Chapter 52/3/4/5. Lily-Anne

I have many wives. Out of them all, Lily-Anne is arguably the most sheltered. Some would think this title should go to Moon Unit, owing to elven famous isolationist tendencies, but... Moon Unit is more than three times older, and spent enough of time outside Evergreens to be well-rounded in her erudition. So for Lily-Anne, I picked the trip over the most exotic places I could think of. A bit of boating followed by dinner in a restaurant specializing in Pharos cuisine, a bit of thoughtful trawling through the Merchant Square and to round it off, an evening at the brothel. Why brothel? Because I think Lily-Anne is in just the right sort of rebellious mood by now to find this exciting. Besides, they have pretty good burlesque. Again, not a local thing, the concept of erotic dancing had been imported from the south. Much to my convenience, the brothel was entirely willing to reserve a room for me on the understanding I'd bring my own partner. Really, madame Cocoshon was very accommodating and entirely unphased about my admission that the room is to be used by two girls who might or might not do more than sleep and cuddle there. I might consider bringing all of my harem to the brothel sometime. Just to see their reactions, if nothing else.

Boating proves to be an adventure. Wet wet adventure. I do manage to keep the boat from capsizing, but not without copious splashing. Lily-Anne is... both amused and alarmed, because the unstable nature of the rowboat apparently is new to her and she is not ready for the way it sways with the shift of weight. Still, it's not that hard to get used to, as we demonstrate as I row us to the middle of the river without much effort.

"Won't we get carried away by the stream?" - she asks curiously, dipping her fingers into the water as I let the boat float idly.

"A bit. I've arranged for the boat to be picked on the moor downstream, though, so no worries." - I tell her, and she grins back.

"Crafty! I was wondering how do you intend to row all the way back against the stream." - she admits.

I snort - "Oh, I paid some burly men to do it for me. The joys of money - it's a power that anyone can wield."

To be honest, it might have been... a little too simple. I should have considered a bigger boat. At least, I did not misjudge the length of boating and we had arrived to the pier just as Lily-Anne began to get bored of the river. Climbing out is, strangely, much less troublesome than getting in. I wave to the men I hired and they jump into the boat to get it back in place, though not before offering cheerful (if bawdy) salutations. Lily-Anne clearly notices, if slight blush is of any indication.

___

The restaurant is a hit. Turns out they not only serve Pharos dishes, but also have a selection of foods from further east. Not big, but they did have soy sauce and udon. Which went wonderful with a big platter of seafood and meat cuts. Lily-Anne seems to be vacillating between recognizing some of the foods and being utterly clueless about others. Soy sauce, in particular, is declared a "must have". (Note to self - look for a dependable Pharos merchant to procure soy sauce from. I could use a bit of that in my menu too. Also, udon just reminded me something... there is no pasta! Must invent.)

"Mm. Now I'm wondering just what do you have in mind for the rest of the day." - Lily-Anne muses as she sips her plum wine slowly - "And where are we going to spend the night."

I grin at her. "Ah. Caught up on that, did you?" - I quip - "Yes, we're sleeping in a different place today. I figured all of you deserve some one-on-one interaction."

She pauses, and then quips - "Does that mean I'll have to go on a date with Roxy, Bridgit and Moon too?"

I shrug. "Have to? No. Might? Sure." - I then offer to her - "You're all getting along remarkably, and I definitely would be glad if you all start connecting to each other on the same level as to me. No pressure, obviously. Relationships are like flowers, you have to let them grow on their own."

___

Prowling around the bazaar is fun. I might have to hire a porter to carry the stuff back to the dorm, however, because I've already bought a bag solely so I could hold all the trinkets and curios we pick up here and there. Some of them are pretty amazing, all things considered. And some... are the stuff I made. Which I don't bother Lily-Anne about, because she's having fun finding oddments and I don't want to spoil that. I do talk her out of trying to buy stuff for everyone. Mainly by pointing out that we already have that in some form. Or that none of us needs it. For example, what exactly would any of us need beardclippers for?

Some of the things she finds are.... curious. And some are downright alarming. For example, this little quartz geode on a stand. Table decoration? Yes. But also a tool to covertly sap someone's sanity. It is enchanted to poke at the senses of whoever has it, slowly but surely driving them to neurosis through sensory overload. A deadly gift, if there ever was one. I make a note to disassemble the fucking thing as soon as we get back home. For now, it's in the box that I've sealed with a bit of me to keep it contained.

"Lily-Anne, would you happen to remember where you got this decorative crystal from?" - I ask her, trying to sound casual.

"Hm... I think it was that merchant with decorative stones..." - she muses - "I asked for something special, and his assistant handed this thing to me. Pretty, isn't it?"

"Assistant? I must have overlooked him." - I muse back - "Wait, are you talking about his porter maybe? That small man with the funny mustache?"

