Sweet Thing

The next day you wake up in a comfy bed for once. You rub your eyes and shake the webs away. Right. You are with this new group. Weirdos who wanted you around after a job was done. Why did you say yes again?

...Right. More gold and treasure. It's definitely outside of your routine, but if it gets you steady pay for a while, you may come out on top for once. That could be a nice change of pace instead of constantly watching over your shoulder.

As you stretch to begin the day, you notice you feel a bit more flexible, and there is less fatigue than you expected after such a mission. You didn't take any shots, which was nice, but you usually need a day to rest softly after big missions. You aren't complaining, though.

You gather your clothes, head for breakfast, and see Rune sipping coffee.

"Ah, mornin'."

"Oh! How did you sleep?~"

You shrug slightly.

"Pretty good. The bed's better than I expected."

Rune smiles as she takes a sip.

"That's good. You need to be rested. I did give you a little sweet magic to help you. Hope you don't mind.~"

That explains the lack of fatigue. While it is a touch unsettling, a part of you is grateful for the thought even when she barely knew you.

"Heh, didn't mind it at all. Like actually being rested for once."

"Oh? May I keep doing it? Make you a touch Sweeter?~"

You were not exactly sure what she meant by sweeter, but well...

"If it means not being tired and the same gold with or without, sure, why not?"

Rune's eyes light up, and she smiles.

"I knew I saw Sweet Things in you~."

Okkkkk, that's weird. But, treat it the same as the cleric. As long as the gold flows and no one decides to put a knife, or worse, in any body part of yours, it is perfectly ok to be "Sweeter." Whatever that is.

Rune giggles and casts another small spell on you, and at the same time, you realize how hungry you are. You are not sure how you ignored it for so long already, but you see her smiling softly as you get a decent breakfast from the bar. You don't usually indulge in fruits or proteins, but you have the gold and are hungry today. You eat silently with Rune as you wait for the rest of the group to wake up.

As they slowly come down, you can see the genuine relief and surprise from them that you stayed around. You may not trust them, but your word is worth its weight in gold. You are a professional. That's why you are here. To be a professional for them. The barbarian walks over to you and ruffles your hair with a chuckle.

"Glad to see you sticking around, Cat."

"Cat?"

"Yeah, 'cause you are as dexterous as one. And as nimble."

"Eh, been called worse."

"Cool. Need anything, Cat?

You shake your head as you keep eating. You aren't sure why you are letting them call you a nickname, but if it gives off a sense of camaraderie they want, then you will play along. The gold is what is important.

As you finally finish eating, you take a mental note that you won't need to eat like that for a few weeks. It was nice, but you don't want to get accustomed to luxury, lest you make yourself vulnerable. Rune seems to look at you with a soft smile.

"Well, at least you ate a little more than last night~"

"Almost like we are rehabilitating them?"

"Something like that?~"

You seem a touch offended by that. You don't need that. You just need to get paid and not get attached. Same as usual.

"Well, I'll be good for a few days on that. Let's get to work. What's on the agenda for today?"

The cleric raises a hand to stop the question.

"Hold up, a few days? You ate half what we do for a single meal. You ate a few stalks, berries, and small pieces of meat."

"Yeah? That's a good luxury for me. So, I'll be good for work for a few days."

Rune and the cleric seem to furrow their brows as they look at each other.

"Are you saying...you don't often eat good?"

"Eating itself is a reward. Can't eat if you don't have gold or an appetite. Lack of one leads to the other."

The cleric gasps slightly. You aren't sure why you are opening up so much. It just came naturally. You need to push back a little to maintain that distance. You went too far for a professional.

"Eh, don't fret. It ain't a big deal. Don't worry. I'll use the gold responsibly and eat a little more soon.

You did not intend that, but words of relief have their needed effects to maintain a professional team. Rune looks you over and, with that same furrowed brow,

"I'll make sure of that.~"

You aren't sure whether to be comforted or scared.

After breakfast, everyone agrees to go their separate ways until tomorrow. A lovely day off. You don't have to seek employment, so you have the entire day. You decide the best way to spend the day is by drinking out by the bay.

As you pass through town, you see the cleric and sorcerer and barbarian out of the corner of your eye. The cleric and barbarian are kissing the sorcerer as she giggles nervously. They seem to be happy in a trio together. Good for them. At least, you were right in noticing how close they all were.

