"So, you found the one you were looking for," Koldesh says to Willow in the corridor outside the guard room. There's still a bit of a climb ahead, in the dark. "We've been making use of Bright Ideas. I'm not sure if we can let him go though - we've been giving him a lot of stuff so he can figure out strategies, to the point where he'd be a terrible liability if captured."
"He's not a prisoner, he's a victim too, and keeping him as a prisoner would be a big problem, politically, if it became public knowledge," Willow points out. "You shouldn't have told him anything that would have been a risk."
"He has the best idea of how the attack will play out," Koldesh says. "And is coming up with scenarios based on likely targets within the city. At least ones we can think of. The Tower of Babel and the Coalition Tower, mainly. Once things are over he should be good - assuming the Mage's treatment makes him forget all of this."
"If it can even be done. Aeonian's minds are different," Willow points out. "Have you considered just offering to employ him as a strategist?"
"After the treatment?" Koldesh asks, staying close to Willow on the dim stairs. "First we have to stop whatever the Royal Mages are up to. I don't know if he'd be interested."
"Are you interested? And you should ask him if you are," Willow notes and shrugs again. "Anyway, no point in even thinking much on it until we know howhis memory handles the treatment."
"I haven't asked him about his desires," Koldesh says. "Such an offer would also be dependent on his strategies being successful. He didn't plan the Mages moves, only their distraction."
"Yes, but he's not stupid. He can extrapolate their likely actual moves based on them," Willow points out and shrugs again. "Also, if I have caused you any issues with how I spoke with your sub-Priestesses and guards, I apologize."
"I'm only owed deference in certain capacities," Koldesh notes. "Yodhrephath duties do not include protective custody. But we have to keep up a rotation, just in case. And also to prevent the 'guests' from getting too annoyed with their room guards and deciding on suicide via killing a Yodh."
"Not quite what I meant, but all right," Willow says, "And yes, I did find the right person to send over and hopefully placate whom we assume is his son. Sorry I did not explicitly state that earlier. The guards know which one to send by his door number."
"The Cervani then?" Koldesh asks. "He was deemed low-risk, so getting him out shouldn't be a problem. Some of the others, however, are clearly former pirates or similarly nefarious individuals. It could be argued that they served their sentence if they were hanged and revived, but the Yodhrephath have a pretty firm policy on dealing with pirates."
"The Cervani, yes. As for the others, pirates or not, we have to clear them back to their memories and see who they were. Summary judgment cannot be pronounced without real proof of who they were or what their crimes were. No matter what our emotions say on the matter," Willow comments. "The city is trying to represent itself a s a city of laws and justice now, after all."
"Which is why those that are deemed risks will be under guard throughout the treatment and afterwards," Koldesh says. "The details for that can be worked out when we have more time and less pressure. The Guild Tower is not considered a secure facility." The finally mount the finally stairway leading up to the semi-ground-level part of the temple.
"Ah, that's what you meant. I agree with that; I wouldn't want a murderous pirate to regain memory around a bunch of mages who are, well ... winded after climbing stairs," Willow agrees. "I misunderstood."\
"Those ones don't need to be dealt with before the retainer sorts are done with," Koldesh says, checking the corridor before signaling to the duty guard to close the door behind them. "We've still got one of them with his memories intact, which likely means he won't know anything useful."
"Which one? The vartan?" Willow asks as she glances back at the guard, then over to Koldesh.
"The one that goes by Razor, yes," Koldesh says, and leads the way deeper into the temple. "He's still being kept under sedation. Just because he doesn't have a neck injury doesn't mean he doesn't have a spirit trap or curse waiting to go off."
"That's quite true. Plus he's likely stronger than any of you and has more natural weapons," Willow points out.
"Oh, we have a restraint system," Koldesh notes. "There are a lot of Vartans in Babel after all. He have ways to restrain Nagas and Fnerfs even. The Naga bath is my favorite," she claims, as they pass another checkpoint, with the Yodhrephah and barrephath on duty just salute.
"Sounds fun to me. Mmmmm restraints," Willow jokes.
"Remind me to show you the bath sometime," Koldesh says. "It uses cold water, to make the reptile sluggish, and there's this powder that's dumped in made from bones. It all turns into this rubbery goop that resists the Naga's movements, as long as it is buried in it up to the head."
