Chapter 10.1 Return

I walked through the streets of the city, my eyes without focus.

My shoulders tense from all the people bumping into me. My ears were indifferent to their curses. I was walking back.

My head, full of cotton. My thoughts - the echoes of the long dead.

I’ve miscalculated. Badly.

In my rush to make a perfect impression, I’ve delved deep into my knowledge. Presenting carefully selected topics for the greatest impact. Totally forgetting about the human factor.

There is a reason why mathematics fascinated people through the ages. And not the boring part about buying a cart of watermelons over and over again. Math is a puzzle of patterns, and sometimes after countless hours of searching something clicks. And you see in front of your eyes how pieces suddenly start fitting into each other, revealing something greater within. Something simple. Something magical.

These things fascinated me and kept my mind occupied during my early days at Kiymetl Manor. As the boring days dragged by, with my hands busy with repetitive tasks. And that was with me as a passive viewer, sitting in my mind’s theatre and enjoying it unfold on a figurative screen. A farmhand watching the world explain itself.

They hit Virnan Shah like a bag of bricks. As he was hands deep in solving my suggested problems.

Gone was the Virnan the Wise. A knowledgeable persona, willing to humour new ideas. After him went Virnan the Challenger, eager to argue things for the sake of arguing. And I saw Virnan the Student disappear, dead set on learning something new.

I got Virnan the Child. And I just put a box of presents right in front of him. It was Christmas time.

What started off as a tentative show of skill, turned into a deranged marathon of numbers. His inquisitive questions wrung my mind dry, as he jumped from topic to topic sampling the delectable bites, but never finishing the meal. Intent on solving things himself, but unwilling to stop any time soon.

I’ve spent almost a day within that Tower. Three hours were gone walking and waiting. For the next twenty or so hours, he shook me like a piggy bank of ideas. Reluctant to break but hell-bent to get that coin.

I remembered my feeble suggestions about food, mostly ignored until he called in a few paltry snacks. I saw him screaming through the door that all his appointments are cancelled for the foreseeable future. A sentence that sent shivers of dread along my body. I recalled trying to sleep in the darkest corner of his office, my hand scooping sand to cover my head, as he was bent over a particularly challenging step. Only to be awoken two hours later to him waving a solution to my face.

To my great fortune, and continuous sanity, he dug wide but not deep. He had a keen mind but this was a new way of abstract thinking and he still stumbled with things like infinities as a discrete mathematical concept. As his general exhaustion caught up with him, I was able to suggest most forcefully, that he needs a fresh mind to avoid any further mistakes. Vehemently declining any ideas of me sticking around through the generous reminders about Domina.

His reluctance was palpable, but the name of Aikerim Adal held sway even here, so I was let go. Burdened with a golden amulet so that I could leave, and a promise that I would return.

I was outside of the compound before it reached my body temperature, a cold weight above my heart. Legs pounding dust into the road, taking me away.

At first, I roamed without purpose. My stiff, unused body enjoyed the exercise, stretching with every movement. Eager to do more. Eventually, my sluggish mind recovered enough to steer my steps toward the manor.

My life at the manor wasn’t bad, but the cage was still a cage no matter how intricate the golden bars were. What made me so eager to return was that the manor wasn’t the cage itself. It was just a part of it, a familiar and safe branch to sit and rest.

Before I’ve gone exploring, I’ve talked with Irje about city life and other useful knowledge to have. I also picked up a few bits myself walking the streets later.

Living in the city was expensive. Scratch that. Living in Emanai was expensive. While food cost varied greatly with your standards and thus potentially affordable, housing wasn’t. Add vagrancy laws to the mix and you had to pay to sleep or spend a night in jail. If you can call a pit in the ground, foul and filled with vermin, into which you were lowered in with a rope, a jail.

Smaller cities had fewer jobs, and larger cities had higher prices, so most ended up in a vicious cycle of doing the same work, or bouncing between day jobs just so that they could pay for the next night.

I chuckled to myself, approaching the gates. As far as potential went, in my case, I had much greater chances here than if I walked into this city as a free but unknown farmer.

That didn’t change my plans for the future. Just made the present more palatable. Or so I’ve been telling myself all this time.

Besides, I would miss Irje. And Yeva. Aikerim was scary though.

“Where is your seal, merk?” The guard looked tired and bored at the same time. Lucky bastard.

