How in the hell did they end up in this situation?

Oh, what… Leilah knew exactly how. Her seafoam eyes looked up at her twin sister as they strolled through the streets of Karith. “So… Remind me again… How did this happen?” Leilah was a short woman of five feet even. She had long red hair that went against her lightly tanned skin.

“I was stupid drunk and made a bet?” Her sister answered in a huff as Kalina looked down at Leilah. Kalina was a taller woman of five feet and five inches. Compared to her twin she had long blonde hair, seafoam eyes, and the same tanned skin.

“That… just so happened to sell us into slavery? Are you kidding me?” Leilah put her face in the palm of her hand as she dodged the people all around us.

“Not slavery… more like a partnership. This guy doesn’t seem like a pervert.” Kalina corrected her sister as she thought back on the poker game that pretty much lost their freedom. “And… I’m sorry I involved you.”

Leilah came over and stomped on her foot. “Next time sell your own soul,” Leilah whispered up to her sister who was jumping around trying to get the feeling back. They finally got to The Golden Goose. A rather fine establishment that was in the heart of Karith. Kalina let her sister in first before following.

They would have to wait for Raile to show up but both of them sat at the bar. “A whiskey for me and a Cherry Tart for my sister please,” Kalina ordered and Leilah grumbled a bit more. It would be interesting. After all, it wasn’t every day you got sold by your own sister.

It had been an exciting day all around for the merchant, Raile, as he made the last of his rounds in Karith.  Everything had gone according to plan, and better.  Not only had he secured all of the deals he had arranged with the alchemists of Karith, but he had also won a little wager that scored him something a little more…personal.  And so, the brown haired man entered the Golden Goose with his head held high.  Although it was early, the Golden Goose had its fair share of patrons, but finding his 'prize' was fairly easy even in the crowd.

"Ah!  There you both are!" he said excitedly as he got to the bar.  "Welcome, welcome!  Kalina, you were right.  Your sister does look like she knows her craft.  I can tell, I've got a good eye!" he said.  Between the two, he could cut the middle man out on a lot of the work required to create some of the many finished products that he sold.  He laughed.  "You two are going to make me a fortune!"  He blinked.

"Ah, my apologies…Kalina, you already know who I am, but…Leilah, was it?  My name is Raile Talon.  I'm a merchant and trader by day, and a wicked gambler by night, if the stars are aligned."  He held out his hand.  "I promise that nothing shady will happen on my watch.  And don't worry, your services aren't permanent.  If anything, once things are booming, I hope that we can become more than…well, this.  I hope we might be able to become business partners."  He clasped his hands together.  "In the meantime, though, we have an airship to catch in the afternoon.  So until then, we can have a few drinks, or…."

He chuckled.  "Perhaps you'd like another game?"  He shook his head.  "No, no…I'm only kidding.  But we should take this time to get to know each other a little better.  We'll be seeing a lot of each other in the coming time."

Leilah looked at the odd man that would be their so-called master for the next long while of their lives. He was only human who it wasn’t like they could be in his debt forever. “Yes, I’m the older twin to my sister. It is a pleasure to meet you, Raile, I am sure my sister spoke very highly of my potions and concoctions…”

Kalina shrugged just a bit up at Raile. “You got lucky. I didn’t always suck at gambling. I had a bad hand and probably a bad twenty shots.” Still, she eyed this man with ease. “Please keep your word about no shady business. We are here to help your business grow but anything else will be extra.”

Leilah blushed and she looked like she was about to yell. “Don’t go saying things like that Kalina. People will get the wrong idea.” Kalina called for more drinks once Raile said so.

“No more games. We’ll get to know each other. Leilah and I are from the other continent though we find we get the most business over here. People are more appreciative of Leilah’s talents. She was trained in the field as an alchemist and I… well I bathed in the fire of a dragon for my forging abilities.” She showed him some burn marks. “Consider it a trial.”

The sisters moved so Raile could sit between them. “Come, you can sit between us so we can both hear you.” Leilah’s voice was soft as she looked him over. He wasn’t a bad looking human. “Our trade requires us to use high-end material so we don’t expect you to make a lot of money in the beginning. We don’t do cheap. We are experts of our crafts.”

Raile was already impressed by the twin sisters and their confidence.  However, as a business man, he knew more than well than to simply take their word for it.  He would have to test their skills at some point.  Perhaps he could commission a blade for a hired hand or something.  The thought of the silver flow made him smile.  As he sat between the two, and looked between the two women with a smirk, he just couldn't stop imagining the possibilities.

"All right, so here's the rundown.  You two will travel with me and help with the supplies.  I don't expect you to do things outside of your craft, but I do expect help in inventory and basic labor.  In addition, I'm not entirely heartless.  You will be both paid a modest salary based on our profits, though to be honest, the majority of the profit will be fed back into my mercantile business.  One doesn't simply grow a trade empire from nothing, am I right?"  Raile's drink came, and he took a big swig.  

