Archive of Our Own

Imogen awoke before the sun, which was rare. She had learned to do it when she was young, if only so her daddy would stop yelling at her every morning to get up and get to her chores. She kept the habit even after moving off the farm, even after leaving his scowl, his temper, his cruelty. She took Flora and they rode off towards the horizon.

She's never been back since.

She's never managed to quite kick the habit either. First light meant time to work. Her badge sat on her dresser, having lost its shine years ago. It used to gleam in the mornings when the sun hit it just right. She'd have to ask if Fearne had anything to give it back its luster. She was always in possession of the shiniest trinkets.

But Imogen couldn't see any kind of light- there was no hint of red behind her eye lids. They stung despite the fact that she hadn't even managed to pry them open yet.

More movement on her right side clued her into what had disturbed her slumber.

"Laud," Imogen croaked. The syllable sounded harsh and out of place in her tiny bedroom, cracking through one side of her mouth as the other was still adhered shut.

A thigh slipped between Imogen's and she knew exactly why Laudna was shifting the way she was. Imogen slipped her hand up, up, up underneath Laudna's sleep shirt- Imogen's sleep shirt, or more appropriately her father's. It was too thin to be a work shirt and he was going to toss it but she wanted to wear it to sleep. She took it with her, the only other thing from home she had besides her horse. By the time she was ready to part with it, Laudna had taken to stealing it for herself and Imogen couldn't say no when Laudna looked so pretty, too pretty for her own good with the shirt slipping down her shoulder whenever she put it on.

Imogen's nails scratched lightly up Laudna's spine making her hips jump and connect with Imogen's thigh.

Laudna keened and pressed harder against the limb, her own hand delving beneath the loose tank top Imogen had slipped on before joining her back in bed. She gripped Imogen's hip tightly as she rocked back and forth slightly seeking friction. "Genny."

Imogen slipped her arm underneath Laudna's slight frame and pulled her more securely atop of her, a feat she had done more times than she could even think to count. It was so easy to move Laudna wherever she needed her, however she wanted her. Laudna adjusted quickly and settled her weight back down on Imogen's thigh.

"You needed a little more, honey?" Imogen asked quietly. Her breath moved some stray hairs across Laudna's cool skin. She always ran so cold. Imogen was worried she was going to fall ill at a moment's notice. As she asked her question, one she already knew the answer to, she pulled her leg up towards her, bending at the knee and resting her foot flat on the mattress.

Laudna's hips stuttered before they found their rhythm again grinding easily against the now tense muscle.

She had told Imogen time and time again that her legs were a marvel- an almost "unfair show of muscle". Imogen had shied away from the compliment, and the attention, and told Laudna that it was nothing special- just a life of riding horses. Laudna was quick to demand that Imogen prove that, making her parade around on her horse for hours in the day and then showcase her riding skills on Laudna herself for hours that night. Imogen woke up the following morning more sore than she had ever been in her life.

"Ye- fffffu-"

Imogen giggled at Laudna's eloquence. She kept her eyes closed, honestly too tired to do much more than let Laudna use her for the time being. She instead relished in the sweet whimpers Laudna couldn't keep in every time she caught just the right sensation. Or the way Laudna's hand gripped her side, her long nails digging into Imogen's skin with a sharp sting enough to make her squirm lightly. She sucked in a sharp breath through her teeth as the pain shot straight to her core.

Imogen tightened her hold on Laudna, helping to guide her hips down with one hand while the other glided lightly up and down Laudna's back still. She had pushed the shirt up to Laudna's shoulders leaving her completely bare underneath it, free for her hands to marvel at all of Laudna's smooth skin.

Laudna was quickly starting to lose her rhythm, her hips stuttering as she whined into Imogen's neck.

"You're okay. You're doing so good. Just take what you need, sugar, there's no rush."

Laudna's hand tightened at Imogen's waist and her back bowed off the bed slightly at the pain. Waves of warmth traveled straight to her core again as Laudna didn't let up her grip. Her movement provided Laudna with more friction coming from a slightly different angle. By the sounds she was making and the way she was panting, she wasn't going to last much longer.

"Laud, baby. Just let go." Imogen adjusted her leg, tightening her thigh further.

"I c- I can't." Laudna sounded so desperate. Imogen wanted nothing more than to give her what she was looking for.

"You can. You can, baby."

Laudna shook her head as best she could from where it was still buried in Imogen's neck. "It's- 'm gonna," she whined airily.

"Let me make you feel good, sug."

Laudna tightened immediately at Imogen's demand as something in her snapped, before she loosened into a trembling mess. Imogen hauled her up a little further, feeling only marginally sorry about jostling her too much before she snaked her hand down Laudna's body to rub at her clit.

Laudna went boneless as Imogen guided her through the aftershocks of her orgasm. Her breath was hot against Imogen's neck, though she was thoroughly distracted by the wetness between Laudna's legs.

Eventually Laudna flinched from Imogen's touch, too sensitive for it. Imogen cooed as Laudna's breath hitched, moving her hand down to cup between her legs. "Feel better?" she grumbled, still tired.

"Uh huh," Laudna croaked. Her voice was rough with sleep and exertion.

Imogen hummed into the side of Laudna's head, pressing a kiss to her mussed hair. "What was all that about?" she asked into the soft tresses.

Laudna huffed and adjusted herself, pulling her hips away from Imogen's hand. She rolled slightly so she was nearly completely on top of Imogen. Pulling her face away from Imogen's neck so she could speak more easily, she answered, "I had a dream."

"A good one?" Imogen teased.

"Very good. You were wearing something..." Laudna paused, searching for the right word. "-new."

"New?"

"Bigger."

Imogen's eyes snapped open for the first time that morning. It took several long blinks to adjust to the dark room, but she could see bright moonlight illuminating the space. Laudna nearly glowed beneath the moon's rays.

"Bigger?" Imogen asked as if she hadn't heard Laudna so clearly.

"Mmh. You were quite eager with it as well."

Imogen cursed under her breath, prompting silent giggling from Laudna. "Is that something you want? Something a little bigger?"

Laudna nuzzled her nose against Imogen's pulse before kissing her bare shoulder. "I wouldn't mind something larger. It would be more of a stretch, though."

Imogen growled, bordering on animalistic. In one smooth motion she flipped their position, taking Laudna's wrists and pinning them next to her head. Her grip was tight and she knew Laudna would still have light bruises hours later. She bruised so easily, so prettily. Imogen's eyes flitted all over Laudna's face, taking in her honest expression, her tired eyes, her still blushing cheeks.

Neither of them had bothered to fix Laudna's shirt and it was still rucked up around her shoulders, leaving everything beneath her collar exposed for Imogen to gawk at.

"You want that?" Imogen dipped to run her nose along Laudna's cheek before kissing the skin there. Her lips moved down to Laudna's neck, her teeth nipping lightly a few times as she went. "You want something bigger?" Imogen left a trail of hot, open mouthed kisses up to Laudna's ear. "You want me to stretch you out?"

Laudna moaned unabashedly as she bowed her back, pressing her body up against Imogen's. The flimsy material of Imogen's tank top was all the separated them and they could feel every detail of each other. Imogen almost tore the garment off but that would have meant letting go of Laudna's wrists, which she wasn't quite ready to do.

"Yes," Laudna finally whined.

Imogen chuckled lowly. "You're still thinking about it, aren't you? Thought I gave it to you good enough last night, but you're still just a greedy lil' thing."

Laudna tried to slip one of her legs out, trying to get Imogen's thigh pressed back against her. Imogen wasn't budging.

"I'll put an order in at Chet's today, on one condition."

Laudna tried to tug her hands down, impeded by Imogen's hold. "What?" she whispered in the air between them. Imogen could feel the need dripping from that single word.

Imogen moved Laudna's hands higher to cross them above her head, grabbing them tight with one hand and trailing her other down. She clumsily avoided Laudna's neck, both from lack of motor skills this early in the morning and from trying to keep her balance. Enough accidental brushes during their first few secret romps were enough for Imogen to learn that even the lightest touch from her hand was enough to ruin the moment entirely for Laudna.

Imogen could just barely make out the now faint scar across Laudna's neck; the pale strip glinted in the faint moonlight. Rope wasn't allowed anywhere near her either when they fell into bed.

She blinked to clear those thoughts, letting her hand wander further down to cup Laudna's breast. They always fit so perfectly in her hands. She traced her lips lightly on the skin just underneath Laudna's ear. "I get to pick how big it's going to be."

Laudna arched up again, groaning loudly. Imogen was thankful her closest neighbors were half a mile away. Said neighbors were Laudna and her siblings, but she was still thankful they could be as loud as they wanted and no one could overhear them.

Imogen moved her hand down and slipped two fingers inside of Laudna, sighing in unison with Laudna at the feeling. Laudna attempted to pull her hands free, most likely to pull Imogen closer. She always preferred when Imogen was as close to her as possible, pressed against every inch of her while they worked each other up. Imogen tightened her grip, having expected it. She wasn't that strong herself, but Laudna was basically made of paper. It was so easy to fold her every which way.

