Sweet Venom Arc 03 Ch. 18

"Well, god-damn! Smell those pies! V's putting on a feast today!" Garnet chuckled heartily, his nose sniffing the air in an almost cartoonish manner. Seeth was sure that any moment now, Garnet would take off and float towards the kitchen, nose first.

The Fixer Den was busy today, the sound of chatter and laughter echoing around the station as Garnet and Seeth finished up their plans for the rest of the week. The sound was far from a distraction or an annoyance though; this new warmth in the Den was a welcome change from the seemingly endless months of cold anticipation and worry that had permeated the Den prior to Seeth's arrival. Her hard work was paying off, and she was seeing the results. All those tiresome days of cleaving through Baron after Baron, liberating this small sector of space, had lifted the spirits of the local nomads tenfold.

"Stay focused, Garnet, let's just hammer out the last of these details, and then I can get started on the next contract." Seeth stifled a smile as the otter's belly growled loudly. There was a small part of her that was holding onto the hope that she could get out of this meeting without anything... out of the ordinary happening today, but as she cast a glance towards the back of the room, at the rack of suspiciously strider-sized outfits that Garnet was trying to conceal behind a folding screen, she couldn't help but think that that was wishful thinking.

The otter had made a rather audacious attempt to dress smartly today. He was wearing a slightly too small but still endearing suit, complete with tartan patches and an absurdly coloured tie. He fidgeted with the collar uncomfortably, and pulled the jacket down over his belly for the umpteenth time that afternoon as he looked over in Seeth's general direction with a smile.

"Well, that's the thing, Seeth! With the latest set of barges you took out this week, the Baron's have all but disappeared from the local sector! Their mothership was seen retreating out of the sector yesterday! There are, o'course, a few stragglers still left behind - we're workin' on locating 'em, but in all honesty, we ain't all that worried! You've done it, Seeth!"

"I've... Y-You mean... I've actually..." Seeth stumbled over her words in shock, unsure of exactly how to feel.

"You've driven them back! I don't have any Vora Baron work for you today!"

"Nothing?!"

"Nope! Nothin'! We'll get some more soon no doubt, they're relentless bastards, but it'll be nothing compared to what you've been doing, such as mopping up them stragglers I mentioned. The locals have been repairing and rearming, too. Them Baron attacks have become weaker and few and far between. You've broken the bastards!"

Not for the first time, Seeth felt a wave of relief that Garnet couldn't see her, or her facial expressions. While the otter wore a large, genuine smile - he was practically beaming ear to ear as he bubbled with a giddy excitement - Seeth did not quite share his sense of relief. She couldn't help the small, shy smile that was creeping over her lips though.

So this is what it feels like...

"And so..." Garnet pulled at his tie as he continued. "Me an' V an' some of the others got to thinking, and we decided that, well, perhaps a celebration would be in order!"

"Garnet!" Seeth immediately started to protest, but the otter interrupted her.

"V did say you might have some trepidations about us throwing you a party, but Seeth, you deserve it! All the nomads 'round here have been wanting to show you their appreciation, and it's only a small party!"

"Oh yeah? How small, because it doesn't sound small out there!"

"Only like, fifty people -"

"GARNET!"

"Including your friends! And Tora's here, me and V will be here! Don't you go blowing this out of proportion now, we're throwing you a party and that's that."

"And you saved that small bit of news until the end of our meeting so you could keep me here for the party, didn't you?" Seeth shook her head in quiet defeat, looking over at the rack of dresses again.

"Yep!" Garnet replied with a grin. "I was wondering if you'd notice something was up or not! Apparently, old Garnet's still got it." He added, somewhat smugly.

"Bah, you fucker!" Seeth laughed. "Fine! I guess I can stay for a bit. But I'm not really dressed for it though..." As she looked over at the rack of dresses, properly now, she couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of anxiety regarding the... colourful variety on display.

"V thought you might say something like that, so we put the word out, got you a nice selection of clothes. Now I should warn y'all, it was a bit of a challenge trying to find outfits that would fit your, uh... dimensions..." Garnet blushed slightly, but continued in his confident stride. "So there's a bit of a mix of styles and sizes goin' on. Got you a mirror though too, is just there, stacked up against the wall." Garnet gestured towards the back of the room. "So try some stuff out, see what you like! Feel free to get changed in here if you want. I'll leave ya in peace, I'm sure there's something else for me to do around here -"

"- DARLIN'!" V's voice suddenly echoed through the office, her tone somehow soft as dough but still loud enough to fill every room. "I NEED YOU IN THE KITCHEN! THIS TIVY GIRL GON BE MAKING SOUP IN THE SINK UNLESS YOU WASH UP SOME OF THESE POTS 'N PAAAANS!"

