Mighty Hands, Gentle Breath Ch. 02

Hello! Sorry for not bringing you an update sooner, life has been rough. Let's hope I can work faster for the next version. I want to write a slow burn story, but I hope this chapter turns up the heat. See you!

Chapter 2: Maera's Rest

As they were getting closer, Ren worried more and more. He had not seen any villagers in the streets, other than Vraka. He was starting to feel disappointed by the lack of people, the lack of life. In contrast to the rocky road that had led him here, The Hollow felt kind of empty and lifeless. Was this one of those videogames where the world seems big, but when there is not that much to do?

Maybe this is really just a game after all, and things like people and creatures behave like scripted videogame NPCs. Ren thought, as disappointment was settling in his mind.

But this woman... Ren thought as he was looking up to take a glance at Vraka. She seems so genuine and real. There are still many things to be discovered. Ren tried to give himself some determination.

Vraka looked back at him as they reached the inn and gave him a now familiar grin. "Well, beautiful, here's the inn. I have to get this to the workshop" she said as she firmly patted her sack.

"You go ahead and talk to Maera. But don't worry, I'll be back in a flash. I'm starving for some good meat." Vraka emphasized the last words as she reaccommodated the sack on her shoulder.

Ren could have sworn her eyes had moved away from his for a brief moment before she turned around. His cheeks were turning red again. Ren watched her walk away with a happy rhythm, swinging her strong wide hips as she was whistling a jolly tune. There definitely was something special about her.

Finally, Ren turned his attention to the inn, and he could hear a subtle noise coming from inside. The tavern's wooden door was even bigger than Vraka. He struggled to move the heavy door, but he managed to push it in. As soon as it was open just by a slit, all his senses were overwhelmed by the tavern ambience. Candles, torches, lanterns and lamps filled the hall with a warm golden light. The air didn't smell as fresh as outside, and carried a rich flavour. An aroma that was a subtle mix of wax, sweat, smoke and alcohol, but mostly delicious food. But what gave Ren back his hope for this adventure was the busy, lively, loud sound of patrons. Of living people.

Ren saw a few tables filled with people eating and laughing together. Fantastic creatures like the ones he saw the day before when he was creating his character. A pair of small but wide men with great beards that were unmistakably dwarves, some gnomes, halflings and a few other humanoids with different skin colours and different ear sizes. Ren noticed that the majority of big and tall individuals seemed to be women, despite a huge orc that was drinking alone at the bar.

"Come in and have a seat, honey! I'll take your order in a second." A big voluptuous minotaur woman said, carrying a tray with some plates and a couple of jars to a table. She signaled an empty table with the tippy tip of her tail as she winked at him with a smile.

The simple outfit she wore screamed "classic barmaid": A long white dress with short sleeves that left her big furry shoulders visible and a maroon leather corset over it with a couple of suspenders that gave her hefty breasts a much needed support.

Ren couldn't help it, he was getting lost stealing some glances at her defined cleavage when she eventually was coming to his table. Judging by the first couple of women he'd met, Ren was beginning to think Two Hollows only produced one kind of woman: large, warm, and unfairly hot.

"Hello and welcome, newcomer! This tavern ain't familiar with those lovely red cheeks of yours. Yet." The big minotaur lady said, smiling ear to ear as she said that last word. "What can ol' Maera get you?"

Ren's ears burned. "I-I'm looking for Maera, yes."

Her big brown eyes glowed. "Well, here you have her, sugar."

"I just arrived in town, looking for a job. And this woman, Vraka, told me that maybe there was something I could do for you." Ren finished with a sigh, surprised by the fact that he barely stumbled on his words.

"Oh! I'm so, so sorry, my dear." She said with a sad but comforting face. "I wish I had some work for such a gorgeous lass as yourself, but I'm afraid I just hired a new busboy."

He lowered his eyes in disappointment. "That's alright. I'm an adventurer, actually." He said as he met her gaze with newfound optimism.

