FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Author's Note: I don't know the exact terms for massaging, so if some of these descriptions don't sound right, let me know.

As the duo entered their lodgings, they stopped just inside, surprised -- the room had been tidied up and most particularly Robbie's clothes were missing, and several towels rested on the low table. Leomon had shut the door behind them.

Leomon didn't seem as surprised as Robbie was -- his initial thought was that they were robbed, but he soon noticed that most of the things they had brought with them were still here. Perhaps it was only their version of room service? He hoped that they had washed his clothes, since he was starting to reek. He had idly contemplated once or twice lately on whether it were possible to obtain new clothes since he couldn't exactly wear his old clothes all the time, not without getting seriously funky.

The lion loped toward the table, and picked up the towels, not seeing the note that had dropped to the table. He laid two out on the ground side by side, and pointed to it, with an expression that demanded no argument.

It wasn't likely for Robbie to turn down a free massage, knowing that's what was supposed to be happening now. He nodded quietly, and laid down on the towel, suddenly feeling slightly vulnerable.

Leomon gazed at his mate's muscles flex while he stiffly got onto his stomach then laying down, with a trace of pure animalistic appreciation flaring in his loins.

He shook his head mentally, and tried to decide where to start. As he had inspected his mate's body in the pool, he had noticed quite a few spots that needed a massage badly, or he'd risk injury to his muscles, or even get cramps at the wrong time in his legs.

Deciding that he should start from the head and travel his way down, he laid his paws onto Robbie's shoulders and neck, kneading them, then massaging all the knots out as soon as he could find any.

For several hours, or what seemed like it to Robbie, he was slowly drifting off, feeling his muscles worked over by an expert. It seemed as if Leomon knew exactly what kind of pressure to apply, along with exactly where. His whole body was slowly turning limp with relaxation humming through his body. Even the massage had awoken his erection, but he didn't really pay mind to it because the sensations Leomon awoke in him made him feeling a bit pliant and supple. None of his muscles were troubling him anymore, and he let out a pleasurable moan so quietly that he was having trouble focusing.

Leomon rolled his palms around Robbie's leg muscles, trying to stretch them, along with rubbing more circulation into them. He slid his paws up to Robbie's cheeks, and hesitated. They were still a muscle, but he didn't know if he could afford to get any more turned on than he was at this point. His nose dipped and leaned into his mate's crack and inhaled deeply. His own scent was mostly gone, but it had also been replaced by the scent the soap root had left.

He was tempted to nuzzle it and lick it but they really ought to get a move on. He straightened up, pulling back from his mate's rump and saw his flesh had started to peek out again. He grinned in amusement while he smacked Robbie's cheek with his paw lightly, knowing his mate had nearly fallen asleep.

Robbie jerked awake, and pushed himself to his side, blinking rapidly. "Wha -? What?"

Leomon chuckled, his laugh a deep rumble. "You fell asleep! Did you enjoy it?"

Robbie blushed, nodding shyly. "Oh, yeah. I did. A lot."

The lion's smile remained steady, as he stood up to gather up his own trousers -- apparently they had only taken Robbie's clothes. He slipped them on, then buttoned them up. He wondered if they were washing his mate's clothes.

His mane swirled as he gazed down at his mate. "I'll see if I can find some garments for you."

Robbie sighed, looking at Leomon. He was slightly reluctant to let Leomon leave his side, even if it were for several moments. "If they don't give me mine back, I will need some other ones. I don't know if I can wear the same ones all the time."

Leomon nodded, as he slipped out of the lodging.

Robbie stood up, and took one of the towels, and saw it was big enough to wrap around his waist comfortably; Wrapping the towel around his waist, he also immediately noticed a folded note on the ground. He knelt down by it, picking it up, and seeing it had letters neatly scrawled on it.

_ ** 'To the Digidestined named Robbie'** _

He frowned, opening the note, as his curiosity was sparked.

_ ** "We apologize for taking your garments without notifying you -- we assumed you might want them cleaned, and perhaps mended. They appeared to be in less than ideal conditions and will be returned to you within hours after your bath. The towels are for drying yourself, if it's necessary."** _

Across the bottom was a string of symbols which he assumed was Merchantmon's signature.

Robbie chuckled, feeling suddenly humorous. "Jeez, even our own laundry services. It's like a five-star hotel or something!" At least without a fridge or a minibar, his mind supplied the rest. And Leomon had gone out in search of them to inquire about garments.

