Chapter XV: Making New Arrangements

Shortly after that, Emilia broke the circle, and I stood up. Shari did, too, crossing the room to stand next to me. The way she moved reminded me of Carmella. Both walked with grace and direction. The Ipet-Mau was far more lithe than the First Knight was. She was a little shorter than Meryl. Even more so in the flat sandals she wore versus Meryl's heels. She stood exceptionally close to me, pressing her arm into mine. I stiffened and met the gaze of the other three women, all of which were staring at the two of us. Meryl and Emilia both looked guarded. Carmella regarded us with idle curiosity. Then she walked over to the bed and gathered the woman's weapons. Shari cried out and stepped towards the First Knight, who loomed over her by a head and a half. "I... I need those."

"No, you don't. Johann should be more than sufficient to protect you for the time being. They'll be kept safe until then." Shari's ear twitched in annoyance, and she looked away, her fluffy, white tail swishing through the air. Carmella and Meryl left the room, Shari's weapons in hand. But Emilia stayed behind. She stood before the new woman, puffing out her considerable chest, and stood as tall as she could. Which was not very. She stood a little more than half a head shorter than the dark-skinned Ipet-Mau woman.

"If you do anything to endanger any of us, I will destroy you entirely. There won't be so much as a white hair left of you."

"You sure talk big, little girl," Shari said, her eyes narrowing to horizontal slits. She leaned down to meet her at eye level. "I have no intention of doing anything to harm you. I just want a little of what you have."

Emilia frowned, considering the woman. Neither of them blinked. But eventually, Emilia turned on a heel and left the room, only giving me a passing glance. She did have a soft smile on her lips as she did so. I'm so confused, I thought. Once the door closed, Shari pressed against me, wrapping her arms around my neck. Her sharp, pointed nails pressed into my shoulder uncomfortably. I tried to squirm out of her grip, but she was strong and kept me in place. "Now, now, Johann. You're supposed to keep a close eye on me, remember? Orders directly from your queen."

"I don't know why you're acting like I trust you any more than they do," I said, forcing my voice to be as cold as possible, pushing her away. She pouted at me but sat on the bed.

"You seemed comfortable with me when I was a cat," she said, examining her nails. "Do you prefer that form? I was hoping to get a chance to... talk with you."

"I was comfortable with you because I thought you were a cat! Not a cat burglar!"

"Thieving is just as honest as anything those women do," Shari said testily.

"How do you figure that?"

"Politics," she spat, disgusted. "Nothing more than forcing everyone to be bound by the rich and powerful. And what do they do in return?"

"Build roads, provide schooling. Meryl's even implemented a program to help those in need get housing and food."

"And she keeps around a giant knight to threaten everyone else into compliance," Shari countered.

"Carmella? She's not like that. She's... strict, but we have to have some laws," I replied, considering the First Knight. "Besides, she's the only reason I'm still around to watch you at all."

"What do you mean?"

"She's the one who taught me to fight. Without her, I would've died in that fight against that idiot noble." I pursed my lips. "Well, actually, I don't think I'd be here at all. Just back home in my village, making sure people's horseshoes were fitted properly. Still. My point stands."

"And how well do you fight?"

"Better than some, nowhere near what she can do. She's amazing."

"Hmm." She laid back, stretching out on my bed. When did I start thinking of it as my bed? I asked myself. I shook my head. "And what about the Blood Cleric? Is she also woefully misunderstood?"

"Blood Cleric?" I asked, frowning. "Emilia? She's a maid."

"A maid who wields the symbol of Thrista and casts divine blood magic."

"Blood magic?" I thought about it. She had healed me, but that hadn't involved any of her blood. At least not that I could remember. "I guess she's a cleric of some sort, but I don't know. Blood cleric makes her sound so... Dangerous."

"You're surrounded by dangerous people," Shari replied, meeting my gaze. "Are you that blind to it?"

"Right now, I'm alone with you. Does that mean you're dangerous?"

"Of course I am. Were I inclined to, it wouldn't take me more than a moment or two to end you," she said casually. I took out my dagger and offered it to her. "What's this?"

"Evening the odds. Doesn't seem fair that if you attack me, you should do it with nothing but yourself."

"You have to be the most naive man I've ever met," she muttered, pushing the knife away from her face. I replaced it on my belt and sat down next to her.

