There's a surprising amount of Temple business that Nicora is expected to deal with - or at least approve. Sil brings her the plans for the internal renovations that would convert part of the temple into a hospital, complete with 'staff' accommodations. With more people active within the temple itself, Sil shares her concern about people wandering where they shouldn't, and if guards or gates should be put in place, and which areas are safest for storing food and supplies.
"Gates should be put in place to keep people out of the deeper parts of the Temple, as well as from private rooms, such as my own. The staff areas should have separately keyed gates as well, so that staff has privacy from the public. Only the hospital area and main chamber will be open for the public for now. There is too much danger deeper in the Temple; only the Yodh are trained to cope with it," Nicora explains to Sil as she is going over the plans and marking her own notes on what she approves, and what she feels should be changed slightly to protect people from the ... slimier sides of the Yodhgorphat. "Those that wander too deep may find themselves like me," she adds, and gestures to her swollen and droopy chest.
Sil's eyes widen slightly at the warning - after all, she's been to most of the areas adjacent to the main shrine. "Should the gates have special openings at the top for the horribs?" she thinks to ask.
"Ah, yes, they should. Good point," Nicora agrees and notes that down on the documents as well. "And do not worry so much, Sil, unless you join as Yodh, you will not endure the training I have."
"But I do need to take care of you and those who serve you," Sil notes, picking up the documents. "Are there any restrictions on how to serve your acolyte? Will she always be sleeping in the Horrib Lair, or should I see about preparing one of the other rooms for her?"
"Begin preparing a room for her. When she completes initiation she will be a full Yodh and have her own chamber. Also, we will need another room for a male, a possible Bargorphat, who may be joining. So, prepare that as well," Nicora instructs. "And as serving my acolyte ... she is to feed from only what I provide her. You can dress her, help her bathe, and such things, but until she is fully inducted, aspects around what she needs to survive must come from me."
"As with children, they depend on their mothers for survival, and as I am surrogate for Gorphat for her new Yodh, they should depend on me," she clarifies.
Sil bows, and says, "As you wish, Yodhgorphat. I'll start room preparations for Penance, and once you confirm the status of the new male I'll fix something up for him as well. Is there anything more you need from me before this Spider person arrives?"
"No, I have already collected the items I need for him. When he arrives, escort him to one of the exam rooms, then fetch me. I will begin there with an examination and a few treatments. Then I will take him to one of the trial rooms for a couple tests," Nicora explains. "If all goes well, he will join us. His training is not likely to be as intense as the Yodh because, well, men are just not as strong as women are."
"Of course, High Priestess," Sil says, then pauses at the doorway. She turns and asks, "Forgive my ignorance, Yodhgorphat.. but what does a bargorphat do?"
"Assists the Yodh in their duties where appropriate and provides Eeee companionship to them as well, it isn't like we are exactly desired Eeee," Nicora points out, "Plus they help with duties that require greater physical strength, such as supply transport and delivery, as well as construction and repair work if needed."
Sil seems a bit relieved by the information - maybe she was just worried about her own family's custodial position being usurped. "I will come for you once Spider is brought to an exam room, Yodhgorphat," she reiterates before leaving.
"You are still welcome to join as one of us, Sil. You would be welcome," Nicora offers as Sil departs.
"Thank you for the offer.." Sil's voice replies, trailing off as she hurries away.. to her duties, of course.
"Only a select few truly appreciate you and wish to be your Daughter," Nicora thinks to Gorphat. "Their loss; you have made me so beautiful."
When Nicora arrives, she finds Spider waiting.. on the ceiling. His Eeee flight urges must have been redirected into climbing ones - or it's just a side effect of his early upbringing. He does come down though, using his modified wing-arms to catch himself as he drops, then fold back behind him like regular wings do. He seems uncertain as to what to do next, so makes a half-bow.
