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Yanxia – Doma

‘Amazing… I would have never thought, anywhere would outshine Gridania…’

Walking in bliss as she made her way across the new landscape, Circa was awestruck, as she drank in its visage. Doma was the closed-off nation within the country of Othard. She had trepidations about traveling here with Momo a few weeks back… but, she had come to appreciate being here. It was an experience all on its own.

“Hey, hey~, no zoning out kitty~ You might step off a cliff if you’re careless~ And we wouldn’t want that~” Feeling a vain straining in her temple, the Miqo’te scowled as she cast her feline eyes to a much smaller figure then herself hovering near her.

It was a tiny girl. While larger than her brother in height after she had shrunk him many years back, the creature was still fairly tiny and didn’t reach past a foot in size, even with the impressive wingspan of her butterfly-esk appendages.

But that was to be expected. She was a fairy after all… her, fairy. Feeling her eye twitching a bit, a habit she had seemingly developed only after the summoning of her new lifelong companion, Circa glowered as she heard the playful giggles coming from the tiny girl.

She was a petite thing, with an even lither body than her old instructor Arianna’s fae had been. Dressed in a sole one-piece green leotard that appeared fashioned from both light and leaves, the fairy’s wings and eyes matched the coloration which seemed to radiate an almost limelight around her. The only contrast to her look was her glowing blonde hair, cut short in a pixie cut. Ironic given her species.

All and all, she was a sight that seemed out of place in many lands she had been to… and even more so when compared to the other fairies she had come in contact with. Peering over her shoulder silently, the Miqo’te scowled as she saw her traveling companion and friend, Momo.

She too had accompanied her to this new land… as well with a fairy of her own. Though the difference between the Miqo'te's, and the Lalafell’s familiars was night and day. The other fae was equally tiny in size but that didn’t stop her from radiating maturity the likes of which neither her own fairy nor Arianna’s had seemed to possess.

She had a similar pair of butterfly wings that flapped behind her at all times, but, these ones while still composed of radiant light were of a golden variety. The same could be said for her hair, which was long and blonde trailing down her back like a drape. Though, her outerwear was different. This though the Miqo’te knew had more to do with Momo making or buying things she wanted her fairy to wear rather than what she had been summoned with when she answered her call.

Garbed in a fairly translucent green frilled garment that also took on the same ethereal properties as her own fae, the tiny blonde wore a much more physical pair of undergarments which seemed to satisfy her nicely. It was a little embarrassing when you considered the fae’s extremely generous chest size. The cat folk had never seen another woman even close to matching it! It made sense she wore nothing beneath it. Anything else seemed to be too restrictive. This was a trait all fairies shared apparently after the Miqo’te learned that most of their race remained naked in their domain.

Whether true or not, Circa couldn’t say. But it had been a fight to try and get her own fairy to keep her clothes on when they were out in public. ‘And an even greater challenge when we're not…’ Souring as she vaguely heard the playful words of her tiny companion behind her, the teenager said nothing as her mind wandered to that same singular question that had come to her mind… ever… single… day… since she became a full-fledged Scholar…

‘Why… why did I summon you…?’

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6 months ago.

“Water… Fire… Earth… Wind… Ice… Thunder… Light… Dark… Come to me, oh spirit of Nym!” 

Focusing her intent on the summoning circle in front of her, Circa sweated profusely as she performed her final act as an Arcanist. This was the last test for her to become a Scholar. All she needed to do was call forth a spirit fae. But, would one answer her call? 

“You’re doing good. I can feel the shift in the air… a connection to their domain has been established. Now call. Ask for aid. Request a companion for life. And persuade one to come to you. Your pact is a partnership, not a right or demand. If whoever you latch onto thinks you feel that way… then you will never have any fairies answer your summons.” Arianna muttered calmly. 

She was stressed… but, she couldn’t allow Circa to know that. As a teacher, it was her job to guide her students… And all the trials and endeavors the cat folk had gone through led to this. She had everything it took, to become one of them. Now, it was up to her to cross that final threshold… 

Sitting off in the corner so as to not distract her friend, Momo whimpered softly as fear nestled into her. Beside her was her companion. The little blonde fae was seated on her knee as she watched curiously, her hand ever rubbing the Lalafell in a comforting fashion. 

She hadn’t been in this world as long as Ka’llee had been, but, the tiny being knew this mortal was capable of contacting her kind. And her partner's fears were unwarranted. She could see the power behind Circa… even if the teenager couldn’t yet herself… 

‘Did… it take Momo this long too…?’ She had uttered the incantations. Called on a spirit of any kind to answer her. Waited patiently… And nothing. Nothing was happening. Feeling her bottom lip tremble, the cat folk bit it to silence her nerves as she focused harder on the small pale stone that lay in the center of the summoning circle. 

‘You, called, me! You wanted me to find you… So please… come to me!’ She felt like she was begging. It made her depressed… but, she had come too far to let something as senseless as pride interrupt her. 

‘And that’s why I’m here!’

Jumping as a voice invaded her mind, Circa’s mouth opened abruptly as she stopped herself from looking around. Did it just…? Gawking as a light began to glow in the center of the circle, the cat girl felt her heart skip a beat, as she watched it beginning to form into a solid mass, before taking shape. 

Feeling the pull on the other side of the gateway she had made abruptly end, Circa slowly lowered her arms as she stood frozen. Hovering in front of her, was a fairy. She looked like she was sleeping. Her eyes were closed, and her face… was so peaceful… 

‘B-Beautiful…’ She was so beautiful… 

Snapping its eyes open in an instant, the cat girl jumped in surprise as she saw the fairy suddenly grinning wide. “W-What-“ Eeping loudly as it collided with her face, both Miqo’te and fairy fell to the floor startling everyone present… none more than Circa herself. 

“I’M FREE! I’M FREE! THANK YOU! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!” 

Sputtering as she felt her face repeatedly (and aggressively) kissed, Circa flailed on the wooden floor as she began to claw at the Fairy straddling her mouth. Yanking the smaller being off her as she gasped for air, the teenager was at a loss for words as she saw the pantingfae eying her… with a look she couldn’t even describe! 

Her face was flushed red like she had a fever... Her breaths were coming out shallow like they were labored… Drool seemed to escape out of the corners of her mouth! Was this thing rabid!? 

But… that wasn’t it… The final thing… was the smaller girl’s hands. They were firmly pressed into her skin, and rubbing her body obscenely! One was groping her tiny chest, and the other pressing into the bare crotch! 

WHAT THE HELL WAS THIS THING DOING?! WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH HER FAIRY!!!!!

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“We’re drawn to specific individuals. All fae have a preference for who they wish to serve alongside. We need to be compatible with one another, or else we'll never answer the call of Scholar who tries to summon us!” 

Ka’llee had told her this when she had asked about Momo summoning her own in the past. With that said… Shifting her feline eyes back over to her… companion… Circa soured immediately as she locked eyes with her fairy familiar, the smaller girl suddenly putting on a licentious face as she licked her lips. 

Shuddering, the teenager stared back at the Lalafell behind her… as she watched her blonde fairy currently tucking a dandelion into the giggling girl’s orange locks. Feeling the familiar twitch of her eye, the Miqo’te snarled internally. 

‘IF THAT’S TRUE THEN HOW THE HELL DID I END UP WITH A PERVERTED NYMPHOMANIAC FAIRY AS MY PARTNER?!” 

IT WASN’T FAIR! Feeling something tap her shoulder before a hand pressed into her cheek affectionately, Circa glowered as she felt the playful touches of her companion stroking her supple skin. 

“Awww, don’t pout kitty~ I was only teasing you~ I know you won’t walk off a cliff. You’re way smarter than you look! Wait… that might sound bad too… Oh! You’re too smart to fall off a cliff! No… no… that still sounded bad… Well, I have faith in you!” The short-haired fae giggled before patting the irritated cat girl affectionately. 

“Lala’Nee, you’re causing frustration for your partner again. We’ve talked about this…” Pouting as she was called out, the younger of the two fairies looked to the older blonde one as she began to flutter over to her with her arms crossed. It wasn’t an easy task given the fairy's odd proportions. While the blonde fae had a rather small chest, her older kin seemed well endowed past what should have been possible for her to even stand with. 'Let alone fly... How does she even stay in the air with breasts that large?' 

“Oh, knock it off Bell’Anna! My Partner loves me~” Frowning as she watched the giggling girl kissing her noticeably irritated companion, the seemingly more mature of the two creatures sighed in exasperation before fluttering back over to her own partner and seating herself on Momori’s shoulder. 

“If she enjoyed your prattling then she would react positively to it. Like so~” Resting her own hand on the Lalafell, Momo’s eyes got wide before she smiled blissfully from the affectionate feeling. “Pet me more!” 

Chuckling melodically, the older fae nodded as she gently rubbed her Scholar’s face approvingly. Puffing her cheeks out, the younger fairy redoubled her efforts as she began to kiss and caress Circa’s cheek trying to match the other fairy's show of affection. 

“I can do that too! See! See! You love this don’t you kitty~? I bet it would be more fun though if you let me pet you in your panti-“ Eeping as she was gripped in a hand and silenced forcibly, the Miqo’te sighed. Why… Why couldn’t she have a normal fairy…?

Blushing profusely as she felt her palm being licked by her partner, the cat girl ignored it. Nothing she did ever put Lala’Nee off. In fact, it seemed anything she did to her turned her on! She had stuffed her in her bag, tied her up, buried her in their clothes pile when they bathed, and practically drowned her at one point when she got a bit too invasive in the bathhouse they had last visited… 

Worst of all though was the fact the fairy’s words… had a positive effect on her even if she didn’t want to admit it. Unbeknownst to the cat folk at the time, she had learned that fae could sense Aether. And by that, they could discern to who it belonged… And she picked up two different kinds inside of her… 

So, with a lot of probing, it finally came out… and she found out about her brother. That had opened the floodgate! Ever since then her fairy had often tried to have the teenager play with her physically as she did with her sibling! And she could be… very… persuasive… 

Gritting her teeth as she felt the nibbling begin now, Circa tossed the fae behind her before walking forward in a huff. “Stay back there! I don’t want any more locals to get the wrong idea about us before we even introduce ourselves!” The teenager snapped. This wasn’t the first time both her and Momo’s fairies had done something awkward in public. Morals weren’t exactly a strong suit for either of them it seemed. 

‘I wonder if Arianna had this issue with Ka’llee…’ She was a bit abrasive given her size but she didn’t try to molest the older woman’s cheek, urge her to suck on her breasts, or grind on her nose moaning loudly in front of merchants! It was beginning to drive her mad! She almost wished she had never picked up that stupid stone! 

But that would be a lie… The irritable teen knew she loved her fairy. Even if she was a massive pain in the ass not even Naoh’a could make go away. But even so, it led to uncomfortable situations. “Excuse me, but may you give me but a moment of your time dear travelers~?” 

Like right now… 

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What a troublesome town… Everybody here was so poor. People begged on every street corner. They wore scraps of clothing that would barely fit children. And most irksome, they drank the equivalent of fetid sewage waste they called alcohol. What a horrible slum for her to have ended up in. What a lousy fortune told indeed. That woman must have lied to her… She would have the Guardians handle her for misleading a-

Blinking momentarily, a woman who was leaning against a degraded house furrowed her brow at the odd sight before her. Walking among the streets, was two adventurers. Perking up, the woman took a small drag from a tiny kiseru pipe before letting out the thinnest of smoke wisps from between her lips, her mouth curving into a wide grin now.

‘Perhaps, that foolish fortune teller had been right all along.’ These two were special! They wore gear from across the sea. While not so uncommon nowadays as it had once been, the apparel was that of battle-worn maidens. Both wore white linens, one for combat, and the other of a healer perhaps? It was a bit hard to discern given their specializations. But it was foreign, to say the least.

The Aether around them was different. It was powerful! She could practically feel them now that she had laid eyes on them across the street. They were also a bit battered. Perhaps they were looking for work? While they wouldn’t make good clientele, they could be of great use to her Mistress. It was time to see if fortune truly favored her how she pleaded it too.

Tapping her pipe to rid it of the ash, the kimono-clad woman began to make her way towards the pair as her mind started to form ideas on how to get them to accompany her. They would make fine prizes, for her Oiran…

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“Excuse me, but may you give me but a moment of your time dear travelers~?”

Stopping abruptly as someone walked in the middle of their path, Circa’s ears flicked before her eyes shot back and forth suspiciously. This felt wrong immediately. Standing before her and Momo, was an Au Ru. She was beautiful. And that was putting it lightly. Dressed in a dark blue robe of silk, it blended with her hair which was held back in an ornate design she had seen on some similar women at… unscrupulous establishments.

However, she didn’t get the feeling this woman planned to proposition her like the other women of the last town had. Shifting her golden eyes to the pair as she observed them all one by one, the Au Ru landed her gaze back on Circa with a look of amusement present on her features.

“I see that you two, or perhaps four? Are looking for work. Given the state you’re in, I’d say I caught you between jobs. Am I correct?” The woman smiled cheerily; her pale face masked by make-up belying her true intentions. At least as far as Circa could make out. Reading her was next to impossible. She felt shifty like some of the people she had met in this land, but she didn’t put out that same hostile aura she had felt from pickpockets, cutthroats, and bandits in some of the cities they passed by. Plus, it would be hard to run away in that state of dress… let alone fight.

Swishing her tail back as she sized her up, Circa crossed her arms. “We might be. Who are you? And if your work involves us getting into a similar state of dress, you’re barking up the wrong tree”. The cat folk got molested by her friends enough that she didn’t feel like entertaining strangers.

Putting a dainty hand to her mouth, the older woman let out a small chortle before shaking her head. “Oh no, that won’t do. Not at all~, I can tell from your state of dress that my line of work wouldn’t suit you. However, my employer hires all manner of people. She likes to have a wide variety of services at her disposal. And people who handle things she would rather not sully her hands with would fall more under what you two are capable of. Am I right?”

Frowning as she tried to keep an indifferent expression to match their *guests*, Circa soon felt a calming presence beside her as her fairy landed on her shoulder before placing a hand on her ear for support… and to whisper discretely like she had shown her too do. “Her presence is calm like a pond. I sense no hostility. She’d been genuine with her words so far. However, I can tell she’s nervous too. She REALLY wants us to agree to whatever she’s trying to have us do.” Lala’Nee muttered. She could read her better than Circa or Momo could, so this was a pretty common occurrence for the fairy.

“Huh? What do you need us to do for you? Is there something you need to be returned to you or somebody who needs to be punished?” Momo asked curiously much to Circa’s annoyance. Her friend could get overeager sometimes and the tone of her voice sounded like she was interested. The Au Ru picked up on it immediately too just as the Miqo’te had.

“In a way. I’m but one of many people sent out to find adventurers for hire. I take them back to my Mistress, and she decides if she wants to extend a formal contract of work to them. Usually, this falls under one of two categories. And as you put it, your manner of dress would not need to be altered for the position I’m hoping she’ll offer you.”

‘Cheeky… greeeeat…’ This woman knew her way around words and contracts. If they weren’t careful, she might catch them in an agreement that- “We’ll help pale lady! When do we get paid?” Stiffening, Circa and Lala’Nee both tilted their heads towards the orange-haired Lalafell beside them as her own fairy sputtered and waved her hands defensively.

“MOMO! WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT AGREEING TO THINGS WITHOUT FINDING OUT WHAT THEY’RE ABOUT?!” Circa shrieked. For all they knew this could be some kind of assassination job of a noble in the land! They had just come here! It wouldn’t help them to be driven out of the country in less than a couple of months!

But, as the orange-haired teen tilted her head and looked back at her happily, Circa soon groaned in defeat. There went any hope of her bargaining if the offer DID sound good enough to take. But it seemed at least someone got a kick out of the cat girl’s misery. Hearing a melodic laugh echoing out from the Au Ru, the older woman cupped her mouth to try and stifle herself but it looked like she was failing miserably.

“O-Oh my, quite the eager one you are~ But I assure you, Miss?” Pausing her speech, it took a moment for the younger blonde to catch on before the cat folk offered her name. “Circa.” Waiting a moment longer, the woman raised a brow noting that no last name had been given before simply shrugging her shoulders.

“Well, Miss Circa. I assure you that this employment is both appealing, and lucrative.” The pale woman smiled, revealing her face fully now. Glancing at Lala’Nee, the fairy pursed her lips. “I can’t see any deception. I think she’s on the level.” Having fairies had a lot of benefits. For one, they were a great judge of character. For another, they could figure out schemes and lies a mile away. The fact this woman wasn’t putting up any red flags hers could catch meant she was either being straightforward with them, or she was a lot more cunning them an ageless fairy of Nym.

Turning around and presenting her back to the woman, Circa looked to Momo as her fairy hugged the Lalafell’s lips shut so she wouldn’t speak out again. “Sorry! Sorry! I know…” Bell’Anna muttered softly. This hadn’t been the first time Momo had gotten them into a sticky situation by being blindingly trustworthy…

Rubbing her chin thoughtfully, the older teen thought about their options. This sounded like it had potential. An employment offer was a contract. That meant stable work. To say that quests here were too and far between was an understatement. They had scraped by until now but they NEEDED to get some more funds.

Foraging outside in the country was alright every few days but not having sustainable rations was a dangerous thing to have to happen in an unknown land. ‘If worst comes to worst… we have a way to escape most situations…’ Not to mention, they were NOT lightweights. Circa had mastered a lot of attack magic as a conjuror before becoming a scholar. She retained all of it. Since her and Momo’s fairies helped with support, the two of them were rather ruthless with their assaults. Not to mention, the shorter teen's magic was some of the most destructive the Miqo'te had ever seen. She didn’t need to worry about the Lalafell’s safety as she had done for others who used to group up with her. Momori was quick to cast and could even multi-cast. It was something only she had been able to do in Gridania… So, the chances they would be taken down easily were slim.

After what felt like an hour of indecision, Circa finally turned back around as she kept her arms crossed. “Where is your employer? We’ll meet them. But I make absolutely no promises that we’ll listen if this *offer* sounds sketchy in any way. Got it? We’re not so strapped for cash that we can’t pass up a meal ticket.”

Hoping her words would convey assurance, the cat folk felt annoyed when the pale Au Ru only smiled at her in acknowledgment. “Very well, miss Circa. Miss Momo. Would you two please follow me an-“ “HEY! IT’S MISS LALA'NEE AND BELL’ANNA TO YOU TOO!”

Pausing, the older woman looked at the two fairies for the first time as the short-haired one fumed angrily on the Miqo’te’s shoulder before the cat girl scrunched her upper body in her hand silencing her forcefully. ‘How, curious…’ This could be seen as a plus in her book. Having experience with smaller beings could only please her Mistress.

