((I'd like to thank a veritable cadre of friends who've inspired me to write again. This was started six years ago, rewritten twice from scratch, and nearly dumped into the recycle bin. It's been a long time coming, and I do hope you like it! As always, feedback is eagerly awaited!))
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Fiona Briette-Blue, a woman of medium height and stark white waist-length hair, sighed from behind the counter of a small, yet highly specialized shop. Lithe and lean, she'd spent her whole life training, crafting, living and breathing weapons and munitions. Fiona knew of at least seventy ways to kill a man from any given angle, distance, or situation, not that she would ever use that knowledge. A legacy from her family, turned into a lucrative small business that a certain cyber-enhanced elf frequented rather regularly. Metal gleamed from the walls, reflecting the early afternoon sunlight. Weapons of every available shape and size adorned the walls, some edged, others more complex. However, business was rather slow of late.
Hope of a more exciting day appeared in the sound of a high-revving motorcycle engine, and the squeal of tires outside her shop's main window. Fiona smiled as the door creaked open, causing a welcoming jingle from the overhanging bell. "Psly!" she yelled, "what's got you comin' by my shop today?"
"Nuttin' but'a bit'a conversation, an' mebbe them titanium arrows Ah ordered las' month." Pslyder winked as he grinned widely; it was a long running joke between the two, as he always made his own arrow shafts. No "elf" worth his pointy ears ever did otherwise. "Got any caf brewin' up inna back yet?"
Fiona laughed, "You and your ultra-spiffy arrows. Yeesh. And yes, I'd just brewed up a pot to keep myself awake until closing. Cream and sugar?" Briefly, the mention of cream brought about a memory of a month or two earlier. Pslyder and his friend Harris had come up with a brilliant moneymaking idea, in the form of a risquΓ© "Ladies of Rhy'Din" calendar, complete with a small biography on the women adorning the pages. Fiona had opted for the final shoot, as the Lady of the Month for December.
Psly nodded, before a shiny sharp-and-pointy-object caught his eye. Fiona chuckled to herself, preparing two mugs of the stout coffee as she reminisced on that entertaining day. Most of the women involved had opted for fancy and revealing costumes provided by one of the clothing shops in town, but Fiona decided to be somewhat different in her choice of attire. As an added bonus, her clever little idea was worlds less expensive to make.
She'd shown up dressed normally, and went in the back to change as Psly and his blue-haired counterpart (the blue being from extreme coloration, not age) prepared the bar for their photo shoot. All preparations had ceased the moment she opened the door and stepped out into the room. Both men were rendered speechless, as her costume was nothing more than a long strand of wide red ribbon, tied with a bow in the back, that stretched across her ample chest and darted down, passing between her thighs and up her spine to meet the cross-wise band. Red leather boots and a typical Santa hat completed the costume, accenting the ruby-red nail polish and matching lip-gloss. In one hand, she held the other half of her costume idea. A large can of spray-on whipped cream. On several nights since, she'd lain in bed, lazily stroking herself to the memories of slipping out of the ribbon and covering her nipples and thatch in whipped cream as the cameras flashed in rapid succession. Fiona chuckled quietly as she stirred the coffee, her mind drifting back to the image of Psly, pounding his head against the hardwood bar in order to keep his mind on the task at hand, instead of bodily tossing Harris out the window and pouncing on her.
Shaking herself out of the reverie, Fiona took a steaming cup in each hand and walked back out to the showroom where Psly was idly perusing the merchandise. For a moment, she was grateful that her thick apron and gray jumpsuit hid her tightened nipples from view. "Coffee's ready, Psly. Finding everything alright?"
"Eh, y'know how Ah work, chica. Ah jus' browse fer'a bit b'fo' makin' up mah mind. How's th' biz t'day?" Psly chatted nonchalantly as he looked at the various implements on display. He'd finally scored an off day, and Fiona's shop was oddly relaxing. Might have been the company, or the fact that he could come at any time dressed up or down and get the same, friendly, non-worshipping service. Fawning toadies were best filed under bulldrek that got old fast. Psly made his way to the counter to accept one of the cups with a genuine look of gratitude. "Thanks, petit. This's gon' hit th' spot right nice."
As she took a careful sip, Fiona casually took a glance over her friend's wardrobe. From the denim jeans and jacket to the cotton button-down shirt to the untied combat boots, everything spoke of being comfortable. "I see they finally let you take a breather. It's about time, if you ask me. You work too hard, Psly." She paused for a moment, enjoying more of the coffee. "Tell you what. How about we both take a break? Business is rather slow today, and I don't see any of those rich snobby types coming in to make a purchase that would be worth me being bored out of my skull. Care to walk some in the market district with me?"
Psly chuckled a little behind his cup. "Takin' me shoppin', darlin'? Whaht will th' neighbors think?" Ever the caffeine fiend, Psly blew on his coffee a moment to cool it further, and then drained the cup as fast as he could swallow. "Ahhh," he sighed, "Much better. Ah don' see how some browsin' could hurt." He set the cup on the counter and smiled. "Want some help changin' or should Ah keep m'self busy out heah?"
Fiona laughed, placing her cup near his. "Only if you plan to get out of here a lot later than it would take me changing by myself, ya lech," she teased, "You keep looking at the blades, and I'll be back in a jif." With that, she spun on her heel and walked into the back, her former dark mood brightened considerably.