Trying to start a threesome.

Niki was having a bad day.

It had started off promising enough, eating her favorite muffin almost literally out of Shiroe's hand, but it had taken a turn once they'd reached the Adventurer's Guild.

"Thank you for the escort, Bodyguard. You can take the rest of the day off. I'll meet you back at the inn for dinner."

And just like that, he was walking away from her.

Niki kicked a pebble across the cobblestone street as she exited the Guild hall. He'd explained what he was doing today, and why, but it still darkened her mood for reasons she'd really rather not bother thinking about.

"Stupid feelings. Who needs 'em?" She'd rather be arm-wrestling in the Guildhall's eatery, but somehow she didn't want to be there while he was looking for people to replace her. And she really didn't have a whole lot else going on in town.

No, wait... she was starting to get an idea. And if she played her cards right, it just might make him proud of her.

She went back into the guildhall and looked over the bounty board. Shiroe's back was still to her, so she doubted he'd noticed her.

Perfect! That meant it could be a surprise!

The only thing that could get in her way was Amellia. But to her surprise, Amellia was polite and helpful, with none of the intense attitude she usually gave her. Maybe Shiroe had told her to be nicer? Niki decided that she'd be nicer, too.

It would be worth it just to see the look on Shiroe's face when she told him she'd completed a Quest without him.

And there, near the center of the board, just at eye level, she found the perfect Quest for the job.

Eva stared incredulously at the quest card in Niki's hand.

"Are you kidding me?"

Slay the Chicktapusapine
Difficulty Rating: 1
Reward: 5 SP per party member
A bizzare chimera has been spotted rummaging through farmhouses and wounding livestock in the fields outside Avana. It appears to be half chicken, half octopus, and half porcupine. Adventurers with allergies are warned that it constantly sheds feathers, which tend to float through the air around it at all times. Its tentacles secrete a substance that makes thin fabrics almost transparent. Its porcupine quills cause painful, if superficial wounds that make it annoying to fight without a dedicated Healer. Please, somebody come kill this thing. You could even capture it and keep it as a pet, if you wanted to. We don't care, just get it away from here.

"It's perfect!"

"I know!"

"Shiroe is going to be so proud of us!"

"And 5 SP per party member!"

"The more people we take, the more money we make!"

"But we need a healer."

"What about Amara?"

"Yes! Perfect!"

"Unfortunately," Amara said, "as I am staying at the temple, I have an obligation to complete my daily tasks in exchange for room and board. If you will please return in an hour, I shall do my best to hurry."

"Awwww," Eva said, "can't you just do it when you get back?"

"You do not understand," she said, before lowering her voice to a hushed whisper. "They have me cleaning the Mana Fountain."

The two girls exchanged glances.

"Do you need some help? I'm not afraid of getting my clothes wet."

"I can help, too. Maybe they have a feather duster I can use?"

Amara shook her head. "I'm afraid that it is off-limits to the public, other than during approved ceremonies. Please do not ruin this for me."

They exchanged glances again, then Eva sighed in annoyance. "Fine. We'll be back in an hour."

"Don't fall in," Niki added. "You'd probably enjoy it so much that you'd drown, and then we'd need to find another healer."

Amara smiled sweetly.

"I had not considered that."

"So, we figured, we have an hour to kill. Who else do we know in town? And then we thought of you guys."

Fang looked skeptical, but she read the Quest card. She did a double-take, and then pressed her hand over her mouth.

"Yeah, I don't think this is worth the Claw Control's time. It's uh... outside of our turf, anyway."

"Are you sure? The more people we bring, the more money we make."

Fang stifled a laugh. "Yeah, yeah... I noticed that... uh... interesting business decision, too. Those farmers must have money to burn. But, you three on on without us. We need to keep watch on things here."

After they left, Fang turned to the nearest member of her crew.

"Okay. I don't know what the fuck that was all about? But it's probably going to be hilarious. If I don't come back by nightfall, come get me. I'll be in the fields, laughing my ass off."

"You, or her?"

"Shut it. We agreed never to speak of that again."

Amara whiled away the hour, carefully scrubbing the ancient stone basin of the Mana Fountain. Every now and then, she'd scrape her finger on the intricately carved stone. And if she happened to cut herself, she needed to heal quickly before the drop of blood fell from her hand, lest it contaminate the waters of the fountain. After meditating on her experiences with Shiroe and the girls, she had decided to take his advice, and pace herself, using as little mana as possible at a time.

For something as small as a cut finger, this meant breaking out an extremely minor healing cantrip she hadn't used in years. The sort of thing initiates used when they were still learning how healing magic works. She barely even needed to dip her fingertips into the fountain to top off her mana reserves.

The subtle buzz between her legs each time she healed herself was almost nothing. A faint kiss of warmth and joy within her. But as the hour passed, she began to find herself growing moist, regardless. Moist, needy, and restless as she imagined the spells she would need to cast later in the day.

It was just as he'd said. The anticipation of the next jolt was far more addictive than the jolt itself.

How strong would her need grow, between now and then? How good would it feel when she finally let loose?

What had she gotten herself into?