Nick nodded, wiping away his drying tears. Before long, he had begun the short journey toward her palace, and Dehaljadrun looked forward to what she would find there later. As she turned toward Nathan, a consciousness moving in her awareness caught her attention, although she did not turn around. She closed her eyes momentarily, seeking to understand which of them had moved to follow Nick. Raccoon, the goddess thought. Deciding that was probably for the best, she opened her eyes and looked at Nathan--beautiful, sweet, small Nathan--and her own eyes grew teary. She knew she had had an effect on him, but still, his return pleased and honored her deeply. She was grateful that she had not done wrong by him, at least not enough to keep him away.
He hugged a journal to his chest, and when the goddess looked at it, a phrase came to her mind. Primordial mountain familiar and strange. She smiled slightly, grateful for whatever other words Nathan might have used to capture stories of their time together. In the background of her mind, she ached to return to her dragon form, to stretch her wings and scoop Nathan back into her care again, to hell with the rest of the realms. But, she needed her freedom, and Nathan wasn't the only one now entrusted to her care.
Dehaljadrun came forward to embrace Nathan fully then as he continued to hold onto his journal, holding him as close to her body as she could as she gently kissed the top of his head, truly crying now. With one hand, she stroked down his back, so pleased that Nathan's whole self--body, mind, spirit--was here with her now. She relished in the uncomplicated sensation of it all, this easy love and care for the small human. And, before long, she caressed the sigil on his cheek, urging it to warm and soak deeply into his skin with echoes of the portal's closing gifts.
I am so deeply grateful we will have more time together, Nathan, she said in his mind. You honor me. Welcome back.
She could feel, however, his remaining tug toward curiosity about where Nick had gone, about what was inside her palace, so as she gently pulled away from him, she looked at Nathan and nodded her head in the direction of the palace, indicating that he should follow.
Chris still held the song, which wafted pleasantly around the goddess' mind in a spell that was entirely its own, giving her chills every time the line "one day we'll pass that crown around" was sung. That meant that only Trevor and Chloe were left to welcome. Looking down at the man, his chest still tied with rope as he lay sleeping, she shook her head twice, wiping her eyes. The goddess bent down and easily rolled him over onto his back, seeing the sigil on his right thigh. Though she had, essentially, rejected his thrallhood, she still wanted him. Even now, his sleeping body called to her, a gravity pulling her down closer to him. She straddled one of his legs and explored one of his hips with her hands, eliciting a sleepy moan from his lips. Oh, would that he were dreaming in this moment.
Her fingers tangled in the ropes around his waist, tugging, and he began to stir, blinking up at the lavender morning sky in confusion before looking at the goddess. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he began to remember what had happened, bringing a hand to his face as though surprised that he could move it. He looked at Chloe, too, with confusion.
Can you stand? the goddess asked in his mind. Trevor blinked a few more times before working himself into a seated position, succeeding after a failed attempt to get back on his elbows.
Looking at Dehaljadrun, he thought, You... you didn't take me.
Not yet, she said with a smirk. But you are still here, still mine. If that's still what you want later, perhaps I will grant you your request. Trevor pursed his lips as though unsure what to make of all this. While he gathered his bearings, she reached over toward his right thigh and warmed the clay sigil there, allowing it to seep into Trevor's skin, making a point to keep eye contact with him. You'll always be mine.
She was prepared to stand up off him, but he surprised her by catching her cheek with his fingers, gracing the edge of her jaw as though seeing her for the first time. And, maybe, in a lot of ways, it was the first time.
Please don't leave me, he thought before he could help himself. She felt him scrambling to retract the thought, but it was too late. She had already felt it.
I could ask the same of you, she said pointedly, standing off him now and breaking contact.
Then, the goddess turned to the only woman among them, assessing her. It seemed that the garment she was wearing was intended as the gift to the goddess, and the goddess came closer to inspect it, fingers tracing over the rough cloth that had been turned into straps and the jewelry that had been attached. There was a fiery, creative magic about the piece that both excited and terrified the goddess for reasons she could not understand. As the goddess opened her mind to the woman before her, beginning by searching for the woman's name, she found a series of complex and abstract desires nested within an intense curiosity that reminded the goddess of Ramanujan. A pang of discomfort arose in her chest at the thought, but she gently pushed it away, intent to focus on the here and now. Placing her hands on Chloe's shoulders and closing her eyes, the goddess kept looking, seeking deeper understanding of this woman and her desires.
Many images of Chloe praying--alone or with her fellows--came to mind, though the particulars of which god was the focus did not seem to matter as much as the sentiment of reverence. And then, as the goddess searched even more deeply, she saw a vast array of stars in the night sky and a playful yearning to feel the immensity of existence beyond herself. With a deep breath and still with her eyes closed, the goddess smiled slightly and gently pressed into Chloe's mind an image of a vast pool of magic at the core of her realm--fiery and electric with purple sparks occasionally seeping up through the ground. With a sense of gentle urging within the imagination, the goddess coaxed one such spark up from the ground in the form of a new flower. Its four petals were thick and luscious like tongues with deep purple spots all along their surface. And, when the goddess opened her eyes, and glanced behind herself, such a flower had, indeed, come out of the ground near the entrance of the palace. The goddess raised an eyebrow at Chloe and smirked, curious what--if anything--the woman would make of all that. But, regardless, it felt good to give Chloe a sense of the magic in the realm and to give her something to puzzle on.
Thank you for helping Trevor, the goddess said in Chloe's mind. And welcome. I accept you. Lastly, she pressed the sigil on Chloe collarbone, initiating warmth there as it, too, marked her as a being of and for Dehaljadrun.
((OOC: I think I'm going to stop here, but Dehaljadrun will likely soon move onto addressing Chris.))
Part 1 (Start Reading Here)
Re: Part 1 (Start Reading Here)
It was absurd how relieved Chris felt when Holloway began singing along. It sparked a strange friction in his chest--this scraping of prickly dislike for the man alongside a confounding camaradarie in the soundscape. Others joined in, too, which helped calm that friction for now, which Chris was grateful for. Really what he had wanted was exactly this--to disappear into a chorus, to be just one voice among many. To not feel alone.
Other voices came in and out, attention following the goddess as she regarded, touched, accepted each of the volunteers in turn. Chris opened his eyes occasionally, curious to witness the actual gestures, but often found he preferred to have his eyes closed, focused on feeling the ripples in the energy around them. Envy did tug at him, and moments of overwhelm--there was so much swirling between them all--but he held steady singing his song, clinging to serving a purpose. To both Holloway and Rutliff's credit, they kept Chris steadfast company in the soundscape, at least after Holloway's initial falter. Chris really didn't know what interacting with either of them here would really be like, but it was comforting to at least feel like, if nothing else, they could sing together.
((OOC: Ok, we got that far, but realized we're not sure if/how Chris will intuit the goddess is ready for him to stop singing. Also not sure if Evan and Lance will keep holding the song after Chris stops. Imagine they'd all be looking to Dehaljadrun for cues there.))
Other voices came in and out, attention following the goddess as she regarded, touched, accepted each of the volunteers in turn. Chris opened his eyes occasionally, curious to witness the actual gestures, but often found he preferred to have his eyes closed, focused on feeling the ripples in the energy around them. Envy did tug at him, and moments of overwhelm--there was so much swirling between them all--but he held steady singing his song, clinging to serving a purpose. To both Holloway and Rutliff's credit, they kept Chris steadfast company in the soundscape, at least after Holloway's initial falter. Chris really didn't know what interacting with either of them here would really be like, but it was comforting to at least feel like, if nothing else, they could sing together.
((OOC: Ok, we got that far, but realized we're not sure if/how Chris will intuit the goddess is ready for him to stop singing. Also not sure if Evan and Lance will keep holding the song after Chris stops. Imagine they'd all be looking to Dehaljadrun for cues there.))
Re: Part 1 (Start Reading Here)
Chris had obligingly continued singing through it all, along with Evan, Lance, and Novelty. Others had carried the song when they could, when the goddess was not distracting them.
Chris stood slightly back toward where the portal had been, in the center of everyone when they inevitably turned to follow Dehaljadrun's attention. The goddess smiled and inclined her chin to him, though he was shorter than she was. As the end of the verse approached, the goddess took steps closer to Chris, letting her hips sway a little more than was strictly necessarily, her fingers trailing up the tops of her thighs.
By the time she was properly in front of Chris, everyone else had trailed off, leaving Chris left to finish the verse.
"...seeking the peace we hold in our souls," Chris sang. For a few glorious moments, the goddess did nothing as ringing silence entered the soundscape, followed shortly by a rustle in a nearby shrub and the cry of a winged creature. The goddess did not take her eyes off Chris all the while.
Gently, the goddess enveloped Chris with her awareness, closing her eyes to sort through memories of what might have drawn him to her. [i]A heavy, watery burden in his chest; an argument with a woman; singing on the long walk to where the army camped now; lonely nights clutching nothing but the thin, army-issue blanket; a niggling whisper that there was something more to all this...[/i]
[i]The magic you are looking for will find you here, Chris,[/i] the goddess said in his mind, [i]whether you want it to or not.[/i]
She then brought Chris into an embrace--his soft, naked skin against her multitudinous shimmering scales--pulling him tightly to her.
[i]I'm here now, Chris,[/i] she said, the tone of her voice within her mind almost an apology, [i]I'm here now.[/i]
She stroked his hair, still holding him tightly, and on a whim, grabbed a moderate fistful of his hair and gently pulled, kissing his temple in the process.
((Apparently, Chris' reactions here will determine a lot of what happens next, so we will stop here. We are aware that she has yet to affect his sigil.))
Chris stood slightly back toward where the portal had been, in the center of everyone when they inevitably turned to follow Dehaljadrun's attention. The goddess smiled and inclined her chin to him, though he was shorter than she was. As the end of the verse approached, the goddess took steps closer to Chris, letting her hips sway a little more than was strictly necessarily, her fingers trailing up the tops of her thighs.
By the time she was properly in front of Chris, everyone else had trailed off, leaving Chris left to finish the verse.
"...seeking the peace we hold in our souls," Chris sang. For a few glorious moments, the goddess did nothing as ringing silence entered the soundscape, followed shortly by a rustle in a nearby shrub and the cry of a winged creature. The goddess did not take her eyes off Chris all the while.
Gently, the goddess enveloped Chris with her awareness, closing her eyes to sort through memories of what might have drawn him to her. [i]A heavy, watery burden in his chest; an argument with a woman; singing on the long walk to where the army camped now; lonely nights clutching nothing but the thin, army-issue blanket; a niggling whisper that there was something more to all this...[/i]
[i]The magic you are looking for will find you here, Chris,[/i] the goddess said in his mind, [i]whether you want it to or not.[/i]
She then brought Chris into an embrace--his soft, naked skin against her multitudinous shimmering scales--pulling him tightly to her.
