Come on! You can do it Rose! She steeled herself.
Her hand hovered in front of the warehouse's door, trembling slightly, and her heart beat frantically in her chest. According to the guild records, which she really shouldn’t have used for that purpose, the half-spider dark elf girl and her partner were housed there.
Just as she was about to knock, the door opened and she almost lost her balance from the surprise. She was faced with the shorter of the two, Velatha if she remembered right. No longer in her intricately decorated armor, the elf instead wore a simple white dress that showed more of her ashen skin well defined body.
"How may I help you?" The elf asked.
With those two amber eyes focused on her, Rose lost her train of thought for a second.
"Ah," Rose felt a blush creep up her face. "I uh … wanted to … do you …"
Her disastrous attempts at an introduction was interrupted by a melodious giggle. Velatha had her hand in front of her mouth in a failed attempt at hiding her mischievous smile.
"Do you need some time?" She asked with a humorous tone.
"Ah," Rose sighed and looked at the ground. "I was wondering if you … had plans for this evening? There is a bardic performance on the second level and … eh …"
"You wished to invite my girlfriend and I? To attend with you?"
"Yes," she nodded.
Velatha turned towards the inside and spoke in rapid-fire elven. The language had a melodious quality to it that Rose found enthralling compared to the rather sharp tones used in common. She had picked up some of the basics as it was one of the most spoken languages after common but she barely understood anything at such speed. The exchange continued for a few seconds and she waited with bated breath.
"When would you like to meet?" The elf finally asked Rose.
"On the seventh bell?" She offered, it would leave them some time to find good seats and get something to eat. "We can meet in front of the guild."
"Excellent," Velatha smiled. "It's a date!" She added with a wink.
"See you this evening," Rose walked away with a big smile on her face.
Then, as the door closed, the words hit her. A date‽‽‽
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Vel and I waited for Rose near the fountain. She had completely forgotten to introduce herself earlier, the way she had been tripping over her words had been adorable, but she had worn a nametag as part of her clerk uniform. I had been right that she had been trying to flirt with me, and Vel, at the counter.
We were both dressed in more casual clothes for the evening. Vel wore her green leaf-patterned dress which had survived through the attack and our escape by being in her storage item. I had picked from the collection Sontar had designed, a nice red blouse with detached sleeves and a dark pleated skirt with red accents.
"I wonder what the bardic performance will be like," Vel mused.
"Me too," I smiled. "I haven’t seen a bard in action yet." It was a very rare class to receive in Niu and there had been none as far back as I remembered. Most of the musicians in the village played as a hobby, usually honed over many, many decades of casual practice. The benefits of a long lifespan.
"Ah, looks like our friend has arrived."
Rose entered the plaza opposite the guild. She probably lived a bit further away in that direction. She wore a simple light blue dress that contrasted surprisingly well with her hair. Said hair was tied in a bun at the back of her head, held in place by two brass needles, with a few bangs loose on each side.
I waved at her, not that we were hard to see but she seemed absorbed in her thoughts, and she froze for a second when she spotted us. She almost stumbled on her feet but recovered admirably.
"Wow, you're … uh … very pretty." She said as she looked at me. Her eyes stayed glued first to my spider half for a few seconds but they moved on. "Both of you," she added as she looked at Vel.
"You're beautiful too," Vel complemented her.
Rose turned a shade darker like her namesake.
"Lead the way Rose," I said, "we haven't visited the second layer yet."
Stolen novel; please report.
"Yes, of course, I mean … we need to take a ramp, the closest one is … there," she pointed in the distance. "Since we're a bit early, we'll have plenty of time to find some good seats. And some food, there's bound to be plenty of stands."
"But we already have a snack with us," Vel said with a grin.
"AaaaAAaAAaaaAAAaaaaa," Rose blushed again.
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The ramps to access the upper levels were carved into the wall. Most of them looked to have a fairly steep slope, too much for a cart, except for the ones near the entrance. Once we reached the second level, Rose led us through the streets towards a big open square. A big wooden stage had been erected at one end. Tables were scattered around the square with a large area in front of the scene left open. Around the perimeter, numerous stands were ready to provide both food and alcohol.
"Rosy," a voice called out. It was the same sun elf that had served Vel and I at the guild. She wore a similar outfit as well, a white apron over a white shirt and brown skirt.
"Vasati!" Rose said, surprised. The elf gave her a hug then her eyes landed on Vel and I.
