The Weaving of the Bead

Submission for the 2023 Literotica Geek Pride Story Event

Content Warning:

There is a scene depicting an attempted sexual assault, but it gets interrupted and the assailant faces consequences.

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There was nowhere louder on the streets of Lantros at night than the guildhall for the League of Steelcloaks. The raucous celebrations were a nightly occurrence, courtesy of adventurers returning from a successful mission, or the ones having one last night of revelry before departing for dangers unknown in the morning. Vivian never got enough of watching their antics night after night while she served them drinks. She had only been working for the League of Steelcloaks for a few weeks, but she already felt completely at home in the guildhall. Considering she lived in the workers' dorm upstairs with the other barmaids and desk attendants, feeling at home was necessary.

The large hall on the ground floor of the adventurers' guild was nearly always filled with battle-hardened warriors, talented spell-casters, and everything in between. There were plenty of humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, and even half-orcs and half-giants. But there were also a few unique people. A minotaur laughed heartily with his group as they celebrated their latest victory. A tiefling woman with elegant twisting horns on her head danced on a table in one corner of the room to a rapt audience. A faun played her flute to accompany her.

And then, there was Gurruk.

Though half-orcs were a fairly common sight nowadays, it was still rare to see full-blooded orcs like Gurruk being a member an adventuring party. As far as Vivian knew, he was the only one in the entire League of Steelcloaks. Orcs rarely made a life for themselves away from their strongholds. They traded with nearby settlements, and even offered them protection in the event of a bandit incursion. Attacking a town or village near an orc stronghold was a mistake bandits made only once. Assuming they survived the orc counter-attack, they then took a long, hard look at their lives and usually gave up on banditry altogether.

Another thing that made Gurruk unique was his personality. Though most full-blooded orcs would feel right at home in this guildhall, full of laughter, music, drinking, and brawling, Gurruk was always quiet and solemn. The members of his party, a human man, a half-elf woman, and a dwarf man, were being just as loud and boisterous as everyone else in the hall. Gurruk sat and drank with them, but he barely said a word, occasionally letting out small chuckles when someone made a joke.

He was taller than nearly everyone else in the hall, except for the two half-giants currently having an arm-wrestling match. And his appearance was exactly what one would expect from an orc. He was completely bare from the waist up, but he wore a well-made wolfskin kilt, and sturdy leather boots. An intimidating great-axe was leaning on the wall next to him. Vivian had never seen Gurruk use it, but stories had spread throughout the guild of his prowess on the battlefield. Apparently, he was a force to be reckoned with. His team, the Roguish Rebels, had never failed a job. They took the most dangerous quests and always returned victorious.

Vivian chatted with the adventurers while she walked around bringing food and refilling tankards. She always enjoyed being surrounded by people and hearing their stories. It was the perfect job for her. And she had just so happened to be looking for work when the guild announced the need for another barmaid. It was much better than being a washerwoman. And being provided with room and board in exchange for her work on top of her pay was an opportunity no one should pass up in this city.

She really liked her roommates and coworkers as well. Orla was a half-orc barmaid who was very good at keeping rowdy adventurers in check. Kana was a half-elf, playful and flirty, and always got a lot of tips. Bianca was a fellow human, and the one in charge of breakfast for the adventurers who had stayed overnight. Morin and Lulath were both elves who took care of the front desk where they welcomed new adventurers and paid successful ones.

It wasn't all fun and games, however. Being surrounded by arrogant, drunken adventurers made her a tempting target for those who wanted to do another kind of celebrating. She had been propositioned so often today alone that she had already lost count. Luckily, the brothel wasn't too far away. Sometimes, the women from the brothels came into the guild hall to entice clients to follow them back. But occasionally, there were some rowdy customers that preferred trying to convince the barmaid to come upstairs with them instead of walking a few doors down. Vivian had never accepted, and was planning on keeping it that way. She didn't want rumours about her skills in bed, regardless of whether they were false or true, to spread throughout her workplace.

"Barmaid! Another round for the Roguish Rebels!" The very drunk human next to the orc shouted.

