They strike a bargain with Marian

"Let's see if this Marian saw something," Kazex said.

Given that neither of the two women with him looked like they ware going to argue, approaching Marian was summarily decided to be their next move.

"Feel free to ask the lass. Just remember, try not to distract her if any of the customers ask for her," Karlus repeated, ignoring the unimpressed look Galiana gave him.

With a simple nod, Kazex left the tavern's counter and made a beeline straight for the girl, hoping she knew something because he didn't fancy having to go from one place to another all day looking for clues about Helga.

Maruan was having an animated conversation with a brown-haired woman a few years older than her and a weirded out look slipped onto the face of said female customer when she saw them approach. The barmaid, seeing the sudden and unexpected change, quickly turned around to look behind her.

Marian, Kazex noted, almost looked to be torn between feeling fear - at a guess, of himself - and curiosity and open wonder at the sight of Talanah.

'She is indeed quite remarkable,' Kazex mused to himself while trying to avoid thinking too much of the rather large swell of her bust that the elf's leather armor only teased to.

Better leave that for a more appropriate time.

"Good morning, Marian, we'd like a word with you. Your boss told us it was fine," Kazex said but the girl barely paid attention to him, too busy looking at Talanah as if she'd seen the sun for the first time.

Letting out a very dry, pointed cough, the goblin startled her into action. "Ah! I- I mean, yes, of course! Come, let's go to a more private place."

Said "private place" was simply a corner with none of the tables occupied and though the goblin knew it was to be expected, he still couldn't shake off the slight feeling of disappointment.

For some reason, he'd expected the girl to open up a passage to a secret room through a dresser.

'No such luck.'

"So then, what is it that you wanted to talk about?" Marian asked them.

Galiana went straight to the point without beating around thr bush. "We're looking for Helga and Karlus just told us she was here yesterday. Did you see if someone left with her when she finished her meal?" she uestioned the girl, learning a surprised look from her.

"Lady Helga? She was here yesterday, yes. Actually, now that I think about it, I do seem to recall her leaving with someone."

"Really?! Who was it?"

Marian's face, which had shown a pensive look on her face just moments prior, shifted into a faint sly smile. "Well, you see, this place sees so many people coming and going, I'm just not sure of who it was. Maybe you three could help me remember?"

That was the wrong thing to say, however, because Galiana noisily blew air through her nostrils in a very impressive representation of a wild bull before she slowly reached for her massive war-hammer.

Kazex, who admired with professional interest the way her powerful muscles tensed from his more backward position, quickly stepped in when he saw the blonde woman take a threatening step towards Marian.

"Why don't we all calm down, yes?"

Marian, who now looked like a frightened deer, nodded enthusiastically, but Galiana looked like she wanted to push the matter further. Luckily, Kazex's unwavering and steely look was enough for the woman to back down for the moment, at least. Then, the goblin turned to Marian.

"You realize Lady Helga has done quite a bit for the nearby towns, right? I'm not sure if she'd be happy to learn she was used as a simple bargaining chip."

"I know that! Hells, the Lady cured my little brother some summers ago when he was riddled with the pox! It's just, uh..." Marian hesitated as a flush crept up onto her cheeks. "It's not even money I want, we're not poor, I swear! I'd just like, huh, this is embarrassing..."

"Speak up, girl! What is is that you want?" Galiana snapped, thoroughly annoyed by the girl's indecisiveness.

"Iwankistelf!" the girl suddenly spat out, jumbling the words into an incomprehensible mess. From their confused looks, no one from Kazex's group understood a thing.

"What?"

Now resembling a ripening tomato, Marian somehow managed to utter the words again, this time in a slower, almost strangled voice. "I want a kiss from - from the elf."

Kazex's eyebrows shot up to the highest point they could reach. 'Well, that I didn't expect.'

Talanah seemed to think so as well. "You've got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed with an expression that was a cross between flabbergasted and embarrassment.

"It is a surprising request," Kazex helpfully supplied with the ghost of a smile playing on his lips. While he wasn't exactly one hundred per cent on board with the idea, Talanah's flustered demeanor made the whole situation worth it.

"It's just -- I've never seen an elf before, and you're so pretty and beautiful!" Marian exclaimed, giving Talanah a smitten look. "If I never see you again, I'd like to treasure one kiss from you."

"Meh, it's a kiss, no big deal. I've done more in exchange for less," Galiana said with a snort. "Just kiss her and let's be done with it so we can get to the actual important stuff."

Kazex had to shake his head in consternation. There was no romantic bone in the blonde woman to be found; at least, not one that could be seen at first glance.

"This is a big deal! It's not like she's asking you!" Talanah complained, looking everywhere but at Marian, who was shuffling awkwardly on her spot.

