In for a Penny

"How about him?" Twig pointed out a cloaked figure sitting alone in the corner of the dimly lit tavern.

"Him?" Bree squinted in the direction of the stranger. She usually let Twig pick out their targets, but this one seemed unusual. "He's not even drinking!"

"He looks rich," Twig surmised. Indeed, even as dressed down as the person was, they still managed to look like one of the more affluent attendees of the establishment judging by the material of their clothes.

Twig pulled her head back around to grin at her friend. She was the more voluptuous of the pair, with her wild, black hair in a messy side-cut over her left eye. The red, handsewn dress she was wearing clung to her body in a way that was surprisingly flattering, given how cheap it looked.

"Well, maybe..." Bree's hands fidgeted together, a common occurrence. Bree's frame was thin and wiry, in contrast to her partner. She stood a few inches shorter, and her straight, auburn hair came down to her thin shoulders, complementing the silver dress that hung slightly oversized on her slender form.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Twig was already hopping off her seat, having made up her mind long before even suggesting anything at all.

"Do we have to find out?" Bree wondered, already knowing she wasn't going to convince the stubborn goblin otherwise.

They weaved through the tables, making their way to the secluded corner booth where the mysterious stranger sat by themselves.

"Lonely in the corner over here, ain't it?" Twig asked.

"Perhaps I enjoy the solitude," the figure replied, his voice more deep and smooth than either of the goblins had anticipated.

Bree had to work hard to bite back a smug grin as the stranger all but dismissed her associate's advances. She had half a mind to give Twig a 'told you so', before she thought better of it.

Undeterred, Twig pulled herself into the opposite chair at his table. "Man, I've never seen anyone dress this shady in this hole before. What's with the getup?"

"Well..." the man relaxed back into his own seat. "Would you like to be seen in a 'hole' like this?" A low chuckle poured from his throat, filling the space around him. "I suspect so, actually, given how you're dressed."

Twig's ears twitched happily at the sound of the stranger's voice, despite the implied insult. It was subtle enough that she hadn't even realized it had happened.

"You're the one so focused on how we're dressed," Bree cut in suddenly, her attempt at a sultry voice only coming out slightly too amateurish to be tantalizing.

"And you're not quite as confident in your advances as your friend here," the stranger replied, yellow eyes peering down into Bree's from the darkness of his cloak. Bree's shoulders reflexively pulled towards her large ears.

"I've been around your type enough to know," Twig butted in confidently, "If you weren't interested, you'd have sent us away by now."

The figure chuckled again. The corners of the goblins' mouths tugged instinctively upwards, as if to share the laugh.

"You're smarter than you look," he admitted, pulling his cloak back.

"Dragonborn, huh?" Twig whistled, shrugging off another insult, "Don't see too many of those around this podunk town."

"And I do not often find myself in the presence of pretty green maidens." He smiled, his silver scales sparkling in the flickering torchlight. The dragon paused, stroking his scaly chin. "...Tell me, how would you two lovely lasses like to make a bit of gold?"

The goblins glanced towards each other, both trying not to seem overly enthused. Bree opened her mouth to say something, but was inaudible over the sound of Twig suddenly interjecting.

"What makes you think you can afford us?" She kicked her feet up on the table.

Bree swallowed loudly. They had already nearly sealed the deal, just to let greed get in the way? "I'm sure he can," she huffed, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

Twig picked between her teeth with a long nail, leaning her chair back on two legs. She knew about dragons. At least enough to know they were loaded, usually. This was worth haggling for.

"Oh?" The dragon leaned forward, placing his chin in his hand. He seemed more entertained than insulted. "What's your price, then?"

"Two hundred gold pieces!" Twig nearly cackled, "How's that sound?"

Bree slapped her palm against her forehead.

"Two hundred, hm?" His eyes searched from Twig, to Bree, and back again. "Is that for the both of you?"

"Um." Twig, for the first time, looked taken off guard, like she finally had to think. "Each!" she eventually landed on.

There was a long pause, the dragon pondering. Finally, he answered. "A fair price. I think I can manage."

Twig's smile was so wide her sharp, jagged teeth showed. Bree looked astonished, then sighed in relief.

"Great!" Twig cheered, her chair slamming back onto four legs. "So, your room, then?" She clasped her palms together as she gave the dragon the most sultry gaze she could muster.

