Buyers Beware Ch. 02

The Lizardman's tail twitched involuntarily and after a moment, and a spiteful glare at Lace, he complied, lifting his spear though he clearly remained displeased, his eyes flickering to his human counterpart who had already done the same.

The man flashed Lace an almost apologetic smile, though his gaze lingered on the free Orcess, her presence no longer a side note, "I er... There are non-human and human safe areas set up within the walls, the Patrician hopes the unrest will cease soon."

Lace nodded at the man and looked up towards Zu'gar with what she hoped was a reassuring smile, inclining her head towards the city and beginning to walk, feeling the Orcess step in beside her.

"You threatened to turn him into an Ouroboros." Lace said, letting a playful little smile dance across her full lips.

"A what?"

"Nevermind, come on." Lace laughed softly as together they entered the city of Thaefar, leaving the confused Caravan Master to scratch at his head as he examined the Orc's useless collar, their passage followed only briefly by the slitted eyes of the Lizardman.

Inside the gate was a large square that Lace recalled had been swarming with activity and merchant stalls the last time she came this way, but instead today the square was empty, save for the hurried step of worried locals both human and non-human.

As the gates seemed to be one of the areas where the racial mixing was unavoidable the green banded mixed militia's presence here was high and she could feel eyes settling on them both as they stood off to one side of the square.

For all of Lace's natural confidence, she didn't like not knowing the intricacies of the cities current events, she didn't know if walking down a street with Zu'gar would be more or less dangerous than doing so alone.

"Ahh, I hate doing this..." Lace said as she puffed out a little dramatic sigh, Zu'gar arching one curious eyebrow.

"Doing what?"

"Just keep an eye out for a minute... I'm going to see how the city feels." Lace explained unhelpfully and noticed Zu'gar's uncomprehending expression, "...Just watch."

Holding her hands together in an odd cusped shape she closed her eyes and focused on a spot in the centre of her forehead and allowed the not so bustling city before her to feed her senses. She drew a slow deep breath in through her nose, the smell of woodsmoke minging with the scents of everyday city life both good and bad. She could hear the chatter, dim and distant, all hushed and whispered voices.

Holding the feelings inside her thoughts she opened her mind to the city before her, eyes sparkling neon pink for a second behind their eyelids as her inner eye glimpsed the city, if just for an instant.

She closed her mind again and shivered, leaning against Zu'gar's arm for support, her skin a couple of shades paler as her brain tried to organise what it had just experienced into something she could understand.

"Ow... God, everyone... Everyone's just... Afraid." Lace said gently as she looked around at the somewhat sorry state of Thaefar's citizenry, "Like, they're all just waiting for the other to attack. It's a tinderbox."

Zu'gar frowned a little as she eyed her lover with concern, "You shouldn't do that."

Lace smiled gently, "Don't worry about me, just takes a little bit out of me is all."

"That's not what I mean," Zu'gar said, her voice flat and a little distant.

Lace pursed her lips, then remembered, "Orcs don't like magic, do they?"

"It is forbidden among our kind, I don't want to see you fall to its use." She explained and Lace tilted her head, uncertain as to what the Orc meant, but feeling a little defensive about its use.

"You never complain when I use it for sex."

Zu'gar grimaced a little and stayed silent, it was true after all. They remained in a bit of an awkward silence as Lace's colour returned, her mind continuing to try and process what her opened senses had felt.

"...I think maybe it would be a good idea if we split up for a short while..." Lace suggested with a heavy sigh, "I don't want to, really, but I need to go see my contact at the palace and see if I can offer my services to this new Patrician and... Well, I feel like you wouldn't fit in very well at the palace."

As much as Zu'gar didn't want to leave Lace's side, she nodded a little agreeing with the assessment and looked around at a lot of uncertain, scared faces, "And what should I do?"

"Stay safe, above all else at least do that?" Lace smiled a little, "See if the tavern we were due to stay at, The White Bear, is still safe for us to sleep at, and, if not, see if you can find somewhere where both humans and nonhumans can stay, can you do that?"

Zu'gar raised an eyebrow, "I thought we were no longer doing the 'Master-slave' bit anymore."

Lace bit her lip for a second, then looked up at her with a hopeful smile, "Can't suck your dick without a room?"

A low chuckle rose from the Orc and she smirked some, a bit of their tension melting away, "I might need some coins?"

