The Beginning of the End (Drow)

[Kodos]

The Ilharess was already dressed for the hunt, in a Mithral plate bikini and horned helmet, a Mithral chain loincloth, and - naturally - a fur lined cloak. "It's not a trouble at all. I like you." She said with what sounded like honesty and a genuine smile, kissing Neitar and laughing.

***

The hunt was, naturally, a big deal, and there were several dozen in the party in total, including Neitar and her cousins. Most were mounted on spiders, while one or two of Aryyna's hunting buddies were riding upon Deep Crows or Rutherers. Aryyna, and Neitar with her, rode atop a mighty Blue Dragon, no doubt purchased or gifted from Great House Maelthra.

They spent a few days in the Upperdark, hunting Trolls and Orcs, but most of their time was spent in the Middledark, spending several days hunting Rutherer, Deep Crow, and other big game. Now and then Aryyna would kill something with a spear, but given her profession and inclination, most of the time she preferred to fry them with her Dragon's breath, or with her fantastic arcane power. And a fair deal of the time, of course, was spent making out with Neit while the Dragon did its thing.

Lots of slaves died, and lots more monsters died. And Neit got to sleep with Aryyna, a lot. All in all, it was a lot of fun.

[Regantor]

The whole thing was a rather otherworldly experience, seeing as Neit had always simply looked after herself in the past. She had never gotten far past the nearest bar in that effort. Yet, here was Aryyna, one of the most sexually charged and powerful Drow in the known cities, treating her like arm candy.

Neit was still terrified by the prospect that she could simply be just another one in a long line of toys, prepared to be discarded the minute it had lost it's use. But Aryyna acted to passionate and unpredictable it was difficult to tell. When she was invited to pleasure the Illharess, the psion often got more attention than she expected back, which in turn just made her more paranoid. It would almost be better if she was just treated like an object... At least that would make sense to her.

The luxury made it difficult not to become complacent after a while. Watching Aryyna blast away horrific beasts in a single magical blast was wondrous, and it put her in a state of both awe and admiration. But Neit had to remind herself how easily things could change. Stupid little things like being trying nice to the poor exhausted dragon mount, or continuing her whimsical effort to fatten up Huzhke... An Illharess was an Illharess, and death by torture was always going to be a very real possibility, as nice as she seemed.

At least in her own head, it seemed like replacing thinking with killing and making love to Aryyna were Neit's best methods of survival.

An otherworldly experience indeed.

***

Upon return, a massive sense of guilt seemed to build up in Neit's stomach. She assumed it was just her brain telling her that she had to do more to remain amusing to the Illharess, like some kind of parasitic quality that Neit had gained from trying in vain to gain the affections of her mother all those years ago. Still, it was a strange, inexplicable sensation.

It became like wasps crawling around inside. Being petrified that Aryyna would notice made it even worse.

Neitar decided to do what she later considered to be one of the stupidest, most profitless decisions of her life.

"This ise Huzhke." She explained, and yanked the hood from the small plump thing, then held it's lower two arms in the air to whimsical effect. It smiled a worried smile, adorable despite the gaps. "I've been puttin' weighte on her... I don'te really knowe why. I suppose I am insane."

"But I thoughte I shoulde show you..." Despite holding the thing like one would a kitten, Neit's face was overted and fearful. "To alleviate the oncoming disappointmente... Because I wante to truste you... a-and..."

"...I thoughte you shoulde know I'm pretty sick is all..."

[Kodos]

Aryyna laughed and knelt down besides the little Chitine, hugging it and (presumably) unintentionally smothering it between her largely bare great tracts of land.

"It's cute." She laughed, patting the Chitine on the head before tripping her and laughing. "When I was younger I had a Gnome. Like, a Gnome, not a Svirfneblin. From the World Above. She was real cute. Looked like your Huzhke here. She was a lot of fun. Almost as much fun as this dog I had. Kind of also like your Huzhke. Short, stubby, chubby little thing." She laughed softly and smiled, apparently enjoying the memories. Taking off her 'armored' top and letting it fall to the floor with a thud, she embraced Neit, squashing up against her and kissing her passionately but without tongue. "You're not sick, Neitar. I like you." Aryyna sounded sincere, as she took Neit's hands and placed them round her waist, her hands resting on her rear. "I love my Draeva, you know that. Does that make me sick? I've doted on lots of pets, does that make me sick?" She kissed Neitar again. "You look really hot in that outfit. You should wear stuff like that more often." She purred before nibbling on one of Neit's ears. "And you should stop doubting yourself so much. You sound like a whiny little shebali bitch who needs to have her face kicked in so she'll shut the fuck up." Aryyna laughed.

[Regantor]

At first confused and then terrified, Huzhke nervously returned the hug, then ended up simply falling backwards with the smallest amount of effort as her knees gave out. She was well trained enough not to run away, but she still shot teary look towards Neitar as if convinced she was about to be sold off at any moment.

Neit simply wafted a hand signal for the wee abdrow thing to calm down, her face rather more busy directing attention towards Arryna. That, and mentally planning out what she would say next very carefully indeed. She had never heard a drow admit to any of these things before, and it was a little confounding. A part of her still told her that it was a very real prospect, that the Illharess was toying with her to some unknown end, and she really was laughably out of her mind... It was just all too good.

