Hellacious Hospitality Ch. 08

He checked his phone, wondering if he'd missed a message to tell him that she'd be late, but nothing. With his head down, a shadow crossed his vision from his left. He looked up to see a dark-haired woman standing nearby. He couldn't see her face, haloed by the low-hanging sun behind her, but she stood in an uneasy stance. She shifted from foot-to-foot in her running shoes. From there, eyes traced up toned, lean legs. She clutched one arm against her side, the other crossed over her bare midriff and nervously scratching at her elbow.

"Hello, lover." She said shyly, in a honey-sweet voice that rang in his ears like he'd imagined sunshine should sound. "And hello, Lily. You've been doing well, I take it?"

She beckoned towards the faerie, to which Lily cooed excitedly, leaving her perch at his shoulder. Whispering a few words for her tiny ears only, Lily nodded with a small smile on her face, and performed a small wave goodbye before zooming away to some unknown parts.

"Caeli!?"

She rushed to his side, stepping into the shade with him. Without being blinded by the sun, he could see she looked different. Her skin tone was a bit deeper, duskier. Still pale, but less perfectly porcelain, just the tiniest hint of a tan. Still streaked with pink, her loose, high ponytail was instead a dark black. Her eyes were a warm brown shade, and in athletic wear, she hadn't worn the glasses she normally did, a self-admitted ploy to catch his attentions. But with her sensual body shape and delicate almond-shaped face, it was unmistakably her.

"You were expecting Elena? I hope you're not disappointed."

"How could I be? I'm just surprised to see you here. Outside, I mean."

"While it's not something I do regularly, it's not beyond me, I'm the most suitable of any living there to make such trips, being the most skilled with glamour magic. I do venture out from time to time, to procure things that the haven can't immediately provide. Like new literature, as I think I've alluded to before. Or, new fashions..." With a blush on her face, she let her arms fully drop to her sides, showing off for him.

He'd been so preoccupied with her cosmetic changes, he hadn't really paid any attention to the running clothes she wore, aside from her cute, pink-laced sneakers. At her bidding, his eyes roamed up and down her body. He mentally struggled to process what he was seeing, although his cock was quicker on the uptake.

"Holy shit!" His eyes quickly darted around, surprised that nobody around them stopped to stare, and that she hadn't caused a car accident or two, because her "outfit" left very little to the imagination. She wore dark spandex or lycra bike shorts, so small that they were barely more than a band of dark material that cut across the widest part of her hips. The waistband hung low, the of the "V" of her crotch peeking out at top. She pulled idly at the leg hole at her side, her nervous shifting causing the tight clothing to ride up and expose the lower edge of her buttocks.

Her shirt was a tight tank-top, with a deeply scooped neckline the exposed a generous portion of her vast cleavage. The lower hem was cropped high, so much that it hung straight down from her buxom swells, suspended tantalizingly on her firmly erect nipples. Even the gentle rise and fall of her breasts from her breathing would stretch the light pink garment upwards, her bare underboobs teasingly sliding into view.

To push the teasing spirit of the outfit even further over the edge, she wore a kinky leather choker around her neck.

He openly gaped at her daringness, and she smiled nervously in response. "This looks weird, doesn't it?"

"Not exactly the word I'd use. How is it that you're not causing a scene right now? I can see almost everything. Elena implied we were going for a run, but it looks like you're aiming for a different form of exercise..."

She pulled at the waistband of her shorts self-consciously, an idle mistake as that only resulted in burying itself into her crotch in a blatant cameltoe, with her engorged clit forcing its way to the surface and looking like it was trying to tear its way through the skintight material. She stumbled against him, a hint of wetness already begin to trickle down the inside of her legs.

"I knew it, this was too much. Our dear friend has some 'interesting' ideas. I think you may have created a monster." Caeli winked, to show she wasn't entirely serious. "This tease sounded fun, at first, but now that I'm here, I'm having second thoughts. I don't mind dressing sexy for your eyes, but believe it or not, I do know modesty, and this is far beyond how I'd normally present myself in public. I'd normally dress down to avoid undue attention. For those purposes, I generally wait until winter to venture outdoors, so that it's not so conspicuous that I bundle up. The only thing preventing me from becoming a spectacle right now is that I've expanded the extent of my glamours at the moment, such that any attention I attract is largely deflected. Even then, with all these people around, pushing at my barriers, it's flooding my senses with pleasure."

