Her Mantle Is Love

A kaleidoscope of fantasies runs through your head: collar her, tease her, masturbate for her, use a dildo on her - but you brush them all away like so many cobwebs. Right now, what you need is very simple: you need someone else, and you need to be in control.

You embrace Aya, backing her up against the bed: with a light push, she flops backwards onto the sheets.

You mount her, kissing hungrily, and shove her hand in between your legs. She strokes you slowly: you shudder and moan, overcome with arousal. But - it's not enough.

"Harder," you order, one hand in your own hair, the other pressed between her breasts. "Make me come."

Aya obeys, stroking more firmly, her thumb lazily brushing your clitoris, a slight smile on her face...

She's a courtesan, like you: you come quickly once she's actually trying, your arousal flaring and dissipating like a candleflame in the wind. You prop yourself up on one hand to keep from falling over, your hair in your face and mouth, your thighs still quivering, body slick with sweat: then you flop back against the baseboard and let out a sigh.

"Goddess, I needed that."

Aya looks up at you, amused, and wiggles her sticky fingers at you in a tiny wave. "Was it enough?"

You blush, and look down into your lap. "Um - maybe. If I can have a little alone time with a vibrator."

"- Would you prefer that?"

You don't say anything.

"It's okay, I won't be offended if you don't want to have sex with me."

You - nod. "I'd... prefer the vibe, right now. Less complicated."

She looks at Tasha. "We can - give you your privacy, if you want. Wait outside the door."

"- please."

Tasha nods, and steps out: Aya follows, and the door closes with a click.

You lie there on the bed for a few long moments: then you sigh, and crawl forwards on your hands and knees. Extracting the wand vibe from the bedside table, you roll over onto your back and press its broad head to your labia.

Click, goes the switch.

It hums satisfyingly.

-----

When you step out into the hall again, only Tasha is waiting for you. You curtsey deeply, and with only the barest hint of a blush.

"Thank you, Tasha. For - everything you've done for me today. I owe you."

She shakes her head. "No you don't. If you must repay it, pay it forwards."

You sigh, but you nod nonetheless. "Still - thank you."

She smiles slightly. "You're welcome. That said - could you, um, please try not to need me so much?"

You flush, and nod again. "I'll try my best."

"Good," she pronounces. "Now it's off to bed for you, Elisandra. You've had a very long day and it's time for you to rest: I won't tell Ishaza you turned in at six if you don't."

"Thank you." is all you can manage.

-----

When you wake up again, it's three in the morning. Yesterday's events are a hazy blur: did you really almost kill yourself in a kink scene? Meet a person who was - attractive? Have a big fight with Liath? Well, the - yeah, the Kiss is still there, ow, fuck.

...you should call Thistle.

[X] Call Thistle...
[ ] Text Thistle...
[ ] Go back to sleep.

After a moment's hesitation, you punch in Thistle's number. She picks up on the second ring.

"Eli?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"What a nice surprise! What are you doing up this early in the morning? Another long night with a client?"

You can hear the smile in her voice - it - you don't want to hurt her, but you should be honest -

"- My boss was a real bitch to me today, actually. It's been. Kind of a crazy day."

"... Oh. - you know you can tell me anything, right?"

You bite the inside of your cheek, pressing the sharp rectangle of your phone in beneath your chin. "I guess, but - I don't want to worry you, I'm fine, Tasha bailed me out -"

"Bailed you out of what?"

"Liath. - well, I guess she didn't bail me out completely, our date's still - fucked up, maybe -"

"- Sunflower, please, slow down and tell me from the beginning."

You take a breath. "My boss is a succubus, you know that, right?"

"- uh, I've heard it mentioned in passing -"

"She's also a sadist and a real piece of work, and her - succubussyness? - gives her an, aura, that makes everybody she meets want to worship and serve her. I get less effect off it because of my Blessing, but - it's still really definitely there."

"- so she's never really met anybody who doesn't want to fall to their knees in front of her in awe? Sounds like a recipe for a swelled ego."

You snort. "You don't know the half of it. She tried to force me to do the First Quarter rite on this Saturday, but I haven't done it for years, usually Tasha does it, and I had my date with you the next day -"

"What's the First Quarter rite?"

