Two days after the eventful conference at Worthy Dungeon, Sable and Lilly were doing a bit of shopping. The Challenger District wasn't exactly the most metropolitan area, but it was still growing, which meant every week or so a new store would open up with new products to peruse. This week's big event was a new tailoring shop, only marginally adventurer-related. It displayed a handful of leather armor items, as well as robes suitable for low-level casters, but for the most part it simply sold...clothes. Which would seem like a minor thing, barely worth getting out of bed for, until one considered that until now Grassbrook had no professional tailors, with the locals making all of their own clothing. A task which most Challengers had little time for.

Especially when it came to the sort of item that Sable was currently holding up. While undergarments fashion wasn't quite to the level that would impress a well-traveled individual like Xenia Worthy, Reincarnator Extraordinaire, the thin black top did definitely possess qualities one might describe as 'slinky'. "What do you think, Lilly? Pretty hot, right? Might be a little see-through, too..."

Lilly answers with a rather awkward grin on her face as she eyes the item. "It's...nice! But isn't it a little small for you? I mean, I know that's sometimes the point with such things, but even so..."

The response provokes a deep laugh from the towering Paladin. "Haha, yeah, no kidding! You know how hard it is for me to find anything in my size? I'm too tall for most human wear, too small for most minotaur outfits, if you can even find those. No, I gotta get my stuff done custom most of the time, and I may see if I can get something done before we head out. But nah...I'm asking about this for you, Flower Girl."

The elf's face immediately turns red. "Me! I - I don't wear that sort of thing! What makes you think I would!?"

"Just because you haven't before, doesn't mean you can't start!" Sable leans down and whispers the next part into the Priestess's ear, partially for privacy, and partially to see if she can make the elf possibly turn any brighter. "After all, I want our first time to be...special..."

"Gah!" The elf covers her face, as if someone could tell what they were talking about just by looking at her. Which, to be fair, most people probably could. "Just because I agreed to spend a week in the dungeon with you doesn't mean I'm agreeing to - that!"

Sable leans back to give her a bit more space, but keeps the smirk on her face. "Yeah, but you haven't actually turned me down yet, either. I know I'm pushy, but I don't go where I'm not wanted, either. Just tell me you're not interested, and I'll cut it out."

Lilly glares at her partner for several seconds, mouth opening and closing, before she finally comes up with something to say. "...We should be shopping for supplies for our stay! I mean, what if the dungeon doesn't give us food or water, or something!"

The Paladin chuckles, but accepts the change in topic. "C'mon, it gave us that nice spread at the meeting, didn't it? Sure, we can pack a few rations just in case, but I'm not lugging up a whole week's worth, along with everything else. Oooh, here's the bottoms that go with that top - " As the woman walks around the display and comes a little closer to the front window, her eyes suddenly go wide and she quickly ducks back. " - Fuck! Shit! Hide!"

"What!? Who - what's going - " Barely able to get a word out, the elf is dragged along as Sable pulls them into the first empty changing booth towards the rear of the shop, and draws the curtain closed tightly behind them. "Sable! What in the world's gotten into you!?"

Pushing aside the curtain with one finger, Sable motions for Lilly to take a look. "Eh, still got a line of sight through the window from here...well, see for yourself." As she does, Lilly takes note of a very distinctive individual walking through the district streets outside. She's clearly a demon, yet certainly not of the same kind as Sable. Her hair is silver, her horns are particularly long and curved, and wings jut from the back of her heavy armor. She appears unarmed, but that doesn't seem to diminish Sable's concern as she ducks back into the far corner of the booth.

Turning around and moving into the other corner herself, Lilly finds herself shocked at Sable's behavior. "Who - is that someone you know? I heard you once punched a bear and you're hiding from some woman?"

The Paladin shakes her head. "I don't know her personally, no, but I know her type. That's a godsdamned fury demon."

Lilly nods, waiting for more, then grows confused when it doesn't follow. "...Okay?"

"You...you don't know about fury demons?"

The elf shrugs. "I've heard that they're...good? Not that other demons are bad, obviously..."