“But of course. My apologies.” The Au Ru bowed before turning away from the pair, only for Circa to speak up now drawing her eyes back to the teenager. “And how about you? Got a name?” She didn’t feel comfortable with this stranger knowing all of them when they hadn’t heard so much as one from her or the so-called *employer* she kept referring to.

Turning back fully, the well-dressed woman smiled cheerily before giving a deep waist bow to the pair of girls and fairies each in turn. “I most certainly do. Though I tend not to give it out unless you’re under the employ of my Mistress. However, I have high hopes for you both. You may call me, Kikuchi. I am one of the humble geisha for our lady lord, Faye. Now, if you’ll please follow me. I have transportation already here in this village awaiting my return.”

Wanting to interrogate Kikuchi some more, Circa wasn’t given the option as the Au Ru turned away this time and began to walk, leaving them with one of two options. Follow this supposed offer of employment, or turn around and walk back out of the town the way they came from. Unfortunately… Momo had already made up HER decision as she started to run along after the woman much to her heavy-chested fae’s cries of dismay.

‘Great… just… great…’ Letting her fairy go as Lala’Nee gasped for air, the Miqo’te began to follow along making sure to slow her pace enough for her screaming companion to keep up with her.

Hopefully, this job offer was legitimate. While beautiful, Doma was a dangerous and impoverished place. If they weren’t careful, instead of helping the people of this land, they could end up as casualties instead…

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‘This shouldn’t surprise me… but, I can’t stop shaking…’

Trembling as she tuned out Momo’s excited squeals, Circa watched in equal fascination and terror as they voyaged beneath the waters of the Red Sea. The transportation Kikuchi had mentioned, was an aquatic vehicle. All around them were glass barriers that somehow repelled the pressure of the depths they were under. No matter how deep they sunk there wasn’t so much as a creek or groan from any of the paneling around them. This almost felt like magic…

Of course, it wasn’t. The Miqo’te had felt like this the first time she had been on the airship to Limsa Lominsa. Her humble village where she had been born didn’t have technology even remotely as advanced as that had been. It was utterly fascinating. Yet… the feeling of being so isolated beneath the ocean waves left her feeling vulnerable in a way she hated deeply…

Clenching her ass involuntarily as worry set in, Circa began to calm immediately as she felt the squirming sensation of her brother comfort her. She still felt control over him. It gave her some semblance of hold on her situation. Even if it was irrelevant to the panic she was dealing with now. However, a voice soon startled her before she realized who was speaking.

“It’s going to be alright Circa. The others may be acting… childish… but they’re not taking our situation lightly either.” Bell’Anna whispered as her dainty hand pressed into the teenager’s cheek reassuringly before rubbing softly.

Glancing at Momo and her fairy who was running (and flying) around in the circular chamber of the submersible they were riding inside of, the cat folk sighed before shaking her head. “You could have fooled me. They look like they’re hopped up on candy right now without a care in the world. We’re trapped in a metal box beneath thousands of tons of water. If this thing breaks, we’re dead. Just dead! Not even our teleportation crystals will save us. The pressure will turn us to paste before we even have time to drown! Not to mention we’re technically being held prisoner here. If that geisha decides not to return us to the surface for some reason, we’re stuck here… Does none of this cross anyone else’s mind but mine?” Circa finished slightly breathless after ranting to the older fairy.

Feeling the hand on her cheek trembling, the younger girl glanced at Bell’Anna before she cringed. Shivering in the air as her face turned a dark bluish pale, the little fae quivered with a sickly look on her features. “W-When you p-put it like that… I don’t feel so good…”

Sighing once more, the cat girl patted Momo’s fairy gently before leaning back into the guard rail she had stationed herself at. She knew the older fae was trying to reassure her but she hadn’t meant to traumatize her. But it was good at least someone else took in their stock besides her. Momo was too carefree and much to her anger, her own fairy was just as awestruck by new things. It often left the stressed-out teen having to coordinate with Bell’Anna since she was much more mature than either the Lalafell or her own fairy…

‘Seriously… why couldn’t Lala’Nee be more mature!’ She was either serious and alert when they were in a combat setting or nonsensical and insane every other time! “You seem troubled miss Circa. Can I offer you anything for the remainder of our voyage? A drink perhaps? How about food? I have other recreational pleasures as well too if you’re into that~”

Looking over her shoulder, the Miqo’te scowled as she saw Kikuchi pacing towards her as she gently puffed on a small brass pipe. They were fairly common in Doma. Though hers had a shine to it that gave the cat girl the impression it was of rarer material than the copper ones she had seen before.

Flicking her tail as she turned back to the black ocean before her, Circe simply shook her head. “Pass… How long till we arrive? You never said we’d be isolated so long. That’s a bad way to make an introduction you know” The dirty blonde snapped harshly. She couldn’t control all the anger she felt, unfortunately.

The pale Au Ru didn’t seem to either mind or notice the spite in the younger girl’s voice however as she moved adjacent to the cat folk before leaning down next to her. “We’ll be arriving within the next ten minutes, Miss Circa. And, I hadn’t considered the sea would put you on edge. You came across it after all. My apologies…” Kikuchi lamented with a genuine hint of regret in her tone.

“To be fair miss Kikuchi, traveling across the water and being trapped beneath it are two different forms of discomfort. In the future, I would consider that.” Bell’Anna quietly chastised earning a gentle chuckle from the larger woman. “You… are correct. I’ll make sure not to make the same mistake in the future madam fairy.”

‘Jeez, she puts more emphasis on respect for her than me…’ Circa thought sardonically. Though if you just looked at age and not size… Bell’Anna was most certainly the most mature of the group. Though she still had boundary issues Circa assumed everyone would consider. While Momo didn’t mind whatever the motherly fairy did to her, it embarrassed the Miqo’te greatly when she did that stuff to her too!

It was an often occurrence the heavy chested fae tried to feed them when they sat down to eat or wanted to tuck her into bed like she did Momo. Her own fairy didn’t seem to care either. You would think that it would be an issue for her, but as Lala’Nee had put it… ‘The more people who join in on kinky fun means the longer we can all play together!’ She really hated her life sometimes…

“Ahh~ It appears we have arrived.” Blinking as she was brought out of her disparaging thoughts, both Circa and the smaller fairy looked out of the glass bay window. It was still almost all the way pitch black, but a shining light in the farthest reaches of their irises began to take shape. It was spherical to start with, but as it grew closer, the form began to change. And it suddenly became apparent why once enough of what they were observing became clear.

Hearing shouts of woah and awestruck cries as Momo and Lala’Nee brushed up beside her to see it too, all four of the girls looked on as a spherical shape completely overtook their vessel in size. It looked, like a bubble. But that was just the outside. It shook and rippled like one traveling through the water, yet it was somehow stationary. However, that wasn’t what Circa’s eyes were locked onto…

Within the sphere, were buildings. Standing tall at the center of the enormous sphere was an extremely ornate and old-looking castle clearly representing the architecture that was custom in Doma. All around it was much smaller ones, which made up multiple walls and sides to whatever this place was. And the smallest of specs she could make out appeared to be normal houses beneath the larger ones. This place… was an entire city.

‘A city, underwater?’ How could such a thing exist? She had been clueless when they had been led onto this vessel, but it was now starting to make sense. The journey here took a long time. If they were going to such an isolated location, it had to be a huge one. The smaller a structure the more trips you’d need to take to get essentials to bring back. But judging by how monumentally massive this city appeared to be… she had the feeling it was probably self-sustaining somehow.

“Welcome to Houma. The shining gem of the Red Sea~” Kikuchi smiled, before turning away from the stunned girls behind her. “I’ll begin preparations for our arrival. Please feel free to enjoy the scenery until we dock.”

Looking back to the Au Ru as she walked away, Circa continued to worry as she took this all in. This city was… incredible. She could only imagine what it would look like inside the protective bubble that surrounded it.

Glancing at Momo and the pair of fairies still awestruck by the sight, the teenager sighed before joining them in the end. Worry would only get you so far. She would still be apprehensive, but she could at least see what this city had to offer.

Along with the supposed leader of it. Lady Faye…

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“What… what the hell is this…? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!” Screamed Circa, her eyes darting around in a mix of panic and disbelief. This couldn’t be real. What the hell kind of alternate world did that voyage take them to?!

All around them once they left the dock where their vessel had been landed were people. Many people. But that wasn’t what had her in such a state of panic and fear. The people in this fantasy city were all in various states and sizes…

Some people were of normal height and walked around with others. They looked predominantly wealthy with extravagant clothes and different signs they were well off. Then there were similarly dressed people, who appeared to be guards perhaps? They were also normal heights for their respective races. But that was where the normalness ended!

At stalls that seemed like props for children to play with were tiny people! They wore normal attire for the most part but appeared to be different trade smiths. Some stands served food to tiny customers. Others sold oddities as people browsed. She could even see one with a lady dancing for a crowd like a street performer. They were all the size of dolls!

“Hmm, I would have thought you two of all people wouldn’t have reacted so shocked by your first visit to Houma. I assure you that what you see now, is quite common and not to be worried about.” Looking at Kikuchi concerned, the Miqo’te almost jumped back in fright as her tail shot up straight with the hairs standing on end.

“WHY THE HELL ARE YOU MOMO SIZED?!” Turning around for the first time to look, both Momori and the pair of fae who had also been entranced by the spectacle gasped as Kikuchi walked up to them… much, much smaller.

Standing about a foot shorter than the Lalafell in fact, she commanded the same air of grace she had prior as she made her way over to the two scholars. Pulling out a fan instead of the pipe she had been brandishing most of their voyage, the now smaller Au Ru smiled coyly as she used it to cover half her face up to conceal her grin.

“This is the custom of our land, Circa. Those who live here are normally smaller in stature. The details of why my employer can discuss with you. But I promise you that while you’re here as guests, neither yours nor miss Momo’s stature will be affected. So, you may be at ease. Though I do ask you to follow the paths with the white borders. It would be a shame if you stepped on someone in their lane~” Kikuchi chortled.

Blushing, the teenager looked down instinctively almost afraid she HAD stepped on someone, but it seemed the older woman had only been teasing. However, there were indeed pathways with different colors. If what she said was true, then it made sense…

She had dropped Naoh’a off her bed once and when she hopped off to find him, she had almost flattened his entire body… Shuddering from the memory, the Miqo’te looked around as she took in the scenery once more. This place… was this really… normal?

At the food stands she could see cooks serving customers with smiles on their faces. One of the fancily dressed men who had been walking by normal sized earlier had also abruptly shrunken when he got too close to one of the different lines on the ground. However, he continued to walk once he did and didn’t seem perturbed by it.

‘So that path allows them to interact with others who are smaller?’ It was… strange. “Wooooooow! You’re just like a dolly at this height!” Blinking as she heard a conversation behind her, Circa looked back at Momo before almost screeching as she saw the Lalafell holding a clearly startled man in her hands as she looked him over curiously.

“MOMO!” As the smaller girl looked up, Circa quickly snatched the confused dockworker from her companion before glancing at him apologetically. “S-S-Sorry! So sorry! W-We… we’re new here!” The cat girl stuttered before setting him back down behind the yellow line on the ground. And then something dawned on her…

‘Wait… I passed the line…’ As her hands withdrew, the teenager looked back at the man quickly running off from the pair. He hadn’t grown bigger when Momo brought him over into their path. But she also hadn’t shrunk when she entered his involuntarily. How… did that other guy shrink then when he walked to the stalls of people? There was something more to this all than she could figure out right now…

Keeping an eye on the cat girl as she stood frozen with a concentrated look on her features, Kikuchi had to smile now. ‘Clever kitty~ I knew you two would be good catches.’ She had already figured out how their city worked from one interaction. It took new clientele months sometimes to remember what the Miqo’te picked up on without being told.

Chuckling behind her fan to herself, the Au Ru stepped forward in front of the pair before glancing over her shoulder. “Well, I believe an introduction with Lady Faye is in order. Would you two please accompany me now? And… Miss Momo… try not to pick up the citizens. They can be frightful when strangers do that~”

Nodding quickly for her, Bell'Anna quickly chastised her Scholar as the smaller woman started to walk off. Looking back to Kikuchi, Circa frowned before her eyes shifted to Lala’Nee. “What do you make of this?” She could pick up on Aether. And something was in the air, she could tell that much.

Looking around with a serious expression for a change, the little fairy pursed her lips with uncertainty. “There’s mana saturating the whole city. Back in Limsa, the air was clean and clear. There wasn’t much magic flying around. But here, my entire field of vision is… blurry. I can see what’s in front of me fine, but imagine the sun shining in the direction you face at all times. Something like this… I haven’t seen it anywhere but Nym”.

Looking back at her partner surprised, the teenager wanted to inquire more but her hand was clasped by Momo as the Lalafell began to tug on her. “We have to go! The tiny ladies walking away Circa!” Looking back to Kikuchi, the cat folk scowled as she saw their guide already past the port of the doc they were at and making her way up the long stair pathway that led to the center of the city.

Looking up as she stared at the imposing castle that stood out like a sore thumb, the older teen sighed before taking her first steps into Houma. This was going to be an experience. For better… or for worse. She just hoped it wasn’t the latter…

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“Here in Houma, as you’ve seen, certain things that would be considered illegal, or morally grey depending on your standpoint are all perfectly normal. You might even call them mundane. This city is a resort of sorts. The wealthy come from all across Doma and even many other countries just to experience this one-of-a-kind existence. And so long as they can pay to be here, Lady Faye offers them all the luxuries the world has to offer.”

Walking behind their guide as the geisha explained more about the underwater city, Circa could only listen as did Momo and their fairies. This seemed like a fairy tale to her. An X-rated one but a tale nonetheless. When she mentioned things being illegal in most countries, she wasn’t lying…

Past the docks, they had entered the inner city as Kikuchi put it. And things quickly took a weirder turn than the cat folk had been anticipating. People walked around naked in some streets. Others were walked on all fours like dogs on leashes by normal-sized people. She saw some young girls in a park playing with some women like dolls. Brushing their hair, dressing them up. They were like toys to them…

She saw other things that concerned her too. Hanging in cages in shop windows were people. They danced, flexed, made come hither looks, and tried to persuade the people around them to buy them. It was hard to figure out their intentions just from a glance but… the one recurring theme between all these things… is the tiny people who appeared much smaller than the ones down at the docks had been, were all very happy. Was this… normal? She didn’t see normal people this happy in regular cities but these ones were being used like commodities without a care in the world! Tuning back to Kikuchi who hadn’t paused her speech, Circa listened intently hoping to determine more from her analysis of this place.

“As you’ve seen by some of the local dealers around us, buying people is all perfectly legal too. So long as you pay and intend to remain here, then the purchases are all finalized and you can have your new property given to you right then and there. Mostly this is done as recreational play if you will. As I’ve said, most things people would consider illegal, let alone taboo~ are all perfectly normal here. If you have a desire, it can be made into a reality no matter what it is. If you want to test your fate and become rich, gambling is encouraged and we’ve had peasants become nobles of this city because of it. If you want something more gratifying right away though, there are dens for those kinds of things. Any recreational drug you can think of can be found here. No matter what you come here seeking, Lady Faye has formed a place for you. This is the beauty of Houma. And it's why so many people are happy to be here too~”

Taking this in with a bit of doubt, Circa spoke up finally. “How about concubines?” Smirking, Kikuchi chuckled dryly. “Darling, there’s more in this city than anywhere else in Doma~” Nodding having already glimpsed some, the Miqo’te’s eyes narrowed. “And child ones?” Not breaking her stride at all, the Au Ru continued to smile with a look of indifference on her features.

“If that’s what’s desired, then yes. Though most people are happy to settle for Lalafell since they fulfill certain roles the youth can provide.” Scowling, Circa counted off in her head. “How about Necrophilia?” “Though discouraged, accidents happen. And contracts are made to help provide for a certain niche clientele.” “Alright, what about sadism and torture?” “Masochists here love it~!” “Could you kill someone for fun if you paid enough?”

Pausing her step, the Au Ru’s eyes narrowed slightly before she kept walking. Circa knew she had picked up on what she was doing. “As I’ve said… anything can be found here in our city. This place is a resort after all. One unlike any in the world. However…” Kikuchi trailed off before turning around fully now.

“There are laws in our glorious city. While killing someone can be arranged, for… an exorbitant amount of money along with the willing participation of said victim… If someone were to try and force it on another, the guardians would see to their quick and immediate expulsion as a guest.”

Snapping her fingers once, four people jumped down from the various rooftops all of a sudden starting both Circa and Momo, their hands raising in reflex for an attack. But one didn’t come in the end. Looking at the different people around them, the Miqo’te’s eyes took them in.

They were all female, each dressed in reflexive gear or cloth for quick movement. They were all normal sizes too, unlike Kikuchi. Their faces were somewhat indifferent, while a couple were even bored to be here. They didn’t look phased by what could have potentially been an incident. Were they that calm normally? Or more worrying… did they not see any threat at all from either her or Momo?

Looking to each of the teens, in turn, Kikuchi snapped her fingers once more, before all four guardians relaxed nonchalantly before moving back to the walls and scaling them. Looking now and seeing them vanish more or less, Circa understood the veiled threat as it were. This place was a den of snakes and debauchery. But there were lines you couldn’t cross, no matter who you were. It made her feel somewhat better that this wasn’t some disgusting cesspool of people who could get away with murder if they were bored on a whim.

Turning back around, the Au Ru began to walk again as she spoke once more. “Lady Faye’s word is the law. And rule of law is that you must always pay your way here no matter WHO you are. If you do something that inconveniences her, your pay goes up. If you can’t pay… well, that’s something you don’t want to happen.”

Glancing down at Momo, the Lalafell looked back with a serious expression not normally worn on her. It was good to know that even she understood the position they were in. Offending whoever this Lady Lord was, wouldn’t end well for them. While confident in their ability… she didn’t think that either of them would be able to make it out of here alive if the person in charge here took offense to them for some reason. It left her feeling on edge again like before…

Rolling a small crystal she had been palming in her pocket since she got here, the cat girl felt it resonating. It was a teleportation crystal. One set back in Limsa. It was a last resort of sorts she and Momo could use if something in Doma was ever too much for them to handle. Or it could be used as a quick trip home to visit the Arcanist Guild once they had done enough for the country. Hopefully, it would be the latter…

As the group of women and fairies reached the final landing of the castle, both Scholars craned their necks painfully trying to see the top. It looked like… it went on forever. ‘Such a monumental building here of all places. This lady was terrifying. To have something like this here meant she had to have substantial power or leverage to make it happen.

Houma was an isolated nation more or less. And it meant her power was law. Taking a deep breath, Circa tried to step forward before feeling her hand grabbed. Looking down at Momo, the cat folk’s eyes softened as she saw the concern on her normally carefree face. “Let’s go.”

Tugging her along as their fairies flew around them in a defensive way they normally did when things got bad, the group of five entered the open gates of the castle as guardians flanked them on each side of the structure.