"You been thinking about this long? Been thinking about something new?"

Laudna nodded, panting in time with the pace Imogen had set. She wasn't going too fast or too rough, but she was going deep- going all the way to the knuckle with every thrust. "Want you."

Imogen chuckled deeply at the incoherent sentence. "You've got me, sug. I'm right here." She bent to kiss Laudna's jaw, tracing her lips lightly over the sharp point.

"Want more," Laudna whined.

Imogen nodded against Laudna's neck. "I know, baby. I know you do. Want to give it to you." Imogen stayed there, buried in Laudna's neck, her ear right next to Laudna's mouth. She caught every sound- every whine, every keen, every plead for more.

She slipped another finger in slowly, making sure Laudna felt all three fingers stretching her wide. She let go of Laudna's wrists when she pulled again and quickly slipped her free arm underneath Laudna's hips to keep them up from the mattress.

Laudna's hands came around Imogen's back, splayed flat for only a moment before digging her nails in. Imogen hissed before groaning out a curse. The pain only encouraged her to pick up the pace. The obscene, wet noises were almost louder than their joint panting. "'Gen, 'm- I need-" Her nails raked down Imogen's back, sending shock waves of pain and pleasure through her. Work that day was going to suck with a tender back, but she would never tell Laudna to stop.

"I know. It's okay, darling. Whenever you want to, just let go."

Imogen pulled back so she could watch Laudna fall over the edge this time. See the way her mouth hung open, how her eyes fluttered and rolled back, how the tendons in her neck became so tight Imogen was worried they would snap. She always loved watching Laudna seek out her pleasure. It had been hard for her to do so at first, so to watch her unabashedly claim it that morning was almost enough to send Imogen over the edge herself.

"Do you even know how pretty you look when you do that?" Imogen asked after she slowly removed her fingers. She rested her wrist on Laudna's sharp hip, her fingers flexed oddly to keep them off of Laudna's skin. They shined as the first rays of sunlight crept through the thin curtains.

Laudna chuckled deep in her chest, still catching her breath. Her thighs were still involuntarily shaking. "Not as pretty as you look, I'm sure."

Imogen smiled at the compliment. "Don't sell yourself short, hon." She winked as she popped one of her fingers in her mouth, cleaning Laudna's taste off of the digit. She pulled herself up a little farther to hover over Laudna, the other two still wet. "You're magnificent."

Laudna leaned up to kiss Imogen deeply, pulling her down by the back of her neck before carding her fingers through the long, lavender tresses. She whined into Imogen's mouth as she tasted herself on her tongue. "Up for me returning the favor?" she asked before taking Imogen's hands and enveloping the other two fingers between her lips.

Imogen stuttered out a moan, watching Laudna clean herself off of her fingers. She glanced at the window, trying to gauge how much time she had before she had to get to work. "That sounds real nice, but I want to make you come one more time."

Laudna snorted out a laugh, seemingly shrugging off the possibility. "I don't know if I can do three in such quick succession, darling."

"You can." Imogen kissed her hotly. "You will," she mumbled against Laudna's mouth. Laudna whined and shook her head slightly yet her legs widened to accommodate Imogen between them.

They kissed for a few minutes, lazily and then with fervor. Imogen gave Laudna one last peck before slowly descending down, kissing over her neck, her collar, each of her breasts. Her hands worked Laudna's thighs further apart, running from her knee to the apex and back slowly. Her skin was hot and wet.

Tearing herself away from Laudna's chest, Imogen kissed down the plane of her stomach, kiss every inch of the soft skin. She loved that Laudna had no muscle there. She knows Laudna loved her toned stomach, but she loved how soft Laudna was compared to her. She didn't grow up on a life of hard work, the spoiled brat. She could thank Laudna's step-father for that one thing only.

Her kisses stopped when her nose brushed soft, trimmed curls. She took a moment to breathe in Laudna's scent, her mouth watering in apprehension of tasting her again. She placed a kiss right above Laudna's slit before moving down and licking one broad stripe up, avoiding Laudna's clit in case she was still too sensitive.

She didn't make it to her second pass over when she heard banging on her door.

"Temult!"

Imogen and Laudna both froze, immediately recognizing the voice. The banging got so loud Imogen was worried her door would break down.

"Temult! Where is my fucking sister?"

"Well, I'm fucking your sister," Imogen whispered to herself.

"Imogen," Laudna hissed before vaulting out of the bed, just narrowly missing clocking Imogen in the temple with her bony knee. She shed her sleep shirt and quickly set about throwing on her own clothing. "Why does he have to ruin everything?" Laudna hissed to herself. Her shift disappeared under her blouse and skirts as Imogen lazily dressed herself in the first pair of decently clean trousers she could find.

Imogen threw on a shirt before crowding Laudna for a kiss. "I'll see you later. Still meeting at Fearne's?," she mumbled against Laudna's lips.

Laudna nodded and pulled her in for another kiss, her tongue tracing her bottom lip, chasing the taste of herself. "Don't let him kill you."

"This is why I like your sister a lot better," Imogen grumbled before stealing one last kiss and pushing Laudna towards the window.

She waited for Laudna to slip out before opening her door and heading for the front room. "What the fuck do you want?" she snipped as she ripped her front door open.

Vax'ildan's hand was still raised to pound on the door. He reluctantly lowered it before he could accidentally hit Imogen with it. "Where is she?" he asked darkly. His eyes darted past Imogen's shoulder.

Imogen let him look, even opening the door further for him. "Where is who? If you need to file a missing person's inquiry, I can join you down at the station."

Vax looked murderous. Imogen was no longer scared of him, though. She had shed her fear of him long ago when she realized he was a man of little action unless it pertained to anything that benefited him personally. "I know she's here. She didn't come home last night."

"Vex? Yeah, last I heard she was crashing with Pike for the night. They were having a girl's night."

"Not Vex'halia! Answer me or I will start gutting you!" Vax stormed past Imogen and went straight for her bedroom. He took in the rumpled sheets as his nose turned up at the lingering smell of sex. He surveyed the window for longer than he did the bed, trying to find something that wasn't there. Laudna was most likely halfway home already, cutting around the back of Imogen's cabin to the path that led right to the side door by the kitchen. She had never been caught and that wouldn't change today.

"Trespassing and threatening the Sheriff. You're not off to a good start this morning."

Vax straightened his back and set his hard gaze on Imogen. "You'll do well to stay away from my sister."

Imogen's eyes were just as firm. "Lucky for me, Vex is already a taken woman."

Vax scoffed incredulously. "How you were ever made Sheriff with your constant disrespect of my family is beyond my comprehension."

Imogen stood straighter. "Lucky for us both, your sister is the one with the higher standing than you are. Her word seems pretty final."

Vax's fingers twitched at his side. Lucky for them both, he wasn't an idiot and wouldn't be pulling a knife on the Sheriff. "You have no business sneaking around with my sister. She's too good for you."

"We can agree on that, easily. Unfortunately for your sister, she happens to find me too cute to resist." Imogen's grin infuriated Vax even more. "She's also an adult who can make her own decisions and take her own risks. Ever so lucky I should be that she's taking a risk on me. Now get out of my house."

Vax clenched his jaw no doubt wanting to make a retort, but he shouldered past Imogen checking her into her dresser before stomping out of her home. He had no room left to try and win that argument.

Imogen waited a long 10 seconds before exhaling heavily, knowing she just narrowly avoided his ire. She turned and shuffled towards her washroom, shaking the encounter off her shoulders as she stripped yet again. She cleaned her face and most of her body before scrutinizing herself in the dingy mirror. She turned to look at her back, taking in the now raised and raw claw marks. She hoped Laudna never learned to favor shorter nails. She loved the marks she left on her, even if it meant dealing with a day or two of sharp pain.

Donning her uniform, her usual dull leather pants, her blue button up, and her best leather vest, she pinned her badge to her chest before moving to the kitchen. She picked up two apples, the green one for herself and the red one for Flora. She balanced the apples in hand so she could grab her Stetson.

It felt out of place in the cobblestone streets of Whitestone, with the castle looming on the hill. But it had been Laudna's suggestion and Imogen couldn't ever tell her no. The leather was lightly tanned and the stitching was a deep purple, nearly black. Laudna had done the fine detail work herself. Imogen placed it atop her head before leaving and heading to her simple barn.

Barn was a generous word as it was just the single stall for Flora, a trough, a rack to hang her tools, and a bench for her saddle to rest on when it wasn't on Flora's back.

"Hey, girl," she whispered, reaching to rub Flora's head before holding the apple out. Flora ate it in one go while Imogen slowly worked on her own. When she was finished, she offered that core to Flora as well. She spent the next 10 minutes brushing Flora's coat and securing her saddle on her before leading her out of the stall and shutting it behind her. She shut the small, waist high gate for the barn as well before steering Flora toward the main path leading away from her cabin. "Alright, we better get a move on."

