Silver slipped the second amulet around Shei's neck and fastened it into place, glad for the relief as he placed the energy band spell into the amulet instead of tugging at his internal supply. "There we are. It looks lovely."
Shei fluttered her lashes. "Do you really think so?"
Silver realized a moment later what he had said, but pushed forward rather than awkwardly back out. "Yes, it complements you, as you complement it. How are you feeling, and your sister?"
Shei frowned a little. "She says you've left her alone... Thank you for that. I admit, I thought being owned would be a lot more..." She rolled a hoof slowly. "Degrading, hard work, miserable? You've barely treated us differently than before, except for these gifts." She raised the same hoof to the pendant hanging around her neck. "Are you certain you're taking us as servants instead of concubines?"
Silver smiled a little. "I haven't been with either of you like that, so no. I may seem like a foreign king of sorts, but I need help too." He raised a hoof to place on her chest. "I would like to think I can rely on you for support, and I will try to be there for you in return."
Shei turned dark, her body warming as her heart began to thunder. "I'll... try." She licked over her lips. "I know where I can begin."
Celestia emerged from upstairs. "Where would that be?"
Shei bowed her head at Celestia. "Mistress. I can show you where I found the notice. I'm not sure it would be wise to bring the mistress along. Others may try to claim the bounty."
Celestia snorted, wings ruffling on her back. "I pity the pony, or cat, that trifles with me today. I will show them the full fury of the sun."
Silver pinned his ears back. "Still feeling the heat?"
Celestia frowned at Silver. "You could be first. I'm no animal. I don't have a 'heat'."
Silver decided not to argue the terminology and just nodded at her. "Sorry. But you are still feeling out of sorts?"
Celestia moved beside Silver and bit one of his tufted ear. "You could fix that."
Silver felt temptation grow as he dropped from his sheath immediately. His body reacted to Celestia's presence so swiftly, it surprised him every time. "I had an idea about that."
Celestia perked her ears. "You have my undivided attention."
Shei was doing her best to look them in the eyes, though she kept stealing glances at Silver's more obvious sign of interest in Celestia. Silver cleared his throat softly. "If you fed me your magic while we... did it... I could try to build up extra. If you had a little less, that may also stop you from sucking too powerfully."
Shei blinked at the words. "Do you need advice in pleasuring a stallion without sucking too strongly, mistress?"
Celestia went red even as she laughed. She swatted Silver on the flank, then wandered off towards the kitchen without a word.
Silver shuffled a bit uncomfortably, still roused by Celestia's visit. "That's not exactly her problem, Shei. It's an alicorn thing, and a magic thing."
Shei shook her head. "Neither my sister or I are magicians, I'm afraid. Does that disappoint you, master?"
Silver tilted his head. "Actually, that makes me curious. Could you learn it? I'd love to see another kind of pony magic, especially one a pony without a horn can use."
Shei perked her ears at Silver. "We could. We just never did. A proper tutor is expensive, master." She paused a moment before a smile came over her face. "Are you offering, master?"
Silver nodded. "If you would like. I very much enjoy learning about magic in all its shapes, and having magic-using servants would make me happier."
Shei bobbed her head. "You have no idea how happy this will make Aila!"
Aila came out from the kitchen, shooting a distasteful look back into it where Celestia had vanished to. "What will I be happy about?"
Shei quickly approached Aila. "Our new master wants us to learn magic! He will pay for tutoring and everything!"
Aila went stiff. She narrowed her eyes at Silver. "Who sent you?" She pawed at the ground with a hoof, tail flicking agitatedly. "How do you know?"
Silver tilted his head. "Know what?"
Shei threw a leg around Aila, hugging her. "Aila has wanted to be a magician since she was a foal, but our parents couldn't afford it. She's even taught herself a few little tricks."
Aila nuzzled Shei before nudging her back down. "That much is true. What's the catch? You want me to be your assassin?"
Silver bit his tongue, about to say Aila wasn't a very good assassin. "I want you to be a good servant, and a happy pony. I would also like to see your magic and learn from it myself."
Aila shrank back a half-step, glancing at Shei, then Silver. "You won't find a tutor in this city... Catro is no place for Saddle Arabian magic."
Silver nodded. "Very true. You two will have to come with me then."
Aila stomped the floor. "We won't give up our inn!"
Shei grit her teeth a moment before shaking her head. "We agreed to be his, sister."
Aila wheeled on Shei. "He's just taking away everything! As soon as we're away, he'll leave us in a ditch with nothing. Stop staring at his dick and think!"
Silver sat on his haunches and raised his hooves placatingly. "Easy, Aila. We're not leaving right away to start with. I take my responsibilities seriously, and you are one of them. I will not abandon you, but I also won't leave you behind. You're coming."
Aila threw up her head, snout high in the air, and trotted upstairs with a defiant air.
Shei watched her go before looking back to Silver. "Do you mean that? Are we really your responsibility now?"
