2.28 Exit

"Imagine this," Delta said, placing the linking plate to her pelvis. She wiggled her hips side to side, making Zoey's cock flop around. "I'll wear it, and fuck you. It'll be like good old times."

"Good old times?" Zoey asked. "That happened fifteen minutes ago."

"I know." Delta pouted. "I miss having it already. Seriously, it's so unfair. But come on." She gave another wiggle of her hips. "This isn't doing anything for you?"

By the fact it was starting to swell, Zoey's body answered for her.

"You pervert," Delta said approvingly. "It totally does. Hey, how about—can I borrow it for a night out? Take it around town, on lease?"

That was … an idea and a half.

Zoey could just be out and about, taking care of errands, while Delta was using her cock to fuck other girls? Something about the idea had Zoey going wild. She'd never had an exhibitionist kink, but Delta's suggestion … did some things for her.

As the now fully erect member indicated.

"Give that thing to me," Rosalie huffed. She snatched Zoey's cock away from Delta's pelvis. "Stop playing with it."

Zoey gasped at the tugging of her sensitive skin. Rosalie had grabbed it by the shaft, and just because it was weirdly disembodied didn't mean the sensation had gone anywhere.

The two girls spared a glance for Zoey, noting her reaction, and the way she'd tensed up, but quickly returned to their annoyance with each other.

Rosalie jabbed at Delta's direction with it. "It's not a toy."

"Uh, hello?" Delta pointed at Zoey's crotch. "Yes, it is."

Zoey looked down. Right. She'd almost forgotten. In thick, bolded ink, the words 'DELTA & ROSIE'S FAVORITE TOY' were written on her pelvis. For that matter, everyone's body-writing remained. Except since Delta and Rosalie were back in their respective bodies, it was Rosalie with the 'SHAMELESS WHORE' across her tits, and Delta with the 'HUGE GIRL COCKS ONLY <3' above her pussy.

Rosalie colored, looking at the words on Zoey's pelvis that amusingly contradicted her claim of, 'it's not a toy'. She turned back to Delta and huffed. "Treat it with respect."

Says you? Zoey thought amusedly. Rosalie was the one waving it around. "Can you, um, hold it by the plate, at least?" Rosalie's tight grip around her already-stimulated cock wasn't doing great things for Zoey's composure.

Another spared glance, then a flush, and Rosalie adjusted the cock in her hands, so she was gripping the glass instead of Zoey's shaft.

"Can we please focus?" Rosalie demanded. She eyed Zoey's cock. "What am I … what am I even supposed to do with this? It's more convenient to have it between your legs."

"You're just trying to get her out of her panties, again," Delta mocked. "You miss your eye candy."

"You can keep working through the chest," Zoey told Rosalie, not knowing whether to be exasperated or amused by this whole debacle. "And give it back, please?"

"Will you two stop playing with it?" Rosalie asked.

"It's my cock." Zoey held her hand out.

Rosalie eyed her, but returned the item. She could hardly refuse.

'The item'? Zoey thought.

Her cock.

Rosalie was right that it was more convenient, though. Having it between her legs was easier. In this form, it was an item she had to carry around, and which she couldn't put into her inventory. Not until they confirmed doing so was safe.

Still. It was pretty neat. And the possibilities … so many of them her head spun. Though, that would need to wait for later.

How was Zoey excited for more fun, after the absolute crucible she'd been through? The thing between her legs really was insatiable.

She slipped the panties off, then vanished it into her inventory. Her cock returned to being between her legs. Which, let Zoey note, wasn't a sentence she'd ever thought she'd make inside her head.

She intended to use the artifact daily, but for right this moment, it was better set aside.

"Boo," Delta said. "I would've carried it around for you. It's so cool."

Yeah, I'm sure that would've ended well.

Further discussion was cut off by Rosalie's withdrawal of the next item.

[Mirror of Deep Echoes]: Rare. Once a day, swap physical form with the target on the opposite side of the mirror.

"Oh my gods, yes." A smile had split across Delta's face so fast it was comical, and she bounced on the heels of her feet, doing some things to her chest which Zoey tried not to focus on. "That means I can have a cock again!" She paused, glancing at Zoey. "Right?" A step forward. "You'll let me, won't you?"

"You can borrow my body," Zoey said, putting her hands up appeasingly. "I don't know how often, but sure."

Delta scooped Zoey up in a hug, which, again, they were all still naked. Zoey's briefly softening cock sprung back up, which Delta ignored.

"You're the best," Delta laughed. "Seriously. I can't believe there's a way I can have fun with it again. Best shard ever."

Zoey returned the hug, patting her on the back. Man. She's really happy about this. Delta must have had a lot of fun using her cock.

Which, uh, had been pretty obvious. And Zoey had had a lot of fun with her using it, too.

"Target," Rosalie said. "It doesn't specify what kind. Would it work with stranger entities, too?"

