Written Wonderland

Xavier had spent the better part of the day preparing the ceremony with the old woman in her forest clearing, and he couldn't help reminisce a little about summoning the goddess. Gods, what a week it had been! He blushed deeper as he thought of all the things he and Evan had done in the wake of it all. He wanted to shout to the skies that the two of them were... playing around, but that obviously wasn't appropriate. He would be forever grateful that he had told Gavin.

But Gavin was leaving. Along with several other people Xavier considered friends.

Xavier didn't let himself dwell on it all too much, busying himself with all the old woman's directions.

Finally, though, when the pots were on their fires and the torches were lit, the priestess announced that it was time, and Xavier immediately volunteered to go tell the camp.

He ran haphazardly through the trees, quick and efficient, and it was a fantastic way to let out some of the bubbling, effervescent energy in his chest. All too fast, however, he was back at the outskirts of the camp, where all the volunteers, Evan, the commander, many of the captains, and a large audience had gathered in preparation.

Xavier swallowed a nervous bubble in his throat upon approaching Evan, who looked like a god in his own right in the clothing that the goddess had made to fit him just so. Xavier clung to the memory of cuddling Evan that morning in that outfit and hoped they would have another opportunity soon.

"The priestess is ready," Xavier said, a little out of breath. "She says it's time." And he smiled at Evan, his excitement showing in his eyes.

((OOC: It would be helpful to mention everything Evan is wearing/bringing. Portal necklace? Sword? Talisman? etc.))

Evan stood anxiously at the rendezvous for the volunteers, his skin nearly buzzing beneath the goddess' armor. He was eager to return to her, having spent all day with constant, visible reminders of his connection with her. But he was also terribly nervous about how all this would go. He'd be sharing her with ten other soldiers tonight, and then what? Well, to the Underworld, whatever that would ultimately entail. Fuck.

To top it all off, he’d had no time at all to steal another moment with Xavier, much to his dismay. The lieutenant had volunteered to help the priestess set things up at her cabin, and Evan’s attention had been anchored here at camp. Coordinating plans with Mizu and Kade and the other captains; checking in on volunteers to ensure that they were ready--and still in. It seemed they all were, besides the one, though some had still been uncertain about their offerings. Lance in particular Evan was worried about--he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen the lieutenant so unsure of himself--but he’d done all for his friend that he could. Lance showed up sporting his usual cocky grin, but Evan could see the nervousness he was hiding beneath it. Perhaps it was good for Lance to be nervous, but it was just a bit heartbreaking to see.

Evan held it together for all who gathered, though. Even when Pemberley showed up, he offered the man a respectful nod. Not that confusing as fuck emotions didn’t swirl through Evan at the sight of him, but the echoes of hurt and shame and fear were more distant today, thrumming beneath a roil of something much larger than the both of them. Pemberley nodded in return, his expression as unreadable as ever.

A shift of attention rippled through the gathered soldiers, volunteers and spectators alike, when someone emerged from the woods. Xavier. Beaming and effervescent, breathless from running as he approached. Evan could feel every single heartbeat move through his body, yearning vibrate in the friction between the goddess’ armor and his skin. It was both wonderful and terrible to see Xavier in this moment of anticipation for the night to come.

"The priestess is ready," Xavier said. "She says it's time." He smiled at Evan, excitement gleaming in his eyes, and Evan smiled in return, only barely fighting back tears that threatened to sting at his eyes. He wanted to embrace Xavier--hell, to tackle him, nip at his ear, kiss down his neck, lose himself with the lieutenant right there in the grass in front of everyone. But instead he held himself still, offering Xavier a restrained nod. Gods, he hoped they would make it to a time and place together where they didn’t need to hold back.

For now, though, he had a role to play. At least for once in his life it felt like he had chosen it. He moved into the formation Kade had discussed with him, and felt pride at the way that everyone else clicked into place, following him through the woods to take a leap of faith together.