Vivian expertly filled the four tankard and set them on the tray she held on her hip before making her way over to the table. She set them down on the table in front of the four customers.

"Keep the change." The half-elf woman said nonchalantly, giving her a handful of gold coins.

"Thank you."

As Vivian straightened up and adjusted her tray on her hip, she noticed Gurruk looking at her. Though she had seen him with his team from the first day she started working at the guild hall, this was the first time he ever made direct eye contact with her. But his expression was completely unreadable. He seemed as solemn as always. And yet, there was something about the way he looked at her. She couldn't understand why, but she felt like he was seeing something that most people didn't.

Pretending not to have noticed anything, Vivian gave him a smile and then turned to another table trying to get her attention.

The evening continued with more spilled drinks, sexual advances, exuberant recounting of adventures, and raucous laughter. By the time the hall started to become a little quieter, with so many customers going up to sleep upstairs or at the brothel, or passed out drunk on the tables, it was the early hours of the morning. The soft, diffuse light from the creeping sunrise hadn't yet begun making its appearance, and wouldn't for at least another hour.

Vivian began tidying up in between readying the last few drinks. Orla and Kana had already finished work for the day, leaving only Vivian to close up, which she preferred. She enjoyed being alone with her thoughts to tidy up.

The tavern of the guild hall would be closing soon, though adventurers could still come in and get rooms from Morin. Every night, Morin sat at the desk out front, where the jobs were posted, and where new recruits came to join the League of Steelcloaks. As a night elf, she was much better suited to keeping the guild hall running this late than any of the other employees here, most of whom were humans, half-elves, or day elves.

As she always did, Vivian took the time to prepare a meal for Morin before closing the kitchen for the night. She made sure that everyone in the hall was distracted for at least a few minutes, and slipped out the door, to the front of the building.

"Hello, Morin. Here's your food."

"Thank you, Vivian. I'm starving."

"You're welcome. Do you need anything else before I start closing up?"

"No, I'll be alright. Have a good night."

"You too."

Vivian returned to the tavern hall and continued her nightly preparations for Bianca, who would be there in only two hours to start making breakfast for the early risers. She always made sure to leave the kitchen and the bar as clean as possible before leaving, to make it easier for Bianca to go straight into cooking.

She also cleaned up the tables around passed out adventurers, and those that were too drunk to protest her taking all the tankards and goblets away. But as she lifted her tray filled with mostly empty drink receptacles to place it on her hip and bring it to the kitchen, she turned and nearly crashed into a very large, and very muscular, green wall.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Gurruk. I guess I was too focused."

"That's alright." He said.

Vivian felt her lips part open as she heard him speak for the first time. He had a deep voice, the kind that rumbled with every syllable. She hid the pleasant shiver that shook her body.

"How did you know my name?" He asked, raising a pierced eyebrow.

"Well, your team is pretty well-known." Vivian pointed out. "I heard a lot of stories about you."

"All of them bad, I hope." He said with a teasing smile, his lower lip curving around the tusks jutting out from his mouth.

"Sadly, it's nothing but praise." She sighed.

"Damn, not living up to my orcish ancestors' expectations." He joked.

Vivian giggled and looked up at him. Seeing him up close made her notice how young he was. As big as they were, it was easy to mistake orcs for being well into their adult years. But now that she could see his face more clearly, she knew he was barely older than she was.

Vivian was surprised that he was being playful with her, making jokes. He was normally so quiet and serious. And now he was being rather friendly.

She also noticed that he was standing rather close to her. This made her remember that the only reason she had nearly run into him was because he had purposely placed himself right next to her. She squirmed a little.

"So, uh, did you need something from me?"

"I was wondering what was that thing in your hair."

Vivian blinked for a few seconds, trying to process his statement. That was not what she had been expecting to hear.

She pulled her black hair forward, and lifted the end of her long braid, showing the medallion that decorated it. A bead-embroidered eagle on a piece of leather.

"My parents were from the Tribes. This is something our people make."

"I see. It just reminded me of something my people make too."

