Tales from the Dead Man Inn

by Daniel Schinhofen

  “I will nay do tha’,” Marian whispered as she turned and followed Violet to the bed.

  Once Violet was settled, Marian pulled on the straps needed to shed her own clothing. Sitting beside the now nude woman, Marian picked up the oil and drizzled a line of it down Violet’s spine. A light berry scent began permeating the room as Marian let her hands deftly caress the oil into Violet’s skin.

  “Harder,” Violet said as she flexed her shoulders. “I’m tight and need the relaxation.”

  Marian increased the pressure of her fingers, letting her thumbs push into the muscles. After a moment, Violet let out a contented sigh as she felt the tension begin to ease. Marian took her time and rubbed the oil in as she went muscle by muscle, easing the knots out of them.

  “Ya be very tense,” Marian said softly.

  “I’ve been fighting for well over a day, so I finally made my team take some time off,” Violet murmured. “The Officers are far ahead of us, and I intend to prove that my team is as good as theirs.”

  “Ya be competing?” Marian asked.

  “Not really, but I have my own goals,” Violet murmured. “You really are very good at this.”

  “Thank ya,” Marian said, feeling a part of her soar at the praise. “I have nay gotten to the best parts yet.”

  “I’m looking forward to what you can do,” Violet murmured. “If the rest of you is as talented as your hands, then tonight is going to be quite a long adventure.”

  “I be thinkin’ tha’ be true,” Marian said as she leaned against Violet’s back, letting her naked body glide across Violet’s. “After all, I do try to give me all to the pretty ones.”

  Violet let out a soft laugh, “Touché.”

  Marian giggled softly and went back to the massage.

  ~*~*~

  The next two days passed almost in a blur to Marian, as Violet came back to the inn just before sundown and asked for a massage that turned into an all-night affair again each time. The three nights of intimate relations with Violet left Marian in an exuberant state.

  Turning around after serving drinks to a table, Marian felt her exuberance fade a little as Karen walked in the door. Marian had not been looking forward to this moment, but she knew it had to be done.

  Karen smiled on seeing Marian and came toward her. “You’ve been a busy woman, I’ve heard. Do you have time for a massage for me?”

  Marian nodded, a sad smile on her face. “Aye, Karen. Let me grab some oil and I’ll be right up.”

  “Excellent. I’ve missed your deft hands,” Karen said.

  Watching Karen go, Marian felt sadness. She was sure Karen wasn’t about to take things well. Shaking her head, she retrieved a different oil than the one she had waiting for Violet. Making her way to Karen’s room, she found her mother waiting at the stairs.

  “You are doing what is right for you,” Lilith said, giving Marian a hug and kiss on the cheek. “She’ll find her own happiness, in time.”

  Giving her mother a strained smile, Marian nodded. “Ya be sure of that?”

  “Has your sister ever failed to get what she wants?” Lilith asked.

  “Nay,” Marian said.

  “She’s been working on her stubborn husband to allow Karen back into their relationship,” Lilith told her daughter. “Be firm, but fair to her. She feels alone, and the last two days have been hard for her. It’s always okay to be a friend.”

  “I do nay like the idea of makin’ her feel like she nay has one,” Marian said.

  “Have faith in your mother, and in the Dark Lord,” Lilith said, releasing Marian. “Now go on, she is waiting for her friend.”

  Marian left Lilith at the stairs and went up toward Karen’s room, feeling a little better about what she was going to do. Knocking once, she entered to find Karen already naked and on the bed.

  “Have you had a fun few days?” Karen asked with a smirk.

  “Aye, I been helpin’ another guest with some thin’s,” Marian said as she walked over to the bed.

  “Oh? Is he good looking?” Karen asked playfully.

  “She be a very strikin’ woman,” Marian said softly, emotions seeping into her words.

  “Ah. Competition for your affections?” Karen asked.

  “Nay,” Marian said softly and began spreading oil onto Karen’s back. “Karen, I be sorry for the last few days.”

  “It’s fine, Marian,” Karen chuckled. “There’s nothing wrong with having fun with different people.”

  “Aye… but,” Marian paused before pushing forward. “I will be givin’ her priority.”

  Karen’s muscles tensed under Marian’s hands, then slowly relaxed. “I see,” Karen muttered. A long silence filled the room until Karen spoke again. “You’ll still see me here and there, right?”

  “For a massage, aye,” Marian said. “I enjoyed our time together, but with her it be different. Have ya ever met someone who commands ya attention just by bein’ in the same room?”

  Karen was silent for a long moment before sighing, “Yes.”

  “Would ya prefer them over another?”

  Sighing deeply again, Karen stuck her face into the pillow, “Yes.”

  “Tha’ be what she be for me. I enjoy our time to talk an’ the times we had, but if she walked in and asked for me to take care of her, I would,” Marian said softly. “I did nay want to hurt ya, since ya still be lookin’ hurt from what me sister and Alburet did to ya.”

