Honey and Wine Pt. 02

Content warning for heavy drug use, heavy non-consent, explicit sex, choking, and specifically some limited violence from cis male character against cis female characters. The last paragraphs of this story may contain spoilers for the Feldavian Nights series of stories.

Real life kink requires a lot of negotiation and communication.

***

Maldred checked the veil was still in his back pocket, as he tried to blend in among the backstage staff in the corridors. He'd managed to pick up one of the musician's stools, and carried it back, roughly in the same direction the people carrying instruments had gone. This was quite an operation they had here. Maybe a dozen musicians, a dozen waiters, security, the dancers of course, and then a small platoon of hired help walking the halls.

On the second trip, music stand in hand, he spotted it. Pink door, at the end of a corridor, and a simple torchlit tunnel between him and them. No security back here, and the drink and partying in the lounge seemed to be making enough noise that they could talk in private.

Maldred ducked into the corridor, and tried to look nonchalant as he plucked the veil from his pocket and strung it across his face. It clung unnaturally to the ridges of his jaw and cheeks, forming a surprisingly clean seal around his mouth and nose. Equipment like this can't be cheap, he noted, and even filling the club every night at 3 crowns a head wouldn't pay for enough to fit all the staff. He made a mental note to return the veil to the waitress, Cassie, before leaving. After she'd been so helpful tipping him off to the location of the dancers' dressing room, and their connection to the owner, the last thing he wanted is for her to get fired for losing it.

That'd have to come later, he thought, as he gently tested the door handle. Not locked. He wasn't too surprised, they didn't seem to be too worried about their modesty after that show.

That'd have to come later, he thought, as he gently tested the door handle. Not locked. He wasn't too surprised, they didn't seem to be too worried about their modesty after that show.

Maldred paused, taking a deep breath, and muttering to himself under his breath, "They're just performers, common criminals at best, it's just a few fancy tricks. You're trained for this." Puffing his chest out, he turned the handle and slipped quickly through into the small room beyond, closing the door swiftly behind him. He burst into his prepared speech, as he took in his surroundings.

Honey and Wine were sat, drinks in hand, looking overtly startled at the stranger who had just burst in unannounced.

"Excuse me, I'm here on official business, and I need to speak with you."

The room was small, barely 12 feet across, low ceiling, no other exits. Two polished metal poles seemed to hold up the low cave-like roof.

"I need to be clear that I'm here on behalf of the department of interior security, investigating crimes of kidnap, and all citizens are required to comply with our investigation of face divine and physical judgment."

The furnishings were nice, stone floor covered in thick rugs, exotic drapes around the edges of the room, and one length of the room dominated by a floor to ceiling mirror. A small fire burned in a narrow hearth by the sofa the two dancers were lounging on.

"With all that in mind, I must ask you to remain seated and present any weapons you have concealed upon your..."

He paused, realising how foolish this would sound. The two performers were still in their stage costumes, more or less. Besides the shoulder-length arm-wraps and waist-high tights, they were entirely nude.

"... concealed upon your person.... or to hand." he added, trying to sound more reasonable.

The two performers laughed, as if at some inside joke, before the one introduced as Honey answered him. "Well, that's the first time a fan has tried a line like that! Are you trying to get in to see us without paying sweetie?"

"Uh, no. This is quite serious, and I'm not here as a fan."

Wine shifted in her sofa, appraising him as she crossed her legs modestly, "Oh, you seemed to be enjoying yourself when I dropped by you and Cassie during the show..." she gave him a knowing grin.

"I'm undercover." he grunted, tersely.

"Sure you are, and we're criminal masterminds who you've tracked down to some shady underground lair." Honey mocked, "You know we usually charge extra for roleplay, Darling?"

They both laughed as Maldred rolled his eyes. Ok, he hadn't really thought about fans or customers trying something like this, it would have never occurred to him as worth trying. Especially as the penalty for impersonation was a season's imprisonment. He hadn't brought any identifying marks as his plan had been... he frowned. His plan was to quietly observe, not to question anyone, though it was too late to turn back now.

"I assure you, ladies, I am quite serious. Several known patrons, and one of your former employees, have all gone missing in the last few weeks, and this venue is the only thing each missing person had in common. There may be people's lives in danger, and it is most important that we try to find them. I am simply here to ask you both a few questions. Is that clear?"

