The next morning as Lilit came out of Awenda’s room she was greeted by the smirking face of Izumi. Lilit tried to py it off by rolling her eyes when Izumi just wiggled her eyebrows at her, but she could feel her face heating.

  “You go girl,” Izumi smacked Lilit pyfully on the butt.

  Lilit jumped a little while a squeak snuck out of her. “You don’t have to be so…” Lilit waved her hands vaguely to encompass all of Izumi’s short stature.

  Izumi’s smile turned more pyful, “What? Sexy? Good looking? An amazing lover?” Izumi winked at her, “I’m teasing. I’m just happy for you two. Am I sad that I wasn’t the first one to take a crack at you?” Her eyes traveled up and down Lilit so btantly that just the look felt lewd. “Maybe. But am I gd that you got id? Definitely!”

  “Don’t be so crude,” Lilit almost stomped like a child. Izumi always just seemed to know how to, and enjoyed pushing her buttons.

  Izumi ughed and threw up her hands in surrender. “Ok. Ok. I’m sorry, princess.

  “Are you ready for all these interviews?” Izumi changed the subject. “Awenda messaged us soooooo many people.”

  Awenda came out of the room just then, “What did I do? I heard my name.”

  “There are sooooo many people to interview,” Izumi compined.

  Awenda frowned at her, “There are five people.”

  “That’s sooooo many,” Izumi whined.

  Lilit took the opportunity to ugh while she grabbed Awenda’s hand and started walking toward the kitchen. She needed some coffee if she was going to deal with all of this all day. The pn was to sit down and figure out what they might be looking for in a new party member this morning. This afternoon they would hold the interviews, and hopefully by this evening they’d be inviting someone into their party.

  Breakfast was a lively affair. Izumi insisted that whoever they picked needed to be a woman, because she “didn’t do dudes.” Lilit didn’t see what that had to do with anything. While Rana and Awenda were both pan and open to anyone joining the party. Lilit was even more confused about why everyone’s sexual preferences were an important part of the decision making process. She just wanted someone that she could get along with and would fit in with their combat styles. The others looked at her like she was crazy.

  Awenda eventually took Lilit off to the side and expined to her that since their party was all open to dating within the party, they’d all assumed that being part of the party and being a prospective romantic partner were synonymous. Lilit was of course fbbergasted.

  “I’m open to seeing where things go between us, but that doesn’t mean that I’m going to date the other two as well,” Lilit insisted.

  “What? Is this more of your human hang-ups? I thought we’d moved past all that when we let Izumi on the team,” Awenda whisper yelled. “Do you not find Rana attractive? I’ve seen the way you look at her when you think no one is looking,” she went on the attack. “And I’ve seen how flustered Izumi makes you with just a few words.”

  “F-first of all, Izumi frustrates me. She doesn’t ‘fluster’ me or anything remotely like that,” Lilit argued. “Second of all, yes…Rana is very attractive. That doesn’t mean I want to date her. I’m dating you. I like you.”

  “And I like you too. But I also like Izumi and Rana.” Awenda rested her palm on Lilit’s cheek, not letting her look away. “I want to have a retionship with them as well.”

  “B-but,” Lilit sputtered.

  “It doesn’t mean I like you any less,” Awenda tried to pcate her.

  Lilit knew that they’d all kind of discussed this before, and she had tacitly agreed with Rana and Awenda about everyone dating everyone when they talked about bringing in Izumi. Did that mean that her not wanting Awenda to be with the others made her a liar? Did she want to be with Rana? Izumi? Could she be open to something like that? She just didn’t know. She wanted to kick this can down the road, to leave it to future Lilit to deal with, but she felt like she was quickly coming up to the point where she either had to put up or shut up. Future Lilit was quickly becoming present Lilit.

  “D-does that mean I have to date Rana and Izumi too?” Lilit asked.

  “You don’t have to no. No one will make you be with any of us. But, I know they both want to be with you.”

  “Oh,” Lilit felt so small. Was she really the one holding them all back? She did find Rana very attractive. And…she also did kind of like Izumi as well. She took a minute to really think about things.

  Picturing Awenda curled up with Izumi or Rana didn’t automatically engender jealousy or even frustration in her. She wasn’t to the point where it made her happy to think about her lover with someone else, but she was willing to admit that maybe it wouldn’t be a horrible thing either. She had a feeling that she was going to need to really pay close attention to her feelings, and be willing to communicate about them with the others. Burying her fears and concerns would just make things worse in the long run she suspected.

  Maybe she could be open to Rana and Izumi, both with her and with Awenda. But was she ready to let in another person to the mix already? She’d barely even let herself consider just Rana and Izumi. What if the new person and her didn’t get along? Would the others take her side over theirs? Would it be fair to ask them to?

  “O-ok. I’ll try harder. Alright?” Lilit asked quietly.

  “Ok, sweetheart. You know I’m not trying to push you on anything, but you did kind of already agree to all this.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I really will try harder.”

