Coye 4.4

At long last, they're here.

-

Chapter 4 - Homecoming

"Darling?" Suzette looked up from the counter and stared at the door. Sure enough, the boy and Byng were standing right there. "Goodness, I wasn't expecting you back so soon. I thought you might've taken a day or so at the earliest! Both of you wait outside for a moment, and I'll be right with you."

"Sure thing," Coye nodded.

"Ugh…" Byng groaned.

Coye and Byng had spent the last few hours on horseback, covering a distance few others could have. They had just returned from giving back Lucky Wind to Any Neighs, and both were saddlesore and exhausted- Byng especially. Coye sat down on a bench outside Darkwood General Store, and Byng laid across his lap ass-up without a care for how embarrassing it looked.

It was just past six, and Suzette was having a slow day today anyway. There was nothing wrong with closing up shop an hour early. She sped through her closing routine, wrapping things up in an orderly fashion before changing the sign on the door to reflect that the shop was now closed.

Suzette immediately began to fuss over them and their needs when she came out to join them. "How are the both of you doing? Are you hungry? Hurt? Oh, dear. You're not hurt, are you? If there's anything I can get for you, just say the word."

"Ice… I could use some ice for my ass…" Byng asked without a hint of shame.

'Geez. I'm a little thankful for my size, just this once…' Shayla looked at the awkward display across Coye's lap and felt sympathy. The tense emotions she was feeling toward Byng had eased up over the ride home, and she was now in a much better mood, even if lingering sentiments remained under the surface that weren't going anywhere.

"Well, alright, then…" Suzette looked upon the redness of Byng's mostly exposed cheeks and was cursed with an influx of secondhand pain. "And you, Darling?"

"I'm good, thanks," Coye said with a gentle smile. Returning home after a long day of questing was all the sweeter when he had someone like this to return to, and all of Suzette's affection brightened his day more than anything else could.

Suzette then disappeared into her home, returning with an ice bag and a small blanket to cover up Byng's rear end. The way she was lying was downright improper, and Suzette didn't want her business to get a strange reputation because of her. She laid the ice on Byng, who sighed as the chill crept in along with an initial sting. Soon after, it graced her with a soothing relief made even better as the blanket was drawn over her.

"Aw, yeah… that's the stuff…" Byng sighed out of contentment.

Suzette smiled, glad to be of service, and then sat down on the edge of the bench next to Coye. She took his hand in hers and asked, "So, did everything go all right, Darling? Have you already stopped by the Guild?"

"Not yet, but everything went just fine for the most part. It could've gone better, though." Coye insisted with just a hint of pessimism.

"It still could've gone a whole lot worse!" Byng countered him with her typical optimism.

'And I helped,' Shayla crossed her arms. Despite her recovered mood, she was still rather desperate to feel included.

"You're saying one thing, and she's saying another," Suzette shook her head back and forth. "I suppose you better give me the whole story, then."

And so they did. Coye condensed the events as summarily as he could, with Byng pausing him repeatedly so she could exaggerate this and that. From their shared account, it sounded like quite an adventure. Suzette more or less received an adequate version of events by putting the two stories together. When she found out that most of her cargo was lost within a cave filled with Gargants, she merely nodded.

"Don't feel too bad about it, Darling. I was already prepared not to get any of it back. The fact that you were able to bring home even a little bit is good enough for me. I should be thanking you for that." Suzette told him before leaning in and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Just doing my job," Coye smiled softly.

"I suppose I only have myself to blame," Suzette sighed. "I would've never bothered if only I knew the trouble this would bring."

"So why did you?" Byng lifted her head to ask.

"Being a merchant is all about managing risk and reward. In this particular situation, I was assured on multiple fronts that this transaction had a chance of being well worth the risk it posed. The merchandise I bought was roughly four times lower than its market value, meaning quadruple profits in the best-case scenario. I made a gamble, and I lost. It happens from time to time."

"Man. That sounds pretty intense there, Suz," Byng laughed. "I think I'm gonna stick to adventuring and hunting while you do your thing."

