Her Mantle Is Love

[Evenstar]

"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.

 

[Evenstar]

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.

 

[Evenstar]

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.

 

[Squishy]

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.

Click to shrink...

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.

Click to shrink...

... 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'.

Click to shrink...

warning This is not the place to have this discussion.

 

[Ford Prefect]

So it's A-ok to slander but not to defend. Got it!

Click to shrink...

official staff communication It's certainly not okay to jump into a thread for no other reason than that, yes.

Look, whatever happened on QQ happened on QQ. And it can stay over there. And if you have some kind of issue with this thread, then you can stay out.

I don't really want to make official staff visits to this thread habitual. So don't start shit in here. Either join in on the quest or let the author work.

e: For absolute clarity, if you aren't participating in this thread, that is if you are not here as a reader or player, then don't post. If you do, your post will be deleted. If you have some kind of issue, then either PM me directly, or post a thread in Ask a Private Question.

 

[Evenstar]

"... would you really have taken me in?", you ask.

"Of course I would have, Eli. You're my Sunflower, I could hardly turn you away -"

"- okay. Um, can you - can you keep talking, say anything, I just - I need to hear your voice -"

"I love you more than anything in the world and I want you to be happy and I know you can get through this, Eli, you're strong and kind and graceful and beautiful and always a surprise, always something - clear and calm and lovely and sweet, you're like - running water in the wood, unfouled by bracken, you - quench me, like steel - like falling into the sea - like, like - I'm not a poet Eli, I don't know how to do this, I hope this is enough, I hope you - understand, even a little bit, just somewhat how much I care about you -"

Your breath steadies a little, and you rub your cheek against your knee. "... Okay. Okay, I'll believe you. But can you - not give me orders, love, I've taken too many today, nobody trusts me not even I trust me -"

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhh, it's okay. Um. - that wasn't an order to shush I just wanted to make a calming noise was it bad -"

"It wasn't. I really like your voice, Thistle, it's - light and yet dusky, like - like something - fuzzy? And dark, and warm, and soft..."

"...I never really liked it, it's too quiet, I want to be able to - speak over a crowd, laugh like I mean it, shout someone down. Sing."

"... could you try and sing for me? Just a little? I - it's okay if it's bad, I just - your voice is so beautiful already, it would be - soothing -"

"- I'm really no good at it, Eli, I've tried before -"

"... for me?"

"I - okay." She clears her throat with a little cough. "I - don't actually know any songs - well, maybe one but it's no good for this -"

"- sing it to me anyway, okay? I - I like learning new things about you."

"... it's kind of dark, I don't want to stress you..."

"Dark is good. Dark is - right, for right now. Is it beautiful?"

"... I think so."

"Then please, sing to me." You hug your knees closer to your chest.

"... alright, if you insist. But no laughing, and if I hurt you even a little bit I want you to stop me, okay? Promise?"

You make a sad noise in the back of your throat. "I promise."

"- okay. Um, I don't remember all the words, I might be - mixing up a couple - but. But I think it goes..."

She hums a few notes experimentally, then breathes out heavily. "- I've never sung for anyone before."

"... I'll be your first?"

"... you will be."

"I'm - listening."

"- yeah." She takes a breath, and then -

"If I'm with -" she breaks off, works her jaw. "No, that's from a different song... what was it - " You can hear her drumming her fingers on the desk.

You close your eyes, and wait.

...Thistle sings. Hesitantly at first, not quite in time, but with each line her voice gets steadier, more melodious. You can't quite make out the words: you don't care, but Thistle - stops.

"Sorry, let me - from the beginning - I know you couldn't hear that, I could barely hear it -"

"It's okay, I liked it..."

"It should be better for you, you deserve better -"

You shake your head, just slightly. "I want you, Thistle, not someone else. Not even if they're better at singing."

"- okay." She clears her throat again, and you hear a footstep. "... I'm totally posing really sillily, I'm glad you're not here to witness this."

You smile, and uncurl just a little. "It's okay. I love your voice, I love you. You can do this, love."

"- yeah. If it's for you, I can do this. With volume and everything, nobody's here to overhear, it'll be alright -"

"What's the song called?"

"It's - I forget the title. Marionette...? Something like that. It's about - not having any control, about losing things to time... I, uh - it's sort of appropriate, yeah."

"And it's really the only song you know?"

"- well enough to be willing to try to sing it, yeah."

"Then - go ahead."

She - hesitates, then -

Oh. Oh, you can hear her this time. Her voice is clear and cool, a high alto, and she sings -

"Mystery of mystery, life without a body,
desires and personae, overlap just so endlessly,
color and effigy, if it were given now would it be -
azure and burgundy, wrapped into a heart?

Endlessly, so endlessly, where is it that's found me?
Fleetingly, so fleetingly, I close my eyes and find
Directionless words that I once believed in,
cast away and lost, forever beyond sky."

