Arensha repurposed a spare pouch as a container for the spell components. Her memories might not have returned completely, but she intended to make full use of every skill she had at her disposal, now that she had all but declared a secret war with Faliensk. She wouldn't bring the pouch with her on most of her usual routine throughout the day - her outfits were too scant to hide it, and it was too likely to draw unwanted questions - but she would keep it hidden in her room, just in case she needed to sneak around and found herself wanting some magical tools for the job.<br/><br/>Wool and fleece pinched from a set of spare clothing made for a good start, and where else but the gardens to catch a firefly? Fortunately, Thorlev saved her the trouble of having to catch one of the tiny glowing bugs herself. He seemed under the impression that she wanted one as a pet of sorts, a notion which she was only too happy to encourage, though she felt a pang of guilt as she listened to his instructions for taking care of the little insect. Her spell would consume the firefly, and even before then she would have to kill it before she could store it in her pouch. Of course, she didn't let the druid know that.<br/><br/>Then it was off to the kitchens to obtain some butter and gum arabic. "I need some butter and gum arabic, please," she told one of the cooks smoothly, "One of my friends is paintinya but her paints are the wronya consistency, and she told me she needed these two thinyas to fix up her paints." It was a simple and reasonable request, at least superficially, and she was supplied with a small amount of each, if not out of philanthropy, then to simply get her out of their hair so they could return to their own tasks. After she left, she plucked out a single eyelash, blinking away her tears at the momentary sting, and embedded it within the gum, completing the ingredient.<br/><br/><em>Bluff: 17</em>(https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=72283)<br/><br/>A brass key was tricky to obtain - Arensha was lucky to find one for a toy in the courtyard, something that wouldn't raise too many eyebrows if it went missing. As she pocketed the key, she decided that she had exhausted the items she was likely to find lying commonly around, and it was time to visit Bakr. She complemented her natural charms (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/traits/social-traits/charming) with the translucent silks of her harem pants, as well as magical aid (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/seducer-s-eyes) in the form of a preparatory spell, before she made her way to the alchemist's workshop.<br/><br/>Pleased to see him stripping her of what few scraps she was wearing with his eyes, she reclined in a chair in Bakr's chambers without being bidden, her legs crossed hiding her womanhood between her thighs. "I've heard that Faliensk uses some kind of herbs... normally it's not my place to ask, what she does with herself, but after what happened recently..." The catgirl leaned forward in a show of concern, her breasts swaying with the motion. "Could be it dangerous, what she's takinya? To al-Samara, I mean?"<br/><br/><em>Diplomacy: 26</em>(https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=72305)<br/><br/>Her ploy seemed to work, as Bakr was distracted by her curves and let out the secret of the night tea. He even was kind enough to go so far as to give her a sample... "Thank you, I won't tell anyone... it'll be our little secret," she grinned back at him, as she accepted the mixed bag of catnip and night tea leaves. "You mentioned male herbs? Is al-Samara usinya them? Just curious, that's all..." she decided to press her luck. "Actually, there's somethinya else you could get me... nothinya major, just a pinch of ground mica..."<br/><br/><em>Diplomacy: 22</em>(https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=72306)<br/><br/>She had been counting on his lust to distract him from the implications of her request, but he turned out too sharp to be tricked, catching onto the only reason she could have for such a peculiar and specific request. He still decided to give her the mica in the end, but he was inquiring into her magical abilities and she had a sudden thought that it might not be the worst idea to hold back some of the details about the extent of her abilities. "Oh, it's not for me... one of my friends asked me if I could pick some up for her, since I was cominya to see you anyways," Arensha lied, waving her hands defensively. "After the attack, everyone wants somethinya to put their minds at ease just in case, and not all of us have claws, you know?"<br/><br/><em>Bluff check (if needed... it includes bonuses from charming, <em>seducer's eyes</em> and harem pants, feel free to reduce the result if harem pants doesn't apply): 17</em>(https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=72307)<br/><br/>Having obtained what she wanted, it was time to go. "Thank you... until the next time we see each other again," she got up and headed out, swaying her hips and giving him a good unobstructed view of her rear, tail swishing, as she left.<br/><br/><hr/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Faliensk, realizing that something was afoot, turned to face Arensha, not even betraying the slightest hint of anger as she willingly let herself into the arms of the catgirl.  "You think you can outdo me?" she whispered into Arensha's ear.  "I've pleasured more men and women for decades since you were but a drooling babe swaddled in her mother's sling! I can-ooooh!"</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>Arensha went on the offensive, interrupting Faliensk's speech with a well-timed pinch to a sensitive nub. "How many decades you've whored yourself out doesn't matter," she whispered savagely into the half-elf's pointed ear so that only she could hear. "Because I'm goinya to fuck your brains out, and how many times have you done that? Or had it done to you?" She found her partner's impressively large orbs and squeezed them tightly, almost painfully so. "I'm goinya to show you how it's done." With that she wasted no more of her breath on words, putting her lips and teeth to much more productive uses like kissing and nibbling sensitive bits of her rival instead...<br/><br/>After having brought her rival down low, the victorious catgirl pulled her fist out of Faliensk's pussy. She licked her hand, drenched with half-elven juices, as a cat would lick its paw clean. Her own sex was burning with need, and she was more than happy to have Alfreldi and the Taldorian lavish their attentions upon her, to relieve her of some of her own tensions built up. She let herself relax and truly enjoy the rest of the orgy, the skills of her fellow concubines bringing her to new heights of pleasure she hadn't experienced before, though, if al-Samara had been present to fill her up and plant his seed in her womb, it would have been perfect...<br/><br/>"Cheers!" A tired, but satisfied, Arensha celebrated with her friends their successes post-orgy, lounging in the baths. She laughed at Alfreldi's suggestion that Faliensk had been sufficiently cowed to try anything again... but inside she suspected that the half-elf was only even more intent on revenge, especially after her humiliation. It would be what she would do, if their places had been reversed.<br/><br/>They were interrupted by the arrival of Faliensk's minion, or ex-minion to be exact, who hoped to buy favour for herself with the tid-bit about the incident with the greased stairs. Alfreldi and Zelda were shocked, and Hanifa angry, but Arensha maintained an air of indifference. Sharisa's confession wasn't that much of a surprise, and confirmed what the catgirl already suspected - the library wasn't exactly the most popular destination in the palace in the first place, and the mermaid swam through the air and wouldn't be affected by slippery steps, narrowing down the possibilities even further.<br/><br/>"Would you be willinya to repeat what you said to Ahriman? Don't answer, it was a rhetorical question," Arensha said. "If you truly want to come over to our side, then butter up to Faliensk, act like you're sorry for failinya her, stay on her good side as much as you can... and when she next tries somethinya, let us know. It'll be too risky for you to contact us directly, but you can go through Amvi. And if the bitch cuts off your supply of... tea, then... know that she's not the only source around."<br/><br/>A handshake later a grateful Sharisa swam off, leaving Arensha with just her closest friends once more. "I'd like to believe her too, but only the next few days will tell. Faliensk will definitely try to get revenge for today, so be careful, everyone, and here's hopinya Sharisa will tip us off in time."<br/><br/><hr/><br/>The day after the orgy was quiet, and with the carnal desires satisfied it was as good a time for intellectual pursuits as any. Arensha and Zelda worked in the library, finishing up the final pieces of research, bringing together their work from the past sessions, and drawing their research to a close.<br/><br/><em>(Using Lore Master to finish up the final knowledge check for Azlant research.)</em><br/><br/>Zelda was ecstatic as she unlocked the last piece of the puzzle - her people, the merfolk, were the heirs of Azlant! Well, that and the gillmen as well, technically, but Arensha was more than willing to overlook that for the moment and let her friend enjoy her moment.<br/><br/>"You know, this has got me thinkinya. One of Faliensk's minions, she's a Taldorian scholar, right? So she must have a field of study - I wonder, could we use it to get through to her?"  Arensha mused, after Zelda had settled down a bit.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Arensha was glad when she finally had an uninterrupted session with al-Samara, but she didn't know whether to be amused or jealous after hearing about the rest of his encounters, all in the same day, no less.<br/><br/>Like her fellow catgirl, she was engaged in acrobatics to keep herself in shape and flexible. It was a little scary how the ease and pleasures of harem life made it all too easy to go soft, something that she decided she would never let happen. "I bet he would have went through the whole harem if he could, if you didn't knock him out," she paused her routine to give Hanifa a playful nudge on the ribs before resuming. "What's your secret? You have to tell us!"<br/><br/>"Seriously though, either al-Samara simply can't go a day without sex, or his wife is a very terrible, terrible tease," she continued. "Or a very good one, dependinya on how you look at it, I guess. But the way he's been goinya at it, it's like he's doinya it as a job instead of for fun... I mean, it has to get sore after a while, right?"