'This whole business thing sounds fun,' Shayla thought. 'It's all about fucking over other people in creative and funny ways, right? I bet I could do that!'

Coye experienced a shiver as he imagined the power of a Pixie with a business all her own.

"Something wrong, Darling?"

"Oh, no," Coye threw out the image of Shayla sitting atop a pile of ill-begotten wealth from his mind and focused. "I was just thinking that you could still hire a Group of more experienced adventures to clear out the cave and excavate the cargo, but…"

"Definitely not worth the expenditure," Suzette shook her head.

"Figured," Coye shrugged. "Shame."

Byng smirked and looked at Suzette, teasing, "You should've seen how sulky he got over it, gahaha! Short-stuff was all upset he was gonna let you down, and he kept thinking about how he could've done things better. I had to snap him out of it, but he was adorable there for a bit!"

"Byng!" Coye whined.

Suzette smiled gently as she slid her hand on his thigh and gave it a sensual rub. "Is that so? Oh, Darling… you did your best, and that's more than I can ask for. There's no need to make it any more complicated than that."

Coye blushed at her touch, conscious of the fact they were in public. Still, he decided not to let it bother him, and he looked her in the eyes as he said, "I know, but what kind of man would I be if I wasn't at least a little bit upset for not saving the day and bringing back all of your merchandise?"

"My, my. You really have got to stop saying such precious things," Suzette giggled and looked away somewhat shyly, curling her magenta locks around her finger with a grin. "My poor heart won't be able to take it."

Coye's own heart fluttered at the thought of that. There were times when the stupidest things could set off his anxiety, and this was one such time. He didn't like thinking about Human hearts and their vulnerability, another cruel reminder of the difference between their species. Thankfully, he was pulled out of his momentary panic before anyone could notice, thanks to Shayla making a sudden demand.

'This flirting of yours has gone on long enough! Are you gonna ask about the special reward, or what?' She questioned with great impatience, pulling at his hair to stress the severity.

Coye got the message and winced imperceptibly, glad to have been returned to reality. He then started, "So, um… before we left-"

"Yeah, that's right! You were gonna tell us about the house thingy, right, Suz?" Byng barreled ahead.

"I-If you're comfortable talking about it," Coye stressed.

"I said I would, didn't I?" Suzette sighed. "Thank you for being considerate, Darling, but I'm all right." There was a pause that stretched for several moments as the woman looked ahead at the passersby winding down their business on Mainstreet. When she spoke again, her tone was somber. Quiet. "Past the Peace Gate and a little to the west, perched on a little hill close to the ruined town walls, my late husband owned a little cabin. I inherited it after his... untimely death. It's not big, nor is it in the best shape, but if you'd like a place to call your own, I would love nothing more than to give it to you, Coye."

'Score, score, SCORE!' Shayla tightened her greedy little hands into fists, almost knocking on the underside of Coye's hat before she remembered how bad that would've been and stopped.

"Hey, nice! Good for you, short-stuff." Byng cheered in a much more casual and acceptable manner.

Only Coye had anything of actual substance to say about Suzette's offer. "Wow. Are you sure about this? Give me a whole house seems… um… well, even if it's as small as you say, it's still incredibly generous of you. That, and you don't sound all too convinced about it…"

'Hey! What the fuck are you doing down there?' Shayla banged on his skull. 'Don't you dare go ruining this for me!' Her mood already wasn't the best today. She didn't know if she could handle having this ripped out from under her.

"Don't mistake my hesitance as uncertainty," Suzette shook her head and looked him dead in the eyes, as confident as she ever looked. "I very much made up my mind to give it to you, even at the risk of spoiling you rotten. That said, that doesn't make doing so any easier. I have… bad memories regarding that cabin… remembrances I could do without from a time that seems like eons ago. If possible, I'd prefer to replace those with happier memories. I see no better way to accomplish this than by giving it to you. Mind you, I've thought of burning it to the ground more than once or twice, but goodness knows that would be such a hassle…" she giggled, leaving it up to the others to determine whether or not this was a joke or not.