[i]I'm here now, Chris,[/i] she said, the tone of her voice within her mind almost an apology, [i]I'm here now.[/i]
She stroked his hair, still holding him tightly, and on a whim, grabbed a moderate fistful of his hair and gently pulled, kissing his temple in the process.
((Apparently, Chris' reactions here will determine a lot of what happens next, so we will stop here. We are aware that she has yet to affect his sigil.))
Re: Part 1 (Start Reading Here)
All at once, a flower bloomed. Chris opened his eyes, attention somehow fixing directly on the spot where, indeed, a flower stood that hadn't been there before. He felt swept along in the awe and wonder of it, and his hands reached down to touch the ground he still knelt upon, finding a new curiosity about this land, the blades of grass beneath him. He let his curiosity drift off with the touch, though, his attention dipping back into the song. Maybe precisely because, on some level he was aware that it was 'his turn' next... but he just wasn't quite ready to face it.
He played dumb for some moments--and, to be fair, many aspects of his awareness genuinely were caught up in singing and feeling and not tracking the order of events--but eventually, the weight of the collective attention settled into him, and his eyes opened again to see the goddess, smiling and inclining her chin toward him. He swallowed between words in his song, his voice wavering just briefly as he finally found it in himself to push himself to his feet. His heart pounded in his chest as the goddess began to approach, fingers trailing over the tops of her thighs as she walked. Chris couldn't help admiring the way her dress shimmered over her form, her hips swaying in a way that almost made Chris unsteady. He was heady from all the emotion in the air, maybe even some kind of intoxicated by it.
He finished the chorus of the song, his own voice the last still singing by the end, and his skin tingled all over in the silence that rang heavy in the air between them. There was a rustle nearby, and the cry of a bird. It startled Chris and he stiffened, but the goddess' gaze was magnetic, and her eyes did not move from his, nor his from hers. He felt thrown open to her, then--emotion swelling within him as his loneliness, his longing was somehow laid bare between them.
The magic you are looking for will find you here, Chris, the goddess said in his mind, whether you want it to or not.
He might have cried--he could feel the sob beginning to erupt in his throat--but the goddess took him into an embrace, which both surprised and soothed him. He felt hot with embarassment, but his attention was intrigued and delighted by the texture of her dress pressing against his skin. He hesitated briefly, but did tentatively set his hands against the goddess' low back, shuddering lightly with excitement as he settled into the contact.
I'm here now, Chris, she said, surprising him with an apologetic tone to her voice. I'm here now. He felt puzzled, briefly--was she... missing, before? But then she stroked his hair, distracting him with a pleasant shiver before gently curling her fingers against his scalp and tugging. Elation rippled across his body, his eyes closing as he took in a shaky breath. He let it out just as shakily as the goddess kissed his temple, and his fingers gripped her with more conviction--almost as if to say, Please, more.
He played dumb for some moments--and, to be fair, many aspects of his awareness genuinely were caught up in singing and feeling and not tracking the order of events--but eventually, the weight of the collective attention settled into him, and his eyes opened again to see the goddess, smiling and inclining her chin toward him. He swallowed between words in his song, his voice wavering just briefly as he finally found it in himself to push himself to his feet. His heart pounded in his chest as the goddess began to approach, fingers trailing over the tops of her thighs as she walked. Chris couldn't help admiring the way her dress shimmered over her form, her hips swaying in a way that almost made Chris unsteady. He was heady from all the emotion in the air, maybe even some kind of intoxicated by it.
He finished the chorus of the song, his own voice the last still singing by the end, and his skin tingled all over in the silence that rang heavy in the air between them. There was a rustle nearby, and the cry of a bird. It startled Chris and he stiffened, but the goddess' gaze was magnetic, and her eyes did not move from his, nor his from hers. He felt thrown open to her, then--emotion swelling within him as his loneliness, his longing was somehow laid bare between them.
The magic you are looking for will find you here, Chris, the goddess said in his mind, whether you want it to or not.
He might have cried--he could feel the sob beginning to erupt in his throat--but the goddess took him into an embrace, which both surprised and soothed him. He felt hot with embarassment, but his attention was intrigued and delighted by the texture of her dress pressing against his skin. He hesitated briefly, but did tentatively set his hands against the goddess' low back, shuddering lightly with excitement as he settled into the contact.
I'm here now, Chris, she said, surprising him with an apologetic tone to her voice. I'm here now. He felt puzzled, briefly--was she... missing, before? But then she stroked his hair, distracting him with a pleasant shiver before gently curling her fingers against his scalp and tugging. Elation rippled across his body, his eyes closing as he took in a shaky breath. He let it out just as shakily as the goddess kissed his temple, and his fingers gripped her with more conviction--almost as if to say, Please, more.
Re: Part 1 (Start Reading Here)
Chris' body and mind both rippled, Dehaljadrun's mental landscape flashing a deep purple as the sensation passed over her and into her. She rolled with Chris, using the momentum generated to pull harder at his hair, grasping a fuller section as she did so. Chris' fingers pressed into her lower back, and the goddess pulled him closer. She reached her other hand over the back of his right shoulder, claiming him as she massaged his sigil warmly into his skin.
Welcome, she said, the sound reverberating through Chris' mind and beyond into the mental landscape of everyone standing nearby. It was a deep, sultry, inviting voice, tinged with hunger and longing. Dehaljadrun was done holding herself at bay. Now, she could feast. Everyone here was a gift to her, and far be it from her to refuse such a delightful set of offerings.
Evan, though, came a whisper in her mind, and the goddess looked over to him, her wavy black hair cascading down her back, her eyes intense and intoxicated. She looked at his sword and the pants she had made him, his form fitting inside her scales so as to only accentuate what would have been visible if he were nude. Her hunger flared, and her phallus pulsed against Chris. She suddenly felt ravenous and impatient--there was little this human-like version of her body could do to satiate the desires welling up like blood from a puncture wound, not sufficiently, not with all of them.
But what else? She realized quickly that she was out of practice sorting through so many desires simultaneously. Here, these humans held eleven different versions of her in her mind, and she felt called in a number of directions, the overlaps present but not complete. And where was she in the sea of what others wanted from her? She pulled harder on Chris' hair, enough that she thought she was well into causing him pain now--that was her, that was what she wanted. A primal urge to use her teeth and scratch and tear came over her, and she did not stop herself when she had the impulse to bite Chris' shoulder. She did not quite break skin, but she was still sucking something out of Chris. Longing? Loneliness? The goddess didn't care. She pulled and pulled and wanted more, not stopping even if Chris lost his footing or fell to his knees.
Distantly, Dehaljadrun was aware that her dress was changing. The scales were fading and giving way to blackness--black searching tendrils moving outward in all direction, latching onto the nearest wrist or ankle until everyone around her was attached to her magic as the goddess sucked and bit Chris' shoulder.
The tendrils pulled and sucked from everyone else, too, pulling out hunger that matched her own and replacing it with a heady mixture of drowsy arousal.
Colorful flares of surprise, alarm, maybe even panic worked their way into the goddess' awareness. This can't go on forever, some voice chided her. You aren't this monster.
But enough of the volunteers were responding positively. Enough of them were hungry as she was hungry, surely she could keep going...
No.
The tendrils eased back from Philip and Chloe first, then each of the other volunteers, though the tendril attached to Evan's ankle, which had slithered halfway up one of Evan's pant legs, remained and squeezed harder, digging small spines against his flesh.
The goddess pulled her mouth away from Chris' shoulder, her dress a cloud of swirling black. She willed it to fit her form more closely, though she still could not make herself free Evan.
Gently, the goddess massaged the bite mark she had left on Chris, unable to look him in the eye. Was he afraid of her now? Were they all afraid of her?
Aloud, she said, quietly at first, "You're free." Then, louder, looking around at the rest of the volunteers, "You're free. You have your agency and may come and go as you please. Few beings of the realm come to my palace grounds without permission, so you may reside in relative safety here. Beyond that, you'll be on your own."
Closing her eyes briefly, the goddess willed a soft, black cloth to form over the hips and upper thighs of the nude men, leaving Chloe with the garments she arrived in. The cloth was itself like a tendril, still gently sucking and pulling at them, but it was less intense and not attached in the same way. They could opt out of it if they so chose.
Rubbing the corner where Chris' jaw met the muscles of his neck, the goddess added quietly, "And if you stay in my proximity, I will avail myself of you."
Welcome, she said, the sound reverberating through Chris' mind and beyond into the mental landscape of everyone standing nearby. It was a deep, sultry, inviting voice, tinged with hunger and longing. Dehaljadrun was done holding herself at bay. Now, she could feast. Everyone here was a gift to her, and far be it from her to refuse such a delightful set of offerings.
Evan, though, came a whisper in her mind, and the goddess looked over to him, her wavy black hair cascading down her back, her eyes intense and intoxicated. She looked at his sword and the pants she had made him, his form fitting inside her scales so as to only accentuate what would have been visible if he were nude. Her hunger flared, and her phallus pulsed against Chris. She suddenly felt ravenous and impatient--there was little this human-like version of her body could do to satiate the desires welling up like blood from a puncture wound, not sufficiently, not with all of them.
But what else? She realized quickly that she was out of practice sorting through so many desires simultaneously. Here, these humans held eleven different versions of her in her mind, and she felt called in a number of directions, the overlaps present but not complete. And where was she in the sea of what others wanted from her? She pulled harder on Chris' hair, enough that she thought she was well into causing him pain now--that was her, that was what she wanted. A primal urge to use her teeth and scratch and tear came over her, and she did not stop herself when she had the impulse to bite Chris' shoulder. She did not quite break skin, but she was still sucking something out of Chris. Longing? Loneliness? The goddess didn't care. She pulled and pulled and wanted more, not stopping even if Chris lost his footing or fell to his knees.
Distantly, Dehaljadrun was aware that her dress was changing. The scales were fading and giving way to blackness--black searching tendrils moving outward in all direction, latching onto the nearest wrist or ankle until everyone around her was attached to her magic as the goddess sucked and bit Chris' shoulder.
The tendrils pulled and sucked from everyone else, too, pulling out hunger that matched her own and replacing it with a heady mixture of drowsy arousal.
Colorful flares of surprise, alarm, maybe even panic worked their way into the goddess' awareness. This can't go on forever, some voice chided her. You aren't this monster.
But enough of the volunteers were responding positively. Enough of them were hungry as she was hungry, surely she could keep going...
No.