"Now, I've already secured a few lines for alchemical ingredients from here, which should be shipped with us when we leave.  If possible, I would like us to go ahead and test some of your abilities Leilah.  The trip should be awhile, and I'm fairly certain we can sell some en route.  though, miss Kalina…I wasn't expecting a blacksmith, so we'll have to line something up for you to do.  In the meantime, maybe you could craft me something small as a test?  It would, of course, have to be after we reach our destination.  Oh, by the way…our first destination is in Abed.  I have a client there who was requesting these materials so that he could have an alchemist make him a special concoction…but since I have a renown alchemist with me, perhaps we can cut the middle man out and make a tidy profit…."

He clasped his hands together.  "Ah, right…arrangements.  I got caught up in it all, I apologize…"  He smiled, taking another sip from his pint.  "The two of you will share your own cabin aboard the airship.  As long as profits are well, we should be fine in separate rooms, though if profits fall or other extenuating circumstances happen, we will have to share a room."  He looked between the two, and sighed.  "And, I'll be the gentleman and take the floor if that happens."  He sounded almost heartbroken, though it seemed more for the lack of comfort than anything.

"Alas, I think that covers the most of it.  Do either of you have questions?" 

Leilah watched the man with a peaked interest. This sure was an interesting fellow that her sister got them involved with. He seemed greedy but also he seemed fair to them. She let out a sigh as she brought the cherry tart drink up to her lips and sipped on it. “I wouldn’t worry too much about paying for us. My sister’s idiotic choices have paid us enough for a lifetime.” She left out a shrug as Kalina glared at her.

“That seems a bit unfair that you would pin all of this one me.”

“That’s because it is all on you. How many times in the past seventy years have I told you not to make stupid bets? This is as bad as the time you bet that you would win or had to run naked through town. How did that work out?”

“It was a really cold night for running naked in Adeluna… Away from the guards.” Kalina smirked a bit and drank her whiskey. “Though it’s not as good as the time I said someone could go on a date with you if I lost.”

“Worst… date… ever…” Leilah let out a groan but she looked over to Raile. “Don’t get me wrong I am sure that this won’t be bad at all but… You have a lot to prove to us as well. I don’t know you and obviously, neither does my sister. I will prove my worth to you as will my sister. Our skills have been honed for a long time so a challenge like this is nothing.” Though if Kalina got drunk things could turn problematic.

Kalina tilted her head at Raile. “I’ll make you whatever you want. Just make sure that I get a lot of space to craft. I use dragon fire magic to forge. I’m not ordinary blacksmith. Dragon fire forging is a tradition in Sularia passed down by the mightiest of all blacksmiths. I’m also semi-decent at jewelry which I took up as a hobby about a decade ago.”

Leilah was quiet now as she sipped more on her drink until it was gone. She licked her lips of the red drink before she put the glass down. “I can make a potion now or later for you… It doesn’t matter as long as I have the ingredients and a good alchemy set. As for your friend in Abed I should be able to make the concoction he wants provided that it is doable. Most people don’t understand that alchemy is an art.”

After a few minutes of looking at each other, the twins shrugged. “No questions here.”

–

The time came for them to board the airship and they waited for Raile to get them some rooms. Standing behind them both sisters appeared bored. There was some slight arguing going on but the airship coordinator slammed his hands down. “One room. That’s final.”

The twins waved their hands at Raile signifying it was alright. Of course, this wouldn’t be as easy as he thought it would be. They made it into their one tiny cabin and the girls threw their packs onto the bed. “You aren’t going to sleep naked are you?” Leilah looked at Kalina with disappointment.

“Why the hell not? He’s the one who has to put up with us remember? I’m not about to change my lifestyle for Raile.” Kalina put her hand on her hip and looked at Raile with humor. “Besides let the man get his worth.”

Leilah made a face and unpacked a nightgown of her own. “You are terrible. I don’t know how you sleep nude in cold weather.”

“Dragon fire is a blessing.” Kalina shrugged as she locked the door behind them now.

Raile found himself in disbelief at the fact that his prearranged rooms had fallen through. Despite the money he put down, apparently there was some high class noble that had booked last minute, and Raile himself knew how silver spoke infinitely more than any morals that the airship service might have held. So, in defeat, he looked back to the twins, who seemed to understand that the predicament was far out of his control.

However, it was odd that the moment they entered the room, both Leilah and Kalina started acting as if they owned the place. Raile sighed inwardly, but he had made the agreement. He set his own things down in the corner of the cabin, and laid down the extra blankets that had been provided by the airship. At least they had not been so unkind as to fail to provide accommodations.

“Well, it could be worse. At least we’re still bound for Abed.” Raile turned to see the twins talking back and forth, and started to catch up on the conversation. Immediately he paled. “G-get my worth? I…ah, uh…” He blushed furiously, and turned away. “I’m sorry. Maybe I’m misunderstanding. I did say that there would be no shady business. I promise…”

The realization hit that it was merely a routine, and despite the potential embarrassment that Raile would feel, it wasn’t something he felt like he could argue. He was already taking a lot from them, the least he could do was let them retain their lifestyle choices.

“Fine, fine…but at least keep clothes on in the meantime. We still have a bit of time before we’ll need to sleep.”