"There it is! Duty calls! Say, that friend of yours, Tivy, she's a sweet lil' pea, ain't she? She been the one keeping y'all fed at home?"

"Tiv's here? Yeah, she cooks for us when we're all out working. She looks after us..." Seeth murmured thoughtfully as she made her way over to the clothes rack. "Why?"

"I thought as much! She's been zipping all about the den, practically V's partner in crime today! Kinda reminded me of you, only she cooks instead of pulling Baron's apart... Hah! We invited the rest of your crew too, y'all seem close..." For a second, the otter's face softened into something... sad, longing... but it quickly snapped back to that happy grin. "Well, I'll leave you to it!" And with that, Garnet stood from his chair and waddled out of the room, closing the door behind him, and leaving Seeth alone.

Seeth sighed softly as she ran her fingers along her assortment of clothes. V really had wrangled up quite the... selection for her. There was a wide range of colours, fabrics, sizes and styles in front of her, and while it was obvious that most of them were second-hand and had been donated, they all looked like they had been cleaned and looked after.

No trousers, V? No suits? Just dresses, wonderful. It's like high school prom all over again...

She pulled a cocktail dress off the rack with a soft clink. She pressed it up against herself, and looked across at her reflection in the mirror. The dress had been made with a more busty clientele in mind, to give credit to V, but not this busty.

"Mhm. Yeah... No. That's not quite going to fit my... dimensions." Seeth smirked and laughed lightly as she returned the dress to the rack, and pulled out another.

Despite her initial apprehension, there was something quite exciting about trying on all these outfits. It had been a very long time since Seeth had had the opportunity to do something as normal as dress up and go to a party, and a part of her was actually feeling excited. Most of the dresses on display, however, unfortunately just weren't suitable, most falling short of her ample figure - except for one hideous exception, a deep emerald green dress that, while it fitted over her curves, did anything but compliment them. She pulled it over her head and took a step back, eyeing herself in the mirror. It was absolutely massive. Honestly, she'd look better if she rocked up to the party wrapped up in a shower curtain.

She was left with only two real options; a tight, revealing black satin piece that glittered and glistened in the light, and a more modest (but still flattering) lacey white dress. As she lifted the black dress up though, she couldn't help but imagine how it would hug and squeeze over her curves, and just how much of her frame it would display. She would be the centre of attention in a piece like that, more than she already was.

Isn't that what we want though? To be stared at? To be desired?

A deeply uncomfortable shiver ran over the surface of her skin. No. No we don't! Seeth thought as she quickly replaced the black dress, settling for the white one. She pulled it on and quickly examined her reflection. Flattering didn't really do the dress (or her curves) justice, but it did at least fit her properly.

"If anyone makes a joke about me getting married..."

The dress had long floaty sleeves which helped hide the straps of her industrial sports bra, and it wasn't so short that she had to worry about flashing anybody. Nobody wants to see my dick swinging out between my legs... Although, then again... NOPE. Seeth shook her head furiously. Nope, no they don't! No nip or dick slips today...

No amount of furious headshakes could quite convince her of that though...

With a shaky sigh, Seeth quickly smoothed herself down, and made her way out of the room. She'd opted to leave her heavy combat boots on - the small selection of heels and sandals V had provided just didn't fit well at all. Besides, with those tits out on display, who'd even be looking at her feet?

*

The loading bay had been fully adorned in party supplies, colourful balloons and banners draping the walls. The words 'Thank You Lockblade!' were stuck to the far wall in bright pink writing. A large silver table in the corner of the room was stocked with various foods and drinks, and was still being added to.

Trent, Venner, Oxyi and Geralt were all sitting near the table in the corner of the room, drinks in hand and an overloaded plate of delicious smelling food by their sides. All four of them had dressed up in honour of Seeth's successful contracts, Oxyi in a pretty black slip that complimented her curves, and Venner in a rich red, expensive-looking cocktail dress. Even Geralt had dressed up for the occasion, wearing a smart grey suit and tie to match Trent's.

