It's obvious that now is the time to make a move. The only question is how. She is leaning in, but you do not read any intent beyond a simple interest in the conversation. It impresses on you suddenly how difficult it is navigating these types of scenarios with real women; women that aren't Kara. The smart thing to do is to go step by step. You slide your hand over hers as it rests on the bench you are both sharing. It is fairly cold but your hand begins warming it slightly. Heilan looks at you, her ears standing up straight. Fur on her ears and tails stand slightly on end. For a normal man, this is where body language would serve as a warning to back off. For you, however, it is a bit more easy. You don't read annoyance or discomfort, just faint surprise. The interest has not left either, but instead changed shape somewhat.

“Though I say 'everyone' I am a bit more invested in the issues of beastfolk.”

You continue the conversation like normal. Thanks to your ability to cheat your way through the minor hurdles of conversation and personal interaction, such as misunderstanding and misinterpretation, you are able to move past the momentary shock fade from Heilan's body language.

“There's a lot.” Heilan comments.

“Maybe you could help me out? I don't actually know a lot about how you manage within the Empire.”

Heilan's tail begins wagging subtly back and forth behind her. It could almost be mistaken for moving in the wind, but you can tell based off of other clues. She smiles brightly.

“I'd love to. I'm sure we can find time during dinner, or on the trail. I dunno how long we're going to be in town for or what the sleeping arrangements are going to be.”

As if on cue, Kara slides into view of you both and stares down approvingly. “There's some weird rules for the inn. Beastfolk need to share a room if they're together.” Kara explains. You see Heilan acknowledge that without batting an eye, as if it is a normal rule for an establishment to have, or at the very least, a rule that she could easily believe would be present.

“So, it looks like we're roommates.”

Heilan covers her mouth with both hands and swells with excitement. If her tail was imperceptibly wagging before, it is now clearly waving back and forth in approval of the situation.

“That's great, I-”

“Just one issue.” Kara winks at you subtly before continuing.

“Me and Hero over here are in the same room and that's not really negotiable.”

Heilan's expression shifts, more out of curiosity than anything. “Hero?” She looks at you.

“Oh, just a nickname.” She plays it off as if it was something she let slip, but you know for a fact that it was on purpose. Your face plants evenly in your palm.

“Don't worry too much. Anyway. This'll only work if you're fine with it, so-”

Heilan does not even let Kara finish. She glances quickly from you to her, then stands up and nods. “I'm fine with it! Totally.”

You lean back and sigh, uncovering your face. If you were cheating before, this is definitely just rigging it completely in your favor. Kara hands you the keys to the rooms and adds.

“You two get set up over there. I got some extra errands to run!” With that she jogs quickly out of the scene, much to Heilan's dismay.

“Wait-” Heilan stops once Kara is hopelessly out of reach. You muse that she is a lot like you, in a sense. Chasing relentlessly something that Kara has no intention of offering. Not easily. The wolf girl turns back to look at you. She is not satisfied with Kara having left, but she is not any less interested in you as she was before.

“I guess I can go tell the others we got rooms?”

“Go ahead. Come back here' and we'll all head over together.”

Interesting to you, and possibly no one else, is that the window in the room looking out over the street has two. The walls are quite thick, and there is a window on the inside and a window on the outside with quite a bit of space for air between. You are looking at it, trying to figure out how to open it when Heilan enters the room and comes up from behind.

“I think it's for warmth.” She comments once she sees what you are staring at. You are quite obviously not staring out the window, but at the glass, instead.

“Oh, of course.” You find that to be a satisfying answer, though you are not sure how it would work.

She brushes past you and inspects it. “I dunno why you'd want to open it this time of year but if you have to I think...” She furrows her dark brows and pulls down on a handle at the top of the frame. Both panes tilt towards you in unison on a swivel. Cold air begins rushing in, to which she quickly shuts it tight and locks it. You feel very satisfied after seeing that.

“Well. I guess we're roommates.” Heilan comments with a shrug. The read you get on her is that she is uncertain at the moment. You are not sure how to approach that. As you are contemplating your options she turns to you with a faint smile and adds.

“Hero?”

You exhale lightly and throw your head back. “Yeah? Just a nickname, like she said.”

“I don't know. I kinda see it.” Heilan states playfully, circling you. It is funny seeing the wolf girl pace around you, reminiscent of the wolves that stalked you and Kara on your way to Chesharidge before being unceremoniously scared off by her.

“Oh yeah?” You ask, turning your head to follow her as she walks around.

“You're a novice like me, but you've got it all together. That Vet Vura respects you, which is kinda crazy.”

“Is it?”

“We're kinda annoying to veterans. Novices usually group up together to do easy jobs. To top it off, I think you've actually got a pretty high plate for a novice, don't you?”

To say she is smarter than she looks would be a bit rude, but you still want to say it. So you adjust the wording a bit.

“You're more than just strong, aren't you?”

