An Unusual Profession, Part 2
Petritus nearly stumbled into the now somewhat familiar confines of his favourite brothel. He'd only been there a couple times, during his first visit to the city, but that was enough to put it well above all the others he knew. At least in terms of servicing men of his tastes. It was late in the evening, and business was in full spring, moans, yelps and gasps of pleasure flooding the air, along with smells of passion strong enough to overpower the incense filling the building.
It had been weeks since his last visit. Too long, he thought. Were it up to him, he would've lived there. But nights of love making with the little ram cost him dearly. In financial terms, that is. They did cost him some pain to his cherries, but he couldn't complain about that. It had become a highlight of his nights with the timid caprine. One he regrettably would have to forego tonight.
He entered the owner's office of sorts, his walk bow-legged and unsteady. He paused at the entrance, realizing what he'd walked in on. The master of the establishment, a buck named Mellir, adorned by a number of golden piercings and bands, reclined on his couch as usual. Between his legs, however, was a kneeling figure, its face pressed into the cervine's groin, seemingly being kept in place by two hands, grasping its head underneath two curved horns. It took his mind a moment to process the sight, but a look underneath the figure's butt removed any doubt that that was Notri servicing the male. He'd been well aware that this was Notri's profession, and that he'd pleasured men other than him quite frequently. In fact, the little sheep had referenced some of his encounters during their encounters. Sometimes even using them to humiliate Petri as he mashed the hyena's testicles into his pelvis. But it was a different matter entirely to actually see him at work.
"Uh. Hello.", he stammered. He hated his lack of confidence sometimes, but given the scene before him, he couldn't blame himself.
"Oh. We- welcome.", the deer replied in pleasured pants, having opened his eyes only now. He re-steadied himself before continuing. The little ram remained at work as though he hadn't noticed, though. "I take it you'll be wanting some time with Notri here.", he said, visibly struggling to speak without gasping.
"Yeah.", he answered, still transfixed on the cream furred sheep.
"Very well. The usual rate. Room 3.", he almost panted out, now gripping the couch with one hand as though concerned the caprine might suck him off of it. It was strange seeing someone speak so casually as he was being pleasured. But Petri quickly shook off his bewilderment, more urgent needs diverting his attention, and left the required sum on the table before them.
With only a glance towards the still busy ram, he went back into the loud corridors of the brothel, moving wide stepped towards his designated room. For some reason, it was always the same room. Was it Notri's favourite? Or perhaps it was a room meant for strictly male interactions? He would have to ask Notri sometime, assuming he remembered after their love-making session.
He finally reached the room he'd grown somewhat accustomed to, and entered, almost having to shove over a couple that'd been fucking wildly against a wall near the door. The first thing he did was drop backwards onto the soft bed, before beginning to strip. He sighed with relief as he unbuttoned his pants and let them slip down to his ankles, giving his eggs ample breathing space. The heavy soreness he still felt there had made him question whether he should've come there at all, fearing that he might be straining himself. But he'd been much too eager to get a hold of the little ram's own goods to worry about that. Besides, lingering, unsatisfied dreams of nights spent with the lithe caprine would only result in further male pains.
His entire form now bare to the world, he lied on his back, resting his head against a pillow and closed his eyes, only the sounds of lustful efforts outside keeping him awake. Particularly that couple right outside. He spread his legs wide, giving his swollen nuts the freedom they needed after the wretchedly long and painful journey. At least they were still there, he thought, giving them a gentle, absent-minded fondle. That was more than quite a few males he'd crossed paths with could say for themselves.
***
The dead of night. Dimly lit streets devoid of the bustling life typical to the city of Avroth. Hood over head and clad in black, Petritus moved through the night with purpose, keeping clear of the occasional guard patrol that wandered through the main roads. Even in the upper tiers of the city he found staying hidden near effortless, despite the relatively lacking amount of shade. So far it was an assignment like any other. But he doubted it would last. This night he was after a more noble pair.
