“Still no idea what that means,” I try to sound mirthful, but think it comes out more like a mumble. Then I shove the spoon in my mouth.

Cold, very very cold! For a second I sit with my mouth open. “Ah! Cold!!!”

That supplies me with grins from the group, and for a second I’m worried this was all a joke at my expense. But then the food melts a little and I’m hit with a rush of sizzling sweet flavor.

“Oh wow!” I finally get out. “That’s… This is really good! What is it?!?!”

“I know right?!?! It’s a really neat mixture of um…” Yrelia huffs and turns back to Jevita, waves a hand. “I can never get it straight.”

Jevita glances up from her first bites. “A liquified Arudian crystal set, generally used for cooling purposes, mixed with a sweet beverage from Lyttoral. They generally sell it as alchemy, but that’s barely true.”

“It’s really really good!” I giggle and sputter after another two bites.

“Woah woah, slow down.” Yrelia places a hand on mine to stop me digging in, “Now you’ve got to try some of these toppings!”

The next few minutes are a flurry of flavor. Every one of them has their favorite fruit or candy to sprinkle atop the white mush, and instead of guessing they each have me try a bite from their bowl to discover which might suit me.

Yrelia prefers a sprinkling of the really dark and bitter candy that pairs nicely with the sweetness of the base cream. Kque dips and mixes a sweet red fruit after she’s cut it into slices. Tasii cuts open a big bowl shaped subtle sweet tangy purple thing and pours it in that before sprinkling an assortment of other fruits on top. While Jevita simply plopped in a few green sour things and mixed it all together.

“I can’t choose!” I whine, “They’re all so good!”

That gets a little chuckle from Tasii, “Well, not to rush you, but you might want to hurry up. It’s not near as good when it melts.”

I feel my eyes go wide, “What? It’s going to melt?”

“Mhm, Like frost, or ice.”

I look down at the pretty white cream and its little glittering blue sparkles. “But…”

Then I look up, a choice made. I reach out and grab one of the green fruits Jevita used and plop it into my bowl. I can only imagine Yrelia’s sour look, but push ahead by grabbing one of the little dark candies she used and crumbling it in next. After that I grab some of the fruits Kque and Tasii used and add them to the mixture. Then I mix it all together and take a big bite. The mixture of half a dozen warring flavors is perfect and wonderful and I can’t help but grin like a crazy person.

Everyone just stares at me for a few seconds.

“Did… Is it as horrible as I think it is?” Kque murmurs.

“It must be.” Tasii agrees.

Jevita just stares at me through another glorious bite.

“Now now,” Yrelia reaches out and takes a little on her own spoon, “Maybe Ina is onto something?”

She takes a bite, but then her face twists into a grimace and she coughs and sputters. “No. Nope. It’s vile. Oh fuck.”

“I like it.” I grumble and shove another spoonful into my mouth.

That gets a few giggles as Yrelia waves in Tasii and Kques’ direction. Tasii pours and passes her a cup of wine or water or something, and she takes a big gulp to wash away the flavor of my mad mixture.

“I don’t know how you stand that.” Yrelia chokes out then continues to enjoy her own.

After we’ve all had a chance to eat ours Tasii passes around cups of wine.

“So… uh…” Jevita breaks the silence. “How’s trading been?”

Yrelia doesn’t look up from her cup, nor even turn when she answers. “Fine.”

Kque takes the next awkward pause to scoot around Yrelia on the grass next to me. “I see you took the splint off.”

I take another bite, and stare down at my bowl. “Mhm.” I swallow.

“That’s not supposed to come off for at least another few weeks, otherwise those fingers will heal wrong.”

“It doesn’t even hurt!” I complain as I take another bite.

She sighs and holds out a hand.

I grumble and offer it.

Tasii glances over, but then starts up a conversation with Jevita and Yrelia about how much a shop is willing to pay for the Arudian crystals so they can make the Inghetata.

Kque gives me an odd look as she begins to feel at and poke at the injured fingers. “Does this even hurt?”

I shrug, “Only a little.”

She scrunches up her face. “They were still purple and swollen this morning.”

Kque has me move them around, at first a little, then a lot. “You don’t have full motion back, but…” She turns to Tasii, “I’m not crazy, her fingers were broken, right? Twisted bad. Not just bruised.”

“Ow. Okay that hurts.”

Tasii nods, glancing away from the conversation, leaving Jevita and Yrelia in an awkward back and forth “Maybe she’s double jointed?”

Kque shakes her head, “We had to crack them back into place. This is…”

She looks up. “Somehow her fingers have done three weeks of healing in… like… six hours.”

Emarial’s kiss replays in my mind. Oh… right… that happened. Fuck, Is that what did this?

“Oh.”

