Chương 55: Chapter 53 – Difficult Employment Negotiations

"Thank you for everything today, Chelsea," Ivy said quietly as they stepped into the room in the inn. Fiona had gone to stay with her family for the evening and had dragged Dewey along with her. Adriane had decided she wanted a bed to herself for once and claimed their room without hesitation. That left Chelsea alone with Ivy. Chelsea waved the gratitude away as if it were nothing important.

"Honestly, it was my pleasure. You deserve way better than whatever your brother was doing to you." She glanced toward the bed and sighed. Ivy followed her eyes.

"We can just share it," she offered casually before hesitating.

"But…"

"But?"

"Will we both fit?" she asked with a small laugh.

"Your wings are kind of massive." Chelsea laughed as she reached up to tug loose one of the straps securing her armor.

"Everyone keeps using them as blankets anyway. I run warm."

"Ah." Ivy rubbed the back of her upper arm awkwardly.

"Is… that alright?" Chelsea paused halfway through removing one of her gauntlets and gave her a confused look.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Aren't demons weird about things like that?"

"Not really a demon expert myself," Chelsea reminded her.

"Almost two weeks ago, I was human."

"Oh. Right." Ivy nodded quickly.

"Still getting used to that part." Chelsea continued stripping off her armor piece by piece. Every item reverted the moment it left her body, collapsing back into cracked and deformed versions of their former selves. The elegant shining armor became brittle junk again almost instantly. Ivy stared openly at the transformation.

"That is still one of the craziest things I've ever seen," she admitted.

"So literally everything you wear is broken?"

"Pretty much." Chelsea stepped out of her chainmail leggings while holding the chest piece against herself. Ivy looked up at exactly the wrong moment and immediately froze. Chelsea, meanwhile, appeared completely unconcerned by the fact that she was now entirely naked. Ivy's face turned bright red so quickly it was honestly impressive. She snapped her head back toward the desk so violently Chelsea worried she might hurt her neck.

"Chelsea," she squeaked.

"You are very naked." Chelsea looked down at herself as though she had somehow forgotten.

"Oh." She shrugged casually.

"Right." She stretched her arms over her head and unfurled one wing with a long sigh of relief.

"Honestly, Adriane made a pretty good point when we were in the other kingdom," she continued while completely ignoring Ivy's ongoing crisis.

"This technically isn't even my original body anymore, so modesty feels kind of pointless." Ivy continued staring very intensely at the wall. Chelsea laughed at her.

"If you're going to follow me around all day, you'll need to get used to this eventually. I change outfits constantly." Ivy took several deep, steadying breaths before finally nodding to herself like a woman preparing for battle.

"Right," she muttered weakly.

"Okay. Sure. Fine. Normal." Chelsea grabbed a pair of towels from the nearby shelf and headed toward the door.

"Come on," she said casually.

"Bath time." Ivy nearly choked.

"You say things in the most horrifying way possible." Chelsea snorted as she opened the door and stepped into the hallway without the slightest concern for her state of undress. Ivy hurried after her in a panic while keeping her eyes firmly aimed somewhere above Chelsea's head.

"Chelsea," she hissed.

"What if someone sees you!?"

"Then they saw a naked demon," Chelsea replied with a shrug as she stepped into the bathing room.

"There's literally an entire breed of demons where that's their whole thing. I'm just walking to the bath." She pushed the wooden door open wider and stepped inside. The room was surprisingly nice for an inn bath. Pale wood lined the walls and floor, and a large metal tub sat in the center beside another hand pump similar to the ones at the guild hall. Steam stains along the ceiling suggested it saw frequent use. Chelsea's eyes immediately lit up.

"Oh!" She spun around toward Ivy with excitement.

"You're a fire mage. Want to heat the water for us?"

"Us?" Ivy repeated weakly, immediately turning red again. Chelsea froze.

"Oh gods." She stepped back so quickly she nearly hit the tub.

"No, wait. Ivy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" She rubbed both hands over her face in embarrassment.

"Please don't think I'm trying to pressure you into anything."

"No! Chelsea, that's not it," Ivy said quickly.

"You're fine. Really."

"Then what is it?" Ivy struggled for words while very intentionally staring somewhere over Chelsea's shoulder instead of at the very naked demon girl standing in front of her.

"You're just…" She sighed helplessly.

"Chelsea, can I ask you something?" Chelsea immediately groaned.

"Oh no. Here it comes." Despite the joke, she turned back toward the pump and started working it, water splashing steadily into the tub.

"Why me?" Ivy asked quietly. Chelsea slowed slightly but did not stop pumping.

