Charlie and the Holstaurs

"East from here, down the path of felled trees, there is a small house..."

The words spoken by the Witch of Ruin guided Charlie through the mazelike forest. Though she'd had great difficulty navigating these strange woods earlier, any worries the wild mage may have had of getting lost a second time proved unfounded. The midday sun shone down pleasantly on her skin, the fresh smell of pine soon overtaking the near-choking atmosphere of magic around the mansion far behind her, and small animals perched within the trees cast curious gazes down at her upbeat trot.

Following the trail of tree stumps as instructed, Charlie soon caught sight of a clearing in the trees just ahead. Within the clearing stood a small wooden cottage, and though it was difficult to make out the details from her distance, she could see a person standing outside near one of the windows. The faint sound of a cheerful whistling tune could be heard from that direction, with the figure facing toward the house.

Charlie smiled widely at the cabin and the happy whistling as she made her way towards the figure "okay so roeaz said to tell them that it was quick right? I guess a short spar isnt bad itll be a lot of fun!" She almost couldnt contain herself as she starting bouncing towards the cabin in excitment

Emerging from the trees, Charlie was soon able to make out the sight before her in greater detail. The figure in front of the cottage was a young woman, cleaning the window in front of her with a cloth held in her hand. She'd looked human at first glance, but the sight of her cow tail idly swaying along with her hips soon dispelled that notion—not to mention, there looked to be a pair each of horns and floppy ears poking out of her long blonde hair.

Charlie wasn't exactly trying to remain stealthy in her approach. The woman's ears perked up after a moment, her whistling coming to a halt as she turned and caught sight of the unfamiliar wild mage. "Oh! Hi there!" she said, giving a cheerful wave as she set down the cloth and started walking over to meet the newcomer.

With the woman facing toward her now, Charlie could see a necklace with a golden ring on the end hanging in front of her cleavage, which her sky-blue shirt did little to hide. The woman's excitement seemed to mirror Charlie's own, with a wide smile plain to see on her youthful face. "What's your name, friend?"

Charlie smiles and looks at the ring for a second before holding her hand out "Hello there ma'am my name is Charlie. i was sent by miss Roeaz and she said to tell the people i see down here...um" She taps her chin thinking before smiling "Oh yeah she said to tell you She expects me early. Whatever that means." She shrugs as she smiles up to the woman excited for the challenge to come

The holstaur's eyes widened at Charlie's words. "Wait, you know Roèaz?" she asked. "And she said...huh." A few moments passed of her curiously staring down at Charlie, her bright blue eyes studying Charlie's face for something the wild mage couldn't quite identify.

Soon, however, her smile returned. "Well...I'm Lia, pleased to meet'cha!" she chirped, sticking out her hand to shake Charlie's. Her grip was gentle, but lingered just a little too long. "Do you wanna come inside the house? My sister always loves meeting new guests!"

Charlie blushes as the woman stares at her before smiling as she nodded "Sure that would be nice!" In her head she hear Roeaz's warning to not let the temptations get to her as she decided to act innocent

Letting out a giggle, Lia tossed the cloth onto her shoulder and picked up the water bucket she'd been using before leading Charlie to the front door of the cottage with a spring in her step. Her tail swung back and forth as she opened the door, walking inside and gesturing for Charlie to follow.

When the wild mage stepped inside, Lia turned away and raised her voice. "Aaaaanniiiiie! We have a new guest! I'm gonna put away the cleaning supplies, do you wanna meet her while I do that?" A few moments followed without a response as Lia's voice rang throughout the house, giving Charlie time to take in the space around her. She looked to be in a cozy living room, with bookshelves lining the walls and an empty fireplace sitting against one side. A soft rug protected the wooden floor from the large couch and chairs in the middle of the room, whose fluffy cushions looked as though she could just sink straight into them.

Soon, one of the two doors on the opposite wall opened to reveal a matured holstaur woman with gently curved features poking her head into the room. "A new guest...?" She peered curiously at Charlie, her ears raising up a little at the sight. "Oh, goodness. Hello there, dear! Please, make yourself at home."