Entering the halls, Circa’s eyes shot around in a sporadic fashion memorizing the layout. It wasn’t something she even thought about anymore. It had been Naoh’a who taught her to do it when they were kids. If you knew how to get out when things went down, then you’d never get lost…

Continuing down a winding path with different guardians pacing about in a relaxed fashion, Circa noted something interesting. The ones who were ostensibly guarding this castle weren’t even pretending to be alert or on duty. Maybe one or two of them weren’t active right now… but everyone so far? Why was that?

Coming to a large chamber door, Kikuchi paused before looking back at her guests. “A bit of advice for you all. This is Lady Faye’s private chamber. All audiences are held here, and when done so… certain rites must be performed. To begin with… Do not speak to our Oiran unless spoken to. Do not contradict her or insult her. Do not attempt anything towards her. And most importantly…” The Au Ru paused before glancing at the guardians near them.

“Do not offer anything to her for FREE, without expecting something to be given in return. This is the law of Houma…” The smaller woman whispered seriously, before putting on her calm expression once more. Clenching her friend’s hand once to reassure her, Circa let it go before she and Momo stood at attention as the doors began to open for Kikuchi.

As the two massive gates swung open both teens took in the sight with skeptical looks on their faces. There was only one thing in the entire room. It was a throne. Stone pillars were placed ceremoniously around it, but nothing else. No guardians were present in the place that should have had the most. There was only a man on his hands and knees in front of the throne… and a woman sitting on it.

She was tall. Much taller than either Circa or anyone she had seen since coming to this city. Her features were pale, but her clothes covered most of that up as she wore a decorative and extravagant yukata kimono with rich red and black designs. Like the geisha who had been escorting them around today, the woman smoked from a kiseru pipe as well. Hers looked to be made of some kind of black metal sculpted finely into a curve, unlike anything she had seen in Doma.

Coming down to her other features and attire, it got even weirder. She wore a pair of wooden sandal shoes, but they appeared to be raised and in the shape of pagoda buildings Circa had seen here scattered around Doma. And as for her most striking trait… she had a large pair of dark rabbit-like ears atop her head. They moved ever so slightly as she spoke too revealing that they weren’t for decoration. They were one hundred percent, real…

‘What race is she…?’ Both the Miqo’te and Lalafell had never encountered one of her kind before. Momo would never shut up if she had seen one before they met. And the look on her face told the teen as much as she stared awestruck and amazed. Thankfully, Bell’Anna was pressed into her cheek with a dainty hand covering her mouth to keep her forcefully silent so they didn’t break one of the cardinal rules of this woman’s palace…

Walking up behind the man in front of the massive woman, Circa watched as he hung his head screaming up at her. It was hard to make out from his size considering he was about as small as all the citizens had been down by the docks. But, as they approached closer, she began to pick up on the conversation subtly. As for the woman, her focus was solely on him. She hadn’t even acknowledged their presence with so much as a glance as she savored small puffs from her pipe with an amused look on her face.

“PLEASE, YOU MUST GIVE ME MORE TIME! I’M BEGGING YOU! I NEVER KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN WHEN I CAME HERE! NO ONE TOLD ME! PLEASE, DON’T HURT ME ANYMORE!” The tiny man screamed as he continued to hang his head and bow to her respectfully.

Holding in a puff of smoke, the larger woman raised a single eyebrow before pursing her lips sideways and exhaling so the smoke didn’t hide her field of vision from the tiny man. “You didn’t… know… what would happen… Hmm, I find that hard to believe. After all, if you gamble and spend every scent you own… you must know that you have nothing left to give and you need to stop gambling. Yet… you continued until you wracked up a debt you could never hope to pay… Please do go on and tell me how you *never knew what would happen*.” She laughed derisively before sipping from her pipe once more.

Gritting his teeth as tears came to his eyes, the tiny man looked up before shaking his head furiously. “I DIDN’T KNOW THAT I’D BECOME A PRISONER HERE! PLEASE LET ME GO! I WON’T TELL ANYBODY ABOUT THIS CITY! JUST PLEASE… I… I CAN’T PAY ANYMORE… I’M BROKE… P-Please… don’t kill me…” He sobbed.

As the pipe moved back towards her lips again, the woman suddenly paused before lowering her Kiseru down with a look on her face belying confusion for the first time instead of amusement. “Kill you? What in the vast seas would have given you the thought that either myself or any of my guardians would want you dead?”

Looking up with a puffy face as he sniveled, the tiny man shook his head now also confused. Setting the pipe down on her armrest, the massive woman leaned forward before rising to her full height. It was staggering… Even without her ears erect, she was easily seven feet tall.

"What would killing you accomplish? A moment of gratification? If I were to do that… then I would be out a loss of what I’m owed. If you were to die… then who will pay me back what is mine?” Whimpering as the giantess began to walk over to him, the massive woman stared down as her shoes slammed near his trembling body. Narrowing her gaze, the lagomorphic woman smiled sweetly before crossing her arms. The look she was giving him now, was that of a parent to a child…

“No, the loving embrace of death will not be your out, *little* gambler. You'll continue to serve me with everything you're capable of. If you cannot pay me the money that you owe, then you will labor until every gil you borrowed has been returned to me. If your hands break from the strain of carrying your poor decisions, then you will pull the carts with your teeth. If your knees shatter from crawling in the dirt after groveling before me all day, then you'll become a rug for another to walk on. I don't care what you do… None of that’s my problem. But… you will pay me what I'm owed. Now, what will it be? Do you desire to become merchandise in a toy store? You’re not so broken that a child wouldn’t want you as a plaything. Perhaps you’d prefer a cake topper for a wedding instead? It’s more formal like you were once used to. In the end, no matter what you want to choose, it doesn’t concern me. The only thing I’m concerned about… is getting my cut.”

Her last words were spoken harshly as she leaned down in front of the cowering man. There was no more amusement in her expression. It was cold. It was violent. It looked almost like she wanted to step on him like one would do to a bug daring to be inside of their home…

Leaning back up as her demeanor changed back to its prior jovial one, the bunny woman snapped her fingers before a figure jumped down from the rafters. Blinking in surprise, Circa looked up now as she noticed the crossed wooden beams above them. It did seem like someone could hide up there if they wanted to. She should have studied it like she normally did… but… this woman’s presence, had DEMANDED her focus… She was still shivering…

“My Lady?” The feminine figure spoke as she bowed her head to the larger woman. Pointing to the tiny man now sobbing hysterically on the floor, the normal-sized Oiran spoke as the diminutive form of whoever was in front of her awaited her order. She had to only come up to the regal woman’s upper calves…

“Take this man-thing away… He cannot pay so you may do with him what you will. If you choose to take his finances into your own, so be it. Otherwise, drop him into a debt collectors’ shop. He’s no good to me as a citizen if he can’t work like one.”

Bowing her head, the guardian stepped over to the still blubbering man before reaching down to collect him. Plucking the screaming man off the floor before standing back up, the small woman quickly began to walk in the direction of Circa and her group.

Watching in disbelief as she suddenly started to grow in size, the now closer woman with the appearance of an Elezen strode by not paying them any attention as she exited the throne room. ‘She changed sizes? But how?’ There had been no cast of magic she could see. And it didn’t look like Lala’Nee picked it up either as she looked beyond her in just as much shock. What… had happened…?

Sitting back on her throne before sighing softly, the rabbit-like woman inhaled deeply from her pipe, before exhaling sideways once more. However, unlike before… her eyes were now locked onto the group in front of her. Shifting to Circa first, then to Momo, then the fairies, and finally settling on Kikuchi, the taller woman smiled warmly before waving her kiseru in an ushering manner.

Stepping up to her Oiran, the Au Ru gave a side glance to Circa before her eyes darted back to her mistress. Getting the hint, the Miqo’te began to walk forward too… before a sense of vertigo overtook her. Scrunching her eyes as it passed in seconds, the teenager looked up… before she froze in place.

Growing wide-eyed and fearful as did Momo and their partner fairies who had been behind her, Circa shivered as she looked down at herself. Nothing had changed… physically. But it was clear that the scene before her had shifted. Just like it had been when she saw that guard leave the other woman and grow in size… she now had shrunken to about her size…

‘W-What the hell is this magic?!’ She hadn’t sensed a cast. She hadn’t heard the tall tell signs of a spell being launched at her. It just happened when she started to walk forward! Looking at Kikuchi fearfully, the Au Ru paid her no mind as she continued to walk forward, her body dwindling ever so slightly the closer she got to the woman atop her throne.

“Circa! Are you- “Momo barely got out before she shot down in size as she walked towards the Miqo’te. Seeing it happen in front of her now, the cat folk suddenly got it. Looking up at her fairy who hadn’t changed and then back down at Momori, the teenager looked back to the seated woman as she continued to observe her. Her smile was starting to widen.

Putting on a stern look to not show fear, the teenager began to walk forward again as she ignored to cries from her fairy and friends. But, as they followed, they slowly grew quiet now seeing what the cat girl had picked up on before them.

Reaching the side of the Au Ru as they shrank down further and further, all five stopped before the now gigantic woman craning their necks to see her fully. She sat with one leg crossed over her other exposing her pale cream-colored flesh to them. But that wasn’t the only thing Circa noticed now.

Her decorative shoes… were NOT for decoration. Those weren’t carved wooden pagodas. They were real buildings! She was wearing buildings on her feet like sandals! Her throne as well matched that. The armrests were carved buildings. The base too appeared to be made into one as well. She was sitting on a castle, in a castle…

She had no way of verifying if there would be people in either the throne building or her shoes, but the cat folk got the impression that this woman would simply as a power move. She exuded confidence. It was enough to leave Circa all but petrified in her presence. This… had never happened before. Monsters… marauders… scaling heights you could easily die from. Even traveling under the sea as far as they did… Nothing compared to the panic she felt by being under the gaze of this colossal woman… And then, she spoke…

Taking in another deep puff from her pipe, the lagomorphic woman exhaled before sighing cheerily. “Ahh~ Kikuchi. It’s been a while since you came to see me. If It were one of my other geisha, I might have assumed the worst. But… here you are. And with a company in tow. Prey tell… who might these four be?”

Her voice was rich with curiosity. Her interest was piqued. And the face of the Au Ru was elated to hear this. Prostrating herself for a moment before addressing the regal giantess, the velvet-haired woman smiled eagerly before raising a hand and addressing each of them in a revealing manner.

“My lady, allow me to introduce you to a group I believe will suit your needs in one manner or another. This is Circa. A Scholar from Limsa Lominsa. And her partner here, is Lala’Nee, her fae familiar. Next to her, is Momori Mori. Also, a Scholar from Limsa Lominsa. Her partner in tow is Bell’Anna, her fae familiar. These four have come to Doma seeking work. I have judged their talents worthy from what I’ve seen. I do hope this pleases you”. Kikuchi muttered reverently before bowing her head down and keeping it there once she was finished speaking.

Looking back to the Au Ru surprised by how she was speaking more formally than she had been when they had first met, Circa gulped before looking back to the long-eared woman as she studied them closely. It felt… intense. The pressure of her gaze held weight. Literally…

Falling to her knee’s a few seconds after both their fairies and Momo had all four of them were shocked now as they felt the air around them grow suddenly heavy and hard to stand in. What… was this?! Why was she so, imposing?! This couldn’t be magic, could it? She never uttered even a single incantation or used a catalyst…

Keeping her piercing gaze on them all for about a minute straight, the woman’s head eventually shifted as she sipped from her kisaru again, fresh smoke wisping from between her parted lips as she blew it away from the direction all five of them were in.

“Ara~ Ara~, two Scholars? Those are advanced caster classes. And if I’m not mistaken, they both focus on healing and offensive magic. Impressive. We don’t have many Scholars here in Doma. I can't even name one. The art is lost to us, and only voyagers from overseas bear this talent. I’ve heard stories of it involving studies into lost civilizations. Mmm~ this is making me giddy~”

Looking up to the Oiran as her voice spoke favorably towards them, Kikuchi smiled happily as she saw the delighted face of her mistress. Moving her pipe down before giving it a solitary tap on her throne’s arm, the reality seemed to shift for all present but her.

Falling sideways as did her friends, Circa grunted in surprise… as she sat up normal-sized. No, not quite. Looking back to the imposing woman, she was still pretty big. However, some of the Miqo’te’s size had been returned to her. She had to guess… that she was about a foot taller than what a Lalafell normally stood at. Though compared to the massive city leader… she was nothing but a child to her…

Standing up (making her seem even larger than she already was), the bunny-eared woman gave her wooden sandal a single tap, before the doors to her right side swung open on their own. “Let’s walk together~” she announced, before strutting forward leaving them all behind.

Gathering her bearings slowly from the intense first meeting, Circa was quickly pulled to her feet by Kikuchi who did the same with Momo next. “Do keep up with Lady Faye. She walks fast…” The Au Ru smiled weakly before standing up attentively and remaining still. She, wasn’t moving?

“Y-You’re not coming with us…?” Shaking her head, the older geisha smiled weakly now with what seemed like a hint of sadness. “No, the mistress’ words weren’t meant for me. Please… be on your best behavior… it reflects on me…” There was a hint of worry in her tone…

Frowning, the teenager could only nod as she pulled her fairy up and set her on her shoulder. The effect of whatever they had been under was worse for the airborne fae it seemed. Both Lala’Nee and Bell’Anna were still wobbling and couldn’t fly right.

Seeing that the much larger woman currently strutting away wasn’t stopping to let them collect themselves, the cat folk quickly scooped up Bell'Anna in her arms and grabbed the Momo's hand to drag her along with her. She didn’t know how this meeting was going but if they didn’t keep up with the leader of the city they were in it would only end poorly. That she knew for sure.

Adding a hint of air to her steps, Circa quickly stood by the massive woman’s side as the doors they had just walked through began to close behind them. Would they have been locked out if they didn’t keep pace?! This had to be a test of some kind. But, none of them could guess to what end…

Shifting her gaze to the shut doors, the larger woman raised a single hand before two figures ran towards her from the end of the hallway. No, they were sprinting! Clearly out of breath as they made it there in record time, both looked to the Oiran wordlessly as she gave them a cheery smile.

“Tell the guardians in these halls to take the day off~ I’d like to be alone.” Looking at their leader shocked, both people, a guy and a woman of Hyur build wordlessly nodded before jogging back in the direction they had been in prior.

Furrowing her brow, Circa looked up at the larger woman somewhat confused. “You… sent away your guards? Why?” What kind of a ruler let themselves go out without protection? Though it seemed her words weren’t met with a direct answer as Faye’s smile widened in amusement.

“You~ are adorable!” Blushing red as her tail shot up, Circa’s ears folded back in embarrassment as she saw the amused expression on the older woman’s face. It was like she was a kid being talked down too…

Crossing her arms as she walked, the rabbit-eared woman chuckled to herself as she drank in the flustered expression on the cat girl's features. “Circa, dear~ Do you believe I need guards? If I hadn’t held back in my chambers… you and your companions might have become a red stain on the marble floor. And that would have been a waste for many reasons. Blood tends to sink into every crack in stones. It’s impossible to wash it all away…” Faye muttered more to herself as she grew peeved.

Paling as did the other three next to her, both Circa and Momo looked at one another with the latter almost green with what seemed like disgust. Blood wasn’t what bothered them. It was the way she had said it. They all knew without a shadow of a doubt… that if the larger woman had done what she said… they probably would have died. That presence before was… intense…

Waving her hand in a dismissive gesture, the larger woman continued. “To put it simply, I don’t require guards. For someone, even an assassin, to target me in my city. It would amount to little more than suicide. And there are far simpler ways to accomplish that.” Faye chuckled before looking back to her guest's somber faces.

She looked confident that her words were all true. It was hard to say if she was THAT powerful or not… but there was no evidence yet pointing to that fact she wasn’t. Both teenagers and even their fairies were aware that this woman was beyond their level of skill. That much was glaringly obvious. But to what extent, it was impossible to say.

“Although, the primary reason I sent away my underlings wasn’t to flaunt my superiority. I’m not a vain woman by nature~ What I wanted, was to speak with you four alone. These walls have ears. And the ceiling eyes. Nothing inside of Houma can be concealed from those who want to know about it. There is always a price for knowledge. And if someone wants this conversation bad enough, they will get it. But, why not make them work for it~” Faye grinned.

It was a little hard to interpret… but it sounded like she had found a way to monetize secrecy… Sweating a bit, Circa looked away unsure of what to say to that. But, the larger woman wasn’t finished it seemed as she picked up the conversation once more, seemingly as enthusiastic as their prior topic had been given its darker undertones.

“So you’re both Scholars! This is truly a fascinating day~ I’ve encountered many classes of people over the years. But foreigners are always the most interesting to me! You use abilities others have never even heard of! These aces are what allow you to achieve what normal people simply can’t! Oh, what wonderous possibilities~” Faye went on with an eager look on her face.

“Kiku, you wonderful girl~ Fufufu~ I’ll have to reward her for this when all is said and done. But, enough about all that. Tell me, what brought both of you, girls in the peak of adolescence to such a place as this? Doma is an isolated country. And dare I say it, my city is even harder to gain entrance to. How did you find yourselves here?”

Keeping up with the larger woman with some difficulty, Circa weighed her words carefully. Being too forthcoming seemed like a bad idea to this person. Also, not saying enough might be viewed as poor manners. There had to be a careful line she needed to-

“We’re adventurers! We came to Doma because it looked fun!”

Blinking, Circa looked down as she saw the absentminded expression on Momo’s face. “Bell’Anna!” The Miqo’te snapped before the blonde fairy nodded weakly, her hands already moving to cover the confused Lalafell’s mouth as they had practiced.

Observing the interaction with genuine amusement, the Viera had to stifle a laugh as she saw the interesting way the two girls acted with their fairies. ‘Oh, I will make you both mine~’ Even if not for what she wanted, they had entertained her. That was rare enough. But the potential they displayed was indeed enough to stroke her desires.

“So, you two came to Doma seeking work? Then work is what you’ll find. Here in Houma, I think you’ll find no lack of vocation. Though there are rules you must abide by in my city. I assume you understand them already?”

Getting ready to answer, Circa’s tongue caught in her mouth as she locked eyes with the larger woman. ‘W-Wait…’ Why was she looking at her like that…? They were still moving, but the lagomorphic woman was intently focusing on her as she spoke. Not the group as a whole…

Thinking quickly as she wracked her head, the cat folk thought for a proper answer… before comprehension dawned on her. ‘There’s always, a price for knowledge…’ She had practically spoon-fed them what they needed to know! Shutting her mouth quickly, Circa shifted her eyes away before inhaling deeply. She prayed this was the right response to the leader of what was essentially an entire city…

“Rules? Every place has rules. Will you, discuss them freely with us?” Asking for something invited another to charge you later. Swindlers in Limsa Lominsa did this to unsuspecting travelers all the time. But, instead of offering a piece of fruit or a blanket on a cold night… she was trying to bait them into owing her with knowledge…

Pausing in her walk, the larger woman eyed Circa carefully, before her intense glare lessened, and an amused smile was on her face once more. “Correct.” Walking once more as she startled them all by her response, the cat folk paled now. SHE WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG! Their test hadn’t been back in the throne room. It was still going on!