"In due time," the dragon told her. "But first, a small request..." He gestured at a nearby chair, wordlessly instructing Bree to pull up a seat next to her friend. The lump in the smaller goblin's throat hadn't fully subsided even by the time she was sitting shoulder to shoulder with Twig.

"Freaky stuff'll cost you extra," Twig warned. Bree tried not to look too embarrassed.

"I'd just like to talk, for a bit. I hope that won't be a problem." The dragon's smile was infectious, and the goblins found themselves mirroring it without realizing.

"Hagglin' for a discount already? You're not a cheapskate are you?" Twig asked, an eyebrow raised suspiciously.

The dragon chuckled again, and Bree felt the back of her neck tingle.

"Perish the thought. I just prefer to get to know somebody before I, well..." Seemingly appearing from nowhere, the dragon began twirling a gold coin between his fingers. "Get to *know* somebody."

Bree's eyes trailed the shimmering piece of gold as it danced between his index finger and thumb, hypnotically swaying back and forth. The yellow metal practically gleamed, even in the dim light of the tavern.

"A real gentleman, huh?" Twig tried not to sound like she was scoffing.

"Something like that."

The two goblins watched the dragon flip the coin into the air. Once, twice, three times. Each toss sent it higher and higher, spinning end over end as it reached its apex. It seemed to hang in midair, defying gravity as it reached the top of its arc...

...before falling into the waiting, scaly hand of the dragon, once again firmly between his index and middle fingers.

It took a few moments for Twig to realize just how silent it had gotten as her thoughts caught back up to her. She frowned.

"Weren't you gonna say somethin'?" she puzzled, an annoyed sounding grunt following thereafter.

Why, I already did," the dragon refuted, sounding pompous. "I asked you your names, and you answered. Twig, Bree."

Now Bree was the one frowning. "I don't remember that," she said, brow furrowed.

"Me neither," Twig added, equally bewildered.

The dragon seemed amused. "Well, how could I possibly know them if you hadn't told me? I'm not a mind reader."

The goblins shared a look with each other. Bree could already tell they might have bitten off more than they could chew. Twig looked more annoyed than worried. When they glanced back in the dragon's direction, he had pulled the coin back out, continuing to idly play with it.

"Suppose you couldn't be blamed too harshly. I've heard that goblins have... Short attention spans..."

"Mhm," Bree thoughtlessly mumbled, already proving what the dragon had said. Twig grunted in agreeance. It was clear from the way their eyes trailed the coin, their concern was elsewhere.

"Even when they want something so badly..."

Bree's tongue wet her lips at the sight. That coin was so shiny. So bright. So, so...

"...Gold." Twig muttered it under her breath, which had become quite labored. Her chest expanded with each long gulp of air that filled her lungs, stretching against her dress.

"Oh, this?" The dragon ceased his twirling, pinching the coin between his first finger and thumb. He extended his hand out over the table, allowing the goblins a closer look. "Quite nice, isn't it?"

The goblins both nodded their head in unison, each unaware of how in sync their movements were with the other.

"I have more," the dragon chuckled. He leaned his top half over the table, pushing the coin closer to the goblins' faces. "But, you two seem to like this one." The closer it came, the wider they smiled. Their hearts swelled, their toes curled. "Don't you?"

Twig's arm slowly moved forward, wrist nearly limp as she made a lazy grab for the shiny piece of metal, only to have the dragon pull it back at the last possible moment. She audibly gasped, feeling the radiating bliss from the coin begin to ebb as it was pulled away from her.

"Ah, ah... Payment upon services rendered," the dragon told her. Twig let out an almost pitiful whine.

Bree wasn't faring much better. Her head had lolled to the side, her cheek nearly resting on her shoulder. A small trickle of drool had found its way out of the corner of her mouth. She couldn't remember the last time she had blinked.

With the pair of goblins looking so out of sorts, the dragon's eyes were free to wander across their bodies.

"What would you do, I wonder..." The dragon placed the coin on the tabletop, pressing his clawed finger down onto it. He slid it slowly towards the goblins. "For this single coin?"

Bree sucked the saliva back into her mouth, eyes locked on the enchanted object. She looked like she was in the middle of an existential crisis, clearly struggling to hold on to a rational thought as her mind lingered seconds behind her body. Twig, meanwhile, was going through a similar process, breathing heavily as she gripped the wooden chair seat she was perched on.