  Awenda pced a tender kiss atop Lilit’s head. Lilit looked up to meet her eyes and Awenda smiled warmly down at her. If the others could be as patient as Awenda then things probably wouldn’t be too bad. But, she knew that Izumi in particur was not a patient person.

  When they went back into the dining room, Lilit made the point of sitting next to Rana. She even smiled warmly at her. Rana was the most obvious case of someone to open thigns up to. Izumi was just too much…everything to make Lilit comfortable right now.

  The others at the table seemed to sense the change in Lilit. Awenda sat across the table from her instead of beside her, and Izumi hopped up to sit next to Awenda. Rana reached out and patted Lilit on the shoulder with a little squeeze at the end. Lilit couldn’t see what Izumi was doing with her hands beneath the table, but she was leaning over dangerously in order to be in Awenda’s space. Apparently they were actually doing this. Lilit surprisingly didn’t feel much of anything one way or the other. Which was kind of a relief in and of itself.

  They continued their discussion about candidates. There was the warlock they had reached out to, a ronin, two berserkers, and one vanguard. Based on their roles alone, any of them would make a good fit. Lilit had been a little surprised to learn that the vanguard css was about the only rogue type css avaible in the dungeons. Ronin were like padins with their strict code of conduct, but without the divine magic or anything. Berserkers were pretty self-expnatory honestly. And the offensively focused warlock. Five candidates they’d need to interview and hopefully pick someone from.

  The ronin was the first person to meet them in the suite for an interview. His immediate leering at all four of them caused all of their hackles to rise. Lilit tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe he was just awkward. He was more in line with anime beastkin than someone like Rana. He had some kind of animal ears on top of his head, and a tail swaying back and forth behind him, but otherwise looked human.

  Before Lilit could ask him anything about himself he decred, “Wow. You three are so beautiful.” Turning toward Awenda, “Sorry, I don’t do muscles. Seems kinda gay.”

  All four of them stared at the young man with disbelief. Surely he hadn’t just, but yes he had. Even-keeled Awenda was beginning to turn red and her face was set in a deadly scowl. Izumi started to snicker, muttering something about digging his own grave under her breath. Rana looked like she was ready to commit murder then and there. And Lilit was just dumbfounded.

  “I’m kidding. Obviously. But…” he trailed off.

  “L-let’s try and stay on topic. What level are you and what kind of role do you provide in a party?” Lilit tried to bring everyone back to the job at hand. She’d already basically written him off, but she could still be professional.

  “I’m a level three ronin, and I’m a ‘the more the merrier’ type of partier.” He grinned in what she was sure was meant to be flirtatious but was really just creepy. “I joke. But, seriously I could handle it.” He winked at them, the same creepy smile on his face.

  “Yeah, I’m not sure—” Lilit began.

  “Get the fuck out you little cretin,” Rana growled in a menacing tone.

  The beastkin man across from them became immediately defensive, “What are you talking about? I just got here. I haven’t even had a chance to—”

  “Get. Out. Now.” Rana slowly raised off of the couch next to Lilit. Her entire demeanor screamed violence and her willingness to use it. She made a small lunge forward and the ronin fell over himself getting out of the chair.

  He jumped up and stomped toward the door, throwing over his shoulder angrily, “Fucking dykes.” The door smmed behind him.

  “Well that started well,” Izumi started cackling.

  Lilit rested her head in her hands. She could already feel a headache building. They had set up interview times thirty minutes apart, hoping to get through the interviews quickly. None of them expected them to go quite that quickly though, so they had another twenty-five minutes before their next person showed up.

  The second interview was only marginally better in that the man, one of the berserkers, showed himself out after decring he wasn’t here to py tea parties or get his nails done when he id eyes on the four women. Lilit didn’t even have time to register what kind of being he was.

  The third interview at least started much more normally than the others. This was the warlock they’d reached out to. She walked in very timidly, almost hunched into herself. She was an elven woman, though not the same kind as Alfred or Sapphire. Unlike both, she was pale skinned with long blonde hair. Unlike Sapphire she had normal looking eyes instead of them being a solid crystalline color. She had the same long, thin ears like Alfred, but they were more horizontal than vertical. So, elf-like, but not the same kind as either of the elves Lilit had already met. Which begged the question, how many fvors of elf were there?

  She settled in her seat across from the party and offered them a small, shy smile. Her fingers twisted in her p and they could feel the anxiety pouring off the poor girl.

  Lilit tried to put her at ease with a warm smile of her own, but the poor girl just blushed and looked away. “So, let’s start off easy. What level are you and what role do you fill in a party?” Lilit asked after a few moments of nervous silence.

  The warlock took a deep breath, and still not meeting anyone’s eyes, began mumbling into her p. Unfortunately it was too quiet for them to hear anything she said. Lilit looked around at the others, because this level of shy was beyond her norm.

  Rana rolled her eyes, “She said she’s still a level one, she’s only done the tutorial level so far. She also cims to, ahem,” she gave a little cough, “rain down the pain.” At which point Rana began chuckling. “She’s oddly cocky for someone so obviously shy. I like it,” she smiled at the others.