Kque releases my hand. “How’re your bruises? Any other miraculous things happening there?”

“Um… They’re feeling and looking a lot better, I think.” I swallow, set my bowl on the clay table and take up the cup set aside for me.

Kque sighs and releases my hand. “Of all the strange things, this is the least concerning. I’ll take it.”

That catches Yrelia’s attention. “So… If I’m hearing correctly, she’s really healed up? Like… a lot more than you–”

Kque turns to level a look to cut her off. Yrelia hides a mirthful grin with a sip from her cup as her eyes move over to me. And in her look are all the promises she’s made. I can’t even try to hide the heat rising up my cheeks as my heart flutters and speeds up.

Kque scoots back to her place. “If Ina is healing this fast I don’t see why we can’t leave in a day or two?”

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“Those were the final trades.” Yrelia motions to the empty bottle, turning from me. “I’d not mind an extra couple days to relax and enjoy our spoils though.”

Tasii nods, “We’ll keep heading up north. Won’t want to trade any more Lyttoral goods until Undoota at least. But we’d make even more if we reach a port city.”

They go over a few more options, and I sit and try to enjoy the conversations I totally don’t understand. Talks of trade routes, the most efficient goods to trade for or buy, and then what places to offload them. Mentions of favorite stores and contacts eventually shift to tales and rumors. The wine begins to make them all a bit more… wiggly with their words. Not drunk, just less serious. Less anxious. Yrelia has stopped trying to give Jevita sour looks even, which releases a tension in my own gut I didn’t realize I was holding on to.

Then Tasii is reminding them of a drunken shouting match with another trading group turned… dice game? I’m not sure. Jevita and Yrelia actually giggle together as they retell how they started betting clothes for some reason, and how after half of them ended up with each other's clothes and the other half ended up naked they decided to try and call it all even and to return everything before the tavern owner ran out of patience and called the duenna.

At some point a stranger comes from a door in the back of the garden, a steaming tray of amazing smelling foods organized for us as part of a trade I’ll never understand the details of. She’s only there long enough to drop off the food and thank Yrelia and Jevita for their business, and it’s then I discover that this is her little garden home and that Lule has actually been moved to a little stable in the alley below us. A much more comfortable spot for him and Jevita.

During most of the stories I can’t help but feel an emotional distance from them, as I wasn’t there. My mind might have wandered to darker places, but Yrelia stayed close and did everything she could to keep me included. Holding or caressing my hand as it lay between us, turning to direct the stories my way, and asking me little questions to find out if I was following along. The food is amazing, even better than what they shared with me back in Lyttoral and combined with the sweet wine my head is a swim with soft thoughts and a slowly growing anticipation. At the idea of a future with these women, but also at the coming night. It's whenever the sun is blazing just behind the horizon line of trees that a quiet settles over the group, that Yrelia surprises us.

“I’m sorry.” She huffs out, exasperated.

I’m confused, at first thinking she’s talking to me. I would normally berate myself for being stupid at not reading her intentions, but the others seem taken aback as well.

Then she looks up to stare directly at Jevita, a weird stubbornness to her eyes. “I’ve been a cunt. I… I should know better. And I’m sorry.”

Jevita purses her lips, understanding immediately “You have every right to–”

Yrelia shakes her head furiously, “No, I don’t. Not for this long. You were fucking attacked by the same thing. I was trying to get Ina and Kque away too! If things had gone differently… I’m not sure I could have come back.”

Jevita sighs, “Yrelia–”

“And I hate that!” She hisses, momentum built up and a storm of words follows. “I hate that I don’t have anyone to really blame for this. I’m used to that, being able to point at some cunt and know that they caused a thing. But I couldn’t. I can’t even blame the duenna, or the women on the road. And…”

Tears start to fall then, and all I can do is grip her hand tighter. “And Lule… Fuck I even tried to be mad at him.”

A curious muffled hoot comes from beside and beneath us. That causes her to pause, then Kque lets out a snicker. Tasii turns to try and quiet her, but can’t stop the grin on her own face from showing. I try to hide mine by biting my lower lip, but fail. Then Yrelia is laughing, but also crying. Jevita is the only one who keeps her composure. She moves to crawl around the table, and I scoot aside to let her sit next to Yrelia.

She tries to wave her off, but Jevita hugs her anyway.

“No.” Yrelia protests through the tears, “I’m not done, You don’t get to–”

Then Jevita whispers in Arudian. It roughly means something like… I forgive and understand your pain? Or… I bear this pain with you? I’m not sure. It was quiet and I’m assuming some of the word choices.

Yrelia huffs, annoyed. But she returns the hug. “I had at least another few minutes of apologies. Our big floofball ruined it!”

More little chuckles, but more of relief than joy.