He finally reached the estate, a grey brick, 3-storey house, closely surrounded by a sandstone wall, open at the front with only a modestly sized fountain to decorate its small courtyard. A relatively humble home for one of noble blood, but this one wasn't all that high profile. He was still richer than the average merchant, as the pair of guards barring entry from the front through the night made immediately clear, but that seemed to be the extent of his security.
Petritus maneuvered around to the back of the building, avoiding the notice of yet another patrol in the process. Having made sure the coast was clear, he took a deep breath and leapt up onto the wall, clinging onto its top with gloved fingers. Thankfully, it lacked the metal spikes usually present on such walls. He'd traversed such obstacles a couple times with relative ease, but began to feel uneasy with such tasks following a chilling but ultimately harmless tear in the crotch of his pants he'd earned navigating one such wall. He pulled himself up and crouched on top, maintaining balance with his hands. The house was within his reach, barely a meter away from the surrounding wall. The second floor windows were barred, much like the bottom ones, but a quick look revealed the ones further up weren't.
With another preparatory inhale, he leapt onto the building, grabbing hold of the window bars, only the dull, reverberating thud against the metal giving away his intrusion. He began his climb, careful not to get any of his clothing trapped on the decorative iron bars. Luckily enough, the window directly above was open, and he climbed in with relative ease, now trying to orientate himself as to where he was.
He froze in shock for a moment as he noticed a figure through the darkness, but gave out a silent sigh of relief as he quickly realized it was merely a wooden dummy clad in armour. The room was quite spacious, a number of weapon racks hanging on the walls around, the ground softened by a thick carpet meant to ease falls. Figuring he had little chance of finding his target there, he moved towards the door. Typically for a room filled with armaments, it was locked. He pulled out a pair of lockpicks and began to work them into the lock, its mechanisms soon giving in to his skills.
Before his partnership with Feinsati, he'd lived his life as a burglar. A rather good one at that. Although he had never quite grasped the art of climbing with only smooth stone to grab onto, particularly with a bag of loot in tow. His last job as a regular thief ended with him falling off and spraining an ankle just as he was leaving with his bounty. He managed to get away, loot included, but it left him unable to work or even move much for quite a while. Considering his own origin, he wondered how Feins got by without skills such as his. He could only assume her alchemy could replace at least some of them. He figured he would have to ask next time they met.
Returning his mind to the task at hand, he made his way towards the door that was the best candidate for bedroom, based on where he'd seen the chimney of the building. Standing at the door, he could already hear heavy breathing from beyond. No doubt he was at the right place. He tried the handle to find the room open, and walked right in, careful to minimize any potential creaking, although the doors of the house turned out to be quite well oiled. He moved deeper into the room, towards the immediately visible bed, where sure enough, he found the sleeping raccoon. A quick whiff of the anaesthetic-dabbed cloth and the noble would sleep through his little operation.
He lit up an oil lamp he found on the night stand nearby. The light it gave was dim enough that hopefully it would go unnoticed from the outside, especially with the curtains there. It was somewhat risky, but he wouldn't go cutting someone open in the dark. Having pulled the covers away, he took a moment to soak in the mustelid's nude form. He was young, well under 30. Petri gave the raccoon's maleness a firm grope, bringing his limp member to life, his own confined manhood rising to full mast in the process. It was problematic how some of these jobs brought out the lustier part of him, but usually he resisted. Just not this night.
A daunting need clouding his judgement, he climbed on top of the bed over the sleeping male. He lifted and cranked his right leg back, before sharply thrusting it into the sleeping raccoon's groin. His victim jerked at impact, but otherwise only seemed to squirm in slumber, the anaesthetic proving its worth. Then again, it was supposed to make him sleep past something considerably more painful. Of course he wouldn't wake. He repeated the treatment one more time before sliding off. It felt unreasonably exciting doing that, even if the recipient would never actually feel it.
