Kelsey Criss-Cross, The Cross

At the mention of the ears, I reached up and touched the fake ears. They were like my tail, slowly blending more and more into my actual body, though they served no real purpose. I couldn't hear through them, only feel them. I felt stressed out.

Looking up, we were losing Brinn and Ren. Alice and I had to catch up with the two before we lost them in the market crowds.

We walked several blocks, up past the market street, and along the docks to a small restaurant. The dining area was surprisingly large. From the outside, I thought the place would be a lot smaller. Tables were scattered around the room in no particular pattern, and the place smelled of seafood.

Brinn led us deeper, past the tables, past the bar and kitchen, and up to the back wall. There was a doorway that was difficult to see unless you walked to the back wall. Brinn knocked three times, then once, then three more times before the door opened.

Inside was a cute-looking girl blonde with shoulder-length hair. Her bangs were long and parted down the middle, while the back was in a loose ponytail. Freckles spotted her face heavily horizontally along her nose. She wasn't much taller than me. She was dressed in tight-fitting clothes, a loose-fitting belt sagged down on her waist from the weight of her quiver.

"Who the hell are these people?" The girl said with a sneer.

"Shh. Not out here. Let's go inside." Brinn said, gesturing with her hands for the young lady to move inside.

The room was small and square, with cushions lining the wall and a short round table in the middle. Brinn had us sit down while she grabbed a pitcher of water and several cups. She talked while she handed out cups of water.

"These people are part of the adventurer's guild, and they need our help," Brinn explained.

"They don't look like adventurers. They look like sluts."

"Don't be rude." Brinn scowled at Maddy. Then looked apologetically at us, "I'm so sorry, we're both very stressed out about what happened. I really should make introductions. This is Maddy. She's our scout and archer."

Maddy huffed.

"Maddy, this is Alice, Ren and Kelsey." Brinn introduced us. "They are looking for Grace's help. I explained our situation to them, and they jumped at the chance to help us rescue Grace and Hana."

Now Maddy looked intrigued. We filled her in on our last few days, from meeting Mercy up to this morning. However, we again omitted a few things, such as the red cream that had been applied to all of us multiple times and the pink body wash that had removed our pubic hair. Things like that seemed unnecessary to bring up.

Lastly, we didn't bring up the sexual encounters. Maddy already seemed to have a low opinion of us, and we didn't want her to think of us as 'slut's'. So, we kept our explanations solely on visual things, such as our clothing, control rings, and tattoos.

While we talked, Brinn filled the table with food. Fish and vegetables mostly. It was a great selection of things to choose from. I've always loved nibbling on platters of food like this and was overjoyed to eat.

"Alright. Our goal is to rescue Hana and Grace. So far, we only know that they were captured by the Fire Thorns two nights ago." Brinn began. "Our priority is figuring out where they are keeping them."

"The Fire Thorns are a major player in this city." Maddy continued, "They deal in many legitimate businesses and Illegal businesses throughout the city. So, figuring out where they are keeping our friends is key. If we barge into the wrong place, it could spell disaster."

"Maybe we could try interrogating one or two of their members," I suggested while punching a fist into my palm. It felt a little comical, but I just wanted to vent my frustrations.

"That might not be a bad idea, but we'd have to be smart about it. If we did it in the wrong place, or to the wrong person, we could get overwhelmed. Worse yet, if we made a mistake, we could end up on the wrong side of prison bars." Brinn said.

"There's a pub in the slums southwest of the city that's owned by the Fire Thorns. If I remember right, that place usually has a bunch of members who frequent it. Rumor is that if you're a gang member you get to drink for free there. I've actually heard that is a big recruitment tactic they have. Again, not sure if it's true or just rumor." Maddy spoke as she leaned back and stared at the ceiling.

"Is it possible for us to maybe eavesdrop on some conversations there? You know, go in and just listen to conversations? If there's one thing I know about drunks, it's that they're loud and have loose lips." Ren said.

"That might work." Brinn said, "We go and listen, maybe ask a few questions about their operation, maybe try and act like we're interested in joining. Who knows, maybe someone will spill the beans. If it comes to it, we could always follow some drunk, or even confront someone. It's kind of a sleazy part of the city, so if we rough some people up there's no surprise there. There won't be many guards wandering around."

