Armia lay on her bed. In one hand, she was holding a stuffed lionwolf, in the other she was holding Isabella's wand, fiddling with it.
The golden finish glead in the soft light of her room, and she couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship.
It was surprisingly sturdy, as she found out from giving it a few squeezes, likely reinforced to withstand Armia's darian strength.
[Hm, so this wasn't a spur-of-the-mont thing? She had this made specifically for ...]
Armia wasn't too sure what to make of that.
[I have to admit,] Armia thought, however. [It does look... special. I haven't actually gotten a chance to use these things yet.]
She found herself smiling.
[I'm actually kind of excited.]
As she examined the wand, her mind drifted back to the events in the bathroom earlier that day. The mory of lisa's tight heat around her cock, how they had worked in tandem, her pounding into lisa from behind while the nim serviced Isabella with her mouth.
Almost against her will, Armia's thoughts wandered further. She found herself imagining what it might feel like to sink her cock into Isabella's tight asshole, to feel those firm kitsune muscles clenching around her.
[No!] Armia shook her head violently, trying to banish the image. [Isabella's annoying. Irritating. I don't want... that.]
But even as she tried to convince herself, a small part of her couldn't help but wonder...
A knock at the door startled Armia out of her reverie. She quickly composed herself, smoothing down her skirt and clearing her throat.
"Co in," she called, her voice only slightly strained.
Darien poked his head in, a folded piece of paper in his hand.
"Hey, sis," he said, holding out the letter. "This just ca for you."
Armia took the letter, her brow furrowing in curiosity.
Darien looked down and then up.
"Oh, and, by the way, you're hard," he stated casually, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Don't go walking outta here like that."
Armia's face flushed.
"I- Darien!"
"Hey, you have a crush on that nim girl, I-" he dodged the pillow Armia threw at him.
"Get out!" Armia growled.
Darien laughed as he ducked out, closing the door behind him.
"Love you too, sis!"
Armia shook her head, letting her weight fall back against her pink bed.
[Ugh...]
As her brother's footsteps faded, Armia examined the envelope.
[Whoa... That's one important-looking seal.]
With slightly trembling hands, Armia broke the seal and unfolded the letter. Her eyes scanned the elegant script, her heart rate picking up with each line.
"Dear Miss Duskscale," it read, "I hope this letter finds you well. Our conversation at the recent gala left quite an impression on , and I find myself with an offer I believe you might find intriguing. I will be visiting Syux Academy in a few days and would very much like to discuss this opportunity with you in person. Yours sincerely, General Neal Ironheart."
Armia read the letter twice more, her mind whirling with possibilities.
[An offer? From General Neal himself? This could be... this could be huge.]
She thought back to their conversation at the gala, how the general had seed genuinely interested in her thoughts. At the ti, she had assud it was re politeness, but now...
[What is this about?]
That question brought no answer, but a mix of excitent and nerves fluttered in her stomach.
[I guess I'll find out soon.]
---
{listair}
listair wiped the sweat from his brow, his purple skin glistening under the hot sun.
The construction site was buzzing with activity all around him, the familiar sounds of hamring and shouting filling the air. Usually, this would be listair well in his elent.
But today, sothing was off.
[Fuck,] he thought, gritting his teeth as he caught yet another group of workers glancing his way and whispering. [Can't a nim just do his damn job in peace?]
He understood, however, that he was definitely asking for too much.
Ever since the news had broken about lisa saving the king's life, listair's life had beco... complicated over these last handful of days.
His daughter's sketched face was plastered across every newspaper in Syux, and, well, as soon as people heard the lisa in question had the surna Blackfla, it didn't take long for people to put two and two together.
Thus, listair began to hear so much about it all that he pretty much had the whole night morized. Or, at least the parts that mattered. The king and queen arrived, lisa sat to eat with them, the king collapsed, lisa saved him...
[I'm proud. Obviously, I'm proud of her. But holy crap, can I just work?]
"Oi, listair!" a voice called out. He turned to see Goran, one of his nim coworkers, grinning at him. "How's it feel to be the father of a hero, eh? Bet you're living large now!"
listair forced a smile, though it felt more like a grimace.
"Just the sa as always, Goran. Now, if you don't mind, I've got work to do."
But Goran wasn't done.
"Co on, mate! You must be proud! Your little girl, saving the king himself! Bet she's got all sorts of fancy suitors knocking down your door now, eh?"
He sighed.
"My daughter's business is her own," he said firmly, turning back to his work. "I'm just glad she's doing well for herself."
"Now, if you don't mind, I've got work to do." Find adventures at My Virtual Library Empire
But Goran wasn't done. He sidled closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
"Co on, mate. Your little girl's all grown up now, saving kings and shit. Bet she's got all sorts of fancy guys knocking down your door. Hell, you know, if you'd introduce , I'd-"
listair's fist connected with Goran's jaw before he even realized he'd moved. The other nim stumbled back, shock written across his face.
"You finish that sentence," listair growled, "and it'll be the last thing you ever say."
The construction site fell silent, all eyes on them. listair could feel the tension in the air, thick and suffocating.
[Shit,] he thought, his heart racing. [Margaret's gonna kill if I lose this job.]
But to his surprise, Goran started laughing, rubbing his jaw.
"Alright, alright, I deserved that. No hard feelings, yeah?"
listair nodded stiffly, relief washing over him. Goran walked away.
As the other workers slowly returned to their tasks, he couldn't help but notice the approving looks so of them were giving him.
[Maybe I should've done that sooner,] he mused, picking up his hamr again.
As he said before, he was proud of lisa.
But with that pride ca worry. A deep, gnawing concern that kept him up at night.
[She's got a target on her back now,] listair mused, his brow furrowing as he hamred a bit harder than necessary. [Every noble with a grudge, every Shadow Mage with a score to settle... they'll all be gunning for her.]
And it wasn't just lisa he was worried about. listair was no fool. He knew that his family's newfound fa could be a double-edged sword.
Already, he'd noticed strange looks from so of the humans in town who knew him, even though he'd made a point of keeping his head down these last 8 years.
[And now, I might have a target on my back too,] he realized, a chill running down his spine despite the heat. [If soone wants to get to lisa...]
He shook his head, trying to banish the dark thoughts. No use dwelling on what-ifs.
All he could do was continue to keep his head down, work hard, and be there for his family if they needed him.
As he kept going, naturally, Margaret popped up in his mind.
[... Fuck, I need her.]
By the ti the workday ended, listair was exhausted, both physically and ntally. As he gathered his things, he overheard two of the newer workers talking in low voices.
"Can you believe it? A nim girl, saving the king? Sothing's not right about that."
"I heard she used so kind of sex magic. Probably learned it from her old man here. You know how these nim are. Always in heat, and shit."
listair shook his head, his hand tightening around his toolbox.
[Just... gotta keep my head up,] he told himself as he headed ho. [For lisa's sake, for Margaret's.]
As he walked through the streets of Syux, listair couldn't help but notice the lingering glances from passersby. So were curious, others hostile, and a few... appreciative?
[Doesn't matter,] he decided, squaring his shoulders. [Let them look. Let them whisper. My girl's a hero, and nothing they say can change that.]
With that thought bolstering him, listair made his way ho, he just hoped Margaret was ready for him. After a day like today, he needed to lose himself in her embrace, to remind himself of what really mattered.
And that was, of course, his family.
[Stay strong, kiddo,] he thought, lisa's face flashing before his eyes, a fierce pride swelling in his chest. [Your old man's got your back, no matter what]
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