AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Lucy considered. “Yeah, I guess he’s got that poly group or whatever, but I specifically asked him if this was one of those things, and he said it wasn’t, and I thought, if it was one of those ancient fertility rite things, you might know.”
“No, you do fertility in the spring,” said Hiljd.
“Right,” said Lucy. She bit down on her bottom lip, thinking about it. “I guess I just don’t want to go alone. What are you doing the Saturday before Halloween? You going to a Halloween thing?”
“No,” said Hiljd, laughing. “I don’t have plans. Maybe movies and a glass of wine and my couch.”
“Oh, come with me!”
“I wasn’t invited.”
“It’s not like that. Anyone can come.”
“Are you sure?”
“Totally sure. You can help me navigate the whole orc thing.”
“Yeah, I’m actually confused. It’s an orc party but he asked you?”
“Right?” Lucy shrugged. “Maybe I’m the token other species so that it doesn’t seem like it’s some kind of weird speciesist thing?”
“Oh, that doesn’t sound like Tom,” said Hiljd. “No, you’re right, I’m sure anyone can come.”
“So, what do you say?” said Lucy, giving her wide, pleading eyes across the bar.
Hiljd let out a disbelieving laugh. She glanced down the bar, toward the door to the back room, where Mariana and “everyone,” whoever that might be, probably just some people she’d met while she was having an after-work drink, were waiting.
“Okay, look, you’re meeting people. Just send me a message or something. We’re friends on Facebook, right?” said Lucy.
“Yeah,” said Hiljd. “I’ll send you a message.”
TOM WAS PROBABLYin his fifties. He was an orc businessman who owned a restaurant in town and several rental properties. He was known for holding court late at night in the bars and buying shots for anyone and everyone as a means of making friends. As such, he had a lot of friends in Shepherdstown. He wore his dark hair in a crewcut on the top of his head and was usually wearing the remnants of a suit, but when he greeted them at the door, he was in a sweater and jeans.
“Hiljd!” he said, opening his arms wide.
Hugs all around.
“Can I take your jackets?” he said. “I just want to assure you, the naked part of the party is over there, and I can’t promise that later on, when everyone’s sloshed on meade, you don’t see naked people, but for now, they’ve all promised to stay in the naked area.”
Hiljd and Lucy exchanged a glance.
Lucy turned back to Tom, eyebrows raised. “You said it wasn’t that kind of party.”
“It’s not!” Tom protested. “Nakedness doesn’t have to equate to sex, you know. Nakedness is natural. If you want to make nakedness dirty, that’s up here.” He pointed to his temple.
Hiljd let out a wild laugh. How had she gotten herself roped into this?
Lucy groaned. “I am so, so sorry. If you want to go—”
“Don’t go,” said Tom. “I promise, it’s all fine. Look, here’s how it’s all laid out. This room here, with the meade and the food—it’s the clothing zone. That room through there—through the closed door—and the outdoor porch, that’s the naked zone. There’s meade and food there, too, of course. But there’s no reason to feel pressured, and if you want to go into the naked zone and keep your clothes on, you can. Anything goes, really.”
Hiljd blinked. “The naked zone is outside?”
“I have outdoor heaters,” said Tom, grinning at them both.
Lucy laughed.
Hiljd laughed.
