Rose's 'Hands'

"Dusk, there's someone at the back door for you." Kara cuddles into Camilla's chest again, them both still in the afterglow of sex.

I sigh, squeezing the brunette and kissing her neck one more time. "I guess I can't stay here forever, huh?" Groaning, I stand and walk around the pair, passing through the main room of the house -Miki is apparently with her husband now, and Gilford is nowhere to be seen- and opening the door after making sure I'm decent. "Hello?"

A somewhat familiar woman with a white rose in her hair stands with her hands folded in front of her. "The Empress wants to speak with you, my lord." Without another word, she begins walking off, expecting me to follow her.

Well...might as well... I mentally shrug and follow Rose's thrall into the nearby forest. It's a bit odd that she feels I need an escort, though. It's not like she's able to move, right?

Within a few minutes of walking, I'm face to...'face' with the large verdure. "How's it going, Rose?"

There's a pause, and I notice now that Rose isn't moving her vines around nearly as much. "I've come across...something interesting...and I thought...you would like...to know..."

I can't help but furrow my brow. "Is everything okay, Rose? You're not...as active? as talkative? I don't know, but something's off."

"Everything...is fine...."

"I just...needed a moment...to adjust..."

I look around for the source of the familiar voice. The woman who led me here didn't speak up, so that leaves-

"Over here, Dusk." Another woman walks out from the tree line, this one blonde.

She looks familiar... She's in a relatively plain dress, and her shoulder-length hair is adorned with a purple flower - which is notable since all the ones I've seen so far are white. "Wait...Roger? ...didn't expect to see you in a dress anytime soon..."

"Yes and no." They smile, tilting their head to the side. "While all of my thralls are my eyes and ears, I discovered they could be my hands, too." They step closer, to a more comfortable speaking distance. "I didn't have much time to use it before my capture, and I couldn't do it at all in prison. Now, even though my options are limited, I do believe I'd still have chosen Roger as my primary vessel."

I blink throughout the explanation, finally piecing together her implication. "Wait, wait, wait. You're Rose? How is that even possible?" I look at the verdure next to us with God's Eye, and sure enough, she's '****', but there's another status as well: Direct Control. She's got the ability to possess her thralls?

They shrug. "I would have chosen you, if I'm honest. Your body is the most unique one I've come across, but you're somehow immune to my abilities..." They cross their arms and pout...an odd look on Roger's face.

Taking a breath, I calm my confusion. "Okay, so you're Rose right now." Is this how other people feel when I possess someone? At least with me there's...something noticeably different. "Is that why Roger's flower is purple right now?"

She cocks 'her' head, humming. "Is that the case?" After a moment, she continues. "Regardless, Roger's told me about your 'test', and I felt like we could talk about it. Should we walk?" She gestures behind her. "I'd like to see the river with my own eyes, if you don't mind."

I cock an eyebrow, but walk along anyway. "Your 'own' eyes? Last I checked, that's still Roger's body."

She giggles. "My thralls are my property; body, mind, and soul. Despite her resistance, the most she'll do is complain."

"People aren't property, Rose..." I shake my head.

"Agree to disagree. We've got more important things to discuss. How are you doing on the ten gold for Toran?"

I sigh. "I don't know much about the economy here, but I think I'll have it covered."

"You think?" She gawks. "That's not good enough. You need to make so much money he won't even question your ability to lead this village."

"And let me guess, you already have ideas."

"I've spent the past 2 days sitting and watching your people. There wasn't much to do except sit alone with my thoughts." She clears her throat. "Anyway, even though I was contained, I noticed a large increase in my number of thralls the night we came here. If I could get a message to them, they wouldn't hesitate to come here."

"And you want me to be your messenger." I nod.

"There's no need for that. I've already had Roger compose a letter to one of the other guards converted. What I need from you is housing. They won't complain if they don't have it, but the happier they are, the better."

I nod again. "Got it..."

We escape the trees, the sound of flowing water being added to our ears. I can see the lumbermill if I turn to my left, which means we're a bit upstream of town. Turning back to Rose, I'm surprised she's already taking off Roger's dress.

"Woah, never said we were going for a swim."

