The girls all sat at a table in the back of the Guild, with the addition of Benji, who just kept staring after Eli like he was a God. Cici snorted as she had that thought, as he was absolutely correct. Eli and Terroth had both stopped to stare and seemingly talk about a group of people at a table. Sheila, Benji, and Serena had explained to the 3 other girls that the people at that table was Tempest, the Platnium rank Adventurer's Party. Cici thought they all looked stupid. Well, the girl in the back was pretty, and according to Sheila, she was some kind of half vampire slave. That made her upset, and she could tell through the bond that it made Eli angry too, and the determination she felt from him made her smile.
"That is just like my darling." She thought to herself. Eli was a very loving man, but he was also not great with explaining his emotions... unless it came to her, of course. Then he was an open book, and the world's most powerful sweet talker.
"Hello ladies and gentleman! Welcome to the Arbigold Adventurer's Guild. May I get you all started with a drink?" A waitress asked as she came up to the table. The sudden voice made Cici jump a bit.
Both Marina and Sheila had ordered a whiskey, and now they were both chatting about their superior taste in alcohol. Benji had ordered an ale, while Serena and Clarissa just asked for water.
"A glass of milk." Cici said, before adding, "I'm also starving."
Cici was pretty sure she ordered right, although she'd never been to a big city before, so she didn't really know. Or care, all that much. She squirmed in her seat as suddenly, thoughts of Eli pounding into her flashed through her mind. She had to stiffle an involuntarily moan.
"Sure! I'll come back with Menus and all of your drinks! I'll only be a minute or two." She said, before quickly walking towards the back, and into a set of doors that Cici assumed led to the kitchen. She turned back to find Clarissa staring at her with concern.
"Cici, are you okay?" Clarissa asked, "You've been acting weird, and moving around a lot. Your face is red."
Cici's face became even more red as she struggled to not show anything on her face, but that was already done. She looked around the table, and found that both Serena and Sheila were giving her sympathetic looks.
"It's nothing to be embarrassed about..." Serena said softly, giving her a small smile.
"Yeah. It's just what Beastkin women deal with." Sheila said simply, and Cici flushed even more.
Marina was just silent like always, and Cici did not mind that at all given the circumstances. Clarissa looked confused, while Cici looked at the two Beastkin with an even more embarrassed expression.
"It's... that obvious?" Cici asked, and Serena just gave her a small smile.
"Your mannerisms... and the scent." She said, which caused Cici to duck her head.
"We all noticed right away, but we didn't say anything. It's clear that it upsets you, but it shouldn't. You can't control it." Sheila said with a reassuring smile.
Benji said nothing, but the way his eyes looked away, and his face flushed meant that this was an embarrassing conversation for him to hear.
"Is something wrong?" Clarissa asked, looking worried.
Cici looked at her, and her genuine concern really touched her. It also made Cici more certain than ever that Clarissa was a good person, and a good choice, given what she wanted to talk to her about.
"Clarissa..." Cici said, breathing in, and then letting it out slowly, "I'm... in heat."
Clarissa looked at her for a few seconds with no expression, but then her eyes widened, and her face was now beet red.
"Oh!" She exclaimed, covering her face with her hands, "I'm sorry! I didn't even think about that!"
Cici reached over and placed a hand over Clarissa's right, drawing it away from her face.
"It's okay... it's really sweet that you worried about me." Cici said, and Clarissa's flushed more, but she smiled slightly.
"We're friends... of course I care." Clarissa said.
"Here's your drinks!" The waitress said as she came back, placing them all upon the table in front of the respective person, "And here's the menus. I'll be back in a few minutes to take your orders."
With that, she was gone again, and everyone looked at the small paper menus they were handed, and all picked out what they wanted. Cici had never heard of a Spiral Fin, but the menu listed it as a C+ ranked aquatic creature. It was grilled, and came with a side of fried potatoes, and a bowl of salad, so that's what she wanted. Clarissa had just smiled and told her to get whatever she wanted, so she did.
"Thank you, Rissa." Cici said, and Clarissa blushed from her brand new nickname.
"O-f course." Clarissa said, and Cici smiled.
Everyone sat and chatted for a while once the food arrived, and the Spiral Fin was indeed very good. Even the silent Benji got to talking about things, although he always came back to how cool he thought Eli was. Honestly, if it wasn't for him eying the waitress's tits and ass, Cici would have thought she'd have to chase him away from Eli. He definitely wasn't into that sort of thing. After a few drinks, Benji actually started chatting with the waitress, who actually seemed pretty engaged in their conversation, and not just for the money he was spending on drinks.
Marina and Sheila were talking pretty animatedly about fighting, and their combat styles. Marina respected the fact that Sheila fought with her bare hands, and Sheila was very interested in her sword, and combat styles, wanting to see her in axt. They talked about sparring later on, but Cici wasn't really interested in that. The only battle that interested her was the one in bed later with her mate.