Imogen stopped them both so she could hoist herself up into the saddle. With a click of her tongue and a practiced motion with the reins, they were walking down the road. Imogen kept Flora at that pace for a few minutes while she settled into her saddle more. She stretched her shoulders, pushing her chest forward and holding before relaxing. Her back stung at the tense movement and her mind wandered back to Laudna. She so wished Vax hadn't interrupted so she could make good on her promise to bring Laudna over that precipice for a third time, but she'd have to wait until later to see it through. The pain wasn't as bad as some other times, but she knew she'd be hurting bad by the time she pulled up to the station.

Picking up the pace a little and leading Flora into a canter, Imogen passed the fork that would lead her to Laudna's home. She imagined she was up in her room by now, probably taking her morning bath with the assistance of one of the young girls the family hired as help. Her dress for the day laid out on her bed ready to go once she was clean and dried off. Imogen hoped Laudna would choose to wear her hair in that half up bun she had recently taken a liking to. She looked beautiful with her hair up and out of her face.

The first time Imogen met Laudna, her hair was all pulled back in a pretty braided bun. She was wearing a deep purple-maroon dress that blew lightly in the summer wind. Imogen remembers being fascinated by the streak of white in her otherwise jet-black hair. Laudna was standing next to and a little behind her older sister, a nearly identical copy of The Lady of Whitestone. Had Imogen not made sure to read up on the Vessar family, she would have assumed to two girls were the twins.

Imogen was shocked to later, much later, find out that Laudna was only the half sibling of the Ruling Twins. They all seemed to take after their mother. The twin's father came through in the points of their ears and the tenseness in their jaws. Vex had at least warmed up to Imogen right away, something Vax hasn't managed still to this day.

Warming up from Vex's perspective apparently meant flirting at every possible moment, even when no appropriate. Imogen usually had a hard time talking to the woman, not only for her beauty but her ability to reduce Imogen to a stuttering mess with half a second and a smirk. Imogen at first thought that being so hung up on Laudna would diffuse from of her sister's flirting, but she was so wrong. If anything the resemblance made it worse- Imogen had an older version of the woman she was in love with flirting with her.

If she was recalling correctly, the only time Vex didn't flirt with her was the day they met.

She had guided Flora up the path to the massive house guarded by a team of trusted individuals. Imogen remembers hearing of the siege of Whitestone nearly 10 years ago. Since then, after the defeat of the Briarwood's and the loss of the entire De Rolo family, the Vessar Twins have managed to turn the city around for the better. Vex lost her edge over the years, relaxing and opening up to everyone again. Vax only grew more closed off, cold and cruel and too much like his father, if Vex's tipsy rantings were anything to go by.

And Laudna- sweet, sweet Laudna.

She had only been a child when the Briarwoods came into town. She was two winters away from turning 18 and helpless as she was grabbed in the middle of the night and taken to the Sun Tree to be used as an example. She and 7 others were hung from the bows of the tree for nothing more than the Briarwoods' pleasure and just to show that they could.

She was the only survivor.

Some force in the universe must have been on her side as, despite the force from the rope, her neck didn't break when she was shoved out of the tree. She blacked out after several minutes of struggling and had no memory of her brother throwing a dagger up at her rope, cutting her down and sending her falling limply to the hard ground below.

Vex stayed at her side the entire healing process, pleading with Pike and Keyleth to help her pump as much magic into her as possible. She was out for nearly a week, breathing unevenly as the rope had damaged her throat almost beyond repair.

All that was left of that day was the thin line across Laudna's throat that she no longer felt the need to hide.

Imogen was glad all of that happened before she ever received summons from The Lady, before she was offered her position, before she ever met Laudna. She's glad that Vex had already torn Delilah Briarwood limb from limb and tossed her out into the Parchwood for the wolves to eat. She's glad Vex bled Silas Briarwood dry before dropping his body in the acid used to refine Residuum. She's glad Laudna's siblings made sure they could never hurt her again.

A small part of her wished she could have been the one to do it.

She's glad Laudna has never seen her at her worst. She's glad Laudna doesn't know the types of thoughts she has about people who would ever try to hurt her again.

She took several deep breaths to calm her mind. She needed a clear head for the day if Vax's early morning arrival was anything to go by.

The first sign of the city coming from that direction was always the rustling of the brook that acted as the main source of water. As it neared the border of the city it suddenly roared into a clear river, running nearly through the middle of the town square. Laudna had told her how Keyleth had spent the better par of a week manipulating the river to flow where the city needed it, doing the work alone. Pike always loved to cut in during that story to mention Keyleth could have gotten it done faster if Vex didn't feel the need to check in on her as many times as she did.

Imogen considered that to be ranked pretty high up on her list of things she missed out on. Keyleth was very attractive when she was manipulating the earth however she willed it. She's lucky she managed to catch Keyleth cleaning up the base of the Sun Tree one hot summer's day so she had a frame of reference. Sweaty muscles glistening in the sun, arms and shoulders fully exposed in a loose tank top, tight trousers leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. Imogen understood why Vex had cleared her schedule for that entire day to instead take up checking in every 10 minutes to make sure Keyleth drank water. They were fooling absolutely no one.

The guards posted up at the entrance to Galdric's Gate nodded to Imogen as she passed underneath the archway. She slowed Flora back to a walk as the ground shifted from dirt to cobblestone and she nodded back.

The city was barely awake. No shops were open for the day yet, but there was movement inside as owners were working on setting up. The Slayer's Cake was the only establishment open for business, but there was no one on the nearby street to stop in for anything for the day just yet.

Imogen steered Flora straight ahead for the square, passing beneath the massive branches of the Sun Tree, flourishing in the early fall morning. The temps weren't cold enough to turn the leaves brown yet, but in the next coming days she was sure they would.

She pulled up to the station on the corner of its street. Fjord was nodding off outside, leaned back on his trusty stool with his feet propped up on a sideways crate. The hard clop of Flora's hooves on the stone stirred him and he raised his head to nod at Imogen.

"Night go okay?" Imogen asked after pulling Flora to a stop. They both shifted their weight as they were not longer moving.

"No trouble," Fjord reported. His deep voice was always soothing.

"Awake enough to make it home?" Imogen teased.

Fjord chuckled through his nose. "I think I can manage fine. Jester's going to keep me awake for a few hours anyway wanting to tell me about her night." He stood and brushed himself off, nodding his head once more at Imogen before retreating the opposite way towards his home.

Imogen steered Flora around the back of the station and into one of the stalls there. She dismounted and guided the horse in before setting her up with proper food and water for the day. She felt bad leaving her saddle on, but she needed to be able to grab her and go at a moment's notice if anything happened.

She unlocked the back of the station, hearing the iron unlatch before tugging the door open. The station was dim inside. All the shutters were pulled probably from Fjord trying to block out as much of the morning as he could, leaving her to do that work herself. Once properly lit inside, she unlocked the front door as well, swinging it to prop open.

She settled at her desk at the back of the single, open room. She took this time while no one was here to properly pull her hair back, only bothering with strands near the front. She secured her usual half-up look with a pin before grabbing her hat from her desk and re-situating it atop her head.

Her back was aching terribly after her morning ride and she was careful as she sat down in her chair. Over the next few minutes some of the sting subsided and she was able to gingerly recline back. It wasn't ideal to rest against the hard of her chair but she had no other option, trying to avoid a different kind of back ache.

It was peaceful for the next few hours after that. The city slowly came alive for the day and people headed from their houses to work or vice versa as the night shift let up. As citizens passed by her door, some of them would wave in, some would pop their heads in to greet her, and some would just walk on by without saying anything. Imogen had a lot of appreciation for the latter group- sometimes people just needed to be left the fuck alone.

Dorian blew through the door just as the bell tolled for 9:00. "Morning Sheriff."

"Morning. Day been okay so far?" Imogen asked while she still looked down at the report she was filling out.

"Slow morning. Fearne says hi."

"Hi Fearne."

"Anything new?" he asked, settling into his own desk.

Imogen clicked her tongue behind her teeth, her thoughts forming slowly as she wrapped up what she was writing. "Not that I've heard. Fjord had nothing to say and there's no tickets." She dipped her quill in the ink pot and pulled a new piece of parchment towards her.

"Here's hoping it picks up," Dorian mumbled to himself, already lost in his paperwork as well.

Picking up meant they serviced one older gentleman who came in to report a petty crime. He was convinced his neighbor had stolen his laundry but the only missing item was a red beret.

Imogen even offered to take on Dorian's share of the afternoon patrol just to escape the now stifling office. Unfortunately for her, there wasn't much for her to do outside of the station than inside.

The day seemed to drag all the way until sunset. The second Fjord strolled casually through the front door, Imogen was shooting out of her seat.