The tendrils eased back from Philip and Chloe first, then each of the other volunteers, though the tendril attached to Evan's ankle, which had slithered halfway up one of Evan's pant legs, remained and squeezed harder, digging small spines against his flesh.
The goddess pulled her mouth away from Chris' shoulder, her dress a cloud of swirling black. She willed it to fit her form more closely, though she still could not make herself free Evan.
Gently, the goddess massaged the bite mark she had left on Chris, unable to look him in the eye. Was he afraid of her now? Were they all afraid of her?
Aloud, she said, quietly at first, "You're free." Then, louder, looking around at the rest of the volunteers, "You're free. You have your agency and may come and go as you please. Few beings of the realm come to my palace grounds without permission, so you may reside in relative safety here. Beyond that, you'll be on your own."
Closing her eyes briefly, the goddess willed a soft, black cloth to form over the hips and upper thighs of the nude men, leaving Chloe with the garments she arrived in. The cloth was itself like a tendril, still gently sucking and pulling at them, but it was less intense and not attached in the same way. They could opt out of it if they so chose.
Rubbing the corner where Chris' jaw met the muscles of his neck, the goddess added quietly, "And if you stay in my proximity, I will avail myself of you."
Re: Part 1 (Start Reading Here)
Novelty blinked in amazement when the goddess had finished with him and moved on. He looked over to Philip briefly as though to ask, did you see that? But of course he had.
A goddess, kneeling in front of him, kissing the crease of his thigh, working magic so the flowers Captain Kade had wound around him would forever decorate his skin. It only took a few more moments before he realized he should probably pick up the song again, taking a deep breath before he did so to reorient his attention to Gavin.
Gavin's body was changing, too, and the magic was no less mesmerizing. What was once a leather packer became flesh, and Gavin's body become subtly more masculine in other ways as well. Would all of them change? Novelty wondered.
The goddess didn't spend much time focused on Nick before he was heading toward the large tree in front of them, which Novelty finally realized was an enterable building. He felt tugged that direction as well, curious to explore, especially after Raccoon did follow Nick, but Novelty contented himself with the idea that he had the rest of his life--potentially--here in the goddess' realm, and there would be time to adventure once the goddess had her attention turned elsewhere. For now, Novelty watched as Nathan, too, went into toward the tree, journal hugged against his chest. At this point, Novelty worried that they were being separated or segregated somehow, the goddess determining which were worthy of some additional honor. He tried to hold that anxiety at bay, though, as the goddess moved onto Trevor. She was able to coax him back to sitting, at least, and some unspoken communication seemed to pass between them.
With Chloe, the goddess closed her eyes, and Novelty's attention drifted for a moment as he shifted, realizing his body was growing tired of standing after all the excitement of the ceremony and now being received by the goddess. But, exactly where he was looking, a spotted flower grew and bloomed out of the ground in front of him, and he opened his mouth, blinking again in surprise. Would there be no end to the surprises today? But what did he expect? This was an entirely new realm. And this was what he wanted, wasn't it?
When the goddess at last approached Chris, Novelty felt excitement bubble up in his stomach. Chris was the last of them to be accepted--and then what would happen? The unknown erupted into unruly waves within Novelty, his attention renewed and focused.
Novelty let the song drop off even before the verse was finished, compelled to allow Chris to finish it. Chris shivered and embraced the goddess, the two of them staying like that for a while before Dehaljadrun curled her fingers into Chris' hair and pulled. A wave of pleasure or maybe gratitude moved visibly through Chris, encouraging the goddess, who pulled him closer.
After a moment, the goddess looked at Evan, glorious and queenly with her flowing black hair and her startling intensity, and Novelty held his breath, waiting, willing for something to happen. He felt as though they all stood teetering on the edge of a blade.
All at once, the goddess leaned forward and clamped her jaw on Chris' shoulder, but Novelty could not continue paying attention to that because of the ways the goddess' dress was changing--becoming a cloud of furious black that shot out in many directions at once, claimed a wrist here, an ankle there. One such tendril of black claimed Novelty's ankle, wrapping around it, and immediately, Novelty felt light-headed. Energy felt as though it was pouring out of him down through his ankle, and his mouth moved uselessly as his body ached for contact--any contact. Without hardly thinking, he reached to put a hand on Philip's shoulder, squeezing the flesh there and praying that that would be enough to steady him. He felt ready to fall entirely into whatever this new blackness was--the goddess herself?--but he didn't want to go alone. Novelty found his vision growing dark around the edges, and his eyes rolled back in his head thinking about the ways he had wanted Philip the previous night, calling to mind all the ache and fear of not being wanted, of not being welcomed. The hunger of his own loneliness clawed at the inside of his chest, and he brought his other hand there, scratching himself as though he could reach in and pull some of it out of there. If the tendril continued to drain him, maybe there would be only this loneliness left. He thought of Stephen and Kaila and the others Novelty had left behind--Captain Kade, Commander Miyamoto, Lieutenant Allegre, and many other people he called friends. He might never see them again.
But then, his vision brightened again, and the pressure around his ankle loosened before letting go of him altogether. Novelty inhaled deeply, trying to catch his breath and reorient himself. As he looked around, most of the tendrils had disappeared except one that remained connected to Evan. Was this what he had been dealing with in all his time with the goddess?
The goddess pulled away from Chris' shoulder, though she continued to massage the mark she had left on him as the cloud of black around her began to shrink into the recognizable shape of a form-fitting dress, leaving the lavender skin of her back exposed--terrifyingly beautiful. What was she?
The Demon Queen, Novelty thought.
"You're free," the goddess whispered, and Novelty thought he must have heard her incorrectly. But she repeated herself, louder this time. "You're free. You have your agency and may come and go as you please. Few beings of the realm come to my palace grounds without permission, so you may reside in relative safety here. Beyond that, you'll be on your own."
Before Novelty had time to parse what that meant in this situation, a smaller black cloud began forming around his hips. He stepped back from it, pulling his hand away from Philip, but the cloud followed him and became wispy, circling around him like a draping cloth. The cloth itself was slightly warm and clung to him, almost as if there were tiny suction cups all over the fabric. It made all his skin tingle where it touched the cloth--all across his backside, his groin, and both of his hips. He hummed into a light moan, enjoying the gently pulsing suction. It called to mind Evan's clothing--the armor the goddess had made for him--had it been made out of this? Was that why Rutliff had been walking around aroused all day? Novelty chuckled lightly, looking at Evan and wondering how he was faring, still attached to the goddess as he was.
Dehaljadrun kept massaging Chris, moving up to the place where the corner of his jaw met his neck now, adding to her earlier statement, "And if you stay in my proximity, I will avail myself of you."
Novelty raised his eyebrows, having a better idea now of exactly what that meant. What did he want in light of that? He looked around at his fellow volunteers, trying to assess how many of them he thought would stay. It didn't really feel like Evan had a choice, and Novelty didn't get the impression the captain wanted one. Philip, though? Chloe? Nick and Nathan, who had only just come out of the tree palace? Gavin? Lance?
But did he need to consider what they wanted to understand what he wanted? Novelty closed his eyes, searching. He did want to explore. He wanted to see the inside of the tree and explore the palace grounds. He wanted to walk with Philip and see if other volunteers might be curious about intimacy with him. He wanted to explore what it was like to be with his companions without the trappings of rank and picking sides. What was this freedom the goddess spoke of?
Opening his eyes and looking at Philip, Novelty took a deep breath and made a decision.
He turned toward Dehaljadrun, though she was still very intent on massaging Chris and did not cast even a glance around herself otherwise--maybe even afraid to do so.
"Dearest goddess, you are good to us. Speaking for myself, I am, indeed, a gift to you, but I know I will appreciate you all the more if I have the opportunity to experience this realm first. I'll explore for now, and if you should ever need me, I am yours."
With that, slowly, he turned again to face the tree palace and walked toward it at something of a snail's pace, hoping others might join him.
A goddess, kneeling in front of him, kissing the crease of his thigh, working magic so the flowers Captain Kade had wound around him would forever decorate his skin. It only took a few more moments before he realized he should probably pick up the song again, taking a deep breath before he did so to reorient his attention to Gavin.
Gavin's body was changing, too, and the magic was no less mesmerizing. What was once a leather packer became flesh, and Gavin's body become subtly more masculine in other ways as well. Would all of them change? Novelty wondered.
The goddess didn't spend much time focused on Nick before he was heading toward the large tree in front of them, which Novelty finally realized was an enterable building. He felt tugged that direction as well, curious to explore, especially after Raccoon did follow Nick, but Novelty contented himself with the idea that he had the rest of his life--potentially--here in the goddess' realm, and there would be time to adventure once the goddess had her attention turned elsewhere. For now, Novelty watched as Nathan, too, went into toward the tree, journal hugged against his chest. At this point, Novelty worried that they were being separated or segregated somehow, the goddess determining which were worthy of some additional honor. He tried to hold that anxiety at bay, though, as the goddess moved onto Trevor. She was able to coax him back to sitting, at least, and some unspoken communication seemed to pass between them.
With Chloe, the goddess closed her eyes, and Novelty's attention drifted for a moment as he shifted, realizing his body was growing tired of standing after all the excitement of the ceremony and now being received by the goddess. But, exactly where he was looking, a spotted flower grew and bloomed out of the ground in front of him, and he opened his mouth, blinking again in surprise. Would there be no end to the surprises today? But what did he expect? This was an entirely new realm. And this was what he wanted, wasn't it?
When the goddess at last approached Chris, Novelty felt excitement bubble up in his stomach. Chris was the last of them to be accepted--and then what would happen? The unknown erupted into unruly waves within Novelty, his attention renewed and focused.
Novelty let the song drop off even before the verse was finished, compelled to allow Chris to finish it. Chris shivered and embraced the goddess, the two of them staying like that for a while before Dehaljadrun curled her fingers into Chris' hair and pulled. A wave of pleasure or maybe gratitude moved visibly through Chris, encouraging the goddess, who pulled him closer.
After a moment, the goddess looked at Evan, glorious and queenly with her flowing black hair and her startling intensity, and Novelty held his breath, waiting, willing for something to happen. He felt as though they all stood teetering on the edge of a blade.