"- whichever priestess leads it has sex with all twenty-one of the temple's supplicants between midnight and midnight."

There's a pause, then - "Whoa. Sounds like a big job."

" - You don't have a problem with the having-sex-with-twenty-other-people part?"

"Of course not. I trust you to be safe, and I know I have a special place in your heart. - and besides, I'd be terribly hypocritical."

Your eyebrows shoot up. "- Have you been having sex and not telling me about it?"

"- no! No, of course not! But, um - I'm an adventuress, I." She makes an uncertain humming sound. "Okay, this is embarrassing, promise not to laugh?"

You nod into the phone. "Yes, Thistle."

"Okay so after I retired - don't ask me why, I'm still bitter about it - I still had a ton of loot left over, right?"

"Right."

"So why am I working this dead-end job?"

You blink. "Uhhhhhh. It keeps you busy?"

She laughs. "If I just wanted to keep busy, I'd have no trouble finding ways to keep myself occupied, you can bet on that. No, all my leftover money's tied up in savings now: I need this job to - well, not literally keep the lights on, but you get the idea. Pay rent, for sure."

You noooood.

"... so the natural question is...?", she prompts.

"- where did all the rest of the money go?"

"Ding ding ding, got it in one. Three guesses, first two don't couuuuunt."

"- you were an adventuress, then you did something embarrassing with most of your loot and because of that you think that it'd be hypocritical for you to throw stones over my having a lot of sex - you spent it all on hookers?!"

"Escorts, love, escorts. But yes, I did in fact blow all my cash on wine, women and song, the traditional weaknesses of adventurers everywhere. I'm - actually a bit more embarrassed about being so damn stereotypical than I am about all the actual, y'know, sex."

You lay your head back against the headboard, and let the phone flop into your lap.

Thistle - frequented escorts - what? What? That was - not something you were expecting - and, well, you're one to talk, you are an escort, why would you be surprised by the fact that she's seen escorts other than you -

"Eli? Hello, Eli? I didn't - you don't hate me, right?"

You hastily press the phone back to your ear. "I could never hate you, Thistle. It's just - give me a second here. You - slept around with whores?"

"You're a fine one to talk, Miss Courtesan. Pot, kettle?"

"- nonono, I didn't mean that - I'm not judging you, love, it's just surprising because you've seemed so - shy and reserved and -"

"I never had a crush on any of the other escorts I slept with, Sunflower."

" - oh. Well, that explains that, I guess."

She giggles. "Yes, yes it does. Didn't you wonder a little when I was keen to go to Cheri's Sunday performance? Did you really think I was your sweet, naive little girl?"

You blush bright scarlet: thank the goddess she can't see you over the phone. "... yeah, I guess I should've seen this coming. So, uh - what were we talking about?"

"First Quarter rite?"

"Oh, yes, right. Uh- so the lead priestess has sex with twenty-one people in twenty-four hours."

"More like sixteen hours, you flesh people need sleep."

"Yeah. So that's - about forty-five minutes per person, with no breaks at all."

"- why do you need to do this thing again? It sounds - kind of stupid, frankly."

You sigh. "Well, the intention is that every supplicant gets the chance to have sex with someone who's both skilled and caring enough to do it properly, so they - know what good sex is, and won't settle for poor sex just because they haven't had any better? And it's a bonding experience for them, something to help them - bring the topic of sex into the open and make it clear that there are good reasons to have sex that don't necessarily involve being personally attracted to someone."

"Like money?" Thistle teases.

"- not what I was thinking of, but sure."

"Why does it have to be all one priestess? Can't you - switch off?"

"This way avoids accusations of favoritism and minimizes the chance of personal attractions complicating things, and it's also a - trial of devotion and skill for the leading priestess, a way for her to affirm her commitment to the goddess. I remember the last time I did it I was completely wiped for pretty much the entire next day."

"Can't the other priestesses at least do - support work? Tag-team?"

"Only the Rite leader is allowed to have sex or be in the room while sex is occuring: again, it's simpler that way. The other priestesses definitely do support work, though! They restock supplies, bring food, clean rooms, tell supplicants where to go - usually the rite leader rotates around between a few rooms, so there's no time wasted - and so on and so forth. In rare cases where the supplicant really wants to try a potentially dangerous kink, sometimes the rules get bent to allow a spotter - but no sex with anyone but the rite leader, never ever never."