I shuffled through my clothes trying to fish out the manor seal. My mind was trying to remember where did I put it. I got it yesterday from Sulla, didn’t I? Although I did forget something. Ugh, it felt like ages ago. Well, it is an amulet so where did I…

Aha!

I fished it out from my neck showing it to the guard. Wait that was the wrong amulet.

“My deepest apologies! Please excuse my words!” It looked like someone shoved a spear through him. His body ramrod straight, eyes bulging. I could see the sweat forming on his face.

“Eh?”

“Please come on in! Let me inform the Domina at once!”

“What? No!” The name woke up my sleepy mind. One more wermage was beyond me at the moment. “I mean she knows, she will summon me later.”

“Of course, just please don’t tell her about this!”

“Ah. Sure.” I was back on autopilot as I waved him off, walking inside. Apparently, it also worked like a Manor seal. Well maybe that was a Primary Manor Seal or something and therefore recognized in all branch houses?

I glanced at it. A band of gold covered in script. Within it: large scales, most likely the symbol of the house, with the pillar on the background. All that supporting a crescent moon, its horns facing upward like bull’s. The Symbol of Emanai Manorat.

Interesting design. Obvious and visible. So that it could be recognized from far away.

I tucked it back and moved on, quickly heading toward the recognizable shapes of workshops. Looking out to see familiar faces.

It took me a while to find Irje, mostly because she was actively avoiding me. After few rather inadequate attempts at cornering her, I gave up. She could sit in her funk for a bit more. I still needed some rest time to even have a decent conversation anyway. A few hours doing something menial and boring would do me wonders.

Like work. I was still tasked to do my chores. Whatever Domina has planned for me it was not a reason to celebrate prematurely and slack off, greatly annoying everyone around me.

I plopped myself beside silently working Yeva and, without further ado, took half of her share. Making her exclaim in surprise.

“Erf! You’re back!” She moved closer so our bodies could touch. Smiling. “Where have you been?”

I shuddered. Maybe that was a mistake.

She gasped. “Did something happen to you? Oh, if you don't wanna talk that's okay too!”

I smiled ruefully. She was sweet and accommodating. “An old man touched me. Inappropriately. All night. Poking at my mind with questions. Asking for the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.”

She gasped silently at first. Her hand covering her mouth. Then frowned. Then, huffing indignantly, she mock-slapped me. “You and your jokes! I was afraid there for a moment.”

“Hey! You are talking to a broken man here! I am hurt and require tender care.”

“There, there.” She patted my head with a small teasing smile.

“Ah much better. Thank you, Yeva. For your concern. But what I’ve said is true, joking aside. I will tell you about it, but not tonight.”

“Hmmm. Sounds like you had enough of questions.”

I hummed in agreement, and we set to work in silence.

It was both a calming and invigorating experience. Working side by side. I could feel the tension in my mind unravel as I spent my time in limbo, my hindbrain easily handling all movements my hands required. Which wasn’t surprising as it was the first target of enhancement. Nanites nearly rewriting my Purkinje cell network altogether, granting me swaths of new and expanded old ‘muscle’ memory. I still surprised myself once in a while with certain movements, that didn’t make sense until I did them. Or the fact that certain sounds made my left hand curl up in weird shapes.

A guitar would be nice right now.

Yeva would occasionally tell me things as she worked. True to her word, she didn’t ask any questions and mostly just focused on simple things that I had no problem listening to without much attention. She didn't seem to expect any of my involvement either, perfectly content on speaking alone. From what I’ve had gleaned in her monologues, Irje had been acting withdrawn to her as well. Poor girl. She just found some audience, only for one to disappear somewhere after getting summoned by the high and mighty, while the other was stuck in her own funk.

I sighed internally not to spook my partner. Damn it Irje, sometimes you can act like a teenager. At least she had the presence of mind to tell Yeva that I was only temporally gone and not sold or executed.

“-She just started being snappy for no reason…” Yeva complained to me in the meantime. Nuzzling into me for comfort.

“Yes, for no reason.” A new harsh voice, full of sarcasm, interrupted us.

I raised my eyes, trying to remember. Based on faint familiarity this was one of the slaves that been working with us all this time. That has been ignoring me up until today.

“Yes, I am talking to you, kid.” She continued, seeing that I’ve noticed her. “You get called to Domina and suddenly she is yelling at everyone for any simple mistake. The blind got it easy.”

