Demon Part Deux|Malagard, Khelek

[Kender Bard]

After the dust of the attack on Amastar had settled, things began to fall back into normalcy. For Filly, however, there was still one new spark in her day. The man from the market (Shiver, he'd introduced himself on a follow-up visit the day afterwards), had continued to meet with her briefly almost daily after she had gone to have tea with him. She was highly enjoying the friendship she felt growing between them, even if he did have an unusual quirk. Namely, he refused to linger in the castle longer than it took to drink a cup of tea.

"The homes of the rich make me nervous," he'd professed when she'd finally asked. "I just can't rest easily in one."

She'd prodded him for more information but had been unable to receive a clear answer, and so had finally given up and agreed that if they were to have a prolonged visit, she would have to go out with him to market or elsewhere. For the most part, her time spent with him lasted only briefly but after six days of their comraderie, he finally had asked her for a longer visit, and at night.

"That dinner I asked for," Shiver had remarked. "I think I'd like to request it now. There's a lovely place and I'd like it if you came with me."

She'd agreed. Dressed in one of her nicer outfits, she fussed over her hair and wings (having decided to forgo the precious little feather-dust she'd picked up at the market one day), and prepared to depart. ~I'm not going to be at dinner tonight~ she informed Schuldig. ~Shiver asked me to dine with him elsewhere and I agreed. Mind that Harmony goes to bed when she should tonight, okay darling?~

[Darastrix]

~You get all the luck,~ Schuldig complained. ~You find a pretty local who invites you out, and I have to develop an interest in one who lives all the way in fucking Anarlina.~

A pretty one whom he'd also not spoken to in months, but that was neither here nor there. He just hoped Zira would have gotten reasonably over Shyamal's death next time he happened to be in Anarlina.

[Kender Bard]

~I do.~ Filly agreed fondly. ~I'm sorry that Shiver doesn't seem interested in you or other men. But you know, that doesn't mean you need to be left out of the fun.~ Her mental voice was warm with affection and coyness and she let her awareness pass over his like a caress. ~If things go very well tonight, perhaps you can have a taste of him through me, hm?~

She was actually quite hopeful that things would come to that. She found Shiver's company enjoyable but her initial attraction had not abated in the slightest; in fact, it seemed to have only increased and she decided that if he did not make any attempts to seduce her, she would pursue the matter herself.

[Darastrix]

Schuldig's mood perked up noticeably. ~Mm. I do like the sound of that.~ After the week he'd had, he was due some fun, and mental voyeurism could be a lot of fun.

~Maybe you could tap in to share sensation with him, and I could get you both at once.~

[Kender Bard]

~I could try when things get going~ Filly agreed enthusiastically. She was a trifle worried he was, or had been, jealous of her time spent of Shiver. This was the first time she could recall recently on having struck out on her own to lure something pretty and desirable to bed. ~I'll see you tomorrow, love.~

In high spirits, she set out for her dinner.

It wasn't until late - most everyone else had gone to bed - that she contacted him again. This time there was the definite feel of intoxication about her. She'd drunk copiously. Her first message to him was little more than mental giggling. Underneath the euphoria there had been something else; desire, sharp and almost frantic at this point.

~Timid man~ she purred to Schuldig luxuriously. ~I had to be the one to suggest we go elsewhere. Of course he was more than willing when I did. Ooh!~ She cut to more giggling before adding, ~You're still awake, right?~

[Darastrix]

~With the possibility of this going on? Of course I am,~ Schuldig said. Truth be told, he'd spend a good part of the evening picturing what might happen, then had gone on to fantasize about completely unlikely--but no less appealing--couplings. And he'd found a good while back that if he didn't want to sleep, as the White Swan, it was possible for him to go without for a few days. Staying up late for one night was easy.

~So,~ Schuldig purred, ~what's he doing?~

He made a mental note to get Filly drunk at a later point, attributing her unusual level of lust to that night's drink, since Shiver seemed to not have been very forward.

[Kender Bard]

~Undressing me~ Filly giggled. Something happened and her lust spiked again; to the point that she actually dropped all contact with Schuldig for a brief moment before re-establishing it. She continued to describe their fun; it was fairly tame but her responses were much more positive, suggesting that the man had considerable skill at foreplay. Enough to drive Filly into a frenzy, in fact. Distractedly, almost as an afterthought, she added, ~Hmm strange, he feels shielded...~ But the thought was swept away quickly by the licentious acts Shiver perpetuated. ~Why'd I ever think he was timid?~ she sighed into Schuldig's mind. ~Stars! You can feel this, yes?~

Her connection to him grew slightly shaky again, as though her concentration on it (minor though it was) was slipping away rapidly.

[Darastrix]

Schuldig chuckled and took it upon himself to reestablish their connection. He should have thought to do that in the first place; some things made it very difficult to keep up a mental conversation.

~You just worry about enjoying yourself,~ he murmured. ~I'll take care of my own fun.~

[Kender Bard]

Filly didn't bother to reply, merely in a burst of love and gratitude followed by a sudden wave of pleasure. Her pleasure swelled quickly, accompanied by all the mental marks of active sex, save for the unusual fact that there was just the faintest, barely detectable, sensation of pain beneath the pleasure, like a nip or a bite that had been a trifle too eager as they began.

