Water to Wine (R,L,M)

Maeve had agreed to accompany Luna and Richard for whatever the former had decided to do for the events of the date.

She just hadn’t expected it to start with so much walking.

She didn’t necessarily have a problem with walking. She was happy to do it for the right reason, such as exploring one of many art museums, history museums, or aquariums on the upper East Coast. She was less happy to do it outside, for miles, for the chance to meet magical spirits. Not that she’d complain, she was mature enough not to object to something she’d been invited to.

Ten paces ahead, Luna was checking on her friend. “Hey, you’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

“No, no. Maybe.” He thought for a moment. “Yes. Sorry.”

“You’re good. We kind of sprang this on you this morning. Is it something new, or did you want to revisit a problem from earlier?”

“It’s Mores.” He started to explain. “I keep going back to it, and how scared she used to be of it. How much of this do you think she’d be willing to do if you hadn’t thrown it at her?”

“Maybe none of it.” Luna admitted.

“I- you’re serious?”

“Yeah, but you’re not thinking about the alternative.” She glanced behind her back to check how far Maeve was trudging behind. “You didn’t see how she was before. Would you rather she spent most of this round trying to hide from you, and me, and maybe Aubrey? Or are you willing to entertain the idea of you mounting her, and me, and maybe Aubrey like she had you entertain before? The three of us in bed as you fill her up with your… second chances?” She was smirking by the end, amused by her own partial redirection.

He slowed to adjust his pants. “You really think this is for the best then?”

“I honestly do.”

He stopped, seeing the staircase up the mountain before them. “This is probably a good time to check in with her then. “You’re still alright coming with us up to the temple? Did you change your mind at all on finding out who your own mentor is supposed to be?”

“I shall come with, but let you two explore the ‘mentorship’ yourselves.” She brushed his arm as she walked past them, trying to get a headstart up the many stairs. Her younger romantic interests followed, and so as she climbed she tried to justify her reasoning. “Felicia first needed my help after Katrina encouraged her competitive instincts far beyond what she was comfortable with. And I felt that Stella was concerningly blasé after Concordia met with her. They both say that their mentors had minimal mental influence on them, but… I would still rather have at least one of us altered only by what transformations we already have.”

She makes a good point. Going up there might be a risk. Dick thought as he tried to weigh his options. But whatever happens is for a couple hours, max. And it’ll open up a few more tools like Luna’s hoping.

The three of them continued climbing the stairs in silence for some time. It was when they were about half way up that he looked a little farther to his right than he meant to, and his fear of heights froze him in place.

Luna noticed first. “Hey, um… she taught you that counting thing right? Can you use that right now?”

He tried to focus, gripping the pocket of his jeans with one hand. He managed slow, lumbering steps forward as he tried to count. “Three. Nine. Twenty-seven. Eighty-one. Two hundred and fourty-three.” That one helped him up three steps. “Seven hundred and twenty-nine.”

By this point Maeve had turned around as well, and was coming back down to meet him as his momentum started to slow. “Six thousand, five hundred, and sixty-one.” He told himself as she reached him.

“Would you like to hold onto me, or just my hand?” She asked him.

“I- uh-” He stuttered, having trouble speaking or even deciding up high on the mountain.

“That’s alright. Here, let me.” She took his left hand and gently pulled it to her hip, She anchored her own right hand at the small of his back. “We have about twenty-five more steps to go. I’ll move when you do. You can squeeze if you get overwhelmed. Perhaps the one good thing about my original transformation is that I’m a bit sturdier than I was. And if the counting is reaching its limit, you can shift strategies. Luna mentioned you two were working on something to protect the Public News Foundation?”

He took a deep breath and took a step, his therapist- and perhaps more- acting as his guardrail. Neither of them particularly enjoying the stairs, they made it up as Luna trailed behind, trying not to say or do anything that would disturb the fragile solution Maeve had come up with. They made it up and into the temple, Dr.Petrov directing him into a corner so the outside was out of sight.

“Thank you. I’m sorry. But thank you.”

