A Drow's Dilemma Ep. 89: Century

Jhul'une sighed. It was time to get moving. "Cal," was all she said as she turned, tied her robe more securely, and walked out towards her lounge area at the front of her apartment. And there she stayed while people who were a bit more qualified to take care of her hair, clothes, and makeup than Caleldir was.

It took hours of work, but eventually, Jhul was artfully made up in clothes that were the height of fashion. She was swathed in piles of pale blue fabric inlaid with silver thread stitched in elegant, runic designs. Her hair was braided and curled in intricate piles on her head, woven, of course, with jewels and precious metals. When all was finished, she almost looked like an exact copy of her mother. She despaired that fact under her breath to Caleldir.

She wasn't the only one who donned fancier than normal clothing. Caleldir was given robes fit for a minor noble at Jhul's behest. She even let him choose the style and color -- as long as it was some shade of blue. If it wasn't for the collar, he would not have looked like a slave. It was a lot of freedom of choice for a mere pleasure slave, but Jhul figured a confident and happy(ish) Caleldir would bring her more honor than one who was uncomfortable or embarrassed. She did not inform her mother of that decision, of course. Iiv'lua would not understand until she saw the effect it would have on Jhul's 'unruly' slave.

Caleldir was grateful that she allowed him to dress himself to some extent. Like most of those of nymph blood, there was no form of makeup or style that could truly improve on what he had naturally (hence nymphs being most beautiful when naked in their springs, no form of jewelry, clothing, or artificial additions of any sort), so he did not put on make-up, style his hair beyond combing it back, or wear anything more fancy than a simple set of robed tunic and breeches in shades of silver and light blue. High-quality fabric, cut and fit, but mostly unadorned. The effect was nearly as dramatic as Althaia had back when she moderated her over-exposed style and went for supremely elegant simplicity. Indeed, he looked less like a slave and more like some otherworldly lord.

Finally, the servants left them alone in the room again. Jhul sighed. "And now we wait until we are called."

Caleldir had hoped to see someone at the party who could alert his party to his captivity, but right now that seemed unlikely. Still, his presence would create rumors that Ashyr could pick up on, and that would be very helpful. So, he was almost impatient to begin, despite other parts of him feeling revolt for the entire affair, sans Jhul'une herself. "We wait indeed."

It was not long before the magically enhanced booming echo of her mother's announcement reached their ears. Iiv'lua proudly announced her daughter and listed off several achievements of her academic career. Jhul'une had accomplished several very impressive things. All of which were being wasted by her current task (not that Iiv'lua mentioned that part.) Something along those lines must have occurred to Jhul'une, for the set of her face became somewhat grim and unpleasant. But that didn't stop her from motioning for Caleldir to follow and striding with purposeful step to the runed circle just beyond the entrance of her apartments. She waited for the slave to join her before activating the portal that landed them in an instant at the center of the largest tower.

"Stay here until I call for you," she ordered Caleldir under her breath before she walked out onto the raised steps to join her mother as greet the crowd.

"I thank you all for coming!" Jhul told the gathered group of nobles. There were upwards of two hundred of them in total, from all over the drow territories. Dinoryn was easily a prestigious enough house that everyone from practically everywhere would want to attend. If not for Jhul'une, then for the entertainments that were provided. For there were many, and most only things available to a house as rich as Dinoryn. Jhul continued her short speech to her guests -- it was a very typical drow noble greeting, in all its arrogance and poorly concealed boastfulness. The gathered crowd seemed to be satisfied with it, anyway. They responded appropriately, then dispersed to enjoy what Dinoryn had to offer.

Still standing to the side, Caleldir rolled his eyes. A lot of badly veiled bragging. Sheesh, just come out and declare your awesomeness openly on stage, if you are going to do that. Of course, that was probably in violation of drow etiquette or something. Drow etiquette no doubt demanded that you be as much of a self-absorbed jerk as possible while still pretending at a veneer of grace and dignity. Or something.

Finally, Jhul waved Caleldir to her side and walked quickly towards an elegantly decorated, raised portion of the inner tent that was to hold the 'more important' nobles. There were ample pillows to rest on, which Jhul took advantage of immediately. She sat with dignity, her robes pooled around her in an artful display of opulence.

