Dungeons and Dalliances Ch. 160-169

Sofia huffed and faced away. It was clear she was trying to brush the claims off. But the panic the statements created was clear as day. Jordan was equally amused and concerned by the reaction.

She considered pressing harder. Making sure Sofia knew that, whatever was going on with Natalie, she was important to her. But her goal with this conversation wasn't to try to bash through Sofia's denial—like she had tried that morning, if in a sexual context instead of a romantic one. Because Jordan doubted it would end well. Certainly, Jordan was confident that it wouldn't end well with Natalie herself, hence why Jordan still hadn't confronted the woman with her own gigantic crush. And Sofia and Natalie were far more alike than their surface-level behaviors would suggest; being too blunt could be disastrous with either.

So, instead of trying to fix everything all at once, Jordan had a simpler goal: she simply wanted to make sure the two girls weren't on a collision course.

Jordan waved her hand dismissively. "Well, like I said, I do know she can be a handful. And there's some stuff we should talk about." She gave Sofia a significant look. "You know. Especially with ..." Jordan pointed at her own neck, indicating the collar, which she knew Sofia had hidden under her uniform. "And your bet with her, too. How it's going. How you feel about it. I know she won't ask, so I have to. Because you're my friend."

Sofia flushed and looked forward. "There's nothing to say. It's between me and her."

So. She was choosing to be stubborn about it. Jordan couldn't say she was surprised. And she had a point: it wasn't Jordan's business. But Natalie and Sofia weren't going to talk it out themselves, it was better to stick her nose where it technically didn't belong than to let the two idiots crash and burn.

Seeing how conventional mature discussion had no chance of succeeding here, Jordan would have to employ unconventional techniques.

Step one of a successful surprise engagement was this: catch your opponent off guard. Once she had an opening, she would have room to work with. She'd sneak in emotionally considerate discussions under the guise of teasing.

So, she went on the offensive.

"I said it this morning," Jordan said seriously, "and I'll say it again, Sofia. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be Natalie's sex pet." She squeezed Sofia's elbow encouragingly. "If we work as a team, I'm sure we can figure out how to get her cock inside you."

5.05 - Mediator II

As a rogue, Jordan was accustomed to scoring critical hits; doing so was a cornerstone of her class. Even by her standards, though, this one was gory. Sofia went red, facing Jordan with an expression of pure shock. Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly, too caught off-guard to even sputter.

Accusations like those made in the heat of the moment were one thing, like Jordan's taunting that morning, but in the sober light of day, at class, Jordan's words hit Sofia with far more impact.

"Or are you hoping to be more than just her sex pet?" Jordan continued in a serious tone, making sure to seem over-the-top worried. She squeezed her arm, again, play-acting the earnest friend. "Getting it into her thick skull that you want to be her girlfriend will be an uphill battle—so you'll need a plan. That's where I can help."

"What are you talking about?" Sofia finally stuttered out, stumbling an impressive three times over the first word—sounding half-strangled. "Have you lost your mind? Her sex pet? Her girlfriend?" she hissed, shooting frantic looks around, though nobody was nearby. "We have a bet! And, and the collar! That's it! And, by the way, the collar was the dungeon's fault."

"So you don't want it there?" Jordan asked—and this time, the seriousness in her voice was genuine. "Did that happen too fast? Or is anything else too much? Like the bet you two made? And what happened this morning—did I go too far?"

Those had, of course, been the actual questions Jordan wanted to ask. Teasing Sofia would always be fun, but her ultimate goal was to check up on the girl.

The pivot from over-the-top accusations to sounding genuinely caring caught Sofia doubly off guard: she reeled, again trying to orient herself.

"If you want Natalie to slow down, you can tell her," Jordan said. "She'll listen. I know that for a fact, even if you disagree. Or if you don't like something you two are doing, or where your relationship is going, tell her—she will ease up. Without making a big deal of it. I promise. Above everything, she cares about you, Sofia. And so do I."

Sofia's mouth opened and closed. Words didn't come out. Finally, her strangled response came. "Jordan. This isn't necessary." Her face somehow turned an even deeper shade of red. "I do have a spine. If I don't like something, I am more than capable of standing up for myself. Especially to that aggravating woman."