"... Alright, I guess I can see how that would make sense. And you're being forced to do this?"

"- actually I told Liath to go fuck herself, being with you is more important and she can't oblige me to be raped."

"... Oh, I bet she liked that. Let me guess, you're still stuck doing it despite that?"

"... not exactly..."

She sighs. "Please, Sunflower, would you spit it out? You're not going to shock me."

"- Liath Kissed me."

"...okay, that's sexual assault, but - I feel like I'm missing something."

"Capital-K Kiss. She's a succubus."

"-oh. Oh. OH. Holy shit, Eli, are you okay? You're not her - brainwashed love slave, or anything?"

"I'm still myself, my Blessing caught it. Just some attacks of libido and a vague, lingering urge to submit - I'm wearing a collar with your sunflower on it right now, actually - "

"- cuuuuuutteeeeeee, but, uh, let's come back to that later - you're sure you're fine? That's one heck of a heavy-duty enchantment you got hit with, you ought to be monitored -"

"I'm fine, Thistle, really. Tasha - kept anything really bad from happening. Liath knows she fucked up and she went to pieces when I told her, I - I almost hit her for it, it was really bad - "

"Good. She'd've fucking deserved it."

"- No she wouldn'tve, she was really hurting, I didn't - need to hit her, I'd already won - violence doesn't solve anything -"

"I still have my adventuring gear and if she'd tried that while I was there I would have stabbed her in the fucking heart, love."

She takes a breath. "... so yeah, maybe for the best I wasn't there, I - I get fierce when people hurt the things I care about -"

"She threatened to throw me out of the order, you know? Cut me off completely, blackball me, ban me from the temple, order the other sisters not to talk to me - "

"Fucking motherfucking bitch of a whoreshit motherfucker! That, that, smug, self-satisfied arrogant two-timing backstabbing cunt tried to throw you out of your own goddamn family?"

You stare at your phone. "- what?"

"...I didn't say that, you didn't hear me say that, nobody heard that. Sorry, I - I did tell you I was an adventuress, right? You - pick things up. And that mmmmmmmmiserly bitch, she - she hit a sore spot."

"Yeah, I could tell. So, uh..."

"... as you were saying..."

"... I was scared, but - I kind of welcomed it, you know? Then I could be with you, I wouldn't have my priestess duties. I've been - considering it ever since our date, and if Liath threw me out then - I wouldn't have to decide between you and my Sisters. "

"... You'd really leave the Order to come be with me? Knock it off, Eli, you can't be serious - "

"I'm serious! I could really do it! There's - a standard release for that, Aya told me about it, I'd retire and we'd get a stipend from the temple and we could - get married, raise our child together - I'm sorry, I'm getting way ahead of myself, we've only known each other for less than a week -"

"- yeah, but - it's nice to imagine, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is. It really is. Would you - be okay with that?"

Thistle lets out a breath. "Whoo. Gosh. I - I don't know, it's way too fast, but - it's not a no. If you had gotten thrown out, I - I would have taken you in, at least. We look out for each other. But - married? I - you're going to have my child, Eli, but - I was expecting to raise them alone. I don't know if I'm ready to - share my whole life with someone else. It's good, it's wonderful, I want it, but - I don't know if that's just fantasy and wishful thinking, not from one date and a couple late-night phone calls. So - it's not a no, but - it's not a yes either. We have a whole year, right?"

"- yeah. Though - there's a - never mind, she's not going to be a priestess anyway she's too young -"

"Who?"

"Rose - she's a marked supplicant, the goddess had sex with her, usually they end up being really strong priestesses so the thought was that she could maybe replace me, but like I said she's too young."

" - how young are we talking here, Eli, is she twenty or twelve -"

"I'd guess sixteen, seventeen. Like I said, too young."

"... Isn't she going to have to have sex at First Quarter, though?"

"- not if I can help it she isn't."

"Good."

You lapse into contemplative silence.

"... anyway, how does all of this end up affecting our date Sunday? It sounds like you won: you don't have to do the rite, right?"