Nicora watches this with curiosity after entering. she is carrying a sack filled with books, vials, and all sorts of 'poking' things probably used for examination. "It is good to see you again, Spider," the bandaged Eeee notes as she sets her bag on one of the counters and proceeds to remove its contents neatly. If the Eeee can read ad all, one of the books seems to be about rituals and markings of Gorphat. Which means ... the implements she brought are probably for applying them. "Please disrobe and lay on the exam table," she instructs.
"Dis.. what?" the man asks, not understanding the term 'disrobe' apparently. It isn't likely one in common use in the Streets Below.
"Remove all your clothing," Nicora clarifies.
"Oh!" Spider replies, and takes off his shorts.. which are his only clothes. There isn't anything unusual revealed, other than that things are in proportion to his larger frame.
"Do you have any concerns with going naked?" Nicora asks him as she now walks in slow circles about the man, looking for signs of other issues he may have (other than his odd wings), such as other possible illnesses and the like. "We often go without clothing while in the temple," she explains.
There are plenty of scars, and some of them didn't heal nicely. But working with scrap all the time probably results in constant minor injuries. It also looks like he was stabbed in the thigh at some point, by either a knife or possibly even a horrib stinger. "They make me wear pants when I found by people," Spider claims. "Not care either way."
"Tell me about this," Nicora instructs and taps the stab wound on his leg to indicate that specific injury. And probably not helping matters, she cups and starts to medically examine the Eeee's reproductive bits for damage shortly thereafter.
"Flying bug stung me," Spider claims. "It hurt, leg not work for a day-night." His right testicle is a bit swollen, which could be due to parasites or scar tissue.
"Horrib?" Nicora asks in case Spider knew what it was but forgot. "And what about this?" she asks next, tapping the swollen gonad. "Injury?"
"I get kicked hard there a few times," Spider explains. "Horrib. Yes? Like ones here. But smaller. Taste fine, but got to spit out poison."
"Still, I should check you for parasites," Nicora muses. "Sit on the edge of the table, please," she instructs as she goes and gets a cup.
The man uses his wing-arms to lift himself up onto the table-altar. He sits with his legs splayed out, and right on the edge.
Nicora returns with a cup and crouches down before the man, between those outspread legs. What she does next ... well ... it could make a Yodhinala proud with the way she massages and stimulates the man to get him aroused. Even her tongue comes into play after a point, trying to bring the man to his peak, then pauses just a moment to switch back to massage so that she can catch his 'sample' with the cup.
Spider seems fascinated by this, as if he'd never experienced it before. "Why is it.. that feels.." he mutters, and when he finally does produce the specimen, he seems scared. "That's not silk!" he blurts. "My spinneret is broken?"
Nicora is holding it up and looking through the cup for ... movement. "You do not have a spinneret," she notes, "That is for reproduction. I am checking that it is not infected within anything of significant concern. You will be using that part of your anatomy in service to the Yodh, if you choose to join."
Nothing is moving visibly.. so at least it isn't worms. "How?" Spider asks.
"I will show you in a bit, if you decide to join," Nicora says right before she does something really disgusting. She tastes the sample.
Saltier than usual, but nothing acidic or off about it. Spider does seem to eat a lot of protein at least.
"Hmm, that seems reasonably clear," Nicora muses, then actually just finishes the sample off. She resumes her examination of the Eeee, focusing on his malformed wings now; checking to see if the membranes were cut out, or if this was just natural. She assumes natural, but best to be sure.
There's no sign of a membrane, or any scars that would suggest it was cut off. Spider was apparently born this way. Which makes sense, since his fingers would've been wing-length otherwise. The man is still staring at his 'spinneret' in amazement, now that it's going back to normal.
"Do you still wish to join? Life here is not easy and you may be put to many challenges in Gorphat's service," Nicora notes as she seems satisfied that his physical condition is 'decent'.
"Join?" Spider asks. "Not sure what you mean, really. I'm a hard worker. What do you need me to do? Will there be vermites?"
