Respite at the Inn

I bend over the table of one of the regulars, refilling his cup, ignoring his stares down my blouse -- I'm not even that well endowed but in the tightly laced bodice my boss makes me wear at work, my breasts seem a lot more prominent than I'd like them to to. Just like my butt shows a lot more in the short skirt. And my panties whenever I bend over.

"It's good for business, lassie! And what's good for business is good for your tips", he always says when I grudgingly put them on again for another shift.

"Gotta show what ya got if ya wanna make it in this world. If ya ever wanna get a good man, you better learn that."

I swallow my pride and suppress my feelings of embarrassment -- the job does pay well, better than most in our little village and being a tavern-maid certainly beats being a seamstress or a washerwoman. If I have to show a bit of my body...

I snap out of my musings when the room falls silent. Utterly. Even the eyes of my regular move away from my cleavage -- such a rare occasion that I just have to turn around and follow them. I spill some wine on him but he doesn't even notice.

In the door-frame stand two high grown figures -- both so tall they had to bend down to get through the door.

The male is lean, sinewy, exuding an air of alertness like he could pull one of those two short swords attached to his belt and slice the neck of an opponent before that one even lays hands on his weapons. He wears dark blue breeches and under his silver trimmed blue cape shimmers something silver -- chain-mail, but nothing like the rusty, heavy stuff the soldiers stationed around here wear. His hair is long, light blond, falling down on his shoulders and the ears poking through it: pointy.

The female beside him is even taller, definitely seven feet, if not more. She wears a leather loin cloth, boots, and a leather top barley covering her massive breasts. She is broad, muscular -- other than her companion she looks like not only her height but also her width must have given her problems getting through the door -- but not an ounce of fat on her body, her whole form is muscles. Her jet black hair tied into a braid, he skin looks greenish with a hint of grey in the candle light of the Inn. It should look sickly - would on a human - but on her it looks vivid. Two pointy, dangerous looking teeth protrud from her lower jaw that tilt her mouth to what looks like a perpetual grin. She looks so menacing that the giant axe she carries on her back is not necessary at all to intimidate anyone.

The two scan the room, obviously checking every single person present -- all of them human. When their eyes find me, their looks burn into me. I feel my mouth go dry. Then they move towards an empty table, take off their weapons -- keeping them within reach -- and sit. I slowly walked over to to the bar, looking at my boss behind it.

"Whatcha waiting for, can't ya see we got new guests?"

"Don't you want to..."

"I'm paying YOU to serve the guests, do I not, lassie?"

I beam at him -- he usually insists on serving strangers himself -- travellers often are more generous with tips, especially when they come with fine clothes like the elf and expensive weaponry like the both of them. At the very least they usually have interesting stories to tell he can use to entertain our regulars later.

Not this time. For -- some reason he doesn't care much to meet this intimidating couple. I swallow hard and walk over.

I clear my throat -- no need to get their attention, their eyes were on me from the moment I moved away from the bar -- I feel there is not much those two don't notice -- they probably have keener senses than humans, and even if not seem tense and attentive in a way no local ever does.

"Mist... Mylor... Sir... Ma'am."

I stumble over the words, unsure how to address them. Also -- I guess I must have stared. At his face, long, pale, eerily symmetrical and her -- chest, mostly, to be honest and her bulging biceps. I blush. And of course they notice, both the stare and my blush.

"Good evening, good tavern-maid."

The male smiles at me -- a friendly smile that seems honest, but is still -- kind of uncanny on that pale, almost but not quite human face.

"No need to be nervous, we just came to your humble establishment to rest during our travels."

I nod.

"Of course. Welcome. All travellers are invited. Even though we... don't get many that are -- so... from as far away."

He smiles and his companion laughs in a deep rumbling voice.

"I thought so. From the looks of you, you don't get to see many of our kind?"

I shake my head.

"I... if I am honest, I am not even sure what your kind... uhm... Are you an ogre, Ma'am?"

I feel myself trembling just at the word. Another deep belly laughter.

"Half-ogre. Don't worry little monkey, I have the urges of my ogre half in control. I don't even eat humans. Any more. Often."

I feel my mouth go dry. The tall male chuckles

"Oh don't scare her, the poor human is nervous enough."

He looks at me -- his eyes are light blue -- one could sink into them and lose yourself if you look too long.