"To finding, and then rescuing Grace and Hana!" I raised my cup of water high. We all toasted to our newly made plan. Morale was at an all-time high.

**************

The pub was only two blocks from Charity's training house, and it was enormous, with two floors. The second floor was only half the size of the first. It had a large, railed space that looked down onto the main floor. Several large round tables were in the center of the main floor, while smaller rectangular tables were off to the sides.

A long bar was along the entire north wall and had four men dressed in similar uniforms pouring drinks. Upstairs looked to be dedicated to gambling, with tables filled with people playing card games and rolling dice.

Even though it was still early evening, the building was bustling. It was obvious why the place was so popular. Topless server girls were walking around. All looked to be slave girls with thick leather collars. Their arms tied behind their backs.

Several thin metal chains led from the collar. One chain dropped down the girls' backs and connected to the shackles on their wrists, keeping their elbows bent at ninety degrees. The other chains supported a small wooden table that rested on the middle of their stomachs, displaying the girl's breasts.

All the slave server girls wore a similar 'uniform', a short plaid miniskirt that barely covered their bums, with a large belt with a small open pouch. All had the control rings on, and all of their gems glowed in a spectrum of red. And they all had the Fire Thorns tattoo, a thick letter S in black ink with red triangles sticking out of it. It wasn't very big, but it was still noticeable. Our tattoos were similar in size.

A sign in large letters on two of the walls read "No Rough Treatment of the Slaves, No Fighting".

We chose a round table in the center of the room, figuring it would give us the best opportunity to listen and observe the largest number of people we could. A server greeted us a few minutes in. She had five mugs of ale on her tray. She smiled and said "This is quite a surprise. We don't get many female customers, at least, not unaccompanied female customers."

"Is this place always so busy?" I asked, while I pulled mugs off the waitress's tray and handed them out.

"It's still early. That'll be twenty coppers for the drinks." She replied and turned sideways, showing us the open pouch at her hip. I felt a small panic. I realized I had no money. Brinn leaned over and paid the girl, who then thanked us and walked back towards the bar.

"Thanks, Brinn." Ren said, "I'd better nurse this drink. I'm broke."

"We're here to find our friends, not to get you drunk. Slut." Maddy said with a scowl, her finger pointing at me.

"Easy now, Maddy. We can't draw attention to ourselves, not here. Let's just relax and try and listen. Maybe we can find out some information." Brinn said, putting her arm on her friend's shoulder, easing some of the tension from her friend.

"Look over there." Alice gestured with her head towards some large men standing near the doors. "I think they are guards. Probably here to enforce the rules on the walls."

As the time passed, we watched more and more people come in. Many wore clothing with the Fire Thorns logo. Those men drank with abandon. It looked like the rumors about them not having to pay were true. They would pull mugs off the server girls' trays without paying, and many would fondle the young girls as well.

"Sitting here isn't getting us anywhere," Maddy said after a while, clearly frustrated. "Hana and Grace need our help, and all we're doing is sitting here watching these idiots get drunk." Then she stood, palms down on the table, "I say we grab a few of them, take them out back, and beat the information from them."

She was proposing the same plan I'd said earlier. Hearing it come from her mouth made me feel a camaraderie with her.

"That'll only bring trouble. Patience is what we need," Brinn said, "How about we walk around a bit. Maybe we'll have better luck hearing about their operations and... where they take new slaves. To be safe, let's stay in teams. No wandering around alone."

"I'll go with you," I said to Maddy as I stood up.

Maddy rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. It seemed she didn't feel the same camaraderie that I'd felt. She turned and walked into the crowd. I quickly followed, not wanting to lose her.

She pushed past standing groups of strangers and squeezed in between occupied chairs, people who were facing opposite tables. We were headed towards the long bar at the opposite end of the pub. There had been a large cluster of people, but we'd found an area that wasn't congested.

Maddy then turned to face me, a scowl on her pretty face, "Stop following me. I don't need help, especially from some tramp." She said, pointing her finger up towards my chin.

The whole confrontation happened so suddenly. I was at a loss at the rapid change in mood. I raised my hands in surrender. "Chill out. You heard Brinn, no wandering around alone."

Maddy huffed petulantly but said no more. So, I continued, "We are all after the same thing. I know you're stressed. Your friends are in trouble, I get that. I want to help them too. I need their help just as much as they need our help."

