Nethlia awoke with the dawn.
Her golden eyes opened languidly as the soft rays of morning alighted upon her face. Still slumbersome, she stared out the crystalline windows of her room for a moment as she lay on a massive canopy bed bedecked with warm furs and soft blankets, listening to the awakening city and its twittering birdlife.
The bed had been custom made for her long ago, back when she’d first started working at the bordello, and was both sized and reinforced for her considerable bulk. Many a night and many a girl had it seen.
Now roused, the demoness sat up, letting gravity steal her fur coverings down to her waist. Her bare breasts hung heavy on her chest, captured too by the world’s weight.
She’s never enjoyed sleeping in nightclothes. Not even just a slip or underthings – she found them rough against her skin, or they tended to bunch unpleasantly in the night. No, she preferred sleeping in the nude, often with a girl or two, sometimes more, at her side. Her own infernal body heat kept her, and them, warm enough.
Unfortunately, she’d spent the night alone once more.
Yesterday had been a tiring day, and she’d not had the time nor the energy or the mood for such animalistic gay comfort. After getting Autumn and herself sorted with the guild, they’d grabbed a quick bite to eat at one of the city’s many food carts before heading back to the house. By the time they’d returned, the smaller girl had been dead on her feet, and Nethlia had barely guided Autumn to her assigned room before she fell asleep.
She herself hadn’t been far behind.
A jaw-cracking yawn escaped her. Alighting from her bed like a great bear leaving its hibernation, Nethlia shed her furs to stand nude in the center of her room upon a soft carpet. Her muscles glistened in the morning light as she freed them of sleep’s trappings and began her morning stretches.
Once she’d fully enticed herself to wakefulness, Nethlia snagged her cleanest outfit from her closet while using her tail to toss yesterday’s wear in a laundry basket – she’d deal with that later. Currently, she only had everyday civilian clothing occupying her things. They took some time to don, lest she risk tearing the collar with her horns, or splitting the seams of her pants with her mighty thighs.
Today’s plan was to buy some actual adventuring gear. They needed sturdy outfits for the both of them that could survive both traveling and combat, alongside whatever other gear they might need, or that Autumn might require for her magic.
Thankfully, she still had some gold left over that she’d left in the bordello’s coffers for safe keeping. If that wasn’t enough – which it ought to be – she could always ask the madam for a loan. With how much coin she’d invested in the house before she left, she felt it wasn’t an unreasonable request to ask for an advance on her wages.
Also, it was apparently Autumn’s birthday today. Or so the human girl had said. She’d been awfully cagey about the actual date, but had said it’d been only a handful of days away before she’d found herself in the Feywild, and had decided to mark today as her eighteenth birthday.
Nethlia was a little lost about how to celebrate the day as she didn’t know if it was an important milestone for a human. She had heard that human girls flowered around their mid-to-late teens, but wasn’t sure if eighteen was their age of maturity.
She herself had become an adult in the eyes of her people on her thirtieth, and had recently celebrated her fiftieth just last year. And while it was tempting to just use Inferni customs to mark Autumn’s coming-of-age ceremony – if it was even that – Nethlia doubted the younger girl wanted to spend her day wantonly carousing and fighting like she had.
Perhaps she’d ask around the house – surely someone had an idea of what humans did on their birthdays?
Now that she was dressed and properly awake, Nethlia strode from her bedroom, quietly closing the door behind her, before making her way to Autumn’s bedroom the next door over. Rapping lightly on the wood, she called out to the slumbering girl. “Wake up, Autumn! It’s time to train!” There was no response besides some grumbling beyond the wooden portal. “Come on, sleepyhead! We’ve got training to do!”
After a moment, the door creaked open like a dirge, and a tired-eyed Autumn glared up at her. She was dressed only in her smallclothes, shivering slightly in the mountaintop chill. Her own modest peaks were tenting her inner tunic which hung seductively off one shoulder, revealing a snow-white collarbone to the demoness’ eyes.
“What time is it?”
Nethlia startled slightly from her admiring gaze. “It’s dawn,” she replied. “Or thereabouts – the city sees the light a little earlier thanks to its height.”
Autumn blinked up at her, slowly processing the words she’d spoken. “And why are you waking me at this godforsaken hour?”
Godforsaken? What an interesting turn of phrase. Which god was she referring to exactly?
She didn’t look much like a worshiper of Nusraura, and given her timidity about the prospect of living or working in the house, she likely wasn’t an acolyte of Millanis, the goddess of sex, love, and the patron of prostitutes. Perhaps she was referring to Cesuna, the goddess of the hearth, or Suthir, the god of time and magic? Or maybe one of the other noble gods?
