We ride it out

There’s a frantic moment of panic as you and Mikko try to look like you didn’t just spend the loading process of the ride fucking. It’s a little awkward, and to be honest, you’re not confident that you weren’t seen or heard– it’s an open carriage, after all.

There’s debris on your trousers from the “adventure” shared with Mikko. Mikko sits across from you and fidgets, her cheeks flushed pink as she keeps her gaze down and her hands folded together. Then you nudge her with your feet. “That was amazing, Mikko.”

A smile plays on her lips; it’s small, but it’s warm and full of genuine emotion. “Thank you, master. I… I think that was our best session yet. It was exciting. It was intimate… Thank you.”

You chuckle a little a little and exhale. The breeze in the warm night brushes against your sweaty features. You close your eyes and lean back as you exhale. It’s an afterglow of near-guilt-free sex. “You don’t need to thank me for any of that, Mikko. I enjoyed it as much as you did.”

Mikko muses, looking outward, the breeze catching her too in her dress and costume accents. “Maybe a little more… I don’t think you’ve ever filled me with that much warmth,” she fidgets with a shift in expression. You wonder how much of your “warmth” is leaking out of her as she sits and tries to hold on to a regular conversation as the Ferris wheels circle. She extends her leg out and rubs against your calf. “I think… maybe…” she tries for something but stops herself.

“Mikko?”

“I’ll talk about it later,” she promises without saying it is. “I don’t want to ruin this moment.”

“Should I be worried?”

Mikko giggles as her red eyes glaze over you. “Depends how much you care about your haram,” she grins and winks. How much do you care about your haram? Her question surprises you slightly, and what she wants to eventually chat about is evident with that in mind.

…

…

The rest of the time with Mikko is full of fluff and wandering. As you stroll, Mikko keeps rubbing her shoulder with you, acting more like a partner than a sidepiece. She’s all over you but not whoring or presenting herself as anything less than a lover. It’s subtle, and for anyone who’s paying close attention, it might confuse you as friends nearing partnership. For anyone aware of your relationship is, however. You aren’t sure what they might think. You’ve had little “dates” or “rewards” like this before, but they seemed less so than what you were doing with Mikko now. This was…genuine. It was exclusive…

Towards the end, Scarlet intercepts you and sidesteps your path, blocking your access to another area of attraction. She looks a little tired but is otherwise unchanged from her usual appearance. Scarlet quirks her lips into a believable smile and tilts her chin down in a silent greeting.

“Warren,” she says under her breath. “I need you with me again. Sorry to take you away from your date.”

Mikko blushes and hugs you. “Bye, master. I’ll see you later tonight?” You don’t make promises, but you figure that you probably will. After a drawn-out goodbye, you regroup with Scarlet, and she glances up at you as she pats Bones’s head.

“Have a fun date with your **** girl?”

“It’s not like that,” you find yourself already hiding all the happiness you got from Mikko as you regard yourself with the jet-haired contractor… A subtle blonde-ish glow is emitting from her hair now that the dye is draining from it. You watch her scratch behind the ears of Bones.

“I know,” Scarlet stands up. Despite her face being emotionless, there’s a hint of humor behind her voice. “You had fun, though?”

“Yes,” you reply.

“Good,” Scarlet finally smiles naturally and exhales. “I’m feeling out of it, Warren. Between these nights and nostalgia hitting me… I’m not feeling myself, so I want to apologize before we close the rest of the night.”

“Don’t sweat it, Scarlet. As long as it doesn’t get me killed or cost us the contract, you can spend as much time as you need on yourself to work out the details of your matters.”

She chuckles and clicks her tongue at Bones to lead him. “No matter how enveloped I become in my personal issues, I always put those before me, especially those that I trust…” She looks at you understandingly.

“Quid pro quo,” you say, but her face tightens.

“It’s more than that,” Scarlet explains. “I like to think most contractors have a…code to live by or something kind of dignity to uphold. We can’t all be cutthroat terminators, can we? I’d really appreciate it if we’d try to work together as a team for the rest of the night. Not just you and me, but all the others. I’ve worked out my thoughts and distracting matters from my mind, so it should be easy going forward. There’s only a few hours left anyway,” Scarlet offers her hand gingerly. “Agreed?”

“Of course,” you say. “I never thought anything otherwise, but perhaps I’ve been too…exclusive with how I’ve been working. I figure doing my best with you and the others will entail a better time for the foxes, me, and whatever future I want with the Afterlife Circus.”

Scarlet nods her head left to right in thought. “And maybe the Afterlife, too?” she smiles and leads you back to the routine you’ve been following for the entirety of your shift. As usual, nothing happens, though. There’s more conversation this time, though. It’s professional grade and involves comments about the area.

The rest of the gig is otherwise easy to handle, so when the fair closes for the night, you disband and filter back inside the hotel. Scarlet gives you Bones, though. Her room was crowded enough, and she didn’t think the fox girls would want a dog to share the already tight space.

Bones doesn’t like you as much as Scarlet, but he doesn’t growl, bite, or disobey you. You’ll change that before the night is over.