"Why are you so nice to me?" she continued.

"Why did you fight for me like that? You barely know me, and yet you're treating me better than anyone has in years." Chelsea opened her mouth to answer, but Ivy kept going.

"You're brilliant, beautiful, terrifyingly strong, somehow a summoned champion, apparently a merchant prodigy, and…"

"Stopping you right there," Chelsea interrupted while pointing at her over her shoulder.

"I already survived this exact conversation with the Wixx yesterday. You're not double-stacking compliments on me." Ivy laughed softly.

"But seriously," she pressed.

"Why?" Chelsea pumped the handle a few more times before answering.

"Because you seemed nice," she said simply.

"And because you weren't scared to come talk to me during the assessment." Ivy stared at her in disbelief.

"That's it?" Chelsea finally looked back at her.

"I don't really have friends, Ivy." The humor had faded from her voice.

"In my world, I had one person. My best friend." She rested both hands on the pump handle.

"She was kind of all I had. And now she probably thinks I vanished without even saying goodbye." Chelsea shook her head lightly before Ivy could interrupt.

"I'm not trying to replace her with you," she clarified.

"That wouldn't be fair to either of you. But…" She smiled faintly.

"I would really like you to be part of my life if you want that too. Real friends." The room fell quiet except for the steady splashing of water.

"And if you'd rather keep this professional," Chelsea added calmly, "I understand that too. Employer and employee. Adventuring partners. Whatever makes you comfortable." Ivy looked at her like she had lost her mind.

"Chelsea," she said softly, "of course I want to be your friend." The sincerity behind the answer made her smile.

"I wanted to be your friend from the moment you wiggled that boar tusk at me during the assessment," Ivy admitted with a laugh.

"Actually, I never thanked you for that."

"You're welcome." Ivy took a slow breath before finally removing her robe. Underneath, she wore a cream-colored shirt and simple leather shorts.

"You do little things," she continued quietly while pulling the shirt over her head.

"Things people don't notice. You saw my hair bothering me, so you tied it back." Her face warmed again.

"My cousin was the last person who ever did something like that for me." Chelsea looked away quickly as Ivy removed the rest of her clothing. She'd never actually seen another woman naked before. Why was she getting all flustered?

"Your turn," she declared while stepping aside from the pump, trying to distract herself.

"Heat the water." Ivy smiled slightly, grateful for the change in subject. She held a hand over the tub, muttered a quick incantation, and a light appeared in the water, then immediately vanished. The water around it separated violently before settling. Steam rose from the tub. Ivy dipped her other hand in and tilted her head from side to side.

"Firebolt," she explained.

"I'll need to experiment later with my other new spells." Chelsea's eyes widened.

"Oh, that is so much better than boiling pots manually." Once they actually settled into the bath, the awkwardness faded far quicker than either of them expected. Chelsea had not shared a bath with anyone since she was a small child, but there was something strangely calming about it. Intimate in a way that was not truly romantic or sexual. Just warm. Comfortable. Stolen story; please report. They sat across from each other at opposite ends of the large tub while steam slowly curled upward around them.

Ivy, meanwhile, had become completely fascinated by Chelsea's tail.

"It really doesn't seem to do anything?" she admitted while staring at it beneath the water.

"Your wings fly. Your claws fight. Your horns are…" She gestured vaguely.

"Demonic. But the tail just sort of exists." Chelsea laughed.

"Honestly? I've been wondering the same thing."

"Can I touch it?"

"Yeah, of course." Chelsea shifted her tail through the water toward her. Ivy grabbed it carefully with both hands, studying it with open fascination.

"It's strong," she murmured.

"There has to be a purpose for it."

"Hey Ivy," Chelsea said suddenly, watching her investigate the tail like a scholar examining a rare artifact.

"Quick question."

"Hm?"

"Who assigned your old title?" Chelsea asked casually while scooping up a handful of warm water and letting it run back through her fingers. Ivy blinked at the sudden question.

"Easton did. Why?" Chelsea slowly nodded to herself.

"Yeah. That's about what I expected." She leaned her head back against the edge of the tub with a long sigh, her wet black hair spreading out behind her.

"We're going to have to be careful tomorrow."

"In what way?" Ivy asked.

"You already have us doing enough things to fill three lifetimes." Chelsea laughed softly.

"That part's unavoidable. My life apparently became chaos the moment I got summoned here." She stretched one wing slightly beneath the water.

"No, I mean with the reading thing at the guild tomorrow." Ivy thought it over for a moment.

"Ah."

"I know exactly how I want to organize it," Chelsea continued.

