CH 175: Conditional Agreement
Jasmine and Claire dragged the woman back to their shared home. Claire held the blacksmith down while Jasmine opened the door, her screams escaping for a moment.
“Please, Daphne,” Claire begged. She didn’t want anyone to see what they were doing. “We’re not going to force you, we just need you to calm down.”
“Such a drama queen,” Jasmine chuckled as she helped shove Daphne fully inside.
Jasmine hurriedly shut the door. She took a deep breath, ready for her sister’s anger. “Okay. You can let her go now.”
Claire nodded hesitantly. She slowly let go of the blacksmith, who was glaring at Jasmine. For a second, Claire thought she had calmed down.
“Fuck both of you!” Daphne snapped. She shoved Claire away from her before backing herself against the wall. “First, you tell me you have cocks and then you drag me away? What, gonna treat me like women were before the Tyrant?”
The slap came so fast Claire barely registered it. Jasmine’s hand lingered in the air a moment longer. The assassin’s hand was steady as her sister glared at her.
“Don’t you dare imply that,” Jasmine hissed. “You have no idea what Claire has seen. That is the last fucking thing she would ever do.”
Daphne rubbed her cheek, her eyes still defiant. “The fuck else am I supposed to think?”
“You were about to scream and cause a scene,” Jasmine shot back. Claire could hear the venom in her voice. “Fucking moron.”
“Oy, don’t call me a moron,” Daphne said as her voice rose. “That conversation was about you two trying to get me to cheat!”
Jasmine ignored her and turned to Claire. “This was a mistake.”
“No shit,” Claire said with a hesitant smile. “But she already knows…”
Jasmine sighed and approached Claire. The assassin wrapped her arms around Claire and made sure only her lover could hear her. “Let the twins influence me too much.”
“It’s okay,” Claire whispered back. She wrapped Jasmine in a tight embrace as she eyed the blacksmith.
“Hope I made my stance clear,” Daphne growled at Claire. “Besides, what kind of woman wants her lover’s sister too?”
If only she knew what the Goddess wanted Claire to do. Jasmine giggled softly in Claire’s ear.
“Dumbass hasn’t thought about the twins yet,” She giggled into Claire’s ear.
“Sorry, Daphne,” Claire said. She ignored her lover’s protests as she continued. “We sprang something major on you. But you are a skilled blacksmith…”
“I get it,” Daphne took a deep breath. “Well, not entirely. But I get what you were trying to do. The cheating and… that… freaked me out.”
“Oh really?” Jasmine teased. “Couldn’t fucking tell.”
Claire’s laugh escaped her. She’d never seen Jasmine act this petty before. Her laughter rewarded her with Jasmine’s glare.
“But really, I apologize,” Claire said softly. “While the others are my lovers and I treat them that way, we don’t need intimacy for this to work. Just need to receive the gift.”
Daphne bit her lip and looked at Jasmine hesitantly. Something Claire wasn’t expecting.
“Jasmine. I lied to you.”
The assassin broke from the hug and looked at her sister. Daphne held up her hand to make sure she didn’t say anything. Jasmine glanced at Claire before nodding to her sister.
“Lyn and I… we’ve been dating for two years,” Daphne admitted in a soft voice. “It started right before I became a blacksmith. There was a chance I could get a combat class like you a-and I panicked. I confessed to her back then…”
“Daph,” Jasmine whispered.
The whiplash from being at each other’s throats to the tenderness in Jasmine’s voice made Claire’s head spin. Jasmine opened her arms, offering her sister a hug.
Daphne shook her head, rejecting the offer. “Six months ago was when we started saving…”
Claire exchanged a glance with Jasmine. They could guess what she meant.
“Lyn’s been wanting a child since we were teens,” Daphne said with a small smile. “A desire she’s kept even after getting her class. She’d give up construction for a kid of her own.”
Jasmine nodded gently. She hugged her sister in spite of the woman’s protest. “Should have told me, dumbass. Would have chipped in.”
“Fuck off,” Daphne mumbled into her sister’s shoulder. “You need that money for your party.”
“Still, I would love to chip in for my niece or nephew,” Jasmine cooed gently.
Daphne shoved away from her sister. “Sorry! I just wanted it to be a surprise.”
“Daph,” Jasmine chuckled.
“So, if I can do this without cheating on her or becoming your lover. It would save so much money…” Daphne muttered. Claire could barely hear her. “I need to talk to Lyn first.”
Claire let out a sigh. It would be different from her other lovers. It was the original plan for Lily, but she ended up tagging along. “I’ll respect your relationship. And… I won’t get attached.”
Daphne opened her mouth, but decided not to press it.
“Thank the Goddess,” Jasmine whispered. She glanced at Claire. “Thought I blew it for a while there.”
“I’m gonna be honest, Jaz,” Daphne spoke before Claire could respond. “We’ve all suspected something weird about your party since Claire’s birthday.”
“Really?” Claire asked.
Daphne nodded and pursed her lips. “At first, yeah. It died down once we learned you were all lovers. But it’s been discussed quite often.”
“And?” Jasmine asked. “Why bring that up?”
“Well, I don’t think the others would care after the initial shock wore off,” Daphne replied. “Except Jess. She might drown in her bottle…”
Daphne’s eyes widened. The thought finally occurred to her. She looked between the two women. “Wait. The twins. What the fuck?”
Jasmine sighed dramatically. “Took you far too long.”
“But they share… all of you?” Daphne asked as her eyes rapidly blinked. “Do they…?” Claire just nodded. She couldn’t say it out loud to someone outside her party yet.
“That’s not right,” Daphne muttered.
“Actually, Claire’s Goddess approved of it,” Jasmine countered. She remembered the night the Goddess appeared before them all. “Heard it straight from Her.”
Daphne looked at Jasmine with a bewildered look. “Was that why you wanted to recruit me?!”
Jasmine’s eyes widened. She shook her head furiously. “N-no! I swear that I only wanted to recruit you for your skills.”
She looked to Claire for help in desperation. Claire just sighed. “If you must know. She caught me staring yesterday and said you were off limits.”
Claire mixed the truth with her lie and prayed she was convincing. Daphne looked Claire up and down for a moment before speaking.
“Maybe if I didn’t have Lyn,” she admitted quietly.
Claire took that as a positive sign and a compliment. She glanced at Jasmine, who looked relieved. Then Claire remembered why she was headed over to the tavern.
“Um, I would like to see the rest of my party now,” Claire said sheepishly.
“Oh, right,” Daphne scratched the back of her head. “I did interrupt you earlier.”
“Yeah,” Claire said with an exhale. “You’ll understand if you do take the gift…”
“Ah,” Daphne said awkwardly. “Here I thought you were going to discuss something important.”
Jasmine grabbed Claire’s hand and led her towards the door. “Daphne. Not a word to anyone besides Lyn.” “Understood,” Daphne said with a sigh.
She watched the two leave their house when her expression finally dropped. A mixture of guilt and pride twisted in her chest. After learning about Claire’s gift, she had an overwhelming feeling of attraction towards the woman.
“Fuck me,” Daphne said while gripping her chest. She was just thankful she resisted it and stayed faithful. “Claire is fucking dangerous.”