  Apparently they were going to have to filter her answers through Rana. They found out the elf’s name was Fiadh, and she was Aos Si which was a distantly reted cousin to Sapphire’s Sidhe, and Alfred’s Svartalfar. She had several spells, all geared toward destruction of some kind. She hadn’t teamed up with anyone in the tutorial, and she had spent the st six days looking for a party. Most people gave up on her when no one could hear her speak.

  Her quiet voice was due to a mild form of selective mutism that was reted to her anxiety. She assured them that she could talk at normal volume once she was comfortable with people. Until then she was apparently quite fast at sending messages via the delver. At that point Lilit and the others added her as a contact and she dictated her answers to them while Rana continued to act as her voice.

  When Izumi rudely asked about her orientation, already having developed a crush on the tall, willowy woman, they found out she was ace and panromantic before Lilit could finish yelling at Izumi for her question.

  “We are not here just for you to find more girlfriends!” Lilit yelled across the room.

  “But how will I know if she’d want to be flirted with if I don’t ask?” Izumi yelled back.

  They yelled back and forth a few more times, managing to throw in a few insults until Rana and Awenda separated them on the couches. Rana silenced Izumi and distracted her with a deep kiss. Awenda quieted Lilit by wrapping her up in her arms and rocking her back and forth for several minutes. When Lilit managed to pay attention again, Fiadh was giggling and blushing behind her hand. They wrapped up the interview after that.

  The next person was a bit of a bust as well, though not for the same reasons as earlier people. He was the other berserker. He was very kind and respectful. He spoke at a normal volume. But, it turned out he hadn’t read their ad very closely because he was a level eleven berserker, which just wouldn’t work well with everyone else being level two. Just too much of a gap for any of them to feel confident working together. But he thanked them for their time and left the suite with a smile and wishing them all good luck.

  The final interview was with the vanguard, who showed up banging on their door ten minutes te. At least this was their final interview. Lilit was ready to throw in the towel and start over. When Rana let the tecomer in, the party was greeted by another beastkin. This one was a woman, and almost assuredly a feline beastkin.

  “So sorry I’m te y’all. I’d say it never happens, but it happens all the time,” the cat girl smiled unashamedly at the party before climbing into her seat. She was dark skinned with deep, hooded eyes. Her hair and ears and the tail shing behind her back were a typical mixed calico coloring, a ginger, brown, and white interspersed through her hair and fur.

  “I’m Soon-Bok! I’m a level two vanguard, which means I like to scout out traps and enemies while striking from the shadows. I’m very much a high-risk, high-reward pyer.

  “Oh, wow. I love your fur color!” She randomly shouted at Rana who seemed a bit taken aback. “You’re so pretty with the smoky grey and the gold highlights. I’m jealous. I’m just a little calico neko. Nice to meet you all!” She turned her exuberant attention onto the rest of the party and waved excitedly.

  The rest of the interview went along the same lines. Soon-Bok was very excited and happy to share things. Maybe a little too much at times. She was more than happy to share her lesbian card when Izumi asked and Lilit buried her head in her hands. Awenda and Rana were quicker this time to separate the two before the yelling started again.

  By the time the interview wrapped Lilit was a little exhausted from the amount of energy pouring off of the little vanguard. They thanked her for her time and ushered her out of the suite.

  The group slumped against the couches. “That was so hard,” Lilit moaned. The others nodded and grunted in agreement.

  “So many duds,” Izumi compined.

  “Maybe we should give up and try a new ad? Maybe give it a few more days to popute people? Once we add to the team our seven day timer gets reset after all,” Lilit offered.

  “Nah. I think we had at least two good candidates,” Rana said.

  “Ugh. The quiet one and the loud one. They couldn’t be more opposite I don’t think.” Lilit compined. “I guess we could do a day in the training rooms with them and see who fits better with our dynamic.”

  “That sounds like a good pn,” Awenda said. “Should I reach out to them both and see if they’re interested?”

  The others looked around at each other before nodding.

  “Worst comes to worst we can always redo the ad like Lilit said. But I think these two deserve a chance and then we can make a decision tomorrow,” Rana offered.

  “Ok….and sent,” Awenda informed them. “Now we can rex for the rest of the evening.” She leaned over and pced a kiss on Lilit’s cheek.

  Lilit looked back at her confused. She thought they were already supposed to be like rotating partners or something.

  Awenda put her mouth by Lilit’s ear, “We’re not rushing things. We just needed to know that you were open to being with more than just me.” She pced a soft kiss beneath her ear, causing Lilit to shudder in her seat.

  Lilit followed Awenda back to the kitchen to find something the two of them could try to cook together. Rana and Izumi headed downstairs to the tavern. They promised to keep an eye out for Sapphire, but not to be too confrontational about the dungeon this time.

  Tomorrow they would meet with the only two halfway decent candidates and figure out if either of them were worth bringing onto the team. Lilit found herself hoping that things would go well tomorrow. She didn’t want to have to go through all of that again.

  SuperSapphicSydney