Charlie blushes at the beautiful house and squeaks at the sudden appearance of the other woman "Oh um hello there. My name is Charlie!" She thought to herself trying to figure out how she would be able to spar with them without being rude

The older holstaur favored Charlie with a gentle smile. "I'm Marianne...or simply Annie, as Lia prefers," she said, stepping out of the doorframe. A large bell hung from her neck, the faint jingling from every step she took drawing Charlie's eyes toward it—and as with Lia, the wild mage could also see that the faded pink dress Marianne wore left her generous cleavage heavily exposed, a fact that the holstaur hardly seemed to notice.

As Marianne entered the room, Lia moved toward the doorway, stopping to whisper something in her sister's ear before heading into the hallway beyond. Marianne's eyes widened a little as she once again regarded Charlie with a curious gaze. "Oh, you came from Miss Roèaz?" she asked, walking toward the wild mage. Charlie felt her face going red at more than just the house now—Lia had been tall, but Marianne towered over her, putting her squarely at eye level with the holstaur's bosom.

In contrast, Marianne's expression was calm, looking down at Charlie with a warm smile. "A friend of hers is always more than welcome in our home," she said softly, gesturing slowly toward the couch beside the two of them. "Would you like to sit down with me, dear? You can relax as much as you'd like."

Charlie shivers as she looks up to the large woman and looks at her breasts "well i would love to relax but i did have a small favor to ask! I'm a traveling hire to fight most things from wolves to midara causing havoc and i was wondering if you'd let me spar with both of you to see how my strength is?" Charlie hoped that a simple question like that didn't seem to rude towards the kind women

The smile on Marianne's face faded. "S-spar?" she hesitated. "I'm sorry, that...that's not something we do here, Charlie." The holstaur sat down on the couch beside her to look Charlie in the eyes, pulling the girl's focus away from the source of her silent embarrassment in the process. "I apologize if it's an activity you enjoy, but...fighting will only result in someone getting hurt," Marianne said quietly. "You don't really want that, do you, sweetie?"

Charlie taps her chin before smiling and hopping back a little before turning to her deer form "We don't have to attack each other i can practice my more seductive moves i learned from other midara!" She smiles widely proud of her idea not thinking of how surprising her sudden form change would be

With a gasp, Marianne pressed herself back against the couch for a moment, eyes wide. "Goodness...w-what?" she stammered, her eyes darting all over Charlie's new appearance before refocusing on the wild mage herself. "I-I...'seduction'? Charlie, that isn't...quite what I meant..."

It was then that door to the hall opened once more, and Charlie turned to see Lia staring right at her. "Uh...Charlie, is that you...?" she asked uncertainly. "What happened to your...bunny ears? Is everything all right, Annie?"

Charlie lowers her ears embarrassed and rubs her head "Sorry i guess i just really wanted to see why miss Roeaz sent me here. Oh and yes miss Lia it's me. I have a special magic that lets me take multiple forms and learn any magic and technique."

"Whoa...magic?" Lia's eyes went wide like her sister's—but unlike Marianne, her surprise soon gave way to a big smile. "That's so cool!" she beamed. "Can you really learn anything? What kind of magic do you know? Wait, if you can learn anything, then you probably know too many to say...hey, do you think I could learn how to do that? I have no idea how magic works, really, but..."

Lia was talking a mile a minute, quickly overwhelming the wild mage in front of her with excited questions, too rapidly for any answers to come out. Marianne, however, remained quiet as she slowly calmed down, fixated on a different point entirely. She took a moment to clear her throat, signaling to Lia her intention to speak, and the younger holstaur sheepishly trailed off before Marianne turned back toward Charlie.

"Charlie, dear," she began. "I believe there may have been a misunderstanding, but it's quite all right. You see, my sister and I live in this forest in order to shelter those who enter these woods, to help those in need. Nothing makes our day brighter than seeing a guest safe and happy in our care."

Marianne gave a reassuring smile, her tone understanding. "Miss Roèaz knows all of this. If she sent you to us, then it must mean that she felt you would be happy in our care. Does that make sense, sweetie?"