The sooner they were out of there though... even though he was sorely tempted to just stay here for a long long time -- he had a guilty feeling that they were racking up the trade bill way up there. He suddenly felt the urge to keep moving to the Tree Kingdom -- to meet whatever was supposed to happen there.

Once he had his clothes back, they were so out of there -- after trying to negotigate on their trade offs. He was supposed to be digidestined, he knew he shouldn't just stand around, enjoying himself all the time, without doing something good. He didn't know where Leomon was, and opted to wait for his return.

Leomon had walked over to the next building over, and knocked on the door. It opened rapidly to a Merchantmon, who smiled. "Hello, Leomon. Did you get our note? Your partner's garments will be returned in a hour or two - they are in the process of being cleaned, and mended."

Since that's what the lion was about to ask, he shut his muzzle, and nodded in thanks. "I do hope we haven't been a large burden on your colony."

Merchantmon smiled dismissively, and waved its hand. "No worries. We rarely get visitors, so it is nice to host new ones occasionally."

Leomon smiled politely. "Thank you, again." He turned around to leave, when Merchantmon said, "I like Robbie. He is good. You two make a good pair."

The lion stopped, and glanced backwards, unquite sure what to say. "Um, thanks... we haven't known each other that long."

Merchantmon bobbed its head once. "I can tell." He wasn't sure if he should dispense of any advice or not, since it wasn't supposed to be their business. But Robbie had made it feel strange, full of hope, and also it's eye for the level of hearts in people didn't hurt either. He knew that Robbie was their hope, and had an extraordinarily compassionate heart -- ideal for making fair trades.

It decided that advice most likely wouldn't be needed at the moment. They could figure things out by themselves.

Leomon smiled awkwardly. "I see. When should we discuss trading?"

Merchantmon shrugged. "Once your Robbie gets his garments back, most likely."

Leomon inclined his head in respect. "Good." He wasn't usually one for a decadent lifestyle, but life among these Merchantmon could approach it, as their guests if they had decided to stay for a while. He made another mental note to come back here one day. The lion turned away, his tail swishing back and forth absent-mindedly on his way back to their lodging. It was strange -- it was as if the Merchantmon weren't as willing to trade quickly, as if they wanted them to stay longer. Perhaps they were just feeling lonely for company. As he thought of this, he nodded, more certain that reason was probably exactly what it was -- a need for company. This place was near the Tree Kingdom's border, although he hadn't sighted many friendly digimon around.

He entered their guest room, and saw Robbie standing with a towel covering him from the waist down, looking at a piece of paper. On impulse, he snuck behind his mate, and enveloped him in a lion-sized hug, and purred into his mate's ear.

Robbie jerked in slight surprise as he was encased in massive lion arms, and the purr tickled his ear, making him chuckle slightly. He melted into Leomon's heated fur, with a soft rumble in his own throat.

Leomon whispered, "I see you got the note." Robbie mmhmm'ed, not moving from his arms. Robbie's humor shone through in his next comment. "At least they didn't steal them, or destroy them out of spite!"

The lion's purr changed to a low laugh. "No, these digimon aren't like that. We do have a hour or so. Do you want to eat before they return your garments? I'm sure you're starving."

Robbie sighed in mock resignation, before he glanced up at Leomon with a twinkle in his eye. "You have to ask?" Leomon grinned widely and squeezed his mate once before letting go. He headed for the bag of food bulbs, and dug into it, pulling out what was left. Soon, he had piled up enough for both of them for a good-sized meal -- roughly 5 or 6 for each of them.

Robbie had seated himself at the table, watching the lion virtually empty out their bag of food, into a pile. He reached for one, and started munching at it, still surprised that the fruit had retained it's full flavor. Granted, it had only been several days, but it did feel like weeks had passed at the time. He hoped he was going to be able to keep up at this pace -- since he hadn't really hiked much when he was back home. Home. That seemed so far away and he felt curiously detached from it. He had no family left back home, and hardly had any friends -- he supposed that was because he kept to himself usually, which made it harder for others to maintain friendship with him.

Leomon quietly started eating fruit bulbs, and watching his mate -- he seemed to be in his thoughts again. But a feeling inside him told him it was just that -- thinking. Nothing compared to what Robbie had been through earlier yesterday. He didn't want to interrupt his mate's preoccupation, so he continued eating. He did notice that Robbie was absent-mindedly stuffing his face as much as he could eat. That pleased him -- his mate had an hearty appetite, or perhaps just being here was helping restore his vitality. Remembering the other night, he realized that the powers that the digiegg had granted was the main reason his energy had depleted too much for Robbie to remain concious.

