From Real to Realm

Training went about as expected for Val. Her armor, while form-fitting, still needed some minor adjustments. With both Amarisse and Lucia there, it was easy enough to do in the moment. A few hours later, Val was extremely happy. Her armor hugged her snugly and moved with her.

The halberd was the most fun for her. It was even lighter than the wooden training ones. With every swing, she felt like it was just gliding through the air. Not once did she feel like she was overextending or struggling to keep her balance. Of course, this was only her swinging it through the open air. Practice swings were nothing compared to real combat.

Real combat. That was something that worried her more than she cared to admit. Going back into the dungeon was not a small decision. Even now, she worried about what could be waiting for them. The guild claimed it eliminated both Soul Mimics, but what were the chances of another showing up?

“That felt pretty productive,” Lucia said, smiling. “It feels good to be doing this with you both again. Maybe once Mina’s healthy, we can all get together more often?”

Amarisse nodded. “That sounds amazing. Even if we aren’t all fighting together, nothing says we can’t spend time together.”

“Agreed,” Val said. “No reason to separate if we don’t have to, right?”

Together, the girls walked to the main gate. After saying their goodbyes, they each went their own way. Val was looking forward to taking her armor off and taking a bath. She was soaked to the bone with sweat after training in the day’s heat. It wasn’t all that late yet, either. Maybe she could take Lynesia out to dinner? The Deep Cup seemed like a good idea. A bit pricey, but would be nice for a proper dinner date.

It didn’t take Val long to walk home. As soon as she walked in, Marxus looked up from his book.

He smirked, pinching his nose and waving his hand playfully. “Gods, lass. You need a bath.”

Val laughed, flipping Marxus the bird.

The old dwarf just chuckled as he went back to reading his book.

Val made her way upstairs only to find the door locked to her room. That meant Lynesia wasn’t home yet. Val fished her key out and made her way into the apartment. It was dark in the apartment, but after activating the prism sconces, the rooms lit up.

She made her way to the bedroom and peeked in. There were a few more things throughout the room. That meant Lynesia had already been by to drop off her stuff. Then where was she right now?

It wasn’t worth stressing over. Instead, Val focused on getting out of her armor and clothes. With how snug her armor was now, that was a bit tougher than normal. After finally getting out of it, she set everything to the side in a pile.

Now nude, she made her way to the bathroom. After activating the sconce on the wall, she started filling the tub. When it was about halfway, she heard the front door open.

“Val? I’m home!”

Val immediately smiled to herself. “I’m taking a bath!”

Footsteps slowly made their way through the apartment, stopping in front of the bathroom door. Then it slowly opened.

“Room for one more?” Lynesia asked.

Val chuckled. “Of course.”

Lynesia closed the door, taking a moment to strip in the bedroom. Within a couple of minutes, the two of them were relaxing in the hot water together. Val was leaning back against the wall of the tub, eyes closed. Lynesia was leaning back against her, holding onto Val’s arms.

“Do you have any dresses?” Val suddenly asked.

Lynesia shifted a little. “I do. Why?”

Val smiled. “After our bath, get dressed in something nice.”

This time, Lynesia shifted to look at Val. “What’s going on?”

Val opened her eyes, grinning. “It’s a surprise. I promise you’ll love it.”

Lynesia narrowed her eyes. Val couldn’t tell what was going through her head right now.

“I promise it’s something you’ll enjoy, okay?” Val leaned forward, kissing Lynesia.

Lynesia, for her part, didn’t press further. Instead, they enjoyed their soothing bath in silence. Eventually, Lynesia was the first to get out.

She leaned over the side of the tub, pressing a finger to Val’s lips. “Since I get the feeling this is special, I’m going to get ready in the other room. I want to give you a surprise of your own as well.”

Val smiled against her finger, nodding.

With that, Val got to enjoy the sight of Lynesia walking out of the bathroom. She always did think Lynesia had an amazing ass.

A handful of minutes later, Val got out of the water as well. She did her best to wring her hair, but that was going to take a bit more drying. She made her way into their main bedroom and started looking through her options. She didn’t have her full wardrobe anymore, not since she left home. What she did have was a bit limited.

She ended up spending more time than she would care to admit picking out her outfit. Eventually, she settled on a soft cream blouse with rolled sleeves, dark green breeches that were fitted but flexible, and a thin leather belt. She only had one pair of boots, so she spent a handful of minutes trying to clean and shine them as best she could. She didn’t change her normal hairstyle and didn’t apply any makeup.

After checking herself in the mirror, she felt confident the look was right. It wasn’t over-the-top fancy, but it wasn’t too casual for a nice dinner date. Happy with her look, she took a seat on the bed, waiting for Lynesia.

