Note: You can change font size, font face, and turn on dark mode by clicking the "A" icon tab in the Story Info Box.
You can temporarily switch back to a Classic Literotica® experience during our ongoing public Beta testing. Please consider leaving feedback on issues you experience or suggest improvements.
Click here
Johanna stood, setting aside the textbook she'd been picking through, then—unsmiling, though not in an unfriendly way—she approached Natalie, her hand held out. Natalie shook it. Johanna had a firm, calloused grip.
"Natalie," Johanna said. "Liz has told me about you."
"Good things, I hope?"
"Liz only says good things. About anyone." Johanna somehow managed to make the statement sound—not like an insult—but at least bordering on reproachful.
"That's not true," Liz protested. "Elida's a jerk. See. Not everyone."
"Insulting the devil doesn't count," Johanna said. The words were delivered without the smallest shift in her serious tone. That made it funnier. A dry sense of humor. This woman wasn't entirely a stiff piece of metal, then. Just acted like one.
Casual introductions took place. Johanna asked after the dueling competition, and they discussed it. Amusingly, before Liz could drag Natalie to her room for privacy, her prediction came true: Johanna asked for a moment to talk to Natalie alone.
Natalie underwent several minutes of what could only be called polite scrutiny. She didn't mind; she even appreciated Johanna's protectiveness over Liz. From what Natalie had seen of the bubbly black-haired royal, she would even agree that Liz might be too nice to everyone—and that she needed people looking out for her. Another part of Natalie said that was naive, taking Liz's superficial presentation of herself at face value. Someone who'd grown up as a Beaumon couldn't be 'too trusting'—that just wouldn't make sense. She was a member of the royal family, and one training to be a delver. She simply couldn't be naive.
Shortly, though, the scrutiny ended, with Natalie not entirely sure whether she'd gained Johanna's approval or not. She at least didn't act unfriendly towards her. Natalie didn't think the woman cared that they'd stolen one of the best healers of the year from her team, but rather, that Johanna only cared about Liz herself. So, despite having a bit of a hidden rivalry with the dominant fighter, Natalie found her opinion of Johanna raised by several notches—and, oddly, her desire to climb past her in the rankings.
With that done, and a somewhat exasperated Liz having been waiting patiently, Natalie ended up in Liz's room, the two of them alone.
- COMMENTS
ZZchromosome3 months ago"We're going to have such a reputation at Tenet," Sofia said. "A team of five women, all dressed in slutty gear. Can you imagine?"
-
Hehheh... tell me more!
Messy_Nessy6 months agoI absolutely love the thought and strategy you put into characters abities and reasoning that results in practicality that even i as a reader dont think of is amazing.
And that was by far the best sequence of character writing I've ever read im not joking, the way you used the natures of the characters to take events in unexpected ways but still making total sense was bordering on mastermind level intricacy and then spinning that around into a LOVE TRIANGLE AAAAA I could read a whole book series like this
Anonymous7 months agoLove both the series you are writing. Love the pacing and everything. We kind of missed out on the Tess/Natalie date with tess showing her around the mage guild but maybe that can be explained with a cancelation from one of them or smth because of the school or delve or smth. I can't wait for both series next release!
Anonymous7 months agoAfter lurking on this site for many years, I am seriously considering making an account just to follow this author. I literally need this story to continue. Thousands more chapters please …. Patreon here I come.