"Mmm.." Cici grunted as she could feel her arousal soaking through her underwear.
"Is it really that bad?" Clarissa asked her, turning from her conversation from Serena. They were really loving talking about magic.
Cici was about to tell her she was just fine, but she paused. Everyone else was pretty distracted right now, and she had been noticing Clarissa's stares and looks directed at Eli, and she did tell him that she would talk to Clarissa. This seemed like a good time for a little teasing, and to find out a few things.
"I just... can't stop thinking about what I want Eli to do to me later." Cici said in a low voice, and Clarissa flushed a super bright red. Cici couldn't help but see just how cute the raven haired woman was, and those dark blue pools for eyes only enhanced that.
"Um... uh..." Clarissa said, and Cici also noticed that Serena's ears twiched, letting on that she heard her, and Cici could see the redness in her face too. Oh well. She didn't want to stop now.
"You know what I mean, right?" Cici asked with a tiny smirk.
If Clarissa was a fire mage like Serena, Cici was sure her face would've combust into flames.
"I... don't... I mean... I..." Clarissa said, and her nervousness actually made Cici giggle.
"Calm down Clarissa. I'm just teasing you... sort of. I am trying to figure something out though." Cici said to her, and once again noticed how Serena's pretty red fox ears turned towards them. Her current situation, and the need to talk to Clarissa meant that she didn't really care all that much. Serena didn't seem like the gossiping type, anyways.
"Figure out... what?" Clarissa asked, red faced.
"Rissa," Cici said, putting a hand over the hand Clarissa had in her lap, "Do you like Eli?"
Clarissa's eyes widened, and she began to shake her head, but Cici's intense green gaze locked onto Clarissa's eyes, and she gave her a gentle and soft look.
"I... um..." Clarissa said, her nerves cranked up to max.
"Rissa, I can see it in your eyes... how you look at him. How sad you look when you look at us... it hurts me to see you like that." Cici said softly, rubbing her thumb atop Clarissa's hand, "Please, tell me the truth."
Clarissa's eyes darted around in several directions, meanwhile Serena pretended not to be listening in. She was a Beastkin as well, so she was probably not unused to this kind of thing. From what she knew, polygamy was not as common among the humans like it was most of the Beastkin, although it did happen, especially among those of great power, or the nobility, she imagined. Clarissa's eyes finally settled on Cici, and she saw resignation, and the onset of tears in her eyes. Clarissa took a deep breath.
"Yes..." Clarissa said, barely above a whisper.
Cici gave her a soft smile.
"When did you realize it?" Cici asked, and waited for Clarissa to work up her nerves once again.
"After... what happened in Bergast. With my... with Renard. And with the slaves. How kind he was, and just... how he treated me. He didn't hold it against me, and he even understood me... Renard did... awful things, and at the end of it... he just hugged me. He told me I was a good person..." Clarissa said, water forming in her eyes.
"He is a very sweet man, isn't he?" Cici said with a smile, "He's always been like that. Ever since the day I met him. That's why I love him so much... and why you are starting to feel this way too."
"Cici, I'm sorry I-" Clarissa began, only to cut off as Cici wrapped her in a hug. Clarissa froze, unsure of what was happening.
"It's okay, Rissa. I talked to Eli about this... you know he likes you too right?" Cici asked, and she felt Clarissa jolt in her arms.
"What?" Clarissa asked, pushing away to stare into Cici's eyes, who just smiled.
"Yes. He thinks you're sweet, and I know he thinks you are beautiful. I can feel it. I think all of these things too, and I accept you." She said, watching as Clarissa's eyes opened wider, "I want Eli to be happy, and I want him to feel loved. I want the same for you, Rissa."
Clarissa just stared at Cici, unblinking and in clear disbelief.
"You... accept me?" Clarissa asked, the only thing her mind could bring her to say.
"I do. Eli's life was so hard... so very hard... but I will leave that up to him to tell you. I want him to feel loved all of the time, so... as his first mate, I'm asking... and hoping you will consider joining our family. I want you to get to know him like I do. I want to get to know more about you myself. Everything we know about you already, we love." Cici said, and Clarissa just stared at her.
Despite how quiet Cici was being, that didn't stop Serena from overhearing them. Cici knew all too well that these big fuzzy ears were for more than just looking cute. Still, she said nothing, although her face was red, despite looking at the table like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
"You... you mean it?" Clarissa asked, her eyes growing wet.
Cici nodded with a smile.
"I do, Rissa. I know you're busy with your town and all, but we'll figure something out. I want you in our family. I want you to spend more time with him, to truly get to know him, and to love him as I do." Cici said, feeling her own eyes growing damp, but she pressed on, "So, will you please help me show Eli how wonderful he is?"
Clarissa seemingly had no objections to crying in public, because her tears were flowing, but despite that, the hopeful smile on her face was radiant, and she wrapped her arms around Cici, and crushed her. Cici actually grunted from the embrace, but she could only smile as well.