All at once, the goddess leaned forward and clamped her jaw on Chris' shoulder, but Novelty could not continue paying attention to that because of the ways the goddess' dress was changing--becoming a cloud of furious black that shot out in many directions at once, claimed a wrist here, an ankle there. One such tendril of black claimed Novelty's ankle, wrapping around it, and immediately, Novelty felt light-headed. Energy felt as though it was pouring out of him down through his ankle, and his mouth moved uselessly as his body ached for contact--any contact. Without hardly thinking, he reached to put a hand on Philip's shoulder, squeezing the flesh there and praying that that would be enough to steady him. He felt ready to fall entirely into whatever this new blackness was--the goddess herself?--but he didn't want to go alone. Novelty found his vision growing dark around the edges, and his eyes rolled back in his head thinking about the ways he had wanted Philip the previous night, calling to mind all the ache and fear of not being wanted, of not being welcomed. The hunger of his own loneliness clawed at the inside of his chest, and he brought his other hand there, scratching himself as though he could reach in and pull some of it out of there. If the tendril continued to drain him, maybe there would be only this loneliness left. He thought of Stephen and Kaila and the others Novelty had left behind--Captain Kade, Commander Miyamoto, Lieutenant Allegre, and many other people he called friends. He might never see them again.
But then, his vision brightened again, and the pressure around his ankle loosened before letting go of him altogether. Novelty inhaled deeply, trying to catch his breath and reorient himself. As he looked around, most of the tendrils had disappeared except one that remained connected to Evan. Was this what he had been dealing with in all his time with the goddess?
The goddess pulled away from Chris' shoulder, though she continued to massage the mark she had left on him as the cloud of black around her began to shrink into the recognizable shape of a form-fitting dress, leaving the lavender skin of her back exposed--terrifyingly beautiful. What was she?
The Demon Queen, Novelty thought.
"You're free," the goddess whispered, and Novelty thought he must have heard her incorrectly. But she repeated herself, louder this time. "You're free. You have your agency and may come and go as you please. Few beings of the realm come to my palace grounds without permission, so you may reside in relative safety here. Beyond that, you'll be on your own."
Before Novelty had time to parse what that meant in this situation, a smaller black cloud began forming around his hips. He stepped back from it, pulling his hand away from Philip, but the cloud followed him and became wispy, circling around him like a draping cloth. The cloth itself was slightly warm and clung to him, almost as if there were tiny suction cups all over the fabric. It made all his skin tingle where it touched the cloth--all across his backside, his groin, and both of his hips. He hummed into a light moan, enjoying the gently pulsing suction. It called to mind Evan's clothing--the armor the goddess had made for him--had it been made out of this? Was that why Rutliff had been walking around aroused all day? Novelty chuckled lightly, looking at Evan and wondering how he was faring, still attached to the goddess as he was.
Dehaljadrun kept massaging Chris, moving up to the place where the corner of his jaw met his neck now, adding to her earlier statement, "And if you stay in my proximity, I will avail myself of you."
Novelty raised his eyebrows, having a better idea now of exactly what that meant. What did he want in light of that? He looked around at his fellow volunteers, trying to assess how many of them he thought would stay. It didn't really feel like Evan had a choice, and Novelty didn't get the impression the captain wanted one. Philip, though? Chloe? Nick and Nathan, who had only just come out of the tree palace? Gavin? Lance?
But did he need to consider what they wanted to understand what he wanted? Novelty closed his eyes, searching. He did want to explore. He wanted to see the inside of the tree and explore the palace grounds. He wanted to walk with Philip and see if other volunteers might be curious about intimacy with him. He wanted to explore what it was like to be with his companions without the trappings of rank and picking sides. What was this freedom the goddess spoke of?
Opening his eyes and looking at Philip, Novelty took a deep breath and made a decision.
He turned toward Dehaljadrun, though she was still very intent on massaging Chris and did not cast even a glance around herself otherwise--maybe even afraid to do so.
"Dearest goddess, you are good to us. Speaking for myself, I am, indeed, a gift to you, but I know I will appreciate you all the more if I have the opportunity to experience this realm first. I'll explore for now, and if you should ever need me, I am yours."
With that, slowly, he turned again to face the tree palace and walked toward it at something of a snail's pace, hoping others might join him.
Re: Part 1 (Start Reading Here)
"Will he be all right?"
Evan was surprised how grateful he felt for Chloe's simple, straightforward curiosity, an appropriate splash of genuine concern mixed in. She took over untying Trevor's as the goddess rose to speak, and Evan tentatively rose with her, though he instinctively took a step back toward being in some kind of circle with the other volunteers, broadly drawn. He was also grateful for the goddess' reply--making no promises she couldn't keep, but gesturing toward what the volunteers could hold onto. It seemed to land well with them, from what he could tell, though some were harder to read than others.
Then, the goddess asked Chris to sing, and Evan's attention sharpened in on the brunette, still stiff on his knees. He felt worried about Chris, unsure how he would ultimately fare given what Evan had seen of him so far. But Chris did collect himself, sitting more upright and shaking off some of his tension before obliging the goddess in a song. It wasn't the song he had sung in the ceremony, but it was familiar to Evan's ears. Lance joined in, followed soon by others, and Evan was happy to add his own voice to the mix. It helped him settle, finding a role to play in keeping Chris company and keeping the song going as others wavered in and out--especially while they goddess paid them close attention.
She started with Lance, and the braggart's teary smile followed by a beautiful fluttery moan was an absolute joy to witness. Pemberley was a bit of a more complicated beast, but by now Evan was at least finding some kind of balance in himself, riding a wave of discomfort with careful precision, his voice carrying a willful determination as he sang. Whatever this wound was that he still carried from what had happened that second night, he would refuse to let it defeat him, and in that, he would offer Pemberley some kind of blessing here--some genuine desire for them all to figure this shit out, somehow.
It was all downhill from there, whatever remnants of guilt from losing track of Trevor uncoiling completely as Evan followed the goddess' attention to each new volunteer, witnessing each of their joys in her welcome. He was beginning to feel nearly comfortable, dare he say, relaxing into his role of witness and singer, enjoying his contributions to the soundscape and the ease with which is body held itself. Then, at last, the goddess made her way toward Chris, and Evan relinquished his voice, silence falling upon them all in a tingling haze as Chris finally pushed himself to his feet to meet his goddess. The goddess embraced him, and then curled her fingers into his hair with a gentle tug, and Evan couldn't help a tiny, vindicated pleasure as he watch Chris subtly melt beneath the sensation, recalling his own temptation to tug on the soldier's hair just on the other side of the portal.
Something began to shift as the goddess' body rolled against Chris', though, and Evan finally realized the precipice they approached, with Chris the final volunteer for the goddess to greet in this way. Anticipation pulsed in his gut, then, his comfort beginning to give way to uncertainty about just what would happen next.
Welcome, her voice reverberated through Evan's mind--all of their minds, he gathered. Her dark, sultry tone reminded him of their first meeting through Trevor in the infirmary tent, and the anticipation in his gut buzzed and flared as the goddess' gaze turned toward him. Her eyes raked over him, reminding him of his own exposed state--not fully nude like most of the others, but the pants the goddess had made for him doing little to obscure his form. Evan flashed her a smile, largely just simply happy but with a dash of daring as he shifted his weight, offering her a subtly more curated shape to admire of his body. Perhaps, he thought, she might pick up where she'd left off before this little welcoming interlude--but instead, she tugged tighter at Chris' har and then bit into his shoulder, drawing a shuddering cry from the volunteer.
Envy finally flared at that, Evan's own jaw clenching as Chris' cry shifted into a moan. But then concern began to rise also as the brunette's knees began to give out--was he in danger the same way Trevor had just been?--and doubly so when the goddess' dress morphed and spread, and all at once a tendril was around Evan's ankle, shooting a primal instinctive panic through his nerves at being grabbed. He instinctively tried to step out of the grip, a surprised laugh erupting from his belly as he recalled stepping back from her lightning band that first night, a distant echo of that first shock coursing through him in some kind of nostalgia.
A quick glance around confirmed that the others had tendrils, too, and he some parts gratified that it seemed they'd all now be getting a more visceral introduction--and also some parts absolutely fucking devastated watching her hold Chris tight while he himself stood some paces away just like the others, not even the pressure of her scale against his chest to comfort him any longer. The tendril, too, was her, he tried to tell himself, but the more he leaned in to that in attempts to seek comfort or connection, the more it coiled up his leg and seemed to suck away from him, hungry and ravenous in its contact.
He scratched at his chest in longing, a low growl humming from his throat as his own ravenous hunger began to pulse through him. His attention began to widen back out to the volunteers, some potent mixture of indignance and desperation beginning to drive his throughts toward who else he might engage with to warm his tingling skin, since the goddess seemed so fucking content with Chris. Trevor was nearest to him, and imaginations rolled in easily of yanking at the man's hair, grappling with his muscles, raking teeth and nails over flesh. Surely, if Evan had any read on the soldier at all, he'd enjoy all that just as much as Evan would. But Evan's leg was sluggish to move, the tendril heavy and sapping away his resolve faster than he could muster it. Anger finally flared, then, and Evan threw a glare back toward the goddess, irrationally enraged; he wanted to thrash, but was finding himself at a loss as to how.
But as Evan glared, he realized that the tendrils that had ensnared the others were dissipating, various states of reeling and recovering rippling through them. Evan's tendril was staying put, however, and beginning to press sharp barbs into his leg. His glare shifted into a wry, seething smirk, at once moritified and delighted to be singled out in this way. Perhaps on some level, too, he was relieved that the goddess still could pull back; and, in fact, that she would, at least at some point. The fear that she couldn't had not been plain in his mind, and when he looked at it it dissipated easily, but he began to suspect that it may be palpable for many of the others present. He realized, then, with some melancholy that the goddess herself surely felt that fear most palpably of all; he could see it in the way that she withdrew from Chris, massaging his shoulder but unable or unwilling to try to meet him in the eye. Gods, Evan ached now to comfort her, but how?
Almost as if in answer, he felt the barbs press into his leg more sharply, and he groaned, closing his eyes briefly as a dance of hot, pricking tingles finally overtook some kind of threshold and demanded taking his awareness for a ride through his body and every shuddering muscle and singing nerve that lit up within it.
"You're free," the goddess said softly, sending a complex rush of wry amusement and airy relief and longing melancholy washing through him, heavy in his chest and swirling out in fractals onto his skin. She said more words, her voice caressing Evan's awareness even as the sharp barbs tightened even further and pulled a seething breath though his teeth. Somehow, he mustered the resolve to check that he could still feel his feet on the ground, his spine stacked upright, his muscles taught and determined to remain standing--though, even the touch of the ground itself was starting to carry its own allure.
"And if you stay in my proximity," the goddess continued, and Evan's attention grabbed onto the words, his eyes opening and trying to pull himself back into a grounded awareness of what was actually happening. "I will avail myself of you."