"Have a good shift. If anything happens, you get Dorian or Kash. Do not bother me tonight." Without another look in either men's direction, she was pulling Flora from her stall and guiding her towards the Fire & Stone.

The city seemed livelier now that the sun had gone down and Imogen couldn't be more grateful for it. It was too busy now to ride Flora in the streets like she had been hoping but it was still easy enough to wade through the people just pulling her by the reins.

She tied her up to the post outside the tavern, seeing several unfamiliar horses tied to it as well. It was rare for horses not owned by the Sheriff's station to be seen in town, let alone tied to posts outside businesses. Several of the farmers outside the city walls owned their own horses, but they wouldn't have brought them into town for a drink.

Just as she was knotting Flora to the hitch, she started to get her answer.

A man burst out from the tavern, his feet moving quickly before he skidded to a stop seeing Imogen there. "Sheriff!"

Imogen reared back slightly at his intensity. "Orym?"

He quickly moved closer to her. "You need to get inside. Some out of towners are getting too rowdy."

Imogen disregarded the fact that the last she knew Orym was still in Zephrah and she was back in work mode. Luckily she also still looked the part as she hadn't doffed any of her uniform. "Rowdy how?"

"They're feeling up some of the workers. Fearne tried to play it off but even she can only handle so many ass grabs and boob leering."

Imogen headed for the door. "Is Laud here?"

Orym sighed. "She's not faring much better than Fearne is."

Imogen burst through the tavern door at that, sending it completely open to slam against the wall with a loud crash. A hush fell over the room as all heads turned towards her.

Four men were standing in the middle of the room tugging on a few girls. Some of them Imogen recognized as tavern workers, another had just finished her final year of schooling. All of them were too young to be treated this way.

"Hey!" she called loudly at the men.

Only one of them turned over to look at her. "Don't worry honey, we'll get to you in a second. We've got plenty of time for you." The other men laughed at their companion and continued to wrangle the girls around.

One of the men bent at the waist suddenly as one of the girl's had elbowed him in the groin. She managed to grab one other girl and yank her away before shuffling them over behind the bar. The men seemed to get the memo and let the third girl go and she rushed after the other two sobbing. Fearne ushered them all into the back room where they disappeared behind a locked door.

Ashton nodded from behind the bar, the low lantern light glinting off his hair. "Sheriff," he called loudly. Laudna was standing between him and the corner of the bar, alone. Her face was hard set, obviously angry about what had been happening but knowing she was more likely to be pulled into the mess than to help at all.

One of the men sitting at the center table looked over and guffawed. He was a tall human man with more scars than skin. "Sheriff? A female?" His buddies chuckled with him as they took swigs of their ale. "What kind of backwards ass town is this?"

Imogen let the comment slide right off her shoulders. She had already heard that and far worse from actual citizens of Whitestone. She glanced around the tavern quickly, taking a quick assessment of the room. It looked like some people were sliding back into their seats after the commotion was over. Imogen hoped they were standing to try and help and not just gawk.

"And who exactly are you, rolling into my town and causing a scene on your first night here?" Imogen asked, her voice low and threatening. She hooked her thumbs into her belt and rolled her shoulders back. The longer she could play this casually, the better.

A soft scoff from the corner of the room alerted Imogen to Vex's presence. She knew she wasn't too happy about the "my town" comment. She hoped Vex hadn't just sat and watched those poor girls suffer at the hands of those men.

That thought left her head faster than it popped in it. Vex was all the way in the corner, more than 20 paces from the center of the room. It didn't make sense to place blame on her for something she couldn't have gotten up in time to stop.

A second man at the table piped up. His tusks gave him a slight lisp when he spoke. "We're swords for hire. Best there is around." His green skin looked dull under the dim lighting.

"I don't think Whitestone needs swords for hire." Imogen's arms tingled from tip to elbow as her scars started lighting up purple. All four of the men gathered at the table glanced down to take notice.

"We're not in Whitestone for business. We're just passing through," the human man said.

"Then may I suggest staying on your best behavior while you're here. We'll have no problems if you leave the girls to do their work."

The men laughed heartily. "And how do you expect me to behave when you've got all these pretty women just ripe for the taking?" A third man gestured to several of the bar maids with his goblet before knocking back what was left in a single gulp. Without looking at any of the staff, he raised the empty vessel in a silent ask for another. He was human as well, though Imogen thought she spied just the slightest point to his ear. Not enough to notice unless you looked long enough. An 1/8th-elf at best.

"I'd expect you to try and treat any of them with a modicum of respect." Fearne had sidled up silently next to Imogen at one point and stood shoulder to shoulder with her. "If you touch any of my girls again, I'll hang you from the gallows by your balls myself."

Ashton whistled, impressed with the threat and more than willing to help her follow through on it.

"You're going to speak to paying customers like that?" The human asked. He was bigger than the rest, Imogen just noticed. He might of thought himself the leader of the troupe, but she could tell the other three didn't think the same.

"I don't care for anymore of your coin after what you just pulled. Finish your drinks and get out."

"What if we wanted more?" the Half-orc questioned. He apparently thought this whole situation was funny.

"No," Fearne said, short and sweet.

"What about one of your pretty wenches?" the third man asked, really pushing his luck. He was eyeing a woman sitting at a nearby table, though she was paying him no attention.

There was a hard set to Fearne's jaw but she slipped on her customer service smile. "I thought I was clear earlier. That's still a no."

The table erupted in protests, trying to laugh the tense situation off. They seemed stupidly unaware that everyone else in the tavern wanted them long gone.

"That's not fair! We're paying customers!"

"We haven't had proper beds in weeks! Let us have someone to help us warm it!"

"I'll pay double what you ask for. I'm worth it!"

They didn't settle completely, but the fourth one finally spoke up as it started to quiet down. He had been tucked into his drink the entire time just watching the other three spout on. He was a half-elf with dark eyes full of ill intent. "What about you, love?"

Imogen noticed his attention now on Laudna.

"Me?" Laudna asked, pointing at herself.

"Yeah, you. Why don't you come over here and chat a little and we can get to know each other a little better. Maybe I'll even let you take me for a ride later." The other men hooted and hollered at his boldness, hoping to see something good come out of this for them too.

Laudna arched a brow before pushing off of the bar. She slowly walked over to the table and braced one hand on the back of the human's chair and the other on her hip, facing the one who had called her over.

"Take you for a ride? Is your saddle big enough for the both of us?"

Imogen hated that anyone but her was on the receiving end of that sultry tone in Laudna's voice. She hated especially that this man got to experience it.

He chuckled and nodded, like it was a sure thing. "Yeah but it feels better without the saddle. You get the real thing that way."

Laudna nodded, her eyes widening. The man was reading it as interest, but Imogen could see the revulsion in her eyes.

Fearne covered up the disgusted groan she made with a cough and headed back behind the bar with a squeeze of Imogen's bicep. Imogen followed her after a second knowing if she stayed too close to that table she was going to act impulsively.

Ashton poured her an ale and placed it in front of her. "She knows what she's doing. Just let her work."

Imogen chugged half the goblet in one gulp and sat sideways to keep an eye on Laudna. It didn't matter that Laudna knew what she was doing, she had walked into four men holding three young girls hostage. If they swarmed Laudna, it would be hard not to kill them all outright.

Laudna flung some of her hair over her shoulder, exposing more of her collar. The men all leered unabashedly. "The thing is that I have plenty of experience riding. I find it can leave you quite sore without a saddle."

Imogen hid her smirk in her drink. Laudna was laying on the metaphor thicker than she needed to, but it was working with the tipsy men.

The Half-elf man sat back, his legs spread wide as he angled towards Laudna. "That's entirely my point, woman. It's a delicious kind of soreness, wouldn't you agree?" His smirk was obnoxious.

Laudna took the window given to freely to her. "Oh, have lots of big strong men taken you for rides?"

His face feel immediately into one of disgust. "What?" he choked out.

"Don't worry yourself over it."

The man still looked confused but pressed on at the looks of encouragements from his group. "You'll find that any ride I take you on will leave you more sore than you've ever been."

"Is that supposed to be a line that works?" Ashton asked quietly.

Imogen shook her head, also in disbelief of what she was hearing.

Laudna shifted her attention over to the rest of the men. "What about your friends here? How are they supposed to entertain themselves for the night."

The table shifted, taking Laudna's empty question as a suggestion for something else.

"You want them to join?" the man asked.

"No, not in the slightest. In fact I'm still confused about the comment you just made."

The man shared another confused look between his now offended companions before recovering quickly. "Which one?" he asked.

Laudna leaned down near his ear to speak quietly to him. "Hard to leave me sore in the ways you're probably thinking, what with how little you have to work with." She patted the back of the chair she was leaning on and turned to walk away, done with playing along.

Imogen couldn't call that the smoothest encounter, nor would she say that was Laudna's best line, but she didn't think she would have fared much better in that scenario. Men always got on her nerves.

She was happy about most of what happened next. Most of. Just not the very next part.

