Amareth Falls Pt. 03

6 - Newly Maid

"Do... Do I have to meet them yet? This outfit makes me look like I ought to be in a dollhouse," I said, gesturing to the tiered latex ruffles on my maid uniform.

"You're going to have to interact with other people eventually, no matter how you feel, Amareth."

My shoulders slumped.

"Ya, I-I guess."

Why was I so nervous? I had always been the first to go headlong into trouble. Now, I was afraid to be seen. I looked over my dainty hands, flexing delicate fingers, watching traced lines solidify into jointed segments as I bent them. It couldn't just be my appearance...

"Well, follow me. It's time you met your sisters," she said, flourishing her wand. It cast a ray of dancing light, forming a lighted path leading out of the heavy airlock door, which swung open for the first time.

The hall was white, starkly, so. On closer inspection, there were intricate woven carvings in the smooth white marble. Each one was highlighted with a faint glowing light that created beautiful fae like designs. Boy, what people spend their money on, said the talking sex toy.

I followed behind Sylphi's floating form. My thick rubber dress swished and rustled with every step. My thighs made a faint squeak as they rubbed against the petticoats, it was a highly distracting sensation.

I don't know how they expected me to work in this hedonistic ensemble? I was getting lost in the sensation of feeling my ~/uniform/~ for a moment, hardly noticing where we were going.

I love the way ~/being a maid/~ feels.

Huh?

I guess I do kind of like this ridiculous outfit.

No- I ~/wish I had figured that out sooner./~

A monotone whisper behind me snatched me away from my internal debate.

"Hey, not to intrude on your thoughts, but, uh, you're blocking the door."

I had been blindly following Sylphi's directions... was it that easy to control me now?

Fuck.

"Oh, sorry?" I said as I turned.

The voice belonged to a tall maid standing behind me. She was wearing an identical uniform, though unlike me she had heeled wedges and silver bows. Her hair was cut into an asymmetric bob, colored a bright trendy holographic silver which shimmered with streaks of shiny pink and blue.

"Are you the new maid that Sylphi's been teasing us about?" Her voice picked up more life as she looked at me.

"I don't know, h-how often are there new maids?" Why did I sound so small and timid?

"Well, your uniform is telling me everything I need to know." Her eyes glinted like a sleepy cat spotting a cornered mouse. "You're definitely the new maid!"

A shiver ran down my spine as I was caught in her investigative gaze. I hadn't felt this much like eye candy since I'd done a job where I'd tried to blend in with an escort service...

"Alright, ladies. There will be plenty of time to get to know each other later. Let's go in and meet the rest of the girls," said Sylphi, ushering us through the door.

The ~/parlor/~ was eclectic. There was a large Victorian divan with curling gold inlay juxtaposed with a framed poster of Kyllie Nova in her full jump gear. It was very colorful compared with everything I had seen here since arriving.

The room was full of maids. I counted ten total, all relaxing or chatting. All of them wore the same uniform, though each had her own color of bows.

Without realizing, I had stepped behind the maid who'd accompanied me in. What the frell? Why was I hiding? I know this getup is embarrassing, but pull yourself together girl!

They were all looking up at me now... Oh god, it was like being a little girl all over again. Wait, they're all taller than me! What the fuck? How much had this fucking nanosuit changed me?

The maid who'd been reclining on the divan stood, smoothing her skirts. She was by far the most imposing. Her hair was jet black, as was her bow, and she was wearing tall stiletto heels.

She towered over me. I was not used to being shorter than almost anyone.

"Mmm, It's a pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Titanium, but Titania will do just fine. I've been hearing all about you," she said, lifting my chin with her finger.

I couldn't meet her eyes. They were an endless black liquid abyss. Her irises were utterly terrifying.

"My, Mara really did make a sweetie of you. I've read your dossier, little Amareth. You've been quite the naughty doll." Her face was now inches from mine.

By now all the other maids had crowded around to get a look. One chesty maid with a hot pink curls, was grinning from ear to ear.

I overheard her whispering to one of the maids, "Finally, somebody's shorter!" This elicited a titter from her comrades.

I'd hit my limit, "Look just because your twisted Mistress decided to literally take me down a peg, doesn't mean I'm your godforsaken Barbie doll you sick witch!"

Silence swept through the room.

