Summoned by Monster Girls

“I didn’t even realize they made chairs for lamia.” I blinked down at the odd wooden construction that looked more like a cradle on legs than anything else.

“It’s not specifically for lamia, any race that either has a large tail or a serpentine body can use these. They are a bit easier to keep clean and maintain than the cushions I normally prefer,” Kassandra said with a shrug and a small smile.

Deciding that I was probably acting like an idiot, I pulled the odd cradle-seat away from the table for her. Kassandra grinned and slithered up onto it, her long tail wrapping securely around the base and settling into place so it was out of the way as I scooted her in.

“Such a gentleman our Liam is,” Kassandra chirped happily, batting her eyelashes at me coquettishly.

Her still-damp mane of hair was just beginning to fluff up into its normal curly state after our bath. I flicked one of those curls with my finger in admonishment. She stuck her tongue out at me, like any well-heeled noble lady would do.

“He does his best at least,” Rieka tittered from where she stood by her own chair, and I was quick to slide around and pull it out for her. Rieka settled into the wooden seat with a sigh, carefully fishing her tail out to drape beside her leg so it wouldn’t get pinched when I helped her scoot in.

“I do try my best. Thank you for noticing. I just don’t get many opportunities to really do much. Not like I can afford to take a girl out somewhere nice back home. Even here, I’m kinda eating on you two’s money,” I said with a shrug before taking the seat on the other side of the girls, which put me between them and most of the rest of the room.

After we had finished our bath and the girls had taken the time to do all those random after-bathing tasks that women do and mystify men — lotion, conditioner, makeup and the like — all three of us had agreed that a meal made by someone else sounded just grand. Rieka had taken over directing the group this time and pointed us to one of the nicer eating houses. Along the way, the girls had stopped at a street vendor just before she finished packing her things away and bought me a nicer shirt in the local style, as my tattered T-shirt wouldn’t have been appropriate.

Now I was dressed in a dove-gray shirt with loose sleeves and a simple collar with a string-front. If the shirt’s sleeves had more blousy material at the cuffs, I would have called it a poet shirt. Thankfully, the girls had not felt the need to decorate me with excessive lace. The shirt, combined with a close-fitting set of tan pants and my weapon belt with the old mace still on it, made me look more like a local than anything else I’d worn before. The only thing I was still wearing from my old outfit was my work boots.

“Not necessarily, Liam,” Rieka’s words brought me back out of my thoughts and I blinked at her curiously.

My wolf-eared princess once more wore another set of riding pants, this time in black with silver buttons, and a white shirt with a high collar and long sleeves.

“She’s right. We did tell you that we have been and are setting a share aside for you. I’ve got it recorded here.” Kassandra fished out a small, leather-bound notebook from within her belt pouch. My Nugget had on her underbust corset again, this time a different style in a deep red with brass fittings and trim. Her blouse was a russet-orange and unbuttoned to leave an expanse of her pale, freckled cleavage on display. The whole outfit tied in with the dark-brown skirt wrapped around her hips and her red and brown scale pattern nicely.

“Wha?” I asked intelligently and got a giggle from both of my girls.

“You do remember that we told you this, right?” Rieka teased me, her ice-blue eyes dancing with amusement.

“Yes, I remember. I was just not expecting Kassandra to…”

“To what, Liam?” Kassandra’s tone dropped into a range of icy that was abnormal for my perky, redheaded, part-snake.

“To… uh…” I stammered for a moment, trying to kludge my brain into thinking of something that would bail me out of the hole I’d just dug myself.

“Kassandra is actually the better of the two of us at managing money.” Rieka had seen the panic in my eyes and decided to have mercy on me, how I loved her for it. “She manages the finances for her estate herself. I have a chamberlain that handles it for me. I just give them a budget and check their numbers a few times a year.”

“You should check it more often. It’s not as if you spend a lot of time at the estate, so it is easy for them to cheat you if you aren’t wary,” Kassandra’s words were a bit acerbic, but she directed them at our platinum-blonde dinner companion rather than me.

“I should do a lot of things, Kass.” Rieka rolled her eyes at her friend. “But my mother vetted the servants. If they were to steal from me, then I would be the least of their worries.”

The server arrived then to save us from the conversation going back to money and my apparent faux pas. A feline kin woman with tortoiseshell patterns to the fur on her ears and tail and dressed in a simple but neat brown dress with green embroidery at the hem, bounced up to the table with a smile.

“Good evening to you all. It is an honor to have the Princess and a lady in our establishment. Is there anything that I can bring for the table and would you like to hear the specials?” the perky young woman said, her yellow eyes flashing as she glanced between the three of us. Her gaze lingered the longest on me, but it was something that I was getting more and more used to being around the girls.

“Wine for me and my companion, something sweet please? Liam?” Rieka was quick to answer the server before glancing in my direction questioningly.

