Devotia Ch. 17: Placation

Forcing her voice to remain polite and calm, she says, "I have a question." Dynasa gestures for her to continue. "Why did your uncle vote to remove Ellava?"

The Magewitch grins. "That's a dangerous line of thinking, Callie. I'm impressed."

"Xamner could have nullified her excommunication. You were working alongside her to change things. He could have kept her in place."

Dynasa shakes her head. "And cause a crisis of legitimacy in the Devotia?" She sits forward, narrowing her gaze. "You are planning something."

Callie ponders what level of honesty she was willing to provide, and elects to be honest. Dynasa has been an ally thus far, it would be good to do her the courtesy of directness. "I'm just ready to be a Devotia and a person. I don't want to wait any more."

"And what exactly are you preparing to do?"

"Nothing dramatic yet," she sips her tea.

"But you are planning something," Dynasa frowns. "Tell me."

"You'll tell Velena," Callie says. She isn't worried about it, necessarily. Dynasa likely wouldn't, but she figures it's best to demonstrate to the Magewitch that she is still being cautious and perceptive.

"Will I have a reason to?" Dynasa leans forward. "Callie, we are in a precarious place at the moment. I need to know you won't compromise us."

"Or you'll dispose of me?" Callie lets herself make a proud noise, almost a laugh. "You can't, and you know it. Yala's intervention makes me irreplaceable."

"Callie..."

"You helped train me to think this way. Is it really your right to be upset that I use it?"

Dynasa places her cup down and considers Callie. Her piercing eyes scour over her, as though scanning for weaknesses. "To what end?" She asks carefully, her voice level and measured.

"The same as yours. I'd simply like to improve my conditions along the way, and I'd like to know that I have your support."

"I don't make deals without knowing the terms."

"The same as I've always wanted," she tells Dynasa. "I don't want to be lonely anymore."

"So you intend to pursue a relationship," the Magwitch sighs. "Calvin?"

"I have a cover story," Callie affirms. "I can't give out blessings. The risk is low. All I ask is that if anything gets out in the near future, Xamner has my back."

Dynasa is quiet. When she speaks, her voice is quiet and inquisitive. "And what do I get in return?"

"The same as before," she smiles innocently. "A compliant Devotia."

"And if I refuse?"

Callie leans forward, flicking her fingers against the cage, sitting on the desk beside her. "A non-compliant Devotia."

- - -

Callie has a bounce in her step as she approaches Cirene's villa. The evening arrives timidly, still holding on to the last throes of sunset, and she enjoys the pink and orange bands of light puffing up against the lazy summer clouds vaulted high above.

"Once again," she says happily, "I can't thank you enough, Gloriana."

The paladin holds up a hand, stopping at the threshold of the door. "Please, say no more. I'd rather not think about it or else I might change my mind."

Callie nods, stepping through the doorway, then turns to see the paladin holding fast to her spot. "You can come inside."

Gloriana releases a long breath. "I'd rather maintain plausible deniability that it is just Lady Cirene inside."

Smiling, Callie accepts this. She hops back towards Gloriana. "Well, I thank you nonetheless, brave paladin." She plants a kiss on her cheek, and as she pulls away she notices a flush of pink across her face. "Did you just blush?"

"No!" Gloriana's face flusters even further.

Callie bites her lip and places a lingering hand on the woman's pauldron. "Noted. We'll have to discuss this later."

"As... as you wish, hal Devotia," Gloriana chokes as Callie slips inside.

And she skips through the doorway, feeling as though her feet hardly touch the ground. Callie races into the main atrium, bouncing towards Cirene with a giddy smile on her face.

"Is he...?"

"He's upstairs," Cirene confirms.

He's here!

She scoops Cirene into a hug, then pulls her face into a sweet kiss. The noblewoman gasps, somewhere between surprised and delighted, and is giggling as Callie sets her down.

"You're in a good mood," she blushes.

Callie leaves her arms around her neck. "How could I not be?"

"Well, I'll leave you to your-,"

She tries to take a step back, but Callie holds her fast in place. "Uh-uh," she shakes her head, placing her lips on Cirene's warm cheek. "You're coming with me."

Cirene's face looks as though it's been dunked into a freezing lake. "Pardon?"

Callie bubbles inside. She'd thought of it the moment Cirene invited her over this evening, as a way to show her gratitude for the risk. It... it hadn't been easy to part with the idea of exclusivity, her years and years of conditioning in Rookwell put up a valiant fight, but she forces herself past it.