"Well, I'd rather not intimidate her into giving us the information if we can help it and I doubt she wants to ask for something different..." Kazex trailed off, looking towards the girl in an obvious invitation.

Marian almost seemed to consider it for a moment, but she eventually received an unexpected dose of aplomb and stood her ground. "No. I want the kiss."

"Well, you heard the girl. So, are you willing to do it or what?" Kazex asked.

For her part, Talanah looked deeply conflicted, standing next to them but squarely staring at the floor in silence. Whatever hang-ups she had about the matter, they certainly seemed to be serious enough for Talanah to be so reticent.

Then again, it wasn't every day a girl asked to get a kiss out of the blue.

"Argh, fine! Let's just get this over with!" Talanah eventually caved, twitchy and looking like she was about to step into one of the hells themselves.

Chuckling under his breath, Kazex moved away from the couple at Talanah's request for privacy, with Galiana in tow. It would've been nice to eavesdrop on their... "cultural exchange", but he wasn't willing to risk it with such imposing war-hammer only a few feet away from his head.

So, he'd have to wait it out.

This time.

"Why were you so interested in getting a kiss out of this?" a frowning Tanalah questioned once Kazex and the other woman left.

"Do I need a reason? We don't need money as I said, and you're beautiful. I'd just like to know what it's like to kiss a gi- I mean, an elf."

"Tsk... alright, but we're doing this my way. It's going to be short and there's going to be absolutely no tongue at all," the elf declared as she shot a suspicious look at Marian, who looked unconvinced.

"I can agree to the second part, but a kiss' got to have heart, otherwise it's no kiss at all! Just let it happen, please?" she asked with a pleading eyes.

"Fine, fine," Talanah grumbled before her slightly sour expression fell away to be replaced by a nervous look as she took Marian in her arms in an awkward embrace. "Just don't expect much. I'm not exactly, err, an expert."

"Me - me neither," Marian admitted with a shy smile before she leant into Talanah with a wistful shine in her eyes. "Wait, could you tell me your name before?"

"My name? Why?"

"Kissing you without even knowing your name... well, it just feels wrong, you know?"

"... Talanah. My name is Talanah."

Before the girl could reply, Talanah stepped up to her and following the few tips she knew for such situations, she quickly pressed her body against Marian's. When the black-haired girl leant into the embrace, the elf quickly placed her arms over the girl's shoulders in an unexpected intimate gesture from her.

And then their lips met.

The elf didn't miss the way Marian adapted to her body's shape, pressing greedily against it as a low moan of passion formed at the back of her throat, but Talanah didn't push the girl away even when she felt a hand sneak up her neck and tangle itself with the locks of her hair.

Marian's lips felt incredibly soft to Talanah, eager for sweet intimacy yet awkward and afraid to go too far too fast. It brought memories of happier times and for a moment, it was as if she was back on the forests that had seen her grow up so long ago, shyly exploring with Aydea and Thurdan their changing bodies.

For a perfect moment, Talanah answered with equal passion the lips capturing her own and the arms holding her close, ... but the illusion shattered mere moments later when she registered the distinct feeling of having her breast squeezed.

Eyes snapping open, the kiss broke apart when she looked down to see one Marian's hands groping her chest. The girl immediately withdrew it, flushed and extremely embarrassed even in her breathless state, but the harm was done.

"You... this was not part of the deal. It was supposed to be only a kiss," the elf gritted out through clenched teeth, trying to use all her will to stop herself from punishing Marian.

"I - I thought... I'm sorry, I truly have no words! When you started kissing back and getting into it, I thought you'd appreciate it. I wanted to do something nice for you, to show you I just didn't have my own interest in mind," tried to plead the girl, but her words fell on deaf ears.

"Save your excuses. We're done here," Talanah spat with a dark look before signaling Kazex and Galiana to come back.

"I'm sorry, I really am."

"You broke your promise. I can't forgive that," Talanah quietly whispered to Marian as Kazex and Galiana walked over to them.

When both Kazex and Galiana returned, the goblin quickly noticed the way Marian was in the verge of tears, trying not to look at Talanah. He noticed the stiffness in his friend's posture, the unnatural rigidity of it and the not-so-subtle way she positioned herself away from the girl. Out of politeness, he refrained from commenting on it. The amused shit-eating grin lighting up Galiana's face was enough mockery for them both.

"You got your kiss, now talk," Talanah ordered with a callous grunt.

'Why can't we go five minutes without problems coming up?' Kazex thought with a despondent sigh under his breath.

Notes: So... sorry it took me this long to post again. There were some issues in my personal life (that I'd rather not talk about) which didn't give leave me with much enthusiasm to writefor this or for anything else, for that matter.

I hope this chapter at least makes it up to you.

I'll try to do better, but my updating schedule has never been the best to begin with...