The next day began te, as expected after the midnight fight with the demonic leopard.

  Bonny pulled Miu and Lupa in close for kisses and hugs, then unclipped their leashes and let them go.

  She willed Violet to flow up and surround her like a bodysuit. The torn lingerie was floating in the slime girl’s body, like the rest of her possessions, and ended up bunched up around Bonny’s waist.

  “I-I can try repair those. I-if you want.” The voice was hesitant, unsure.

  Bonny turned to find that everyone else was up and the wagons were already packed and ready to go.

  Raina, the younger merchant, pointed at Bonny’s midsection. She blushed when Bonny smiled at her.

  “Yes, please.” At a thought, the lingerie flowed out and Bonny handed it over. “Thank you.”

  Another smile and another blush from the young beaver girl.

  The slime coating moved, distracting Bonny from Raina's reply. She jerked in surprise when tendrils penetrated her unexpectedly.

  [[bonny]] question.

  “Oh, good morning Violet.” Bonny patted the coating of slime. “Are you okay?”

  [[hungry]]

  Bonny looked around and spotted the carcass of the leopard. It had been skinned and most of the meat had been removed, but there was still a lot of material left. Someone had apparently dragged it further away from the camp after Bonny had fallen asleep.

  “You’ve been asleep for a day and a half. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  [[yes, hungry]]

  The tentacles flexed inside her and a light suction tugged at her nipples and clit. Bonny moaned and closed her eyes for a moment, then patted the coating of slime again.

  “Wait, we don’t have time for that. We were about to leave. There was a fight with a demon leopard st night though. Eat it now and I’ll give you more sustenance ter, okay?”

  [[yes]]

  Bonny hopped over and Violet oozed off of her, surrounding and cocooning the corpse in seconds.

  A moment ter, Violet reformed into a girl shape and stood. She was stretched taller than usual, a thin outline around the massive cat within her. The remnants bubbled furiously, like it was boiling, and the Arcane Crown settled on the cat’s head.

  Bonny reached out and took Violet by the hand and slowly lead her over to the wagons. She moved in a slow shuffle, the size and weight of her meal distorting more than just her form.

  “Sorry the the dey.” Bonny addressed her companions. “You should have woken me up if you were all ready to go.”

  “It’ss fine. We descided to let you ssleep.” Eloisss hissed, a slight smile on her lips as she watched Bonny.

  “Thank you.”

  The goblin was still restrained, but had been moved to the bed of Bonny’s wagon, where she watched everyone with wide eyes.

  Bonny smiled up at her. “Urs, are you okay? Do you need anything?”

  The goblin started to nod, then started to shake her head, and finally spoke up. “Urs fine. Not need things. Can help.”

  “You can help? How?”

  “Give sex. You need?”

  Bonny ughed. “Not now. Thank you. We can talk about you joining my companions ter. Call me if you want something, okay?”

  Urs nodded.

  “No.” Eloisss spoke from right behind Bonny.

  Bonny turned. “What?”

  “No. Sshe can not join.”

  “Why?”

  Eloisss stared, unblinking, and flicked her tongue out in a way that indicated disapproval.

  Bonny sighed. “She isn’t part of the tribe that fought you. Besides, at least two gods want her to join us.”

  “Who?” Eloisss narrowed her eyes.

  “Compassion lead her to us and Trust woke me up to save her.”

  Eloisss let out a long hiss and turned away without responding.

  Bonny sighed and climbed onto the bench, gncing back at the wagon bed. Iona sat in the wagon near Urs. The harpy had ridden every day, due to her trouble walking and a desire to stay within Bonny's regeneration aura. Both girls backed away as Violet oozed up and fell into the wagon with a thump.

  They got underway shortly after. The road was clearer here, with very little underbrush and longer sight lines. Most of it was in fair condition, not needing Willowbelle's earth magic to level it or fill in holes where the underlying bricks had crumbled or washed away.