((OOC: Just couldn’t quite bring myself to work everything into the post, but, things I believe Evan would be bringing with him:
- the goddess’ scale (in the inner pocket of his jacket against his chest)
- portal necklace (wearing around his neck)
- the sword he made with the goddess (in a sheath on a belt)
- talisman & I think also Xavier’s charm (I’m thinking maybe in a pouch also on the sword belt?)
))

Tehlunae watched the short man--really more of a kid--run off to meet the rest of the army and call for the volunteers. She smiled after the boy--so full of exuberance. She surveyed the last few details and instructed the helpers to stand on the edge of the outermost circle at various points to offset the weight of it all.

Then, she bowed at the edge of that circle, getting down on her knees in deference. She considered all the years of service she had offered the goddess and all the people who had chosen to serve her in this way.

Before long, the priestess heard sounds of approaching people--many approaching people. She stood up to receive them. Evan--the goddess' chosen--arrived first in clothing that the goddess had surely made for him. He wore it well, and Tehlunae nodded toward him, grateful that he had listened to her all those days ago. If all this worked, they would owe him a great debt. Here was for hoping.

Next, there was the commander of the army followed by Serio, the one who had helped her prepare the ceremony and sent the helpers. Then, the volunteers--those to be sent to the goddess. Tehnulae saw one of them carrying the vining purple flowers she had seen in her vision, and she smiled, happy to see that come to fruition. Then, if she remembered correctly from the meeting she had interrupted, came the rest of the army captains, followed by much of the rest of the army by the looks of it. She could hardly blame them for wanting a look at a sacred procession that they had only ever heard about. And, likely, many of them would be sending friends off to the goddess this night.

The priestess motioned for Evan to stand opposite her and motioned for the volunteers to come to either side of the two of them, still outside the outer circle. Tehulnae counted them. Nine. She raised an eyebrow at Evan, but she trusted that he knew what he was doing. Too late to add another now, she suspected.

Looking to Mizu, who was still standing near the priestess, she said quietly, "If there is something you would like to say to your people, now is the time."

--

Mizu nodded, looking with gratitude at the old woman she had initially so distrusted. How far they had all come. Mizu braved a glance at Yukiko and then one toward Lance before she addressed the whole of the circle.

Projecting her voice as loudly as she could, the commander said, "This has been a cruel and grueling civil war. We have suffered losses of our own, and just last night, the king's sorcerers magically reclaimed the heir to the throne." Mizu paused for effect, letting the emotion stand. "But the king's magic is limited. He does not have a goddess on his side. In fact, he fears her. He trembles at her very name. Through the efforts of Captain Rutliff, the goddess has agreed to stand at our side against the tyranny we've experienced."

Yes, Mizu felt as though she was hitting her stride now. "That alone may win us the war. But now, we have also secured the Shel'ti alliance through the bravery and determination of these volunteers." She gestured to the people standing to either side of the priestess and Evan. "They will serve the goddess of mist on our behalf." The commander took a deep breath. "It is a great honor to offer these brave soldiers tonight. May they return to walk among us again, having touched the divine."

Then, Mizu turned to the priestess and nodded, content.

--

"Who will be first to offer themselves to the goddess' mists?" the priestess asked. A lightning bolt felt like it went straight through Trevor's gut at the question. He stepped forward, moving around the other volunteers and coming to stand before Evan and the priestess, just as Captain Kade had instructed. Having negotiated his offering with Captain Kade, it made sense for him to go first. He was to be something of a spectacle. With a nod toward Captain Fujiwara, trusting her to do what she could for his sister, he presented himself.

"And what will your offering to the goddess be?" the priestess asked in a voice loud enough for almost all the gathered crowd to hear.

Nervously, Trevor projected his voice. "I will go willingly restrained with decorative ropes." He tried not to wince at the end, unsure of his choice of words. But the priestess nodded, dipping a cloth into a cauldron of water held over a fire nearby.

"Please," the priestess said quietly, cloth at the ready, "Undress." After a moment of consideration, Trevor pulled off his shirt, maybe with a bit of a flourish since he knew everyone was watching. He grinned a little crookedly, thinking about how his bare skin likely looked in the flickering torchlight. He would certainly have preferred to keep his pants and boots on. He looked at the old woman, wanting to make sure that he understood her correctly.

