Alicia tried to ignore the harsh knock on the door, but Charles could do no such thing - it was his shop, after all. He quickly pulled on his pants and went to answer the door, while Alicia, still naked, covered up in a semi-dark corner, hoping she would not be discovered.
The impatient customer was a lamia, and as she slithered in, Alicia realized she know her - it was Cecil, the snakewoman from her inn! Alicia hid behind one of the weapon racks, really hoping she would not be seen - Cecil was a tactless bitch, she would certainly start a nasty gossip or two if she notices her. Not that it was such a big deal to be seen naked nowadays, but still, Alicia would have preferred to remain decent.
Cecil was not bothered by nakedness, however - after saying a few words to Charles, she quickly sneaked her way to the fancy lamia armor Alicia has examined before, then started stripping. Apparently the armor was made for her - Alicia never realized that her big-mouthed college had anything to do with fighting.
With newfound interest, Alicia watched as the snakewoman finished stripping to her underwear. She never really paid any attention to Cecil's physique, so it came as a surprise when she saw the toned abs and well defined muscles on her human part - she was not bluff, but toned, just like herself. Her lacy white bra barely hid her perky breasts (about a C cup, Alicia guessed), and her lower underwear (lamias wore a belt-like clothing instead of panties that matched their unique legless figure) was from the same material.
Alicia inched closer to listen what they were talking about.
"...do I really need to wear this armor just over my underwear?" she whined.
"I believe so. I have taken your exact measurements. Don't worry, it is padded inside, it should be comfortable, if a bit heavy." Alicia could not help but smile as she imagined a blushing Charles measuring Cecil's every single bodypart. Her old friend never really gotten used to the lamias.
While it was originally not Alicia's intent to peek, she really did not mind Cecil giving her an unintended show as the lamia started to put armor on herself. She required Charles's help (who kept blushing) at a few sensitive parts, but after a reasonable time, she was fully adorned in armor.
Alicia could not help but be amazed. She never really wore heavy armor, finding them too heavy and constricting, but she had to admit that the lamia pulled it off quite nicely as she slithered around barely bothered by the weight. She looked amazing, most of her skin covered by the ornate metal armor while still retaining her shapely figure.
After Cecil was done with the test run, she paid a big sum of money to Charles, then left, still enamored with her new looks. She would turn quite a few heads on the street with her shiny metallic outfit, Alicia figured.
"What was this about?" she asked while dressing up. "I thought that Cecil chick was nothing but a barmaid. What gives?"
"Oh, you know nothing then," answered Charles. "You should see her fight. She is ambidextrous, and usually wields two sabers. You don't want to cross her way, especially in your condition."
Alicia frowned. "Yeah, about my condition. I think we made it quite clear that this chain gives amazing sensations during sex, at least for me. You have to make do with the visuals," she grinned.
"Oh, I'm not complaining. The more I see it, the sexier it gets."
"Figures. However, I'm still not sure what moves am I still able to do, and what motions shall I avoid in the future. If you can spare like, half an hour of your time, we can have a practice match or two. I saw a couple of wooden swords here somewhere."
Charles had no objections, so they skirmished for a while. It was clear that the chain was a serious handicap, but as time passed, Alicia gotten more and more used to it. It basically came down to avoiding turning her head or torso in a large degree, but her limbs suffered no limitations.
"Okay, I think we are done for now," she gasped after managing to disarm Charles three times in a row. "I think I will be able to handle this."
"Yes, I'm quite surprised actually," answered Charles, still recovering on the ground. "Your moves looked quite... strange to be frank, totally relying on your legs even to look around. But somehow you managed. Be careful tough, I'm way past my prime."
After saying goodbyes, Alicia headed home. She initially wanted to seek mercenary job opportunities, but she was way too exhausted to bother - she could just check the tavern Charles mentioned tomorrow.
She took a shower, dressed back up, then headed towards Sherry's, her soon-to-be ex-employee's bedroom. She was confident now that being a waitress, or even a dancer, was not for her, and she also knew she would be able to handle the hardships of fighting again if necessary. She heard Sherry's cheerful voice inviting her inside.
When she entered, she was surprised to see Cecil in the room as well, still in her shining armor, currently being undressed by her lamia landlord.
Alicia took a deep breath, mentally preparing her speech to resign from her job, but Sherry, seeing her expression, just cut her off before she begun.
"If you came to resign, don't worry about it, I already know. I already figured that your kind will be part-timers at best anyway, only needing peace when recovering. All I ask for is to jump in as a substitute sometimes when you are around. You can even keep your room."
It did not even surprise Alicia that much that her landlord already knew. Apparently Charles had been blabbering, and Cecil is not one to turn down any gossip. Or Sherry just already knew everything.
"Umm... are we in the clear then? And I can even keep my room? It would be really good for me..."