I felt more than saw her hand as she slapped me across the cheek. I had worse, but for some reason it hurt like being run over by a ten ton truck. My eyes were watering and my stomach was a tight knot. I wanted to run... But... I was frozen to the spot, statuesque. My cheeks burned fiercely, the nanosuit had made me weak.

"Now, I know Sylphi hasn't had the opportunity to teach you the hierarchy of the house, so I won't punish you, this time," said Titania through tight lips. "However if you disrespect me in front of the maids again, I will not hesitate to show you, your place! We haven't all day, so please don't be difficult."

Then as if nothing had happened she snapped her fingers and the maids hastily formed a line in front of us.

"These are your new sisters," she said facing me again. "You will live with them, you will serve with them, and together you will succeed or fail. They have all worked hard to prove themselves, don't let them down." With a swift gesture she commanded me to the head of the line. The swish of my latex uniform an unending Nidhoggian nibbling at my thoughts.

The maid at the head of the line was the same from the corridor earlier. She introduced herself now, "It's a pleasure to officially meet you Amareth, my name is Gallium, but everybody just calls me Galli." She gave me a soft smile and as Titania stepped to the next maid, she snuck a reassuring wink. The pit in my stomach loosened just a bit.

Titania was introducing the next maid to me. There was an obvious pattern now with the following names being Iridium/Iri then Hematite/Hema. It seemed they all had the same naming convention, except for myself? Was this because I was new? Or had Mara yet again marked me for further suffering? I needed to find out.

The introductions completed and Titiana took my hand leading me out in front of all of them. For the first time during all these proceedings Sylphi who had been quietly observing the whole ritual tossed a shower of cyan sparks down over me; words started to resolve in the shower of light, like some strange karaoke track, except they were my ~/maids oath/~.

Titiana said, "Amareth, now that you've met your new sisters you must pledge yourself to them, as they will to you."

Sylphi whispered into my ear, "As the words light up, recite them."

And so, I did.

"I pledge on my name, that I will be faithful to the Mistress, never cause her harm, and will observe my homage to her completely. Mistress, I give you my mind, to claim and use," It felt like a vice was squeezing down with each word I recited, I felt a pulse of pleasure surging through my body, Goddess it was sweeping me away. I sank to my knees, my feet sprawling out on either side. My head bowed as the words kept spilling forth unbidden. I recited the awful ~/truth/~.

Other voices took up the aw- ~/worshipful chant./~ I was no longer bearing it all alone. I could let go, just for a...

"We give ourselves to the house, to our sisters, and uniforms. We will uphold the honor of the household, of Mistress."

The vice had closed, I was pinned. This overwhelming truth, didn't belong to me. But, it was me... I-I can't... I won't.

"We are maids, we exist to fulfill humans needs. We are bound as one. We submit ourselves to this house." The chorus of voices all encompassing, wrapping my consciousness, permeating my mind. I felt each of them, their voices were mine, no they were me. I was them. I knew them all as if they were my own sisters. My sisters? It was overwhelming... I knew them in the way I dreamed to know her, my love, my Beatrice. It was more intimate than any moment I'd ever experienced. Yet, I was just as open to them, I felt each one spanning the totality of my consciousness, we thought as one, we were one. In a way beyond description, and they knew me now. Knew all my secrets, knew all my wants, and hates.

It was total unity, no more worrying, no more fear.

B-but, I c-can't.

Can't what?

Let go...

I... I won't.

I'm afraid.

I know.

I... can't help it.

We will fix it.

We will?

Inky blackness, letting go at last.

...

"Amareth? Amareth?"

A voice outside, us?

No, a voice outside me.

Me?

I am?

I am me.

I tried to surface, pushing against some intangible membrane holding me to we, the we had just been, no I had just been.

I am me, I reassured myself. I gasped the first breath in several eternities. I was back in the room, kneeling on the floor. I searched for the source of the voice. It was Sylphi looking up from her perch on my ~/bosom/~. My sisters were all around us, forming a circle of white and black latex, speckled with a rainbow of bows.

I knew them all?! Fuck it is weird.

"Girls, she will need to rest after linking," said Titania from behind me. "Now, normally I assign the roommate of a new girl, but since we're all paired at the moment, I am going to ask that you choose amongst yourselves."

