//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5: Sleepover 
// Story: Veins and Arteries 
// by Rhino 
//------------------------------//

Silk lets out a yawn as she gets out of bed, having always allowed herself to sleep late Sunday mornings. Taking a peek at her wardrobe, she shrugs and casually slips on an overly large and loose t-shirt to cover herself before she heads downstairs to start her morning wakeup with a nice cup of tea.

She finds Asylum, standing in the doorway between the living room and the basement stairs, leaning over and peering down the stairs at a slightly open door. It looks almost as though she’s waiting for something.

The thestral blinks as she sees this, speaking to the other mare. “Hun? Why are you here this early?”

Asylum looks to her, then smiles. “Good morning, sleepy. Win just wanted me to come over to help test something.” She glances down at the stairs, seeing a cobalt arm give a quick thumbs-up before shutting the door. “...apparently the test is done.”

Giggling slightly tiredly, Silk walks past her towards the kitchen. “Asylum and Winter’s basement shenanigans… I feel like there’s something I could say about that, but I need my tea first.”

Blushing, the guest follows her. “He didn’t actually let me go in… he had me do it in the living room.”

“Where anypony could catch you? Scandalous.” With a few movements, a teabag in a cup of water is set in the microwave to heat up.

Asylum makes a face. “You’re one to talk. You’re not even wearing pants right now and you’re walking all around the house.”

Looking down at herself, Silk sticks her tongue out at her friend. “It covers as much as a short skirt. Nothing is exposed.”

“Yeah, until you bend over.” She smirks.

“I only have so much clothing sensibility when I first wake up.” Her hoof taps the floor as she waits for her drink. “Honestly I didn’t even bother half the time when I lived on my own.”

“Well, good thing you’re getting out of that habit.” She thinks. “Or maybe it’d be better if you didn’t...”

That gets a full laugh out of Silk as the microwave beeps. She talks as she fixes her tea, adding a little milk. “I honestly doubt Limelight would care, apparently she did much the same. Winter is the stickler, and I’d rather not have him bleeding out of his nose all over the floor… if he had enough left after some gets diverted.”

Asylum giggles. “I can tell you from experience he’ll just faint before the blood goes anywhere.”

“Aww… boring…” She pouts before taking a sip of her tea and sighing contently. “Wait… he saw you naked?”

She blushes. “Yeah… back in highschool, we found a parasprite infestation in our basement, and had to find other places to live for a few days… my parents and brothers rented a hotel room, but Winter’s family just let me stay with them… and, well, things happened...”

“Oh? Don’t stop now, hun, go on. This sounds like a juicy story.” Pulling out a chair, Silk sits down and crosses her legs, still cradling her warm cup in her hands.

Asylum slowly sits as well, blushing even more. “Well… w-we never really did… that… just, well, saw each other in some awkward situations...” Her eyes dart to the floor. “Probably didn’t help that I was sleeping in his room...”

“Ah, just teenage awkwardness then.” She nods before taking another sip. “I bet it was adorable to everyone else.”

“I wouldn’t know… didn’t exactly go around asking for opinions...” She shrugs a bit.

“Fair enough, dear, fair enough.” One ear flicks as the tea wakes her. “Did you want a cup of this?”

Grasping for the change of subject, Asylum smiles, but shakes her head. “I had a drink before I left my apartment. Thank you, though.”

Nodding, Silk drains a good bit of the cup before suddenly looking up, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes next to one of curiosity. “So… you two were experimenting in the living room, hmm?”

“Don’t even take that where I think you’re going to take it,” the other pegasus responds firmly.

She holds up a hand. “Peace, hun. Though I’m more curious as to what he’ll do in experiments on me in the future, I am genuinely curious what you two are up to. He said he’d tell me eventually. Do I get any hints?”

Asylum thinks. “...well, he only said not to tell anypony what he was doing in the basement… nothing about the living room.” She grins as she realizes this loophole, then frowns. “...honestly, I don’t know much. Sometimes he just has me come over and measures different parts of me, usually upper body; today he put some weird bandage-like things on my wings and told me to flap them for a while in different ways. He had just taken them off and gone back downstairs when you came down.” She twirls her mane around a finger, humming. “I don’t know for certain, but if I had to hazard a guess, it’s almost like he’s making some sort of outfit or covering for my wings… or just wings in general. I don’t know what purpose that would serve, though...”

“Hmm… that is interesting. Sounds like a classic unicorn experiment to me.” She giggles as she drinks the last of her cup. “I know a friend of mine who gets like that, though he tends to talk your ear off about it if you ask.” Her eyes glance back to her own leathery wings. “I wonder if Winter could use data on mine since they’re different from yours…”

“If that was the case, don’t you think he would’ve asked you by now?” Asylum points out.

Silk shrugs. “Not really. I wouldn’t think he’d ask someone he’s known less than a week. Plus, I like to think I keep him on the edges of his hooves around me. I can be very distracting.”

Asylum raises an eyebrow. “Is that… a good thing? You make it sound as though he’s always nervous around you… and not in a silly way. Are you sure you’re not pushing him away?”

“On the contrary, judging by how things have been these last few days, I think I’m drawing him in.” She smiles happily. “He’s started playing along, teasing back. I feel we’ve gotten closer because of that.”

“If you’re sure… just be careful with him. He’s not exactly a delicate flower, but he also doesn’t have any thorns to fight back with if someone tries to pick him.” She pauses, rubbing her forehead. “...no, wait, that doesn’t really make sense… um… he’s not a fragile snowflake, but he’s still easy to melt? I don’t know… what were we talking about again?”

Silk replies simply. “You’re worried about your childhood friend and my newest one, hun. Don’t worry, I got it. Maybe I’ll try to ease up a little; the nurse outfit the other day was a test push I should probably let him recover from.”

“Nurse…? Never mind. Just treat your patient well.” She smirks a bit, leaning back in the chair. “So, what’s your plan for today?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. Sundays are my days off so usually I just act lazy or do whatever comes to mind.” The thestral stands, raising her hands above her head as she stretches, groaning a bit.

Asylum watches with a small chuckle. “The lazy part is certainly obvious at the moment.”

“Oh, like you don’t do the same sometimes.” Silk’s tongue sticks out between her fangs.

“I do it frequently, but not with a man in the house. But I suppose that’s your business, not mine.” She giggles. “But anyway, if you don’t have plans, maybe we could find something to do together? It’s been too long since we last did an activity that wasn’t modeling or a simple phone conversation.”