"No? Assistant. Tall man, taller than you even. I thought he must be somewhere from the north, he has eyes and hair like yours. Different nose though, I looked at him and my first thought was 'Kraut, no doubt!'." - she chuckles - "I think merchant sent him to attend to me while he was trying to sell you half his stand."

Fuck. I guess Klaus DID bring up some worthy successors, that was an inspired piece of nasty. Not sure if it's retaliation for a head in the bag or a start of a new op to get something from me. Need to increase surveillance. No doubt merchant had no fucking idea he had an assistant. If not for my habit of scanning everything for possible inspiration, I'd pass this thing up and assume the enchantment is just for it to look pretty. Great, now I have to dodge hashishins and Kraut spies in the same time. Speaking of hashishins, those fucks had shown up in all four dates. Always on the rooftops, keeping distance, watching. I obviously tag them, there's going to be a mass incident this evening, because Alamut clearly didn't get the message yet.

___

HAH! THAT FACE! Priceless.

"Aaaaaa." - Lily-Anne offers eloquently as she vaguely gestures towards the brothel we're approaching languidly - "Eeeeeeeh!?"

"I thought I'd take you to a place you definitely never visited." - I tease - "I think you'll find it memorable."

"...That's one way to describe it." - she mutters, stopping forcibly - "Good grief, what were you thinking, Alyssa? Brothel!? What are we here for, even!?"

"We're here to drink wine, eat fruit and watch girls dance and take their clothes off in enticing ways." - I explain to her as I stop next to her - "And then, we're here for quite a comfortable room set aside just for us two, for more wine and fruit and cuddling before sleep." She blinks at me, and I chuckle - "This is not a knocking house, princess, and I certainly don't think I need to hire additional people. You're more than a handful all on your own."

She permits herself to be ushered on, her face retaining its incredulous and somewhat embarrassed expression even as we are greeted, led in and situated in plushest chairs I have ever seen in this reality so far, a low table laden with fresh fruit between us. An attending girl shows a bottle of wine to us. "For the first serving, we have some sweet red Megas Drys from the isles of Levant, if it pleases you miladies. Please enjoy the wine and the selection of fruit, the dancers will be here shortly." - she proffers, as she pops the cork and holds it for us to sniff. I nod at her casually.

"I'll have that. How about you, Lily-Anne?" - I offer, holding out my hand for a flute full of deep red wine. Its taste makes me think the wine was made from raisins. Deep, sweet and with just enough pinch to it. Very nice. Lily-Anne accepts her own glass without commenting on it, her eyes firmly riveted to the carpet in front of us. I guess she did not expect something of the sort. I have to admit, the choreography is very nice, and the fact there are three girls at once does spread out the attention. This is a private performance for obvious reasons. Lily-Anne is not ready to handle her peers seeing her here. In a few years, sure, she'd be worldly enough, but right now, she'd implode. Then explode.

Lily-Anne is surprisingly silent throughout the performance. As one dancer replaces the other, she simply watches, nibbling grapes and becoming progressively redder. And more aroused, I think, if her quickened breathing is of any indication. I give her some time to marinate in her own juices, as it were, but then discreetly notify the attendant to withhold the next dancer. She nods to me thoughtfully, and slips out quietly. The dancer of the moment finishes her routine, and leaves the room a few moments later, leaving us alone.

Lily-Anne continues to sit and stare in some sort of stupor for a while longer, then with a violent startle she shakes herself out of reverie. "...I... Just... What... ARGH!" - she offers, and I suddenly find my lap full of girl wound up to the thrum, blushing and horny and all but bursting with arousal and embarrassment. So I kiss her. She reciprocates with great eagerness, squirming against me as we make out passionately. Clothes hit the floor soon after, in no small part due to me worrying Lily-Anne might just try ripping them off ourselves if they're not removed via less complicated means.

"Did you plan this?" - she pants, breaking away for a moment.

"You mean, teasing you into a frenzy with the titillating show? Consider this a little payback for winding me up all those days." - I quip at her, as I pull her closer, teasing her breasts with licks and nibbles.

She groans and shivers under the attention, finally mustering the wits to answer - "Could've responded sooner, you know?"

"Ah, but group sex is much more complicated, and I know for a fact neither you nor Roxy had any experience whatsoever. It would be cute, I admit, but would also be awkward and possibly sap either of your confidences." - I explain to her - "Besides, I needed time to figure out how to combine the 'want each of you just to myself for a night' with 'don't want to give false impressions about favoritism'."

She wilts slightly, muttering - "...Darn it. I just realized I really have no idea how to proceed past the 'kissed a lot and tore the clothes off' stage." She jerks up a moment later, as her sentence registers with her brain - "I mean, I'm figuring it out as I go, really! No need to stop!"

I snicker, and pull back slightly, letting my eyes roam all over Lily-Anne shamelessly. "What. You think I'd go so far to wind you up only to leave you hot and leaking? Nah. We're going to spend all night figuring things out, dear." - I tell her, and if the enthusiastic expression she leans in with is of any indication, she is well in favor of my plan.