He hoped, quietly, that sounding official enough, along with the few scant details given, would be enough to at least have them take it seriously.

Honey and Wine both looked at each other, still wearing the same inside joke as they laughed. "Very well. Since you're so cute, we'll spare you a few minutes for free!" Honey said, shifting aside and patting the cushions between them, "Please, have a seat."

Maldred swallowed, perhaps a little too noticeably, as he took in the sight. This wasn't the usual investigation he was sent on. He usually handed sensitive church matters, the Priest pocketing coins from the church coffers, or the bishop with a boy on the side, he'd only been brought in on the Rifter magic investigations recently, as extra help. The raunchiest inquiry he'd had until now was a couple with a forbidden piece of literature that had a few choice illustrations. But now... he was presented with two stunningly beautiful women, still in their costumes and illusory colours (Honey still appeared somewhat pink, and Wine a deeper purple), inviting him to sit with them.

He adjusted his stance, shaking his head as calmly as he could. "Thank you, I prefer to stand. First of all, can I ask your names?"

"Oh, I'm Honey, and that's Wine!" Honey laughed, taking a long sip of her drink, "But you already knew that. You're not the best investigator if you can't remember that!"

Maldred scowled, "I mean your real names. What do I call you? For example, I am detective Smithie."

Honey, reached for an unlabelled bottle on the table beside her and topped up her drink, "Oh, we don't mind if you call us by our stage names, after all, we like to get into character for our shows! I mean, our customers certainly like us this way, wouldn't you?"

"I... it doesn't matter what I think... Honey." Maldred winced at the overly familiar name. It was hard to keep a straight face whilst calling someone an affectionate pet name like that.

The two of them giggled. They must have drunk quite a bit of that, he reasoned. Or perhaps Wine's... enhancements, were having an effect on Honey? He was glad to be wearing the protective veil now, given how confined the small room was. He turned to Wine, who seemed to be the more sober, or at least composed, of the two.

"Wine, may I ask how long you have been working here?"

She looked over at the fireplace, and took a sip, "Oh, not long, but I've been a performer for as long as I can remember."

"Me too" chirped Honey, "We've travelled together for forever now, but it was only about... three moons ago that we moved in here."

"And was Miss Foucalt the person who hired you?"

The two looked at each other for a moment, before Wine answered.

"Darling, we aren't simple employees, we are travelling artisans, as skilled in our craft as the finest smithy is in theirs. We are entirely independent, although..." she paused, pouting, "yes, it was Miss Foucalt who offered us her protection and a place to perform, though we are more than fairly compensated."

"And we haven't been kidnapped, have we!" chipped in Honey, twirling a lock of dark hair between her fingers.

"No, it doesn't seem so." Maldred nodded back at the door, "though, your door does have a lock that operates from both sides, does Miss Foucalt hold the key?"

Wine laughed, a deep, shuddering noise that filled the room, "Oh Darling, are you worried about us? How adorable!"

She reached over to a dressing table, and plucked a key from the top drawer. "We hold the only key, it's for our privacy of course. You never know when we might want to..." she shot a playful look at Maldred, "entertain a gentleman caller."

He was blushing a little, but he trusted the veil would hide it. "Well, uh, I'm glad to hear that"

Wine raised an eyebrow at him.

"I mean... I'm glad to hear that you are free to come and go."

"Quite" Wine smirked, taking a long sip of her drink, "Did you have any other questions, detective, besides whether the door locks?"

"Yes. Of course." he stammered, trying to find his pace again. "As I said, people have gone missing in the last few weeks, all of them visited this establishment. I'm here following up a lead that one of those missing, a..." he paused, he didn't want to give up too much, but Cassie had convinced him they could be trusted to help... "A captain of the city guard was seen here one night, and we believe he was receiving payments from Miss Foucalt in exchange for being overlooked by the patrols. A colleague of mine believes those payments stopped the night before he was last seen here."

"So you think she kidnapped him?" Honey asked, a look of concern on her face as she set her drink down.

"It's... one possibility." Maldred answered tersely. He didn't want to mention the other one, which he thought far more likely.

Honey crossed her legs on the sofa, turning to Wine, "You don't think Miss Foucalt would do something like that do you?"

