The journey to the orchard farm was an uncomfortable event. Every few hundred meters, Lyanna would twitch uncomfortably and then proceed to have 'needs' she needed to tend to—such as needing to pee not once but twice in the bushes. Then pleading and begging Rennia to watch over her as she showered the ground with golden rain because she was afraid a snake might nick her peach.
She'd use the oppurtunity to flash her crotch at Rennia. A snake bite would probably do her some good.
Then she had a habit of trailing off-road from the path—she'd walk into a side path or stumble over a rock, magically clumsy. Rennia was starting to think that she might have been intoxicated. She wouldn't put it past her; their family were local liquor makers, and she had a bad habit of nabbing a bottle or two for favors for their peers.
As the shadows started shifting more unnaturally and the light of the moon dimmed out, they started sticking closer together. When the forest became quieter, it meant shit was about to go down, and every rustle of a leaf put her on edge.
Lyanna was close—way too close. Her presence was a constant, looming, tempting thing. She'd brush her shoulders deliberately or graze Rennia's wrist every chance she got, wrapping their hands together and whispering ungodly things.
"Hmmm. Why are you so tense?" Lyanna murmured. She carried a teasing angle. "Relax, Ren. Is it me? Am I winding you up?"
Rennia glared at her. She couldn't deny that she had thoughts and feelings, but she had a focus and a goal. She couldn't mindlessly give in to Lyanna's whims every time. Her life was on the line, and her future. And there was no future with a lesbian at the helm.
"Lya, just…" she sighed. "Just focus on the quest. We'll speak afterward… I have a lot on my mind."
Lyanna made a disappointed groan but said nothing as they kept dragging on. A fence became visible from a mile away. It was hard to make out under the forested night, but the worn paint and the hanging apple sign made it clear. They had reached the orchard.
"About goddamn time," Rennia announced. If she had to walk another mile, she'd burrow herself in the ground. "My legs are killing me."
"Well, I wish the walk was longer," Lyanna announced.
Rennia gave her a side-eye. Lyanna coughed. "Eh, I mean, I could really use some rest. I'm not in the mood to fight monsters."
"Look, we'll enter, rest for half an hour or so, then leave. I promised my mom I'd be back by midnight. She really doesn't want me to do the adventurer stuff."
Lyanna hit her with her elbow. "Is that why you're head over heels for that baboon Edric? You're being pushed to become a housewife or something just as horrible."
Rennia's hands hung at her sides. "Edric is not a baboon, and no, I don't want to be a housewife. Also, my mother is one, and we do just fine. What's wrong with being a housewife? It wouldn't be so bad. Are you saying my mother is a bad, mother?"
"Hmm, I—nevermind. Let's enter and do business. apologies."
She became saddened. Lyanna had a lot of repressed feelings, and she only ever shared them with Rennia—of course, in all the wrong ways.
This wouldn't do. She wasn't going to focus with relationship drama looming over. Best to get it over with.
"Lyanna, are you jealous that I'm courting Edric? Are you jealous you can't be with me?"
Lyanna scrunched her nose and gave her a stare of disgust. "Jealous of that ape? Please. Let's move on. You clearly didn't want to share my company tonight. Your quick to forget who kept you warm all those nights."
Lyanna started running ahead. Maybe that was a mistake. Rennia ran after her. "Lya, wait! Let's talk about this before we finish up."
The blonde didn't listen and gripped and pulled an extendable staff out of her backpack. "We'll talk if you can catch me." She giggled as she ran into the outer orchard.
Speeding away like the wind, her feet nimble and swift. Rennia adjusted her boots, ready to go after her friend.
"Lyanna! Stop! It could be dangerous." Rennia did her best to keep pace. The girl disappeared from her sight, a few hundred meters, and she couldn't find her. She called out to her in the dark repetitively, but she heard no answer. There to the east of her location, outside of the orchard, where the bushes grew tall, she heard a rustle. Rennia walked in that direction.
And then she heard a small cry—a moan—erupt in front of her, near a tree. She turned the corner.
Lyanna was on the ground, her staff had fallen out of her hand, and she appeared to have tripped. A beast stood in front of her. It looked half-rotten, like a deer—an empty husk made of vines, bones, and greenish flesh. Its eyes were hollow, but there was a glowing black orb at the center of the void.
"Hollow beast."
The thing turned its head to her as she uttered its name. She exchanged glances with Lyanna, who was in a state of shock. She stared at both her and the beast. She scrambled to her staff. The beast did not let that happen without its input. It brought its head down towards Lya, preparing to gnash her body with it's bony body.