It works. Heilan blushes and stops in front of you. “Thanks.” She changes the subject unsubtly.

“When's Kara coming back?”

“I don't know if she'll be back tonight.” You say truthfully. You know what she is trying to do. If she actually wants it for you, she is probably not going to be seen until breakfast.

Heilan blinks. “Huh!? So it'll be just us?”

“I suppose.” You sigh, understanding the awkwardness of the situation for her. The girl went from a situation where she would be in a room with a girl she definitely wants to be in and a man she is somewhat interested in, to being alone for a night in a room with said man.

“I would understand if you wanted to-” Heilan brushes past you and plops down on the bed.

“I guess we've got more time to talk, then. Kara's super interesting but I've found that you are, too.” She offers in an upbeat tone. You take the hint and move to sit down beside her. As you do she angles her knees towards you on the bed.

“I guess I was wondering-” You try to get into asking about the plight of beastfolk in the imperial cities, but you are quickly interrupted before you can even start.

“What's your guys' relationship?” She blurts out. You gulp. Unsure how to answer. In terms a normal person could easily comprehend, you do not have one. To the average sensibilities of the time, a relationship where both parties are actively encouraged to fuck around could not easily be understood as one. So you simply say it in those terms.

“We don't really have one. Business, I guess?” You read faint relief from Heilan. Clearing your throat without subtlety you ask.

“What about you? Do you have anyone?”

Heilan shakes her head. “I'm completely inexperienced with that sort of thing.” She leans closer to you, her eyes staring at you unblinkingly.

“But I'm interested.” Her words and feelings align, so far as you can see.

“She's gone the whole night?” She asks tellingly while her head tilts curiously to one side.

You nod and, taking all the hints, lean in to kiss her gently. There is very little ambiguity. Both of you close your eyes. Her tail wags behind her. You place your arm on her side and push a little tongue between her lips. Boldness is on the docket. It was what you decided before. Once you break, you see Heilan looking at you with surprise. Before you can assume it is due to something bad, she exclaims.

“You- You're really good at that. I've never even done it and I can kinda tell.”

You slide over so that your bodies are pressing together. “How can you tell if you've never done it?”

“Just a feeling.” She explains in uncertain terms. You nod slowly. It strikes you that this is not an even situation. You are experienced; if not in the capture, the execution of being with a woman. You have done it quite a few times with a woman far more experienced than you. You have spent time contemplating the things she would and would not like you to do. As an afterthought you pull up your interface and stare at the skills. 'Sexual Prowess (Women)' is among them. While you were with Kara it never occurred to you that you had it, because she is simply so far beyond you as you are now. In the same way that she is a god compared to you in power, it may have been the same in terms of experience and desire. You shrug and go in for another kiss, leaning into your skill. Your tongue pushes dominantly between her lips and you begin the process of sliding her onto her back.

Staring down you read arousal from her. The interest is still there as well, but is far more obvious to be interest in a romantic sense at this point. You slide your hand into her tight pants, under her underwear, all while you are pressing your lips to hers. Your fingers find each point perfectly, especially the sensitive button that you learned about through trial and error. As you rub it intensely and feel wetness on your fingers, along with a growing shudder running down her body, you slide your other hand under her shirt to find her perky nipple. Before you find it your hand grips pure softness; her breasts are bigger than Kara's by just a bit while also somehow seeming far better in your hand. After a few gropes you roll your thumb over her other sensitive nub. Excitement at your skills having a tangible effect turns to guilt as, in the throws of the girl's likely first orgasm at the hand of a man, you read love among lust and arousal from her. Not just feel but see it as she stares up at you from her place on the bed, sprawled out with her legs spread. You had no intention of keeping her. This was more an attempt to placate Kara. Now, like it or not, Heilan is in your hands both literally and figuratively.

Putting your concerns aside, it is a good testing ground. You feel a boost in motivation and confidence after dealing with the inexperienced beastwoman. On top of that, you could potentially be with her in ways that Kara would never allow or be into. It could also serve as a way of improving your skills on someone that will allow you to see said improvement. Being with kara has by all accounts been the equivalent of sparring with a master. Even if you are improving, there is no way to know it while they are the only ones you can be compared to. With Heilan that is not the case. Those thoughts in mind, the only thing you are not sure on is how to take this and how it would affect her.

You could be more dominant. Test your limits with someone that is not all powerful comparatively. The only thing that worries you in this case is that it really is not fair. It is already clear that you are quite capable and Heilan is quite inexperienced. If you choose to try and be domineering with her she may not stand a chance. At the same time, you know she is a smart girl from your interactions so far.

The other option is to level things out into being more casual. You can still test your skills, along with the limits of a 'normal' relationship, but with very little risk. There is less of a chance that you will have an ill effect on her. It is something that is at the back of your mind. Even if Kara has no issue with any of this, she may simply not understand that her perspective is far different from an average girls.