Value

It had been a number of days since that fateful night of Harlihn’s death and you becoming the lawful owner of the Extra Ordinary, and yet your mind and soul had still not decided on a proper course of what to do. Going after Allanathras and ensuring that such evil was stopped to was a big drive inside, but the pragmatist inside knew that you were still ill suited for any kind of life outside the city or dangerous adventuring. The power you had a sorcerer would probably come up short to the dangers that would await you, or so you thought based on the stories your cousin Senna had told you of her exploits with the Pathfinders and other independent mercenaries.

Managing the Ordinary, however, seemed like it too was outside your capabilities. You had a handle on the day to day operations of providing the food and services to customers, but managing the business seemed impossible. Worse than a fear of failing, putting yourself into debt to try and keep the place running could end yourself in debtor’s prison, a place few ever leave. Facing a horde of goblins or the ravenous undead almost seemed like the preferable option in comparison.

With no clear notion of what to do, you’d been idling in and out the Ordinary, taking inventory of all of the items, finding the going rate to replace or sell, trying to understand potential profits. Worse, you admitted to only yourself, you needed to understand what the whole of the enterprise was worth if you were going to have someone take it off your hands. Doing such a thing seemed a complete betrayal to Harlihn; if that opinionated old Dwarf wanted it to go to someone else, he would have put them in, rather than you. He trusted you, and no others. While the harder options seemed physically or mentally arduous and even potentially dangerous, the easy option felt morally reprehensible.

Still, there was value in being thorough, so you enlisted some help. Agiran was a local to Vulzesh, an Elvish fellow who surveyed and speculated in land, real estate, and had a knack for business. You toured him through the Ordinary, having him look at all the rooms, every bit of furniture and stock, so that he could provide an accurate assessment of it’s potential value. He was a loose friend of the family; taught by your uncle some decades ago before your birth. The warmer climates and traveling nature of surveyor seemed to suit him well, he was unusually tan for Elves. Handsome too, in his own way. He had an overall lean build but some muscle about his arms and his back, unafraid of hard labor; unusual for those in his trade of trading property.

Having stopped the tour where it began in the central lobby of the Ordinary, you leaned back on the counter, ready for whatever he had to say. Good news or bad, it wasn’t a reflection on you, having not had the time to do anything to make it yours.

"Well, Agiran, I've always been able to trust you to be honest. Tell me what you think."

"Honestly Tiffany," he began as he ran one of his hands through his short auburn hair "I don't even know why we're having this discussion"

"Waddya mean?" You asked incredulously "I told you exactly why."

"Ya, I know. This place belongs to you and everything. What I mean is, what are you doing even thinking about selling this place? You've wanted this for as long as I've known you. And now that you have it, you're just going to give it up?"

"You've been talking to Bethany, haven't you? I never said I wanted the Ordinary." You replied in a defiant tone.

"I didn't need to." He countered. "You may not have said out loud, but you've been eyeing this place for years. The only person who's been involved with it longer than you is Harlihn hinself, and he's gone."

"I know that, I was there" you detested angrily, feeling your intelligence insulted.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" he rose his hands up in honest defense and apology. "I can't imagine what that's like. Which is also all the more reason that I don't get why you'd want to give it up."

"Cause I don't want to fuck up, okay? I don't even know if I can run this place. I'd rather see someone else have it and succeed than me own it and fail, have it burn to the ground or who knows what?"

"So, you're not even going to try?" He asked, an accusatory tone in his voice. "Give up before you even get started."

"I don't know yet." You relented. "Maybe. It's just, too hard, I can't."

"Now that I don't believe for a second, Tiffany Terlinna" his tone had immediately calmed down, trying to reassure "you just haven't done it yet. You'll learn. Probably faster than you give yourself credit for."

"I appreciate the confidence, really" you nodded as you thought things over. "Let's just say for the sake of argument, and so that you're not wasting your time, what could I get for this place and everything in it?"

Agiran moved his head side to side "look at everything, just on paper, you could probably get ten thousand for it, depending on whose coin you're talking about. This being a known property with a long history, a strong base of existing customers, you could get half again as much."

"Wow" You let out, grappling with that number in your head. That was a sizeable fortune. Enough to retire early and enjoy a relaxing life of minimal accountability or responsibility, as you have already in your few short years of adulthood. It was a tempting idea, though it carried with it an underpinning of a more serious question. If that is what you're going to do, are you really going to spend your life so frivolously? The discomfort the question gave you inside was noteworthy, but not enough to have a clear path forward.

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to buy it from me, than?"

The elf laughed slightly at the thought "Afraid I can't make it that easy for you Tiffany. It is a good business, I'm sure I could make a sound investment of it in the long run. I just don't have that kind of coin right now, not without selling something else first."

"That's fair" You gave him a slight, flirty smile. "You can't blame a girl for trying."