Jordan bit down on an instinctive response: something along the lines of, 'not from what I saw, this morning'. It wasn't the time. She'd gotten the honesty she'd wanted—and also made sure to hammer home that Natalie did care about her, and would drop the bet, or collar situation, if asked. In case the woman was deep enough in denial that she didn't believe that, it had to be said.

So Jordan nodded, then dropped the topic. Sofia looked kind of close to melting where she stood, anyway.

"So what about threesomes?" Jordan asked. "I mean, real ones. Not like this morning. Are those on the table?"

Sofia made a choking noise.

Jordan laughed, then eased up. She faced forward. There were a few things she wanted to talk about that weren't about their love lives—relevant topics for their team's future.

"Anyway, we're a few weeks in," she said. "School events are gonna start soon. And we should probably look into doing some quests. We're performing well in the dungeon, but that's not all we have to worry about."

Sofia was more than happy to accept the pivot, if, once again, she had to visibly orient herself. Her pale cheeks were dusted pink, and she pointedly didn't meet Jordan's eyes. She really was way too cute. Jordan had always been fond of Sofia, though Natalie's rivalry had made it hard to be friends—especially since Sofia had had her own friend group, back home.

Honestly, Jordan hadn't fully resolved her feelings for the woman. She definitely wasn't in love with her like she was with Natalie—but she admittedly did find teasing the woman irresistible. Or, in general irresistible. Any opportunity Jordan could get her hands on her, she would take.

So a crush, maybe? Though of a definitively different nature than the one she had on Natalie.

"You're right about quests. Especially since a decent portion of our loot is," Sofia paused, still somewhat scrambling to catch herself from the earlier conversation, "difficult to sell. We'll need other income sources, and quests are best for that."

A decent portion of the items they were earning from the dungeon would make a killing if put onto the market, but the team had come to the consensus that Natalie's class was better to keep hidden. Even without bringing in the whole 'sleeping deities' ordeal—which was something Jordan had no idea what to think of—a class like Natalie's was best kept on the down-low in a politically charged environment like Tenet. That subterfuge wouldn't last forever, but for the short term, they were keeping the lewd items a secret. Most were in use, anyway, or had future uses. But that meant they had fewer items going onto the market, and so, credits were tighter for them than most other groups. Sure, they got way better loot, but most of it they had to keep hidden.

"Think the team will want to head out this weekend?" Jordan asked. "Monster hunting quests are everywhere. They pay great. And we'll get to travel. See the countryside."

Of course, there were downsides to those kinds of contracts: most prevalently, the reduced experience. While surface monsters existed and could easily be as dangerous as dungeon monsters, they were sparser and a far less effective way to level. The upside was that quests posted by Tenet paid much better; they could easily triple or quadruple their daily earnings.

Or, a regular team could. It was a little murkier considering Natalie's influence on the dungeon.

There were also quest quotas to worry about, but that only became a concern for teams that only delved, ignoring the quest board completely—and they weren't that far into the semester for that to be an issue. Still, it was something to think about.

"I wouldn't be against it," Sofia said. Her brow furrowed. "If it means saving lives, then some inefficiency obviously doesn't matter. We can miss out on experience."

Jordan felt briefly guilty that hadn't been where her mind had gone. Though she obviously agreed. She hadn't pursued a career in delving purely out of a desire to help people, but it had been a reason. The grueling hours spent in the training yard, and down in the dungeon, was as much for her own personal benefit as for a desire to use that strength to make a difference. To protect people who couldn't protect themselves. Most delvers felt that way.

Well, maybe not most. That might be giving her classmates too much credit. Especially the ones who had come here with political goals in mind—which for Tenet, was a higher percentage than Jordan probably assumed, and she assumed high.

But Sofia, for her part, certainly meant it. For all the duelist did obviously care about her image and advancing in society—maybe too much so, in Jordan's opinion—she had a good heart. Jordan wouldn't have a maybe-crush on the girl if she didn't. Sofia had always been that charming mix of competitive, haughty, intense, but secretly a sweetheart. It was a shame Natalie didn't get to see much of the latter, thanks to her ridiculous behavior toward the woman.

"We'll talk with the team, then," Jordan said. "I'm sure we all could use the extra tokens. And seeing someplace new sounds fun."

