1-67 To show my gratitude.

Roric waited for Jaina and Gisley to bring Idris out, then carefully introduced himself. Idris was obviously nervous and perhaps a little embarrassed. She knew they had all listened to her making wild love with Jaina and Gisley, and it showed in her blush. Nevertheless, he did his best to appear non-threatening and asked her to sit with them and have something to eat.

She did so and sat beside a pile of sticks Evalynn was building to make a fire. Roric asked her about things like her class and if she enjoyed playing it. She seemed torn about the answer as if she wanted to like it, but circumstances made it less appealing. She admitted to wishing to live in the necromancer empire and group up with like-minded players. Her powers were formidable, but her true strength lay in buffing the undead. She could summon a few of her own; however, her buffs could be applied to much larger numbers. Thus if she could team up with a necromancer, she could turn their masses of undead into a serious threat.

However, the necromancers were gone, and anybody even remotely resembling them was treated like an outcast. She had come to regret her choices despite how eager she had once been to play them. She relayed the story of how often her homes had been destroyed and the futile effort to lure people into playing her undead attack.

Roric listened to her story and then relayed a story of his own. He told her about the dream he and Jaina had and why they came to New Eden. It was so full of excitement, but it came with some complications. He told her about Alexandria and her disgust that Jaina was the slave of a beastman. He spoke about the prejudice of some players who saw him as nothing more than a monster player. He also described how they had been driven from several towns and their home destroyed after investing over a hundred thousand gold in points.

“Oh my goodness!” Idris balked. “It was gone that fast?”

“A matter of days,” Evalynn answered as she added wood to the fire Chandice was lighting. “We were still building it, but what we had done was amazing.”

“So, you see, we share something in common,” Roric said. “For whatever reason, some players see us as things to scorn and go out of their way to ruin what we build.”

Idris nodded, and they went on discussing how things were not as happy as they should be. Still, he expressed how grateful he was for his girls and the love they brought into his life. Idris was confused on that point, asking him why he let other men sleep with them. Jaina answered the question for him, telling Idris that it was their fantasy. Roric was only doing his best to play the role they all secretly desired. It led them to a wonderful and fulfilling sex life they all enjoyed. However, Jaina quickly admitted that it wasn't for everyone and that people who couldn't do such things shouldn't even try.

Once again, Idris nodded and volunteered some stories of her own. She had been largely loveless since coming to New Eden, and she supposed much of that was because of her appearance. She had all the right proportions, but her bald head and spikes put many off. People also found the pale skin disturbing as it too closely resembled the white flesh of the dead.

“Which was the look you were shooting for, I assume,” Chandice said.

“It was,” Idris admitted. “But now I regret it. I have considered having myself reset so I could pick something else.”

“Have yourself reset?” Roric asked as his ears perked up. “What does that mean?”

“Oh, you don't know?” Idris asked as she looked from face to face. “You can go to some of the northern cities and go to a temple. You tell them you want to reset, and they show you how to release all your bind points. Then they take you to a room and put you to sleep, so you don't feel anything. Then, when you wake up, you're in the buffer, able to pick all-new options.”

All were silent as they considered what they had just heard. To Roric, it made sense not to stay trapped in a choice a player didn't like, but the whole thing felt wrong.

“Oh, please don’t do that,” Gisley urged and put a hand on Idris’s leg. “I like the way you look.”

“I appreciate that, but how I wish I had some hair,” Idris said and ran a hand over her bald head. “I had the option, but I stupidly didn't choose it.”

“Can't you go to a stylist or a face shaper?” Chandice asked.

“I could if I could get ten steps into a city,” Idris said. “Every time I get near one, people scream necromancer, and I die before I get inside.”

“Then how would you get to the people who help you reset?” Jaina asked.

“Oh, they have special temples in the countryside for people like me,” Idris explained. “They know some people can’t get into the actual city. Monster players are fairly frequent visitors.”

“Well, this all sounds terrible if you ask me,” Chandice said. “It's no different than how people condemn Roric for being a beastman.”

“I agree, but people seem to wither without an enemy,” Evalynn suggested. “They declared the monster players the threat and then moved on when they died out.”

“They probably all went to these reset temples,” Jaina said.

“I do hope I haven’t upset you,” Idris said. “I was just sharing my thoughts.”

“It’s fine,” Roric said and chewed on an idea. “But Jaina mentioned you tried the collar on.”

“Yes,” Idris said nervously. “Why do you ask?”

“How would you like to see what you would look like with some hair?” Roric asked.