"So, Elena's roped you into her games, has she? You don't have to entertain her if it makes you feel uncomfortable. She can be a bit extreme."

"No, I agreed to this. Once she planted the idea in my head, I couldn't let it go. Beneath her insecurities, she's got a brilliant mind. Once her imagination gets set on something, she's got intriguing ways of bringing that to fruition. It's almost addictive, watching her mind work."

"So, she's not been too much trouble for you?"

"Not at all. In fact, aside from our sessions together, diligently testing her magic sensitivity, she's been friendly, but relatively quiet, keeping to herself with all her work and planning. That's actually why I'm here now. She wanted to show you that we're doing well, but she was too preoccupied to come herself. Although, I think I owe much to Iara for helping to keep her libido in check. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but if neither of us practiced restraint around the other, we'd never get anything done. That said, how about we move somewhere less crowded? If we linger too much like this, I might just explode."

*****

They arrived at the running track in the park, and began to do their stretches. With the sun hanging low, and people tiring after long days at work, the place was less crowded than even the early mornings, when he and Elena had done their runs together. Benson noticed that in the less populated environment, Caeli must have eased her perception-damping magics, as a few runners on the track slowed to give the bombshell succubus an appreciative once-over.

One such runner, a reasonably attractive older woman, licked her lips and winked at them as she passed, making no attempts to hide her open ogling of Caeli's hanging, teardrop-shaped breasts while she was currently bent over to touch her toes. The woman flirtatiously grabbed at her own, massively silicone-enhanced chest and gave them a quick jiggle, before blowing a kiss in their direction. Caeli smiled in response, stood up, and then to his surprise, pulled up her shirt to flash her bare breasts at her admirer. And then, as if nothing had happened, the woman continued her lap without lingering, and Caeli pulled her shirt back down.

"What the hell was that?"

"Oh, nothing really. I just got tired of maintaining my wide-ranging enchantments. It's a serious drain on my mana, and trying to deflect that much attention puts me in a bit of a feedback loop, cognizant of all the desirous eyes upon me even as I turn them away. In venting off some of that heat, people caught up in my radius might feel some effects. Don't worry, it's harmless. She'll have some 'pleasant dreams' tonight, and then forget all about this in the morning. I must admit, I was a bit surprised at how responsive she was, though. Elena was right, the ways of seduction have changed over the years..."

"Shit, you're just too much."

Caeli grinned broadly, and shrugged. "All part of the hazards of dating a succubus, lover."

"Dating? Lover? Is this some new kind of mischief?"

"Maybe a bit. Our mutual friend posited that perhaps I've been a bit too passive in my approach, and that if I was serious in my desires for you, that maybe I should be a bit more forthcoming about it. Is that alright with you?"

He thought back to all the times he had misjudged or misinterpreted her, because there was seemingly no way in hell that this drop-dead gorgeous creature before him was serious in her affections. But that was part of his problem, as well. Until he'd met her, he'd never been clear in communicating his wants. But when placed before him, so openly and invitingly, there was no doubt in his mind that this was indeed what he wanted.

"How could I possibly say no? After all we've been through together, and shared with each other, there's no way I'd settle for less. Did Elena really put you up to this? Like, does she have any lingering doubts in what she wants out of her relationship with me? With us?"

"Not only did she put me up to this, she pushed, and begged, and nagged, and every form of motivation under the sun. As I said, her way of reasoning is very persuasive. And with that, I think I've said too much. I need to leave some mystery for her to have some fun with. You'll find out what she's been so hard at work with shortly. But for now, with all the obstacles before us cleared, she's given us a small opportunity to just cut loose and enjoy ourselves, so let's just concentrate on the here and now, shall we?"

Pulling her arms above her in one last big stretch, she raced off, leaving him in the dust before he even had a chance to gather his wits.

