I returned the beautiful green dress slightly the worse for wear with splotches of blood and bodily fluid, and even a couple of cuts where blades had come a lot closer than I had realized. I think even Gabby was able to spot my black mood as I prepared for bed, because she worldlessly helped me pull the pins from my hair and held back even her normal harassing comment as I changed into my sleep shift. Having a roommate had broken me of the habit of sleeping naked, but the shift itself was short enough Gabriel felt compelled to comment on some aspect of my anatomy pretty much every time I got ready for bed. I fell asleep wrestling with the familiar questions of whether Cate and Patrick and the rest were merely simulations or real persons, and just what would happen to them when I finished my task.

In the morning I dressed in my now familiar traveling clothes instead of the working girl outfit I sometimes used when I was keeping an eye on the bar room, and made sure to tuck a few momentoes in a small bag tied to my belt. I headed downstairs and picked at my breakfast in a morose silence, without the heart to engage Zeno in our usual banter. When I came back from dropping the dirty dishes in the big tub of water, I found Patrick leaning over the bar with a big grin on his face. He saw me and waved me over.

“Cheer up, little stormcloud. We picked up the money already and it came off without a hitch. You’re a woman of means now, at least for a while.”

I gave him a halfhearted smile and nodded. “I figured today would be the day. Where do I pick up my share?”

“Cate’s splitting it up, up in her room. Drop by and grab yours whenever you’re ready.”

I stared up at Patrick wondering how to say goodbye without really saying it. Once I had the silver I felt sure my task would end. Patrick had become a good friend, and I would remember him fondly. He was always a cheerful sparring partner, and his rugged looks combined with his almost shy demeanor made him almost the perfect man. I’d never had much luck with a relationship with a man, but Patrick was just what I looked for when I wanted an hour or two long diversion. I knew that at some point Patrick would be nothing but a memory and a guest star in my fantasies as I took a long steamy shower before bed, and on a sudden impulse I decided to add a little grist for the mill. I stepped up across from him at the bar, put one hand on the back of his head and mashed our lips together with bruising force. I took the kiss I wanted from him with savage intensity, pressing my breasts against the solid muscle of his chest as I devoured his mouth. His giant hand came up to cup the side of my face, and I let out a low moan as I finally drew back with a shuddering breath. His hand stayed up in the air, like he was poised on the edge of reaching back out to me with a stunned look on his face. It was a cross between lust and confusion, and I don’t think I could have shut his brain down as successfully if I had smacked him in the forehead with a mallet. I took another ragged breath and managed to center myself before smiling.

“Sorry, just excited about getting paid. Don’t make a big deal out of it. See you around, big guy.”

His hand dropped down to the bar top and he sucked in a deep breath before he nodded in reply. “Catch you later, Julia.” I headed over to the stairs, and I caught him from the corner of my eye watching me longingly while I walked up them. At least I’d given him something to remember too, if the simulation continued to run. Cate’s room was around back and then at the end of the hall, as far as possible from possible sounds of headboards thumping or the occasional vocal stylings from the rooms where business was conducted. I almost chickened out, with the thought of how things ended on the carriage ride last night, but I breathed in and out slowly a few times until I was calm and felt ready. I reached up and knocked gently on the wooden door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me. Patrick said you had our payouts ready.”

“Come in, dear. It’s not locked.”

I walked into the room that was a little smaller than even the cramped one I shared with Gabriel. It had a single bed and a wooden desk tucked into the corner, but most of the floorspace was taken by wooden dressers filled with clothing. She had a single dress form mannequin with swatches of fabric pinned into place, and dozens of outfits for every station in life spread throughout the room. This morning she was dressed in a soft cotton robe that looked too big for her height, and looked oddly vulnerable seated in front of her desk. I came all the way in to the cramped little room, gently closing the door behind me so we could speak in private.

“Cate, about the other night. I think we should talk.”

“Water under the bridge, girl” She tossed me a leather bag, and I reached out and caught it out of shear reflex. “Here’s your share of the loot, and it’s even more money than I expected. Will you be moving on now or staying here at the inn?”