  Karen’s muscles went rigid. “Leave them out of this, please.”

  “Aye, tha’ be what I had been thinkin’,” Marian sighed and began digging her thumbs into Karen’s muscles to unknot them.

  “Does this mean it’s only going to be massages now?” Karen asked.

  “Aye, until I be havin’ a conversation with her and be seein’ iffin she has problems with me havin’ fun with others. She mayhap be like Alburet, thinkin’ tha’ lovin’ only one person be the way thin’s be. A number of Two-souled seem to be that way.”

  “I know,” Karen said sadly. “It’s fine. Why don’t you go, Marian? I’m sure she’ll be waiting for you.”

  “I do nay wish to leave me friend hurt,” Marian said softly, her hands slowing. “Ya must know tha’ for a long time I had hopes ya would be the one, but the deep spark, like ya feel for him, it was just nay there for me. With her, it be there…”

  Taking a deep breath, Karen rolled over, her eyes full of pain and sadness. “There are times I wonder if I’m the unluckiest person in the world. I know how it feels to find someone. I had thought…” Shaking her head, Karen reached out and pulled Marian down to her, hugging the barmaid. “I’ll give you the space you need, but if things change…”

  “I be tellin’ ya right off,” Marian said, hugging Karen back tightly. “Ya be a good friend, Karen.”

  “I’ve been told that a bit too often,” Karen mumbled. “Now go on, go see your lady love. I think I’m going to retire a little early.”

  Standing, Marian nodded. “Thank ya for understanding, Karen.”

  Leaving the room, she encountered Lilith in the hall. “Ma’… did ya…”

  “No. I was here in case you needed me, but it seems you did not. Violet is taking a bath, and I told her you would be along to her room shortly.”

  A bittersweet smile came to Marian. “But did I do the right thin’?”

  “Yes dear,” Lilith said, kissing Marian’s head. “Now go see your heart’s desire.”

  ~*~*~

  Days flew by without Karen asking for another massage, and Violet showing up each day around sunset and taking up all of Marian’s time. As they lay entangled in each other’s embrace, Violet spoke up, “I’m going to be away from town for a couple of weeks.”

  “I thought ya were one of the Two-souled who was here for longer?” Marian said.

  “I am, but Alburet is setting up a raid into the Deadlands, and everyone is going. I don’t know how he’s going to swing it, but he seems certain.”

  Marian went cold a
t the mention of the Deadlands, but then recalled that the Two-souled could never truly die a final death. “Ya will be back, after?”

  “Of course,” Violet purred as her hand traced Marian’s flank. “I’ll need a day or two to unwind after the trip and raid.”

  “After ya get back, will ya still be as ya are now, or will ya be goin’ back to ya other world?” Marian asked with fear in her voice.

  “I’ll be here for months,” Violet giggled softly at Marian’s reaction. “When I get back, maybe we can have a date—I’ve not taken you out of the inn.”

  “I would like tha’,” Marian murmured as she nuzzled Violet’s neck.

  “I’m sure you’ll like more than just that,” Violet chuckled as she rolled Marian onto her back. “Let me give you a sample of what might come after our date.”

  ~*~*~

  Days crawled by with Marian wondering when Violet would finally get back. Chewing her lip, Marian wondered if Alpha Company would ever return. Standing at the bar, she was shocked when Alburet and Stacia came through the door. With a glad shout, she raced around the bar and greeted them.

  “Ya be back, thank the Dark Lord! Is Deirdre okay? Is Violet okay? Is she back in the city now? Is she coming by soon?” Questions spilled from Marian as she hugged Stacia, then Alburet. Stepping back, she looked at them hopefully.

  “Sis be fine,” Stacia told her. “Violet be fine as well; she be a Two-souled after all. She was havin’ breakfast at the Keep when we left.”

  A wave of relief flooded through Marian at Stacia’s words. Blinking when Stewart told her to go wake her father, Marian went, a surge of hope that Violet would be there soon filling her.

  Stacia chatted about the raid, but Marian was hardly paying attention as she thought about her coming date with Violet. Floating on air as she waited to see the woman who made her glow, Marian didn’t remember much about that morning. When Stewart called her and Emily to the Dark Temple, she finally came back to reality and wondered what could be going on.

  When they reached the temple and she watched Karen finally get her wish to be part of the family with Stacia and Alburet, Marian felt tears of joy slip from her eyes. When she got the chance to hug Karen, she whispered to her, “I be glad to see that ya found ya dream.”

  “Thank you, Marian. You helped me realize that I was only using you as a substitute and that was wrong of me,” Karen whispered back.

  “Nay, we both had needs in tha’ moment, and ya will always be welcome for a massage. Ya be a good friend.”

  Karen smiled at her when they parted, and Fluff took her place to hug Marian. Once the two groups split, Marian found Lilith beside her on the walk home.

  “Did I not tell you she would find her way?” Lilith said gently.

  “Sis always be getting’ what she wants,” Marian said, one of the few times the words weren’t bitter.