 “I will grant this information freely as a courtesy. No recourse will come of it~ Houma has strict rules all must follow. Refusing to do so will result in fines placed upon your person. When you fail to pay the fines, you’ll accrue more fines. And if you go into debt because of it, then you sacrifice your rights to be a citizen within the walls of my city.” Faye announced before looking down at the four of them to gauge their reactions.

Nodding slowly but saying nothing out of fear of interrupting her, Circa listened wearily making sure not to miss even a single syllable of their chat. Anything might be a hint or clue to them about something else down the line. She wasn’t the best with mind games. It just wasn’t in her nature. But she was always good at figuring things out like this much to Erenia’s delight when they chatted in the past.

Seeing the indifferent look on her face, the Viera smirked as she went into full detail about what she meant. “A fine is a monetary amount you must pay back to the city for your transgression. These fines can be paid by anyone if they choose to take your debt. However, if someone goes into debt, only they can pay it off. Others can take the debt, but it still falls on the person in it to pay it back. You following along so far?”

Nodding, Circa was thoughtful now. That sounded simple. But, judging by what she had seen and already knew, it wasn’t this black and white. And the older woman’s words next convinced her she was correct.

“All citizens in Houma are marked upon choosing to stay here. Your status in society is decided by your designated role. As long as you have no debt and pay your taxes to Houma, you may remain here. And if you desire to leave, you may. However, if you owe the city and can’t pay it…” Faye trailed off before coming to a stop abruptly.

Looking up towards her, Circa paled as she saw the dark look the taller woman wore now. “You’ll become the property of Houma until a time comes your debt is paid…” It was cold. There was no hint of empathy in her tone, and it showed in her expression. She looked, absolutely repulsed by what she had just said.

“This city exists because of Gil. Every coin printed in Doma comes through Houma. And every coin that leaves has been spent to better my city. Those who cannot pay, don’t deserve to be called people…” She whispered… before her tone shifted back to its calmer exterior.

“Are you following along so far, Circa? Momo?” Gulping, the cat folk nodded as Momori quivered beside her, clutching her arm in evident fear. Their fairies weren’t doing much better as they trembled on the Miqo’te’s shoulder from the older woman’s harsh words. This was a dangerous place…

Seeing that her words had the effect she wanted them, the larger woman smiled mirthfully. “Houma is the city of lucre. Those who pay can have their way. Those that leech, will be handled as all parasites should be. That said, there is certainly a place for both of you here. Come along~”

Picking up their pace as the Viera quickened, the small group soon came to a balcony as Faye stood over it examining the view. Taking it in as well, the cat folk had to admit… it was a nice one. After all the stairs they had to scale to make it to this castle, the surrounding city looked so small. And the people even smaller…

“Did you know, I built this city myself?” Blinking, Circa looked up now as she saw… an odd expression on the bunny-eared woman. It could almost be called, nostalgic in a way. Standing with an elbow resting on the wooden balcony railing, her demeanor was… not what you would call royal. But she seemed happy…

Taking in the ocean lights as blue swirled around the walls of water separating the city from the crushing depths, the larger woman sighed before looking back to her guests to take in their faces. “The organization I’m a part of, we’re the ones who run operations within the borders of Doma. I can only imagine that there’s something similar in your own country. Whether you know it or not”.

Growing wide-eyed now, the teenager didn’t know what to say. This was, unexpected. She just thought that the Viera was some kind of ruling lord here. That was pretty common in this country after all.

Smirking as she noticed their reactions, Faye continued. “Back when I was younger, I tried to climb the ladder. I didn’t have much to me but talent. But that can only get you so far. That is until I was sentenced to death...”

Gawking now, the four girls beside her said nothing all clearly surprised by such a story after meeting her. Smirking as she thought back on her previous struggles, the Oiran sighed before shaking her head.

“Well, death might not be the right word per se. I was given a position in… our little family… that essentially rendered me useless. It was a dead end. One I wouldn’t be able to climb anymore. It was an attempt on my life, in the sense, that I wouldn’t have anywhere else to go but under someone else’s thumb…” Faye whispered before pulling her kiseru back out.

Tapping it to let out the old ash, the pipe was back between her lips as she took a long drag from it to relax once more. Letting silence hang for a moment to collect herself, the older woman grinned quietly before blowing out a plume of smoke from between her parted lips.

“I was tasked, with making a town. A believable one. A place where money could be passed without anybody suspecting what it would truly be used for. I knew a death sentence when I saw one. So, I called in all the favors I had garnered until then. And began building Houma…”

Looking back out over the city, neither teenager said anything. It seemed unreal to imagine any one person building… this. This place was mind-boggling! But, the happy expression on the taller woman said enough for them to know that this was the truth, plain and simple.

Exhaling once more, the Viera stowed her pipe back up her sleeve before chuckling. “I fought… I struggled… I cried and screamed… And I made the richest city in all of the continent, which has become irreplaceable to our… family. In essence… I cemented myself, as one of the leaders of our group. And this is the person you see before you now~”

Staring back down at the two teens and fairies, Faye crossed her arms as a smile danced over her features. “So tell me, do you know why I revealed this to you? I promise you, that I don’t partake in story-time for just anyone~” She was right. This formality between them shouldn’t be a thing… so, why was she acting so friendly?

Thinking about an answer as the larger woman smirked back, Circa fished for an answer. One that didn’t insult either of their intelligence. “You wanted us… to understand how important Houma is… That it’s not a lawless underbelly that enslaves people. Is, that it?”

Frowning momentarily, the cat folk knew she messed up her answer. Or at least gave one the imposing woman didn’t like. “That would be, one of the reasons. But to sum the rest up. You were brought here to be judged by me. And I judge you both, worthy. At least in a preliminary role. As to how far you’ll go… well, that is up to you. Consider this interview, concluded. Welcome to Houma, Circa. Momo. And to you two as well” Faye announced as she smiled at the two somber fairies watching her in petrification.

Blinking in surprise now, both Scholars looked toward one another in disbelief. That… was it? They had a chat and were offered jobs. That seemed… too easy. And the cat folk knew there was more to it than that. Gulping, the Miqo’te inhaled sharply as she chose her words carefully.

“You, want us to work for you. Is that correct?” Seeing the odd look, they were being granted, the Viera quirked an eyebrow before smirking. “Isn’t that much obvious?” Nodding, the smaller teen bit her bottom lip before looking back over the city. “Then… then may I ask what it is you want from us? Kikuchi didn’t explain what roles you wanted us to perform…”

Eying the shorter girls as she slipped her pipe back out, Faye was silent for a short time as she stalled to empty her pipe, relight it, and take a deliberately long inhale from it before exhaling. “In short, you’ll do as your told~ But as for your roles. I think that has yet to be decided. You may be Scholars and adventurers from a foreign land. But you’re both so young. I wish, to see what you do under my employ before I decide on your role here in Houma. And to that end, if you’ll become citizens or not.”

Standing in silence as she was addressed coolly, Circa sighed knowing this might not end well with what she had to say next. “If… if there isn’t, an offer of employment, and you just want to watch us… then I think our business is concluded.”

Pausing as her pipe hung in front of her lips, the larger woman gazed back at the smaller teen before humming. “So… let me get this straight… I offer to observe you and potentially allow you to work for me. And you’re rejecting my offer?” Her tone was icy…

Clenching Momo’s hand tightly as she felt the Lalafell’s grip grow tense, Circa refused to look away. It was hard to match the glare being sent their way… but, she couldn’t show weakness. Especially not to someone like this…

“As kind as that offer may be… We’ve come to Doma to help people. And if we can’t accomplish our own goals while we’re here… then we have no place in Houma…” Her words felt heavy… but, they needed to be said. Being held captive here as indentured servants wouldn’t end well for either of them. And they needed to get out of whatever arrangement this was before it was made if they wanted to not become slaves like the *citizens* here.

Silence… Absolute, silence. Neither party moved as both Faye and Circa watched one another. But surprising the cat folk as she twitched from fear, the Viera took another puff from her pipe, before exhaling slowly. “If the arrangement isn’t to your liking, then you’re free to leave. I’ll have Kikuchi make arrangements at once”.

Blinking simultaneously, both Circa and Momo were speechless. That was it? All that talk, just to let them walk away when she didn’t get what she wanted? It was that easy? But the cat folk didn’t want to question it. “Thank you… L-Lady Faye! I appreciate your understanding in this matter.”

Turning her back to the pair as a small smile graced her lips, the Viera inhaled calmly before looking back out over her city. “Just so we’re clear, Circa… Even if you haven’t formally accepted my offer… you’re free to come and see me at any time if you reconsider. In the meantime… please feel free to enjoy my city. Houma’s prosperity is at your fingertips. So long as you pay your way~”

Nodding quickly, Circa tightened her hand on Momori before bowing once more, though not as deeply as Kikuchi had so their fairies didn’t tumble off her shoulders. “I understand. W-Well… we'll be going now. If, that’s alright…?” Hearing no response from the taller woman as she continued to stare off into the distance, the teenager quickly began to back away. But she never removed her eyes from the Oiran’s back until they were out of sight.

Turning fully as her heart beat in rapid succession, Circa panted slowly as the pressure from their conversation began to die off. ‘Jeez… I thought… she would kill me right there…’ Her free hand felt wet. She wouldn’t be surprised if that was blood on her palm and not sweat from how hard she had been gripping her Aether crystal in case they needed to teleport away to safety…

“C-Circa… Are we really leaving? We’ve only just got here…” Lala’Nee whispered. The pale look on her partner’s face though said it all. “Yes… The longer we stay here, the greater the chance we’ll be put into debt. You heard her speech. If you can’t pay, then you’ll become the property of Houma. I doubt that we’re being let off this easy because that woman’s in a good mood. If we slip up even once, she’ll swoop in and claim us… That has to be why she’s letting us go.”

What the cat folk declined to mention in her assessment, however, was that even if this wasn’t the case… the Oiran probably had other backup plans to make them into her subjects. She just couldn’t think of them right now. But that didn’t mean they didn’t exist. They needed to leave this city before they were enslaved to it permanently…

Coming back into the throne room as she tried to make a b-line to the door with Momo in hand, Kikuchi soon stepped forward. “So, how did everything go? Were you able-“ Getting cut off as a loud thump echoed through the room, the small group of women looked back as they saw Faye stepping forward as she made her way back to the intricate throne she had sat on before? “Kikuchi... Please see to it that these four depart from Houma as soon as it's convenient.”

Growing wide-eyed, the Au Ru looked to Circa in shock, but the Miqo’te said nothing in return. “I… I see… W-Well, I’ll just…” Trailing off, the Violette paused before looking to her mistress with surprise before her demeanor returned to the normally calm one it had been since the pair of Scholars had met her.

“Understood. Please accompany me back to the city. I’ll begin preparations for our departure at once.” Bowing to the larger woman, Kikuchi turned to Circa before waving them towards the pillar doors. “Please accompany me out of here. Lady Faye is ever busy and must get back to work now that her audience with you has adjourned.”

Frowning, the cat folk nodded as she continued to hold Momo’s hand. It seemed even at a time like this, the Lalafell didn’t know what to say on this matter either. Helping Bell’Anna off her shoulder and into her own partner’s arms, the group soon left the throne room and the mistress of Houma behind as the doors to the gigantic room separated them from one another…

Now alone, Faye’s eyes brimmed with amusement as she lifted her hand into the air. Immediately a figure dropped down similar to the one who had done so earlier. Looking at their leader, the Viera wore a coy smile as she propped her hand beneath her chin. “Call off all guardians in the trade and comfort districts. This group will sink or swim…”

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“3 DAYS?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT WILL TAKE US 3 DAYS TO GET BACK TO THE SURFACE?!”

Screaming at Kikuchi as the Au Ru wore a pained look on her face, Circa seethed with anger as she saw the scaled woman inching back from them. Given her tinier than normal stature, she was still about the average height for a Lalafell. Which meant the cat folk was easily twice hers much like Faye had been to all of them.

“P-Please understand, Circa. The trip down here took less than a day, but preparations are needed for the undersea voyage. Maintenance must be done to ensure nothing breaks. If we had a catastrophic failure at levels this deep below the sea, then the pressure would silence you before the water even had a chance to fill your lungs. Safety is Houma’s main concern for all visitors…”

Clenching her fists, the cat girl looked to Lala’Nee for verification that she was telling the truth, but… a puzzled look was on the smaller fae’s face. “Well… she’s not, lying… but… it’s hard to read her. The aura in this city is saturating her. Whatever magic is in this place is mixing with her.”

Cursing beneath her breath, the blonde clenched her teeth in frustration. Her fairy could read others easily. And magic didn’t just get in the way of things unless it was meant to. Meaning, that Faye was already taking moves to keep them in her city. That crystal in her pocket was looking better and better right now.

Wanting to just activate it and teleport away from Houma with Momo, the cat girl took in a deep breath to calm herself. Being hasty wouldn’t work. She needed, to relax. And think. Looking back to Kikuchi as she continued to look away disheartened, Circa sighed before staring at Momo who wore a worried look as Bell’Anna patted her head calmingly.

“Fine. 3 days. No more, no less. Where can we buy a room to stay in for these days?” If they were stuck here, for the time being, they wouldn’t wander. No use trying to accrue debt while they were here. They would book a room and stay in it. Tell no one. And wait for the time to pass safely so no fines could be given.

Pointing past the harbor docks towards where the front of the trade district was located, Kikuchi smiled weakly in return. “Guests who arrive here have to go there. This whole layer is dedicated to people who don’t intend to stay for prolonged periods of time. Please pay close attention to the signs. Each district is easily recognizable. If you leave the trade district, then you’ll enter the gambling district next. Followed by the vice district, and then the pleasure district. The remaining district is the Citizens and is off limits to guests I’m afraid. If you need any assistance while you’re staying here, just find a guardian on patrol and mention my name to them. They’ll summon me with due haste.” The Au Ru finished before bowing to the four.

Nodding indifferently, Circa began to walk away before Kikuchi’s voice spoke up once more. “One more thing…” Looking back towards the violet-haired woman, the cat folk nodded as she began to speak. “Houma is the city of lucre. Money talks here. And so do people. If you need something, that is how you acquire it. And if you need something done, that is also how you acquire it. Nothing is free…”

Waiting for her to continue before realizing she was finished, the Miqo’te scowled before taking Momo’s arm and pulling her along. As she watched them leave, Kikuchi pursed her lips before glancing back toward the castle they had come from.

‘Please do your best Circa. Momo. I hope you’ll pass her test…’

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Walking through this city was… an experience to say the least. Hearing ooh’s and ahh’s coming from her friends confirmed this for Circa. These stands sold everything. Everything! Food, drinks, equipment, cosmetics, regents, bags, clothes… people. Eyeing a booth with many women and a few more muscular men shrunken down and in what looked like small single bird cages, the cat folk could only shutter.

‘They’re a bit bigger than you are Naoh’a’. She hadn’t seen anyone as small as him yet. Most were between 6 inches and a foot. Her brother on the other hand was only about an inch. Though given what she had done to him, the size was preferable. Blushing as she thought along those lines, the cat girl shook her head and quickly averted her eyes from the merchant’s scathe ones. She didn’t like this place.

But room and board had to be around here if everything else was. They had limited funds. Thankfully, it was about a week’s worth of lodging. The pair had been paid right before they met Kikuchi so they weren’t strapped for cash. But their financial situation was bleaker than it had been in Limsa Lominsa.

Hearing some racket as a man was punched near them falling to the street, Circa quickly side-stepped his collision as Momo hopped on top of his back before walking over him. It seemed their actions weren’t regarded as odd either which was a plus. Scuffles happened often enough that it didn’t draw attention. ‘Just like any other city in Doma, I guess.’ Things like this were pretty common. In fact…

Wrapping her tail around a hand that had been sneakily reaching beneath her cloak, the Miqo’te hissed as a young boy no older than ten cried out in surprise before the Scholar gave him a gentle kick away from her. “That was faster than normal. You didn’t even need me to tell you he was approaching you” Lala’Nee muttered as she sat on the teenager’s shoulder. She didn’t feel like flying around in a place like this. Lots of eyes were on her and not in the *come hither* way she adored.

“I think both our partners are on edge. It’s to be expected… But… c-could you hold me gentler please Momo!” Bell’Anna cried as the petite hands around her waist gripped her possessively, the Lalafell constantly looking around in fear that someone would steal her friend.

“You could say that… Let's just figure out where an inn is so we can get this stay over with. I’m making this very clear. We aren’t to leave once we check-in. We have dry rations we can eat. No sight-seeing. No loitering. Nothing to draw attention to ourselves until we can leave Houma. Got it?” Circa muttered quietly, earning a quick nod from everyone. No protests… that was a bad sign.

But it spoke for how serious this situation was getting. It was hard to keep calm too. The voices all around her were scream-worthy. Her sensitive ears picked up every conversation no matter how loud or quiet certain places were. It left the blonde feeling like a headache was imminent…

“Buy two, get one free! No better deal in all the trade district!”

“Come try it now! The first is always free, and after one, you’ll want to pay double for one!”

“Touch it! Try it! You’ll love it and want to buy more than you can afford!”

“All of the stock must go! If you don’t buy it, none will be left by the end of the day!”

…

Blinking, Circa paused her walk as… a pair of voices caught her attention. ‘What the hell?’ Looking in the direction she heard it coming from, the Miqo’te tried to listen through all the screams around her as she picked up what little she could from its occupants.

“Rip off! What a rip-off! You said I’d win today!”

“You did win. But then you kept gambling. My fortunes are always right~ It’s not my fault you didn’t quit while you were ahead.”

“Circa?”

Jumping, the cat girl looked to her fairy as the small Fae stared at her with concern. Looking back towards the area the voices had been in, the cat folk bit her bottom lip before walking towards the sounds, Momo following her absentmindedly as she trailed along behind the larger girl.

Pushing her way through the masses with some difficulty, the dirty blonde saw two people come into view before her heart skipped a beat. Standing over what looked like a makeshift booth made out of discarded wood and tinder was a bulky Roegadyn man slamming his fists which held many white slips of paper in them.

At the run-down stall, however, was a face Circa almost didn’t recognize at first. Considering it belonged to someone she knew at all, was already a surprise. But the person was only about a foot tall at the moment. She had light copper blonde hair, that hung down far to her lower back. A pair of pointed pale ears peeked out from it, almost glowing in contrast to the color. She wore a black dress that was more robe than an outfit, but its wrappings were held together by various adornments and pins giving it a rugged modest look. The bands and jewelry around her neck, elbows, and wrists added to her appeal as well. And in front of her, sat a well-stacked deck of long and elegant printed tarot cards. She was without a doubt, an Astrologian. But more importantly, she was a friend…

“ERENIA?!”

