Waking Up & Having Breakfast

“Oy...!”

A gentle but insistent pressure pushes against Krvavy’s cheek.

“Wake up already, ya sleepy ‘ead...!”

“Mnnhh...” Krvavy groans lightly and turns her head to the side, burying her face into a soft cloud.

“Ach, be careful wit’ yer ‘orns...!” That muffled voice continues to harass the slumbering barbarian. “Ya’ll rip open the pillow...!”

“Mnnnnnghhnn...” Krvavy grumbles unhappily as she feels something grab at her head, pulling her up and away from the cloud that she has been resting on.

“Just ‘ow are ya so tired...? Ya barely did any work last night...!”

As each second passes by it becomes more and more obvious that Krvavy is just going to keep getting bothered. So she is left with **** but to very slowly, and very reluctantly, open her eyes.

Beryl’s blurry face looms above the barbarian, her lips quickly spreading into a playful smile. “Did ya sleep well~?”

“Uuugh...”

“Ach, no!” The tomboyish Elf drops her teasing tone, replacing it with a slight bit of impatience and a fair amount of exasperation. “Ya are not goin’ back ta sleep!”

“W...why...? Hahhhh...” The Drakling stifles a yawn and tries to ignore the fact that her head is currently being jostled around and shaken. “Why... do... you hate me...?”

Beryl rolls her eyes at that mumbled response. “Just get up already. Unless ya want ta miss breakfast?”

Krvavy stretches her legs out beneath the silken blankets as she yawns again. After a few seconds, she lets her lazy eyelids lower once more.

“Really? Ya do know tha’ Ah won’t be skippin’ breakfast, right?” The tanned Elf suppresses a sigh and tries a different tactic. “Which means tha’ ya’ll be leavin’ me alone wit’ the Countess. Just the two o’ us, talkin’ behind yer back...”

“Ehh...” The barbarian weakly grunts and shrugs her shoulders as best she can while lying on her side.

“Ach!” Beryl’s patience comes to an end as both of her hands tightly grab onto the Drakling’s horns. “Tha’ is it, ya’re gettin’ up!” She heatedly shouts out, forcibly pulling at her stubborn lover.

Krvavy grumbles and chooses to go along with her mildly annoyed Elf, pressing against the soft bed as she moves from lying on her side to sitting upright.

“Did ya ‘ave a good nights sleep? Is tha’ wha’ this is? Do ya just not want it ta end?”

Rather than immediately respond to her Elf’s dry question, Krvavy tilts her head side to side. Her stiff neck audibly cracks. “Ehh.” Her shrug quickly shifts into a stretch. “The pillow was a bit... soft. My head sunk into it too much.”

“Aww, ya poor thing. Is this amount of luxury just too much fer ya?” Beryl’s tone grows more teasing by the second, quickly forgiving the barbarian for trying to sleep in. “Would ya rather’ve slept on the floor~?”

“Is it bare, or do I get a carpet?”

The tomboyish Elf rolls her eyes but can’t keep the smile off of her face. “Ach, come on. We only ‘ave so much time ta get cleaned up and ready fer the day.” She gives the Drakling’s horns a gentle but insistent tug. “Wouldn’t do ta make the Countess wait on us.”

With a sigh, Krvavy lets herself get led off the bed.

An unhappy scowl fills the albino maid’s face. “Sit.” She sternly orders, glaring through her glasses. “On separate seats.”

The Drakling pointedly looks at Beryl.

“Ach, fine...” The Wood Elf shakes her head and does her best to exaggerate her disappointment. “Just know tha’ ya’re bein’ no fun...”

Krvavy settles into her seat, ignoring the lighthearted grumbling of her sweet berry. The table is already set up with plates, utensils, and a few metal domes undoubtedly covering up the different parts of this meal. But the seat across from both Beryl and the barbarian remains empty.

The corner of Vera’s pale pink eye twitches. “The Countess will be here shortly.” She answers the unasked question, looking increasingly annoyed over being left in a room alone with these two guests.

“So it’s just us and ya right now~?” Beryl’s teasing smile returns. “Wha’ do ya say about gettin’ ta kno–”

“No.” Vera curtly cuts off the tomboy, her tone and gaze growing rather icy. “You are a temporary addition to my Lady’s life. Nothing more than a passing interest. You are not the first attractive woman that my Lady has brought into her bed, and you will not be the last.”