Oh, fuck, please, yes. Evan couldn't help the plead that poured from his mind through his freshly-opened eyes. He very nearly took a step toward her, hand starting to outstretch, but pride finally blundered its way in, perhaps afraid he might altogether trip and fall with the tendril still ensnaring his leg hardening his eyes and clenching his jaw and drawing his hand back to resume its stubborn scratching at his chest. Likely, the goddess could see right through him and just how fucking badly he wanted her touch, but nonetheless, it felt like a show worth putting on for their audience. He wasn't ready to crumble in front of them, not by a long shot. Still, he couldn't pull his gaze from hers, and he certainly clocked that Chris was hardly making any motions to step away from her. No, the two of them were surely hers for the taking at this point, and Evan could do little more than shudder through the waves of pain and longing the tendril dragged through him, and wonder just how fucking long the goddess would make him wait.
"Dearest goddess, you are good to us." Novelty finally spoke up amidst the silence of the volunteers weighing what the goddes had said. "Speaking for myself, I am, indeed, a gift to you, but I know I will appreciate you all the more if I have the opportunity to experience this realm first. I'll explore for now, and if you should ever need me, I am yours."
Out of his periphery, Evan made out Novelty beginning to walk away, and then Chloe following, and he couldn't help the look of sheer surprise on his face. The very thought of choosing to leave the goddess' side was unfathomable in his present state, though some gods-damned stubborn-ass impulse took the bait and tried to. It got as far as wrenching his gaze away from the goddess, off to the side at some absolutely inane spot on the ground, and just tensing the muscles in his leg to prepare it to move, before the sharp barbs of the tendril pressed in again and yanked his attention back into himself, pulling a deep shudder through his body and finally a stifled but palpable, groaning "Fuck!" through his teeth.
((OOC: So, yeah, roll call for us is I think Chloe and ultimately Philip will head out with Novelty. Nick and Nathan would both be shy and uncertain, but I think ultimately they would not want to leave. Perhaps there's a melancholy moment of friction as Chloe and Nathan realize that they're being called in different directions. Chris is absolutely glued to the spot. I don't think he's actually in danger of thrallhood; I think more he's in this sensation like he knows he'd regret leaving this moment if he chose to do so--like, I guess, he'd enjoy exploring more if he experiences the goddess here now, first--and, I think he's also hoping that most people will leave? I think Lance is sticking around, though. There might have been a brief tug toward exploration--Novelty did frame it pretty deng well--but uh, I think ultimately he is loving beholding Evan's state.))
Evan was surprised how grateful he felt for Chloe's simple, straightforward curiosity, an appropriate splash of genuine concern mixed in. She took over untying Trevor's as the goddess rose to speak, and Evan tentatively rose with her, though he instinctively took a step back toward being in some kind of circle with the other volunteers, broadly drawn. He was also grateful for the goddess' reply--making no promises she couldn't keep, but gesturing toward what the volunteers could hold onto. It seemed to land well with them, from what he could tell, though some were harder to read than others.
Then, the goddess asked Chris to sing, and Evan's attention sharpened in on the brunette, still stiff on his knees. He felt worried about Chris, unsure how he would ultimately fare given what Evan had seen of him so far. But Chris did collect himself, sitting more upright and shaking off some of his tension before obliging the goddess in a song. It wasn't the song he had sung in the ceremony, but it was familiar to Evan's ears. Lance joined in, followed soon by others, and Evan was happy to add his own voice to the mix. It helped him settle, finding a role to play in keeping Chris company and keeping the song going as others wavered in and out--especially while they goddess paid them close attention.
She started with Lance, and the braggart's teary smile followed by a beautiful fluttery moan was an absolute joy to witness. Pemberley was a bit of a more complicated beast, but by now Evan was at least finding some kind of balance in himself, riding a wave of discomfort with careful precision, his voice carrying a willful determination as he sang. Whatever this wound was that he still carried from what had happened that second night, he would refuse to let it defeat him, and in that, he would offer Pemberley some kind of blessing here--some genuine desire for them all to figure this shit out, somehow.
It was all downhill from there, whatever remnants of guilt from losing track of Trevor uncoiling completely as Evan followed the goddess' attention to each new volunteer, witnessing each of their joys in her welcome. He was beginning to feel nearly comfortable, dare he say, relaxing into his role of witness and singer, enjoying his contributions to the soundscape and the ease with which is body held itself. Then, at last, the goddess made her way toward Chris, and Evan relinquished his voice, silence falling upon them all in a tingling haze as Chris finally pushed himself to his feet to meet his goddess. The goddess embraced him, and then curled her fingers into his hair with a gentle tug, and Evan couldn't help a tiny, vindicated pleasure as he watch Chris subtly melt beneath the sensation, recalling his own temptation to tug on the soldier's hair just on the other side of the portal.
Something began to shift as the goddess' body rolled against Chris', though, and Evan finally realized the precipice they approached, with Chris the final volunteer for the goddess to greet in this way. Anticipation pulsed in his gut, then, his comfort beginning to give way to uncertainty about just what would happen next.
Welcome, her voice reverberated through Evan's mind--all of their minds, he gathered. Her dark, sultry tone reminded him of their first meeting through Trevor in the infirmary tent, and the anticipation in his gut buzzed and flared as the goddess' gaze turned toward him. Her eyes raked over him, reminding him of his own exposed state--not fully nude like most of the others, but the pants the goddess had made for him doing little to obscure his form. Evan flashed her a smile, largely just simply happy but with a dash of daring as he shifted his weight, offering her a subtly more curated shape to admire of his body. Perhaps, he thought, she might pick up where she'd left off before this little welcoming interlude--but instead, she tugged tighter at Chris' har and then bit into his shoulder, drawing a shuddering cry from the volunteer.
Envy finally flared at that, Evan's own jaw clenching as Chris' cry shifted into a moan. But then concern began to rise also as the brunette's knees began to give out--was he in danger the same way Trevor had just been?--and doubly so when the goddess' dress morphed and spread, and all at once a tendril was around Evan's ankle, shooting a primal instinctive panic through his nerves at being grabbed. He instinctively tried to step out of the grip, a surprised laugh erupting from his belly as he recalled stepping back from her lightning band that first night, a distant echo of that first shock coursing through him in some kind of nostalgia.
A quick glance around confirmed that the others had tendrils, too, and he some parts gratified that it seemed they'd all now be getting a more visceral introduction--and also some parts absolutely fucking devastated watching her hold Chris tight while he himself stood some paces away just like the others, not even the pressure of her scale against his chest to comfort him any longer. The tendril, too, was her, he tried to tell himself, but the more he leaned in to that in attempts to seek comfort or connection, the more it coiled up his leg and seemed to suck away from him, hungry and ravenous in its contact.
He scratched at his chest in longing, a low growl humming from his throat as his own ravenous hunger began to pulse through him. His attention began to widen back out to the volunteers, some potent mixture of indignance and desperation beginning to drive his throughts toward who else he might engage with to warm his tingling skin, since the goddess seemed so fucking content with Chris. Trevor was nearest to him, and imaginations rolled in easily of yanking at the man's hair, grappling with his muscles, raking teeth and nails over flesh. Surely, if Evan had any read on the soldier at all, he'd enjoy all that just as much as Evan would. But Evan's leg was sluggish to move, the tendril heavy and sapping away his resolve faster than he could muster it. Anger finally flared, then, and Evan threw a glare back toward the goddess, irrationally enraged; he wanted to thrash, but was finding himself at a loss as to how.
But as Evan glared, he realized that the tendrils that had ensnared the others were dissipating, various states of reeling and recovering rippling through them. Evan's tendril was staying put, however, and beginning to press sharp barbs into his leg. His glare shifted into a wry, seething smirk, at once moritified and delighted to be singled out in this way. Perhaps on some level, too, he was relieved that the goddess still could pull back; and, in fact, that she would, at least at some point. The fear that she couldn't had not been plain in his mind, and when he looked at it it dissipated easily, but he began to suspect that it may be palpable for many of the others present. He realized, then, with some melancholy that the goddess herself surely felt that fear most palpably of all; he could see it in the way that she withdrew from Chris, massaging his shoulder but unable or unwilling to try to meet him in the eye. Gods, Evan ached now to comfort her, but how?
Almost as if in answer, he felt the barbs press into his leg more sharply, and he groaned, closing his eyes briefly as a dance of hot, pricking tingles finally overtook some kind of threshold and demanded taking his awareness for a ride through his body and every shuddering muscle and singing nerve that lit up within it.
"You're free," the goddess said softly, sending a complex rush of wry amusement and airy relief and longing melancholy washing through him, heavy in his chest and swirling out in fractals onto his skin. She said more words, her voice caressing Evan's awareness even as the sharp barbs tightened even further and pulled a seething breath though his teeth. Somehow, he mustered the resolve to check that he could still feel his feet on the ground, his spine stacked upright, his muscles taught and determined to remain standing--though, even the touch of the ground itself was starting to carry its own allure.
"And if you stay in my proximity," the goddess continued, and Evan's attention grabbed onto the words, his eyes opening and trying to pull himself back into a grounded awareness of what was actually happening. "I will avail myself of you."
Oh, fuck, please, yes. Evan couldn't help the plead that poured from his mind through his freshly-opened eyes. He very nearly took a step toward her, hand starting to outstretch, but pride finally blundered its way in, perhaps afraid he might altogether trip and fall with the tendril still ensnaring his leg hardening his eyes and clenching his jaw and drawing his hand back to resume its stubborn scratching at his chest. Likely, the goddess could see right through him and just how fucking badly he wanted her touch, but nonetheless, it felt like a show worth putting on for their audience. He wasn't ready to crumble in front of them, not by a long shot. Still, he couldn't pull his gaze from hers, and he certainly clocked that Chris was hardly making any motions to step away from her. No, the two of them were surely hers for the taking at this point, and Evan could do little more than shudder through the waves of pain and longing the tendril dragged through him, and wonder just how fucking long the goddess would make him wait.
"Dearest goddess, you are good to us." Novelty finally spoke up amidst the silence of the volunteers weighing what the goddes had said. "Speaking for myself, I am, indeed, a gift to you, but I know I will appreciate you all the more if I have the opportunity to experience this realm first. I'll explore for now, and if you should ever need me, I am yours."
Out of his periphery, Evan made out Novelty beginning to walk away, and then Chloe following, and he couldn't help the look of sheer surprise on his face. The very thought of choosing to leave the goddess' side was unfathomable in his present state, though some gods-damned stubborn-ass impulse took the bait and tried to. It got as far as wrenching his gaze away from the goddess, off to the side at some absolutely inane spot on the ground, and just tensing the muscles in his leg to prepare it to move, before the sharp barbs of the tendril pressed in again and yanked his attention back into himself, pulling a deep shudder through his body and finally a stifled but palpable, groaning "Fuck!" through his teeth.