He then came upon the same dilemma he did with just about every young, sleeping target he'd had to deal with. It was just too tempting to leave his victim without a final release. It was also tempting to sate his own needs. Feeling confident, he unstrapped his belt and pulled his pants down, careful to maintain his silence. His stiff rod bobbed out into the free air, seemingly relieved to throb without constraint. He climbed onto the bed once more, positioning himself over the raccoon, bringing their genitals together.
He froze momentarily as he thought he heard something from outside the room. Floor boards creaking. Not wanting to wait and risk, he quickly blew out the lamp and threw the covers over both of them, making sure to pull his belongings under there as well. Hopefully, whoever entered wouldn't notice the rise in mass of the young raccoon. Now underneath the covers and pressed against his target's warm, sleeping body, he could only wait. Somehow this excited him even more, pre oozing out of his tip and smearing the noble's leg. He heard the door slowly creak open, and thought he saw a faint light from beyond the covers. It lingered for a while, as if scanning the room for discrepancies. But it faded as quick as it had come, the door closing shut behind, its footsteps moving back down the stairs.
For a while he remained there, wanting to be sure he wouldn't be heard. Plus he didn't exactly mind being cuddled into the sleeping male. He pulled the sheets off and resumed his previously interrupted position. Having gone this far, he didn't intend to back down just yet. He took both their dicks in hand and began to jerk on them. It was somewhat restricting having to take care not to rock the bed too much, yet somehow it added to his arousal. As their friction grew, both their breaths seemed to grow intense, the heat between them rising. The raccoon peaked first, his rod splattering his own torso with spunk, followed shortly after by Petritus, bringing hyena semen into the mix. He briefly raised his aim, bringing a jet of jizz up to the sleeping male's cheek, as an extra surprise for him to find in the morning.
He just sat there for a while, allowing the afterglow to wash over him, their gonads pressed together. He liked the look of them that way. But unfortunately, soon the raccoon's would have to leave their snug container. Just as he was about to slip off the bed, however, he heard the creaking again, coming closer. He quickly threw the covers over them and pressed himself against the raccoon once more, somewhat regretting it as he realized he'd just smeared his work clothes and face in their joint love juices.
He remained still and quiet in wait, but this time the creaking moved past their door and instead ventured farther into the corridor. He could've sworn he heard voices, loud enough to reach his ears. Wanting to avoid incident, he put the anaesthetic soaked cloth over the raccoon's maw for a moment, deepening his sleep. The noise outside finally went away, descending the stairs once more. He threw the sheets off and pulled himself up, the sticky mess clinging onto him and forming thin strings between them. With a sigh he slipped off the bed. It'd take lots of hot water to get this clean, he thought. He had other things to take care of first, though.
He relit the candle and got to work, taking care to clean the area. It took a few bits of cloth to clear, the gooey mess being rather persistent, but eventually he managed. The procedure went as usual - a slash across the scrotum and within a minute, the raccoon's virility was safely secured, parted from its owner. This client wanted the victim's balls brought back as proof, although how she intended to recognize the owner, Petri had no idea. She lived in the same city, so perhaps she didn't want proof so much as a trophy. Then again, she insisted on taking something more recognizable, but Petritus refused, concerned with the possibility of bleeding the raccoon out, and not really finding the trade-off equal. He tucked the severed pair into one of his pouches, wrapped in cloth to keep the blood off his equipment. Stitching and cleaning with disinfecting liquids, he disposed of almost all trace of him being there. That is, outside of the musky male mess and the vacancy between the sleeping noble's legs.
Satisfied with his handiwork, he put his gear back on, blew the light out and made his way out the door. Now in the corridor, he moved to where he'd come in from, only to freeze as he found it now locked. Apparently whoever was patrolling the house had closed it without raising further alarm. He'd gotten lucky, but he felt he would have to hurry to maintain his luck. Pulling out his lockpicks, he nearly fumbled and dropped them when he suddenly heard the footsteps below again, moving towards the stairs. Breathing deeply to keep his cool, he plunged his picks into the lock, manipulating the now somewhat familiar set of tumblers till the door clacked open again.
