Fall of the Star Sentinels Ch. 05

The first thing Riley did once the world became solid again around her was turn to quickly and efficiently check each corner behind her. She'd long since learned that the last thing you wanted in a situation like this was something sneaking up on you. Only once she'd made sure nothing was about to come pouncing out of the shadows did she allow herself to take in some of the details of the strange, unfamiliar place she had suddenly found herself in.

It was surprisingly tame, Riley thought, by the standards of demonic pocket dimensions. It was nothing more than a large room, one that reminded Riley a little of a hotel room, although friendlier and cosier. It was clean and tidy, and fairly minimalist. There were no windows, though, and the room was lit only by the many, many flickering, sweet-scented candles set all around on tables and cabinets, or even on the floor. At first, the only sign of anything unnatural about the room that Riley could see was the fact that the candles burned with vivid, violet flame, bathing the room in a pink-purple glow that glistened strangely on Riley's dark skin. But then she noticed the way the shadows were moving. There were more of them than there should have been and they seemed to cling to surfaces even when they shouldn't, and sometimes Riley had the impression of reaching hands and grasping. swarming tendrils, eager to snuff out the light that kept them contained. The magical girl was careful to avoid stepping too close to any of the shadows as she slowly advanced on the bed.

The bed was the centerpiece of the room; that was beyond doubt. It was huge, and piled high with all kinds of pillows, cushions and blankets. Riley had never seen a bed that was so large, or that looked so luxurious. Were the sheets silk? Velvet? Riley wasn't quite sure, but either way they looked so unimaginably soft that they seemed to beg for her to reach out her hand just so she could stroke them and marvel at their texture. In fact, Riley found herself yearning for much more than that. The room was at the perfect temperature to make the prospect of crawling under the covers deeply appealing, and it was so easy for Riley to imagine how she would curl up on the bed, making a little nest out of all the cushions and resting her head on the softest pillow she could find. The butch magical girl was gripped with the conviction that the sensation of letting herself sink into the bed would be beyond pleasurable. Even the sweet fragrance coming from the candles was making her a little sleepy. All in all, Riley couldn't imagine a more ideal place to curl up and rest in than this room - if not for the fact that the bed was already occupied by a demon.

It took Riley a moment to be sure that was what the girl was. She looked far less threatening than any demon Riley had ever seen, curled up in a ball as she was on the bed. She was small too; not much more than five feet, by Riley's guess. But her long, lithe tail, wrapped around herself like a cat's was a dead giveaway, and while the way the violet candlelight played off her skin made it difficult to see, Riley quickly discerned that the demon girl was a deep blue color all over. As Riley balled her hands into fists and prepared to summon her weapon, the demon slowly raised her weary head and looked at the magical girl with huge, deep eyes.

"Hey there," the demon said, her voice soft and lilting. She opened her mouth wide and let out a long, loud yawn, showing pointed teeth and a very, very long tongue that slowly uncoiled to hang out of her mouth as she yawned. "Welcome, Sentinel Blue. I'm Sloth."

"I guessed," Riley replied evenly. She took a deep breath. "Look. I don't know what kind of shit you're trying to pull, but I'm not going to fall for it. I've been doing this way too long to fall for demon tricks. In the name of the stars, I'm going to destroy you, so I can get back to my friends and save their asses."

A shower of silver sparks radiated from Riley's fists, and she let out a very small sigh. She always felt silly, posturing like that. She'd become accustomed to it, mostly because it seemed to lend some of her less experienced teammates some courage, but that didn't mean she liked it. Especially when she was wearing the sailor outfit. Riley knew it didn't suit her, no matter what anyone tried to tell her. She didn't want it to suit her. It just wasn't her style. There was a reason usually opted for more androgynous styles. But, as she'd often joked, apparently the stars didn't care that she was butch. Sure, she could learn to live with a miniskirt, but she'd been living with it for a little too long now.

Sloth seemed entirely untroubled by Riley's threats. Slowly, as if it took her great effort to move, she raised herself up onto her hands and knees, and stretched languidly. "That seems so... rushed. Why so hasty? Don't you want to take a moment to take the weight off your feet first?""

"Do you really expect me to fall for that?" Riley asked tersely.