Gurruk turned and showed her his own long hair, though his was mostly left loose, apart from some strands combed back out of his face. In order to keep those strands from getting into his eyes, there was an ornately carved, large wooden bead, painted with beautiful, bright colours. It had three sections, like three beads stuck together side by side. One strand from each temple, and one strand from the forehead, had been passed through the bead, decoratively looping around it more than once, keeping the strands contained and away from his face.

"In orcish, we call it 'thrakneshi'. I suppose in common it would be something like a colourful decoration for hair."

"My people call it 'mazinigwaasowin', which means an embroidered or beaded craft item." Vivian explained. "I have some on my ears too."

Vivian shook the small beaded circles dangling from her ears.

"My piercings aren't as pretty." Gurruk sighed dramatically, making Vivian giggle.

"I don't think you could hang these from your eyebrows. They'd get in your eyes." Vivian joked.

"And from my nose I might accidentally bite it off." He pointed out.

"How many piercings do you have, anyway?" Vivian asked curiously.

"Twenty-five." He said right away.

Vivian's eyes widened. "Wow, I only have the ones on my ears."

"In orc culture we get a piercing for every year we live. So older orcs are covered in piercings."

"Where do you put them all?!" Vivian blurted out.

Gurruk grinned. "Sometimes we have to get creative."

Vivian's jaw dropped as she realized what he meant. She willed her eyes to remain firmly on Gurruk's face instead of shifting down to his cock as a reflex of her curiosity.

"I think I prefer hair decorations." Vivian said, hoping she wasn't blushing.

"So do I." Gurruk admitted. "And hair is a really important aspect of each orc's identity, even more than the piercings."

"It's important for our people too." Vivian said with a nod. "Even our braids have a deep meaning. The three strands of a braid represent the body, the mind, and the spirit, coming together as one."

"That's beautiful." Gurruk said. "For the orcs, it's the 'durgash-thrakneshi', or the weaving of the bead."

"Yeah, I saw that your hair was looped around and woven through the bead a few times."

"A beautiful hairstyle is a matter of pride for us. So we try to make beads that will allow for complex weavings."

"That's really interesting. Orc and Tribe cultures are not so different, then."

"It's nice to know someone who understands." Gurruk said. "My teammates complain that I spend so much time weaving my hair every day. They think it's for vanity."

Vivian groaned sympathetically. "Yeah, with me it's the other way around. Kana says I should leave it loose because it would be so much prettier."

"I think you look pretty just like that."

Vivian's breath caught in her throat at his words. This small comment somehow made her feel very warm all of a sudden.

"Thank you." She murmured.

He gave her a small smile. "I should get some sleep. We're off to kill a hydra tomorrow. But it was nice talking with you."

"You too."

With one last smile, Gurruk left the hall, taking the stairs toward the rooms upstairs.

Vivian shook her head, bringing herself out of her daze, and finished her work for the day. But Gurruk's kind words repeated in her head over and over again, making her shiver every time.

It took several weeks before Vivian saw him again. The hydra was deep in the swamps of Ushatine, at least a week of travel away, if not two. So she knew there was no chance of seeing Gurruk for a long while.

Nonetheless, she couldn't help but search for him every night that she worked, always hoping to see him. But she always ended her night disappointed. She didn't even understand why she was so determined to see him again. She simply hoped that she would.

Her hope was finally realized when the last of the spring flowers had bloomed, making way for the summer buds.

There he was, sitting at his usual table with the Roguish Rebels near the large open window. The three other members of his team were up to their usual antics, regaling their fellow adventurers with tales of their latest quests, and drinking as much as they could. Gurruk was being as quiet as always, but seemed happy to be there.

When Vivian made her way to their table to give them tankards of ale, she made sure her braid was draped over her shoulder, displaying her beaded medallion, one she had recently made while thinking of Gurruk. It depicted a hydra, the monster they had been sent to kill. As she handed the drinks to them, she noticed Gurruk glancing at her braid. She felt a slight thrill at realizing that he remembered her habit of braiding and decorating her hair, and was now checking to see what sort of decoration she would have this time.

