliding down between the two if there was just enough space, or on Oormi's side opposite of Lumi if there was not. That there had been plenty time for them to take in the sight or shape of his privates, or for anyone else for that matter, hadn't been much concern to him. Why care about such trivial matters in a bathroom like this, after all?

Or at least, such was his plans to enter the bath, unless fate had different plans in store for him.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

The blind foxgirl was already fully relaxed by the time Kherem arrived, sunken in water up to her neck with her head reclined and her eyes closed as they normally were. She barely noticed his approach. Even when she did, she wasn't interested in his genitals just as she hadn't been interested in Lumi's chest or crotch. While she was shy about herself and inexperienced and lacking confidence in most anything actively involving them, in the fae baths alone she'd probably witnessed just about every configuration of penis, breasts, and vagina that existed even before she had gone blind and that overload had quickly killed the novelty of peeking at others.

If she was interested in spying on anything her teammates had — and if she were to be honest she was at least curious enough to want to look at both Lumi and Kherem — it was their general builds underneath their armor and clothing. When she was pouring more of her energy into her waves they were perfect for discretely surveying people without their notice, but she wasn't quite interested enough to expend herself just to make a concentrated effort at admiring the other two. The opportunity would be lost as each stepped into the water anyway, as her wavesight was ineffective at distinguishing objects inside non-magical pools of water.

"I don't mind," she replied easily to Kherem's request, not even moving her head as she did so. She remembered Melissa's words and some of the oddities in Kherem's actions well, but at the same time he had saved her life along with Lumi's and Melissa's and had generally been very kind considering that they had only met that same day, so as far as the blind foxgirl was concerned he was trustworthy. "If we can't face a public bath together then we won't have much hope in the coming arena tournament, I imagine," the blind foxgirl would add wryly along that same vein of thought. To that end, Oormi made no effort to prevent the male kitsune from sitting in-between the two females or beside her, so whether Kherem managed to end up between them or not depended on Lumi.

 

[Hentaispider]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

Just as Lumi was starting to really enjoy herself, Kherem appears. With a mild effort of will, she manages to keep her eyes off of his crotch, though she does appreciate his muscular figure. "I don't really mind." would be her answer to Kherem's question before she sinks back on her seat, her ears twitching slightly. There is barely enough space for Kherem between her and Oormi, though it would be a tight fit.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)

Spoiler

Kherem: HP = 75/90, PP = 55, EP = 55, Status = Fine

Melissa: HP = 34/59, PP = 65, EP = 44, Status = Fine

Lumi: HP = 54, PP = 70, EP = 56, Status = Fine

Oormi: HP = 80, PP = 72, EP = 46/60, Status = Fine, +12 Perception (Lesser Strength)

~~~~Melissa~~~~​

"Well then, you've come to the right place!" the demonic receptionist replied brightly. "Are you working alone? And what are your skills? We have a few minor jobs, one as a bouncer at a club, two jobs tracking down someone in the ruins of old Artmirst, and another dealing with a bunch of goblins who have taken up residence illegally in a building. Might any of those interest you? I can bring up a list of larger contracts if you've got more people working with you."

~~~~Fluffy Tails Reunited~~~~​

(Nothing here for me to reply to.)

 

[Smokefish]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

While Kherem hadn't explicitly intended to show himself off with nary a thread to cover him, he'd be lying if he said he didn't like getting attention. While he might not consider himself a looker, with his wiry physique and lean muscles, and the better part of him covered in thin fur he didn't have any issues with himself either. Then again attention was not what he was here for. As soon as the two women below him had given their consent of him joining them he would do just that. Crouching down by the edge of the bath and starting with his feet and legs as he spoke, more so to Oormi's comment about them facing a bath together than the acceptance of his presence by the two of them. "Don't think I see the relation between one and the other there, but I ain't going to complain. Excuse me...", as the last words left his lips he let himself submerge more, carefully not to cause unwarranted splashing, followed by turning himself around. He had up until this point kept his tail as straight up in the air as he could manage as he had entered the bath, but as he came to face the edge of the bath he let both his body and his tail slowly lower into the water. Be it a bit of a shapeshifting trick or plain effort, the seven foot tall swordsman would prop his arms up on the edge of the bath in a folded fashion; his chin coming to rest on his arms as he let the rest of his body float by the surface. Legs slightly spread apart beneath the surface while his five foot long tail lazily swayed from side to side behind him, going to the right as his head slightly tilted to the left. Then his head tilted over to the right as his tail leisurably swayed to his left. All the while his body slightly moved along with the motion.

