Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 103: Mana Ties, Part Fifteen

{Enverna}

The cold air massaged Enverna’s shoulders. The night had arrived seemingly in the blink of an eye. In Enverna’s mind, though, it may as well still have been daytime, and she may as well still have been back at that abandoned building.

She could see herself trying to keep those enemies away from Zura. Away from Lianna.

Given how relaxed they’d seemed so far, Enverna did doubt whether they’d noticed.

---

Enverna slid to the side.

[Agh!]

Kate’s swords consistently came inches away from slicing through Enverna’s body. Her hands, sweaty and nervous, moved her staff in short bursts, trying to stay tight in her techniques.

Every exchange that happened, however, reinforced the fact that even though Enverna could keep up in terms of speed, she was completely outmatched in terms of skill.

---

The warrior sighed.

"I talked a big game, but..." Lianna said, sitting on the couch and resting her head on Enverna’s shoulder. "Figuring this thing out might be hopeless."

She toyed with the artifact in her hands, as Zura sat down on the other side of the couch.

"Is it still dormant?" Enverna asked.

"Yep. Hasn’t ’turned on’ since last time. I tried to turn it on myself, you know, saying some motivational shit to it but... Nothing. I guess I should probably be happy it didn’t turn on, since we don’t know everything that this rock can do, but still."

"If those people come looking for you again, I’m staying out of it, by the way," Zura put her hands behind her head, kicking her feet up on the coffee table. "Every single one of those motherfuckers was scary as shit."

Lianna laughed, showing her playfully.

"Well, you gotta pay rent somehow."

"What? Me being your eye candy isn’t enough?"

Both Lianna and Enverna did a double-take at her.

Zura said that with a complete straight face, devoid of any arrogance.

"What? I’ve seen how the two of you look at me. You aren’t subtle. I feel like a walking decoration sometimes."

Admittedly, ever since Enverna’s... discovery, her eyes had drifted Zura’s way a handful of times. She wasn’t too surprised to hear Lianna’s had as well, given...

The acknowledgment of Lianna’s preferences suddenly made her weight on Enverna’s shoulder that much more noticeable.

"... Fair." Lianna finally said and turned away. "So, ladies," she stood up, putting the artifact away and clapping her hands. "I have an idea."

"What is it?" Enverna asked, adjusting her position on the couch.

A particular face dawned on Lianna’s visage. One Enverna had seen a couple of times. She had a feeling where this was going.

"Let’s get... some drinks!"

[Of course.]

"We can have a little celebration!" Lianna added.

"Celebrate what?" Enverna asked.

"Not dying, of course. Think about it! We just fought like 4 Constellation’s followers today and lived! Doesn’t that already put us above most other recruits?"

"We only survived because we had-"

Lianna’s index finger pasted onto Enverna’s lips, preventing any further words from pouring out.

"Shhh. We won," Lianna replied, a bit too close for comfort. "Let’s just enjoy ourselves, eh?"

After a quick roll of her eyes, Enverna nodded.

"Sure."

"Yay!"

"Hope you have fun," Zura said, taking the remote control and turning the TV on.

"Hm? What do you mean? You’re celebrating with us!" Lianna declared.

Zura looked back and forth between her and Enverna.

"Uh... I mean, I don’t wanna intrude."

"No, no, it’s fine," Lianna waved a hand. "Besides," she smirked, looking Enverna’s way, "I’m sure we’d both like to have you here."

That sentence was charged. Charged with what, Enverna couldn’t quite tell. But, it was.

"Well... What, are we celebrating *here*?" Zura waved at their surroundings.

"Yeah."

"I-"

"I agree," Lianna quickly interrupted her, "it’s kinda lame. But, as much as I would just want to drink away all our problems... We should at least be a little responsible. Being out in the streets, at night, with three powerful people actively trying to kill us is probably a bad idea."

"Hm... I guess I agree," Zura sighed.

"But, we can at least go and buy some stuff real quick. Come on! Let’s go!"

Swept up in her energy, as people tended to be, Enverna and Zura got up and walked out with her, venturing into the late-night city.

---

An hour later, the door to the dorm room swung open, and the trio stumbled inside, their arms laden with bottles of alcohol.

Laughter echoed through the air and the bottles clanked against each other and the kitchen counter’s surface as the girls put them down. They were only half-full.

Lianna, already showing signs of intoxication, flopped down onto the couch with a big grin. Enverna, following suit, felt the warmth of the alcohol gradually dulling her senses.