“What?” Idris replied and looked about as the others smiled.

Jaina explained how Roric could make cosmetic alterations to his girls. He demonstrated the power by having Gisley stand up so he could make her hair short and turn it blue. Idris was stunned at the sudden change and chewed at her lip as she wondered what it would look like.

“Go ahead and try it,” Jaina urged as she took off her collar and held it out to Idris. “We have a mirror in the tent.”

“Let's all go into the tent, and we can work on a hairstyle for her,” Roric suggested and led the way. Idris nervously followed, and Jaina took her to the full-body mirror. She helped snap the collar around the nervous woman's neck, then stepped back to ask what kind of hair she liked.

“Something short and spikey,” Idris suggested.

“The girl likes spikes,” Evalynn laughed as Roric took out a smooth metal sheet the size of a book. It had several diamond-shaped buttons down one side and a screen in the center. From here, he could alter the appearance of any person in one of his collars, and he selected Idris then hair options.

“Oh, give her that one,” Gisley suggested when she saw a long fall of tight curls.

“That isn't what she asked for,” Roric said and pulled open the search options. There were thousands of hairstyles to pick from, and it would take hours, if not days, to see them all. He narrowed it down to short and styled options, finally settling on one and pushing the submit.

“Oh wow!” Idris cried as her head was suddenly covered in hair. She reached up to touch it as if unable to believe it was real. It was short and brushed to one side, shaped into a wave of spikes. She turned her head in the mirror a few times and asked if they had anything similar but longer. Roric nodded and tried another, giving her a chance to admire the look before changing it. Thirty styles later, Idris still wasn't sure which one she liked, and Jaina started to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Roric asked.

“I was just thinking about the trouble you have gotten yourself into,” Jaina said. “You promised a woman you would help her find the perfect hairstyle. I pity how long you are going to be here.”

Gisley and Chandice joined in the laugh as Roric rolled his eyes and tried another. This still didn't impress Idris, who didn't care for any of them.

“Can we try something longer?” she asked.

“How long?” Roric replied.

Idris stared at the mirror for a good minute, then held a hand just below her shoulder blades. Roric altered his search criteria and began feeding her the outcomes. After another fifty, it was clear she favored long hair and preferred it straight but with a little curl at the end. Roric got her to settle on a style that went all the way to the small of her back, then suggested she consider a color.

“A color?” Idris said as her mind began to wander.

“This is going to take longer than it will to find the hex witch,” Roric grumbled.

“Oh, just give me that,” Jaina said, taking the panel from him. She tapped at a red immediately, causing Idris to jump. She then showed Idris how they could alter the hue or brightness to achieve any shade of red she wanted.

“What about blue?” Idris asked.

“Blue?” Roric repeated as Jaina pushed a button and gave the woman dark blue hair.

Idris turned her head around several times, admiring the look, then asked to see green and purple. Jaina walked her through several more shades before they returned to blue and set a very dark hue. Then she asked if they could make it blue on top but fade it to black by the curls. Jaina dutifully played with the options until they accomplished the look, and Idris beamed with happiness.

“I love it!” she said and turned to face the group. “Do you like it?”

“It’s very pretty,” Gisley was quick to say. “You look good with hair.”

“I think the excitement in her eyes is more attractive than the hair,” Chandice said. “I might need a new girlfriend.”

“Oh, so you’re breaking up with me over blue hair?” Jaina laughed. “Or is it because you like the gothic look?”

“The pale skin and dark colors are very gothy,” Evalynn agreed.

“Well, as much as I like that look, I am more bothered about the thing with the lizardman,” Chandice said with a funny smile.

“I thought you forgave me for that,” Jaina pouted as she handed the panel back to Roric. “I should dump you and go out with her myself.”

“Are we going to do this again?” Roric asked.

“Nah, we’re only playing,” Chandice said and came to Jaina’s arms and stared into her eyes. “I couldn’t give her up for anything. Besides, she can have blue hair anytime she wants.”

“I see; it's my morphic powers you like,” Jaina replied, making her hair dark blue like Idris's.

“How did you do that?” Idris asked as she witnessed the change.

“I am a morphic,” Jaina said. “I can shapeshift to look like anyone. If I have touched a person in the last day, I can copy them down the finest detail.” She demonstrated the point by turning into an exact copy of Idris, even showing the new hair.

“That is a handy skill,” Idris remarked. “Maybe I should play that instead.”

“Please don’t reset,” Gisley said and took her hand. “I like you the way you are.”