Rennia would not allow it. She grabbed her longsword from its sheath and lashed out at the husk.
"Hey, leaf bones, over here!"
The thing turned its head. She brought her sword down to its face. The thing bit at the sword. Its mouth—if you could call it that—enveloped the center of the blade.
Rennia struggled to move the fucking thing. She needed to cast a spell, but goddammit she hated saying affirmations and dumb incantantions. She lifted her left hand and started shouting.
"Sparks that glow; burn my foe! [Firebolt!]"
A burning ball of fire left her hands, striking the thing in its side, making a crater and a dent in its leafy, bony body. It snarled at her, unamused, then brought its head forward, ready to pounce at her. With her sword free, she parried its bite, stepping back and gritting her teeth.
Why the fuck was a hollow beast here? This was supposed to be low-level monster territory. Whoever oversees this area hasn't been doing their job. Arrrgh, I hate this thing.
"Bone, brittle and frail, return to dust! [Ferrum!]" A voice shouted from afar. Lyanna.
A greenish orb of light shot at the beast. It stopped its attack. It started stumbling, its legs cracking. It lost its balance and then collapsed to the ground.
The beast screeched as it lay there. Rennia took the sword and plunged it into its center, breaking the core that resided inside of it. The whole beast seemed to come apart. Vines separated from the bones—the bones that were slowly turning into bone dust. The thing collapsed in on itself.
Lyanna stood behind the withering corpse, huffing horribly for air.
Man mages had such bullshit magic
Rennia looked around, scanning for more hostiles, then dropped her sword. She ran over to Lyanna.
"You idiot! You know how dangerous it is. Why would you do that?"
Lyanna clutched tightly to the staff. Tears welled up in her eyes. She started sniffling but remained quiet. Rennia scratched the back of her head before walking closer and giving her a hug.
Lyanna didn't reject it but remained still. "I'm sorry. I fucked—I'm sorry, I fucked—I fucked up."
Rennia shook her, perhaps she was too harsh with her tone. "Lya, it's okay. You're still alive. It caught you by suprise."
Lyanna pressed her head against her chest. Rennia felt the stream of wet tears rolling from her eyes.
"I just… can't deal with the fact that you want to enter a relationship with someone other than me. I've liked you for a long time, we're best friends, but you refuse to acknowledge my love for you."
Rennia shook her again, then dropped to her knees. This girl just couldn't get it in her head. "Lya, you know we can't do that in the village, not openly. And I've had a thing for Edric for some time now."
This was childish. There could be more monsters looming about. Lyanna wasn't the brightest, and she was very emotional, and she happened to be attached to Rennia.
"Look, it will probably take some time, and… Edric might not even like me. And if you ever need an ear or a titty to nibble, I'll be there for you. But we can't be formally a thing."
Lyanna watched and stared her down—really watched. The usual teasing was gone, and her eyes were replaced by hunger, something primal. She wiped her tears away, then loomed closer.
"Then give me what I want."
Rennia swallowed. She didn't understand at all.
Whatever
She leaned against the tree, her chest rose, and then fell. Her body was still easing from the adrenaline. Lyanna wanted to reignite it.
Lyanna moved, and she pressed her body down onto Rennia, kissing her on the lips. She leaned against her. She gripped her hips, firm and insistent. Rennia wanted to tell her that maybe this wasn't a good idea, that she should think about Edric, but… the way Lyanna moved, the places she knew where to touch and how to tease and suck at her. She enjoyed it, but it remained a debaucherous affair.
Lyanna's mouth pressed deeper inside hers, and her tongue moved around as she let out deep kisses. Lyanna pulled back, saliva dripped out of her mouth. She moved her head to her neck and started nibbling at her, just enough to arouse Rennia.
Rennia shifted. A cloud passed away from above, and the moonlight gave way. When she saw the golden apples in the distance, she moved—much to Lyanna's disappointment.
"Look, fine, you agreed to a make out session. If you want sex, I'll give you sex, but… let's finish this job already. Then you can do whatever you want, touch me whenever you want. Fuck me however you want."
Lya stirred. "W-what about Edric?"
"Sharing is caring, right? I can always be there for you, Lya. This is just distracting right now. I have a lot on my mind. Less problems, more naughty time, don't you think?"
Lyanna pondered for a while, then raised her staff. She hit Rennia on the knee before striding on.
"Ow!"
"Then hurry up, then. I want to tear you inside and out."
The small event left Rennia rattled. She didn't know what to do. Lyanna was going to be a problem.