Pausing mid-banter with the towering man who was shaking her small table, the Elezen woman blinked before looking past the hulking body of her *customer* before her eyes lit up. “CIRCA!” Squealing with delight as she stood up, the small woman was about to run over to see the cat girl before the Roegadyn stepped in front of her blocking them both from view.

“I’M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU! THESE FINES ARE YOUR-“Lifting a card before it floated into the air, Erenia snapped her fingers before a pulse of black and blue magic shot out in a circle around her, launching the man past Circa much to the younger teen's surprise. She hadn’t been expecting someone so… small, to use magic like that…

As the card levitated over to the pile and neatly stacked itself on top of the deck, the Elezen beamed happily as she watched her longtime friend approaching her. It had been far too long since they had seen one another!

Running to the table as she shook her head, Circa was baffled and at a loss for words. It really was Erenia. Just how long had it been since she had seen her?! Although this was… an odd way to meet up after so long. She was just so… tiny!

“Erenia! What’s… what happened to you? Why are you small like the other people here?” From what she had seen so far, only residents and those indebted to the city had some kind of size restriction placed on them. Guests were left alone. Though as she thought it over, the answer came as quickly as the Elezen spoke it.

“That’s… an unfortunate tale. But it’s great to see you Circa! I was waiting for you here you know. You certainly took your time to arrive.” The smaller woman laughed. Blinking a few times as her ears registered what she had just said, the Miqo’te scowled. “Waiting for me? Here? In Houma?! Why the hell would you think I’d come here of all places?! I only told you what continent I was headed to!”

Smirking as she leaned into the overly large stack of tarot cards, the elf-like woman grinned as she patted her deck. “Come now, you should know by now I can see all things~ I am an Astrologian after all. Speaking of, duck!”

Feeling the sense of presence behind her as her friend shouted at her, Circa flicked her staff out behind her catching a man’s head in its arch. Knocking the Hyur to the ground in confusion, both Scholars and fairies turned back as they saw the rather angry-looking Roegadyn from before walking towards them with what was probably his friends. Wow, there were a lot of them…

Looking around for one of the Guardians she had seen patrolling the streets earlier that day, the panicking teen soon saw that none were around. Was this the time for the guards of a city to all take a lunch break?!

“Momo, nothing flashy…” Seeing a glowing ball of light starting to dim from the pouting Lalafell beside her, the Miqo’te lifted her hands in a disarming fashion… as her tail moved into the pouch at her hip.

“Any chance we can talk this over before doing something stupid?” Seeing weapons being drawn behind the man still clutching whatever white slips he was holding, the Miqo’te sighed before turning her head away. “Damn…”

Flicking her tail out as something shiny flew towards the man, Circa’s staff let out a blinding flash before it caused the crystal, she had thrown to reflect it in an area around the group present. Hearing the startled cries but keeping her eyes focused away, the white-garbed teen lunged towards Erenia before scooping up the equally blinded Elezen in her hands and taking off in a sprint.

“Rescue!” Feeling Lala’Nee collide with her free hand as well as hearing Momo running beside her, Circa nodded before willing another spell. ‘Haste!’ Taking off quicker than those still beginning to run, it didn’t take long for the five of them to make it to an alley before moving down the streets and into a new lesser crowded space.

Dropping the spell as they began walking normally in what were rather well-practiced movements, both Circa and Momo began walking calmly as the sounds of shouting began to fall away as they traveled deeper into the city.

“Alright, we can talk now. What the hell was that about Erenia?” The larger teen snapped as she held her friend in her right hand. Crossing her arms and not upset about the forcefulness of her junior, the Elezen shrugged her shoulders.

“Beats me. That guy came to me seeking a fortune. I gave him one, and it came true. Then he got mad when he pushed his luck. It’s a rookie move here in Houma. If you don’t know when to fold, you’ll lose spectacularly.”

Pausing, Circa gave the smaller woman a blank look before lifting her to eye level. “First-hand experience I take it?” Pouting, Erenia wanted to look away but the tightening grip on her waist forced her to meet the younger girl's boring eyes. Jeez, she was angry…

“Y-You… could say that. Like I said, I was waiting here for you to come and find me! I saw that you would end up here and I wanted to surprise you! You just… sorta took your time and I’ve been living here for a few weeks…”

Baulking, Circa’s eyes were wide in disbelief. “WEEKS?! We’ve only been in Doma for a little over a month! How did you beat us here? And why did you stay if you knew I wasn’t going to be here for that long?!” This city was in serious trouble! And Erenia wasn’t a novice. She was the Scholars senior in every way! A dangerous place like this should have set off every warning in her body!

Rubbing the back of her head sheepishly, the Elezen laughed dryly before her eyes shifted away awkwardly. “A-Ahh… well… I, sorta got in debt… on my first day here… And I figured I’d just freelance until I got it paid off. But then you didn’t show up and it’s kinda expensive to live here and not indulge in… things…”

Crying out as her midsection was squeezed tightly, the smaller elven woman paled a bit as she saw the irritated look, she was rather accustomed to seeing on the younger cat girl. “Indulge in? Care to elaborate, Erenia!” Circa growled, her fangs peeking out as her anger flared. Was her friend seriously still in debt because she couldn’t resist some stupid spending?!

Raising her hands in a placating manner, the smaller woman laughed weakly. “C-Circa, please! This is… an embarrassing conversation to have in front of g-guests! Maybe, we could save it for when we’re alone…?”

Blinking, the Miqo’te soon cringed before looking over her shoulder as she saw a confused expression from all 3 of her companions. “Who is that?” Momo muttered as she pointed to the smaller woman. It became glaringly obvious she had just taken them on a quick chase for seemingly no reason…

Feeling her ears fold back in embarrassment before her tail dipped down, Circa sighed before shaking her head. “Guys this is… Erenia. She was my teacher back in Gridania for a while and a good friend. A stupid… gullible… impulsive! Friend… Who decided this place was where she would meet us in Doma!” The cat girl snapped.

Taking the rather vocal introduction in stride, however, the Elezen looked to the three before her as she bowed. “Salutations~ Astrologian Erenia, at your service~ For all your needs delving into the universe’s secrets, I hope you’ll come to me.”

Rolling her eyes, Circa tilted her hand dropping the smaller woman onto the cobblestone streets abruptly. “Walk yourself, you overdramatic elf…” Landing gracefully, Erenia sighed as she looked up at her old friend. “Well, you certainly haven’t changed since we last saw one another. Though you do seem, different. I can sense the Aether around you. It’s much denser than before. Did you… change your class? Perhaps my teachings rubbed off on you after all~?”

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Circa sighed audibly before tilting her staff down. “Not a chance. I’m a Scholar now.” Humming thoughtfully, the smaller woman looked to the other three in front of her before nodding slowly. “I see, then… I suppose one of you must be my dear friend’s summoned familiar?” The two fairies there were unique. And it was hard to figure out which belonged to the teenager.

“Huh, so this is the Elezen you talked about us visiting back in your old city? She seems kinda funny. I thought you said she was like a mother to you or something.” Lala’Nee muttered causing Circa’s tail to shoot up and puff out slightly.

“I-I DID NOT! M-Mentor! N-Not mother!” Snapped the blushing cat girl before she flicked her hand to her fairy casting a quick Rescue. Squealing as her head was gripped in the larger teen's hand, the smaller fae thrashed around as Circa ground her teeth. “You seriously have no filter you damn fairy!” she hissed.

Quirking an eyebrow at the comment, Erenia chuckled before looking at the remaining girls in front of her. “Ahh, and you must be traveling with my ill-tempered friend then. I take it you’re a Scholar too?”

Nodding happily at the immediate recognition, Momo waved happily down to her. “Yep! I’m Momori Mori! But if you’re friends with kitty teacher then you can call me Momo instead! You’re so cute like this! You look just like a dolly! Can I pick you up?” Craning her neck back to her friend, a wide grin spread across the Elezen’s face as she saw the deepening color of red on the Miqo’te's.

“Kitty teacher? Oh, I need to hear the story behind that! It’s certainly a pleasure to meet you Momo~ And your little… o-oh my…” The older woman trailed off as the blonde-haired fae hovered in front of her showing off her rather impressive assets. ‘I didn’t know fairies looked so… mature…’ “Bell’Anna~ The pleasure is mine.” The pale fairy smiled back before shaking the smaller woman’s hand politely.

Watching the interaction before hissing as her palm was bit, Circa dropped her fairy as Lala’Nee gasped for air before hovering back down to the new girl oblivious to why she had gotten in trouble with her summoner, to begin with…

‘Jeez this is a problem…’ Crossing her arms as she thought about their situation at hand, the cat folk grimaced. Since Erenia was here in Houma they couldn’t just leave now. At least, not without her. But she was in debt… And that was a serious dilemma.

‘We need to get her free before finding a place to lay low. If she’s marked somehow by this magic, then taking her along with us means we can be compromised and fall into debt too. Damn it!’ This wasn’t the plan!

Looking back at her friend with worry, the Miqo’te could only shake her head as she cheerfully conversed with the two fairies hovering over her. Shouldn’t she be worried the most? “Circa? What now?” Glancing at Momo as the Lalafell looked up at her confused, the cat girl could only shake her head.

“I’m… thinking…” There wasn’t much of a choice here no matter how much she tried to beat around it. “I’d say, the plan hasn’t changed. We still need to find a place to stay until the submarine is ready for us to depart. But first things first… We can’t do anything until we get Erenia out of debt. If she’s stuck like this, then that means we’ll be in the line of fire… And leaving her on her own ISN’T an option!” Circa muttered sternly. She was mad… really mad!

Looking back at her friend confused, Erenia walked towards her before crossing her arms. “Line of fire? What’s happened?” Feeling a twitch of calm as she saw a stoic look overtake the older woman, Circa felt a bit relieved. That was more like her friend. She had been worried her time here might have done something to her…

“The leader of this place wants us to serve her. And from the warnings we’ve gotten, she’ll force it. She’s already delayed our departer. She’s trying to put us in debt…” It felt surreal to say that aloud where prying ears could hear them, but they needed to fill the older Astrologian in. As far as the younger teen was concerned, she was in their party now whether she said so or not.

Resting her hand on her cheek, Erenia frowned before looking off in a direction facing away from them. “So, Faye’s trying to get you too? I should have expected that… She has a keen interest in people not from Doma. Most of the people on her council are from other regions and they’ve elevated her status because of her careful decisions. If she wants you two that badly, then you may already have fallen into whatever trap she’s set. You… You should just go.”

Looking at Erenia shocked as the Elezen began to walk away, the Miqo’te quickly stepped in front of her before scowling. “You’re coming with us!” She hissed. While the blonde hadn’t expected to find her friend here, she damn well wasn’t going to abandon her to save their own asses!

Sighing, the smaller woman scowled before nudging her head towards the others. Both Momo and the two fairies had been awkwardly silent while they spoke. “And how about them? If it were just you, I might consider your help but you’ve got obligations other than me. I’ll be fine Circa. Now that I know you’re here, I’ll work off this debt, and meet you somewhere else. I can find you wherever you go after all. So, it’s not too much of a bother in the end.” The redhead winked.

Clenching her fists, the cat girl was about to snap at her friend, but it seemed someone else beat her to her berating. “If Circa says we’re helping you, then we’re gonna help you! Now come here!” Sputtering almost in unison, both Circa and Erenia looked at Momo as the Lalafell picked up the much smaller Elezen before holding her against her stomach. It was reminiscent of how a child would hold a doll… and, it had to be demeaning as hell.

“H-Hey! You can’t just make decisions so abruptly! I already told you that I’ll be fine on my own! You two need to take care of yourselves!” Fluttering down to the older woman, Bell’Anna smiled cheerfully before gently patting the flummoxed Astrologian tenderly on her head. “There’s no need to be so selfless. You’re amongst friends now. If Momo’s agreed to help you as well as Circa, then we’ll be more than happy to do whatever’s necessary to help lift your burden.”

Giving the fairy an incredulous look, Erenia turned to Circa almost to ask if this was normal, but the cat girl was rubbing her eyes in an exasperated way. “If you know Circa as well as she thinks you do, then there’s no point arguing. We’re going to help you. She’s already set her mind to the task.” Lala’Nee snickered before patting the smaller girl’s cheek.

Shifting her eyes around to each of them, Erenia soon sighed before shaking her head with an amused expression. “Quite the friends you’ve made on your journey so far, Circa. I hope it’s been better than what you left back in Gridania.”

Looking back at her friend, the teenager nodded before moving back over towards her and Momo. “Let’s talk about travels later… Tell me where your debt is being held. You’re in luck. We stumbled onto some money right before coming here. I should have enough on my own too- “

Hearing a jingle at her side, Circa looked down before feeling her stomach churn. Waving a hand towards her, Momo held up a small coin purse with a happy smile on her features. “You can use mine too! We’ll help Card Lady out and then head back up!”

Growing silent momentarily as she processed her companion’s statement, Circa quietly nodded as a small smile made its way to her face. “Thanks, Momo. Alright, now tell us what we need to know Erenia. Just where was it you spent so much money you got a debt here…”

Still a bit confused by the abrupt nickname that came from the Lalafell, Erenia soon looked back to Circa before cringing. This… was going to get awkward…

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“Erenia… If we don’t die in this place, I’m going to kill you when we reach the surface again!”

Gritting her teeth with a mildly confused Momo, and a pair of blushing fairies flying behind her, Circa stared up at the large sign in front of her with a look of utter mortification on her face.  It depicted a woman’s shaded head winking with distinctly vulpine features. Beneath it read, The Fox Paw.

While not outright specific, the various women lounging outside as well as the very burly men standing guard at the front entrance gave away what this place was. However, if you really were dense and you still didn’t know… it happened to be smack dab in the center of the pleasure district…

“Your debt… is being held… AT A BROTHEL?! What the hell Erenia!” The cat girl hissed, her tail swishing around madly behind her. Raising her hands defensively, the tiny Elezen smiled awkwardly back at her friend. “N-Now let’s not get hasty here! To be fair… It’s… lonely in Gridania… And they just had such a selection of people to choose from! How could I not give it a try once?” The smaller woman defended weakly.

Crossing her arms as she glared back at her friend who she always thought was more mature than herself, Circa growled under her breath. This was going to be so embarrassing! Stomping forward finally since she didn’t know what to say other than profanity, the teenager walked up the steps leading to the massive structure before strutting past the two guards who didn’t try to stop her. Were they just for show?

Coming to a stop at a podium, the Scholar looked up as an older-looking Lalafell stood on an arched stairway behind it. As he scribbled on whatever it was he was working on the smaller man paused mid-text before glancing her way and raising an eyebrow. “Yes?”

Tapping her foot with impatience, Circa inhaled slowly to calm herself. Pissing off people with her attitude wouldn’t solve their problems. “I’ve come to settle a debt for someone here. Her name is Erenia. I’d like to know how much it is please and where I can pay it too.”

Eying the Miqo’te quietly, his eyebrow never lowered but he did eventually move. Tapping the wall behind him, a small slit up above opened as a pointed ear poked out. “Please inform Mistress Naomi that she has a visitor. Also, that it’s her preferred preference too.”

Pulling away, the slit shut immediately before the Lalafell turned back to whatever it was he had been working on before. “Please standby. If the Mistress is available, she will see you when she can.” And with that, he went back to ignoring her again. Stepping back and standing against one of the walls nearest her, Circa looked over to Momo as she continued to cradle Erenia against her chest. The Elezen hadn’t told her to put her down so they had been like that ever since leaving the alleyway they had hidden in.

“Do you know how much your debt is here?” Frowning, the smaller woman shook her head wearily. “I-I’m… I’m not sure. They don’t have conventional prices. I know it's more than I make though when I perform my fortune telling. One trip here after a day’s work adds about a quarter that to the debt from what I’ve been told…”

Clenching her fists and wanting to snap at Erenia again for being so stupid with her funds, Circa breathed deeply to calm herself instead. This wasn’t the time or place for that. When they were back on land in Doma, then she would chew her out some more! Right now, they still needed to leave Houma safely…

“Circa… Whatever you do, don’t touch her…” Looking back at Erenia confused, the smaller woman wore a stern face. “Touch who?” Gripping onto Momo’s arms tightly, the shrunken Elezen grimaced. “You’ll know who… And please, don’t let me touch her either…” She whispered before looking up at the Lalafell *restraining* her.

Giving the woman a puzzled look simultaneously, both teens wanted to ask more before the double-wide doors started to open up. As they swung inward, a pale dust-like vapor wafered out casting them all in a pinkish glow. Coughing abruptly, the Miqo’te winced from the pungent smell. It was almost like lavender at first… before it changed and became distinctly vanilla-like. It was, pleasant. She loved this smell actually. It seemed to only get better the more she inhaled it…

“Yummy… Is that food?” Momo mumbled as a small bit of drool escaped her lips. Looking back to her friends, Circa soon paled. Fluttering back and forth entranced, both Lala’Nee and Bell’Anna’s eyes were wide with far-off looks on their faces. “Hey! Are you two alright?”

Looking to Momo next, the cat folk watched as the Lalafell licked her lips as she looked around. Erenia wasn’t much better off as she began to pant loudly. Clawing the Lalafell’s arm, she looked to be in pain as she tried to crawl away. “P-Please… let me go… I… She’s calling me!”

Looking at all her friends perplexed, a voice behind her soon drew Circa back to the present. “Please follow me. I’ve been sent to escort you to Mistress Naomi personally.” Looking over her shoulder at a young Hyur that couldn’t have been older than herself, the Scholar nodded slowly before moving over to Momo and grabbing her hand to drag her… before walking back and snagging the two hovering fae that were fluttering back and forth mindlessly. What the hell was going on…

As they walked into the brothel, it soon became apparent what kind of a place this was. All around them were lush pink and fuchsia interiors. The walls, floors, and ceilings were all padded or furred. Countless pillows and cushions were everywhere with an endless amount of people sitting on them. Though sitting was censoring what they were doing…

Looking away quickly with a bright blush on her face, the Miqo’te soon discovered not watching was impossible. There was someone in any direction she stared. Including the ceiling! Beds hung on chains like chandeliers. This place was as hedonistic as it got…

It also didn’t seem like normal sex was the preferred preference either… Size was still a big thing here like it was in the rest of the city. Both men and women interacted with smaller people forcing them against their mouths, breasts, genitals, and other less washed areas…

It wasn’t limited to that either though. The teen could see women on leashes being walked by a beefy-looking Roegadyn. There was a Lalafell stepping on a guy’s face before stomping hard as she laughed at him. There was also an odd sight of a Hrothgar being pet by many hands as they cooed at him and babbled indistinctly. This place was one hell of a fever dream…

As they arrived in front of a large pale purple door, their guide soon paused before smiling back at them all. “Please mind the rules while you’re here. Any act of aggression will be seen as an attempt on Mistress Naomi’s life and punishment will be severe~”

Giving the other teen a flummoxed look, Circa wanted to ask what she meant, but the door began to open up as the Hyur walked away with a practiced sashay to her step. Looking back at her friends with worry, the older teen took a deep breath before shaking her head. Damn that smell was getting stronger now. It was so… relaxing…

Taking another sniff, Circa smiled as she felt some of the worries leave her. At least this place didn’t reek of sex and booze or something like she had thought it would. Stepping forward into the room as she dragged Momo along as well as their fairies still tucked beneath her arm, the cat girl looked around as she saw women lined up on large pillows with small sets of stairs leading up to them.