He quickly slid into the room, seemingly just in time, as he heard the footsteps move up the stairs. Sparing no time, he went for the window, taking a moment to make sure no patrol was passing by that side of the house before climbing off over the side. His pace hastened dangerously as he heard the footsteps reach the door, and as he closed the window behind himself, he slipped. Miraculously he managed to keep his paws aimed downwards, but none the less, he found himself falling towards the wall surrounding the house. He landed on his feet, but only temporarily, as they slipped off to the sides, giving him the briefest moment of horror as he realized his trajectory.
Wanting to scream but keeping it to a muffled whimper instead, he landed crotch first, the amortization of his arms perhaps saving him from severe damage, but not sparing him the tremendous pain rushing into his gut. In an effort to ease the pressure on his compressed gonads, he slipped off to the side, falling limply to the foot of the wall. He took a few seconds, just lying there in sheer agony, but at the same time keeping himself pressed against the wall in case his pursuer was now scanning the house's surroundings from the windows. Taking all his will to ignore the pain, he rose to a crouch and began to creep away from the house, first along the wall, then off towards other buildings.
Only after he got two buildings away did he take the time to kneel down and reach into his pants to cup his still hurting testes. The tightness of his work gear did nothing for his comfort. Breathing heavily, he groped around a bit, making sure nothing felt damaged, and outside of some swelling, it seemed he was still intact. With a relieved sigh, he pulled his hand out, his attention returning to his current task. Still aching intensely, he resumed his retreat.
***
He woke with a yelp, his balls feeling as though on fire, the sound of a muffled clap resonating in his mind. He tucked his knees up to his chest and rolled onto his side, his hands already busy comforting his cherries.
"Thought you liked me waking you like that.", he heard Notri's familiar voice over him.
"Not. Today.", he managed through clenched teeth. "Gods.", he cursed under his breath.
"Sorry.", the sheep said, trying to sound sincere, and lied down behind the hyena. He wrapped his arms around the pained male, hoping to provide some comfort. It took him a while, but Petri finally unravelled from foetal position, albeit still cupping his plums. "Better now?", Notri asked.
"Yeah", the hyena grunted and slowly turned to face the sheep. As if by reflex, he pulled the caprine in and locked lips with him, only to find something amiss. He couldn't quite place what it was, and continued to wrestle tongues with the lithe male. Then it hit him. His eyes shot open to the sight of Notri looking right back at him with a devious smile. He pulled away, almost gagging, and let his tongue hang out in distaste. "Please tell me that wasn't deer I just tasted.", he said with flattened ears.
"What if it was?", he asked, his smile widened to a mischievous grin. Petri sighed and rose to a spread-legged sitting position, somewhat surprised to find he was already rigidly hard. He blushed profusely at the unwanted approval between his legs, but the sheep simply reached out and began to encourage it on with gentle strokes of his soft hands. The hyena huffed in pleasure and leaned onto his elbows, deciding to just let the little ram do his thing. "So what happened?", Notri asked as he tenderly took a handful of Petri's nuts, rolling the swollen orbs around in his palm, and then dipped his head in to engulf the other male's swollen glans.
"Had a nasty run in with a nasty mercenary.", he admitted without going into the finer details.
"Oh my.", the sheep paused in his oral efforts to speak. "How did that happen?", he questioned some more, before diving back down.
"Ah, just a drunken tavern brawl.", he lied.
"I thought you don't drink.", he pointed out without breaking stride.
"I don't. I wasn't the one drunk.", he answered. And indeed he didn't. With Notri it came out when he offered drink after a session of love making and he had to decline. It wasn't that he didn't like it. Sometimes he really missed it. But after even the lightest of alcohols he turned into a blabbermouth. And he wasn't eager to reveal what he did for a living to random drinking companions at all. Or anyone else, for that matter. Even less enticing was the prospect of some former target getting a hold of his less sober self. "Why so talkative today? Usually you save it for after.", he asked in turn.