As though reading his mind, the priestess said, "You'll be leaving behind anything that is not a gift to her."

"Fair enough," Trevor said, bending down to unlace his boots. The hairs on his neck prickled with how much he knew everyone was watching him. He slid his boots and socks off before methodically unbuttoning his pants, sliding those and his underwear off in as fluid a motion as he could manage. He wasn't sure how graceful he had been. He looked stubbornly down at the ground with a neutral expression for a few moments once he was fully nude.

Finally, he raised his head and looked at the priestess, who immediately began washing Trevor. The water on the cloth steamed against Trevor's skin, and he relaxed into it quickly. He had missed hot baths. The priestess scrubbed every part of Trevor, but it was about the least sexual thing he had ever experienced. Sure, he blushed and started when the hot cloth touched his phallus, but the priestess moved on, unabashed. Trevor was, honestly, impressed.

That done, the priestess rubbed a scented oil--rosewater, perhaps?--over him, and he could see the way his arms glistened in the firelight. He started to get excited again, and his cock even twitched before Trevor remembered how many eyes were on him.

Once the priestess was done washing, she asked, "And who will tie your bindings?" Trevor turned to look at Kade, trying not to be too bashful about giving his commander and all the rest of the captains a full frontal view of his nudity.

((OOC: Okay, Kade, go!))

Serio surveyed the gathered troops with pride as everyone filed into place around the circles in the priestess' meadow. He was glad to see that everything had come together nicely, and he was excited to see how the evening would go.

The priestess invited the commander to start things off with a few words. He couldn't help but notice the way that Miyamoto glanced to Fujiwara and Holloway before speaking, and he tucked a quiet satisfaction away, pleased to already know what that was likely about.

"We have secured an alliance with the Shel'ti only through the bravery and determination of these volunteers." Miyamoto said with gravitas as she gestured to the volunteers. "They will serve the goddess of mist on our behalf. It is a great honor to offer these brave soldiers tonight. May they return to walk among us again, having touched the divine."

Ah, how far the commander had come. She nodded to the priestess, who then addressed the volunteers.

"Who will be first to offer themselves to the goddess' mists?"

Trevor stepped forward. Excitement swelled in Serio's chest, and he couldn't quite help clutching his small bundle more tightly. He remained put for now though, not wanting to eclipse Trevor's moment until it was truly time. First the priestess made a brief spectacle with Trevor, asking him what his offering would be, and then instructing him to undress. Trevor made a little bit of a flourish as he took his shirt off, though was a bit more stiff with his boots and pants. Understandable, really. Serio was impressed and pleased by the soldier's resolve even in front of all these witnesses. It genuinely made him think that the soldier was a good offering for the goddess indeed.

All the moreso when the priestess began to wash Trevor's body with a cloth dipped in hot water. Serio felt a bit greedy, but he was grateful that he was able to watch from such a close vantage point--it was a delight to see the steam rise from Trevor's skin, to catch the subtle tells of his muscles relaxing beneath the touch. Then the priestess rubbed oil over his body, and Trevor's posture hinted at pride. Truly a wonderful sight with which to begin the ceremony.

Finally, the priestess asked with another subtle flare of showmanship, "And who will tie your bindings?" In answer, Trevor simply turned around, naked and glistening by the nearby fire as he met Serio's eyes.

Elation and delight trilled in Serio's chest, but he moved with a measured fluidity, holding his giddiness tenderly but deep inside. He stepped smoothly forward, holding Trevor's gaze with a calm smile. He lamented that there hadn't been more time to get to know the soldier. He would have loved to do some test runs, get more of a feel for what the soldier liked, what he hoped to get out of this experience. They had been able to talk some, but it had focused on design. Perhaps that had been a mistake on Serio's part, but... no. Now was no time for regrets. Design had been an important thing to discuss. It would allow him to move forward with confidence in that aspect, and he could check in about the rest as they went.