I stared down at the bag of coins I was holding in shock. When I had finished every other task I had immediately dropped back through the portal and into my cell. For some reason I hadn’t been bounced from the simulation this time. I teased open the drawstring and looked down in the bag to confirm. A few gold coins as well as plenty of silver, I had definitely completed the task. Was there a glitch in the game or had I somehow imagined all the details of the AI and the cell? I didn’t know what was going on, but suddenly the implications of staying long term in this world ran through my head. I made a decision then, and dropped the fortune in coins I had been holding and took two long steps through the cramped room to stand beside Cate in her chair. She looked up at me in shock as I reached down and took her hand, pulling her up to stand in front of me.

“Shut up, Cate.” I whispered it as I leaned in for a long kiss. Her lips were soft and her body firm as she folded in against me, surrendering to the moment. We kissed like that for a while, gently but with passion. I trailed my lips down her jawline and began nuzzling at her neck as her questing hands found the bottom of my blouse and slid upwards, gliding gently along my rib cage, almost tickling as she stroked my skin. My own hands found the tie to her robe, and they were shaking with anticipation while I fumbled it open. She released me and leaned back away then to shed the garment. Standing fully nude before me and it was glorious. She had a soft blonde thatch of hair covering her mons, a mole just to the left of her right nipple,wide hips, and just the slightest hint of tummy sloping up over her pelvis. She was perfect. I stepped back in and grabbed her around the waist, lifting her back and up onto the wooden desk behind her. She wrapped her strong thighs around me when her feet left the ground, and as I broke the kiss I reached back and unlocked her ankles so I had more space. I trailed kisses down her body then, pausing to suckle on her full breasts and erect nipples. She threaded both hands into my hair holding me close as I continued down. Whispering butterfly kisses onto her belly as I finally knelt, and leaned forward inhaling the musty ready scent of her. I brushed my closed lips across her swollen labia and she gave a sharp hiss as her hips bucked, ready for more. I licked gently, reveling in the taste of her and her hands pressed into the back of my head, desperate for more.

My hands rose up, stroking her hips and trailing along her love handles as I began to work in earnest. Occasionally lapping, sometimes sucking on her hood and the pearl within. She was making little soft moans of pleasure now, and her hands had gone limp in my hair. I redoubled my pace, licking furiously with my tongue as my top lip pressed in at the apex of her womanhood. Her hands found their strength again as she tried to grind my face deeper into her sex. Her hips began to twitch in time to my rhythm and she clamped her thighs to each side of my face. I could feel the silken muscles inside her start to contract, and then she gave a full throated cry and went limp beneath. I took my time finishing up, enjoying her shudder each time a tentative lick brushed against overly sensitive flesh. I stood back up, still between her legs and she gave me a lingering kiss, sharing the taste of her own sex on my tongue.

I stepped back then, and she grabbed the fabric of my blouse halting me. “Oh, no, Julia. We’re definitely not done yet. Not after that.” She hopped lightly down from the desk, her breasts bouncing in a delightful display, before she dragged my blouse up over my head. I had my baton in my sleeve, and there was a brief hesitation as we struggled to free it. Then she stepped forward and kissed me again, as her deft hands worked to unwind my linen bandeau. I was busy trying to unfasten my belt and the suddenly overly complicated knot of my pants lacing as she nuzzled at my much smaller breasts. She smacked my hands away and leaned down, taking over. I toed my boots off my feet as she finished unfastening me, and drug down my pants. Decent panties were hard to come by in this world, and soon I was standing in nothing but the thigh high stocking that had been the closest I could come to real socks here. Her fingers slid forward, gently stroking the bare skin on the outside of my sex and I bit my lip, trembling with the feeling.

“Now that is an interesting sensation, darling. You shave more than just the legs where you come from. I kind of like it.”