Caleldir followed her to the inner tent, remaining a bit more humble and giving off a smaller presence than normal. He had suddenly decided that he did not want to draw all that much attention to himself. Not around this lot of debauched aristocrats.

"Cal," she said in a low tone once she got settled, "bring me some food. Enough for you as well." It had been quite a long time since they had been able to eat, and even when they had those hours ago, it had only been a quick bite here and there. Caleldir's collar had been altered so that he had free reign of the entire school - which he would need to carry out some of Jhul's orders. His collar made it clear that he was Dinoryn's, and his apparel made it clear that he wasn't to be touched. So he would be relatively safe among the sometimes far too horny noblewomen.

He was not unhappy to leave the tent to go get food for him and Jhul'une. He had learned over the last two weeks the sorts of things that she liked to eat, and so was confident in his ability to serve her. Also, he hoped to see one of his party members in disguise hanging around. Duskhaven in too much chaos to come or not, he hoped at least Selene would not want to miss this party.

And so, he moved quickly through the crowds to the buffet.

There were quite a few other noble drow in the way between the high noble tent and the nearest food. Apparently, many had the same idea as Jhul; eat first while there was food to be had. Though there were also quite a few people moving the way of the pleasure tents on the outer rim of the courtyard. No outright sex was occurring for the moment, but things looked like they were headed that way. The people around the food, at least, saw and recognized Jhul's attendant, and made room for him. There were quite a few leering crimson (and an occasional other shades) eyes looking in his direction, but no one tried to touch him.

That is until he caught the eye of a particular drow while he was making plates of food.

All he felt was the brush of another person and a roaming hand across his rump. Caleldir stifled his jump. It was the sort of action that would easily go unnoticed by a casual observer, but both the groper and the groped would easily know that this was not just some accident. There were words that accompanied the action, a quickly and suggestively whispered invitation in a feminine voice. "You can do better than her. Privacy tent nearest you."

Then the whisperer disappeared into the crowd. She could have been any number of the elegantly dressed women whose backs were currently turned to him. None looked back to see if he got the message. None seemed to be making their way to the indicated tent. Most importantly, no one seemed to notice what had transpired.

Caleldir wondered if one of the Duskhaven girls had managed to infiltrate this party in disguise. Perhaps that was Ashyr! That seemed like something she might do, grope him like that. But the words were not like what she would say at all. And then there was Selene. Selene might say something like that. But would she grope him in that manner? Perhaps. She had raped him, after all. It was not like she was above such behavior. But still, it seemed just a bit odd. It could very well be a trap. Some Noblewoman who really wanted him. Hopefully, if that was the case, he could make good on an escape.

And so, Caleldir decided to take a gamble. He took the plates he had assembled and stepped into the tent.

The tent that Caleldir had been directed to was on the smallish side, but it had the air of magic surrounding it. All of the privacy tents did, he had noted. For each had also a privacy spell cast upon them so that listeners would not be able to hear what transpired within. It would hardly be private, after all, if everyone outside could hear exactly what was happening. The spell was further evidenced by the fact that walking into the tent was like walking into a subtle pressure change. Then everything outside became a bit more muffled than just hanging cloth would account for.

The inside of the tent was distressingly quiet and empty. Caleldir had hoped that it would be Ashyr or perhaps Selene in here to greet him, but instead, nothing. Emptiness. Pillows decorated one corner of the floor, much like with the pleasure tents that were open to the rest of the courtyard. Aside from the pillows, there was a small, squat stone table for plates and drinks to be placed.

"I knew you'd come, you little whore," said a feminine voice as she walked into the tent behind Caleldir a couple of long moments after he first entered.

The woman was a noble that Caleldir had never met in person before. But she was a prominent enough figure at the school that he at least knew her face. He spun around, coming face to face with Hael'yss Maevalzynge. Crap.

She wore more practical clothing than those of House Dinoryn. Her jacket and trousers were still made from elegant, rich golden fabrics that left no question of her noble heritage. With, of course, a subtle web-and-spider motif that one would expect of a person who came from a house that bred spiders. Her silver hair was cut short and adorned with golden chains and red gems. With each predatory step towards Caleldir, the decorations chimed softly. "Now come here, and I'll show you pleasure that that weak little Dinoryn would never be able to dream of."

