12. Chapter 12 The Set #2
Sif slapped the table. "I knew it. I knew you'd love it. Was he any good at it?"
"He was amazing at it. He's amazing at everything he does with his hands—and another special part of his anatomy." Liv gave me a look that could have started a fire. "Tell her, Daniel."
I sat down at the table and reached for a cup of coffee. "I'm not telling her anything. She already heard too much."
"He's blushing," Sif said. "Look at his face. He's a healer who spanks his girlfriend and he can't even talk about it at the breakfast table."
"I can talk about it. I'm choosing not to. There's a difference."
"There's no difference. You're embarrassed."
"I'm not embarrassed. I'm drinking my coffee and minding my business."
Sif turned back to Liv. "How hard? Scale of one to ten."
"Seven last night. Next time I want a nine."
"A nine. Gods, Liv. Your ass must be glowing."
"It was. He offered to heal it and I told him absolutely not. I wanted to keep it sore and it is very sore." Liv was grinning now, her ears forward, her whole face bright. She owned it completely. "I can still feel it when I sit down. It's like a souvenir."
Sif threw her head back and laughed. "A souvenir. She kept the handprints. Daniel, you've created a monster."
"I didn't create anything. You planted the idea."
"I planted a seed. You watered it." Sif winked at me. "With your hand. Repeatedly. The slaps could be heard through a wall that is not as thick as you think it is."
"Nobody asked you to listen."
"Nobody had to ask. You two were broadcasting. I could hear Liv's muffled screaming into what I assume was a pillow, and I could hear you saying things that I will absolutely be bringing up at a future dinner."
My face was hot. I drank the coffee and it burned my tongue and I didn't care.
"Sif, leave him alone," Liv said, but she was laughing. "He was very sweet about it. He asked me if I was sure."
"Did he ask more than once?"
"Once. Then I told him to shut up and hit me harder."
Sif looked at me with open admiration. "I'm impressed. I didn't think you had it in you. You always seem so gentle."
"I am gentle. I'm also versatile." I took another drink. "And I'm done discussing this. Permanently."
"You're not done. You're never done. I'm going to bring this up every time we sit at this table for the rest of our lives." Sif picked up her coffee and raised it in a mock toast. "To Daniel's hands. Multi-talented."
Liv raised her water. "To Daniel's hands."
I raised my coffee because they were both looking at me and there was no escape. "To shutting up about Daniel's hands."
They clinked and drank and Sif was still grinning.
“I rewarded him this morning for his kindness,” Liv said.
Sif clapped the side of her cup. “Oh, goodie, do tell. I heard wet noises and moans while I was drinking my coffee. I wanted to crack open the door, but I didn’t.”
“You should have.” Liv shrugged. “We were in a filthy position doing filthy things.”
“Liv, you’re too much. Really? You’re going to talk about it?” I shook my head.
“Hell yes, Liv is going to talk about it. Go on,” Sif instructed.
“I woke up and the bed looked like a pitched tent. I looked under the covers and he looked too delicious to ignore.”
“Oh, you naughty bunny, what did you do?” Sif asked.
“What do you think? I put my mouth around it immediately.”
“Liv, we’re really doing this?” I said, smirking.
Liv put her hand on my mouth. “Be quiet unless you want to add anything of importance.”
Sif kicked my shin under the table. “That’s right, loverboy. I want all the details and she’s going to give them to me.”
I gave up and shrugged.
Liv removed her hand and patted me on the cheek. “Good boy,” she said, then continued her play-by-play. “So where was I? Yeah, I sucked his cock until he woke up and then he told me to flip around.”
“You dirty, bad bunny,” Sif replied.
“Daniel began eating me out so good. That position was absolutely amazing. I lost count of how many times I came.”
“Wow, Daniel. I’m impressed,” Sif said.
“That’s not even the best part.” Liv giggled.
Sif raised a brow and motioned for the bunny girl to continue.
“I told him to stick a finger in my ass. He did and I didn’t have to beg him. Then he put two fingers in.” Liv bit her bottom lip after she said it.
“You are such a whore. Butt stuff?”
“Absolutely. You should try it.”
“Gods, Liv, that is an exit, not an entrance,” Sif said, smirking.
“Oh no, it is totally both.”
I just sat there shaking my head. I had to admit it was kind of hot watching two women talk about sex… especially sex that included me.
“I’ll take your word for it, my dear,” Sif said and took another sip of her coffee.