((OOC: So, yeah, roll call for us is I think Chloe and ultimately Philip will head out with Novelty. Nick and Nathan would both be shy and uncertain, but I think ultimately they would not want to leave. Perhaps there's a melancholy moment of friction as Chloe and Nathan realize that they're being called in different directions. Chris is absolutely glued to the spot. I don't think he's actually in danger of thrallhood; I think more he's in this sensation like he knows he'd regret leaving this moment if he chose to do so--like, I guess, he'd enjoy exploring more if he experiences the goddess here now, first--and, I think he's also hoping that most people will leave? I think Lance is sticking around, though. There might have been a brief tug toward exploration--Novelty did frame it pretty deng well--but uh, I think ultimately he is loving beholding Evan's state.))
Re: Part 1 (Start Reading Here)
Gavin hadn't wanted to be rude. He tried to pay attention to the ways the goddess accepted the others after him, but he could barely focus past the sensations of his newly changed body. The cock--his cock--pulsed and throbbed like an alien creature attaching itself to him, and though it gave him a surge of euphoria and excitement, the sudden change baffled and confused all his nerves. His stomach clenched, and the butterflies there were sharp, painful. He wanted to cry, and he didn't understand why he couldn't just be grateful. He was grateful, but everything was so much, too much. Gavin wondered if he had made the right decision in coming. Who was he to receive such a gift when many others craved this and did not receive it? Could he really handle everything the goddess intended to put them through? Did she want him to use his new phallus on her? Was he ready for that? He blushed a deep, deep shade of red all over his body.
In his overwhelm, he realized he hadn't been singing, but when everyone began tapering off, it was too late to join back in. There was a moment of bated breath, and then the goddess bit Chris, and Gavin inhaled sharply, suddenly afraid. Soon, the goddess' dress had disappeared, and black tendrils lashed out in all directions, one of them grabbing Gavin's wrist. Instinctively, he tried to pull out of its grip, but the tendril held fast and pumped his mind full of haze. He found himself aching for a moment alone--just a few minutes to collect himself and sort out all that he was feeling. He did start silently crying, then, wanting desperately to give the goddess what she wanted from him but unsure that he could in his current state. He wanted to thank her, and instead he was belligerent and incapable of words. Hell, he was barely capable of thoughts, sluggish as his mind was.
Soon, though, the tendril retracted, and Gavin could breathe a little more easily again, though tears still rolled down his cheeks.
--
The goddess waited, bringing her other hand to Chris' neck and massaging there as well. Chris certainly made no indications that he intended to leave, and she ventured to briefly meet his eyes, offering a small smile of gratitude. Trevor, she thought, would stay. Evan certainly wasn't going anywhere, not attached to her as he was, nourishing her with a steady stream of longing. She wasn't sure she had a good enough read on the others.
"Dearest goddess, you are good to us. Speaking for myself, I am, indeed, a gift to you, but I know I will appreciate you all the more if I have the opportunity to experience this realm first. I'll explore for now, and if you should ever need me, I am yours." It was Novelty who had spoken. She couldn't fault him for his decision--she had prompted it, after all--but she couldn't stop the ache in her chest as he began moving away from her. She turned and watch Philip hesitate--gratifying in and of itself--before following Novelty. The goddess nodded to herself, accepting the consequences of all she had done. Chloe, too, left with the two of them, and Dehaljadrun whispered a small prayer that the woman would understand what the goddess had shown her of the magic of the realm and play with it.
Evan attempted to move away from the tendril that grasped his leg, and Dehaljadrun's heart felt the tug, nearly ripping whatever patience she had left out from underneath her entirely. Evan was not about to leave her, not now, not after all they had been through. Unconsciously, another tendril lashed out at him, looping around his neck, its spines matching the other's, and she tugged back at Evan, magenta eyes glowing ferociously. Through their connection, she felt Evan's yearning for her--he didn't actually want to leave her--this was just another of their games. Right? She hated that she doubted that. If he wanted to leave, they would need to negotiate that. They had a different agreement.
Still, that show of force probably did not win her any favors with the others, however.
Only now fully realizing that Nathan and Nick had returned from her palace, the goddess watched Nathan step closer, and relief flooded her body. Nick wavered on some kind of invisible threshold, torn. Gavin shifted from foot to foot and choked out, "I'm sorry, Goddess," before he ran off in another direction entirely, circling behind the palace.
Dehaljadrun held herself still except for her motions against Chris' jaw, trying to steel herself in the face of the pain of being left. She tried to soothe herself, knowing there would be time to make amends and get to know each of these volunteers in time. It was good that they were exercising their agency--that meant she could trust it when they did want her. But that didn't make it hurt any less now.
Lance stood rooted in place, watching Evan with a delight and awe the goddess very much appreciated. She thought he would stay, and she was grateful.
After another few breaths, the goddess thought almost everyone had made their choices, except for perhaps Nick. Fine, then. This would do.
Chris still knelt before her, having fallen to his knees during her bite, and the goddess began to explore more of his body, reaching down his back with light, smooth fingers and pressing her body against his. Periodically, she tugged his hair again, keeping him present and invested in this. Soon, she lowered herself to Chris' level, straddling his legs as much as she could. Simultaneously, she tugged at the tendrils attached to Evan, urging him closer. She wanted his touch. And, in general, she wanted contact. Closing her eyes, she deepened the gravity where she was, pulling those within a few feet closer to her and begging them in their minds--please.
((OOC: We are thinking that Nick would not hear anything or feel the gravity.))
In his overwhelm, he realized he hadn't been singing, but when everyone began tapering off, it was too late to join back in. There was a moment of bated breath, and then the goddess bit Chris, and Gavin inhaled sharply, suddenly afraid. Soon, the goddess' dress had disappeared, and black tendrils lashed out in all directions, one of them grabbing Gavin's wrist. Instinctively, he tried to pull out of its grip, but the tendril held fast and pumped his mind full of haze. He found himself aching for a moment alone--just a few minutes to collect himself and sort out all that he was feeling. He did start silently crying, then, wanting desperately to give the goddess what she wanted from him but unsure that he could in his current state. He wanted to thank her, and instead he was belligerent and incapable of words. Hell, he was barely capable of thoughts, sluggish as his mind was.
Soon, though, the tendril retracted, and Gavin could breathe a little more easily again, though tears still rolled down his cheeks.
--
The goddess waited, bringing her other hand to Chris' neck and massaging there as well. Chris certainly made no indications that he intended to leave, and she ventured to briefly meet his eyes, offering a small smile of gratitude. Trevor, she thought, would stay. Evan certainly wasn't going anywhere, not attached to her as he was, nourishing her with a steady stream of longing. She wasn't sure she had a good enough read on the others.
"Dearest goddess, you are good to us. Speaking for myself, I am, indeed, a gift to you, but I know I will appreciate you all the more if I have the opportunity to experience this realm first. I'll explore for now, and if you should ever need me, I am yours." It was Novelty who had spoken. She couldn't fault him for his decision--she had prompted it, after all--but she couldn't stop the ache in her chest as he began moving away from her. She turned and watch Philip hesitate--gratifying in and of itself--before following Novelty. The goddess nodded to herself, accepting the consequences of all she had done. Chloe, too, left with the two of them, and Dehaljadrun whispered a small prayer that the woman would understand what the goddess had shown her of the magic of the realm and play with it.
Evan attempted to move away from the tendril that grasped his leg, and Dehaljadrun's heart felt the tug, nearly ripping whatever patience she had left out from underneath her entirely. Evan was not about to leave her, not now, not after all they had been through. Unconsciously, another tendril lashed out at him, looping around his neck, its spines matching the other's, and she tugged back at Evan, magenta eyes glowing ferociously. Through their connection, she felt Evan's yearning for her--he didn't actually want to leave her--this was just another of their games. Right? She hated that she doubted that. If he wanted to leave, they would need to negotiate that. They had a different agreement.
Still, that show of force probably did not win her any favors with the others, however.
Only now fully realizing that Nathan and Nick had returned from her palace, the goddess watched Nathan step closer, and relief flooded her body. Nick wavered on some kind of invisible threshold, torn. Gavin shifted from foot to foot and choked out, "I'm sorry, Goddess," before he ran off in another direction entirely, circling behind the palace.
Dehaljadrun held herself still except for her motions against Chris' jaw, trying to steel herself in the face of the pain of being left. She tried to soothe herself, knowing there would be time to make amends and get to know each of these volunteers in time. It was good that they were exercising their agency--that meant she could trust it when they did want her. But that didn't make it hurt any less now.
Lance stood rooted in place, watching Evan with a delight and awe the goddess very much appreciated. She thought he would stay, and she was grateful.
After another few breaths, the goddess thought almost everyone had made their choices, except for perhaps Nick. Fine, then. This would do.
Chris still knelt before her, having fallen to his knees during her bite, and the goddess began to explore more of his body, reaching down his back with light, smooth fingers and pressing her body against his. Periodically, she tugged his hair again, keeping him present and invested in this. Soon, she lowered herself to Chris' level, straddling his legs as much as she could. Simultaneously, she tugged at the tendrils attached to Evan, urging him closer. She wanted his touch. And, in general, she wanted contact. Closing her eyes, she deepened the gravity where she was, pulling those within a few feet closer to her and begging them in their minds--please.
((OOC: We are thinking that Nick would not hear anything or feel the gravity.))
Re: Part 1 (Start Reading Here)
Please, more.
The words not even conscious in his mind, but the sentiment plain in Chris' body, and the goddess absolutely obliged. Her own fingers grasped a fuller section of his hair, tugging with more conviction, and a full-bodied shiver shuddered through Chris, a moan falling from his lips as the goddess' body undulated against his. His shoulder grew warm, her fingers massaging him there, and he knew then that he was fully hers.
Welcome, she said in his mind, in all of their mind's--he felt the ways her thoughs rippled out, a curiosity peeking up that he might be able to follow those ripples, if he wanted. He wasn't sure that he did, though--not right now, anyway. He just wanted to feel the goddess move against him, her skin beneath his fingers, her grip in his hair. Tears began to well in his eyes, serene and grateful--somehow, she'd already parted open what had felt to him like an impenetrable wall. He'd tried to scale it with others, but it was just too much. There was something world-shattering about seeing it as a curtain, instead, the goddess' gesture to get inside easy and graceful.
Well, she is a goddess, of course. The thought arose softly, matter-of-fact, but it sobered him a little. Maybe, too, something else was drifting--the goddess' fingers loosening, her body falling out of sync with his. Chris blinked his eyes open in simple curiosity, though they sharpened in something like annoyance when he realized that her attention was being drawn toward Rutliff. Even more so, when he felt a sudden swell of pressure between his body and the goddess'--and a realization about her anatomy dawned on him, alongside a grim, irritated certainty that her pulse of arousal was entirely about Rutliff, yet pushing against Chris.