“Hmm… that does sound very tempting.” The thestral nods as her smile grows. “Does a flight followed by a hooficure sound like a decent start?”

Asylum smiles as well. “It certainly does. And while it may sound a bit ‘juvenile’, we could end it off with a sleepover, if you want to.”

“You call that juvenile?” Silk’s wings spread as she giggles. “Hun, I was going to try and ambush you with a few cloudballs while we were flying.”

“Really? I was going to do the same.” She giggles. “Cloudball fight up where nopony can see us?”

“You’re on.” Pointed teeth grin as the two friends look forward to an interesting day.

***

Giggling comes from both mares as they make their way into Asylum’s apartment, the pegasus fumbling for her keys briefly before opening the door. “Make yourself at home. Sorry it’s not very big.”

Silk waves her off with both hand and wing. “Hun, we’re in college. Virtually all living conditions are expected as long as you don’t live on the street. I’m sure it’s fine.”

Asylum looks around. “If you say so...” She steps into the narrow hallway leading to the living room-kitchen area, pointing out any branching doors. “This is the bathroom; that’s a closet; that door over there leads to the bedroom. Feel free to come and go as you wish.”

“I appreciate the hospitality. Shall I just set my bag in your room, then?” She motions to the last door.

She nods, smiling. “Go right ahead. I’ll see if I can figure out some things we can do.”

Nodding, Silk ducks into the bedroom. Setting her bag down, she peeks through it, nodding at all her things and making sure she knows what she’ll need soonest isn’t on the bottom. Satisfied, she heads back out.

Asylum has begun setting up a small game familiar to them both on the living room table, glancing up as her friend reappears. “Hope you don’t mind Battleclouds… it’s the only game I really have besides some old cards.”

“I think it sounds fun, hun.” Silk smiles as she heads to the couch. “Probably a better idea anyway, since I’m fairly certain most sleepover card games end up defaulting to strip poker. Can you imagine that with this? Strip Battleclouds?” She titters at the idea.

The pegasus giggles as well, but trails off. “...actually, I… kind of want to try that now...” She blushes.

The thestral, on the other hand, blinks with a blank look on her face. “Really? Huh…” She shrugs. “Oh, why not? Nothing we’ve never seen before, I get to see more of your cute blush, and we’ll likely have a big laugh about it after.”

Grinning, Asylum turns the board so that one side is facing each of them, sitting down on the floor across from Silk. “So… how will this work? An article of clothing for each ship sunk? Though I’m pretty sure we’re only wearing four each...”

“True… first one’s a freebie?” she offers.

“That works.” She starts to set her ships up carefully. “So… have you ever played strip games before?”

“Honestly, no. Never really had a friend I wanted to do it with before, and you know I haven’t been in a relationship since I would have gotten into them.” Silk lifts up her ships one at a time, debating where to place them. She flicks between a few variants before deciding. “You can go first if you want.”

Asylum smiles. “So this is new for you, hm? And yes, I think I will.” She scratches her chin. “D3.”

“Miss.” She smiles as she looks to her friend. “What about you then? Have you ever done a strip game before? B5.”

“Miss. And yes… many times, actually.” She blushes. “It was sort of a fun side activity we did on the baseball team back in high school… usually it was poker, though. I’m not very good at poker...” She giggles sheepishly. “Um… B8.”

“Miss… wow… I never thought of baseball teams being naughty…” Silk actually blushes as well. “And all of you? I don’t even know what to say… though I’m curious now if there are any good stories about that. You know I love a good story. C9.”

Asylum giggles. “There are a few… miss, by the way.” She thinks. “Well, I didn’t always lose… and there were one or two stallions on the team since it was co-ed, so take from that what you will.” She grins mischievously. “H2.”

“Miss…” Silk’s wings flare behind her at the thoughts going through her head. “I’m really starting to think you’re messing with me, hun. Otherwise I’m afraid you are not nearly as innocent as I thought you were. Oh, umm… F4.”

The pegasus clicks her tongue, frowning. “Hit… guess you go again?”

“I think that’s the official rules… F3.” She looks up. “So… no comments on what I said, then? I almost don’t want to say what’s going through my head.”

“Oh, I was planning to comment once we clarified the ‘shoot again’ rule.” She smiles. “I think you’ll find I’m still somewhat innocent. All the games I attended stopped at underwear since girls had an advantage in that case, though apparently there were some that went right to nudity that I bowed out of. Also, you missed your second shot.” She sticks her tongue out playfully. “F1.”

“Hit, damn it.” Still, she sighs in relief. “Oh good… you’re still my innocent adorable Asylum. Go again.”

“Keep in mind I later saw quite a bit of Win when I was living with him.” She smirks. “F2.”

“Miss.” Silk shakes her head. “Hun, you seeing one boy naked when you were growing up is nothing compared to the fear I had for a moment that you were involved in orgies.” It takes her a moment to remember to move. “G4.”

Asylum sighs. “Hit… and trust me, I stayed away from those. Virginity’s still intact… go again.”

“E4. Glad to hear that hun…” She waits to see if she hit something.

“Hit, again… sunk one of mine.” Asylum pouts. “At least the first one’s free… and you go again.”

“C2.” Noticing her pout, Silk reaches a wing forward and lightly brushes her ribs. “Now now, no pouting. How about you tell me a little something; you’re saving yourself for somepony special, right?”

The pegasus giggles from the light brushing, squirming a bit. “M-Miss… and yeah, I am...” She blushes a bit. “Um… E1.”

“Hit, go again, hun.” Eyeing her blush, she asks another question. “Do you… have anypony in mind?”

“...m-maybe? I don’t know… it might just be a stupid crush...” She sighs, shaking her head a bit. “D1.”

“Another hit. Come now, hun, what makes you think it’s stupid? I bet it isn’t.” The wing extends forward once more, trying to lift her head.

“...well, for starters, I don’t even know his name...” She lifts her head as desired, but keeps her eyes averted. “C1.”

“How does that work?” Using the very tip of her wing, Silk tickles her muzzle. “Another hit, looks like you found something big.”

She giggles. “Hope I get it… B1. And it’s sort of just a ‘love at first sight’ thing… though like I said, might just be a crush… I only saw him at school a couple days ago, and I know he runs an enchantment store...”

“And there goes my biggest cloud…” The thestral mutters this almost off-handedly as her ears flick. “A store owner? Tell me more… what was this ‘love at first sight’ like? I’m curious since it doesn’t happen often.”