It didn’t matter.
Shaking off her curiosity, she explained her reason for waking the other girl at the lightening. “Because you’re an adventurer now, and that means rising early and sleeping late, if at all. We exercise everyday to keep in shape. Do you think I keep this physique by sleeping in?” she said, flexing a bicep to make a point. A thrill of pleasure purred in her breast at how Autumn’s eyes lingered on her muscles. “Now, come on and get dressed, else I’ll haul you outside to train naked.”
Autumn’s face developed a cute blush. “Do that and I’ll curse your family line!” she hissed.
“Wait, can you do that?” Nethlia chuckled nervously.
“I’ll find a way.”
The door was swiftly shut in Nethlia’s face. She stood awkwardly in the corridor as she listened to the other girl rummage around getting dressed. “Oh, and, um, happy birthday?” she called through the door.
“Thanks!” She heard back, just before the door opened back up again, unveiling a dressed Autumn, complete with hat, robes, and now tamed hair. The magical potions and tonics had done wonders in freeing her from the rat’s nest of a mess it’d been before.
“Any idea of what you want to do for your birthday?” Nethlia asked as she guided Autumn towards the stairs on their way to the backyard.
Autumn shrugged. “Not really. I didn’t have any plans. Although, the madam, ah, Kharzina, wanted me to sing tonight, so I’ll have to show her a song before then, just to make sure it isn’t offensive or anything. Other than that, I plan to do nothing and just rest.”
Well, that wouldn’t do.
“You sure? We could go out somewhere? Explore the city, maybe?”
“Maybe some other day,” Autumn said, falling into a silence. Her face was etched with profound emotions that escaped Nethlia’s understanding.
She didn’t know what to say. Quietly, they exited the house and entered its walled back courtyard. It hadn’t changed since she’d last been here. Beautiful flower gardens still ringed the space, threaded with peaceful paths and cozy swing-benches while a large sand garden covered the central space. The sand had been swept into smooth meditative and aesthetic lines around decorative rocks, both large and small.
Off to the side, she spied Lia relaxing on one of the swing-benches, enjoying the calm cold of dawn. The bunnykin gave them a gentle wave, but otherwise left them to their business.
Nethlia removed her boots and strode out into the sand garden, disrupting the lines as her bare feet sank into the cool sands and the grains slipped through her toes. Turning, she faced Autumn and gestured to the other girl to join her. “Come on, it’s only sand.”
With her encouragement, the young witch slipped off her boots and robes, alongside her tattered witch’s hat, before joining Nethlia in the sandy arena. While not as brawny as the demoness, Autumn still possessed an athletic body beneath her loose clothing – evidence of an active lifestyle.
“Do you know how to stretch properly?” Nethlia asked, giving her a look over. “It’s important to limber up your muscles before a workout or a fight.”
“I do,” Autumn said. “But mine are mostly centered around my legs. I was more into running than fighting before…well, before all this.”
“That’s not totally a bad thing! Running away is just as important, if not more so, than knowing how to fight. We’ll go slow anyway. Just until you get used to it. Later, I can work with you to tailor some exercises to your body type. Let’s start with the basics for now.”
Nethlia quickly positioned herself behind Autumn and guided the younger girl through a series of easy-to-intense stretches to loosen up her muscles. Thankfully, the slimmer girl wasn’t that troublesome to guide. However, she did have to fight down the urge to place her hands in rather unprofessional places when the snow-skinned girl ended up bent into rather provocative poses.
Feeling rather heated and flushed, she moved onto the workout proper. Using some of the heavy stones from the garden, she pushed both Autumn and herself through her own personal workout. Granted, Autumn had a lighter load, but it was still punishing for the both of them.
By the time they finished, sweat was dripping down their backs and their muscles burned. Nethlia enjoyed the feeling. Wiping the soaked hair out of her eyes, she pushed it back behind her horns before turning to Autumn. “Alright,” she said. “That’s enough.”
Autumn practically collapsed into the sand, dropping her rock to roll onto her back and stare hollowly at the blue sky high above. “Never…again!” she panted as she struggled to catch her breath. “I…can’t…feel…my…arms!” Every ragged breath she took sent her breasts heaving.
Tearing her eyes away, Nethlia grinned. “Tough luck – we’ll be doing this every morning from here on out!”
“I will…find…a way…to curse you!”