"There will be dealing with many insects and hard labor," Nicora says as she goes to her 'kit' and pulls out a vial that might be green ink, but it has a soft glow to it. She also picks up a brush, and s set of very fine-looking needles. "You will also be expected to treat and tend to issues women develop with their reproductive parts; infections, pain, and so forth. To do such your own part must be blessed by Gorphat to treat such things. If I begin this, you will be forever marked. I need you to be sure this is what you want."
"Marked," Spider repeats, and looks at Nicora's hands and other exposed patches of skin. "Marked. Those are marks on you? You weren't born with them? If you mark me, what will it do to me?"
"Sacred runes to imbue you with the ability to treat certain ailments," Nicora claims. "Do not worry you will not be as marked as I," she adds, then proceeds to unwrap herself completely so the Eeee can see just how marked and scarred the Yodhgorphat is.
"Wait.. go slower," Spider asks. "And spread your wings more? You've got a horrib on your back.."
Nicora does go slower, and indeed spreads her wings. "I have a tattoo of one, yes, and I have given birth to the horribs that live in this Temple. They are my children and I their brood-host," she adds, sounding proud of that fact.
"Is that why you have lots of boobs?" Spider asks. "I don't think others have that many."
"It is Gorphat's will that I have these; to server her and remind me to not stray from Her path," Nicora claims. "It does make me look a bit like a grub, but I accept it."
"What do I have to do to be marked?" Spider asks next, eying the needles. "How does it work?"
"I will tattoo some runes on your 'spinneret', then we will go to one of the trial chambers and test that they work," Nicora explains quite simply. "The tattooing will be a bit painful I am afraid."
"Painful?" Spider asks. Apparently he knows that word and how sensitive that part of him is. "Is that part of it, or can I be numbed?"
"Well, enduring discomfort is important," Nicora points out, "But if I lick it a bit, it will be soothed some."
"As you wish, then," the man says. "Do I lie down? On my side? Just sit here? Does it need to be all big again?"
"You can remain seated as you are," Nicora explains as she fetches the book and flips through it, looking up the specific runes and blessing requests to treat a variety of female 'issues' (and of course the inverse of all the rituals can inflict them). This she sets beside the large Eeee on the table with the proper page opened. And that's when Nicora starts doing the things that got him all excited the first time. Except this time she doesn't bring him to a peak, instead she clasps a chitin latch-ring around the base tightly to keep things swollen.
"What is that thing?" Spider asks. His wing arms grab the ends of the altar tightly, while his normal ones grip the side he's perched on.
"The ring? It just keeps you firm so that even if you feel pain you won't ... deflate," Nicora explains as she takes the brush next. She starts to gently trace out the various 'ritual runes' all along the robust Eeee's captured spinneret, leaving light green glowing runes in its sweeping wake.
At least there isn't fur to get in the way - otherwise shaving would be necessary. At this point, Spider is still fascinated by the process. "Drawings can cure things?" he asks. "What will I be able to cure with these?"
"Lots of common issues for women. Yeast infections, sores, typical internal inflammation, bladder infections, and parasites women get in their reproductive system," Nicora explains, as the tracing continues until he is quite decorated. That's when it gets a bit more unpleasant ... she takes up a needle and starts to dip and poke the poor Eeee, retracing those runes with show inserts of that fine, hollow, needle.
While Spider's sonar may not be well developed, his lungs are. The ultrasonic yelp bounces around the chamber and his entire body tenses.
Nicora's ears fold back! "Ow," she thinks, grimacing. This is going to be a slow and painful process for the both of them it seems. And on she goes, working on a rune for a bit, then giving the poor male a break to recover, before moving to the next rune.
The screeching doesn't last. Eventually Spider just quivers and cries a bit, all the while trying to dig his claws into the stone of the altar. At least he isn't a bleeder!
Nicora leans in and licks after each rune is completed, trying to sooth some of the pain now. "It will be over soon. You are doing well," she tells the man as she works. She tries to work a bit quicker to finish off the tattoo work and give him some time to recover.
All those hours under the needle have given Nicora a good sense for how painful the needles can be. At least she's not having to redo spots as much, since the dark skin seems to take up the ink just fine.