"Yes... yes I will... thank you, Cici." Clarissa said, choking on her words.
They stayed like that for a time, just embracing each other. Clarissa felt warm, and her body vibrated with her unbridled joy. Cici couldn't stop smiling. This felt right. She knew how good of a person Clarissa was, and knew that she'd be a wonderful addition to their family. She accepted the offer readily enough, so there was no hang ups there. Plus, she couldn't deny that thoughts of Eli driving this woman wild underneath him like he did to her was a thought that actually made her shiver with excitement. Did that make her weird?
"Are you all right, my lady?" Marina asked from across the table, her face a mask of worry and concern.
Clarissa let go of Cici, and wiped at her eyes. She turned to Marina, and have her a smile to bright that the dimly lit Guild seemed to brighten even more.
"I'm better than I've ever been." She replied, squeezing Cici's hand underneath the table.
Sheila was smirking from where she sat. It didn't surprise Cici that she probably heard that too. Even with the loud voices around them, and the softness of their voices, she knew that Wolfkin had incredible senses, at least according to what she'd heard from her parents. Benji was still flirting with the waitress, who had unbuttoned the top of her shirt to expose a decent amount of creamy skin. He was definitely weird but... eh, he had good taste.
"Well, isn't this an odd collection of people?" A voice said, one that was not apart of their group.
Cici saw a snarl form on Sheila's face, and Serena's ears flatened as she looked behind Cici. Cici turned around, and was met with the smug, grinning face of a slimly looking blonde man... no, not just any man, he was the leader of that party. Tempest.
"Is there a problem?" Cici asked, feeling a bit annoyed from being disturbed.
The blonde woman behind him scoffed, as if Cici needed more confirmation that she was a bitch.
"You animals are stinking up the place." She said, which made Sheila's snarl become feral, and Serena's tail wrapped around her waist.
"Barely better than common beasts." The smaller one with the sword said.
"Excuse you? You will not talk to my friends like that!" Clarissa said, her face going from happy to angry in an instant.
The whole party, minus the black haired woman in the back, all chuckled. Marina had stood from her chair at this point, and interposed herself between the table and the party.
"I'm going to have to ask you all to back away." Marina said, and that made the leader actually laugh outloud, getting the attention of those around them, and the place suddenly became a lot quieter.
Benji was frozen in fear, and the waitress he was flirting with had quickly gotten up, and scampered away. Suddenly, Marina's legs began to buckle, and she had to steady herself on the table as she gritted her teeth. Cici could tell he was using his aura to supress her. She had heard he was A+ rank. That was scary. Cici had no doubt she was faster than anyone here, but speed wouldn't matter given his other stats were probably leagues above hers, let alone him being able to use his A+ aura to suppress her.
"Not bad looking. Not bad at all. I like them with some... spunk." The leader said, and Cici thought she was told his name was... Devin? Delvis? Something like that, but she didn't care about the man enough to remember his stupid name, "But I'm far more interested in those two." He pointed Cici and Clarissa.
Clarissa's eyes widened, and Cici actually took in a sharp in take of breath, but not because she was afraid. This man was going to get himself killed.
"Can I have the redhead?" The very large and muscular man asked the leader, and her snorted and nodded.
"Yes. I don't normally go for the animals... but I can't deny a rarity when I see one. The white fur, the pretty face, and the body. Even with animals, I can appreciate something nice when I see it," He said with a chuckle, leering at Cici, before turning his gaze to Clarissa, "And you my dear," He said, gesturing Clarissa, "I simply must have you. I'm sure the noises you make with be wonderful."
Clarissa's face went pale, and even Cici felt a little unnerved as flashbacks from the Baron entered her mind. And that feeling going through the bond to Eli... well, that told her that this man was not going to have a good day. Cici was surprised that despite people hearing this all around them, no one said or did anything. Granted... power was everything, and these people were all very powerful.
"I'd suggest you walk away." Cici said, glaring at the man, "Otherwise, my husband will be very upset."
All of the party began to laugh so loud that it reverberated through the building, and the leader began to step closer.
"Oh, will he now? Do you even know who I am? I can tell you are all new here, so let me tell you," He said, leaning down to meet Cici's eyes, "I am Delvin Montenago, and I always get what I want. If you think so highly of this man, I'll just beat him, and take you from him."
The laughter had turned to cackles as Delvin taunted and mocked them, but that was all suddenly cut off by a door slamming open, and heavy foot falls coming towards them. Cici looked past the Party of assholes, and couldn't help but smirk.
"I warned you." Cici said, and Delvin stood to his full height and turned around, as did the rest of his party. The woman and the smaller man actually took am involuntarily step back.
A very angry Eli was stomping towards them with murder in his eyes. Cici sat back, and grabbed her glass of milk, although her hands still shook a little. She knew Eli could handle it, but the memories still flashed through her mind. It was still... not pleasant to think about.
"Get the fuck away from my wife."