"Sorry. Usually you don't come here with a swollen pair.", he giggled, giving the pair slightly harder squeeze, making him quiver in discomfort. "But since you don't intend to talk...", he said and moved to bring his butt over the hyena's muzzle. "Then why don't you use your mouth for something else?", he proposed, wiggling his rear, his heavily hanging plumes jiggling in turn.
"Thought you'd never-", he began, but was cut off as the sheep's nuts invaded his maw. Normally Notri wouldn't have put his male parts between a predator's jaws mid-sentence, but he trusted the hyena to be careful not to hurt him. Despite his violent urges, Petri had resisted hurting the little ram's gonads. At least since their first encounter.
Petritus began to gently suckle on those huge mandarins, tugging on them, pulling their droopy, furry container taut. He could feel his own pair being lapped at gently, then groped and fondled delicately while the little ram's maw moved on to engulf the hyena's already stiffening rod. Wanting to give his lover the same amount of attention, Petri took the sheep's cock in hand, stroking it gently while his tongue continued to lovingly caress those low-hanging grapes. He gave them a careful but firm tug upwards, wanting to reposition Notri's hips. Letting the caprine's gonads slip from his maw and drape over his muzzle, he pulled the stiff length hovering above into his mouth, slowly beginning to suckle on it.
He could feel the sheep move over to likewise give his own dick some more attention, lapping all over the glans, any oozing pre hungrily swallowed up by the timid male. In a single dip, Notri suddenly engulfed the entirety of the hyena's length, making him gasp out a whimper of pleasure into the ram's groin. They began to move in sync, their pace quickening in response to the bliss the other's hastening brought. Their joined efforts sped up faster and faster until suddenly, Petritus bucked and jerked as spasms of ecstatic pleasure washed over him, spurts of his essence spilling into the ram's eager maw. Soon after, the sheep's own build up spilt over, a muffled whimper warning the hyena of the oncoming flood of ram milk. For one of his size, Notri produced a great amount, and Petri struggled to keep up, but managed none the less.
Sated and panting, the two repositioned themselves to lay their heads on the comfy pillows, their breaths giving each other a whiff of their own cum. Notri cuddled into the hyena, giving his chest small, tender licks while his hand now gently massaged Petri's engorged gonads and softening dick.
"How come you only look hurt down there, anyway?", Notri asked, sounding somewhat bemused with Petritus' misfortune.
"Just... taking the longest to heal...", he explained, thinking back to the night he'd sustained these injuries.
***
He'd finally caught a break. After days of careful tracking and tailing, the bull he'd been assigned to handle had finally left the group he'd been with. And he didn't leave on good terms either. They parted with loud shouting and fists coming into play, likely over money. Though it was only the bovine that abandoned them. Petritus had continued to follow the stray mercenary, until finally, he broke camp at the edge of a small clearing near a stream.
As soon as he was asleep, the hyena moved in for the kill. This would be a highly physical confrontation, although not without advantage for the hyena. Feinsati had given him a vial of substance to drug the target with and make him an easier task. Petri, however, decided to ready only half of the recommended dosage. He wanted a challenge, and to give the bull a sporting chance. But mostly a challenge.
He was wearing his usual work clothes. The cleaning they'd required following his last job left the colours somewhat washed out and greyish, but it was preferable to the stains and smells of semen. He hadn't quite forgotten the way he'd fallen on his goods either, but it was only a memory by then, the swelling having fully subsided. The weather seemed ideal for the sort of thing he had in mind. It was hot, even in the dead of night, making his jewels dangle as low as they could. Likely the same could be said for his prey.
He moved slowly, careful not to step on any dry branches or leaves, until he finally stood over the unconscious bull, lying atop a sleeping roll. He was dressed in leather pants and vest, a pair of metallic bracers. His boots and weapon, a claymore, were lying next to him.
The first step was to disarm him. That came easy enough. Wanting better illumination for his upcoming fight, Petri had brought along a lantern, which he now settled near the bull. He took the large weapon in hand and walked some ways away, sliding the steel in a nearby bush where he wouldn't be likely to find it fast. As he turned to move towards the bull again, he froze as a branch snapped under his paw. The big bovine stirred a bit at this, but much to Petri's relief, otherwise didn't seem to react. All that was left to do was to administer the drug.
