"This had better be worth the hassle," Mave grumbles at Nicora, soaked through from the storm. "I don't mind wet, and I don't mind cold, but together they are very uncomfortable," the Yodhinala points out to her equally soaked companion. The storm rages on around them, having struck suddenly once they were about a mile from the castle and forcing them to walk most of the rest of the way. At least there is some shelter next to the heavy castle door.
Up to when the rain began, Nicora had been making copious use of Mave's pipe. After the horrible evening where she went feral ... and then faced a punishment of over a day of draconic mating ... she needed something to ease her and Mave's herbs do work well on her female body; making it at least feel like less of a burden that it was starting to. Now, though, she just looks forward to being with two friends for a couple days; she needs the comfort. "They are not as uncomfortable as Gorphat's blessing upon me; which has thankfully been silent as of late," Nicora notes as they approach the door overhang. "And please, calm yourself; this will be worth it. We can rest here without fear of being discovered; and the Doctor is an ally and friend of mine. I trust him and his servant Rina immensely. And truth be told, after what I was recently put through, I ... need the comfort of familiar faces." She then reaches up and pounds on the wooden door with her fist.
It takes a few minutes, but the door opens and Igorina greets them - wearing a skin-tight rubber suit of some sort. "Oh my, travelers lost in the storm?" she asks. "I need of shel.. wait, you look awfully familiar," the rat notes, eyeing Mave.
"She should, you wore her body when I shaped you," Nicora tells Igorina, then winks to her. "It's me, Alptraum. Well, I go by Nicora right now since I am traveling in disguise. It's good to see you, Rina." The Eeee then shakes her right hand as she relaxes its form to expose the skeletal metal and shadow-goo as proof.
"Wow, you morphed yourself?" Igorina asks, and then, predictably, feels Nicora up to make sure it's real. "Can we come in out of the rain now?" Mave asks impatiently.
"No, a Shadow Dragon shaped me. This is ... well, my natural body now until I am shaped back," Nicora says as she playfully fights off the rat from feeling her up too much as she steps through the doorway and waves for Mave to do the same. "You can examine me fully later if you want," she tells Rina.
"Well, we can get started now," the Skreek says, then cackles. "You know the drill. I'll bring the baskets and bathrobes.."
"Which means we strip. It's dangerous to be wet in here," Nicora explains to Mave, then does exactly that, shedding her robes and slight undergarments until she's down to her bare black fur, starburst scar, scaled tail, and very female body.
Mave has a bit of difficulty with some of her garments - she's just not used to them being wet. Igorina returns with the towels (and of course helps with the toweling) while collecting the wet clothes in a basket. "Do you want the robes, or happy drying faster by the fire without them?"
"I'm fine without the robe. I don't have anything you haven't seen before," Nicora tells Rina and even grins slightly. "Well, except for my strange tail; it's a long story."
The Skreek, naturally, grabs the tail while Mave and Nicora walk along the hall. "Is this Doctor a gentleman?" Mave asks.
"He is a scientist and educated," Nicora explains, "An old friend of the Countess ... and a little peculiar. I really like him; he's very much the epitome of a Sylvanian vampire. Well, except for the lisp." She then looks over her shoulder and notes to Rina, "And what do you think of my body? I rather like it, even the tail."
"It seems a bit more mature than your actual age," Igorina points out. "And what's with the tail? It keeps licking me."
"It's based directly on the Countess' body," Nicora explains, "And the tail is ... well, the container for all my male aspects and male spirit."
"Oh, the Countess?" Igorina asks. "Won't that be a shock when -" They enter the main room, with it's racks of jars and giant hearth, along with Dr. Twig in his evening wear. There's a crash as he drops the glass of wine he was holding. "Ww.. Wose?" he gurgles at the sight of Nicora.
"Ah, Alptraum, actually," Nicora explains and holds up her right hand as proof. I'm in disguise. This is based on her. And oh, call me Nicora now? It's the name I go by now that I'm, well, a woman. It's only temporary, though!" She then eyes the broken glass and realizes she probably should have worn the robe.
"I am Yodhinala Mave," Mave introduces herself, eyeing the dropped glass with a frown. Such a waste of wine!
"Alp.. Nic.." Twig sputters, then simply begins to tip over backwards. He's caught by Igorina, of course. "He was struck by lightning earlier, so may be a bit slow," she says apologetically.
