After dinner, Devin retired for the night. His footsteps faded up the stairs and left the girls alone with Ellyn and her father.
Ellyn sat down after having finished cleaning up dinner, sewing kit in hand, and set to work mending some shirts. Without pausing, she asked Devin's ladies, "So, how'd you two enjoy your day on the farm?"
"It was so much fun! I'm sad we can't stay longer," Azalea replied as she unbraided her hair for the night.
Reina sipped her after-dinner tea. "It was a most enjoyable experience. Thank you for your hospitality."
"Glad you two enjoyed yourselves. Aside from Jyora's little show, things are normally quite boring around here."
"She looked like she had a lot of fun," Azalea observed.
Ellyn looked up at her comment, "I hope she did. I'm a bit concerned that maybe I teased her too much. I'll talk to her tomorrow and apologize if I got too familiar with her."
"I'm sure she'll be fine. Maybe just the intuition of an old man, but I think she especially enjoyed the attention from you, Ellyn," Gylan countered.
"You think she has feelings for me?"
The husky farmer put his feet up on the table. After pulling out a knife and a block of wood, he started carving. "I believe she admires you, or at least looks up to you, though she might be experiencing more complicated feelings now."
The candles flickered in their sconces as Ellyn mulled over her father's words.
"What are you carving, grandpa Gylan?" inquired Azalea, snuggling against Reina.
Gylan smiled at his new title. "A gift for you two."
Suddenly sitting up, "Presents for us?!" Thank you!" What is it?"
"I'll answer that before you leave tomorrow," he uttered, then went back to work.
Azalea tried to pout, but traces of a smile kept leaking through.
Gylan flicked some shavings off the table. "So, how's it been traveling with young Devin?"
"Well, we actually haven't been with herd-mate very long. I've only been with him two days, and Azalea's been with him three," Reina offered.
"Only that long? I got the impression you were together much longer. So you essentially just met?"
"Yes. It's been so much fun! Both life-mate and Reina have been wonderful! I love them both very much!" gushed Azalea.
"I'm glad to hear. He's very conscientious, though -- and this isn't meant to be an insult to either of you -- we are just a little surprised he has two companions," Gylan revealed.
"What do you mean?" Reina quizzed.
"Devin does very well for himself, but being a merchant means always chasing after profit, and sometimes profit is elusive. You might have noticed your meals have been fairly basic. Or how worn his wagon and personal belongings are?" Gylan pointed out.
"I hadn't really paid attention to herd-mate's lifestyle," replied Reina with contemplation.
"Neither have I," admitted Azalea.
Ellyn put down her sewing and interjected, "We tell you this not to make you feel bad but to make you aware of the situation he's in. The life of a merchant is hard. Business is good while the weather stays amicable, but come winter unless you are desperate or reckless, money gets tight. We were Devin's first customers when he started out. He's become somewhat of an extended family member to everyone. Every time he visits, we try to give him a little extra in the way of food or other things he might need or be able to sell."
"Do you have any suggestions on how we can help herd-mate?"
"Unfortunately, no, but just doing little things and emotional support never hurts. I was glad to see you were pulling the wagon, Reina. I don't have any spare horses to lend, and the current one doesn't look like she'd last through the winter if he kept her working that hard," advanced Gylan.
Ellyn leaned over the table and took both of the girl's hands. "I'm so very glad he met you two. We can worry less about him knowing he's not alone out on the road."
The girls squeezed Ellyn's hand in return. "Reina and I are dedicated life-mates. I swear upon my love crest we'll look after him."
"Seeing how you three interact together, I have no doubt." Ellyn yawned suddenly. "It's getting late, and I have to be up early. We should probably head to bed."
----
That night, amidst the chittering of crickets and creaking of the barn, Jyora laid on her cot, thinking back on the events of the day.
'I can't believe I did that. To think I was aroused enough to let, no, want Ellyn to do those things to me, and in front of people, no less.'
The thought of Ellyn's eyes and fingers roaming over her body caused a small tingle in her belly. Her fingers drifted down between her legs.
'I wonder if she'd do it again?
She sighed.
'I never used to be interested in this sort of thing when I lived at home or during my time at the academy.'
Jyora had grown up far to the north of the capital in a patch of forest considered ancient, even by old growth standards. She was never very outgoing and preferred to have her nose in a book. Some of her peers would have described her as unsocial, but she didn't mind. At the time, learning was more interesting than anything. When she was old enough to attend the academy, all her previous book learning had borne fruit as she excelled in all her classes.
She bit her lip as she inserted a finger, stirring her insides to make room for a second.
'If I hadn't checked the job listings board on the school grounds a year ago and saw that request for a small farm near Iceford looking for a mage to test their demi-humans for magic affinity and possibly some basic training... I probably would have been mentoring a senior crestologist right now.'
It had looked like an easy enough job, and it was. Mr. KivelΓ€son's farm wasn't a bad place for her first internship. Gylan and his daughter had been quite happy at the revelation of several of their farmhands possessing affinity and that crests existed to boost milk and wool production.
She curled her fingers, searching for her favorite spot.