You keep walking and eventually come up to the seedy tavern you know sells fancy stuff at a discount. You can afford it without working today, so you head inside with a small smile. The barkeep is cleaning one of his perpetually unclean glasses and chuckles.

"If you're looking for work for booze, Cale, I got nothin'. You'll have to get your fix elsewhere."

"And if I wanted to buy with gold?"

The barkeep raises an eyebrow.

"I'd say you were full of shit."

You toss down enough gold for two of his fanciest bottles, and his eyes widen.

"Holy gods Cale. What did you DO?! Who paid you THIS well?!"

"Heh, a small group of weirdos that are competent for once."

"Stay with them."

"Had no plans of leaving for now."

"Good. Now, XXX Divodess Pure?"

"Of course."

The bartender chuckles and gathers the gold, and counts it out as he grabs you two big bottles. You shake them and take a slight whiff. Fresh as the day it was made. This will knock you out in a few hours. You give your farewell and head to the bay.

Sitting down, you lean against a tree and sigh happily. Today is a good day. You got more gold after this little treat and a group you can get paid with. You don't notice the steps approaching you as you take a big bottle swig.

"Well, hello there, sweet thing~"

You look up as you wipe your mouth. It's Rune, and she looks like she has been enjoying the day off too. Her hair is done nicely, and her armour has been patched up with the dents removed. Her chest is better protected, but the size and hips are still very noticeable, and the corset is having trouble. Remember, keep it professional.

"What brings you out here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, dearie~"

Ah, a check-in. That makes sense.

"Not much; I like the sound of the waves. So I grabbed myself a nice reward and am taking it easy."

"The reward being booze strong enough to knock out a horse several times over?"

"Two bottles will knock out a horse."

She raises an eyebrow at you.

"I have the two, yes. Don't worry, I'll be good for tomorrow's work. Just a touch tired."

Rune sighs and shakes her head.

"You know you will only bother the cleric even more than this morning, right?~"

"If she's so worried, I think she'll have a spell that cures a hangover or something. I'll be there."

Rune leans further down, sighing even more as she smiles.

"Fine, you win. May I stay with you at least?~"

"Er, I guess."

"Good. I want to try something between teammates. It's why I was looking for you."

Rune smiles and gestures for you to get up. You nod and stand up. Whoops, that's the reason you were sitting. That stuff is STRONG. You feel strong arms catch you before you fall over and turn to look at her.

"H...how much have you had? Are you ok?"

She sounds genuinely concerned. You gulp a little. The concern makes you feel a little small.

"Only the first bottle. I'm barely buzzed."

"We both know one of those will knock you silly.~ Not that you aren't, normally."

You swear if you were sober, you would have snarled.

"Let's get you seated again."

Rune sits down and rests you in her lap. It is very plush and comfortable. You are extremely confused, and not wanting to be taken advantage of, you start to turn and decline as she shushes you.

"Shhh, dear. It's ok. This is what I was talking about. Let me comfort and massage you as we spend the day as teammates. Completely professional where I come from.~"

It was almost like she was reading your mind. You were worried you were getting too close again. Still, if this is also professional behaviour for her, it could not hurt to spend the time somewhere comfortable.

You relax further as she rubs your shoulders and strokes your head. You would never let someone get this close and intimate with you usually. But it's just professional team bonding. You can feel yourself rationalizing this moment of comfort as she keeps stroking your head in time to the crashing waves.

You can feel yourself fading in her embrace and feeling comfortable for the first time in a long time. It feels...nice. You could get used to this comfort. You aren't sure it could improve as you just go limp in her arms. You feel safer than you have in a long time.

As the waves crash on the rocks, you hear Rune humming to you, and you drift even further. You aren't sure if it is the alcohol or her voice, but you follow along as she hums a peaceful melody.

It seems to go on forever, as the sun is already setting when you open your eyes. Where did the time go? You could have sworn it was only morning when you sat down with Rune. Did you really sleep that much? You had your guard down for so long. You start to tense up.

"Shhh, it's ok. I'm here.~ Nothing happened. You're ok.~"

That reassurance, for some reason, makes you relax back almost instantly. That nothing terrible happened. You almost feel like you could trust her. As teammates. Nothing more. Definitely closer than just co-workers. That is still ok. Just teammates. That's all it is.