Nicora hurries over to make sure Twig is okay, which of course means she leans over a bit ... and gives Twig an eyeful of starburst-scarred cleavage. "I should have worn the bathrobe. I'm sorry. Maybe Rina could fetch it or loan me some clothes?" she offers poor Twig.
"Nnooo," Twig moans. "I will be fine.. Just a bit hungry is all.." the tall vampire notes.
And at that Nicora rolls her head and hair to the side. "You can bite me if you want," Nicora offers, "As an apology for shocking you. Rina, get a chair?" Nicora now tries to hold Twig upright for the Skreek.
"I remember when I had this effect on men," Mave notes. This causes Twig to notice her again, which brings on another spell of light-headedness.
Nicora ends up grunting as she has to hold more of the tall Eeee's weight. With a strained shuffle, she tries to escort him over to a chair so he can sit down.
"You still have that effect," Nicora strained-squeaks at Mave.
Soon enough, Twig is settled into one of the big overstuffed chairs. "Try not to break him," Igorina requests, and gets the clothes-drying gizmo started up. "I need to go peel off this insulation suit."
Nicora slips into Twig's lap and crosses her legs to maintain some modesty. "I'll try not to," she promises Igorina, then reaches over and takes hold of Twig's cheeks. She guides his head down until his nose is pressing gently against the point where her shoulder meets her neck. "Go ahead and bite me if you're hungry," she whisper-purrs in his ear.
Twig does so.. gently! It's odd, since Nicora has never actually been bitten by a male vampire before. It feels nice, but in a very different way. And Twig doesn't just bite her in one place either! He's very strategic about it, causing Nicora to feel a bit euphoric. And it doesn't trigger the curse either, since vampiric sensuality is outside of all but Diphath's bailiwick among the Babelite pantheon.
And Mave is greeted by some very pleased chirping from Nicora as Twig makes a gentle meal out of the smaller vampire in his lap. "Wow," Nicora ends up muttering to him quietly, "You can bite me any time. That felt amazing. Again, I'm sorry about, well, sowing up looking like Rose. I should have warned you."
"You can make it up to me tonight," Twig says, after licking his lips. He also glances at Mave, and says, "So can Mave if she likes. But what has bwought you back, not that I mind the visit?"
"I'll make it up to you in many ways," Nicora promises, then licks Twig's ear, before she sits back and just drapes her arms around Twig's neck. "Two reasons. First, well ... you're my friend and I really needed to be with friends for a couple days. The second reason is, well, I need you to give me a complete physical. One of the Babelite goddesses, Gorphat, decided that now that I am a woman, I need to endure some trials women face. I think she's placed a blessed, or perhaps, a curse, on me. Specifically my, ah, reproductive organs. Your scope might be able to see it? I'm honestly worried that she has taken interest in, and marked, me."
"And oh, three. Mave could also use a comfortable bed and bath again. We've been on the road a lot and I want her to have some comforts," Nicora adds.
"Oh, well Igowina is also a gynecologist I think," Twig notes. "But I'm pwetty confident that the opthodepthoscope can pick out stwange enawgy pattawns too."
"Well, we can start with the scope, then Rina's exam?" Nicora offers, "Then we'll ... trigger the unpleasant part of her blessing and examine me again, to see if anything changes when it ... flares up."
"A warm bed would be welcome," Mave agrees, drying her butt near the fire.
"Examination?" Igorina asks, returning and wearing something less bizarre - an actual Sylvanian dress and corset. It makes her look a bit like a bar wench though.
"I need my, ah, reproductive organs examined for any oddities," Nicora explains, feeling a little embarrassed. "I was just explaining to Twig that Gorphat decided I need to endure trials women face and has done something to me that makes certain times and ... events extremely unpleasant for me."
"Yes, to the lab!" Twig says. "Bwahahaha!" He stands, scooping up Nicora in the process and carrying her off to the tower, while thunder rolls against the stone walls of the castle. "See to making Miss Mave comfawtable, Igowina!"
Nicora squeaks as she's carried, naked, up the stairwell! "I should warn you that to trigger my condition in its most pronounced form, we'll have to ... ah, wash my womb with your fountain of life, as Mave would put it," Nicora tries to explain to the doctor. At least she's not having to look him in the eyes when explaining that!
