Chapter 155: Struggling with Compromise

Annita Kronforst

Listening to Kat go through her conversation, completely unable to speak with her or Orenous, was painful. There was so much she needed to say, but her Goddess just kept her and Rosalyn on the sidelines, letting Kat have the space to really get her own feelings out. Ann felt stupid listening to some of it. She’d known Kat was tentative about a more open relationship and had thought she was doing what the woman wanted by nudging her into exploring that side of things. It was pretty clear now that that was a mistake.

Rosalyn, similarly, was terrified that she’d been a problem for the two. Even as they sat there, she kept mumbling how sorry she was, curling up deeper into Ann’s arms. She’d initially been beside herself when Kat ran, sobbing uncontrollably, and it had taken a while for Ann to calm her down to the point where they could go looking for their idiot princess.

It was slow going, but Orenous had appeared and shown them the path. Without her, they’d probably still be wandering in the dark, completely naked, yelling Kat’s name. Ann still had questions for Orenous, but she’d asked that they be saved for after the immediate crisis was handled.

Now they sat on piles of dirt and cleared off leaves, listening to the silence, then Orenous had lifted the silence, allowing them to hear her speak of the influence she’d had upon Ann and Kat meeting. That answered at least one question that had been burning in the back of Ann’s head for a long while. Their meeting had been set up. Immediately she rankled at the idea that she and Kat weren’t organically falling for each other, but Orenous’ insistence that she’d simply made sure they were in the same place placated that slightly. Hell, Orenous had said, while she was in the coma, that she had people nearby to help her. She’d accepted that then, and the pair had helped her immensely coming into this world. She saw no reason to change her mind. At least the Goddess of Love wasn’t forcing emotions on people, as she probably easily could. From how She described it, Orenous was playing matchmaker. Almost shipping people.

Rosalyn had barely moved since they’d begun to hear the discussion. Some muttered thoughts escaped her lips about manipulation and subterfuge, but she quieted again as Orenous continued to explain. The thing she did perk up on was discussion of Ann’s Chosen of Orenous skill. Truth be told, it was a question Ann had as well. The Druid looked up at Ann, about the ask a question, but the conversation the hidden women quickly moved to include them, and she looked like she decided to wait.

“There,” Orenous’ melodic voice rang out, reverberating with power. Both she and Kat appeared on the snow a few feet away, sitting cross-legged in the snow. Kat looked awful. Her hair was all over the place, her skin covered in dirt, and her eyes were red and swollen from crying. Ann felt her heart ache, seeing her princess like this. Kat was usually happy when she was this beat up. The distraught fear just didn’t fit Kat’s face.

“Hey,” Ann said. It was a weak start, but it was all she had.

“Hey,” Kat replied. Her voice lacked the normal fire. It was raw, raspy.

“Yeah,” Rosalyn said, hugging her knees.

They sat for a bit like that, no one really knowing how to get this conversation started. Orenous watched, keeping her thoughts to herself as they all stewed in the uncomfortable silence.

“Did I fuck up?” Ann asked.

“I… shite, maybe,” Kat shrugged. “Think we all might ‘ave fecked up.”

“Wendyl was that bad of an idea?”

Kat cringed, but after a little, nodded. “I’m sorry, Ann. I thought it’d be fun, an’ in the moment it was, but it’s been eatin’ at me. Somethin’ about it is just not sittin’ right wit’ me heart o’ hearts, an’ I can’t ignore tha’.”

“No, and I can’t expect you to,” Ann nodded slowly.

“Was… was I a mistake?” Rosalyn asked. Ann shook with how much pain was in that question. She never wanted to hear the woman like that, but here they were.

“Nae,” Kat said quietly, hanging her head. “I… had me misgivin’s at the start.”

“At the start…” Rosalyn prompted. “So I was?”

“Ye were unexpected. Feck, I wanted tae just keep Ann wit’ me fer longer. I don’t think that’s wrong o’ me. Then ye came in, an’ ye were so cute, an’ fun tae be around. Shite happened really quickly, an’ I wouldn’t take any o’ it back. Tae be clear, I do love ye.”

