Volume 15 - Back to Business, Chapter 109 - Trouble in Paradise
"Hello? Is anyone home?" Quess called out from the Mountain Lily Inn's entryway. She had let herself into the front room, but it wasn't her home anymore and she didn't feel right wandering any further.
"Be right there!" came a shout from the living room. Seconds later, The inn's proprietress sock-slid into sight wearing comfy-looking purple sweatpants and a white t-shirt, with her hair up in a high ponytail. Yuisu quickly recognized the visitor and cheerfully said, "Oh, hi Quess! What brings you by?"
Quess smiled back and said, "Just making a delivery to one of your guests, and I figured I'd say hello." With a hint of a lewd grin, she added, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
Yuisu shook her head. "Nah, Haru's at work and I'm just taking a break from cleaning, watching some TV. And even if I was busy, it wouldn't be a problem. You're always welcome here, Quess."
Quess blushed a little and said, "Aww, thanks, Yuisu."
Then Yuisu tilted her head, a move which made her look a bit like an owl, or a certain harpy. "Don't you normally have a courier make your deliveries? You didn't buy a car, did you?" If so, Yuisu would be excited for Quess and Iormu, but she did wonder if they could afford that when they already had home and business loans to worry about.
Quess shook her head, sending ripples through her pale pink body. "This was an unusual order, so I took a taxi up here to deliver it myself. It's actually all very romantic."
"Oh?" Yuisu stepped closer, eager to hear more. If her extensive collection of manga was any indication, romance was very relevant to Yuisu's interests.
Quess nodded energetically. "It was a phone order all the way from Osaka. Apparently the customer's wife is in Okayado on business, and he wanted to surprise her with her favorite flowers."
"Ooh, how nice," Yuisu said. Straight relationships might not be her preference, but she could still enjoy the romantic aspects.
Quess continued, "She's apparently been traveling for weeks now, and he said he misses her smile the most. So I offered to record her reaction to the flowers and email it to him. He was overjoyed, barely able to keep himself together."
"Aww, that's so cute," Yuisu commented.
"He offered to pay for the cab ride up here, and insisted on paying me a sizable tip too. He told me she didn't have any meetings this afternoon, so here I am," Quess said.
"Do you know which cabin she's in?" Yuisu asked.
"Yep, he told me that too."
Yuisu suddenly grabbed Quess by the shoulders, her fingers sinking slightly into the pliable surface. "Well what are you waiting for? Hurry up and get those flowers to that lucky woman." She started to push Quess toward the door. "And then tell me how it goes!"
With a chuckle, Quess said, "Alright, alright. I'll swing back by on my way out. I shouldn't stay too long though, since my cab is waiting."
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The delivery went perfectly. Quess introduced herself to the woman, who was a deer-centaur named Narako, then pulled out her phone. She started recording, then presented a bouquet of carefully selected flowers and said they were from Narako's husband.
Narako's fuzzy auburn ears perked up, her deep brown eyes went wide in delight, and she positively beamed. She was truly beautiful when she smiled, and Quess felt a tug at her heartstrings. Narako was lucky to have such a thoughtful husband, and he was blessed with a charming and beautiful wife.
What Quess hadn't expected, however, was what came next. After gushing about how happy she was to receive the flowers, Narako started to eat them, one blossom at a time. Of course, pink slimes like Quess and Pwess consumed flowers all the time, but she was used to being the exception. Apparently deer-centaurs like to eat flowers too? Quess wondered.
"Hmmf, theesh are delicious," Narako said through a mouthful of white petals. "Thank you sho mush."
Awkwardly, Quess bowed and said, "You're very welcome." Then she stopped her phone recording and said, "I'll be emailing that video to your husband, if that's alright."
Narako's nose wiggled adorably as she chewed. Once she swallowed, she said, "Of course. I know how much he loves to see me smile, and just between you and me, I do believe he's earned himself something else when I finally get home."
Quess could feel waves of sexual energy emanating from the woman and thought, That guy's a lucky man indeed. Then she started for the cabin door and said, "I'll be going now. It was nice to meet you, Narako."