My words came out a mess, but I meant what I said. Maddy seemed to relax, hearing the sincerity in my voice. Whatever our differences, we still had the same goal and needed each other's help.

I heard it before I felt it, the sound of a small bell chiming. It was from the bell and bowtie attached at the end of my tail; someone pulled it. The feeling is indescribable, a mixture of pleasure and pain shot through me through the extension of my derriere. I moaned loudly as I fell forward into Maddy. The sensation thrummed down my legs, making my knees buckle and my toes point inward.

One saving grace was that my hands were already up in a way that I was able to catch myself on her. I felt myself being pulled up onto my toes by my tailbone. The man was squeezing my tail, and I felt such bliss heating up in my sex.

"Hehe, got the cat by the tail. Why don't you meow for me, babe." I heard a deep voice say, followed by laughter. I felt paralyzed and not just with embarrassment. I felt myself flush and moan with each tug on the tail.

Time seemed to stop, and a revelation struck me in the moment. The feeling wasn't coming from my ass like it had this morning when Mercy pulled on my tail. Now it was coming from higher up. Had the tail fully emerged with me?

"Fuck off you shithead. Let my friend go" Maddy shouted at the man while holding me steady. There was silence, then I felt my tail release from the man's grip, and I was able to rest my heels back on the floor. There was a feeling of disappointment or maybe loss. I had felt so different, and incredibly helpless when he had pulled on my tail. But the feeling that had engulfed me was incredible.

I felt the loss of the lustful feeling but I also felt at a loss that a stranger, or anyone, could cause such sudden and powerful sensation in me. I had to get rid of this tail as soon as possible!

Rage boiled up from the pit of my stomach, rage at being publicly embarrassed. Rage at the audacity of a stranger pulling me by my ass, and the most rage was at the helplessness I'd felt. I stood up straight and turned to face the man.

"Easy now, kitten. We were only having a laugh. You can't walk around wearing a getup like that and not expect it. Maybe we can have some fun and see if I can leave you purring." He said, his voice deep, hands raised in that same halting stance I'd had with Maddy.

My rage flared and my hands balled into fists. I took one step towards the man, raising my fists for him to focus on. He never saw it coming. My foot crashed down on his toes, shooting pain through him and most importantly, keeping him from backing away. He looked down at our feet, mine on top of his. Then with all my might, I clocked him right on the chin.

His eyes dilated as he fell backward awkwardly with my foot keeping him pinned in place. It felt like slow motion as the hulking man crumpled in a lean, his head hitting the back of another man's chair. There was an audible wince from the crowd.

Time seemed to slow down for me. I'd not wanted to cause any type of scene or draw too much attention, but this was definitely a showstopper. I felt the eyes of the room on me. I lifted my foot off the man's foot and cautiously stepped back.

The applause and laughter that burst forth made me jump back. It wasn't the result I'd expected from these gangsters, but I felt such relief. My anxiety calmed and I managed to relax as the room seemed to return to normal.

"Holy fuck, Kelsey! You cleaned that guy's clock in one shot." Maddy said, putting a hand on my shoulder, with a smile on her face ear to ear. This was the first time I'd seen her smile, and she looked beautiful. It felt contagious as I felt my cheeks start to hurt from my smile.

"The guy's just lucky he checked out after the first hit. If I'd have hit him with Anvil here, he might be dead!" I said as I raised my left arm to show off my muscles. I'd always joked about naming my arms or fists Hammer and Anvil, but this might be the first time it felt appropriate. Maddy laughed and gave my bicep a squeeze and a playful whistle.

"Listen, Maddy." I said in a more somber tone, "This fucking tail and these ears are horrible. I need Grace's help in a bad way. Helping her is helping... it's helping not just me, but so many. Please understand that I'm with you."

Maddy looked like she was about to tear up. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt and took a deep breath. "Okay," she said with a smile. "I'll let you help me, even though you're dressed like a whore. What do you think we should do?"

I couldn't help but laugh.

I had to think for a moment about everything. Where we were, what we were doing, and what we needed to find out. We needed to find out where the Fire Thorns took captured girls. We were in a bar filled with Fire Thorn members. Asking them outright would probably be a bad idea... But this was a bar....

