Avery yawned as she stretched her arms above her head, picking herself up off the bed. She cracked the shutters open on the window to her left and let it light up her room. The wooden floorboards creaked as she made her way to her wardrobe and opened it. She put on her usual outfit, a brown fabric shirt that barely covered her chest (which could only be called a crop top of sorts for lack of a better term) and leather shorts. She hesitated as she finished dressing. Her attire was more than fairly revealing and she didn't want the townspeople lusting over again. However, seeing as she didn't really have any better clothing options, she didn't have much of a choice.
Not only was she a just legal adult, having turned 18 a few weeks ago, but as far as she knew, she was the only lialek in the city. Lialeks were a bit of an oddity, as they were half human and half demon. They were rarely seen, and no one really knew where in the world they came from.
People who saw Avery were immediately drawn to the contrast between her long black hair and faded red skin, along with the curly bronze horns on her head. For one, she didn't like being the center of attention in general - but it didn't end there. Not only did she draw eyes; being one of the rare demon girls she was, many people heavily lusted over her.
As far as the rumors went, laying with a lialek was an extremely pleasurable experience. Along with that, they were known for their high stamina in bed. To be honest, Avery didn't actually know if any of that was true or not because she'd never laid with anyone or anything before. Frankly, she knew almost nothing about sex at all. The only things she'd heard about it were from her friend Kaitlyn, if the topic ever happened to come up in conversation. While every now and then Avery admittedly wanted to... experiment, everyone trying to hook up with her on a daily basis just caused her to avoid partaking in any sexual activity, purely out of spite. Plus, she wasn't sure if she even wanted to do it with a human or not. There was a fair share of other races, monsters, and plants out there in the world that were all equally valid choices.
Avery liked the world she lived in, and was pretty happy with her life as it stood right now. After graduating from school she'd got a job working at a bakery, and about a year after that she'd saved up enough to buy a small house at the edge of Larley, a very large but well-kept city. Her house was really just the bare bones of a house, and with its size only contained the most basic essentials. She bought that house not because it was the only one she thought she would ever be able to afford; rather, being the lazy individual she was, she hated working and as such she made little money. She still worked, but only part-time as there wasn't much else she actually needed to buy. After being in the city for a few weeks she'd met Kaitlyn at a local bar. Since then they'd become good friends, and visited each other on a fairly regular basis since they were only about two miles away from each other.
When she wasn't hanging with Kaitlyn, Avery spent most of her time exploring the wilds outside the city gates. She enjoyed discovering new things, whether that be animals, old abandoned structures or just beautiful spots she came upon. She had a horse, which made going on all-day excursions easy. Whenever she found new creatures she'd write about them in her journal.
---
Avery entered her kitchen and cursed as she opened her storage bin to find it empty. She hadn't bought groceries in a while but she didn't think it had been that long. To be honest, she didn't really want to go and buy them today either. It was a chore, and while it was a pretty basic one, it still required that she actually go out and do it. Maybe she could find a place in town to go for breakfast? She craved good food, which she didn't get often. The only groceries she ever bought were an assortment of vegetables, and she naturally got sick of eating only vegetables three meals a day. With those things in mind, she decided that today, she would treat herself.
Where would she go, though? She could always make her way to Darby's, the bar that her and Kaitlyn went to from time to time. But to be honest, she wanted to try something new. Avery still hadn't explored the majority of the city and there was definitely bound to be some cool inns or bars she could find if she looked. She went outside, got on her horse and headed into town.
After about twenty minutes of looking through Larley, she came across a bit of an off-road section that was a bit more separated from the central part of the city. Tall walls enclosed this area, and Avery noted that this part of town also wasn't in as great a condition as the rest of Larley. Some houses were boarded up or otherwise empty, and not many people were out and about on the streets.
She was considering heading back when her eye came across a hanging sign attached to a large building. She could only see the top of the building, as it was peeking up from behind a line of houses on the street she was currently on. However she guessed it was probably a dining establishment of some kind.
She traversed down the street a bit further, looking for an opening that led to the back section where the large building was, but couldn't find a street that connected the areas. The only thing she did find was a small alleyway between two of the houses that she could walk through. She would have to leave her horse out here and slip through on foot. She tied it to a pole and gave it a pat on the head. "You stay right here, bud. I'll be back for you in a bit." She then proceeded to walk through the alleyway and found herself in front of the large building. The hanging sign on it read "Toothtail Inn."
Avery commended herself for finding this place and walked inside. This had to be some hidden gem for sure. That thought immediately changed however as she entered and was greeted with a heavy stench of alcohol. Like the streets outside, this place was also fairly empty. Besides the bartender, only a few other people were scattered here and there at the tables.
Avery made her way to the counter and got the bartender's attention.
"Hey! I was wondering what kind of food you got here."
The bartender shrugged. "Not much at the moment unfortunately, miss. We've been running low on supplies for a while now; I could put together some kind of sandwich though if you'd like."
While a sandwich didn't sound like something that was incredibly special, it was still better than what she ate on the daily.
"That works for me," she nodded. The bartender acknowledged her and exited through a door in the wall. Avery rested her head on her hand as she waited, looking around her. As usual, some of the people there clearly had their eyes on her. She was getting used to it. However, she didn't notice the man behind her as he approached and cleared his throat. Avery quickly turned her head, surprised, as he sat down on a wooden stool next to her. The man waved his hand and looked at her. "Hey there. Fine morning, isn't it?"
He was a young guy, probably in his early twenties. He had a clean face and decently short brown hair topped his head.
She already knew where this was going, but even so she'd rather have a conversation with someone than wait in silence for her food, so she humored him.
"Hi! Yes, it definitely is," she smiled. The man smiled back. "I'm sure you probably get this a lot," he responded, "but what do you say me and you get out of this crummy place and go to my house? Y'know, I always like meeting the newcomers to this city, and I haven't seen you 'round these parts before. Unless you're busy, of course."
Avery looked him in the eyes. "Let's skip this little back and forth and get to the point, okay? I've been asked to have sex enough times to recognize it when I see it."
The man looked down at the table, nodded. "Fair enough. I can tell you aren't very fond of the notion. But just hear me out for a minute, yeah?"
Avery rolled her eyes and nodded. "Go for it."
The man continued. "Listen, I know even people askin' you to sleep with them gets annoying. Because why would you ever accept, right? Hooking up clearly doesn't interest you on its own. So how about I make it worth your while? Let's cut a deal."
"What kind of deal would make me feel that its worth it, enough to have sex with someone?"