"What, like a dungeon monster?" Delta asked, letting Zoey go. "I know you're a freak under that hoity-toity princess shit, but isn't getting railed by a shard monster going a little far? Even if it's Zoey in there?"

Rosalie's eyes widened in incredulity. She couldn't even get the statement out, simply sputtering. "You—I don't—are you implying I would—you disgusting woman."

"I mean, I'd try it," Delta said, flashing a grin at Zoey.

Zoey cleared her throat. She guessed she wasn't wholly against the idea, but it would depend on the so-called monster. Some would be palatable, she guessed. Like … shit, she didn't know. A tentacle monster? Definitely a slime, like Mel. That'd be a fun body to pilot for a bit. But some, or even most monsters, she guessed, not so much her thing.

"Let's shelve that topic," Zoey suggested. "What's next?"

"And where's all the practical stuff, anyway?" Delta asked.

"Comes after." Usually, at least. For some reason, the lewd items tended to be frontloaded in the chest, before tapering off into the more 'normal' items.

The next thing out was oddly familiar.

[Stud of Oral Ecstasy]: Uncommon. Transforms the user's mouth into an erogenous zone.

"Huh?" Delta said. "What's that mean?"

Rosalie disdainfully dropped the silver jewelry into Zoey's hand. Zoey turned it over, inspecting the item. It wasn't too different from the tongue stud Zoey had put to great use on Rosalie—the one that let her give magically enhanced head.

"Erogenous zone," Zoey said. "So, like, sensitive? In that way?"

"A mouth-pussy?" Delta said amusedly. "Literally? But why?"

Zoey shrugged. "Maybe it gives a buff when you get off with it? Not all of the lewd items have practical side effects." Like the cock-ring that had gone unfortunately unused in their short stay at Treyhull. Though, now that she thought about it, a cock-ring that denied orgasms could have been useful in today's events, seeing how syncing climaxes up had been part of the game. Not crucial, but useful.

She wished she had a chance to try it out just for fun, though. Or rather, Rosalie try it out on her. Their schedule really was too packed. There were a lot of things she'd like to get to, but which Rosalie's quick pace had meant they couldn't.

Like usual, the chest included a potential brewing ingredient.

[Twinrose]: An unidentified alchemy reagent. Two red flowers entwine into each other, preserved but delicate.

Zoey paused. It was the first time she'd ran into a reagent that didn't offer even a hint of what it might create.

"What's it say?"

"Unidentified," Zoey said with a shrug. "Probably'll have to ask Sabina about it."

"Sabina?" Delta asked.

"Our alchemy contact," Zoey said. "She'll be giving me lessons once we get back."

"Ah."

They worked through the chest, item by item. Like normal, the best items had been first. She received a few more alchemy reagents, which were sure to be fun to tease out their uses with Sabina. And while they didn't receive any more fascinating pieces of equipment like the Panties of Spatial Shifting, or the mirror that let them swap bodies, they received a smattering of loot that could, presumably, be wielded on future delves.

Which Rosalie didn't seem pleased by, and Delta highly amused. As seemed to be the recurring reaction.

Namely: a pair of black thigh-highs, another pair of panties that were more air than lace, and an intricately designed metal bra that distinctly didn't cover up the most important parts of what it should.

Rosalie had her vine armor—which she had unequipped as soon as it had become unnecessary—but most of the armor could fit underneath it, if she deemed it worthwhile. But they would be having the pieces identified, especially now that the shard had been completed. No reason to bind them now, when they might not even be worth keeping. Though difficult, finding buyers for equipment as odd as what they had wouldn't be impossible.

"We'll handle the divvying out when we get back to Treyhull and have it appraised," Rosalie said.

Delta nodded in agreement.

The chest emptied, they were ostensibly done with the shard. The three of them walked to the swirling black portal and stared at it.

There was an understated air of … not tension, but … uncertainty coming from Rosalie. Zoey knew what it was from—exactly what Zoey had been worrying herself over. Zoey's position in the party, especially if these two wanted to keep working to higher and higher shards. She could imagine the questions running in Rosalie's head: was Zoey's class, the ability she provided to evolve their runes faster, worth putting her in danger? Was it valuable enough to team up with her?

Zoey would like to believe she and Rosalie had something, and that Rosalie's decisions wouldn't be made purely out of practicality. But that might be the exact reason she would decide this adventure of theirs would be their last. Zoey's safety might come higher, even if she decided Zoey's class was worth the liability from a selfish standpoint.

Delta caught the mood, side-eying them both. Though she'd joined the dynamic in no small way, whatever Zoey and Rosalie had, Delta hadn't quite developed the same with either of them. Zoey had a fondness for the fox-girl—maybe even more than a fondness—but Zoey's crush on Rosalie was much more pronounced. And by Rosalie's reactions—if not her words—maybe that was returned.

The departure from their first shard had been hopeful, with Zoey entering the black portal with a bounce to her step.

The second shard's exit was muted, and the smallest bit heavy.