Really Rough

Scarlet

Guess Glitter didn’t come back last night.

Scarlet enjoys Daphne sucking on her nipple as she gently strokes the mermaid’s hair for a few minutes. Daphne’s being extra grabby, lightly grinding her not-cloaca into Scarlet’s thigh in her sleep for some reason. She checks her phone and fires off a message to Harper. We have a lot to talk about.

Harper texted back and said she can talk in half an hour. She needed to finish her morning soak. Scarlet arranges a meet up in the Media Room, ask Prudence to prep some footage of Scarlet’s last visit with the Producer, then basks in the suckling from her fish-girlfriend until it’s almost time. Daphne moans as Scarlet scoots out of the mermaid’s **** grip. She saunters over to the Media Room, only to see Harper waiting for her at the door.

“How’s the soul damage, love?”

Harper wraps Scarlet into a hug. “I’m pretty good right now, Scarlet, all things considered. Mattie ran me through the sexual ringer last night. It was fun, even if I’m still a little sore from it. But I assume you are worried about more than that.”

The two walk into the Media Room. They take a couple of seats, side by side. Scarlet squeezes Harper’s hand. If the Glitterdust issue doesn’t hurt too bad, Harper might be ready. “So, I had a talk with Glitterdust last night and I am concerned about her. Can you give me your side?”

Harper nods. “Yeah. I’m frustrated with her. She tried to get Sam to hit Andy with a Geas spell to **** him to remain in girl mode. I forbade her from mailing it and she must have slipped it into Tina’s video message. She saw no problem with what she did. And she still views me as just a sex object. I don’t know what to do about her.”

“She certainly is setting a pattern. I was – busy – when you had that blow up with Glitter in the Suite. What happened there? How did you feel?”

“I just got back from having Dinah torn from me, so I was a little too harsh. Her letters to Mark were more benign and I felt embarrassed by them. The statues still creep me out, but I think she was trying to show some affection in a weird way?”

“Statues?”

“You’ve seen the limited edition porn face statue of me she bought the harem, right? Well, she bought me about a dozen of those, of my favorite girl from a bunch of different seasons.”

Oh. Wow.

Scarlet sighs. “I’ll keep an eye on her. She came for help once and I hope she’ll be more open on the kind of help I’m willing to give next time. The other big issue, I’m not quite sure if you’re ready. It might be painful.”

Harper slumps a little in her chair. “This about you knowing about what happened to Dinah?” Scarlet is taken aback as Harper pauses for a moment. “I mean, I did scan your letters. Asking Claire to expose a secret? Asking Marissa if she seduced any cat-girls? Really?”

Scarlet’s cheeks catch fire for a moment. Harper gives Scarlet a little kiss on her shoulder. “It’s okay. I’m not hurt about it. You are my unethical therapist, among other things. You need to know some things.”

Desperately wanting to change the conversation for a minute, the oread asks “What exactly are we at the moment, anyways?”

Harper picks Scarlet up and sets her on the sea elf’s lap. Harper then brushes Scarlet’s chin so the oread looks the sea elf in the eyes. “For political reasons back home, I need to marry Aelene first, but, as far as I’m concerned, we’re engaged.”

“You haven’t asked, Harper.”

Harper chuckles, “Fair enough. I don’t know exactly when, but will you marry me?”

Instead of answering with words, Scarlet leans in for a kiss. They briefly make out, tongues tangled in each other’s mouths. When she finally pulls away, Scarlet snarks, “Where’s my ring, cheapskate?”

“Is that a ‘yes’? Ask Skye. I’m pretty sure she has rings made for most of you.”

“Skye made wedding rings. I was talking about an engagement ring, elf.”

After a few expertly delivered kisses, Harper answers back, “I’ll get you something, okay? Back to the topic on hand. What all do you know about Dinah?”

With a nod, Prudence starts the scene. Harper snorts at the Producer’s antics but goes ashen when the cat asks, “Shall I grab the footage?”

Harper is shivering, vibrating with shame. She pleads, “Please, I can’t bring myself to relive that. Can we skip to whatever you need me to see AFTER you finish watching my failure?” With another nod, Prudence fast forwards, playing at normal speed once the letter floats to the hands of the Scarlet on screen. A Dinah voice-over starts to read. Harper’s heart is racing, her knuckles white from the **** of her clutching. She feels like she is burning up. She barks out, “Pause!” as soon as Dinah is done, tears streaming from her face.

Scarlet tries to get Harper to focus on her instead. “How bad?”

“Nine. Almost as bad as when I first got back. Who did Skye tie up last night? If I’m going to go give someone an orgasm to keep my heart from bursting, I might as well help end the rope transformation. Give the room a warning. I’ll be back.” Then, with that, Harper starts to run out the room.