"No, no, you don't get it. I'd rather date a fiend than hang around with a fury. You see, fury demons get their rocks off from like...seeing justice done, or evildoers punished, and stuff like that."

Lilly's confusion only grows. "...And?"

"And how often do you run into a murderer, rapist or even a mugger on the street!? Outside the big cities, they're way harder to find than you might think they are. Which means fury demons gotta go for anything they can get. You litter? Didn't return a library book? Flipped off a nun? A fury demon's gonna get you bad for that shit." Sable shudders. "I had to spend some time around one when I was a kid, you know, not a lot of choice in demon playmates and all that. But it was miserable. They don't let you get away with shit."

The elf can't resist a chuckle. "Well, now I can see why you're so afraid then. Maybe it could do you some good."

"Ha ha, you say that now, but - " Sable cuts off as the curtain is suddenly pulled aside, and the object of her fear is suddenly staring her in the face - violet irises locking on to Sable's own golden eyes. "Fuck! Private changing booth, lady!"

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The fury demon stares at Sable for a while, and then turns to Lilly. "I sensed that a woman was being dragged into an isolated place against her will. Do you require assistance, Priestess?"

Lilly's eyes go wide. "Oh? Oh, no, no! We're - coworkers, this is...normal? For us? But I'm fine, really! We're with the Church of Bounty, I'm Lilly Fullblossom, Verdant Priestess. This here is Sable, she's a Paladin! Who might you be?" Lilly offers a handshake, which the demon eyes for a moment before accepting.

"Lyota Silverstar, Soul Lasher." She turns her gaze on Sable once again, and the normally stalwart Paladin seems to shrink into the floorboards. "Are you certain you are alright? I can sense that this one desires to...use you roughly. And from a Paladin? Disgusting."

As Sable seems unable to speak up in her own defense, Lilly finds herself doing it for her. "Oh, no, it's fine! I mean, I know. She, uh. Tells me about it on a rather regular basis, actually."

Hearing that, Sable finally seems to grow some courage - or at least a desire to not look bad in front of the elf. "Yeah! I mean, I'm a Paladin of Bounty. We're allowed! It's not against the rules!"

Lyota eyes Sable a little longer before responding. "...Very well. I'll be watching you." She pulls the curtain closed, before opening it again a moment later. "Also, only one person is allowed inside a changing booth at once. There's a sign." With that she pulls the curtain closed once again, and the sound of her footsteps soon mark her departure.

As she leaves the shop, Sable lets out a sigh of relief. "Okay. Hey - do you think Xenia'd let us just, you know. Live in the dungeon until she goes away?"

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That afternoon Doorman is treated to the unusual sight of a solo adventurer, although this time at least it's one he recognizes. "Ah, Divine Masochist Sely, yes? How can I help you today? Looking to test your skills against the first floor?"

The woman looks up at him for a moment, staring with a bit of uncertainty on her face, before she finally shakes her head. "No, I...would it be possible for me to speak with my sister? Could I...take a shortcut portal somewhere, or...?"

"Ah, I see. Well, wait one moment please." The Guardian stares off into the distance for a moment, and then several more, before finally looking back at the dungeon's supplicant. "Actually, it looks like she'll be coming to you! Amazing thing, the ability to go outside..."

Sely's not entirely sure how to respond to that, so instead she simply nods and waits for Taly's arrival. The moment she does, appearing at the dungeon's exit portal some distance away from the door, Sely immediately rushes over and nearly tackles her in a hug. "Taly! You're here! And outside...are you okay? How has the dungeon spirit been treating you?"

With a slightly awkward laugh, Taly pats Sely on the shoulder. "Hey, c'mon Sely, it's been like, two days! Less! You're acting like we haven't seen each other in a year!"

Sely does ease up a little, physically if not emotionally. "I know, I know, it's just...I keep worrying about you. Trapped in that hole. They let you come outside?"

