Acolyte of the Pleasure Goddess Ch. 07

Tulp nodded. "That's probably where we got our taste for it. We started campaigning only shortly afterwards."

"Hmm, I suppose you're right. I never put the two together, to tell you the truth."

The two older men raised their mugs of ale towards Delyssa.

"To our friendly neighbor goddess, and the temptations of her followers!" Tulp cried.

"And to Delyssa's particular temptations, and the memories they inspire!"

Delyssa blushed. She hadn't been the object of a toast since her coming of age ceremony in the Temple's great hall, years ago. She found that she was enjoying the new company of the two men. Of the very few campaigners she had met, these two were the most immediately familiar to her.

"You know," she said. "I think I know the window overlooking our garden that you referred to. We still get initiates from your side climbing down every once in awhile. It seems you've inspired a tradition."

Tulp laughed and thumped his chest. "Our legacy shall never end!" he cried.

Vael leaned towards Delyssa. "I shall go fetch us some drinks and round up the others." She squeezed his arm affectionately before he stepped away from the table.

Tulp watched Vael slip into the crowd. "You friend there seemed a little put off, Delyssa."

She shrugged. "I think that he may have preferred it if you two were burly thugs he could have scared off and left us a table for ourselves."

"Only it turned out that we get along well," said Macarh.

She nodded. "And we have something in common."

"Is he your man?" Tulp asked, then waved his hand. "Sorry, dumb question. I know that's not how you think about partners. I just meant to ask if you two were something of a pair."

Delyssa sat back. She looked for answers on the wall above the Stormcatchers' heads. "It's complicated," she admitted. "It's all new, for him and for me. I don't think we've ever met someone like each other."

"But he loves you," said Tulp. It was less of a question and more of an observation.

"Yes, I think so," said Delyssa. "And I believe that he thinks so, too."

"Although he hasn't lain with you, I presume," Macarh said carefully.

"No. Not yet," she said. "Though I haven't given him a direct invitation. I'm beginning to learn that he is a man who needs things to be said plainly and forthright."

"Are you sure he likes women?"

"No. But he likes me, I know that. Maybe not in all the same ways that I like him."

Tulp sat back and stroked his beard. "I see. Well, we have a saying, that nothing clears the air like a storm. Maybe you should lay it all out for him."

Before Delyssa could answer, a huge wooden tray, piled high with food and brimming steins, slammed down on the table beside her. She was suddenly struck with the aroma of freshly roasted meats and vegetable. Bryn appeared at her side, leaning over the table, looking predatory as he surveyed the platter of food.

"I found him leaving the kitchen," said Vael, standing behind the fighter.

"A hot, full meal," Bryn said. "Is it blasphemy if I say that it's better than sex?" he said, turning to Delyssa.

"No," she laughed. "When we get back to Gra'tan, you'll have to be my guest for one of our feasts, and see how much our cult appreciates a good meal."

They dragged chairs around until Bryn was seated to Delyssa's left, with Vael on her right, between her and Tulp. Bryn introduced himself to the two Stormcatchers, who welcomed him to the table. They left an empty chair next to Bryn for Cenhera, who was still securing their treasure.

The platter Bryn brought to the table was laden with a variety of savory dishes: roasted partridge atop a mash of leeks, garlic, and shallots; a deep bowl of yogurt with barley meal and juniper berries that Delyssa eyed; Bryn focused on gnawing on a seasoned shank of mutton, spiced with cumin and coriander, along with wild licorice and a thick cream. Vael found himself before a steaming lamb stew, filled with carrots, fennel, and garnished with parsley.

"I hope you paid well for this," Delyssa said to Bryn as they passed bowls and plates around the table.

"If a week ago you told me how much I would pay for a meal, I would have gone completely mad," he said through a mouthful of meat.

As they ate, they related their adventures to the two clerics of Amnstra, who in turn described to them some of their experiences in the greater world. There was fighting all up and down the Riversea, Tulp described, grimly. The two had to travel much farther north than they usually did in order to avoid the armies, up north to where the mountains that lined the banks of the great river were perpetually snow-capped. Like Delyssa, Tulp and Macarh were both Gra'tani natives, and were happy to back in the desert climate of their home.

When Cenhera found her way to the group, she eyed the two new men with some amount of distrust, but Bryn forced a wing of the partridge on her and, settled by the pleasure of the meal, she was soon easily conversing with Macarh on the other side of the table.