  Most of the rest of the group walked or took turns riding on the back of the wagon. Miu took her normal pce on the bench with Bonny.

  Eloisss returned after a short time and kept pace near the wagon bench, where Bonny sat with the reins to the mule. It felt like she didn’t trust the goblin not to try to injure Bonny.

  “Elss, do you know who made the road? Or what it was used for?” Bonny finally asked, partly to break the awkward silence between them.

  “Merchantss ussed to travel from the scity, but it hass been a long time ssince they’ve vissited.”

  “Like since the big war or whatever? Hundreds of years?”

  “No. A decade or sso.”

  “What about before that? Do you know who made it?”

  Eloisss shrugged. “There are taless of a losst elven scity. It may have been destroyed during the Devastation.”

  “Elves?”

  “We can assk at the Rhumba.”

  “Miu, do you know anything about it?”

  Miu shook her head.

  “Addy or Willow? You’re both old, right?”

  Adelina ughed with a bright tinkle of bells, but shook her head and didn’t answer.

  Willowbelle also shook her head after a moment. “I remember … something, but it was gone when I woke from hibernation.”

  “Zeal, you’re old too! Did you eat a bunch of elves?” Bonny raised her voice, since the dragon girl was further away, following the wagon.

  “I've destroyed many cities, some within the forest, but I don't know about this road.”

  “Oh, okay.” Bonny turned back to Eloisss, but before she could ask another question, Courage flickered into view.

  “Elves are prideful. There was a city that succumbed to Pride’s influence and was buried during the war.”

  “At the end of this road?" Bonny looked around. "This is the road we were on when we fought the goblins, right?”

  “Yess, my Rhumba is sstill a few dayss away.”

  “Courage, you said the city was buried? How did you do that?”

  “I did not. The conflict broke a mountain. Oakleigh was angry that it injured the forest.”

  Bonny ughed. “I can imagine. A broken mountain? How?”

  The goddess shrugged. “Magic.”

  The gods didn’t seem to have that kind of power and Bonny wondered, not for the first time, if they were telling her the truth.

  The conversation changed as they continued on and even though Eloisss stayed near the wagon, she no longer felt quite as angry toward Bonny or Urs. There were several brief stops while Freja, Jae, and Willowbelle removed obstacles or repaired the road.

  During one of the stops, Raina climbed up and returned the lingerie. The belt and garters had been repced with an embroidered, soft and supple, bck leather with a silk backing, while the fishnet stockings had ce and a red bow added on each thigh.

  “Thank you. This is beautiful. How did you do all this so fast?”

  Raina blushed and stammered out. “You’re welcome. I, um, have some skills to repair clothes and ... improve their quality.”

  “It looks amazing. Where did you get the extra material?” Bonny ran her fingers over the ce and bows.

  “I used some of our goods and, uh, removed the silk from one of my formal dresses.” She held up a hand as Bonny looked up. “I don’t wear it much and won’t need it out here.”

  “Are you sure? Do you want me to pay for this?”

  “No. It’s a gift. I mean, you looked so pretty wearing it, I didn’t want …” She paused, then continued in a rush. “Ittoberuined.”

  Bonny giggled. “That’s fine. But it belongs to Violet, you know. I only wore it because she was sleeping.”

  “I know. I, uh, um.” Raina pointed to the embroidery along one of the garters.

  Bonny looked closer to see Violet’s name written in a fancy script. A quick look at the other leg revealed Bonny’s name as well. She turned it, examining the rest of the belt and the quality of the workmanship.

  “Wow, you really went all out. I would kiss you, but …”

  Raina blushed again and shook her head. “No. Mama is watching.”

  Bonny looked back to see Daina in the wagon behind them. Bonny waved and smiled when Daina waved back.

  “Looks like she is. How old are you again? Does she not trust you?”

  “She just wants to protect me. She was young when I was born and wants me to do better. I think she wants a nice merchant for my husband, but I’ve … snuck out before. I’m twenty three." She leaned in and whispered, "And not a virgin.”