Oxyi and Venner were mid-way through an arm wrestle, gripping the table tightly and shaking with tension as the boys cheered them on. The room had a distinct feeling of happiness, hope and thankfulness, something that had been sorely missed over the last few months and was warmly welcomed by all.

A distant thudding vibrated through the room and everybody looked towards the door, anticipating the Controller. However it was Tora that strutted through the door, smirking slightly as a quiet mumble of disappointment, then laughter floated around the room.

"Sorry guys, just me!"

Tora entered the room dressed in her usual style - a black tank-top covered in neon graffiti, and a pair of dark jeans. Her left hand was clutching a keg of beer, her right hand was acting as a platform for none-other than Tivy, who was wearing a flowery apron over her cute little blue dress, and a pair of oven mitts determinedly gripping onto a golden crusted pie, filling the room with its tantalising aroma. Curiously, both of the girls were wearing an identical pair of sunglasses.

"Beer and pie, bitches!" They announced in unison, placing their goods down on the silver table. Their words met with a loud cheer from the room.

"Tiv! You're just making Tora carry everything if she's carrying you!" Trent slapped his palm against his forehead.

"Nu-uh! I was carrying the pie!" Tivy protested firmly as Tora lowered her to the floor.

"Yeah, but she was carrying you! Thus, she was carrying you and the pie?" Trent was almost pleading with her to understand, his eyes darting between Tivy and the much taller, much broader demoness.

But Trent had no reason to worry. Tora shot him some finger guns and a grin, apparently more than happy to indulge Tivy in her whimsical demeanour.

"Damn straight!" Tora replied with a nod, followed rapidly by a flourish of her biceps, showing off her muscles to the fox. Tivy glanced up and copied the oni's motions to the tee, showing significantly less impressive muscles, but all the same attitude nonetheless.

"Come on Tiv, we get more pie and beer to get!"

"Damn straight!" Tivy shot her own finger guns at Trent from behind her sunglasses, before accepting the strider's hand once more. Tora lifted her into the air and sat her down on her shoulder, the critter flexing the entire time. Some may have found Tivy's mimicry annoying or even insulting, but Tora appeared out-right delighted by it, her face constantly flickering between a beaming smile and her usual carefree, tough-girl grin.

The pair turned away and made to return to the kitchen. Seeth, who had taken advantage of Tora and Tivy's appearance to sneak into the room unnoticed, sidled up quietly to her friends in the corner.

"Hey, guys!" She greeted them with a small smile and a shy glance.

The gang turned to greet her, then immediately did a double take as they took in her attire. Their eyes widened, their cheeks blushed with varying shades of pink as their eyes traced along her curves.

"Woah... Seeth, you look... wonderful in white!" Venner finally said, her gaze still firmly fixed on her dress. Both men were utterly smitten, struggling to pick up their slacken jaws as all manner of sexual thoughts ran through their heads. Behind them, Oxyi's nervous gaze flickered furiously around the room as she contemplated several layers of forbidden feelings, but eventually steeled herself into a clearly-perplexed-but-still-trying smile.

I'm not sure the boys would have survived the black dress, based on that reaction. Seeth thought to herself, pushing down a satisfied smile. Both of the guys did manage to pull themselves together though, after a couple more seconds.

"You look... you look fantastic, Seeth! A-As always, of course! But, you can pull off a dress!" Trent nodded, making a very obvious, desperate attempt to look at her face rather than her body.

"Smooth, Trent." Geralt laughed, his composure having returned much more abruptly. "You do look great though, Seeth. I bet Diego would love it! He'll have to see for himself when we get him back."

A flush of emotions stung the Controller at the mention of Diego's name, and her eyes turned glassy for a moment.

"Thank you, Geralt. For sure." She smiled, genuinely.

Curious as to all the commotion behind her, Tora turned around then, lifting her sunglasses up and resting them on her head... and locked eyes with the Controller.

"Jeez, Seeth..! I thought this was just a party, not your wedding!" She laughed, loudly, but the initial shock in her voice at Seeth's appearance was enough to get the attention of the rest of the room. A sudden silence rippled across the room as everyone turned, and all eyes landed on her. Seeth stood sheepishly under their gaze, very much aware of the brilliant white dress she was wearing, stretched tightly across her bust and complimenting her curves. Hints of her soft amethystine skin were teased all along it, her broad shoulders but even broader hips filling out her dress in a way that drew the gaze of all.