This was a good life, as far as Kherem was concerned. Basking in baths like this was a favorite of his. Then again if anyone for whatever reason bumped into him, or pointed out how much space he was needlessly taking up, he'd readily if a bit slowly pull his legs up and forward towards his chest while his tail dipped beneath the surface to gently curl up between his legs. The bath was public, and there for everyone, after all. He didn't mind sharing, but he'd use as much space as he could for as long as he was able to all the same. And unless Oormi and/or Lumi started some conversation he would, a little dozedly, make a query to neither of them in particular. "You two ever give your tails a brushing? A thorough one that is? ... Just wondering." Dozedly or not, it wouldn't be hard to tell by the tone of his voice that he just might make an offer about brushing their tails should they give him the chance. Not that he cared either way. What little grey matter this simple-minded fighter possessed had already began to turn into soft mush by this point.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

"I haven't manually brushed my tail or my hair since I discovered my waves," Oormi lazily answered Kherem's question. "It's just so much easier. Physically cleaning and brushing out the tangles, branches, and burrs that accumulated from living in a forest and from my swordsmanship lessons took forever and there would always be a few that I'd have to ask one of my sisters for help with. These days I can wash, brush, and dry in just a few minutes. I can't imagine how difficult it is to manually keep yours clean. Your tail is almost bigger than I am."

Following her reply, the blind kitsune allowed herself to sink further into the water up until it was just beneath her nose. She briefly contemplated using her magic to allow herself to breathe underwater and sinking up to her ears as Lumi had earlier, but decided against it as, even with the spells to make it possible, breathing bath water seemed like a bad idea. Instead, she settled for simply cupping the water in her hands and pouring it over her own head as a means of wetting the rest of her hair and face. For her part, Oormi only intended on making small talk with her two companions and soaking until her skin had begun to prune, but she'd certainly enjoy the warmth of the water and the other kitsunes' company until she did retire for the night.

 

[Hentaispider]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

"It's been a while. The tail tends to attract attention, so I usually just keep it hidden. Less need for grooming, that way." Lumi replies, slowly floating upwards, her tail swishing slowly under the water. Normally it would take a long time to dry - part of the reason she hadn't bathed often as a kid - but luckily she had ways to get around that. I could get used to doing this. Of course, that means I'll need a lot of money... Lumi absent-mindedly reaches towards Kherem's head before realizing what she's doing and decides against teasing Kherem more - for now - and instead brings her hand to her own ears, rubbing their backs carefully to make sure they get clean.

 

[Host]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

“There’s me and three others, all magic fox dudes, kit-somethings. One’s a tall guy that’s among the greatest fighters I’ve ever seen... tore through an ogre and goblins like they weren’t there, even managed to rip up some kind of mutant, black-winged angel – though it nearly killed him.” Melissa had naturally adopted an awed tone as she recalled the beastman’s violent prowess, one that only dropped at the mention of their most recent foe.
”The other two are magic users; one’s more scrappy and the other’s more tricksy, but they’ve each got a bagfull of magic tricks to throw around, like any caster. And I’m the thug of the lot!” she proclaimed, far happier to do so than most would be.
”Untrained and with no spells, but lots of experience fighting any way you can imagine. I won’t beat a demon knight without the right hocus pocus put on me, but I can hold my own – and I’ve got a good gut for good contracts. Speaking of, we might be able to scare some squutters out of a building, maybe go hunting through ruins for people, but what do you have for bigger groups?”

 

[Smokefish]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

Kherem's ears lazily perked up towards whomever was speaking of his two companions as he lounged in the water. While he would slowly nod a little from time to time as Oormi spoke her piece at the end of it the Swordsman let out a quiet sigh; an ever so mild tone of pity to it. "I can't help but imagine that you rarely had any time to do such... brushing your tail at your own leisure that is." With that said he made a long, lazy, sweep of his tail through the water and continued to speak half-way through the motion. "To me, it isn't really 'difficult'; just time consuming..." A sheepish smile formed on his lips as he turned his head to look Oormi's way. "But that is time I merrily devote to myself, while the world go by without me for a spell. I find it quite relaxing." A quiet hum rose in his throat as he pulled his eyes from Oormi, the sheepish smile still lingering on him as he turned his attention to Lumi next.

The words of the kitsune on his other side had left Kherem a little perplexed; his eyes quizzically glancing Lumi's way. "I... am not sure if I understand." His voice took on a more hushed tone for the following part of his speech. "Why would you hide who and what you are?" That he had quieted his voice a bit was more out of cautious respect than anything else, and the tone he was using was more curious than it was prying; if anything he was hoping to understand his companion a little more. He wouldn't really pry or nudge his two companions further with his thoughts; perhaps he had already done more than enough of such as it were.