"But we're going to hold a lot of power there. People will trust us to decide which jobs they get." Her expression became more thoughtful.

"We can't abuse that."

"Except for the Wixx," Ivy pointed out.

"Oh, absolutely except for the Wixx," Chelsea agreed immediately.

"Nepotism for family is morally correct."

"But everyone else?" Chelsea continued.

"No favoritism. No revenge. No manipulation." Ivy rested her arms along the edge of the tub.

"Even my brother?"

"Even your brother." She made a face.

"Couldn't we at least send him on terrible jobs? Maybe something involving squirrels." Chelsea laughed.

"Trust me, the thought crossed my mind."

"A squirrel infestation," Ivy suggested.

"Very dangerous. Highly elusive."

"Deadly acorns." Chelsea laughed"Terrifying woodland menaces." Chelsea shook her head while still laughing.

"No. We don't sink to Easton's level." She grew more serious again.

"This is bigger than petty revenge. If people trust us, then we need to actually deserve that trust. That means doing things fairly." Ivy sighed dramatically.

"Fine. Integrity and ethics and all that."

"The reign of Easton is over," Chelsea declared solemnly. Chelsea reached over toward the small wooden shelf beside the tub and grabbed a glass bottle.

"Turn around." Ivy narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"What are you doing?"

"Just shut up and trust me." Chelsea snorted.

"It won't hurt." Ivy slowly turned around in the water anyway.

"You promise?" Chelsea grinned mischievously.

"Pain is a luxury, my dear Ivy." Chelsea scooted closer through the water and gently placed both hands against the sides of Ivy's head. Her claws carefully avoided her skin as she tilted her backward until only her face remained above the surface. Ivy looked up at her nervously while wet strands of blonde hair floated around her. Chelsea smiled down at her, and some of the tension visibly left Ivy's shoulders.

"And back up," she instructed after soaking her hair thoroughly. Once Ivy sat upright again, Chelsea poured a generous amount of thick liquid into her palm.

"Close your eyes. This part can sting if it gets in them."

"What is it?"

"Hair soap." Ivy looked deeply unimpressed.

"You made me nervous over soap?"

"It's special soap," Chelsea corrected.

"I bought it for Fiona because she smelled like she lived inside both a current and retired outhouse at the same time."

"She kind of did." Chelsea worked the shampoo into Ivy's hair with practiced motions, carefully massaging it through while avoiding scratching her with her claws. Ivy immediately melted.

"Oh gods," she sighed happily.

"That feels incredible." Chelsea smiled to herself while continuing.

"You sound like an old woman discovering comfort for the first time."

"I think this soap cost more money than the yearly rent for my brother's apartment."

"It wasn't that bad," Chelsea replied casually.

"Only a couple gold." Ivy's eyes snapped open in horror.

"A couple gold!?"

"And now it's in your hair," Chelsea replied calmly.

"So don't waste it." She stared at Chelsea in disbelief before slowly closing her eyes again as Chelsea continued working through her hair.

"This feels stupidly nice," she admitted quietly. Chelsea carefully pulled her backward into the water once more to rinse the soap out.

"Keep your eyes closed."

"Okay." She took her time rinsing the remaining shampoo from Ivy's hair, her gaze drifting downward despite herself. Ivy really was unfairly pretty. Slender without looking weak. Lean muscle beneath pale skin. Long ears curved gracefully backward like carved ivory shells. Chelsea immediately shoved that train of thought into a locked box somewhere deep in her mind. Nope. Not doing that. She's a girl. You like guys. Chelsea's mind drifted to… to… no one? Who did she find attractive?

Gerard was objectively handsome but not for her. Henry? She almost let out a laugh. Dewey? Ew… brother. And also Fiona would murder her. Was there really no one? Her eyes looked back down at Ivy's face. So pretty.

"Alright," she said quickly, shaking off the thought, while helping pull Ivy upright again.

"You can open them." Ivy dipped her face beneath the water first to rinse away the last traces of soap before sitting back up.

"You know," she said while pushing wet hair from her eyes, "a couple gold is actually a ridiculous amount of money."

"Probably," Chelsea agreed while placing the bottle back onto the shelf. Ivy lifted a section of her damp hair curiously and sniffed it. Her eyes widened.

"Oh. That actually smells amazing."

"It also gets rid of all the dirt that plain rinsing misses," Chelsea explained.

"You'd be surprised how much grime gets trapped in hair." Ivy continued sniffing the ends of her now impossibly soft hair with open fascination before slowly lowering it again.

"The dressmaker," she said suddenly.

"Maggie."

"What about her?"