He frowned in surprise when he saw it, and his face split into a large grin before he let out a loud chuckle. His teammates looked at him in shock.

"What's so funny?" Asked the dwarf man.

"Did we inspire that one?" He asked, ignoring his friend.

Vivian nodded. "The idea got stuck in my head after our conversation."

She finished handing them their drinks, the three Roguish Rebels glancing between Gurruk and Vivian with utter bewilderment on their faces. It seemed Gurruk wasn't much for conversation even with his team, making his friendly interaction with Vivian a rather strange occurrence.

Vivian winked at him and left their table, heading back to the counter to pick up the drinks for the next table. And though she was kept busy with the rowdy adventurers filling the guild hall's tavern, she couldn't help but glance at Gurruk every so often.

She had never really considered orcs handsome before, but she could now clearly see that that had been a grievous oversight. Despite the tusks being a prominent feature of his face, it didn't take away from Gurruk's pleasant appearance. In fact, she thought his face would look odd without them.

After a few hours, the tavern slowly began emptying as its customers found their way to their beds, or to beds in the brothel. Like before, Gurruk stayed behind, even when the rest of his team went upstairs.

Vivian approached him with her tray.

"One more before I close up?"

"No, thank you. I was just enjoying the quieter atmosphere."

"Yeah, it gets really quiet once your team goes to bed." Vivian teased.

Gurruk let out a full-bellied laugh. "The three of them act more like orcs than I do."

"You're disappointing your ancestors." Vivian sighed, shaking her head.

Gurruk laughed again, and Vivian couldn't help but smile. She really enjoyed seeing him be less serious and stoic. Though it did make her wonder why he felt the need to restrain himself so much when there were more people around.

Vivian glanced around and saw that the tavern was calm enough for her to take a little break before she returned to the counter. She took the chair opposite Gurruk and sat down, putting the tray on the table.

"I'm curious." She stated, clasping her hands together on her chin, her elbows resting on the table.

"Yes?"

"We've been making jokes about you being not like most orcs. But is there a reason for that?"

Gurruk tilted his head and shrugged in a nonchalant way. "Not particularly. I just wanted to travel more than the others. Most orcs don't want to risk it."

"Why would it be a risk?"

"Well, with our size and tempers, we can be dangerous to more than just our enemies. That's why we tend to stay in our strongholds and protect others from a distance. We'd hate to become the monsters we look like."

"You don't look like monsters." Vivian assured him.

Gurruk gave her a small smile. "Thank you for saying that."

"Is that why you stay calm and quiet when you're around a lot of people?" Vivian asked, realizing that maybe she was on to something when she wondered about his restraint.

Gurruk nodded, confirming her suspicion. "I'm not worried I'll fly into a rage or anything. But my exuberance could be a bit more... destructive than most people would like. If I smack this table while I'm laughing, I'm more likely to smash it to pieces than most."

"I don't think the Tenebrous would like that very much."

"Definitely not." Gurruk said with a small shudder, making Vivian giggle.

Tenebrous was the castellan of the Lantros guild hall, and he was very strict about its upkeep and the conduct of the adventurers who entered. Despite his short dwarven stature, he was rather intimidating and no one wanted to make him upset, not even an orc three times his size.

Recovering from his justified fear of the diminutive castellan, Gurruk continued explaining orc culture.

"Orcs are taught from a young age that around non-orcs, we need to be a bit more controlled in our physical manifestations and gesturing." Gurruk elaborated. "This is why so many of us choose to stay with the clans in the stronghold. You don't have to think about every gesture you make. But I was always pretty good at keeping myself in check."

"So coming in to defend non-orc villages and towns is one thing, but living among them is a bit more complicated." Vivian clarified.

"Exactly. Ironically, despite how much we love boasting about our strength, we always underestimate it when it comes to keeping our emotions less explosive."

Vivian narrowed her eyes as she remembered something. "Is that why you crossed your arms on your stomach when you laughed?"

Gurruk nodded, a sheepish smile on his face. "You're pretty observant."

"I don't think you need to worry too much." She stated. "Don't be afraid to laugh once in a while. Your laughter is nice to hear."