“I do too, but it still sucks to be called a mistake.”

“Mistake wasn’t what I said,” Kat grumbled. “Just not in me plans.”

“Was it in yours?” Rosalyn asked. Ann looked up at the Goddess. She had wondered at one point the same thing. Orenous had nudged her in that direction.

“Your group needed a powerful caster,” Orenous began. “I figured one around your age, good looking, and with few ties to hold her back would be the best fit. I do not force romance. Give pushes and prods here and there? Oh absolutely, but I refuse to make decisions for you.”

“So I was planned to join them?” Rosalyn sniffled. “Was the… no, you don’t control the Warped. The Snail was coincidence.”

“I’d say more of an opportunity,” Orenous shrugged. “You did need the help, and they needed your help. A win for everyone involved. That you stumbled in on Ann making a wonderful mistake with her Libido was simply a cherry on top.”

“I… yeah, I can live with that,” Rosalyn said. “The Gods have been good to me and mine, I’ll be ok. At least you’re not actually choosing who people fall in love with, which would be creepy. Imagine someone being like, ‘Now you two kiss, have babies, and you hate each other now and get divorced because it’s my plan.’ That’d be really shitty.”

“I try my best not to be really shitty,” Orenous giggled softly.

“So, Wendyl?” Ann asked, moving the conversation along. She really wanted to get this part over with and knew it was probably the core of Kat’s anguish. Sure enough, Kat’s face twisted into a mask of fear and pain.

“Aye. If it’s alright wit’ ye, I kinda wanna ask that we put a pause on tha’. Maybe forever? I’m not feckin’ sure. It’s too damn fast, an’ I need tae not ‘ave that right now.”

“Done,” Ann nodded. “Kat, we talked about this. You have every right to say no to something.”

“I know,” Kat groaned. “Gods, but it’s so much feckin’ harder tae do than tae say.”

“So you were sitting there, beating the piss out of yourself, because you were having a hard time saying no?”

“Ye seemed excited by it!” Kat protested. “I… feck, that’s part o’ the whole protective part. I wanna see ye happy, an’ I don’t want tae be the one tae bring shite down. Same time, I was also scared o’ what ye’d say.”

“What, that I’d fight you on it?”

“Aye! Dinnae why? Ye’ve never seemed like one tae do that, an’ can be really understandin’, but it just got stuck in me head, ye know? What if ye said no? What do I do then? How do we keep goin’? Does Rosalyn get caught up in it? How does she get affected if we start fightin’?”

“So you bottle it up, then explode in a fantastically dumb way,” Ann said, sighing. “Kat, I love you, but you can be really stupid sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” Rosalyn sniffled out.

“Shush,” Ann chuckled, petting the Druid’s woolen hair. “Only sometimes. Yeah, we’ll talk to Wendyl about not continuing with the sexual side of the agreement. She’s still a really good enchanter, and I’d love to keep her around because she’s just a good personality fit, but we can stop the extra stuff.”

Kat flopped back onto the snow, arms spread wide as she stared up at the stars peeking through the gnarled, dead branches. She lay there for some time, and Ann was about to speak up before the princess heaved a sigh. “Aye. That’d be fer the best, I think. She is fun tae talk to.”

“Yeah,” Ann said, a smile tugging at her lips. “She is. Well, that’s fine, then. I’m still asking her for sex toys, though. She’s really good at that type of enchanting.”

“That’s fine,” Kat said, still laying there.

“Can I come over and, I dunno, lay there with you?” Ann asked. Normally she would just do it, but right now, she wanted to give Kat every bit of control over what happened.

“Aye,” came the gentle affirmative. “C’mere.”

Ann and Rosalyn scooted over, crawling on their hands and knees before they laid down to the left and right of Kat. Gently, they each took a hand, and stared up at the sky while Orenous watched over them.

“Reminds me of our first date,” Ann said with a smile. “Teaching you about the old names for stars.”