The man's hand snapped out and grabbed Laudna's wrist in a tight hold before yanking her down on his lap. He wrapped his arm tight around her middle, locking her in place. "What did you just say to me?" He hissed loudly. He didn't wait for her to answer before standing with such ferocity he knocked his stool over. He practically slammed Laudna against the table, pinning her down with one strong hand. "I'll fucking show you, you bitch!"

Imogen was up and out of her seat as soon as he had grabbed Laudna, but the other patrons of the bar quickly formed a crowd to get a good look at the debacle. She tried to shove her way through but wasn't making it in time.

Just as she broke clear of the crowd, so did Ashton as he swung his fist hard into the Half-elf's face. He was down on the ground out cold from the single hit.

"Grog!" Imogen, Ashton, and a still panicked Laudna screamed.

The other three men were up and closing in on Ashton when a loud roar echoed through the tavern. As summoned, Grog split the crowd in two as he barreled into the fray. "Let me kill them!"

"No killing!" Imogen stressed.

"Aw!" his anger quickly depleted into disappointment as he pouted at the Sheriff.

"Just get them out of here!"

As Ashton yelled, two of them men tried to swing at him but both missed. Grog grabbed the 1/8th-elf by his head in a single hand and flipped him over his shoulder sending him flying into a wooden support beam 15 feet away. The two large brawlers held their own, but it was obvious the mercenaries had experience fighting as well.

Imogen pulled Laudna out of the way as she was still stunned, bracing herself against the table. It was too loud and rowdy to check on her, so Imogen settled for just holding her close.

The fight was not going in Ashton and Grog's favor. Despite their ability to take down several men on their own, the mercenaries had the advantage of having worked together in a fight before.

The Half-orc managed to get Ashton down on the ground and was pummeling him with punches. The metal gloves on his hand helped protect them from any damage from Ashton's earthen skin.

Grog was trying to wrangle the other three after the Half-elf had woken up and immediately joined in the fight.

Imogen was ready to resort to using her abilities, though she didn't want to hurt any of the innocent people in the way. Unfortunately, there was no way for her to avoid the crowd, even if all she wanted was to move the fight out of the building. Before she could make a decision the fight was moved for her.

Out of nowhere large vines sprouted from the floor and all four men were yanked up by their ankles and flung out the door.

The tavern quieted completely in half a second in awe of what they just saw. Heads started turning to the corner of the tavern that Vex had been sitting in.

"Was that the wrong move? Did we not want them out of the tavern?" Keyleth, the ever graceful Voice of the Tempest, looked meek as she was scrutinized by dozens of eyes.

"I mean that works," Ashton huffed. With one nod in Grog's direction, they rushed after the trio to continue the fight outside. They leapt over the now retreating vines gracefully as they bounded through the doorway. More than half of the patrons followed after and money could be seen trading hands.

Imogen turned to press her lips to the side of Laudna's head. "You okay?" Laudna nodded. "Because it's alright if you're not."

Laudna sighed and deflated against Imogen. "I'm fine, darling. Not the first man to put his hands on me."

Imogen tightened her hold on Laudna gently. "Doesn't mean I liked watching it happen."

Laudna laughed quietly. "I can handle my own."

Imogen pulled away to look Laudna in the eye. "I know. I wanted to jump in but I knew you had it. I don't know why I didn't expect him to grab you like that when that's what started this whole thing."

Laudna started to respond, but her eyes drifted away. She pulled out of Imogen's arms just as Vex's came up around her shoulders. She turned her head to press her cheek into her sister's shoulders, letting all of her tension wash away. "I'm sure Ash and Grog are taking care of them for me."

"I'm pretty sure Orym is jumping in as well. He ran out rather quickly and he looked mad, so..." Keyleth trailed off awkwardly. It was obvious she didn't know what to do in that situation.

"Are you alright, darling?" Vex asked Laudna softly. She was carding one hand through her hair softly, just barely tangling the strands in her fingers. The other was rubbing between her shoulder blades with a heavy pressure like she always had ever since Laudna could remember.

"Oh, I'm fine. Stop fretting."

Vex pulled Laudna away to give her a thorough once over. "All I do is fret over you. It's my default."

Laudna gave her a playful glare. "I'm fine, Vex."

Vex looked like she wanted to press the issue again. She rubbed her hands up and down Laudna's arms a few times before turning away with a lingering touch. "Well you handled them better than I thought you would. If he manages to ever get a woman in his bed with those innuendos, I'd be surprised."

"Yeah, I think that's enough surprises for the night," Keyleth quietly added.

Imogen, now reclined against the counter of the bar, held a hand up in Keyleth's direction limply. "And where did you come from?"

"Zephrah," Keyleth and Vex said in perfect unison, each of them trying to hide identical grins. Keyleth looked pleased at herself for her little inside joke, while Vex looked cheeky.

Imogen rolled her eyes to avoid the playful look Vex was shooting her. Laudna humored them both with a chuckle.

"I had a window of time to come visit. Orym asked to come along too, so... ta-daaa."

It was hard to bite back the comment about how precious Keyleth was.

"You staying long?" Imogen drawled.

"Just the week. Then I have to get back to some Ashari matters." Vex leaned against Keyleth's side at that and kissed her exposed shoulder. She was obviously upset about the short frame of time, but she wasn't going to comment on it in front of Keyleth. They all knew how important she was.

A loud crashing sound from outside stole their attention away.

"We should probably go make sure our boys are okay," Keyleth suggested. She turned to where Vex was still leaning her cheek against her shoulder, her nose brushing Vex's dark locks.

"Good idea." Vex leaned up for one quick kiss and turned and headed for the door with Keyleth quickly on her heels. They were lightly holding hands, just the tips of their fingers hooked through the others'.

Laudna groaned quietly at the sight. "Give me a reason not to be in my own home for the night."

Imogen laughed. "How about the same reason that usually gets you to stay with me?"

"Sounds perfect," Laudna husked before kissing Imogen.

"Where's your brother?" Imogen whispered as they pulled away.

"Don't know. Don't care." Laudna pressed another kiss to Imogen's lips between sentences.

"I mean, that works for me. But he's not going to come storming in in the morning demanding to know where you are again, is he?" Imogen tightened her hold on Laudna's waist, loving the way she felt pressed against her. There was no one left in the tavern by that point, too drawn by the commotion outside to witness the two of them having this moment.

"If he does I'll curse him. He ruined my opportunity to watch the sunrise on your skin."

Imogen took a shaky breath as her arousal hit her suddenly. "Let me take you home," she whispered.

"We can sneak away now while no one's watching."

Imogen took Laudna's suggestion quickly. She grabbed her hand and yanked her towards the door. It was utter chaos outside as the fight was still going strong. Most of the male patrons of the tavern had joined in the fray as well and the four traveling men were easily outnumbered now.

The crowd was gathered in the middle of the wide street, leaving plenty of room for the duo to sneak over to the hitch and pull Flora along with them. Imogen didn't stop to mount her horse until they had turned the corner, leaving them with only vague shouts and echoes behind them.

"My lady," Imogen drawled, laying her accent on thicker than normal as she helped Laudna up and over the saddle. "Scoot forward," she said lightly, patting Laudna's lower back. She hoisted herself up keeping upright and kept straight to steal a few kisses before slinging her leg over to settle behind Laudna. There was plenty of room in the saddle for the both of them once Imogen pressed herself tightly to Laudna's back.

"I wonder what my brother would say if he saw us like this right now," Laudna commented as Imogen moved Flora into a canter.

"Laud, again with mentioning your brother when I really don't want to be thinking about him," Imogen chuckled.

Laudna giggled lightly with Imogen as she leaned her full weight against Imogen's front. Imogen's right hand came to wrap low around her waist, her fingertips nearly brushing between Laudna's legs. Laudna sighed as she tried to move her hips to get Imogen to touch her there, though it was hard to do in the awkward positioning of the saddle.

"We're still in town, honey. You can't even wait until we get home?" Imogen tried hard not to think about how nice it would be to have a real home with Laudna. It just wasn't plausible where they were at right now.

Laudna was quiet for a moment as her hand came up to play with Imogen's. She pressed their fingers together before taking Imogen's fingers one by one between two of her own and pinching them lightly. "I can still feel his hands on me. I just want you to make that go away."

Imogen's heart hurt hearing the vulnerability in Laudna's voice. She kissed the back of her head, then her shoulder, then nuzzled her way through her hair to kiss her neck. "I will, baby," she whispered. "I promise."

They were quiet for a while as Imogen guided them through the streets towards Galdric's Gate.

"Did he hurt you?" Imogen asked quietly. She was afraid of the answer.

Laudna shifted her weight from side to side. "You know me, darling. I bruise so easily. He might have left a few marks, but no. Nothing he did hurt me."

Imogen was already planning to cover up any marks he might of left with her own. "Okay," she whispered.