“Of course, Richard. As I told you before: I am always going to be here for you.” She leaned up and kissed him closely before pulling away, her face burning.

Dr.Maeve Petrov, +2 VP (Kiss)

“I apologize for that. I’ll let the two of you do what you came here for. I shall simply wait on one of the beds.” The therapist started towards the closest bed to the two of them, but when she noticed the cage under it she swerved to sit at one closer to the golden podium. She decided that she could ignore the pillory built into the headboard. Probably.

Now that he was fully inside, Richard took the time to look around. The space was beautiful, all gold and stained glass and burnished bronze. It felt strangely familiar, like the church he’d grown up going to had a sex dungeon dropped inside.

Luna met back up with him as he meandered to the central walkway, studying the figures in the stained glass. A woman in armor, a sword at her belt as she looked into the distance with a map. A younger man about their age, lounging with a glass of wine. A caped figure on a dark throne. An older man roaring with laughter as his chariot took him towards the viewer.

“Felicia told me a bit about this place. We’re here for the gold throne on the white platform over there.” Luna pointed to the large golden seat at the far end. “From what she said, it’s supposed to just happen once we step on the platform.”

“Should we go ahead then?” Dick asked. Luna nodded, and so the two went down the aisle together. They approached the throne together, and after a final look of confirmation, stepped onto the platform together as they were bathed in light.

***

Luna heard her mentor’s voice, an oddly familiar sound. It had a cheerful, bubbly feeling to it, though it felt undeniably masculine. “I waited a while for this. Though with your expertise on a show like this, I suppose you haven’t needed me until now.”

You know why I’m here then? She mentally responded.

“Of course, Loon. You’re trying to get your lady friend to finally get in the game, and into Dick’s arms. Trust me, I’m-”

You should know I hate that nickname.

“And why’s that?”

It makes me sound crazy.

The smug, bubbly voice chuckled. “It’s just the two of us in here, you can tell me the truth.”

That is the truth.

“Keep your secrets then. Let me tell you, you are way more uptight than back in the day. Or maybe you aren’t? I’m not sure we ever met mutually sober.”

Do I know you?

He sounded scandalized now, though maybe he was just pretending. “Loon, it’s me! Buck Collins?”

She tried to think back to where she knew that name, and place exactly where she’d heard that voice. The DJ from Delta Tau Chi? How are you… you’re telling me one of the Greek Gods went to college with us? Why?

“Where else but undergrad can you find a good crowd for a bacchanalia? I think I’ve gone to college about seventy times since I moved to the States? That doesn’t really matter. What matters is that your favorite mood-setter and plug is back, and he’s here to help.”

Did you always refer to yourself in the third person?

He sent her the mental equivalent of a shrug emoji. “I don’t know if you were told about what Vaugh did for Ava, but I can do something better for you. You need her to loosen up, right? I can give you a little something to help with that.”

Luna felt a sensation around her lips, like she was wearing lip gloss. She brought them together and felt that warm tingly feeling of when it’d just been applied and she was just leaving her apartment for a good date. It felt a little cushiony and there was a slight stickiness as she pulled her lips apart.

“This little number is memory based, a lot like Genet’s favorite tricks. When you kiss someone while it’s active they’ll get a hit of something you took back in the good old days, whatever should be just strong enough to get them to open their legs. Now go give her a taste of something good.”

Luna shook her head, walking away from where Dick was to argue with the voice in her head. Your plan’s just to get her drunk? I still want her to be able to consent.

“Woah, I do too. You’re making this sound creepy.”

I’ve barely described what this is. It’s creepy on its own. Do you not know how Dick and I met?

“You’re being a killjoy. Here, remember the jungle juice we made after the spring midterms back in junior year?”

The Latina felt her head swimming as it hit her. She stumbled, making her way to the nearest bed and leaning on it in an attempt to brace herself.

I can handle this. Everything’s under control. She tried to tell herself.

“Of course you it is. The girl that’s charmed half the English department can handle anything.” Buck cheerfully tried to reassure her.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Maeve abandoning the spot she’d been hiding to check on her.

Oh no.