"I've got it. Follow my lead." I said to Maddy and then took the lead. I headed for the long bar table. A few men parted from our path, giving us a clear road to the bar. Behind the counter were four large men who all wore the same-looking uniform, a green shirt with black trousers and a black apron.

A rotund bartender crossed the short distance to me, tossing a white drying towel over his shoulder. "'Allo love, are yer one o' the new girls, isit?" He asked me in a rough accent.

The question took me back a moment, and I had to ponder why he would think I worked there. I looked down at the bar counter and was reminded about what kind of bar this was. Down the line, there were topless slave girl waitresses, arms bound behind their backs and makeshift tables suspended off their collars and resting on their bellies. That can't be good for posture.

I watched as two of the slave waitresses stood near the counter and had the suspended trays filled with more mugs. They laughed and smiled talking with each other and the bartender. It was too far for me to hear what was being said, but the whole vibe left me feeling confused about these girls. It felt like they had become comfortable with this scenario they'd found themselves in and had just accepted it like any other job.

"No... I'm not a new girl." I said to the portly man. "I was just going to order an ale."

"Whoa... I don't gets too many customers who come ter the bloomin' boozer for an ale. Most o' them fellas just gets one off one o' the girls runnin' 'round. I figured that yer was new and lookin' for the bleedin' H'ornet." The bartender said to me. He reached down and pulled up a mug in each hand, then turned around and began to fill them at the taps behind him.

I felt my arm pinched. "What are you doing? We aren't here to drink, we gotta find a way to help Grace and Hana." Maddy said through her teeth. She looked more nervous and stressed than before.

"First of all, we are trying to find them. We aren't gonna get drunk from one drink... at least, I'm not going to. Do you drink?" I asked Maddy. The question kind of popped out of me before I could think about it, but the look on her face told me the answer. She looked like she'd maybe had a sip here and there but had never truly been dancing on the tables drunk. It started making sense.

"We're not going to get drunk," I repeated. "Having some ale in hand will, one, help us fit in and not look suspicious. Look around. Everyone has a mug in front of them or near them. We stand out more, and not just because of these ridiculous cat ears and skimpy vest, but because we've nothing in hand. Two, the booze should help lower your very noticeable anxiety and it'll help you relax. You look tense. No one will want to tell you anything when you look that tense." I said, using my fingers in a counting gesture to help bring my points home.

I was talking out of my ass. I'd never planned on any of that. I'd just wanted a drink to help cool my nerves, but it sounded good. Maddy took in my words, and then I watched her shoulders slump in acknowledgment. "Okay."

"Are yer two done, then?" The bartender said pushing the mugs across the counter.

"Thank you so much!" I said, trying to sound as cheerful as possible. "I'm Kelsey, what's your name? How much do I owe you?"

"Me names Agus, the bleedin' drinks are 10 copper each," Agus said. I reached to my hip where my coin purse would normally be. It wasn't there. I'd forgotten that I wore the skimpy outfit. Agus definitely noticed. He went to clear his throat, but Maddy pushed me aside and produced the coins.

"Thank yer kindly yorng lass," Agus said, looking a tad relieved. I'm not too sure why he would be relieved as well, but I thought better than to ask.

"You said something about new girls had to go to the Hornet. Who's that?" Maddy prodded Agus while she lifted the mug to her lips. She took a sip and made a sour face, "Ugh, you guys drink this stuff?"

"I've had worse," I told her, having a taste for myself. It was true, this stuff wasn't spectacular. It was actually fairly bitter, but in my experience, it'll all get you there all the same. I took another swig.

"The bleedin' H'ornet is the bloomin' manager o' this not so bad establishment. The chuffin' Forns send in new girls and the chuffin' H'ornet keeps them workin'." Agus said to us. It took a lot of concentration to follow his words.

Maddy seemed to follow along just fine. She pressed Agus for more answers, "So the Hornet looks after the new girls. Does the Hornet know where the new girls get sent from?"

"Do I 'ave a look like I know, isit? Yer would 'ave ter ask the bleedin' H'ornet yorself. Why do yer even want ter know, isit?" Agus said. I felt like my head was swelling trying to keep up, but I think he wanted to know why we were asking. Though he seemed friendly enough, I didn't think we should tell him too much.