Silver smiled gently. "I made a promise to myself to never run away from a problem again." He held out a hoof to Shei. "If you accept me, then I accept you, and I'll do my best to take care of you both."
Shei shuddered softly. "You're like a prince out of a fable, come to whisk us away from our troubled life. I can see why my sister doubts you... but I don't." She moved in and kissed Silver on the nose before fleeing into the kitchen that Celestia was just leaving.
Celestia sat in front of Silver. "When do we go? The sooner we can put this... matter behind us, the better."
Aila returned as if on cue, dressed in flowing clothes, with a bit and bridle included. Silver had forgotten the large desert horses wore those, and he found it odd that her clothing only made her look more appealing. "If you two are ready, we'll go now. Just remember that your corpse is worth a considerable amount."
Celestia nodded at Aila. "Duly noted. I'm ready. Tell us as we go, how do you turn in these bounties if you don't know who posted them?"
They stepped out into the heat of day and began weaving their way through the city. Aila spoke in hushed tones as they went, "You bring some identifiable part to the right place. They confirm it, you get paid. You never see the cat that hired it, just the broker."
Celestia raised a brow. "What part were you planning on?"
Aila stiffened a bit. "Your horn, er, mistress. There aren't any others like it... anywhere..."
Silver winced at the imagined pain of his horn being lopped off, though if one was dead, there wouldn't be pain, right? That hardly made it better in his head. "Well we're not doing that. How would you find the hiring party, Aila?"
Aila clucked her tongue. "I am not an outlaw... despite my moment of weakness. I will show you where it's posted, beyond that is your responsibility."
Passing into the poorer district of the city came first with an olfactory punch. The stink of streets that were not properly cleaned assaulted the ponies as they pushed forward. The cats there stared at them, or pointedly ignored them. Despite being poor, there were no beggars. Everyone seemed to have something to do, even there. Aila drew a dagger free from a concealed sheath on her leg under her flowing desert attire. "It is not always safe in this portion of town."
Celestia leaned over and tapped her horn against Silver's as they walked. A quick synchronization of horns later, the three of them were surrounded in a silvery/golden glow that moved with them, nudging filth and debris out of the way and leaving a patch of slightly cleaner road behind them.
They soon came upon a small plaza. Two kittens played a game with marbles to the side, while a group of adults quietly played with cards. It seemed peaceful. Aila led them to a simple sheet of parchment on a post, covered in names and sketches. Most of them were cats, but Silver's eyes were drawn to the two ponies shown. Celestia of Equestria, and Aila Windsong. "By the sun..." breathed out Aila a moment before Silver felt and saw their shield tremble. A crossbow bolt was lodged in it, its tip pointed at Aila's head.
A feline hissed and dropped down from where it had hid on the roof, vanishing along with its deadly weapon. Celestia gave a light nod. "It seems you have joined us. How long before one is put up for Silver as well?"
Aila stomped a hoof and turned away from the paper. "Why would they want me? I have angered no one!"
Silver took the paper off the post, folding it in four before he gestured back where they came from. "Let's ask that away from here." He looked around, noticing the cats that were relaxing had quietly departed at some point. Just another day in Catro? "We're all targets right now."
A heavyset cat with a large falchion emerged from the shadows. "Of course you are, foreigners. It's not every day a foreign princess and her consort show off their magic through town. Are you trying to intimidate the cats of Catro? We won't stand for it."
Celestia inclined her head at the cat lightly. "We meant no offense. We simply wished to protect ourselves from--" She reached up and tapped the still held bolt with a hoof. "--the rain."
The cat laughed and swung his blade, cutting the bolt off where it met the shield and letting the other portion fall into the bubble. "Some cats are less polite than others. Perhaps you are merely cautious, eh? If so, take your rich tails and stop taunting the poor of the city. We don't take kindly to the wealthy, pony, cat, or anything else."
Aila advanced as far as the shield let her. "Do you know who would put a price on my head? I have done nothing to anyone!"
The cat snorted. "You know the rules, Aila Windsong. Maybe someone didn't want to pay you after your dirty work." He pointed the falchion at Celestia. "Dirty work you seem to have failed to complete. Maybe that's it, eh? A poor assassin is a short-lived one. Why haven't they already killed you?"
Silver moved in front of Aila, blocking their view of one another. "She is mine to punish as I see fit. A quick death would be too simple and too quick. I'd rather she learned something."
The cat raised a brow high. "Is that so? Is it true? I heard Equestrian mares are all tiny creatures, royalty excluded. Are you looking for someone more your speed?" His tone dripped with innuendo and had a deep mocking tone to it that made Silver's wings ruffle agitatedly. "Be that as it may. You'll have to decide quick if she's worth more as a whore or the price on her head. If it's the first, you'll have to protect her so long as you're in Catro. Good luck with that." He departed as if he had concluded a conversation about cabbage prices, whistling softly to himself as he bounced his blade off his shoulder, ready to use it, but not doing so for the moment.
They departed soon after, heading back to Aila's inn.