a night with Hebi-san

Hebi-san loves taking baths. And I really mean it. My job was to thoroughly clean her and after that was done she had me dance naked for her amusement while she languished in the water for hours. It wasn’t particularly exhausting but I still wish I could have actually relaxed as well. We spend such a long time in the spring that Est checked up on us.

“Oh”, the maid remarked only, although the edges of her mouth did point upwards as she watched my “performance”. “This dumb maid sees that you like to dance as well.”

Unfortunately for me, my new lucid state also came with a newfound sense of embarrassment. **** or not, this wasn’t how I wanted to be seen.

“A fitting punishment for a foolish thrall”, Hebi-san declared, looking at my blushing face with amusement. “Why are you bothering us, maid?”

“This dumb maid is just checking if everything is in order”, she said while in particular checking me out. “The hour has uh..grown..umm...rather...basically it’s already night!”

At least that finally prompted Hebi-san to get out.

Unfortunately that meant not at all that my work was over. Not missing a single beat, Hebi-san ordered me straight in the bedroom.

“On your knees pet, you will massage our feet.”

That was another favorite pasttime of hers. I suppose it beats sucking her snake. I gingerly grabbed her left feet and started to massage it. Despite being in the bath for so long there was not a hint of wrinkly skin on her entire body. They are impossible of such in the first place. Once they reach adulthood, Galmons age no further. They do have a lifespan, just as us humans but it is impossible to tell their age by physical appearance.

“Fufufu, at last you are back at the place you belong. You are nothing more then a lowly thrall. Your only reason for existence is to serve us.”

“Yes, my Queen”, I spoke demurely. I decided to not fight it. Resistance will do me little good here. And it was utterly exhausted from the dancing. Even this counts as a break as far as I am concerned.

My lovely Queen didn’t even bother to acknowledge my submission. The next few minutes we spend just like this in silence. With me occasionally switching from one foot to the other.

“Why?”, the Galmon finally asked.

I looked up at her and got stomped on my face as a reward.

“Answer us, foolish Mari Beta!”

W-what was I even supposed to answer? You can’t just say why and expect me to read your thoughts!

“How useless”, Hebi-san huffed, then sighed. “Why did you took part in this tournament? We bested you in the qualifiers. Humiliated you quite thoroughly. So why undertake this foolish endeavor?”

Oh.

It’s none of your business.

I wanted to say but not only could she easily **** the truth out of me, that response would only lead to more suffering. It wasn’t a hill I wanted to die on. “My...sister. I wanted to use my tournaments winnings to find my sister.”

“Hah? Didn’t the brat kick the bucket?”

“Silence Gilbert, you fool!”, Hebi-san hissed loudly, before looking back at me. “Your sister you say. You mean the human called Ceri?”

I looked up at her. “You remember her?”

“Of course I do, foolish Mari Beta!” Hebi-san huffed, almost offended. “I...we….she was a good friend of us. We were not aware her departure still weighted so heavy on you. Perhaps, this was an error in judgment.”

Did Hebi-san actually just acknowledge a mistake on her part? I was not sure what I should respond to that, so I said nothing and simply continued the massage.

That was apparently the wrong choice of action because Hebi-san kicked me in the face again.

“Aaarggh! What was that for?”

“We knew you were a fool, Mari Beta but the extend of your foolishness surpasses even our loftiest estimates. You are the most foolish of fools!”

Geez, thanks.

But Hebi-san simply stared at me. “Instead of embarking on this fools errand did it not occur to you to consult with us?”

“Consult with you?” What the hell? I know this was dangerous but I couldn’t keep my calm any longer. “Why would I do that? We aren’t exactly friends, you know.”

Hebi-san hissed at that. “Yes, we are your Queen and you are our pet. How dare you take part in such a dangerous venture? What would you have done if you became somebody else’s thrall?”

I had no idea what was going on. “What are you…”

Gilbert piped up. “You still don’t get it, dumbass? Why do you think we are in this crazy tournament in the first place? It’s because...gaaaarghh!”

Hebi-san was angrily and quite viciously manhandling Gilbert.

Eh?

“Do not misunderstand, foolish Mari Beta. We are in this tournament to prove our superiority over these foolish humans. The chastisement of an unruly thrall is a mere afterthought.”

She looked at me. Angry and something else.

Is that embarrassment?

...

No way. I...I misread that. Yeah definitely. There’s just no way. I mean…

“What is it with this foolish expression of yours, Mari Beta?”, Hebi-san hissed. “Is there something you wish to tell us?”

“N-no”, I quickly denied. “Not at all, my Queen!”

She looked at me suspiciously. “What is on your mind? Be honest.”

Oh no.

“Well, I was just wondering...if you are actually in lo…”

Hebi-san kicked me so hard in the face that I passed out.