Left, to right, the coin slid underneath the dragon's long claw. He watched the goblins heads tilt ever so slightly as their eyes followed, swaying in concert with the golden disc. "Would you... Beg?"

Twig's bottom lip curled upwards into a look of disgust. Even in her current state, the mere thought of begging was so far beneath her, it broke through her clouded thoughts. "Nnnuh..." she started to complain, finding it within herself to shake her head. "Wwwwwe don't-"

"Please." Bree's soft, high pitch timbre interrupted Twig's line of thought, speaking as though she hardly recognized the other goblin was even there. "I want it." She spoke so quietly, so full of breathless awe, even the dragon had difficulty picking up on the words.

"Breeeee..." Twig groaned, obviously irked. Bree continued to either ignore her, or simply not pick up on her existence.

"How much do you want it?" The dragon's voice had met Bree's, nearly a whisper, nearly a growl. Even while so subtle, it commanded attention. His yellow eyes flicked towards Twig for a moment, studying her.

Bree let out a long, labored sigh. "A lot."

Twig seemed conflicted in her reaction. On one hand, she felt too prideful to stoop to the level the dragon wanted. On the other, the idea of Bree getting the coin over her filled her with so much envy, you could nearly see steam pouring out of her ears.

"Well, if Bree wants it that much..." The dragon began to slide the coin in the shorter goblin's direction, keeping his eyes trained on Twig, taunting her, fully confident in his manipulation. Twig's expression soured more, and more, watching the coin, HER coin, move further and further out of her reach.

"Wait!" Twig screeched. She was panting, sweating. Her teeth grit in her clenched mouth. "I want it," she admitted. Saying the words aloud seemed to release some kind of latent energy within her. As though she had been shaken to the point of bursting, before finally being uncorked. She almost laughed, the energy dispersing through her body in the form of tingling electrical pulses, her fingertips twitching as she felt her body go nearly limp. "P-please. I need it."

"You need it?" The dragon repeated her words back at her.

"Yes."

"How badly?"

"Really badly." This time, Bree was the one to answer.

"Then tell me, what would you do for it?" Though straight forward, the question still seemed to take a few moments to click over in the goblins' minds. Warmth spread through their bodies, their wills all but exhausted. It took no thought, no contemplation or consideration as they answered in unison, as though rehearsed.

"Anything."

"Interesting." The dragon plucked the coin from the table. His fingertips clung to the coin as he pinched it, rocking his wrist back and forth like he was teasing a couple of small animals with a treat. "Before, the price was four hundred, but now..." his eyes gleamed. "You only want one?"

Even explaining the poor economics of the scenario didn't seem to rile the goblins from their trance. Bree was drooling on herself again, while Twig just thoughtlessly nodded along to anything the dragon said.

"Well, in that case..." He leaned forward. "You could start by showing me just how committed you two are." The dragon's eyes flicked down towards Twig's collarbone. "Pull that dress down a bit, Twig."

The dragon's words melted into the goblin's head. They wrapped her mind in sweetness, fuzzing her from head to toe in pleasant, thoughtless static. Wordlessly, she obeyed. Her hand reached over her shoulder to take hold of the dress' strap. She tugged at it, pulling the red fabric down past her arm. In a matter of seconds, the thin, tight-fitting dress had been pulled all the way down to her stomach, her top half left exposed in an erotic display of submission.

The look of satisfaction on the dragon's face hardly registered to Twig. In fact, she hardly even saw the dragon sitting behind the shiny, golden coin that had stolen her thoughts. The light draft that blew across her chest left her somewhat cold, but she looked otherwise oblivious to her own actions.

"Cute," the dragon hummed, staring blatantly at the woman's nakedness, taking in the simple beauty of the sight before turning his attention to the other goblin. "Bree, spread your legs. Lift your dress."

Spoken to directly, Bree felt a forced calmness subdue her fleeting thoughts. Warmth spread out from the center of her body. She went to part her knees, but found that they had already parted themselves. This struck her as curious, though she was unable to fully investigate the thought as the feeling in her chest began to unfurl towards her extremities, basking her in a distracting, mind-numbing sensation that drew a long, pleased sigh from deep within her lungs.