It isn't far before they reach another guarded door. And Willow feels a slight tingle just standing outside of it.
"Gelatin," Willow comments, "When you add some flavoring to it, it makes a nice dessert. We had stuff like that in Sylvania"
"You ate bones as a treat?" Koldesh asks, and shudders. "A harsh land, indeed. But I suppose it meant those bones couldn't rise up again, eh?" She then gestures to the guard, who unlatches the door. "I'll come get you when the courier arrives. Or the Mages. Go make sure our guest isn't insane or anything."
"Which guest?" Willow asks, then brow furrows more. "Have I grossed you out that much?"
"The one you suggested we offer a position here," Koldesh says.
"Ah, yes. You didn't answer my other question, though. You should try living with absolutely nothing, no support, and no respect; it changes viewpoints pretty quickly," Willow says and shrugs. "I'll see how this one is doing though, as you ask. Thank you."
"Let her in," Koldesh says. "I have to go make room for a large roommate." The Yodh at the door opens it for Willow. "If you're staying for dinner, I'll have extra brought," the guard notes.
Willow looks at Koldesh. "You don't seriously have to take in that Rhian," she notes, then shakes her head. To the guard she says, "I'm just staying until a courier arrives, so I don't know."
"I'll have extra brought," the guard says, and gestures for Willow to enter.
Willow nods to the guard. "Thank you," she says and then passes through the doorway.
The door closes. This one also has an antechamber, but no extra guard on the inner door. It's not even closed all the way. "Did you bring the extra frog-glue?" the voice of Mr. Bright calls. Willow's tingle feels stronger now, coming from the base of her horn.
"Why in the world would you need frog glue?" Willow has to ask as she scrunches up her face. "That sounds just awful."
"Willow?" Bright asks, and opens the inner door the rest of the way. At least they let him wear pants. But they must have only had Vartan sizes given the bagginess. The walls of the chamber behind him are covered in parchments and hides showing maps and parts of maps, all assembled to more or less give a complete picture of Babel and the surrounding mountains. One of the outermost parchments falls off as Willow watches. "I need frog glue to keep things on the wall," the Aeonian says, and rubs at the base of his horn.
"Have you tried licking it? Using snot? Other fluids?" Willow ticks off on her fingers. "You seem to be getting along here well enough. Are you treated well? Happy? Angry? Depressed?"
"I've got all the supplies I need," Bright claims, looking a little confused. "The food is better. I don't think I'm getting anyone killed with my work. The Yodhrephath don't play K'tinza though, much less K'trinzhai. I don't interact with them much, I suppose.."
"Have you asked them to? There's one, last name of windcaller, that might play. I don't know if they would allow you to see her, though," Willow notes as she peers around at his lodgings, actual bed, clothing, that sort of thing. Is it better here than down below...?
The bed looks like something from an actual house instead of a prison, barn or monastery, at least. It even has a wood frame and a cover. There are plenty of lamps, and what appears to be a proper bathroom and eating area - although the table and chairs are covered in papers and books and scrolls. "Well, yes, I'm certain I've.. well, I asked if they had the boards, not if any of them played."
"And they said they didn't have the boards? Anyway, ask for a Yodhrephath Windcaller, whe might. She's not Babel-native," Willow explains as she sits on an unoccupied part of the bed. "How are you feeling?"
"My head is buzzing slightly since you arrived," the man says, and sits next to Willow. "Otherwise.. I haven't been paying attention, I suppose. Is it day or night right now?"
"Evening, the sun may be going down by now," Willow notes, "I spent most of the day checking on others, and looking for Mr. Sprocket. The one the maes were able to restore the memories of ... is actually likely his son. And he had some nasty trap-spells on him. Also, once his memories were restored, everything he remembered from his time in the mountain camp vanished. He doesn't remember any of it."
"Trap spells?" Bright asks curiously. "Sprocket? He was.. Which one is his son then?"
"The younger Cervani," Willow explains. "At least that's the assumption/theory now.
"The mushroom lad," Bright recalls. "What are the traps?"
"Ones that will cause the target's heart to fail from fear and terror. Basically kill them by driving them to dying from fear," Willow explains. "From what I was told, and it's only a little, it took the mages and the Barsunala working in concert to stop it and identify it. Nasty layered effects."
