"That's one fucked up looking horse."

  - Anonymous Roman Soldier, 475 AUC

  The men had reacted with no small amount of amazement when the trio presented the vast haul of metallic feathers collected during the day. Delighted grins had quickly spread among the group as Gregorios tallied the amount and estimated the rewards. Buying a rger tent, Aurelia thought, would be no problem at all when they got back to Rome.

  She, Junia, and Thessa were lying on the ground with their backs propped up by one of the ruined walls of their encampment. As they sat there, they overlooked the cliff edges and the surrounding view which stretched from horizon to horizon in the evening dusk. Each of them had a wooden bowl in their ps as they ate their supper. It was puls tonight. They were having to dip into their provisions with Tullius still out of commission, and the grain-heavy pottage was filling if nothing else. Though it sorely cked any of the fvour Aurelia had come to associate with Gaius' cooking.

  As they sat there chewing, Thessa leaned over and rested her head against Aurelia's side. Looking down at her Tauren lover, Aurelia enfolded her in her wing, which wrapped around her like a bnket. She looked up at Aurelia, her lips pursed as she arranged her thoughts.

  "Aurelia, what are we going to do when we get back?" She asked.

  "Get back where? To Rome?"

  "Yeah." She looked down, shuffling her knees a bit with her bowl in her hands. "I know we've been lucky out here, with, us..." As she said the words she looked from Aurelia to Junia then down at the ground again. "But what do we do back home? I don't think people will be as accepting, and we won't be able to just walk away a few hundred meters to... you know..."

  Aurelia was trying to think of kind words to comfort her when Junia spoke up from her other side, also shuffling closer to Aurelia.

  "You know, I've been thinking about just that for a little while, and I actually don't think that'll be a problem at all." She said with confidence, to both Aurelia and Thessa's confusion.

  "What? You two were both worried about that?" She said. And seeing that both of them stayed silent, she continued. But not before pulling Aurelia's other wing around herself to mirror Thessa. "Ok. Maybe I assumed to much. You both did grow up in non-traditional ways after all."

  She took a deep breath, looked them both in the eyes, and said. "People won't care."

  "What?" Aurelia asked.

  "People won't care that we share a bed because we're all women. It's only taboo if men do it. To them, we're just dallying, enjoying each other's touch and company. So long as Aurelia keeps her member out of sight, I don't think we'll have any problems at all." Junia expined. "One of my older cousins has two concubines. They share a room separate from him, and no one blinks."

  Aurelia and Thessa were speechless for a long moment, before the tter spoke up.

  "That doesn't seem fair." Thessa said with a frown, rubbing her cheek into Aurelia's shoulder.

  "No it doesn't." Aurelia agreed. "But there's not much that's truly fair in this world, I think."

  "Well maybe there should be."

  "Maybe there should be." Aurelia replied.

  Junia reached across Aurelia to touch Thessa's hand in support before continuing. "There are some times I whish I had been born a a son to my parents instead, I would be able to stand tall in the Forum and move the world." She said with a little wistfulness in her eyes. "But if I had been, I never would have become an adventurer, and never would have met you two."

  Aurelia cuddled her lovers closer, and let the silence speak for them as they watched the sun set. The might all be women, and Junia might be the only actual citizen among them, but Aurelia would be damned if she couldn't find away to stand on her own despite Rome's ws.

  Long after dark had consumed the ndscape, and the st embers of the campfire were smoldering, Iri made her move. One of the bigger males was keeping watch, but he was stupid and looked into the fire. She easily fluttered by. A rger tent closer to the edge of the human ruins rose in front of her as she weaved through the stone walls. The sounds of their pleasures had dimmed a while ago, but she had been careful and waited until now to approach to ensure it's occupants were asleep. It was easy to slip into the tent, she had done it many times before.

  The pungent scent of the winged one's essence filled the space, and Iri's senses tingled in anticipation. Hopefully this time there would be much to indulge herself with. Fluttering and tip-toeing her way around the sleeping bodies of the bigs, she sighed in relish. She was gd she'd followed them all this way, sometimes it had been hard to keep up after days of their travel, but the rewards had been well worth it.

  Nothing was safe from her avarice, every spill was to be hers. She thanked the spirits that bigs were slow.

  Their tent didn't clean itself, after all.