After his query to Lumi he would largely return to basking in the bathwaters; his chin nestled on his crossed arms by the ledge of the bath, and his eyes closed. Once more largely oblivious to what the two of them did unless there was reason to pay attention. He for one would enjoy this moment while it lasted, but if his two friends showed signs of retiring for the night he'd likely opt to follow their lead in that regard, if or when it might happen.

 

[Hentaispider]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

"Uhh..." Lumi pauses for a moment, a little voice in her head telling her that telling the truth should wait until later or stay buried even then. "I just don't like being stared at. Besides, it gets in the way." the skinny girl quickly adds. "It must get in the way in the smithy as well, at least sometimes."

 

[Hafnium]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

The tallest kitsune's reply to her assertion that cleaning such a long tail must have required a lot of effort caused Oormi some surprise in just how insightful it was. "Kind of like a form of meditation," she suggested. The blind foxgirl could imagine that easily enough. "I've never thought of it that way. Maybe I'll give brushing another try sometime."

"They get in the way when clashing swords too. I think I'd hide mine too if I wasn't already so used to sparring with it out," she would supply later on when the more subterfuge-minded of the three finished on a note of the difficulties of possessing a tail at a forge. She didn't offer anything beyond that on the subject though, as her thoughts were quickly becoming muddled by the warmth of the water. The relaxation offered by the bath was beginning to threaten to lull her directly into a peaceful sleep.

She was quiet for a several moments before she next spoke up. "This has been a pleasant bath, but I'm worn out from the matches earlier and wish to retire for the night. I wouldn't want to end up dozing off in here, after all," the blind foxgirl would abruptly segue into her farewell before readying herself to rise. "I'll leave the door unlocked so you don't have to rush, Lumi. You two enjoy the rest of your baths." She ignored the nagging thought that her companions could see her body in its entirety as she stood up. Oormi would pause briefly to allow some of the excess of water to drip from her body and to shake some of it from her tail as best she could without splashing it on her comrades or the other patrons, but afterward she was quick to exit the water and retrieve her towel and belongings and quicker still to cover herself up.

The short kitsune would spend just enough time drying herself to slip the clothes she had brought with her back on, and then would more carefully finish the job of drying herself so that she didn't leave bath water all over the tavern floor when she returned to her room. Once she was drip free, Oormi would drape her towel around her shoulders, exit the public baths, and make her way back to the room she had been led to earlier unless something prevented her from doing as much.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)

Spoiler

Kherem: HP = 75/90, PP = 55, EP = 55, Status = Fine

Melissa: HP = 34/59, PP = 65, EP = 44, Status = Fine

Lumi: HP = 54, PP = 70, EP = 56, Status = Fine

Oormi: HP = 80, PP = 72, EP = 46/60, Status = Fine, +12 Perception (Lesser Strength)

~~~~Melissa~~~~​

The woman at the desk would listen with patient interest as Melissa went over the skills of her companions, and when she asked what jobs might be present for a group the demoness smiled, briefly glanced down at a ledger in front of her, and when she looked up again she replied; "Well, with a group of four, I think you could handle a bigger job. The other stuff could still work, but if you want to involve your friends there's a pair of contracts for.... Specialists who are skilled at solving problems in an immediate sense, if you take my meaning. There's a brothel that's behind on its rent on the docks, and we haven't been able to convince the owner to budge one way or another yet. Alternatively, if you'd prefer some guaranteed wet work, there's a group of humans making trouble in the Northern ruins, up by the mine. If you'd prefer something less aggressive, there's a VIP who needs guarding too, but that'd be a shared contract."

~~~~Fluffy Tails Reunited~~~~​

Oormi's departure would earn her a few looks from the other inhabitants of the public bath, some genuinely interested and some simply admiring the view of her well toned naked form. Those looks would be easy to ignore or even miss completely, however, and after drying off and dressing Oormi would be free to head upstairs to her room to enjoy some privacy, unless of course Lumi opted to follow her.