He took a step back, still holding the plates of food he had for Jhul'une. He swallowed. "Daughter of Maevalzynge," he said softly. "You are that girl who keeps giving us trouble down at the office. Maelyl, I believe was your last accuser?" He sighed. "You mistake me. I thought that you were someone else. You are intruding on a dangerous plot that has nothing to do with you. I am supposed to be meeting one of my Mistress's agents around here." He struck an imperious stance and stopped retreating. "I, Caleldir, am still the son of Blackdawn. Leave now while the honor of your house is intact, and perhaps I will not report your habits to my mistress of Dinoryn when next I see her."

An amused look crossed Hael'yss' face as she watched Caleldir puff himself up and try to invoke the name of a house she'd never heard of. Except that they did fuck all to noble drow females who wanted to have a little fun with the males around campus. And this male standing before her arguably had even less right to his body than that whimpering little drow that she had interfered with several days ago.

"It's already too late for you to get away, pretty," she said in a taunting little voice. "You are about to feel the bites of my pets that I planted here before you came in. I'd suggest that you put down your platter of food before it falls from your hand. You are about to be quite unable to do anything but watch as I ride you."

The words themselves seemed to be turning the daughter of Maevalzynge on. As she spoke them, magically infused spiders found their way onto Caleldir. They bit -- just slight pricks of pain, and then a limpness spread throughout his body. Very much like the time Selene and Caleldir had first encountered each other. Exactly like that time, actually, except the toxin was more potent and long-lasting, for having come directly from the source.

That finished, Hael'yss held out her hand, and about a half-dozen, thumbnail-sized spiders scurried off of Caleldir, ran across the floor, crawled up her body, and came to rest into her palm.

Spiders. It was spiders. Of course it was spiders. Inwardly, Caleldir cursed himself. How had he not predicted the spiders? It was blatantly obvious. "You will not get away with this," he said through gritted teeth. He had only a few moments to try to get away before the poison set in. Spinning the plate away so that it would land neatly on the table, he dived for the entrance, hoping to get at least part of himself out of the tent before the poison set in. He could already feel the pricks, the limpness. He did not have much time.

Or any, really. He managed to get one hand out of the tent before he fell like a slab of beef across the floor.

"Someone get me out of here!" he shouted, but his head was not out of the tent, so his words were muffled. Not that anyone would have pulled him out anyway. He took a deep breath, fighting the poison. With a surge of will, he began staggering to his feet, before collapsing again. Even with the much, much more potent dosage, Caleldir was enormously tougher now than he had been. Not that it mattered. That was his last spurt of effort. He lay face-down on the floor. "You have interrupted me on an extremely important mission for my mistress before I could find my contact," he growled. "You are meddling in affairs you do not understand."

"You really expect me to believe you?" Hael'yss asked with a little arrogant grin. She took a step closer to Caleldir and crouched in front of him. "You knew what you would be getting if you came in here. What else do people get up to in a pleasure tent? You just enjoy the fight," she said as she ran a hand down his spine and gave his backside a good squeeze. "You gave a terrible one, by the way. Usually, they last a little longer than you just did."

Her mocking irked him to no end. If only he was not currently sealed, he would have a boatload of magic to hit her with. But, sadly, he had already been rendered powerless. He said nothing, just scowled.

Then she shrugged, grabbed Caleldir by the ankle, and drug him a little closer to the pillows -- just so that they wouldn't be too close to the way out. That done, she flipped him over and began fumbling with his clothes. She opened his robed tunic but didn't bother to take it off entirely. She only wanted to bare his chest. Hael'yss sat on him after that to fully enjoy being able to run her hands across a handsome male's chest.

"Maevalzynge," came a hissed voice from the tent's entrance.

Hael'yss looked up at the newcomer with an annoyed expression. "Didn't you see the sign? We're busy," she said as she sat up. The way her sex rubbed against her captive just a couple tantalizing layers of fabric away was keenly felt, but this... whoever it was... was being maddeningly intrusive. "Who are you, anyway?"

