Interrupted

Vaelira opened her mouth to deliver what undoubtedly would have been another devastatingly teasing remark, her eyes gleaming with predatory patience.

Before she could utter a single word, the heavy thud of bootheels echoed down the wooden ladder, followed by a loud, familiar grunt that shattered the quiet hold like a falling anvil.

“Left my damn skin of dwarven mead down here...”

Uthul rounded the corner of the cargo stacks, her towering green frame filling the doorway. She pulled up short, her jaw slanting to the side as her small, sharp eyes landed on me first.

“Prince?” she grunted, her brow furrowing in genuine surprise. “What in the Hells are ye doing down here in the dark? I thought ye went to bed an hour ago.”

Then her gaze slowly drifted down from my face, past my remarkably rigid posture, straight to the floorboards where a stark-naked Vaelira remained arched on all fours like a sleek, silver hunting cat.

The silence lasted one agonizing second before Uthul’s eyes went wide. A massive, bone-deep grin split her green face, exposing her tusks before she let out a thunderous roar of laughter that rattled the wine barrels.

“By the Ancestors!” Uthul wheezed, practically bent over with glee as she pointed a thick, green finger at us. “I leave for two minutes and the Prince is receiving a private royal audience! And you, elf, you’re not in much of a hurry to find your trousers, are you?”

Vaelira didn’t bother covering up. She merely closed her eyes, exhaling a long, deeply irritated sigh through her nose before casting a sharp glare over her shoulder.

“The draft is quite refreshing, Uthul,” Vaelira drawled dryly, her long ears drooping with profound annoyance.
“Oh, don’t let me interrupt!” Uthul boomed, leaning her broad shoulder against a crate and crossing her arms to enjoy the view. “Is this some refined elven custom, or is His Highness inspecting the ship’s keel?”
“I was merely... assisting the crew... well, she was assisting me,” I replied, trying to find the words... any words! “I dropped a copper coin, you see, and... erm...”
“A copper coin!” Uthul cackled, cutting me off instantly. “And she’s helping you find it with her ass in the air? You’re a terrible liar, little prince.”
“It’s a very important coin,” I muttered under my breath.

Uthul shook her head, a slow, wicked smirk spreading across her green face.

“What I see is two people desperate to fuck, but far too noble or shy to admit it out loud.”

When neither of us disputed her diagnostic assessment, her smirk widened.

“Well, well, wouldn’t you know... have you ever heard the saying that ‘Good things come in threes’?” Uthul asked, her heavy hand dropping to casually cup her bulging britches - where a very noticeable movement was taking shape. “Because a cute elf, a little prince, and a big ol’ orc could have a lot of fun... unless, of course, I’m intruding?”