"That will note be a pwoblem!" Twig insists as they rise higher into the tower. The storm rages on, but inside the lab it seems kept at bay, despite the occasional sympathetic sparking of the equipment. Nicora is laid down on Igorina's dentist chair, which Twig cranks back until it's nearly horizontal.
"Several times to get to its most worse," Nicora squeaks as she's laid into the chair, then laid back. "I want you to check me from head to toe with the scope," she explains, trying to think more on why she is here, not that she faces possible vampire romance. "A Yodhgorphat marked me head to toe, so I may show signs in places other than my womb."
"Hmmm, this could take awhile," the mad doctor notes, as he digs out the bizarre, alien device. Deciding to start from the top down, he connects the tentacle suckers to Nicora's shoulders, and looms over her as he adjusts the device. Since he's looking at her head, she can see through the screen into his head as well, so she has an idea of how deep he's looking.
"You have amazing fangs," Nicora comments as the adjustments give her a really good view of his head too. "Please tell me anything odd you see. I was shaped by a Shadow Dragon, and do not know how extensive she was, or things she may have added inside me." The Eeee then goes quiet to let the doctor work.
There is a moment or three of silence as Twig fiddles with the controls, providing all sorts of strange views of his own brain in the process. "Aha! I may have found something," he announces. "Some sawt of gween enawgy, wound awound yowa pleasuwa centah." In the reverse view, most of Twig's head is a transparent mass, with just bright sparks and flashes showing up inside of it sporadically.
"Green? Does it have any shape to how it is wound?" Nicora asks, trying to keep her jaw as still as possible.
Twig tries jiggling the device and changing the angle that he examines Nicora's head from. "It seems to be wiggling like a wowam," he reports. "A vewy tangled wowam."
"It looks like I have a worm in my head?" Nicora asks, a hint of worry in her voice at the disturbing mental image, "That's just ... keep checking the rest of me." She closes her eyes briefly and thinks, "Aunt Gorphat, what have you done to me?"
There is some painful repositioning of the tentacles, and then a gasp from Twig as he scans down with the scope. "You have objects embedded in yowa bweasts!"
"Ok, that's, uh, okay! The Shadow Dragon made little storage pouches there," Nicora says after her eyes snap open. "I can take the stuff out."
Twig looks around the scope at Nicora. "Please.. demonstwate?" he asks, with an odd expression.
Nicora reaches up and places her hand in the space between her breasts. She wiggles the fingers of her right hand to open up the thin 'lips' in the tissue then slips her fingers in, takes a hold of the necklace and carefully draws it out.
"Go ahead and slip your fingers in if you want. It's just a pocket, mostly," Nicora offers to twig.
"That looks vewy vewy stwange in the scope view," Twig notes. Then he slips his fingers in carefully, and feels around a little. "I should check Igowina fowa these, just in case."
Nicora grins slightly. "I expect you to examine me thoroughly later, too," she teases the tall vampire,
"Oh.. do you have othaw supwises hidden about you then?" Twig teases right back, and checks on Nicora's belly next. "Ah.. you have a vewy intewesting belly button too, I see."
"Oh, yes, there is that too. I can now use my shadow to eat normal food. I just have to, well, ooze it up through my intestines," Nicora explains as she sits up a bit to get a look at her own belly if she can.
There's a dark line running from her (transparent) navel to her intestine. It isn't very long, of course, but it shows up as being very.. shadowy. Like the 'seem' holding her heart together.
The appearance makes Nicora frown briefly, but she doesn't comment on it. She had expected it to look more like a regular bit of intestine than shadow. "And now we get to the part that scares me," Nicora admits. She remains sitting up so that she can see what Twig does when the scope is positioned over her lower stomach, where her womb and associated organs were placed by Melusine. She still feels weird when she thinks about having an actual womb and technical being fertile; and just requires the right male to actually impregnate her.
"These look nawmal," Twig announces, as he scans over Nicora's lower abdomen. Then he starts fiddling with the controls, and things change. Most of the flesh and bone becomes transparent and ghostly, while other things light up. In this case, there is a tangle of white and green energy throughout, although the white is mostly concentrated in the genitals and the green is spread out through the womb and birth canal. There's also some strange silvery glow from the tail, just on the edge of the scopes depth setting.