***

A Few Minutes Earlier

Dick felt his vision come back as he heard a strange voice roaring in his head.

“A-ha! You were offered me, and so I shall be received. Tis-I the great…” There was an unexpected pause. “Nile. I, the great Nile, am here to help you in your labors to make all your fine ladies wet!”

Richard wasn’t sure how to respond at first.

The loud man spoke in his head again. “Hello? Is this working? Can you hear me?”

“Yes, I can.” He spoke out loud.

“Good, good. You really just have to think it.”

Good to know.

“Of course, I am here to help!” Nile responded. “Now, which of your sinking ships would you like to focus on first? Stella's interest in intimacy could bring choppy waters. Attempts at a romance with Ava seem rudderless. Your first love’s become a no wake zone of its own, much to Genet’s worry! And mine, honestly. So what do you need?”

Richard tried to consider it. Stella seems fine right now, as far as I can tell? And I don’t really care what Ava does. What would you suggest I do to help Aubrey?

“She cares deeply about your therapist, yes? Use her to steer the conversation. Build your new relationship with her, and once she sees how you’re treating your other mare, she’ll learn that the best way to make sure you both ride off into the sunset together is by joining your stable!”

Isn’t that sort of unfair to both of them? I’d just be using Maeve, and I want to be more gentle with Aubrey.

“Aye, it’s not fair.” Nile agreed, growing almost glum. “But how much has being fair and gentle helped so far?”

It’s stopped things from exploding.

“But if enough pressure forms, it can form a hurricane if you’re not careful.” His new mentor warned. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll try to think about other ideas. But for now you should try to communicate. That’s one of the three Cs I’ve learned ladies love. Communication, cooking, and a cock the size of a hor- whoa there, one of your mares is in trouble!”

Richard spun around, trying to see what Nile was talking about. Luna was leaning backwards on one of the beds. Her lips were painted purple, and she had a dazed expression. He watched as she turned and saw Maeve walking towards her and panicked. Nile did something like letting him look through a spyglass, and he saw a dark aura around her mouth.

“Buck hasn’t thought this through, and now his betting horse is spooked.”

Oh no. What can we do? And please, tell me plainly if you can.

“Oh, um, yes.” Nile paused. “If you give me permission, I can give you immunity to what Buck did. Jay gave me priority over the others since I’m on your side, so I can help you flush her system. Just kiss her, and I’ll handle it. It’ll block both Buck and I from reappearing for at least a day, but I think it’d be worth it.”

Do it.

“Done. Now protect her from the storm! Ride to greatness!” The excitable mentor roared.

He approached his best friend. She leaned away like she felt cornered, and from what he knew he couldn’t blame her. Window Pain Test warned him to stop, but he continued. “I need to kiss you.”

She scrambled away from the bed, panicking as his TF warned she would. “Dick, I can’t let you do that.”

“I’m trying to help.”

“You don’t understand. The DJ… he made me pretty much venomous.”

The DJ? He was confused by that, but tried to ignore it. Maybe her mentor had a thing with music, like his did with puns. “I know.”

“You know?”

“Yes. I’ve got a way to fix it, my own mentor explained it.”

“But what if it doesn’t work?” She pushed back. “Buck thought he knew what he was doing, what if yours is wrong too? Then you’ll just be a horny, drunken mess trapped somewhere pretty much designed to terrify you.”

“I don’t think he’s wrong, or at least I’m trying to trust him. Even if you don’t trust any of them,” he gestured towards the golden throne, “can you trust me?”

She swayed on her feet, uncertain.

“Can you trust me?” He repeated.

By that time Maeve was close. “Even if something goes wrong, I’ll still be here. I can try to get Bo’s attention.”

Richard took two steps towards Luna, saying for the third time: “Can you trust me? I’m here to help. We all are.”

She nodded.

He took the final step towards her and took her by the waist, pulling her in for a kiss. He felt the brief taste of wine on her lips before it faded. She relaxed in his arms as the magic enchanting her stopped. His lips, his touch, cured her of the unexpected influence of the old days. As the alcohol left her system in addition to the magic, he felt her grin and grabbed his waist, rubbing against him.