"Or I'm just not afraid of you."

"I thought I was some evil cat burglar."

"Burglars aren't scary. Carmella is scary. Meryl can be. Emilia is... something else. And you've had your chance to kill me. Hell, as a cat, all you had to do was sit on my face, and I would have suffocated."

"Sit on your face?" She asked, smiling. "I wouldn't want you to suffocate that way. You have a job to do if I'm sitting on your face."

"Stop it with the innuendo. I have more than enough trouble with the three women I am beholden to already. I don't need to add to it." I responded dryly, getting up.

"I assure you, I'm worth whatever trouble I bring."

I wandered out of the room, and without prompting, Shari followed me, a step or two behind me. Just like when she was a cat, I thought. Her following me around really fucks up my plans. I'd wanted to take Emilia out on a late-night date. She's been distant lately. I wanted to see if I could figure out why, if it was something I'd done. But now Shari and I were tied to the hip. Until she proved to be trustworthy. Or Carmella executed her. I'd rather that not happen, but it's out of my hands. I walked to the washroom and started to close the door, but Shari barged in after me and smiled.

"Uh. Could you give me some privacy?" I asked. "I'd like to bathe."

"You'd leave a potential enemy of the state alone for that long?" Shari asked, pretending to be scandalized. "I could be away with half of the royal treasury! I think I should stick with you. I can't imagine your queen would be happy if I did something uncouth."

I rubbed my face and shook my head, turning my back to her and stripped to the waist. I'd wash my lower half later. I glanced back, and she had slipped out of her strange armor and stood in front of me, unashamed. My eyes widened. And met hers. And I saw nothing else. I tried to see nothing else. I may have seen something else. She grinned at me, looped her fingers in her skirt, and pushed it down in one smooth motion. My eyes didn't track the motion. They wouldn't dare.

"Johann, you're staring. If you don't stop, I'll think you'll want to take my innocence," she said, feigning a demure tone. I blinked and turned from her. I definitely cannot strip down any further now. I coughed and took a few steps further back.

"I think your innocence is safe from me. If such a concept even exists with you, Miss Ahtri."

"Shari," she whispered from right behind me. I gulped and froze. She wrapped her arms around me and pressed her very full chest against me. Bigger than Meryl's. Probably in the same realm as Emilia's. I tried not to think about it. And while I was trying not to think about it. She stole my belt. I don't even know how she did it. One moment, I was wearing my belt, and my trousers were firmly in place. In the next, she had the belt in her hand, and my pants were around my ankles. I turned and lunged for the belt, and she danced out of the way. I slipped and fell hard, barely managing to avoid crushing my length, which had stretched out in anticipation of more attention from the pretty catgirl. I mentally admonished myself for admitting that I thought she was pretty. She stood above me, and when I looked up, I could see everything. She was hairless everywhere except for her head and her tail. I gulped. She put a foot on my shoulder and gently kicked me back, brandishing my belt. "Is this what the knight taught you? I can't say I'm impressed. Not by that, at least."

I traced the trajectory of her eyes and found them resting on my crotch. I blocked her view with a forearm. "There must be something in the water here. That's got to be it. Something that makes everyone ridiculous and horny and dumb as a box of rocks."

"That would include you, my dear Johann," she said, smiling.

"Obviously, it includes me. I'm surrounded by three women constantly vying for my attention, and somehow I still want more," I muttered bitterly. She leaned down in front of me, gracing me with a full view of her... everything. Again. I looked away.

"You are a greedy man," she whispered sultrily, putting a finger on my face and pulling it back to her. I grimaced. "Greed, when directed properly, is good, Johann. And when your bounties are freely given, all the better. Don't shirk a gift out of propriety. Embrace what's in front of you."

"That's nice and all, but it's not how the world works," I whispered softly.

"And what do you know of the world, blacksmith?" She asked, taking the trousers still wrapped around my ankles and tearing them away. "Your queen knows how the world works. So does the Blood Cleric. The knight obviously does. But you seem to think that the world operates on some fairness dictated by the universe. You defend people because you think the world should be better. But that's not how things work. The people with power take what they want. The people without it vie for power to take what they want. It is a game. There are winners and losers."

"That's how people choose to make it," I said, meeting her eyes directly for the first time in a while. She watched me. "We can choose to make it better. It'll never be equal, but we can make it better."