Her voice is still - shaky, untrained, but it's unmistakably hers and that's all that matters. She lapses into silence for a moment, and you open your mouth to speak -

"Aaaaaaaaaaah, it's for me...
My very own...
My only soul..."

And then she hums. Where her voice quavers and wobbles uncertainly, her humming is easy, confident, and clear, filling the air with long, slow, gentle notes even through your phone's tinny speaker.

You love her.

Her hum cuts off with a drawn breath -

"In this fleeting world past control,
A coffin kept for us all,
Still, we dolls play on -

Destiny is destiny, resisted only briefly,
Welcomes and departures repeated on endlessly,
And this place I strove to find, here at the end of time,
Is nothing but the end of all things...

Suffering is suffering, flowing in our teardrops,
Body against body, deep in that one moment,
When I felt the fear of losing eternity,
Left watching my memories flowing away."

Her last syllable hangs in the air, and then that sighing note -

"Aaaah, this sea of tears...
The world is gone...
Beyond this blur…"

And then her humming rolls through you.

Your head sways in time, slowly back and forth to the comforting sound of her voice, her love. The next verse catches you by surprise, even though you're expecting it.

"Even though I won't be the one
string-bound forever to your hand,
don't leave me, don't leave me behind -

Departing is departing, there is no forgiveness,
Expressions and emotions, scattered in disarray,
Meanings and definings, all of them will be overthrown,
The past and future, bound in cornerstone…

Reflections and devotions, that is all that remains,
Progress and decay, go on as they have evermore,
Even if I worship these few fleeting days with you,
The smile I loved tomorrow will already be gone."

You blink back tears, and wait for that sigh -

"Aaaah, unfathomed deep...
Unhealing…
My suffering…

Aaaah, hidden away...
Invisible...
My rejoicing…

Aaaah, it's for me...
My very own...
My only soul..."

She hums, you don't know for how long: then, gently, her voice fades away.

You take a breath you didn't know you were holding.

"- was it good?"

"Yes."

"Did it help? It didn't - hurt you, right, you sound choked -"

"No, no this is - good, I needed this, I - thank you for caring, Thistle."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Eli. Did you want to - talk, at all?"

"- I don't think I need to, not anymore. I'm yours?"

"You're mine, Sunflower."

"And you're mine, Thistle." You lay your head back on the pillow, and sigh. "I'm sorry for being so high-maintenance."

"- because you got sexually assaulted by a succubus?"

"... because I didn't - manage it properly, look after myself, I knew her kiss was bad and I went off alone anyway..."

"I forgive you."

"- can you do that?"

"Can too. Forgive you."

"... okay, Thistle. I - I trust you."

"... I trust you too, Elisandra."

"Really mine forever?"

"- forever? um -"

You bite the inside of your cheek, hard. Thistle... waffles, that cool, clear hum spilling from her throat again, infuriatingly beautiful -

"Yeah. Forever. I - don't ask me to marry you or anything, but - you'll always be someone special to me, Eli."

"Forever?"

"Forever."

You take a long breath. "Really?"

"- is it that hard to believe, 'flower, I took the time to give you an honest answer - "

"- no, it's just - It feels so good I feel like it can't possibly be true, there has to be a catch -"

"The catch is that you're stuck with me, love. No going back from forever, you know?"

"...no. No, there's not..."

You rub your neck, and something crackles and splits under your palm: jerking your hand away, you look down and see black flakes of burnt skin covering your hand. Strangely, it doesn't hurt.

"- okay, now I'm definitely dreaming."

"What happened, Eli? What's going on?"

"Liath's Kiss just came off my neck!"

"- what, really? Take a photo, show me -"

"No, I don't want you to see me with it on me -"

"Well at least take a photo so you can get a decent look at it yourself, and then call me back, okay?"

"Yeah, okay - see you really soon okay?"

"Yeah, call back just as soon as you can -"

... The Kiss is completely gone. You glance down disbelievingly at the fragments that fell onto your bedsheets, just in time to watch them evaporate.

You call Thistle back.

"Yeah, it's completely gone - I guess the Goddess must approve -"

"- or you could have just not noticed it healing in the night -"

"No, I saw it - evaporate - "

"...thank the Goddess for me then, I guess."

"I will."

"- also, it's five AM. Did you maybe want to get some sleep, I - do you really still not want me to come -"

"- stay at your job, Thistle. I'm - actually fine now, I wasn't before, but - you really do need to job."

"...yeah. Can I... come by tomorrow, I can adjust my shift a little to get a bit of time with you before I have to go to work, is that alright?"

"Please."

"I will, I promise. Now - get some sleep for me, okay? You've got to be exhausted, and - I'll do my best not to worry."

"... Okay. Goodnight, Thistle."