"That beach dream you had made me nostalgic for the water." She finishes undressing, save for bindings on Roger's chest and...white panties? Didn't think Roger would adapt that quickly...

"Nostalgic? You've been to the beach before?"

She pauses. "No...not in this life, at least." She continues undressing, pulling down the panties and unwrapping 'her' chest.

I hum. "So you remember your last life?"

She pauses again, this time looking at me. "I take it I'm not the only one, then?"

"Including us, I know of five, four of which are in Riverbend." I hold up the correlating number of fingers. She doesn't need to know Sakurai and I are actually from another world, so let's keep quiet on that...

She hums, dropping the chest wrapping on the shore and leaving Roger completely naked. "Five reincarnated...or at least, five that remember their past lives... How was yours?"

I shrug. "Average for the region. When I died, Melanoche and Carnachias spoke to me, and even let me choose what kind of monster I became."

"Hmm..." She begins walking into the river, sitting down so that her waist is covered by the tide. "Are you going to join me?"

I purse my lips. Roger's probably gonna kill me for it...but sure, why not. I polymorph into my human form, making it easier to take off my clothes. "How about you? What was your old life like?"

"...unsatisfying... Let's say I'm happy with my new lot in life, despite my shackles."

Shackles? Oh, right, the Mark of Submission. Finishing disrobing, I sit next to her in the water, though my erect penis -despite recently having sex- occasionally pokes through the surface. "A bit chilly."

She smiles. "I prefer the cold. It lets you seek warmth in...certain ways." Without warning, she gets up and sits on my lap, my dick sandwiched between 'her' thighs.

I take a breath, remembering the previous time she tried to have me fuck Roger. "Rose..."

"No sex, I know. Even now, she's begging me to stop. Don't worry, this is as far as I'll go...today." She turns around with surprising flexibility, lifting 'her' leg above my head before lowering it back into the water to straddle me. With one elbow against my shoulder, she stares me in the eye, a curious look on her face.

There's an odd silence, and I get the chance to actually appreciate the view. Whatever magic she has...definitely made Roger cute, in a tomboy kind of way.

"You mentioned the gods..." I'm snapped out of my thoughts. "I remember something about them, too... They said..." She looks down and to the side, deep in thought. "They said something about breeding..." Rose shrugs. "Which makes sense, I guess. My thralls all become women, and become attracted to men if they weren't already. Even now, despite her protests, Roger is wondering what it'd be like to have you inside her."

I purse my lips. "That'll just have to be their decision. I'm not a fan of ****."

"Which makes you different from other monsters." Rose continues without missing a beat. "Because like me, you're human on the inside."

"Would a human enslave dozens? Hundreds? Just to feel this vague sense of superiority?"

"Dusk..." She clicks 'her' tongue. "I am superior. I've experienced the worst of humanity, and I've ascended. Now...or at least before I got captured, I get to be the **** master. I get to decide who lives, who dies, what actions are rewarded, and what actions are reprehensible, with no objections from any of my thralls."

I grimace. "That's not a good attitude to have, Rose. It's not fair to the people you brainwash."

"Heh. You're not much better. How many have you tattooed like me? Five? Ten?"

Breathe...don't let her get under your skin. "Three. The first because I needed to keep a tight leash back when I was still in hiding, and the others because you're too dangerous to be left unchecked." I poke her near the collarbone. "It's not like I want to keep you as a ****. I just want to keep people safe."

"Safe?" She scowls and leans back from me, a much more familiar look on Roger's face. "Safe isn't a reality, Dusk. It's a feeling. You can feel safe despite the person keeping you that way ready to stab you in the back. And right now, I only have one person to worry about doing that to me." She shakes her head. "You know what, we're done for today." She stands up, already stepping out of the water before I can speak up.