Delyssa enjoyed her portions, and soon felt herself full and satisfied, like waking up next to someone you love after a good night's rest. She sipped at her mug of spiced ale: it wasn't a strong drink, but the spice more than compensated for how it was watered down.

Occasionally, she shared anecdotes about their respective temples with Tulp, but mostly she listened to the others' conversations over the clamor of the rest of the tavern. Bryn and Cenhera listened to Macarh boast about how he and Tulp fought off a thunderdrake that descended upon them to feast on their lightning catch. Vael and Tulp seemed to be engaged in a low conversation on the politics of distant lands whose names Delyssa either dimly recalled or never heard before.

Eventually, she found herself drawn to watching the other patrons of the Daft Dragon Inn. It was an adventurer's tavern through and through, and she enjoyed the scenes of strangers as if she were watching some sort of theater performance. There were little private moments all over, it seemed, the kind that Delyssa found a great deal of pleasure in watching. Two adventurers that she first noticed when she sat down, who at the beginning of the night were leaning away from one another on their stools, had now reversed, with one's head leaning on the other's shoulder, his hand wrapped about the other's waist. A group of older campaigners, all humans with hair either graying or already white raised their cups towards an empty seat at their table, then drank in silence. The barmaid, her tray empty as she made her way through the crowd toward the kitchen, paused to flirt coquettishly with a rugged, handsome man who slipped his hand underneath her skirts.

She scanned further up the bar and straightened. The elf she saw when she first entered the tavern was staring at her, a faint smile on their lips. The attention flustered her, partially at being caught at her blatant voyeurism and partly at the ethereal, inhuman beauty that the elf possessed. She spun back around in her chair and faced the rest of the group.

Tulp looked at her, then over her shoulder. "Ah," he said. "Want me to make an introduction for you, Delyssa?"

"No," she said a little too quickly, and Tulp laughed.

"What's going on?" said Bryn, leaning over towards them.

"I don't think Delyssa has ever met an elf before," said Tulp.

"Lucky her," Cenhera muttered.

"I've heard stories about them," she said. "But no, never... up close. I think I'll just sit here."

Bryn suppressed a laugh. "I'm surprised to see you so nervous. Why don't we call them over, and you can finally meet a real elf?"

Cenhera covered her eyes with her hands. "Please, do not do that."

"We don't need to interrupt them," said Delyssa, turning around once more to eye the beautiful figure sitting at the bar. Their long, golden hair flowed down towards their slender hips in an intricate weave. The rest of the tavern seemed a little dimmer in comparison to the fey creature.

"Nonsense," said Bryn. "It'll be a good, uh, learning opportunity."

Tulp put his hand on Bryn's arm as the fighter was about to stand. "Better make sure they're not on campaign at the moment, son." Bryn blushed a little at the word "son" but nodded.

Macarh leaned over to the adjacent table and elbowed a hulking man in spiked, black armor. "That elf by the bar, who're they with?" The man twisted around in his seat, his eyes two red, burning dots within the shadow of his visor. They squinted at the elf. "That's Alaith Landariel-Giearera. They're with the Bastard Braves, and the rumor is that they hate 'em. They just came back from a lost ruin deep in the desert and are headed up north, I think."

"Thanks, friend." Macarh turned back to the rest of the group. "I think you're good," he said to Bryn.

Before Delyssa could stop him, Bryn stood and strode over to the elf. She couldn't hear what was said, but watched in a mixture of embarrassment and enthrallment as Bryn pointed her out and gently pressed the elf in her direction. The ethereal figure looked puzzled for a moment, but ambled over while Bryn walked behind them, smirking. Next to her, Cenhera cursed and hunched over her drink.

"This is Delyssa," Bryn said, putting his hands on the elf's shoulders. She felt her cheeks grow hot as she looked up into the pale, angular perfection of the elf's face. Bryn continued, "she's very good at sex and would like to take you back out into the yard behind the tavern and fuck you till dawn."

"Bryn!" Delyssa exclaimed, shocked at his sudden temerity, but before she could interrupt him any further, the elf threw one soft, long-fingered hand up to their forehead in a dramatic gesture.

"Ah! Romance!" They cried, clutching at the front of their shirt, their voice like chimes. "Be not so sudden, fair and gentle Delyssa, for though the heart knows what it desires, it beats too fast for thine own body! Alack, that wanton need has pulled us together, and how the longing for enjoyed enjoining conspires to raise the fairest fouls!"