 

[Host]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

The idea of going to a brothel made the human grimace darkly, which wasn't too much harsher than Melissa's typical reaction to the idea. Human whores - Badarian ones, anyway - typically didn't engage in combat before getting down to the deed, and while the ancient daemonborn was not adverse to fucking someone by any stretch of the imagination, sex just felt a good bit less... juicy if she hadn't won the right to it. ...But demon brothels... the lascivious woman had heard enough about them that her first day in Archeron had ended with a visit to one, just to see if any of the things said about them were true.
Six hours later, half of the money she had entered with was gone, and a good chunk of the rest was lost after crawling to an alchemist to remove the wild-magic that had attached itself to the warrior's drained soul. The experience had left a rather bad taste in her mouth. ...Well, alright, the taste left in her mouth had actually been quite good, even if it was not the typical flavour Melissa had grown to expect - but the empty feeling in her wallet counteracted it quite thoroughly.

Demon whores with wily demon powers at their disposal - trying to get money out of such a group left an uneasy feeling in the warrior's gut. Melissa couldn't help feeling that she was more likely to end up indebted to the people she was trying to collect from than actually succeed in the endeavour. The fact that she would have had additional help never even entered the base woman's mind - she had a perfectly good memory to make a decision on, so why think too hard about it?

Fighting some humans sat much better with the violent creature that was Melissa. She hadn't heard enough about it yet, but what she had made it sound quick, simple, and possible; each of those qualities a good reason to take the job. Her third option was arguably viable, but certainly didn't earn as much enthusiasm from the thuggish warrior as the second did. guarding someone was guaranteed to take a set, usually quite long amount of time. Time that she would have to spend bored, waiting to be attacked, letting her foes come to her whenever they decided, leaving the defenders in an inherently bad situation - it was even worse than the forced, 'you can see each other and must start attacking at the same time' nature of the arena's matches.

And so, Melissa asked; "Humans? Does the contract say what kind of group it is? Bandits? Looters? Rapists?" Her voice became a touch less enthusiastic. "...Sorcerers?" That possibility would remove some of the simplicity of the situation, but it wouldn't be the first time Melissa had gone up against spell-slingers, and she'd have two (or three) of her own on her side. Even with the threat of magic shenanigans going on, the option would still seem the most tempting.
"This VIP... what's the period of protection? And did the client list what threat they're expecting?" The fighter didn't hold a great deal of hope on hearing anything that would turn her on to the idea of protecting some random person, but she gave it a shot regardless, in case the appealing option of fighting humans had a far more sour centre than she was expecting.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)

Spoiler

Kherem: HP = 75/90, PP = 55, EP = 55, Status = Fine

Melissa: HP = 34/59, PP = 65, EP = 44, Status = Fine

Lumi: HP = 54, PP = 70, EP = 56, Status = Fine

Oormi: HP = 80, PP = 72, EP = 46/60, Status = Fine, +12 Perception (Lesser Strength)

~~~~Melissa~~~~​

"None of the above," the demoness replied smoothly, "they don't seem to be mercenary in nature either. As far as we've been able to tell, they're some kind of fanatics, and with enough skill in fighting demons and magic to slip away from the city guard three times now. They've killed over forty goblins and twelve guardsmen across those times, plus an adventurer who was trying to help them.... Though, they never did find her body. Anyway, there have been a few instances of magic, yes, and any attempt at determining their demands has failed. The mine had to be shut down until they're dealt with, and the city laid out a contract to get rid of it. We've already lost a group trying to end them, I'll admit, but if you can take care of them you'll make 75% of the contract. That's three hundred in hard coin, plus whatever you make from scavenging."

The demoness gave a thoughtful tilt of her head as Melissa questioned the guard duty and gave a casual glance back down at her notebook before responding. "The contract is for two weeks," she replied after a moment, "but obviously, if the threat is dealt with beforehand in a permanent sense, you'll have completed the contract before then. It pays twelve denarii per day person, plus room and board in a recently refurbished mansion, and you'll get a four hundred denarii bonus for taking out the people after the target. No one's been able to figure out who they are, even with some, ahhh, fairly creative torture and the attention of a psychic. There've been five attempts on the life of the client so far, including one from the mercs hired before we got the contract who were paid off anonymously, and the client is a city lord. It's probably more dangerous than the raider hunting gig, but in the long run you'll get something a lot more valuable than coin if you can pull off, demon nobles always pay their debts!"

~~~~Fluffy Tails Reunited~~~~​

(Derp)

 

[Host]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

Spoiler

~~~~Melissa~~~~

(stuff)

~~~~Fluffy Tails Reunited~~~~

(no stuff)

Tass, it seems that a great catastrophy has befallen the world of DG. I have above found what appears to be conclusive evidence that the entirety of the demons' homeland has completely frozen over.