“Well… he was holding a door open, and when I tried to say thank you, I almost choked on air.” She giggles a bit. “He just had that kind of effect on me… I don’t know if it was his build, his manners, or just some sort of connection I felt… whatever it was, I just suddenly grew fond of him.” She blinks. “O-Oh, my turn again… um… J8?”

“Miss. So, fell for a gentlestallion have you?” Silk giggles as she presses for more. “Just found yourself speechless? Lost in his eyes, or… what did you say? His ‘build’? I8.”

She coughs. “...m-miss… um… w-well...” She tries to think of a response, but eventually gives up and just covers her face with her hands. “...G5.”

“Miss~.” Silk’s smile grows wider. “Come now… can you try describing him? Or does the mere thought send your heart into flutters? I1.”

“M-Miss!” she nearly shouts before reigning herself in. “Um… w-well… he’s green? And a unicorn… C3...”

The thestral blinks. “Miss…” One ear flicks again as her eyes narrow slightly. “Go on… H7.”

“Miss… what else is there to say?” Asylum shrugs awkwardly. “Green, unicorn, stallion, handsome, polite… D5.”

“Mane color perhaps? I doubt you saw his cutie mark unless something extraordinary happened.” She looks down at the board. “Miss, G6.”

Asylum eeps, blush returning in full force as she gets some mental images. “W-Well… um… black, with blue in it, I think? And, um… miss, E4.”

“Hmm… hit.” Silk puts a hand to her chin, ear flicking thoughtfully as she doesn’t even acknowledge the blush.

“Well then, uh… E3?”

“Miss, F8… did he have chocolate brown eyes?” she asks suddenly.

Asylum blinks. “Um… yes, actually, he did...” She then winces. “And you hit...”

“F7.” Silk leans forward. “Asylum… I believe I know this beau of yours.”

Her eyes widen. “R-Really?” She smiles. “What’s his name? Do you know what he’s like?” She blushes. “Oh, er… and hit. Again.”

The thestral grins. “His name is Rhino, he’s a friend, and I will happily tell you all I know of him as soon as I blast that shirt off you.” She winks. “F9.”

“...sunk...” Her face paling (quite impressive given her normal colouration), Asylum slowly stands up. “O-Okay… here goes...” With a sigh, she starts removing her shirt, lime green bra underneath coming into view.

“No pink or rainbow? I suppose it would stop being interesting if you wore it all the time.” Silk giggles as she leans back and watches. “You really don’t seem to be getting used to doing that around me, hun… you know that’s sort of what you do for a living, right?”

“Y-Yeah… but I really don’t want to lose.” The top off, Asylum sits back down. “All the strip games we played had an extra thing for the loser… they basically had to become the winner’s slave until we all went home. Lack of clothing included.” She giggles a bit. “Usually pretty harmless… though I’m not sure if that’s what we’re doing here...”

“I think a bit of higher stakes sounds fun. Who knows what things we’ll think of…” She leans forward once more. “Though we’ll have to earn it. So… my turn again. C7. But since I promised, is there anything you’d like me to start with about your future husband?”

The pegasus’s face goes a deep red. “F-For one, start by not referring to him like that… it might just be a temporary crush… miss, by the way.” She squirms. “Um… what’s his personality like? I’m assuming his politeness wasn’t just a one-time thing, but you can’t be too careful… also, D4.”

“You cleared my tiny raincloud…” Silk sighs, shrugging and grasping the bottom of her shirt, flinging it off and over the couch in less than a second. Revealed is one of her classic purple bras cupping and covering her mounds comfortably with a bit of lace teasing the top edge. “Don’t need that anymore!”

Asylum laughs a bit. “Of course yours is prettier than mine.” She tilts her head. “So, about that personality? And H4.”

“Miss!” The thestral seems a little perkier now. “Well, politeness is definitely not a one-time thing for him. He’s actually quite the gentlestallion, though I think it’s also what he’ll default to if he doesn’t know how to react, so he can come off a little more polite than a situation calls for. He’s very calm most of the time, and very nice. Very gentle too, though I only have a small amount of proof of that. B8.”

“Miss. So he is polite all the time… well, most of the time.” She thinks about her next question and next move. “...I guess I should get these big ones out of the way: is he single, and does he like girls? Also, B5.”

“Miss, D9.” Thinking a bit, Silk answers. “Yes to both those questions. I actually got a direct answer for the first in casual conversation, but I had actually assumed it from watching him. It’s subtle, but… he’s introverted I think. You just sort of see after a while that he likely lives alone and is used to it… it’s a little sad because he can be very quiet as well.” Shaking her head, she moves on. “As for the second question, well, he hasn’t said it explicitly, but from how his eyes were drawn around my store, it was fairly obvious he liked what he saw in some things, even if he was blushing like mad and had trouble finding his words.” She giggles, looking to the pegasus. “Kind of like you, hun.”

Asylum just blushes more and squirms a bit. “That’s good to know… also, miss, F7.” She thinks a moment. “...do you think he’d like me?”

“Hun, I think you and he will get together and never be apart. Miss.” She crosses her arms confidently. “I actually considered going out with him, and he admitted he would likely give me a shot, but both of us talked and decided we’d rather be friends. He certainly had things to say about when he found his somepony, I’ll tell you that. Quite chatty if you get him comfortable and on a good topic. F2.”

“Miss… well, what would be a good topic with him? I’m not exactly a unicorn, so we can’t bond over that, nor do I have a need for enchantments.” She sighs. “I3.”

Silk blinks. “Hit. Darn, found me again…” Still, she pats her friend with a wing. “You’d be surprised how useful enhancements could be. He gave me a small demonstration once when I kept losing an earring; he put a little spell on them when we found it again, now they start glowing if they’re more than three feet away from each other. If you really want other interests, I hear he likes reading and has a taste for fiction, as well as games.” She snaps her fingers. “Oh, but speaking of tastes, there is one thing I likely need to warn you about.”

She tilts her head. “What might that be? And H3.”

“Miss, phew. B10.” Silk clears her throat. “Well, he does have a small addiction… to milk. Seriously, you have no idea how much he drinks, I don’t think he’ll ever break a bone in his life.”

Asylum giggles. “Is that all? I thought you were going to say he did meth or something. Oh, and miss. I4.”