Filly had also wrongly attributed to her inability to get a good grasp on Shiver's mind to shielding. It was similar to shielding, but the man's mind was incredibly slippery, resisting attempts to probe into it or anything similar. And beneath the slipperiness was something more, something that Filly hadn't detected at all as she had given up her half-hearted attempt before she could even notice. There was a fundamental wrongness lurking in there. Something dark and familiar only to the most sadistic of individuals.

[Darastrix]

Schuldig eagerly sank into Filly's mind, his physical body writhing on their bed as he experienced Shiver's considerable bedroom talents vicariously. If he couldn't get Shiver himself, that was the next-best thing.

Well. He could go one better.

He reached to Shiver's mind once their activities had shifted from foreplay to sex, and frowned in confusion. Schuldig distanced himself from what Filly was feeling for a moment in an attempt to better concentrate on Shiver, and was surprised to find how little good it did him. He'd never felt a person's mind do that before and it was both intriguing and worrying.

Schuldig sat up on the bed and focused on Shiver alone, and found that he was still unable to fully penetrate his mind. What he did sense was disturbing. It reminded him vaguely of some of the worst minds he'd encountered when he still called Morilanta home. And Filly was with the bastard.

~Filly,~ he sent, his mental voice sharp, ~where are you?~

[Kender Bard]

Filly didn't respond. The normal sense of alertness from her - from anyone who wasn't very ill, deeply asleep, or otherwise incapacitated - wasn't there. Her mind felt similar to one who was in meditation and thinking of absolutely nothing. Deeper into her mind, where her innermost thoughts lay, was considerably more active, all of it tuned toward her pleasure, which engulfed her senses completely. She didn't even notice how the pain that accompanied had intensified as well and continued to do so.

[Darastrix]

~Filly!~

A cold, heavy weight settled in his chest at her lack of response, and Schuldig sifted through her mind with mounting panic until he found where she and Shiver had gone. With her mind focused as it was and his already having been allowed in,Schuldig was able to get to the information with ease.

He jumped up and grabbed his sword from where it rested against the bedside, forgoing the scabbard. He hadn't had to bloody his blade in a long time, since even before becoming the White Swan, in fact. That was about to change. He'd used up what mercy he had in his dealings with the Fireteeth raiders and this man was hurting Filly. He could forgo his murderous impulses when strangers were involved, but not where his family was concerned.

~Brad, Nagi! Wake up! I might need you soon, and not for anything fun.~

His friends roused--if somewhat confused--he touched his sign and teleported to his wife, sword already poised to strike.

[Kender Bard]

As always when in deep feeding, Callista had begun to let her appearances down as the feeding progressed. She hadn't completely shifted to her true form, but that was almost worse; as if what she currently inhabited was some sort of unholy fusion of man and monster. Her bat-like wings had sprung forth, freed, from her back. Small spines marked the pointed tips between the webbing, for whatever purpose. They hadn't been bloodied yet.

She remained straddled over Filly, her body now feminine instead of masculine. Her skin was a disgusting mottled mixture of pale human fleshtones and the bruise-like purple of her demon skin as she let her metamorphosis occur gradually. Her scorpion like tail had reformed itself as well, and she had been lashing it back and forth in a lazy manner. Her horns had just started to poke forth from her forehead and her eyes glowed with a luminous redness. Her nails were not quite claws yet, though they were sharp and pointed.

Beneath the demoness, Filly lay limp with her eyes glazed and faraway looking. A faint smile was on her face as she continued to float in the euphoria that Callista's lustful aura put her in. She had grown pale during the feeding and there was a bite mark on her shoulder that oozed blood slowly.

Callista's head snapped around at Schuldig, hissing as she sensed the sudden intrusion. Her control over her domination of Filly weakened but the woman didn't rouse from her stupor; either it would take more than a few seconds or she was still under Callista's spell.

[Darastrix]

Schuldig's expression twisted in fury as he saw the thing that was on top of his wife.

"Get away from her," he snarled, sending the same words to Callista mentally, his anger thrusting the thought forward like a lance at the demon's mind.

---

Back at the palace, Crawford was waiting, hand on his own sword. He hadn't bothered dressing aside from shoving his feet into a pair of boots; he didn't want to risk being needed while he fought with his own clothing in the dark.

Nagi was sitting up in his own bed, hands folded and his eyes closed, ready to teleport as soon as Schuldig gave the word.

[Kender Bard]

Callista hissed in pain, though the attack wasn't as effective as it would be on another human. She didn't want to battle but perhaps she could manage this man. It'd been a long time since that incident in Anarlina, and this time there were no waters around. She shifted fully then - she'd need all her weapons at her disposal - and leapt from the bed at Schuldig quickly, raking her claws at head-level at him, hoping to tear out his throat and end the fight quickly.

Now Filly began to stir; her smile was gone and she fidgeted, making sounds of distress and pain, low and quiet as whimpers for the moment.

---

Locket stirred awake drowsily when Nagi did. "Wuz goin' on?" she slurred sleepily at her husband, and rubbed her eyes.