“Still think the bear thing is stupid,” Kat chuckled. “But, aye. Simpler times. All we had tae do was go fight Warped. Now ye’re gettin’ pulled intae politics an’ shite.”

“Only for a little,” Ann said. “I’m making sure that we are well backed here. The temples alone are a huge help, but friends in nobility, even if you are royalty, are good to have as well. I want to get back to fighting, too. As soon as your mom lifts our grounding, I wanna go tackle another Seed.”

“I’d like that,” Kat said. “What about you, Rosalyn?”

“Well, no memories of a first date besides the fighting arenas, but this is definitely nice. I don’t know what stars look like bears, but humans in general are massively benefited by their pattern recognition, something many animals lack, and I can see that someone would try to find something like that in the sky. We do it with clouds all the time, so it makes sense. At least I do. It’s a fun way to pass the time when I can’t dig into Warped or whittle.”

“Nae, ye goof,” Kat said. “About Wendyl. Ye haven’t said anythin’ about it.”

“Oh, right. I’m with Ann on this. You had full say in stopping relationships. Heck, you could have ended the one with me, but I think we’re past that, right?”

Kat nodded.

“Well, then, yeah. If you don’t want it, then I don’t want it. Wendyl was fun in bed, but I don’t think I really had any emotional connection to her, so I guess it’d be pretty easy. A little worried she’ll be put out by not getting fucked, because she seemed to really enjoy that, but I’m sure she can figure something out.”

“Here’s tae hope,” Ann said, squeezing Kat’s hand. “See? Was that worth getting all worked up over?”

“It… probably wasn’t. Just hard tae keep me thoughts from wanderin’ tae the worst o’ things. If I’m sittin’ still, or quiet, it just starts goin’ o’er everythin’ that could go wrong an’ how it’s all my fault fer every hypothetical. Let me tell ye, the dragon is not helpin’ wit’ that.”

“It still talking now?”

“Nae, seems tae have shut up as soon as Orenous popped in,” Kat said.

“Funny, Waheela is seething right now.”

She was. Ann was ignoring her completely, but Waheela was frothing at the mouth to take a bite out of Orenous. Those purple bonds in Ann’s soul held strong, but she could tell Waheela was putting them to the test.

“Silly little corruption,” Orenous giggled. “If you want, I can try putting a muzzle on her.”

“No, I prefer her talking,” Ann waved off the Goddess. “Lets me know what she’s trying. It’s honestly more worrying when she’s quiet.”

“As you wish. Just give me a prayer if you change your mind. Now, I think we have another thing to talk about regarding a very specific skill that has caused some… conflict.”

“Yeah. Why was that an open thing in the first place?”

“Like I said, it was a question,” Orenous re-explained. “I wasn’t sure how you would tackle this new time you found yourself in, and whether you would stay monogamous. I left it open for you to choose. Now that you seem to have chosen, tweaks are in order. Normally I do this on a level up, but since this is without a significant increase in power, I have to ask. Annita, child, may I alter that skill to something more appropriate for your choices?”

“Yeah, full permission,” Ann nodded, still staring at the stars.

“Good. You may feel a slight tug…”

Ann felt like her stomach got yanked directly upward. It was like falling, but in the wrong direction, while she was laying down. “Whaaat is happening?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Orenous said. “Editing a soul can be uncomfortable for a mortal. You, with your longer life, have a lot more built up, so I have to dig a little. When you level up, the excess power from that progression loosens things.”

“Ah, it’s like muscles before an’ after ye stretch,” Kat observed.

“Exactly. Now, just a moment longer… and… there.”

Ann felt the vertigo disappear, leaving her slightly sweatier than she had been, and gasping for air. “Wow, that sucked.”

“I can imagine so!” Orenous laughed, wiping a hand over her spotless brow. “Go ahead and review, please. I think you’ll like what I’ve done.”

“Mind if we all do?” Rosalyn asked.

“Aye, I’m curious.”