“Damn… hit. I’m just telling you now so you aren’t weirded out or anything by it.” She looks down worriedly at her board. “I think you might win this…”

She giggles again. “Everypony has something they love and something they hate. I love flying and hate sunflowers; he loves milk and… is there anything he hates? Also, I5.”

“Miss, really keeping me on edge here.” Silk sighs again. “I wouldn’t really classify this as ‘something he hates’ because I don’t think it’s come up, but he’s… protective. A7.”

“Miss. Protective how? Friends, possessions… virginity?” She blushes a bit. “Um… I2.”

“And there goes another one of my clouds.” She stands, undoing her pants as she speaks. “I suppose being your slave will be interesting. To answer you, the context where it came up in was the somepony talk, but I can also confirm he is a virgin. A bit unusual, but not unheard of. He said he was saving it for somepony special.” With that said, her pants drop, her tail slipping out of the hole in the back, leaving her in panties that match her bra, looking both comfy and tempting. “Sink more and I’ll have to start going bare, hun.” She sticks her tongue out.

Asylum grins, looking her over. “That’s the idea. Hmm… E7? And that’s good to hear; pretty similar to my own thoughts on the subject.”

“Miss, and hun I doubt you do a deep growl when the subject of protecting someone close to you comes up.” Seeing her eyes, Silk smiles and does a little pose as she stands. “Like what you see? J9.”

She blushes at the pose, but tries to tackle her replies one by one. “Huh… that’s a little more than I expected… in terms of protection, I mean. As for you… well, I can’t say I don’t.” She giggles. “Also, miss. D6.”

“Miss to you as well.” Silk sits back down, getting comfortable and crossing her legs. “And thank you, it’s very flattering. I4.”

Asylum grins. “Well, it appears I-4-got to put a cloud there… because you missed.” She giggles at her own joke before trailing off awkwardly. “...G8.”

The thestral laughs slowly as she shakes her head. “I suppose I should have expected a pun at some point. Miss. Anything else you want to know about him, or are your thoughts moving on to what you’ll have a naked version of me doing? A4.”

“I’m trying to multitask those thoughts with horrible jokes, apparently.” She chuckles sheepishly. “Miss. H7. I do have one more question about him… how would I go about, um… talking to him? For the first time, I mean?”

“Hit… you found another one!” Silk’s wings spread in overly dramatic alarm before she answers. “I think… go up to him, say hello, introduce yourself. After that, pursue a small goal. Maybe ask about his shop, but then he might see you as just a customer. Perhaps talk a little, or you may just go straight for it and ask him to lunch.”

“...hopefully it comes to that last one, but I doubt it’ll be right away...” She thinks. “I7?”

“Miss.” Silk pats her shoulder. “Just be your adorable self, and don’t freeze up. You’ll do wonderfully, hun. If not I’ll just have to give him a wing slap for not realizing it himself and send him to you for a date that will be far more awkward because of it. C4.”

“Miss, and please don’t. Awkwardness is not fun.” She pouts playfully before speaking again. “H8. And since I already know based on past shots that a part of your ship mathematically has to be there, H6 after that.”

“Has to be there, huh? Hit with first, miss with second.” The thestral sticks her tongue out. “Someone’s getting cheeky with her impending victory. Careful, you might lose your prize. J5.”

She winces. “...hit… uh-oh...”

“I wonder which one that was… you have three left still.” Her slitted eyes narrow as she leans back. “J6.”

Asylum slumps a bit, feeling a sense of dread. “Another hit...”

“Could the mistress of the sea be staging a comeback?” She looks between a few options. “J4.”

“Hit...” She swallows nervously.

Giggling, Silk waves a hand. “Don’t be glum, hun. I still have to find your tiniest ship, you already got mine. J3.”

“Another hit… still not sunk...” She looks at Silk with wide, hopeful eyes.

“Oh dear… 50/50…” She thinks carefully, but ultimately just guesses. “J2.”

“...sunk.” Asylum slumps again, even going so far as to dramatically fall onto her back on the carpeted floor, groaning. “My precious battlecloud is at the bottom of the cloud layer now and it’s all your faaaaaaault!~”

Silk grins. “Haha! You know the penalty for losing one of your precious clouds.”

“I know, I know...” Standing up, Asylum begins to undo her jeans. “You know, looking back on it, I just realized the little danger I barely avoided when we were flying earlier… I almost wore a skirt this morning.”

“Well, if things go smoothly, it’s worth noting Rhino seems to like skirts.” The thestral winks.

“...I may have to buy some more.” Giggling, she lets her pants drop; green panties to match her bra are revealed, with lace around the edges as almost an indicator that the other mare in the room made them. On the front is a small yellow flower. “Hopefully he doesn’t like them for the reason most hormone-addled guys do...”

Silk nods. “Well, he does seem embarrassed that he likes them, so I think there’s hope. Ah, I remember those… a flower to cover your flower, and yet still adorable. A9 when you’re ready.”

Giggling despite obvious embarrassment, Asylum does a small pose. “It’s always the ones with designs that catch my eye… odd for clothes no one’s supposed to see.” Finally, she sits back down. “Miss, and H9. And since like before, that one has to hit unless you put them diagonally, H10 as well.”

“And suddenly with double hits my confidence lessens greatly.” Giggling after a small sigh, Silk reaches behind herself. “Guess the girls are getting some air this evening…” With a small ‘snap’ the bra comes loose, being soon tossed over onto her shirt. “You still like the view, right?”

“Why wouldn’t I? You’re not exactly anything less than gorgeous.” She smiles, her face slightly red as she gazes at the newly-exposed body parts. “Er… D9.”

“I’m a C actually, hun.” Silk winks before looking down and groaning. “Seriously? All that open sky and bam, you find my last cloud.”

Grinning, Asylum bounces in place a bit gleefully, her still-covered breasts mimicking her. “D10!”

Silk’s eyes follow the bouncing before she answers. “Miss! The opportunity is mine once again, Miss Bouncy! C6.”

After stopping her bouncing and sulking for all of two seconds, she goes right back to bouncing again. “Miss! Now, E9!”

“Miss! Another chance!” She points a dramatic finger. “B3!”

“Miss again! D8!”

“Miss! Your luck seems to be failing you, Asylum! F1!”

Asylum winces. “Hit...”

Silk blinks. “Oh… yay! Okay, gotta not waste this… E1.”

“Another hit...” The pegasus just stares as she watches her victory begin to slip away.

“Could be either direction… G1.”

“That’s a third hit… one more, and you’ve sunk it...” She shuts her eyes, bracing herself.