"... Goodnight, Elisandra. I - I treasure you. Please be safe."

"I'll try my best for you, Thistle."

"- yeah, that was about as much as I expected to get. Now - goodnight."

"- night."

You hesitate.

"- I'll hang up on you if you make me, Eli!"

You giggle. "No, I won't do thaaaat. - Goodnight. For real this time."

"Sleep well."

Reluctantly, you hang up.

You don't remember falling asleep.

-----

When you wake up in the morning, Thistle's sent you the full lyrics to the song she sang for you. Apparently its title is "Artificial Children." And - oh, she's asleep, she says she was wiped - and she also says to expect her to drop by at around 8 PM on - Friday? Oh, you guess it is still technically the same day she talked to you...

Rubbing sleep from your eyes, you get up to face the day.

-----

Today is Thursday. First Quarter is in two days, on Saturday.
You suffered minor injuries in a BDSM scene, and the Goddess restored you.
The Goddess bestowed her favor upon you, and consigned Liath's Kiss to the Void where it belongs.
Thistle's dedicated help allowed you to clear 1 Stress.
Thistle voluntarily took one of your Stress points upon herself.
You regenerated 3 Will and cleared 1 Stress overnight.
You had 2 Will at the end of yesterday.
After all overnight adjustments, you currently have 1/5 Stress and 5/10 Will.
The following Drives are active this morning:
Compassion, Power, Respect, Companionship, Duty.

((Pick as many options as you like.))
[ ] Go find one of your Sisters... (Write in a name.)

[ ] And talk about the situation with Liath.
[ ] And talk about the situation with Portia.
[ ] And talk about the situation with Rose.
[ ] And talk about the situation with Shannon.
[ ] And trade news about this year's clientele.
[ ] And see if you can help her with anything.
[ ] And just hang out.​

[ ] Attend to your Priestess' duties.

[ ] Practice your violin.
[ ] Get groceries from town.
[ ] Make sure the shrines are well-attended.
[ ] Offer prayer to the goddess.
[ ] Trade Duties with one of your Sisters.
[ ] Prepare for the First Quarter rite day after tomorrow. (2 days left.)
[ ] It's never too early to start planning for the next new moon rite. (24 days left.)​

[ ] Commission the local artist who can make a proper pendant for Thistle.
[ ] Plot an annoyingly elaborate favour to get back at Ishaza in your game of oneupmanship.

[ ] Get Kumi in on it too.
[ ] And Thistle.​

[ ] Meditate and consider what's important to you.
[ ] Make an offering of thanks to the Goddess.
[ ] Poke around the temple grounds a bit.
[ ] Stop in at the Supplicants' Hall.

[ ] And go see someone in particular. (Specify.)
[ ] And try to find the supplicants you haven't met yet.​

[ ] Arrange a date with your other kind of client for this evening. (Escort a lucky lady at a formal event. 90% chance of no sex.)

[ ] Specifically ask if Tori wants another date.​

[ ] Write-in!

Spoiler: Mechanical Note & Song Credit

Elisandra and Thistle's progress on their relationship in this update counted as a Prayer To The Goddess action, which I then proceeded to roll a 92 on. Power of Love!

The song lyrics in this chapter are from a preexisting song, Artificial Children by IOSYS.

Said song is in Japanese: the lyrics in this chapter are a loose-on-meaning-but-close-on-meter translation thereof, done personally, though with the aid of other translators' interpretations.

 

[Evenstar]

You look at the lyrics Thistle left you, and then at your violin case, carefully tucked away in a corner of the room, far from your bed.

You get out of bed, and pick it up: setting it down on your vanity, you open it and extract your ragged block of light rosin. Unwrapping the soft leather bundled around it, you take your bow in your other hand and carefully re-rosin it.

Plucking each string carefully, you listen intently: yes, the E string is a little off. You adjust the metal dial at its base, and pluck again. Better.

You take the bow in your right hand, and - no, palm not touching the base, are you really that out of practice? - and pick up your violin with your left. Pinning it against your shoulder with your chin, you curl your fingers over the neck, take a breath, and slowly draw your bow over the strings.

It sings: Hmmmmm - mmmmmm - mmmm...

You sigh, and set your violin back down. Picking up the rosin again, you add more: then you repeat the whole process, careful of your palm.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, sings your violin.

You carefully tilt your bow, testing each string in turn: then you double-string, testing each pair together. Yes, everything is well-tuned.

You test your fingerings, playing a few quick sequences of notes. One of them is slightly off-key: you wince, and drop momentarily down to three fingers - but with the next note, you find the proper position again, instinct guiding your pinky to its proper place. Your fingers remember, you just need to stop getting in the way.