“I wish other people did,” Idris replied and turned back to the mirror. “Maybe with some hair, they might see less monster and more player.”

“You would have to keep the collar on to keep the hair,” Roric said before she got too carried away.

“It won’t stay?” Idris asked as she whipped around.

“No,” Jaina replied and took her free hand. “I am sorry, but the effect only lasts while the collar is on. Once a change is made to your profile, the collar remembers, so anytime you put it on, the change will come back, but.”

“But I have to keep it on,” Idris sighed. “Well, it was fun while it lasted.”

“You know, we could change your skin and eye color too,” Roric said as he thought about it more. “If we did, you could probably walk into a city and find a shop to make the changes permanent.”

“Yeah,” Jaina agreed. “We could do the cosmetic stuff with the collar on, and then you could use the collar to get into a major city and get it done for real.”

“I could?” Idris said and ran a hand over the collar. “And what do you want in return?”

“Nothing,” Roric said and folded his arms. “I feel we owe you anyway.”

“Owe me? What for?” Idris asked.

Roric recounted the scene at her church and how she threw herself wounded between the paladin and them. She begged those people to let Roric and his girls go, offering herself as a sacrifice in exchange. That showed she had a noble spirit and a good heart.

“That was very brave of you,” Evalynn agreed. “You didn't know a thing about us, yet you were willing to barter for our safety.”

“I was just doing what was right,” Idris said. “I didn’t want to see an innocent person harmed because they were associated with me.”

“Oh, she’s a sweety,” Jaina said with an approving nod. “Can we keep her?”

“I don’t think she is looking to be owned,” Roric replied with a shake of his head. “I don’t have enough collars anyway.”

“I would rather not be owned,” Idris agreed as she looked around. “Even though the collar does fit my theme.”

“Oh, pooh,” Jaina sighed. “If you ever change your mind, we would be happy to collar you.”

“Why don’t we focus on getting her into a city,” Roric suggested and looked to Idris. “So you can visit somebody who can make a proper change.”

“Well, thank you,” Idris said with a slight smile. “I can't believe how nice you all are.”

“We know a bit about people treating us unfairly,” Evalynn scoffed.

“Besides, it is a very easy thing to do,” Roric added. “You just need to wear the collar until we get inside a shop. Then you can have any hairstyle you want.”

“Well, there is a small city in that direction,” Idris said and pointed northeast. “It should take about a day of walking to get there.”

“So a few hours for us then,” Jaina laughed.

“How will you travel a day's journey in a few hours?” Idris asked with a confused look.

Roric smiled wolfishly and asked if she could keep a secret.

Idris clung to Jaina as they raced across the countryside on a cloud of glitter. She was astounded by the dark beauty of Gisley with her wings out and even more at how fast she could fly. Jaina was happy to be the object the woman clung to, encouraging her to hold on as tightly as she wanted. Chandice sat on the edge with her feet dangling over the side with reigns in hand as Gisley demonstrated her pony suit. Idris loved the sight of the fairy as her bare rear was always clearly in sight. She asked about the purple butterfly in Gisley's tight little hole, and Jaina explained how they all wore plugs. Idris was aroused by the idea that they all had anal plugs but became even more excited when Chandice took up the whip and put a bright red line on Gisley’s tight little butt.

Idris brightened at the sound of that snap and asked Jaina why they were whipping her. Jaina explained that they only did it playfully and that Gisley liked a little punishment. She described the magic of the whip and how it was enchanted so it couldn't strike hard enough to cause an actual injury. Idris reminded Jaina that she was fond of discipline herself, especially being the one giving it. Jaina laughed and suggested she help keep Gisley motivated, and Chandice happily handed over the whip.

Gisley yelped into her bit as another strike stung her rear. She fluttered as hard as she could, carrying the magical disk forward in search of the city. They found it just over five hours later after Idris had added several lovely lines to that tiny purple rear. Roric had them stop when it came into sight and had Gisley put away her wings to dress.

Idris looked excited and unsure as Gisley walked to her side and pulled her into a hug.

“Thank you for motivating me,” Gisley whispered. “I really had fun.”

“You aren’t upset?” Idris asked as she returned the hug.

“Why would I be upset?” Gisley laughed and jumped back. “That was nothing compared to the spanking Chandice gave me once.”

“I had fun doing that,” Chandice laughed. “But only when you're a bad girl.”

“Like that ever happens,” Jaina said as she rolled her eyes. “Gisley is all sweetness and rainbows.”

“I can be bad when I want to,” Gisley replied with a little smile.