*****

He caught up to her quickly. Or rather, she slowed to let him catch up, after the first hundred or so yards. As much as she was strong, she was also unbelievably fast. There was always something new and amazing to discover about her.

Matching his pace in a more leisurely jog, Caeli bounded along by his side. As brilliant as her smile usually was, it seemed to gleam even brighter still. She reveled not just in his company, but also in the freedom of the open air. She breathed in deeply at the fresh smell of the trees and shrubbery around them. "Ah, this takes me back. It's not the same as soaring through the clear skies, but the crisp air is refreshing."

For a lesser man, the sight of her unrestrained bouncing breasts as they threatened to pop out of her shirt would have caused them to trip over themselves. But he'd put up with Elena's relentless teasing for the better part of the last week, so it was water off a duck's back at this point. Almost. The constant motion pushed the garment up, such that the mere hint of underboob before became flat-out the entirety of it. The only thing holding her shirt in its place at this point was her sweat plastering it to her skin, and the wrinkles of the fabric getting snared on her hardened nipples.

Her shorts weren't faring much better. The elastic at the leg holes kept riding up with her strides, causing them to slide into her butt-crack. The low waistband didn't offer them any real support, either, as they inched further and further down her thighs.

She made very little effort to adjust her outfit. She was very clearly enjoying how flustered he was getting, watching her wardrobe malfunction in progress. The redness on his face from exertion would hide the blush of his arousal, so he convinced himself. She'd win out in the end, of course, but he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of an early victory, and let her continue her fruitless tease without comment.

"Y'know, I've never actually seen you fly. Is that even physically possible? Your wings don't seem large enough for that."

"And you'd be right. Alas, out here, I'm grounded. A succubus' wings are not built for powered flight, as with the birds. Instead, they're vanes for riding the currents of mana. And unfortunately, there's not enough out here anymore to keep me aloft."

A brief, sad look crossed her features, and he gently pat at her back to comfort her. "I'm sorry the world's like this, that you can't enjoy it like you used to."

"It's alright. The world moves on, whether I wish it to or not. Isn't that what life is? An endless series of adaptations? I've been through a great many of those, and there will be countless more in the future. The trick with immortality is to learn from the past, but not dwell on it. So I don't mourn what I've lost, I take solace in what I've gained. And right now, in this moment, you can be the wind beneath my wings." She blushed brightly as those last words crossed her lips, the cheesiness of the line not being so apparent until she actually spoke them. She breathed deeply, to re-center herself.

"It's been a long time since I've simply enjoyed the outdoors like this. I've been so caught up in my work, I guess I've not stopped to give myself that chance. I do like the air here. It's got a different bite to it than it does back home. I wish Xo wouldn't be so unruly. Looking back at it, though, she always did have that dark, possessive streak about her, but it wasn't nearly so pronounced when she was the center of attention. I just didn't pay so much heed of it, back then. I do still miss the brightness of the gardens she once maintained. I wish you could have seen them. They were magnificent."

"I thought you two didn't get along? What changed?"

"Things weren't always so tense between us. Before I rose to the position of caretaker, I might have considered her the closest of friends. Or maybe that's not quite true. But the previous warden, he doted on us equally. I was not so occupied as I am now, and simply enjoyed spending my time with the both of them."

"He? I don't think you specified their gender before. I guess I just assumed they were female, based on the little sorority you've got going on now."

"I guess that's true. Honestly, it's really not that important. I suppose the bigger fact of the matter, though, was that he was human." There was a distant, wistful look in her eyes as she recalled that truth. She caught the curious expression she received in return, and continued. "That was long ago. Over a hundred years. Their numbers had dwindled to almost nothing, but sorcerers still existed in your world at that time. This was before I was ever fully aware of the state of things. I knew some of our history, but I thought it didn't concern me. I was ignorant and carefree, hedonistic as all succubae are, but as I've described to you, still inquisitive, in my own way."

"Then, one day, I stretched out my wings to fly, in search of new experiences, and I found that I simply... couldn't. That's how I was found. Hungry, panicking, stranded. The previous mas... err, caretaker, invited me in, giving me a home where the other demi thrived. And soon, that became my whole world. But, like I said, he was human. Mortal. Impermanent..."

