“As much as I enjoy seeing two hot girls make out, I fear I should remind you that my inspiration only works if you’re watching.”

  Summoning a Herculean amount of strength, Katrina found the will to pull away from her girlfriend. She laughed slightly, then laced her fingers between Alicia’s as she turned to look at the dancer once more. “Right, um, sorry about that.”

  “Oh, believe me, I’m flattered,” Alouette said with a smirk.

  “Out of curiosity,” Kat started, “how much time did Tab pay for? “

  “Half an hour, but there was a promise that you two would be coming back regularly for the next few weeks. Sounds like you’ve got some big plans brewing!”

  Surprisingly, Alicia spoke up next. “We’re actually going to be doing some delving. Did Tab not tell you anything?”

  Alouette shook her head, among other things. “Nothing, other than you needing some help with your mana. I love her to death, but she really needs to stop seeing everything as a game.”

  “She seems pretty serious about this, honestly,” Alicia said.

  “Ah, let me rephrase that. I meant game in the political, life-or-death sense. She needs to hold all the cards, she needs to have the advantage, she needs to take control of the board as early as possible. I swear, sometimes she’s too paranoid for her own good. Though, um, maybe don’t tell her I said that, ‘kay? I honestly do care for her, and I’m excited to see whatever you two are cooking up with her.”

  “She agreed to help us tackle the newest Key Dungeon, as a matter of fact.” Kat shifted closer to Alicia, letting an arm drape across her shoulder.

  “Dang, really? That must have been one heck of an argument you made. She’s been dodging Guilds for years. What, are you two going to help with her camming or something?”

  “Nothing like that!” Kat said, blushing. “I mean, she’d love it if we did. No, we just earnestly asked for her help.”

  “Well, keep her safe, alright? She’s a kind soul. Heck, maybe you can get her to lighten up a little. Convince her there’s more to life than outsmarting everyone she meets.”

  Katrina felt a little strange having such an earnest conversation with someone who was currently being paid to show off her scantily clad body, but it all felt incredibly natural. If anything, the conversation made it easier to relax, and she appreciated not having to sit in a stew of intense arousal for the entire length of the dance. She also appreciated that Alouette was sharing information about Tab, who Kat was still trying to figure out.

  The rest of their allotted half hour flew by in no time at all. By the end, even Alicia was starting to adjust to the overwhelming Charisma on display, and had felt more comfortable joining in with the conversation.

  It was also obvious that the performance was having a significant effect on the happy couple. Katrina kept letting her hands wander to Alicia’s thighs, and the Dryad seemed eager to do the same. They made sure to avoid anything too intense, but it was obvious a spark had been lit.

  Soon enough, it was time to leave. Alouette happily escorted them back out to the main floor, and even invited them to stay for a while, but the crowds proved too much for Katrina. They opted to instead wait outside, and asked Bruce to get a message to Tabitha. It only took a few more minutes before the Foxgirl joined them as well, a massive smile on her face.

  “So? How was it?” Tabitha asked.

  Alicia moved in and playfully slapped Tab’s arm. “You should have told us ahead of time! Ugh, I was so flustered, I could barely string a sentence together in there!”

  Stolen story; please report.

  “Oh, but you should have seen your faces when we first walked in! I had no idea there was a Jorugumo performing tonight, though, that was a nice surprise. Did Alouette treat you nicely? How’s your mana, Fangs?”

  Oh, shoot, my mana. That’s why we came out here at all, I should check that.

  A quick Status check showed that her mana was in considerably better shape. “Mana is actually looking pretty good! Alouette said that you were planning on us coming back here, though, is that true?”

  “Uh, obviously,” Tab said. “If you crunch the numbers, paying for Regen dances with Alouette will get you way more mana than dumping that money into potions.”

  “Well, as duplicitous as it was, I appreciate all the effort you’re putting into this, Tab.”

  “It’s my life on the line too, don’t forget. I’ve got a great Class, but that doesn’t mean anything if I throw this chance away. Since you’re our only healer, we’ve got to do everything possible to keep you up and running, yeah?”