Even with the improved pace, it still takes Nicora a couple hours to get the tattooing completed. But at long last she sets the needle aside. The Eeee then leans in and clasps her hands around the tender and needled bit of Eeee. "Mother Gorphat, accept this new boy as one of yours. A Bargorphat to serve the Yodh, and those that visit the Temple. Imbue these runes with your might and cure all penitent women who come to seek his services. Let my kiss be yours and bless his flesh," she prays. Her hands draw back and she leans in, kissing the Eeee's very sore flesh; deeply, so that all of it has a change to feel her lips; a kiss from the Mother.
Spider is looking a bit.. loopy. Most likely he's high on endorphins (which is probably why some people get addicted to tattooing). He's also been pressurized for quite a long time. He's likely less reactive to the kiss than he would be to the ring being removed.
Once the kiss is done, Nicora removes the ring and sets it aside. "There. Now you need to rest a bit. When you feel up to it, we can then test that it works," she explains.
There's a long sigh of relief.. followed by a grimace as the burning pins-and-needles effect compounds the soreness. "Test?" Spider asks, a bit hoarsely. "Will that hurt too?"
"For me, yes. For you ... you will likely enjoy it," Nicora says as she gently rubs the poor man's bit so that blood flows easier.
"It burns," Spider admits. He has to pry his wing-hands away from the edges of the altar, since they had a veritable death-grip on it all this time. "Treating illness feels good?" he asks then.
"It can. It may not at first, but eventually it does," Nicora explains. She licks again, hoping the saliva will ease the burn. "Would you like to do your next test in a day or so to allow tis time to heal fully?" she inquires.
"What will the next one be?" Spider asks. "Do I stay here?"
"The next one invovles myself inflicting myself with one of the conditions you can cure, then verifying that mating with you cures it," Nicora explains simply. She rises and packs away the supplies she brought into the room. "You may stay here, or put your shorts back on and resume work outside if you wish. Your choice."
The notion of putting his shorts on over the tormented skin causes Spider to make a face. "I can wait here," he says. "When it stops hurting I ask for you?"
"Yes. You may ask Sil to fetch me," Nicora agrees as she collects her bandages. "I will leave you to your recovery, Spider. Welcome to the family. We will continue our work on you in time, as you grow with us," She actually smiles to the Eeee ... though a smile from a Yodhgorphat may not be all that assuring. The woman then turns and leaves the man to his discomfort.
There are probably salves or other treatments that would help Spider recover faster... but knowing how fast he recovers on his own could be handy. Despite his scars, he didn't seem to have suffered from infection - no mean feat in the Street's Below, where the stuff of life is usually somebody else's garbage.
It's some time in the early morning when Sil wakes Nicora. "Forgive me, mistress, but Spider is awake and says he is no longer in pain," she reports. So he does heal fast. Of course, it's also close to Nicora's milking time at this hour.
"Ah, good. Take him to the chamber of blessing practice; the one with the reflection statue in it. I will join them there shortly. Also, send in Otto as it is time to relieve some of Gorphat's sacred pressure from my body," Nicora instructs; a rather polite way to say she needs to be milked like a common farm animal.
Sil leaves to make the preparations, and soon after a semi-groggy Otto appears with the familiar buckets. "Good morning, High Priestess," the rat greets, looking like he just woke up.
Nicora waves politely. "Good evening, Otto. Your sow needs to be milked," she remarks a bit dryly. She rolls herself out of the bed to her hands and knees, her swollen and painful slime-covered chest making disturbing squishing sounds.
Otto places the buckets, and goes to work. His hands are warm, if rough, but what really matters is the relief of the milking. The Skreek humms a bit while he works.
Nicora lets out a long sigh. It feels so good when things start to depressurize. A small blessing to the discomfort Gorphat's blessing inflicts upon her. "I feel as if you are turning me into another Magog some days, Mother," she thinks as she is milked.