300 denarri/4 people = 75 for her, whirred Melissa's brain. Given the human's usual lack of thought, people tended to expect that she would have no ability to handle mathematics. In truth, the opposite was the case; when it came to the practical applications of numbers, the warrior was no slouch. Granted, this was partially due to the efforts of her 'stubborn, crotchety old goat of a' father, who had forced the half-daemon to go through the rules of equations until they were so ingrained as to be instinctive. Even then, the effort on her part hadn't been all that great; mathematics was even more impermeable than the laws of nature itself, and once the evidence of those rules became solidified by the human's experiences, the warrior's comprehension grew very quickly. Now, she could work out splits of money, amounts of ingredients for doses of potions, and more besides.

It was perhaps a shame, then - for Kherem if no-one else - that Melissa's father had not been as successful in teaching the rules of basic socialization to the wild woman.

Outside of direct numbers, the brutish warrior also had a decent gut for evaluating less solid bonuses and penalties - such as the likely cost of needing healing potions and contraceptives (which must always be budgeted for)... versus the considerable prospect of looting from a force able to fight off coordinated demons, while operating within said demons' city.

...Yet, capable with numbers and bonuses though she may be, it still hadn't stopped the human from missing the devil in the devil's details. Given the way the Ranthis Circle's secratery had worded the payment, the human's assumption that her group would recieve 300 in coin, as opposed to three-quaters of 300, may not have been entirely correct.


In contrast to the prospect of some honest human-fighting, the VIP contract only became less appealing the more the human heard about it. If demon-torturer-psychics hadn't gotten information about the assassin group out of their captives after five attempts, there was a snowball's chance in hell that the four arena-combatants could succeed in their stead. They would have to not only stop another assassination, but also get the origin of the mysterious group out of the attacker... and then manage to dismantle said organization.
...And not taking out the attackers left no recourse but to stick with some demon noble for two weeks, which could well be longer than time it would take to search through Artmirst's records for the trail that would lead Mel to her father. If the daemon-warped girl had to abandon the contract and run off to some gods-forsaken corner of the world, there wouldn't be any returning to the demon city afterwards - and it didn't seem likely that her current allies would follow her lead. Melissa was rather instinctively aware of her place in the food chain, and it was currently lower than 'able to delve through some mage-cult's ruins alone'. If she really wanted a chance to find her father, the warped woman would need a team to work with, and the foxes were shaping up to be such a team.


"Hmmmmm." she mused, audibly... not because she was considering the various contracts' merits, for those were plain to her - but instead on another problem that had come to her attention. "Demons are magic, right?" she asked the receptionist, plainly. "Can you do a magic that'll let me talk to my group back at the Wet Bitch?" the half-daemon continued, misremembering the name of the inn she was staying at, for reasons that could likely be attributed to her recent over-exposure to canines. "Don't want to spring a job on 'em, bad manners and all that. If it's not easy I'll just run there and back, it's only a block or so after all."

 

[Hafnium]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

Oormi's first order of business upon being alone, however briefly her solitude might last, in the room she had rented was to move to the side of the bed and simply flop backwards into it. The mattress was a far cry from the sleeping arrangements she had enjoyed among the fae. Indeed, making comfortable beds out of the most seemingly inane materials seemed to be a trait that the gruffs, satyrs, and nymphs nurtured from birth. Flowers, grass, and leaves all had served as a warm, safe place to rest her head up to that point, and at one point she had even drifted to sleep on the top of a giant mushroom, and yet because of her lack of exposure to the standards of human living the mattress had ended up coming off as the oddest thing she'd ever slept on.

But though it might have been strange and a bit uncomfortable for her as a result, any surface at all would have been comfortable enough for Oormi after the arena's exertion and the comforting waters of the bath. She could feel herself drifting slowly off to sleep, sprawled out on the bed in nothing but her modest underwear with the towel wrapped around her shoulders. The blind foxgirl knew somewhere in the back of her head that she really shouldn't fall asleep yet if not just for what she still needed to do then for her safety instead, even as her consciousness began to fade for increasingly indeterminable lengths of time before she snapped back to any form of wakefulness. As much as she wished to give into the temptation, however, the kitsune knew that she had one last responsibility to take care of before allowing herself that much desired sleep. With a rueful sigh, Oormi forced herself back up and to her feet so that she could retrieve and clean her sword.

It was another longstanding habit her mother had drilled into her. A sword was to be properly cleaned after it was used or handled, regardless of whether it seemed like it needed it or not. The lesson had been taught to Oormi by way of being forced to clean one of her mother's real swords each the foxgirl had made use of a practice sword. The blind girl couldn't help but feel that the practice might have been a small abuse of power and circumstance in hindsight, but at least it seemed like the teaching might finally pay off in the shadow of the arena and her first battles fought using live steel. She could only hope that the techniques she had designed for maintaining blades post-blindness wouldn't suffer in effectiveness for not having her sister or a faerie helping her to make sure she didn't mess up.