Nethlia chuckled at the joke. At least, she hoped it was a joke. Reaching down, she clasped the human girl’s forearm and hauled Autumn to her shaky feet. “No time to rest yet, I still want to see how well you can fight.”
Autumn blinked at her, incredulous shock coloring her features. “You want to spar? Now? I can barely stand!”
“You think your enemies will wait until you’ve rested? Hardly. Besides, this is just to see how well you can fight, not to see how many times I can toss you in the sand. Which would be a lot, by the way. I’ll go easy on you.” And she would. Nethlia was easily rocking over 300 lbs of pure muscles while Autumn looked less than a third of that.
Reluctantly, Autumn settled into a loose stance across from herself, balling up her fists protectively before her face. “Good!” Nethlia barked, pleased at what she was seeing. “But hold your arms higher and closer to your body, and shift your weight more onto the balls of your feet. Here, let me show you.”
After a few quick corrections, the pair began to spar.
Predictably, Nethlia dominated the fight, but, like she said, it wasn’t about putting Autumn into the dirt, or, in this case, the sand. Instead, she showed the other girl the basics of how to throw a punch, how to kick, how to take a hit, and how to fall safely. Although, yes, she did toss the svelte girl into the sand once or twice for fun.
Autumn hit the ground once more with a solid ‘whump!’, letting out an exhalation of air as her legs were swept out from under her by Nethlia’s long tail. She’d caught the human girl by surprise, and before she could recover, Nethlia mounted her, pinning her body beneath and between her thighs. Reaching up lightning-quick, she captured Autumn’s wrists, effectively trapping her.
The temptation to have her way with the squirming girl was near overwhelming. And by the blush blooming across the human’s snow-white cheeks, she wasn’t the only one thinking carnal things about their position.
By the gods, she was cute.
Nethlia coughed lightly, her own cheeks darkening. “Now, um, now would be a good time to use your magic to escape.”
“I-I know that!” Autumn stuttered, blushing more. “I just like where I’m at.” She paused as the words haphazardly said registered. “Wait! I didn’t mean it like that! It’s just that it’s cold up here and you’re very warm! And I’m tired, so if lying here under your body gets me out of doing more training, then…then…
sigh
, what am I saying,” she lamented, slumping in embarrassed submission beneath her. “Just kill me now – it’ll be a mercy.”
A chuckle escaped Nethlia’s chest. Letting go of Autumn’s wrists, she helped the mortified girl to feet. “Come on, the morning meal is probably ready by now, and we need to shower first – the other girls will kill us if we turn up reeking of sweat and covered in sand.”
Looking around, she saw that Lia had already left.
Heading back into the house, they grabbed a fresh set of clothes from their respective rooms before heading down into the underground bathing chamber to wash off the accumulated sweat. Nethlia pretended not to notice the other girl bashfully peeking at her as she stood nude beneath the water’s flow.
Fresh and changed with muscles thoroughly exerted, the pair made their way back through the bordello towards the enticing smells of the dining hall. Entering, they found themselves the last to arrive.
“Nethlia! Autumn! Blessings of the dayspring upon you!” Saphielle cried out a cheerful elfin greeting upon spying them enter, thankfully in Infernal rather than in Ellyllon. The elvish tongue could be rather long-winded at times, she found. “Quite the show you two put on! Is that going to be a regular thing? If so, I won’t complain!”
“You were watching?!” Autumn squeaked, seemingly trying to vanish from everyone’s amused stares.
“Oh course! Honestly, I thought the two of you were going to start fucking right then and there when she pinned you down!”
Poor Autumn looked like she was about to spontaneously combust with how red her cheeks and ears went. Her rescue however came in the form of the madam’s firm voice. “That’s enough, Saphielle,” Madam Kharzina said from where she sat at the head of a long low-table. “Stop bothering the poor besotted girl and go help the others. You too, Little Nethlia, I want to have a word with Autumn before her performance tonight. Run along – I believe Nhilnilee could use some help in the kitchens.”
Gently, Nethlia patted a nervous Autumn encouragingly on the back. “Good luck!” she said before retreating towards the kitchens. The last thing she heard was her companion’s confused squawk as she ended up seated beside the madam.
The kitchens were one of the finest rooms in the house, and the warmest and best smelling. A large stone oven dominated the center, rising up to a ceiling high, ringed by a stone countertop burdened by a series of simmering pots and pans placed upon heated iron plates. The aromatic smells filled the air as the well-spiced meals and breads cooked.
Looking further in, Nethlia spied the elf she was looking for toiling away beneath a row of latticed windows that glowed with morning’s light.