"And do you think denying what you want will do that?" She asked, wrapping her hand around my throat. I swallowed hard. My mouth was dry. My pulse was racing. My heart hurt when I looked at her. She was different from the other women who had claimed me. And I guess I have to accept that she has laid a claim to me, I thought nervously. Her sexuality was a weapon. Meaning she was never unarmed. I reached out and rested my hand against her cheek. She pressed into my hand, nuzzling it, her eyes closing gently. Just as the cat had. Gods, this is weird. After a moment, she opened her eyes. She leaned closer, hovering over me, whispering against my lips, "I take what I want. I don't always want a lot. But I always get it."

"And what about what I want?" I whispered back. She kissed me, pressing her lips against mine hard. I kissed back, my brain muddled entirely by desire. She broke it after a moment, a little breathless. I put my hand on her shoulder, and she leaned in again, but I pushed her back and scrambled up to my feet, my lust narrowly missing her face as I did so. She watched me, amusement twinkling in her eyes. I got over to the bath and turned the knob. A waterfall of steaming hot water poured immediately from the faucet. I ran my hand underneath it, trying to focus on anything but the naked cat woman staring at me. I tried to think about how the tub worked, but all I could come up with was Magic and Who cares? There's a pretty girl here. I heard her pad her way over and looked up as she sat on the tub's edge. She stroked under my chin.

"I can see why they like playing with you. You try so hard," she emphasized the word. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore her soft caress as she continued, "to control yourself despite everyone and everything telling you that you should just give in."

"I have lots of thoughts that would be easy to give in to," I said breathlessly. "And I'd be a far worse person were I to."

"Far freer, too," she added, swinging her legs over the tub and dipping her feet into the water. She sank in to her shoulders, lifting her hair out of the way. As she did, she moaned in pleasure. Loudly. Which I'm sure was more for my benefit than an honest expression. Not that I didn't enjoy it. "If we're not going to do anything, could you at least wash my back? It's so much more difficult in this form."

I clutched at the loofa and spread some soap over it, squeezing it tightly, trying to reign myself in. Shari leaned forward, and I pressed into her. She glanced back at the loofa. "Do we have to use that, Johann? I'd much prefer your hand."

"I-I'm told that you'll get cleaner with this. It applies the soap m-more evenly."

"Being a little dirty doesn't bother me at all. And I find that thing grating," the Ipet-Mau replied before snatching it from my grip with her pointed fingers and tossing it to the side. I rolled my eyes and soaped up my hands again before pressing my fingers into her tight shoulders. She wasn't tense, exactly, but I could quickly feel the strength in these muscles. She sighed softly in relief and turned to me. "Isn't this so much better?"

I thought it wiser to keep my mouth shut. I worked down the catgirl's back, getting her sides and every nook and cranny I could find. She let me have access to the whole of her with no concern. I gathered water and rinsed off her back, and she shivered, her tail swinging. The fur was hanging heavily, but she didn't seem to mind.

"Don't cats normally hate water?"

"Not when I'm like this. It's a lot worse in my other form. It feels a lot heavier, and it makes me cold and clumsy. Like this, I still feel smooth."

"Yeah, I was surprised... by everything... but especially by how hairless you are in this form. I'm pretty sure I have more than you."

"I work hard to maintain that. Do the other girls not?"

"Uh... Carmella is carefully trimmed. Emilia is basically entirely hairless too, but I think that's from being a half-elf. Meryl grows it in a little. She maintains it carefully. Usually in a pattern." It felt weird talking to her so candidly about these things. But I did find I wanted to talk to her, even after calming down a little more. She was comfortable somehow. I must be losing it, I thought.

"And which do you prefer?"

"Whoever I'm with," I said simply.

"Your queen has made a politician out of you, I see," she said, frowning. She took my still soapy hands and pressed them to her stomach. Instinctively, I started massaging it in. Before I realized what I was doing, and stopped.

"I'm pretty sure you can wash this yourself."

"But this is more fun," she purred, arching into my fingers. I sighed and continued. She smiled at me. And literally started purring. as I made my way up and over her stomach. I stopped short of her chest, and she opened her eyes, watching me. She squeezed her chest together, muttering softly, "I think I've discovered the secret to your heart, Johann."

