Interrogation Drinks

As I casually rested my back into our usual Mimic Cafe booth, listening to the din of distant conversation, I glanced towards the bathroom. The date with Aesandoral had been going well so far, and now that she was several drinks in, the elf was beginning to get just chatty enough to diluvge everything. So, as I waited for her to return, I prepared the questions in the back of my mind. Unfortunately, doing so was much easier said than done.

The Mimic Café had become quite the popular hangout spot this year, even though the food was the same and the drinks were still overpriced for the cramped spacing and living furniture. In fact, only one thing had changed recently about the café, and that was the fact that the triop was now Al'magi's hottest commodity. After years of going unnoticed, suddenly everyone wanted a piece of them and the coffee shop they frequented. 

Most of the people filling the booths at any given time were young men whom I had noticed admiring both Aesandoral and Rionriv from afar this semester. They stalked the sisters like hyenas, taking their chances to talk with them the minute I was out of earshot. It seemed that the allure of powerful women with royal titles was something of a turn-on to the males of this world. Something that may or may not have been a direct result of my own thinly veiled fetishes once again rearing their lecherous heads.

Rionriv was, of course, a tough nut to crack and would very quickly send the boys flying off with a static blast or a vicious comment. She could easily see through their game and refused to play. As for her elven sister, though, that was another story. 

I was surprised that for a hyper-observant huntswoman who could shoot the wings off a housefly and hear the breathing of a threat on the wind, she was unable to pick up on any of these poor boys’ signals. I wasn't naive enough not to notice that she very clearly had feelings for me, but as someone from a polycule-friendly home, I would have assumed she would have at least shown some interest in anyone but me or her triop.

In fact, she was so oblivious that one particular event I witnessed still lived rent-free in my memory. At one point over the last few weeks, I had watched from afar as a young elf boy of striking beauty himself approached her and took to a knee. He pledged his undying love and loyalty if she would take his hand in marriage. And to this, Aesandoral's response was simple. She didn't panic or strike him. Instead, she simply laughed, calling him weird before walking away without another word. That day, from my hidden outlook, I watched the light in that elf’s eyes dim, and felt my heart actually break for the guy. I felt so bad for him that I had to call off my intrigue mission early that day just to watch after the elf boy and make sure he wasn’t going to fling himself from the top of the library.

Today was no exception in the café, with every seat taken by the hungry and horny alike. But not only college boys filled the seats, as it seemed that the real reason I had gotten a name for myself had been revealed recently. People had taken notice of me, not simply because I was caught in the gravity of glory. To them, I wasn’t Ishara or the Ruby Oracle. Instead, I had become known to the guys of Al'magi as 'The Goalkeeper.'

Seeing as it appeared every time the girls were free to hang out, I was at their side, many had begun to suspect me as the one preventing anyone else from making a move. Over mere weeks, I had earned the ire of every guy who wanted to court Aesandoral or Rionriv. But, since I was a member of the heroic heroines, no one would dare touch me. I suspected this was why the café had begun hosting a larger group of beautiful patrons. With skimpy-clothed girls of all demographics represented, I had believed that the goal was to distract me away from the real prize long enough for one of the competing guys to score.

And it was kind of working. 

Taking my eyes off the bathroom, I glanced over to the bar where a pair of skimpily dressed figures were currently eye-fugging me. One was an elemental beauty, her hair an orange fire and skin a rich bronze tone. Beside her, a demihuman bunny-girl with long white ears and a bushy tail gently bit her lip as she very obviously eyed me up and down. I felt my heart racing as I took in the pair, who were definitely solid nines on my attraction scale. Looking back to the bathroom briefly, ensuring that Aesandoral was still nowhere to be seen, I suavely preened myself before flashing them a knowing look and a wink.

“Bwah!” Aesandoral suddenly exhaled, slamming down a pint she had somehow gotten and finished before returning to the table. “Whatcha looking at, Iz?”

My heart skipped a beat as I jumped, turning back to my companion who glared at me with a narrowed, drunken gaze.