"That.. does sound nasty," Bright admits, but then says, "And also hopeful. Because they haven't triggered them from on far, so probably can't. That was always the big fear that kept the men in line."
"No, it would require relatively close proximity, or a lot of magic power, to trigger at any distance," Willow explains. "The downside to fixing memories, though, is that you lose all the ones you had during your time as a 'fake' person with a new name. So far it looks like everyone weren't who they thought."
"That includes you. I don;t know what will happen to your mind when you go, Willow admits and winces.
"Well, I do have copious notes," Bright claims. "I couldn't bring my journals, but they were a bit compromised anyway since I could not write my plans or desire for escape. My notes make up for my fading memory. Although the oldest journals seemed to be written by someone more likable than me."
"So ... this doesn't bother you, then?" Willow asks. "I've tried to explain it to the others as think of itlike waking up from a dream; you rarely remember your dreams. Same idea. Because otherwise it seems like we're executing them in a sense."
"Well, I've forgotten far more than I can know, after all," Bright says. "Eventually, whoever I am will be subducted to make way for new land, as it were. Evolution of personality instead of death, I suppose. So what if I forget a few years? We are cursed to outlive our memories anyway."
"You weren't there a few years, I don't think," Willow points out, "But yes. You're taking this better than some of the others did."
"And I've recorded what I though worth remembering," the man says. "I even have a sketch of you that I did from memory. It's an outline of course - it would use up too much ink to try and fill it in, and I'm not much of an artist. It's pretty much just your name and profile." He then cants his head into a sort of noble pose. "Like this."
"Really? Can I see it?" Willow asks. "I don't consider myself worth remembering."
Bright gets up and shuffles through a pile of loose sheets on one of the chairs. "I think this is the final one," he says, and brings it over. It's really just a few lines - Bright is not an artist. But it's definitely the head of a unicorn. It shows the outline of her eyes and cheeks and roughly how her mane falls. And below it is her name, and the current year.
"You're right, you're not an artist. I wouldn't know that was supposed to be me without the name," Willow admits, "Sorry."
"I did not think I would be able to get you to pose for a professional portrait," the unicorn admits. "Would you pose for a portrait? And pay for it, because I have no money that I am aware of?"
"I could, if you really want," Willow offers. "You actually want to remember me? Why?"
"Because I don't remember any other Aeonians," Bright says. "I don't know if I had a relationship in the past. But there is no Aeonian society, or community or identity. We may as well each be the sole members of our species, for how scattered and rare we are."
"So it would be nice to have something to remind me that there are others, and that I can even feel something for them. Or at all."
"Fair point," Willow concedes. "I'll try to get something, then."
"How would you pose for it?" Bright then asks.
"How would you want me to pose for it?" Willow counters and arches her brow.
Bright gestures for Willow to stand up.
So, Willow stands up. "You want me standing? Well, that's easy enough," she quips.
Bright rearranges some the of lanterns in the room (since it's hard to get the light to shine just right off of black pelt) and then returns to Willow and begins to undress her.
This makes Willow laugh a little, and she helps some to make it go faster. "You want me naked?" she asks, "Well, this is a first, an Aeonian with a libido..."
"This is how I remember you," Bright notes. "The clothing is odd to me."
"Naked is not how I usually am," Willow points out. "Being naked is the odd part."
"But if feels the most comfortable," Bright says, once Willow is fully disrobed. Then he gestures for her to lie on the bed. "Do you have a libido?" he asks.
Willow slides herself down onto the bed and stretches out. "Well, yes, I do, but I'm odd for an Aeonian, color and such included," she points out and flutters her eyelashes at him, adjusting and spreading limbs to, er, show off.
"Hmmm," Bright goes, brow furrowed. "Ah!" He sheds his pants, so that he can use the around the bed-posts to secure Willow's wrists.
Willow blinks. "You ... want a picture of me tied up?" she asks. "Wow, so you're a pervert..."
"I want my memory to be as accurate as possible," Bright says. "Would you rather tie me up instead?" he offers.
"Well, no...." Willow admits, glad being dark means not showing embarrassment. She rather, er, likes being tied up ... not that she'd admit to it!