“Oh~? So ya think tha’ Ah’m attractive~?”

The scowling maid’s lips press together into a thin line, eyes narrowing into hostile slits behind her thick rimmed glasses. That clear display of animosity is undermined just a little by the involuntary blush colouring her pale cheeks, adding a faint but noticeably pink hue to that near-perfectly white skin.

As expected, Beryl is utterly unbothered by that increasingly antagonistic glare. In fact, it just seems to embolden her...

But, luckily, the door gently swings open before the teasing tomboy can say another word.

“I apologize for making you wait on me,” the Countess softly breathes out as she steps into the room. “My attention was needed elsewher– Oh?” She pauses mid stride. “I see that you chose to keep the numerous marks that our lips left on your body.”

“They... wouldn’t wash off...” A rich red colour fills Krvavy’s cheeks as she grows more embarrassed by the second.

Rina raises a delicate eyebrow as she steps towards the table. “Did Beryl not tell you about the oils?”

“Wha’ and ‘ave ‘er remove those reminders o’ the fun tha’ we ‘ad last night~?” The Wood Elf woman’s innocent smile doesn’t quite match the teasing twinkle in her blue-green eyes.

Vera’s glare intensifies as she wordlessly pulls out her Lady’s chair.

“I see...” Rina slowly states, sitting down in her seat. “Well, I am sorry to disappoint but I must ask you to wash them off once we are done with breakfast. I have a reputation to uphold and I cannot have rumours of my indiscretions spread so blatantly: it would be difficult to keep people from talking if they were to see a guest of mine leave my home while covered in my lipstick.”

“Alright...” Beryl relents with a sigh. “But do we ‘ave ta remove the golden kisses tha’ Ah left on ‘er?”

“Yes.” Krvavy quickly answers, staring at her Elf. “I don’t need to give random strangers even more of a reason to stare at me.”

“Tsk...”

A warm smile plays at Rina’s lips. “Thank you, and I apologize if I left you waiting. As I was saying before that distraction: my attention was needed elsewhere. But that business is now dealt with, so we should be undisturbed for the next hour. More than enough time to eat, I should say.”

“Oh, its no problem.” The barbarian replies with a shrug. “We only just sat down before you came in.”

“Aye, and we ‘ad Vera ‘ere ta keep us company~.”

The albino maid continues to scowl as she gets to work without needing to be ordered, dutifully revealing and serving the food.

“I do hope that you were not pestering her too much.” Rina lets just the faintest hint of playfulness enter her friendly tone. “As you nearly found out yesterday, her patience does have a limit and she is not afraid to bite.”

“Oh~?” Beryl’s blue-green eyes shine as she sees an opportunity to tease the maid. “So she’s a biter then~? We don’t mind tha’ at all~! Our Orc is one as well~!”

Vera’s hateful gaze snaps towards the Wood Elf woman, her lips pursed together into an oddly adorable pout. Her gloved hand shakes slightly, clearly resisting the urge to clench it into a fist, as she carefully places a tiny porcelain cup containing an egg down in front of the Countess.

“Beryl...” The Drakling slowly sighs out, pointedly looking at her sweet berry.

“Yes~?”

A gentle clicking sound draws the two lovers out of their impromptu staring contest. “Do either of you have a preference for how you take your eggs?” Rina asks, lightly tapping the edge of a long but thin golden spoon against her own, leaving a rather cleanly cracked line just above the rim of the little cup that it is sitting in. “Some people find certain recipes to be rather unappealing, despite it all being quite the same in the end.”

Beryl tilts her head slightly, taking a moment to consider that question. “When it comes ta eatin’? Not really.” She idly shrugs, hardly reacting as another little cup with an egg in it is roughly placed in front of her. “It’s a different story if Ah ‘ave ta cook though. At tha’ point Ah’d probably just beat ‘em inta a single lump o’ mush. Or fry ‘em, if Ah’m tryin’ ta be a little fancy~.”

“Hahaha~!” The Countess lightly laughs, “never have I heard scrambled eggs get described in such an unappealing yet still accurate way~!”