"Sorry, this was just supposed to be a fun date, right? Elena gave you a chance to step away from your responsibilities for a moment, and it sounds like I've made you reminisce over something difficult."

Caeli shook her head. "It's okay. I'm not one to shy away from drama, and it's no good having experiences without having people to share them with. Life isn't always sunshine and rainbows, but it all leads us to where we are in this moment."

Benson nodded his head, appreciatively. That was the gift that time granted her outlook. Without rushing and pushing forward to ever more lofty goals, she had the ability to take in the sights and smells for what they were, and truly explore the meaning of the world around her. He was so fortunate to have met her, to have her guiding wisdom to push him along, shortcutting some of that wasteful meandering. How many more years would he have thrown away in his solitude, toiling away at that dead-end job, if it hadn't been for her? The last two weeks of his life felt more fulfilling than his last twenty years.

"So, he passed, and stewardship of the haven was granted to you?"

"More or less. There were some disagreements. Xochitl and I differed in our visions to move the place forward."

"Enough of a disagreement to lock her up for?"

"Not precisely that. Her nature as an alraune makes her volatile. Or virulent, might be the word. She's somewhat akin to Iara. We've talked on the nymphs before. Dryads are the spirits of the trees. A similar fleeting existence to the naiads, but possessing a more permanent form, and an organic one, with the ability to reproduce, in a way. In and of itself, that is not necessarily a problem. Dryads merely inhabit the wood, but the wood is not their being. A dryad's seedling is just another tree in the forest."

"However, in the event that a man were to lay with a fruiting dryad, now that's another matter entirely. The dryad's essence is not passed to the progeny, but the human's spark of life may be. Not truly compatible, not complete. Such a creature brought to life is known as a mandrake or mandragora, a plant in vaguely humanoid form. No sapience, entirely wild and feral. Delicate creatures, they subsist on any living creatures that pass their way, but with no true intelligence of their own, they will often wither and die in short order."

"Even rarer, still, is when such a creature manages to snare a human as its prey. Then, something horrifyingly wondrous may happen. A mandragora fed in this way can absorb the human's essence, and with that, a fragment of his intelligence. Thus grows an insatiable desire for more. Well fed, such a mandragora develops its own soul and sense of being, in an innate desire to become more like its mother, eventually becoming what I referred to as an alraune. That's her true nature."

"So, she's a dangerous man eater then, is that it?"

"Not in that way. Having fully gained her free will and autonomy, she's moved past the need to subsist on human flesh. She may play at it, to garner a certain reaction, but she knows her place. And please, don't begrudge her for her past. That's ancient history now, and before becoming what she is, she was no more aware of her actions than a wolf. Maybe I've said too much unnecessarily, but I think it's important that you know these things of everyone, so that we can find ways to reach some common ground."

"No, the current threat of her presence is that because of her lineage, her capabilities are similar to Iara's. As Iara has her domain, Xochitl can manipulate the environment to suit her will. She is like a dryad, but at the same time distant. Her body is her own, not merely a vessel for a transient soul. Unlike Iara, she is not bound to one place. She could take over the entire haven if she so willed it, and in fact, she's threatened to do so. Seeing the instability it brought in the aftermath of the previous warden's passing, she wanted nothing to do with the humans anymore, saying that we should withdraw and fend for ourselves."

"But I'd lived in the outside world in ways that she hadn't, and felt it still had things to offer us. I managed to convince enough of the others to take my side, but she's stubborn, and wouldn't have any of that. She very nearly walled us off, sealing us within the haven. Many of us banded together to overthrow her, leaving her where she is now. And while it took a while to happen, I really have to thank you for proving me right."

Her praising words caused the hairs on the back of his neck to prickle and stand on end. "You need to stop doing that. Describing the things I've done as such a grand gesture. After all you've been through, I've contributed absolutely nothing. I'm just bumbling through my life, really." His mind reeled in exhaustion, and not because of their brisk jog. There was a lot to unpack in her words.