"She's harmless as a puppy, human on her mother's side. Grew up among humans. Never eaten anything that walks on two legs. Expect for chickens."

"I ate an eagle, once!"

He nods smiling.

"And I'm here to make sure that doesn't change."

He winks at me I stare at her aghast

"H... Half... was you mother... ravished..."

She grumbles -- I can identify her laughing by now.

"Oh no, she quite enjoyed my reception from what she told me later. Always was into big and strong men, and after she encountered her first ogre... Hum. I only wish I knew my father, I'd love to give his cock a good..."

"Tsk. Don't talk like that, you know how silly humans are about that!"

She shrugs and grins, baring her sharp teeth. I hear my heart beat in my ears.

"'bout what?"

"Incest. Their gods forbid it. Like most things fun."

The elf sighs and the ogre grunts.

"Oh, yeah, right. Stupid humans and their puny gods..."

"You have seen elves before, haven't you, little human?"

The male changes the topic and I am endlessly grateful for it. I nod.

"Well. From afar... when I was in the city. Never... dared to approach one, they... you are so..."

He giggles.

"Beautiful? Ethereal? I guess we must seem that to you."

I nod -- no idea why I'm talking to strangers about all of this -- I just told him I find him beautiful. I guess the boss would say it is good for the business. He has something about him that just wants to make me... I shake my head and frown. That must be elf magic, right? It IS said that they can entrance people. I gulp and try con focus in my job.

"H... How can I serve..."

I rephrase it quickly.

"What can I bring you?"

"Wine!"

The Half Ogre calls. She's a woman of few words.

"The good one"

The elf adds with a wink.

"And what do you have to eat?"

"Rabbit stew, Sir."

I feel embarrassed that we have no choice - when I was in the city I saw taverns with "Menus" full of different foods - up to five at a time! He sure is used to things like that. But he just nods. Well. They're travellers, they must know places like ours, too.

"Sounds wonderful"

I nod and turn around, quickly walking to the counter. I feel both glad and sad I get away from them - they make me nervous like no guest ever has. On the other hand, the new experience is exhilarating. His is entrancing and she is... fascinating in her own right.

"What do they want?"

The boss stares at me wide eyed, his sweaty face glistening in the candle light. I catch myself.

"Food and drink, obviously, we are an Inn, aren't we?"

I try to give my voice an annoyed tone, like I deal with beings of their kind on regular basis and have no idea why he's making such a fuss. He grunts. Puts a jug with the usual wine on the counter. I eye it.

"He explicitly asked for the good wine."

"Ex... what?"

I sigh. Sometimes I regret my mother taught me to read. My vocabulary is getting to big for this place.

"He just said he wants the good stuff!"

"Eh - and how would he tell what's the..."

"Do you want to see if he can tell? If we serve him that, you can bring it to him, I won't!"

He stares at me then eyes the new guest -- just for a moment, the way his eyes jump back to me, I'm sure the elf met his gaze. He wipes his forehead, puts the jug away and gets a glass bottle from behind the bar.

"They better have enough to pay for it!"

I scoff. The way the elf is dressed he could probably buy the whole cellar.

The boss scoops stew into two wooden bowls, and puts then on tray with the bottle and two cups.

I walk back, all eyes on me - and not because of my skimpy clothes for a change - put the tray down on the table -- the elf smiles as I still slightly tremble when pouring the expensive wine into their cups. The half ogre surely notices it too, but is too busy emptying her cup in one gulp, then refills it and starts devouring her food, making her companion sigh theatrically.

"I could have bought the cheap booze if you just chug it!"

Her belly laugh rumbles deeply.

"You could have!"

"Sometimes I wonder why I even travel with you."

She licks her greenish lips.

"Probably because I give excellent head!"

I almost drop the bowl of strew was just about to put in front of him. He chuckles, a light, silvery laugh.

"That must be it!"

He looks at me.

"Still -- good as her mouth IS for that, she's not the greatest conversationalist. And I love to meet new people. Why don't you sit down and keep us some company, little human?"

"Sit down? I -- I have to work, I can't mingle with the..."

He reaches his slender fingers down to his belt into the pouch attached at this side. I gasp as he pulls out a coin, glimmering golden in the candlelight.

