Chapter 19

We left the building of the posting hall, Zoe followed just behind me. Stopping outside, I looked around at the people walking along the streets. With every passing minute, there were fewer of them, as it was getting darker.

“Is everything alright?” Zoe asked. I glanced at her standing by my side. She had a worried expression on her face.

I smiled softly. “Yeah, we need money, but we can't get them here. We should try to sleep at Samara’s place. If that doesn't work out, we’ll need to sleep in the forest, I think.”

Zoe grabbed the hem of her skirt and hiked it up, putting her hand under it. I looked at her with a frown, but she quickly pulled her hand back, holding a pouch.

“Here,” Zoe said, pushing it into my hands.

I felt something that seemed like coins in the pouch. I glanced at Zoe and then down at her skirt.

“First of all, how did you hold it there?” I asked, imagining how she could keep something like that between her legs.

“With my tail,” she replied simply.

Right. With her tail. My imagination went in a very different direction.

“Where did you get this from?” I asked. She had traveled all the way here naked—there was no way she could have hidden it from me.

“I stole it,” she announced proudly. I glanced around quickly. She had said it way too loudly, but fortunately, no one was close enough to hear.

“Keep it down,” I commanded. The smile vanished from her face, replaced by a frown.

“I’m sorry. I thought we needed money, so I wanted to—” I interrupted her with a kiss, pulling her body against mine and grabbing her ass. She kissed me back as we stood there in the open. When I stopped our kiss, I moved my lips to her ear.

“Good job, Zoe. Just don't brag about it so loudly in public,” I whispered and nibbled on her ear. I stepped back from her. She nodded but had a wide smile on her cute face. She glanced around and then moved closer to me. She grabbed my head to pull me down into another kiss. She pushed her tongue into my mouth and kissed me passionately.

I stopped the kiss and tousled her hair. She closed her eyes, and a shiver ran through her body. I glanced at the pouch in my hand. I opened it, looking around to see if anyone was nearby, but everyone was at a safe distance, paying no attention to us.

I spilled the coins into my hand. They looked like they were made of silver, though I wasn’t a specialist in metals. They were a little smaller than coins in my old world. In the center of each was the number one on a shield. Around it were strange symbols I couldn't recognize. The same pattern was on both sides.

All the coins were singles—sixteen ryns in total. I wasn't sure how she had stolen them, but she had provided us with enough for a room at the tavern, in case I couldn’t convince Samara to take us in. Fortunately, no one had caught Zoe stealing. That could have caused a lot of problems.

“Is it enough for the deposit?” Zoe asked. When I was talking with the man earlier, she had been looking at the cards, but it seemed she had been listening too.

“No,” I replied. Zoe glanced around us, then stepped as close to me as possible, pressing her chest against mine. She stood on tiptoes so her lips were next to my ear.

“I have two more,” she whispered, licked my ear, and moved back.

She looked around as I stood there dumbfounded. When had she even stolen that money? She had been by my side the entire time, holding my hand, and I hadn’t noticed anything. I reached my hand to her, indicating for her to pass them to me.

She glanced around and reached under her skirt, pulling out two more pouches.

“How did you even do that?” I asked, checking them. In the first one, I found eleven singles, and in the second, there were four coins—two tens and two ones. Together, we had forty-nine ryns.

Zoe shrugged. “People weren’t paying attention.”

I shook my head. Suddenly, we had three or four nights of stay at the tavern, probably with food included. I put all the money into the largest pouch, and passed it back to Zoe.

“Hide it,” I said. She grabbed it and put it back under her skirt. When she pulled out her empty hand, I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into an embrace. Hugging her tightly, I pressed my lips to hers. After a few long kisses, I shifted my lips to her ear.

“Good girl,” I whispered in a deep voice. I felt her press her body against mine as she moaned softly.

“You’ll be rewarded later, but for now, don’t steal anymore. We have enough, and it’s better not to risk getting caught,” I whispered and stepped back. I didn't want to be a bandit or a criminal. I doubted that going back and returning the money was a good idea, and we really needed them, but I preferred to earn them fairly in the future. Yet, I didn't want to rebuke her as that would probably end up with her crying again and I hoped that she would listen to me, and stop stealing.

Zoe stared at me with slightly parted lips and her eyes a darker shade of pink. I could tell she was getting aroused.

I chuckled. “First, let’s go back to Samara. Even if we have money now, we can save it.”

Zoe nodded as I grabbed her hand, and we headed toward the stall where we had spoken with Samara earlier.