As they passed the Vessar estate, with the sun setting behind it casting it in an almost ethereal glow, they could hear the familiar cracking of tree bark. Vex and Keyleth's elated giggles and hushed talking reached their ears. Laudna turned over her shoulder to roll her eyes with Imogen about her sister's antics, but they couldn't fight the soft smiles on their faces. Vex deserved this happiness. They just didn't want to have to overhear whatever came next.

When they approached Imogen's modest homestead, she guided Flora up the walkway to the porch before pulling her to a stop. With some practiced maneuvering, she carefully dismounted without jamming her knee into Laudna's kidney. Again.

"M'lady," Imogen joked again as she held her hand out to help Laudna down. As soon as both of her feet were on the ground, Imogen was pulling Laudna in for a heated kiss, only pulling away when Laudna retreated for air first. "Wait for me inside?" Imogen asked, her voice low and gravelly.

"Don't be long. I'd hate to get impatient and start without you."

Imogen groaned under her breath and had to push Laudna towards the door or she would leave Flora fully saddled and standing outside her door all night. The process of putting Flora up usually took no more than 20 minutes, especially when she didn't rush the animal while getting home. Flora was breathing easy and they had their routine perfected so she was very compliant.

Loosening the cinch and removing the tack only took about a minute or so. Imogen was less thorough than usual as she checked for sores, but Flora didn't look uncomfortable about anything so she pressed on. She set food and water out for her brushed her coat quickly before checking her hooves for any stuck rocks. With nothing glaring standing out to her, she placed Flora in her stall so she could eat and drink and yelled a pathetic apology over her shoulder before racing for the house.

She locked the front door behind her and observed the dim room. The shutters were still open letting in the last bit of sun before it disappeared behind the trees.

Laudna was nowhere in sight, so Imogen assumed she was in the bedroom. She veered into the bathroom to wash her hands and face thoroughly. After hesitating, she scrubbed her hands a second time before toweling them off and slowly stepping towards her open bedroom door. Her boots thunked loudly on the hardwood floor, even as she walked lightly.

Laudna was reclined on the bed, bathed in orange and pink. She looked up as Imogen stopped in the doorway and smiled softly. Her hand was tightly tracing her collarbone, something she often did when she was lost in thought. "Oh! Sheriff! Forgive me for having you catch me in such an indecorous state." She straightened her legs a little, though still kept them bent at the knee. She had lost her boots and stockings already.

Imogen stifled the chuckle that threatened to spill out at Laudna's ridiculous words. "Not a problem at all ma'am." She decided to play along with whatever Laudna was leading her into. "I told you to make yourself comfortable in my home." She hooked her thumbs in her belt and leaned against the door frame lazily. She didn't miss the hitch in Laudna's breath as she did.

Laudna cocked her head to the side and unabashedly looked Imogen up and down. Her gaze lingered on her hat and her belt line longer than anywhere else. "And it's a fine home you have. Though I think I could sway the Lord of Whitestone to shell out some more money your way, at least for a larger homestead."

Imogen remembers some of the drunken ramblings she had gone on previously, saying everything that Laudna just told her. She didn't need a bigger home, but remodeling for a larger washroom with a working faucet would be nice. A bigger barn for Flora would be even better.

"I'd appreciate that kindly, ma'am. Please don't stress about it on my accord, though."

Laudna sighed wistfully and Imogen couldn't fight the soft smile that brought to her face. "I just feel as though you really aren't appreciated enough around here." She slowly tucked her knees under herself before leaning her weight onto her hands. She started to crawl towards Imogen as she continued. "The Lord is too concerned about his own personal matters to notice just how hard you work." She stopped on the edge of the bed, her eyes dark as she leered at Imogen, still leaning in the doorway.

Imogen pretended to look around the room. "It's just the job."

Laudna cocked her head again in that way that was so open and inviting. Imogen had a hard time not taking the bait right away. "And I'd like to show my appreciation for the job, if that's alright with you." Laudna's voice took on a deeper, huskier tone.

Imogen took her weight off of the frame but didn't step forward. "Show it how?"

Laudna dragged her eyes down Imogen's body again. Her bottom lip was trapped between her teeth lightly and was most likely even unaware she was doing so.

Imogen stepped forward then. One step, then two. That's all she needed to reach the foot of her bed where Laudna was still kneeling, waiting for her. She wasn't upright on her knees and didn't have the height advantage on Imogen anymore like that. She instead was sitting back on her ankles, giving Imogen nearly half a head's length on her, especially still wearing her work boots.

Laudna's breath stuttered as Imogen raised a hand to gently cup her cheek. "Show me how, sweetheart?" she whispered.

Laudna fought to drag her eyes away from Imogen's lips, up to her hat. She almost startled Imogen with the sudden giggle that almost erupted from her. When she gave Laudna a questioning look, she finally burst and collapsed into Imogen's shoulder gently.

"What?" Imogen said through her own soft laughter. She carded her hand through Laudna's soft hair as she gathered herself.

Laudna glanced up again and stared at the Stetson. "Are you going to ask me if I wanted to take you for a ride?"

Imogen scoffed and leaned away from the other woman. "Am I gon- I- Laud."

Laudna laughed heartily before springing up to kneel properly on the mattress. "Tell me, Sheriff," she said, grabbing Imogen by the belt and tugging her flush against her. "Would it be the ride of my life? Would I be sore for days?"

Imogen rolled her eyes and leaned back a little, though Laudna didn't let up her tight hold on her. It was near torture to feel her knuckles grazing her waist through her thin shirt. Before Laudna could keep laughing at herself and her antics, she tightened her grip on her hair and tugged back, hard. She grazed her teeth down Laudna's neck as she whined into her ear, mindful of her hat to knock it against Laudna's head. She bit down on her pulse gently, then again with no tenderness. She soothed the sting with her tongue before kissing her way up to Laudna's lips.

"If that's what you want, then I can definitely give it to you. I can't promise I'll be gentle, though." She loosened her grip on Laudna's hair just enough to let her lean down and meet her.

"I didn't ask you to be gentle with me," Laudna mumbled against her lips before connecting them in a searing kiss.

Imogen groaned into the kiss as she pulled Laudna's hips against her own. "Let me go put it on," she husked as they pulled away from each other.

Laudna yanked her back towards her as she took her first step towards the dresser. "Let me do it for you."

Imogen's knees buckled at the command and she nodded quickly in agreement. Laudna slid off the bed towards the dresser and Imogen's hands were flying to her belt.

"Ah!" Imogen stopped at Laudna's sharp call. "Let me do all of it for you." Laudna looked at her sternly and reached into the top right drawer of the dresser without looking. Buried under Imogen's shirts were two items- a harness and the only toy she owned. It had been a gift from Fearne as a joke on Imogen's birthday one year. It had to be specially ordered from Chetney and that was part of the reason it never received any use until Imogen and Laudna started sneaking around. As far as he knew, Imogen threw it away the very day she received it.

Laudna tossed the items onto the bed and once again pulled Imogen against her by the belt into a heated kiss. She slowly pulled the excess material out of Imogen's first belt loop before yanking it to the left to free it from the hook. With the two ends now separated, she pulled Imogen flush against her, making sure their hips connected. Imogen whined into the kiss and held one of Laudna's biceps lightly with the other lightly scratching at the back of Laudna's neck.

Laudna slowly pulled the belt loose from Imogen's waist and dropped it to the floor with a loud clang. Instead of moving for the clasp of her pants like Imogen hoped she would, they traveled up to her vest. Laudna carefully undid the few buttons holding it together before she slipped it off Imogen's shoulders. She tossed it towards the corner of the room and her badge still connected to the leather tinked loudly as it connected with the wall, then the floor. Laudna's hands then traveled slowly around Imogen's waist. She slipped one hand down over Imogen's back pocket to palm at her ass. Imogen bucked her hips against Laudna's involuntarily at the sensation.

"Laud, please," Imogen begged, breaking the kiss.

"You want to be inside me that bad?" Laudna teased, both hands now grabbing at Imogen's ass.

"Yeah," Imogen whispered.

Laudna turned them around in one swift motion. "You're cute when you're desperate," she remarked before shoving Imogen onto the bed.

Imogen's back connected with the mattress with enough force to knock a little puff of air out of her and knock the hat off her head. Her back lit on fire as she scratches Laudna left that morning made contact with the bed, but she shrugged it off. By the time she propped up on her elbows to see what was happening, Laudna was already pulling at the laces of her boots.

"Just sit back, Sheriff. Let me do this for you. And put your hat back on." Laudna turned to her head to kiss Imogen's still clothed leg, just next to her knee. She made quick work of the boots and tossed them off somewhere neither of them cared to notice. She pulled Imogen's purple socks off as well before casting them into the same void the boots landed in. With her hands delicately, ambiently, trailing up Imogen's legs, she straightened up to be able to reach the clasp of Imogen's pants. Her fingers expertly undid the material, her knuckles pressing in the all the right places on purpose to tease Imogen.