Biting her lip, Silk makes a guess. “D1.”

“...miss.” A wicked grin crosses Asylum’s features. “C9.”

“Why are all four of those clouds on the same half of the board?!” Silk’s hands go to her head as she groans. “Hit…”

“Because I never put much planning into placing my clouds!” the pegasus chirps before leaning forward, grinning. “B. 9.”

Silk groans loudly as she slumps forward. “Hit… you win.” Looking up, she smiles. “Congratulations, hun.”

Asylum jumps up, cheering. “Woo!” She then realizes she’s still undressed and quickly flops back down into a sitting position, blushing.

The thestral snorts at this. “Why are you blushing? I still have penance to pay.” Standing up, she slides off her last piece of clothing, leaving her bare as the day she was born… just bigger and curvier. “And I recall… I am now yours to command.” She gives a small bow.

Asylum giggles, looking her up and down a few times. “Indeed you are...” Standing up again, she nods. “First, clean up our clothes. Just put mine in the laundry hamper and do whatever you want with yours, as long as they stay off your body. I’ll order us something to eat.”

Feeling the usual surprising freedom one has when completely nude, Silk bends over and does as she asks. “What will we be getting, mistress?”

She thinks as she heads for the phone. “Hm… usually I either order pizza, or Chineighse food… your choice, I suppose. They both work.”

Stowing Asylum’s clothes in the hamper and throwing hers onto her bag in the bedroom, Silk walks back as she answers. “I think pizza this time, and Chineighse next.”

“Pizza, then. What do you want on yours? And do you want just a small, or can you stomach a medium or large?” She picks the phone up, but waits to dial.

“Either a small for each of us or a medium for both, I think.” She taps her chin in thought. “Can I get mushrooms and sliced tomatoes, please?”

“Small for both, then.” She giggles and nods. “Anything else with that? To drink, or as a side?”

Silk thinks, tapping one hoof on the floor. “Breadsticks might be nice for a late night snack later on.”

“Breadsticks for you, and I’ll get a soda for myself… might as well pig out, right?” She smirks. “No drink for you, then?”

“Oh, lemonade, please.” Silk giggles. “Almost forgot.”

Nodding, Asylum starts to dial. “We’ll figure out who’s gonna answer the door later.”

The thestral blinks. “Wait… what?”

“Well, one of us has to, right?” She smirks. “Whoever it is will wear a robe or something, don’t worry. Now hush, it’s ringing.” Silk sighs in relief, knowing one line she doesn’t want to cross. 

A few minutes later, the order has been placed, and Asylum heads to the couch to flop down. “So, what do you want to do until it gets here? We have about twenty minutes.”

“Hun… you’re the one in charge this evening. I’m the slave filly, remember?” She stands next to the couch, still curious what will come of the situation.

“Oh, right… hm.” She thinks, then grins. “Well, slave… I think I know some ways you can provide me with amusement.”

“I live to serve.” Silk gives another small bow, hands clasped in front of her stomach.

Asylum giggles. “Good. Your first task is to fly outside, grab a tuft of cloud, and bring it back… naked.”

“...” Silk blinks, looking at her friend in a new light. “I’m starting to think I corrupted you a bit too much over the course of our friendship if this is what you choose to start with...” Sighing, she heads over to the door regardless. “Here’s hoping I don’t get arrested for streaking.” A thought occurs to her as she looks back. “Umm… how big?”

Asylum shrugs. “About as big as a baseball, I suppose. A little bigger or smaller isn’t a problem. I just don’t want you coming back with a cloud wisp… or an entire cloud.”

Nodding, Silk steels herself before wrenching the door open and zipping out as a purple and yellow blur. About a minute passes before she suddenly zips back in, still flying and having to skid across the floor. The door shuts behind her as she lets out a small shriek, hugging about half of a pillow’s worth of cloud to her chest. Her slitted eyes are pinpricks as she turns to her friend. “Hun, you have no idea how flying naked feels! The wind blows over and against everything! Holy crap!” She dances in place, tingles all over her body, especially her sensitive bits.

The pegasus laughs at the reaction, nearly falling off the couch. “W-Was it fun?”

“Gah! Exhilarating, perhaps, but I don’t know about fun, and I don’t think I’ll be doing it again…” Letting out a big breath, she shoves the cloud at Asylum, revealing the now pointed mounds she was trying to shield from the wind.

“Thank you, dear.” Giggling, Asylum takes the cloud, nuzzling Silk’s cheek. “I promise everything else will be kept indoors, okay?”

Nodding, Silk nuzzles back, wings still a bit flared from her adrenalin. “Thank you…”

Smiling, the pegasus sits down on the couch, keeping the cloud in her lap. “I’ll give you time to calm down. Want to talk for a bit?”

Sitting down next to her, Silk struggles to get comfortable, ending up having to sit with her legs spread slightly. “My mind’s a bit clear from that, so aside from little voices telling me you’re going to calm me down now only to rile me up again later, you’ll have to start any conversation.”

Asylum thinks. “...completely irrelevant question to any future plans: how sensitive are your wings?”

“Umm…” Looking back at her purple flying appendages, Silk muses. “I think a little more sensitive than yours because I don’t have feathers over them.”

“Excellent.” She smiles innocently. “So, we’ve already discussed my current attempt at a love life… how’s yours coming along?”

“Well… I don’t think I can really say it is at all.” Her wings give a half-hearted flap. “I mean, I’m considering Winter as a possibility as I feel him out and try to learn more about him, but I guess I really still just feel out of the game. Even with him I still feel like I’m just being me around friends.”

Asylum tilts her head. “Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do? Treat him like a friend, and when you feel close enough, ask about taking the next step?”

“I suppose…” Silk scratches the back of her head. “Maybe I’ve just been out of relationships for so long, the lines blur for me… I’m not sure when’s too soon, and when is stalling.”

The pegasus hums a bit in thought. “You said he was responding to your teasing with some of his own… does he always do that? Does he sometimes blush and stammer? Or get mad, or anything else?”

“The blush is fairly constant, the stammering only comes in when I make a small move.” She taps her lip. “Though, he is getting better at just rolling with whatever I do; still hasn’t taken me up on my offer though…”

“Offer?” Asylum raises an eyebrow, smirking. “Mind elaborating?”

“Well… to paraphrase, I basically told him that he still has much to learn about me.” She smirks cheekily. “He asked how he was supposed to find out, and since he had just come out of the basement…” She giggles, blushing. “I told him to try experimenting on me as well.”