5.06 - Talveron

"It's so strange seeing a Talveron as good at casting as she is," Camille commented. "Like seeing a fish climb a tree."

Natalie glanced sideways, seeing that Camille had wandered up to chat with her. The mage had made a habit of it. Her stomach tightened with nervousness, like always, seeing the tall, skinny woman, and the teasing curl to her lips. Even so many days later, Camille still hadn't come outright and said she'd been the one to catch Natalie in the restroom. It remained a murky, anxiety-inducing mystery.

Strangely, the two of them had become sort-of friends. She was Natalie's classmate, and affable besides, so it wasn't all that odd. Natalie admitted she would like to know for certain whether it had been Camille, though, however obvious her teasing made it seem. But she also didn't want to ask outright, on the chance she had witnessed less than Natalie thought—or maybe even that she was just a flirt, and that Natalie was making incorrect assumptions. There wasn't a zero percent chance of that.

So, she suffered through the interactions. Getting flirted at by a pretty girl was hardly the end of the world, anyway, even if there was an undercurrent of worry whenever she interacted with the girl.

"Talveron?" Natalie asked. "Who's that? Ana's opponent?"

Natalie was recovering from her recent spar. They were well into practice; she had worked up a sweat, and her HP was dwindling, like most of her classmates. Ana's class was one of the groups of students present in the sprawling courtyard, today—which meant tough competition. Not as fierce as Elida's class, which seemed to be the top grouping of students for the year, but still not a walk in the park, like some days were. Ana's class was easily a match for Natalie's.

Camille gave her a confused look. "Sorry? Her opponent?"

"What?"

"Ana. Ana Talveron. You don't know who she is?"

The phrasing made Natalie groan. "You're not about to tell me she's some kind of princess, are you?"

Camille blinked several times, her confusion trading for amusement. "No. The Talverons are of middling importance. I just thought you'd know who your teammates are. She is your delving partner, isn't she? I'm not mixing them up?"

Natalie sighed in relief. Having Elizabeth the Beaumon on her team was enough political entanglement for one lifetime. She didn't even know who the Talverons even were, which to Natalie, was great news.

"I don't keep up with that nonsense," Natalie said. "And she never mentioned her last name."

"Family houses and politics aren't 'nonsense'."

"Yeah, yeah. I've been told that like, ten times." And at least once by Camille, Natalie was pretty sure.

Camille rolled her eyes. "The country bumpkin disregard is endearing, Nat, but dangerous in a place like Tenet. But, whatever. Yes. Ana Talveron."

"Why is it weird that she's good at casting?"

The mage pursed her lips. "It's not funny if I have to explain it. The Talverons are just ... not mages."

"What does that mean?"

She gave Natalie an exasperated look. "They're almost all fighters. That their daughter is a mage, much less a good one, is very strange." She glanced at Ana. "Though it's hardly the only strange thing about her."

Natalie pushed away the urge to defend Ana. Camille hadn't made it sound like an insult, just a comment. Ana herself was more than willing to admit, and had done so, that she behaved oddly. It didn't sound like something she was insecure about. Though maybe that was just a front?

"But, really," Camille said. "How has she never mentioned what house she's from? Don't you talk? You're teammates."

Natalie had, of course, chatted with Ana plenty of times. There was lots of downtime in the dungeon, if not when they needed to catch their breath, then when setting up camp for the night on weekend trips. There'd been plenty of opportunities for the team to talk amongst themselves.

"She's not the most open person," Natalie said. "Dunno if you've met her."

It wasn't that Ana didn't talk—just that she didn't reveal much about herself when she did. Which was kind of odd, now that Natalie thought about it. She knew surprisingly little about the woman, even accounting for only having met her a few weeks ago.

"Fair," Camille said. "Anyway, yeah, she's basically the opposite of a Talveron. Talverons are all ... I don't know, loud, gung-ho, in-your-face. They have a reputation for being dramatic."

"Really?" In that case, Natalie could easily see why that would be funny. Ana had come from a family known for being in-your-face and dramatic? Natalie couldn't pick two words that less described the woman. How had that happened?

Her thoughts flickered to the series of challenge rooms. Well. Maybe the description was situationally accurate, actually.

