The trio did do some shopping that afternoon, although other than some fresh fruit there wasn't much for them to actually buy. The entire Untamed Reaches are not the richest of regions, and even after all this time Beatrice is still carrying around enough wealth on her to buy a lordship or two if she desired one. Which is to say, the group had bought as many trinkets as they could conceivably need during their first month in Stoneden. Still, it was good to explore the town a little more, and the boarkin were always very happy to see travelers. Janey, Embracing Acolyte that she is, probably had quite a bit to do with that.

After all, almost no one ever turned down one of her offers for a shirtless hug.

The harvest festival is already kicking off as the sun begins to set, but while most of the activity seems to be focused in the various market squares Janey instead directs the group to a quieter part of town. The temple district specifically, which like the rest of the city is filled with massive stone structures, in this case dotted with sculptures of various deities. The minotaur leads them to a building marked by a symbol which Beatrice recognizes as the marking of the Church of Bounty - a sprout of wheat rising from a cracked egg - but despite apparently being the home of Palain's worship no noise seems to come from its front door.

Beatrice frowns as they approach the entryway. "Are all the priests out running the festivals in the rest of the city? Maybe we should head back the other way."

Janey grins, and presses both of her companions forward with her large palms. "Nope! See, those are the public festivals! The, ah...let's say the 'family-friendly' ones. Tonight, the Temple of Bounty is a little more...exclusive."

Tassa looks up at the taller minotaur with a suspicious glance. "And how did you hear about it, then? You serve Taina, not Palain."

"I'll have you know that our deities are very close, and so are their followers! Besides, people invite me to lots of parties."

"I'm sure they do." Beatrice chuckles as they push the thick wooden doors open and step inside. "But what sort of party is this one, exactly?"

Perhaps to answer that question, a boarkin priestess steps forward to greet them - or at least Beatrice assumes that's her profession. Like nearly everyone else in the town the woman is garbed only in a loincloth, although she is quite done-up by local standards. Her long ears jangle with jewelry, as do her neck and wrists, and markings drawn in black ink decorate her chest and arms. She welcomes the group with a smile on her snout-like face, and holds out a potion bottle in each hand. "Welcome, ladies! Travelers from afar, people will be glad to see you! Booster, or prevention?"

Tassa's head tilts. "I'm sorry?"

"Ah - would you ladies like a fertility booster, or contraceptive? Not everyone celebrates tonight for the same reason, after all."

Instead of answering, Tassa again looks up at Janey, who smirks back down at her. "It's a fertility festival! But even if you don't want to start a family, from what I hear they're still more than happy to have people...helping out. And don't give me that look, Tassa! You've been cooped up in that inn room nearly every night we've been here! Not to mention you've hardly been adventurous at all since we started this trip! One night to cut loose, how about it?"

The smaller woman's look turns into a glare, but eventually she again faces the priestess. "Contraceptive, please. I doubt anyone here would be...compatible with me, but not risking it. Are you...interested, Beatrice?"

The warrior waves off the potions with a hand. "I don't mind having a bit of fun, but I'll pass on both, thanks. Not something I need to worry about these days, thankfully."

"I'll take the prevention as well, please! I'd love a family someday, but maybe not in the middle of this expedition of ours, eh?" Janey takes a bottle from the boarkin, and tosses it down with a quick swallow.

"I understand - I'm expecting Kahlia to be quite pleased with our efforts tonight regardless, so there's no pressure. Please, follow me. We have a chamber set up for quiet drinks and the like, if you'd like some time to get to know some people, and...gather your courage. Or I could take you directly to the main chamber? There's refreshments there as well, to be clear."

Beatrice looks at the others as they proceed deeper into the temple. "I'm not really one for needing liquid courage for a good time. But if you would rather take it slow, ease into the party a bit?" Both she and Janey look at Tassa for an answer to that question.

"Well if I'm doing this, I'm certainly not starting it off drunk! And if this isn't exactly a dating service then I don't see a need to beat around the bush - we may as well get into it, I suppose."

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Excellent! There's sure to be more guests arriving throughout the night, especially as the other festivals die down and the children are put to bed. There's still quite a few already getting into the swing of things, though - as you can see!"

With that statement she pushes open another set of heavy doors, and reveals a chamber that's probably used for most of the temple's large public rituals. There's signs that the usual furniture's been moved aside however, and instead seating and bedding with soft cushions fill the space. A trio of musicians work in one corner, a pair of drummers and a man playing some sort of flute, beating a certain rhythm into the air. At the rear of the chamber stand massive statues to Palain and Kahlia, looking down at their followers.

And heavens, is the chamber filled with followers.