Lace smirked wryly and brought out a small coin purse, pressing it into one of Zu'gar's rough-skinned hands and as she did so she looked around, sensing the tension in the square and feeling more than their fair share of eyes on them both, as if those around were expecting the small curvy human and her Orcess companion to begin fighting right then and there.

"Look at them all, they can't understand why we're just talking can they?" Lace said softly and Zu'gar looked around as she slipped the coin purse into a pocket, her eyes tracing a pair of patrolling green bands who returned her stare, one of them slowly moving a hand to the hilt of a short sword, though he didn't make to draw it.

"Whatever peace is in place will not last." Zu'gar said, resignation in her voice, "All it will take is a single spark."

"Why can't everyone just see you like I can?" Lace said, a trace of regret seeping into her voice.

Zu'gar shrugged, "Our kinds have been at odds since as far back as our histories go. Some of us may be different, but the way your people are taught from birth to fear us has not."

"I wish there was just someway people could see that... That..." Lace trailed off and Zu'gar looked around, suddenly on alert.

"What, did you see something?"

Zu'gar blinked as the human slipped her small delicate hand into her own and urged them both forward towards the centre of the square.

"Lace, what are-"

"HEY EVERYONE!!" Lace shouted, filling her voice with authority and power, her call ringing throughout the square and bringing it to a dead silence, every single pair of eyes now staring at the small curvy woman and her powerful free-orc companion.

Zu'gar felt her heart skip a beat and she looked at Lace with wide shocked eyes, the girl had used magic again to make her voice carry and had drawn the attention of every armed guard and terrified citizen in the square.

Her voice came out in a barely controlled hiss as Lace reached up with a hand for the bag strap nestled still between Zu'gars breasts, "What the fuck are you do-..."

The whole world stood still for a moment as every single person in line of sight, silent and still, stared with disbelieving eyes at the small human as she dragged an Orc down to meet her in an oh so familiar lovers kiss which Lace eagerly imbued with passion, her full red painted lips parted to allow for her tongue to mingle briefly with the Orcess' own.

As it broke the crowd began to murmur and Zu'gar blinked down at Lace, her own cheeks hued a deeper green than normal at the surprise display of public affection, "What... Did you do?"

"Kissed my lover goodbye before heading to the Palace." She said simply, a blush on her still too pale cheeks, "I'll try and meet you at the west gate an hour before sunset okay? It's the closest to the palace so probably the safest... I'm sorry if I'm late, I don't know how long I'll be in there for."

Zu'gar nodded once, eyes flickering between Lace and the bewildered people.

"Okay." Lace smiled and looked around the square, people were talking, looking and pointing, gossip would spread and maybe, just maybe, some good would come of it, "Don't forget I owe you a blowjob."

Zu'gar stood where she was and watched as Lace sauntered away into the city, a bounce in her step and a smile on her lips.

The Orcess looked around and found, surprisingly, a few humans willing to meet her gaze, their expressions uncertain, but curious. She smiled slightly and tried to look as unthreatening as a bestial menace could, but unlike her gaze, the smile was never returned.

She drew in a deep breath and blew out her cheeks as she sighed, looking around at the maze of streets that led away from the square in all directions, unable to read any of the signs and only able to tell east from west by the shadows cast by the sun. She shuffled the weight of their bag to the other shoulder and realised with a sinking inevitably that she had absolutely no idea where the Inn Lace had mentioned even was.

"Fuck it." She growled to herself and set out into the heart of the city. She had most of the day to find it, and how hard could a city be to navigate?

****

Several hours later the city streets seemed to close in around Lace as she walked from the Palace towards the west gate. It wasn't far and she had had a productive meeting, but as she had sat there talking plans and ideas with her contact and a few higher-ups she had had to watch the shadows lengthen until they dominated the city.

Sunset had been two hours ago now and every dark alley seemed to watch her as she passed. As close to the Palace as she was Lace wasn't afraid, the area was almost exclusively human occupied and the unrest meant that virtually every other person walking the streets that night had a green band on their arm, but at the same time she had grown used to the comfort and protection Zu'gar offered and though she did have access to some magics, their use in combat was limited.

As the street opened up into the square by the now closed west gate she bit her lip. A small group of green banded guards stood by the gate talking to each other and as she peered around, she saw no Zu'gar.

A hand fell on her shoulder, strong and powerful and Lace let out a little squeak of surprise as she jumped.