He finally stopped and let them both both breathe, hoping that whatever magic Nile had used was able to run its course.

“Jeez, I’m glad you were right. I have to say, that was a hell of an antidote.”

“I take it things are back to normal?” Maeve asked.

“Feels like it. My lipstick’s gone, right?”

“It appears so.”

“Then Buck’s harebrained plan should be done. And I’m saying out loud, we’re not trying anything like that again.”

“I may have acted rashly. I’ll be better if you give me a second chance.” Buck responded weakly in her mind. Then he was gone, with everything else he had done.

It was at that moment Bo finally arrived, spawning at the St.Andrew's cross down the aisle. “Sorry, dearies, I had irons in other fires. Though honestly, I had no idea how to fix it myself.”

“That’s… I’m glad we figured it out then.” Richard said.

“I am able to help with something else I was planning to come here for. I was reviewing the tapes to see if I missed anything after I came back to my office and apparently Genet missed a bloody fear of heights?” The observation came as a question directed towards him.

“I suppose.”

“Sometimes she’s just too focused on the silver linings. I’ll get an elevator in here and that shopkeeper’s tower so her callous, ill-planned, and negligent mistakes don’t keep hurting you and the pink one.” She pointed into a corner near the entrance, and a glass and gold elevator matching the rest of the temple’s aesthetic grew out of the floor.

Maeve spoke to reproach their substitute Host. “You needn't be so angry with Genet. She isn’t perfect, but she’s trying her best. She would have addressed it if she’d realized.”

Bo turned to her once she was done. “I’m sure she is, and I’m sure she would’ve. But she didn’t, so I needed to. My magic works best when I’m getting back at someone who fucked up. To let me create something nice, I had to work real hard to make her look like the palooka. Capiche?”

“Ca-I understand. Thank you for your efforts.”

“Fuggetaboutit.” Bo shrugged. "Really though, if this kind of thing becomes what I'm known for I'm kaput." Then she disappeared in a cloud of ash.

***

The three of them spent over two hours more walking, to Maeve consternation. They’d made it back to the plaza that they’d started from, then veered towards the Tower. They’d taken the new elevator up to Ata’s tower, where the shopkeeper was eager to show them what they’d unlocked for their troubles.

From Buck, the Socialite:

The Wine Cellar, 6BP: A good pairing for all occasions. Once every three days, the contestant can treat themselves to a bottle chosen from the Mentor's rare stocks. It could be a Cabernet Sauvignon for those seeking a "robust, full body," a spicy, aromatic Zinfandel to inflame the senses, or a light, sweet Moscato to keep things breezy and fun. Effects of consumption fade after 8 hours

Midas Touch, 3BP: Divine gifts can bring great fortune, but demand much. The contestant enters a sexual mania for 4 hours. During that time, any orgasm she brings about, in herself or others, grants her 1BP, but will leave her exhausted for the remainder of the day. (Renewable)

Rite of Taurokephalos, 9BP: Call upon the loud-roaring and reveling Bull, and let the mysteries grant the impossible. The next sexual act performed by the Mentee and a fellow contestant grants VP as if it was performed with the Master. Victory still flows from one eternal source, so the act must occur with him watching unfalteringly

From Nile, the Rider:

The Earth Shaker, 2BP: The Master can use this one time spell to magnify a contestant’s orgasm to mind-shattering proportions. This effect fades over a moderate period of time. (Renewable)

What a Catch, 5BP: A small fishtank will appear in the Master’s bedroom, similar to the much larger one in the Trident cottage. It is populated by eight different kinds of fish representing the members in his harem. Their needs are provided for automatically, but if he chooses to give treats to a specific fish in his tank, he will unconsciously exhibit the traits that member likes him for during the rest of that day.

The Chariot, 8BP: Drawn by four Hippocampi, with the power to cross even the most dangerous seas. Richard can use it once per round to escort a contestant to a date back on Earth.

Luna turned to Maeve, angling both sheets of paper towards the therapist. “So, do any of these catch your eye?”