Having quickly closed the distance between them, Petri now stood over the sleeping big bovine, vial in hand. Pouring the liquid into the bull's maw would likely wake him and thus begin the fight. He was feeling somewhat uncertain of his plan, looking at how massive the bull was compared to himself, and even felt foolish at how eager he'd been to try and fight him even without the advantage. With a deep breath to gather his courage, he leaned in with the vial, when suddenly, the bull's eyes snapped open.
"Who the plague are you?", he exclaimed, glaring in fury. The mercenary suddenly grabbed the stunned hyena by the throat, making him gag. Panicking, Petritus spilled the contents of the vial into the bull's face, only some of it getting in his mouth, but luckily blinding him in the process. Roaring with anger, the bigger male rose to his hooves, maintaining his grip of the hyena, his other hand pre-occupied with trying to get the substance out of his eyes. Clutching at the arm robbing him of air, Petri went straight to the point with a kick right in the bull's groin. But outside of a pained grunt, he didn't get quite the reaction he'd hoped for. For that matter, he didn't feel his targets either.
Looking down at the bull's nethers, he found a characteristic bulge in one of the leggings. He readjusted his aim and kicked once more, this time hitting the huge male's left inner thigh. The bull bellowed in agony in response, and following a second kick in the same spot, he finally released the smaller male, allowing him to roll away as his opponent now dropped to his knees, his hands cupping his hurting bovine pride as waves of horrible pain and nausea hit his guts.
Petritus now walked swiftly towards the downed bull, wanting to soften him up with a few strikes to regions other than his crotch since that was covered up too well for the time being. But as he threw a kick from the side, the bull seemingly instantly came to his senses and caught it with one arm, the other already in motion to do what Petri feared most. Petri yelped as the punch launched him off his paws, sending him to the floor with an audible thud. He rolled into foetal position immediately, the pain in his testicles sudden and excruciating. But at the same time, he couldn't say he didn't enjoy it, his prick stiffening pleasantly.
They spent the next minute or so in their respective positions, too racked with pain to want to rise while the other remained floored, but finally the bull rose up. "I will break your balls for that, you little cunt.", he hissed, still cupping the inner side of his left leg. At least now they both had the same goal, apparently. Petritus rolled onto his back, still shielding his crotch with his hands, but ready to fend off the attacker with his paws. But just as the bull stepped into range and he kicked out, the big mercenary caught his legs and wrenched them off to the sides. Things were now looking very dangerous for the hyena's manhood.
The first stomp he caught with his hands, just barely managing to stop it from hurting his nethers, but the bull immediately pulled out of his grasp and stamped down again, this time managing to squish the hyena's balls against his pelvis. The third struck him hard, making him cry out in fear for his balls, but at the same time he managed to yank one paw free and immediately planted it in the bovine's left inner thigh. Once more, the big warrior bellowed in shock as his testicles were caught between the hyena's paw and his own, muscular leg. He stumbled back and fell, shielding his swollen apples. Petritus may've been lacking in stature, but he certainly knew how to kick balls hard.
Backing slowly away, Petri kept an eye on the bull, not wanting a repeat of the situation, and just as his opponent finally rose up on unsteady legs, so did he. Now face to face, he considered how to best approach the dangerous opponent. He wondered just how well the drug would work with having been so sloppily spilled over the bull's face. The mercenary was certainly wobbly looking already, but he couldn't tell if it was the effects of the substance or the ache no doubt still coursing through his abdomen.
As the bull took a step forward to try and attack, Petritus leapt in underneath. The bovine's hands darted down to protect his pouch from further harm, but Petri directed his attack elsewhere. He struck to the bull's side, putting the entirety of his weight behind it to try and get past the mass of muscle, but with seemingly only mild success. He then directed an uppercut right into his foe's throat, this time getting a clear reaction as he gasped and coughed, his hands leaving his lower regions in favour of his neck. Petritus took hold of the opportunity and immediately planted his knee into the bull's descended, heavy jewels, earning only a stifled cough as the big male still struggled to breathe.