“Aye, well,” Beryl nonchalantly shrugs, her slightly smug expression betraying her casual tone. “Ah’m not the best cook~.”

“Neither am I,” Rina reaches out with her delicate fingers, gently grabbing onto the top half of her eggshell and cleanly lifting it free. “It has been many years since I have had to cook for myself, leaving me woefully out of practice. Though even back then I wasn’t particularly good at it: I often burned at least part of my food. Honestly, I feel spoiled by the cooking I get to enjoy each day.”

“Ah know wha’ ya mean. Our ‘alflin’ is a better cook than Ah, and we’ve been eatin’ much better ever since bringin’ ‘er ‘ome.” The tomboyish Elf grabs the golden spoon resting by her plate and, much like Rina, begins using it to crack open the shell of her own hard-boiled egg. “Though the stuff she makes isn’t quite as lavish as the dinner we ‘ad last night...”

Krvavy’s eyes trail over the rest of the food, finding herself drawn towards a platter piled high with tiny bite-sized sausages. She picks up a fork and begins to skewer those finger-sized sausages, moving them onto her plate one by one. “So... is this how you like your eggs then?” The barbarian idly asks, speaking up in a brief moment of silence and bringing the conversation back to that mundane topic.

“No, actually.” Rina responds with a gentle shake of her head, causing the two pearls dangling from both of her pointed ears to clack together. “I prefer them to be coddled. Or poached. Very similar methods, though coddling is a bit... gentler. Either way, it leaves the egg intact, albeit shell-less, with the whites quite soft and the yolk rather runny. That style pairs perfectly with simple buttered toast, both for dipping or for placing the egg atop.”

“Oh?” Beryl questioningly tilts her head. “Then why’re these ones not cooked tha’ way?”

“Not everyone likes a runny yolk. So hard-boiled is a safe option. Besides, I cannot have my favourite every single day~.” The Countess smiles playfully, turning her gaze towards the Drakling. “What about you, Krvavy? Do you have a preference for your eggs~?”

“Ehh... I’m not really a picky eater, so I don’t really care as long as it is edible and tastes good.” Krvavy shrugs her shoulders and bites into one of the little sausages, barely having to chew before swallowing that tiny piece.

“Ach, my dearest love...” Beryl exaggeratedly sighs and leans towards her Draconic lover. “Come on, ya can give a better answer than tha’~.”

“Not really.” The barbarian plainly disagrees, shrugging again. “I honestly can’t remember the last time I’ve eaten an egg. I probably have at some point, but I have no idea how long it would have been. So, you know, can’t exactly claim to have a favourite if I’ve barely had any to begin with.”

“In that case, I do hope that you enjoy this one.” Rina’s kind smile causes Krvavy’s heart to flutter.

“Oh, she will~. My dearest love ‘ere is ravenous and’ll eat just about anythin’~. Ya’d really need ta try ta make somethin’ tha’ she wouldn’t want ta put in ‘er mouth~.” The teasing tomboy gives Krvavy a rather smug smirk. “She doesn’t ‘ave very ‘igh standards when it comes ta food~. Women though~... Now tha’ is a different story~!”

“Yeah,” the Drakling’s lips curl up into a slightly cruel grin, “I’m here with Rina, after all~.”

“Oy~!”

The albino maid’s pale pink eyes narrow as she glares at the two lovers from across the table. Her gloved hands possessively press down onto Rina’s shoulders, giving her Lady a kneading massage.

Beryl heavily leans onto the armrest of her chair, reaching out across the divide between her and the Drakling. But, luckily, that gap is just a little too wide. Krvavy only has to lean back in her own seat to dodge those playful strikes.

The Countess relaxes into her seat, smiling warmly as she watches the tanned tomboy’s **** on Krvavy.

“Nhhhnooo~...!” The Wood Elf whines as strong fingers wrap around her wrist, stopping her gentle whack a hairsbreadth away from its intended target. “Come on~...!”

A victorious glint fills Krvavy’s eyes as she slowly forces her sweet berry’s arm back. “Nope, now eat your breakfast~.” She smugly orders, pushing the Elf back into her seat.