"And after finding out there might not be a job for me in this parts, I was just looking for something to earn some coin while I stay here." His belly growled before he could say anything else, and a tiny bit of embarrassment crept back into him.

"I might not be hiring, hon, but I can still help with a few of those needs." Maera said, her eyes flicking to his rumbling stomach. "Don't worry, love. Lunch's on the house."

"Oh, really? That's far too kind," Ren leaned forward slightly. "Please, there must be something I can do to repay you."

Her wide hips shifted weight when she heard that. "Hmm..., aren't you the cutest little thing?"

Her bovine nostrils exhaled vigorously making her copper nose ring shake; this time she was the one who was blushing. Her fingers played with the furry hair of her soft chin for a moment, then subtly readjusted the fabric of her dress around her hips. Just as she was going to keep talking, she gently pulled down her corset, giving it a firm shake. Ren's eyes flickered to her jiggling breasts for just a moment, and Maera grinned in a completely different way than before. Still a warm smile, but with a pinch of mischief too.

"A couple of things just came to my mind. It may not be enough work to be a full job, but I could let you stay in one room for two or three nights in exchange." Maera almost whispered, leaning closer to Ren.

With the corner of his eye, Ren thought he saw a subtle bulge move under her dress, but he was rapidly distracted by the sudden wiggle of her bust as she stood tall.

"One Greenhollow soup and one braised orchard pork, coming up!" Maera screamed as she was walking towards the kitchen.

Wow! This is something else! Ren thought, looking around the inn. These people are not NPCs at all. This truly feels like a fantasy tavern. There are no signs of warriors or mages, but I can feel something magical in the air.

As he started to stare longer at some of the patrons, all different kinds of fantastical humanoids, a couple of things came to his attention. Firstly, everyone was behaving overly flirty, which only further made him more convinced that the women he had encountered had been flirting with him. At least a little. And second, every woman he saw was either small and delicate like Selene, or really big. Bigger than almost anyone else he had ever met.

He was starting to see a pattern. Every couple he identified as such was formed by one of those large ladies and either one of the petite ones, or a man. And every man, even the manlier ones, was shorter and smaller than the women they were with. He realized now that the huge orc he saw at the bar earlier was a lovely drunken orc lady, enthusiastically flirting with a slim and slender goat-like lad. The handsome lad was shyly laughing at her jokes and blushing as the orc mimicked dirty gestures with her face and hands.

"Maera wasn't lying much when she said this one was for the prettiest lass in town!" Someone next to Ren said.

He turned around before she was finished with the compliment. A shortstack green lady with a barmaid costume was staring at him. Despite her being standing and him sitting at the chair, her head was still around his current eye level.

Seems like goblins are part of the menu too! Ren thought.

She had long pointy ears and a big beautiful nose decorated with silver piercings, and a golden fang poking out of her smiling lips. She was leaving a couple of plates on the table as she spoke again.

"A nice bowl of Greenhollow soup and some braised pork fresh off the fire!" The green lady said in a playful tone.

"Eat it before it cools! Or you will lose your fire too." She said before licking her shiny tooth with the tip of her tongue.

"Thank you! Everything looks and smells delicious. Give Maera my thanks too." Ren said, feeling the warmth coming off the food.

"Oh, you can thank her personally later." She grinned. "She's preparing a fresh serving of milk just for you. Enjoy your lunch, honey."

With that, she went back into the kitchen, and Ren focused again on his food. The rations weren't too big, but his mouth was watering from the smell alone. The vegetable soup was rich, and more spicy than he had anticipated, which he liked. The meat wasn't as intense in flavour, but it was really tender, and Ren found himself humming and almost moaning while he devoured it.

Just as he was about to finish the second dish, Maera came out of the kitchen, almost in a rush. She was carrying a big wooden jar to his table while she stared right at his eyes, and Ren noticed her furry cheeks were slightly blushing. Her breathing was heavy, and a cheeky smile was forming on her face as she got closer to the table.