"I woulde not have told... ah... a-anyone else... Even zha cousins..." Her voice was soft, unobtrusive, dotted periodically by gasps of pleasure. Her hand searched upwards from Aryyna's navel towards her chest, and then finally to the side of the face. For once, she spoke first and kissed second. "Bute I like you. It is stupide and insane and I juste admited I've been babying up a damn chitine to somebody withe the power to kill me in and instante, bute I really really like you..."

"...and I at leaste wante you to truste me, Illharess... Because nobody coulde ever really deserve you. Nobody."

[Kodos]

"You're probably right." Aryyna laughed. "But you'll do," she added, forcing Neitar down onto her back and kissing her. "For now, anyway." Another laugh.

***

They did it on the floor, first, before Aryyna decided to take Neit to one of her bedrooms. After that, she remained in bed with Neit, smoking something that made her a little giggly (and Neit, too, thanks to fumes) while a pair of Succubi gave the two Drow women massages.

"I like you, Neit." She smiled. "Where you goin' next?"

[Regantor]

Neit had an amusingly suspicious reaction to the Succubi, in massive contrast to how she normally treated non-Drow. Apparently they were too pretty to be 'stupid little monsters' like her own followers, and thus probably up to something sinister. None the less she accepted the massage whilst keeping an eager eye out. The oil made her already jetstone-hued skin turn into a deep, glossy black glass colour.

"Avernus, moste likely." She remarked back to Aryyna distantly, apparently doing her best not to enjoy the experience too much, but still cooing from the sensation. Just being touched by those damn filthy demons was like a drug in itself. "Zhere ise a little situatione my baby was tellin' me aboute. Involvin' some runty old Illharess, she says is askin' to be slashede... Nothin' too interestin', I suspecte... Migh' be a good opportunity, migh' not. Juste goin' to check ite oute."

The vaguery wasn't because she was trying to lie to Arryna; She was attempting to avoid looking like a coward if they decided not to get involved. Doubly, she was trying to make it obvious that she would definitely not ask Aryyna for a favor in a task that was so far below her.

"I'll bring you back something nice again, through, of course..."

[Kodos]

"I'm sure you'll do just fine." Aryyna said with what sounded like sincerity. She took a long drag from whatever she was smoking and sighed happily. "You're fun." Another drag, and some giggling. "And thank you for the Orc. She is beautiful." Aryyna was terrifyingly nice.

***

Aryyna saw Neit off with some kissing and groping, a slap on the ass, and a "Come back soon, babe. And wear less! You look good, you need to slut it up more! And don't forget my gift!"

[Regantor]

Neit gave a coy smile and scrunched her eyebrows in return to the flattery, quite the conflicting expression for such a vicious-looking creature.

"It's been beyonde words, my Illharess." She bit the end of her fingertips, pining for a cigar to round the evening off, as Aryyna probally picked up on from her rampant habits. Then again, the fact she always left Neit wanting more seemed to be the exact problem. "Nexte time... I'll... I'll live up to that. To you."

The last part slipped out, and made her feel like a fool. It could be construed as both self-pity and arrogance if you looked at it from differant angles, both things that Aryyna had shown distaste for in the past. What ever happened to her elegant, distant method of self control?

Being around Aryyna always seemed to be an emotional pitfight. She was terrifyingly powerful, more intelligent than Neit could gauge, and normally the kind of creature that she would figure was much too vain and excessive to be worth meddling with. But...

It was that damn strange feeling again. Like an addiction, it was getting stronger the more time she spent with that... damn whore. Only making the shaded thing more paranoid. ...Is she in my head? If she's a psion, why can't I detect her?...

The insult wasn't true to feelings. But she wanted it to be. Lolth's tits, did she want it to be.

Why did she tell her those secrets? What was Aryyna really after?

...Drow did not act like this...

///

Back at the inn, Neit savoured a puff from her fresh cigar, and used the prolonged silence within the midday bar to collect her thoughts. Alsiif and Ryyna were supposed to have met her there already, but she didn't really mind the break. It was probaly better that they were out drinking or torturing innocents now, rather than on the road, or in another city, where they were vunerable.

[Evil_Cake]

Alsiif entered the bar and perked up when she noticed Neitar waiting. She stumbled on over and plopped down in a chair. "Hello, cuz! How'd your crap with.. ahm.. Aryyna go? Its good to see she didnt kill you.." Alsiif seemed to be sober, and happy, which is a pretty weird combo.

[Regantor]

"The usual. Screwede like animalse. Shoulde keep 'er off our backs for ae while..." Neit played it down by talking shamelessly and plainly, rolling the stogie around within her teeth. That's how she was trying to justify it all to herself, anyway. "How com' you're ine such a goode moode? Catche another shebali?"

"Mighte be goin' on a little 'oliday to Avernus, too, a place callede Yathrinser, ife you wanna come..." One of her last gold coins was twirling around within Neit's fingers. She started looking a bit peeved about it. "'Bout time we starte makin' some damn cashe... and Hwesta was tellin' me 'bout this hotshote Faernsenger lass who wants to blitz this shitty little house called Mirrym... Coulde be a pricey little favour we coulde do, maybe."