Sloth sighed. Her voice sounded so heavy with sleepiness, although Riley didn't believe for a moment it was anything more than a ploy. "No, not really," the demon girl admitted. "But I'm sure you can't blame me for trying. I think it's kind of unfair that I had to go up against you. Way too much work. You're the experienced one. You've been doing this so long now. I don't have a chance."

Riley nodded. It was true. She didn't like to think of herself as old, but she was certainly older than most magical girls. She'd fought all kinds of demons and dark creatures, and she wasn't about to let her guard down any time soon. She knew just how insidious demons could be, even under less disorienting circumstances. In spite of that, though, she found herself a little distracted by Sloth's appearance. The demon was wearing nothing more than a sheer nightgown, and as she sleepily raised herself up on her knees, Riley got a very, very good look at her body. Sloth was short, but she was also stacked. She had wide, curvy hips, a cute stomach, and a chest big enough to completely bury someone's head in. She was exactly the kind of short, shapely, feminine girl that Riley, tall and strong, liked having on her arm. Once she realized the direction her thoughts were turning in, Riley had to pinch herself. What was wrong with her? Maybe it was the scent of the candles. They were heady and strong, and more than a little distracting.

"Yeah, I can see it in your eyes," Sloth continued, yawning again. "So many foes slain. So many long, hard battles. It seems so... hard. Aren't you weary of it, Star Sentinel?"

"Shut up," Riley snapped, more out of irritation than anger. She didn't care what this demon said; she wasn't going to listen.

Sloth simply ignored her. "How do you cope? You've got your friends, I guess. Your teammates. They look up to you so much, don't they? The veteran. The one who always knows what to do. That must be nice." Sloth's eyes suddenly flickered sharply, like she was reading something in Riley's face. "Or maybe... not. It's just another burden, isn't it? Their hopes and expectations. They always need you to be strong. That must get so... tiring. It's not fair, is it? When's it someone else's turn to be the strong one? When do you get to rest for a change?"

"I said shut up!" Riley repeated, this time with greater force. Sloth was touching at a nerve now. Why was she even listening to this? She should just destroy the demon and be done with it. But Riley started to move forwards, her limbs seemed suddenly heavy.

"Wouldn't it be nice to set all that down for a change?" Sloth went on, her voice the same carefree, sleep-tinged lilt as always, as if she simply didn't notice the look of fury on Riley's face. "Everyone needs a break, after all. Every now and then, you just need to let yourself be a little lazy. I'm sure you've told some of your teammates as much, from time to time, when they've been too hard on themselves. So why not, you know, take your own advice? With my help, of course."

"Shut... the... fuck... up!" Riley grunted. Suddenly, even words had become difficult. She was just a few paces from the bed, but each step felt like running a marathon with lead weights strapped to her ankles. Her strength had deserted her. The toned muscles she'd worked so hard to build now seemed only to drag her down. The magical girl immediately knew this fatigue was far from natural. "What... what did you do to me?"

"I'm just trying to help you, Sentinel Blue." Sloth's big eyes were so round and earnest that Riley almost believed her. "Why not give it a try? You need to rest. You look so, so tired, you poor thing. Embrace sloth. You need to sleep."

At the word 'sleep', Riley almost collapsed altogether. Her legs were just so weak, and she could barely keep her eyes open. What was happening to her? Riley had fought demons before. She knew the kind of hypnotic tricks they could play. But she'd never, ever come so close to defeat so quickly. "What... you..." she managed, eventually. "I... I'm... not... listening!"

"Aren't you?" Sloth simpered. "Maybe you are. Maybe part of you has been longing for this all along, Riley. Maybe, deep down, all you ever wanted is to rest."

Riley's answer was little more than a feral scream.

"OK, maybe not." Sloth giggled, and as Riley finally fell to her knees at the foot of the bed, the demon lent over the edge to stare down at her. "It was the candles, silly! I knew temptation was never going to do it for you. But the fun thing about being evil is, I don't have to play fair."

Riley mentally cursed her. A drug? She hadn't been prepared for that. She should have been, admittedly, but things had gone south so fast she hadn't had time to consider everything. Normally, the starlight magic that infused her kept her safe from things as mundane as poisons and toxins, but clearly whatever Sloth was burning in her candles was no ordinary drug. Riley was shocked that it had been able to incapacitate her so fast. Begrudgingly, she had to admit she'd underestimated the diminutive sloth demon. She hadn't made a mistake like that in a long time. She just had to hope it wouldn't be her last.