  “And now you get what you want as well,” Lilith said simply, giving her a hug. “Do you think she’ll be back after all the gear is sorted?”

  Marian nodded happily. “She said she would take me on a date. Me be thinkin’ tha’ will be tomorrow, as today we may nay make it out of the inn.”

  “That’s my daughter,” Lilith laughed softly.

  When the sun finally set, Violet came striding into the Dead Man Inn, which was already busy. Marian was standing by the stairs with a wide smile on her face when Violet’s eyes found her.

  Crossing the room with a dancer’s grace, Violet came to a stop in front of Marian. “It’s good to see you again. Are you busy tonight?”

  “I am,” Marian said, her smile fading. “I be havin’ to massage down a Two-souled after her long trek across the sands.”

  Violet’s face shifted after the first two words, but then a sardonic smile came to her. “Brat. I’ll make you pay for toying with me.”

  Marian’s cheeks heated. “Will ya now? I shall be lookin’ forward to tha’ once me massage be done.”

  Violet’s eyes twinkled as she started up the stairs. “Is my room still available?”

  “It be in order for ya, I made sure of tha’,” Marian said, trailing after Violet. “Ya will be needin’ to pay for it later.”

  “Oh I can think of ways to pay you back, before I pay the coin to your father,” Violet said. “I’ve heard tales, sometimes, of a private maid being arranged for a long-term customer—any truth in that?”

  Marian’s heart started beating faster. “Are ya interested in havin’ me long term?”

  “I was considering it,” Violet said as she entered her room. “If someone is still open to the idea the night after tomorrow, that is.”

  “The day after tomorrow?” Marian asked as she shut the door. “Did ya make the plans already?”

  “That’s why it took me so long to make it here. I had to get gear and such, but I also had to make sure everything was in place for our date,” Violet said as she stripped off her new leather armor and laid down on the bed.

  “I be lookin’ forward to it… I been missin’ ya,” Marian said softly as she stripped, then started rubbing oil into Violet’s skin.

  “Marian… you do know that I won’t be here forever, right? I’ll be forced to go back to the other world after my next two months here, then it’ll be very hit and miss for me to see you.”

  “Aye, I be knowin’ tha’,” Marian said, her hands working the small knots loose from Violet’s back.

  “That still doesn’t deter you from wanting to spend your time with me?” Violet asked.

  “Nay at all,” Marian said as her hands started down Violet’s legs. “I been thinkin’ mayhap ya just be thinkin’ of me as a fun tumble.”

  Violet turned around slowly, catching Marian’s hands. “If you had asked me a couple of weeks ago, it might have been, yes. Being away from you in the last two weeks, though, only made me think of you more often. I almost died multiple times as I was thinking about what I wanted to do for our date instead of paying attention. So now, at this point, I would like you to be more than just a fun tumble.”

  Lips parted as her breath came faster, Marian nodded. “I want tha’. I want more with ya than just this, though this be lovely.” Leaning down, Marian kissed Violet, and for the first time they kissed softly, without demands. That moment seemed to linger for Marian; she was certain days passed.

  Violet’s arms came up and held Marian before dragging her down to the bed, their nude bodies moulding together as if made for each other. When the two finally broke apart, both of them were panting, happiness shining in both sets of eyes.

  When they kissed again, it stayed soft and gentle, as for the first time, the two admitted their feelings and wanted to savor the moment. Hands roamed, gently caressing and exploring each other. They had been together multiple times, but this felt like the first time.

  Soft kisses trailed over soft flesh as one, then the other, took their time fully exploring their lover. Hours of soft lovemaking passed until both finally collapsed, sated from the carnal acts of love. Marian pillowed her head on Violet’s chest. “Ya were much more gentle than normal.”

  “You were less demanding than normal as well,” Violet replied. “I liked this more than what we had before, though.”

  “Aye, me too,” Marian murmured, feeling sleep beginning to creep up on her.

  ~*~*~

  The following day was a banquet for the guild for having accomplished the raid, and Marian was glued to Violet all through the event and again that night. When they finally retired that evening, Marian knew that the next day would be their date.

  The day of the date was a day Marian would remember for years to come. Everything was perfect: they had breakfast at a small café, went shopping for clothes, took lunch at a small pasta restaurant, then went on a tour of the city before changing into their new dresses and going to the Victory Lap for dinner. When they made it back to the inn that night, they spent another handful of hours again making love.

  The next morning, Marian woke to find Vio
let dressing in her gear. “Hunting?” Marian asked.

  “We took a couple of days off, so I need to get back out there,” Violet told her.

  “Shall I have dinner waiting for your return? Or a bath? Or, perhaps me?” Marian asked.

  “All of them sound lovely, but a bath with you sounds best. We can get the food afterwards,” Violet said, claiming a quick kiss.

  “I be makin’ sure everythin’ is in order,” Marian murmured.

  “I’ll see you later, beautiful,” Violet said as she slipped out the door.