Her hand came up, sliding along my flat stomach and joined the other cupping both of my breasts, lightly pinching and teasing my nipples. She gave me a devilish grin then, and it was the only warning as she suddenly shoved me. I gave way and the edge of her mattress struck the back of my knees, tumbling me onto her bed. She followed after me, straddling my thigh, the dripping wet hot core of her rubbing against my flesh as she leaned down and pressed her breasts against mine, sliding her tongue into my mouth. Her hand was back, the first two fingers gently parting my lower lips and stroking past my clit. I gave a soft moan into her hungry mouth, and she wriggled on top of me, rubbing herself against the muscles in my thigh. Her hands were magical, and I was already incredibly wet. As her fingers picked up moisture, her hand slid deeper. I gave another soft moan as she penetrated inside me. The tip of her middle finger curved back and up and she brushed against my g-spot as her palm pushed in and grazed my clit. I thrust my heels down and tried to arch up into it, desperate to repeat the sensation. Her weight on my thigh held me down,and she gave another wriggle, increasing the pace at which she ground herself on top of me at the same time as she worked her hand a little faster. The pressure built and built within my lower belly, and I was incoherent, lost in a world of pure sensation. It rose to a peak then and I cried out as the wave of pleasure overflowed from me.

When I could focus again Cate still lay on top of me, her core against my leg, breasts against me, and face inches from my own. She gave me a satisfied smile and then darted in and placed a quick peck on my nose.

“I got two to your one, so I feel a little bit like I cheated you. Frankly I’m not sure I could handle it if we continued though.”

I chuckled and bent my knee, placing my calf over hers to pin her to the bed before I put a hand to her shoulder and another on her hip and rolled her off of me onto the bed at my side. It put us face to face on the mattress, our legs meshed together, and I slid my arms around her and pulled myself in close. She giggled and I spoke into her cleavage, my arms locked around her in hopes that she wouldn’t pull away.

“I don’t think I have control of my own muscles yet, so I’m fine if we just lie here. How do you like the idea of a short nap in my arms?”

Her hand came up, stroking my hair, then idley spinning a single strand near my shoulder blades. She bent forward and kissed me on the forehead then. “That sounds just about perfect. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

We laid there, cuddled together for a while, and soon her regular slow breathing shifted into a delicate snore that put a smile on my face. I couldn’t wait to tease her about snoring, but I’d caught an unexpected burst of energy from somewhere and I couldn’t fall asleep myself. I quietly watched her sleep for a while, trying to process a whole host of new feelings, but eventually I started to extricate myself, careful not to wake her. She shifted and twitched a few times as I broke our embrace and withdrew from the bed, but her soft snores never entirely faded. I considered just slipping into her robe rather than dressing myself, but decided borrowing clothes was out of bounds until we’d at least discussed it. Instead my own clothes went back on, and I gathered my things. I would head back to my own room so I didn’t make enough noise to wake sleeping beauty.

I moved soft footed through the hallway, my boots in one hand and the coin pouch in another. When I got back to my room I was overjoyed that Gabriel was out. I had a feeling she would know immediately that I had gotten some, and I wasn’t sure what ramifications that would cause with my almost-stalker roommate. I plopped down onto the edge of my own bed, and slid my boots on. Maybe I should go try and burn off some energy down in the practice yard by the stables, but then it occured to me that now I had real money. I could buy one of the expensive dueling swords and start practicing the forms I knew, maybe even find someone to continue my lessons.

I dumped my bag of coins out onto the bed, already forming a mental shopping list. First the sword but I ought to have enough to visit a taylor. Zippers were probably out but I had high hopes I could commision a pair of button-fly blue jeans now that I had the funds to do so. Maybe I’d get a couple dresses to, instead of relying on hand-me downs and altered clothing I’d cadged from the girls here at the inn. A memory of how I’d spent the last couple of hours drifted through my mind, and a smile grew on my face. A visit to a florist was in order too, a dozen red roses sounded just about right. The cascade of coins had a few gold and several silver in it, even a couple of copper as they’d tried to make the split come out even. I started humming to myself as I began to count it, and as soon as my bare hand reached down to sort the coins and I made contact with the silver, the world shivered and I dropped through the portal into my cell.