"- yeah, but I might anyway just to spite her, if that's okay with you - that's not the problem though."

"Definitely do it if that'll show her up, love. I'm, like, a thousand percent behind you on that one. You go and fuck all twenty of those girls and make it the best night of their lives." She pauses. "I'd say that you'd need the practice for our date, but - what about this other problem?"

"Guess who performs in Threefold?"

"- Liath. Liath performs in Threefold. What, did you wreck her so badly she won't be able to perform?"

"- maybe? And if this Kiss is still on me by Sunday, it'd be beyond foolish for me to go anywhere near her -"

"Yeah. Yeah, that's very sensible. Does Cheri have a backup show planned? Could you put in a word with her, just in case?"

"- that's a good idea, she probably would still want to perform - maybe I could make sure she doesn't do a show with stage lights - but still, that won't do me any good if the Kiss is still on me and Liath's recovered -"

"We'll burn that bridge when we come to it, Sunflower. I'm sure you can find something of interest for us to do on a temple evening. Maybe someone?"

"... did you really just suggest that I arrange a threesome for you on our second date?"

"Eh. I already swore like a sailor, admitted I used to frequent hookers, and threatened to kill your boss: I think any impression you had of me being a sweet, innocent little girl is beyond salvaging. Your specialty is sex: if you were, I dunno, a professional chef, maybe I'd suggest that you cook for me instead."

"- fair enough."

((Select any number of options.))

[X] Wrap up the conversation...
[X] Talk about the proposed threesome...
[X] Talk about the incident with Portia.
[X] Ask more about Thistle's past.
[X] Talk more about sex and relationships.
[X] Ask what she's been doing for the last few days.

[ ] Chat about casual topics for a while.

[ ] Write in another topic of conversation.

"Is there anyone in particular you were thinking of? Maybe somebody you recognized from your adventuring days?"

"No, nobody leaps to mind - come on, Eli, do you really think I got around that much?"

"Well, you managed to blow all your loot on it, so..."

"I had a favoured establishment, I didn't just - have sex with every working girl within a hundred miles. Have you ever heard of the Gilded Rose?"

Your brain jolts to a halt. "- yes."

"I didn't think so, it's not -

- wait a second, you have?"

"Yes. Was the madam a tall, dark-skinned woman with a large hat and heels?"

"- yes, I suppose so -"

"Ishaza."

"- what."

"She had to hide that she was a tiefling back then. Now she doesn't."

"But - purple skin -"

"Dyed darker."

"Horns?"

"Hat."

"- Hooves?"

"She suggested heels and your brain filled in the rest."

"- but I definitely would have recognized her face -"

"After a decade?"

"- maybe not, but still..."

"No wonder she was shooting us so many knowing glances through the rear-view mirror: she was totally gloating."

"- Alright, fine, I'll ask her about it when I come on Sunday. But she's not going to be our third, alright?"

You smile, idly playing with the bedcovers. "Not a chance. You don't know anyone you frequented from back then who's still in the business?"

"- well, there's one left, but - it'd feel weird. I'd rather you set things up, alright?"

"Alright. In that case, do you have any kinks I should know about? Hard limits? Anything like that?"

"- I like lingerie, and having my hair pulled, and being teased and petted... Sorry, these are probably way too vanilla for you, um -"

"No, go on, it's fine."

"... I kind of want to watch you get fucked by someone else. I - Cheri's sex show sounded really hot, and then I started thinking about what you could do -"

"- hence the proposed threesome?"

"- yeah, I guess so. And - I have a persistent fantasy, I don't know if you have any ideas, um - tentacle sex?"

"Tentacle sex?"

"Allegedly, some dungeons are full of tentacle creatures hell-bent on sex... but I never found one. Not that I would have - you know - if I had found one, but it's still kind of a disappointment."

You hum lowly. "- I'd prefer a priestess or a supplicant, but Scylla Princess ought to still be around the temple somewhere, even if she is a client - maybe I could convince her?"

Thistle tsks. "Maybe not the best idea. Do you know anyone else who might work...?"

"- Ipsea's vines, maybe. If tails are close enough, Aya or Kumi. Is bondage essential, or...?"

