Meanwhile...

A knock at the door made Lucas' head shoot up. He hastened down the hallway and yanked it open. "Eldw— Oh. Uh, hello, Kythril."

Eldwyn's sister stood in the doorway. Like the last time he saw her, she wore a modest dark green dress that hung loosely on her body, and her long blonde hair was pulled up into a bun. Her bright green eyes briefly met his before darting away.

"Uh, Eldwyn isn't here." he said.

"Eldwyn?" she replied, looking momentarily confused at the feminine name. Oh, um, right. I know."

She knew? Had she been spying again? He raised a questioning eyebrow.

"It... it didn't work."

"What didn't?"

"I... um, can I come in?"

Lucas hesitated, then nodded and stepped aside. "All right, come in."

He shut the door behind her. Her unease was palpable. "Do you want some tea? Or perhaps you'd prefer something a little stronger?"

"I really shouldn't..."

Lucas grunted in amusement and led her into the kitchen. "And I guess you never do things you really shouldn't?"

He retrieved a bottle of Tarkanian spirits from his liquor cupboard and poured them both a glass. He raised an eyebrow as she swallowed it down in one gulp without flinching, but Kythril didn't even notice.

"So, to what do I owe this visit?" he asked, pouring her another glass, and then taking a far more cautious sip of his own.

Her eyes wandered around the room aimlessly. "What we... I mean, the other day...?"

Lucas nodded.

"It didn't work. I... I still feel terrible about... about what I did."

As far as Lucas could tell, Eldwyn's goal—and by extension, his—had been to make her feel worse, not better. However, he carefully kept his face neutral. "I see."

"I... I know you probably don't care, but..." Kythril looked him directly in the eye for the first time. "I thought... maybe if we... I mean, if..." Her voice caught in her throat.

Lucas gave her a thoughtful look. "You thought that perhaps a second time would do the trick?"

"If... if it's too much trouble... I mean, if you can't, I-I understand..."

He wondered if she even knew why she was here, beyond this obvious rationalization, but he was curious to find out. Truth be told, spanking her some more did appeal to him quite a bit. His mind made up, Lucas sipped at his drink as he pretended to mull it over, enjoying her obvious anxiousness. If she thought he'd find this a chore, he wasn't about to convince her otherwise.

He exhaled slowly. "Well, if it really bothers you that much, I suppose I have time..."

"Oh, thank you!"

"...but what am I getting in return?" he continued, swirling his drink.

"I don't know. What... what do you want?"

"Hmm, let me think..." he mused. "Actually, there is one thing, but... No, you're probably too shy for that..."

She fell for the bait, shaking her head. "No, tell me."

"I'd like to see you naked."

She drew in a sharp breath and it was all he could do to keep from grinning at her mortification at his matter-of-factly.

"W-what?"

"You heard me. And I do mean everything: dress, stockings, undergarments... it all comes off, right now. It just gets in the way. If that's too much to ask, then you know where to find the door," he said bluntly, folding his arms.