That would require more muscular (and firmer) breasts - two things which Nicora's current set are lacking in. Otto moves on to the next pair after shifting the buckets slightly, and goes back to work. "How are you feeling today, High Priestess?" he asks, trying to make small-talk.
"Swollen and itchy," Nicora explains, "So, I am feeling normal for a Yodhgorphat of my position. How are you, Otto?"
"I am.. adjusting," the man says. "There are so many new people here. I can't avoid them all. I am being more.. social. I think some of them like me."
"You are a likeable person. This is good. You should be spending time with them and not with horrors like me," Nicora says politely.
"You are kind to me though," Otto points out. "You give me a home and purpose. And you'd be more lonely if I wasn't here, wouldn't you?" he asks.. as if really wondering if Nicora would miss him.
"Of course I would, but I do not want you feeling as if you are trapped here; that this is the only place for you," Nicora explains.
"On the contrary.. I have never felt more free," the Skreek claims, and starts working on the lower pairs, which tend to go faster since they're small, but require more kneading. "I enjoy being helpful."
"You are that," Nicora has to agree, sighing softly. It feels so much better to have that pressure relieved. "You are always welcome here."
"Thank you," Otto says. "Do you need help with anything more? I know you need to see the new man. Spider, isn't it? He seems uncomplicated."
"Yes, his name is Spider; he is a decent, if simple, fellow. If you need to relieve some of your tension, you may satisfy yourself under my tail," Nicora offers the large skreek. She still has to take some care with the usual route ... not to mention she has to use that route in a bit!
"I don't think you enjoy it much," Otto notes. "And it is very.. tight and.." Instead of talking more, Otto moves the buckets out of the way, then bends down and just uses his tongue on Nicora's ever-needy bits.
"It is for you, not for me. Gorphat does not approve if I enj..." Nicora starts to try and refute the skreek, but the tongue across the bits that have been off limits since she became 'pregnant' causes her to halt and draw in a deep breath instead. She doesn't want to enjoy it, but she cannot help herself. It has been days, and Gorphat's curse upon her has made the urge incredibly strong.
Otto proves the old saying that 'Skreeks will eat anything' it seems. He's very thorough, and uses his fingers as well. And since it doesn't count as mating.. it doesn't trigger the 'backlash' blessing of post-coital pain. This sort of thing doesn't really fall under Inala's domain, since it's just pleasure without any reproductive effort - which from Gorphat's perspective, makes it a something of a blasphemy against Inala.
And this, well, makes Nicora make all sorts of pleased noises. She's also impressed how through he is given how bad she smells thanks to all the blessings. But, she isn't about to complain, especially when the full wave of pleasure hits and makes her shiver and quiver all over!
Once that happens, Otto eases up. "Did that help?" he asks. Who knows what his breath must smell like..
"Yes, it helped quite a bit," Nicora admits with a contented sigh. That will hopefully make what she must do in a bit, just a bit more bearable. "Thank you, Otto."
"My pleasure, High Priestess," Otto says, and grins as he collects the buckets.
And Nicora sits up, content to bask in the after effects of just what happened. It is only after Otto is gone for a few minutes that Nicora decides to do an 'egg check' on herself to ensure her 'pregnancy' is stable and her children are 'growing'.
Actually.. they seem to be a bit more stimulated than usual. While not moving yet, they're clearly more metabolic activity going on and some growth. The uterine environment does react to orgasm, after all.. so it might be something beneficial.
"Good, they are doing quite well," Nicora murmurs to herself as she rises. She has to grab a cloth to clean herself of remnants of her night time 'sliming', but that's about all she can do to improve her looks. She gathers the book she was studying the other day that has the incantations for various minor curses that cause common diseases in women. "I had best find Spider and test my work on him," she says as she heads naked into the temple.
Spider is sitting on the floor, still sans-shorts. With his legs held up against him and his extra arms wrapped around him, he looks more alien than usual.
"Good morning, Spider. How are you feeling today?" Nicora asks of the Eeee as she sets her cursing but atop the podium and starts flipping through the pages. "Are you ready for the test?" she asks.