You pick one of your more recent practice pieces, and drop into it: the Swallowtail Jig, from some human country somewhere. You still have trouble keeping them all straight. You play at half tempo at first as you shake off the rust: it's been almost a week since you last practiced, an eternity -

- but it comes back. Your music hasn't deserted you. Your legatos are smooth, your spiccatos satisfyingly bouncy. Oh, you're making a hash of the poor jig with all this messing about, but the techniques are there, you can call them up like that: you exaggerate your vibrato for a phrase, then play with none: you repeat the same verse three times, playing the same notes on completely different strings each time: you laugh, and do a section from a folk tune so old you've forgotten its name, about a an elven lass who fell out of a tree and into a lovely young man's arms -

Somebody knocks on your door.

You sigh, and lay your violin and bow back into their case. Shoving it into the middle of the bed, you call over your shoulder: "Just a moment!"

You open your door, and come face-to-face with a half-dressed Kumi, her robe slung around her shoulders like a blanket. Her tails are all disheveled: her ears lie flat along the top of her skull. "Eli," she groans.

"- What happened to you?"

She rolls her eyes. "Some madwoman of an elf decided to practice violin at seven in the morning, that's what happened to me. Don't you look at the time?"

You glance over at your alarm. "...Aren't you supposed to have been up for an hour already? You have duties to do."

"Says the - black pot."

" - what?"

"...said the bishop to the actress?"

You sigh. "Stop trying to be clever and just spit it out."

"When was the last time you were up and out of bed at six AM?"

"Yesterday?"

"Yeah, fine, okay. Before you met your shadow girl."

"Uhhhhhhhh..."

"Sometime last year, right?"

"- no, I got up at six for Full Moon month before last."

"Oh, so only six weeks then."

"...yeah, I guess."

"Point made. Now could you please pipe down, some of us had late nights."

Now it's your turn to give her the hairy eyeball. "... do you think I'm up this early because I slept well, Kumi?"

She cringes. "- sorry, I didn't think. Tired. I'll - find some earplugs or something."

You cast a look back at the violin laying on your bed, and sigh. "Well, since you've already interrupted me, I might as well go see to the shrines. And you're already up, so... keep me company?"

Kumi flicks an ear. "I, uh... Yeah, I'll come with you."

You smile. "Thanks. You should get dressed properly first, though."

She smirks back. "Same to you."

- oh. You didn't actually put any clothes on, did you. Whoops.

"- yeah, I'll meet you back here in five minutes."

"Thirty. I need to fix my tails."

You sigh. "Fair enough. I'll go take a shower."

-----

Since Kumi's fluff is going to take a while to get under control, you take your time in the shower and getting dressed. You browse the internet a little on your phone: Aya'd call it a bad habit, but you like keeping up with what's going on in the world outside. Car crash kills local politician: new self-driving car startup in the area: watch these stocks...

Wait, is that a picture of Rose? Your eyes flick upwards to the headline.

Arms Heiress Still Missing
Rosalia Armille, daughter of local arms manufacturer Ethan Armille, has not been seen at the Armille residence for a week now. Both the family and local police continue to decline to comment, stating only that Rosalia is "safe enough," a phrase that is no doubt familiar to them after her sister Victoria Armille's quiet month-long stay in prison last June. Although all charges were eventually dropped, police records obtained by the Times indicate that she was arrested for solicitation.

Rosalia has always distanced herself from her playgirl sister: she has won multiple national youth shooting tournaments, and is rumored to be attempting to qualify for the Youth Olympics in...

- yes, that's definitely Rose in the photo. Tori is her older sister? Well, you suppose it's not too much of a coincidence that the two young, wealthy heiresses you've met are related. Does Tori know? Probably not, she'd tell half the planet most likely...

- what does the rest of her family know? What's going on? You're sure your sisters have it well in-hand, but - you can't help but worry a little. You look back at the article -

"Elisandra!"

You hastily stuff your phone in a pocket, and slip out the door. "Yes?"

Kumi taps her foot. "You were supposed to be the one waiting for me, not the other way around. Come on, we have shrines to attend to."

You nod, and follow her.

-----

Kumi takes Desire: you take Intimacy. You don't have a thistle to offer today, so... you settle for humming a few bars of half-remembered song. It feels - right, somehow. You clear the shrines meticulously, packing away a faded daisy left in offering by some visitor.

You and Kumi turn to Devotion at the same time, and follow the motions. Genuflect: wave your cupped hand slowly down through the air, like so: step leftward: another wave, this with the fingers spread, falling to the ground: kneel, turn towards Devotion: genuflect, head touching the earth: look up to the corner of the opposite building: bow your head again: lift your hand, palm upward: bring it back to earth, genuflecting a third time: step away backwards, hand on heart, head bowed low as you rise. You match each other perfectly, step by step, like shadows or reflections.

