Damon was grinning from ear to ear when he woke up the next morning. Malon had stayed with him and cuddled in bed for hours after they’d worn each other out before heading back to her own room, making some ridiculous comment about not wanting to be blatant. They’d been plenty blatant, in his opinion, though old habits were hard to break.
He could smell breakfast, griddle cakes, one of his favorites and one of his aesta’s specialties. His smile got even wider as he thought about how content he was to just be at the tower, with so many people he cared about, nearly free of concerns or worries.
“Damon,” whispered Myr. “I don’t mean to dampen your mood, but this won’t last. Not with things as they are.”
“I know,” he said, with a sigh. “Once Ria gets here…”
He didn’t finish the thought. The truth was, he fully intended to set out on his quest alone. His plan still sounded patently ridiculous to his own ears. Setting out to the edge of the world to save the world, accompanied by a family that had spent the past half decade in a state of broken dysfunction.
There was always Lilian. He supposed he could focus his efforts on convincing her and leave the others to their lives, but that felt like prematurely admitting defeat.
“I’m going to make this work,” he said, more to himself than Myr. “In the meantime, I suppose I should brush up on my sword skills.”
He got dressed, pulling on his sword belt and opting to take his broken myrblade along with him instead of the Rem sword. As far as he and Myr could tell, the myrblade was devoid of any residual enchantment, but he’d had the weapon for a while. He’d already resolved to have it reforged in the near future, assuming he could find a capable enough smith.
Everyone else was already awake. Malon was busily dripping batter onto a pan and cooking breakfast. Vel and Lilian sat at the table, both clad in nightclothes and bedhead. They glanced up at him as he took a seat. Vel flashed a knowing smile and cleared her throat.
“Morning, Damon,” she said. “Did you sleep well last night?”
“Surprisingly well,” he said. There were already a fair number of griddle cakes on a communal plate in the center of the table. Damon grabbed one and poured maple syrup on it in an x-shape before wolfing it down.
“You must have, after, well...” Lilian shrugged and grinned, shaking her head. “True Divine. You must have really missed your aesta.”
“Don’t be gross, Lil,” said Vel, elbowing her in the arm. “You know how Damon is.”
“I suppose I do, it’s just…” Lilian whistled and shook her head. “Wow. I would have knocked on the door and asked you to keep it down if I didn’t think it would be needlessly awkward.”
Damon cleared his throat and tried to ignore how hot his face was getting. “Instead, you bring the needless awkwardness forward to the next morning. Good work.”
Someone kicked him underneath the table, and it was hard to tell if it was Lilian or Vel, from their smiles. Malon, oblivious to their conversation, brought another pile of griddle cakes over.
“There’s plenty more where that came from,” she said. “I have to use up all the batter in one go. It’s a mess to deal with otherwise.”
“I’m sure it is,” said Vel. “A big, sticky mess.”
Damon was happy to see Vel and Malon getting on better. It would take more time for them to truly repair their relationship, but as far as he was concerned, griddle cakes were a fantastic way to start. Vel had a hidden sweet tooth of which few outside her immediate family were aware.
“The three of you will be on your own this morning,” said Malon. “I have to handle a few things after breakfast.”
“Care to elaborate on what those things might be?” asked Damon.
She shook her head. He was used to her being vague, even keeping secrets at times, and he didn’t press her. He trusted her in what she’d said about keeping secrets from Lascivious, and it wasn’t as though he’d explained anything to her that could compromise them yet. He doubted Seffi would take offense at a sentimental aesta spending some quality time with her family.
“I suppose I’ll do some training this morning after handling my chores,” said Damon.
“Can I steal a few minutes of your time after that?” asked Lilian.
“Sure, what for?”
She tapped her lips, and he wasn’t entirely sure whether she was implying that she wanted to feed or fuck. Probably both if he was up for it.
“I think I might do some reading,” said Vel. “As nice as it is to be back here, I forgot how boring it can be at times.”
“Now there’s the Vel I remember,” said Damon.
She stuck out her tongue at him, and he felt another kick underneath the table. Damon shot her an exaggerated glare and pushed his chair out, dropping to his knees. His first thought was to tickle her foot, or possibly snap her girlshorts to get revenge, but being under the table gave him a rather interesting view.
Both Vel and Lilian wore their nightgowns, tiny little things that barely made it midway down their thighs. They both had their legs crossed like the demure former ladies-in waiting they were. Damon ran a hand along Vel’s smooth calf with his right hand, and Lilian’s with his left.
He felt them both stiffen and then relax, followed by a series of giggles verging on hysteria as Damon’s hands slid higher up. He heard them whispering as he began to ease their legs open, no doubt conspiring with one another about how far to let him go.
“Where did solas go?” asked Malon.
“Oh, I’m sure Damon is around somewhere,” said Vel. “You know how he is. One thing after another.”
“Very true,” said Malon.
Damon eased his fingers underneath the hems of both Vel and Lilian’s nightgowns. There were obvious differences in both their reactions and what he found there. Vel only just opened her legs, and her girlshorts presented a formidable obstacle. Lilian spread wide and wore nothing underneath.
“I admire him for his energy,” said Lilian. “He wouldn’t be the man he is without it.”
“That’s… high praise,” said Malon, slightly baffled.
Damon waited until she’d walked away before continuing his subterranean adventure. He slid a finger into Lilian’s womanhood, easing Vel’s girlshorts aside with his other hand. He managed to get a finger into her, too, and felt as much as heard her suck in a pleasured breath.
It was strange and simultaneously one of the most entertaining sexual acts he’d ever performed. He slowly caressed them both, eventually getting a second finger into each of them. He felt as though he was directing a caravan, or casting a strange arcane spell, curling his fingers with slow motions and paying close attention to their reactions.
“I might not… read today after all,” said Vel. “Maybe I’ll watch Damon train.”
“Oh, I might have a few pointers for him,” said Lilian. “We could talk over his form at length. For hours, if he was so interested.”
“Lil!” hissed Vel. “I think he’d… rather be outside… with me. Maybe we could go for a walk and…”
Damon heard a squeak and felt a tightening on the fingers of his right hand. He grinned, feeling awfully pleased with himself.
“You should take a rest, Vel,” said Lilian. “I’m sure… Damon would rather train with… someone who could keep up with… with.”
He pulled his finger away from Vel, flipping Lilian’s nightgown up far enough to get his face, and more importantly, tongue into position. A single lick was enough to draw out a lewd gasp, and then she was coming right along with Vel.
“Solas,” snapped Malon. “Get out from under there.”
He froze, wondering if he might still escape notice if he just stayed really quiet.
“Solas!”
“I was just… picking up a griddle cake I dropped.” He tried not to smile too much as he returned to his chair.
“None of that at the common room table,” said Malon. “I swear, sometimes I think you’re a bunch of mares in heat.”
“You’re one to talk, aesta,” muttered Vel.
“Seta? Did you say something?”
Vel sighed and shook her head. “No, aesta. Just had something stuck in my throat.”