He wasn't as hungry, so he left his partner several extra bulbs from his portion. He then realized that his mate hadn't appeared to notice himself eating extra bulbs. He smiled softly, waiting. The more his mate did eat, the more energy he'd have. He decided to stock up on fruit and meat bulbs if it were possible. Or at least live off the land.

A knock on the door echoed through the room moments after Robbie polished off the last one. He frowned, wondering if he had eaten more than he did usually, but shrugged it off. They were so damn good, he didn't care.

Leomon called out clearly, "Come in."

The door swung open, to admit a Merchantmon clad in a lavender shirt, with a brown vest, and a yellow turban. "Hello. I am returning 'Robbie's' garments. Hopefully they're of a looser fit." Robbie noticed that he stumbled over his own name slightly before pronouncing it correctly. He held a bundle in his hands, outstretched toward them. Leomon was quicker to get up than Robbie was, and took it, then bowed in gratitude.

Robbie smiled, glad to get his clothes back, and beamed. "Thanks! Finally I can get dressed..."

The Merchantmon smiled, pleased, and bobbed its head once, then disappeared behind a closing door.

Leomon looked at the bundle in his paws, frowning slightly. It appeared to be his clothing, but ... it seemed different. He turned around with a puzzled expression, then gave the clothes to his mate.

Robbie stood up and inspected his clothing, and blinked.

It was a set of garments, certainly, that resembled his own clothes, but the resemblance ended there. He knelt on the floor, and spread them out, curious. "What the? This aren't my clothes! They look a lot like them, but they're not!"

The shirt looked as if it were made one or two sizes bigger than his original shirt was, along with his pants -- the legs were certainly wider. He was afraid the Merchantmon had gone several sizes too large for them to fit him. He sighed. "These may be too big for me."

Leomon pondered -- there were no coincidences in the Digital World -- perhaps the Merchantmon knew something was happening with his mate, or perhaps it was just likely they noticed the garments appeared too tight on him. He suspected the Merchantmon had a liberal hand in retailoring these toward their own style.

The lion spoke quietly. "We daren't insult them by not accepting this. It doesn't look that terrible."

Robbie groused for a moment. "Yeah, I guess you're right. They look very similar to my clothes, but the feel is much lighter and softer. Maybe it'd help me not sweat too much."

Leomon paused, before laying a paw on his mate's shoulder. "At least try them on. We can always request your original garments back if they still have them."

He studied the clothes and shrugged. He had hoped for new garments anyways. He pulled the towel off, his butt bending over once to pick up their adaptation of his pants, and heard a choked whimper. He chuckled, looking behind him at Leomon whose eyes had grown glassy from staring at his butt. He felt inordinately like a tease, and felt pleased about it. It was definitely nice to be able to turn on anyone just by a simple pose.

He decided he probably was teasing Leomon too much, and slipped his new pants on, and got the surprise of his life. The pants easily were conformed to his waist, and fit snugly once he buttoned up, but he could also breathe as well. The legs, not as billowy as he initially thought, were still baggy. The crotch area, and the butt area were slightly loose, but fitted slightly snugly at the seam. He was also amazed that the pants were much lighter in weight than the jeans he had worn a while ago. He slipped the belt through the loops they had sewn on his new pants, and buckled it tightly.

His shirt was originally red, but now it was a light green and of a similar material. He pulled it on, and as his head cleared the neck, he grinned. The shirt was pleasantly roomy. His sleeves were slightly longer than he needed, so he started rolling his sleeves up past his elbow.

There, Robbie thought, Now he was dressed, except for shoes. He glanced at the floor, but he saw no shoes, except for some strange brown-lined slippers that he thought were some sort of moccasins. He slipped them on and was shocked to find they fit his feet perfectly, and seemed to be similar in material to strong, dark leather. As he stood on them, his feet felt warmer and more comfortable. He hoped they'd last a while, if he wasn't getting his shoes back.

He kinda wished he had a mirror to check his reflection, and tried to look at himself from all angles, but he wasn't sure if he liked his new clothes. Leomon on the other hand had been staring at his mate. Somehow the colors that he was wearing suited him perfectly. The red hadn't done much for him, he thought, but these colors made his inner being almost glow brightly. It also made his curves more prominent making him extremely appealing.