There were seven in total. Each a different race and what had to be the absolute crème of the crop in terms of biology. Each woman was at the peak of her beauty and prime with features accentuated showing extreme points of charm they had. Adding the light fixtures above them as well as the provocative poses they sat in with beckoning smiles… it was clear they were the top-shelf women of this establishment.

‘Okay, Erenia… I forgive you…’ While not a lesbian… or for that matter sexually stimulated most days of the month, Circa had to admit. They all looked ravishing, and given the chance… she might want to do something if she met them under better circumstances… They were just so…

“Perfect, aren’t they? Here in the Lilac Room, only the finest of my den is available. I usually charge people even to look at them. But I hear you have business with me cutie~” That voice… What was… that voice…?

Turning around slowly, Circa felt her heart skip a few beats as a sight unlike any other greeted her. Standing over a small coronation throne matching the purple theme of the aesthetic here, was a woman the likes of which the cat girl had never seen before. She was, literal perfection in almost every way…

Standing at about five foot three, was a fox-eared woman. She looked reminiscent of a Miqo’te like Circa herself. But her ears were much longer with cream-colored fur peeking out from inside them. They were a bright golden blonde similar to the hair atop her head. They also matched the four billowing tails behind her which all waved around independently of one another.

Her features were prominent too beyond her odd race. Her pale flesh accentuated her fur and hair. Her piercing eyes glowed faintly too with odd rings inside her pale violet pupils. Though they were slanted, which was what drew Circa to the odd connection to their different races. No other kind had ones similar to her people.

If you wanted even more beyond all this, the foxy woman’s assets were quite large. Coming in almost half the size of her head was each breast. They defied gravity… Each looked pert and plump and eager to be groped. It was a feeling, the Miqo’te didn’t know she could ever feel just by seeming someone so attractive before. Also, her ass was plump too, begging to be fondled… All and all… she was a minor deity in mortal form. And she was the one addressing her now so casually…

Smiling coyly as she strutted over, the woman’s every step caused Circa’s eyes to travel to her chest. Each footfall caused her bosoms to bounce hypnotically. It was hard not to be drawn to such a sight. But, the coy voice from before snapped the mesmerized teen back to the present as she was addressed by the alien woman.

“So… what brings someone so, young! So, vibrant! So, inexperienced~ to my pleasure den? You can’t be more than, sixteen perhaps? Hmm, you have a good figure for a kitten~ Your hair and tail are well groomed. You take an awful lot of time on your outward appearance. However… you don’t strike me as the vain type. By that outfit, I’d say you’re more outgoing than most. And that certainly doesn’t speak about you being narcissistic. All and all, you are truly a catch that doesn’t come into my presence every day.”

Breathing slowly as the pungent smell of vanilla from before baked her lungs from the inside out, Circa felt her vision growing narrower as she saw the fox-like woman walking around her. She was pacing her body, looking her up and down. It was akin to a predator eying its prey… It was also cat-like. And not too far off from what her own people did when they hunted in the plains. Or at least what she had been told about it in the past.

“Oh! And what’s this? You brought friends too! How wonderful~ Such a cutie you are!” Growing wide-eyed, the cat girl looked back before panic set in as she saw Momo dazed and reaching toward the woman. Erenia was doing the same but still being restrained by the Lalafell’s one arm.

Remembering the warning almost too late, Circa yanked hard on her friend's hand jerking her out of the way of the exotic woman. “W-W-We… I-I… I have, come to settle the debt for m-my friend!” That was too close… She didn’t know what would happen, but every cell in her body screamed at her not to touch this woman. That warning from before by the Hyur not to attempt anything as well as Erenia’s about not letting her touch the person they were meeting helped her put two and two together. It had to be forbidden for some reason. And she was trying to make them do it!

Pouting as she looked down at the spot where the Lalafell had almost broken the rule, all innocence fled her as a smirk fell across the foxy woman’s face. “Ahh~ so close~ Perhaps I should have tried you first. Clearly, you’re the one in charge. Cute, and dominant! You pique my interest more and more kitten~ So, you’ve come to buy your friend back? I take it, you mean this toy?” She grinned before one of her tails pointed down to Erenia still desperately reaching for the woman with a pained look on her face. What… was happening to her?

Clenching her fists tightly eliciting a whine of pain from Momo, Circa grit her teeth. “Yes… I have! So please, would you tell me how much she’s spent… I’ll pay it back in full.” Eying the girl closely, the older woman tapped her lower lip in contemplation before strutting back over to the cat girl.

“And does the kitten have a name I can call her~?” Close… damn she was too close… Only inches away from her face, Circa had to hold her breath due to the pungent aroma becoming almost painful to her senses. Licking her lips before cringing as she saw the woman’s pupils dart to her tongue before matching the action, the trembling teen sighed before continuing.

“C-Circa… And, you’re Naomi… right?” Crossing her arms as she tapped her finger against her right one, the foxlike woman smirked. “Most people allow me to introduce myself~ I do hope you haven’t heard any poor rumors about me. It would break my heart to know someone was being so, uncouth~. Mistress Naomi, leman of the Fox Paw, and Lord of the Pleasure district~ at your service~”

Reaching out as the woman extended her hand towards her to greet her formally, Circa flinched back abruptly as she realized her simple act of greeting almost cost her everything when she tried to shake the woman’s offered hand. ‘Son of a bitch!’ Could she really not touch her at all?! This made things complicated…

Eyeing the teenager in amusement, Naomi soon pouted before withdrawing her hand. “Hmm, you show a strong sense of awareness. Curiouser and curiouser… But, back to the matter at hand. I hate to tell you this, Circa~ Mmmm… I could say your name and never get bored of it~” Naomi purred.

Blinking in surprise, the teen waited for a moment before coughing awkwardly as she saw a pleasant look on the older woman’s face. Furrowing her brow, the Lord of the district soon let out an ahh before shaking her head in amusement. “Whoopsie~ I got a little excited~ That happens in my line of work, I’m sure you understand. Where was I? Ahh! Yes, about your friend here…” Naomi trailed off before glancing at the desperate-looking Elezen.

“She… is not for sale~”

Silence. Absolute silence entered the room they were in now. Looking at Naomi in shock, Circa soon grit her teeth. What kind of utter bullshit was that?! “Look! I’m trying, to pay the debt she’s accrued back! She’s not a citizen of this city! And because she can work to pay off the debt still, that means it can be paid! So why wouldn’t I be able to?” The teenager all but snarled defensively.

Putting her hand to her mouth to cover her laugh, Naomi couldn’t restrain her giggles as she pushed herself up close and personal against Circa. Stiffening up as she felt the woman’s warm body pressed into her own, the teen was utterly paralyzed now.

“You’re right Circa! This little elf does have a debt to me! But while she has to pay back the amount owed, I’m the one who can choose how it’s paid back~ In other words, if some naive little kitten comes into my den demanding things~ Then I have every right to say no forcing this plaything to pay back what she owes me herself. Nothing in Houma is free… You can’t just take someone’s debt girl!” Naomi snapped, her playful exterior melting a bit as seriousness peaked through.

Petting the startled girl’s cheek affectionately, the older woman continued. “A debt is a personal matter between the one who has it and the one to who it's paid back too~ If someone else were to pay it for them, the number could simply change~ A debt for one vagrant worth one thousand Gil might be worth ten thousand Gil if it came from another person! Do you get it? So whatever price she has is irrelevant. I’ll simply charge one more Gil above whatever you could pay me, leaving you short, a single, little, coin~” Naomi purred, her lips brushing against the trembling teen's earlobe.

What she was saying… this… it was insanity! She couldn’t pay to have Erenia freed?! Then… she’d be trapped here forever! Wanting desperately to shove the woman away in outrage, the only semblance of calm forged from years of patience kept her anger at bay. She wanted more than anything right now to punch this… this bitch!

“However…” Blinking, Circa shifted her head slowly to not accidentally brush against the woman invading her personal space so intimately. “I’ll make you a deal kitten~ It will be fair, I promise~” Naomi purred once more, her tails surrounding the both of them now like a trap being slowly sprung.

Gulping as sweat began to travel down her brow, Circa remained silent to let the older woman continue speaking. Taking that as a yes, she soon did. “To be perfectly honest kitten~ you’re my type~ So, vibrant! So altruistic! So young, and easy to play with~ The moment you stepped foot in here I couldn’t wait to make you call me Mistress! But you’re a smart little kitty~ So I’ll need to try at least a little more than usual this time to make you call my name out from those, plush, virgin lips~” Naomi purred huskily.

Shuddering as she felt the blonde’s fingers rub said lips, Circa felt absolutely cornered. She couldn’t push her away without making contact with her… So, she was free to molest her uninhibited. This was such bullshit!

“So, here’s the deal~ I get you free to myself for one whole hour. You have to do whatever I say, and answer whatever questions I ask truthfully. Do that… and… I’ll allow you to purchase this, things… debt. An Elezen is beautiful… but a Miqo’te… now that’s just something I CAN’T ignore!” Naomi snarled aggressively, her tails wrapping around Circa’s own coiling them together like a braid.

Standing utterly still as she processed the woman’s words, the younger teen silently thought it over. “An… an hour…” Nodding eagerly, the foxy woman licked her lips showing off a pair of distinctly long canines. “Yes~ One hour in my private chambers~ I’ll be allowed to do whatever I want to you~ And… afterword, if you still want to buy that debt off your toy… then you may. What do you say, Circa? Do we have a deal?”

Seeing the woman extend her hand again, the Scholar almost felt a laugh escape her lips. She didn’t fall for it the first time so why try that again? Pouting, Naomi soon shrugged as she began withdrawing her body from around the younger girl. “We… have a deal! But you can’t do anything to my friends while you’re with me… Leave them alone… and let NO ONE! Near them…” Circa snarled defensively.

Waving her hand dismissively, Naomi simply laughed. “I don’t care about them! Come along kitten~ Your hour starts when the doors close~” Looking over to Momo as she continued to sway and look around in a daze, Circa addressed her sternly. “Keep our fairies and Erenia safe Momo… Whatever you do… don’t leave this spot. No matter who comes in here or what you see. STAY, PUT!” She warned threateningly.

Looking up at the larger teen, the Lalafell slowly nodded as a hint of recognition came back to her eyes. Passing their fairies over to her, Circa stood back up as she looked towards Naomi. She was standing against a large doorway beckoning her over with a finger.

Gulping, the Miqo’te took in a deep breath, and almost immediately regretted it as she was punched again by the pungent aroma of the room. She was beginning to realize something. The smell calmed her down. When she was calm… she didn’t think as cynically. And when she didn’t do that… she could be tricked. She had to keep her mind sharp, or else she would lose this game…

She was about to go toe to toe after all with one of Houma’s main players. The Lord of the Pleasure district herself, and one of the hands of Lady Faye…

She couldn’t lose…

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“Coming all the way to Houma had to have been so rough on you~ Doesn’t it just feel nice to relax for a change? You don’t need to be in charge here. You don’t have to worry about anything. You can simply lay back, and enjoy this feeling~ Isn’t it simpler~? You know this is your true calling... Why struggle in vain, when you could stay here instead~?”

Counting in her head up to sixty over and over, Circa trembled as she sat naked on a large bed bigger than any she had ever seen before. It was like Naomi had taken four king-sized ones and had them shoved together into a square! Just how much room did she even need?!

But that was the least of her concerns right now. After leaving the lilac room and entering what she assumed was the fox woman’s private chambers, things escalated fast. She had been ordered to strip down to nothing… and she had. After that, she was brought to the woman’s bed, and given a collar…

Touching the accessory dismissively, the Miqo’te grimaced. It felt, oddly nice against her flesh. From the glimpse she got before Naomi fastened it onto her, it was a pink band with black lace frills on the top and bottom. Around the front hung a similarly pink bow. And dangling right beneath it, was a small little bell that jingled every time she tilted her head… It was clear what was going on here…

Shuddering as a hand stroked down her back slowly, Circa whimpered in silence as Naomi’s hand stretched the length of her long dirty blonde tail. It had always been sensitive. And for some reason, the other girl knew that too and made sure to take extra care of how she handled her appendage. It was shocking how gentle she was being… yet so dominant as well…

Petting the younger girl’s head affectionately as she rested her top half on her lap, Naomi cooed quietly as she continued to pet her *kitten* as she called her. “So, tell me the truth~ You like this, don’t you? You like me petting you. You like it when I treat you like what you’re meant to be~ Doesn’t this seem like the life you’d love to have? Sleeping whenever you wanted. Being taken care of without fear of anything ever bothering you~ Waking up to a loving mistress who’ll pamper her kitten whenever she wants attention~ Go on, tell me the truth~”

Clenching her fists, Circa bit her tongue not wanting to speak… before opening her mouth to do so. This was their deal after all. She couldn’t lie. “I-I-It… it does f-feel good… But, no… This isn’t the life I want!” She snapped.

Chuckling, Naomi clicked her tongue before giving the teenager a hard slap on her ass. Hissing from the pain, the younger girl's tail swished around in agitation. “Naughty~ naughty~ You can’t have everything without giving me something in return you know~ This lifestyle is better than whatever you’re living now. What use is freedom if you’re always struggling? Giving in and being my pet would suit you better. I’d even take in the other strays outside my room and give them a loving place here if it would make you happy~ So come on, and tell me you’ll call me your Mistress~”

Panting in anger, Circa glared back at the smirking woman. “Is… is that, a command?” Pouting, Naomi kissed her palm before gently rubbing circles over the spot where she had slapped the cat girl prior. “Of course not~ I can’t make you become my pet. Well, I could if I really desired to… but that’s not my preferred method of acquiring my kittens~. What’s the point of forcing someone to submit to me? There will always be that little part of my mind telling me, that they don’t truly want to serve me… And I can’t stand disobedient pets…” Naomi snarled before digging her fingers into the naked teen's ass.

Wincing from the pain, Circa matched her glare equally. After a moment though, Naomi withdrew her hand. “You’re not like other kittens who come to me. You’re strong-willed. You have an air about you that’s so, tantalizing~ I’ve brought other bolshie pets in here before you know. And they always end up kissing my feet while pledging their loyalty to me. In the end, how long will you last until your tongue wraps around my toes I wonder~”

Feeling a smirk slip onto her features for once, Circa grinned back a reply. “You’ve got forty-three minutes left to try. So, I’m guessing, never!” She hissed. Pouting once more, the older woman sighed before shoving her finger down the teenager’s crotch.

Crying out in shock, the younger girl almost rolled off of the foxy woman’s lap but a stern snarl froze her. “I didn’t say you could move! Stay put, kitten!” Apparently, her brief rebellious reply had pissed her off… ‘Great going Circa… You need to learn to keep your mouth shut!’

Trailing her finger over the younger girl’s naked crotch, Naomi tsked. “Shaven clean? How uncouth… Pets should have fur down here! You’ll not be allowed to tend to yourself when your mine. I’ll groom you myself~ I’m thinking, some tribal tattoos like the ones on your cheeks shaven in will accentuate your beauty~”

Blushing from her words, the naked girl chose silence as she felt the woman’s finger beginning to push past her lower lips. ‘C-C-Calm down… Y-You’ve… trained…’ She was good at denying pleasure. The only time she couldn’t was when it was brought on due to heat… or her brother being needy. Thankfully he was sleeping right now or else she might have actually been aroused by all this. Naomi’s hands were… experienced.

Stroking her finger down Circa’s slit before coming back dry, Naomi soon pushed deeper. She would hit something wet sooner or later. It was only natural after all. “So, tell me kitten~ How come you want that vagrant toy so badly? Not many would willingly give themselves to another to be played with~ That is unless they wanted to be played with all along~?”

Scoffing, the teenager hissed as she felt the older woman push her finger up to her knuckle into the blonde’s tight cavity. “Answer~” Grinding her teeth as she tried to focus on ignoring the swelling pleasure forming, Circa thought about Erenia before calming down somewhat. It was impossible to ignore it completely…

“E-Erenia isn’t a vagrant! S-S-She’s, my mentor! And m-my friend! She wanted, t-to meet me here! And she doesn’t deserve this!” The naked girl snapped. Being an indentured slave because she made a mistake… She couldn’t just let something like that slide! Not when it was with someone, she was so close too…

Whimpering as Naomi’s finger found her clit, Circa whined and wiggled around atop the older woman, but she wasn’t reprimanded like before. On the contrary, the foxy woman cooed back at her matching her tone of voice.

“Don’t fight it, kitten~ Enjoy the feeling of my affection! If you keep resisting me, then I’ll consider our deal null and void…” She knew… Of course, she knew… Lying that she was suppressing this would only doom Erenia…

Giving in, Circa cried out fully as she felt a spike of pleasure come from Noami’s nimble fingers this time. It felt good. It felt too damn good. Smiling viciously, the older woman leaned the teenager up as she cradled her in her arms.

“Now that’s more like it! Meow for me~” Gritting her teeth and probably wearing them down to the roots after twenty minutes of being locked in a room with this woman, Circa pursed her lips, before clenching her eyes shut.

“M-Meeew…” Feeling a sharp slap on her ass, the younger girl cried out once more. “No, no, no… you can't just meow once! Cry out like you’re in heat! Make this hour worth it for me!” Naomi snarled. She knew about that aspect of Miqo’te too!? It made sense, but it bothered the teenager that she knew so much about her race…

Feeling tears come to her eyes from the pain and humiliation intermingling, the younger girl relented and began to meow and mew repeatedly as she was fingered. Gazing down at Circa lustfully, Naomi licked her lips. “Now that’s a good kitten~ You poor thing… All on your own while so young… Just let me take care of you~ You don’t belong in Doma. But here in Houma, you can stay as my pet, and avoid all the horrible things out there~”

Leaning down and licking the teen's neck, Naomi purred audibly before going back for seconds… and then thirds. Eventually, Circa lost track of how many licks were being laid on top of her as she was groomed by the older woman. This too was familiar. Mothers would do this to their young sometimes to show affection or when they cried to get rid of their tears. How could… she know that though…?