Coye, being the simple boy that he was, was utterly convinced. He had heard all he needed to. He took Suzette's hand, squeezing it to give her comfort before interlocking his fingers with hers. "I understand. If me taking this house off your hands will make you happier, I'll do it."

'That's right, you will…' Shayla mumbled.

"Darling, you've-" Suzette paused as Byng ruined the moment by rubbing her sore red ass under the blanket and making a pained expression.

When she noticed all the eyes on her, Byng blushed and paused. "It really hurts, okay?" She whined.

Suzette and Coye laughed before the older woman continued. "What I was trying to say is that you've made me happier than you can imagine. I'm so dreadfully excited. That man… that awful, awful man spoiled that house with his wickedness… so the way I see it, it's only fair that I take my revenge by spoiling it in turn…"

Suzette's eyes were smoldering, and she brought her thumbnail to her lip and anxiously chewed. Unlike her previous comment, this one was very obviously not a joke.

"Uh…" Byng looked over to Coye, who shrugged.

'And she's been doing so good about the whole being creepy as hell thing today, too…' Shayla sighed.

Coye squeezed her hand harder, trying to focus her attention and get this darkness back to a more manageable amount. "Suzette…"

"Oh, yes… where was I… goodness, so embarrassing…" Suzette looked around with a reddened face, then tried to re-compose herself. "Ah, yes. I remember I was going to mention that the cabin requires a good deal of tender loving care before I can hand it over to you. If we make a day of it tomorrow, I wager we could have it all tidied up by sundown. What do you say, Byng? Darling? You don't have any plans, do you?"

"No, that sounds great to me, actually. What about you?" Coye looked to Byng, who was much more unsure than himself.

"We'll, it's not like I'm not down for it, but I don't know if I'm the best one for this quest, gahaha… ask short-stuff here about my camp, and he'll tell you all about it. I ain't exactly what you call 'tidy.'"

"It's true," Coye provided a solemn nod. "Byng lives in organized chaos."

Suzette scoffed, dismissing her concerns with a wave of the hand. "Nonsense. Everything will go just fine if you follow my instructions, dear.

"Kay," Byng groaned. "It's not like I don't wanna hang out with you or anything, don't get me wrong, it's just…"

"It's funny you should bring that up, Byng. I'd like to get to know you better as well. I wanted to ask how you would feel about staying here and having dinner with me while Darling goes and turns your quest in?" Suzette asked as she looked directly into the eyes of the girl sitting across her lover's lap.

'Oh, no. It's happening. She's going to chop Byng up and sell her as pies on her shelf!' Shayla joked.

"Um… I mean, y-yeah, that'd be nice, I guess... but where is this coming from all of a sudden?" Byng blinked. "Usually, you don't even want me in your house because of the smell! Makes a girl wonder where this is all coming from, y'know?"

"Where it's coming from, hm? It's simple, really. I want to talk with you... alone. Are you comfortable with that? I know I may have been a little overzealous regarding your... scent, but..."

With a sigh, Byng forced herself to sit upright next to Coye. "Don't worry about it, Suz. I'm down for whatever. Besides, you probably need to let Dotty know you'll be moving out of the Guild soon, short-stuff. You don't wanna leave without saying goodbye, you?"

"It's not like I'm going to be leaving forever," Coye tilted his head. "It sounds like the new house is gonna be pretty close, isn't it?"

"It is," Suzette confirmed. "But she's taken care of you for two years now, isn't that right? It's only polite for you to thank her for everything she's done for you, Darling!" She urged, recognizing this as a prime opportunity for the boy to grow closer to the object of his desires.

"Fair enough," he replied and stood up, oblivious to the older woman's machinations just as he was oblivious to so many other things. "It was nice knowing you, Byng. I wish we could've spent more time together, and I'm sorry it has to end like this..."

"Hey! You're making it sound like Suz is gonna kill me or something!" Byng exclaimed.

"I don't believe that's going to be necessary, silly girl. Still, I suppose there's still plenty of time for you to prove me wrong." Suzette started giggling, only to realize that neither Coye nor Byng was convinced she was joking. She slumped her shoulders as she said, "Really, you two... I was only kidding!"