Vera simply scowls at that playful display, intensifying her massage as she looms behind the Countess.

“I must say,” Rina speaks up, her voice light and relaxed. “It is a shame that the two of you didn’t choose to visit Raseyne a week earlier.”

Krvavy’s brow furrows ever so slightly as she returns to her own food. “Oh.” Realization washes over her just moments before she bites into another of those tiny sausages. “You’re talking about the whole ‘Midyear’ thing, right?”

“The summer solstice, yes.” Rina confirms with a nod. “It is an important date for a variety of reasons to a variety of people. But here in Raseyne, it is mostly an excuse to celebrate. And celebrate we do: our festivals last longer than most others in the region, starting earlier and ending later.”

“Ah suppose tha’ could’a made fer some fun dates...” Beryl idly muses, before shaking her head. “Ach, Ah’m not tha’ selfish though. It’d not be fair fer it ta just be me there wit’ my dearest love...”

The Countess’ small golden spoon digs into her egg, bringing a small scoop of its well-cooked yolk up to her lips. As expected of a dignified and refined woman such as herself, Rina waits until she has swallowed that bite of food before speaking. “Yes, I can imagine that your relationship would lead to some... logistical issues.”

“Eh... not really?” Krvavy tilts her head to the side, taking a moment to actually think about it. “Well, okay. Maybe there are some issues, but not that many. I guess it helps that we don’t live in a city... if I want to spend time with my girls, I just spend time with them. Well, unless they’re busy with something... But still, it’s easier than having to plan date after date. If a bit... lazier...”

“It ‘elps tha’ we don’t mind sharin’ our dearest love.” Beryl adds, helping out her awkward lover. “Though, tha’ said, we don’t always share ‘er. Not like the two o’ us did last night, at least~.” She playfully winks at the Countess, ignoring the scornful look that draws from Vera. “Krvavy ‘ere is quite good at givin’ each and every one o’ us plenty o’ one-on-one time~. But Ah will admit tha’ she’ll ‘ave a ‘arder time wit’ tha’ as she collects more girls~. She can’t be everywhere at once, after all.”

“If I may ask, how often do you, ahem, ‘share her’?”

The tomboyish Elf’s lips curl into an impish smile. “Depends on wha’ kind o’ intimacy ya’re askin’ about~. Just normal skinship and cuddlin’~? Every single night~. We all sleep on the same big patch o’ beddin’, naked bodies clingin’ onta ‘er or onta each other~. The kind o’ fun tha’ ya and Ah ‘ad last night is also pretty common~. Our dearest love ‘as needs, and it can be fun ta wake ‘er up by satisfyin’ those needs~. We can also get quite ‘andsy in the showers, if tha’ counts~.”

“‘We’?” Krvavy asks, skeptically staring at her sweet berry. “It is mostly just you and Kh– our Orc.”

“Ya’ve ‘ad plenty o’ fun in the showers too, my dearest love, so don’t try denyin’ tha’~.”

“Yeah, but that is more of a special occasion sort of thing, not something I get up to nearly every single time.”

“My dearest love~,” amusement fills the Wood Elf’s voice as she meets Krvavy’s gaze. “Whenever ya’re in there wit’ us, ya end up bein’ the focus o’ our fun~. So ya can’t say tha’ ya don’t join in all the time~!”

“I’m not saying that.” The Drakling dryly sighs back. “I’m saying that I don’t start those... lewd activities very often.”

“Ach, who cares if ya start them or not when ya’re the one benefitin’~?”

Knowing that there is no chance of her winning this, Krvavy just gently shakes her head and turns her attention back towards her breakfast. Her own hard-boiled egg sits untouched in its cup, and after a moment she decides to change that, grabbing the golden spoon resting by her plate.

“I presume that there are some common pairings amongst the different women in your relationship?” Rina’s voice remains relatively even and light, but it is obvious that she can hardly contain her curiosity as she continues to ask her questions.

“Aye!” Once again, Beryl answers before Krvavy can. “Both in everyday life and in our bed~.” Her long ears wiggle playfully as she puts a little more emphasis on those last two words. “Ah’d like ta say tha’ we’re all friends, we all definitely get along quite well, but tha’ doesn’t mean tha’ we’re all equally close. Take me and the Dwarf fer instance. Ah like ‘er and she likes me, but we don’t spend all tha’ much time wit’ each other: Ah’m often down in the garden or out ‘untin’ while she spends most o’ ‘er time in ‘er workshop.”