"You didn't at first," Bright says, and reaches out to touch Willow's cheek. The skin tingles and warms from it. It didn't used to do that.
Willow mmmmfs and turns her head away, the warm sensation sort of freaking her out a little. "Well, I was a prisoner! Who would like it?" she argues, flustered.
"We were all prisoners," Bright says, and tries to nuzzle Willow's ear when she turns her head away. That tingles too.
Willow's ear flicks! "I didn't know that at the time," she huffs, "And you had your way with me!" There's this pause for a bit, then she mutters, "Don't stop."
So Bright lip-nibbles on the ear, and cozies up next to Willow on the bed. This brings more areas into contact, and thus causes more tingles. Casual contact isn't as strong as when he uses his lips and hands, one of which strokes her breasts. It would be clumsy by teenager standards, but still feels very very good.
"What are you doing? This feels very different," Willow mutter-moans from the odd sensation-rush, feel sort of like a puddle of warm from being touched. Without her even really realizing it, she starts stroking and caressing back; and her movements aren't so clumsy.
"Are you alright?" Bright asks, pausing in the nibbling. He also blinks at being caressed back (presumably by Willow's legs and tail).
"I feel weird. Don't you feel weird?" Willow asks, blinking. And yes, she's using her legs and tail to caress ... rather skillfully.
This forces Bright on top of the mare, just so she doesn't twist herself too much. "I feel fine, aside from a tingling in my horn," he says. And then dips his head to touch the tip to Willow's own horn, then there's a rushing sensation between them. It's not like a spark of electricity, but an odd tingling flow. And Mr. Bright's eyes go wide when it hits him.
"Like that, yes," Willow squeals as her entire body tenses up all at once!
Whatever subtlety Bright had seems to be washed away by that surge. He's inside of Willow and going full gallop within moments, and each plunge is akin to what it felt like when Mr. Sackcloth made her tingle. When Bright kisses her, it's like completing a circuit.
"What the?! Inala! What have you done to this poor guy?!" Willow thinks when Mr. Bright is now going full force with her and making her feel extremely full, though that part is just Inala's blessing. She's already feeling her body tingle and surge too, and frets she won't retain her mind much longer and end up a rutting beast!
The next victim of the surging lust is.. Mr. Bright's pair of pants. The get almost immediately turn apart at the seems, so Willow's arms are free, even if the rest of her seems pinned down by the stallion. Which is saying something, since Bright isn't exactly any stronger or heavier than she is.
"Holy Crap!" Willow thinks when her hands are suddenly free from the pounding the Aeonian is now doing! That's ... never happened before! But at least it means she can hug onto him and keep him from ramming her into the headboard; that would hurt ... especially with the horn! And in spite of her freaking out, her own hips are pounding back like a rabid lapi in heat in time with his. She can't stop them, or herself! It's like her body was taken over.
It doesn't take long for Bright to burst, which feels explosive in multiple ways. He can only moan though, and pauses his rutting to start suckling eagerly on Willow, making sure the circuit is maintained until he can start again.
His burst triggers hers, and all she can see for a few minutes is white with speckles of color. By the time she's somewhat aware again, she's being nursed on. Now she's blinking and moaning, her hips are twitching again too as they try to keep going even though she wants to rest.
Bright's own hips respond automatically (or maybe because they're still part of the same circuit of lust, so long as he's got his lips on her. So soon he's racing again, but at a more tolerable trot this time. Things are slightly less intense, but drawn out for longer pulses this time. And he hasn't stopped suckling either.
And Willow can't resist, or stop. It's sort of a curse (though Inala would claim blessing), that she can't stop, and nor can he! It's frustrating, aggravating, scary, and feels amazing all at once! She'll ether end really happy, or yell at Inala a lot later!
There's some sort of event going on at the edge of perception, but it doesn't last long, which makes it seem almost magical that a platter of fruits and some vegetables shows up next to the bed. But that happens during the last leg of the trot so isn't really important. This time Bright really does pause to catch his breath.
Willow is gasping at this point too! And that's when she spots the food, and remembers the guard claiming he'd bring dinner. "Dagh, this will become commentary in the Temple, and Koldesh is going to ... well, I can't show any of my faces around here again! She'll probably be glad for that, at least."