'It would be a lot more convincing if she didn't have that whole aura of bloody murder going on half the time...' Shayla clicked her tongue.

"Don't scare us like that," Coye laughed.

"Seriously," Byng sighed with even greater relief. "That's my skin on the line, y'know?"

Suzette frowned, aghast that the two of them believed she was capable of such vile misdeeds. Given that she had more pressing matters to attend to with her new friend, she let it go and extended her hand to Byng. "Alright, alright. Clearly, neither of you can take a joke. A pity." Byng took the woman's hand and allowed her to pull her up, wincing as her aching thighs cried out in rebellion. "Come along, you. I'm sure I have something better than ice for all that saddlesore.

Suzette began to escort Byng inside the store, only to turn and look at Coye one more time before they left. "And as for you, Darling, I have some errands to run in the morning. I'll send Byng to pick you up tomorrow morning at the Guild, and then you can join me at the cabin. Does that work?"

"Sure thing. I don't know what you two will talk about, but... go easy on her, please."

At this point, she was starting to feel a little grumpy over what they thought of her intentions. "For the last time, I just want to ask some questions!" Suzette then paused, and her gaze became a little distant as she said, "...That, and I believe there are a few topics Byng and I need to discuss in private."

Byng felt an icy chill running down her spine, and before she could even say a word in protest, Suzette pulled her entirely into the store, and the door was closed behind them. Coye heard the lock, and then he was alone with Shayla again. Part of him worried that not getting any sexual relief tonight would bite him in the ass tomorrow, but he figured he could take it. Just as he wondered what Suzette wanted to talk to Byng about, the Pixie spoke up and demanded his attention.

'Get your cute little ass into an alley real quick. We need to talk about this! Now!'

Coye expected this message was coming, so he complied without any resistance. He ducked around and found a corner behind a shop where no one would see them. She had him double-check their surroundings, and when he could verify that they were indeed cut off from the world around them, Shayla burst out of his hat and started flying victory laps in the dark alleyway. Her Pixie dust fell like snow as her wings vibrated with excitement, twitch, twitch, twitching away before she tackled him and spread her little arms across as much of his chest as she could.

It warmed his heart to see it.

Coye smiled as Shayla nuzzled her face into him repeatedly, saying, "I can't believe it's finally happening! After all that subtle scheming of mine, you're actually getting a house!"

"Your scheming wasn't very subtle," he chuckled. "You asked me about getting one constantly."

"Yeah, well, what matters is the results!" Shayla rolled her eyes at him before fluttering away. She then pointed a finger at him and made a serious face. "You better start treating that creepy old lady like a Goddess from now on. You got that? If you ever make her cry, I'll give you a Pixie bite for every tear!"

"Not even a few minutes ago, you were making jokes about Suzette turning Byng into a pie,"

"What have we said about using my own words against me?" Shayla smirked and put her hands on her hips.

"Don't?"

"There you go, big guy! You're learning!"

The two shared a small laugh, and Coye continued to smile long after they were done. "I'm happy for you, Shayla. Especially since I was a little worried about you today..."

Shit. Now the center of attention, Shayla shrunk and turned away. "What are you talking about? I'm the same as I've always been!" She insisted despite the futility.

"No, you were clearly more standoffish, and there were times when you cut back on your sarcastic commentary. Don't think I don't notice these things. I know I'm not the brightest, but..."

Shayla sighed. If he already knew, then denying it wasn't much use. She turned to face him and frowned. "Okay, fine. Maybe I'm a little annoyed that I had to sit up in the hat all day when questing is usually when I get to spread my wings and fly by your side, but it's no big deal. Really."

"You sure you're not-"

"Baby, the next word out of your mouth better not be 'jealous.'"

"Are you, though?" He tilted his head.

"... Maybe just a little. I don't know. It's annoying having to sit there while you and Byng get to act all cutesy together and flirt while I'm stuck providing 'sarcastic commentary,' as you like to call it." She shrugged. "Anyway, I'd rather not talk about this right now. It's kind of putting a damper on the whole 'hell yes, we just got a house!' thing."

