***
We didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night. Now that the line has been crossed, it turns out that Sophia is as enthusiastic as she is inexperienced. While I am not struggling to walk like Daisy, I certainly have quite the dull aching throb between my legs.
Who would have thought that the repressed nun would turn out to be this way? Certainly not me.
She still won't let me touch her, which I'm hoping is just a time thing. No pressure or anything, but I really wanna touch a boob, you know?
Not that I'm complaining, getting my boobs played with is the best!
Well, okay, I was complaining when I had to put on a corset; the nips are very sensitive today. It does have some padding, but now I'm starting to realize why we switched over to bras. The corset stays in place, but the girls don't, which makes me very aware of them in their current state.
Still, I would do it again. No questions.
Maybe not tonight.
[Liar.]
'True.'
Anyway, I have to actually get shit done today. The world keeps distracting me. It's not my fault!
I throw Maria a brain text.
Love the fact that I can just tell the Dean I'm skipping class, and she's like, 'Okay, have fun!'
Sophia is in two minds about coming. I know she wants to stick to me like glue, what with me dying and then disappearing. But enchantment class is something she's really good at, and I really don't want her to skip. But she doesn't want me out there alone.
So we compromise, because we're good at relationships!
I try my main girls first, but Shiv's whipped, and Lillian has turned into a flustered schoolgirl. So weird.
Honestly, as wild as it is, I try Bronson next. He's grown on me, like fungus, but he told me that shopping was women's work. So fuck him.
Who else is there? The twins creep me out, so not them. Vincent and Daisy are with Lillian and Shiv.
That only leaves Ria and the const… Corack.
I really need to get better at remembering names.
[Will never happen.]
'True.'
I grab the two of them before class starts. "Hey Ria, hey Corack, you wanna come to the market? I need to buy a bunch of cool new toys. After I was going to hit up Derek's place and get some guns as well."
Ria is slightly confused by my verbal assault. "Who's Derek?"
"Maria's husband. He's really cool. You will love him."
Ria blinks a few times and then leans over Corack. "What do you think?" she asks it.
"We are scheduled to go to enchantments class." It said,
"Yeah, but Tangerine is skipping and she's the Dean's ward. The schedule is more of a guideline, really." Ria said.
"We can also spend a bit of time in the market, maybe find something you would like to throw down your neck hole?" I join in.
It pauses its walk to class and turns to me. "I would like to try new things; skipping school is also a new experience. Maybe I would like that."
I give its big metal arm a slap. "Hell yes, we are going to try all the new things! Trust me."
[Maybe it could try getting subsumed?]
'No, bad brain slug.'
[You never let us have any fun.]
We walk past the Academy docks on our way to the Market Rift. It's getting really busy now with all the war preparations. War barges are taking up the lower docks, while the Voidships are hold up in the higher ones. I spot Maria standing on one of the nicest Voidships I have ever seen, the Weatherlight, sleek angles, gold trim, and beautiful sharp sails.
I want a voidship. God they are so sexy.
I gotta stop saying God, gods are bitches, my Mom can wreak their shit with just a finger. Do I use her name instead?
Mom voidships are so sexy.
I feel a very faint whispering sound, a bit like a chuckle.
I guess Mom likes that idea.
War barges are pretty cool too, but they are basically floating decks. Built to haul as much magical firepower to the front lines as possible.
Void ships, on the other hand, are sexy, powerful vessels. Self-contained living spaces for the Rift Officer and crew. Maneuverable and deadly, yet a home away from home.
I will have one.
Ria gets Corack to drag me away from the window.
I might have been drooling a little.
***
Walking through the city with Corack and Ria is an experience. Both Merefolk and Constructs are common enough, but a Merefolk riding a Construct is new and novel in the way that makes people think 'Why has nobody done this before?'
Ria's harness has gotten even more elaborate. Her normal position is sitting over Corack's left shoulder, but with some unclipping and reclipping, she can easily change positions so she's held on Corack's chest, facing forward, like a baby carrier. Her tail is tucked under it's arm.
She has gotten quite good at squirming all over the construct. Corack seems completely unbothered by her antics, well, I assume so, it's not like it has facial features. I think Corack would be quite happy to find that something bothers it, at least that would be a feeling.
We walked by one of those fishbowl Merefolk places, all of the Merefolk inside stopped what they were doing and just stared at Ria. She gave them a cute little wave. One of the older dudes, a mereman? Whatever, he starts doing some sort of sign language at Ria, and she responds in kind.
"What are you guys saying?" I ask.
He wants me to join them and explain how my harness works. I told him we are busy today, but we will come back another day and show them.
"Why has nobody done this before?"
A lot of luck happened to make this work, I guess? There are Merfolk land suits, traveling enchantments, as well. But for this setup, you need a construct as smart as Corack here to work with you, and you also need someone as smart as Shiv to put together the harness. But now that it's done, it's super easy to replicate."
"Huh, Shiv really is the best."
"Truer words." she said.