"Um," said Delyssa.

"But such a ribald, guttural pursuit is far beneath your bountiful charms! My affection calls to you, but no rhythm of word or body would e'er evince its amplitude! A symbol, yes, a symbol of love is what we need! Tell me, dearest, have you ever seen the lily of the Tyresian cliffs? A fairer flower has never been found, and only such a garland could ever match your comely charms!"

"I'm afraid I don't know it," Delyssa said, perplexed.

"Then I shall haste away to those tempestuous cliffs and retrieve for you only the most beautiful bloom as a declaration of our love! Then, upon a bed of petals shall we lie, entangled in our amorousness!"

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Delyssa tried, but the elf was already slipping towards the door of the tavern.

"Oh, but I must!" the elf cried over the din. "What is love without romance! The heart cannot speak for itself, its devotion must be shown! Stay true, my sweet, stay faithful and know that I shall return! Farewell, my darling, my love, my dearest!" The tavern door shut behind the elf as they scurried out.

Delyssa sat back, feeling lost. She turned to the group. Bryn was rocking back and forth in his chair with laughter, while Tulp and Macarh chuckled to themselves. Cenhera rolled her eyes, and even Vael was watching her with his eyebrows raised, a small smile on his lips.

"Where are the cliffs of Tyresia?" She asked Tulp.

The Stormcatcher scratched his chin. "About two thousand leagues away from here, I think. It's a land far beyond the Riversea."

"So how would the elf get there?"

"Well, by ship it's probably about two months to reach the bottom of the Emerald Bridge from here, then by ship? Probably a year and a half. That's if the elf decides to sail the entire length of the River, but elves typically get sick on the water, so they might just walk until they reach the shore." Tulp shrugged. "So you're looking at a couple years of travel, most likely."

Delyssa gasped. "They won't really travel to whole other lands for years just for me, right? They don't even know me!"

"Elves are fickle. It'll most certainly get distracted before then. Even if it somehow makes it to the Tyresian cliffs, it'll probably have forgotten why it was there. That's just how they are."

Bryn wiped tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes. "Don't feel sorry for them, Delyssa. That elf will live for a thousand more years -- one or two spent wandering for nonsense is nothing to them."

Delyssa sat back. There was a part of her that wanted to laugh at the debacle that just happened, but there was another part that felt like a childhood wonder had just been evaporated in front of her.

"Are all elves like that?" she asked the group.

"Pretty much," said Cenhera. "They're generally all ponderous weirdos. They don't care much for us shorter-lived peoples or our problems, and they flit about from one fancy to the next with no regard."

"Huh." It was just about all Delyssa felt like she could say. Then the absurdity of her interaction with the elf hit her all at once, and she began to laugh along with the rest. Once they settled, conversation largely resumed as it was before.

#

Delyssa knew that Vael was waiting for the chance to speak. He had a hesitant look on his face, and when she glanced at him -- often -- he held her gaze and opened his mouth, but would shut it again and look away. His eyes shifted between her and Bryn. She waited until Tulp distracted Vael with another story about his travels, then kicked Bryn's foot under the table.

"Ow?" the fighter said, more curious than injured.

She jerked her head towards the paladin and gestured for Bryn to leave.

"What?"

She stomped on his foot again, harder.

"Oh, uh. I gotta piss," he said, excusing himself from the table.

Tulp caught Delyssa's eye and hastily finished his anecdote. "And, of course, we caught the apostate before he could summon the hurricane. It was a great and epic battle, of the sort that happens every day. Now if you'll permit me, I'll get us another round of drinks."

Delyssa turned herself towards Vael, who hunched over his cup, holding the mug with both hands.

"Am I the same as that elf?" he said eventually, looking up to her.

"What do you mean?"

"They spoke of these grand romantic gestures, great symbols of love and adoration, when really..." he paused, taking a drink from his cup as if to steel himself. "When really, if they had said yes, you would have taken them behind the tavern, would you not?"

"Probably," she admitted. "I think the wonder and novelty would have been hard to resist."

Vael nodded. "But instead they insisted on this declaration that you did not desire, and left, leaving you both with nothing. Well, perhaps the elf was satisfied, I cannot know the minds of such a being." He placed his hand atop hers on the table.

"I do not want to leave you with nothing," he said. "I may not... feel the same urges as you and Bryn. But I still think of what you said, that your passions is just something you do with your bodies..."