So, she places a hand on Cirene's jaw, letting her fingers trace the soft lines of her lower face. She drops her voice down suggestively, and speaks slowly, tauntingly, "You've made this all possible, dear. Don't you think you deserve some gratitude?"

Cirene gulps. Flicks her eyes up nervously towards the stairs. "Are you suggesting what I think you are?" Her voice trembles, and Callie hopes it's with excitement. "Does he know?"

"Not yet, but he'll love it."

"Are you sure?"

Callie lets her lips find Cirene's, tugging on her upper lip teasingly as she pulls back. "You're cute when you're nervous."

Cirene bites her lip and frantically looks away.

"Will you come upstairs with me?"

"O-of course, hal Devotia."

"Good girl." Callie lowers a hand down to the noblewoman's hip, holding her steady while they climb the staircase up to her bedroom.

Cirene halts on the top step, a mild panic on her face. "It's your first time alone with him since - I... I don't want to get in the way."

"Cirene," she places a cute pout on her face, "are you saying you don't want to sleep with us?"

"Us," the girl repeats. She swallows a flighty breath. "I... It's... um..." She shuts her eyes for a moment, clenching her fists as she tries to force herself to say the thing she wants to say. "I made you feel jealous last time. I don't want to come between you."

"And what good has my jealousy ever done for me?" Callie shrugs. "It's time I put it aside." She takes Cirene's hand, holding it tenderly. "Do you want this?"

A pause. She nods. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

No, a small voice contests inside. She shoves it away, resolved to banish her jealousy from herself once and for all. Calvin is here, and bending the rules to do it, just for her. She ought to face her own discomfort as well.

"So," she steps into Cirene's space once again, her feet tapping on the marble stairs below, "will you join us?"

Cirene's hasty kiss answers for her.

They enter the bedroom, a wide and circular room, adorned with gorgeous red-and-white curtains to accent the tan marble. A four poster bed, with matching canopy, rests in command of the room, and on it, the Knight-Commander sits with his head in his hands. He perks up as they enter, shooting to his feet.

"Hal Devotia," he bows. "Lady Cirene."

"Knight-Commander," she smiles, inclining her head. Gods, he's cute in his armor.

He shifts his weight from one leg to the other, then back again. He raises a hand to scratch the back of his head, and Callie finds his nervousness precious. "So, uh, how does this whole situation work?"

Callie approaches, holding Cirene's hand behind her. "We were thinking you could lay back and allow us to remove your armor," she says innocently.

A mild sweat breaks out upon his forehead. "Us?"

"Us," she confirms.

His eyes widen. "And you... you're okay with that?"

Cirene hovers at Callie's side. "It was her idea."

Callie steps closer to him, then closer still, trying to contain the ravenous part of herself.

Strip. Plead for him.

Her eyes wash over his arms, his chin, his breathtaking eyes. Her body bursts with warmth as she places a hand on his breastplate and steps onto her tip-toes to kiss his cheek. "Consider this my apology, for my behavior that night," she whispers.

His brow furrows. Gods, his eyebrows are gorgeous. "You don't have to apologize. I understand it is a difficult-,"

"Are you saying you don't desire our attentions?" She brings her mouth to his, letting the shape of her lips complete his. She exhales, pushing herself into him. And as she exits it, she loves the hungry look in his eyes. They flick nervously to Cirene behind her, and Callie beams. "She's wanted you for years... look how adorable she is." She drops her voice a little lower. "I... I shouldn't be so jealous. If I can see other people, you should be able to, too. I want this if you do." And, a little jokingly, she adds, "Besides, you are technically courting her now."

"And you're sure this is alright?"

The rumble of his voice. The warmth of it on my cheek.

"Tell her how beautiful she is."

Calvin wraps a divinely wonderful arm around her shoulder, and brings his focus to Cirene. She watches him carefully as he forms the words, trying to learn to enjoy how they look on him while directed to someone else. "Lady Cirene," he breathes out, "you do look radiant."

And in his eyes, she sees another hunger, different from the kind he shows her, but present nonetheless. She inhales his scent, so familiar and comforting, and directs, "Tell her how badly you want her." And a beat later. "Kiss her hand as you do it."

He beckons Cirene to approach, and as he offers his hand to her, the noblewoman's is timidly placed in his palm, fragile, like she was afraid to break. He pulls his head down and allows his lips to meet her skin, and Callie sees Cirene practically shiver at his touch. He lifts back just a few inches, still holding her sweetly, and says, "Lady Cirene, it would be my genuine pleasure to receive your affections."