I guide the two of them through the city to where the fat cat sells his wares. We stop by nearly every food and drink stall to throw various food items down Corack's neck hole. I'm still fairly minted from the heist, but luckily I didn't have to pay for shit. Ria is fucking loaded, but she has all the same princess problems as Lillian. So I'm happy with my ward status.
Well, people keep trying to assassinate me, and I am a ward of possibly the most powerful person in the known realms, and Maria did kinda write me a blank check.
Fuck, am I a princess?
[Kinda.]
'No. I refuse.'
[If the glass slipper fits.]
'Shut the fuck up.' I giggle like a loon. Which earns me a few strange looks.
"I want to try that," Corack says, pointing to a stall containing various different types of pigment powder.
"Oh that's not food," I say.
Ria pipes in, "It doesn't have to be food. I've put books and stuff down there; we were checking if Corack could learn by eating."
"Did it work?"
"No, but they burnt up super well."
Corack picks up a bag of purple powder. "Stall owner, I would like to purchase this powder."
The stall owner raises two bored fingers, "Two fracocks" he said.
Ria pays the man, and Corack removes its head and dumps the powder down its neck hole. Its various glowing bits take on a purple hue, and energy starts spitting and sparking from its neck and joints.
It also makes a weird rapid clicking sound. "I like this." It says, "I would like to do this again."
We spent the next hour at the stall, clearing the dude out of pigment, trying all sorts of mixes and combinations. We grew to learn that the rapid clicking is how Corack laughs, which is actually super cute!
"Thank you both. I believe I experienced joy for the first time. It was a very pleasant experience. I have a desire to experience this pigment powder again in the future."
Both Ria and I melt. Our giant baby tinman is growing up.
***
"I stare and purr at you," said the fat cat.
"I wriggle and show belly." I reply to my favorite semi black market artifact dealer. Can a place like the City of Doors have a black market? It doesn't really have any rules.
"How was old meat?"
"Worthy of purrs. But some lost, need fresh kill."
"I have sharp claws, big kill, fresh for you."
"Let me stare."
The fat cat takes us through to his back rooms, where he keeps the good shit.
"Stare, chasing toy." He says while passing me something that looks like a magical flashlight. I turn it on, point the beam towards the floor. I feel the fat cat physically hold himself back from pouncing on it.
From the light, a glimmering, glittering rabbit-like creature appears. "A glimmer," says the fat cat, pointing to the rabbit made of light. Then he points to the torch. "Glimmerlight."
"Groom on it." I am taking this for sure.
The next crate he opens, I know I want immediately. Inside there are a number of spiky spherical objects. "Exciting toys, rip and claw, harsh noise makes you want a hidey hole."
It's a bunch of spellbombs. I must have them. If only to make Shiv jealous. "Take whole carcass."
"Groom and purr."
The last item I spot hidden away in a dark corner, as if someone was trying to forget it. I pull the knife from its solitude.
The fat cat makes a sign in the air: "Heart seeker, cruel claws, enjoying pain."
The knife felt evil in a cold, dismissive way. It also had a heavy magical weight to it. "Pretty claw. Cut meat, groom on it?"
"Rotten meat, take, take," says the fat cat. I guess this is something he is trying to get rid of. I will be happy to take it off his hands.
Buy the time I hand over the Fracs and promises of Academy credit, I'm back to being broke again.
But it's worth it for sure.
Ria didn't get anything there, but Corack got himself a weird, old-looking finger for some reason, saying it felt lucky.
Weird.
Next stop was Derek's gun factory. We played around a bit with some weapons; Corack shot a cannon while holding it. Barely moved a step backwards.
I picked up a case full of Maria approved disposable pistols, a double barrel shotgun with a bunch of slugs. And a prototype of Shivs bomb launcher. Which I plan to convert to work with the spellbombs.
All in all, an excellent haul.
***
After a long day's shopping I finally made it back to my room.
Sophia is waiting there for me. "Hello, Tangerine," she says with an easy smile that makes me want to run and hide. "Did you have a good day?" She walks towards me.
"Yeah, really good! I got all this cool stuff, and Ria's harness is really popular, and Corack really likes paint…"
Sophia presses her fingers to my lips, shutting me up.
She leans in close, pressing her lips to my ear, "All I could think about today was you, you make me so greedy." Her other hand finds its way to my hip.
"Would you like some more?"
Yes.
"I… I don't know, it's a little sore. I might need some time to recover. It was a lot last…"
"Good girls tell the truth, Tangerine."
Fuck.
She's right.
"Yes," I say, "I want more."
She tilts my head up, to look me in the eyes. "Good girl."
I melt.
She points towards my desk. "Bend over."
My eyes go wide. Oh shit she's definitely been talking to Daisy again.
Of course, I obey.
***
***
AN - A new recommendation for you! Especially the lore nerds that read my dumb shit for some unfathomable reason.
It's written by a very nice Texan lady who has been helping me massively with all the magic references in Tangerine Stone. StrongFL with all the lore and numbers that I deny you, plus the prose is super smooth to read.
Definitely worth checking out!
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