The pegasus blinks, before a hand slowly comes to rest on her face. “...Silk. You do know how that could be interpreted, right?”

“Honestly, hun? I have no idea… I said it so vaguely, and was even in character as a nurse, so who knows what he got from it.” She shrugs.

“...so you’re dressed as a nurse which, regardless of how tame the outfit is, was likely geared at least somewhat towards emphasizing your looks,” she recaps. “He comes out of the basement from working, probably all sweaty, and when he asks how to learn more about you, you tell him to experiment.” She pauses to let that sink in. “I know Win, and in no universe would he not think at first you were inviting him to have sex with you.”

“Oh… well, that’s not exactly the point I wanted to get across…” Mumbling a bit, Silk plays with a bit of her mane nervously. “I mean, it’s not like I hung around and waited for him to make a move, I went back to my room after patching him up. I really thought I would just make getting to know me a little more interesting by using that ‘experiment’ line. I don’t know exactly what I thought, but I didn’t mean it to come across as ‘mount me’.”

Asylum sighs, leaning in and hugging her. “Tomorrow, Silk, here’s what I want you to do: when you see Win again, offer him a chance to find out more about you without any ‘experimenting’. Make it clear you meant it in a friendly way, not a seductive one. Get to know him as much as he gets to know you.” She smirks. “And if at any point you feel that right sort of bond, give him a nuzzle and a compliment… and if he still doesn’t get it, a kiss. Trust me, that’ll get you farther than any tail-flagging.”

Snorting a bit, Silk squeezes her. “I don’t tail-flag, hun… I do have lines. Kisses though… I can do that.”

Trying to ignore the pointy mounds against her own chest, Asylum smiles. “Good. Just do that, and I think it’ll work out great between you two.” Again, she smirks. “And if it does, I have plenty of information that can help you out with him… or as blackmail purposes if it comes to that.”

“Sounds like a fair trade considering what I spilled about your potential lover.” She smirks back. “And blackmail can always be fun.”

“I’ll give you some tips in advance in exchange for a couple of your breadsticks when they get here.”

“Deal. Though honestly I’m still curious what you have planned for me in that devious mind of yours.” She sticks out her tongue.

Asylum grins. “Thanks for the reminder. I think we have time for another task or two before our food gets here.” She puts a hand to her chin in thought. “Hm… how are you at jumping rope?”


“Solo or with others turning?”

“Solo. Nopony else is here to help me turn and I doubt you’d want them here anyway.” She grins wickedly.

Raising an eyebrow, Silk leans away from that smile. “Okay… decent then. Not going to set any speed records, but not going to get tripped up by myself.”

“Good enough.” She nods to the bedroom. “I have an old jump rope in my closet. I want you to skip for a while and let your body bounce around.”

Nodding slowly, Silk stands, leaving a parting comment as she heads to the room. “Naughty mare…” She returns in a moment, a bright pink and blue jump rope in hand. “I hope I don’t get sweaty and smelly from this…”

“If you do, the shower’s free to use.” She giggles. “See if you can jump to fifty. If you can’t, just go as long as you can.”

Getting into position, Silk holds the ends in either hand, bouncing lightly on her heels as a test for her weight, already feeling her chest bounce up and down. She blows a light breath as she mutters to herself. “Just got you two soft again, too…” With only one small test swing, she begins, her whole body bouncing up and down at about a walking pace as she counts mentally.

Asylum just watches, smirking as her eyes follow the other mare up and down. “Nice...”

“I-I feel l-like I d-definitely c-corrupted you a b-bit.” The thestrals continues to jump, her mounds flapping with wild abandon so that she almost wonders if they’ll smack her in the face, despite knowing such a thing is physically impossible for her.

“Probably, yeah. So you only have yourself to blame.” She adopts a lounging position on the couch, smile not fading even the slightest bit.

Silk’s face goes a bit red at being openly ogled, but she still has a small smile, tail swishing a bit, even if it’s hard to tell when jumping. “I’m s-starting to t-think you’re c-corrupting me b-back.”

“Little ol’ me? Nahhhh.”

With a surprising amount of effort needed, the thestral rolls her eyes. “39, 40…” A few more silent bouncy seconds pass before she stops, panting a little. “You are corrupting me into enjoying being ogled naked by my best friend who has no sexual intentions with me whatsoever.”

“That’s a pretty specific thing to be corrupted into. Usually it’s drugs, or the dark side, or bad music.” Asylum shrugs. “Do you want to take that shower now?”

“I don’t think it’s needed.” Her wings spread out to let off the bit of heat she accumulated. “Barely sweated at all, actually…” With a small wince, she cups one of her mounds. “Definitely need a bra if I do that more than 50 times. The girls went crazy, got their exercise.”

“I’ll keep any other tasks less physical.” She smiles, getting up and taking the rope. “For this next task… you’re going to be the one to answer the door.”

Silk is unfazed. “Do I still get the robe?”

“Yes, but you don’t get to tie it.” Asylum grins. “Just hold it closed with your arm… and good luck taking the pizza that way without flashing the delivery colt!~”

Smirking to herself, Silk crosses her arms. “I’m impressed by how devious you are. Of course you know if the tables are ever turned, you can expect no mercy.”

“True… but you wouldn’t put somepony as adorable as me through such humiliation, would you?” She bats her eyelashes playfully, clasping her hands behind her back and adopting a cute, almost shy pose.

Eye twitching, the thestral breathes slowly. “Easy, Silk… remember what she’s doing to you. She’s almost matching you, no time to pull the satin-gloved punches…”

Interrupting them, a steady knock comes from the door, and Asylum’s eyes widen. She hisses one thing to Silk; “Robe’s in the bedroom hanging on the back of the door!” With that, she runs into the bathroom to hide.

Darting to the room and slipping on the robe, Silk folds it around her as tight as she can, crossing her arms in front of herself to appear casual as she opens the front door.

In the doorway is a purple earth colt, maybe only a year or two younger than her, holding two pizza boxes in his arms and a brown paper bag on top. He glances at her and averts his gaze down to the boxes. “Two medium; one mushroom and tomato, one hay bacon deluxe; breadsticks and drinks?”

“That’s us. One moment…” Grabbing the wallet off the table, she keeps her elbow pinned to her side as she heads back to the colt. “How much?”

“Er… sixty-seven bits.” He’s clearly trying not to stare, at least having that much decency.