The woman who had just entered -- apparently just some lower-ranked noble by the cut of her costume and the lack of jewelry beyond a perfectly mundane-looking circlet -- got an imperious look on her face for a moment. "Who I am is not important. Leave. I have business with this male."

That circlet... Caleldir smiled. He recognized that artifact, at least. "My contact," Caleldir said. "Forget everything you saw here, Maevalzynge."

The daughter of Maevalzynge looked down at the drow between her legs. Huh. He hadn't been lying. She blew out an annoyed breath. Perhaps he hadn't been lying about not wanting to be caught in the middle of this, too. "Abyss, my spiders need a couple of hours to recharge after this," she griped. But she stood up. Being walked in on all unexpected like that was a real mood-killer. "Next time you won't be so lucky."

And then, to the surprise of everyone in the tent, she actually left, mumbling something about seeing one of the free pleasure slaves before he'd been ruined by too many cunts.

Caleldir relaxed. "Selene?" he asked. "That was very good timing. Do you have anything to cure this poison? I do not mind being paralyzed around you, deja-vu and all that, but this is not a good time to be stuck."

The stony glare Selene had glued to her face -- aside from that moment of imperiousness -- melted. Once that cunt was out of sight, she was completely out of Selene's mind. Hael'yss would pay for what she had planned on doing, of course, but there was someone far more important to her lying helpless on the floor of a pleasure tent.

She went immediately to Caleldir's side with a look of relief plain on her altered features. "Yes, dearest. We've been in this situation before, haven't we?" she said softly.

Much like Selene, Caleldir's expression changed to one of relief and love. "Not a moment too soon," he repeated. He really was quite relieved.

Then she pulled out a bag of holding, took from it a vial, lifted Caleldir's head, and poured the contents of the liquid into his mouth. It was thick and didn't taste good at all, but the control over his body would come back in mere seconds. While that was kicking in, Selene gave him some water from her pouch with which to wash it down.

He stood up, brushing himself off. Selene got to her feet with him and stood far closer to him than was probably prudent. "I had hoped you would be here. When an anonymous feminine voice told me to meet her in this tent, I thought that it was you. Idiotic, I know, but sometimes one has to take risks."

"It's good to see you," Selene said with a soft earnestness. "I saw that you were attending Jhul'une Dinoryn. Please tell me that you're not her personal slave." She remained knelt there beside him, drinking in the glorious sight of her lover who was lost to her for too long. Yes. Two weeks was too long. And her eyes couldn't help but linger across the sight of his exposed chest. Dark or light, it was Caleldir's, and therefore nigh irresistible. Especially to any female with the House name of Duskhaven.

Caleldir sighed. "I am afraid that I am. Her mother bought me for her to teach her dominance. I was originally supposed to be just a pleasure slave and nothing else, but I managed to get her to make me her personal assistant. I have learned a lot about this school and the politics of it, and the current status of House Dinoryn. The current Matron is a foolish woman; her daughter is far cannier. We may be able to negotiate with her if we move carefully." He sighed, leaning back against the table. "So, what is the plan? If you have a way to remove this collar, I can run away with you, but if that happens Iiv'lua will kill likely Jhul'une, and we will lose who is potentially our best ally in House Dinoryn. And we need them, don't we? How should we proceed here? We do not have much time before Jhul'une notices I am gone, I am afraid."

To the abyss with her brother and cousins for this terrible plot! Her lips took on a pronounced downturn as Caleldir continued talking. When he was finished, she sighed heavily and looked quite unhappy.

"No. We can't just walk right out of here. Your report of Iiv'lua does not surprise me. I have traveled in the same circles as her for quite some time, and she really did not seem like the type who would be a good matron." Selene began to thoughtfully put Caleldir's robed shirt back to rights. "Jhul'une has always seemed the type to surpass her mother. It would be a shame to waste her." She smoothed out his shirt's fabric, though she would be lying if her hands weren't also there to feel his body. "I don't think there's anything to be done today. Except that I will send Jhul'une a message to try to get her to meet with Ashyr and me. Perhaps we can negotiate something if we can tear her away from this school."