Volume 19 - Royal Guests, Chapter 146 - Booty Call

Abyss was a truly excellent bodyguard. With her large jackal-like ears, she could hear potential threats from a great distance, and her sense of smell sniffed out any suspicious objects instantly. She was strong, quick, and unflinching in the face of danger, and she was always alert and focused on her duty.

On the rare occasion that trouble had found its way to Fal's entourage, Abyss shut it down quickly and efficiently using her heavy iron staff and her refined skills in numerous schools of martial arts. She was so effective at her job, Moira sometimes joked that Fal had hired a Terminator-esque robot instead of a liminal woman.

The girls who lived and worked at the Mountain Lily Inn would disagree. As robotic as Abyss seemed, there was no denying that she was a gorgeous woman. Yuisu often found her eyes lingering on Abyss's intriguing furry ears, the high slit in her sarong skirt, or her perfectly toned stomach. Additionally, Abyss carried herself with an alluring confidence, her movements swift and direct and empowered.

Alas, Abyss's stony expression never cracked the slightest smile while she was working, and her no-nonsense body language made it very clear that she wasn't interested in romance or physical intimacy. Or so everyone thought.

On the third evening of the royal group's stay, Fal insisted that Abyss take the night off. The other women were all going to stay inside and relax, and Chione had agreed to take watch. The chipper young gargoyle had grown into her side job, and she was confident that she could handle the evening and night watches. The extra royal-tier pay Chione received may have been a motivator as well.

Abyss had not been expecting to have the night to herself, so she had never looked into ways to spend an evening in Okayado. She sought help from Yuisu, whose role as inn proprietress required her to know about all sorts of local tourist activities.

"Miss Yuisu, may I ask you a favor?" Abyss said as she approached the inn's front desk. It was not quite six and Yuisu was wrapping up some business before breaking for the night and starting on dinner.

"Of course. What is it, Abyss?"

The anubis woman was as stoic as always when she said, "I have the evening off, and I would like to spend it in town doing something exciting. Do you have any recommendations?"

Yuisu smiled. She was always happy to help her guests find something fun to do. "Of course. But first, do you have an idea of what kind of activity you want to do? Adventurous, social, culinary, relaxing?"

"Social," Abyss answered, her voice level and unreadable.

"Hmm, alright. There are a couple social activities that are available at this hour. You could shop at the mall, where your height and exotic appearance are sure to attract some attention and bring people to talk to. Or you could visit the bars downtown; I recommend the Wild Life. It's a liminal-centric nightclub with a diverse beer selection and wonderful staff."

A glint appeared in Abyss's eyes, or at least Yuisu thought she saw one. It was very hard to read the stony-faced woman.

Abyss said, "That sounds exciting. I will call a taxi and go to the Wild Life. Thank you for your assistance, Yuisu."

"You're welcome," Yuisu said with a smile.

A bit after 2am, a taxi pulled into the Mountain Lily Inn's parking lot. A tall figure exited the car and moved carefully up the side path toward the cabins.

Chione watched the figure from her rooftop vantage until she was sure there was no trouble. It was just Abyss, returning from her night on the town. Chione hoped she'd had fun, since even serious bodyguards needed to cut loose from time to time.

Chione's phone let out a cute ding and she pulled it out of her pocket, expecting a message from Actia. They'd been texting all evening, chatting about nothing in particular: games, work, future date plans.

However, the message wasn't from Actia. It was from Mimi, and it was packed full of excited gossip. It read, "O M G, you would not believe what happened at the club tonight. This tall bombshell dog-girl came in, looking all scary and fierce, then she ordered two mixed drinks from me, a particular blend of juices and brandy. She downed 'em both back to back, then went WILD."

Chione texted back, already pretty sure she knew who the 'bombshell dog-girl' was, "Really?! What'd she do?"

In text after text, Mimi recounted the actions of a certain show-stealing party animal. The woman danced up a storm, graceful despite all the alcohol in her system, and she was friendly and sociable and cheerful. She flirted with nearly everyone, including Korbin when he stopped by to chat with the manager about something. He brushed her off, saying he was in a relationship, but he commented that it was nice to see other canid liminals in town.

But her flirting did find some success. She swept a shorter imp-girl off her feet and carried her to a corner booth. They made out for a long while, until they started shedding clothes and Kyle had to step in and stop them.

Chione felt her cheeks growing hot as she read that part. She could barely imagine the dour Abyss making out with another woman like that, to say nothing of stripping in public.

Eventually, Mimi's tale ended with Abyss suddenly calling for a cab and leaving. Mimi also needed to get to sleep, so she said goodbye. Chione replied, "G'night Mimi. Love ya."

"Love ya too, BFF," came Mimi's reply.

As Chione continued her night watch, she couldn't help but think about Abyss and how she seemed to be a totally different person on her time off. She was a true master of keeping her work and personal lives separate. And considering that her work hours were nearly 24/7, the accomplishment was even more impressive.

The next morning, Abyss returned to her role of bodyguard as though nothing had happened. She was severe and alert as she watched over her queen and companions. They all went skiing on the mountain again and Abyss had to work twice as hard to keep up with the childlike whims and sudden changes in direction of best friends Fal and Nemes.

When the group finally returned to the Inn, Abyss was sore and visibly exhausted. Fal gave her another night off, but Abyss spent it very differently than the previous night.

Abyss stepped out of the hot spring dressing room, holding a towel over her bare front. "May I join you?" she asked the women who were already soaking in the hot water and gazing at the winter sky.

Yuisu nodded, "Of course. Please take a seat wherever you like."

Abyss surveyed the pool and the four women in it, then took an open spot near the north end. To her right, Yuisu and Haru sat side by side, with Haru's wings spread on the rocks behind them. To her left, Aluru was nestled deep in the hot water, with just her head visible. Beyond that, Hakuto was lounging on her stomach on a shallow ledge, her chin resting on her crossed arms and her fluffy white tail peeking out of the water.

