The sound of whistling echoed through the winding tunnels underneath the great pyramid, bouncing off the metal coated stone and arcing around corners.
"...gimme a flagon, a barrel, a wagon..."
Juliet shifted on her stool, scratching notes onto a page as she peered into a foggy disc of silver.
"...oh gimme a flask or a pot or a pail..."
Her ears twitched at the sound of approaching footsteps and a small crystal next to the door began to glow in warning. She waved the crystal off and continued recording notes, her eyes darting to find meaningful shapes in the mist.
"Keep on pourin 'til I be snorin', and let's drink that Bugman's Ale!"
The footsteps stopped directly outside her door and her hand casually pointed towards the rune inscribed on the hinges, allowing it to swing open easily. The shocked look on Tir's face shifted into an easy grin as her hand fell from a knuckle rapping fist to the doorframe and she leaned into the room.
"Delivery for one Juliet The White?" The dwarf tried to sound casual but her curiosity was getting the better of her and she couldn't help but give a quick look around. Juliet's office was clean and clutter free - a far cry from the artificer's chaotic rat filled workshop. A large mirror hung on the wall facing the door surrounded by a frame of indecipherable runes and brass instruments hung from the ceiling and covered the bookshelves on the walls. A large work table was set up behind the enchantress with neatly arranged stacks of books opened to specific pages and various parts of some sort of instrument laid out and tagged on its surface.
"Wow, this is... nice." Tir coughed slightly, taking a step into the room but pausing as Juliet held up a hand.
"Wait."
"Uh, okay, I-" The dwarf was cut off as a swirl of white magic coalesced in front of her and a small rune dissipated into the air. The protection spell now disarmed, Juliet waved her forward.
"You won't die now, come in."
Eyes slightly wider than before Tir tested the ground in front of her with a wary foot before scurrying over to the small desk where Juliet was bent over the silver disc.
"Geez are ya always so paranoid girlie? Good thing my brother and I never went through with pranking ya, we'd probably be splattered across the hallway."
Juliet looked down at the dwarf for the first time. "That would have been extremely stupid of you. I have more wards than that in this room so I'd suggest not poking around." She looked down at the package in Tir's hand. "Give it here please."
Tir passed over the package and note attached and immediately grew bored watching Juliet and wandered off. The enchantress carefully inspected the paper, signing somatic components over the parcel and closing her eyes before confirming its safety and carefully opening the letter with a dagger.
"Don't touch that." Tir's hand stopped right before making contact with a small blue stone laid out on the worktable and she turned to Juliet's back.
"How did you-"
"I'm a diviner luv, I know what's happening in my office. Don't touch anything unless you want to lose your hands."
She ignored the dwarf's grumbling as she opened the letter and began to read.
"So is everything in your office off limits?"
"Yes."
"Even you?"
Juliet sighed and refolded the letter, holding it between her fingers and concentrating. With a quick phrase uttered the parchment began to smolder and burn until there was nothing left but ashes.
"You couldn't handle me Tir. I'm not your easy dwarven whores."
She heard the table creak slightly as Tir leaned against it behind her and ignored the eyes burning into the back of her neck as her sharpened fingernails cut into the butcher paper covering the parcel.
"Oi they're sweet girls. Wouldn't you like ta know why I don't have to pay to sleep with 'em?" The cheeky grin on her face came through in her voice and Juliet almost smiled to herself. Flirting with Tir was easy - she flirted at any woman within range and Juliet's quick tongue found exchanging barbs with the flustered dwarf an entertaining pastime. Truth be told she had considered allowing Tir to try and impress her in bed but Juliet enjoyed the chase far too much to have given it any real thought.
"No, I have work to do. Thank you for delivering the package."
A sigh of disappointment sounded behind her and she felt rather than sensed the warmth of a body behind her. She'd never admit to the shiver that ran down her spine as Tir spoke against the back of her neck, inches from her ear.
"That's too bad, you look like you could use a break."
She knew what Tir was doing, lingering for a few seconds before pulling away and whistling that god awful drinking song she had been singing earlier. She knew if she gave in now the fun might come to an end - either they'd sleep together and that would be it, or they'd fuck a few times, have some laughs, and that would be it. In any case the tension that Juliet had been cultivating between them would break and she'd have to find a new plaything.
Tir was almost to the door when the runes on the hinges lit up and it slammed shut in front of her.
"Uh, Jul-"
"You're right I could use a break."
"What? Wait, really?" The dwarf's storm colored eyes lit up with genuine excitement and Juliet mentally shook her head at the twin's inability to keep their emotions hidden. Out of habit her fingers touched the copper piece she kept in her pocket and traced a few signs hidden in her robes. Her mind reached out and was inundated by a flood of images of Tir and her in obscene positions - some not entirely physically possible either. She glanced over at the dwarf as she placed the parcel, half opened, on her desk. Tir's jaw was slack leaving her mouth slightly agape in shock and her eyes were sparkling with glee. Juliet raised an eyebrow at her and crossed her arms.
"Well, are you just going to stand there? I could use a massage." A feeling of satisfaction coiled up inside of her as Tir snapped out of her dumbfounded expression and walked back to her quickly, cracking her knuckles and pushing her sleeves up. Tir rarely wore normal clothing - the most casual she got was lounging in her tunic and gambeson if she wasn't wearing her armor. Today she had on a loosely tied lace up cream colored tunic and brown deerskin pants that matched her worn leather boots. Juliet couldn't help her eyes falling onto the freckle dusted muscles of the dwarf's arms as she returned to position behind her and placed her hands on Juliet's shoulders.