“Quite remarkable, for a Dwarf and a Wood Elf of all people to be friends~.” Rina playfully comments, giving Beryl the chance to take a brief bite of her breakfast.

“Aye, it ‘elps tha’ we’re both a bit odd~. Though more on ‘er part than mine: she’s a little radical fer a Dwarf~,” the tanned tomboy’s blue-green eyes twinkle as she says that. “And ta keep talkin’ about ‘er... The differences between the Dwarf and Ah, both physical and in our preferences, means tha’ the both o’ us don’t often share Krvavy. Unless it is somethin’ simple, like us just usin’ our mouths, tha’ is...”

“Yeah, she has a pretty low libido, at least compared to the rest of us.” Krvavy agrees with a nod, trying to act casual even though this conversation is causing her cheeks to flush.

“Ach, tha’ is ‘ardly wha’ Ah’m talkin’ about.” The tomboyish Elf dismissively waves her golden spoon in the air, keeping her attention on the Countess. “See, the Dwarf ‘as some absolutely massive tits~. Biggest Ah’ve ever seen~! Really, they’ve got ta be three, four, times the size o’ my ‘ead, each~!”

“Hahaha~!” The pink-skinned half-Elf’s musical laughter dances across the table. “Krvavy said much the same when she first told me about her Dwarf~!”

“No surprise there~! My dearest love ‘as quite the thing fer big bountiful breasts~! So,” Beryl’s pointed ears twitch and wiggle as her lips curl into a smug smile, “Ah’m sure ya can imagine the kinds o’ thing’s that she and ‘er Dwarf get up ta~! It’s only natural tha’ those tits end up bein’ the focus~! But...! Tha’ ends up puttin’ me in quite the spot, as Ah am quite clearly not as blessed as the Dwarf, so Ah don’t really fit in wit’ tha’ kind of mood~. Not like the Orc, who ‘as some nice and big tits o’ ‘er own~. And when ya add on the fact tha’ the Dwarf ‘as more o’ a thing fer Krvavy’s size than fer other women... Well, tha’ naturally affects our pairin’s and group activities~.”

“Oh?” Rina regains her composure rather quickly, raising a single delicate eyebrow as her amethyst eyes fill with an inquisitive curiosity. “I would have assumed that all of the women in your relationship have quite the attraction towards other women. Perhaps not exclusively, to account for Krvavy’s unique biology, but a strong attraction all the same.”

“The Dwarf is the only one o’ us like tha’.” Beryl answers with a shrug, before frowning slightly as she begins to think aloud. “Except maybe the Orc? She’s definitely more focused on our dearest love’s cock, and the thought o’ bein’ bred... But she is still more than eager ta ‘ave some fun wit’ the rest o’ us... And then there’s the brat, who’d definitely claim ta not find other women attractive, though tha’d just be ‘er lyin’...”

“Uh, well...” Krvavy awkwardly speaks up as her sweet berry trails off. “The Dwarf... she still plays along even if she doesn’t get quite as much out of it as someone like Beryl...”

A slight look of surprised realization briefly flits across the Countess’ face, quickly being replaced with a sympathetic smile. “I must apologize if this conversation is making you uncomfortable, Krvavy. We do not need to into the fine details of your love life.”

“I’m not exactly uncomfortable talking about this...” The Drakling’s can’t help but lift her gaze up a bit, glancing at the albino maid looming above Rina. Those pale pink eyes, filled with malice and contempt, pierce into her very soul. “But...”

“Say, how about we move the conversation backwards just a little?” The Countess warmly suggests. Her calm and reassuring smile doesn’t quite counteract the sheer amount of animosity oozing from Vera, but it helps. “We can discuss the festivities that the two of you had missed out on. Perhaps to encourage a visit next year~?”

“Wait, wha’?!” The tomboyish Elf snaps out of her thoughts, looking scandalized by the change in topic. “Ach, fine...” She quickly sighs out. “We can always pick this back up later...”