Feeling her cheeks licked clean, Naomi smiled back at her as her tails wrapped around them warmly. The room was already hot enough as is. Her furry appendages only caused them both to sweat pressed against one another. But she probably intended for that to happen.

Panting slowly as relief flooded over the blonde, Circa eyed Naomi weakly as she felt something slip out of her. Pulling her hand away from the younger girl’s crotch and up towards their faces, the older woman peered at her digits as they glistened from a thin coating sticking to them all.

“Messy~ Such a naughty kitten~ You didn’t even warn your mistress you were about to cum. I might have to punish you for that~” She giggled. Blinking slowly as she registered her words, Circa glanced down in disbelief. She… she had cum… She orgasmed without realizing it?! Just how nimble were this woman’s fingers?!

Letting out a quiet moan as she watched her sucking on her digits one by one, Naomi shot Circa a glance before smirking. “Whoopsie~ I guess my kitten wants some too? Have a taste~ You’ve tried yourself before, haven’t you? You taste… delicious~”

Pursing her lips as the woman’s hand came towards her mouth before having to obey in the end, Circa opened up as she felt Naomi forcing all her fingers in at once. Coughing from the forceful intrusion, the young blonde wanted to bite down and stop this, but she knew that would only end with her being pushed more…

Moaning awkwardly as her tongue was played with and fondled by the pleasure mistress, the Miqo’te tried to think back where she had left off counting. It was getting close now, she knew it! That heavy petting session had to have been at least twenty minutes! She didn’t have much longer to go! She just needed to-

Crying out loudly as she felt a hand slip under her butt, Circa did fall off Naomi this time in shock as her fingers exited her mouth. Looking back at the coughing girl somewhat confused, the older of the two hummed thoughtfully. “Oh? Not used to someone playing with your cute little booty~? Your mistress will fix that. Spread your cheeks for me! I want a taste~” Naomi purred.

Growing wide-eyed, Circa felt her stomach drop. ‘N-Naoh’a…’ She could feel him pretty close to her anus. He wasn’t that deep in right now. She hadn’t had the chance to do anything with him since coming to Doma, and he had surfaced occasionally for air. If this woman found him…

Biting her lip and sitting down in dismay, Circa felt tears well up in her eyes. “I-I… I can’t…” She had priorities. And unfortunately… her brother was at the top of her list. Even higher than Erenia…

Blinking in surprise, Naomi tilted her head to the side clearly confused. “You, refuse~? That would break the rules of our agreement kitten~ Either spread your cheeks and let me have my way… or refuse and lose whatever chance you have at getting your elf toy back from me.” She warned.

Continuing to cry, Circa shook her head. “I-I can’t… i-its not for you…” Growing wide-eyed, Naomi was about to snarl back an order before she took in the younger teen’s words. “Not for me? Then… who is your ass for, exactly?” This was getting, interesting…

Blushing profusely, the younger girl grit her teeth not wanting to say it… but, the deal hadn’t ended yet. And she wouldn’t break it unless absolutely necessary. “I-I… M-My… my brother… Naoh’a…” It felt weird to say that out loud. Let alone in the presence of someone like this. But she had no choice, but to reveal this shameful fact about herself…

Looking back at Circa in absolute disbelief, Naomi’s face shifted into a crooked smile. “Your brother?! You have a brother?! Another Miqo’te! And your ass belongs to him!” She squealed, her eyes shining in delight upon hearing this.

Nodding back silently, Circa touched her red cheeks from where the older woman had slapped her before. “Y-Yes… We… I mean… He wanted me… And because of where we came from… there were no others of our kind. He couldn’t stop himself from giving into his heat, and I was all that was there to help him. Our lives have never been the same since…”

It felt… oddly calming to say this all. Maybe, because it was to someone she didn’t know? Or, because a plan was forming in her head. She couldn’t really say which. Almost vibrating in excitement, Naomi reached over before pulling the startled teen back into her lap. “Aww~ What a lovey-dovey little story~ So where is he now? You didn’t bring your brother here! I want to see him! Tell me he’s in Houma!” She snapped; her eyes wide with a look of sheer delight she hadn’t shown from any of their other conversations before.

Looking away meekly, Circa nodded slowly. “Naoh’a… he’s, here. Here in Houma. He came with us when we entered the city. Why do you want to see him though?” Scoffing, the older woman gave her an incredulous look.

“Are you naive girl! A pair of kittens! He’s your age right…?” Grinning wider as she saw the younger girl nod back, Naomi moaned audibly before shuddering. “Sooooo many possibilities! You should have brought him here! To me! Not that Lalafell you had with you!” Naomi snapped irritably.

Looking away wordlessly, Circa remained silent as she felt the hands gripping her kneading and squeezing her body possessively. “To think two of you here~ And you’ve mated! Though, I suppose that’s not quite true if it’s your butt that’s is… Have you…?” She trailed off before moving a finger down the teen’s lower lips.

Moaning softly, the younger girl shook her head. “N-No! I wouldn’t do that! I refused… So, my butt was all he got.” Letting out a perverse giggle, Naomi nodded eagerly. “Tell me more! What does he look like? Is he a sandy kitten like you? Or perhaps different colors from different heritage? I like matching sets!”

Pouting, Circa thought back. It had been so long that she actually had trouble remembering what Naoh’a looked like normally. Well, normal… before the change. “He’s a dirty blonde like me. Same with his tail and ears…”

Moaning in excitement, Naomi nodded before licking her lips. “So where is he? If you stay here, does that mean he’ll come looking for you~?” She asked hopefully. Shaking her head, no, Circa soon cracked a smile.

“Fifty-five…” Looking back at Circa confused, Naomi was about to ask what she was saying… before an audible sound chimed out. Growing wide-eyed, the lord of pleasure looked over to the door they had walked through in disbelief. The hour… had finished.

Feeling Circa lean up and out of her hands, the cat girl smirked back at the startled woman. They had been chatting for over ten minutes straight. Looking at the Miqo’te silently, the older woman pursed her lips thoughtfully.

“You do, have a brother… don’t you?” Nodding back, the teenager couldn’t help but grin. “I sure do. And he is here in the city. But you’ll never lay a finger on him! I promise you that. Now let me settle Erenia’s debt. You’ve had your hour…” It felt good, to come out on top.

Leaning back on her bed as she watched Circa standing up and gathering her clothes, Naomi smirked as her tails swung around behind her wildly. “So, it has… Wait outside in the Lilac Room. I’ll be with your shortly to fulfill my end of the bargain. A deal is a deal.”

Glaring back at the woman but deciding not to rub salt in the wound, the Scholar pulled her shirt on once she had finished with her pants before walking towards the door. “Keep what you heard to yourself… Bedroom talk and all…” The last thing she wanted, was for others to know her dirty little secret. Especially not her friends…

Letting out a snicker, Naomi waved to the teen as she exited her private chambers. Such a kitten. She would be hers… But first… that girl had done a number on her. And finding out she had a brother in this city she let have fun with her incestuously… now that was just too much for Naomi to handle.

Rolling over to the side of the bed before pulling out a small Aether crystal, the older woman channeled with it before a figure rushed into the room. “Y-Yes, Mistress Naomi! What is it you need!” It was geisha. One of Lady Faye’s to be exact. She would get in trouble for this… But it was her leader’s fault for assigning such a girl to her in the first place…

She was a young thing. Maybe in her early twenties? That didn’t really matter. What did though, was the cat-like tail and ears she had. “Yes… ugh… hmm, your name escapes me. Come here!” Doing as she was told immediately, the Geisha walked in front of the Lord of Pleasure confused. She wasn’t summoned very often. Only when she needed to deliver a direct message to her lady personally.

However, it didn’t seem like that was the case. Crawling onto her knees and pulling down her skirt, Naomi revealed her ass to the startled girl before pressing a hand into her plump cheek. “Tell me, do I have anything staining me? I need to clean up, but I can’t tell myself~”

Flicking the frozen girl’s face with her tail, Naomi grinned as she felt the raven-haired Miqo’te beginning to pant. Such a weak spirit. She was unfit, to be called a pet. Almost immediately she felt it happen. Jumping in delight as the younger girl thrust her face into her ass, Naomi began wrapping her tails around the moaning woman.

“Tsk, tsk~ That’s forbidden you know… Touching me costs more than what Lady Faye keeps in her private coffers… it’s far too much for a lowly handmaiden like you to ever afford. I guess, your debt will be lifelong. Such a pity…”

Blinking as it dawned on her what she had just done, the geisha tried to pull away in abject horror from her actions… but Naomi’s tails kept her firmly there. “W-WAIT! I DIDN’T MEAN TOO- “Hearing nothing follow as the magic took effect; Naomi sighed before moving a hand back towards her ass.

“You didn’t mean to? If a person murders someone and says they didn’t mean to, does that mean they’re innocent? Your crimes are just as severe I’m afraid. Lady Faye will understand~” If this cat couldn’t resist her after only seconds of being tempted… then she was of no use to her leader. And she was even less useful to Naomi herself.

Twisting her finger with a pleased expression, Naomi purred as she felt the kicking woman’s legs enter her anus before her whole body disappeared. Falling back onto her mattress with a moan of delight, the foxlike woman stretched her body out as she basked in the pleasure she felt.

“Circa, Circa, Circa… ahhh… You’ll be mine… I swear it! There won’t be a moment of peace for you in this city…”

She would hunt her down herself. And send every debt collector after her to make this girl her pet. She would even defy Lady Faye herself, so long as Circa called her Mistress~

She had proven herself too special… to just let her go after this…

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Sitting down beside her friends, Circa’s tail flicked around sporadically as her ears swiveled to hear better. Noises were coming from everywhere and they all sounded perverse. Blushing as faint wetness trickled down her thigh, the Miqo’te bit down on her tongue drawing a shallow cut of blood. It was all she could focus on not to become aroused in this hedonistic brothel house…

Feeling her hand dragged briefly, the cat girl yanked back pulling Momo back onto the seat beside her. The Lalafell had begun falling under whatever spell this place had. But she could hardly blame her. The air here was laced with such strong scents it made even the more mature of the two grow delirious. This was intentional, but for the life of her, Circa didn’t know how.

Shifting her slanted eyes back and forth as she saw faint wisps of pink smoke wafting by, the Scholar surmised that was the origin. As to what it was, not even she knew. And asking her fairy to try and identify it was out of the question…

Eying Lala’Nee with a disapproving look, the larger girl sighed. Teetering on the couch they were all on, the small fairy clumsily lurched and staggered trying to stand and failing miserably as she kept falling over giggling to herself. Whatever was lacing this room had completely overtaken her companion.

Bell’Anna wasn’t much better as she lay against Momo’s stomach with a wide and inebriated smile on her face. Her eyes kept fluttering open and closed as she nuzzled her body into her summoner affectionately. It was like they had both gotten drunk somehow! Could fairies even get plastered?

Cupping Erenia against her stomach as the older woman moaned and whined, Circa could only sigh once more. Every one of her friends had been utterly defeated by this place in little more than an hour of being here. They needed to leave. Hopefully whatever infected them would lessen the farther away they got from this damned place!

Just when the teenager felt like taking a walk herself to keep her mind focused, the door behind her opened as Naomi strutted out into the room. She was proper once more, garbed how they had first met earlier. But she seemed well composed now. The Scholar could only wonder as to why…

Coming to a stop before the younger girl, the foxlike woman eyed her companions with a knowing smile. “You certainly are strong-willed. Some might even say stubborn... I’m glad we spent some time getting to know one another, my little kitten~” she cooed.

Scoffing, Circa stood, coming up a few inches shorter than Naomi face to face. “Erenia’s debt. Clear it! We need to leave soon…” Nodding with an annoyed look on her features, Naomi reached into her pocket before pulling out a small coin and passing it her way. “Here you go~ Just take this to the trade district and request an audience with Lord Tataru. She’ll clear things up.”

Eying the coin almost cautiously, it took a moment for the Miqo’te to muster up the courage to take it. She didn’t believe anything could happen just from touching it but she felt a bit gross touching anything in this building. Including the couch which might have been why she had been quick to stand.

Looking the small token over, the teen noticed it had a fox’s paw pad pressed into the surface indented into the metal. It was ornate and didn’t look like common currency. At least not in Houma itself. Eying the smiling woman cautiously, Circa’s arms crossed. “Can’t you remove Erenia’s debt yourself? You’re not trying to go back on your word, are you?”

Looking aghast in a mocking way, Naomi pressed her hand into her chest before gawking mockingly. “What?! Go back on my word! Whatever would give you such a poor opinion of me? Have I been nothing but a generous host to you since you arrived kitten~?” The older woman cooed once more.

Glaring, Circa lifted her hand up before tugging on the collar around her neck from earlier. Giggling, Naomi waved her hand off. “Just a little fun between us~ besides… I think it suites you nicely~” Naomi grinned, the tip of her tongue sneaking out subtly as it licked her bottom lip.

Shivering as a glimpse of the woman’s true colors came out from the façade she was putting up, the teenager took a tentative step back before tugging on the collar once more. “Take it off…” Humming quietly, Naomi raised an eyebrow as she smiled back at the glaring girl. “Now why would I do that?”

Gritting her teeth, Circa yanked on the collar harder but it didn’t give. The Scholar had been sitting here fiddling with it for ten minutes before giving up to watch over her friends. The damn thing wouldn’t come off no matter how hard she had tried!

“You said you were a *generous* host! So, take it off me!” Circa almost snarled. Much to her ire though, Naomi only smirked back at her. “I’ll pass cutie~ Consider it my parting gift to you. I only had the one you know. And I think it fits perfectly around your neck~ Let it remind you always… who you belong to ~” Naomi purred, her tongue coming out fully this time as she openly licked her lips biting down on them towards the end. It was an absolutely obscene expression that made the younger girl's legs quiver.

Deciding that it was better not to lose the war after her small victory earlier, Circa growled softly before pulling Momo by the arm yanking the Lalafell and their fairies away. “We’re leaving…” Not moving to stop them but instead walking beside her, Naomi continued to smile as she escorted them out of her establishment. Neither saying anything more on the matter…

Coming to a stop at the entrance, both Scholars were about to leave before Naomi cleared her throat. Wincing, having wanted to leave as quick as she could, Circa shook her head before looking back at the bemused woman. “Some parting words my sweet kitten~ Houma is no place for moral high ground… If you want to survive here… you either need to get harder, or have the one who owns you be the toughest around. It’s survival of the fittest~ A Miqo’te such as you must know how important alphas are~ When the time comes, just crawl on all fours to my door, and I’ll gladly let you in.”

She sounded so assured of herself… It was beginning to piss the younger teen off! Turning back around sharply, Circa’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not your damn pet! And If you think I’ll ever set even a toe in this district again you’d be wrong! We’re leaving Houma, and not coming back!” she snapped.

Cupping her cheek in amusement, Naomi giggled softly as she lifted up a small crystal-like device. It had wires and metal attached to it, and it was unlike anything the Miqo’te had seen before. Just what was she-

“Attention all, this is your Lord speaking. Two guests are now leaving my den~” Naomi said softly. But her voice was anything but quiet. Wincing as she heard the loud ring of the fox women's voice calling out from all sides, Circa was at a loss for words. Was she projecting her speech?!

“These are valued guests I wish to keep. All the debts owed to my district will be nullified for the one who brings me hers~ As well as all debts owed in every other district as well~ To add on, I will offer free use of the Fox Paws services for one full month. Ta-ta~” Dropping the crystal into the waiting hand of her attendant, Naomi shifted her eyes back over to Circa’s as they shined fiercely. “Be seeing you kitten~”

Blinking slowly as she tried to process what had just happened, the door behind Naomi suddenly burst open as men and women of all sizes looked past the pleasure lord and eyed the pair of Scholars wildly. Some were still naked and in various states of undress. But they were all gawking at the teens in shock.

‘Oh shit…’ Grabbing Momo by the waist, Circa turned on her heel casting a quick Rescue spell on their smaller friends the Lalafell hadn’t grabbed before her abrupt seizure as she ran to the entrance. Hip checking the door as she winced, the Miqo’te burst out into the open streets as her eyes widened in horror.

All around her, eyes were transfixed on the Fox Paws. Grasping the realization of what Naomi had just done, Circa’s eyes darkened. She had been marked…

Wasting not even a second to process this, the teenager took off, bounding over the railing of the Pleasure Districts walls and into the topiary garden below. This… would be a long trek back to the Trade District.

And it was made all the worse as the sounds of people screaming up above began growing closer towards them…

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Standing still as people ran past them, Circa held her breath until she heard their footfalls fade into the distance. Things had gotten tense upon leaving Naomi’s district… After making their way through the large garden, it became apparent to the Miqo’te that she might have made a terrible error…

The *garden* wasn’t really a garden at all but another district of the city! Shrunken people had been all around her and they were quick to point her out to the men and women pursuing her. If it hadn’t been for the great tree near the river they passed they would have been caught for sure. Though it was still too early to say they were in the clear.

“Lala’Nee, come on and snap out of it already! Do you sense anybody near us now?” Looking to her fairy as the smaller Fae weakly fluttered by her head, the tiny girl groaned as she clutched her head. It was like she was suffering a hangover…

“I… I don’t, f-feel anybody that close… But it’s so blinding here! There’s static all around me in this city!” She whined. The Scholar couldn’t fault her for that. This city was entrenched with thick Aether for some reason. It was like her fairy’s radar was picking up static all around. She wasn’t up to the task like she would normally be. And it had become apparent just how much the teenager had been relying on it to get by… She would have to correct that if they got out of this.

‘Once we get out of this! Think positive, damn it!’ They would make it through this challenge. They still had her Aether Network crystal as a last resort. It was drastic and would take them all the way to the other side of the planet but it was a better alternative than being enslaved by that horny woman!

“Circa, will she be, okay?” Looking down, the older teen smiled softly as Momo looked ready to cry. Holding Bell’Anna up like a dolly, the smaller fairy huffed and panted as she writhed in her summoner’s hands. She was in worse shape than Lala’Nee had been in. Thankfully, the Lalafell got reassurance from someone else.

“She should be fine. The drugs in our systems are wearing off. They’re addictive but don’t last long. Lord Kino designed that substance to work exceptionally quick, but the drawback is it wears off fast if you stop using it. At least, that’s how it was described to me by one of Lord Naomi’s attendants…”

Looking to Erenia as the older woman rubbed her eyes over and over, Circa sighed before shaking her head. “If you knew all this, why did you keep going back!” She hadn’t gotten over how foolish her friend had been. It was a conversation they would have to have later. You know… when they weren’t being actively hunted…

Picking up more footsteps coming their way, the Miqo’te cursed before pulling Momo along, her fairy flying behind her a ways and Erenia tucked beneath her arm. They were out of options. Eying the massive bridge above her, Circa sighed before channeling her mana. She had done this a few times after Momo taught her, so this would work out… hopefully.