"If that's really what you want," Coye frowned. Even though this was partially her fault for not wanting to introduce herself to Byng, he knew that Shayla had issues and only wished he could do something to help the girl he loved. "Would it make you feel better if I promised to do some solo quests with you soon?"

"I think that might help, yeah," Shayla smiled an infectious smile that wormed its way onto his face as well. "So would a little fun tonight, if you know what I mean..."

Coye turned bright red as he nodded his head with excitement. She never got tired of seeing just how excited the idea of sex made this pure, innocent boy of hers. It almost turned him into an entirely different person. Shayla had no choice but to roll her eyes.

"Geez, chill. It's just a little innuendo, baby."

"Doesn't mean I can't be excited about it," Coye countered.

"Why aren't you more excited about the house? That should be your main takeaway here, dummy! Don't tell me you're upset about the whole dead husband thing. I'm sure it's a great place so long as we look past the bloodstains and the skeletons in all the closets. A murder cabin is still a cabin!"

"Suzette is not giving us a murder cabin!" Coye insisted with less confidence than he would've liked. "Besides, I am excited. It's just that this was always more of a 'you' thing, you know? On top of that, it's like Suzette said. I've been living in the Guild for two years now. I like it there. It's comfy, and I'll have a lot of memories there..."

Shayla gave him a suspicious look and crossed her arms over her chest. "If this is because you're going to miss Dorothy, I'd respect you a lot more if you just said it."

Coye hung his head. "I'm going to miss Dorothy a little bit, yeah. It's a weird feeling knowing that she won't be under the same roof when I go to bed tomorrow."

"Uh-huh... whatever you say, creep. Maybe she'll break down, cry, and beg you not to go if you're lucky?" Shayla posited with a mischievous grin.

"Shayla! Don't joke about things like that!"

"Alright, I won't... as long as you admit how much you like the idea of your precious Guild Mistress on her knees shouting 'no, Coye, don't go!'"

Coye let silence be his answer, as anything else would be incriminating.

"That's what I thought, big guy." Shayla snickered.

She was just too much for him sometimes.

"I know this might ruin the mood even more, but would you mind if we drop these off at Snyther's?" Coye gestured toward the bag of monster parts strapped to his back with his thumb. "There's no way to tell what kind of stuff we might need to pick up for the house, so it might be handy if we get some extra cash just in case."

"Ugh. I hate to say it– and I mean I really, really hate to say it, but you're probably right..." Shayla groaned at the mere thought of visiting that horrid little shop, but she wanted to stock that house with lovely items and treasures, and since Coye was against forcibly seizing things the Pixie way, she relented. "I'll suck it in long enough for you to trade the junk in. But you better make it snappy, okay? I mean it! In and out."

"In and out, got it," Coye nodded and lifted up his hat for her. "I could drop you off the Guild first if you wanted, though."

"Nah. I'm already out and about with you, baby. Might as well." She shrugged, then took her roost as they set off for Lettimore street.

Taking care of business went as smoothly as it could have. They were only in the shop for a few minutes. Coye was in no mood to go about haggling, and it just so happened that Mr. Snyther was apparently still shaken up by the thrashing Byng put him through on their last visit. The price offered for the whole bag of Lindwurm parts seemed more than fair to Coye, so he left that shop 1,200G richer than he entered. Shayla was glad that the exchange was conducted with brevity, even though she thought Coye still could've pushed a little harder and wheedled a bit more coin from the suspicious mixer of potions. She cared more about leaving than she did getting on the boy's case, though, so they started their way back to the Guild.

By the time he approached his soon-to-be former home, it was deep into the evening, and the sun was just beginning to set. The air was cool and refreshing, at least as far as Cransmere air could be. Coye wanted nothing more than to wrap up his day of hard work, turn in his quest, and have a nice talk with Dorothy if she was available. He reached out to open the front door, only for that familiar spark of danger to rear its head and the back of his mind.

Something was amiss.