You pray, as always: Please don't let my Thistle worry too much: watch over Rose for me, Goddess - and. And if you could help Liath change, just a little - I'd be grateful. That's not too much to ask, is it? I hope it's not.

... Thank you.

You look over at Kumi.

"- I need to talk to Tasha."

[ ] "Would you like to come with me?"
[ ] "Do you know where I can find her?"
[ ] "You can go back to bed now if you want."

[ ] "I'll handle your duties for the rest of today."​

[ ] Write-in.

 

[Evenstar]

"Yeah," Kumi agrees. "Yesterday was a long day for her, too - she could probably use a little company."

"- I was actually thinking of discussing the whole blowup and the thing with Rose with her, so -"

"Business, business, always business!" Kumi throws up her hands."What's gotten into you lately, Eli? Can't you just spend some time with a fellow Sister now and then?"

"- I have, Aya took me to see the supplicants and we played chess and -"

"That doesn't count, you were on strict bed rest - and even then you managed to get into a kink scene and nearly kill yourself. Seriously, Elisandra, you don't have to put so much effort in!"

"- when was the last time I did a First Quarter, Kumi?"

She blinks. "Uhhhh. Sixish years ago, now? It's not a big deal, Tasha does them all anyway -"

"- the same Tasha you were just saying I should help out more? Who's probably having conniptions right now trying to manage two different crises and also get ready for First Quarter? That Tasha?"

Kumi sighs, and nods. "Yeah, that Tasha. She's had worse weeks, Eli, it's not a big deal -"

You fold your arms across your chest. "- alright, that settles it, we're going to go take over for her today so she can get some rest. And I'm doing First Quarter."

"- What, with Liath's Kiss on you? That's foolish, Eli, you'll hurt yourself -"

"- or somebody else, is that right?" You yank down the collar of your robe to show bare skin. "It's gone, Kumi. It healed in the night, thank the Goddess. I think she approves of me and Thistle." Her humming echoes faintly in your head, and you smile slightly - then you look back at Kumi. " - sorry, what was I saying?"

Kumi sighs. "That you love Thistle, you didn't get enough sleep, and your Kiss is gone. So - yeah, I'll come with you to talk to Tasha."

You curtsey with only a tinge of mockery. "Thanks, Sister. Glad I could count on you."

She halfsmiles, and curtseys back. "When have I ever let you down before?"

"Well, there was that time with that drow girl," you say, picking out the stone path to the Supplicant's hall.

Kumi follows. "Hey, it's not my fault that my tails take up a lot of space!"

"Yeah, but did you have to hit her in the face with one?"

"She moved on me!"

"Noo, you quite deliberately whapped her, I was watching -"

"Come on, she was such a pain, she deserved that -"

"She was their crown princess!"

"Isn't everybody?"

-----

When the pair of you arrive at the Supplicants' Hall, there's some kind of commotion going on: a crowd's formed around the doors by the gardens, and you hear raised voices. Is that the tip of one of Tasha's wings poking up above Melody's head?

You share a glance with Kumi, and both of you lengthen your strides, falling into the trained lope that lets every Sister jog across a crowded ballroom without seeming to hurry.

The crowd parts before you: you find Tasha standing between Cocoa and Sofya, wings outstretched to form a buffer zone neither can cross.

"Lying thief!", yells Sofya, pointing an accusing finger. "You're the one who's always eating contraband chocolate, you're sneaky, clearly it's you who took the key -"

Cocoa rolls her eyes. "I did no such thing, and have you tried asking Ishaza for things? Nooooo, because that would be work and require actual communication, miss high-and-mighty CEO."

"That's beside the point! You hide things, you like to fuck with people, clearly it'd be wonderful for you to have a key to the private rooms -"

Tasha looks at the pair of you. You can see the sweat on her skin.

Kumi sighs, and steps forwards. Holding up a brass key, she asks: "Is this what you're looking for?"

Sofya stops cold. "Uh."

Kumi rolls her eyes. "Next time, ask before accusing." Pocketing the key again, she turns to the crowd and makes a shooing motion with both arms. "Show's over, get back to what you were doing. First Quarter's day after tomorrow, and I want you all to think carefully about whether you really want to go through with this. None of you are obligated to have sex you don't want."

The crowd looks at her.

You step in and back her up. "Go on, I'm sure you've all got better things to do than stare at priestesses."

Tasha nods, and folds her wings again as the crowd starts to disperse.

You nod back. "- and Sofya, stay a moment so we can talk about acceptable ways to raise issues."

She sighs, but acquiesces. Cocoa smirks as she walks away.

You look at Kumi. "Let's get a private room."

-----

As soon as the door closes behind the four of you, you turn to Kumi, and ask:

"That's your personal key, right? Not mine?"

She grins and nods: as she holds it up again, you can clearly see the emerald heart set into the ornate handle. Yours would be ruby.