"And very much not mages," Camille continued. She eyed Ana as a massive black shadow-tendril ripped from the ground and slashed at her opponent. A retaliatory orb of blue light zipped toward her, but it met a black curtain of shadow, dispelling both spells. Ana's face didn't move. Not concentrated, worried, or even bored. Complete passivity. Honestly, it was a bit intimidating. "And she's not even kinda good, either," Camille said with a begrudging sort of appreciation. "She's really good. It's a shame she turned down Gylver sponsorship."

Natalie blinked at that. "Sorry? And—wait, aren't you a Gylver?"

Camille turned toward her with an incredulous look.

Natalie flushed. "I don't mean literally," she protested. She knew Camille wasn't a member of one of the five major houses. She was actually somewhat in Natalie's position—mostly a nobody who had found her way into Tenet through talent alone. "But you're sponsored by them. Adopted, kind of?"

"Sponsored," she said firmly. "Not adopted. I'm not remotely a Gylver." Camille shook her head, still finding the idea ridiculous. "Maybe if I ever make it to level ten, they'd let me marry into the main house. That's the only way that happens, though. I'm a lowborn."

Natalie's nose wrinkled. 'Let her' marry into their house?

"And they offered Ana a sponsorship?" Natalie asked.

"Recently. I don't know how. They didn't ask me to do it." Camille seemed mildly annoyed at that.

"When?"

"Last week."

"Really?"

"She didn't mention it? Well, it's her business. I assume she turned it down because of Liz."

"Liz?"

"She did group up with you four. The Beaumons aren't laying any kind of claim? On your team as a whole?"

"Not that I've heard." Natalie considered it. "Besides, Liz made that decision herself. I don't think her family is happy about it." Johanna and her team would have been Liz's group, but Liz had wanted to strike it out on her own. "What's sponsorship even mean, anyway? It's not like they can do much for us. Tenet has everything locked down." Being sponsored by an important House didn't mean amazing items and infinite tokens—or even extra opportunities. Tenet took fairness seriously.

"We will be graduating into the real world," Camille said. "And besides, it's only so strict for freshmen. They make a fair playing ground to see who the talent is—but it's not like anyone is average for two years, then suddenly becomes a prodigy." She paused. "It's very rare," she conceded. "Regardless, Tenet's claws loosen as time goes on. They make sure everyone starts at the same point, but in the end, they want to see who can reach the highest level before graduating. So rules get a little looser."

"Huh," Natalie said. She couldn't say she was surprised.

"Though still strict," Camille said. "It's not supposed to be about who has the most money. And anyway, being sponsored by someone important comes with plenty of benefits within the confines of their rules. The obvious being training, connections, and knowledge. A one-on-one with, for example, Edward Valeria. That'd make a sponsorship worth having just by itself, don't you think? And something like that is what having the Beaumons as patrons could get you."

Edward Valeria. Johanna's dad—a staunch ally of House Beaumon. The patriarch of the Valeria family, the head general of the Valhaurian military, and one of the strongest men in the world. Likely above level fifteen, though that was a guess, since those ranks were so sparse there might only be a dozen per continent. Natalie admitted even a few hours being trained by him would probably be an invaluable experience, and it wouldn't break any Tenet rules.

But worth entangling into politics? In her opinion, no. Especially with all her current class shenanigans going on. Contrary to most people at Tenet, Natalie had teamed up with Liz in spite of her name, rather than because of it. That might have been why the royal had chosen them.

Natalie grunted. Camille had a point; she wasn't so stupid as to not see that. Even so, she hated the idea of wading into House politics.

The mage rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever," Camille said. "Like I said, you do you. And I get it—sort of. Even if I disagree." She sniffed. "Anyway, more fun topics." She took a step closer to Natalie, leaning so her shoulder pressed into hers. "I took your advice, you know."

"My advice?" Natalie asked. Her heartbeat quickened, and only half at having a cute girl suddenly press herself into her; Natalie knew Camille well enough to recognize that teasing tone of voice.

"About my plant magic. My vines." She wiggled her eyebrows, and it took a second for Natalie to understand. "Like you told me to. Great advice, seriously. It was ... a lot of fun."