"Hey," Sloth cooed sleepily. "C'mon, you don't wanna sleep down there! It's much more comfy up here. Let me help you."

The demoness reached down and grabbed Riley by the arm. The magical girl was too exhausted to pull away. With deceptive strength, she gripped Riley tight and started hauling her up onto the bed. Riley could barely muster even token resistance. She felt almost paralyzed, and she hated how the way Sloth was treating her made her feel like little more than a rag doll.

"That's better," Sloth said approvingly, yawning as she carefully positioned Riley's limbs and lifted her head to place a pillow under it.

Riley found herself lying on her side, stretched out on the bed. Sure enough, it was just as comfortable as it had looked. She still wasn't sure if the sheets were silk or velvet, but it hardly mattered when they were so perfectly soft. The luxurious material seemed to cling to her as she slowly sank into the bed, the welcoming mattress slowly shifting to conform to the shape of Riley's body. The effect was irresistibly soothing. Riley needed to rouse herself, but instead, her heartbeat was slowing. Her eyelids were heavy. The scent of the candles hung heavy around her in the air. Riley felt like she was sinking into quicksand.

"There," Sloth finished. "That's good. You can rest now." She started to settle down on the bed next to Riley, curling up with her, but the magical girl was able to squirm away. She wasn't able to put up much resistance, but at least it was something.

"Get... off!" Riley grunted, pushing the small demon aside with her elbow. It felt good to be able to hit back, even just a little, but Riley couldn't ignore how heavy her own voice sounded.

Sloth yawned again, rolling over onto her back and bringing her hand to her mouth. "Why fight?" It's inevitable, you know. You can't win. I mean, you already lost. Look at you. Oh, I know you magical girls are all about hope, but you can't hope your way out of a demonic toxin, Riley."

"I... I'll never stop fighting!" Riley growled. "For the stars! For hope! For my friends! I'll keep fighting you until my last breath."

"But... why?" Sloth asked.

Riley frowned. The question barely made sense to her. She didn't know what to say.

"Fighting, fighting, fighting," Sloth drawled, drawing out each word with a breathy sigh. "Does it ever end? You poor thing, I can see how exhausted you are. Let me show you something better."

Sloth started moving around on the bed. Riley no longer had the energy to even lift her head to look at the demon, and so she was taken completely by surprise when she felt a pair of warm hands on the bare skin of her calf. Riley yelped at the gentle, intimate touch, and tried to pull away, but Sloth held her in a firm grip, once again betraying that she was far stronger than she appeared.

"Hey... what-" Riley protested, before abruptly breaking off when Sloth's fingers started to press insistently against her calf muscle. "Mmph!"

She couldn't help it; the sound just forced its way out of her. The sharp ache that shot through her leg was far too intense for her to suppress a gasp. At first, Riley thought she was being tortured, but as the sharp ache began to fade into a dull, warm pleasure, she realized the truth: Sloth was giving her a massage.

"You're carrying around so much tension," Sloth admonished, as her hands moved up to Riley's thighs, working skillfully to work out every little knot of tension in the magical girl's body. "Too much struggle, and not enough rest. You seem like the type to go out patrolling every night. You should stay in bed more. You need it. You're so sleepy."

"I'm... not..." Riley said, but her words rang hollow. She felt sleepy, and she sounded sleepy. While she wasn't about to admit it out loud, Riley could at least admit to herself that, as Sloth seemed to sense, she spent a lot of time feeling tired. That didn't mean Sloth was right, though, Riley told herself. She was a magical girl; she had to do her duty.

"You can lie to me, but you can't lie to yourself," Sloth retorted. Then, as she continued massaging the tension out of Riley's thighs, her voice became even softer and more soporific. "You're so sleepy, Riley. You can feel it everywhere, can't you? You've been breathing so slow, so deep. That's good. You can keep doing that, if you'd like - and I'm sure you will. It just comes naturally, doesn't it? It's natural to take nice deep breaths like that when you're sleepy. It feels so calming. And when you're nice and calm like that, doesn't it feel so, so good to just sink into the bed? To let go? And when you do that, you just get sleepier and sleepier, don't you?"

