Midnight Machinations of Madness

It is no surprise that the feast lasts well into the evening, the Viera listening with rapt attention as you tell the tales and the ancient epics of the Hume. From Grecian mythos to Shakespearean plays you seem to remember them all, a strange and mysterious **** overcoming you as you weave tale after tale to the spell bound Viera. By the end of it all you are exhausted beyond belief, you throat parched and a sense of fatigue settling over your body from head to toe...but for some reason you couldn't be happier. Your heart swells with joy at being surrounded by the Viera, a deep connection with these rabbit eared people extending far beyond any connection with a human you've ever had in your life. One hand lays itself upon the bracer on your arm as you think to yourself that this is the first time you've felt completely and utterly content.

With your tales done and the food long gone the celebration slowly begins to disperse, each Viera and their kin disappearing into their own homes to rest for the evening. You on the other hand quickly find yourself in the hands of Jote and Fran, your two loves latching onto either side of your body both to give you support but to be in contact with your body as well. They lead you away from the hall and unsurprisingly to Fran's home, all three of you climbing into bed together and falling asleep as one. Somewhere in the back of your tired mind you register that Fran and Jote have placed your head between both of their chests...perhaps that would explain the dreams of marshmallows and pillows you have all night long.

The next thing that your mind registers in its consciousness is a hand gently shaking your shoulder, a soft hissing voice slicing through the silence of the room, "Hey...buddy, you awake?"

Slowly and sleepily you open your eyes, your groggy and hazed vision barely recognizing the blue uniform and the pitch black hair of the clerk from before, "Huh....what is i-"

In a flash the clerk slips his hand over your mouth, his other free fingers coming up to his lips as he hushes you, "Shh, they're still asleep...get dressed and come outside buddy, I need to talk to you." Just like that the clerk removes his hand and slips out of the room, his footsteps as silent as the wind as he vanishes out into the dark of the night. For a moment you wonder how he can move so silently in those thick soled loafers...until a quiet and cute little snort pulls your attention to the lovers at your side.

Lying on your left is Fran while on your right is Jote, both of them sleeping peacefully and both of them having an arm slung across your chest. Sometime during the night you must have moved yourself because you are no longer between their breasts but rather nearly face to face with both of them; their cute snow white ears twitching slightly as they take slow and even breaths in the midst of their twilight slumber.

No matter how much you want to stay something tells you that you have to follow the clerk, something that implores you to follow the man out of the home and into the village. It takes a bit of maneuvering on your part, some very slow and careful maneuvering at that, but you are finally able to slip out of bed without disturbing the two lovely women. After a taking a moment to dress and another to give the girls one last glance you head out into the night, the echoing sounds of crickets and other insects filling the night air with their rhythmic songs.

Almost instantly you find the clerk, that pale blue uniform and that striking, shiny black hair sticks out rather well against the dusky green and neutral brown of the Viera village. Likewise the clerk spots you immediately, a smile crossing his face as the two of you approach one another, "Hey buddy, how’s it going?" It is then that the clerk looks over your body, from head to toe he scans you in with those eerie dark eyes of his, "...love the new threads."

Despite the clerks compliment you could almost swear there was a catch in his voice and a slip in his smile, something that appeared almost...angry, "Hm? Oh thanks...Fran made it for me apparently."

"Not bad buddy, not bad," the clerk says with a smile, a gesture that seemed a bit too wide and a touch hollow for its intent, "so I take it you've picked one of these lovelies?"

With a nod you hold up your arm, the intricate metal bracer gleaming in the dim light, "Yeah, two of them in fact."

Surprise is apparent on the clerk’s face, that flash of anger returning for a slightly longer time before it returns to that cheesy smile and cheerful voice, "Hot damn, you are a lucky guy...but you only have one collar so I'm sorry to say th-"

"It's not an issue," you interrupt the clerk, "Fran and Jote divided the collar and we have all accepted one another as mates."

"Jote?" the clerk’s voice is clearly surprised, cheer and anger alike gone in the face of your declaration, "the village elder? You've got her AND Fran?"

You nod, your voice taking on a more serious tone as you speak, "Yes, we each have one of these bracers...is there a problem?"

This time you can clearly see the anger in the clerk’s eyes, that bright smile not meshing with the dangerous glint hidden behind his dark pupils, "No, not at all buddy. Have to say I'm impressed being able to snag the elder and her sister though. How'd you do it?"

You shrug, crossing your arms lightly as you stand just a bit taller, "To be honest they chose me."

"Really..." the clerk says, anger still present but a deep hint of devious interest in his voice as he speaks, "just between you and me buddy, can you tell me anything about how the Viera work in here? I mean we get basic info but none of us have been able to get as deep into their village or culture as you."

"I really don't feel right in telling you things they don't want to tell you themselves," You said firmly, your crossed arms tightening slightly as your voice becomes a bit more stern, "they trusted me with their stories and lives and I don't want to break that trust."

The clerk chuckles a bit, his barking laughter dark and dismissive of your previous comment, "alright buddy, how about a price? You stay here a few more days, learn what you can about them, share the info with us and you get a nice big chunk of change at the end of it all. Hell, I'll even give you another collar so you can get another one of our other girls on the house."

Your firm look does nothing to dissuade the clerk, his smile turning even grimmer as he begins to whisper, "Alright, how about I give you two of our 'special' collars. It looks just like a choker necklace but it's a collar that's guaranteed to make the girl submissive. Throw it on Jote and Fran and you can get them to do whatever you want."

"Shut. Up." you growl, your temper is only matched by the white hot sensation that is emanating from your bracer and all throughout your body, "I will not make Jote or Fran into some kind of slaves or betray the Viera. I don't know what your game is but I'm stopping it here." You take a few steps toward the clerk, his dark orbs eyeing you cautiously as you quietly snarl, "When I was given this bracer I crushed a steel tankard with my bare hand. If you're still here in ten seconds I will find out what I can do to your skull."

It takes a few moments but the clerk eventually leaves, his dark eyes never leaving you own as he slowly slinks off into the darkness of the forest. Yet, in his wake you can smell some sort of scent...something that is flowing from his body in soft subtle waves...something that has the sharp tang of metal and the ashy scent of fire...

For a moment or two you wait, almost expecting the clerk to return with an army at his back, but he never does. All that comes is the sounds of crickets and owls, the voice of nature enveloping you like the warm and comforting arms of a formless mother. With that you turn back, heading home to the two loves of your life...