  While Kat still had some conflicting feelings about Tab and her flamboyant behavior, it was hard to deny that the Foxgirl was following through on all her promises. Training was going very well, Alicia was learning a lot, and now she had a way to bolster her mana reserves for when they started delving. When coupled with the extra help Elias had promised, Kat was starting to feel quite optimistic about their delving expedition.

  However, it was admittedly difficult to focus on delving when she was still swimming in arousal from Alouette’s teasing. The dance had been incredible, but Kat had been far more captivated by Alicia’s reaction to it.

  She wanted Alicia’s eyes on her. She wanted to be the reason Alicia blushed, the reason she squirmed with excitement. She wanted to feel her skin against Alicia’s, to let her hands explore the Dryad’s body and discover what noises she could elicit. For the entire walk home, she was respectfully letting her hand rest on Alicia’s waist, and she desperately wanted to feel more.

  The three girls managed to keep a conversation flowing for the journey home, and Katrina was thankful for the distraction. After Tabitha grabbed her things, she waved goodbye to start the journey home.

  After watching Tab leave, as they started walking towards Alicia’s house, Kat spoke up. “So, um, how are you feeling? I’m still not entirely familiar with your sleep schedule.” She wondered what Alicia might be thinking about, and if the excitement from the strip club would be able to keep her awake later than usual.

  “Honestly, I’m a little wired after all of that. I wouldn’t mind just a bit of us time. I’m still kinda baffled that I went to an actual, honest-to-goodness strip club!”

  “Did you have fun?” Kat asked, holding the door open.

  “I mean, yes, but fun also feels like the wrong word. Like it’s too innocent for what happens at a place like that.”

  “Well, how about you go relax on the couch, and I’ll get us some water, okay? Plus, I have to actually change out of my clothes, I can’t just imagine I’m suddenly wearing pajamas and make it happen.”

  Alicia giggled. “That’s fair, and that sounds nice.” The Dryad went to take a seat on the couch, leaving Katrina alone to her own devices.

  Alright, Kat. You can do this.

  Heading upstairs, Kat returned to Alicia’s room and began undressing. She hung her clothes back up, then glanced longingly at the full-length mirror hanging on the closet door. She knew it wouldn’t show anything and regretted that she had to use her phone for such things. After opening her camera, she propped it up on Alicia’s desk and began examining herself.

  Her skin was as pale as ever, and she was wearing a simple set of red, lacy lingerie. The cherry red push-up bra accentuated her ample cleavage, and the matching bottoms sat high on her curvy hips. Although it wasn’t a thong, a significant portion of her butt was exposed, and she smirked as she spun around for herself.

  For the first time in years, she felt good about her own sexuality, and proud of how she looked.

  After shutting down her camera, she queued up a playlist of soft, intimate music. It had been strange putting together a playlist for something other than classical guitar, but she was excited to share it with Alicia. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, and her face was frozen with a giddy smile while she started towards the staircase. She wanted to keep this a surprise and floated over the railing to stay quiet. She had almost rounded the corner to enter Alicia’s line of sight when she stopped herself, remembering that she had also promised to get a glass of water.

  One hurried flight to the kitchen later, Katrina was ready. With a deep breath, she did her best to straighten her posture and strike a sexy pose, then walked into the living room.

  Alicia was on the couch, her legs pulled underneath her, and wasn’t looking at the entryway. Her attention was focused on the plant she’d created for Katrina, which was currently sitting on the far end table. Her soft fingers were tracing over its leaves, and Kat swore she saw Alicia breathe more life into it as she watched.

  “I got us some water, Alicia,” Kat said, leaning against the wall. She spoke softly, hoping to sound sexy and mysterious.

  Her words drew the Dryad’s attention, and when she looked over, she gasped in surprise. Her eyes were wide as they traveled up and down Katrina’s body, and she attempted to speak several times before surrendering to silence.