"It still glows a bit," Spider notes, then stands up, unfolding like a flower. "It doesn't burn now. Will the test be hard?"
"It should not be difficult for you, I hope," Nicora promises as she skims through the book and selects a reasonably simple and common condition, then taps it with her finger. "First I must inflict myself with a condition you should be able to cure, then we have to see if your rune work and blessing cures it."
"If it doesn't, do I have to leave?" Spider asks. "I like it in here. It's dark and there are lots of things to cling to."
"No, you do not have to leave. It just means I have to refine the work on you over time," Nicora promises. She taps the book again, then steps up and focuses her gaze on the statue. "Here you go being crazy again," she thinks, just before saying, "Mother Gorphat, Great Goddess of Challenge, bestow upon the soul before me the gift of imbalance of the passage of Inala; allow the natural fungus to grow and flourish, to thicken and ooze from Inala's 'sacred place'. Give her the itch, the stench, and the discomfort befitting one of unclean habits..." And so on it goes, and includes some rather arcane and twisted hand gestures that ultimately just make it look like someone really trying to scratch something. It's amazing how many ways you can describe unpleasant oozing, odor, and itch in a woman, really.
The appropriate gem glows in response, getting brighter as the blessing-curse progresses.. until Nicora feels the itch. More than she usually itches, at least. Of course, congress with a bargorphat is supposed to (temporarily) suppress most of Gorphat's feminine challenges.. although that may be in direct proportion to how unsexy the bargorphat in question is.
Nicora's ear twitches as she continues the blessing, using one hand for gestures and the other for ... well, checking to see if the unpleasant discharge has also begun.
This is also tricky.. given the usual discharges. But it does at least start to smell differently, which is probably a good indicator. "What disease are you giving yourself?" Spider asks.
"A common fungal infection women get," Nicora explains as she shakes her hand to remove the ... goo. "Annoying, but not threatening," she concludes, ears twitching like mad. "And it seems to have worked. Now ... please lie on your back..."
Since there isn't an altar or any other obvious location, Spider just lies on his back there on the floor. "What do I have to do?" he asks.
"Just relax and I'll show you," Nicora explains as she goes to him. She straddles his body, which to most would look like some horrible nightmare monster from a dream, frankly, then like yesterday begins gentle work on his tattooed bits to get things all excited again...
Spider squirms a bit, and seems unsure of just what to do with his.. everything. Limbs move about trying to find a comfortable place. He does respond more readily this time though, going to full mast in just a few minutes.
"This part of you is supposed to inside this part of me," Nicora explains and then descends her body slowly onto the Eeee (yes, quite the nightmare material, really, given how nasty she is!). This causes her to inhale slightly as it isn't very comfortable given her current (temporary) condition. She moves and shifts, determining how much movement and depth the Eeee can do without risking damage to the cervical plug placed by the horrib. When she determines what seems ot be safe, she does some slow motions to show him. "Now, you just need to ... do this until you feel good, like you did yesterday and your spinneret worked. If the marking work is correct, it should ease and remove the curse I put upon myself..." she explains.
"That feels.. what do I do?" Spider asks. "Can I move? I want to move too.."
"Yes, you need to move. Slow and gentle," Nicora explains as she stills so that now he has to move.
Before trying, Spider's oversized extra arms come around and hold onto Nicora's sides, so that she doesn't fall off or anything, as if that were a risk. Then comes the tentative motion. He's not huge, but bigger than average. He soon figures out the depth limits..
"There you go. This is something you may do often with other Yodh or visitors," Nicora explains to him in a soft, almost cooing, voice. It isn't particularly enjoyable for her at the moment; she's really itchy right now!
It isn't clear when the blessing takes hold.. but it isn't until Spider begins to try harder.. and is moving Nicora as well with is arms. His regular hands grab onto whatever is bobbing, and hold tight as he decides there must be more depth.. if he just keeps trying hard enough. The waxy plug takes the abuse.. but is being spread out a bit by it all. Only when it becomes uncomfortable.. and when Nicora feels she's lost control.. does the counter-curse seem to work and soothe the itching.