  Aurelia dreamed pleasantly of a vil filled with beautiful women and the ughter of young children. She could smell orchards and crop fields, feel the breeze coming through mountains and over forests. It was so tantalizing she could nearly taste it. It was one of those dreams where she was conscious during it, but was happily adrift in it's currents. Along for the ride. It was with great reluctance that she felt herself rousing from her slumber. She became aware of her breathing first, listening and feeling the rise and fall of her chest. She could hear the softer, quicker exhales of her two lovers in the tent. They were still entangled, with bnkets and Aurelia's wings covering them haphazardly. But then she noticed something new.

  She felt the barest tickle of air passing over her arm. At first she thought the entrance fp of the tent might have been ajar, but then the tickle moved. She felt the disturbance move gently from her arm and over to her torso. She creaked open an eye, making sure not to move a muscle, and nearly jerked upright at what she saw.

  Standing gently on her chest, so lightly that Aurelia hadn't felt it's footsteps, was a tiny humanoid creature. Though it stood upright with it's back facing Aurelia's face, it's head didn't quite reach the tops of Aurelia's breasts from where it stood in the canyon between them. It stooped and collected something before continuing down the crevasse of Aurelia flesh. It couldn't have been any taller than her hand was long, from wrist to fingertip. Aurelia noted to some surprise two things. One, it had wings. Small, effervescent things which reminded Aurelia of a dragonfly's wings. The second thing Aurelia noticed, was that it was female. It was a she. Though she was facing away from her right now, Aurelia could see her angur, willowy proportions which looked humanoid but not quite human. As though it was a sprite from a child's imagination.

  She seemed unperturbed by their presence. In fact, she seemed quite at home among the tangle of bodies, limbs, and bnkets. She would take a few tentative steps across Aurelia's skin, then flutter to a new spot further down. The only disturbance Aurelia felt was the light sensation of air brushing over her skin.

  Slowly, carefully, Aurelia raised her arm. Making sure to keep it out of sight of the little she-sprite. It seemed lost in it's own affairs as Aurelia brought her hand closer, drawing closer like a snake about to snatch it's prey. When her hand was about a foot away from the little woman, Aurelia's hand darted forward and grabbed her. Her fingers more than enough to wrap around the entirety of her small form. With a high pitched "Eep!" Aurelia sat up and brought the squirming thing closer to her face so she could examine it. The sound began to rouse her lover's slumber, and Thessa and Junia's eyes slowly winked open at the small commotion.

  The small woman was wriggling and squirming with surprising tenacity in Aurelia's hand. It might have proven a challenge to human might, but Aurelia was no human, and her grasp held firm. She made sure not to squeeze too hard despite the struggling woman. She didn't want to actually harm the thing, not yet at least.

  Thessa and Junia were sitting up now too. Aurelia would have noted the way they hadn't covered themselves, and that their chests were now exposed, but she was busy focusing on the interloper in their midst. Thessa was simply looking at the commotion in Aurelia's hand, while Junia leaned forward to get a better look.

  "I think it's trying to talk!" Junia excimed.

  Sure enough, it had been making high pitched noises ever since Aurelia had picked it up. But she had been to busy trying to keep a hold of it to pay them much attention.

  Gradually, it began to slow it's struggle, and eventually went limp in her hand. Aurelia slowly opened her palm to reveal the female creature as it y in her hand, panting with exertion. Thessa and Junia gasped as they saw it fully for the first time. When it had recovered some, it rose to it's feet and stood on the palm of her hand. It's wings spread as though preparing to take flight, but a stern look from Aurelia and a gnce at the confining tent seemed to make it reconsider. Reluctantly, it lowered it's wings and let out a great sigh.

  "Iri supposes Iri should introduce herself." It said in a light, soft voice.

  They sat in a circle with a small opening in the middle. Space was hard to find in the cramped tent, but they made do. In the centre, the small creature, Iri as she was called, stood and regarded the three women.

  "So you've been following us for days?!" Junia crified, looking down incredulously at the little woman. "Are we to believe that this was just a spur-of-the-moment decision? That you decided to follow us out of a flight of fancy?"

  Iri, fluttering her wings out of frustration, gred up at the human. "Iri does as Iri pleases! Iri wished to know more of the strange creature in her wood!" she said indignantly, gncing towards Aurelia before muttering something in her own nguage.

  The three gave each other looks, they had neither seen nor heard of an intelligent race like the one before them. She seemed harmless enough, but that was scant comfort when dealing with the unknown. Aurelia cleared her throat and leaned forward, taking charge of the conversation.

  "What manner of creature are you? None of use here have ever heard tales, nor read stories of one such as you."

  Iri turned, and looked up at Aurelia. Seeming to decide that the height difference was too much, she spread her wings and fluttered until she was eye level with her. She hovered there much like a hummingbird when feeding from a flower, and Aurelia couldn't help from making the mental comparison.