Unexpectedly, however, the mercenary remained standing, and seemingly with all his might, he lifted Petritus off his paws with a mighty kick, sending the hyena dropping down to his knees as if his legs had given up. Petritus cried out in agony, the strike so hard he feared he might've lost something. He could've even sworn he heard a crack accompanying the hit. But the bull gave him no time to ponder that, as he pulled back his arm to punch the hyena into unconsciousness. He left his prize exposed yet again, however, and Petritus used this immediately, throwing himself forward with a hard elbow to the bull's testes. He was rewarded with the sound of a muffled pop.
The bull roared in agony as he felt one of his testicles permanently lose its form and fell forward onto the kneeling hyena, entangling them together. Their new position gave Petritus no room to wind up a strike, but it did grant him a different kind of opportunity. Before the mercenary could reach for his remaining gonad, Petri took hold of it with both hands and clamped down with all his might. The bull was now screaming and thrashing over him without coordination, his legs randomly beating at the hyena's torso below, a stray kick landing between his legs. Petritus felt himself seize up and his legs buck up. That last kick sent him over the edge, but he maintained his hold, and finally, with a sickening squelch, the remaining bovine gonad gave in, ending the bull's manhood.
Free of the grip and not yet realizing what had happened, the mercenary rolled off and away from the hyena, agony making him thrash around erratically on the floor. He briefly rose up to his knees, only to puke his lunch out onto the grassy ground, before resuming his agonized convulsions.
Petritus himself wasn't feeling much better, the ache in his berries frighteningly persistent. He put his hand down his sticky, cum-stained pants to verify their contents and sure enough, they were still there, but they felt over twice their usual size. He looked back at the now silent steer to find he'd passed out from his own pains.
Not wanting to do likewise and possibly find himself at the mercy of the bull later, Petri began to crawl away on all three, a hand over his balls to ease the pain movement brought.
***
"So... you up for another yet?", Notri asked, bringing the hyena out of thought.
"Give me a couple more minutes.", he said, cupping his naked nuts. The damage there wasn't helping his libido at all. But he couldn't say he regretted coming despite it.
"Sure. We've got all night.", the little ram said with a smile, giving Petri a peck on the cheek. Smiling in turn, the hyena paid him back with a kiss on the lips.
"Any stories you'd like to share in the mean time?", he asked.
"Like how endowed Mell is?", he suggested with a toothy grin. Petritus rolled his eyes in response.
"Sure. May as well know how big the deer I just tasted was.", he said in a dead-pan tone.
***
Petritus came into the designated establishment. A tavern called The Magenta Dragon. Colouristically, it certainly lived up to its name, with drapes and curtains being of the said colour. To a certain extent, it also did to the other part of the name. Thick white smoke filled seemingly every room of the establishment, its patrons inhaling and exhaling large puffs from pipes connected to bulbous bottles. It seemed relatively fancy for a tavern, its tables divided up using thin, weaved walls with entrances covered by transparent curtains.
After a bit of searching, he finally found Feinsati in one such room, sitting alone at a small table by a covered window, a pipe stuck through one of the small holes of her helm, the exhaled fumes spewing from multiple others.
"Hey, Feins.", Petritus said as he sat down gingerly opposite her.
"Welcome. Usually it is I who come late.", she said, picking a berry from a bowl at the table and sliding it underneath her mask.
"You know, the smoke is so thick here you could take off that helm and no one would notice.", he said semi-jokingly. She merely tilted her head. He couldn't tell if in annoyance or if she simply didn't find it funny. The helm proved to be a nuisance both to herself and others, yet she persisted in wearing it whenever anywhere even remotely public. "I'm not sure I like this place.", he commented.
"That is because you do not smoke.", she said, letting out a gust of smoke in the process. "I like it much more than that ugly tavern you picked.", she added.