"Humans do terrible things to each other," Wine sighed, "it's quite possible."

Wine turned to Maldred, "Perhaps if you could tell us more about the missing man, we might remember him." She gave a slightly more restrained smirk this time, as she stood up and took a few steps towards the door, and Maldred "I do tend to get quite close to most of our patrons."

She slipped past him, gently turning him towards her as she did so, slipping the key in the lock and turning it with a click. "You don't want anyone walking in on us do you, Detective?"

He took a step back, getting some distance. It was a little unusual to be around people so comfortable being nude like this. He shook his head, trying not to look too bothered, "no, but I doubt you two would be in any danger. If the coin I spent to get in here was any indication, you two are worth more than the entire building."

Wine turned back towards him, grinning, "quite a compliment, Detective, and you don't even know the price you'd normally pay for a... private audience like this."

"I'm sure it's worth every crown" he joked, in a mockingly flowery tone.

Wine smirked, "You have no idea." flicking his collar as she returned to lean on the arm of the sofa. "So, help us remember, what did your missing man look like?"

Honey hopped up to her knees, watching Maldred intently, as he pulled a small parchment book from his pocket, and flipped to his notes. "Captain Whitley, 35 years of age, male, black hair trimmed low, athletic build, scar on right cheek. Last seen 2 weeks ago entering The Fiend's Den."

He looked up at Honey and Wine, raising an eyebrow, inviting them to answer the unasked question.

Wine frowned, "We have quite a few guests each night, but I'm not sure if he was one of them." She looked at Honey, "ring a cross for you?" she asked.

Honey put a slim finger to her bee-stung lips, holding eye contact with Maldred as she made a show of thinking it through. "Hmm. Scar on the right eye, black hair? I think we did see him in here" She turned to Wine, "I can't remember exactly, do you remember the guy who we had sit on the rugs, did he have a scar on his cheek?"

Wine seemed to pause in thought, cocking her head at Honey, "He might have, it was a while ago".

Honey sat up straighter, "I think he did! Miss Foucalt sent someone in here herself a few weeks ago, maybe it was this..." she looked back at Maldred, playing with her hair, "Captain Whitley, you said?"

Maldred nodded.

"Gosh, I really can't remember that well, but I know the guy we had sitting on the rugs was talking about Miss Foucalt, but oh!" she pouted, "silly me, I don't always listen to what the customers are saying, you know? Plus, they're not usually wearing a veil so..."

Wine chuckled, "So, the lingering effects of my oils tend to make it a little harder for them to speak clearly" she pointed over at a handful of small glass bottles on the dressing table, "Still, I think Honey has a point, there was a fairly strong-willed gentleman sent in here around that time. Honey, can you remember any of what he was talking about?"

Honey shook her head.

Maldred sighed, they aren't detectives, so it's no surprise they're not as observant as him. He tried to soften his posture, and make his tone come through as supportive, or at least understanding, "Honey" (he winced), "It's really important you try to remember. Someone's life might depend on it"

She frowned, rubbing her eyes in frustration. "I'm sorry, I'm not great at remembering things"

Wine slipped down into the seat besides her, putting an arm around her waist and giving her a surprisingly chaste hug. "Hey, it's ok. I'm sure the detective is as frustrated as you are. After all, he's come all this way and doesn't have anything to show for it"

He gritted his teeth at the sly dig, but didn't interrupt as Wine continued to comfort her co-star. "Remember how we'd practice some of our older shows, you know, to help recall where we were when we performed them. We can try that, would that help do you think?"

Honey nodded. Wine turned to Maldred and smiled, a warm affectionate look that set him at ease. "Could we ask a favour, Detective, to help Honey try and recall what your missing man was saying?"

He shrugged, "sure"

"Wonderful!" she jumped up in an instant, and before he knew what was happening, she had crossed the space between them, "We will obviously play ourselves, and you can play the part of our missing victim, ok?"

Maldred furrowed his brow, "sorry, what?"

Wine looked down at him, a patronising look on her face (he hadn't noticed before that she stood a clear 3 or 4 inches taller than him), "It's simple. Some people's memory is... concept based, like yours. You think about something, and then you remember it. Other people's, like Honey's, tends to be more visual. You present someone with the same visual cues, and they remember better. Understand?"