--Later at the tavern--

You feel yourself slowly coming back as you stretch in your tavern seat. Being in Rune's lap was incredibly comfortable, and you did thank her. But, you doubt you'll do it again. Not because you don't want to. But because even that was pushing boundaries you never want to.

She walks up to you, handing you your drink. Why does she offer to get the group drinks every single time? You could swear she almost takes joy in ensuring everyone has what they need. You tried to get only a little today, but she insisted you have a full plate of food. You are only picking at it and just want your bottle and a half of Divodess.

"Hey there? Not hungry much?"

You look over and see the cleric smiling softly. She seems concerned; you told her you don't eat much after all.

"Nah, ate a lot earlier today Kuni. Really just looking forward to more drinks later tonight."

Kuni seems to sigh a little and shakes her head.

"You need to eat more. Please, Cat?"

Why with the nickname? Why with the concern? You did ONE job with these people. You are sticking around, but you aren't defenceless. Why the hell are you getting so mad anyways? You could just get up and leave. Couldn't you?

"Sorry. Just...not hungry. Don't eat much normally, so hard to eat more."

Kuni gets up and sits next to you, rubbing your back.

"It's ok. Sorry if I'm pushing. We all just worry about the team, you know? You made us a lot of gold last time."

That feels nice. Not often people recognize the good part of your work. You take another bite of your food.

"So what got you working with this group of misfits? You know I like gold, but you? You don't seem like the gold worship kind."

Kuni blushes a little.

"Well, I worked at a temple before I met Miss Rune and the others. She was rather...persuasive in making me join. I follow her wherever she goes."

That makes a lot of sense now that you think about it.

"I...see. So you and the barbarian and the sorcerer all..."

Kuni nods, blushing even more.

"Ah."

"I...I hope it isn't too awkward?"

"Eh, I've worked with weirder. I won't say what comes through the wall either."

She giggles and looks away.

"T...Thank you. The last person..."

"Was a selfish prude?"

"Something like that..."

You grit your teeth as you take another bite. Just mind your business, yeah? You aren't sure why you are getting so defensive and protective of this group. Maybe because they need someone like you. As if.

"Well, as long as you don't make it awkward and the gold keeps coming, I won't care. It's your own choice, right?"

"Yeah! And n...never! I would never make it awkward! You're a part of the team!"

"Heh, then we're ok. No problems."

She smiles softly as you finish your food. You had no idea you were still so hungry. Oh well, time for you to get drunk and go to sleep, you guess. As you stand to get up, she places a hand on yours.

"Why don't you stay up with us? We're going to play some games and listen to some music."

You could swear you saw something in her eyes that hoped for more. But that had to be with what the conversation had turned to at the end. Even still, you don't do team bonding. You shake your head smiling.

"Sorry, as much as that offer sounds inviting, I must decline. I am exhausted."

Kuni seems slightly disappointed but nods as you head upstairs. You open the door to your room and crack open the second bottle you had. This is the one to knock you out. You have been buzzed all day. Let's see how powerful a Divodess is when given the right conditions.

Oh fuck it...hit the spot just right.~

You hear a light knock on the door as you get through the bottle and are on the verge of unconsciousness. You move your head slightly on your pillow.

"Cone kn!"

You think that was intelligible. You aren't quite sure. You hear the door open and a familiar voice.

"Just wanted to check up. Kuni said you went to sleep early. We missed you, teammate~"

"Ciol. Yup. Definitely uuzt slerping."

She walks in and sits beside you with a soft expression.

"...how much did you drink?"

"Empufh."

You feel your hair stroked as you take another big swig, and you swear she mutters something. You can't quite make it out, but as you finish the bottle, you feel yourself finally slipping into unconsciousness. Comfort taking hold tightly and refusing to let go. It's been a while since you felt like this. And you had no intention of stopping it anytime soon.

As the feeling finally starts to recede, you feel the sun's warmth from the curtain begin to hit you. Morning already? How long were you out? You slowly stir, expecting to feel a massive headache...

You feel perfectly fine. Like you didn't drink a thing. You rested amazingly. You have no idea how! You drank two bottles plus of strong stuff! You feel great as you stretch and -

"Hello there, dear~"

Oh fuck. That's right.

You remember now. Rune saw you drunk as all hell. Well, it was a nice job while it lasted.