"Mostly I want to feel like I'm getting fucked because I messed up and a monster got me? Even though usually, I like to - go slow, savour it, you know?"

"... maybe we can work that in? Either way, sounds really, really hot."

"- Yeah. Yeah, it does."

"Fuck, I miss you."

"I miss you too, Eli."

"I miss your touch on my skin, your hands in my hair, the sweet words you whispered to me, the feeling of being held, being - whole. I miss kissing you and feeling your breath on my skin and I miss the way you coo when you're surprised and I miss that easy smile of yours it's the most beautiful thing in the world and I wish you were here."

"... I miss your dark skin and the way your voice gets husky when you look at me and the delicateness of your hands on my body you're so careful like you might break me and I miss the sunflower pendant you wear for me and the smell of your shampoo, it's citrusy, like oranges or lemons, and I want to be safe in your arms forever."

"I miss holding you. I want to be one with you again, feel my fingers inside you, hear that soft gasp and know that you want me, that you think I'm hot -"

"- because you are, Eli, you're the hottest woman in the world, I want to bury my face in your breasts and give myself up to you, I want to roll my hips into your touch and beg for you to claim me utterly..."

"... Thistle?"

"Yes, love?"

"I want to fuck you."

She laughs, a little breathlessly - is she...? "Then fuck me, Eli, you might not be able to touch me but if you can talk to me I can be your hands -"

"- what are you wearing."

"Black tank top, black sports bra, black slacks, black panties. All very... Practical."

"Thistle?"

"Yes?"

"Slide your free hand into your panties right now, and masturbate slowly for me, however you like. There's just two catches, okay?"

Her breath quickens instantly. "Ye-yes, love?"

"First, if you're about to come, edge and keep yourself there as best you can until I tell you I'm coming."

"Yes, Mistress."

"And second, you're to listen carefully to every last word I'm about to tell you."

"Yes, Elisandra."

"Good girl. You can touch yourself now, okay? I'm touching myself too, imagining you. I can already hear your breath quickening: I bet you started before I even told you to, didn't you?"

"Y-yes, mistress."

"Naughty girl. You have a choice of punishment, naughty girl."

"I - I'm listening."

"You can take your panties off right now and leave them at work until tomorrow, you can slap your shameful little pussy five times, or you can ruin your orgasm when I finally let you have it."

"And, hhhh, what if I disobey...?"

"Then I won't try and punish you anymore, naughty girl."

She takes a shuddering breath. "Could I - maybe - there's a freezer in the break room..."

"...mmmmmmhm?"

"Could I - put an ice cube on my naughty bits, Mistress? Is that an acceptable punishment?"

- seems safe enough, and probably more fun than the slaps. "Go ahead, love."

There's a roll of castors on wood, then a few steps, a door opening, and then a sharp intake of breath. "Sssssss! F-fuck, that's cold, that's cold oh gosh, fuck, this was maybe a bad idea may I take it off my clit yet 'flower?"

"You may."

"Thank you."

You smile into the phone. "Good girl. You came up with your punishment yourself, and administered it properly. Now it's time for your reward."

"M, mhm?"

"Close your eyes, and let me guide your fingers. Slow, gentle strokes, little touches on the back of your palm, touch your clitoris now, back away, along your labia, in shallowly, keep rubbing..."

"Haaah, thank you mistress..."

"Harder now, put your arm into it, feel the pressure building, getting ready to explode..."

"Oh, Eli, yes, oh god thank you misstreeeesss, thank you, you're so good to me, ah, fuck, yes -"

" - wait for me, love. Slow down, keep stroking, just maintain, keep yourself right there, I'm getting myself ready..."

"Fuuuuuck - yes mistress, I mean, ah, close -"

Your fingers dip in lazily. "Not yet..."

"Close, close, close, close..."

Wetness stains your fingertips. "Yes, love, hold on..."

"Nnnnh!!"

"I'm, almost, there..."

"Fucking, ah, fuck, Flower, flower I can't hold on flower I'm going to - "

"I am too let it happen-"

Even this far away, you come together.

Fishing your phone out of the crack between the headboard and the wall, you ask:

"Still there?"