"So you managed to muster up the courage …" She teased. "She hasn't been too … weird, has she?," she added in elven.
"Hey! I understood that!" Rose pouted.
"She is easily flustered," I answered, "but nothing discourteous."
"Let's go find a table," Rose ignored our little side conversation.
With my added bulk, we ended up picking a table near the edge. The view of the concert wouldn't be the best but I wouldn't be too much in the way. Vasati brought a large pitcher of water, some wooden cups, and a platter of snacks for us. The first one was apparently on the house, samples from the different stalls. There were some savvy business people in there.
We made light conversation with Rose until the concert started. Once she managed to get herself under control, and stopped blushing every time she looked at us, she was a fun conversation partner. She recounted some of the comical things that had happened at the guild, some of them including a certain rogue, and the strange things some adventurers got up to. Vel and I gave a recount of our trial with a few things left out.
The concert started once the ceiling crystals were dark and the plaza had filled with both adventurers and locals. The stage itself was lit with illusion magic. A man with a dark green shirt walked to the front.
"Good evening everyone," he announced, his voice cutting through the noise of the crowd like butter. It was likely a skill. "Allow me to introduce our first performer of the night, the amazing Selphy the Siren."
A girl with light blue hair and fin-like ears walked on stage. She had a blue dress with a slit skirt covered in shimmering scales. Out of curiosity, I identified her.
[Siren (Level 178, Rank 5; Bard-Mage)]
It wasn't false advertising. Vel moved a bit closer to me to better see the stage and I motioned for Rose to do the same. She seemed hesitant at first but she did anyway. I felt a swell of mana as Selphy started to sing. Through my sphere, I saw the mana in the air resonate in tune with her voice. It wasn't a spell, not in the conventional sense, but it was powerful magic nonetheless.
"It was eons ago," she hummed, "when the gods were still young …"
I felt my spirit resonate with the melody. The song started slow but as it reached a crescendo, I felt myself be buoyed by the powerful energy. Vel pushed herself closer to me and I held her tight.
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After Selphy and her breathtaking performance, a group took the stage. The lead singer was a well groomed man with a cocky grin. He was accompanied by three musicians, two guitars and a set of drums. When the song started, I knew it would be the fun part of the evening. I didn't know if medieval rock was even a genre in this world but it ought to be. People started to flock in front of the scene and started dancing. Servers brought tankards of beer left and right.
"… when the beast approached! Our hero, fearsome, handsome, hacked, and slashed …"
Rose flagged down Vasati and she brought us some as well. Vel made a strange face when she took her first swig but she downed the rest of the tankard with enthusiasm. Rose timidly sipped at her own drink at the beginning. I took a big gulp of the ale, it was a strange mix of beer and mead, slightly sugary but with a nice bitterness.
As the night progressed, more and more alcohol was consumed and several groups had their turns on the stage. Songs about great adventures, powerful heroes, and beautiful maidens followed one after another.
"I'll sing a song of all my loves since I have been adventurin' … Oh! she's the lass to charm a lad, so witching, full of sport … For where he goes he surely knows a girl in every guild!"
At some point, when the beer had finally overcome my poison resistance, Rose found some courage and kissed Vel. I was surprise it had taken her that long to be honest, then she realized what she had done.
"Aaaaa," she started to panic, "I'm soooo-"
I shut her up by kissing her too. Vel and I had talked it out beforehand, It was obvious Rose was attracted to both of us after all, and we were both fine with it. Expectations when it came to relationship were different for us elves since our lifespans were measured in centuries.
The concert came to a close somewhere after two in the morning. The exact time was fuzzy since the bells didn't ring during the night. The crowd slowly dispersed and we retraced our steps down the ramp. Rose was unsteady on her feet so I carried her on my back. I caught a glance of Vasati on the edges of the crowd. I thought of asking her where Rose lived but she gave me a thumbs up and a wink from a distance. Message received.
Vel and I brought our new friend to our nest. Rose mumbled about her undying love for elves on the way back. Once we were inside, I raised the wards and gently deposited the drunk girl among the pillows.
"Are you …" she asked.
"Go to sleep, you're too drunk to consent," I whispered.
"Don't wanna …" she rolled around between Vel and I.
"Good night," I tapped her on the forehead and cast a sleep spell. She dropped like a rock with a big smile on her face. "Good night too," I said after Vel and I shared a long and passionate kiss.