Sofya blinks. "So wait, you hauled me in here just to hide that from everyone else?"

"Yeah. Hopefully the real thief still has it on them: they're enchanted so that their owners can always find them." Kumi looks back at you. "Elisandra, if you'd do the honours?"

"- It's in one of the other private rooms. Down the hall, around the corner…"

You step out, and lead the way.

- this is Rose's room. You knock, and wait. No response. You try the lock: sealed.

You knock louder, then step back to let Tasha open the door: she's the priestess in charge of the Hall, she ought to do the room check. A shake of her head - no, Rose is out.

A moment's search turns your key up in the bottom of a flower vase: you carefully put it back into your purse where it belongs.

"What on earth was it doing there?", Sofya asks from the hall.

You shrug. "Beats me. Don't tell anyone, though: it's for the best if the thief doesn't know what we know."

Sofya nods seriously, and hastily vanishes down the hall. Huh. Wonder what you were keeping her from.

Turning to the private room opposite Rose's, you slot your key into the lock and step inside. Unoccupied? Yes, good. You beckon in your sisters, and flop down on the bed.

"Well," you say into the awkward silence. "Let me start with the big news. One, my Kiss is gone." You display your neck for Tasha, and she nods seriously.

"Two, I'm doing the First Quarter rite day after tomorrow."

Tasha gives you a deeply skeptical look.

"- I know, I know. I should be resting. But - I need to prove to myself and to everybody else that I can do it, that I'm - not a failure as a priestess."

Kumi wraps a tail around your shoulders. "You don't need to prove that to anyone: we know already."

"- that I'm a failure?"

"That you're not, you silly girl."

Tasha nods.

"- Well, if Cheri or Ishaza agrees, then I guess that's a majority in favor of my not being terrible. But - I still do need to prove it to myself, and my next opportunity won't be till next year, so…"

Kumi and Tasha sigh in unison. "Honestly," Kumi continues, "you'd think you'd slow down a little bit after the mess yesterday was -"

"No, right now what I need to do is prove that I'm good enough to hack it. And - Tasha, be honest. I see dark circles under your eyes - do you really want to do the First Quarter rite right now?"

She hums lowly, then quietly speaks. "- I don't, but they don't deserve to suffer just because I have a lot on my plate right now -"

"… Like they'll get with a priestess who's already half-asleep on her feet?"

Tasha sighs. "- but you don't know them, you haven't spent any time with them, I don't want to force any of them to have sex with a stranger -"

You raise a finger. "I was here most of yesterday, the supplicants will at least recognize me -"

"And I've been living with them since Sunday."

"- how long did you spend with them yesterday?"

She frowns at you.

"- okay, that was a cheap shot."

Tasha nods. "Thank you."

The silence stretches.

"- Don't try that on me, Tasha. I know I'm giving you what you want by being the first to speak, here, but please. Work with me."

She rubs her forehead. "... I suppose you're right, I'm - overinvested again. There's too many of them for any of us to really get to know them all, and..." She gestures at herself wordlessly.

Kumi nods along. "Yeah, you're... not exactly the most social of us. If you have time, you do really well, but - twenty-one people?"

"Twenty or less. Rose isn't participating, and I expect a few others will drop as well."

You nod. "Still, more than a dozen for sure. How many of them do you know?"

"Rose, Ipsea, Lily, Pigeon, Shimmer, Alice, Shannon, Sunshine, um, Aura... I think that's all..."

You share a glance with Kumi. "- so only eight of the actual ritual participants?"

She nods.

"- What's been keeping you so busy?"

She scowls. "Rose. Not - her, but - making sure she's safe. Parents, press, other supplicants -"

"Other supplicants?"

"People who didn't know the situation - she looks older if you're not paying close attention, and her family's - they've taught her to beg and plead for the smallest scraps of praise, so -"

"... she knows how to protect herself, but she can't stop herself from hoping."

"And so she's - too eager to find someone who'll really understand her, she was clinging to Pigeon a bit and Pigeon was overwhelmed by having someone paying so much attention to her and took it as a crush and after a few days suggested that they go to a private room where it would be quieter and Rose didn't turn her down because she's never been allowed to date anyone ever and doesn't know what it looks like when someone's crushing on her, and - everything worked out alright, Rose - isn't actually attracted to Pigeon, once it became clear to her where things were going she backpedaled - but it was very nearly a very awful mess."

You hold up a hand. "Who's Pigeon?"

"You played a game of chess with her - the quiet one with the dusky feathers."

"Oh, her. - She tried to seduce Rose?"

"Fumblingly. I think it was actually a love confession: I couldn't prise the whole story out of either of them, but they weren't unsupervised together for more than ten minutes before Rose fled back to her private room and locked the door. With some gentle prompting I was able to get them to admit that Pigeon tried to kiss Rose, but both of them swear nothing more happened. I think that's the truth, as far as it goes."