"Give this to the master of this house and tell him I request your company. It should compensate him for having to serve the guests himself for an evening."

I stare at the coin he drops into my hand, I have no idea whose head that is on it, but it feels warm in my palm.

As he eats a spoon of his stew, I walk back to the counter and hand it to the boss in a daze.

Who stares at it, then me.

"What in the plains and the mountains...?"

"He... he says he wants me to -- keep them company..."

He bites the coin with his stumpy teeth, holds it next to the oil lamp behind the counter.

"If this is not real then it's the best fake I ever... "

Then looks at me.

"What are you waiting for, lassie -- get to to that table, sit your cute ass down and talk to the nice people!"

He quickly puts the coin not into the cash chest but his deep pocket, slaps my ass and shoves me towards our new guests. I feel the eyes of everyone in the tavern on me - again - but none of them burns into me like the deep blue eyes of the elf and the black orbs of the half ogre as I walk to their table. I feel like lamb walking to the slaughter.

As I sit down, the Elf puts a hand on mine and smiles at me - again I feel like sinking into his eyes, hardly hearing the rumbling chuckle of his muscular companion.

I relax.

Feel safe.

Smile at him.

"There you go, little human, so much prettier when you smile. Isn't she pretty?"

The female grunts.

"Too pink, too tiny, too frail for my taste. I don't know what you see in these humans."

He smirks.

"I never saw you kicking one out of your bedstead..."

They grin at each other and then laugh out loud.

"So, little human -- you don't get to see many other races, hm?"

I shake my head

"We have some dwarves from the mines some miles off stop by, occasionally, Some halflings, but they rarely ever travel so far south. I once saw a faun. I think. May have just been a goat lost in the woods.... No, we're too far off deep in human lands, too far from the borders for - foreigners to come by. Not since..."

He nods. The stories of free moving beings of all kinds of species are nothing but that for me - stories from before the war. In the big cities, the races may still mingle, but not here in the outskirts...

"And you don't get out much -- other than -'the city'?"

He chuckles and I blush -- for him what I called "the city" is probably just another village hardly more notable than our few huts. The stories the occasional human travellers coming through tell about the capitol seem - made up. Houses with more than two storeys? Outhouses -- indoors? Inns where loose women offer heir bodies up for money... I feel a tingle inside of me thinking about that one. And I feel his eyes on me, like drilling into my head. Can elves red minds? I shake my head and put away the thoughts of -- loose women...

"Y... You must come around a lot? Are you soldiers?"

He smiles.

"Occasionally. But regular armies usually don't pay enough. We're freelancers. Quest seekers."

"Assassins?"

I almost put my hands in front of my mouth, I feel a little too relaxed if I call guests that. But he only smiles and the ogre rumbles.

"If the need for some arises. But the most expensive kind. And we never go after our friends!"

He pushes his cup towards me and waves to my boss for another.

"Here. Have a drink. To new friends."

I open my eyes wide. I never drunk the good stuff. I hardly ever drink at all.

"I couldn't..."

"I insist. Friend. You're our guest tonight, after all. You are old enough to drink, aren't you? I sometimes have trouble judging humans' ages, you're ALL so... young to us..."

"Not that you care much..."

The half ogre grins.

"Human authorities can be such a pain in the ass though. 20 years are just a blink of an eye for me but they REALLY seem to care for some reason about when a human was born in that tiny amount of time when you make them drink with you or -- do something else."

I nod my head eagerly, I certainly don't want to seem immature to this worldly elf.

"I'm 18!"

Look at him

"An adult", I add, just to save him, the trouble of calculating human years into elven ones.

He nods.

"Good. A big girl!"

The ogre chuckles.

"A tiny big girl."

"Now, now, I'm sure she's -- fairly well sized for a human!"

They both grin and I do take as sip of the wine. It's rich. Potent. Definitely will work faster than the cheap stuff.

The boss puts another cup in front of the elf and fills it, then refills my cup - reluctant to serve me, but at a nod of the elf, he does. I can't suppress a giggle. The elf smiles.

"And even prettier when you laugh. Have another sip!"

I do as he tells me and drink.