The short kitsune would fall into a kneeling position beside her gear and retrieve her sword before smoothly withdrawing it from her scabbard and setting to work. Her method of vision was problematic for noticing small blemishes along the blade, as they barely registered in the rainbow of colors that wrapped around the length of the weapon. Worse still, there were still some voids where, despite very much knowing that part of the sword existed in that gap, she couldn't see it at all. Where cleaning a sword had once been a simple affair that required no more than time, a whetstone, a rag, and some oil, it had become a task that required no small expenditure of her spirit's energies.

The first expenditure was to spend more energy to improve her vision, allowing her to fill in the gaps with more of the tie-dye of colors but proving far more exhausting to maintain. The noticeable drain on her spirit meant that she didn't have an unlimited amount of time to inspect her sword, and so she walked the line between care and haste as she did her best to spot any blemishes and dings from its earlier wear and tear. The edge had taken a few nicks from the exchanges against Fiona and it was still a bit dirty from when it had been dropped on the ground, the fight the latter had happened in still being one that she didn't particularly care to give much thought. Her lack of proper sword maintenance kit meant that she couldn't do much about the small notches in the blade as she had neither whetstone nor magic suitable for detailed work.

She didn't have a proper, clean cloth for cleaning the sword either, for that matter, so she made due by pulling the towel from her neck, using a water spell to thoroughly clean a portion of it, using a warming spell to heat and dry that same portion, and then taking the clean part of the cloth and carefully wiping away the blemishes and dirt from the blade. The foxgirl finished up by flipping to the unused side of her towel, casting a third spell to cover it in a thin grease, and applying it to the blade before setting her improvised cloth on the floor and returning the weapon to its scabbard and setting it back into the neat pile of her equipment. Without the proper cloth and tools it ended up being a lighter maintenance than perhaps it should have been, but Oormi was confident enough that her efforts would at least keep the blade rust free until she could purchase a new cleaning kit.

With her last responsibility of the day taken care of, the foxgirl would lessen the amount of energy budgeted toward her eyesight and return to lay down on the bed. Along the way she abruptly decided to pick up the book that Kherem had obtained from the library for her so that she could read it and keep herself up a little while longer, lest she fall asleep with the door still unlocked.

Spoiler

For the record, Oormi used:

Strength (Buff), Level 3 from Body for +Perception. 4 EP casting cost, 2 EP upkeep.
Clean (Utility), Level 1 from Water for cleaning the towel. 0 EP casting cost.
{HF} Heat, Level 2 from Fire for drying the towel (presumably it doesn't set people on fire when it's used for healing, anyway), 2 EP casting cost.
Grease (Utility), Level 3 from Fire for a thinned layer of grease to apply to the sword as a protective coating. 4 EP casting cost.
Then she replaced her Strength buff with her original Lesser Strength for +12 perception, putting her back at 2 EP casting cost and 0 EP upkeep.

Total cost: 12 EP + however much upkeep.

 

[Smokefish]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

Oormi's response had Kherem left with a thoughtful look to him. "Meditation? Huh..." He couldn't say he had ever thought of his extensive tail-care sessions as a form of 'meditation', but perhaps it wasn't too far off from being such, and he smiled faintly at the last few words of hers. Once Lumi managed to voice her thoughts to him, the look to his eyes could give the impression that something finally dawned to him. A somewhat guilty, apologetic, look to him. That the shorter Kitsune posed a question for Kherem made him look relieved at the change of direction in the conversation. "I ah... I've gotten my tail singed once or twice in the past, that much I can admit." He spoke with a wan smile. A smile that didn't last long, but that wasn't because Oormi chiming in with further shortcomings of having a tail. It took a few moments before he spoke next, a quiet and sobered tone to his voice, though the words were more him voicing his thoughts than speaking to either of his companions. "Perhaps I was a little too hasty in my relief at finally coming to Acheron, a little too quick to forget..."

He hadn't stopped enjoying the relaxing bath, or the company of his two companions, but the reminder about the shortcomings of having a tail wasn't thoughts he was happy to have at this time. Perhaps he had been a little too quick to embrace the carefree sensation of letting his tail go unhidden as soon as he had found himself within Acheron. Fortunately such thoughts were easily discarded once Oormi announced her departure, prompting Kherem to nod slowly. "Ah, sleep well, Oormi. I'll see you tomorrow then." Kherem wouldn't make an effort in catching an eyeful of the naked Kitsune, though that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate what he saw when she headed off to dry herself. By the time the blind swordswoman left his tail was once more lazily swaying through the waters, and a sheepish smile could be seen on his lips.

