The morning suns' light pours through the thin curtains of the inn room, casting a warm glow onto the bed where Penelo and Pip sit facing each other.
Pip leans back, legs stretched out before him, humming patiently.
Penelo kneels between his legs, wide-eyed, fully determined and looking absolutely ridiculous.
Strapped to her face is a massive pair of customised, alchemic goggles, darkly tinted, reinforced with magical lens filters and enchanted straps, cobbled together by Vuvi to placate the pleading bunny-kin.
She looks like a mad scientist preparing to perform dragon surgery.
"Okay, Pip!" she grins. "I'm ready! Hit me!"
She grips the goggles with both paws, pressing it tightly against her face.
Pip nods and lets out a hopeful beep, then, with a dramatic flair, he activates his pelvic port.
Divine light pours forth like a heavenly sunrise.
Penelo stares directly at it. Eyes spreading into small moons and her mouth falling open as she's struck with shock and awe.
"...it's working!" she exclaims excitedly. "It's… wooooooaahhhhh—"
Below them, in the inn's common room, Vuvi reclines at their regular breakfast table, basking in the sun, one hand wrapped around a mug of steaming herbal tea, and the other paging through her notebook as she reviews the week's appointments.
"Reschedule all our appointments for today." she mutters after a sip. "We deserve a break after dealing with a baroness. I'm spoiling the team."
"How generous." Veena mumbles, cheeks stuffed with cream and berries.
She sits across from Vuvi, alternating between scrawling down notes in perfect, elegant script and inhaling slices of honeyed toast, spiced fruit and sweetened cream like they're trying to escape from her.
"It's not charity." Vuvi replies after another sip. "We celebrate victories in our house. And we deserve it after last night… you especially, Veena." Vuvi smirks softly. "You saved me. And Pip—"
As if summoned, Pip enters the room, shoulders slumped, humming at low frequency, eye-cameras fixed to the floor.
He falls into his seat, letting out a drawn-out, defeated beep.
Vuvi sighs, not even bothering to look up from her notebook. "Goggles didn't work?"
Pip replies with a mournful beep.
"How many times has she fainted from looking at your… thing?" Veena chuckles between bites of her toast.
Pip sulks as he lifts six fingers.
Veena bursts out laughing, spraying half-masticated bread across the table.
"Veena!" Vuvi scowls. "In my tea?! You're worse than Bunny!"
Veena struggles through an apology, slapping at her chest as she chokes down her food.
Pip tilts his head and gives an amused beep.
"So, Ms. Clumsy Secretary," Vuvi groans as she flicks breadcrumbs off her face. "What's your story?"
Veena turns to Vuvi, brow raised, pausing mid-cough, cheeks still stuffed with food. "Muh whaaaa?"
"Your story. Penelo tried to tell me a couple things about you, but she was crying with a mouth full of grilled mushrooms at the time, so I couldn't take her seriously."
Veena swallows hard, then starts tapping her pen nervously against her notebook. "I, uh, was abandoned." she answers, her usual firm, sophisticated voice slightly wavering. "Just like Penny. I… was raised by… wolves."
Vuvi cocks an eyebrow. "Wolves?"
"Um… wolf people. Wolf-kin. Yes! Wolf-kin!"
Vuvi tilts her head and gives her a flat stare. "Where'd you learn to write like that?" she asks, gesturing to Veena's notes. "You write like a royal scribe, you can handle paperwork, scheduling. And when you weren't stuffing your face just now, you had impeccable table manners."
Veena eyes flicker with a violet light. "Okay, maybe not wolf-kin. But I was definitely abandoned. In a… a monastery. They taught me… things."
"Seriously?" Vuvi groans, rolling her eyes.
Veena throws up her hands. "Ugh… fine. Yes, I have a formal education. Yes, I have etiquette and combat training. And no… I don't want to talk about it."
"Fine by me." Vuvi shrugs. "Your past is yours. Keep it that way if you want."
Veena's expression softens as she nods and smiles cautiously at Vuvi.
"Just make sure your past doesn't come back to bite us in the tail." Vuvi smirks.
Veena's eyes widen as she gives a nervous chuckle.
Vuvi takes a deep breath, grins wide and jumps to her feet. "All right team! Finish up breakfast, put on your power-panties, we're going shopping!"
"And you, mister," she then turns to Pip with a smirk and shoots him a sly wink. "Time for an upgrade!"
Later that morning, the team strolls the bustling streets of Market Town. The shopping district is alive with the sounds of merchants yelling out prices, children chasing magical wind charms and musicians plucking out tavern tunes, while gleaming storefronts line the streets, showcasing treasure troves of fancy clothes, tools and trinkets and exotic snacks.
Vuvi leads their charge, weaving through crowds, list in hand. "Next up, we need to get nethercite wire, three polatrix conductors, the ribbon set for Penelo, and the soap that makes Pip smell like strawberries."
"And my gloves." Veena interjects.
"Right! And Veena's gloves." Vuvi jots down.
Penelo skips beside her, gawking at every frilly dress, shiny piece of jewellery and soft set of scarves. "Can I get that matching bikini set? Oh, oh… and those earrings. And… wait… are those edible panties? Vuvi! Look!"