Galli, helped me to stand on my noodle like legs, and led me over to sit on a high backed Victorian armchair, whilst the debate about who would get to have me as roommate flared up. To my surprise they weren't trying to dodge me!

Eventually the potential roommates had narrowed down to two rooms led by Galli and Pyri, respectively. I was still somewhat dazed from the "link", I shook it off some when dice came out on the table.

"Wait, are you going to roll for me?" I asked incredulously.

"You bet you're adorable derrière we are," said Galli.

"Wow, I... Well I guess I sort of figured, y'all were above such things."

"What, just because we are maids in the ritzy-ist bicycle wheel in the system?" Said Galli with a smirk. She snatched up her die. "So, Piri, how about it, double or nothing, If I win you not only have to give up the new girl, but you're also responsible for the night shift till the end of the week?"

"Hmm... I suppose that's an acceptable wager. Though I don't think you're risking as much as you claim," said Piri from behind her asymmetric cyan bob.

They rolled, the maids fell silent as the dice clattered across the translucent table top.

Galli and Iri both burst into a fit of borderline evil giggling as Piri and her roommate both sighed.

"Well, newbie looks like we get to have the pleasure of showing you the, ropes," said Galli.

I'd managed a brief revival seeing a piece of home in these strange surroundings, but I still felt like the walking dead.

"I, uhh hope it's not too much trouble if I can check out the bed first." I managed weakly.

"Galli, I think we should probably let her rest for a bit, you remember what it was like the first time you linked, and there were only five of us, she might be a tough cookie but she's still new," said Iri.

"I suppose," said Galli.

They hoisted me up and half dragged me out into the hall. We walked a much shorter distance this time to a hallway that lead into a series of arched doorways, then through one with gold script reading Gallium and Iridium in the same style as a periodic table on a plaque beside the door.

I was taken aback, I guess after the casino like vibe from earlier I'd expected another sterile interchangeable room, but this place felt almost lived in! The layout was similar to a Terran apartment with a large open living room and branching side rooms. They was a large potted fern arching up into the artificial sunlight casting in from a huge window across the whole width of the room.

"Hello girls." Said an all to familiar voice from above.

I half expected to be the only one to notice but, Galli and Iri both glanced up to the floating fae in the middle of the living room.

"Hey Sylphi!" said Galli. "What's poppin?"

The tiny fae exaggeratedly rolled her eyes,"Well, I suppose your expansion slot is."

Iri nodded,"I had assumed we'd have to give up the hope of getting an in suite spa."

"You're kidding? Just when I thought I couldn't get more confused by the way this place is run." I said whilst exploring the well furnished room.

"Did you think Mistress keeps us in a capsule hotel?" Said Galli.

"It's a gilded cage." I managed plopping sullenly onto their couch. Reality had finally found me again. How had I let these girls convince me for even a minute that I wasn't a glorified sex slave.

"I know. You're expecting us to come up with some strong rhetoric about how she treats us differently, but I won't." Said Iri seating herself next to me.

I crossed my arms defensively, suddenly feeling the latex all over my slick body again. I-is this, my normal now?

"I... Look you've got to realize we all got here differently, I... I was given a choice, I got caught embezzling the company, whilst sleeping with the boss, continued Iri.

I looked into her glowing eyes seeing a deep seated guilt.

"I know that it doesn't make what she did to me anymore justified in your eyes, but I can only imagine how you'd feel if... if Beatrice did that to you-"

"How do you know her name?!" I suddenly found myself standing, the rage animating my exhausted body.

Iri grabbed my arm as I backed away, "Amareth. The Link. It's two way. We all know you in a sense. It's more than what you've had with Sylphi."

"Oh... I-"

"Ssh, it's fine, you're going to be a little out of it for the next couple of hours, I think we ought to get you to bed, and save the explanations for later," Said Iri glancing past me at Galli.

"I concur." Said Sylphi as she floated down to Iri's shoulder. "Luckily that's given me enough time to get her room into position."

They led me to a door at the end of the hallway, adorned with a purple amethyst plaque with my name on it. Iri ushered me in as Galli followed. The room matched the rest of the suite with dark hardwood floors. The room was minimally furnished, still feeling rather hotel like compared to the rest of Galli and Iri's place.

I made a beeline for the bed

"I know you would just like to pass out but we need to get you cleaned up and ready for tomorrow."