Once he closed the distance, Serio knelt down in front of Trevor, gently placing his small bundle on the ground beside him. It was simply a clean sheet, nothing fancy--though he certainly would have liked for it to be, but of course, it was what they had to work with. He unfolded it to find the rope inside, in no small part precious in its own right. Not quite intended for this purpose--it had been well-used already, a little bit worn in places, and thicker than Serio would have liked. But he'd set a cadet to getting it in the best condition that he could, with the tools they had at their disposal. As ever, it would have been nice to have more time, but of course, that was a given in all of this.

Serio stood with one of the bundles in hand, wrapped with care by the cadet he'd set to the task, and he was pleased. With a bit of his own flourish, Serio untucked the bight and allowed the bundle to unfurl down onto the sheet. Then, he turned to Trevor, and gestured with his free hand for the soldier to step closer to him, so that he would not need to worry about the rope touching the ground once he began.

"I have two lengths of rope," he said quietly to Trevor. "I will begin with decoration around your chest. Are you ready?"

Trevor watched as Captain Kade approached, his fingers curling and uncurling slightly to work out some of his nerves. This was insane. Trevor was fully nude in front of everyone. And that was before Trevor thought too hard about actually going to the goddess.

He swallowed as Kade laid a bundle, presumably of rope, at his feet, kneeling to do so. When he had talked to Captain Fujiwara earlier about who might be available to tie his restraints, she had told him about Captain Kade's affinity for it, but Trevor now quickly realized that he had underestimated how practiced this man was. Trevor and Kade had discussed the design ahead of time, and Trevor definitely thought the captain would be competent, but watching him actually tend to the ropes was something different. He held them gingerly, like sacred objects--sacred objects that he was about to wrap Trevor with.

Kade pulled out a fold in the rope, letting the rest unwrap itself as it fell to the sheet it had been wrapped in. Turning more directly toward Trevor, Kade gestured for Trevor to take a step forward, and Trevor obeyed almost immediately.

"I have two lengths of rope," the captain said quietly to Trevor. "I will begin with decoration around your chest. Are you ready?"

Trevor nodded before he had fully understood the question, but then took a moment to check in with himself.

"Yes," he added. "I'm ready." After another moment, he said, "Thank you." And he meant it. This was... a big deal, and Trevor was honestly grateful that he had been chosen to start all this off. It was more attention than Trevor had ever had in his entire life. Maybe combined. This rope demonstration was far beyond what he had imagined.

But whatever happened from here, Trevor was thoroughly convinced he was in experienced hands.

Trevor nodded, but Serio waited a moment, if only to ensure that he trusted his read on the soldier before beginning.

"Yes," Trevor stated, "I'm ready." Serio felt a nervousness relax in his own chest, and his smile warmed, grateful that he had given the soldier another moment. Then, Trevor added, "Thank you," and Serio's eyebrows rose a little in surprise, his smile widening with a bit more curl than he'd intended. He reeled it in quickly, resoftening his expression and offering Trevor a nod.

"You're very welcome," Serio said. He debated briefly whether to offer Trevor anything further, but nothing felt quite right. Ultimately he hoped that the ropework would speak for itself. And so, he began.

The first winds were always simple and grounding, broaching touch and establishing pressure on skin. Serio was extra careful not to go too tight--it was unclear how long Trevor would end up wearing this. In truth, he was a little bit nervous about binding the soldier's hands for that reason, but, he believed he could do it safely enough. That was the second length of rope, though--for now, he should focus on the first.

Serio gently placed his hand on Trevor's shoulder and applied a light pressure to prompt him to turn around to relieve the rope of the twist the first winds around Trevor's ribcage had created, offering a verbal nudge if and only if Trevor didn't seem to understand the nonverbal guidance. He then made smooth and steady work of winding the rope over the soldier's shoulders, complementing the man's musculature quite well if Serio did say so himself--and this was still just the scaffolding. Next would be the decorative knot that would go over Trevor's chest, after Serio took just a moment to ensure that the rope all laid flat over Trevor's skin, and to assess Trevor's state while he was at it. He was pleasantly aware of the eyes on them both, but content to keep his focus on Trevor and the rope that connected them.