I sighed. Irje wasn’t that bad as far as I could tell. It was more likely that it was the opposite, my presence, as well as our joint project, got her distracted from her original tasks. She just returned back to how she was before. Maybe a bit more eager.

But that was there. And here I had an angry set of eyes piercing me, and I could see others glancing our way with similar emotions. I also didn’t like the fact that they weren’t just looking at me alone, or that Yeva wasn’t particularly surprised with the outburst, just sad.

No point guessing. “What do you want?”

“What I want is for you to go and apologize to her!” She hissed, finally able to release her frustrations. “I don't care what you did to get her pissed, I don’t care what you do for her to forgive you. Lick her off for all I care. But I want you to do it now!”

I closed my eyes and gathered my thoughts. “Fine, I’ll do it, but I want something in return.” I could’ve mentioned that she should be careful about those who got a personal summons from Domina, especially if the summon was most likely due to my invention. But arguing against emotions was nearly impossible, and I had no desire to escalate it further. Besides, I needed to confront her anyway.

“You expect me to listen to your demands?”

“Do you want me to do it this very moment?” I retorted with a question making her pause. “I want this to be only between me and you.” I pointed at them. “And no one else.” My hand gestured at Yeva.

“Fine, but remember kid. Screw up and your skin is on the line.” She highlighted her threat by her physical appearance, looming over me. Which was kind of lost on me after all that I’ve been subjected to in the last twenty-four hours. Domina herself included.

I got up, stretching. “I guess I do have some unfinished business.”

Yeva opened her mouth to argue but I silenced her by patting her head. “I’ll be fine, and I’ll see you tomorrow, most likely together with Irje.” I felt her nod slightly into my palm, mollified with my promise.

I set off, my mind engaging in the task ahead. Glad for the rest it got. Arguments popped into my mind and vanished as I tried to plan ahead. Most of them relied on her possible responses and, thus unpredictable. I saw the look on her face before I left. She most likely wanted to apologize but got stuck not knowing how. I wasn’t Domina who expected obedience or else. I also wasn’t sure what exactly affected her the most. Her telling Domina about something I was trying to avoid, our relationship being known, or something else entirely.

This wasn’t like the case of a mistaken gender. And the suggestion to ‘lick her off’ won’t likely work as well as I managed to accidentally pull off before. In fact, It might actually have an opposite reaction with her drawing in deeper into the fugue.

That. Was an idea.

My pace was brisk but silent. My feet automatically assuming a minor digitigrade gait. The coiled muscles in my legs were effortlessly keeping my heels slightly off the ground. Like a well-oiled mechanism, primed after its test run and now on stand by, ready to act. With my mind actually engaged it was much easier to stalk Irje. I kept my patience watching her move around waiting for a perfect time to strike.

As I observed her work, the slave words started to make sense. Fortunately, she wasn’t finding made up faults or setting up impossible tasks. Irje was technically just doing her job. The problem was that she was doing an excessive amount of it, not letting herself stop. And, unfortunately for others, her job was to supervise and to make sure the tasks were done properly. Turning her into a micromanaging menace.

I shook my head silently following her into the storage shed she had inspected less than ten minutes ago. She was burning time. Occupying herself with unnecessary tasks in order to procrastinate on the looming issue. And, based on her previous reactions, the issue was already five steps behind her without her even realizing it. Issue’s hands primed. Ready to strike.

She noticed me too late, when I was less than a step behind her, my frame finally getting into her peripheral vision.

“Eeeep! Erf!” She turned around, her eyes looking frantically around, searching for an escape. “Look. I-” My hand didn’t let her finish, covering her mouth.

“Shhhh. Not a word.” I murmured, pushing her against the post of the barn.

She tried to move, but my other hand landed on her leg and slid high. Under her clothes, up into her skirt. Finding her lower lips and cupping them as well. My middle finger easily sliding between her outer folds to find a warm but mostly dry embrace of Irje’s inner petals. I let it lay there, teasing her entrance and applying the pressure on her nub.

Strangely enough, while my presence and my palm on her mouth made her frantic, my later actions calmed her down almost instantly.

I glanced down at her skirt, pushed up by my arm, revealing her toned legs squeezing my hand as well. And then I looked at her again.