“Fine, fine,” Ann laughed. She rolled over on top of Kat, cupping her cheek, then pulled Rosalyn close enough she could do the same. “Here goes.”

Ann popped up her status sheet. It had been a while since she’d been concerned with her skills outside of making sure she didn’t tip over the Libido cap. Glancing towards the top of the skill window, she found Orenous’ alteration.

Previously the skill had read:

Unique Passive:

Chosen of Orenous: The Bearer is burdened with a task from the divine. Growth of one’s progression is accelerated by a factor of 1.5 once a Path is chosen. For each lover in the current party, increase the multiplier by 0.2. This bonus will apply to all party members of the same or lower levels as the owner. Further benefits will be unlocked upon progression of the Bearer’s Path.

Additionally provides +5 to Faith.

It had been updated to:

Unique Passive:

Chosen of Orenous: The Bearer is burdened with a task from the divine. Growth of one’s progression is accelerated by a factor of 2.0 once a Path is chosen. This bonus will apply to all party members of the same or lower levels as the owner. Further benefits will be unlocked upon progression of the Bearer’s Path.

Additional Bonuses:

Provides +10 to Faith.

Faith scales based off current Libido at a rate of .3 per point of Libido.

“DOUBLE?!” Kat yelled, sitting up and almost throwing Ann to the ground. “Ye fer feckin’ real? That’s insane!”

“That’s for me to decide what is insane or not,” Orenous huffed. “I think my chosen warrior, the one I’m putting my bets on to figure out the whole corruption of the world, and the one that’s been in stasis for five thousand years, deserves some fun insanity in her life.”

“You’re just playing favourites,” Rosalyn laughed. “Totally are. No denying it, cause that all is crazy. I’ve never heard of a skill like this.”

“Me neither,” Kat laughed, giving Ann a bear hug and tumbling with her.

“Also, this part about the Libido is really strong,” Rosalyn said.

“Little worried… about… that…!” Ann said. Kat’s incessant celebration was making it incredibly hard to focus, and Ann being completely naked wasn’t helping. “Making me… ride that… edge, Orenous?”

“What’s life without a little risk?” Orenous said, purple eyes twinkling with mischief. “Your Libido is such an underutilised thing at the moment. That will change, obviously, but I figured that might be an interesting addition to this class you’re constructing.”

“I’m… down! Kat, come on!” Ann yelped, Kat nipping at her ear playfully.

“Nae! Not happenin’!”

“I will clarify one point on the party members line, children,” Orenous said, watching Kat and Ann with clear amusement. “That is not exclusive to your lovers or people going adventuring with you. I have made this extend to those who provide direct support to you through a sworn contract. I am aware of Wendyl, and she fits the bill quite nicely. Have her swear beyond the contract, and you will extend this boon to her as well.”

“Damn,” Ann said, finally getting Kat to stop rolling her like an overexcited puppy. That was her thing! She was the dog, wolf, person! “That’ll be great if we find anyone else we want to bring along.”

“Aye. Enchanter is gonna be great. Imagine if we find a smithy or alchemist? Havin’ someone makin’ legendary works’ll be great fer us.”

“Doubt Pile will want to be outdone,” Ann said. “She seems like the competitive type.”

“You have no idea,” Orenous groaned. “I’ve settled my affairs with her, if you were wondering.”

“Can I ask what she is?” Rosalyn asked. “Like, she clearly knows way more than she should, and then she knows you and, apparently, the other gods, history, and the way she just does magic is insane.”

“I… will not tell,” Orenous said in a measured voice. “She is a unique individual. One that would raise hell if I spilled the beans without her giving the OK. I’d rather avoid that headache, so we’ll leave that there.”

“Awww,” Ann grumbled. “Is she actually an Inlon?”

“Not telling,” Orenous huffed. “Sorry, doll. You’ll need to bark up another tree for that.”

“Hah!” Kat cackled. “Howl at the moon fer all it’ll do fer ye.”

Ann rolled her eyes. “Oh great, dog puns are back on the table.”