"A-ah! Ah, oh god, Sugar you gave me a surprise," she laughed a little as she turned, but as she did she took a hurried step backwards, her eyes going wide.

"Sugar huh? Yeah, you must be Lace. Could've hurried up a bit, been waiting in that shadow for hours now, got moved on twice..."

Lace glanced around nervously as the Orcess in front of her, familiar in her size strength and matted dreadlocked hair but in no way her Zu'gar, grinned down at her, eyes shamelessly drinking in the human's figure.

"W-where's Zu'gar?" Lace said a little weakly, then steeled her voice, chastised herself for losing her composure for a second, "And who are you?"

The Orc snorted out a laugh and raised her hand placably, "Zu'gar paid me to wait here for you then take you to her, call me Maria."

Lace eyed her sceptically. The Orcess was similar in height and build to Zu'gar, but the muscles about her arms and shoulders stood out far more thick and powerfully. One of her lower canines shone in the low light of the night, gleaming gold and her dreads hung as low as her waist, dark in colour and well maintained.

"Maria isn't a very Orc-ish name." She replied defensively.

She smirked, "You can call me Maz'druk if you like? But no one else does."

"Scuse me miss."

Lace turned to find two of the guards she had seen chatting step up, a pair of humans, their smiles fixed and entirely unfriendly as they eyed the Orc, "Is this thing bothering you?"

Lace felt a little fire form in her stomach at the word 'thing' and the decision to trust Maria was made as simply as that. With a sweet little smile she took a half step towards Maria and looped an arm around the now bemused Orc's, like a couple out for a stroll, "Nope, just out with a friend."

The guard peered at them both from beneath his helmet before understanding dawned on his otherwise sour face, "Oh. It's you. As you were then."

As they walked back to his post Lace became suddenly aware of the bulging muscles shifting under the gentle grip of her arm and she went to draw back, but Maria grinned and held on, "No reason to get all shy now, come on, I'll get you to Zu'gar."

Lace felt herself blush softly as she was guided away back into the maze of the city, arm in arm with Maria, "...What did he mean by, it's you? What did you do?"

Maria let out a short bark of laughter and gave Lace a gentle nudge with her hip that almost sent the petite girl flying, "He wasn't talking about me, he was talking about you."

"Me?"

"You can't snog an Orc in a crowd of people and not get noticed. The whole city talking about a flat-chested pink-eyed girl with a green-skinned girlfriend." Maria explained casually, her accent, Lace realised, fitting smoothly into place with the rest of Thaefar.

"Oh, that's good. I think." She had, after all, hoped people would talk and think about what they'd seen, but the whole city in the space of a day was unexpected, "Why Maria and not Maz'druk?"

She shrugged, "People won't buy from a blacksmith called Maz'druk. They're far more comfortable dealing with a Maria."

"And you live here?" Lace asked, curious.

"All my life." She said with a small smile, "Mostly as a slave though. Changed a few years ago."

"How?"

"A small collection of non-humans bought me and freed me. They've been gathering influence and power across the city through this and other means, their leader-"

"Abbacha'ak?" Lace interjected and Maria looked surprised.

"Yeah, I thought you just arrived at the city today?"

Lace smiled a little, "We did, I went to the palace to meet a contact of mine, I thought I'd meet the Patrician too but he was busy."

"Ahh look at you all fancy-like, but, yeah. Abbacha'ak. The more people he freed the more resources he had. Eventually it sort of became a movement and tensions began to skyrocket... Things spiralled and for a few days there people thought there'd be all out riots. Abbacha'ak was elected as Patrician by the nobles as a figurehead to try and reduce tensions but..."

"But?" Lace pressed, blinking up at her as they walked through darker streets and less patrolled ways, the architecture shifting to something a little less uniformly human.

"Well, the human nobles figured Abbacha'ak was nothing special, just another dumb animal they could control and manipulate, non-human right? But they can't." She grinned, proudly, "He's installed the militia and is looking to outlaw slavery altogether."

Lace nodded a little, the news fit with what she knew and Maria was obviously far more familiar with the city than she was herself but she knew that any effort to ban or outlaw slavery entirely would lead to trouble and after the day she'd had she found herself wanting to talk about something, anything other than more politics.

"Did they have to mention the flat chested bit?" She asked, a small smile playing on her red-lipsticked lips as she tried to steer the conversation to something a little more light-hearted.