“I am amazed at the dynamic of your group,” Idris said as Gisley dismissed the disk and Roric approached.

“Before we go in, let's add a little color to your skin,” he suggested and took out his master's panel. Idris held still as he tapped a few options, then felt her skin tingle. Jaina smiled as the others nodded in agreement before she held up her hands to see they were more normal in color.

“This is to make sure we get to the face shaper without incident,” Roric said. “Despite the hair, you still play a race people think of as a necromancer.”

“I happen to like it,” Idris said as she turned her hands over to admire the tone. “But I wonder if I should add some color to make it less obvious.”

“Only you can answer that,” Roric said and turned to the other girls. “Evalynn, wear your hood, Jaina, shift into something different.” He turned to Chandice, who sighed and said she would change into a sunny white dress. When he got to Gisley, she asked if she could have short blue hair again and green skin. Roric had no reason to say no, so he used his panel to make the changes. He then donned his own cloak and hood to help hide his appearance then shouldered his pack. Jaina shifted into a human woman with curly brown hair and an outfit fit for a barmaid. She took Idris by the hand and offered to keep her safe once they got inside.

“Now, let's get into the city and find somebody who can help.” He led the way as Idris thanked him for being so kind. She and him talked the whole way to the low walls that marked the outer edge of a city Idris said was named Jellybrook. Jaina laughed at the name and asked why it was called that, but Idris didn't know. She did know that the ruler was a woman named Diantalis, and she had vast fruit orchards in the nearby hills.

“You know a lot about this city,” Roric said curiously. “I thought you never went into them.”

“I have never been beyond these gates,” Idris said as they loomed ahead. “But I have tried to build my zombie village adventure around this place several times.”

“Oh, did it get destroyed?” Jaina asked.

“Seven times,” Idris sighed. “I had just moved it further south when you arrived. I figured travelers heading north might be safer than players in the city. I put it a day's walk away, so it wasn’t likely to be raided by lazy players. A lot of people won’t go anywhere that’s more than an hour or two from a city or large town.”

“So does that mean you don’t spend any points on the towns?” Evalynn asked.

“I only spend the points I get from my levels,” Idris admitted as they walked right by a group of players heading out the gate. She went silent as they passed several guards, then resumed once they were inside the city. “I converted some gold for my first two towns to add more NPCs and quests, but I don't bother now.”

“What a shame,” Chandice said. “You would think players would be eager to have something like that to do.”

“From my experience, many players are,” Evalynn said. “I have heard many ask where have all the monster players gone. They want the lairs to explore, but a few bad players drive them away, and then you are left with nothing.”

“There are many world spawn monsters,” Gisley cited as they entered a square inside the gate.

“Yeah, but those are scattered and usually low-level,” Roric said as he looked about to get his bearings. “You don't find serious challenges unless you travel toward the center or well outside the spawn ring.” He took a moment to gaze down the streets, then decided to make life easy. He had Jaina ask a nearby man where the nearest salon or face shaper shop was. The man was a little mocking at first, but a few seductive powers later, he was leading them to the shop.

“I can’t believe I am here,” Idris said as they passed a restaurant. “Nobody even looks at me twice.”

“That's because you fit their opinion of what looks normal,” Evalynn grumbled. “I want to say I had no idea it was this bad, but then I did it myself.”

“You were hurting over being rejected so often,” Jaina assured her and took a hand. “You just needed an outlet for your pain. Thankfully you ran into us.”

“And threw the fight,” Roric said.

Evalynn cleared her throat as Jaina started to laugh at the obvious truth. Jaina then explained how they figured out she had thrown it after seeing her in battle a few more times. She obviously knew how to handle herself even when badly outnumbered. That she lost to Roric when he was twenty levels her junior could only be explained one way.

“You helped him, though,” Evalynn tried to insist.

“We both know my seductions only slowed you down,” Jaina said. “You threw that fight in the hope he would take you.”

“Alright, I admit it,” Evalynn sighed as her cheeks went red. “Now, can we please talk about something else?”

Jaina gave her hand a squeeze as the man led them into another square, this one dominated by a fountain of marble shaped into three women holding up a silver bowl. The water cascaded into a lower basin that rippled with light and caught Gisley's attention. She wanted to make a wish and toss in a coin, so Roric handed her a silver coin and told her to make a good one.

“I wish we had a good home, surrounded by friends, where we will be safe,” Gisley whispered to the coin and tossed it in.

“She really is made of sweetness and rainbows,” Idris sighed.