The noblewoman melts.

"Lady Cirene," Callie smiles, taking her other hand and guiding it to rest on the Knight-Commander's pauldrons, "I require assistance with his armor."

"O-of course, hal Devotia."

And as they begin to work, Callie feels a glimmer of pride meet her own desperation for him. Cirene's hand trembles as she touches him, her face brightly adorned with a flowery crimson, and inside of herself Callie can think of no greater thing to do than to kiss her. So she does. And the knowledge that Calvin can see her do it, and the feeling of his body pushing forward slightly as she does... she feels herself fight against the cage under the skirt.

With his gauntlets removed, and his pauldrons, they turn to the scattered array of leg plates, guiding him to sit on the side of the bed while they kneel on the ground before him. She smirks, adoring the hasty breaths Cirene is taking.

"What do you find most attractive about our Knight-Commander?" She teases.

Cirene flusters. "I..."

"And not his personality, his body," she says, causing Cirene to look away, embarrassed.

It takes the noblewoman a moment to cough out, "His arms."

"So strong," Callie agrees, placing one of her own hands onto Cirene's arm and squeezing it. "Imagine them pinning you down onto the bed."

"Yes, please," Cirene squeaks breathlessly. Callie kisses her.

Soon, the only armor remaining is his breastplate, and Callie directs Cirene to sit on the opposite side of Calvin. She kneels between them, holding one hand from either of them, and she threads them together. "Calvin, I believe it is her turn."

Calvin raises his other hand to the back of Cirene's neck, and all air escapes the girl's lungs as he pulls her into him. Callie sits back, watching as the man she's been aching for since her first day as Devotia kisses her. Then she watches as the girl she's grown to adore, and who has loved him from a distance for years, accepts his kiss, freezing in place like her mind couldn't handle anything else.

And she feels only her desperate need for them both.

She gives them a few moments, then imposes herself between them, kissing Calvin first, and Cirene second. Her hand grabs hold of Cirene's hair, threading her fingers through the golden strands as her other hand wraps around Calvin's handsome neck.

She forces herself to pull back, to remain collected, if only to further stoke their desperations as well. She turns to Calvin, biting her lip, and aridly asks, "And what do you find most attractive about our dear Lady Cirene?"

"Her eyes," he beams.

Cirene giggles. "I didn't get threaded just to be told my eyes are my best feature."

His palm rests onto her waist, tugging her closer to him. "Well, I've yet to survey the rest of you." And Callie watches as Cirene nearly dies on the spot.

Calvin's gaze flicks over to Callie, as though asking for permission.

"Calvin, if you don't pin her down and fuck her I'll do it myself," she laughs.

"And you're sure that's-,"

"I want you to," she confirms, bringing her mouth to his once again. And me, too, please. "It would be so unbearably sexy."

Pleased, Calvin brings Cirene in for another deep kiss. Callie studies the way his tongue pushes against her cheeks and feels her panties fighting for dear life. She frantically removes his breastplate and casts it aside, hardly caring about the noise of it clanging around the open room. She pushes him down onto the bed and takes her turn with Cirene, bringing her into her chest and loving the scattered way their dresses tangle together, the way their breasts push against one another.

And Calvin's hands rub at her hips, her legs, and she may as well lose all of herself to this moment. Cirene's hands wrap tightly around her back, holding onto Callie like she would drown without her. Callie's hand grabs at the back of her thigh, lifting Cirene into her lap and loving the feeling of her ass pushing down on her hips. She reaches a hand down and rests it onto the girl's stiff erection, earning a high whimper from her as she does.

"Cirene," she pants, "am I still your only...?"

It takes a moment for her to catch breath enough to reply, and she answers, a little delightedly scandalized, "I've had significantly more offers since the threading... I may have taken a few of them."

Callie's hand on her neck pulls her in to kiss her. "Good girl," she approves.

She turns to face Calvin, and warmth rushes to her face to see that his hand is gently rubbing between his hips, gripping the sides of his cock through the fabric. He watches them, enraptured, and she smiles back to Cirene. "I think our Knight-Commander might need some assistance."

"Well, it would be rude to let him struggle like that," Cirene giggles.

Callie slips out from under Cirene and crawls over to Calvin. "Cirene, dear, would you work him up for me? I need him good and bothered."