"You better have plenty of room for dessert!" Maera said as she put the jar on the table. "I poured my all into making it!"

"Thanks! Everything was delightful." Ren said with an appreciative and honest tone.

"Oh, honey, you're a sweetheart! Please, go on and taste the dessert: Maera's Special" Her eyes were shining in anticipation.

"Of course! What is it, by the way? Some kind of cream?" Ren asked as he turned his attention to the creamy content of the jar.

"You could say it's closer to buttermilk. Churned it myself the old-fashioned way, you know?" Maera answered with a breathy little laugh.

The drink looked like some sort of cream or white syrup with a buttery color, quite thick and viscose. The top of the jar was sprinkled with a brown powder, which Ren assumed to be cinnamon. He lifted the jar to his nose. The cinnamon hit him first, but only for a moment; the rich aroma of whatever cream Maera had used quickly pushed through it. The whiff almost stung Ren, it was pungent and spicy, and nearly made him gag. But his manners prevailed. So far every dish had been appetizing and flavourful, and he didn't want to upset such a caring host.

Ren lingered on Maera's face for a heartbeat before drinking. Her eyes were warm, expectant. He tilted the jar, cinnamon touching his mouth first; then the slow, heavy pour of the liquid behind it. What Ren felt first was the warmth; so hot against his lips that he almost pulled back. Then the liquid slipped into his mouth, dense and uneven, sliding heavily over his tongue. A sour, slightly bitter taste blossomed, unexpected.

What in the world is this!? Not rotten, but definitely not fresh either; how did she serve this with a straight face? Ren thought, clamping his lips shut to avoid spitting it out. Come on, just a sip and then you can say you're full.

Ren struggled for a moment, then mustered every scrap of courage he had and gulped the buttermilk in one go. He sucked in a breath through his nose the instant it was gone, and suddenly, something clicked in the back of his brain. Every flavour sharpened at once, intensified. The mild salt he'd barely noticed became rich and commanding, eclipsing everything else. Before he knew it, he was going in for another sip.

Maera planted herself in the chair across from him, elbows on the table, grin wide and delighted. "Mmh. Look at you," she said softly, watching him with almost indulgent pleasure.

Ren kept loudly drinking the lumpy liquid.

Glug! Glug! Glug!

It was so thick that it required some effort just to get it down his throat, but something compelled him to keep going without pause. It was almost as if he was enthralled. It was so good! Each breath he stole between swallows burst with taste, like a feast on its own.

"Didn't think you'd take to it that eagerly." Maera said as she moved one of her hands down the table, and hummed at the rhythm of his pace.

By the end he felt wrung out, panting and sweating, his face burning red as though he'd run a marathon. And then he noticed Maera and the patrons sitting at the nearby tables. Were they looking at him? Watching him? Heat spiked under his skin, embarrassment washing over his small, delicate face.

Maera didn't move at first. She just watched him with that soft, warm, dangerously amused smile of hers; the kind that said she was enjoying every second of this far more than she should.

Then, with a low hum of appreciation, she leaned forward onto her elbows.

"Well now...I knew it'd grow on you," she murmured, voice thick with delight. Her eyes traced his flushed cheeks, the sweat clinging to his temples, the way his chest rose and fell. "But I didn't think you'd take to it that eagerly."

She let out a breathy chuckle; quiet, but unmistakably pleased.

"Stars above, sweetheart... you look like you've run a marathon just to please me."

Beyond the flush of shame, he also felt something down in his groin that made him question the extent to which he was embodying the role of Selene, the character he had created not long ago. Maera shifted, subtly but deliberately, her arm tightening under her bust to enhance her cleavage. And as if echoing her gesture, a physical response, familiar but perplexing, began to stir in his groin.

There was no doubt now, he felt it. He had an erection.