The silence seemed to stretch on forever... but then, the room filled with cheers.

"LOCKBLADE!" The room shouted in unison, all except Tivy, whose cheer of 'Seeth!' quickly got drowned out by the rest of the room. Seeth heard it though, and she couldn't help but smile.

A warm feeling flushed through the Controller's chest. Seeing the look in their eyes, the genuine warmth and gratitude, she recognised some of the faces around the room as people she'd rescued from barges. This is what Diego had been guiding her to, it was this feeling.

He was right.

She was capable of far more than just ruining lives. Corruption or not.

For a second, she felt tears welling in the corners of her eyes again, stinging and salty, when she was half-tackled off her feet by Tora, hugging her around the waist and pulling her firmly into the room.

The cheering and laughter blended into one, it was a whirlwind of thank-you's and freshly cooked pie, she could barely keep up with the nomads and mercs around her, shaking her hand and explaining how she'd rescued them, their families, their children...

There was so much love, warmth, appreciation around her, wrapping around her body like a blanket. It should have been enough to keep the cold, the darkness at bay.

But it wasn't. The urges did not stop.

They were growing. Despite all the warmth surrounding her, that darkness in her core pulled at the corners of her soul, threatening at any moment to push her over the edge...

She fought with every ounce of strength she had to bury the thoughts, but her body wanted those around her. It had gone unsated for so long and the fresh audience around her was making it all the rapping on her spine all the more forthright. Her very bones creaked as she fought against it, her internal battle dousing the scene in a fuzzy white noise.

She flicked her tongue out for just the briefest of tastes, just a tease. It tasted so deliciously vulnerable and untouched, the room held a bounty of fresh, fuckable bodies, ripe for the taking.

It wasn't even a question, she knew she wouldn't give in.

But it was tainting everything.

It always did.

Well... Maybe not everything...

Seeth glanced over at Tora, who hadn't moved from her side. In fact, her arm was still wrapped around Seeth's waist, and she was smiling at her.

Maybe not you...

Moments later Seeth was snapped out of her haze as Garnet and V entered the loading bay, Garnet tapping loudly against the side of his tankard with a spoon to get the crows to quieten down.

"Well, howdy folks! Thank y'all for coming on down for our little celebration today! She needs no introduction but could we put our hands together again for our champion, Seeth! We got another round of drinks and food coming, the best pastries on this side of the triad! Please all help yourselves, but leave some for me! Or I'll toss all your contracts!"

The room erupted into applause and laughter again, but Seeth remained quiet. She stared across the room at V, who must have noticed something was wrong, because she quickly elbowed Garnet in his side, and whispered something in his ear.

"A-hem! Seeth, could you, and maybe Tora, come back with me to fetch more kegs? They're mighty heavy, and I need the strong girls on the case! My back ain't what it used to be!"

His words were like water on a raging fire; they did little more than hiss against the flames, but they hissed nonetheless. A break was much needed.

Thank you, V.

Seeth made her way back to the main door with Tora close behind her, and Tivy, who had somehow stayed on Tora's shoulder as she tackled the Controller. They followed Garnet and V through the crowd, and into the peace of the corridor.

"Saw that look in your eyes, peach. Looked like y'all needed a break." V said softly.

"Thanks, V. I find crowds... hard sometimes."

Seeth stopped to catch her breath, staring out through the horizontal glass panel that ran the length of the corridor. It wasn't a particularly interesting view out there, but the stretching silence and peace of the cosmos out there was infinitely more comforting than the pull of the corruption in here.

"It's okay hun, take your time." V nodded, understandingly.

If only you did understand, V.

The cool glass felt refreshing against the palm of her hand. But as her tongue flickered out from between her teeth, tasting the air, the different scents of the food, of the guests, her thoughts riled once again, and her eyes landed on Tora.

She's a Mark... And she offered, before. Maybe I should take her up on it? I just need some relief.

Tora was immediately beginning to blush under Seeth's gaze. She reached up for Tivy, to place her down in the floor, but as she raised her arms, her top lifted, and Seeth immediately noticed a peak of a fresh tattoo, nestled over her abs. It almost looked like a fist.