“I-uh, what? Nothing?” I stammered, looking back at her quickly. "I was jus-just looking for you."

“For me?” Aesandoral asked, her hand reaching over the cutlery left over from our late lunch. “But the door to the bath—hic—bathroom is over my other shoulder. And—hic—and it kind of felt like you were looking here—!”

Aesandoral swung around quickly, stretching her arm outward. The knife that had been resting atop her plate was now missing and sticking from the mug in the bunny girl’s hand. Conversation across the bar suddenly quieted as amber liquid drained from the mug, dousing both of my distractions immediately. A kerfuffle erupted around them, as patrons scattered from the spilled beverage and the pair fled the café in a hurry.

“But I guess you must have really good perip—hic—peripheral vision.” Aesandoral finished her statement, turning back at me with her own knowing look. "You know everything after all!"

"I-I mean," I stammered, feeling myself strinking beneath her gaze as I reached for my mug. "I don't know everything...like-like—"

This is it, use this moment to your advantage. I thought, throwing back a drink from my mug to buy me time. Hit her with those tough questions!

"Like, I don't know what you were doing—erm—three days ago, around supper time. You were late to the mall!"

"Oh, that?" She shied her face away and giggled. "Of course you don't know about that, silly."

That? Okay, so there is something. Come onnnn, Aes!

"But see, I don't know!" I continued, leaning over and splashing some of my drink into her empty mug. "If I'm supposed to know everything, shouldn't I know that too?"

"Nuuuuu," She whined, looking away, hoisting the drink to her lips. "I'm not—hic—not telling. I was told not to s-say anything."

Told not to say anything about what?!

"Aes," I cooed, leaning even closer. "Please? For me? Tell me, or I may have to tickle you."

Reaching up, I ran my fingers along her skin. As I draped them over the back of her arm, slipping them towards her ribs, the archer's entire body flung forward.

"No!" She yelped playfully, her giggles loud enough to quiet the room. "Izzzz! Not in public!"

With gentle winks my way, I reflexively prepared to flash a look in reply, only to watch a pair of forks connect with the top of the table. As the girls flinched in response to this, the final knife from our booth severed one of the vixens' ponytails.

"Eye—hic—eye's off, bish'es!" Aesandoral yelled out, slamming her hand to the table before pointing their way. "Or—hic—or the next will be through that fuggin' fake face of yours!"

Oy, is this possessive Aesandoral? Scary— I thought, turning to examine how her posture had changed. Though I kind of like it.

Taking in her drunken image, I watched as her attention shifted from the girls across the way to me. Leaning herself across the table, she eyed me with a hungry look in her gaze. And as she pushed herself forward, approaching me and seemingly ready to take what she had deemed hers, a gild dropped to the table. 

Pausing the moment, Aesandoral and I both looked at the coin and then at each other.

“Oooh, you—hic—you like that?” Aesandoral asked, her face growing red with enjoyment and inebriation. “Maybe I should take your—hic—your body right—”

“Hey,” Sharzin appeared beside us, pulling a chair out and sitting. "What's up with all the tension in here?"

Nooo, what was Aes going to say? I thought, suddenly feeling robbed of the sexual tension that had been building. Take my body where?! Or how?! Damn it, Sharzin! I wanted to know what she was going to do with me.

“Oh, hey,” The rogue continued, lifting the gild from the table. “Big bill or boner?”

And. Mood. Killed.

“Not a—hic—bill,” Aesandoral responded with a smirk before sitting back drunkenly into the chair and swiping the gild from her friend. “How—hic—how’s your day, Zin?”

Glancing at the elf, I couldn't help but feel my heart swell. She seemed so proud of herself in that moment, and it was adorable. The urge to give in to desires and provide her with what I knew we both wanted became harder to resist. So, with a sigh, I looked down at my waist and tried to recenter myself in the moment. Not only did I need to calm down, lest I gild myself again, but I also needed to be on my guard with Sharzin now at the table. 

“Aes, it’s like three in the afternoon, and you’re blasted,” Sharzin said with a sigh before looking at me. “What happened?”