  "Iri's kin are few and far between, and keep well away from the affairs of bigger folk!" She said with some vanity. "But in ages past, we were known to people such as yours, as the Silvani."

  "Well then, Iri of the Silvani. Would you mind telling me what you were doing scuttling about in our tent, and on top of me no less?!" Aurelia asked with a raised eyebrow.

  Iri blushed red, and had the good decency to look abashed at her actions. With her cheeks a bright crimson, she responded. 'Iri was... conducting research. Yes! Iri was doing inquiries in the field as to understand her subject better!."

  "With me being your subject, right?" Aurelia said with some dryness in her tone.

  "Yes yes, Iri has never seen one of the big folk like this one!"

  "And what kind of inquiries were you doing by sneaking into my tent while we were asleep?" Aurelia asked, though she had a pretty good guess. Pieces and parts of the past few days were connecting in her head. Her carelessness in the "cleanup" part of their nightly activities in particur.

  Iri blushed further, but held her gaze. "Iri was examining this one, and collecting samples!"

  "I see." Was all she said in reply.

  Iri, that's your name right?" Thessa asked as silence fell. "What sort of person spends their time doing research while they live alone in the middle of the woods? If you don't mind me asking."

  "Iri doesn't!" the Silvani chirped cheerfully. "Iri likes to see and learn! And Iri saw something new she could see much and learn more about!"

  "Hmm." Aurelia hummed thoughtfully. "And just what have you learned so far, Iri?"

  The little creature twirled in the air happily as she delivered the news. "Iri has learned that this one is Seraphim! Iri doesn't know what that is yet, but she is exited to learn more!"

  They all froze slightly, and gnced at each other nervously. Aurelia had not spoken that word for many days, she hadn't even shared that much with Junia yet. She had been meaning to sit both her lovers down when they got back to Rome and have a long conversation about their future when they were all back safe. There was no way that the little creature, Iri, could have learned that by overhearing them.

  "And... just how did you learn that, Iri?" Aurelia asked tentatively.

  "Like this!" The little sprite flounced forward and pced a tiny hand on Aurelia's temple. She felt a stirring inside herself not unlike when she had went and seen the priests back in Rome when she had first felt the blessings of the gods. She gasped. Iri was reading her inner self like a book, like she could herself when in the presence of the clergy. Some priests could also read another, but for all Aurelia knew they had to be given permission, and the person had to deliberately open themselves to the intrusion. What Iri had done was quick, casual. If Iri didn't know her race Aurelia wouldn't believe her eyes.

  "You're saying you can read my inner self?" Aurelia asked cautiously. The sprite didn't seem to understand the weight of the situation. And she kept contact with Aurelia's temple.

  "Oh yes yes! Iri does. This one, Aurelia it is called, should really choose it's boons! Iri does not understand why this one has not already." She prattled on, not seeming to notice how all their eyes widened at the procmation.

  "Can... can you show it to me?" Aurelia asked with baited breath.

  "Oh, what? Can this one not see? Hmm. Let Iri try..." Aurelia and the others waited for a long moment, anticipation and tentativeness wared with each other inside her, but this was uncharted territory. With a feeling like unfurling her wings, which Aurelia was sure she hadn't, letters began to appear before her eyes as the rest of her vision blurred away. Those letters formed into words, and gradually she could see them coalesce into a familiar shape.

  Aurelia

  Race: Seraphim

  Level: 4

  Health: 120 / 120

  Mana: 60 / 60

  Attributes

  Strength: 13

  Dexterity: 11 -> 12

  Agility: 11 -> 13

  Vitality: 12

  Resilience: 10

  Endurance: 13 -> 14

  Will: 8

  Focus: 5

  Crity: 7

  Attunement: 6

  Presence: 5 -> 6

  Resolve: 8 -> 10

  Level 3 Achieved

  Select a boon below

  Hearty and Hale

  Passive

  Travel food might not be the best, but it could be better.

  Wanderlust

  Passive

  The winding paths call, will you answer?

  Seraphim Progenitor

  Passive - Progressive - Racial

  The greatest legacies are left not in stone, but in blood.

  Level 4 Achieved

  Select a boon below

  Stand True

  Passive - Racial

  The bigger they are, the harder they fall. So make sure your feet are under you.

  Bonded Rest

  Passive

  The company of a loved one never hurts. The more the merrier!

  Polearm Mastery I

  Passive - Progressive

  Increased mastery over spears, staffs, and other simir weaponry

  SarcasticMisfit