The new banshee nods. "Yeah, no one else was using the slot, and there is a team running the dungeon right now, but if that bunch of Advanced can get to Floor Six I'll eat my bow. Probably shouldn't wander too far, but..." She pauses to look at the watching Doorman. "...Maybe we can take a little walk? Enjoy the mountain air?"

"Sure, absolutely." The pair do head back down the mountain path a little, just enough for a bit of privacy, and once they reach a good spot Taly takes a seat on the mountain's edge.

"Nice view, huh? C'mon, have a seat, we can...talk." Sely nods and quickly follows suit, and Taly can't help but chuckle a little. "Wow, you're so easy to push around today, Sely. You don't listen to my ideas with this little pushback on my birthdays, even. Maybe I should ask for a cake the next time you visit."

"Do you...want a cake?"

"Sure, but only if you can decorate it with a message saying 'Condolences on your death!', maybe with a little stick figure of me with X's for eyes..." Taly eyes Sely's appalled-looking face, and sighs. "Hey, if I can't make jokes about me dying, who can?"

"How about no one! It's...like I said, I can't stop thinking about what happened."

The Rogue nods along, before slightly shifting the topic. "How's the team doing? I imagine inspections will be tough with just three people...hells, we never did properly finish the one we were supposed to do, did we? Heheh, maybe I could just walk through and file a report for you, now."

"It's...uh, Alizz is in talks about hiring that Renter fellow, the one who came with the Church of Bounty's group? He's just a freelancer these days, so if he doesn't mind staying around here for a while longer he'd probably be easy to bring on board. As for the rest of us, well. I suppose we've all been taking turns blaming ourselves for what happened."

Taly gives her sister another round of side-eye. "Sely, hells, all of you should know better than that."

"And you know that knowing that doesn't help! ...Alizz blames herself for being the one in command of the mission, at least technically, even if it wasn't exactly planned. Kelsey blames himself for being too slow to block the shot. And, well, I blame myself for not being able to save you after it happened."

"And I blame myself for taunting an elemental with unknown abilities, but I think I've said that already. I dunno if Xenia blames herself, but I know she at least feels bad about what happened. But, you know, I'm pretty sure we can pin most of the blame on a certain bloody-minded divine elemental. Whatever the fuck that is. That's the one who killed me, and Sable killed him right back, so there's no more need for bad feelings, right?"

Sely takes a moment to stare out over the forest below. "If only it worked like that."

"If only. I'll be honest, I've been spending the past day worried about you."

"Me?" Sely looks with shock into Taly's red-colored eyes. "What do you have to worry about me for?"

Taly sighs. "...You know I absolutely, definitely don't blame you. I just wish I could feel as confident saying the same about our parents."

"Our...?" Sely takes a deep breath before she continues. "...I still haven't sent them a message. I'm marked down as your next of kin, so the Association might not even send them a letter."

"That's good. Then you can send them this instead." Taly reaches into one of her pockets, and pulls out a letter along with a few coins. "I wrote this and got Xenia to turn it into 'loot' for me. Even enough cash to pay for the message service, too - infinite money on demand, a great job perk if you can find a way to spend it, haha."

Sely takes the letter and looks it over. "For our parents? Hells, Taly, what are you writing to them?"

"Like I said, I know they're going to take this out on you. And you don't deserve it - you never, ever have. So that's me telling them as much...maybe not my final words, no reason I can't send another letter later I suppose, but as good as. I want them to understand - and you, too. With me gone, they're going to need you more than ever. I just hope they're willing to admit it some day." While Sely attempts to find the words to say, Taly continues on with a few more. "You should know, Sely - I loved working with you, never regretted it. And maybe I regret not having a few more decades, but going down in a fight by your side? I don't think I can come up with a better way to go."

"Taly..." Instead of answering with words, Sely instead pulls her sister into a hug, one which Taly happily returns. The hug continues for several minutes, until Sely finally finds something else to say.

"Taly?"

"Yeah, sis?"

"Your fucked-up fingernails are digging a hole into my shoulder."

"...You want me to stop, Masochist?"

"...Not really."

"Love you too, Sely."