That... that went worse than I expected.

Harper

Tears still steaming down her face, Harper bangs on the Team Elf door. Aelene opens up. “Are you okay, my betrothed?”

Shaking her head no, Harper scoops Skye up from the floor and lays her on the bed. Harper feels herself about ready to pounce, but forces herself to stop. Even with this pain, I should at least ask. It’s the right thing can do. She’s my wife. She deserves my love and respect.

Skye dutifully asks before Harper could, “This one is worried about you, Mistress. How can this one ease your troubled heart.”

Heart aching with the emptiness of her damaged soul, she apologizes, “Sorry, Skye. Scarlet showed me a letter she got from Dinah and it hurts to think about it. So, may I relieve myself with you?”

“Of course, Mistress. Use this one as you please.” Thank you, Eilistraee, for whoever had the foresight to include the clear consent line with the rope transformation upgrade.

Harper turns to face Aelene. “May I borrow your sword in toy mode?”

A double-sided dildo, pre-shrunk is placed in Harper’s hand. Aelene commands, “Lube it first. Let me help.” Harper nods. Aelene squirts some lube on one side of the toy and hands the bottle over to Harper. Harper hits her side (though maybe with less lube than what Aelene would recommend). Inserting her half, she places the other at Skye’s entrance.

Remind yourself who you are loving right now. Don’t let the ache ruin this. “Ready, my lovely little wife?”

“This one is yours, Mistress.”

Maybe a little harder than she should, Harper thrusts down into Skye until she feels resistance. “Too hard?”

“It’s fine, Mistress, but this one would prefer you be a little more gentle?”

Keep it under control, Harper, you dumbass. “Sorry. I’ll try.” Her next thrusts are softer, gentler. Aelene grabs at Harper’s breasts from behind and starts to kneed them. Aelene bumps her hips into Harper’s ass, trying to guide her on the proper rhythm. Harper takes the hints, leaning back to kiss the high elf all the while. Skye starts to push back, moaning in pleasure. Focus on how they care about you. Don’t give in to the irrational rage about what was taken. Try to be happy that Dinah is okay.

Harper keeps the rhythm, the pelvis thrusts in time with her wife. Aelene switches to playing with Harper’s ears; her fingers teasing the finny nodules in it feels so good. Harper lets out a whine as she picks up the pace a little. Skye matches the energy, sitting up to hug the sea elf as they ride together. Supple drow lips on hers, nimble elven fingers teasing her. Little more. With one final thrust, Harper comes undone.

Aelene: +2 VP (Brought Mistress to Orgasm [Eargasm])

Skye eyes become clear again. Her hug becomes more present. “My lady love, are you okay?”

Harper explains the situation, now that she is not just seeing red. Aelene joins the hug from behind in the middle of it. Skye just squeezes tighter. Harper just cries, the cosmic wound feeling like it has been torn back open after only a couple of days of healing. And she just keeps sobbing.

A knock on the door breaks the high elf off, only for Scarlet to join the hug. “I thought you were ready for it. I’m sorry.”

Josie (who looks a little bleary-eyed) and Honey both walk in, too, with the wolf-girl asking, “Is this a bad time, old lady?”

“Just a painful morning. I’m not sure I would have ever been ready for seeing that letter, Scarlet, but thank you for showing me. I can try to watch your response, if you’d like.”

“Letter?” Honey queries.

“Apparently, Dinah wrote a letter to Scarlet after the whole thing from her date night. She just showed me it and...”

“And,” the wasp-girl interrupts, “she has written one to you. It was delivered to the set last night. I have already taken the liberty of preparing the paperwork acknowledging her violation of the restraining order and informing her of how to get it removed. Do you wish to read it?”

Honey holds up the letter, sealed up like every other one from Arabella’s set, unopened, untampered. Harper takes it, opens it, tries to read it aloud, partly because Aelene doesn’t read Common very well, partly because Dinah was important to just about everyone else in the room. She hopes she can get through it without another soul spasm (or whatever she should call that pit of emptiness inside of herself flaring up like a belching backdraft). She reads:

Harper,

I don't know how much time has passed for you – truth be told, I haven't kept up with your season after I left. Both for reasons that should be obvious, and because work has absorbed me completely. Honestly, I don't even know how much time has passed out there, for Andy and his women. Here, it's been around five months since I broke into Arabella's set and Ms. E let me leave. As you can imagine, this has given me time to think, and to come to terms with what has happened to me, to you, and to all the other girls who are still in your harem.

