Tim’s Ninth Trade

To Lust, immortal as she was, every sensation she could fathom had been experienced scores of times. How could someone as old as Time himself possibly expect a novel occurrence? But this was new. She felt something unexpected.

Trapped.

Yes, Lust had taken human form countless times, toying with the mortals, allowing herself to be taken in so many ways. Romantically, secretly, violently. Tied up, imprisoned, ****, all done in the name of experience. It hadn't always been prey, either. At times she had been the hunter. She had conquered, allowed her targets to be overcome by the base nature, submitting themselves to her in the basest of ways. But Lust understood what it meant to be a victim, having been used and discarded countless times over the millennia. But this was different.

Struggling against the bonds of the prison that Justice had constructed, Lust felt for the first time completely powerless. Perhaps it had been unwise to stray into her sister’s authority, but she had been sure that their distraction would have worked. Had she only acted quicker, she and Desire would have been gone from the place and the mortal would have expired. They were so frail, mortals; just a moment more would have had his life **** extinguished.

But now Lust was the one in peril. While her calm exterior showed no sign, every ounce of her power pressed against Justice’s prison. She wanted to scream, to wail, but it would be unbecoming in front of the mortal. While she watched her sister discuss the situation with the mortal, her mind raced, frantic to find a way out.

“Let’s make a deal,” the mortal said, a look in his eye that made Lust feel uncomfortable. Not an objectifying look, one she was used to, but he stared at her as a commodity. Something to weigh and measure, a tool he could use to advance his place in the universe.

“What’s your pleasure?” Justice asked.

“Their power,” he responded to Lust’s horror, “If they won’t relent and will keep coming, then I want the power they used against me, against them,” he pointed at the women on the floor, “that should slow them down.”

“Now wait one minute…” Desire started.

“Hooey! That’s a whopper!” Justice was laughing, her hands waving in front of her face, “but it’ll do the trick!”

“No!” Lust heard herself screech, “your power has no dominion over ours!”

“That was true right up until you stepped into my turf,” Justice’s smile vanished.

Lust could take no more of the farce. Fists balled, she threw herself at her sister. Desire, too, launched herself. The mortal shrank back at the ****, but Justice held firm. Staring at them, the wrinkled woman raised one finger on her left hand, and suddenly the restraints that held them in the room constricted. What was once large enough to allow the sisters to walk around, now tightly held them still, two feet above the floor, inches from Justice.

“It’ll take some weight,” Justice said, back to waving her hands, “it’s the biggest deal you’ve made, but I think… yes, here it is!”

Justice punched a fist forward, which briefly smoked, waved both hands over her head, then announced, "It is done! The trade is complete."

Lust and Desire screamed as they felt their essence being ripped apart. So much of who they were was torn from top to bottom. An hole inside of Lust grew into an unimaginably deep chasm of loss and despair. She wanted to hurt the mortal. She wanted to kill him. She would have her ****.

“Woah,” the mortal said, “that feels… woah.”

“You’ll have to tell me all about it later. I’m sure my sisters would rather be anywhere else but here, so let’s let them go,” Justice croaked, “but before they go, I should probably mention the other side of the trade. You see, you cows, when he took your power, he had to give you something as well. You’re now the proud owners of Tim’s…”