"What?" Maria peered down at her.

"You said the whole city was talking about a flat-chested pink-eyed girl. Why not the pink-eyed girl with the great ass?" She protested, pulling another short laugh from the apparently jovial Maria.

"Wish you had tits like mine huh?" Maria asked with the casual brashness Lace had come to expect from Orcs.

"Obviously." Lace pouted, though her smile still shone through.

"Ha, don't be so upset girl, not every lass gets a pair. Play your cards right and I'll let you play with mine later." Maria winked.

"Pff, bite my ass." Lace giggled and Maria laughed again, the rich sound rolling out loud and unhindered into the dim lit streets as they came to a stop outside what seemed to be a Tavern or Inn, its door closed as protection from the cold, though the noise of revellers within drifted out to greet them.

"We can do that later too you know, unless you want a quick fingering in the alley before we go inside. You won't regret it." She said crudely, giving Lace's arm a little squeeze of her own as she watched her with a dark and playful mischievousness.

Lace couldn't help but glance at the Orc's strong hands and, despite the latent temptation in her fantasy-laden mind, she was first and foremost Zug'ar's, "I doubt we're compatible~"

"Because you've got a cock?"

Lace blinked, "Just how much did Zu'gar tell you?"

Maria adopted a knowing little smile.

"Enough, though..." she stepped forward to swing open the door for them, leaning in so her lips just barely grazed against Lace's ear, warm and soft, "I bet mine's bigger..."

Lace's blush reached its peak just as Maria pushed her forward over the threshold and into, she noticed, a tavern with absolutely no White Bear, or indeed human to be found.

"Lace!"

Lace all but stumbled as she was propelled forward, her eyes blinking as they adjusted to the light and the sudden wall of massive bodies and faces that turned to greet her. A cheer went up around the gathered crowd and Lace felt herself shrink back, bumping into Maria as she did. Every single other face in the tavern asides her own soft pink face, was that of an Orc.

Lace!!" Came the shout again and Lace found herself suddenly clinging to the word as it bounced around her frazzled brain like she would a liferaft, she recognised the voice.

"Zu'gar!" She squeaked, relief washing over her voice as she timidly pressed between the sea of Orcs, finding a familiar face and a familiar smile reclined comfortably in a corner alongside a terrifyingly massive Orc male.

Plaintively ignoring everything else in the world she all but threw herself at Zu'gar and the Orcess laughed, folding her arms adoringly around the slender girl, holding her safe and tight as she peered up with bright eyes, her questions coming thick and fast.

"Sorry I'm late! What's going on? Why is everyone cheering? Where are we? Why is..." She wrinkled her nose, "Are you drunk?!"

"Uh oh..." The male said, mirth swimming deep in his heavily accented voice, "You fucked good now."

Zu'gar let out a bubbling laugh and shook her head, turning Lace so she was sat side saddle across her lap, "Look what I found Lace! Orcs! Loads!"

Lace sighed a little and wiggled in Zu'gar's lap to get comfortable, looping a slender arm under her dreads and around her neck, "I can see that Zu'gar but... But why are they reacting like that? Was it the kiss?"

"Kiss good! Lots o' talk bout that." The male grinned through missing teeth, his bald head lolling to one side of its own accord before he seemingly remembered to straighten it, raising a tankard, "But drink better! Lace!"

The gathered Orc crowd echoed her name again with a cheer and a laugh before continuing their talks. Lace looked around in exasperation and her eyes met with Maria's as she herself sat down at the table with them, a small half-sized tankard in one hand and a glass of red wine in the other.

"You bought in quite a few rounds." Maria explained as she slid the wine glass across to Lace, "For everyone."

"Oh yeah!" Zu'gar interjected, "Need more coin."

Lace sighed deeply as that fell into place and despite the expense couldn't help but smile, she was finally at home and safe in Zu'gar's arms and she took a moment to order her thoughts, collecting the wine glass and taking a testing sip. It wasn't great, but it would be good enough.

Maria and the male were talking about something she didn't understand, with Zu'gar half listening in, half-drunkenly running her fingertips up and down Lace's spine and, while it was no White Bear, the place Zu'gar had found at least seemed exceptionally welcoming to her, and, now that the shock of the minor celebrity upon arrival had faded, she reevaluated the crowd, eying them a little more closely now, a big part of her unashamedly giddy to be among so many alluring Orcess' and their male companions.