Soon, five minutes turned into ten. Then ten minutes turned into twenty. Almost half an hour later, the door to the other room opened. Val couldn’t see her yet, but stood by the bed waiting for her.

What came into view made her heart stop.

First was the color. It was a deep navy, the kind of color you could fall into without realizing it. The design, though, was what blew her away. It was open shouldered, showing Lynesia’s collarbones and part of her shoulders. The neckline dipped slightly into a sweetheart shape, hinting at what was hidden beneath. The fitted waist of the entire ensemble drew Val’s eyes even lower. It was a laced corset style that accentuated her curvy figure deliciously. That led to a slightly flared skirt that brushed Lynesia’s knees. It was layered to flow as she walked instead of appearing stiff. Val’s eyes continued down only to notice the sheen of the dark sheer stockings she was wearing as well. All of this was finished off with a pair of blue heels.

As for the smaller details, she was wearing an adorable ribbon choker combined with a pendant resting just above her cleavage. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail with a small blue ribbon as well, while loose strands framed her face.

“I only said nice… You look like you’re about to meet royalty,” Val said, eyes wide.

Lynesia blushed. “Well… I wanted you to like it.”

Val gulped, realizing how dry her mouth felt. “I fucking love it. I love you.”

Lynesia giggled, doing a small turn from side to side. “It’s not too much, is it?”

“It’s perfect,” Val said, stepping up to her.

Val pulled her in close and kissed her deeply. The same berry scent filled her nose as she struggled to stop kissing her girlfriend. After a handful of seconds, she finally pulled away. Each of them was blushing hard.

“Now what?” Lynesia asked.

Val smiled, taking her hand. “Would you like to have dinner with me?”

Lynesia giggled again. “I would love to.”

Val continued holding her hand as they left their room. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, a sudden whistle caught them by surprise.

“I’ll be, lass. You both are a bit gussied up, aren’t ya?” Marxus asked, smirking.

Both Val and Lynesia nodded.

“It’s our first date technically,” Val said. “I wanted to take her somewhere nice.”

Marxus chuckled. “You’re goin’ to be the center of attention tonight, that’s fer sure.”

Lynesia blushed even more. “I wanted to look good… for Val.”

He nodded. “I’d say ya did that, lass. Now go have some fun! Hurry while ya got daylight to burn!”

Both girls chuckled as they waved goodbye and pushed out into the cooler air. With the sun lower in the sky, the temperature had dropped, but not terribly so. Within seconds, people were glancing at the two of them as they walked along. Lynesia clung to Val’s arm as she led them toward The Deep Cup.

The walk wasn’t that long, but the number of eyes on them made it feel longer than normal. Men and women of all ages were admiring the couple as they walked through the street. Val was sure most of the attention was on her stunning girlfriend. Her heart was about to burst from pride.

That’s right. She’s MY girlfriend.

Soon, they arrived at the front doors of The Deep Cup.

“I’ve heard mention of this place,” Lynesia said. “It’s not frequented by adventurers much. They don’t like rowdy patrons, right?”

Val nodded. “It’s not the fanciest in the city, but it’s anything but casual in my opinion. A nice middle ground for us.”

Lynesia squeezed Val’s arm a little tighter, whispering. “I’m so overdressed for this…”

Val gently pat Lynesia’s hand. “Nonsense. You look absolutely divine. They should feel lucky just to be in your presence.”

That earned a roll of her eyes as she playfully slapped Val’s arm. “Such a smooth talker tonight.”

Together, they pushed through the front door into the calm atmosphere within. The lights were dimmed like the last time Val was here. As soon as they entered, someone approached them, a surprised expression on their face.

“Good evening,” he said, bowing lightly.

Val smiled. “Good evening. Do you have private rooms or anything along those lines?”

The man nodded. “We do. One moment while I check to see if one is open.”

As he left, Lynesia whispered. “I didn’t know they greeted you right away.”

Val shook her head. “I don’t think they usually do. I came here with my party early on, and we just walked in and chose a seat. It’s probably because of how we’re dressed.”

Within a minute, the man walked back up to them. “We actually do have a room available for a private dinner. It’s one Mark to reserve it.”

Lynesia inhaled in surprise while Val just fished the coin out of her pouch.

The man smiled, grabbing it, but Val held on. “You’re not trying to fleece us for extra coin, right?”

The man froze, sweat beading on his head. “O—of course not. The Mark price covers the room and the first three rounds of drinks. I must’ve failed to mention the drinks, my apologies.”

Val narrowed her eyes, holding his gaze for a few seconds, then released the coin. “If Talio is working, I’d like him to take care of us tonight.”

“I can arrange that,” he said, turning around. “Follow me to the room.”