"Rose, sit back down." Pursing my lips, I turn a bit to find her still pulling up Roger's panties, about to reach for the bindings. "Two days, right? Call me a pessimist, but that's not a lot of time to develop trust with someone. I don't trust you because...I don't trust anyone with total control over someone. Hell, I don't even trust myself sometimes, simply because one wrong word could be interpreted as an order to jump off a cliff!" I pause. "Don't do that, by the way." Sighing, I continue. "Despite that, and despite whatever you say, actions speak louder than words. You've tried to mind control me, your thralls burned down half of Recuan, and you tried to get me to **** someone. You don't have the best track record when it comes to things that let me trust you." Another breath, but that's all I have to say right now, leaving an awkward silence lingering between us.

"Fine..." Rose breathes, standing back up and crossing 'her' arms. "Let me earn your trust. If Roger sends the letter today, you'll have at least a dozen more workers here by tomorrow night. They'll do whatever tasks they can to help you guarantee that ten gold requirement. Should I have her send it or not?"

I sigh. We might need it, if I'm being honest...and she does seem genuine. Standing up, I place a hand on 'her' shoulder. "Let me earn your trust, too. You need houses for your thralls? With some help, we can finish a few by the end of the day. It won't be a lot, but we can make more over time. We can even train some of them to be guards to defend your main body."

The corner of her mouth momentarily curls up before she resumes a neutral face. "I guess we can see where things go from there, then. In the meantime, are you going to be putting your clothes back on?" She points down at my semi-erect cock.

I chuckle, and can't help but attempt a joke. "I was more hoping you'd take yours off again. I'd still like to get to know you more."

"Oh, smooth." She can't help but smile, playing along(?). "Do you talk to all your women that way?"

"Oh, are you one of my women, now?" I lean in closer.

Rose giggles, touching 'her' chest to me. "Maybe I am." With our faces only inches apart, I'm about to pull the brakes on this for Roger's sake. "But Roger isn't." She pulls away, and I release a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "Not yet, anyway." She giggles again, bending down at the waist to emphasize 'her' ass as she picks up Roger's dress. "And no, I won't push her."

"Good." I rub the back of my head. "Honestly don't know how I'd feel if Roger suddenly did offer themself." Pausing, I realize something about how we've been discussing Roger (like they weren't even here). "By the way, why do you keep calling Roger 'she'?"

"She's a woman. What else would I call her?"

"I dunno." I bend down and pick up some of my own clothes. "Gender isn't as black and white as one's sex."

"What do you mean? A woman's a woman, and a man's a man."

I sigh. "You know what? I'm probably not qualified to explain it, but let Roger decide what to call them."

She shrugs. "Anything else before I give Roger back control?"

"No, I think we're good. I'll start clearing some areas for houses. How many are we expecting?"

"I'll try for a dozen, but that could change depending on the situation in Recuan. Some of my thralls may be in hiding, but many of them were already being captured. According to Roger, they're being held for the arch-imago's study."

No surprise Citrinas would want to study them. Blowing air out, I do a bit of math in my head. "I'll see what we can do to house who you can get here. We should be able to get three or four by tomorrow night, I think."

"Good. I should get back to my main body, then. It was...nice, talking to you, Dusk." She smiles, before walking away, dress over 'her' shoulder.

"Call me if you need anything." I wave her off.

. . .

"You bastard!" I stumble back, reeling from Roger's punch.

Checking in with Miki, we had drawn up a plan for a new road in the north half of town, sprawling away from the river and just past my house. My thoughts were that most of Rose's thralls would want to be relatively close to her, so the plan was to put them all along this new road. I had been marking trees with my flame blade for logging when Roger -fully clad in armor, which means I was just punched with a gauntlet- had come up and punched me square in the jaw.

Massaging my face, I look up at them. "Okay, kinda fair..."

"You think just because I lent the Empress my body, that means you can stare, and leer, a-and-" They pace angrily back and forth, waving their hands around.

"Roger, I'm not gonna pretend to justify that, but in my defense-"

"No! You don't get to defend that! I'm not some damsel for a monster to do with what he wants!"

My face conveys it well enough, but I say it anyway. "Seriously? Rose is just as much monster as me."

"She's different, and you know it! If it hadn't been for my father and uncle, you would never have gotten the chance to enslave her!" They forcefully poke my chest, Roger's strength still enough that I have to take a step back.

"Maybe, maybe not, but we both know she wouldn't be here if I hadn't been able to do that."