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about. But you can take care of the rest yourself," I managed. As I pulled my hand away, my voice was even stable near the end. I grabbed some more soap and scrubbed myself clean quickly, refusing Shari's help when she offered it. Not that that worked. She pressed herself into my form, a rumble coming from deep within her chest. I swore I could feel every piece of her form in perfect detail as she crushed herself into me. I quickened my pace, which was only made more difficult as she wrapped her arms around me. I tried to remove her and escape, but she was not only strong but slippery now. After what felt both too quickly and an eternity in and of itself, I rinsed myself off and toweled myself dry. She did the same, humming to herself.

We got back into my room, and I looked out. It was a little early, but I had been running around all day and trained hard with my First Knight. I got dressed in expensive casual wear, and so did my companion, planning on heading out for dinner. Still, when I opened the door, Mrs. Johnson was standing outside my door, about to knock. Her eyes met mine, then went past me to stare at Shari. I stiffened and looked back at the woman, then at the cook. "Uh. Mrs. Johnson. How can I help you?"

"Queen Meryl asked that I bring you and your..." She cleared her throat before continuing. "Guest something for dinner."

Before I could object, she wheeled in a cart, and I stumbled out of the way. Shari smiled kindly at the woman. "You're very kind. Johann says your name was Mrs. Johnson?"

"Uh-huh," the older woman responded, no longer looking at Shari. The Ipet-Mau reached over and handed over a few gold. The woman looked at it and took it, smiling up at her. "Thank you kindly. If I may ask a question, m'lady."

"I'm no lady," Shari responded, eyes flaring at the suggestion. Still, her lips stretched into a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. I frowned. "And, of course, you can ask me any questions you like. I just can't guarantee to have an answer."

"Of course, dear. I see that you and our Johann have a similar attitude towards titles," Mrs. Johnson responded, looking up at me. I tried to smile, but I don't think it was compelling. "What are your intentions with Johann? He's got his hands full enough. Being the queen's... blacksmith, and all."

"I am a blacksmith," I muttered under my breath.

"Of course you are," Mrs. Johnson responded. "I just don't believe that's why you're here."

"It's an important part," I murmured again. The elderly cook just smiled at me. This woman's hearing is fantastic. Am I just surrounded by superhumans? I'm just a guy. What am I going to do? I thought. Mrs. Johnson turned to Shari, raising a brow.

"I plan on making him mine."

"You have some competition there," the older woman said. "And they work as a team."

"I don't want him solely to myself," Shari said airily, looking away. "Just some of the time."

"You may want to work on your lies, honey," Mrs. Johnson responded dryly before uncovering the plates of food. Fish and some vegetables. "Queen Meryl may not take kindly to you stealing her blacksmith. The First Knight certainly won't. And may the gods help you if the First Maid catches you first."

"I-it's not like that. I just have to keep an eye on her. Nothing more." Mrs. Johnson looked at me as though I'd lost my mind and cackled.

"Boy, you must be terrific at something because you have the wit of a dog. Let's just hope you have the loyalty of one too." She said as she left the room, leaving me alone with the Ipet-Mau. We sat down at the small table I had in the room, and I served her. She ate greedily, finishing her fish immediately. She struggled to finish her vegetables. I ate a little more slowly. Once we were finished, she crawled into my bed and stretched out lazily.

"Shari, get up."

"No, it's bedtime," she said through a yawn, patting the space next to her.

"Almost. But we have to find a different room for you."

"But this is my room," she said, eyeing me.

"No, this is my room. We'll get you another space. Come on now," I said, tugging on the Ipet-Mau's arm. She got to her feet reticently, her tail swishing and her ears flat against her skull. I led her out of the room and considered who I wanted to ask where she would stay. Meryl is too busy for this. The First Knight has no power here, and I don't want to listen to whatever Carmella would say about this. That leaves... Emilia. My heart jumped at the thought. She's the only one that I can go to. Gods, help me. I made my way to my First Maid's quarters and knocked on the door. After a moment, Emilia answered the door, wearing an oversized tunic as a shift. I swallowed. "Uh, hey, Emilia."

"What is it, Cel'vin?" She said, giving me a smile. Which faded when she saw Shari behind me. "If you've come for a late-night rendezvous, I don't typically do public showings."