For the next hour or so, I talk to the two strangers like we're old friends. The wine loosens my tongue, I guess - they soon know all there is to know about me -- little as there is to know. How my father didn't come back from the ogre wars -- I sense my new lady friend tensing up -- it's hard to read her expression, but the topic clearly isn't one she likes to discuss. I wonder where the half ogre stood in it -- probably between all fronts.

How I grew up alone with my mother who died of the fever two years ago and ever since get through life alone, the job in this tavern the best thing that ever happened to me.

"And that's all about me!"

I shrug, apologetically. The elf smiles and the ogre grunts.

"No men?"

She looks at me, I blush. The wine may have loosed my tongue but...

"Forgive my friend, she's -- blunt at times."

He smiles reassuringly - and then surprisingly doubles down.

"But you did indeed not mention anyone special?"

I take another sip and shake my head.

"I am not engaged, if that's what you're going at.

"Well..."

He grins.

"I wasn't necessarily thinking about marriage, just... fun, maybe?"

I take another sip.

"I don't know about the ways of the world where you come from but around here, we have our relationship blessed by the gods!"

"Of -- course you do!"

The elf smirks.

"If there's one thing I learned about humans is that they have their urges in perfect control and always obey the marital rituals of their respective gods! So no man for you. No women either? Farm animals?"

I almost spit out my wine at that insinuation.

"Relax -- we don't judge. Trust me, none of us in any position to do so. On either of those pairings. Gods. You're lucky there aren't any dragons around these parts, little virgin."

He raises his cup.

"To true love that waits!"

The ogre laughs loudly and clinks hers to his.

"A... are you two... are you..."

Is it the wine or the embarrassment that makes my tongue so heavy? But then again it's surely the wine that makes me ask this question in the first place.

"We're are Not married, human."

The ogre grins at me, her sharp teeth gleaming in the candlelight. I blush.

"Well. No. Surely. I didn't mean to... But... as you are not -- adhering to our traditions, do you... are you...?"

The elf puts a hand on mine.

"We fight together since we formed a party years ago in the aftermath of the war."

"Almost killed him when he tried to steal my pouch in that back alley. Silver tongued devil was lucky I decided he might be more useful to me in other ways."

I stare at the muscular female. That's the most she said since entering the tavern. Seems she likes that story.

"Not how I remember it."

The elf pouts. Which makes me giggle.

"I agree though, that you certainly got more out of our first - business negotiation than I did."

She grunts

"I made you come harder that night than all the high and mighty elvish cunts you've stuck your pecker into until then combined when I fucked your firm pale little ass with my favourite..."

The male elf raises his hand, then looks at me again.

"No need to warm up old stories in front of our new friend, she may get some wrong ideas about the nature of your - relationship... anyway... Since then, we travel together. Fight together. And yes, we fuck. If that's what you so hesitantly tried to find out. Not exclusively, though, we're not a couple. Just team mates. Comrades with - benefits. And open for all kinds of -- new friends."

All four of their eyes now burn into me and I empty my cup with a long gulp. More than I wanted to know. Or is it?

"Listen, little human -- I like you. You're great company. Why don't we get a room in your fine Inn and talk some more. In private?"

My eyes widen, my mouth goes dry. I shake my head

"I couldn't. That's not..."

"Sh..."

He takes my hand.

"You wouldn't be alone with a male, my lady friend here is an excellent chaperone!"

The muscular greenish half ogre chuckles.

"And I promise we do nothing to you without your - permission."

I swallow as I sink into his yes.

"You... you wouldn't, would you?"

He shakes his head.

"It would be worth your while."

I swallow. Look into his eyes. Couldn't look anywhere else. Of course I want to spend more time with them. Who wouldn't? They're the most interesting people passing through here since... forever.

"A... alright..."

He nods, satisfied and gets up. The ogre take me into her strong arm as he walks to my boss.

"We need a room for the night another bottle. And the company of your lovely maid until morning."

The whole tavern goes dead quite again, all eyes are on me, but I feel dizzy, elated. Who cares about them?

I don't register the colour of the coin that is being put onto the counter, but I don't have to - my boss's eyes widening greedily as he nods, hands over another bottle and a large iron key. The golden coin joins the first in his deep pocket, jingling gently. My new friends must have doubled his monthly earnings.

Supported my my strong new friend, I follow my other, paler new friend upstairs to the rooms and into theirs -- the biggest of the house. Of course.

Giggle as I fall onto the bed