"Still here, love. That… was maybe not such a good idea, I shouldn't be, um, doing that at work. Unprofessional. I mean, it's not as if anything ever happens, but…"

You smile. "- No, I can understand that. It's - duty. Duty matters."

"Yeah, it does. It really does. Did you really…?"

"… really what?"

"Face down a demoness for me."

"Yes."

Thistle sighs. "- don't do that again, okay?"

"...Okay."

"- I worry, you know? Silly of me, you know what you're doing, you're fine or close enough to it - but I still. Don't get yourself hurt without me, okay?"

...you wince.

"- What is it Eli? Did - something else happen?"

fuck

"- I didn't want to worry you but, um -"

Thistle doesn't say anything.

"- I had an accident in a kink scene today it was okay in the end but it was scary I fainted and Portia hates me and I'm a bad priestess and, and Liath was hot and - I fucked up so much today, Thistle, I fucked up so much -"

"...stay right where you are, I'm coming to hug you."

"No! No, you have a job, and I'm - not supposed to - temple?"

"You're not supposed to what? I want to hug you, the job isn't important -"

"You need money to - lights, you know, okay? Please don't do something reckless, I'm fine, I'll be here on Saturday, you can hug me then -"

"… I'll wait until my shift is over but then I am coming to hug you in person. This is not negotiable, Eli."

"But-"

"Fuck but, I need to know my girlfriend is okay."

"I'm okay! It's okay! Aya helped a lot, I'm fine, I'm going to be fine, I just need to sleep more -"

"You're not fine, Eli. That's - that's just a fact, I've heard that tone before, from - from people back from inside - You don't get to tell me that it's nothing, love, don't you trust me more than that?"

You let out a pained noise, and flop your head forwards onto your legs. "Idonwannabetheoneeverybodysalwayslookingafter."

"- what? Please, Eli, talk to me -"

"No."

"- no?"

"no." You curl up closer into a ball, phone pressed in against your shin. "donwanna."

"...I'm coming over, okay?"

"don'."

"Why not?"

"- isn't it enough for me to, to, to say you shouldn't? Don't you care-?"

"- I do care, Eli, I care more about you than anything, that's why I need to hold you - "

"Then why wont you do what I tell you."

"- because you're not thinking straight -"

"I KNOW!"

"- so trust me, Eli, can you trust me -"

"... I don't know."

[ ] Trust her. (Take 1 Stress: Eli is currently at 3/5 Stress.)
[ ] Don't.

Here are the essentials of this quest's mechanics:
People have fundamental Drives. These are very basic desires, such as Sex, Companionship, Belonging, Power, and Freedom.
Different people are motivated more by different Drives.
Different people associate different Drives more closely: Sex and Belonging might be essentially one drive for some people, and very separate for others.
It takes Will to wake up a Drive and use it to power your actions, or to suppress a Drive that's opposing your current actions.
Will regenerates from sleep.
If you have no Will to spend, you can instead take Stress.
Having Stress makes you worse at everything.
If you at any point have five or more Stress, you suffer a Trauma and clear all your Stress.
Having suffered Trauma makes your Drives less controllable.

Destrark said:

Umm what? Is the rules on NSFW stuff much laxer on SV than SB than I thought? Cause I was pretty damn sure the most you could do with sex was fade to black here?

Edit; apparently not, you just need to be very careful about it. Huh.

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Anon̦̦ said:

I'm twelve years old and what the frack is this?

I'm all for a NSFW subforum, but this really concerns me for the health of SV as a site that wants to stay SFW in the literal sense of the word. Especially since there is not even a filter and this is a public forum.

Also, this will probably flag SV on my campus and work firewalls now. So there is that.

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WhoAmEye said:

... how in the fuck did this get approved for SV. I've only skimmed it but on the first page alone I saw several quite explicit sexual acts, a vote to get fucked by a canine cock, and a camera involved as well as a riding crop.

I mean, I'm literally reading the site rules on acceptable content right now, and wondering how the hell this is considered acceptable content for Sufficient Velocity.

If someone (preferably a staff member) could give me an understandable explanation as to how this isn't considered rule-breaking, I would love to hear it.

Edit: More investigation has found out I don't need an account to read this quest and when I stopped scrolling the screen was smack bang on the bolded vote of 'Force her to masturbate for you'.

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