Kherem would stay in the bath for as long as Lumi decided to do such, but for every passing moment they remained in the bath the taller Kitsune's tail would slow down once again. Had the two of them remained in the bath until Oormi's full departure, Kherem's tail would be unmoving as it floated behind him, and he would choose this moment to speak.
Had the two left the bath shortly after Oormi got up Kherem would a little awkwardly try and get Lumi's attention before they left the bath hall but after they had dried themselves up, or at least before they parted ways while heading to their rooms, with a soft tap on her shoulder and by quietly saying 'Can I speak with you for a moment?'.

Regardless of how it came to be that he got a moment to speak to Lumi out of earshot for Oormi, or anyone else for that matter, Kherem would finally speak his mind. His words were quiet, with a burdened tone to them, "I... I feel like I owe you an apology, it was... incosiderate, of me to ask you such things earlier."

 

[Hentaispider]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

Lumi turns slightly to follow Oormi with her eyes as the blind kitsune departs and she barely manages to stop herself from humming out loud. And I'm going to sleep with her. Well, in the same bed with her, that is. Although... That train of thought is quickly interrupted by Kherem's words, as Lumi's ears quickly turn towards her larger companion and as his mood seems to fall off a cliff, she leans towards him to reassuringly pat his shoulder - or at least she hoped it would come across as reassuring, for she has little experience of such things. Well, the others always did tell me how badly I'd fare outside Acheron. Maybe that much was true.

After Kherem's tail stops and he turns to speak to Lumi, the thieving kitsune is stunned, her every instinct screaming that there must be some sort of amusement going on. No-one's ever that nice unless they want something. No-one! And yet... what did she have worth stealing? The man was a skilled warrior and her meagre funds would likely not interest him all that much. That left only her body, which frankly wasn't much better, for few men would like a half-starved companion. Slowly, a slight smile plays on her lips, actually reaching her eyes. Whatever it is, I hope it'll last for a little longer. "How... nice." Lumi replies quietly.

After staying a little longer to consider Kherem's oddness, Lumi stands up in the bath humming to herself and squeezes excess water from her tail before heading to the lockers to dry herself. Still humming to herself, Lumi heads to Oormi's room, wearing nothing but the towel. After quietly slinking upstairs, Lumi stops to listen and peek in at the door before slipping in and locking the door, loudly enough for Oormi to hear. Tossing the towel over a chair so it would dry, Lumi puts her underwear in with the rest of her clothes before slipping onto the bed.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hentaispider, and Hafnium)

Spoiler

Kherem: HP = 75/90, PP = 55, EP = 55, Status = Fine

Melissa: HP = 34/59, PP = 65, EP = 44, Status = Fine

Lumi: HP = 54, PP = 70, EP = 56, Status = Fine

Oormi: HP = 80, PP = 72, EP = 26/60, Status = Fine, +12 Perception (Lesser Strength)

~~~~Melissa~~~~​

"Uhhhhhh," the secretary replied uncertainly to Melissa's first awkward question, "just because I'm a demon doesn't make me psychic! And.... I have no idea what you're talking about anyway, so..... You'll have to go back and ask them if you want." By the time Melissa returned to the tavern where she had taken a room, it would be night, and Lumi and Oormi would already be upstairs, a fact that she would learn if she bothered to ask the bartenders. Where Kherem was, however....

~~~~Fluffy Tails Reunited~~~~​

With a bit of time to herself, Oormi would be able to do what she could to care for her weapon and would then be able to turn to the book that Kherem had borrowed for her. The first few pages would be a table of contents and a simple preface from the author before the actual story started. It wouldn't start with the sort of stuff that she'd found in her quick glance through, with the opening portion of The Golden Fields of Sustrain mostly developing the characters.

The main character, or at least so the first portion of it seemed, was a woman, presumably human, named Maria Artorius. A Badarian noblewoman born and raised, Maria was by all appearances somewhat airheaded, though the author would paint her petty struggles as more important than they might seem otherwise in the context of the story. Maria had recently been married, it seemed, to a man named Trowa, and while the older man was described (in fairly vivid detail) as generally handsome he was also something of a bore according to Maria's girlish estimations, and perhaps too tied to traditions. The third main character was a woman, a servant of her husband's house, named Tanya. The woman was also older than Maria, who was barely past her eighteenth year, and had seemingly been an adventurer of sorts before some event had tied her to the Artorius family as a servant. The tension between she and Maria was obvious from the start to the point of being heavy handed, with further lurid detail added to the woman's physique as seen through her almost unrealistically tight servant's garments.

