By stuffing their mouths with juicy meat!

Although they'd been exhausted from battle and from hauling seafood, between their high spirits and Amara's overhealing, the ladies were practically bouncing off the walls. Shiroe let them carry on for a bit. They'd earned this victory, and he wanted the onlookers in the Guild hall to witness their pride. Right now, they were no doubt wondering what had changed about these women. These women who wore their weaknesses on their sleeves, blundered heedlessly into trouble, and could never seem to find a party. Perhaps rumors were already circulating that in lieu of a party, they'd found a pimp?

But in the distance, he could already see the receptionist taking down the Giant River Crab Meat quest from the bounty board. In one go, they'd satiated the local demand for crab meat. Which meant it was only a matter of time before a conflicting, even stranger rumor emerged:

That they'd found each other, and become their own party.

So Shiroe let them enjoy their moment. But he also knew that the moment could not last forever. When he felt that his team had rested and the Guild had gotten an eyefull, he stood and snapped his fingers.

The women exchanged glances, then scrambled to take up their positions in formation.

Shiroe pushed his glasses up his nose.

With careful cultivation, perhaps the rumor that emerged on top would turn out to be the one which was true.

Shiroe headed out into the city, and his team moved with him. When one of them asked where they were going, he said it was a surprise.

"And what happens to those who keep secrets?" Eva asked ruefully.

Shiroe smirked. "That's easy. There's always a chance that, in time, the truth will come out. The trick, then, is to make sure that whatever secrets you keep, the truth can only make your actions more flattering."

Niki frowned. "How do we do that?"

"By striving to make good decisions. By knowing your reasons, and making sure that they're reasons that you're proud of."

All three of them scanned the crowd for threats as they walked. There were no giant crabs in town, of course. They weren't sure where the first attack would come from, if any. This made it harder to keep track of Shiroe's movements. Whenever one of them would stray from formation, Shiroe would let a few people pass between them, and then shadow their movements until they realized they were lost. Then he'd hold his hand up, and she'd return to her position, relieved that she hadn't screwed up too badly. Eventually, they figured out the trick of glancing at him to keep track of his position, while also scanning for threats.

There was a scent of smoke in the distance, a sweet and savory smoke that only grew more enticing the closer they got to its source. Ironically, only Niki managed to tune out that delicious smell all the way until they suddenly stopped moving.

"We're here," Shiroe said.

It was the roasted meat stall Niki had wanted to visit the other day. And it smelled even better when it was being carved up hot and fresh for the dinner rush.

The trouble they'd been warily looking out for had not appeared. But from the shadows of a nearby alley, trouble had taken notice of their passing.

Two rakish bunny girls
Walking through the dark
One has guts
And one has heart

Two roguish bunny girls
Kissing in the cold
Get too close
They'll steal your gold

As they kissed, Pepper's eyes scanned the passers-by in the street, keeping a look out for anything interesting. An easy mark. The town guard. Trouble in general. And on this particular evening, when she spotted something interesting, she worked her way up her partner's jawline to nibble on the base of her ear.

"It's that town guardswoman who always gets tickled by people," she whispered. "But she's with a new group. They're heading South."

Ginny cooed as if the most salacious sweet nothings had just been whispered into her ear, and responded in kind, kissing the top of Pepper's head and burying her nose in her partner's pink hair.

"That one's called Niki," she whispered back. "Don't worry about it. Word on the street is, she got kicked out of the Guard. Who's she with?"

"I don't know. Two women and a man. The man looks like a creep, but the women are pretty!"

"Mmmm. Prettier than me?" Pepper tried to pull her head back to make eye contact, but Ginny grabbed the back of her head and **** her face into her breasts. "Say it," she whispered, with a playful edge to her voice.

"Nnngh... Bun-bun... Nobody could be prettier than you!"

But Ginny was having none of it. "Be honest," she murmured, scratching her fingernails along Pepper's thigh with her other hand. "You're a fantastic liar, but I will always see right through you." Pepper whimpered in the back of her throat.

"I-it's not a fair contest," she pleaded. "One's an elf. The other's some kind of magebun... they both have such expensive clothes! And their skin and hair is so clean... even Niki's muscley arse has a glow to it. It's like they just got done bathing and pampering themselves, then slipped into full combat gear and rolled out!"

"Mmmm... they sound like a couple of stuck-up rich bitches. Wouldn't it be fun to take them down a peg?" Pepper squirmed helplessly in Ginny's grasp. "What about the male?"

"I don't know. He's a human, but he looks weird. Not ugly, exactly, just weird. He wears glasses, and I've never seen armor like his before. There's just something off about his whole deal. I couldn't read his face, but he had this intense body language, like he was on his way to get something serious done. The women followed him like puppydogs. I don't think they even knew where they were going. Except, they weren't walking behind him. They formed a circle around him."

Ginny scoffed. "Why, Pepper... are you taken with this male?" she tightened her grip possessively, knowing well that it would only arouse her further.

"Oh! N-n-no, Bun-bun..." but Ginny clamped her hand around Pepper's throat and rocked her side to side. She knew how to do it just right. Never press down on the windpipe. Squeeze firmly from the sides. That's how you make a cute little morsel's blood race like she's trapped in the jaws of a powerful predator.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... he's intriguing. Please punish me, Bun-bun," she whispered. But Ginny's pride needed to be satisfied first.

"Who are you in love with?" she demanded. She shook her by the neck and gave her nipple a cruel twist. "Who do you love, meat? Are you going to leave me?" From the sadistic smirk on Ginny's face, she already knew the answer. She just wanted to make her say it.

"No, Bun-bun! Never, Bun-bun!"

"Then tell me who you love."

"Only you! Only you... only you... nngh... only you..."

Ginny leered as she savored the expression on Pepper's face. She reached into Ginny's shorts and shoved two fingers inside of her. Then she shook her helpless prey by the neck as she whispered the words she wanted to hear over and over again.

"OnlyYouOnlyYouOnlyYouOnlyYouOnlyYouOnlyYou--" Pepper's words turned to gasps as she shuddered through a powerful climax.

And with a smugly superior look on her face, Ginny pulled her fingers out, wiped them across Pepper's lips, and pushed her away with both hands.

Pepper immediately pounced on Ginny, wrapping her legs around her waist and kissing her passionately.

Because, of course, they both knew that Pepper had meant every word.

And they both knew that Ginny had not.

Meanwhile, at a local street vendor, the Debauchery Tea Party was gathered on and around a small stone bench, ravenously tearing into some delicious smoked and glazed meats. It was the first time Amara had ever tried meat, and she said it was 'a worthwhile and humbling experience.'