When Kaiji entered the room, Priceless had a radiant smile on her face, an ordinary woman in most respects, her brown hair hung a little longer now than the day they met, and framed her rounded face and soft cheeks. Her brown eyes had lost their sense of terror and fear, and now sparkled, and the slight tan to her cheeks glowed with a blush when Kaiji eyed her up and down. She spun on the balls of her feet, her dress was a radiant bright purple and white that spiralled into the shape of a white rose just below the small but supple breasts that Kaiji loved to rest her head upon.

“How do I look?” Priceless asked with a teasing wink that made her blush a lie.

“Beautiful, but you seem to have misunderstood what you’ll be doing today. There will be a considerable amount of walking. I suggest something more… functional.” Kaiji remarked and went to the large walnut wardrobe against the wall. She flung it open and tossed something out onto the bed they shared.

It was a thigh slit design front and back, with a separate top that came down to her navel, exposing only hints of flesh there. Purple and black, it was a more severe look, and Priceless made her opinion clear when she put her hands on her hips. “You know, a truly loving mate would just say ‘lovely’ and move on.”

Kaiji chuckled and shook her head, “This is business first, pleasure second. Go on my possession,” she licked her dark lips teasingly and added a dusky hint to her last word, “I’ll make it up to you later.” Inside however, her heart sang, Priceless had spoken up for herself, and dressed not to be hidden, but to be seen. A sense of pride had begun to grow that made her vastly different than she’d been on their first day. ‘She’s coming to life before my eyes, like watching a rose unfurl its petals.’

Kaiji herself had chosen formal travel clothing, bright purple to match the tag of her bronze collar, but paired with a dark earthy brown, and rather than a dress, she chose them as a shirt and pants to go with walking boots. “Trust me, you’ll be more comfortable in something that breathes a bit more. And you know I love those legs.” She winked playfully, and Priceless rolled her eyes before giving in.

A few minutes later they were on their way to leave the manor when they saw Lady Solution at the door. Her arms were crossed and her bright blue eyes caught them immediately. As Kaiji and Priceless came near, they knelt as one. “You’re going to inspect my student’s lands, right?” She asked the question, but it did not feel like a question the way she said it.

Nonetheless, Kaiji answered it. “Yes, My Lady. On behalf of the mistress… is there something wrong?”

“She trusts you both very much, to let you have this much freedom.” Solution replied cryptically.

“W-We know, my Lady… we will be worthy of it.” Priceless whispered with her head deeply bowed.

“If you break that trust, you will never get it back, I promise you.” Solution added, less than cryptically.

“We know... My Lady. We know.” Kaiji answered and when Solution brought her right hand down, Kaiji cupped and kissed the palm, then passed it to Priceless to do the same.

“Good, I will hear of it if you act improperly, and would be…” Solution paused, seemingly searching for the perfect word, while her uncommon maid outfit compared to their own finery, making their seeming subservience then seem quite bizarre. Finally she found the word she sought, “Disappointed, in you both. See that you remember that out there.” She flashed them her monstrous, inhuman smile, and then stood aside.

They rose, exited the estate a half step faster than they needed to, and got into the black carriage of their mistress. It had two white steeds of fine breeding, and was drawn by a teenage boy in a silver collar, and a coachman’s black and red uniform. He wore a wide brimmed red hat and, a bright green coat. A hint of sadness overcame Kaiji as she looked at the boy who was, to her mind, most likely the child of a wealthy Komestran house, given his posture and poise. But at the same time, she felt a sense of relief that he had found his way to this place, her mistress’s estate, rather than somewhere far worse.

She spared only a glance, he already knew where to go, and as soon as she and Kaiji were seated on the rich dark purple cushions of the interior and the door was closed behind them, the carriage began to move.

Kaiji glanced to her right, various documents and note taking materials were already in place, leading her to nod in satisfaction.

The carriage began to roll forward and made the long slow loop towards the city. The soldiers under the Duchessa Aiwenor were drilling, and it pleased Kaiji to no end to watch them do so under the watchful eyes of a pair of skilled… expensive, adventurers and the experienced Onimeus. Some worked formation charges, others worked with javelins, others traded blows in form. But most of all what pleased her, was seeing Sado at work alongside the former advisor.

“How long?” Priceless asked, looking out the window of the carriage, she didn’t have the shade all the way open, she only looked out through a part of it, while Kaiji’s was wide open for herself.

“I don’t know.” Kaiji answered truthfully, “When our goddess returns… I expect she’ll be flooded with two things… requests for her mercenaries, and marriage proposals. In another year, the Breakers will be the lords of war… our people will be feared again.”

Priceless gave a tiny nod, an echo of her fearful life before, “I know, but… you know what I’m really asking, don’t you, my love?”