“You were afraid this would stop?” My statement made her blush and glance away. “Well it won’t, I promise”

I could feel her body loosening up and a hint of moisture with my fingertip.

“But.” Her attention was back at me “You have been naughty.” She started to tense up again. And I continued. “And naughty girls get punished.” I wiggled my finger as I said that making my intention known, drawing circles around her opening, spreading moisture around.

Irje moaned slightly into my palm.

“Nod if you agree.”

She took her time, enjoying my touch. Until I stopped. And then she cautiously nodded her head.

“Good girl.” She definitely liked that, my fingers could tell.

I resumed my ministrations, stoking her fire as I spoke, “Now, for the punishment. The first part - no talking. You can nod or shake your head if I ask you something. Nod, if you agree.”

Her nod was surer this time. Her eyes, half-closed.

That won’t do.

I pulled my hand away from her core, making her whine. “It wouldn’t be a punishment if you liked every second of it.”

She glared at me but didn’t say anything back, even as I took my other hand from her mouth. “Yes, just like that. You are already doing very good.”

I pulled her deeper in, away from the doors and an accidental passerby. Into the pleasant shade away from other sounds and sensations. I saw her getting more flushed with every step, chewing her lip with anticipation.

“Remember the first night.” My words made her stumble a bit, her eyes looking at the pile of sacks I’ve brought her to. “Remember the sensations?”

She nodded eagerly, her legs squirming together as I pulled my tunic off.

“Now.” I pulled her down, making her sit in front of me. “I want you to do the same,” I said as she looked up at me incredulously, her face exactly where I wanted it to be.

She sat in a daze as I hiked my shirt. My shaft in front of her face. I saw her glance at my hands moving and I placed them on her head.

Irje tensed under my touch, her mouth opening up, but I simply stroked her hair, paying additional attention to her ears. At her questioning glance, I said, “I am not going to fuck your face, I want you to give me pleasure yourself. Gently. Start with the tip.”

Slowly, carefully, her hands wrapped around my shaft. Bringing the head to her lips. A tip of her tongue poked through her parted lips and gave me a tender lick. Followed by a gentle kiss on top.

“That is really good, you’re doing great.” I praised her as her licks and kisses became more daring. “Remember that the most sensitive spot is the ridge on the bottom of the tip, but the whole shaft is craving for your attention.”

I guided her with generous praise as her lips roamed on my dick. Irje quickly picked them up even as occupied as she was. I hissed in pleasure as she gently closed her mouth over my head, her tongue moving back and forth underneath, grinding on my frenulum. She showered me with kisses all over my shaft only to swallow it whole after, her tongue teasing my opening inside.

I guided her arms on how to jerk me as she sucked, only to collapse onto the sacks from pleasure mere seconds after. Irje’s lips stayed glued to my dick as she followed my fall, leaning over me.

“Mmmm, you’re doing so well, it’s wonderful.” My words made her even more eager with every praise I said. I wasn’t sure if it was punishment for her anymore, or even from the beginning. It was hard to think when a woman goes down you with such enthusiasm, her hands gently caressing my balls.

I propped myself up so that I could see her better as she swallowed my shaft repeatedly. My hand once more reached into her hair, but this time she didn’t even stop, fully engrossed in her task. My other hand went further, pulling down her neckline and cupping her breast. It was a crime to leave something gorgeous like that without proper attention.

She moaned into my dick as I pinched her nipple.

“That feels good, doesn’t it?” Irje made a sound of agreement, the vibrations giving me another wave of pleasure. “You are doing such a good job, I can’t wait to cum into you.”

There was a slight in her rhythm but she kept at her task. Fully intent to get me off.

“Not a fan?” She continued even more aggressively as if trying to hide her slip up. “That is fine ill give you a choice in this matter,” I murmured.

I saw her raise her eyes from the target of her attention to me. “This is still a punishment, don’t drop any of it. Mmmmm. But afterwards, I’ll let you choose if you ever want this to happen again or not.”

She shot me an incredulous glance but I felt her movements turn even more relaxed now. More assured. Content.

That feeling was the final straw that tipped me over. I grunted as I felt myself explode into her mouth. Trying my best not to pull too hard on her. My eyes wide open.

Watching her.

I saw her twitch, surprised by the sudden outburst. Her lips locked, not to make a mess. Her eyes wide, almost bulging like her cheeks. A face, full of surprise.