Robbie caught the lion's enrapt expression and spoke, puzzlement in his voice, "What?"

Leomon blinked, shaking his head. His voice held a note of awe. "You are amazingly alluring." Leomon dropped his gaze in embarrassment.

Robbie's cheeks flushed a light pink. "Ohh. I guess these clothes are fine then." He chuckled softly, feeling a tad embarrassed, but pleased all at the same time.

He turned around, posing for Leomon, who had a smile of apprecation on his face. Robbie spoke, "We should talk to Merchantmon about all this stuff... how are we going to trade for all this stuff?" Robbie looked suddenly concerned and wondered if they were capable of doing an even trade of something... what did the Merchantmon need or want in exchange?

Leomon approached his mate who visibly looked concerned about their trading, and laid his paws on his mate's arms, smiling in reassurance.

"Do not worry. They will negotitate with us until they settle what they consider a fair trade, and in their case, it will be. Now, let's find one of them, and start making a deal. I will do it, if you'd rather?"

He leaned forward and kissed Robbie fiercely on the lips, then let him go.

Robbie nodded, picking up the digivice and slipping it onto his belt. "Probably a good idea. I wouldn't know how to do a trade deal -- most of all with the Merchantmons, or any other digimon."

Leomon shrugged. "As I said, don't worry. I will do my best to secure us a good, fair trade."

He led the way out, with Robbie close behind, and waved a nearby Merchantmon who was tying down straps from a cloth cover to a caravan wagon.

It turned around, and smiled at Robbie. "How do you like them?"

Robbie suddenly felt shy. "They're very nice. Thank you. Um...what happened to my original set?"

The Merchantmon looked instantly regretful, shaking its head. "They were too small for you. You needed room to breathe in your clothes. I hope that's satisfactory? We tried to duplicate the style as closely as we could, however..."

Robbie thought he should protest this indignity, but found he didn't have the heart to do so. He smiled brightly. "No, that's fine. These clothes are much nicer. And lighter, as well. What material is this?"

The Merchantmon smiled. "It's our trade secret -- but for you, I'll tell you. It's a light-weave cotton from a silk plant that grows in these parts."

Robbie went 'ah' in understanding. He thought to himself -- so that's why it was so light -- cotton, and possibly traces of silk.

Merchantmon looked up at Leomon with a satisfied smile. "You are here to complete the trade, I assume."

Both of them nodded.

It rubbed its hands together, and nodded. "Of course. Let's see..."

He tagged off several things off his fingers, "Lodgings overnight, food, a bath with towels, new garments... I'm assuming you're going to request some provisions?"

Leomon nodded. "At least a bedroll for Robbie, and perhaps another set of clothes for him as well. Food supplies, certainly. Otherwise, I think we can make do... Robbie, anything else I forgot?"

Merchantmon listened to the requisitions and nodded.

Robbie faltered as Leomon suddenly asked him for other ideas. "Uhh... I don't know. I can't think of anything." He hoped desperately that he wouldn't just suddenly remember something while halfway to where they were going next.

He blurted out. "Water! We may need water...?"

Leomon nodded, and turned back to the Merchantmon and gestured to his mate. "Two canteens full of water."

Merchantmon nodded. "Is that everything?"

Leomon nodded with a sliver of uncertainity. It was true that he might have forgotten a crucial thing they needed. But if they did, they'd try to get around it.

Merchantmon stood there silently, calculating what would be a fair trade in its head.

"Ok, I'll write it down, and give it to another of my brethren. Now, for the trade. How does gathering firewood, and more fruit bulbs for our colony sound? It should take you no more than several hours."

Leomon raised a furry eyebrow, and shrugged. "Sounds simple enough."

Robbie agreed and would help at least pick fruit bulbs.

With that agreed, the two of them went together to denude at least ten trees worth of fruit bulbs to supply the colony, along with finding trees that were dying, and Leomon smashing them into pieces. It had taken them several trips bringing the bulbs back in baskets. The wood took them considerably less time, and they were finished within three or four hours.

At that time, they brought the last load of firewood, and they came onto a Merchantmon adding a bag to a pile of objects -- which Robbie had recognized as their provisions along with what they had requested. They seemed to be bundled in two packs. The Merchantmon had thanked them both profusely for their aid. They divided the burden equally, and waved at the Merchantmon, making their way south again.

[TBC]