It's especially hard to do so when I see how Andy's harem is coming together. No crazy Host out to make them suffer out of spite, no strict rules and Host interference, and yet, out of what one could imagine should be chaos, Andy and his women are somehow building a family on their own. I know you're addicted to watching these seasons. I suspect you've been catching up on Andy's, after what happened. Gaming the challenges. Sacrificing their own spot for someone else – and being rewarded for it. I would lie if I said I didn't wish that our experience could have been like theirs.

Arabella kept her word. I'm not in Andy's harem. I'm in no one's harem. She has asked me if I were willing to play a part, one night, with Andy, alongside two of my colleagues, and I agreed. But you know the difference between her and Beckie, or even Ariel? She fucking ASKED. And I get the sense she would have understood, had I said no. So, when you watch Andy's season again, if you see me popping up, hold your horses. It's not quite what it seems.

As for the work I'm doing... I can't say much, at least not until and unless Andy finds out what we're doing. But it is important, even if sometimes it feels overwhelming. I think you, of all people, would appreciate it. I get to be a doctor again, maybe not an OB/GYN (although you'd be surprised), but a doctor nonetheless. It's heartbreaking at times, but what we're doing here, what Arabella asked me to help with... it was worth it. I will say no more, although if Andy finds us, I'm sure you'll see for yourself.

I've written a lot, and still haven't touched the elephant in the room, have I?

I know, or at least suspect, Scarlet may have shown you the letter I wrote her shortly after I arrived here. So you already knew I was okay. But I've had five months to metabolize everything that happened, Harper. And perhaps this time differential between Arabella's dimension and Ms. E's may have an advantage, here. Look, Arabella told me exactly what it did to you, tearing out our bond to free me. I want you to know, that was not my choice. I was angry at you – no, 'enraged' would be a better word – but I would never have wanted to cause you permanent spiritual damage.

The truth is, here I've had a lot of time to think, under circumstances so peaceful we never could have had on Beckie's set. Mittens is here, keeping me company, and she's been very helpful in processing my feelings, too. So... I'm sorry, Harper.

Not that I left. Not that I fled, especially when I realized my number was nearly up. Forget all that mess with the cat allergy transformation, I was so far behind, and the only one you were no longer attracted to, that my path to avoiding elimination was as narrow as a blade's edge. I don't want to get into the old argument of who is more responsible for it, me or you. The truth is, Indigo fucked me up, plain and simple. You and I could have been on a very different trajectory, had I been allowed to be myself instead of Indigo's brainwashed milk source, when you were still attracted to lowly humans.

Thinking of what ifs is useless, of course. So I'm not sorry for having escaped. But I am sorry for how things ended. I realize now that when I last saw you, you were trying to apologize for what happened with your fudging transformation. I was not ready for it. And perhaps I expected too much from you in return. It was a vicious circle that left both of us hurt and damaged.

But I'm sorry I hurt you. And I'm sorry if my escape, or what it has done to you, has hurt Scarlet, Josie, Tina, Skye, Daphne, and the others. In hindsight, it was the last thing you needed before the endgame's start. And while I am not happy with how the last few days in your set went, I acknowledge that for the most part, you tried to do what you could to help. I just... didn't know how to ask properly, I admit it.

Look, what's done is done. But five months later I find I still care about all of you. Not the harem bond maybe, but we've all gone through so much trauma together, it would be astounding if we hadn't bonded on that. I do miss you all. I would not return to your harem, but I would like to see you all again, one day. You would be proud, I think, of what I'm doing here. I'd like to show you, one day.

Take care, Harper. Protect the others. Let them protect YOU. And show that bitch Beckie, once and for all, that she doesn't get to write any of our stories.

And if you have the chance, if you're invited, come visit. I promise I'll set aside some time for us to talk.

Dinah

The room is silent for a while. Harper doesn’t move, just continues to stare at the letter, trying to make sense of it all. She feels reassuring pats on the shoulder, little squeezes on her knees or her empty hand, but she’s too stunned to acknowledge it.

Josie, with the tact of a wolf in a rabbit hutch, breaks the silence with, “Hey, old lady, wanna go punch some shit? That’s what I’d want to do.”

“Only way out is through, Josie, no matter how loudly the hole inside me screams about all of this. I need to hunt down some scenes, collect my thoughts. I need to write back. And I don’t have a lot of time to do so. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m heading back upstairs. I’ll try to be down for breakfast, Skye. That okay with everyone?”

Honey says something to Josie in Sylvan first, then replies, “Let me help you with that, Ms. O’Connor. I have excellent penwaspship.” Harper chuckles, despite herself, as she lets the lawyer lead her back to the relative solitude of the Master’s Suite. Hopefully, having some closure may help all of this heal.