"She mentioned her expansion request got approved." She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"That was you, wasn't it?" Chelsea leaned back comfortably against the edge of the tub.

"Yeah." Ivy waited. Chelsea simply smiled at her.

"How much did you actually give her?" she asked carefully. Chelsea absently scratched at a dark knot in the wood beside the tub.

"Thirteen hundred gold." Ivy laughed immediately.

"Okay, that was a good one."

"I'm serious." The laugh slowly died.

"No, you aren't."

"She wanted thirteen hundred to expand the shop," Chelsea explained casually.

"So I approved it. I also gave her the lowest interest rate the guild legally allows." Ivy stared at her for several long seconds as though waiting for the punchline. When none came, her expression slowly shifted into genuine horror.

"Chelsea," she whispered, "that is enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life." Chelsea blinked at her.

"Well, yeah. If I had just handed it over for free."

"You practically did!"

"No I didn't," she laughed.

"It's an investment. She pays me back over time with interest. We both profit."

"That's not the point!" Chelsea tilted her head.

"Then what is?" Something visibly clicked in Ivy's mind. Slowly, cautiously, she asked, "Chelsea… how much were you planning on paying me?" The demon shrugged.

"What do you think is fair?" Ivy immediately looked nervous again.

"Uh… fifty silver a day?" she offered carefully.

"Plus whatever I make adventuring?" Chelsea's eyebrows immediately furrowed.

"Absolutely not." Ivy's entire face fell so quickly Chelsea almost felt bad.

"That would put you just under one gold per day," she said quietly.

"That's already really good for E-rank work." Chelsea stared at her in disbelief.

"Ivy, you are the personal assistant to the spoiled little demon sister of the Wixx family," she informed her.

"You are also the assistant to the highest-ranking merchant in the kingdom." Ivy stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

"The point is," Chelsea continued, "this is an extremely prestigious position and the pay should reflect that." Ivy suddenly looked terrified.

"I'm thinking…" Chelsea tapped her chin dramatically.

"Seven hundred thirty gold per year." Ivy stopped breathing for a moment.

"That comes out to about two gold per day," Chelsea clarified helpfully.

"Plus you still keep all guild earnings."

"Chelsea…"

"Wait, wait," Chelsea interrupted quickly while holding up both hands.

"I'm not done sweetening the deal."

"There's more?"

"I'm also going to teach you how to read, write, and do math properly," she continued.

"Once you pass the merchant's examination, we renegotiate salary based on your ranking. Plus the Wixx family covers food and lodging." Ivy looked completely overwhelmed.

"Chelsea, why are you…"

"No tears," Chelsea interrupted softly as she scooted closer through the warm water. Tiny tears had already begun forming in the corners of her eyes. Chelsea gently pressed the backs of her fingers beneath them before they could fall.

"No why," she said quietly while looking directly into Ivy's eyes.

"Just accept the terms." Ivy sniffed hard and nodded.

"Okay."

"Good."

"Wait," she said suddenly.

"The Leaf account." Chelsea blinked.

"What about it?"

"Anything I make gets deposited into my Brother's family account." Chelsea immediately frowned.

"First stop tomorrow morning is the bank," Chelsea informed her.

"You're getting your own big girl bank account." Ivy looked stunned again.

"You'll be paid every two weeks," Chelsea continued.

"Direct deposits. Proper records. Very official." Without warning, Ivy wrapped both arms around her and pulled Chelsea against her. Chelsea let out a startled noise as she was suddenly dragged across the tub.

"Careful!" she laughed.

"Horns. I already took one guy's eye out with these." Ivy ignored the warning completely and simply held her tighter. For a mage, she was surprisingly strong. Chelsea ended up half sprawled against Ivy's chest with her head tucked beneath her chin while steam drifted quietly around them. It should have felt awkward. Instead, it just felt… warm and comfortable. And… safe? There was no tension behind it. No expectation. Ivy simply held her like someone terrified that if she let go, the kindness might disappear.

Chelsea slowly relaxed against her.

"You really are terrible at being professional employer and employee," Ivy murmured quietly. Chelsea snorted softly against her chest.

"Yeah. I noticed that too."

"I will work really hard for you, Chelsea," Ivy said quietly after a few moments. Chelsea simply nodded against her chest. The steady rhythm of Ivy's heartbeat was strangely relaxing. She was comfortable to lean against. Warm too, though not in the same overwhelming way Adriane was. More importantly, she didn't smell edible. That surprised her. Humans always carried that scent now. Rich, savory, tempting in a way Chelsea tried very hard not to think about too much.