It probably hadn’t been an hour yet, but I had no idea what else to do, and we didn't have anything to measure time, which could make us late. As we approached the stall, Samara was talking with another woman, and it seemed she was finishing a transaction with her.

When the client left, Samara looked at me. “Already back?” she asked with a smile.

“I couldn't wait to see you again,” I replied with a grin. Samara giggled, then looked around the street, but quickly focused back on me.

“It’s late. I don’t think anyone else will come. I could use some help packing all this,” she said, waving over the products on display.

“Sure,” I answered.

Samara pulled wooden crates from under the table and passed them to me, watching me carefully. For a brief moment, her eyes flicked toward Zoe. I didn’t think much of it and began packing the clothes under her direction.

It turned out that Samara lived in the building directly behind the stall. It was two stories, and she rented the first floor while the owner lived upstairs.

As Samara and Zoe packed the clothes into crates, I carried them to her place, leaving them by the entrance, where more crates full of clothes were already stacked. She really had a lot of goods. During my trips back and forth, I noticed that Sam and Zoe were talking, but they fell silent whenever I got close. Both of them were smiling, so I was glad they were getting along.

“Thank you for your help,” Samara said as I placed the last crate by her door.

“No problem at all,” I replied, smiling.

“Did you find a place for the night?” she asked.

“Not yet,” I answered, looking at her with hope.

“If you want, you can sleep here as a thank-you for helping,” she offered.

“You’re a lifesaver, thank you,” I said. Samara smiled, and I noticed a small blush creep onto her face.

“But… I only have one bed. If that’s not a problem for you,” she added, glancing between me and Zoe.

“At least we wouldn't be cold,” I said, winking. It sounded lame, but Samara smiled softly. Maybe my passive skills were stronger than I thought.

Samara was cute—not as gorgeous as Zoe, but much better looking than Amelia. She also had more curves than either of them, resulting in larger tits and a fuller ass, which I had caught several glances of while helping her pack.

“Come in,” Samara invited us, leading us inside. “Are you hungry?” she asked as we entered the kitchen.

“Very. I’d gladly try something you’ve cooked,” I said.

She looked at me and nodded. The kitchen had a table with four chairs and a few cupboards. I sat in one of the chairs while Zoe took the one next to me, placing her hand on my thigh.

Samara heated up a pot on the counter.

“Do you run the stall yourself?” I asked, curious about how a relatively young woman managed a stall that seemed to do well.

“Yes,” she answered while stirring the pot.

“You must be really talented and skilled,” I said. Samara glanced at me, surprised.

“It seems like you are managing well, and your stall is prospering. You must be a great seller and take care of so many other things,” I explained. After having to run my own company for years, I knew there was always more work than it seemed for people from the outside.

Samara didn’t just sell clothes. She needed to take care of finances, taxes, negotiate with clients, find out what was in demand, discover the newest fashions, look for the best quality products, and find contacts looking for new occasions. A lot of work outside of just standing on the street and selling clothes.

Samara blushed, smiling. “Thank you.”

“Are you from here?” I asked.

“No, I was born east of here. My parents are farmers.”

“You didn't want to follow in their footsteps?”

“No, I always wanted to live in a big city. Somewhere where you can do different things and meet new people,” she said, looking at me over her shoulder.

“What is there to do here?” I asked, curious about any attractions in this city.

“Oh, actually, there’s not much to do here. Unless you compare it to farm life, where there’s nothing to do but work. Sometimes there’s a band at the tavern. Occasionally, there are festivals, but they’re usually held in Ortas because it’s bigger. I can’t leave my shop for a whole week, so I’ve never been to one,” she said, clearly sounding disappointed. It seemed like something that bothered her.

“Have you considered moving your stall to Ortas? A bigger city could mean better opportunities for your shop too.”

Samara turned to me, frowning. “Sometimes I think about it. I want to live in a bigger city, but… I’ve succeeded here, and I manage well now. I don't know if it would be the same if I moved…”

I nodded, understanding her hesitation. Moving was a risk - something could go wrong. “When you came here, did you start from nothing, or did you have something to get started?” I asked.

“I had some savings, but not much, really.”

“Now you’d have goods, money, and, most importantly, experience. If you managed here before, I’m sure you could succeed in a new place too. You could open a bigger shop and achieve even more.”

Samara stared at me hesitantly. I could tell she was thinking about it but was likely scared something might go wrong, even if she knew it was the right step to grow her business. At moments like this, you had to decide if the risk was worth the potential profit.

“Samara, food!” Zoe suddenly screamed, saying something for the first time we entered the kitchen.