Narako paused her flower petal nibbling and said, "Likewise, Quess!"
Quess started down the path back toward the house, trying to avoid as many fallen pine needles as she could. She hated how they stabbed through her gelatinous skin and got stuck in her body. It wasn't quite painful, but it was unpleasant nonetheless.
She was so focused on the ground that she nearly bumped into someone coming from the hot spring walkway. Quess saw a mass of green out of the corner of her eye and stopped just in time. "Oh, sorry about tha—" she started.
"Quess?!" the other person blurted. "Is that really you, Quess?"
Quess looked up and took in a colorful sight of purple, pink, blue, and lots of bare green skin. It didn't take long for her to recognize the flowery woman, but it was the scent that really confirmed it. They say that smell is the sense most connected to memory, and that particular scent had a lot of memories associated with it.
"Aluru?" Quess said, not quite believing her senses.
"Oh, it is you! What a wonderful surprise!" Aluru cried out, then she reached out and pulled Quess into a tight hug, squishing their breasts together in a strangely familiar way.
Though normally, I was the one wrapped around her, Quess thought. Then she shook her head clear and slipped free of the hug in a way only a slime could manage.
"Yeah, it's great seeing you," Quess said. "What brings you to the Mountain Lily Inn? Business at the ski lodge?" It was a fair guess, considering how many of the inn's guests were either consulting with or employed by Korbin.
Aluru smiled from ear to pointed ear. "Nope. I live here, as an Exchange Program homestay. Just got here a couple days ago."
Quess froze in thought. You're still in the program? But you left the forest even before I did… What have you been up to all this time?
Of course, she didn't voice any of that. Instead she said, "That's awesome! Yuisu's a wonderful host. She was my host until I graduated a couple months ago."
"Really?! I didn't know that. Congrats on the graduation! Want to celebrate with a little romp in the grass? It'll be just like old times."
Quess felt the old familiar allure of Aluru's body. She could still remember the sound of Aluru's intimate whispers, the feeling of her petals and vines, and the exact taste of the alraune's nectar.
Before she could respond, Aluru continued, "Damn, do you remember the time we did it right behind the festival stage? I was sure they'd hear my moaning." She grinned as she recounted things from years ago like they were yesterday. "Or when we stole all that plum wine and started a near orgy with the papillon girls? Sadly, the only papillon I've met out here was straight."
Quess remembered alright. Those had been fun times, but they were no longer good memories. That's not who I am anymore. I've grown and changed, but it looks like Aluru hasn't. She's just like she was the day that she lost interest in me and wandered off.
"No thanks, Aluru. I have a wife and a daughter now," Quess answered, her tone serious and definitive.
"What?! Really!" Aluru said with wide magenta eyes. "I didn't think you'd ever settle down, Queen. I mean, you broke as many hearts as I did, though maybe not as many hymens, since you also rode the 'D' train." Her wily grin had returned in full force as she tossed around lewd innuendo like a horny teenager.
Queen. That old nickname… Quess thought, her displeasure with it bubbling up to the surface. The nickname was obviously a play on 'Quess', and it referred both to her haughty attitude and to her dominant tendencies in bed. Back then, she didn't mind the name. In fact, she'd owned it and embodied it, wearing it like a badge of honor. It had even become the basis for her 'royal' persona when she'd first come to Yuisu's home.
Aluru kept rambling, "Though the offer still stands, for you and your lady. A threesome sounds great right now, and if she's your wife, she must be smokin'."
Quess shook her head firmly, marveling at how little Aluru had grown up. She hasn't changed a bit. Same old teenage troublemaker, even after all these years.
Then she swallowed hard, trying to force down the unsavory feeling that was creeping through her body. Talking to Aluru was making Quess increasingly uncomfortable by reminding her of her past self, back when she was immature, selfish, and mean.
