B+Bs: To Stand In A Beast's World

12. Salt Discussion

Hi, readers.  A little warning for you all: expect some explicit wording and steam in this chapter and the next.  Chapter 13 does have a sex scene.  Nothing too crazy or lengthy but it's there.  So far, it's the only one I've been able to write.  So I have a question for you.  Would you rather me remove this scene since I haven't been able to write them consistently past that point, or leave it?  (It could be the only one in this fic.)  

Thank you for your input and have a great day/night! ^_^

Edit 8/14/23: It will be left as is.  *** will be added before and after to indicate explicit scenes.

 It was almost three weeks after Harvey joined my family that we got the den up to snuff. Was it perfect? No, but it was comfortable now.

Winston and Muir made furniture based on my detailed descriptions. This was my wheelhouse, or as close as it got. I spent my teens working alongside my grandparents restoring vintage furniture and continued to help out occasionally after my uncle took over the business. So in this area, I had the advantage of knowledge.

I could honestly say that I enjoyed building the furniture with Winston and Muir. But it wasn't just us throwing our heads together. Harvey helped me mix up a natural lacquer that Shuu found me the ingredients for. So any wood furniture of mine was painted and strengthened with it, leaving a beautiful end product.

Sandpaper was a necessity for my craft, and with Shuu and his connections, we were able to find nut shells that made a good alternative. Woodworking and furnishing became my new hobby and I fell in love with the nostalgia and of it. It was hardly the life-changing and moving purpose that I wanted, but it gave me something to enjoy and look forward to.

The males were not so keen on letting Grace get her hands scratched up, but her insistence coupled with her brighter expression silenced all their objections. Winston and Muir made sure every piece of wood was smooth and splinterless before it made its way into her hands. That was their best compromise.

Harvey took to giving Grace hand massages to keep them from cramping up. Shuu was studying this skill with great attention as he, too, wanted to give Grace good massages.

The males had been quite happy to see Grace looking healthier by the day. They did not refer to just her weight, but her emotional state as well. No one ever brought it up because they knew that no matter how she spoke of her scorpion mate, Grace's time in the City of Flame had not been good for her. But her spirits seemed to be rising as time went on and they were overjoyed to see it.

Towards the end of the season, the ape king summoned Winston to discuss the salt trade. My first thought was that Winston should turn him down. This was no quick trip around the block, but something that would take weeks to months.

But I also had to take a step back and look at this from a different angle. The salt trade was critical for the city and its people, including me. That was why a tetra-marked beast was always sent as the leader: to ensure that the caravan made it back with all of its goods.

Salt was given to all females for free, though not in abundance. If someone weaker went, they could lose the salt to thieves and not everyone would get as much if any.

And if Winston went to the ocean, I can have him collect much more salt. Even if we didn't need it, we should have it. Salt was, in some cases, a more valuable currency than crystals.

But mated males had a difficult time staying away from their mates and I wasn't sure if I could ask that of Winston. I knew that he would say yes if I did and wouldn't stop to consider how it would affect him.