He almost gathered the presence of mind to push the goddess away, but at the last moment she yanked on his hair, sudden and rough and vicious, and yet staggeringly disarming. Chris stumbled briefly, almost losing his footing as a heaviness rippled through him, and then the goddess' teeth sank into his shoulder and he let out a cry, but melted. Fear did pulse in his chest, yes, and alarm ricocheted through his nerves, but there was something freeing here that he couldn't help beholding with awe. He began to sob, some kind of floodgates breaking open, and he clung to her, his attention settling into the pulsing flow of pain and sorrow and gratitude that reverberated through him from her fingers and teeth and undulating body against him.
He did feel wrung out by the time her teeth drew back from him, his breath heavy as his sobs began to reel themselves in and his head swirling, his body weak and tired. Fear and confusion slowly began to work their way back into his consciousness, also, though the way that the goddess gently massaged his shoulder soothed him, even as it kept the ache of tenderness there at the front of his awareness.
"You're free," she said softly, inflating Chris' confusion. He looked at her with puzzlement in his furrowed brow, but she did not meet his eyes, and worry began to sink into his chest.
"You're free," she repeated, louder this time, for all present to hear. Chris blearily looked around, re-grounding himself in the clearing, other volunteers looking their own versions of disoriented in the wake of some stirring experience.
"You have your agency and may come and go as you please," the goddess continued. "Few beings of the realm come to my palace grounds without permission, so you may reside in relative safety here. Beyond that, you'll be on your own."
Chris tried, briefly, to imagine wandering away to roam and explore--something that might well have appealed to him greatly in different circumstances--but he could scarcely imagine standing on his own two feet right now, let alone venturing away. And, why would he even want to? The goddess closed her eyes, and a gentle cascade of sensations settled over Chris' hips, sending rippling shudders through him again, full of more heat now as the sensations caressed at his length, patiently coaxing it to attention. Chris' own eyes fell shut as he sank into the sensation. He felt the goddess' fingers press gently into the corner of his jaw, then, and he melted again, leaning into her and thrusting gently into the sensations across his hips, a soft moan humming from his lips.
"And if you stay in my proximity," he heard the goddess say, "I will avail myself of you." Distantly, he understood with some trepidation that this might mean even more unknowns, even more intensity if he did not leave now, and a fresh pulse of fear did bloom within him, but in the end it was a pleasant suffusion of aliveness, an awareness of blood pumping through his body and his nerves lighting up. No, he did not want to leave. The goddess brought her other hand to massage his neck, and the last of Chris' contemplation melted away, attention relaxing fully into the pleasure of her closeness and massage and the gentle suckles that glittered across his hips and backside and the length of him.
One of the other volunteers spoke, and Chris let the words roll through his awareness as a light, sweet, lovingly melancholic song. Chris hummed softly in response, just a few quiet notes that felt in harmony with the sentiment that had flowed through him. But then, something shifted, and Chris let out a yelp as fear spiked in him again. The goddess suddenly felt sharp, and unrest rippled through the soundscape. It calmed shortly, though, and Chris sighed softly with relief, grateful that the goddess' massage was still present, her sharpness receding.
He didn't understand what had happened, but he was at peace with not needing to. He just wanted to feel. Please, the goddess beckoned, her hands tugging at his hair and exploring more of him, and he grew bolder in exploring her, his hands caressing the curves of her back and her hips, his lips finding their way to her skin, his hips still blissfully rolling with the sensations that caressed them.
---
No sooner had the curse fallen from Evan's lips than another tendril lashed out at him, ensnaring his neck with the same sharp barbs as the other on his leg. His whole body went rigid with pain and terror, his eyes sharp and seething as he met the goddess' gaze, her own eyes ferocious with rage. Horrifyingly, he couldn't fucking stop his lips from curling into a smirk, even as his heartbeat pounded and jumped, the alarm in his body almost dizzying.
Flashes cut into his awareness of the goddess' dagger at his neck that second night, and for just a split second, genuine panic did grip at his chest and steal his breath from his lungs. What would happen if he fucked up and pissed her off like that again? She promised to punish you herself, some ever-so-helpful voice offered in his mind, serving up the memory of being bound and shocked after their re-negotiation on the third night.
He groaned deeply, terror still ricocheting through him but the panic releasing his lungs. She might put him through the fucking wringer tonight, but surely, surely they had earned solid footing with each other. In any case, the tendrils pulled him toward her, and the spikes on his neck didn't give him much of a fucking choice but to move that direction, much of his attention yanked into the places where the pressure from those spikes genuinely threatened to puncture skin, and the ways he needed to carefully move his body to limit that possibility as he approached the goddess before him. But what he could do though, was relish the anticipation in his gut of making contact with her, his teeth and nails lusting ravenously to sink into her skin the instant they had the opportunity.
The words not even conscious in his mind, but the sentiment plain in Chris' body, and the goddess absolutely obliged. Her own fingers grasped a fuller section of his hair, tugging with more conviction, and a full-bodied shiver shuddered through Chris, a moan falling from his lips as the goddess' body undulated against his. His shoulder grew warm, her fingers massaging him there, and he knew then that he was fully hers.
Welcome, she said in his mind, in all of their mind's--he felt the ways her thoughs rippled out, a curiosity peeking up that he might be able to follow those ripples, if he wanted. He wasn't sure that he did, though--not right now, anyway. He just wanted to feel the goddess move against him, her skin beneath his fingers, her grip in his hair. Tears began to well in his eyes, serene and grateful--somehow, she'd already parted open what had felt to him like an impenetrable wall. He'd tried to scale it with others, but it was just too much. There was something world-shattering about seeing it as a curtain, instead, the goddess' gesture to get inside easy and graceful.
Well, she is a goddess, of course. The thought arose softly, matter-of-fact, but it sobered him a little. Maybe, too, something else was drifting--the goddess' fingers loosening, her body falling out of sync with his. Chris blinked his eyes open in simple curiosity, though they sharpened in something like annoyance when he realized that her attention was being drawn toward Rutliff. Even more so, when he felt a sudden swell of pressure between his body and the goddess'--and a realization about her anatomy dawned on him, alongside a grim, irritated certainty that her pulse of arousal was entirely about Rutliff, yet pushing against Chris.
He almost gathered the presence of mind to push the goddess away, but at the last moment she yanked on his hair, sudden and rough and vicious, and yet staggeringly disarming. Chris stumbled briefly, almost losing his footing as a heaviness rippled through him, and then the goddess' teeth sank into his shoulder and he let out a cry, but melted. Fear did pulse in his chest, yes, and alarm ricocheted through his nerves, but there was something freeing here that he couldn't help beholding with awe. He began to sob, some kind of floodgates breaking open, and he clung to her, his attention settling into the pulsing flow of pain and sorrow and gratitude that reverberated through him from her fingers and teeth and undulating body against him.
He did feel wrung out by the time her teeth drew back from him, his breath heavy as his sobs began to reel themselves in and his head swirling, his body weak and tired. Fear and confusion slowly began to work their way back into his consciousness, also, though the way that the goddess gently massaged his shoulder soothed him, even as it kept the ache of tenderness there at the front of his awareness.
"You're free," she said softly, inflating Chris' confusion. He looked at her with puzzlement in his furrowed brow, but she did not meet his eyes, and worry began to sink into his chest.
"You're free," she repeated, louder this time, for all present to hear. Chris blearily looked around, re-grounding himself in the clearing, other volunteers looking their own versions of disoriented in the wake of some stirring experience.
"You have your agency and may come and go as you please," the goddess continued. "Few beings of the realm come to my palace grounds without permission, so you may reside in relative safety here. Beyond that, you'll be on your own."
Chris tried, briefly, to imagine wandering away to roam and explore--something that might well have appealed to him greatly in different circumstances--but he could scarcely imagine standing on his own two feet right now, let alone venturing away. And, why would he even want to? The goddess closed her eyes, and a gentle cascade of sensations settled over Chris' hips, sending rippling shudders through him again, full of more heat now as the sensations caressed at his length, patiently coaxing it to attention. Chris' own eyes fell shut as he sank into the sensation. He felt the goddess' fingers press gently into the corner of his jaw, then, and he melted again, leaning into her and thrusting gently into the sensations across his hips, a soft moan humming from his lips.
"And if you stay in my proximity," he heard the goddess say, "I will avail myself of you." Distantly, he understood with some trepidation that this might mean even more unknowns, even more intensity if he did not leave now, and a fresh pulse of fear did bloom within him, but in the end it was a pleasant suffusion of aliveness, an awareness of blood pumping through his body and his nerves lighting up. No, he did not want to leave. The goddess brought her other hand to massage his neck, and the last of Chris' contemplation melted away, attention relaxing fully into the pleasure of her closeness and massage and the gentle suckles that glittered across his hips and backside and the length of him.
One of the other volunteers spoke, and Chris let the words roll through his awareness as a light, sweet, lovingly melancholic song. Chris hummed softly in response, just a few quiet notes that felt in harmony with the sentiment that had flowed through him. But then, something shifted, and Chris let out a yelp as fear spiked in him again. The goddess suddenly felt sharp, and unrest rippled through the soundscape. It calmed shortly, though, and Chris sighed softly with relief, grateful that the goddess' massage was still present, her sharpness receding.
He didn't understand what had happened, but he was at peace with not needing to. He just wanted to feel. Please, the goddess beckoned, her hands tugging at his hair and exploring more of him, and he grew bolder in exploring her, his hands caressing the curves of her back and her hips, his lips finding their way to her skin, his hips still blissfully rolling with the sensations that caressed them.
---
No sooner had the curse fallen from Evan's lips than another tendril lashed out at him, ensnaring his neck with the same sharp barbs as the other on his leg. His whole body went rigid with pain and terror, his eyes sharp and seething as he met the goddess' gaze, her own eyes ferocious with rage. Horrifyingly, he couldn't fucking stop his lips from curling into a smirk, even as his heartbeat pounded and jumped, the alarm in his body almost dizzying.
Flashes cut into his awareness of the goddess' dagger at his neck that second night, and for just a split second, genuine panic did grip at his chest and steal his breath from his lungs. What would happen if he fucked up and pissed her off like that again? She promised to punish you herself, some ever-so-helpful voice offered in his mind, serving up the memory of being bound and shocked after their re-negotiation on the third night.
He groaned deeply, terror still ricocheting through him but the panic releasing his lungs. She might put him through the fucking wringer tonight, but surely, surely they had earned solid footing with each other. In any case, the tendrils pulled him toward her, and the spikes on his neck didn't give him much of a fucking choice but to move that direction, much of his attention yanked into the places where the pressure from those spikes genuinely threatened to puncture skin, and the ways he needed to carefully move his body to limit that possibility as he approached the goddess before him. But what he could do though, was relish the anticipation in his gut of making contact with her, his teeth and nails lusting ravenously to sink into her skin the instant they had the opportunity.