Pip and Veena follow behind at a slower pace. Veena tapping on her note book as she struts, eyes scanning the street constantly and hissing away any woman that gets too close to Pip.
She walks about with her horns fully on display, like black, marble flames curling from her head, shimmering with a sharp elegance. No longer covering beneath a cloak, she walks tall, owning her heritage with a newfound pride and confidence.
He strolls leisurely, mindlessly scrolling through stats screens and status messages.
⌜ Pleasure Power Lv: 021
- Pleasure Points: 720/1200
- Battery Level: 89%
- Power Output: 25%
- Vibration Output: 0%
- Structural Integrity: 96%⸥
⌜ Unlocked Skills:
- Thrust Lv. 4
- Sensual Touch Lv. 3
- Emotional Sync Lv. 2
- Ryhtmic Resonance Lv. 1⸥
[All System Running Optimally]
[User Happiness Index: 88%]
Rumours and whispers surround them as they move.
"Is that the golem that defeated Lady Syraleth?"
"I heard she turned into a monster when his manhood sang her hymns."
"Look! He even has a demon-kin bodyguard, or is that his consort?"
------------
After hours of splurging, they reach the blacksmith shop at the edge of the market district, a dark building covered in glowing runes.
They enter through two heavy iron doors, inside, the two half-orc blacksmiths, Shrurag and Grogana, both tall, muscular and covered in grease, greet the group with sweet, soot-stained smiles.
"Lady Blackthorn." Shrurag, the taller of the two, says, eyes flicking between Vuvi and Pip. "What brings you to our shop?"
"I need your forge for a few hours." Vuvi replies, holding up a small bag of gold. "I'll pay well."
"Actually…" Grogana grins. "We'd be happy to give you full access for a um… short session with him." she smiles, pointing to Pip.
He beeps.
Approvingly.
Vuvi's eyes narrow and her brow bends. "No." she says flatly. "He's not a snack to be bartered with."
The orcs flinch. "S-Sorry! We didn't mean—"
"Gold it is." Vuvi says, tossing the hefty bag onto a counter.
They both give a soft bow and wave the group inside.
Vuvi turns to Veena and Penelo, tossing them each a bag of gold. "I'm gonna be busy for a while, go enjoy yourself. Pip stays with me."
Penelo pouts and prepares to protest but is quickly dragged off by a chuckling Veena.
An hour later, Vuvi giggles gleefully as she twists bolts and etches runes before a billowing forge while Pip sits on a stool nearby, silently watching her work.
"Just hope the sub-plate heating doesn't overload your cooling systems." she grins.
Another hour passes as she loses herself in her tinkering and constructions.
She reaches for a tool.
"Hey… where'd that rune wretch go?"
No answer.
She turns to Pip, finding only an empty stool.
"Again?! "
Vuvi scrambles through the blacksmith shop calling Pip's name until she hears soft moaning from a small storeroom in the rear.
She bursts through the door, eyes wide, then sighs as she shakes her head.
Pip kneels on the ground between two naked, oiled-up half-orcs laying flat on their stomachs, splayed out on top of tarp-covered transport crates while Pip, arms akimbo, massages their muscles with divine diligence. They moan in pure delight as he works deep tensions out of their lower backs, buttocks and thighs, with a sensual, methodical, almost medicative care.
"Pip!" Vuvi barks.
He jumps up and turns to Vuvi, lowering his head as he answers her with a guilt-filled beep.
The orcs gasp. "Sorry! Sorry! But.. he offered… and then… oil happened."
"He can't even speak! How'd he make an offer?!"
"Gestures and puppy eyes." Grogana shrugs.
Shrurag nods in agreement, smiling sheepishly. "He's too cute. We couldn't say no."
Vuvi sighs, rubbing at the bridge of her nose. "Rune wretch?"
"Next to the anvil. Third draw on the right." Shrurag answers with a nervous grin.
Vuvi turns to Pip with a glare, before rolling her eyes and turning back to the door. "I'll be done in an hour. You better be too."
Pip salutes her and the orcs both squeal happily.
Vuvi shuts the door smirking as pleasured moans and grunts start up again. "Either he's the most selfless soul on this planet… or he reeeeally enjoys this." she chuckles under her breath.
An hour later the orcs enter the forge, glowing and fully relaxed, humming as they share soft smiles and knowing grins, their bodies feeling divinely renewed.
Penelo stands before a smudged mirror, testing out various ribbons and accessories while Veena relaxes on a chair, scribbling in her notebook.
"Thank you soooo much, Vuvi!" Penelo yells across the shop. "This is the happiest I've ever, ever been!"
"You deserve it, Fluff." Vuvi chuckles. "Enjoy it while you can. It's not gonna be all shopping sprees and foot rubs. We've got a lot of work ahead of us, not to mention, a continent to cross."
She turns back to the workbench, grinning madly as she finishes polishing the last of her constructions.
"Now then," she smirks, cracking her knuckles as she faces Pip. "Time to rip you apart!"