“Gisley loves everything about herself and being a slave girl,” Jaina said. “You should see how much she loves to dance.”

“I would love to see that,” Idris replied when the man leading the way announced they were there.

Roric looked at an impressive shop of towering windows and ornate woodwork. The sign out front said the beautiful lady, and the door was held open magically. Inside they could see booths like a salon with plush chairs and a full wall mirror. Green plants grew in planters, and the walls were covered with paintings of hairstyles.

“This looks like a salon back on earth,” Evalynn said as Roric led them to the steps. He held out a hand to Idris that she took with a faint smile, then walked in with her at his side. Inside, the shop was relatively empty until he rang a bell just inside the door that caused a woman to appear out of thin air.

“Ah, a customer,” the woman said as she landed on her padded feet. Roric was surprised to see one of the rabbit races wearing a simple white dress and three gold loops in one of her long ears. She looked around at the mass of women coming in the door and smiled excitedly, immediately going to Gisley to ask her what she wanted done.

“Excuse me,” Roric said and Guided Idris to the woman. “It is lady Idris here who requires your attention.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. It's usually the most colorful woman that wants the change.” the woman said as one of her ears twitched. “What can I do for you?”

Idris was noticeably nervous, so Roric explained how she had made a mistake and chosen an appearance that people kept mistaking as necromancer related. He pointed to the slave collar and explained that she was under a cosmetic disguise and they needed help making her appearance more permanent.

“So what does she really look like?” the woman asked.

Roric reached up and removed the slave collar from Idris’s neck, restoring her bald head with bone spikes on pale white skin.

“Oh my,” the rabbit woman said. “I can see why people might think she was a necromancer. They were big on the whole pale skin look. My name is Tiffy, by the way, and I am sure I can help.”

“I want long hair like I had, with the blue fading to black,” Idris said.

“Oh, sweetheart, you need to reverse that look,” Tiffy said and motioned to a chair. Idris took a seat as everyone else stood back and gave the stylist room to work. She managed her task with a halo-like gold band placed over Idris's head. The halo floated a few inches above her hair and allowed Tiffy to touch the mirror on the wall. Cosmetic options appeared on the side, and with but a tap, they were selected and applied in real-time. She immediately found a long hairstyle that went straight down her back but had stylish tufts on each side. She then made the hair black but turned the side tufts dark blue.

“Wow, I really like that,” Idris said as she looked in the mirror.

“I thought you would,” Tiffy said. “You never want to fade from color to black. You always highlight with the color and use it to frame the face. Now I can show you a bunch more styles, but I have an idea for your skin.”

“What idea?” Idris asked.

“Well, you strike me as a bit of a goth, so why don't we try this,” Tiffy said and tapped at the mirror to bring up a palette of colors. A few taps later and even Jaina gasped. Idris now had skin that was pale but now so white. However, she had a pattern of wavy blue lines under her eyes that were ringed with a darker shade. They reached all the way down to her cheeks, creating a well-defined.

“I want marks like that,” Gisley sighed as she saw the change.

“Oh. I hadn’t considered tattoos,” Idris said as she reached up to pull at a cheek.

“The blue helps tie in your hair and makes a statement,” Tiffy said. “But we can look at more options if you like.”

Roric and the girls watched for over an hour as Idris tried hundreds of looks, even going as far as to do bright red hair and a red band over her eyes. She was about to ask for more purple in her hair when a woman stormed in and shouted for Tiffy.

“Tiffy!” the woman cried as she stormed across the salon. She saw the group standing by the wall and gave them a frown, then went right to the occupied booth. Jaina and the others tried not to react as the woman in green from the graveyard walked right up to the rabbit woman.

“Lindris?” Tiffy said in surprise. “Is there something I can do for you?”

“I need my style changed now!” Lindris demanded.

“I am with a customer already,” Tiffy said apologetically. “I will get to you in a minute.”

“I am in no mood to wait,” the woman shouted. “I can’t bear the thought of being seen like this.”

“But you look beautiful,” Tiffy argued. “What could possibly have happened that you want a change?”

The woman looked enraged for a moment as she looked over her shoulder at Jaina and her friends. She leaned over to whisper in Tiffy's ear as the rabbit woman's ears stood straight up.

“That’s one of the women I seduced into having sex with the others,” Jaina whispered to her family.

“She obviously doesn’t recognize us,” Roric replied. “Let’s keep it that way.”

“Noooo!” Tiffy said and jumped to her toes. “With Godrick?”

“Keep it down!” Lindris barked. “I need a change now. I can't stand the thought of being recognized.”