Re: Part 1 (Start Reading Here)
Please don't leave me.
I could say the same to you.
What a hell of a thing to leave him with.
Here Trevor thought he knew exactly what the goddess would want from him--from all of them--but being here this time was proving to be entirely different. He wasn't mindless the way he had been the first time, even if there were moments after crossing the portal when he had teetered that direction. But, it was clear, the goddess wanted him lucid. She had even prevented him from--what, dying? Never waking up? Being hers mindlessly for all of eternity? Trevor wasn't even sure what he had been spared, and that made it difficult to feel grateful.
The others were singing, and Trevor knew the song, but he couldn't get his voice to give sound to the words. He stayed on the ground, running his fingers over the ropes he did still have on, their presence comforting amidst all his uncertainty.
Trevor looked up again when the song began to fade, noticing the goddess' attention on Chris. Soon, she bit his shoulder, and Trevor felt it as a jealous ache in his stomach. Not long afterward, however, a black tendril shot out at him, claiming a wrist. Trevor flexed and twisted against it, but his instinctive attempts to pull away were half-hearted, especially after the tendril started pulling on him.
He started to feel lightheaded again and thought he might need to lie down once more, but he managed to stay upright. Trevor felt another ache in his chest for the goddess' touch, calling to mind the recent moment he had caressed her cheek. It had been such an impulsive thing to do--he hadn't given it proper thought--and the goddess had pulled away from him afterward, onto the other volunteers. Was he only a burden to her, something she had to be gentle with? The thought terrified Trevor and gave him some resolution. He could be strong enough to give her what she needed, at least for tonight. Perhaps he would let tomorrow be another matter.
Closing his eyes, he allowed for the tendril to suck out his longing, his ache, as they amplified and made plain his sexual urges. He liked looking at Evan--Trevor had a nice view of the man and his arousal from where he sat on the ground--and Lance's open interest in Evan made Trevor curious about Lance as well. He wasn't sure about the others just yet, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was giving his desires to the goddess--she was calling for them, and he would obey her.
--
Dehaljadrun felt a pang in her chest as she wondered about Gavin, but she needed to trust that he and each of the others would each take care of themselves. Perhaps the man just needed some time. There was no reason to believe she had done anything wrong--not just yet. And if she had, repair could wait.
Setting that aside, the goddess became intent on Chris again, squeezing her thighs around his and thoroughly enjoying the rhythmic movements of his hips. His hardening length and hers--erect for a long while now--shared proximity and contact through her dress, and the goddess kissed Chris' face, his neck, hands pulling periodically at his hair just enough to make him wince and move his hips a little more erratically. Dehaljadrun had the impression that Evan was drawing nearer, her tendrils pulling him to her even as he groaned. She was amused at his awkward dance of attempting to move just fast enough to stay ahead of the way that the spines would dig into his skin but slow enough to claim he was resisting. He certainly did know how to please her--riding that line. The goddess smiled into Chris' skin and bit his other shoulder, more playfully this time, kissing and licking and biting in succession.
The gravity she held over the volunteers within a six-foot radius of her also pulled the goddess' own field of awareness in with it, shrinking inward. She didn't not want to be aware of anything other than who wanted to be right here with her in this moment. Chris, Evan, Trevor, Lance, and a little more distantly, Nathan, returned from his journey to the palace.
Then, all at once, Evan made contact, unleashing a fury of nails and teeth as he reached around her to the underside of one breast, dragging his fingers deeply across the soft flesh, his teeth making contact with the top of her left shoulder, kneeling with her and Chris now. The goddess winced and threw back her head, tugging Chris' hair harder than before in the process as she sought Evan's skin with her head, practically nuzzling into him and rewarded with a delightful immersion into the way he smelled--musky with sweat and the mildly acrid scent of having waited so long for pleasure--already a nostalgic balm to the goddess.
He was here. He was hers, for at least one more night.
Squeezing Chris' thighs with her own again, the goddess kept one hand pulsing a tug in Chris' hair and reached the other to wrap around the front of Evan's neck, digging her own fingernails into the flesh just above her tendril at the back of his neck. She pulled both of the tendrils subtly tighter and increased their suction--their movement now as much physical as they were metaphysical. They would likely leave large bruises on Evan later, much to the goddess' delight.
Her fingernails satisfied for the moment, she let her hand travel down toward his cock, clothed as it was in the softly scaled leggings she had made him. Dehaljadrun enjoyed calling up Evan's memories of walking through the camp in that attire, his pride stroking her own. In time with the squeeze of her thighs and the tug of Chris' hair, the goddess ran her hand over Evan's length, cupping, squeezing, and gliding over the smooth fabric at every whim.
It was only then that the goddess noticed Trevor had crawled over to join them, managing to lie on the ground on the left side of the goddess and Chris, his body curving around them both and gently caressing the places where he made contact with a hand on Chris' thigh and another on the small of the goddess' back, with his feet curling behind the goddess toward Evan. The goddess flexed her left leg outward toward him as she moved against Chris, enjoying the places where her leg rubbed up against his rope harness--it was a good gift. But it wasn't enough contact for her. Withdrawing her field of consciousness from anywhere other than her own body, she plunged it into Trevor's mind, lighting up his pleasure nerves and encouraging them to radiate out toward the rest of them, his body instantly responding with trembles and jolts of pleasure as his eyes rolled potently back into his head.
I could say the same to you.
What a hell of a thing to leave him with.
Here Trevor thought he knew exactly what the goddess would want from him--from all of them--but being here this time was proving to be entirely different. He wasn't mindless the way he had been the first time, even if there were moments after crossing the portal when he had teetered that direction. But, it was clear, the goddess wanted him lucid. She had even prevented him from--what, dying? Never waking up? Being hers mindlessly for all of eternity? Trevor wasn't even sure what he had been spared, and that made it difficult to feel grateful.
The others were singing, and Trevor knew the song, but he couldn't get his voice to give sound to the words. He stayed on the ground, running his fingers over the ropes he did still have on, their presence comforting amidst all his uncertainty.
Trevor looked up again when the song began to fade, noticing the goddess' attention on Chris. Soon, she bit his shoulder, and Trevor felt it as a jealous ache in his stomach. Not long afterward, however, a black tendril shot out at him, claiming a wrist. Trevor flexed and twisted against it, but his instinctive attempts to pull away were half-hearted, especially after the tendril started pulling on him.
He started to feel lightheaded again and thought he might need to lie down once more, but he managed to stay upright. Trevor felt another ache in his chest for the goddess' touch, calling to mind the recent moment he had caressed her cheek. It had been such an impulsive thing to do--he hadn't given it proper thought--and the goddess had pulled away from him afterward, onto the other volunteers. Was he only a burden to her, something she had to be gentle with? The thought terrified Trevor and gave him some resolution. He could be strong enough to give her what she needed, at least for tonight. Perhaps he would let tomorrow be another matter.
Closing his eyes, he allowed for the tendril to suck out his longing, his ache, as they amplified and made plain his sexual urges. He liked looking at Evan--Trevor had a nice view of the man and his arousal from where he sat on the ground--and Lance's open interest in Evan made Trevor curious about Lance as well. He wasn't sure about the others just yet, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was giving his desires to the goddess--she was calling for them, and he would obey her.
--
Dehaljadrun felt a pang in her chest as she wondered about Gavin, but she needed to trust that he and each of the others would each take care of themselves. Perhaps the man just needed some time. There was no reason to believe she had done anything wrong--not just yet. And if she had, repair could wait.
Setting that aside, the goddess became intent on Chris again, squeezing her thighs around his and thoroughly enjoying the rhythmic movements of his hips. His hardening length and hers--erect for a long while now--shared proximity and contact through her dress, and the goddess kissed Chris' face, his neck, hands pulling periodically at his hair just enough to make him wince and move his hips a little more erratically. Dehaljadrun had the impression that Evan was drawing nearer, her tendrils pulling him to her even as he groaned. She was amused at his awkward dance of attempting to move just fast enough to stay ahead of the way that the spines would dig into his skin but slow enough to claim he was resisting. He certainly did know how to please her--riding that line. The goddess smiled into Chris' skin and bit his other shoulder, more playfully this time, kissing and licking and biting in succession.
The gravity she held over the volunteers within a six-foot radius of her also pulled the goddess' own field of awareness in with it, shrinking inward. She didn't not want to be aware of anything other than who wanted to be right here with her in this moment. Chris, Evan, Trevor, Lance, and a little more distantly, Nathan, returned from his journey to the palace.
Then, all at once, Evan made contact, unleashing a fury of nails and teeth as he reached around her to the underside of one breast, dragging his fingers deeply across the soft flesh, his teeth making contact with the top of her left shoulder, kneeling with her and Chris now. The goddess winced and threw back her head, tugging Chris' hair harder than before in the process as she sought Evan's skin with her head, practically nuzzling into him and rewarded with a delightful immersion into the way he smelled--musky with sweat and the mildly acrid scent of having waited so long for pleasure--already a nostalgic balm to the goddess.
He was here. He was hers, for at least one more night.
Squeezing Chris' thighs with her own again, the goddess kept one hand pulsing a tug in Chris' hair and reached the other to wrap around the front of Evan's neck, digging her own fingernails into the flesh just above her tendril at the back of his neck. She pulled both of the tendrils subtly tighter and increased their suction--their movement now as much physical as they were metaphysical. They would likely leave large bruises on Evan later, much to the goddess' delight.
Her fingernails satisfied for the moment, she let her hand travel down toward his cock, clothed as it was in the softly scaled leggings she had made him. Dehaljadrun enjoyed calling up Evan's memories of walking through the camp in that attire, his pride stroking her own. In time with the squeeze of her thighs and the tug of Chris' hair, the goddess ran her hand over Evan's length, cupping, squeezing, and gliding over the smooth fabric at every whim.
It was only then that the goddess noticed Trevor had crawled over to join them, managing to lie on the ground on the left side of the goddess and Chris, his body curving around them both and gently caressing the places where he made contact with a hand on Chris' thigh and another on the small of the goddess' back, with his feet curling behind the goddess toward Evan. The goddess flexed her left leg outward toward him as she moved against Chris, enjoying the places where her leg rubbed up against his rope harness--it was a good gift. But it wasn't enough contact for her. Withdrawing her field of consciousness from anywhere other than her own body, she plunged it into Trevor's mind, lighting up his pleasure nerves and encouraging them to radiate out toward the rest of them, his body instantly responding with trembles and jolts of pleasure as his eyes rolled potently back into his head.