"Fu-" I didn't even get it all the way out before the pain swept through me. I. I forget. For fucks sake... It's not like the little HUD element ever stopped existing.

"Oh, dear..." I heard Sylphi say as I collapsed. "She really is stupid-ly stubborn."

Before I hit the ground I felt two sets of small strong hands grab me from either side as my ~/sister/~ maids caught me. I lolled weakly in their grasp. I was so tired, but for some reason I felt safe in their arms. They carefully removed my uniform placing it into another triptych style mirror case. Then they carefully carried me into a lavishly furnished washroom. I couldn't manage even one snarky remark, the punishment shock on top of all the other events left me a limp noodle formerly known as Amareth.

They drew a bath and washed me carefully, I had never been so intimately cared for. Well I'd never allow anybody too. I felt so helpless... But, safe. As they washed me my ~/sisters/~ held me with such care. They led me back out to the bed. Galli massaged me with a soporific liquid and then she dressed me in a ludicrously feminine latex nightie in the same pink I knew to be my new signature color. Before they closed the door I was out cold.

7- Beatrice's Burden

Beatrice rolled over to find her bed empty, as it had been for the last two nights... Since the thing she'd feared finally came to pass.

Amareth hadn't come home.

Beatrice stared at the ceiling, her chest was taut as a violin string. She'd been in a dreamlike daze, initially dismissing Amareth's disappearance, telling herself she would wake up to her strong amazon slipping into their bed. That Amareth went to help an old friend, anything to assuage the creeping fear that was slowly gnawing at her. Beatrice crimped herself into a tight ball wracked with tears.

She wasn't coming.

Sometime later her computer began to beep at her incessantly. She angrily kicked the blanket off.

Beatrice still had responsibilities that couldn't wait... Bills did not pay themselves, she reminded herself, even if her dearest person was missing. As she dressed for work she felt the emptiness seeping back into her, pulling out everything until she was just hollow.

She checked her computer as she collected herself over a cup of coffee, one of her few loved vices. The coffee was bitter as her fridge was empty of all but condiments. It was enough, coffee was always enough.

She checked the peephole and then slipped out into the hall slinging her rucksack, with her uniform packed inside, up onto her shoulder. As she exited the twisting apartment complex's airlock she sent a message with her computer to a local owl, Arthagia, who she hoped could help her find out where Amareth went missing. The dark black pit pulled just a little tighter with the thought that by the end of today she would most likely know what happened to Amareth, for better or for worse.

She was off down the corridor dodging people and picking up a long bounding sprint that was hardly touching the floor. Her movements were fluid and graceful as she flew up the long ramps that connected the different levels of Luna City.

By the time she was on her final approach to Club Errabelle she was only touching down every thirty to forty feet, each landing followed by an immediate explosive thrust of her foot. She was able to accomplish such high bounds because the upper levels of the city had significantly taller corridors.

She arrested her momentum by deftly swinging around one of the tall poles on either side of the club entrance. She spiraled down to a perfect landing in front of the bouncer, Bradley.

"Looks like you're getting in quite the warm up today, Miss Donne?" Said the bouncer.

"Mhmm." Said Beatrice, trying to slip through the door.

"Nice try, but you know I need to check your card first, Beatrice. Procedure is procedure, even for you!" He said with an admonishing look.

She groaned, while quickly routing around for her card in her rucksack.

The large bouncer inserted the card into a reader mounted on his forearm, a moment later it spat it back out.

"Thank you, Miss Donne ."

"Uh, huh."

She bolted through the door and practically bowled over another young woman who was moving at a much more sedate pace.

"Ohmigosh, I'm sorry Julie!" Beatrice gasped as she continued into the mildly crowded lobby of the club.

"You could just try not being late? Y'know for such a showgirl you certainly don't show your interest." Julie said in a half serious tone over the heads of some patrons as Beatrice picked up speed again.

"Not late yet," She said darting through the entrance to the performers locker room.

Beatrice changed in a blur of motion using microgravity juggling, and experienced movements. She was now adorned in one of her all time favorite articles of clothing, a skin tight green catsuit with a plunge cut out that went almost all the way to her most intimate parts. The whole outfit stuck to her body like cling film revealing everything without showing much. It had intricate winding Norse rune cutouts branching out from the plunge.