"You're very welcome."

Trevor didn't know Kade very well, but he'd never seen him smile like that, wide and unrestrained, for a moment at least. He really liked doing this, didn't he? At first, Trevor thought it might be some kind of sadistic impulse, but as Kade began, Trevor saw the reverence with which Kade offered each of his motions. Trevor inhaled sharply as the rope first touched his ribcage. Kade wound it several times around there, and though it felt loose at first, Trevor could flex his stomach muscles to make the rope constrict around him. He closed his eyes and offered a quiet hum that he hoped only Kade would hear. The rope went up toward the top of his shoulder, and Trevor felt Kade gently nudge him in a direction. It took Trevor a moment to understand what the captain wanted, but Trevor figured it out and turned accordingly, feeling the strangely comforting scratch of the rope as Kade continued.

Once the rope crossed over both of Trevor's shoulders, he sighed pleasantly, opening his eyes and only then remembering just how many people were watching. He steeled himself a little, tightening his muscles again. This was for the goddess--this was a gift. It wasn't for Trevor. But, a pleasant, indescribable sensation of being tugged gently down into something soft and welcoming kept pulling Trevor's awareness away from anything other than Kade and the rope. Trevor looked at the captain with a complex mixture of awe, confusion, pleasure, and concern--primarily communicated by a subtle wetness in his eyes and his eyebrows pulled slightly together.

Serio enjoyed the ways that Trevor flexed uner the rope, testing out its pressure on his skin. The soldier also offered a soft hum and then a sigh, which Serio was hopeful indicated some kind of pleasure or contentment. There was a moment when the soldier stiffened which briefly worried Serio, but he quickly discerned that it seemed to stem from a sudden awareness of all of the many eyes that were watching them. Serio subtly shifted his position, making like he was simply flattening a length of rope over Trevor's chest, but very purposefully stepping into the soldier's line of sight, inviting him to focus his attention in on just Serio, and not their audience. Trevor met Serio's eyes with a subtle wetness, his brows drawn together in a frankly beautiful display of emotions. There was confusion and concern, certainly, but also pleasure and, dare he say, awe. That was all perfectly acceptable--ideal really. Serio offered Trevor another brief glimpse of raised eyebrows and a more widely-curled smile, hopeful it might give the soldier some combined sense of comfort and thrill.

Then, he turned his attention back to what he was doing, smile returning to its usual serenity as his fingers began to thread the rope under and around itself and the scaffolding he had created. He pulled it through smoothly, just enough speed to offer Trevor a warm friction against his skin as he worked, paying eager attention to how Trevor's breath and body reacted.

"Eyes down," Serio said softly by Trevor's ear, his tone a warm and gentle suggestion. Then he moved around behind the soldier, ostensibly to finish tying this length of rope off in the back, but also allowing others to see the knot he had looped over the center of Trevor's chest. A lover's knot, some called it, though Serio hadn't emphasized that aspect to Trevor when they'd spoken. He'd wanted to focus on the soldier's aesthetic sense. The narrative that would matter was the one that would emerge between Trevor and the goddess as she took in the sight of it, interacted with the feel of it, and enjoyed Travor's state within it.

The first length of rope fastened off, Serio stepped around in front of Trevor again, taking in every detail he could about the soldier's stance and expression.

"How does that feel?"

((OOC: Just wanting to acknowledge that we didn't actually look up how to make the knot until writing this post, and some descriptions of the steps Serio took are probably a little bit off technically speaking, but that's a future editing job lol.))

Out of the corner of Trevor's eye, he caught another of Kade's smiles, this one full of unmistakable thrill and satisfaction, and Trevor smirked, looking away with a slight blush and a twitch of his cock.