“Yes… and I think it will be around then, when she has a large administration, when she has people around her who can manage tasks so that we don’t have so much to do, then we can settle down into a more normal life. Building a house is busier work than living in it.” Kaiji replied as the estate vanished and the common street opened up before them.

“This is a dangerous house she’s building…” Priceless replied when they were out of the gate and the city began to recede behind them. The winds blew lightly, but passed through small vents in the side that allowed the carriage to breath easily, cool air caressed them and white clouds blew slowly through the river of the blue sky.

“I won’t deny it.” Kaiji answered.

“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way…” Priceless opened the dark curtain to allow light of the great open countryside to flow in,the sun shining on her lap where she sat, “you know I have faith in her. But… what if she fails. What then?”

“She won’t.” Kaiji replied succinctly.

“But if she does.” Priceless pressed.

“She won’t.” Kaiji replied more firmly than before.

“But…” Priceless began.

“She won’t.” Kaiji replied again, all but closing the door on the subject.

Priceless looked at her lover and said in a quiet voice, “I won’t be sold again. I won’t. I can’t take it anymore. Not after this wonder… I can’t go back up there, I just… you have to promise me. Anything but that. If… if something happens… you were the Prince’s friend once… right?” Priceless asked, and Kaiji shut her down again by placing a hand on her thigh.

“My Priceless… you’re safer than most free people ever have been, you can’t be sent to the Tlalmok, you can’t be sold because you belong to me… you can’t think about the possibility of defeat, don’t damage your happiness now.” Kaiji took Priceless’s face in cupped hands and kissed her soft lips, tasting her lover briefly, “She can’t fail, because we won’t let her. We will succeed, she will come back, and everything will work out. And I promise you this, you will never ascend a block again. Never. Just promise me you won’t think like that, alright?”

Priceless gave a tiny smile that could only be described as ‘cute’ and then relaxed.

They sat in comfortable, happy silence as the carriage rolled around, and simply watched the world roll past beneath the wheels of the most expensive carriage for a thousand miles travel in any direction. It was a pleasant ride in pleasurable company, all the way to the first of their owner’s villages.

Diana sashayed down the hall, it always amused her, the looks she got. Her exotic features were unusual among humans and told of the cosmopolitan nature of her former city. Her spirits were high and her heart was pounding with excitement. Every turn of a corner had a little extra thrust to her hips as she made her way to Solution’s workspace. She knocked gingerly, ‘One does not simply walk into the office of Lady Solution.’ She thought to herself with a bemused air.

Of all those in the employ of her new owner, the curly blonde maid and bodyguard of the mistress intrigued her the most. Sensual, beautiful, and absolutely predatory, Diana of Komestra acknowledged the woman was made by the gods to show her that ‘there is always someone prettier’. Nonetheless, she didn’t feel the envy she always thought she would.

“Enter.” The silky smooth voice called out, and Diana opened the dark wooden door to enter the office. The bodyguard of the mistress sat behind a desk laying a stamp on a piece of correspondence.

Diana arched her dark eyebrow as she went down to her knees and prostrated herself. She heard the stamp get set aside and the arrogant voice of the beauty speak up. “Up, slave.”

Diana rose up as she was ordered. “It was decent work with the banker, from what my student told me, you had his pants down and an entirely different type of deposit on his mind within minutes.”

The seductress bowed her head, “Thank you for the praise, but he was an easy win, touch the fantasy and reality vanishes like ashes in the wind.” She gave a pleasant smile… for a serpent, to the predator before her.

“Of course, but now I have another one for you, following the Lady Aiwenor’s instructions you’ll be leaving in two days with a representative of your mistress.” Solution propped her chin up in the palm of her hand and looked the woman over, “Can you guess your assignment?”

“Seduce them?” Diana asked rhetorically.

“No, not this time, just… get them to notice you. It doesn’t really matter how our ‘delegate’ does. He’s just the excuse to get your foot in the door. You understand?” Solution lowered her quill toward the agent, “Under no circumstances are you to actually sleep with either of your targets.”

Diana’s lips formed a pout. “Well,” she replied, “that’s less fun, but I understand, My Lady. I will obey.”

“I know you will.” Solution replied and reached into the drawer of her dark wooden desk and drew out two pieces of paper. She slid them over her desk, “Take these, read them, learn them more intimately than a lover’s rod and then burn them. Do you understand, slave?”

“Of course, My Lady. It will be done.” Diana said with a sharp nod as she accepted the documents, folded them over, and slipped them down the front of her dress beneath her breasts.

“Good, now get to work and send the Prince of Chains to me, I need to prepare him for a chance at being something useful, and not just a beef brained idealistic twit, and tell him to be quick, I don’t care if he stinks or not.” Solution chuckled as she savored the feel of the insults passing over her tongue.