Giddy, the girl prances towards him, laying beside him and allowing herself to be brought onto his chest and kissed. His arms lift up to grab hold of the cloth of her dress, dragging her deeper into his embrace, while Callie expertly removes his belt and deposits it off of the bed. Her fingertips slip under the waist of his trousers, hidden by his tunic, and she pulls it down enough to let his steady cock whip up.

She's nearly drooling as she stares at it, bringing her face down to kiss the tufts of hair at its base, inhaling the scent like it was the finest cologne. Gods, I needed this.

Staring at it fills her with ideas, loving how stiff it is from watching the two of them. She borrows Cirene from his lips, guiding her down to lay on the bed between his legs. "I require your help," she purrs.

"Gods, yes," Cirene exhales.

Cirene brings her mouth to the base of him, while Callie's tongue meets his tip like an adoring supplicant. She glides across the beautiful skin, brings her lips around to take him into her. Her eyes close as she savors the fullness, and she nearly begins purring as his hand slides through her hair, guiding her movements.

She lifts off of him, bringing Cirene back up to her mouth to share the taste of his erection between them, and lets Calvin watch their sloppy kiss. Bubbles of ecstasy crash through her hot skin, surviving off the feeling of his lust for them and that feeling alone. His grip pulls her away from the noblewoman, guiding her back down onto him.

Callie brings his cock deeper and deeper into her mouth, her own clit straining helplessly against its restraint, yearning as she watches Cirene's lips on his as well. She trades places with her, now turning her attention to the space beneath his shaft and wrapping her fingers around it, stroking him slowly.

"Gods," he moans, his fingers digging deeper into her hair.

And she returns to making out with Cirene, this time lowering the straps of the noblewoman's dress, then her own, to ensure Calvin's desperation will only grow. Cirene's mouth is needy and hasty, racing for the feeling of being brought to task, and as Callie pulls away, Cirene's face is flushed and longing.

"How do you want him?" Callie asks her, taking hold of her face with her palm. "How have you always pictured it?" And smirking, "I know you have."

Cirene's eyes flick between the two of them, excitedly panicked, and she blurts out, "Hesontopofme." She sucks in a nervous breath, and with more composure, locks eyes with Callie long enough to say, "He's on top of me, holding me down with his arms. He... he kisses my neck, and tells me how beautiful I am..."

"Good girl," she pets her cheek. "Calvin?"

He sits up, his own face filled with color. He brushes a strand of hair behind her ear, making her shiver at his touch. "Consider me excited to make that dream a reality."

Cirene's breath catches in her lungs.

Callie lays back, taking Calvin's spot as he shifts, and she spreads her legs wide, inviting Cirene in. The noblewoman rests her back against Callie's breasts, her own legs locked tightly together as she fights her cute erection. Callie's lips find her neck, brushing her long hair out of the way and fondly remarking how many little purple bruises she left on the girl during their last encounter.

Calvin sits tall, pulling his arms up to remove his shirt, giving the two of them a glorious view of his muscled chest. She zealously studies every small hair, every defined line of a muscle, and feels her cage strain between her hips. The Knight-Commander crawls forward slowly, his hands resting on either of Cirene's thighs, and he leans forward to utter, "Have I mentioned how beautiful you look, Cirene?"

"Not enough," she croaks.

"Let me fix that at once," he smiles, his dimples popping out as he brings his face in to kiss her. Callie rests a hand on Cirene's shoulders, holding her in place to be helpless at his touch, not that she needed any encouragement.

He kisses Callie on the way down to Cirene's neck, and soon the noblewoman is sighing out, "Calvin..."

His hands gently pry her legs open, causing her to release a nervously excited whimper, and Callie can hardly bear how precious she is. Her hands fondle her breasts, squeezing the soft, pillowy skin as Calvin adjusts into position. A quick spell, and then Callie watches as his cock slowly slides into her, feeling a phantom sensation of him entering herself as he does. Her breath catches ecstatically.

Calvin's arms pin Cirene's down on either side of the pillows beside Callie's head, and the noblewoman releases a heavenly moan. Her face contorts into a pained look of bliss, her kissable lips hanging open in a perpetual gasp as he begins grinding against her.

She kisses Cirene's neck, bringing her fingertips to twists Cirene's nipples and pull a delicious sound from the girl. Calvin kisses Cirene, then Callie, then Cirene again, their skin hot and sweaty as their bodies all press together.