Obviously almost all of those present are beastkin, although not all are actually boarkin. Cat, wolf and lizardkin can also be found in small numbers, and Beatrice does spot one frogkin...putting their strong thighs to work, apparently. Aside from beastkin the next largest group seems to be goblins, with perhaps a dozen scattered here and there. There's also a handful of orcs and gnolls, although the warrior is surprised by a few groups that seem to be absent.

"You know, considering the, ah, theme of tonight's event, I'm surprised there's no rabbitkin here. Or succubi or incubi, for that matter."

Janey laughs. "Oh, if you think this is something, we should've stayed back in Thumptown for their harvest festival! Apparently theirs goes on for two weeks! From the sounds of it they don't do much traveling around this time of year. As for demons, well, this isn't the New Continent. Demons aren't, uh, very popular on the Old Continents, not to mention there's a lot fewer of them. I know there's supposed to be an enclave somewhere around here who taught inkbinding to the boarkin, but honestly I'm not surprised we haven't actually seen any of them. Anyways, I'm gonna go dive into things! You wanna stick together or split up?"

Beatrice and Tassa share a look. While there might be some benefits to sticking as a group, staying with Janey would likely mean having to keep up with Janey, and neither of them feel quite that energetic. Beatrice shakes her head. "Nah, you can do your thing. I'm sure we'll check in a few times over the course of the evening. I do see some private sections curtained off but it mostly seems pretty...public."

"Alright, well you two have fun! Mmmm, is that a plains gnoll over there..."

As Janey walks away, Tassa heads in the other direction, apparently setting her sights on less ambitious partner options. For her part Beatrice starts moving towards the center of the chamber where a refreshment stand's been set up, figuring it will make a good place to check out the entire orgy at once, but to her surprise someone else calls out to her first.

"Trish! I didn't know you'd be here!" The woman turns her head to find a familiar, heavily-tattooed boarkin man coming her way.

"Igthen! I uh, wasn't expecting to be here. Wasn't able to train today though so I've got a bit of energy to burn. You, ah, come here often?"

"As often as they throw these parties, haha!" The man steps closer, with a certain look in his eye. While most boarkin are a few inches shorter than Beatrice thanks to their hunched postures, Igthen is one of the exceptions, a muscly elder of the local community. While Beatrice didn't think much of his size before, the context of the current situation runs an unusual excitement through her veins as he approaches. "Seeing as you're here, might I say something that may...breach the professional relationship we've had as an inkbinder and his client?"

"By all means, breach away."

The boarkin grins at her phrasing. "Good, good! You see, while I may not have said anything at the time, I've greatly admired your form while I've been working on you these past few weeks. I've never known many humans, but I can tell you're a prime example of your species. Even most boarkin warriors lack your physique! So, if I may...might I inspect your form a little more closely tonight?"

Beatrice grins. It might make future inkbinding rituals a little more awkward, knowing that her tattooist is quietly lusting over her while he works...but at the same time, that's not an entirely bad thing. Or a one-way street, for that matter. "You may. I'm a first-timer here, so maybe you can, ah...help me with the local traditions?"

"Haha, we're a straightforward people, you know! Come - I see an empty spot over here." The man gestures towards a long, soft couch that curves around a set of oversized floor cushions. Several of those cushions are occupied by couples in the middle of love-making while others watch from the nearby seats, but the couch is hardly just for passive observers either. Beatrice takes a seat first and Igthen wastes no time in sliding up next to her, one arm around her shoulders and another resting on her stomach. It begins sliding upwards, but the man stops before going more than an inch.

"Ah, do let me know if I'm going too fast for you? I know you non-beastkin are often more...sensitive about these sorts of matters."

"I appreciate the thought, but if I don't like what you're doing, you'll definitely find out." Beatrice grins. "But by all means, please keep going."

Igthen does so, and soon his thick-fingered hand is squeezing at her breast in a way that makes her groan. His other arm pulls her closer and when Beatrice looks at his face, she's a little surprised to find him staring into her eyes rather than at her bare tits. True, he's seen them a dozen times before by now, but it's clear that the man is more interested in her reactions than her actual form. With that in mind she begins to play things up a little, gasping and biting at her lip as he teases and pinches her with his fingers. Not that she needs to do much acting, to be honest.

"Mind if I do a little 'inspecting' of my own, Igthen?"

"Please...be my guest."

Nodding, Beatrice begins moving her hand off of Igthen's thigh and below the man's loincloth, and when her hand wraps around him she's not surprised to find him fully aroused. The loincloth wasn't exactly doing much to hide it after all, and she was pretty sure the man had begun growing an interest the moment she agreed to follow him to the couch. She is surprised by just how much she finds though, and quickly realizes there's more than just a handful for her to stroke.

"Well...I'm definitely going to have to remember to thank Janey for inviting me here. I think tonight's going to get...interesting."

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