The Amazon Hostess
Anya led them through the back entrance of the Hostess of Fertility, avoiding the front where customers laughed over ale in favor of the narrow staff door that opened into the storage room. Crates and spare chairs filled the space, dimly lit by a single lamp hanging from the ceiling.
The door shut behind them with a solid thud of wood against wood.
He pulled out a chair and gestured to it. The amazon girl stood there with her arms wrapped around herself, hesitant.
"Sit."
She sat slowly, her hands immediately gripping the table edge. Anya hovered near the door, her tail twitching and ears flat against her head.
Silence.
"What's your name?"
"Rhyla."
The word escaped before she could stop it.
Her eyes went wide. Her hands flew up, waving frantically as if she could erase the truth from the air itself.
"No! It's Sahira. Yeah. Sahira."
Still trying to lie. He watched her fumble. Nice try.
He stared at her, expression flat.
Anya's ears perked up. "Wait—which one, nya?"
"It's Rhyla," he said flatly. "Isn't it."
Not a question.
Her shoulders dropped. Eyes fell to the table.
"...Yes."
Anya leaned forward, tail swishing. "So how did you two meet, nya?"
He glanced at Rhyla. She looked away.
"We fought," he said. "Floor 14. Yesterday. She and her crew tried to take our Phantom Vine haul."
Anya blinked. Processed.
Her eyes went wide.
---
Anya lost it.
Her laughter rattled the empty ale crates stacked against the wall. She doubled over, slapping her knee as her tail whipped in frenzied arcs.
"You—!" she wheezed, pointing at him. "You didn't even know her name, Nya! But you stood in front of THAT Aisha Belka's blade for a stranger who ROBBED you?!"
Rhyla's face turned crimson. She stared at her knees, fingers twisting the fabric of her borrowed apron.
"And you called him husband, Nya! Ha-ha—"
"I was desperate," Rhyla muttered.
"Desperate?!" Anya straightened, wiping tears from her eyes. "She tried to ROB you, nya?"
He nodded.
"And now she's your WIFE?!"
He glared daggers at Anya. She ignored him completely.
"But girl! You could've said FRIENDS, Nya! That would've worked too! But you went straight for HUSBAND!"
Rhyla froze.
"But why? Nya" Anya asked. Curious.
Her mouth opened. Closed.
"I—" She stopped. Stared at nothing.
Confusion crossed her face. Then something else—something she couldn't name.
Anya watched her. Waited.
Slowly, Rhyla lifted her eyes to his. Her cheeks turned red before her gaze fell back to the table in a rush.
"I don't know," she said quietly. "It just—came out."
---
Silence stretched.
He decided this was the time to be straight with her.
What if I was with someone I actually liked?
The thought made his jaw tighten. Frustration bled into his voice.
"Don't pull stunts like that. Ever again."
It landed harder than he'd intended.
Her head jerked up. Face going pale. She nodded quickly.
He cleared his throat. Let the tension ease. "Why were you running?"
Rhyla's hands tightened on the table.
Nothing.
"From Aisha," he added. "Why?"
Still nothing.
Anya's ears flattened. "Rhyla—"
"I owe them money."
Too fast. Too practiced.
"Another lie," he said, cutting through her excuse. Because he knows Aisha wouldn't chase someone just for vals. Not a fellow amazoness.
Anya's tail went still.
"Don't think I'm a fool, Nya," Anya said quietly. Her playful demeanor vanished. "Try again."
Rhyla flinched.
Her hands started trembling.
"I..." She swallowed hard. "I was sold."
The words came out broken. Like shattered glass.
"Sold?" he repeated.
She nodded, unable to look up. "To Ishtar Familia. By my own god."
The air went cold.
Anya's ears flattened completely. Her tail rigid.
"I came to Orario to join Ishtar Familia." Rhyla's voice went hollow. Empty. "I wanted to become a warrior. But when I found out how they really operated..."
She stopped. Swallowed hard against the emotion threatening to choke her.
"I refused. Joined another Familia instead. But Ishtar had already marked me. When she asked my god..."
Her voice cracked.
"He—"
Silence.
Heavy. Suffocating.
"So I ran, to not fall in Ishtar's hands," she said, words coming faster now. "I hid. Did supplier work. Underground jobs. Even smuggling. Anything that kept me from..."
She trailed off, shifting uncomfortably.
"...You know? P—pros—"
"Wait," he cut her off. Firm. "You don't have to say anything further."
Her eyes snapped up to his. Surprised.
They glinted with unshed tears.
He held her gaze steadily. "I understand."
She wiped at her eyes. The tears wet but not yet fallen.
Her shoulders dropped slightly. Her breath hitched once.
Anya's tail had gone completely still.
He stood there, processing.
"Now they caught me," Rhyla continued quietly. "Because of the incidents at Floor 14."
His breath caught.
The dungeon surge. Raska reported it. To the Guild.
His chest tightened.
Her cover broke because of that report.
"We caused this," he said quietly.
The words tasted like ash.
Rhyla looked up, confused. "What?"
Not intentionally. Not maliciously.
But we caused it.
Silence.
Anya looked between them, ears twitching uncertainly. "So what now, nya?"
He exhaled slowly.
She can't go back to adventuring. Too visible.
Can't stay underground. Ishtar's network is everywhere.
She needs somewhere safe. Somewhere neutral.
He closed his eyes briefly.
Yeah. There go my free meals.
He looked at Anya. "You're short on staff, right?"
"Yeah, but what is the..." Realization clicked in her eyes.
"Can you ask Mama Mia if she needs one more staff?"
Rhyla's head snapped up. "Wait—no—I can't—"
Anya's ears flattened again.
"I don't want to cause trouble," Rhyla said quickly, eyes wide with panic. "I can't just—you've already done enough—"
"It's the safest place in Orario," he said, keeping his voice steady. "Mama Mia doesn't let anyone push her around. Not even gods."
"But—"
Rhyla stared at her hands.
"I understand," Anya said, ears twitching thoughtfully. "I can ask, Nya. But, Mama Mia doesn't usually hire runaways. Too much trouble."
He looked at her directly. "She hired Ryuu. Isn't it the same?"
Anya's hand stopped mid-gesture.
Her tail stopped mid-swish.
The silence that followed was different from before.
Colder.
"That's different."
Her voice went flat. Cold.
"How do you know about Ryuu?"
Her gaze narrowed on him.
He didn't answer. Simply held her gaze.
Her ears stayed flat. Tail still.
The silence stretched. Tense. Questioning.
Then she exhaled through her nose.
"...Fine. Keep your secrets."
---
"If I vouch for her," he said slowly, breaking the tension, "will Mama Mia consider it?"
Anya's tail twitched once. "You'd be responsible for her. If she causes trouble—"
"I know."
Anya nodded slowly. "I'll go ask her."
She slipped out of the storage room.
Awkward silence filled the space.
He leaned back against the wall. Let out a long breath. The weight of the conversation settling on his shoulders.
Rhyla looked up at him. Her hands finally stopped trembling.
"Why?" she whispered. "Why are you doing this?"
He sighed. "You remind me of someone."
"That's it?!"
"Yes. That's it."
Footsteps echoed from somewhere in the tavern. Heavy ones. Approaching.
He pushed off the wall and headed for the exit.
"Better not try to mug her," he said with a faint smirk, glancing back at Rhyla one last time. "You can't. Even if you tried."
A ghost of a smile touched Rhyla's lips despite everything.
The night air hit him when he stepped outside. Cool. Clean.
Behind him, the Hostess glowed warm with laughter and light spilling from its windows.
He walked into the night, his mind already turning to what awaited him tomorrow.
---