Charlie nods to her as she thinks to herself "Strange but i guess i should'nt expect every midara to spar with me right? Oh and I'm sorry Lia but i don't think you can learn this magic. It's called wild magic and i still barely control it and to give you a idea of what i can learn Miss Roeaz has that special aura around her and i learned how to create my own based on hers." She smiles proudly as she mentions her newest move

The two holstaurs exchanged curious glances. "Special aura...?" Lia asked, her brow furrowed as she looked back at Charlie. "I'm...not sure what you mean." The confusion on her face soon faded back into an eager smile. "But hey, I'd be happy to see your, uh...aura, in just a second! Lemme get you something to eat first, you must be starving!" With that, Lia opened the door beside the hallway she'd exited and quickly went inside, the enthusiasm in her voice clearly mirrored in her movements.

Marianne let out a low giggle, looking at the door her sister went through. "She's so precious...you know, sometimes she becomes so excited to meet a guest that she forgets to make sure they get food and drink after their long journey here. As you can see, however, she's getting better."

The mature holstaur turned back to Charlie. "I know I already asked, dear, but now that we've cleared up our misunderstanding..." She gently patted the couch cushion beside her. "Would you like to sit down? It's good to rest your legs after your travel through these woods."

Charlie blushed realizing how naive they were to Roeaz and the abilities she had as she slowly nodded and walks over sitting next to Marianne "I guess i would and i'm trying to eat less meat if you are gonna get me food. So how long have you been here?"

Marianne's warm smile grew as the girl sat down right beside her, sinking slowly into the plush cushions. "Don't worry, Charlie. We won't force you to eat something you wouldn't like," she said, reaching up to gently rub Charlie's shoulder in reassurance. "Just let us know if there's anything else, okay? As for your question..."

The holstaur let out a deep sigh, her gaze drifting toward the wall. "Lia and I...have been living here for much of our lives," she said quietly. "This place has been our home for many years. I'm sure Lia can hardly remember what our old home was like..." Marianne trailed off, closing her eyes for a few moments. Though her smile had faded, she didn't stop massaging Charlie's shoulder.

Charlie looks to her and then looks to her own hand before softly petting Marianne "I'm sorry but hey everything here seems really nice!"

Opening her eyes, Marianne glanced to see Charlie doing her best to replicate her comforting massage. "Charlie..." she murmured. After a moment, the holstaur leaned in close and planted a warm, tender kiss on the girl's forehead. When she pulled back, Marianne's kind smile had returned, with more affection than ever before. "Thank you, dear. You're a very sweet girl."

The two of them looked up at the sound of a door opening, revealing Lia stepping out of a kitchen area holding a tray in her hands, with three glasses of milk and a large plate of fresh bread placed on top. She beamed at the sight of Charlie and Marianne sitting on the couch together. "Aww, you're so cute together~!" She giggled. "Mind if I join?"

Charlie smiles and wags her tail from the sweet kiss as she looks to lia and waves "Oh feel free i was just talking with Marianne." She noticed the food and drink and realizes how hungry she was

Lia was only more than happy to do so, carefully sitting down next to Charlie with the tray in her lap, putting the girl right between the two holstaurs. "Sorry I took so long. I had to make sure the bread was just right," she said, holding up one of the slices for Charlie to see. "It's cheese bread I made myself from earlier! I figured it'd make a yummy, filling snack. Oh, but..."

Moving slowly so as not to spill anything, Lia handed Marianne a glass of milk before offering one to Charlie. "Remember, always have something to wash it down!" she chirped. "Nice and cold, straight from the icebox."

Charlie blushes feeling like a daughter to them as they seemed so caring as she took the bread and smiled taking a bite and wagging her tail faster "so yummy! Thank you miss Lia!"

Lia reached up and pat Charlie's head with a giggle. "I'm glad you like it! I can always make more if you want, y'know!" Marianne looked on with a peaceful smile, occasionally drinking from her glass of milk.

As Charlie took another bite of her meal, the baked cheese enticingly swirling throughout the bread, she began to notice just how dry her throat felt. When she swallowed, she unconsciously licked her lips, and the feeling of the cold glass of milk in her hand became ever more inviting the more bites she took. The bread was fresh to be sure, but she started to notice just how dry the flakes of crust were on her tongue. It was undeniably good, but soon, she couldn't help but feel as though something were missing...something unfamiliar, but instinctively important.