“It isn’t going to change the rest of you,” Tiffy replied. “Besides, I thought you were kind of friendly with Godrick?”

“Well, I was, but it just sort of happened, and I Cathe joined in,” Landris groaned.

“It sounds like you had fun,” Tiffy laughed.

The woman sighed and looked into the mirror. “Well, maybe, but it didn't happen how I always imagined it would.”

“What's wrong with how it happened?” Gisley asked, drawing the attention of everyone in the shop. The woman looked aghast for a moment, then shook her head.

“I feel like I damaged my friendship,” she said.

“That's up to you,” Jaina said in a voice she made up to avoid sounding familiar. “You did something on impulse and got it out in the open. Now you have to talk about it and decide if you want it to happen again.”

“What would you know about it?” the woman demanded.

Jaina reached out to pull Gisley, Evalynn, and Chandice into a hug. Roric stepped up behind them with his hood down but put a hand on Jaina's shoulder.

“As you can see, I have many lovers,” Jaina said. “We all took an impulsive risk and did something outside our comfort zone. Afterward, we realized we had wanted to do that for a long time, and now we were free to explore it. It sounds like you are in the same position. Are you going to run away? Or will you admit you had wanted that to happen for a long time and embrace the new openness of your relationship?”

The woman looked confused as she chewed on her lower lip. She eventually admitted that she liked the idea of doing it again, but it had all happened so strangely. Jaina encouraged her to take her new partners and create a scene more in tune with her expectations. Share their love again and cement the new bond they had formed, so none of them had to feel awkward about it.

“Maybe you're right,” the woman said as she considered it. “But I still want to change my look. Godrick likes girls with long blond hair.”

“That's a better reason to want to change,” Jaina agreed.

“But I need to hurry,” Lindris insisted. “They are talking about going their separate ways. I don't have time to wait. I need to get back and stop them.”

“It's alright,” Idris said and looked back. “I really like the blue edges look we started with. Just set me back to that, and you can help her.”

“Alright,” Tiffy sighed and shooed Landris off to sit in one of the empty chairs. She quickly set Idris back to the look she liked and added the blue star rays under her eyes. Idris was pleased with the overall effect and asked how much the change would cost. She nearly choked at the price of eight hundred gold, and the heartbreak showed in her eyes.

“Oh, we never thought to ask if she could afford it,” Jaina groaned.

“I had no idea it would cost so much,” Chandice said. “Are we sure this woman isn’t a thief?”

“I’m sorry, but I….” Idris began when Roric stepped up and put a hand on her shoulder.

“I have the money,” he said and pulled out a bag of deep pockets. He quickly fished out the gold, stacking it on a counter so Tiffy would count it.

“Thank you for your patronage!” Tiffy cheered and waved them out before turning back to the other woman.

Idris walked out with the others her eyes wide and ringed with tears. Then, before anyone could say anything, she turned and threw a hug around Roric.

“Thank you!” she cried and pulled him tight. “I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”

“It's our pleasure,” Roric said, putting an arm around her back. “We like to help people.”

“But you went above and beyond,” Idris said. “You let me use your collar, changed my look, and escorted me here. You even trusted me to know your secret about Gisley, just so you could get me here sooner.”

“Sweetheart,” Jaina cooed and rubbed her back. “We could see you needed a little help. We were headed this way anyway. All we did was take you with us.”

Idris nodded while not releasing her hug but then looked up to meet Roric’s gaze.

“You were planning to stay here the night?” she asked.

“I was planning on it,” Roric replied. “Why?”

Idris blushed deeply as she looked down and leaned back into his chest.

“Would you let me be your slave girl for the night?” she asked.

Roric's ears went up as he stroked the girl's head.

“Idris, I didn't do this to make you feel obligated to offer me anything,” Roric said. “I did it because we have been in your position, and if not for the kindness of others, we would have been trapped. I never expected you to repay us.”

“I know, but I want to,” Idris insisted. “You're the first man I have met since coming here that I feel safe with. Just for one night, I want to be yours.”

Roric looked to the others, who smiled with approval and urged him to accept.

“You aren’t going to turn the lady down, are you?” Jaina asked.

Roric sighed and reached into his pouch to withdraw the collar. He snapped it around the woman's neck as she blushed a bright red. Then to make it more exciting, he attached a leash and pulled her close.

“Until morning, you are my slave girl,” he said. “And you will serve your purpose.”

Idris looked up with bright eyes and responded with a smile.

“Yes, master.”