Nicora's eyes go wide when she spots the white and green. "The green is Gorphat," she explains as she pokes a bit around her lower abdomen. Her brow furrows as she adds, "She has claimed nearly all of my feminine tissues as hers. What would the white be, though?"
"Ah.. I have no idea," Twig admits, and then tries rubbing things a bit with a finger. Sure enough, the white energy lattice flares up brighter.
"It's Inala," Nicora says, realizes what the white is when the flare from Twig's finger excites things a bit (and makes her squeak). "She did bless me ... extensively. But ... the green seems more spread than the white, doesn't it?"
"Yes, it covaws mowa, but that does not indicate effect," Twig says, stopping the stimulation for the moment. "It seems mowa veiny in the womb, but mowa dense in the fun pawts."
"I want Rina to examine the actual tissues," Nicora admits as she looks between the scope and Twig. "Then we'll, ah, well, we'll have a lot of fun; until I'm in agony, then examine it again to see what it looks like," she says nervously.
"The white stuff does seem to make you incwedibly.. wesponsive.." the vampire bat admits. "Igo-" he starts to call, only to find the Skreek standing behind him, having been hidden by his wings. "I'll get my speculum!" she announces. "Do we have any of that lubricating goo you made by accident?"
"The white stuff makes things feel really good," Nicora admits as her ears fold back from embarrassment. "Good enough to ... endure the pain that comes later." She then blinks at the comment about goo. "You need to use goo?" she asks warily. "What for?"
Twig does not rip the scope contacts out when he jumps, but begins to remove them afterwards. "Thewa should be some left in the pink jawa."
Igorina grins her toothy grin, as she begins tugging on some rubber gloves. "Oh, you don't want stuff stuck in there without lubricant, trust me!" She also brings out a rolled bundle, which she unrolls on the table next to Nicora - revealing very scary looking medical instruments.
"Oh Goddess help me," Nicora squeaks and seems to shrink down on the table when she sees the disturbing-looking instruments. The Eeee quickly lays back as she really doesn't want to see what Rina uses. It's bad enough she'll probably feel it. She looks straight up at the ceiling and starts counting backwards from one hundred to herself, hoping it will distract her a little from the procedure.
The goo is warm, at least, and Igorina somehow manages not to cause any pain, but likewise isn't particularly pleasant about the examination. There are things inserted, things to spread her out, and things that seem to be taking samples. It ends with a sort of warm wash though, using what looks like a rubber hot-water bottle. "There you go, all nice and fresh! You do know you have to keep things clean right?" the Skreek asks, after snapping her gloves while pulling them off.
"I wasn't clean?" Nicora says as she sits upright, which looks funny given how her legs are still positioned. "How bad did it ... look in there? How do I keep it clean?"
"You just have to wash it out every so often," Igorina notes. "Have you been using it a lot?"
"A fair amount," Nicora admits sheepishly. " ... it feels really good usually."
"Well, you want to wash it every so often then afterwards," the Skreek notes. "Various fluids can turn waxy and yucky and attract bacteria and fungus. Cheap wine and warm water are usually fine to use though."
Nicora nods a bit at this. "Did everything look okay? No signs of infection or odd colors?" she asks the Skreek.
"A little bit of bruising, but nothing really weird," Igorina notes. "Now, tell me what you were expecting?"
"I wasn't sure," Nicora admits, "Perhaps the skin being green inside. That's what she does to some. That may happen later, though. I'll need you to examine me again in a few hours after Twig and I ... well ... push me to my limit of discomfort."
"Oh, why does he get to have all the fun?" Igorina says with that dangerous grin of hers. A cackle can't be too far behind.
"You can join in," Nicora offers, "But I have found it tends to flare the worst if it's, well, a male." She looks questioningly to Twig on if he wants Rina involved or not.
Twig made himself scarce during the actual examination, but has returned wearing a bathrobe. "Well.. ah.. if ouwa othaw guest is situated, I suppose Wina could opawate the scope to monitaw things.."
"Well, then shall we abuse your examination table a bit?" Nicora asks Twig, then curls one of her fingers to approach her. "Rina, please attach the scope back to me so you can monitor my womb while we ... try to anger a Goddess..."
Twig is happy to oblige the request, and the chair is sturdy enough - and provides an opportunity to try some new positions. Many of these are suggested by Igorina, as she watches on the monstrous viewing scope - often telling Twig to 'slow down' or 'speed up' or try other things. There is also plenty of mutual biting. It's definitely odd having a cheering section.