Nodding, she gives him about seventy-five bits to include tip. “Here you are…” Looking between the boxes and her arms, she momentarily smirks as her wings come forward around her body. The claws midway down the edge hook together, forming a sort of purple cloak for her that acts as additional covering and still helps the robe from loosening anymore than it already has. Taking the food from him, she smiles winningly. “Thank you…”

“Y-You’re welcome, miss...” He blushes, but smiles back. “Have a wonderful night.” Stepping back, he starts heading back down the hall, glancing back occasionally.

Closing the door, she sighs, setting the food down on the table. “I’m curious and yet I really don’t want to know how much he saw.”

“Is he gone?” Asylum asks quietly, peeking her head out of the bathroom. She sniffs the air, smelling the pizza, and sees Silk away from the door. “Guess so.” Sighing in relief, she heads out and walks over. “So, how’d it go? Think you got another admirer?”

“Probably… I just hope no rumours start.” Taking the robe off, she hangs it over the back of the couch, stretching a bit. “Is it bad I feel much better without that on?”

“That just means you prefer looking natural. Which is fine.” She giggles. “Only reason I’m not joining you in that regard is because I prefer looking cute over sexy.”

“A shame, I think you could easily pull off both.” Silk giggles as well, winking.

Blushing, the pegasus shuts up and just sits on the couch, pulling her pizza box over. She opens the lid and smiles. “Extra cheese, hay bacon everywhere… this is edible heaven.”

Already chewing her first piece, Silk can only hum happily to agree. Once her mouth is free, she tries again. “I agree, it is delicious! Or maybe I’m hungry… ah well, doesn't matter.”

“Nope.” With that, the pegasus picks up a slice and takes a huge bite out of it, practically devouring half of it immediately. Grease and sauce make home around her lips, but she doesn’t pay it any mind, just chewing happily.

Her voracity merits a couple seconds of staring from her friend, but soon the thestral’s stomach protests and she goes back to eating her own. The only evidence left after each bite is a small line of sauce at the corner of her mouth, quickly cleaned with a tongue swipe.

Asylum giggles a bit. “So, what do you want to know first?”

“Hmm…” Silk sips her lemonade as she thinks. “Has he ever expressed what he wants in a relationship?”

“I think the way he described it was somepony who can care for him as much as he cares for them. And has a sense of humour.” She shrugs. “He doesn’t have very specific requirements.”

“Well, I suppose that’s fine, even if it doesn’t give me much to work with.” She moves to her second slice. “Does he seclude himself often like he does in the basement, or is it just because he’s excited about his project?”

After taking and quickly swallowing another bite, Asylum answers. “Yes and no. He rarely left his room most of the time; only for food, bathroom breaks, and when he needs to go outside. Maybe that’s changed, but I don’t know. I’m guessing that with school, work, his project, and two housemates, he can’t really lock himself away anymore… but that’d be up to you to figure out. I don’t live with him.” She smirks and takes another large bite, finishing off the first slice.

“Well, even if he does, if things work out, I’ll either be dragging him out or joining him.” She giggles as she thinks of another question. “How about… no, I’ll just get that out of him… no, I’ll have fun finding that out…” She blushes as another one comes to mind, but doesn’t say anything on it. “Okay, for lack of a better one, what would you suggest as sort of his ideal kind of date? The activity, I mean.”

“Hmm...” Asylum thinks. “Knowing him… the less public, the better. If you leave it up to him, he’d probably just suggest ordering food in and watching a movie. I know for a fact he rarely ever went anywhere public with any of his past significant others...”

“I may have to work up to outside dates then… I do like a challenge.” She nods as she munches. “Do you think he’s very affectionate? Because I can fully admit I’m probably going to be needy on that point.”

The pegasus giggles. “Oh, very much so. He doesn’t like contact with strangers, but once you grow on him, he’ll probably be all over you. Hugs, sitting close, nuzzles… sometimes I swear he’s part thestral himself. Or changeling.”

Those last words rouse Silk from the little visions she had been having of those actions, her tail still wagging happily. She giggles, holding her drink up to take a swig after she speaks. “We are little affection eaters, aren’t we?”

“You certainly are.” Smirking, Asylum takes a drink of her own beverage, leaning over and swiping one of Silk’s breadsticks. “Just be careful. I learned a couple of his… sensitive areas without realizing it a while back.”

She narrows her eyes at the swipe. “Why should I be careful? I would think I should focus on them.”

“Depends on if you want him calm, nervous, or jumping you.” She chuckles.

“Fair enough; are there ones for either or is he single trigger?” Her third piece starts to disappear.

The pegasus, meanwhile, is halfway through her fourth slice. She swallows before answering. “Single trigger. Getting him riled up in any way will make him nervous, unless you’re not being too forward. Once you two get together, he’ll probably jump you and take you to a snugglefest no matter what, as long as you’re not making like you plan to rape him.” She stuffs the rest of the crust in her mouth.

“Good to know I can rile him up enough to lash out and take charge…” Silk licks her lips, squirming and crossing her legs. “Do you know anything he… you know… likes?”

“A few.” She grabs another breadstick. “Do you mean things to do to him, or things to do to yourself and show him?”

“Both would be very appreciated.” She squirms a little more, eating almost absentmindedly now.

Asylum thinks for a moment. “He enjoys a good back massage, and his horn and rump are nice sensitive areas. Tugging his tail is probably the best way to get him started. You probably already know this, but the less you’re wearing, the more excited he’s likely to get… though surprisingly, he doesn’t react much to full-on nudity.” She pauses. “I don’t know firsthand what to do once you two get in the heat of the moment, but according to Lime whose friend dated him for a bit, he can get into roleplaying. And if at any point you decide he’s wearing too much clothing, you can either suggest he strip down or take it off yourself. Be warned that he will likely find the former more awkward.” Taking another bite, she chews thoughtfully. “That’s all I know, aside from some of his fetishes… I assume you’re interested in those?”

She nods eagerly, leaning forward and forgoing her food. “Yes please, don’t stop now. I only regret I don’t have the same information to dish on your beau.”

She coughs awkwardly. “D-Don’t think I’d want that info right away anyway… the only reason I know all this is because of a few truth-or-dare games.” She tries to regain her composure. “Like I already said; roleplaying, clothes that cover very little or are very eye-catching - or both, even - and attention to his sensitive spots. He also very much enjoys foreplay, which you’ve likely already got in the bag.” The pegasus smirks. “There’s a lot he hasn’t tried, but is interested in trying; bondage, for instance, or that little underlying danger of being caught. If you two ever go all the way, I’d suggest indulging him in a couple of those, unless you have a thing against them.”