"We would have found a way! If we had more time-"

"You didn't." I take a breath and pinch my nose. "Rose might not have even been able to last the night. And I don't even want to know what happens to all of us with flower roots in our heads if she dies." I pause. When did this conversation turn away from seeing Roger naked?

"We would. Have found. A way." Roger glares with gritted teeth and crossed arms. "Regardless, the next time the Empress uses my body, keep to yourself."

I raise my hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. But if she does something, don't blame me for it." Still having my **flame blade**, I go back to scoring trees that need to be taken down, hearing Roger's armor clink as they walk away.

. . .

About an hour in, after grabbing an axe from the mill and chopping down a few trees (thank the gods for my boost), I'm starting to feel the effects of a lack of sex. I know I fucked Camilla just a couple hours ago, but Eve's apparently going cold turkey on sex for a while, I don't want to bother Bel while she's on bedrest, and Banta's nowhere to be seen. The blue balls are starting to ache, and I'm about to take a break to masturbate when I once more hear the clinking of armor. Turning, I see the familiar blond stand a couple yards away.

"Roger..." I sigh. "Not that I don't enjoy your company, but don't you have better things to do?"

"Not this time." They draw their sword. "I recall you allowed the minotaur to fight for his freedom. I wish to fight for the Empress'."

I stare tiredly. "Really? You remember the only reason she was allowed to even *be* here, right?"

"The mark has served its purpose to appease my uncle." They level the blade at me. "Now remove it."

"Not happening." I shake my head. "Even if it weren't on Toran's orders, I'd have probably marked Rose anyway. Like I said before, she's too dangerous to be left unchecked."

"That's not an excuse to rob someone of their freedom, Dusk."

"Oh, but having horns and wings is an excuse to rob someone of their life?"

They squint, pursing their lips. "Last chance: remove the mark. Or I remove *you*."

"Enough! There will be no fight." We both turn to the source of the voice, the same brunette that usually grabs me when Rose wants to talk, leaning against a tree I've marked. However this time, her flower strangely has specks of purple in it. "Captain, report back immediately."

They shift their gaze between the woman, then me, then the woman again, clearly furious they couldn't do what they set out to. "...of course, right away." I feel bad for the grass with how Roger stomps away.

I turn back to the woman who might've just saved my life. "And who do I have to thank for this?"

She bows her head and curtseys. "The Empress apologizes for the captain's behavior, sir. She has been...more resistant than most of us to the Empress' influence."

"I noticed..." I sigh again. "Wait, you said influence? You know what's happening to you?"

She nods. "The Empress' guards were briefed on her capabilities before being assigned to her. While I'm aware my mind has been altered, it feels so natural that I can't help but be happy about it." She smiles and shrugs. "I'll admit it's not for everyone, but there's no way to know for certain before it happens." Looking in the direction Roger went, she sighs. "I do hope the captain adjusts soon..."

"Honestly, me too." I rub the back of my head, blowing air before the reminder of discomfort in my groin. "If you'll excuse me, I need to...have some privacy."

"Oh?" She turns to look at me. "Oh." Her questioning turns to a grin. "I can help you with that, sir. The Empress and I insist on compensation for the captain's behavior."

Captain Roger Toran

Content Warning: Nonconsensual. If you are uncomfortable with this, skip to the bold TLDR at the end of this section.

Meanwhile...

I drop to one knee immediately upon approaching the Empress. "You requested me, my liege?"

"You've disappointed me, Roger."

My eye twitches. "How could I have done that? I was only-"

"Continuing your vendetta against Dusk."

"No! I was trying to-"

"To save me? You would have sooner killed me. As much as I don't want to admit it, Dusk is one of only two reasons I'm still alive and not rotting away in your father's dungeon."

I purse my lips, and suddenly feel some discomfort in my chest. I lightly massage my breast for a moment, but the discomfort is still there, as if someone else was touching my chest. "Yes, I understand...what's the other?"

"None of your concern." She was curt, difficult to read. That meant fewer ways to find out exactly how the incident had happened. "Now, about your punishment."

I blink. "Empress...is that necessary?"