Uncomfortable at first, but once Nicora thinks of Rina as sort of a Yodhinala instructor, it becomes a little less odd and she begins to enjoy it. It turns out the lanky Eeee is rather good and the first wave of Inala's gift hits her. The now familiar discomfort soon follows, but Nicora doesn't stop yet; much like she did with Galand before she left. The tower becomes a blur of time mixed with biting and numerous acts and unusual positions; all with the intent to make Nicora have as much pleasure, and conversely, as much pain, as she can stand. It does end up taking a couple hours before she can't take any more; the pain has surpassed any sort of pleasure she might derive from the act. "Okay," she says, her voice strained in pain from the severe burn and itch, "Lets see what the scope shows." Inwardly she's pleading to herself, "Oh Gorphat this hurts horribly."
"Hmmm," Igorina goes, looking at the scope. Then she realizes she has to help Twig disengage, as the curse has brought on a bout of vaginismus. Luckily, there is still some lubricant left! Once that is dealt with, she helps Nicora into a sitting position to view the aftermath - throbbing green light, without any breaks at all, throughout her birth canal. "Now, I have some good news!" the Skreek says entirely too enthusiastically. "I could see what triggered it!"
Nicora is rocking slightly from the pain as she stares at the bright green light. "What triggered it?" she asks the Skreek weakly.
"Well, it wasn't your own pleasure, according to the way your nerves were firing," Igorina notes. "See, your natural pleasure kicks off this white energy which seems to amplify it, and that is what triggers the green counter-reaction. So, if you get rid of the 'blessing' then there won't be anything to trigger the 'curse' - probably."
"Neither are easy to get rid of," Nicora admits and her ears droop, since it almost sounds like she has to give up the pleasure to get rid of the pain. "What does the worm in my head look like right now?" she asks now.
It takes a moment for Twig to move the scope (which has been drawing a good bit of blood - Nicora is starting to feel the loss) back to her head. "It.. hasn't changed that I can tell," the doctor notes.
Nicora lays her head back and takes a few breaths. "Check my tissue again, please, Rina? With those scary instruments? Tell me if there are any odd color changes or liquids?" she asks the Skreek, sounding tired.
Tired enough that she actually falls asleep during the exam. When Nicora comes too, she's actually sucking on Igorina. "Feeling better?" the Skreek asks. "I think that 'blessing' is what lets you go for so long. You weren't showing any signs of stretching or chafing. No green spots either. Oh.. and you aren't pregnant! I figured you'd want me to check for that too."
Nicora doesn't stop sucking after she wakes, not for a good minute or two. When her jaws loosen, she says, "Yes, I feel better. Well, mentally, at least. My loins are still on fire," she admits, "And I'm not surprised I am not pregnant. It would take another shadow dragon or similar to manage it from what I've been told. I don't even know if I'm ovulating right now, either." She looks between the two strange people and asks, "Is there anything either of you want to examine further? Or shall we all retire to bed?" The Eeee then smirks tiredly and asks, "And will I get my own room, or will one of you chain me to your respective beds again? I don't mind either way."
"You can sleep with me if you like," Twig offers with a friendly smile. "Igowina is alweady going to be sleeping with yowa juicy fwiend."
Nicora smiles up to Twig. "I would be honored to share your bed," she tells the Doctor. "But I won't be able to join with you again tonight. But .... Mave did explain to me techniques I could use that work well, that is if you continue to have certain urges," she adds as a tease.
"I think that what you need is a good hot bath and massage," Twig notes, scooping up Nicora in his arms again. "And.. I'm wather sowa, admittedly. I don't have any miwaculous blessings, afta all!"
Nicora laughs ... and actually does it in a way to mimic Igorina's own cackle. She drapes her arms around Twig's shoulders and then rests her chin atop her left arm. "I agree, a good bath and massage would be lovely right now," she murmurs. "We'll be around for a few days in case something else should be checked ... and I want to hear what Rina finds in those samples she took." The tired Eeee then sighs softly lets the Doctor just carry her off. "Will you ever truly release your hold on me, Gorphat?" she wonders tiredly, "Or will my future be a slow spread of that green energy within me? And why do I keep wondering this? You can't hear my thoughts or prayers without Phlagaea anyway."