"Doubt we'll overhear any potential clients here, though.", he said.
"At least it is quiet.", she said. "Anyway, how did your runs go? Everything in one piece?", she asked.
"Oh, fine. Ran into some problems... but nothing I couldn't handle. Just a bit sore now.", he explained. "What about you?", he asked in turn.
"Managed to find the guy you mentioned. He could not pay the usual rate, but we managed to work something out.", she explained.
"Oh? And what was that?", he asked, genuinely curious.
"Let us just say he used his bardic lips without making a sound.", she explained.
"Oh...", he eventually said, a grin forming over his features. "Makes me wish my usual clientele was compatible with that form of payment.", he added.
"As opposed to your targets?", she asked, making him roll his eyes. He'd mentioned once that he sometimes had fun with his assignments, and she wouldn't let it go. Mostly because of how reckless it was, but also because of how most of his "dates" were unilateral.
"Anyway, found something for me?", he asked, wanting to abandon the subject before it escalated.
"No. Sorry. Pretty dry recently.", she explained.
"I see. It's fine, though. Recently got into an agreement with a certain brothel owner to go after clients who had a problem with paying after the deed or got violent. Come to think of it, I might get some freebies out of it.", he said with a sly smile.
"Good for you. Do I get anything out of it?", she asked in turn.
"Oh yeah. Some of his clientele is female. Brought you a couple to start with.", he said, pulling out a small piece of parchment and handing it over. "Also, you could get some service in the deal, if you know what I mean.", he added.
"I see. I might have a look once I am done with these.", she said, looking over the names. "So anything special to know of them?", she asked.
"The first is a merchant that thought she could charm her way into a freebie, then left when asked to pay. She's to get the regular treatment. The second, also a merchant, got violent with one of the ladies. She's to get a painful one. The last one's some noble's bodyguard that had a night with the brothel owner, kicked him in the balls and ran out without paying. Another painful one.", he explained.
"Very well. Seems acceptable.", she said with another puff of smoke. She seemed rather at ease considering she would be going after a combatant. Maybe it was whatever she was smoking.
"I've been wondering. How exactly do you go about your jobs? You're not the sneaky type, nor much of a fighter. Not the type who'd charm her way through either.", he asked.
"I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Mostly potions.", she said.
"I figured as much, but they can't be a substitute for everything.", he said.
"Oh, you would be surprised. Of course, it does take some thought, but I deal very well just using them. Better than you, anyway.", she said, sounding smug with herself.
"I find that hard to believe.", he said, grimacing.
"Well, compared to you, I do not get a beating every other job. Except that one time.", she said.
"Two.", he corrected.
"That set-up does not count.", she protested.
"I would've avoided it.", he said, now sounding more smug.
"Eh.", she sighed. "If it makes you feel better.", she groaned, before taking another pull from the pipe. "So... that brothel. What males do they have on offer?", she asked.
"Hah! Knew you'd be interested. There's the owner, a rather big deer. And there's a little, white ram. Which do you think you'd prefer?", he said.
"Which do you frequent?", she asked, sounding curious.
"Hm? You intend to visit the same one?", he asked in turn.
"Maybe. Would you be jealous?", she asked in a bemused tone.
"Not really. Just might feel awkward sharing.", he said, raising an eyebrow.
"Ha! Well, I wouldn't mind. We could compare notes.", she said with a smile. "Not sure which one I'll go with yet. Might try both.", she said.
"At the same time?", he teased.
"Ha-ha... maybe. Is there a discount for that?", she snickered.
"I wouldn't know. I prefer one-on-one encounters.", he said.
"I find that hard to believe.", she said, tucking another berry underneath her helm. Petritus raised an eyebrow, but decided not to raise the subject.
"Well, guess we now know where our next meeting will be.", he concluded. "Can we please leave this place?", he asked.
"Fine. I like it here, though.", she said, rising from the table and leaving a few coins.
"Good for you. To me it feels like the inside of a furnace.", he remarked, already moving to leave the compartment.