But before long, Kade was winding more of the rope around the center of Trevor's chest. The rope burned as it moved just enough that Trevor thought it might start to get uncomfortably hot against his skin, but it stayed pleasant as Kade deftly modulated the speed and pressure. Gods damn, Trevor was starting to sincerely enjoy this. He liked being a spectacle. He liked being directed. He liked feeling competent, and he liked knowing that he was giving someone else pleasure. A gift to the goddess, indeed.

"Eyes down," Kade said, and Trevor's gaze dropped immediately as Serio stepped behind him to finish tying the rope in the back. A wave of pleasant dizziness overtook Trevor after he had followed the command, and he had to take a step forward momentarily to steady himself.

The only other time he had felt even remotely like this... he had been trapped. His mind could not have disobeyed the goddess even if he had wanted to. And, gods, he didn't want to. He would have done--and did do--anything she had asked. Trevor ached for the cuts she had made across his skin in his dream and imagined her pulling at the ropes he wore now, commanding him, beckoning him.

Trevor kept his eyes down and saw that the tip of his cock was leaking, glistening even more than the rest of him in the torchlight. But, he couldn't even bring himself to look up to see if anyone else had noticed. Kade tugged again on the rope from behind Trevor, tying it off, and Trevor melted, a cascade of his muscles relaxing almost to the point that it was difficult to stand.

The soldier was vaguely aware that Kade had come back around to look at him from the front, and still he could not look up to meet the captain's eyes. Trevor flexed his fingers a little, aching for more rope already.

"How does that feel?" Kade asked, indescribable kindness in his voice.

"Good," Trevor said with a lilt of surprise in his voice and a momentary lift of one eyebrow, his eyes still locked on the ground in front of him.

"Good," Trevor said with a hint of adorable surprise, his eyebrow raising but his eyes not leaving the ground.

The soldier had been growing clearly unsteady, his knees threatening to buckle and his muscles growing almost too relaxed to stand. It was deeply gratifying to Serio, though some concern also twisted together in his gut, especially knowing that he was still going to take this soldier yet deeper. Unfortunately, this would not be the first time that he had sent someone toward danger in a compromised state, and there was always some guilt that would tug at him about that. But at least in this case, he could rest assured that Trevor knew better than most exactly what he was getting himself into with the goddess, and Serio had done what he could to inform the soldier of the additional risks inherent in the offering he had chosen. Trevor had still been adamant about his vision, which Serio deeply respected.

Still, Serio raised his eyes to find Evan, wanting to tug on that touchpoint at least briefly before continuing. Evan had been quite honest when they'd spoken earlier that he couldn't promise much about the night overall, but he would at least accompany Trevor to the goddess, and do what he could to hand him off well, so to speak. Serio did trust Evan to be a man of his word, and that was also of some comfort.

Evan nodded subtly as Serio held his gaze. His expression was solemn, deeply serious with a hint of discomfort, and perhaps also lust if Serio wasn't mistaken. Trevor was quite a sight at this point, glistening and swaying and visibly affected by the rope and Serio's touch. An oddly pleasant envy tugged at Serio's chest as he thought about Evan shepherding all of these offerings to the goddess, in some ways holding them all in the palm of his hand at least until she fully received them. He massaged the sensation back into satisfaction as he reminded himself of the role that he himself was able to play in all of this now--which, to wit, it was high time to return to.

Gingerly, Serio knelt down to retrieve the second length of rope, and he unwound it with a soft flourish much like he had the first, relishing the sound of its tails unfurling into the sheet below and his eyes watching keenly how Trevor responded. He was ready to set aside his concerns and sink back into the role he had agreed to play. For this next addition to Trevor's bindings, Serio prepared a knot a head of time, forming two loops which he then slid loosely up Trevor's arms and over his shoulders from behind him. As he settled their positioning, he said softly in Trevor's ear,

"There is no shame in kneeling, should you need to. Better to kneel than to fall. Do you understand?"

((OOC: Full permission to respond with a short post. Serio didn't realistically do a whole lot this time lol, but def needs to know how Trevor responds to the question before proceeding.))