“Water is fine, as long as it’s cool. If not, then tea would be good for me. I’m not particular to the flavor,” I answered after a moment of thought. I’ve never been much of a drinker, except with Jameson around, and since I was still officially on duty, it would be best to not partake in alcohol.

“A berry tea then for him,” Kassandra interjected with a smile, and the feline woman nodded. “Can we get some fruit, cheese tarts, and do you have some of those dark, salted breads too?”

“Of course. The chef has been working on some dipping sauces to go with them that are wonderful. Shall I bring those too?”

“Yes, please!” Kassandra chirped happily. “And some of the small meat pies as well. We’ve just gotten in from traveling and are quite hungry.” The server bobbed a curtsy before racing off to get the order put in.

“Okay, we have a bit before she gets back. Liam, is there anything that you want to take care of getting since we are back in town early? I know that we can talk back and forth with your ability now, but it’s harder to pick out clothing for you when you aren’t here to model it. Same goes with gear and equipment.” Rieka turned her attention back to me now that the server was gone.

“I don’t know, to be honest. I was thinking about it earlier, and I’ve got enough power in Shape-Shifting that I don’t need to really wear armor at this point. As long as I have at least a bit of notice, I can shift. At this point, the armor is actually getting in the way a bit. I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did earlier with it on,” I answered after a moment of thought.

Movement across the eatery caught my attention, and I glanced over to see a large party of wolf kin, people much like Rieka but without my princess’s pale fur coloring, had taken over a trio of tables in the other corner and were talking amongst themselves loudly. From their elaborate clothing, I could tell that they were likely students at Juneau, and a few of them looked familiar.

“Liam?” The question from Kassandra pulled my attention back to her, and I looked away from the others.

“Sorry, what was that?”

“I was asking if you wanted us to get the armor repaired and hang on to it or not. While it may not be ideal for you in all situations, it can act as a deterrent. Same as the weapon you carry, though you have barely used it this week.” Kassandra glanced down at the battered iron mace on my hip.

“Haven’t needed to. Shape-Shifting gives me a lot more flexibility to work with right now, and I can adapt and use the same techniques with the shifting.” I shrugged after I finished, glancing down at my hand.

A thought sent a flicker of scales up my arm again, small ones that matched Kassandra’s exactly. My index and middle finger merged together and grew into a hooked claw, before splitting once more and returning to normal.

“It is your specialty, but Kassandra is right that it might be good to have a set of obvious protection around in case you need it. Maybe we can see if there is an armorer that can design some quick-release straps into it?” Rieka muttered thoughtfully. “Even if not, the damage is minor enough it won’t take much to fix it. This set was designed to be repairable after all.”

“Then if it isn’t troublesome to do so and store it for me, would you do that?” My question got a pleased smile from Rieka and a nod from Kassandra. “As for other things, I could use some more clothing for over here, since you mentioned it. I’m still missing a pair of shirts from the handful you bought me earlier.” Both girls affected innocence at my pointed statement, and I couldn’t help the smile that danced across my lips.

“No idea what you could have done with them, Liam,” Kassandra said with a smirk.

“So clumsy of you to have lost track of them,” Rieka teased gently.

“I’m sure they will enjoy their new homes more,” I chuckled. “But it would be good to have some nicer stuff so that I don’t stick out so much by comparison to you two beauties.”

“Liam, I hate to say this, but it’s not your clothing that makes you stick out,” Kassandra said with such seriousness that I immediately focused on her. “It’s your rather enormous—”

“Kass!” Rieka snapped, interrupting her friend with a blushing scowl.

“Height! He’s tall, Rieka, and sticks out in a crowd,” Kassandra finished with a heavy measure of exasperation directed at her friend. “What did you think I was going to say? Dirty mind you have there…”

The look of startled horror on Rieka’s face at Kassandra’s dry accusation was absolutely priceless. Rieka’s ears were sticking straight up and the fur on the tips bristled, despite still being a bit damp from our baths. Her slim mouth hung open in surprise and she blinked rapidly, but her mind seemed unable to actually fixate on what had just happened.

Deciding to return the favor, as Rieka had served to divert attention from my faux pas earlier and I was fairly sure Kassandra was just teasing her, I spoke up to give Rieka an out.

“I’m happy to be a distraction if you two want me to be. But, I’m sure there are going to be times that you would prefer I don’t stick out a ton and earn stares, right?” I suggested. Rieka’s mouth clicked shut with a slight blush.

I could feel some of those stares even now, despite my actually blending in well. Kassandra did have a bit of a point regarding my height. While back on Earth, my nearly six and a half foot frame wasn’t as remarkable. Sure, I got some stares, but folks tended to just ignore their surroundings in favor of cell phones. Here, though, the weight of eyes was obvious and hard to miss.

Casting a casual glance around the room, I spotted the source of those stares. A few of the wolf kin I’d seen earlier were pointedly watching our table. Several of them stared at me, but the others were directing their stares at Rieka and Kassandra.