Coye stopped what he was doing and scanned his surroundings immediately.

'Uh, something wrong down there, baby?' Shayla blinked and followed his cue, looking around through the magically transparent hat. 'Wait, don't tell me. Is Byng up to one of her tricks again? I swear, not even a red ass and chafed thighs can put that girl down. Respect.'

"No..." Coye mumbled, low enough so that anyone listening wouldn't be able to hear. "This doesn't feel like her. It's..." Coye froze up, and when he ran through all the other possibilities, there remained only one that seemed likely. "It's something worse."

'Something worse than Byng?' Shayla remained clueless until she really, really put her head to it. She gasped when she pieced it together, then kept silent, waiting for Coye's next move with immense interest.

Coye knew that he had very few options. If he ran, they would find them as they always did. He sighed. This wasn't at all how he wanted to spend his evening, but it was unavoidable. With no other option, he opened the front door and entered.

He immediately expected the worst but was met instead with nothing at all.

Neither Dorothy nor Tammy were stationed at the front desk at the far end of the room. He then looked left and right, seeing no one. This wasn't right. His senses were rarely wrong, especially not after the year of nigh-constant bullying those four had put him through.

If they weren't in the Guild, then... that could only mean...

Coye attempted to spin around and look over his shoulder, but he was too late. A familiar hand grasped his leather shoulder pauldron, a hand stronger than any he'd ever known besides that of his father's. She clenched it tight as she taunted, "What's the matter, loser? Are you, like, looking for something? Here's a tip. If you need to go and piss your pants, the bathroom is that way."

The next thing he knew, that mighty hand spun him around violently in place with no regard for his well-being so that he could face the young woman it belonged to. Coye stared into Britni's intense, ice-cold eyes that stared at him the same way they always did. Like he was a piece of garbage, lower than the lowest worm, and yet paradoxically like he was all that mattered in all the Realms. They were eyes of scorn and eyes of interest, leaving Coye as confused as ever.

Behind the dark-skinned, well-dressed, makeup-drenched young blonde woman were her three best friends-slash-cohorts. The closest of the three was Coco, a short Beastfolk dog girl with a huge bushy tail. Behind her was the ever-smiling alchemist Tiphanie Biledrop, while the Half-Demoness Marlie brought up the rear, standing off to the side with her arms folded as she often did.

Coco was watching with an expression that Coye had long since grown used to, her typical fierce look with angry brows and slightly bared fangs that looked out of place on such a small, cute, and fashionable girl. Tiph looked on the verge of laughter- like someone had told her a joke that only she was clever enough to understand. Or maybe she was just high, like usual. It could be difficult to know with her. Marlie was much harder to read, with her burning violet eyes, black sclera, and the black, stylized facemask she wore that covered her entire face from below the tip of her nose.

Shayla observed the Baddest Bitche with wide, glimmering eyes. Whatever she expected of the girls she'd heard so much about, it wasn't this.

As for Coye, he was overtaken with his usual mix of emotions whenever he was confronted by his bullies. Yet, something wasn't quite right. As he stared back at Britni, he didn't cower as much as he would have in the past. He didn't feel like making an excuse to try and get away from them, either.

Instead, Coye was more curious than anything else and compelled to ask a question that came to mind.

"Britni, uh, hey. Were you guys waiting for me just now or something?" Coye looked at the floor with a raised eyebrow and a tilted head. They'd ambushed him many times, so why was it only now that he realized how lame it was for them to try and corner him like this?

Britni looked at the boy in confusion. Of course, they were waiting for him, but when he brought it up like that, it made it seem so much weirder than it was. She blinked and took her hand away, covering her embarrassment with harshness in her voice as she clapped back, "Waiting for you? As if! Why in Hel would we be waiting for you? Hah! That's, like, soooo not the case. Coco was just-"

"Coco smelled the runt when we were walking to Guild! Told Britni!" Coco barked, her hands on her hips and her stance wide with dominance.

"Yes, exactly! Good girl!" Britni smirked and dug her hand into a small pouch fastened to her belt, pulling out a small pink treat in the shape of a dog bone that she then tossed into the air.