"I believe it is. Do you remember how Rena's flower was somewhat purple? I'm experimenting, and I think I figured out how to share senses between myself and the converted."

I look down. What does that have to do with a punishme-! I suddenly feel something...impale me?! I drop to all fours, but the pain is suddenly replaced by a buzz of pleasure. "Wh-what is this?"

"Oh, good, it's working." I hear a chuckle in my mind as I feel another thrust, along with a build up of something in my loins. "Rena is giving Dusk...'compensation' for your behavior toward him."

"...no..." Another thrust, and more pleasure and build up. "...nonono..." Another thrust. "Please, Empress!" Another one, this one stronger. "Oooh-NO! Please reconsider!"

"No. You haven't even masturbated since you became a woman." Another chuckle, another thrust. "Let Dusk and Rena show you the pleasures of being a woman, since you won't find out for yourself."

"No!" I can't! I won't! I won't let Dusk-! I won't let him do this to-! to me! "Oh!" NO! My breathing has already become ragged. "No, no please."

"So close already? I suppose that would be the case for a virgin like you."

"PLEASE, EMPRESS!" The pressure inside me has built up to a tipping point, but the impaling sensation suddenly stops. Thank...thank the go-"oooooh!" Instead of inside me, something rubs up against my crotch.

"I forgot to mention: I've told Rena to keep it going until you ask for it."

"Plea-hease, stop it!"

"That's not what you have to ask for. Don't ask it to stop. Ask it to continue."

"Nnnoo!" I can't! I won't! I- I'm impaled again, but "I-it's so much bigger, now!"

"Those were Dusk's tentacles before. Now he's using his real, foot-long dick to pleasure you."

"Fuck!" My eyes widen, and everything seems to stop for a moment. I...I can't stop myself...I'm sorry, Father, Uncle...Mother... "Fuck me, Dusk! Fuck me with that monster cock!"

A wave of pleasure washes over me, and all the while I hear my Empress's giggling in my head...

TLDR: Roger gets punished by Rose for needlessly antagonizing Dusk. As punishment, Rose links Roger's and Rena's (the woman from the previous scene) senses as Rena has sex with Dusk. From the pleasure (and maybe something else), Roger finally succumbs.

Arch-imago Citrinas

"Please! Let me out!" The woman bangs against the door. "I need to see her!"

Mental notes are not necessary. I have seen this before, with one of the first test subjects exposed to the Rose Empress. "Each of them will continue to mentally deteriorate the longer they are away from the Rose Empress. Symptoms mimic starvation and dehydration, proportionally spread out over the course of a month." I sip my tea, staring a few inches to the left of the door to the former man's cell.

The king nods, rubbing his chin in the way he does when he's conflicted. "I see. And there's no way to remove the Empress' influence?"

"Removing the flower slows the symptoms, but the roots are burrowed into the subject's brain. I have yet to devise a method to return a subject to their previous state. The only outlier to this date is Dusk: he was exposed to the Empress without protection, yet retains his own will."

The king hums. "The gods have seen fit to bestow me an opportunity..." He reaches into his pocket, pulling out a parchment. "How many infected do we have?"

"One hundred thirty-seven." There should be more.

"Find the dozen with the worst symptoms and allow them to organize a caravan to Riverbend. They're expected by tomorrow night. That's not a lot of time to move to a new town, but I have a feeling they'll manage it."

I think this is the point where most people would smile in my position. My plan is coming to fruition, and now there is only one piece remaining. "King Toran, you have my notes on the Rose Empress, correct?"

He turns his head to look at me, pausing for 4 seconds. "Yes, you are allowed to return to Riverbend, but under no circumstance are you to intervene with the test. Instead, occupy your time with a comprehensive report on Lord Blackwing and his capabilities, as well as those of his team. Roger's report of the Hornet Empress fight mentioned a Captain Camilla, a horned goblin, and a slime, but don't limit yourself to them. I want to know how they live, how they fight, how they eat, even how they have sex, assuming it can be called that."

Once more, I feel that happiness. I will have the freedom to continue my research in a less restrictive environment. I remember something Tomoko mentioned to me, that I should thank someone when they help me. "Thank you, King Toran."