“Never left, mutt,” Kat said, continuing to laugh. “So, yer holiness wit’ the best arse I’ve ever seen. Anythin’ else ye got fer us?”

“Kat!” Rosalyn yelped. “I am going to beat some manners into you later, I swear on the Gods.”

“Which ones? This one doesn’t seem tae mind?” Kat shot back, pointing at Orenous’ clearly amused smile.

“We’re all going to be smited one day,” Rosalyn lamented. “She’s got a point, though. Was there anything else for us?”

“Not at the moment, no,” Orenous said, her smile fading. “Sorry, but we just need a bit more time before we can send you all in any direction. It should be soon. There are… situations occurring that are requiring attention elsewhere. I wish I could say more, but in the interest of free will and all that, it would be unfair to the world as a whole. Only so much favouritism I can show and all that. You feel me?”

Ann groaned, hearing the old, even by her terms, slang coming from a Goddess. “I’m going to meet one of you some day and it’s gonna be nothing but California beach bro lingo, isn’t it?”

“Hmm, I think you’d have to reach the west coast for someone like that,” Orenous pondered. “With the Bortislav Empire holding those lands, I doubt that’ll be anytime soon. When you do though, give my regards to Chadwick. I don’t get enough time to enjoy his favourite hobby as I’d like.”

“Of course his name is Chad,” Ann sighed, slapping a hand to her face. “Chad, god of the Surf?”

“That’s the one!” Orenous twinkled. “Now, I must be off again. Really, I mostly popped in because Kat was in fairly dire straits. I know that not everything can be fixed so easily, and that you will still struggle, little dragon. I just felt partially responsible for this specific dilemma.”

“Appreciate it,” Kat said, sitting up and facing Orenous. “I know I’ve got problems. Plenty o’ ‘em. I’ll keep workin’ tae figure out me own heart.”

“That’s all I ask,” Orenous beamed. “You have two amazing women to support you, not even counting Bren or Lucia. I have faith.”

“We’ll help her out,” Rosalyn affirmed. “Stubborn as a Grrn, but we’ll be here.”

“Damn right,” Ann nodded. “Just gotta actually tell us when you’re feeling like shit. I can’t read minds yet.”

“Yet,” Orenous chuckled. “My champion wants to read minds. Noted.”

“No! Holy shit, no I don’t,” Ann protested. “What an absolute nightmare. I don’t wanna hear anything that’s going on in other people’s heads. It’s enough to be able to read body language.”

“I was joking, dear,” Orenous laughed that tinkling laugh of hers. “Now, I must be going. For realsies this time. Hold the course for now, and I will let you know when Qu’Sella gets out of their archives. Later, gators!”

With that, Orenous winked out of existence. Literally. She winked and suddenly wasn’t there. Ann shook her head in disbelief. “Later, gators.”

“What’s a gator?” Rosalyn asked.

“A big, big, lizard from further south. Like a walking tank. I’ll sketch it later,” Ann said. “It just rhymes, so people used to say that.”

“Feels good tae see her again,” Kat said. “Even if it’s ‘cause I was freakin’ out.”

“Yeah. I get the feelings now and then, but seeing her is a relief,” Ann agreed. “Man, those changes to Chosen of Orenous, though. Smite is going to do insane damage if I’m high on Libido.”

“Forget that, Fistful is a legitimate threat to anything if you’re high on Libido,” Rosalyn pointed out. “You could easily take me out in one hit.”

“Ye’d put me in a bad spot, even if I didn’t defend it,” Kat muttered, brain already working on tactics. Ann smiled, happy to see the woman back to some level of normal again.

“So, do you want to continue tonight’s very interrupted play, or call it here and head home?”

“Think I’m good wit’ continuin’, but less roleplay. That alright?”

“I got what I wanted out of it,” Rosalyn sighed happily, curling up with them. “So we can do whatever.”

“You little freak,” Ann smiled, pulling her closer. “Yeah, let’s give it a few.”