"Especially not you." He moved closer to you, near enough to touch "Speaking of, I was thinking. You've clearly been under a lot of stress lately, I think you need to wind, find a way to relax and take your mind off of things."

He was being coy, you knew precisely what he was thinking about. It wouldn't be the first time with you and him. You had to admit that he was right on both accounts. Since that fateful night, you've been under constant stress and nothing has seemed quite the same since. Whether it was because of that or just because of how long it's been in general, you knew that you really needed to fuck.

Playing along with his little word games "You're right Agiran, I do need to let go of some stress. Take a load off, as it were. I don't suppose you have any suggestions, do you?"

"Oh, I've got the perfect thing for you" He smiled, knowing you were being receptive and where things were going. Opening his pants just enough, he let his cock flop out for you to see, hardening on its own rapidly "What do you think?" As if he didn't already know the answer to the question.

"That'll work just perfect" You turned yourself around on the counter you'd been leaning on this whole time, sticking your waist out for him as you planted your hands down for support. You gently swayed your hips side to side as your elf friend undressed himself completely; a step you rarely found necessary. You wanted it, and you wanted it now. Looking behind you, seeing him walk up with his hard cock, ready to shove inside you, woke up a desire that had been hiding. Lifting up your skirt, he brushed the head of your cock against the bare skin of your pussy, leading you to moan through your soft, slow breaths

"Some habits die hard, I see" He remarked, noticing the absence of any underwear

"You say that as if I'm trying to stop" You giggled, before turning to business "Besides, we both know where it should really be going."

"How foolish of me for forgetting." You quivered as you felt the head drag upwards against your skin, until it pressed against the tight hole of your ass. You felt a rush of pleasure as it penetrated in, sliding into the tight space with ease.

"Ohh, that's it" You let out loud and deep. The deep moan was all the signal Agiran needed to press on, sliding himself in and out at a moderate pace.

"Sometimes I think you like it better in there than your pussy, Tiffany" He amused himself remarking "This is certainly a lot easier for you than for Elvish girls."

"It must be those good family traits" You joked ironically regarding your demonic heritage. You'd heard that the Daughters of the Six Sisters typically struggle and need to train their butts to take cock, but it had been as easy and as natural for you as your pussy. "Just make the most of it"

"I wouldn't dream of wasting this opportunity" as he kept sawing your ass with his cock. "I love your little asshole". You held your words inside. this was hardly the time or place for you to be hearing words like love, but you let it go, understanding both what the Elf meant, and what he didn't. Finding his rhythm, you moved your body backwards to match his, driving his cock inside you deeper and further.

"That's it, you little slut" Agiran moaned out in response. That word, while a pejorative for most, turned you on, even more than you already were. You certainly weren't under any false pretenses here; he knew who you really were and what you wanted.

"If you're going to call me a slut, than fuck my like one, Agiran. Not like your prissy Elf girlfriends" Taking the verbal bait, he was extremely responsive. Fucking even harder than he had been, he went for the kill, grabbing and squeezing your tail. For some reason you never understood, that spot was as much of an adrogynous pleasure zone as your holes.

"That's it, fuck me hard. I want it! I want your cock! Fuck my ass and give me your cum!" You both moaned louder and louder as he neared his precious orgasm. In the final moment, his hold on your tail grew even tighter, throwing you over the edge as well.

Taking a few minutes, you each made yourselves decent, before returning to the business at hand.

"At any rate Tiffany, I don't know that there's much more I can do for you. I told you what I know, and what I think. I hope it's enough to help."

"It's more than enough, really" As he finished putting his clothes on, you rose on your feet just slightly to kiss his cheek. "I'll certainly be thinking about everything you said. I'm sure you'll hear what I decide either way soon enough." You quietly showed him the door and locked it behind him, taking some quiet, alone time in the Ordinary to ponder, or so that you had planned.

It had only been a minute or two since your elf friend had left that you heard an unexpected knock. Opening the heavy door, you found a pair of men; a well dressed human, and a more gruff orc behind him. Though he did not have the strength of his friend, the man’s rough face showed he was probably not to be messed with either. The orc had a number of scars along his neck and his upper arms. His shabby clothes only covered his frame in the barest sense, his muscular chest and body were on full display, likely intentionally. Both being strangers to you, you were immediately on guard. Though these types were welcome as paying customers if they had the coin, they were not the normal business, and would have been clear, even to them, that the Ordinary was shut down.

“I’m sorry, gentlemen.” You began “Business is closed for now.” You only opened the door to the barest needed to clearly see them.

“Oh, we’re not here to partake, ma’am. We’re here to hopefully acquire.” The human’s voice was calm and friendly, perhaps overly so. If he was trying to put you at ease, he was trying too hard and sabotaging himself.

“I don’t understand.” You shook your head, moving to slowly close the door. The Orc had held his hand out, keeping it open, but not pressing it any further open.

“Ma’am, may we come in? I assure you, we won’t be long”

“Sorry, I’m cleaning right now, and if this won’t be long, you can stay outside, if it’s all the same.”