“We had like two ales with lunch," I replied with a shrug, trying to play off my scheme. "And she grabbed a third and chugged it all down.”

"Lies," Sharzin responded, looking between the two of us. "Aes doesn't get this drunk until the fifth ale."

“His lecherous gaze was on someone other than us.” Aesandoral playfully pouted, blushing as she sank into her chair and threw her arms before her face. “I didn’t like it.”

“I was not—it wasn’t lecherous.” I reached over and laid my hand atop her exposed thigh beneath the table. “Here, let’s just sober you up a little.”

At this, I felt as her entire body shivered under my touch. With a yelp, she sat up in the chair and looked at me with a lecherous gaze of her own. Teasingly, I traced my finger down from her thigh to the knee as I channelled my healing magic into her. With every use of my detoxifying spell, I had grown more accustomed to the magic and was able to apply it differently. This time, using only one finger, I ensured not to completely purify her of her drunken buzz, instead, negating merely half of the drinks.

“Uuuhhhnnnggg—” She moaned, her body tensing up as the spell worked its magic.

“Aes, don’t,” I plead with her, feeling as my face grew warm and shorts grew tight. “S-stop. You-you’re making this weird.”

With another glance, I investigated the bar. At that moment, every guy and, to be fair, some girls were looking at Aesandoral’s quiet euphoria. In fact, I wondered if they had ever taken their gaze off of us to begin with. At least now they were getting a bit more of a show.

That was when I caught a glance at the previously threatened table of coeds. Amongst them, a pair of Second Years whispered something and pointed in my direction. I only hoped for their sake that Aesandoral was looking away, because they wore what she would have defined as lecherous stares. In fact, they wore what I defined as the lecherous stares I was used to getting as Tahvin, except they were directed at me as I was now. Ishara, the Ruby Oracle. Goalkeeper and Master of Magic Fingers.

Then, cutting the tension like a bull in a china shop, the door of the café burst open with a gust of wind as Rionriv entered the small space. At that moment, all the attention shifted to her as the sorceress stepped our way with speed fast enough to create a gale in her wake.

“Oh, hey Ri,” I said, trying to distract myself from the latest strain on my soul, while also attempting to play the moment coolly. “Taking a break from studying?”

“Hey, Iz—” Rionriv replied quickly, though it was obvious she was not interested in me as she immediately directed her attention to Sharzin and Aesandoral. “It’s done. We’re set.”

“R-really?” Aesandoral asked, sitting up quickly and looking my way before immediately turning back to her sister. “Like…done?”

“Yeah, we have to go and get ready.”

“Now?” Sharzin protested. “I just got here—”

“Hey, hi, umm—” I interrupted, confused as to what was happening. “What’s going on? What’s done?”

“It’s nothing,” Rionriv replied curtly, her eyes staying away from meeting my gaze. "Don't worry about it.

“Ah, yes,” I replied to her with my usual sarcasm. “Nothing—perfect. Don't worry about it—of course. I no longer have any suspicions about—”

“Sorry, I need to steal Aes and Zin for a while,” Rionriv continued, ignoring me before grabbing the two other girls and pulling them from their seats. “Now.”

In a rush, the three departed from the table, exiting the door and leaving me alone in the café. The eyes of the patrons, who had been following the triop's departure, now swung back to me. I felt their gazes lock on my empty booth as they calculated what to do next, but what they decided didn’t bother me. In that moment, I struggled more with the confusion that overwhelmed me and the hurt over the secrecy that appeared to be reaching a critical point.

“Hey.” One of the Second Years who had been eying me spoke as she took Sharzin’s chair.

“Mind if we join you?” The other asked as she sat in Aesandoral’s seat.

It was around this time that I noticed they were twins. Their bodies were curvy in all the right places, and it even seemed that a few of their blouse buttons had come undone in transit. They leaned in close, continuing to talk. 

Unfortunately for them, I didn’t hear a single word they said.

“Sorry, excuse me,” I spoke, quickly standing and tossing a gild to the table. "Enjoy a round on me."