Nicora grits her teeth and rides it out. She feels the pressude against the plug, and part of her gets worried that her charges may be in trouble. She might have to see Brutus about repairing the plug after all this. But the worry fades a little when the itching seems to be easing, meaning the counter curse she inscribed on him does work, and that Gorphat has accepted him. "Wel ... welcome to the family, Bargorphat Spider," she whimpers, eyes closed, as she aches (but doesn't itch!) inside.
"Oh.. do I stop now?" Spider asks, clearly not wanting to stop yet. Nicora has never been felt up by an Eeee with four hands before (although multiple appendages in general are not new to her).
"You don't have to stop until you finish," Nicora instructs, "Just ... follow instinct."
With that permission.. Spider really goes at it. By the time he's finished, his rear must be sore from hitting the stone floor over and over like that. The expression on his face though is very open and happy. "This is really great!" he notes.
And Nicora feels ... sore. But not itchy! So, it was a success. She does have to focus inwardly a bit, though, and check on her plugging and her eggs, though; she really doesn't wish them any harm. "Yes, yes it can be," she murmurs, distracted, "I am glad you ... enjoyed."
The plug is meant to be flexible.. that little bit of jostling didn't cause any harm or leakage it seems (although, again, the 'eggs' seem to appreciate the stimulation).
"Okay, so moderate activity is okay," Nicora thinks, feeling relieved. She eases herself off the other Eeee and settles herself on the floor next to him, glad to be free of that yucky curse she cased on herself. "You now have a home here. Would you like to go spend time with, and get to know, my Acolyte?" she asks of Spider.
"Does she eat?" Spider asks, as his stomach growls.
"Ah, no, she is usually only permitted to nurse on me," Nicora admits.
"But I suppose I could make an exception in this case," Nicora offers.
"She is a nurse?" Spider asks.
"No, no, normally I have her nurse from one of my teats so that she is 'feeding' from Gorphat," Nicora explains, then actually offers the man one of hers. "You can too if you wish. Simply ... suckle."
The man tries it, but not for long. "Is it supposed to taste like that? I like vermites.." he notes.
"I am supposed taste like that, yes," Nicora admits, then stands up. "Come on, you two can meet then go get some dinner outside tonight."
Spider has to rub his backside and stretch a few times once he's on his feet again. "Will I always be this sore?" he asks.
"No. Doing this in a bed generally helps with that. I just needed this room to reflect the blessing back on myself for the test," Nicora explains, "It will only be more enjoyable from here on out, do not worry." And with that, she leads him through the Temple passageways to seek out her Acolyte for introductions, then to let them go find food and get to know each other.
This early in the day, Penance is still encased in her cocoon, although the horribs have begun chewing her free. She stirs a bit more when Nicora arrives, with Spider lingering back slightly.
"Wake up, Acolyte. We have a Bargorphat joining us. You remember Spider, yes? I would liek you and he to get to know each other. And to help with that ... today I will permit you to go eat normal food outside with him if you wish," Nicora offers with a Gorphat-sweet sort of smile.
"I don't know what normal food is," Penance says, with a look of shock. Spider reaches his long arms into the lair, and pulls himself up to the ceiling where he stares at the Queen.. then looks at Penance. It's quite the contrast after seeing Nicora.. especially with the horribs crawling over her. He doesn't seem to have any fear of them at least.
"Well, then ... Spider can teach you that," Nicora claims. After all, Nicora doesn't really know either! She then gestures to the queen and notes, "She is the queen of the sacred horribs and I am brooding for her right now." That is punctuated with a pat on her gut.
"I like it here," Spider notes. He then crawls over the ceiling, dangles upside down, and joins the horribs in trying to chew away the resin holding Penance in.
"Well, then, I'll let you two get acquainted," Nicora tells them. She bows politely, slinks out of the room ... and on the way back to her chambers thinks, "Welcome to the looney bin..."