The two looked at each other in a suspicious manner. Neither made any further movements, but at this point it was clear something was up.

“We’ll not take up anymore of your time than necessary. We represent a gentleman by the name of Kurgh. He’d overheard that you’ve recently come into ownership of this property. The previous owner was reluctant to sell, and now Kurgh is hoping you would be more amenable to such a transaction. Let us take this property off your hands, and you can go back to your comfortable life”

You knew immediately to be suspicious; the name Kurgh told you to be afraid. He was one of the leaders of the criminal underground here, a company of sorts that went by the name of the Open Market Syndicate. Though they tried to have a public face of legitimate enterprise, behind the scenes they were guilty of trafficking nearly any illegal or immoral good imaginable; including people. Women who were not sold openly as slaves were coerced into the sex trade. Even for the bosses, Kurgh had a reputation as being foul tempered and cruel. Nobody was safe when he felt he'd been crossed, so you'd been told. You’d never heard Harlihn speak of any involvement with the Syndicate before, though you remembered he wouldn’t be the type to say anything to you or anyone else if it was.

“Giving it to me was his dying wish, and I intend to honor that” The words coming out of your mouth, the pressure of the moment of these goons trying to lure you, provided the clarity of mind and purpose that you finally needed.

“We understand that, and wouldn’t wish to dishonor anyone. That’s why we want to make this simple. Kurgh wishes to make you a generous offer of forty five thousand coins for the Extra Ordinary, to ease your conscience, and to know we have all intentions of preserving such a storied property.”

You would have known instinctively that the valuation was too high. Thanks to the little visit you’d just had earlier with your elf friend, you knew they were offering several times the Ordinary’s actual value. There was no way they would ever make the money back in legitimate enterprise. Even if you couldn't guess what their plans for the property was, you knew enough that this was too good to be true.

“I couldn’t sell the property for any amount of coin. I plan on running this building on my own, thank you. Now gentlemen, I’m afraid I have to instruct you to leave the property.”

“Be careful, miss” The unnamed human warned, despite keeping his calm charm “This offer is only available once. Kurgh Isn’t a patient Orc, and he’s not known to negotiate. I’d strongly consider selling the Ordinary, before something happens to it.”

“Be concerned about your own fortunes, gentlemen.” You said coldly “Let me explain this in the most simple, complete sentence I can. NO”.

The Orc goon finally pressed his advantage, pushing forward on the door to force entry in the door. Understanding the eminent attack, you flung your hand forward. A series of bright pink, glowing projectiles appeared from nowhere, immediately flying at great speed towards the attacker. Two of the missiles struck his face, while a third struck the hand that was on the door, and the last struck him in the core, just over his belt line. He groaned in great pain, retreating, holding his face in his uninjured hand. Taking a number of steps back, he stumbled on the old stone half wall to the Ordinary, falling on his back into the street. The human, though felt compelled to deal with you, recognized the plight of his comrade.

“You made a big mistake there. You should have taken the offer. The next time we come to visit, we won’t be as customers.” He ran off, trying to drag the orc away by the shoulders, struggling greatly to move the hulking mass. You stayed in the doorway, watching the comical display, gloating. More than anything, you noticed that none of the citizens of Vulzesh were helping, or even acknowledging their presence. This told you that while some of you may have had to contend with these people, they were not wanted here.

You finally took a seat back in the Ordinary, locking the door behind you. Your hands shook involuntarily, the rush of the moment still coursing through your body. You breathed deep long breaths as though you had been on the run. Though you handled it well, that was a terrifying moment. Considering they were two men and you were a woman, alone, you shuddered to imagine how the situation could have gone much, much, worse. Being the sort to work for Kurgh and the Open Market Syndicate, they absolutely would have taken the opportunity to defile you had it presented itself. Had they discovered what you had just been involved in with Agarin, things would have gone from bad to worse. You held your arms close to your chest and squeezed, taking deep breaths to try and force yourself off this train of thought, imagining all the ways and types they could have raped or sexually exploited you.

As you reflected on what happened, your intentions and desires had actually become crystal clear. The Extra Ordinary mattered too much to you to sell it, and definitely not to low life scum. You were going to find a way to keep going as a successful, legitimate business, or make your best effort trying. The difficulty of that just increased dramatically, but you were ready, you told yourself. With your cousin and her friend Zok, you could make it clear you couldn’t be bullied.

Standing up, you turned yourself to look at the Extra Ordinary with fresh eyes, and the first smile you'd had since Harlihn's death. This was an opportunity, and you had work to do. If you were going to run the place, you needed to get it ready and open for business again soon, and that was going to require a lot of effort. Thankfully, you knew the place inside and out, and you knew where to go to get help if you needed. Your sister would drop anything, if you asked. Some of your other friends could also step in in a pinch.

"Alright, you old sweetheart" You said allowed, speaking to the building "Let's get to work"