"Not really, no" he muttered.

Wine laughed, definitely at him, and spoke slower, "Ok, all you need to do right now is sit down here" as she spoke she firmly held his shoulders and led him to forwards to the front of the sofa, and pressed down towards the floor, "and we'll tell you what to do, just for a minute, until Honey remembers what he was talking about"

"Uh, look, do you think-" Maldred was cut off as Wine's foot nudged the back of his knees and, coupled with the gentle pressure on his shoulders, he crumpled to his knees.

"Oops! Sorry, you're a little clumsy on your feet Mister, are you sure that Veil is fitted properly" she winked down at him. Even so, he felt the need to check, tugging gently at the seams where they met his face.

"Fine. Just for a minute." he said, his dissatisfaction with Wine's actions clear in his tone.

"That's all it takes" Wine said, smiling down, and ruffling his hair affectionately before turning and leaning back into the sofa, legs crossed once more, though she was now much closer than before.

"What now?" he asked.

Wine leaned forwards, smiling down at him, "So, Miss Foucalt brought a man in here a few weeks ago, well built..." she gave his biceps a gentle squeeze, "not unlike you, Mr detective. And she asked us to put on a very specific show for him. All she told us was..." Wine put on a sharp regional accent as she mimicked their employer's instructions: "Zis man is very important, I want him to leave here satisfied and happy, do ze Wolds Dance for him"

Wine made a show of shifting her eyes sideways, as if in memory, "and then the man said... one moment" and leaned forwards, uncrossing her legs for a moment before her arms obstructed his... unintended, of course, view. She leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Say this: Look, I don't want a striptease from your two pet sluts, we need to talk"

Maldred winced. The language wasn't something he'd normally feel comfortable using. Wine seemed to sense his hesitation, and whispered "If you want us to help, just play your part, and we'll play ours" before patting him on the head patronisingly and leaning back.

He sighed, and, as deadpan as he could manage, said "Look. I don't want a... striptease-"

Wine cut him off "Oh, Honey! We weren't just sitting here when he was brought in were we, we were... cuddling, remember?" before patting her lap.

Honey smiled absent-mindedly, "Oh, right yeah!" and turned to lie down, head resting in Wine's lap, her legs resting languidly across the end of the sofa. "Weren't you wearing more Oils that night Wine?"

Wine shook her head playfully and stroked Honey's hair, "fine, but only because it's for a good cause". She reached over to one of the small glass bottles, pulled a stopped, and allowed a few drops of the amber oil to drop out onto her abs. She held a single finger up to Maldred, "just wait there a moment darling, and... if you have to stare, keep it up here" she pointed at her chest, laughing softly. "it's okay darling, at that height, it's only natural"

Maldred spluttered "I didn't mean to... I wasn't... I wasn't looking at your"

"Shhh, shh, it's ok, and anyway, that's not the line, ok, just..." she finished rubbing the oil in and rested her free hand on the armrest, and nodded to him "ok, now say it"

He shook his head, eyes firmly shut, before exhaling calmly, "Look... I don't want a striptease from your two pet... sluts." he winced again, "we need to talk"

Wine cooed at him, "Good, and then Miss Foucalt said... We can talk afterwards, but first, let me show you our hospitality... and then she shut the door"

"Then what?" Maldred asked, trying to sound neutral.

"Then..." Wine doubled over to whisper in Honey's ear. Honey smiled up at her, and sat up, turning to face him. "Ooh, you're here for the Wolds dance! We haven't done that in so long!"

Honey gracefully lifted herself to her feet, and moved behind Maldred out of sight.

Wine spoke in a hushed tone, leaning down towards him, legs crossed with one foot resting inches from his face, "At this point, Honey locked the door, for privacy, and I allowed my oils to start working on our guest's nervous system." with that, she showed Maldred her palm, still visibly slick with the oil, and rubbed it into her leg, ankles and foot before him.

"His what?" he asked, matching her hushed tones. She rolled her eyes, "his mind, the oils contain an ingredient that short circuits some of the connections in his brain, making it..." she paused, in thought, "messing with his coordination, and creating a shortcut from what he hears outside to what he thinks inside"

Maldred tilted his head quizzically. Wine just snorted, "It doesn't matter, you don't really need to know how it works, call it a trade secret"