At first, Abyss was content just to relax while Haru and Yuisu resumed their whispered conversation. Very few words were audible over the sound of steaming-hot spring water splashing into the pool, words like 'date', 'plans', and 'waiting'.

After a bit, Hakuto sat up and squeezed some water from the fur on her hands. She seemed to be getting ready to depart, until Abyss approached from across the pool.

Abyss sat nearby and said, "Oh, are you leaving, miss? I was hoping to talk to you. I didn't say something sooner because I didn't want to disturb your relaxed state."

Hakuto tilted her head, both ears flopping to the side. "I suppose I can stick around a while more. What did you want to talk about?"

Abyss's normal serious expression had been totally replaced by a welcoming smile. "Nothing specific. I just wanted to get to know you. My name is Abyss."

"I'm Hakuto. It's nice to meet you," came the response as Hakuto settled back into the water.

They talked for a little while, sharing small things like their species and interests. Then Abyss said, "I like your hair." Then she quickly clarified, "Not just your fur, but your haircut. The short look suits you very well. As you can see, my hair has been long for a long time." Abyss lifted a long, wet strand of her hair from the spring and let it slide between her fingers in a sensual way.

"T-thanks, but, um…"

"What is it, Hakuto?" Her voice was soft and friendly.

"I feel like I should say this sooner than later… I'm not into girls, or anyone really. I'm asexual."

Abyss smiled. "My opinion on your hair still stands, but I apologize if I have made you uncomfortable." She bowed slightly. "I wouldn't mind continuing our conversation on neutral topics, if you want."

Hakuto nodded eagerly. "That would be nice. I don't get to talk to many people, other than worshippers."

The jackal and hare spoke for another ten minutes, the conversation dominated by Hakuto gushing about how impressive modern technology was, until Hakuto raised a paw. "I hate to cut this short, but I've been in this heat a bit too long. Can we talk again another time?"

"That sounds great. Goodnight, Hakuto." Abyss kept her gaze off Hakuto's body as Hakuto climbed out of the pool, instead turning her attention to the other hot spring occupants.

Haru and Yuisu were still talking about something private, but Aluru was looking right at Abyss with a smile on her face.

Aluru moved forward, her upper body slowly emerging from the water, wisps of steam rising from her bare green skin. As her breasts cleared the surface, she said, "That was quite smooth, how you handled Hakuto saying she's ace. You made sure she didn't feel bad about it and kept the conversation rolling."

"Thank you. I suppose I hold myself to a high standard for flirting. If the other person doesn't want the same thing out of the relationship, that is no reason to be unkind."

Aluru was still smiling, but there was a sadness in it. "I wish I had learned that lesson sooner."

"But you did learn it." Abyss could have said it as a question, but didn't. It demonstrated some faith in Aluru.

The sadness in Aluru's smile disappeared. "I did." Then she ran a hand through her bright green hair. "My hair isn't short in the way you seem to like, but I would like to get to know you."

Abyss grinned. "I can appreciate more than one kind of beauty. I assume you caught that my name is Abyss, but I do not know yours."

Aluru shuffled up close to Abyss's side. "Aluru." Then she leaned close and said, "I consider myself something of a skilled flirt, so I'd like to spar a little with you, if you don't mind."

"Sparring… that's a good way to put it. A friendly competition where the experience is more important than victory."

"Victory is still important, but it would be a shared victory." With that, Aluru glanced at Yuisu, who had been watching the interaction out of the corner of her eye.

Yuisu's trust in Aluru had grown considerably over the last few months, and the fact that Aluru was checking for approval before getting involved with a high-profile guest showed she had improved. She'd been such a troublemaker at first, but she had found a better way to be true to herself, without harming others.

And while Yuisu had specifically asked Aluru to avoid intimate situations with the royal guests, it was clear that Abyss was in the market, so to speak. Yuisu smiled and gave Aluru a nod: permission to continue flirting and to indulge in whatever came after.

Twenty minutes later, Abyss lead the way to her cabin, holding Aluru's hand in hers. They had gotten dressed in the changing room, but if things went as Aluru hoped, that wouldn't last long.

The cabin's kitchen was pretty standard, but Abyss's room was far from it. As the door closed behind Aluru, she found herself gasping in surprise. The room had been transformed into something completely different, with a unique style all its own.

The bed was covered with bright red silk sheets with a subtle checkerboard pattern, and tasseled pillows were piled on top of that. The room was lit in part by lamplight shining through a paper and wood screen, its orange light simulating a perpetual sunset. Other decorations with a black and gold color scheme completed the theme wonderfully.

During their flirtatious 'sparring', Abyss had learned that Aluru had a submissive streak in her, a desire to give up her power, to be told what to do. Abyss laid across her bed and patted the silky surface, saying, "Join me up here, Aluru. Stand here."

Aluru was happy to obey, desire welling up within her. She climbed onto the bed with her roots, then put her hands in her lap and looked to Abyss for more instructions.

"I am sore from skiing today, and soaking in the hot springs wasn't quite sufficient. Are you skilled at massages, perhaps?"

Aluru smiled. "I believe I am, but I'll let you be the final judge of that."

Abyss raised one eyebrow. "A reference to the role of Anubis? Very well. I'll weigh your performance and determine whether you are worthy of reward."

With that, Abyss laid down on her belly and pulled her skirt aside to reveal her bottom. She glanced back and said, "Skiing gives quite the gluteal workout. Start there."

Aluru froze for an instant, admiring the juicy booty on display. It was perfectly shaped, perfectly plump, with the firm muscles of an athlete beneath. "Yes ma'am," she said as she set to work.