Her fingers fumbled with the hem of her dress, almost requiring more dexterity than she could afford. Eventually, though, she managed to grip the fabric, tugging it upwards past her thighs and up to her waist, revealing the plain, cotton undergarments that clung to her lithe frame. The exposure hardly registered as more than a brief tingle in the back of her head, though some deep-seated part of her must have found it slightly tantalizing, judging by the thin smile on her face.

"Quite eager to please, all of the sudden." The dragon smirked. His eyes passed from the taller goblin's half-nudity, to the other's exposed underwear. He made an audible noise of satisfaction. "Very obedient..."

"Yeahhhhh," Twig breathed out dreamily, as though she had been getting complimented. She shifted slightly in her seat, crossing and uncrossing her ankles.

Bree seemed somewhat distracted. Her hand absentmindedly wandered towards her waist. Her fingers lingered across her midriff before slowly, gradually sliding down between her legs, stopping at the spot just below her stomach. She pressed down on the spot with her palm, rewarded with a short burst of pleasure. She sucked in air, a faint gasp passing her lips. She repeated the action again, and again, eyes unfocused, unthinking.

Twig looked like she was having trouble keeping her head aloft, as though it suddenly weighed more than her neck could bear. The sounds of the tavern around her faded out into the distance as her eyes glossed over, now finding it difficult to concentrate on anything other than the growing heat that flashed across her skin, tingling down her chest and stomach. The nagging sensation seemed to pool downwards, building upon itself in waves the longer it was left undealt with.

"Something you need, Twig?" the dragon suddenly asked, sounding far too coy and confident in his assessment of the goblin's current physical state.

Her breath hitched, as though she was startled. Her mouth moved to form words, but they failed her, replaced instead by an instinctive response. "Please." It came out in the form of a strained groan.

"Please, what?" The dragon teased, relentless. "What is it that you want?"

"Touch." Twig's voice was distant, like the words were wandering through the air and she was struggling to catch them as they floated past her. "Touch. Please."

"Where?"

The goblin's breath exited in ragged huffs. She searched her mind for the answer, the hardest she had thought since she could remember. She parted her legs, placing a hand between them, fingers clenched onto her inner thigh. She slid her fingertips closer, and closer, until they pressed into the sensitive area between her legs. A low gasp left her mouth. Her fingers slid up and down, rubbing the delicate area. She let her head hang back, eyelids fluttering, all but forgetting she had even been asked a question in the first place.

Bree's attention had slipped from the dragon to her friend. She found herself copying the motions, her fingers teasing the same sensitive spot on her own body as she watched the other goblin go.

"Good, very good," the dragon's voice rang through both of the goblin's skulls. "Such good, good girls."

Twig's shoulders twitched as a warm sensation washed over her body. The dragon's praise made her skin tingle, her heartbeat growing stronger and louder in her ears. Bree looked no better, eyes shut as she panted heavily, fingers eagerly stroking along the crotch of her panties.

"Now, tell me," The dragon suddenly sounded strangely serious, the playful ring of his voice giving way to a more stern tone. "You were going to take my gold earlier, weren't you?"

The words wrapped themselves around the goblin's brain, squeezing the answer out of Twig's open mouth. "Yes," she admitted.

"What were you going to do to get it?" He spoke as if he already knew the answer.

"Steal it." Given the wide smile on Twig's face, it was hard to believe that she was openly admitting what was supposed to be a well-kept secret.

The dragon laughed. The sound made Bree shudder in delight, even as her and Twig's cover was completely blown, the words themselves hardly registering as important over the mere presence of the dragon's voice.

"But now..." The dragon held the coin in front of Twig. She watched as it sparkled and gleamed under the candle light. She stared into her own reflection. "Now you're going to earn it, right?"

Twig nodded, mesmerized by her own pleasured face in the coin's surface.

"Tell me," he coaxed her, voice smooth as silk.

"We're going to earn it." Twig repeated his words. The confirmation made her body shudder in delight. She finally began to realize how good it felt to just listen. To obey. To submit.

The dragon's chair slid back, wooden legs squealing loudly as they were forced backwards across the old floor, turning a few heads. Though by this point, several other patrons of the tavern had already been carefully observing what had been going on. Such displays of indecency weren't exactly uncommon, but even so the impromptu show was drawing wandering eyes towards the activity.