Given the fact they look like students, they probably are wondering why Rieka is here with just Kass and me, I thought idly before pulling myself back into the conversation. The wolf kin weren’t the only folks shooting odd looks in our direction. A trio of elven men sat to one side and talked while scanning the room. Two bear kin sat on the other side of the group of wolf kin but ignored us other than a perfunctory glance. Several others would glance our way on occasion, and our little group would inevitably draw a look as people entered and scanned around for a place to sit.

“Anyway, you want us to pick up more clothes for you, Liam? That’s easy enough to do. You do have a habit of losing or damaging them, so I think sticking with simple and sturdy wear is best, with one or two nicer sets. I can clear out some space in my closet for you to store them in,” Kassandra suggested sweetly.

I had to smile down at my serpentine lover. The idea of a woman having to make space for her boyfriend’s clothes when he stays over felt odd but sweet to me. And just a bit possessive. I chanced a glance at Rieka to see if she had any problems with this arrangement and she was just smiling as well.

Am I their boyfriend? We’ve kind of avoided labels after all, maybe I should ask? I thought silently before shrugging it off and deciding it was something to deal with later.

“That is probably best, Kass. Since I have to keep my wardrobe stocked for official functions, the state dresses take up too much space. If we need to, I can find a place to put the arming stand for Liam’s armor once we get it fixed?” The wolf eared princess made her offer and Kassandra nodded happily.

“Sounds like a plan to me. Say, do you think that we will get a chance to talk to Shayla?” Kassandra asked after a moment, apparently deciding the conversation on my wardrobe was closed now. I perked up slightly. I had not heard this name before.

“I think we can. It would be good for her to meet Liam and see if she is comfortable around him. That way, if she doesn’t go for it, then we can see about one of the others. Valda might be interested, too,” Rieka replied with a thoughtful look.

“Shayla?” I asked while puzzling over where the name Valda came from, as it sounded familiar to me.

Both of my girls shot me a smile before exchanging looks. Kassandra quirked an eyebrow at Rieka, who shrugged and made a pushing gesture to her friend. Kassandra nodded, apparently ending their nonverbal conversation and turning back to me.

“Shayla Valo. She’s the one that we had mentioned before in wanting to see if she was interested in becoming one of your contracted summoners. Shayla is actually here on an academic scholarship, so no need to worry about tense political issues between nobles,” Kassandra explained with a grin.

“She’s a sweet girl who is somewhat on the outside due to that scholarship. Juneau doesn’t offer many of them and, while Shayla deserves to have one, some folks are not that kind about it.” Rieka sighed explosively, shaking her head. “Some people are idiots.”

“What makes you two think she’d be a good fit for our group?” I asked, curious to know more.

“For one thing, she’s recently joined the summoning track and transferred to Rue House. So if she were to join our group it wouldn’t require her to drop out of a current contract,” Kassandra began, ticking her points off on her fingers. “She’s not a noble, as I mentioned before, so no political conflicts. She’s a sweet-natured girl that I have worked with in classes in the past. Lastly, I think we should help her out too.”

“The Valo family are also transplants to the Coldeye Queendom,” Rieka interjected, and I turned my attention to her. “Her family emigrated from the far south to here when she was younger, so she is still finding her place. I feel like it would be a good choice to help her out. She’s not short on funds either, so the cost of summoning you isn’t an issue. While her parents came here as refugees, they and she have been having some success in the local trading circles and fine art markets.”

“Also, she’s a giant like you, so you two will get right along!” Kassandra clapped with excitement, and I blinked down at my lover.

“Shared height doesn’t mean folks will get along, Kass,” I prodded her verbally, but she just gave me one of her sweet smiles where her slitted eyes squinted slightly behind her glasses.

“Possibly the most important part, though,” Rieka interjected, glancing over her shoulder as she spotted the server approaching with a platter. “She’s the first in generations to be born with access to a primal aspect of magic. Shayla received her scholarship because of that. Just as Kass uses ice magic and I use lightning, Shayla has access to light magic.”

She let that statement trail off as the server arrived and began laying out the first round of food and drinks the girls had ordered. My thoughts ran off at the moment, though, thinking over what Rieka had said.

Light magic… How much would that have helped if we had her with us in that complex? Would she have been able to just poof the skittering shadows? Would she have been able to deal with that beast at the end of that ruin? No, it was entropy aligned, not darkness… My mind whirled as thoughts crowded through it, and I caught Kassandra smiling happily out of the corner of my eye.

Seeing my redheaded lover bouncing in her seat reminded me of how excited she’d been when we found the copper map mounted to the wall in the first station. A copper map that had other complexes marked on it.

Preparing for the future. If those other ruins have been sealed up this long, they might also contain those dark creatures. Light magic will definitely be useful, but I know my girls. It wouldn’t be the only reason they want to see if this Shayla will join us, I thought with a smile.