They followed the man across the main room of The Deep Cup and into a small hallway in the back. As they walked down the hall, they noticed multiple doors on each side. Occasionally, Val would hear muffled voices or the clanking of glass and silverware.

“Here we are. Talio will be with you shortly with the first round of our house brandy,” he said, bowing slightly. “Enjoy your evening.”

“Thank you,” Lynesia said, smiling.

Val pulled the chair out from the table and helped Lynesia sit. When that was done, she helped slide her to the table before taking her seat across from her.

“You look… I can’t even put it into words,” Val said, grinning. “Especially in this low romantic light. How did I get so fucking lucky?”

Lynesia reached forward, taking Val’s hands. “I think I’m the lucky one. I never imagined I’d ever find someone like you.”

Val brought Lynesia’s hand to her face, kissing the back of it gently. “I’m looking forward to dessert,” she said, winking.

Lynesia struggled to stop blushing from such a thought.

Each of them began looking over the small menu lying in front of them. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. After a brief pause, Talio walked into the room.

Val smiled. “Talio! Good to see you again.”

Talio smiled. “You were with Lucia that other night, right?” He set their drinks on the table. “Your name starts with a V?”

She nodded, chuckling. “Valnarei, but you can call me Val.”

He chuckled. “I see tonight is a special night.” He bowed lightly toward Lynesia. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Talio.”

Lynesia smiled. “I’m Lynesia, I’m Val’s girlfriend.”

Talio smirked. “Bagged yourself a looker there, Val. Lucky girls.”

Val nodded. “Don’t I know it.”

With pleasantries finished, they started discussing the menu. It took them a couple of minutes to decide on what they wanted to eat. Honestly, everything sounded good to Val. Finally, after some suggestions from Talio, they picked their food.

Lynesia settled on something lighter. Seasoned vegetables steamed with a portion of diced meat on the side. Val, on the other hand, went with the opposite. She chose a nice steak with some steamed potatoes on the side. Val hadn’t eaten for most of the day, so she was hungry.

“We should do this more often,” Lynesia suggested, sipping on the brandy.

Val nodded after throwing back the whole thing. “I agree. Once I start making money for contracts and parts from the dungeon, I should have plenty of coin.”

Lynesia’s expression softened. “I should probably try to find work as well. I can’t expect you to take care of me just yet.”

Val frowned. “I wish I could. Maybe one day, but for now we’ll just work together.”

From there, they both fell into small talk. It was mostly about how the families were doing. Lynesia was still happy that Val was finally able to make up with her family. It had been something she was worried about since she found out what happened.

Val, on the other hand, found out something new about Lynesia’s parents. Apparently, her mother had a hunch long ago that they might become romantically entangled one day. Her father was happy for her but a bit hesitant about the pairing. It wasn’t that he didn’t like them being together; he was worried about Val’s health. He didn’t want Lynesia to go through watching Val struggle with an illness again.

“Did you tell him Wilhelm cleared me from any lingering illness?” Val asked.

Lynesia nodded. “I did. That seemed to make him happy, but he’s still worried for both of us. He wants us to live long, happy lives together, that’s all.”

Suddenly, there was another knock on the door, and then it slowly opened. The smell of grilled vegetables and meat immediately filled the room.

“I’ve got your food and more drinks,” Talio said, setting the tray on the side of the table.

He placed both plates in front of them before setting two more drinks in front of them.

“Alright. Those are the last drinks covered for now. Any more you’ll have to pay for, and the food, of course,” he said, placing the tray under his arm.

Val rummaged for a second before placing five Tacks in his hand. “Thanks for taking care of us tonight, Talio.”

His eyes got a bit wide at the tip, but he nodded. “Of course, anytime you need it, Val.”

As soon as he left, Lynesia leaned forward. “That was a big tip.”

Val grinned, winking. “I’ll show you a big tip later.”

Lynesia rolled her eyes. “I’m being serious. Most people only tip a Tack or two at most.”

Val paused. “Oh.” She shrugged. “Well, too late.”

Together, they started eating their food. Small talk was sparse as they enjoyed their meals and partook of the alcohol they were left. Val was feeling a good buzz by the time she was working on her last cup. Lynesia must’ve been feeling equally as good based on how giggly she was becoming. Talio came by to check on them one last time as they neared the end of their meal. When he did, Val paid the remaining amount for the food. All in all, the night didn’t break the purse.

When they were finished eating and drinking, they made their way out of the private room. They waved at Talio as they walked across the main room, ignoring the stares from other patrons.

As soon as they got outside, Lynesia pulled Val into a hungry kiss. “We need to get home, now.”

Val wasn’t about to argue with her. She scooped her up princess carry and started jogging through the streets. Lynesia just giggled in her arms as she clung to Val.

Val was feeling on cloud nine right now.

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