{Rin}

While Xhez was out with June, Rin decided to do some research. Visiting the Adventurer's Guild had a peculiar effect on Rin. In between the thoughts of her brother's possessions, which she wasn't allowed to view, she was also forced to come face to face with her goals. What she hoped she would become in the future.

An adventurer. A proper adventurer. Well, by definition, Rin could already be considered one, and she knew it, however, she also knew she had a long way to go before she could begin to build a resume that she could be proud of. If it was even possible, given the path she'd chosen.

Maria had made it work, sure, but Rin was not Maria.

Regardless, one thing that could help with that was educating herself. With that in mind, she went to the library and asked Harriton, who was sitting around, relaxing, if there were any texts that could potentially help with her journey. Harriton recommended to her a book called the Monster Slayer Chronicles.

It was, essentially, a collection of real adventurer's journals. Some of them graduated from the Adventurer's Academy, while others just went straight to the guild and signed up with no background at all like Tristan had. Each "chapter" was simply an actual entry in their adventuring logs, created for the sake of keeping some form of records. Harriton had explained that although the entries were not written with education in mind, a lot could still be gleaned from them.

Alone, as Elisa was out with her family, Rin laid down on her bed and kicked her knees up, placing the book on her lap as the light poured in from her windows.

As Rin opened the book and skipped a few pages, she landed on a piece written by an adventurer named "Akari Lynoka." An adventurer who, apparently, was from Dren.

[Today, I'm going to be hunting down a small band of kobolds. They attacked some rich guy's caravan, so the dude put a nice bounty on their heads, despite how weak they actually are.]

[Honestly, gross. Seriously, fuck, they are gross. Have you seen a kobold's camp? These things have no qualms about sleeping next to half-eaten human bodies, piss, shit, and everything in between. I despise them.]

The book mentioned that, although she made it through this mission, this adventurer, unfortunately, ended up meeting her end at the hands of the very creatures she hated so much.

[Uh... So, I guess the lesson here is not to underestimate anything. Well, either that or that the world has an awful sense of humor.]

At that moment, the door opened. Rin peeked over her knees and was surprised to see Xhez walking in.

The sprite had a complicated expression on her face. Pensive, slightly sad. It was hard to tell what exactly had happened. With bubbling curiosity, Rin set her book aside and stood up.

"Hey," she said, greeting her friend with a warm smile. "How did-"

Xhez walked up and wrapped her arms around Rin.

"..."

Rin froze. Xhez laid her head on Rin's chest and took a deep breath. Xhez's skin felt so hot it was almost concerning. In addition, she could faintly feel the sprite's heart beating quickly.

"... Is everything okay?" Rin asked.

"Yes," Xhez quickly answered. "I-I..." Xhez took her head off of Rin's chest, still holding the woman, and looked up at her, their eyes meeting as Xhez struggled to get her words out. She swallowed and said, "having sex in this way is irritating."

When Rin heard that, she quickly pieced together what had happened.

"You tried what we said?"

"Mhm," the sprite confirmed. "I did not let June touch me the way I wanted her to. I d-did touch her, however."

"And, what happened?"

"Uhm, well, in terms of my Spirit, nothing," Xhez said, shaking her head. "However, as far as my desires are concerned? I am... Antsy?"

Rin blinked.

"You're horny."

"Right. That." Xhez looked up at her with hopeful eyes. "What do I do?"

This was certainly not a situation Rin had expected to have to deal with anytime soon. And yet, here she stood, with a furiously pent-up water sprite in front of her, begging for relief.

A relief that, surprisingly, Rin felt tempted to offer.

She seriously considered it for a moment. She wondered what the sprite would say if she casually suggested that Rin ate her out or something. Knowing Xhez, she might just agree to it before Rin could even finish getting the question out.

Come to think of it, Rin realized then that the idea of sleeping with Xhez didn't sound that bad. If anything, actually, it sounded kind of fun.