"My answer stands. And I'm sorry but I have to go. My cab is waiting," Quess said. Then she waved goodbye and detoured around the house, heading straight for the taxi at a quick pace. I'll call Yuisu later to tell her about Narako's reaction. I just can't be here right now.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"Seeya, Quess. Hit me up if you want a good time!" Aluru called after her. If she had sensed Quess's discomfort, Aluru didn't show it.
For the entire cab ride, Quess focused on the passing terrain, trying not to think about Aluru or any of the ugly memories her meeting had dredged up. She had originally planned to return to the flower shop after her delivery, but she decided to head straight home instead.
As Quess set foot in her new home, she was greeted at the door by Iormu and Pwess, who were surprised to see her home early. She pulled them both into a hug and all her tension and discomfort finally melted away. That life is in the past. This is my life now, she thought. My wholesome, wonderful life.
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That night, like the previous two, Aluru could be found hanging out in the hot spring. She stayed there through all of the mixed-bathing and female-only hours, hoping to find a woman to hook up with.
Aluru leaned against a large rock, her roots submerged and her naked upper body basking in the cool spring air. I heard this place had a reputation for attracting lesbian liminals, but that doesn't help me if they're all already in monogamous relationships, she thought. And the business travelers are mostly straight, which is even worse. Getting a girl to cheat is one thing, but converting strictly-dickly girls is too hard, so to speak.
She giggled at her own joke, but she wasn't actually happy at all. Seeing beautiful women that were out of reach was frustrating beyond description. What's the point of ogling a sexy lady like that deer-girl if I can't get under her skirt, or tail in her case?
"What's so funny?" asked a quiet voice from the hot spring's gated entrance.
Aluru turned and saw a woman in a wheelchair, wearing a gold-colored two piece swimsuit. Below the frilly bottom was a luxuriously blue tail, ending in a gorgeous rippled fin. The woman was a mermaid, apparently of some sort of tropical variety.
She had light brown hair pulled back into cute twintails that made her look quite young. Her respectable cleavage and knowing smile suggested she was actually a bit older than that, at least twenty.
Aluru put on a smile and said, "Oh, nothing. Just thinking to myself. I'm Aluru, by the way. What's your name, or shall I just call you 'cutie'?"
The woman immediately blushed, so Aluru let out an internal cheer. Yes, I called it! Time to lay down some charm and catch me a delicious fish.
"Uh, my name's Rui. It's nice to meet you, Aluru," she replied. Then she rolled her chair to the edge of the pool and awkwardly dumped herself in. The instant she hit the water, she became the epitome of grace. Her every movement was full of precision and beauty as she swam around the spring. The hot water didn't faze her in the slightest either.
"Wow, you're quite the swimmer," Aluru marveled. "I wish I could move like that."
Rui turned to address Aluru and her eyes flicked down to Aluru's bare breasts, then back up to look her in the eyes.
Yeah, she's definitely gay, Aluru thought happily.
Rui said, "Thanks. I guess it makes up for how limited I am on land. I kinda hate that wheelchair." Then she shook her head. "It's no time for drab thoughts, not when the water is so warm and wonderful!"
She spread her arms wide and beckoned to Aluru. "Come swim with me. The pool's not that big, but I can show you some simple moves."
[https://i.imgur.com/nNFBO5N.jpg]
Aluru smiled. The girl's upbeat attitude was infectious, and her beauty certainly helped. "I'd love to, but this isn't really a body made for swimming." With that, she lifted herself up on her roots and rose out of the clouded water, giving Rui her first look at Aluru's lower half.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I thought you were a dryad with legs, not an alraune. I'm so, so sorry!"
Aluru's smile remained and she said, "Don't worry about it. It doesn't bother me at all. There is something that does bother me though…"
Rui's beautiful sky-blue eyes widened with concern. "Oh?"
"You're wearing a bikini in a traditional onsen! It really is better in the nude, you know."
Rui's face flushed red. "I-I suppose so."
Then Aluru crawled forward along the bottom of the pool, closing the distance between the two liminals. "And I've seen your eyes appreciating me. It's only fair that I get to see all of you too…" Being so brazen was a gamble, but it was one that worked more often than not. Aluru had been with hundreds of women and she was confident in her ability to read them. In this case, she knew Rui was gay and single, but just being slow to open up.