Coco devoured it without chewing before returning her angry gaze to Coye. She pointed at her dog nose, which stood out as the only inhuman feature of her face. "Best sniffer!" She warned him with a growl.

Tiph approached Coye from the side, swaying her tall and curvy body purposefully as she cupped her chin between her fingers and puffed out her painted, purple lips. "Heeeey there, Squirt," she said in that long, drawn-out voice that indicated she was indeed at least somewhat high as per the norm. "What's the maaaatter? You, like, don't seem too happy to see us even though we been gone for soooo long..."

Once close enough, Tiph reached out and tickled under Coye's chin with her pointer finger, running her long, purple nail against his impossibly soft Half-Elven skin. Coye was quickly overwhelmed and tried unsuccessfully to suppress his body's involuntary demand to issue forth a moan or a cute noise.

"Ahn...! T-Tiph, no...!" He shivered at the touch and moved backward a little bit to put more distance between the touchy, teasing young woman.

"Theeeere we go. That's way, waaaay more like it..." Tiph laughed at him, though the laugh masked the faintest splash of poison in her voice despite her friendly demeanor.

Behind her, the dark-skinned Half-Demoness simply sighed. "Pathetic," she said in a soft, low grumble that was both smooth and harsh.

Tiph gave Marlie an annoyed glare, seeming like she was on the verge of firing back, but Britni took hold of the situation and grabbed Coye by his bandolier, hoisting him up off the ground. "That's enough out of you bitches," she commanded, brokering a momentary peace between the two frenemies. "As for you, I think it would be, like, totally a great idea if you came out behind the Guild with us so we can catch up somewhere a little more private. That sounds real good to you, doesn't it, loser?" Britni suggested in a way that provided his own answer for him.

"Uh, yeah... that sounds great, I guess," Coye replied, blushing at the Midgardian Viking's display of strength in a way he never had before. "I just have to go turn in a quest, and then, um, I needed to have a talk with-"

Britni looked over his shoulder and clicked her tongue. "That so? Too bad, then. Looks like Tammy's on break and the sleepless strumpet is, like, nowhere to be found! Guess you're stuck with us." As she tossed him on his back, the girl rattled off a bitchy laugh. "Oh, hey. Now that I think about it, I'm, like, totally thirsty. What about you girls?"

"Yeaaaaah," Tiph agreed with a smirk. "I could go for some faaaancy wine right about now, as fancy as you can get. You know, with like... bubbles and shit?"

"Coco thirsts only for battle, but she will have a bowl of gravy! ...No! Wait! Two bowls!" Coco declared.

Marlie looked at Coye and shrugged. "I'll have whatever's cheapest that isn't water."

"Um, I, uh... I-I suppose you'll be wanting your usual spiced mead?" Coye stood up and asked as he looked at Britni.

"Duh. The spicier, the better! You've got five minutes, loser. We'll be waiting for you, so hurry it up." Britni continued her mean-spirited laughter as she turned away dramatically. She paused and then exaggeratedly like she'd just remembered something. "Oh. By the way, I know you can be as slow as a Troll, so just in case you forgot, this is your treat." Britni smirked.

Coye assumed so. He was wise to just about all of Britni's playbook by now, but still. Why were things so much different? Whatever the answer, he knew it was something on his end. The cold disregard, her bitchy laugh, and that amazing, humiliating way she lifted him up off the ground and told him what to do... it all added up and made him utter, "Yes, Britni..." with more sincerity than he'd ever said it with before.

Britni wasn't oblivious to the way he relented in such a euphoric manner, and she gave him a hesitant, uncomfortable look before writing it off as probably nothing before disappearing around the corner, her party members following in tow.

Shayla, who had been observing in silence so that she could adequately judge these girls, finally spoke. 'Tonight... is gonna be a lot more interesting than I thought it would be...' She said, cracking her knuckles in excitement.

The Pixie noticed the change in Coye before he was even aware of it and couldn't hold her anticipation back over the entertainment she was about to witness.