Nhilnilee Torana, the house’s cook and Nethlia’s friend, was one of the Umbra – a dark elf. Like her woodland cousins, the Silvani – wood elves, she was tall, lithe, and otherworldly beautiful, only with skin the color of a purple-tinted midnight and hair like a long sheet of silken snow. Currently, she had her white hair pulled back into a messy bun and her amaranthine skin was dusted with fresh flour.
“Need any help?” Nethlia asked as she leant against the doorframe.
The dark elf glared over her shoulder at her. “About time you showed your face around here,” she grumbled. “What, too good to stop by and say hi? I had to hear that you were back from Saphielle of all people.”
“Don’t be like that, Lee,” Nethlia said as she approached the elf and wrapped her up in a hug that lifted the lissom woman off her feet. “I didn’t know where you live now, and you only work here in the mornings. How was I supposed to find you?”
Nhilnilee huffed, although she leaned back into the hug. “You’ve always got a good excuse ready, don’t you? Fine, I forgive you. Now, put me down! I don’t want the food to burn!”
Chuckling, Nethlia put the cook down. “Thanks, but you still didn’t answer my question.”
“Most of it’s done already, but you can help me taste it and keep it all from burning. How does your new friend like her spices?”
Nethlia grimaced. “Not well. I haven’t worked out what humans can tolerate yet, but I’m working on it,” she said, rubbing an embarrassed hand through her hair. It was honestly surprising how even a little amount of spiciness sent Autumn red-faced and reaching for a mug of something cool to alleviate the burn.
“A human, huh?” Nhilnilee mused, giving her a wry look. “They’ve got a softer palate than most of the people you’re used to. Put her next to Lia and Varva’s dishes – they’re milder than most, although strictly vegetarian. Remind me tomorrow and I’ll prepare some lighter spiced meats for her.”
“Varva?” That was a new name to her.
“Ah right, you wouldn’t know her. She’s another bunny like Lia, although I think they’re from different regions out east. She joined after you left, so she’s the newest girl, aside from the two new guards we had to replace you with.”
“I think I met one when we first arrived yesterday,” Nethlia said, recalling the demoness that’d been guarding the front gate. “Yacria, I think she introduced herself as. Emerald-skinned, green hair, decent set of muscles?”
Nhilnilee nodded. “That’s her. A bit skittish that one, but she’s decent at her job. The other is called Wysalana, and she’s a bit more stoic, but she’s good at keeping the riff-raff out. She’s another demoness – red skin, red hair, looks a bit like yourself actually. Maybe that's why the madam hired her?”
“Hmm,” Nethlia hummed as she bustled about the kitchen, checking on the dishes and tasting them. The taste was delightful and the spices were just right. “I’ll see about giving them some personal training later.”
“Hah!” Nhilnilee laughed. “Just try not to kill them.”
“I’ll do my best. But, um, I had a question I wanted to ask you. Your people live near humans, right?”
The dark elf gave her a curious look. “They do…but I wouldn’t call it a harmonious co-existence. You know what those Southern Humans are like. And what my people are like, if we’re being honest. Your human friend isn’t one of them, is she?”
“No,” Nethlia shook her head. “Not as far as I can tell. I think she’s from the Heartlands. But that doesn’t matter. What I wanted to ask was if you knew what they did to celebrate their birthdays, and if an eighteenth one was important to them. You see, it’s Autumn’s eighteenth birthday today, but I don’t know what to do. Any advice you could give would be a real help!”
For a moment, there was only the sound of simmering soups as Nhilnilee pondered her long memory. “I think turning eighteen is a big deal for them. Or it might’ve been sixteen. It’s been a long time since I left home, and I didn’t pay much attention to human cultures back then,” she said with a shrug. “I mostly focused on not getting murdered by rival families. Anyway, I think they celebrate their coming of age with an Orgia.”
Nethlia blinked. “Wait, they really do that?”
“Oh yeah, those humans love their orgies for all they decry your people’s freedom of love or mine. Granted, my people tend to have a rather rough view on what love is, and how necessary consent is. Sort of the reason I left, you know.”
“Right,” Nethlia sighed. She remembered that Nhilnilee had told her that she was some kind of political refugee or something. The Umbra didn’t have the best of reputations up north of the Ironspine mountains as they liked to embody the darkest sides of the elves. “Thanks, but I don’t think Autumn is the type of girl to want an orgy for a birthday gift.”
“You never know. Now, help me move all this food over to the tables.”