She just needs some encouragement, Aluru thought as she waggled her hips seductively.
Rui's eyes couldn't help but follow the movement and they lingered on Aluru's hips. and the area between, for a moment. Then she forced her gaze away and looked off into the distance. "Oh, good point. About the traditional onsen, I mean. I'm just so used to swimming pools, I guess."
The mermaid started to tug at the bow on the front of her bikini top, but her webbed fingers were having difficulty. Aluru seized the opportunity and said, "Let me help you with that."
Rui blushed, but she dropped her arms to her sides, letting Aluru help with the top while Rui removed her swim-skirt. Then the mermaid suddenly said, "I take it you're looking for love, Aluru?"
While Aluru unwrapped the wonderful present that was Rui's breasts, she answered, "You could say that. How about you? Want some love tonight?" Being blunt had worked wonders so far, so Aluru planned to keep it up.
Rui, now fully bare and more beautiful than ever, suddenly retreated deeper into the pool. It didn't seem to be from embarrassment, however.
"What's wrong?" Aluru asked, sad that her wonderful view had fled underwater.
Rui's face peeked out of the steaming water and she said, "This is just too fast. I want a long-term relationship, and this is too fast for that."
Aluru lowered herself until they were face to face, both snug and secure in the hot water. "But it doesn't feel wrong, does it? Just because we're moving quickly through the clunky dating parts doesn't make it any less likely to succeed as a long-term thing." Aluru wasn't actually interested in anything ongoing, but she wasn't going to tell Rui that.
Under the water, Aluru gently held Rui's hands in hers. Above the water, she let out a sweet breath filled with pheromones directly into Rui's face. "Let's get to know each other, mind and body."
Aluru's pheromones were a bit different than Quess's, and they were more limited. They could never make someone do something they didn't want to do, but they were often enough to sway a fence-sitter into action.
This time, the pheromones did just that. Rui fluttered her eyes and said, "That sounds nice. Tell me about yourself, Aluru."
With a grin, Aluru spun a tale about her past that was maybe half true. She embellished real events, omitted any that might paint her in a poor light, and focused on stories with sexual elements, of which she had many. She wanted Rui in the right mindset for sex, after all.
Then Rui told her own story with much more accuracy. She was a liminal accessibility expert, specializing in environmental control. Korbin had brought her in to make sure the gym and ski lodge's facilities were accommodating enough for both aquatic and tropical liminals. She was also recovering from a failed relationship with another mermaid. It had ended several months before, and she was finally ready to try again.
Throughout both stories, Aluru inched closer and got more intimate, until she was gently caressing Rui's body from skin to scales. Rui enjoyed the loving touch and she really felt a connection to Aluru.
From there, it was an easy task to get invited to Rui's cabin, where the rest of the night went swimmingly.
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The morning after was not so idyllic. Aluru tried to sneak out of the cabin, but Rui was a light sleeper. The sound of the bedroom door opening roused the sleeping mermaid.
"Aluru? Where are you going?" Rui asked as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
Aluru froze, one hand on the door and a half-dozen roots already in the kitchen. "Uh, to get some breakfast," she lied.
"Oh, let me join you. I should have enough time before the shuttle to the lodge arrives." As she spoke, Rui reached for the humidifier on the nightstand to turn it off. She needed its steady stream of mist to keep her gills and scales moisturized, so she brought it with her when she traveled.
Aluru took a moment to admire Rui's bare breasts, which had fit so nicely in her hands the night before. Then as Rui got dressed, Aluru said, "Actually, I should go check in with my host first. Wouldn't want her worrying since I never returned to my room."
She turned away and added, "I don't want to make you miss your shuttle, so don't wait for me." The alraune made her way through the small cabin kitchen and stepped out into cool mountain air. Then she started down the path toward the main house.