  Bonny ughed. “I wondered about that when Sasa approached me st night. I'm surprised you're talking to me openly if you're afraid of what your mom thinks.”

  Raina reached over to fold the garter belt back, dispying her own name embroidered on the inside.

  “I, uh, wanted to show this to you. It’s so you won’t forget me.”

  Bonny ughed. “You’re too cute. I’ll never forget you.”

  Raina blushed again and hid her head in her hands.

  “Well, I’ll go ahead and put this on. Do you want to help?”

  “I-yes.”

  Bonny pulled on the fishnet stockings, marveling at the repairs to the fine threads. Parts of it had been trimmed back and repced at the intersections, tied in almost invisibly. Raina and Miu helped straighten the material, pulling out wrinkles and untying the red bows, then retying them to the garter straps when Bonny pulled on and fastened the belt.

  She stood and turned in a tight circle, waving as she realized everyone was watching. Even Violet had extended a tentacle with an eyeball to get a good look.

  [[it looks better on you, than me]]

  “No. It looked amazing on you, Violet.” Bonny replied.

  The tentacle extended, bringing the eyeball up close, panning up from Bonny’s feet to her face. It blinked.

  [[you should keep it]]

  Bonny ughed again and reached out to pat the tentacle. “How about we share it. At the very least, you should wear it on your nights with me.”

  The eyeball vanished and the end of the tentacle reformed into lips. They darted in to give Bonny a quick peck, then withdrew.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” Bonny sat and turned back to Raina. “Thank you again. I’ll wear them for you tonight, if you still want to sneak away for sex.”

  Raina nodded vigorously, then hesitated.

  “Was there something else?” Bonny prompted.

  “Um, tonight … can you, um, colr me?” Raina asked. “Like Miu and Lupa?”

  Bonny gnced over at Miu, then back.

  “I don’t think we have any other colrs. I won’t use Miu’s colr or leash, they’re special, but I could use the other one. Or … I may have another idea.”

  Raina nodded. “That’s fine, anything you want. I’ll, um, wear my formal dress to bed. I want you to rip it off and to, uh, ravish me.”

  “Ravish?” Bonny’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Like force you into sex?"

  Raina nodded. “Can you do that?”

  “Just to be clear, you want me to pretend to kidnap and rape you?”

  “Yes?” Raina’s voice squeaked.

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yes!” Certainty.

  “Are you going to fight me?”

  “Maybe? Yes?”

  “But you’re sure that’s what you want?”

  “Yes!” She nodded emphatically.

  “I don’t know. This could cause a lot of trouble. For both of us.” Bonny sighed. “Is there anything you don’t want me to do?”

  “Try not to hurt me too much and don’t leave any marks. Mama can’t know.”

  “That’s for sure. She could ruin everything if she thought I hurt you.”

  They rode in silence for a few minutes before Bonny continued.

  “Not tonight. I’ll have to think about it before deciding. I'll let you know tomorrow, okay?”

  Raina considered for a moment and shook her head. “It might be better if I didn’t know.”

  “Fuck!" Bonny sighed again, already regretting agreeing to the tryst. "Fine. If we do this, and that's a big if, I need you to to have a safeword. Something that means I should stop. Like I did with Freja st night. I assume you saw that?”

  “Yes.”

  “We use a color system. Every so often, I’ll pause and ask if you’re okay. You can nod or answer with a color. Green means ‘keep going’ and red means ‘stop’. You can also say yellow to slow down or take a break. You can say a color at any time, not just when I ask, but if you just say ‘no’ or ‘stop’, I’m going to ignore it, okay?”

  Raina nodded and grinned widely.

  Bonny sighed in resignation. “Talk to Eloisss and make sure she approves. Do you mind if she’s involved? Or Violet?”

  “Thank you. I will. I don’t mind. As long as they’re with you.”

  atomically