“Well, not crazy about being caught, but everything else… mmm…” Her wings spread as she gazes upward in thought.

“Already excited, huh?” Asylum giggles. “Don’t worry; you’ll get a chance to kiss, cuddle, fondle, and do whatever else to him tomorrow.”

She squirms yet again, smiling seductively at the air in front of her. “Hun, you are dooming him to a fast-paced start to this relationship.”

“Well, his past relationships started slow and the longest one lasted only seven months, so that might be a good thing.” The pegasus downs her last slice, leaving only a crumb-filled box and empty soda can. “Ahh...”

Seeing her friend’s face, Silk holds a hand over her mouth, stifling giggles. “Do you, ah, want a napkin?”

“...yes please.” The light yellow face starts turning a light red.

Easing up slowly, Silk stiffly walks into the kitchen and comes back with a paper towel. “Here, hun.” She smiles, offering it to her with her tail sticking out straight behind her.

Taking it, Asylum begins wiping her face, noticing the stiff tail. “...I got you turned on with those descriptions, didn’t I?”

Blushing beet red, Silk quickly turns her back to her friend. “Any more and you may have smelled me…”

“Maybe we should wrap it up and go to bed soon?” Asylum suggests.

“What? No!” Silk huffs, turning back around with a frown. “It’s barely past eight, we aren’t going to bed yet!”

“It is?” She glances at a clock on the wall. “Oh… wow, I thought that game took a lot longer.” She bites her lip. “I could put you through more tasks, but I think I’d rather wait for you to calm down first...”

“I’m getting that feeling again that I got after I got your cloud, that you let me calm down only to rile me up again.” She narrows her eyes. “But… I can think non-sexy thoughts for a bit if it will help you.”

Asylum nods. “I just don’t want to give you enough tasks that you actually… well...” She coughs.

Silk crosses her arms under her chest. “Hun, I’m really not sure what you’re exactly getting at. Are you worried about me getting excited, wet, or making a mess on the floor? Because I honestly doubt that last one will happen and the first already has… twice.”

“The last one, yeah.” She chuckles sheepishly. “Well, if you’re sure… your next task is to give me a massage. Think of it as practice for when you inevitably give one to Win.”

She blinks. “Oh, well that seems easy enough.”

Grinning, the mare flops down onto her stomach on the couch. “Speaking of whom, have you figured out a plan yet?”

“I think so.” Walking over, Silk leans down and starts rubbing her shoulders lightly. “Tomorrow morning, I’m going to tell him I want to get to know him better, asking for the same, then I’m going to get affectionate, kiss him, then ask. I can’t wait any more after those mental images you gave me.”

“Fair enough. Mmm...” Asylum closes her eyes happily, tail wagging. “And if - when, more like - he says yes?”

Silk grins as she moves down relatively quickly, reaching her wings. “Then I am going to pull him to the nearest soft surface, snuggle the heck out of him, and likely start making out.”

The pegasus hums in pleasure. “Sounds good… just be warned… get him going, and clothes will fly off… his and yours, likely...”

Grabbing her wings, Silk sighs happily. “I don’t mind that at all… though I won’t be asking him to mount me the first day.”

“G-Good idea...” The mare mumbles a bit, having trouble forming proper words. “...h-how big do you think he is…?”

“I have no idea…” She shivers, the motion transferring down her arms to her hands. “But honestly… with us both being virgins I don’t really think it matters unless one of our boys is hiding a monster.”

She giggles. “Let me know if you find out… I haven’t seen in years, probably changed...”

“I guess we’ll have to compare notes after it happens… I’m really looking forward to my first time.” Her hands move down to just above the waist.

“M-Me too… ooh...” Asylum squirms a bit in anticipation.

“All I ever keep hearing is how wonderful it is…” The thestral’s voice goes a bit breathy as she massages her friend’s thighs. “I mean, I can only imagine how much easier heats will be once our barriers are breached and we can finally go as deep as our itches. Though… I guess we'll have stallions to do it for us then…” She licks her lips hungrily.

Asylum just nods. “Y-Yes...”

Pausing around her tail, Silk tilts her head. “Come on, hun, surely you have more to say on that than yes. Tell me what you think of all this, of those things.”

“Huh…?” The pegasus blinks. “Oh… um… I-I guess it’d be good, yeah… though I don’t know if I’ll get to that stage as quickly as you do...”

“I understand, hun… everypony has their own speed.” She leans down and nuzzles her as she massages around her tail base. “Though of course you really only have three weeks until nature starts banging on your biological door to get to that step.”

“D-Don’t count on it… especially if he’s as gentlestallionly as you say...” She goes back to humming in pleasure from the massage.

“Just making sure you know the timetable, dear.” Moving down to her legs, she continues. “Well, if not that… how about: what are you looking forward to most in a relationship?”

“W-Well...” She sighs. “Just… having somepony I can be that close to, I think… friends are nice, but a special somepony is… special. You know?”

“I do.” She taps the back of her legs to show she is done. “And I think it’s adorable how much of a romantic you are.”

Asylum blinks. “...thanks, I think?”

“You’re welcome. I’m all done, by the way. In case you didn’t realize you had stopped making your little happy noises.” She giggles.

“I noticed… your comment just confused me a bit.” Sighing, Asylum pulls herself into a sitting position. “Wow… you’re good at that...”

“Am I? I basically just rubbed you, nothing fancy.” She shrugs before grinning. “Though I did notice a few spots I’ll have to tell Rhino about if he asks where you sensitive spots are.”

She blushes at that. “Um… p-please don’t… actually, go ahead.” She smiles a bit. “Might be fun...”

Silk giggles, nudging her. “There’s that corruption showing again. To think you used to be so innocent… well, I suppose you still are, but there’s naughtiness in there too now.”

“I like having a mixture.” She giggles. “So, any other questions you have about Win? We got interrupted before by my messiness.”

“I was out of questions anyway.” The thestral takes a seat. “I’d like to find out the rest on my own.”

“Fair enough. And if he gives you trouble, let me know.” Asylum chuckles mischievously. “I’ll set him straight.”

“The same to you with Rhino.” She offers her hand to seal the deal.

Giggling, Asylum takes it and shakes. “Thanks.”