[Heh... My parents would likely hate to see me like this.] That thought only served as motivation to get her to dig even deeper into that bottle’s depths.

Lianna began to ramble.

"You know what would be amazing right now? Going to a bar or a strip club. Just imagine the vibes, the music, the... entertainment!" She wriggled her brows.

Enverna chuckled, her own buzzed state making Lianna’s whimsical ideas seem amusing. The words did produce some interesting images in her mind. Zura, leaning against the doorframe, observed the scene with a smirk.

Lianna turned her gaze toward Zura, mischief dancing in her eyes.

"Hey, Zura, ever been to a strip club? Envy over here hasn’t." Lianna clumsily wrapped an arm around Enverna’s.

Zura took a sip from her drink, wiping her lips with the back of her hand.

"Not for fun. But hey, if you worked at one, I might consider it."

Lianna’s eyes widened with playful curiosity.

"Work at one? What a tempting offer. Can you imagine me as a dancer? That’d be pretty funny!"

Enverna, caught between amusement and surprise, couldn’t help but interject.

"I am curious what that would look like. Though, I fear you’d trip over yourself."

Lianna shot her a mischievous look.

"You underestimate me, Enverna. I’m better with my hips than I am with my bow."

Enverna’s face flushed. Even Zura seemed impressed by that casual remark.

"Here, I’ll show you."

She sprang to her feet, wobbling slightly. She scrolled through the TV, looking for one of the many music channels until she found something she liked.

Enverna and Zura exchanged glances, unsure of what to expect from Lianna’s tipsy dance performance.

"So, what do you say, girls? Ready to join the Lianna Dance Club?" Lianna teased, her laughter infectious.

Zura chuckled a little nervously, her eyes finding Enverna’s. Almost as if asking for permission to even be there, witnessing this.

Enverna briefly looked down into the black depths of her bottle and said:

"Sure."

With an appreciative grin, Lianna quickly got started.

Lianna danced with unbridled enthusiasm, the atmosphere shifting from tipsy banter to quiet appreciation while the music filled the air.

As the beat continued to pulse through the room, Lianna’s dance underwent a transformation, evolving from playful enthusiasm to a sultry and seductive performance.

Enverna, sitting with Zura, felt a sense of anticipation mixed with a tinge of uncertainty. Enverna couldn’t help but exchange glances with Zura, both of them looking like they were wondering if this was actually happening right now.

Lianna’s movements became more provocative. Enverna watched as the mood shifted. Zura’s eyes locked with Enverna’s, and an unspoken question lingered between them.

[Should I...?] Looking up at Lianna’s face shot that question down before it could even be asked, though. The crimson-haired girl was having too much fun. Enverna chose not to intervene.

Suddenly, Lianna took off her top. She tossed it aside like the annoyance it was and, in just a skirt and her bra now, kept dancing with a big grin.

Enverna could feel her face going red.

The room seemed to shrink as Lianna drew closer, her movements captivating both girls.

Lianna, with a mischievous glint in her eye, focused her attention on Zura.

Enverna’s breath caught as Lianna turned and moved her hips just out of the girl’s reach, her eyes challenging Enverna.

Zura, equally mesmerized and perhaps slightly bewildered, became the unwitting recipient of Lianna’s seductive movements.

Enverna, feeling a mix of emotions, all equally numbed and amplified by the alcohol in her system, kept her eyes locked with Lianna’s. She could feel that the girl was trying to say something. No, perhaps suggest something? She wasn’t sure. But some sort of unspoken communication was going on right now.

Lianna’s hips connected with Zura’s thighs. The girl’s moves had Zura’s eyes going in circles. Enverna saw her biting her bottom lip, gripping the couch’s edge hard as if to stop herself from trying to grab something else.

Then, eyes still on Enverna, Lianna used Zura like a mattress, laying on top of her, still swinging her hips from side to side.

Just when it looked like Zura’s resolve was going to break, Lianna got up.

One, two, three confident steps later, she was standing in front of Enverna.

Enverna’s pulse quickened, and she felt a flush of heat rising in her cheeks.

Lianna, inches away, began to give Enverna the same provocative treatment.

The room seemed to fade away, leaving only the dance and the pulsating music. Enverna struggled to maintain composure, caught between the allure of Lianna’s movements and the intensity of the challenge.

Enverna’s heart felt like a tangled mess that Lianna was subtly pulling apart one string at a time.

And, the worst (best?) part was, that if the lust-ridden eyes Lianna had right now were any indicator, there was still more to come.