The story opened in an afternoon a month after Maria's wedding, as she gossiped with a group of other noblewomen while watching the slaves working upon the plantation, men described as dark of skin and brutish who had earned their positions in society, at least according to the scathing words of the other women when Maria momentarily spoke kindly of one of them. The rest of the chapter was lead up to a formal dinner, thrown by her husband to celebrate the first harvest of the year, and was mostly dialogue that seemed to be setting the stage for more things later on as a handful of other noble families were introduced, the Potters and the Corgias, tradesmen who had earned their places in upper Badarian society only recently and who were oft looked down upon by the families with lineage like Maria's, the Salazine. Two other families, the Crendles and the Torvyns, were invited as well, while it was noted that a final family, the Jin, were deliberately excluded due to their Amazonian origins.

The night progressed fairly standardly for such an event, though the only sort of gathering that Oormi could compare it to were the feasts that she had sometimes joined at the faerie grove. It was fairly similar, even if the eating was a good bit more formal and organized, since a good amount of the text was devoted to the looks passed between Maria and the servant woman that she found so strangely alluring, and from her brief peak ahed when Kherem had handed her the book she remembered that they would eventually go to bed together. For now, however, it was only furtive glances and the occasional quick meeting of gazes followed by tearing their eyes away from one another as their cheeks flushed. There would be no time for flirtation, unfortunately, and at the end of the rather uninteresting dinner party Maria's husband would take her to bed instead, the noblewoman offering only one last furtive glance towards the servant.

Of course, the next chapter was solely devoted to the husband making good on his advances, with Maria meekly going along with it despite the fluttering she felt in her chest towards another woman. At first her every action was hesitant, but as Trowa's efforts were described in increasingly lurid detail the young noblewoman began to succumb. Her confused but increasingly excited feelings at the time were, at least at first, described in as much detail as the physical acts, but when they reached the point of penetration the writer opted to describe the physical sensations in such specifics that it began to dominate the writing. The rise of Maria's ecstasy was easily traceable as the encounter progressed, but just as Oormi was getting to what could only be an explosive climax between the tender husband and his confused wife, there came a sudden intrusion....

Lumi, slipping up the stairs in nothing but a towel after leaving Kherem, would earn a few looks similar to Oormi as she headed through. It seemed that being slim to the point of bony wouldn't be enough to make demons start discriminating, but her quick trip would go uninterrupted. She would peak in to find Oormi lying down, though what state the blind woman would be in when she pushed through the door, tossed aside the towel and her undergarments, and climbed into bed might depend...

 

[Smokefish]

Re: This is a Great Plan (Smokefish, Host, Hafnium, and Hentaispider)

That Lumi patted Kherem's shoulder came as a surprise to the tall swordsman, and while his body stiffened up slightly it was only for a brief moment, it allowed him to relax slightly again... But it wouldn't keep the gradual build-up of guilt that shortly thereafter made him apologize to his shorter kindred. The response he got from that made him cringe slightly, though he tried to force a small smile in a weak attempt to hide it. At least she didn't appear to take his apology in a negative way. Kherem wouldn't say anything more during the two's stay in the bath until Lumi decided to leave. "Goodnight Lumi, see you tomorrow." his words little more than a quiet murmur, and he was in no rush to leave the bath.

At least not until Lumi had dried herself and headed off. The tall Kitsune had given the scrawny female one or two glances from when she got up and until she had left the bath hall. His mind still conflicted to a degree. He would linger a minute or two longer in the bath while trying to collect his thoughts before he decided it was time to leave; pulling himself up from the bath. While still standing by the edge of the waters he would make brief use of his racial ability to shapeshift; receding his tail and fur so that the water that clung to him would easily pour off of him as he went to grab his towel. After briefly drying himself up a little further he would wrap the cloth around his waiste and leave the bath hall.

And unless a matter came up that needed his attention he would head for his room; lock the door behind him once there, and rummage among his discarded equipment for his sword. He would give the blade a look-over, a few firm scrubs with his towel in an attempt to rid it of dirt and dried gore, then put it back down while tossing the towel aside. Yep, he was done for the day. With that he would slip under the covers of his bed and close his eyes... Should nothing suddenly demand his attention he would have no troubles falling asleep.