"Wait," Rui called out from her cabin door, in her wheelchair. She'd thrown on a frilly pink dress and hastily pulled her hair back into twintails again. "It feels like you're trying to avoid me. Did I do something wrong?" She wheeled herself closer, until she was looking up at Alraune with a look of pitiful concern.
[https://i.imgur.com/Z52Xqct.png]
Aluru sighed. "You didn't do anything wrong. Last night was great, but we're done now. Bye."
Rui's expressive eyes fell. She felt totally baffled and blindsided. "Why? We really seemed to click, Aluru. We really get each other. And you said you were looking for something deeper, too."
Aluru's voice was harsh and level as she said, "I lied. I was never interested in anything but a quick fling."
Rui's jaw clenched and she frowned deeply. "Only interested in my body, you mean?" Hot tears ran down her cheeks as she vented, "I'd heard good things about this inn, but it seems it's really just to lure in idiots like me, to use and then throw away."
Aluru's reaction was the lid on their brief relationship's coffin. She just said, "Hey, I tried to sneak out and avoid this whole drama. It's not my fault that you woke up and then insisted on following me."
Rui had no words for the way she felt. She cast a scornful glare at Aluru, then spun her wheelchair around and rolled back to her cabin. She painstakingly maneuvered it through the doorway, then slammed the door behind her.
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Yuisu sat at her desk, furiously writing with one hand while the other held a phone to her ear. "Yes, Korbin, I'll investigate the complaint. I am truly sorry that this happened and I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."
The kobold's voice was lacking its normal warmth as he said, "See to it that you do. I wouldn't end our partnership over a single mistake, but I can't have my consultants canceling on me either. I'm trying like hell to get Rui to return and finish her review, but if she won't, it could take weeks to get another specialist in here. Of course I left buffer time, but too many setbacks could mean missing the first snow, which is unacceptable."
"I understand, and I apologize again. I'll go deal with this now. Goodbye." Yuisu hung up, then held her head with both hands and stared down at her notes.
One of the inn's guests, who was consulting for the lodge, suddenly canceled her stay and took the morning train out of town. From what she said to Korbin, she had been 'used and dumped' by someone that lives here, not another guest. A long sigh escaped Yuisu's lips and she thought, It has to be Aluru, even though she never mentioned any of this to me…
Yuisu had never considered the issues that could come from homestays getting romantically involved with inn guests, and now she was paying the price.
I should have known Aluru would pull something, the way she was coming on to everyone, Yuisu thought. But it's too late for 'should haves' and 'would haves'. She steeled her will and stood up from the desk. It was a male-only bathing time, so Aluru was most likely in her room.
KNOCK, KNOCK.
"Aluru? I need to talk to you."
"Come on in," Aluru said.
Yuisu opened the door to find Aluru at the open window, relaxing in a sunbeam. As a plant liminal, she needed lots of water and sunlight to survive, so she spent a lot of the day sunning herself or soaking in the hot spring, or both at the same time.
She closed the door behind herself, then took a deep breath. She let it out slowly, then said, "Aluru, did you have a one-night-stand with an inn guest?"
Aluru was immediately defensive. Her flower petals closed up around her hips and she crossed her arms. "And what if I did? A girl has needs, okay? It's spring and I'm in bloom, and none of the permanent residents are available."
Then she winked and put a cool green hand on Yuisu's. "Unless they are…?"
On some level, Yuisu did want Aluru's body, and a deep, dark part of her was always on alert for a chance at another threesome. But she had a gut feeling that this time wouldn't end well, and the Rui situation was evidence of that. She gently shook the hand off, forced a smile, and said, "Sorry, but we aren't."
Then she sighed and said, "I get it, I really do. I know you have needs, but I need to run a successful business, and that means not breaking the guests' hearts. If you're going to get into relationships with guests, please just be upfront and fair with them." She pleads, "Can you do that for me, Aluru?"
Aluru didn't like it one bit, but she put on a sickly-sweet act and said, "Sure thing, Yuisu. I'll do my very best."
Yuisu nodded, but she also narrowed her eyes. That was way too easy. I'll have to keep a close eye on her for a while…