Adriane especially smelled incredible whenever she hugged her. It was almost unfair. Ivy, meanwhile, just smelled… clean. Well. Cleaner now, thanks to the shampoo.

"Do you mind if I test something?" Chelsea asked.

"Anything," Ivy replied without hesitation. Chelsea tilted her head slightly.

"It'll sting a little." That immediately made her suspicious.

"How little?"

"A very little little." Chelsea laughed softly.

"We can have Bea heal it tomorrow if needed. I just want to see how you taste." Ivy blinked down at her.

"You want to what?"

"You don't smell like food the way humans do," Chelsea explained.

"So now I'm curious." She felt Ivy's chest rumble beneath her as she laughed quietly.

"You want to bite me?"

"No, no," Chelsea corrected quickly.

"Gods no. Just a tiny bit of blood." Ivy gasped dramatically.

"You're a vampire."

"Nope. Bodarex already debunked that theory." Chelsea frowned thoughtfully.

"Though I was convinced for a little while…" She stopped herself from going down that rabbit hole again.

"Anyway. Can I?" Ivy considered for a moment before eventually sighing and holding up one hand. Chelsea gently took her hand and turned it palm-up before pressing the tip of Ivy's ring finger carefully against one of her fangs. Ivy sucked in a sharp breath as the skin broke.

"There," Chelsea said quickly.

"See? Barely anything." She squeezed lightly until a tiny droplet of blood welled up. Before it could drip, Chelsea dabbed it onto her own fingertip and licked it. Then she immediately grimaced.

"Oh." Ivy looked offended already.

"What does that mean?"

"You taste terrible."

"Chelsea!"

"I'm serious!" she laughed.

"Humans smell like food and taste like food. You don't smell edible and now I know why. You taste awful."

"I genuinely do not know what that means for me." Chelsea grinned up at her.

"It's a positive. It means I won't suddenly rip your heart out." Eventually the water began cooling enough that neither of them wanted to stay in much longer. After drying off and gathering their things, they headed back to the room. Once inside, Chelsea looked thoughtfully toward Ivy's folded guild clothes resting near the desk that Adriane grabbed for them.

"Do you mind if I try your guild shirt on?" Chelsea asked suddenly. Ivy looked over curiously.

"You want to test what your enhancement does to it?"

"Exactly."

"Oh." Her eyes lit up immediately.

"Actually, yeah, now I want to see too." Chelsea walked over and grabbed the shirt before slipping it over her head. The transformation happened almost instantly. Unlike before, there was no glowing circle or dramatic burst of magic. The fabric simply shifted against her body as though it had always been meant to fit her specifically. The material thinned into something sleek and flexible that reminded Chelsea strongly of compression wear back on Earth.

The chest reshaped perfectly to her figure without becoming revealing, though the lower half shortened dramatically and exposed a large amount of her stomach. Chelsea looked down at herself and immediately burst out laughing.

"There is absolutely no way I could wear this in public." Ivy, sitting on the edge of the bed, looked away and then immediately looked back despite herself.

"It's probably the lack of pants that's the bigger issue," she admitted.

"Oh hush." Chelsea pulled the shirt back off, and the moment it left her body it loosened and returned to its original shape.

"Interesting," Ivy murmured.

"Your enhancement really changes everything."

"Pretty much." Chelsea tossed the shirt back toward her.

"Hey, what do you normally sleep in?"

"Usually either the robe or underclothes." Chelsea hesitated slightly before asking, "Could I borrow one? I still haven't bought proper sleepwear yet. I usually just sleep naked, but…" Her cheeks warmed faintly.

"Bathing together feels different from sleeping beside someone." Ivy visibly relaxed at that explanation.

"Oh. Yeah, of course." She reached for the folded clothing beside her.

"Take the robe." Chelsea immediately shook her head.

"No, give me the dirtier one." The second the sentence left her mouth, both of them froze. Chelsea covered her face with both hands.

"That sounded horrific." Ivy immediately doubled over laughing.

"I meant," Chelsea continued through muffled embarrassment, "give me whichever one is less clean because my enhancement restores clothing while I'm wearing it." Still laughing, Ivy tossed her the lighter shirt and shorts instead. They were…. Indeed quite dirty. Chelsea quickly changed into them. Just like before, the fabric reshaped itself immediately.

The shirt became tighter and more form-fitting, almost identical to the previous transformation, while the shorts only adjusted slightly shorter to better fit her smaller frame. Chelsea looked down at herself thoughtfully.

"Huh. Honestly? This is surprisingly comfortable." Ivy nodded while trying very hard not to stare directly at her.

"It looks comfortable too."