Delyssa waited, feeling her heart pound in her chest.

"I think," he said slowly. "That I want to try to please you in that way. Or any way that you desire."

She held his hand in hers. She felt her love for him swell, along with her desire. She felt that compulsion, the magnetic need to bring her body towards his, to feel skin along skin. She felt her nipples begin to stiffen, a confession in the naked air. She resisted the impulse to throw herself at the paladin.

"If that's what you truly wish," she said, carefully. "If you offer yourself to me, I'll have you. And you'll have me, however you desire. But I don't want you to hurt yourself for me."

He shook his head and looked away, scanning across the rest of the room as if searching for something, looking for the right words. "I should not be afraid. For a long time I never was. It has been eaten from me, carved out and devoured. Or so I thought. I do not know what I am afraid of now. Or rather, I feel a different, rival fear with each heartbeat. I fear losing you. I fear losing my friends. I fear that I cannot be what they are to you, and so will lose all of you together. But I also fear becoming someone else, of leaving who I am now. I have built a fortress around myself, and I fear departing its security."

Delyssa thought for a moment, then hauled herself onto his lap. She pressed his hands around her waist and slung her arms around his neck.

"You speak of losing people as if they're battles," she said. "Of the heart as if it's a castle to besiege. That's not how people are. Do you know why I love you?"

"No," he said. "You seem to love everybody."

She shook her head. "Love comes easy to me, true, but that doesn't mean it's weak or unfounded. I love the man who emptied his purse for orphans on the street. I love the man who, when he doesn't speak in riddles, says what's in his heart, whether its witty or barbed or achingly honest. I can't dismiss your fears, Vael, but I can assure you of what I know. That man, the man I find that I love, is no different chaste than if he fucks me."

Vael blushed at her vulgarity and swallowed. Delyssa could feel the stares of Cenhera and Macarh on her back.

"You would be my first," Vael whispered. His grip on her waist tightened.

"Good," she said to him. "You won't get a better teacher than me."

"I'm... I worry that I won't be able to satisfy you."

She kissed him, once on his lips and once on his cheek, then below his ear. "I'm already satisfied. Let's just have some fun. Do you want to be alone with me? Or have some company?"

Vael gave a nervous laugh. "I had not thought that far ahead, to be honest."

"Right!" Delyssa slapped her palm on the table and stood. "It's been too long since I've been in a real room. Cenhera," she pointed at the tunling, who looked up and finally stopped pretending that she wasn't eavesdropping on their conversation. "Can you show me and Vael to my room? And I'd like you to stay. Macarh, can you find Bryn and bring him to us, too? You and Tulp can also join if you want."

Cenhera turned a bright shade of scarlet, and the round Stormcatcher grinned and nodded. "Of course, priestess," he said. They each took one last swig from their mugs and slammed the cups down. Delyssa hauled Vael to his feet and swung one knee up around his hip, pressing herself against him.

"Now carry me up to the room if you wish to have me, you adventurer," she purred into his ear. Vael swallowed again and stiffly picked her up, one hand scooping under her knees, the other around her shoulders. She let herself be swept off her feet and carried across the tavern floor. Vael winced at the cheers and taunts that erupted from the crowd as he picked his way through, but by the time Cenhera led them out of the building and up an exterior set of stone stairs going up to the tavern's second floor, he had a wild smile on his face, and he was clutching Delyssa to his chest. She had her hands slung around his neck, and could feel the prickle of sweat against her palms. Vael was breathing hard and visibly trembling -- more signs of his nerves than what preceded any of the fights she had seen.

He carried her steadily up the stairs and through a corridor packed with regular wooden doors lining each side. Cenhera brought them to a door about two-thirds of the way down that hall.

"This one's yours and Vael's," she said to Delyssa. "Me and Bryn are bunked across the hall, though I'm beginning to get the sense that that may have been a waste of coin."

"You paired Delyssa and myself together?" Vael asked as he set Delyssa down onto her feet.

Cenhera shrugged. "We had hopes that seem to be paying off."

Delyssa pushed open the door and walked inside, letting her two companions follow. The room was small and sparse, the only furnishings a wooden box at the foot of a narrow bed. The box was big enough to hold both of Vael and Delyssa's packs, which sat on top of their portions of Mesembre's treasure. The room reminded her of her bedchamber back in the dormitory at the Temple of Shevlana.