You sigh. "- I trust you had the talk with Pigeon about not taking nonverbal cues as consent? And the other one about how Rose is underage and if they had ended up doing anything it'd be statutory rape?"

Tasha nods.

"So they're alright, more or less, but you're not. Don't even tell me about the family, I've seen it before and I don't want to know."

Tasha - nods. "Yeah."

Kumi settles a comforting tail over her shoulders too.

"Tasha," you say...

((Pick as many as you want.))
[ ] "You've been trying to do the work of three priestesses, and it's a blatant miracle you've held on this long. Go get some damn sleep: I'll do your duties for today."
[ ] "I'm sorry for the mess I made out of yesterday, I didn't mean to stress you even more than you already were..."
[ ] "Is there anything I can do to help comfort you? Read you a book? Give you a massage? Have sex? I'm your Sister, we look out for each other -"
[ ] "- I'm not going to force you to drop the First Quarter rite, but - is there anything I can do to help? You're seriously under-prepared..."
[ ] "Why didn't you come to me sooner? I was just doing regular duties on Monday and Tuesday, I could've easily helped you if you'd just asked me -"
[ ] "I'm doing the First Quarter rite, and that's final. I'll spend the day getting to know the supplicants: Kumi will attend to your other duties, she's got nothing better to do anyway."
[ ] "Tell us everything that's happened in the last week."
[ ] "Is there anything I can do for you, anything at all?"
[ ] "May I hug you?"
[ ] Write-in.

Adhoc vote count started by Evenstar on May 14, 2018 at 12:40 PM, finished with 6 posts and 3 votes.

• ---

  3 people have voted

  [X] "I'm sorry for the mess I made out of yesterday, I didn't mean to stress you even more than you already were..."

  • RedV
  • Ori
  • Kappa

  3 people have voted

  [X] "Is there anything I can do for you, anything at all?"

  • RedV
  • Ori
  • Kappa

  2 people have voted

  [X] "May I hug you?"

  • RedV
  • Kappa

  1 people have voted

  [X] "You've been trying to do the work of three priestesses, and it's a blatant miracle you've held on this long. Go get some damn sleep: I'll do your duties for today."

  • RedV

  1 people have voted

  [X] "I'm doing the First Quarter rite, and that's final. I'll spend the day getting to know the supplicants: Kumi will attend to your other duties, she's got nothing better to do anyway."

  • RedV

  1 people have voted

  [X] "Tell us everything that's happened in the last week."

  • RedV

  1 people have voted

  [X] "I'm doing the First Quarter rite, and that's final. I'll spend the day getting to know the supplicants"

  • Ori

  1 people have voted

  [X] "Is there anything I can do to help comfort you? Read you a book? Give you a massage? Have sex? I'm your Sister, we look out for each other -"

  • Kappa

  1 people have voted

  [X] "- I'm not going to force you to drop the First Quarter rite, but - is there anything I can do to help? You're seriously under-prepared..."

  • Kappa

 

[Evenstar]

Mechanics, pt 0: How People Work

Her Mantle is Love uses a freeform system tempered by dice rolls. Many updates have this dice system somewhat elided, to a greater or lesser degree: it should be treated as descriptive, not prescriptive, as it is used more often to concretely describe a potential consequence or a character's current state than to directly determine outcomes.

As such, it's more important to understand how I model people in this quest than how I mechanically represent that model.

The following is Mantle's model of human behavior, before any numbers or dice get involved:

Human Nature:
1: Everyone has the same basic emotional drives.
2: However, individuals attach different value and meaning to these same emotional drives.
3: Emotional drives aren't constantly active: something has to make that drive relevant to the current situation.
4: Once a drive "wakes up", it won't go back to sleep until it's either satisfied or deliberately suppressed.
5: Sometimes this means persistent drives get in the way of useful work.
6: Suppressing inconvenient drives takes willpower.
7: You can also use willpower to deliberately wake a useful drive, also known as "motivating yourself."
8: People have a limited reserve of willpower to spend from.
9: Willpower primarily regenerates during sleep.
10: Obeying your drives takes no willpower at all.

Human Conflict:
1: When people get into a conflict, it's because there's some goal at stake.
2: Goals are more commonly emotional than practical.
3: You win a conflict when your opponent allows you to complete your goal.
4: This may be accomplished in the following ways:

I. Make them want you to achieve your goal. (Persuade them.)
II. Form a mutual compromise with them. (Barter with them.)
III. Deal with whatever obstacles they produce. (Ignore them.)
IV. Escalate the conflict until they give in. (Bully them.)
V. Render them unable to object. (Destroy them.)​

5: The following techniques are commonly used towards this purpose:

I. Convince them that your goal is good. (Teach them.)
II. Convince them to make an exception for you. (Appeal to them.)
III. Offer them something else they value in exchange. (Tempt them.)
IV. Give them something more interesting to do. (Distract them.)
V. Wear them down through persistence. (Exhaust them.)
VI. Make them worry for something they care about. (Threaten them.)
VII. Hurt them until they can no longer resist you. (Attack them.)​

6: Options higher up these lists are generally preferred.
7: The more someone cares about a goal, the further down each of these lists they will go in order to achieve it.