“I love you,” Jevita says, pulling back and taking Yrelia’ cheeks in her hands. “Okay?”

Yrelia grumbles, “Love you too.”

Jevita places a kiss on her forehead and pulls away. As Jevita moves back to her spot and Yrelia wipes her tears, Kque gives me a sidelong long look past them and mouths ‘Nice work’. I try to shake my head, try to convey that I didn’t do this. That I was a coward who wasn’t able to find the courage to talk to her, but she’s looking away before noticing. There are only a few half-hearted conversations after that. Before long the sun sets and we are conversing amidst starlight. The city is filled with a hundred little popping sounds, then little Alchemical Everlights dotting the garden spark with azure light as true night falls. Yrelia stands and takes a moment to stretch, which of course sets my wine wiggled brain into a bit of a tizzy as I get an amazing view of the leg and hip that extend comfortably outside her dress.

“Well. I’m ready to head back.” She announces, “Let’s start getting all this packed up?”

Tasii waves her off, “We’ll take care of it.”

Yrelia offers me a hand to help me stand while she looks to the rest, “You sure?”

“Yup.” Tasii nods and gives her a knowing smile, “You two enjoy the rest of your night.”

I try to hide the burning that spreads across my cheeks and neck as I take the hand and rise. I’m a bit weak-legged from the drinks, but Yrelia expertly moves a hand to my elbow to steady me. I peek over and Tasii giggles at my reddening face. Kque smiles, but can’t help but glance down at my unsplinted fingers.

“Be–” Kque cuts off whatever she was going to say and looks directly at Yrelia. “Please don’t do anything stupid.”

Yrelia snorts and smirks at her, “You want to come along and make sure I don’t?”

And I blush harder, ears burning now. Tasii’s giggles intensify as I try to cover my face again.

“Stop it Kque.” Tasii manages between breaths and waves us on. “Go on! Make a mess of each other. If you're too loud we’ll just come cuddle with Jevita and Lule.”

A few curious hoots trill up at us. That breaks Kque’s composure and she can’t help but smile

Yrelia huffs, wraps her arm and hand in mine, and we head down the stairs and into the crowded streets. It probably took us longer to get back than before, but I’m too busy trying to fight down my embarrassment to notice much of the walk back. When we reach the inn the common room is full, and the owners are bustling about to try and serve dinner and drinks to everyone. One smiles at us, apologetic at the lack of empty tables, but Yrelia winks and lets her know we're planning on just ‘relaxing’ upstairs. The woman eyes our hands, nods with a knowing smile, then moves on with her work. The blush I’d managed to mush down on the road sparks back up.

We pass a few more women in the hallways, but before I know it we’re alone in the bedroom. Yrelia releases my hand and lets me step into the room as she closes and locks the door. I turn, and Yrelia leans against the wood, a languid smirk on her face. Happy to leave me brewing.

“I…” I begin to whisper, but a raise of her eyebrows stalls my mind and sets my heart fluttering.

I think the old me would look away, a mix of embarrassment and absolute jealousy at this gorgeous woman. Her confidence would shatter me and the wicked glint in her eyes would be a mirror of everything I wasn’t. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy any of this. But now? Now I can’t tear my eyes off her. I’m free of that, and as much as I am falling to pieces trying to stifle this blush, I can’t hate it. This… pressure, has been building and building for days.

My thoughts almost wander to very unsexy thoughts, of cold aches and mysterious strangers and nightmar–

But then she crosses her arms and raises a finger to poke at her lower lip and her eyes seem to dance over me. My mind sizzles out and loses whatever thought It was about to hit me with. My body seems to warm wherever her eyes caress me. She’s content to just… watch me squirm under her gaze.

Still no words, no movement toward me. I can’t help but bite my lip and get lost in those eyes. Warmth is spreading through me like warm honey, absolutely nothing to do with the flittering spark at my core, and I can’t help but love it. I have to do something. Have to get her to… I don’t know. Start whatever crazy sex she’s planned! Otherwise I’m going to… okay well I’ve probably already ruined these tights. How do women deal with this? Getting horny literally fucking up your clothes!!!

Deep Breath. Now say something!

“Hi.” Is all I can squeak out.

...Wonderful. Great.

“Hi.” She grins, unsurprised, and her amusement washes away any doubts or confusion. She knows exactly what she’s doing.

“Say it.” She says.

I gulp. “What?”

“Tell me what you want.”

“Oh… um…” I finally let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding in and look down at her feet. “I… don’t really know what specifically to…”

“Ina.”

I glance back up to her face.

“Do you want me to fuck you?”

I pause, surprised at her... her just saying it! But I nod a few times with a bit more... desperation that I'd have thought a second later.

“Then ask me to.”