When I get back to the inn, all the girls have gathered in the bigger bedroom. Lynne got back before me from the inn, and everyone except Mari have dressed up. I guess the other girls had clothes in storage at the guild dorm. I need to get Mari some fine clothes.

Lawra greets me; "Come on, don't just stand there. Join us. We can't get started without you." Wait! We are doing the oath ceremony now. I was thinking of getting dinner first. "Dinner will be delivered to the room as soon as we are done with the ceremony." Lynne seems to have read my mind. Kira, is surprisingly quiet.

Next Lynne is speaking. It looks like she was appointed the spokesperson as a compromise between Lawra and Kira. As per Lynne's directions, Kira steps forward, mixes her blood with mine and says the oath. She looks happy. Good, I would hate for her to feel pressured by the others. Next Lynne steps forward. We mix blood and I hear the oath again. Lastly Lawra repeats the process. Half way through the oath she is crying, but she struggles on. I am guessing those were happy tear of sorts, so as I accept the oath I give her a hug. Lawra response; "Don't you dare die on me." I am reminded of what happened to her last boyfriend. He may have been her first husband.

As we finish the ceremony Mari disappears out to get our dinner sent to our room. Not the most romantic setting, but soon we are all sitting on the three small beds eating dinner from a small table in the middle of the room. The meal looks abnormally grand for a standard dinner provided by the inn. The girls probably made sure it was better than normal. I am glad they did, after all to me weddings should be grand and spectacular.

I ask the girls about weddings and marriage situation. The girls explain that it is common for hunters to have many wives, if they chose to marry. Many don't as they don't want to be tied down by the commitment. Lynne reminds me about the high ratio of females in the guild common area. "A lot of female hunters are low rank hunters looking for a high rank hunter to marry." I guess this world has gold diggers as well.

Trying not to think on the topic of gold diggers, I ask why there are so many female hunters, especially since so many don't have combat skills. Lawra gives me a lengthy reasonable explanation: "Many women try to escape whatever their families have in store for them, and run to the guild for shelter and a form of independence. Other women might have lost their male guardian and seek protection with the guild. Being part of the guild, civil status or gender does not matter. The only thing that matters is your ability. There are plenty of strong female hunters, but they are outnumbered by the number of girls becoming members of the guild for protection."

The explanation helps, but I still feel like I am missing a lot to understand this society. I will have to learn as I go along. "Thanks, I will have to rely on you girls to explain thinks to me as I learn what it is to live in a society." As we finish our meal, Kira tells me to wait a bit, and slips out into the corridor. Thinking she has had enough preparation I head to the second bedroom.

As I open the door, I see a naked Kira hurriedly sliding under the duvet. Is my fierce redhead shy? Standing at the end of the bed looking at her peaking out from under the cover, I start tugging at the end of the duvet. Kira pulls at her end. "Stop it!" She is only half serious, but she is definitely shy. Come to think of it I can't remember her ever bathing in the lake like the other girls, but she was never any more dirty than they. She must have made an effort to bath when I was not around.

How refreshing. None of the other girls show have showed any shyness. They would happily change clothes in front of me. I would be the one to insist giving them some privacy. Jumping on top of the duvet I pin her under the duvet. "Are you shy? Why is my fierce warrior princess shy?" Kira's cheeks are turning as red as her hair. "You might not like my body." She looks insecure. The reliable, fierce and confident girl I know is actually a very pure and innocent young maiden.

I really hope my staring at Mari's growing chest has not made her more insecure. How do I deal with this. Telling her sweet little lies is not something I am comfortable with, nor do I think Kira will appreciate it. Best to try to disarm this with humor. "Is your body horribly scared? That might actually fascinate me. Actually, unless you are hiding a male body under that duvet, I am pretty sure I will be ok with it." The teasing gives her the spark she needs. Kira kicks me off her and removes the duvet to reveal her naked body. "Happy now!" I just hug her and tell her I want her.

Later Kira slips out and Lynne comes to the small bedroom. I really wish we could do this over the course of a few nights. My last good nights sleep was at the village days ago. Lynne is far more confident in her feminine charm than Kira without being brash. Ever playing the considerate older sister she tell me to save some energy for Lawra after her. I wish she didn't bring the other girls up. I want to give her my full attention.

Lynne slips out later in the night. Since she didn't stay too long, I might actually get some sleep. However, next is Lawra. She proves a lot more proactive and passionate. I am reminded she has some experience. "So how did Kira do?" Lawra's question takes me by surprise. "She was really nervous since it was her first time. It was Lynne's first time as well, but I think Kira's upbringing has shielded her and kept her more innocent than the rest of us." Now it makes sense. Kira and Lawra was talking about tonight when I was at the guild. Kira is different because she was raised as a noble.

Still I am surprised by how comfortable Lawra is talking about other girls when she is in bed with me. I would prefer not to hear about her relationship with her last boyfriend. I tell Lawra my thoughts. She just laughs and responds; "Of course I would never tell you about any former lover of mine. Boys get jealous and greedy. They want to own, we girls are the ones to be owned so we don't have those feelings." It sounds like a horribly unbalanced statement to me, but however inaccurate it might be, it still reveals how different this world is to my old world. I might have hoped for some sleep, but I am kept awake by Lawra's chatting all night.