A gift for a Rose

The next morning Gob was pottering around making some preparations. Tallie was still asleep and had been for a while. She looked so blissfully content that he couldn’t bring himself to disturb her. Despite his beta attempts to be quiet, she stirred. “Good morning Gob, or should I start calling you master?”

He walked over and kissed her. “You can call me master if you like but Gob is fine.”

“Maybe I will sometimes, just for fun. What are you doing?”

“I need to go and see Ma’am today about a new uniform and I was going to ask her if she had anything you could wear. I want to butter her up and something the Maou said made me think. He said she doesn't eat live prey much these days but I think that may be more to do with a sense of propriety than choice. I thought I’d catch a giant rat for her. I’m going into the catacombs. You can stay here or come with me.”

“I’ll come,” she said, jumping out of bed. Gob admired her athletic naked body and was tempted to put his plans on hold. Thankfully she covered it up and he calmed down. He realised that Tallie could be useful company. Despite being a maid she was a drow and they had a military tradition that meant that all young drow were trained in combat to some degree. He handed her a spare knife, confident in both the collar she was wearing and his own conditioning. He would have been shocked if she tried anything now even without the collar.

They had to travel a good way into the tunnels to find the larger animals. They had learned that going too close to Gob’s home didn’t end well for them. His new size and strength made wrestling the rat a cinch and they carried it home with a couple of others they had killed by accident trying to capture them.

“I’m sorry Tallie but you have to stay here,” Gob informed her when they got back. “You only have your uniform and that won’t go down well.”

“I could just come in my underwear,” she suggested playfully.

“As much as I would like to see that, I think it might make the other maids hate me more if I asked you to do that.”

Tallie laughed. “That’s true. Oh well. I suppose I will just butcher these and play housewife. I don’t suppose you have a bath down here?”

Gob winced. Of course, a lady like Tallie would want to keep clean. “No, I just use a bucket of hot water. I’ll think about that. Maybe you could use the servants' baths once I have some clothes for you.”

“Maybe,” she sighed. “I’m a bit nervous about seeing the other maids now I’m a ****. Are you sure you’d be okay with me speaking to them?”

“As long as you don’t talk about me visiting you in the dungeon then I don’t see why not. They all hate me anyway.”

Tallie frowned, “Then I will correct them and tell them how great you are.”

He kissed her goodbye and hauled his wiggling sack with him to go and see Ma’am.

Walking through the palace was interesting. People were whispering about him constantly. “I heard he died,” “How come he looks like that,” “Apparently the Maou made him handsome as an apology for killing him.” Gob found it all quite amusing but he quite liked being called handsome.

Ma’am’s rooms were a buzz of mumbling when he walked in. “Has anyone seen Ma'am?'' he asked one of the housekeepers.

“In the back,” said a plump demon kin who looked at him in shock.

He knocked on the door and he heard the words, “Come in.”

As he walked in, the typically blank face of Ma’am showed a glimmer of surprise. “I see the rumours were true. Did his greatness do this to you?”

“In a way,” said Gob. “I just levelled up from the experience. Quite a lot it seems.”

“I see, so that’s how goblins are. I assume you need a new uniform?”

“Yes, and I brought you a gift. The Maou said you used to eat live prey, Rose.”

Rose’s legs clattered in annoyance. “I see he has been chatting about things I would rather he be quiet about. Still, he is in charge and I suppose we share a similar levelling path. I presume he told you about my past?”

“He did. It seems we both started off as pets.”

“Quite,” Rose looked uncomfortable. She looked at Gob. “What did you say you had brought me?”

“Live prey,” said Gob proudly.

Rose took a step back and looked almost frightened. “That’s a very kind thought of you Gob but I couldn’t accept.”

“Are you sure, he’s very fresh?”

Rose licked her lips. “I’m sure he’s very fresh and tasty but really I can’t accept it.”

Gob could tell what she desired. It was like he could sense what excited her and right now she wanted what was in that sack more than anything. “Why don’t you just take a look at it? Maybe you will change your mind.”

He put the sack down and undid the string. The rat made a break for it and dashed forward. Gob was shocked by what happened next. Rose dived forward and grabbed it, brought it up to her mouth and bit it with fangs that Gob had never noticed before. Her thorax curled forward and she wrapped it in silk, making a little oval parcel. “Gob, I didn’t want anyone to see me like that,” She said as she stood in a very lady-like way trying to gather herself. The blood around her mouth made the image surreal. She licked her lips and sighed. “I suppose it was a thoughtful gift. I will enjoy sucking it dry later, it has been a long time.”

“I could bring you more. The tunnels near my rooms have plenty of them and giant spiders.”

“Spiders?” she said, looking alert.

“Oh, sorry, that’s probably really offensive. I just meant that there are a lot in the tunnels.”

“Could you, could you bring me a spider next time?” she said quietly. “Other spiders are particularly delicious.”

Gob smiled. In a weird way, he was seducing yet another woman. This one’s desires were just a little different. “I’d be happy to. I do have a favour I need though.”

All eight of Rose’s eyes narrowed. “Go on.”

Gob told her an altered version of what had happened with Tallie and explained that he needed clothes for her.

“I am glad you told me this. It will create quite an uproar amongst the staff. He is right though, seeing a former maid enslaved to you Gob will certainly encourage good behaviour. She only has herself to blame. Messing around his magnificence for some petty reason, unforgivable. Is she miserable with you Gob?”

“No, I think, compared to the dungeon, I’m a good choice.”

“Pitty, messing my master around.” Her legs rattled again and she looked quite intimidating. The other girls might forgive her but I will not.” She calmed down a bit and said “I respect that she is your property now Gob so I will be civil.” She sighed. “You are correct that it would be deeply unsuitable for her to wear her uniform. In fact, I want you to bring it back for me so that it may be burned. I will find something suitable for a **** to wear. I will have one of the girls collect her property and deliver it to the kitchen for you. It is your property now. There should be things you need for her in that but I don’t want to see her around the palace in any of her outside clothes. She must wear what I provide for her.”

Gob agreed with her and said, “Would you mind briefing the staff on the situation? They all hate me already. I don’t want them thinking that it is all my fault.”

“Is it not your fault?” she asked.

“Well, maybe it is a bit.”

“Bring me a fresh spider and I will see what I can do.” She came as close to a grin as Gob had ever seen. It was quite unnerving but he was glad to have another ally.