CW: impregnation
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"Okay," Mei said, glancing down at her notes. "You're able to follow the gnolls' trail - they're not very good at cleaning up the path of blood and gnawed bones behind them."
"We should go carefully," Rick said.
"I'll scout ahead," Sophie said.
"Carefully?" Tegan asked.
"Carefully," Sophie agreed. "I'll roll stealth." She tossed a d20 onto the table, then glanced at her character sheet. "Twenty-three."
"You're sneaky," Mei said.
"We're not too far off, though," Tegan said. "Just in case."
"You worry too much," Sophie said.
"You don't worry enough, you brat," Tegan replied.
Sophie grinned but didn't respond. Rick sighed and glanced at Tegan, who wore a long-suffering yet eager smile of her own. Rick thought back to the adventure where they'd tracked down an assassin in the elven princess' palace, and Tegan and Sophie's in-character sparring had bubbled over into out-of-character sex. Even now, a month later, it wasn't entirely clear what of their fighting and passion was in-character and what was out.
Of course, he was in the same boat. While Sophie had been going down on his girlfriend Tegan, he'd been holding Mei close as she rode his cock, and watching her come apart, and filled her with his seed. She'd been in character as the princess, and she'd asked him to stay in character too, so he'd done exactly what a barbarian who felt a duty to expand his tribe would have done.
"Alright," Mei said, taking a sip of lemonade. "You're up ahead. Roll perception."
Sophie nodded and picked up the die.
***
Stray peered through the underbrush, keeping her head low to avoid the gnolls' attention. She knew her companions weren't far off, but if one of the gnolls found her it would take them a moment to arrive. Tan'ka, the half-orc paladin, would worry terribly if Stray was foolhardy. Stray wanted her to worry a bit - because she was cute when she worried - but not too much, and it wasn't easy to calibrate.
The gnolls were a powerful distraction, though. They were all bloodied from the caravan they'd slaughtered and devoured, and the smell was repulsive. Most of them were clustered around their leader and the large sack it carried over one shoulder. Stray leaned forward, her curving horns brushing against the reeds, as she tried to make out what they'd stolen.
The sack shook as the gnoll pack lord threw it to the ground. Stray's heart skipped a beat as a young woman came into view from within the sack, staring fearfully up at the beasts that surrounded her. Before the gnolls could act - to sacrifice the woman or eat her or whatever evil they had in mind - Stray put two crimson fingers to her lips and gave a sharp whistle. She grinned, as the gnolls looked up and tried to spot her; she'd make them regret it soon enough.
***
"Twenty-one for initiative!" Tegan said.
"Alright," Mei said. "You go first. Raf is up next."
Tegan nodded. "I charge the pack lord." She rolled again, one die bouncing close to the table's edge before landing on a twenty. Sophie and Rick oohed, and Tegan grinned. "And I divine smite him, too. Thirty-one damage."
"Oof," Mei said. "He's had better days. Raf?"
"I run in and go into a rage."
Mei nodded. "The gnolls rush at you, swinging their bloodied flails...Raf takes nine damage and Tan'ka takes eight. Stray is up next."
***
All of Stray's friends were beautiful, but there was a particular beauty in watching Tan'ka during a battle. Her eyes glowed with holy light, and she roared a battle cry that practically shook the earth around them. She wove through the combat as her divine sense guided her. Stray did most of her best work in silence and darkness, but it was inspiring to see someone bring the light to battle all the same.
A gnoll burst out of one of the nearby huts, a glimmering crossbow in its scarred hands. Seeing Tan'ka and Raf, it took careful aim, waiting for the moment to strike.
Stray leaped forward and plunged both of her daggers into the gnoll's back, silencing its cackling laugh. As it slumped to the ground, though, two of its fellows caught sight of Stray and rushed at her.
***
"This is why it's good to have your friends around," Tegan said. "I got you."
"You're beating up the pack lord," Rick said. "I'll help her."
Sophie grinned at Mei. "I think I get why you like to be the damsel in distress sometimes. It's nice."
Mei grinned back. "I'm the GM," she said. "I'm the damsel and the distress."
"Touche," Sophie said.
"For what it's worth, I don't think you're in distress either," Rick said. "You just need a hand."
***
Raf snarled as he leaped into the fray, his axe biting into a gnoll's neck and sending it spinning into oblivion. The gnolls closed in around them, and without a word he moved in close, his back to Stray's back, his axe at the ready.
Stray's fear faded away as the beasts darted in, trying to find a gap in their defenses and finding only death. As long as Raf was behind her, she didn't need to watch her back; she only needed to watch his. A gnoll rushed at her, swinging a flail above its head, and she caught it in the throat with a thrown dagger before it could reach her. She could hear Raf's battlecry behind her and feel the splash of blood as he protected her, just as she protected him. She laughed, as she felled two gnolls that rushed at her at once. One day she would die, but until then she hoped she could live as gloriously as she was in that moment.
As the last gnoll fell at her feet, she turned to look at her friends. Tan'ka had felled the pack lord with hardly a scratch, and she was kneeling to help the woman who the gnolls had kidnapped. Raf was bloodied and panting behind her, his muscular chest rising and falling as he caught his breath, his eyes gleaming with victory. She met his gaze, and before she could think about what she was doing she had her arms wrapped around him and her lips were seeking his.
***
The first time their gaming group had ventured unexpectedly into kissing, Tegan's feelings about it had been complicated - she'd kissed Mei before they'd discussed it with their partners, and the excitement had been tinged with guilt. This time, though, her excitement was unalloyed by anything else. Sophie was cute, and Tegan felt a sort of pride at her boyfriend's moves. Then Mei spoke, and Tegan was pulled back into character.
***
"Is this...normal?"
Tan'ka grinned at the girl she'd rescued. "Yeah. As soon as the battle's over we kiss the cutest girl we can find. Or Raf - he's cute too."
The woman blushed. "But. Um, what if there isn't one?"