Imogen did as Laudna told and had settled her hat back on her head. She lifted her hips when Laudna tapped her thigh and helped her shimmy them down her thighs.

"Do you want to leave these on?" Laudna snapped Imogen's underwear near her thigh teasingly.

Imogen was flushed and heaving by that point, ever so distracted by the feeling of Laudna kneeling between her legs undressing her. It took her a second to answer. "Yeah. It chafed weird last time."

Laudna nodded and kissed a trail from her thigh to her knee. "Stand up, love." She shuffled back a little to let Imogen stand up, but didn't move all that much. Her face was level with Imogen's center, hidden behind the tails at the front of her button up. She reached for the harness still on the end of the bed, ignoring the toy for the moment.

Imogen's hands were twitching at her sides and she wanted nothing more than to grab Laudna's face and pull her mouth right where she wanted it. Instead she settled for running her hands through Laudna's hair gently, both for her own pleasure and to help her keep it out of her face so she would properly attach the supple leather harness to her waist.

"Hand me the..." Laudna trailed off, her hand outstretched for Imogen to drop the toy in. Imogen reached blindly, knocking it with her hand before grasping it and holding it out to Laudna.

When Fearne first gave the toy to her, Imogen could barely look at it without her entire body blushing, let alone think to use it. It was ridiculous and weird and she swore that day she would never, ever, use it. She knew Chetney had to be the one to carve it and she wanted nothing to do with ever putting something he held in his hands inside of her body.

And then Fearne had gotten her claws into Laudna and told her that those types of things existed- that certain items could be made for people to use and enjoy privately. Imogen nearly choked on her own tongue when Laudna excitedly told her that she would be open to trying something like that, either with Imogen or by herself.

The very idea of Laudna alone in her bedroom, using the exact toy Imogen kept hidden in her dresser on herself was the very reason she pulled it out for the first time. Her abdomen and arms ached in ways they never had the next morning, though it was nothing compared to the soreness between Laudna's legs. But it was all worth it to watch that dark purple, wooden toy disappear in and out of Laudna.

Fearne had picked the color specifically, knowing it was Imogen's favorite color. Chetney happened to have purple heart on hand. After oiling and lacquering it, it looked nearly black in low lighting.

It looked nearly black, hanging from Imogen's waist now.

Laudna sat back on her haunches again, tightening the leather harness more evenly. Imogen was breathing heavily in anticipation for what was to come. Her hands were lingering in the air slightly wanting to pull Laudna back in to continue her ministrations.

"Baby, I think it's good," she said quietly. Her voice was weak.

Laudna smirked, her attention still on the harness. "My, how will people react to hearing you calling a distinguished member of the Vessar family "baby," Sheriff?"

Imogen caught back on to Laudna's little act. "My apologies, miss. I assumed because we were alone that I could drop some of the pretense." She bit back the comment she wanted to make about Laudna calling her "love" just a moment before she let her own pet name slip.

Laudna stilled her hands low on Imogen's hips. "I was hoping now that we were alone, you would start taking what you wanted."

Imogen returned to running her fingers through Laudna's hair, being mindful to pull it all away from her face. "And if I wanted you?"

Laudna shuddered out a breath that Imogen could feel skate across her thighs. She nodded her head assuredly, though her words failed her at first. She swallowed thickly. "I want that."

Imogen smirked and gathered more of Laudna's hair. "You want me to want you?"

Laudna nodded again, her head moving under Imogen's fingertips. "I want..." she trailed off, her eyes glancing down for a long second to stare at the wood jutting out from Imogen's hips.

"I know what you want, darling." Imogen shifted her weight from side to side before taking a tiny step forward. Laudna sat up straighter, her mouth gaping slightly already in anticipation. "It's okay. You don't need to wait for me."

Like a lightning strike Laudna surged forward and wrapped her lips around the toy. She moved so quickly she had ruined Imogen's work to keep her hair back and it now hung limply all over the place.

With a heavy laugh that barely concealed a moan, Imogen once again ran her fingers through Laudna's hair to try and clear it out of her way. "Someone's eager," she choked out as she watched more than half of the toy disappear down Laudna's throat. Her hands fumbled over Laudna's head as she tried not to pull any of her hair too harshly. It was difficult to do while Laudna bobbed her head back and forth.

Eventually Imogen completed her mental task and held one hand clenched at the back of Laudna's head, keeping her hair away, and the other cupped at the base of her skull to help pull her into the toy more.

Laudna rarely stopped for air due to some feat Imogen didn't have the brain power to think about. The longer she worked on the toy, the further she could take it and the more obscene noises she made.

The base of the toy pushed just above where Imogen needed it. It only hit that right spot when she was on her back with Laudna grinding down on her. It was heaven and hell watching Laudna going down on her like this, but she knew it worked Laudna up more than anything else.

Imogen worked hard to make sure her knees didn't buckle, not wanting to jerk the toy inside Laudna's mouth. It was hard to hold herself back, but the stark reminder that it was made purely out of wood was enough for both of them to ensure they were more careful while doing certain things.

"Laud," Imogen groaned out as Laudna slowly let the toy sink further down her throat. She swore she could feel that exact sensation for a moment. She let her hand fall away from Laudna's neck and let her head fall back as she groaned loudly towards the ceiling.

Laudna pulled off with a wet pop, her lips and chin shining. "Yes, Sheriff?"

Imogen almost cursed Laudna for keeping up her little roleplay scenario. She mustered the brainpower to play along. "I think you've got me prepped well and good, ma'am." She lacked any emphasis on the small title.

Laudna fake scrutinized the toy. "I don't know. I think I could give it a little more." With that, she took the toy down her throat until her nose was pressing firmly against Imogen's stomach.

Imogen almost doubled over at the sight. "Fuck!" she choked out as Laudna held her position. Imogen twisted her hand in Laudna's hair to pull her more firmly against her, resulting in a wet sound from the other woman as she took it with seemingly no complaint.

Imogen swore she could feel Laudna flex her throat and she was seriously considering looking into enchantments that would let her be able to feel that sensation one of these days. The sting of Laudna's nails digging into her ass and thighs brought her back suddenly as Laudna desperately pulled her further in. Imogen held on as long as she could before she could notice Laudna start to struggle before letting her pull back slowly with a small cough.

"Fucking hells, woman," Imogen drawled as she took in Laudna's ruined state.

Laudna smiled, despite how she was heaving gently for air. "Now I think we've got you well and prepared, Sheriff."

Imogen tore her eyes from Laudna's soaked chin and chest to the saliva glistening on the toy and she snapped into action. She heaved Laudna up from the ground by one arm and tore at the laces at the front of her blouse. Together, they somehow managed to get the garment open without ripping it. Laudna pulled it up and over her head as Imogen started on her skirts. They stripped her down to just her shift as Laudna reached for Imogen's hat and tossed it onto the bed. "Lie back," she husked as she ripped Imogen's shirt open before pushing her back onto the bed.

Imogen listened, almost in a daze. She shuffled back into the bed to rest against the pillows as Laudna slowly crawled up after her. She settled in the gap Imogen left, not touching her. "I believe I was promised the ride of my life tonight." She slowly worked her shift up over her thighs.

Imogen watched raptly as every inch of skin was slowly revealed. "That wasn't me who said that, baby."

Laudna clucked her tongue playfully. "Again with the pet names, Sheriff. I don't think my brother will be too pleased to know how you speak to me."

"It's not the worst thing I've called you," Imogen grumbled.

Laudna stifled a laugh in order to keep the fake reprimanding posture up. She pulled her shift up to her stomach and held it there for a moment. "I don't care if it was a random man in the tavern or if it was you. I was promised something and I want it."

Imogen itched to just grab a hold of Laudna and pull her down on the toy and give her her fill that way. But the second Laudna whipped the last piece of clothing off of her head and reached for Imogen's hat, she froze in place.

Laudna settled Imogen's stetson on her head, albeit crookedly, and crawled on her knees to straddle Imogen properly. "I think your hat suits me. Don't you think so, Sheriff?"

Imogen pulled Laudna down by her hips suddenly, thrusting her own hips to tease the toy between Laudna's legs. Laudna giggled delicately as she pulled away. Her own arousal was obvious with the way the course curls between her legs were shining. Imogen almost wanted to abandon this little charade and lay between Laudna's thighs to get a taste of her properly. She didn't get to finish what she started that morning.

"Answer me, Imogen." Laudna's demand snapped her attention back to her. "Don't you think I look good wearing your hat?"

Imogen nodded. She finally moved her hands to settle on Laudna's thighs, her thumbs squeezing the soft muscle there. She didn't have hard muscles like Imogen did from growing up on riding horses. "Yeah," she whispered as her voice caught in her throat. "It looks good on you."

Laudna saw right past Imogen's attempt at indifference. "I could wear it more often, if you wanted that." Imogen nodded right away and Laudna laughed at her enthusiasm. She slowly relaxed more so the toy could connect with her core. "You want me to wear it more when you fuck me? Is that it?"