“You’ll see. I’m going to get Daniel to fuck you soon and you’ll see.”
“Liv! All right, that’s enough. You are out of your mind,” I said, covering her mouth with my hand.
Sif slammed her coffee cup on the table. “Daniel. Don’t cover that bunny girl’s mouth like that. I liked where she was going.”
“I’ll rephrase. You are both out of your minds.”
Sif shrugged. “You’re not wrong.”
“Now, let us move on to another topic. Can we please?”
Sif and Liv nodded with mischievous smiles.
"So, a new subject, let’s see…" Sif said. She put her cup down and the grin tightened into business. "We need to talk about your healer clothes."
"My outfit is fine."
"Your outfit is a clinic kit. You're wearing Mildred's coat and a linen undertunic and walking boots. That's for seeing patients and strolling around town. You just fought a yeti boss on a five-depth full moon run in that."
"It held up fine. What are you talking about?"
"It held up because you have four women standing between you and everything with teeth. Your gear held up because the party held you up." Sif looked at Liv. "Tell him."
Liv nodded. "She's right. You look like a town healer who wandered into a dungeon by accident. You need proper gear, Daniel. A combat set. Shirt, trousers, robe, each piece with a stat boost, and a set bonus when you wear them together."
"We should wait for Bjorna and Nott to get back with the market money. Then I’ll consider some new pieces."
"You already have your coin share from last night. Several gold from the split alone." Sif shrugged. "And if it's not enough, I'll cover the difference. My family has money. You know this."
"I know your family has money. I also know you shouldn't spend it on me."
"I'll spend it on whatever I want. That's the point of having it." She stood and pushed her chair back. "Get dressed. We're going shopping. I know a combat outfitter on the south end of the avenue. Proper dungeon-grade equipment, not clinic wear."
I looked at Liv. "I’ve learned not to fight Sif on what she wants. You want to come?"
Liv shook her head. "You two go ahead. I want to look into bow upgrades later, but right now I'm in the mood for a quiet morning." She stretched her arms above her head and her ears went soft. "Go let Sif dress you up. I'll be here when you get back."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. Go." She smiled. "And let her pick the clothes. She has better taste than you."
"Everyone has better taste than him," Sif said. "That's why I'm taking charge."
I finished my coffee and stood. Sif was already pulling her boots on by the door, her daggers on her hips, the new agility ring catching the light on her right hand.
"Let's go, healer. I'm going to make you look like someone who belongs in a dungeon."
***
The shop sat on the south end of the avenue, past the market square and two doors down from a leather worker whose sign had faded to nothing.
The front was narrow, the window display small and precise: a pair of gauntlets on a wooden stand, a chest piece on a wire frame, and a short sword with a blue-gray blade resting on a folded cloth.
Everything in the window looked like it could take a hit and come back for more.
Sif pushed the door open and a small bell rang above us.
The interior was larger than the front suggested, deeper than wide, with racks of clothing and armor along both walls and a long wooden counter at the back.
The air smelled like treated leather and cold metal, the same smell I associated with enchanted materials from Mildred's place.
The woman behind the counter looked up when we came in.
She was human, mid-forties, with brown hair pulled back in a knot and the forearms of someone who moved heavy inventory for a living.
She wore a leather apron over a dark shirt and her eyes went to my coat first, then my face, then back to the coat.
"Are you the healer?" she said. "The one everyone's been talking about across town?"
My gut tightened for half a second. She was human and I'd gotten used to a certain reaction from humans in Halver's Reach. I braced for the pursed lips or the cooled voice or the careful distance that told me she had opinions about who I was healing.
"That's me," I said.
"Good." She came around the counter and extended her hand.
I shook it. Her grip was firm and professional and carried no weight beyond the handshake.
"I'm Dalla. I've heard good things. My friend’s daughter went to your clinic last week with a wrist she'd been favoring for a while.
I saw her later moving it like nothing happened. She couldn't stop talking about it."
I relaxed. "I'm glad I could help her. Wrist injuries are sneaky. People just learn to live with them when they don't have to."
"She said you were kind about it too. You talked to her the whole time." Dalla looked at Sif. "And you're the wolf-kin rogue from Bjorna's party."
"Sif." Sif gave her a nod. "He needs a combat set. Dungeon-grade healer equipment. Three pieces with individual boosts and a set bonus. Something that'll hold up on a five-depth run."