“As you like, Lady Solution. I can hardly wait to get started.” Diana bowed deeply and departed the room.

Nua felt Sobella go completely limp, her hands fall away, and she immediately released her grip on the demon-elf’s throat. Just to be sure, she removed the camisk with the emperor’s mark and laid her ear over Sobella’s heart. The beat was slow, but steady. She drew herself up against the wall and stretched her legs out.

In the space beyond their quarters, noise was heavy and the smell of roasting meat that was meant to terrify the demon-elf and add to her flavor over days, ceased to matter to her. Though Nua smelled it all, other than memories she despised, she remained unperturbed. “Damn beastmen. Eight years cannot pass fast enough for me.” Nua muttered, and putting her hands gently under Sobella’s shoulders, she pulled the woman’s head into her lap.

“My legs might not be as hard as steel or as comfortable as the bed for the Prince but… it’s probably better than the floor.” Nua said to the sleeping woman. The slow and rhythmic breathing made the dark chest rise and fall as if she were sleeping in peace. She stroked the woman’s forehead, lightly touching the bone horns that emerged from the back left and right sides of her head and thrust forward towards where her forehead began.

The unconscious body laying with her seemed to like that, and so Nua kept at it, until she too fell asleep.

They woke when the light struck Nua’s eyes and she began to move.

“My head hurts…” Sobella said as she reached up and touched her forehead. “Headache, did I… did I get drunk? No… no… I…” She gradually recalled the previous evening, her eyes popped open and she stared up into the bright blue eyes of her escort. The hand, the pain, the desperate scrambling to pull away impossibly strong steel-like fingers…

“You! You attacked me…!” She exclaimed and scrambled away, back to the corner of the room. “Why?! Why did you try to kill me?! You said you were my friend? The Prince’s friend…! Do I have too many days left, that you had to take those away?!” Sobella cried out and waved her hands in front of her.

Nua slowly rose to her feet and moved over to the corner where Sobella huddled.

“Sobella…” Nua began.

“No! Why would you… stay back! Stay back! Don’t hurt me! Don’t kill me! Why did you choke me?!” Sobella exclaimed, her eyes filled with tears of bitter betrayal.

Nua crouched down just out of reach, “It was the only way to help you. I wasn’t trying to kill you, that’s why you’re still alive. You couldn’t take the smell of everything, knowing what it was… I couldn’t stop it, I don’t have any magic like that. You said for me to do anything and that you trusted me. That’s why… it was the only thing I could think of at the time… I am sorry, very sorry that I hurt you, and scared you… but if I had another option, I promise I would have used it.”

Sobella’s heavy, desperate breathing began to calm down, her wide, wild expression changed, her flailing arms began to slow down and droop. “I guess… I guess I did ask you… I said ‘anything’. It was so… so frightening though…”

“Right, I’m sorry about that. I promise I took care to only knock you out, I didn’t do anything funny with your body or anything while you were asleep, I just put your head in my lap so you’d be more comfortable, and checked on you every now and then.” Nua promised as sincerely as she could, and then stood up and held out her hand.

“I’m sure your head feels like it’s being split open right about now, but believe me, it will recover. It’s not much worse than getting drunk, just a lot less enjoyable… unless you’re a pervert.” Nua managed to add a playful wink at the courtesan when she finished speaking, then held her hand down to her.

Sobella reluctantly, slowly, reached up and took the hand that had choked her to unconsciousness, and allowed it to help her stand up. Nua inclined her head respectfully and said. “There’s more to you than you might think, Sobella. Not many could take the hand that chokes them, and let it help them up. Now come on, we need to leave this place quickly.”

The slow start of a smile on Sobella’s face melted away as she took up the covering that identified her as a tribute, and threw it over her head again.

Nua took the horse by the reins, led it outside, helped Sobella on it again, then mounted herself. She took a quick look around the village as they headed to the other side of it, following the road out. There were numerous beastmen passed out drunkenly from their festivities, the smell of alcohol was thick in the air. In most respects it was like any other festival that Nua had ever seen.

“Sobella, don’t look. Put your eyes down and shut them tight.” Nua gave the order hastily, and Sobella obeyed, the sound of the horse hooves the only thing to disturb the quiet, other than the drunken snoring of the peasant beastmen. Nua however, took in every sight, limbs half chewed in mouths, bones tossed about, bloody mouths formed into what passed for smiles of contentedness.

She engraved these scenes upon her heart’s ledger, from male and female and adult to child, she vowed quietly, ‘I will not forget this.’ She spurred the horse on, digging her heels into its flanks, riding as if charging over the last span between her and an enemy to be overcome, putting the village as far behind her as she could, as fast as she could. But even when it had faded to the point when it was not even a dot, no fragment of her memory had faded, not even a little, and nor would it.