There's no evidence that Yodhrephath are gossips, but thinking logically isn't much of an option at the moment. Bright does manage to grab a cup of oats, only to spill it across Willow chest. So he starts to lick and nibble them off of her.
"What are you doing?" Willow wheezes as she lays there, feeling ... drained.
"Snacking," Bright says. "Do you want the apple? They are very hard and tart."
"Of course I want the apple!" Willow retorts, then frabs it and stuffs it in her mouth. She tries to look annoyed, but that lasts about a second before all the warm tinglies make her sort of puddle again.
Once all of the oats have been cleaned away, Bright says, "Can you be on top next? My back is a little sore, and I feel things building up again.."
Willow just stares at him. "You want to keep going?!" she ends up blurting out in surprise. There's this pause, then she rolls him over and gets on top. "Hold onto your horn, your other one. I have this one now," she declares ... then starts rocking/lifting as she rides her very own pony! Well, putting it crudely, anyway.
This position is a lot less intense, since's harder to complete the circuit via mouth or horn. Which isn't to say it still isn't intense. But now that he's not overexerting himself, Bright seems to be a lot more vocal and handsy, running them over Willow's front and sides.. and occasionally trying to buck her off.
Which Willow prevents. She's torn as usual. On one side, she hates being such a whore. On the other ... she loves sex. Argh! And it's Inala's fault, it has to be. She'd never be this much of a pervert if it wasn't for her, surely. Granted while she thinks all of this, she's roll-riding on the other Aeonian and showing muscle control that could put an athlete to shame. Well, if they used those kinds of muscles in the same way as other sports-related ones.
Bright can just hold on, which in this case involves squeezing Willow's breasts.. and tweaking her nipples to see how she reacts. It does cause extra tingles of course. Along with the central tingles when Bright starts to fountain again under Willow's manipulations.
Well, if unicorns are capable of making silly faces, she probably is as Bright plays with bits, tweaks, and pinches. She's certainly good at moaning and crying out and sounding like a teenager in heat when the unicorn pops again, making her also pop, and her inner muscles grip down like a vice to milk. She's right back to seeing stars, too.
And Bright is back to nursing off of her, after pulling her down a bit closer. Then he's just working his haunches to pound into her as she's bent forward. But it's slower than before. A canter at best.
"Good Lord, man, how long can you go!?" Willow squeaks in surprise. Doesn't stop here from moving in time, though.
"Is.. that a rhetorical question?" Bright asks back. "Because.. I think the real answer would have been.. two sessions ago? I don't know what this is. I shall probably be very sore tomorrow."
"You and me both," Willow laments. "Plus we've probably alerted half the Temple. All those Eeee all listening."
"Eeee don't have sex?" Bright asks as he keeps bucking while pulling Willow tightly against his chest.
"Oh, they do. They're horrible perverts. That's why they'd be listening. I bet half the Yodh are all making out now," Willow whines. "And they'll be mad at me!"
"Why would they be mad at you?" Bright pants. He's determined to got to the finish line again.
"For disrupting the Temple," Willow admits. "They are very ... touchy about decorum and such here."
"Is that why they barely speak?" Bright adds, and rubs at the base of Willow's tail now with one hand.
"No, they're just ... stoic,"Willow claims as she slows down a lot as all the action starts to catch up with her; she even feels like she needs a nap now.
There's a sudden burst of effort from Bright, who kisses Willow to complete the circuit again for the big finale. This time the tingling lingers down in her belly afterwards.
And Willow is limp. "Glugh," she says ever so intelligently, laying splayed on top of Mr. Bright. "What did you do to me?" she demands to know. "I'd beat it out of you ... if I could move."
"I thought you did it to me," Bright moans. He isn't exactly in any shape to move either.
"Not to my knowledge!" Willow complains. She flails a little, but is unable to get up, or off. Everything feels like wet noodles.
"Is it bad that I still want to keep going, but can't?" Bright asks. "You could always move in here with me.."
"We would kill each other," Willow points out. "And I can't move either. Ugh... I think we'll be here for a while."
"I don't mind," Bright says as he yawns. "I probably haven't been getting enough sleep anyway. I think I earned this rest.."
"Yeah, sleep would be good. I won't even try to pull you ouuu," Willow slurs, then starts to snore ... and drool.