She'd spent so long thinking of her as a mere partner in this perilous and unpredictable journey they were both on, that she hadn't really noticed when that idea appeared in her mind. The idea that sharing a bed with the sprite might actually be something she wanted to do.

Unfortunately, however, Rin's feelings with regard to this didn't matter. The problem was that there was a very real chance that Xhez would either impregnate whoever made her cum in the future or simply spawn a love child with them, out of nowhere.

Neither of these two was an option that Rin cared to risk having happen, so, she gently pushed Xhez away and told her:

"Um, how about you take a moment to... relieve yourself. I'll just stand out in the hall until you're done. Sound good?"

Xhez's expression turned into a face of disappointment so quickly that Rin nearly laughed.

She outright said:

"That is not enough..."

But, given that she understood her situation as well, she didn't stop Rin as the raven-haired girl went to exit the room and give her some space.

As she did, Rin thought about that adorable portrait that she'd just been face-to-face with.

[... I mean, she is cute. Obviously.]

Her thoughts didn't sink any deeper into that topic than that, however.

---

{Xhez}

That night, Xhez had one of the most visceral dreams she'd experienced in recent memory. Due to her natural sprite memory, she could remember most of it upon waking up.

The first part of the dream played out as a simple recollection. Her time with June had been so much like a dream already that perhaps her mind hadn't seen the need to fabricate one tonight. This was just as good.

June's tongue had danced along with her own as their hands roamed over each other's bodies. Their clothes lay near the bed, discarded in a hurry. Xhez's heart drummed heavily against her chest as June reached down between her legs.

"W-Wait," Xhez said, placing her hands on the woman's shoulders to stop her.

"Hm?" June looked up at her, confused. "Oh, right, your 'situation'."

"Yes," Xhez nodded. "I... You should not touch me."

"Right, my apologies, sweetheart," June replied with a giggle. "That's unfortunate."

"But," Xhez quickly tossed in, "I can touch you if you would like that."

June's eyes widened when she heard that, and the smile on her face grew slightly.

"Who am I to turn down such a kind offer?"

From there, June put a pillow under her head and laid down. As Xhez was on her knees in front of her, the woman spread her legs and gave a tight smirk as her half-lidded eyes looked down at her.

"Do what you wish," June stated. Xhez already had an idea in mind.

Like June had done for her, Xhez dove in and hovered her lips over the woman's lower lips. Her sweet scent nearly made Xhez feel lightheaded. The sprite's tongue poked out from her mouth and slowly moved up in a straight line, making June let out a long sigh.

[This...] Xhez had thought at the time, [this is amazing.]

Her enjoyment spurred her on to move her tongue faster, which June noticeably appreciated. One lap after another and, for a few seconds, Xhez forgot everything about her concerns, her worries. All she could focus on was making June happy.

But, this was where her memory became a dream.

She looked up to gauge the woman's reaction, but when she did, she found a pair of amber eyes looking back at her. June was nowhere to be found.

"You're so good at this," Rin told her. Xhez could feel her heart beating so much faster than it already had been. Xhez's hands squeezed down on Rin's plump thighs as the woman reached down and placed a hand over Xhez's head, on her hair.

The touch made Xhez flinch. Soon, the sprite felt her resolve crumbling.

[I... I do not care, I need to do this!]

With a small amount of guilt, she snuck a hand between her own legs and went to work as Rin continued to praise her for her efforts. As Xhez buried her tongue as deeply within the adventurer as she could, she already began to feel something coming.

Unfortunately, however, her dream was cut short before it could arrive.

Xhez woke up in her bag. The water felt much warmer than it had when she'd gone to sleep. Xhez was breathing heavily, and the instant her eyes opened she curled up, bringing her knees to her chest.

One woman quickly came to her mind. The dream she'd just experienced replayed, and, at that moment, Xhez decided that if that ever happened in real life, she might just faint.

[... I would like that. If it's ever possible, someday,] she thought, sighing as she hesitated to reach down and touch herself.