"Yeah," Imogen said again, entranced with how Laudna was teasing herself.

"Is this your way of staking a claim on me?"

"He can't have you," Imogen growled out, watching the head of the toy flick back and forth over Laudna's clit. "He can't touch you."

"He wanted to. He tried to in the tavern."

Imogen sneered at the memory. "I could have killed him right there."

Laudna chuckled low, deep in her chest. "I'm sure you would have."

Imogen rocked her hips up slightly, pulling a moan from Laudna. "You're mine. He can't have you."

Laudna stilled her hips and moved her hand to entwine with Imogen's lightly against her leg. "I'm only yours, darling. I promise."

Imogen fought away any vulnerable feelings creeping up her chest and smiled softly up at Laudna. "You better be," she mumbled. She couldn't hide the deep flush Laudna's assurance brought forth.

"Let me show you," Laudna whispered as she pulled her hand free.

Imogen's breath caught as Laudna finally stopped teasing herself. She grasped the now soaked toy with one hand before guiding herself over it. Very carefully, she dropped more and more of her weight onto it before the head finally sank it.

Laudna hissed loudly as she buckled, her free hand slamming down on Imogen's stomach to brace herself.

Imogen ignored the pain at the sensation and held Laudna's hips tightly so she couldn't move anywhere. "Take it slow, baby. Don't force it. We can wait on this part if we have to."

Laudna shook her head though her face was still screwed up in pain. "I'm fine," she choked out.

Imogen tried to sit up, fighting off Laudna's attempts to stop her. "You don't look fine. I don't want you to hurt yourself." She tried to lift Laudna's hips.

Laudna slapped her hands away and pushed her back against the pillows. She left her hand on Imogen's chest, trailing down between her breasts. Her shirt had fallen open with the sudden motion and Laudna couldn't tear her eyes or hands away. "I'm not hurting myself, I just need an adjustment period."

Imogen looked at her, playfully stern. "So get off it so I can use my fingers or something."

Laudna wiggled her hips some, her face more relaxed now. "I'm good now. I just needed a second."

"Are you sure?"

Laudna laughed, exasperatedly. "Stop being so thoughtful, Sheriff. I thought you were going to give me the ride of my life?"

Imogen settled back in the pillows as Laudna slowly moved up and down, sinking further down each time. "I don't know how you expect to get something bigger than this and not have it split you in two."

"It won't because we can use this one as the warm up."

Imogen groaned at the thought and snapped her hips up as Laudna was lowering her own, prompting a loud moan from her as well. She pulled her legs back, spreading them a bit as she did so she could bend her knees to plant her feet on the bed. Laudna adjusted for the maneuver and her eyes rolled back as she could feel the toy sink deeper in her than before.

Imogen watched for a long while as Laudna slowly started riding her. "You look so good like this, baby," she praised quietly.

Once Laudna had truly found her rhythm, Imogen just sat back and took it all in. Laudna was a vision as the moonlight was hitting her pale skin. Her dark hair flowed behind her back, blending in with the shadows. Her hips rose until just the head of the toy lay inside her, before she sank to the base heavily.

Imogen snapped her hips up occasionally to meet one of Laudna's thrusts, prompting a loud moan or a curse from her. She gave up on sitting back and propped herself up on Imogen's stomach with both hands this time, giving herself leverage to move faster. Her nails were leaving bright red lines as she curled her fingers into Imogen's hard muscles.

"You going to come like this, honey?"

Laudna nodded, the hat slipping off her head as it hung down. Imogen flicked it off the bed smoothly and grabbed Laudna's hips to help guide her down on her toy. "You look real good when you take charge. Think this might be something you want more often?"

Imogen's question must have sent something through Laudna because she was tensing up in seconds before Imogen could make out the familiar tremor in her thighs. She watched enraptured as Laudna lost herself in her pleasure before she was knocking her hands away and catching Laudna as she fell forward. "I got you," she reassured as she carefully adjusted them both. "Why don't you go ahead and do that again for me, sweetheart?" she asked as she started rocking her hips up.

Laudna, still sensitive from her first orgasm, could only nod and settle against Imogen fully. Imogen tightened her hold on Laudna's waist, her fingers digging in hard enough she feared she was hurting her. Laudna would never tell her stop, though. She liked that specific type of pain far too much to ever protest against it.

Her hips snapped up into Laudna's at a rapid pace now, the sound reverberating in the room. Laudna could only whimper pathetically into Imogen's neck.

"I know, baby. Just let it out," Imogen soothed, her lips brushing Laudna's ear.

Laudna was dead weight on top of her. All of her strength was lost to the point that she could only take, take take what Imogen was giving her.

She whispered more encouragement in Laudna's ear when she could tell she was getting close again.

"That's it, darling. Just like that. Just keep taking me and I'll get you there, I promise. You're doing so good for me."

She wasn't even sure if Laudna was still coherent enough to register her words, but it didn't take much more to send her over the edge. Laudna whined high and quiet as she came, before the aftershocks ripped a deep, guttural moan from her. Imogen pumped her hips through it all until Laudna froze and tried to lift her hips enough to pull Imogen out of her. Imogen had to help lift Laudna's hips high enough for the toy to slip out before Laudna's collapsed on top of her, the toy jammed between them awkwardly.

"Does that count as the ride of your life?" Imogen asked after they had both caught their breath.

Laudna giggled prettily and nuzzled further into Imogen's shoulder. "I'd say yes. It was at least far more impressive than anything that horrendous man had to offer."

"Damn right," Imogen drawled. She'd puff her chest if Laudna wasn't laying right on top of it.

Laudna laughed affectionately at Imogen and turned to press a kiss into her chest, right above her heart. She curled into Imogen's chest, her fingers lightly tracing over every lightning shaped scar she could see.

Imogen was content to just lay there and drift off to the feeling of Laudna running her fingers lightly over her skin, but she knew they couldn't just yet. She turned her head to press a kiss to Laudna's head. "I gotta take the harness off baby."

Laudna grumbled, not wanting to lose the close contact, but she knew they both needed to clean up. She rolled off of Imogen, flopping to the edge of the bed. Imogen rolled off and stretched, her body a little sore. She made quick work of the harness and dumped it on the floor with no care. She could clean it tomorrow.

She stomped to the bathroom, lighting a few candles along the way. She found a clean rag and a filled a bowl with some water. She wished she had to patience to heat some water up, but she didn't. She wiped herself down quickly, with the intent of bringing a fresh rag and fresh water to Laudna. She wasn't even halfway done when the other woman stepped into the small room.

"I missed you," Laudna said, pressing herself to Imogen's back. She had her own arms crossed over her naked chest, making the contact awkward.

Imogen laughed. "No, you had to pee."

"That too."

Imogen laughed again, louder. "Give me a bit and I'll give you some privacy."

Laudna didn't have the same thought. "I don't need privacy to pee, Imogen. Especially not after what we were just doing for the last hour." She sat down on the basin and Imogen turned so they could continue with their separate business.

Imogen shuffled back into the bedroom, lighting a few candles there as well so she could see clearly. The bed was mostly fine. Neither of them had pulled the covers back, so the only thing that needed stripped was the thick comforter on top. It was still a warm enough night that they wouldn't have bothered to use it anyway. She tore it off and chucked it towards the back door so she could wash it the next day. She picked up their clothes next, throwing hers out with the comforter and folding Laudna's neatly and laying them on top of the dresser.

The toy could stay on the floor until she could properly clean it another time. It wasn't her main concern at the moment.

Laudna shuffled back into the room with a yawn and made a beeline for her side of the bed. Imogen let her get settled before checking that all the candles were extinguished and following her. Like magnets, they met in the middle of the bed and clung to each other.

"Was that alright?" Laudna whispered into Imogen's hair.

"Was what alright?" Imogen mumbled into Laudna's neck.

Laudna thought for a second. "What we did. The... acting."

"Well neither of us are getting hired in any theater districts."

Laudna playfully pinched Imogen's back. "You know what I meant," she grit over Imogen's laughter.

Imogen pulled away to look Laudna in the eyes. "I had fun. And if you want to do it more often, we can try again. The same thing or if there's something else you want to try. I'm willing to do whatever you want."

Laudna quirked her eyebrow in interest. "Whatever I want?"

Imogen smiled slyly and pulled her closer. "We can experiment with stuff, if you wanted."

Laudna ran her hands through Imogen's hair, scratching at her scalp. "Don't say that, darling. You don't want to know the ideas I've had before."

Imogen felt molten heat travel between her legs. "Well now I definitely want to."

Laudna's smile widened before she kissed Imogen chastely, then again deeply. "We'll talk on a later day."

"Don't leave a girl hanging," Imogen whispered before kissing Laudna again.

They kissed languidly for a long while, before they could feel sleep creeping up on them both. Their kisses turned clumsy as they fought against drifting off, but neither of them were giving their best effort. They slept bathed in moonlight, entwined tightly with each other.