Narlissa Quickhands, half-elf and master thief, laughed at another one of Reece's jokes. The bard rode alongside her as they journeyed through the thick forest and despite his rather flowery exterior she was actually growing to like him.
But Narlissa was still worried. She had to reach the next village soon and she hoped that when she did they would know something about the ship that she was chasing. The crew of that ship had stolen her treasure map and she needed to reach the treasure before they did. She would not lose it now.
They had been riding for a good few hours and Narlissa could tell that it was late afternoon. There were still some daylight hours left but she did not want to be riding in the dark. They had lost a little bit of time earlier that day when she had ridden Reece's cock but she did not regret that interruption for a moment.
Soon she saw faint tendrils of smoke above the trees and her half-elven hearing was able to pick out the sounds of habitation. It did not sound like a particularly large settlement and was probably a village more than a town but Narlissa was glad to find somewhere that might be able to help her.
"Ah, there it is," Reece said, pointing ahead of them. He gestured at the smoke. "I do not expect someone without my extensive travelling experience to notice such things, Narlissa, so do not worry, but there is a settlement ahead. You can tell by the smoke."
Narlissa laughed inwardly. She would not shatter this man's ego. "Oh? That's quite incredible, Reece. You truly are a man of many talents."
He beamed at her and gave a small mounted bow. They continued on in silence for a moment until a minute or two later the village came into view. It truly was just a village, with probably no more than twenty houses and other buildings but Narlissa was relieved to see that it did have a small dock jutting out into the lake. It was very possible that the ship had stopped there briefly. Sadly it was not there any longer.
They entered the town and the people largley ignored them. Not out of impoliteness but clearly travellers coming through their village was not something that bothered them. Reece found his way to the local inn and Narlissa followed, dismounting from Faeht when they reached the entrance.
Even in a small village such as this there was a stablegirl to take their horses but then Narlissa realised that older children still needed some way to earn coin and taking horses off travellers was an easy way to start. She tipped the young girl a silver piece very ostensibly so that Reece would feel pressured to match it and though she could see the annoyance in his eyes as he did so his outward expression was all gracious prose.
"Inside we will find an old friend of mine. He may be able to help you," Reece said, already seeming happy again, the coin forgotten. His ability to forget the bad was remarkable. Narlissa envied that.
They stepped into the inn and Narlissa glanced around. It was virtually the same as every other inn she had seen which was to say that it wasn't unpleasant just very boring. She and Reece took off their cloaks. Then she followed Reece to the bar, noticing that almost all of the patrons were now watching them carefully. She was quite sure that the men in the establishment never took their eyes off her but she did not mind. Equally amusing was the way the women present eyed Reece.
"Good evening Eamonn," Reece said loudly and the tall man at the bar, who had been cleaning cups with his back to them, turned around.
"Reece! It has been a long time," the man replied, reaching out to shake Reece's hand.
Narlissa could not help but cast a roving eye over the man. He was tall, probably 6'4" or so, but fairly slim. His arms spoke of strength but he would not stand up in a fight against a true warrior. Yet he remained very attractive. Short, blonde hair was complemented by blue eyes and Narlissa realised that her magic cunt had started to ache at the sight of him.
She shook her head and stepped forwards as the man turned to regard her. A small smirk played across her lips as she noticed his eyes dart over her body.
"And who is your companion?" he said to Reece.
The bard spun back to her with a broad grin. "A fellow traveller, Eamonn. I encountered her on the roads only this afternoon. Narlissa, this is Eamonn. Eamonn; Narlissa."
She took his hand and bowed, giggling as he did the same. Then she stood. Trying to ignore the lust that was slightly building inside her she addressed the man she now knew as Eamonn.
"Are you the barkeep here, sir?" she said with a smile.
The man shook his head. "Unfortunately, I am not. I am his son and I run the tavern whilst he is elsewhere. He left town earlier this afternoon and will not return until the morning. Is there something I can help with?"
"I am looking for information regarding a ship that may have docked earlier. It certainly would have passed this village on the river. Do you know anything about that?"
Again, Eamonn shook his head. "Sorry, no. I have been in the forest all day. I arrived here only shortly before my father left. If there is something to be known about this ship, though, then my father will know it. I would suggest you stay the night."
There seemed to be something in that last sentence, and Narlissa's magic cunt yearned to believe it. She grinned. "It seems I shall have to."
Eamonn's eyes lingered on her a moment before he turned back to Reece. "And of you, Reece? Will you be performing for us tonight?"
"I will indeed, if you allow it," the bard replied with a flourishing bow.
"Of course. Father will be disappointed not to see it."
Reece smiled then, and reached into his pack, pulling out a harp and a flute. Narlissa was intrigued to see him play.
The evening passed quickly enough. Reece had said he would not perform until it was dark but it had already been late afternoon and Narlissa did not have long to wait. Soon the inn was crowded with people and Reece stepped into the centre of the room to play.
She open her eyes wide with surprise as he strummed the harp. He was very, very good, excellent even. Then again, she remembered, he had played in the court of the Queen so he must have been something special. The crowd in the tavern - surprisingly packed for such a small village - began to cheer and join in and soon the whole place was a picture of revelry.
Reece was the centre of attention and Narlissa could see he was at home there. She grinned at the sight of him and kept herself to the edges of the room. Being the centre of attention was the complete opposite to how she liked to live.
"He is quite gorgeous, isn't he?" she heard a voice giggle, and she turned to look as two young women eyed Reece up and down. The voice had come from a pretty blonde thing, certainly no older than Narlissa and very probably even a little younger.
The other woman, slightly older, grinned at her companion. "He certainly is. If I were not married I might well try to bed him."
"Sister, you are terrible!" the first woman laughed. "If only your husband knew your sordid past."
The second woman grinned. "Ah, but he does not need to worry. I am devoted to him now, no one else. Which means that handsome bard is yours."
"Mine?" the first woman gasped. "I would not know where to start."
"Just be yourself. You're gorgeous. Show the interest that you clearly have and if he likes you in return then you will... well, you know."
"But perhaps he won't like me."