Human Suffering:
1: People become stressed when their goals can't be achieved through willpower.
2: As people become more stressed, everything else seems less important.
3: When people are highly stressed, their will becomes unable to control their drives.
4: Chronic or intense stress produces coping mechanisms.
5: These coping mechanisms often take the form of dangerously untrue beliefs.
6: Once learned, these untrue beliefs are as hard to unlearn as any honestly held value.

Details:
These are the fifteen common human drives, organized into groups of three simply because my brain likes organizing things into groups. (It helps me remember them on the spot.)

Primal Drives	Satiation Drives	Self-Image Drives	Resource Drives	Empathic Drives
Survival	Sex	Companionship	Wealth	Retribution
Safety	Fun	Belonging	Power	Duty
Freedom	Relaxation	Respect	Knowledge	Compassion

 

[Evenstar]

"- is there anything I can do for you? Anything at all?"

Tasha sighs. "Well, you don't get to handle the press: you have have no head for it, and I've already been Official Spokeswoman, so that's out. You don't get to try and get Rose to open up: she doesn't know you half as well as she knows me, and this sort of thing is terribly delicate. You absolutely don't get to manage the Liath situation, you're too close to it to be impartial. So..."

"...can I hug you, at least?"

She smiles tiredly. "You may hug me."

You get up from the bed, and carefully embrace her. It's a little awkward with her in a chair like this, but you get the feeling across.

"...thank you," she murmurs in your ear.

"What are Sisters for?"

Kumi raises a finger. "You mean besides sex?"

You sigh, rubbing the bridge of your nose. "Now is not the time, Kumi."

"I just thought she might need a laugh, don't get your -"

Tasha waves her down. "So - alright, fine. Elisandra will do First Quarter. Kumi, if you want to help me, get Ishaza to take over handling the press, then do whatever work she has to shove out of her schedule as a result. And get me a coffee."

"...how many hours of sleep did you get last night?"

"Not enough. Eli - you're sure you want to do this?"

"- I'd feel terrible if I didn't. For a bunch of reasons, including the fact that I've helped stress you out."

"I keep telling you not to try and pay me back for that -"

"Just like I keep telling you not to overwork yourself?"

"- I already agreed to let you do First Quarter, I don't know what more you want."

You glance over at Kumi. "And you ask me why I'm working so hard?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Well then - "

"- it's decided. "

"Tasha, do you have any appointments today?"

She blinks blearily. "I - don't think so..."

"Then you're going directly to bed."

"Do not pass go."

"-what?"

Kumi rolls her eyes. "You were supposed to say 'do not collect two hundred dollars', Eli. Come on, get up on human culture!"

"I think you're a little too high on human culture already, Kumi."

"Pish posh. Now come on, Tasha, let's get you to bed. Eli, you'll watch the supplicants?"

"Yeah. Go get her to bed."

"Don't I get a say in this?"

You and Kumi answer simultaneously.

"No."

-----

Once Kumi has pried Tasha out of her comfy chair and herded her out the door, you take a moment to consider your plan for the supplicants. You have a whole lot of people to get to know, and not a lot of time to get to know them in.

((Pick one from each category.))
[ ] Start by finding and talking to the social butterflies. Outgoing people will know more people, and be better at introducing you.
[ ] Start by approaching introverts and outcasts: they'll be the hardest to reach, so you should start working on it as soon as possible.
[ ] Start by announcing that you're replacing Tasha in the First Quarter rite: the supplicants deserve to know as soon as possible, and that way, they'll come to you.
[ ] Start by looking for the supplicants you have yet to meet even casually: you need to know everyone before you can focus your efforts appropriately.

[ ] Work shallow. Try to get to know as many people as possible, so you'll be at least an acquaintance to everyone.
[ ] Work deep. Try to find the people with the most issues around the upcoming Rite, and become close enough with them to get them to open up.
[ ] Work indirect. Spend your time finding people with the acumen to be junior priestesses, then task them with making sure the rest of the supplicants know how things are going to work.

[ ] Work wide. Prioritize getting a fast read of the crowd over getting an accurate impression of every individual.
[ ] Work narrow. Prioritize getting an accurate picture of each individual person in the room over understanding the greater social network.
[ ] Work the cliques. Try to identify the major social groups, then focus on understanding their leaders.

[ ] Name or describe a supplicant you want Elisandra to specifically seek out.