Riley was lost for words. Her head was spinning. She wanted to deny it, to shake her head, to do something, anything, but she felt almost paralyzed. She needed to get a grip, but Sloth's massage was just so distracting. She even found herself blushing a little when Sloth's hands made their way up under her skirt, reaching close to parts of her that were very, very sensitive. Normally, she wouldn't have been so weak to such touches, but now, she was virtually defenseless. At first, the feeling of Sloth's soft fingertips had made her tense up, but thanks to the demon's skillful hands, all the tension in her legs was gone, slowly and surely wrung out and drained away. The massage was leaving Riley feeling limp, warm, and relaxed. That, in turn, made it difficult to think and question. Sloth's words had a certain, seemingly irresistible logic to them. They flowed together into a wave that washed over Riley, leaving her disoriented by the barrage of questions and yet somehow soothed by the reassurance that everything she was feeling was only natural.

"You still have so much tension to work out," Sloth murmured. "I'm gonna need to take this off."

Riley started to tense up again when she felt Sloth slip her fingers into the waistband of her sentinel uniform's miniskirt, and start to pull it down. The tension made her realize that, for some reason, at some point she'd stopped fighting. The magical girl felt a pang of guilt. That was wrong. She wasn't supposed to stop. She started struggling again, but if anything, her movements were even weaker and more futile than before.

"Shhh," Sloth soothed, noticing her resistance. "Let me. Just relax. All you have to do is lie there. Besides, you don't seem comfortable in it anyway."

Riley shivered, and realized that she was nodding very slightly. Once she realized that, it was easier to let go. She stopped struggling. Sloth quickly removed not only her skirt, but her top and her bra too. It happened before Riley had time to register what was going on, and soon enough, she was uncomfortably naked. It was hard to stay uncomfortable for long, though, when being naked meant that she could feel the luxurious softness of the bedsheets all over her body. Riley felt as though she was melting into it. Sloth shifted a little way up the bed, and rested her hands on the powerful muscles half-way up Riley's back. The feeling of release when she pressed down, helping Riley's muscles finally, truly relax, was so great that the magical girl found herself moaning a little. She tried to stop, but the air seemed to force its way out of her in a needy whine of pleasure.

"There. Doesn't that feel good?" Sloth said sleepily. "You've needed this for so long, Riley. You've been denying yourself for so long. Now I'm giving you what your body needs, you just can't help yourself. That's why your body is relaxing for me like this. It's not just the candles. You've been craving this. That's why it feels so good. It's not a trick - not just a trick, anyway. Deep down, you wanted this."

"N-no!" Riley protested weakly. She didn't. She'd never let herself think something like that.

"Oh, c'mon," Sloth pressed down on a particular sore knot of tension in the butch magical girl's back, forcing her to let out another moan. "Can you at least admit that it feels good? I mean, that's just obvious. Listen to the noises you're making. There's no shame in admitting you like something. Can't you even do that much? Isn't it hard to keep up all this resistance? You must be exhausted already. Wouldn't it feel good, to just let the truth slip out for a change? It feels good."

"It feels... good," Riley admitted. The words came out of her as a dreamy sigh. Sloth was right; it was nice to admit it. But the pang of guilt that followed wasn't so easily disarmed. "But... need... to fight."

"Later," Sloth answered. She kept massaging Riley's body, hands moving up and down and all over her to find new places to help relax. The sensation was blissful, and made it so very hard to think. "There's time for that later. There's always time later. There's nothing wrong with being a little lazy, for now, when you need it. You can fight me later. But for now, why not enjoy this? Do you really want to stop?"

Riley found herself shaking her head imperceptibly before she even had a chance to consider the question. Sloth's words hung around her head as heavy as the incense, pouring into her and filling her up. She was far, far too exhausted to fight it. They washed over her, until the magical girl's addled, weakened mind could barely tell which thoughts were hers and which were the demon's.

"I... But... Later... Won't..." Riley groaned, as Sloth started massaging her weary shoulders. Her body was totally drained of tension now, but even then, it was hard to let go. Did she want to let go? She wasn't sure. Everything was so confusing all of a sudden. She'd been counting on her experience and instincts to keep her safe, but all her foundations had collapsed so fast. Now, each deep breath that she took to try and center herself only drew more of Sloth's soporific incense into her lungs. Her eyelids were rapidly flitting open and closed now, so fast she could barely see, and even when she could keep her eyes open for more than a moment.