“Now your choice.” I smiled as I gently lifted her face from my shaft. Her lips holding my dick like the vice, leaving no trace behind.

“MMMMMM!” Irje was very expressive in her surprise, but hardly legible.

“Now you can spit it out and I will never ask you for it again.” She nearly choked from my words throwing me a dirty look. “Or you can swallow it and-”

A loud gulp interrupted my words. I blinked at her and then smiled. “My, such a good girl you are.”

“Did you always taste like that?” Apparently, this was the last straw of her silence.

I gently smacked her butt, “You broke the rule. But, technically, the punishment was over. And it’s is not like I tested it myself.”

She ignored my non-answer. “You mean I could have been sucking you off all this time!?”

I almost blushed from her blunt statement. “You liked it?”

A rather silly question. I could see her smiling, licking her lips, trying to find anything leftover.

“Liked it? It was the sweetest taste I’ve ever had!”

I frowned “Too sweet?” Should I modify it a bit more, diluting it further?

“Yer kidding me. It was tastier than anything I’ve tried off Domina’s table. And I did sample a lot of them over the years.”

Huh. Apparently whoever designed the modification knew what they were doing. Or maybe that was the accumulation of multi-year research. People get stuck on weird details and sex is just one of them.

“I guess it was more of a reward rather than a punishment,” I mused, making her flinch.

“Look Erf, I am sorry about that. It’s just Domina. It's impossible to hide things from her.” She said twisting her arms as if now knowing what to do with them.

“Was it the orb?”

“Ah. No, she doesn’t use it often. Doesn't need it. I was actually surprised she used it on you. You didn’t lie to her did you?”

“No, I went there to promote myself. Lying would have been counterproductive.”

Irje snickered. “Promote yourself. Sulla trying to count as fast as you did was hilarious. I almost died trying to keep myself quiet. What about after, where did you go?”

“I’ve told her about glassmaking mostly and then she sent me to see Virnan Shah.”

She gasped “Shah? The Wise Fox of the Kiymetl? Oh wow, you really surprised her with your numbers then, probably more than your soap.”

I smiled ruefully. “And then I went on and tried to surprise him too. Damn old fox.”

A hand smashed on my mouth. “Are you crazy talking about someone like that! Domina would kill you!” Irje hissed.

“No. He talks too much. And no she most likely won't. At least definitely not for that.” Seeing her scepticism I decided to shelve this conversation. “Anyway, I’ve spent a full day talking to him about it. I could tell you but not tonight: my tongue is dead from all that talking.”

She visibly deflated at that.

“Hm? You were that curious?”

“Ah. No.” She blushed. “It’s just.” She was stuttering, her legs squirming a bit. “I was hoping we could continue in my room.”

Her fingers clenched her dress and slowly raised it. Showing me the multiple wet streaks running down her legs from her drenched pussy.

“Oh, you liked it that much? You naughty girl. Keep it open.” She bit her lip and blushed harder. Standing in front of me exposed. “Good girl.”

I brought my face closer to her peach and inhaled its scent. I looked up at her, my hand running over her fuzzy mound. “Do you know why you are a good girl?”

“I did as you asked?” She panted

“That, but most importantly because you asked.” I made a gentle peck right over her hood, making her moan. “Instead of avoiding your fears, you met them head-on,” I murmured into her slit. Loud enough for her to hear, and feel my breath with her skin.

I grabbed her butt and squeezed, pushing her closer with my hug. “Don’t be afraid of talking to me. We can always solve the problems together. Especially if the problem is between us.” I nuzzled into her fuzz as she dug her fingers into my hair.

“Will you do that for me, from now on?”

“I…Ahh. I will.”

“Good girl.”

She shook in my embrace and I saw yet another streak emerge from her folds. I didn’t realize she was this close. “Oh, Erf. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” I said as I got up.

“Hmmm?”

I stroked her chin, enjoying the pleasure on her face. Irje stood still, leaning into my hand. Her hands still holding her dress up. Flashing me.

“Good girls deserve a reward. Finish what you need to do tonight and meet me in your room.” That was my original plan anyway and I was kinda getting excited myself.

“Uhm. Okay!” Answered a flurry of activity in front of me. After few surprised blinks, Irje’s silhouette disappeared through the door.

“That was fast,” I said to my audience. The spiders up in the rafters agreed.