The three took their time settling in. After the ship had set sail, Raile found himself wandering the deck for a brief time before returning to the room. Evidently no one onboard needed a tonic or the like. He shrugged. Perhaps he would try again at later. As he re-entered the room, he looked up to see Kalina in all her naked glory, standing firmly next to her sister, who had changed into a brilliant white lacey nightgown. Even with the warning, Raile was caught far off guard, and nearly fell back out of the room. He recovered quickly, and rushed into the room, slamming the door and licking it.

Beet red, he tried to avoid looking at either of them as he started towards his corner. “Er…I’ll just head to bed. If you all need anything food wise, or wake up before I do…room service is fine, just don’t go wild.”

Leilah looked over at Raile with a smile. “She’s not talking about you doing anything to us… More so that she refuses to stay DRESSED. So you are going to get lots of peeks at her while we are here.”

“Mama always said there is nothing wrong with a naked body. It’s art.” Kalina said stubbornly as she unpacked more of her things.

Leilah snorted a bit. “Mother also took tons of suitors and had their children. She is what every woman aims to be whether it is to attract all the men in the land or to be the very best mother one can be.” Thinking on their mother they knew they would have to go home at some point and it meant taking Raile with them now. “Trip home should be fun… Dragging Raile to meet our mother.”

“Oh… She might find him cute but she is chained down these days with marriage and all.” Leilah fluffed the pillows on the bed.

“Okay…” Kalina said in response to Raile as she gave a glare to Leilah. “Telling on me…” The taller twin threw a pillow at Leilah.

The night progressed and the twins got ready for bed. When Raile came in and saw he slammed the door shut hastily locking it. “We’ll keep that in mind,” Kalina said as she put her hand onto her hip firmly. Her eyes were watching his for a few moments before she climbed into bed.

The bed was quite large for the small room and it was Leilah who looked from the bed to where Raile was. With a sigh, she came over and took Raile by the hand. “Come on… There is enough room for all three of us. We’re not shy.” The floor was no place to be for a long trip like this.

Kalina even rolled on her side away from where Raile would be as Leilah led him back to the bed. “You can sleep in the middle. Kalina occasionally will steal pillows so you can share mine and my blanket… Since she is a bed hog.” Leilah took the extra blanket he had and moved the shared one over onto Kalina.

Rale settled himself in his corner, turned on his side facing the wall. The floor wasn’t the most comfortable, but had slept in far worse conditions. That being said, with the rocking of the airship every time it hit turbulence, he found himself unable to fall asleep. His foot kept twitching uncontrollably as he tried to find slumber to no avail.

Evidently, Leilah took pity on him, and the next thing he knew he was being pulled up. “W-wha?” He turned a bright red, but agreed to the terms. Otherwise, he would never get to sleep. He sighed, and moments later he found himself nestled between the twins. His arms were at his side, trying to keep himself as narrow as possible to avoid touching either of them.

Leilah had graciously shared her blanket with him, to witch Raile was content with. With everything else that had happened during the day, the merchant found himself dozing off fairly easily.

Time passed, and finally the sleeping Raile relaxed into his normal pattern. He found his arms more comfortable spreading out, his hands finding something soft on either side of him. Soft? His sleepy self barely thought anything of it. After all, what could it possibly be?

It wasn’t as if he was sharing the bed with anyone.

……wait.

Leilah took a deep look at him and gave him a pleasant smile. “You can share the bed with us.” She could tell that he was at least honest in his words. From the way, the blush went across his face. It was rather cute.

The twins were fast asleep by the time he was comfortable. Leilah’s face was close to his so he could feel her gentle breathing. In the meantime every once in a while Leilah had to steal back the blanket that Kalina would try to get from them. Like she had said Kalina was a bed hog. But as the night progressed so was Raile though if he never spent time in bed with anyone that was… to be expected.

In the morning Leilah woke up to a gentle squeeze on her bust. Her face flushed a bit and Kalina was looking over her shoulder as her butt was gentle squeezed. “Raile, if you are going to grope us in your sleep at least make sure it is enjoyable,” Kalina whispered but it was Leilah who gently removed his hand from her bust and held it to his side.

“Maybe… this is what he meant by room service?” Leilah made the joke as she slid out of the bed having to move one of Raile’s legs off of her. “I’ll get us some food.” It didn’t take long to get some breakfast back into the cabin they all shared. It smelled as good as it looked which was good because that meant it was well worth the money they had paid.

Raile found himself woken up by the two women going about their morning. He sat up in bed, and stretched out, letting out a yawn. “Hmm?” he said as he sniffed the air. “Breakfast.” His stomach rumbled in response, and he got up, once again stretching. He sat down with the twins and the three started to eat, each diving into their own plate.

Between bites, Raile looked to Leilah, “Thank you. I slept decently well last night, considering. I hope that the two of you were not inconvenienced by having a third in the bed.” He set down his utensils, and clasped his hands together. “All right. Today is pretty much a free day. We should be arriving to Abed late today, at worst early tomorrow. Things are looking well. Until then, you two are more than welcome to wander the ship and do as you please.”

He went back to his plate of food, enjoying the experience of a fresh breakfast. “I trust you two slept well, though?” he asked, bringing up his coffee to sip on it.