“Aero!” Feeling the wind take her as light as a feather, not from her weight but the sheer force behind it, Circa was suddenly airborne, before she cast it again. Repeating the action as she used her bursts to scale the structure, the Miqo’te tried her best not to draw attention, but as she vaulted the railing and landed on the thick wooden bridge that connected all the buildings in this city together, it soon became apparent she might have made a mistake…

Standing all around her, people gawked as she stood on the ledge next to her friend as Momo landed a few seconds after she did. ‘Shit…’ She would have to fight! But, as the teenager readied a spell to distract and not maim, Erenia’s voice snapped her out of combat mode.

“CIRCA STOP! They’re not after you!” Blinking, the younger teen lowered her hand as she eyed the crowds around her. A lot were looking at her… but… their faces had dazed and confused expressions. They looked nothing like the frenzied people she had left behind. Looking at them all as she shifted her eyes over the masses, an eerie feeling overtook the Scholar.

“What the… What’s wrong with them all?” Glancing Erenia’s way, the Astrologian hadn’t stopped rubbing her eyes, but she peeked them out from beneath her palm. “This… This is Lord Kino’s district… She deals with narcotics, alcohol, and other addictive substances. Anybody here is either high, drunk, or so out of it they’d think you a hallucination…”

True to her friend’s words, it seemed they did. Many of the mindless masses soon began walking away minding their own business while others pointed at her in awe. While an odd experience, it was one the Scholar wouldn’t ignore. Inebriated masses would do fine for camouflage.

Jumping down onto the bridge, a light blush crept over the teenager’s face as people began clapping at her display. Hopefully, they would think it was just a show or something. Grabbing Momo’s hand in her own, Circa began to walk away briskly, ignoring the calls behind her as they left.

Damn this city was a weird place. “Erenia… That message Naomi sent out. Did only the people in her district hear it?” She didn’t know what technology that was, but it sounded loud. Really loud! It hurt the Mitote’s ears when she had talked and it had drawn every eye in the vicinity to her…

Frowning herself, the Elezen shook her head. “No clue… that’s the first time I’ve seen that woman address people. I don’t know a lot about Houma but the basics about the city's rules and lords. But I’m guessing everybody heard it one way or another. If it was just her district, her message will spread by word of mouth… Gossip is rampant in this city.”

Cursing to herself, Circa nodded having drawn a similar conclusion. If the city was on high alert for a Miqo’te though, then she could work around it. Naomi wanted her, not Momo or Erenia. Sliding by a vagrant on the street who sat slumped over unconscious, the teenager grabbed his cloak before tugging it off him.

Flipping a golden gil his way as he stirred momentarily, the cat girl had flung it over herself in less than a second hiding her head and ears from view as she wrapped her tail around her waist like a belt. ‘Not the best but it’ll work…’ Hopefully that would be enough to buy him a new one. And a better one… this thing reeked of stale alcohol… It was enough to make her want to gag. But… desperate times.

Flipping the cloak over a startled Momo and Lala’Nee, the older teen kept her head low as she pulled her friends along forcefully into the larger crowds. The more people around her, the harder it would be to be noticed. Hiding in plain sight was her specialty…

During their walk, the teenager did see people beginning to run around the intoxicated masses of this district from the direction of Naomi’s, but none stopped to look at her too closely. Occasionally an eye or two would fall her way, but a quick stagger and slurred apology would make their gazes drift on by. It felt like an eternity, but they had finally arrived.

Stepping into the trade district as she continued to stagger around and not walk hurriedly, Circa glanced at the large buildings and shopping areas before looking down at Erenia. “Where too now? We need to see someone named Tataru…”

Having been concealed most of the walk, it seemed the darkness had helped her friend as the Elezen poked her face out. She looked a lot better and wasn’t wincing as badly as before. “Tataru? That’s the Lord of this district. I didn’t think you’d have to see her. If I recall, she resides in a workshop building near the entrance of the city port. But… unlike the other lords of this city, she doesn’t stay in one place for long. It might be hard to find her Circa…”

Gritting her teeth as it dawned on the cat folk why Naomi had her search for the other woman, the Miqo’te swore again. It was beginning to become a habit in this damn city. But there was no helping it now. The sooner they found this person, the quicker they could free Erenia and find a place to hide out.

Following her friend’s instructions, the group made their way to a large building with thick stone walls. On the top of the buildings, front entrance thickly embedded with steal were shining letters spelling out *The Workshop*. Not the most creative name, but it seemed to fit. There were stone windows on all sides and from what the teenager could see, various machines were being worked on within.

Walking up the rather small stone steps that were numerous but small, the cat folk soon stood before the entrance as a Lalafell sat over a large tome writing things down. “Pardon… I’ve come to seek an audience with Tataru.” While trying to be cordial with her words, the woman in front of her looked up abruptly with an annoyed expression on her features.

“Excuse me? Lady Lord Tataru Taru does NOT see just anybody upon demand. You’ll have to make an appointment like everyone else!” Snapped the woman before going back to her ledger. That had sounded exceedingly hostile…

Glaring back at her, Circa pulled out the coin Naomi had given her before slamming it down on the marble table, a loud clang ringing out forcing attention back on her. “Well then, you can explain to Lord Tataru Taru why you failed to pass along a message from Lord Naomi then! I’m sure she’ll love knowing she wasn’t informed about something important like that. You know… because you’re busy and all.” Circa whispered sweetly.

Seeing the eyes of the Lalafell widen at the sight of the coin, the smaller woman hopped off the stool she had been standing on to overlook the desk before running off in a hurry. ‘Well, that bluff paid off…’ The coin probably had little more value than just to buy back Erenia. But the snippy attendant didn’t need to know that…

As minutes ticked on, the cat folk grew nervous. More and more eyes began to focus on her as she stood still. There was still a hunt for her after all. And if the people here were looking for a Miqo’te then her simple disguise wouldn’t work as effectively as it had around the drunkards of that other district they had come from.

Thankfully, the large wooden doors to the workshop opened a moment later. Walking back out with a deep frown set on her face, the Lalafell from before hopped back up on her stool as she glared at her. “You may go see, Lady Lord Tataru Taru now… And make sure you show her the respect she deserves!” The attendant snapped.

Nodding silently, Circa moved forward past the woman giving her no time to see the people she had concealed beneath her stolen cloak. As they passed the doors of the workshop entrance a faint feeling of relief passed through the Scholar. There were men and women all around her working on different machines and furnishings. Though they were all about half the size of Momo…

‘I wonder how long it takes for them to finish projects when they’re so small…’ It seemed a little counterproductive, but then again… she hardly knew a thing about magitek. Following along a designated path that only led to a door, the teenager stopped before the smaller entryway before knocking gently.

Hearing a loud “Enter” A moment later, Circa ducked her head low to make it into the room before thankfully standing back up to her full height a moment later. The room was big. Almost bigger than the workshop area itself. Though calling it a room was a bit of a false statement. It was more akin to a library or school office.

Books as far as the eye could see were scattered around both on walls and tables and stands and floors… Papers were thrown around in all areas scattered about. It was chaotic but not quite messy. There was no trash from what she could see. Just endless documents and various notes or tomes.

And sat at a desk at the end of the cluttered room was another Lalafell writing something frantically down into what had to be the largest book the Miqo’te had ever seen. It was over a third the size of the desk! Just what the hell did that thing contain to need such frantic scribbles from the quick penned woman?

As for said woman, she was an interesting sight. Dressed almost like an adventurer and not a businesswoman like Circa had assumed she would be, the Lalafell had on a short-undercut jacket with open sleeves. She did wear a tie, but it looked knitted into the shirt and didn’t move when she did. On top of her head was also a wide tucked-in hat with a brooch tucked onto the left side. And apparently, it could hold a quill as the Miqo’te watched her finish writing and tuck her feathered pen into the side of her hat for safekeeping.

Looking up a bit surprised, the Lalafell smiled calmly before closing the side of her book as it gave a resounding thump that echoed the stony room. “Ahh, you must be the one who requested me? I don’t normally have people come and seek me out. But I suppose Lord Naomi is rather crass… To what do I owe the intrusion? It’s not a pleasure, I assure you…” She muttered condescendingly. She somehow both sounded amused and annoyed…

Deciding to take the diplomatic route, Circa approached before craning her neck in a short bow. “I… I apologize for the intrusion. Naomi sent me to find you. She said I had to talk to you about settling a debt. She gave me this to show you…”

Pulling out the coin and setting it on the desk, Tataru’s brow rose slightly. “A favor token? How queer… A Lord doesn’t hand these out lightly. You do realize that this can get you a lot of things in Houma, correct?” Tataru asked skeptically. Giving the Lalafell a puzzled look, Circa quietly shook her head.

Drumming her fingers somewhat exasperated, Tataru tsked. “A favor token given is a personal request from one Lord to another. They can even be given to Lady Faye herself sometimes. I can count on only one hand how many I’ve ever issued to individuals and among the Lords of Houma, I’m a founding member.” Tataru chortled.

Feeling a bit of anxiety at that bit of information, Circa just nodded, unsure of what to say. Looking the coin over, almost like she was inspecting it to make sure it wasn’t counterfeit, the shorter woman finally nodded before setting it down beside her. “Alright, well… I ask again now that you’re aware of what you possess… You do understand the value of this token, correct?”

Nodding again, a strained look overtook Tataru’s face. “And… you want to use this… to settle a debt?” Sighing as the cat girl nodded once more, the Lalafell finally shrugged. “Alright. Far be it from me to give out advice so freely. To whom is this debt going to be settled? Is it someone who resides in my district? Or Lord Naomi’s? If it’s in either the Substance or Entertainment district then you’d need to discuss it with their lords instead of with Naomi. We can’t really touch each other’s property you see. I am just a stand-in for the other's belongings. If a debt belongs to someone, I know it. Hence why she probably sent you to see me. The token was most likely given to get my attention quickly. And that, it certainly did. What a foolish woman, handing such a valuable thing out so freely…” Tataru tsked. She looked rather displeased.

Opening up her cloak and revealing who all was beneath it, the Lalafell’s brow rose higher. “Oh my… quite the audience you were concealing. Is, this favor for all their debts…?” Shaking her head, Circa lifted Erenia up as the smaller Elezen gave a weak wave.  “Salutations, Lady Tataru Taru. I’m afraid this whole debacle is my doing…” The Astrologian muttered sheepishly.

Nodding as she saw the smaller size of the woman, Tataru hmphed before pulling out a large leather-bound book from beneath her desk. “Name and date you arrived in Houma if you’d please.” Giving the information to her, it didn’t take long for the Lalafell to find what she wanted as her finger landed on a particular page.

“Ahh, here you are. Erenia Buinasane? Oh my, quite the expense you’ve accrued. And in such short a time, you certainly are an active woman…” Feeling the fingers around her body tighten, Erenia chuckled weakly before giving Circa a reproachful look. “Heh… I uh…” the Elezen started, but the teenager looked away in a huff.

Writing in something and crossing another word out, the Lalafell’s eyes landed on Circa. “And what is your name, miss?” Giving the woman a surprised look, the teenager quickly informed her. Sharing a puzzled look between them, Tataru frowned now. “Circa… only? No middle name? No surname? You just go by Circa?”

Feeling her tail twitch in annoyance, the Scholar nodded. “I don’t have one. It’s just Circa!” Rolling her eyes, the shorter woman began writing in the book once more before nodding. “Alright, *just Circa*. The total accrued debt is one-hundred and seventy-four million, six-hundred and eighty-two thousand gil. With that, her debt has now been passed onto you granting you ownership of her.” Tataru said succinctly before closing her ledger and tucking it back under her desk where it belonged.

Nodding and feeling relieved, the Miqo’te finally let out the sigh she had been holding in. “Alright, so when can she be changed back to normal?” Her question, however, was met with an inquisitive look from the Lalafell. “Her stature? It will be rendered back once the debt has been settled of course.”

Blinking, it took a moment before Circa grasped what Tataru had just said. “But… I did, just settle it… So, when will she change back?” It was the shorter woman’s turn to blink now. Tilting her head, it finally dawned on her what the teenager meant. “Oh… oh no, her debt hasn’t been erased. Did you think I wiped it away just now? No, no, no, no, you’re mistaken I’m afraid. Debt can’t be removed. It can certainly be transferred. Sometimes there are higher fees to do it, but you had to pay none. It was freely given by Lord Naomi. However, your tiny companion’s debt is most certainly still there. But instead of paying it to someone else, she now must pay it back to you. That’s the law after all.” Tataru shrugged.

Looking back at her in shock, Circa was at a loss for words. “B-But… I… I don’t want it! Can’t I tell her she doesn’t need to pay it to me?!” Crossing her arms, Tataru huffed now. “Miss *Just Circa*, I feel you really don’t grasp the economy of Houma at all. A debt cannot be forgiven so easily. Miss Erenia accrued it and went into debt willingly. She was provided services for coins she didn’t have. That coin must go somewhere. Since Lord Naomi granted it to you, she has to pay it back to you. Now you can give her fair treatment certainly. Or even preferential treatment making it much easier for her to pay you but that money must be earned by Miss Erenia and then given to you. Until she has granted you the used funds… I’m afraid she will never grow back. This is Houma’s Law. The magic won’t allow it you see. Upon entering this city, everybody’s Aether is scanned on the genetic level. You enter a contract when you enter. And by going into debt, you become bound to Houma until the debt is paid one way or another. In essence, she cannot leave until she earns every single gil and provides them to her owner. And that would be you. No one can cheat the system. And no one can pass on a debt. That’s the law.” Tataru said sternly.

Standing there in disbelief, Circa was at a loss for words. Looking back at Erenia who looked just as shocked now, neither was sure what to say. “But… we’re supposed to leave soon… What will happen to the dolly teacher if we do?” Looking down, Tataru’s eyes shined as she saw Momori. She looked worried and almost ready to cry.

Sighing, the older Lalafell shrugged her shoulders. “I’m afraid that you’ll have to leave without her. Until her debt has been earned back and given… she is bound here. Not I, nor Lord Naomi or even the great Lady Faye herself can expunge a debt. Not a single Gil I’m afraid. The magic that our dear Lady uses is a special field. Restrictions and limitations are how she powers it so. By breaking one of the laws she’s implemented, the magic could be disrupted. And that could cause all sorts of chaos, not even I can begin to imagine.” Tataru shuddered.

Looking back at the Lalafell perplexed, Circa was at a loss for words. “What… what the hell kind of magic is this?! How can it affect an entire city?!” Beaming proudly, Tataru pointed out the window behind her desk at the massive castle that belonged to Lady Faye. “Houma is the city built by our fair Lady. Every brick and stone has magic embedded into them. I saw the construction personally so I should know. Lady Faye is most assuredly powerful. But here in her capital, she is a god. Her magic reaches everywhere this bound field touches. It’s in me, it's in you, it's in everyone! Do you get it now? She isn’t weak at all, but even so, she has gone beyond her limits to make her capital her sanctuary. Nothing can be done she does not will to be done. This is her magic. This is her law.” Tataru smiled proudly. There was reverence in her words, clearly showing how loyal she was to Lady Faye.

Looking down at the ground, Circa felt bile rise from her stomach. This was wrong. There had to be a way to fix this! She had to think of something! She always thought of something! She NEEDED to think of something! SHE NEEDED TO- “CIRCA!”

Snapping back to attention as Lala’Nee screamed at her, the Miqo’te blinked as she felt something wet on her cheeks. Was… was she crying…? Wiping away her partner's tears frantically, the smaller fairy looked crestfallen to see her summoner in the state she was in now. It seemed to have startled everybody.

Frowning, the Miqo’te took in a shallow breath before nodding. “I… I’m fine… We… I-I’ll think of a solution.” She always figured out how to get them out of messes. It was her job to be responsible. And the looks everybody was giving her terribly gnawed at the teenager. She had to stay composed for them…

“Circa… I… I’m sorry about this. About all of it. Just, go back to Doma. I can stay here and earn back what I owe you on my own. I can meet you again once I’m done.” Erenia said calmly. Her tone was gentle, but one look from the Miqo’te was enough for the cat folk to know not even she believed her own words.

Seeing how the room had grown somber, Tataru hummed softly. “I don’t quite know your dilemma, but it doesn’t sound as terrible as you’re making it out to be. There are countless ways for Miss Erenia here to make funds to pay you back. Time is always a factor but given a few years she can most certainly do it.”

Clenching her fists, Circa shook her head. “We don’t have years! The submarine is taking us back to the surface in a couple of days…” Wincing, Tataru slowly nodded. “A-Ahh… that might throw a wrench in your plans. I agree. Hmm, well… have you considered renting residency here in Houma while you await Miss Erenia to pay you back? You can put a lean on her debt you know. That way any money you spend goes back to Erenia lessoning what she owes you.” The Lalafell shrugged.

Smiling bitterly, the teenager simply shook her head. “I already told Faye I wouldn’t work for her. I don’t want anything to do in this damn city!” Growing wide-eyed now, Tataru jumped up on her desk startling the younger girl as she walked closer to her. “You? Lady Faye offered you a job? And you said no?! Do you honestly have any idea how rare of an opportunity that is?!” The Lalafell cried in shock.

Scowling, Circa stared back at the Trade Lord in annoyance. “It wasn’t a job. She offered me an internship! I can’t wait around when I need to take care of my friends! We need work and not illegal work at that! We didn’t come to Doma to hurt people, we came to help them!” she snapped.

Glaring back at the girl as if she were reprimanding a child, Tataru was about to go into why she was so stupid for doing what she did… but her eyes were suddenly drawn to Circa’s neck. “Where… did you get that?” It was shocking to the younger teen. She hadn’t expected something so random after all.

Looking down, it took a moment for the blonde to realize she meant the collar around her neck. “This? Naomi put it on me and I can’t remove it…” Circa muttered bitterly. It was at the bottom of the barrel of her problems right now. She hadn’t really thought about it.

Tilting her head, Tataru studied Circa confused. “Now why in Hydaelyn would she have used that on you?! I warned the fool she couldn’t have another! Damned that sex-crazed cat woman!” Jumping in surprise from the shorter woman’s outburst, the younger girl wasn’t sure how to respond… or even where to start…

“C-Cat woman…? I… You know what this is?!” Circa barked as she tugged on her collar. Nodding dismissively, Tataru waved her off. “Of course, I know what that is child! It’s my patented magitek collar after all! It was a prototype Lord Naomi had me design for her. But it’s still in construction. That is the only working model. The cost to use it is far too high to maintain production so I’m still trying to find cheaper methods for producing it. And she wastes it on you!? I cannot fathom why she would do that! Sure, she has an irrational obsession with her kind but it’s not like you’re a Miqo’te. She’s a fool if she thinks I’ll give her another so readily. In fact, I should…” The Lalafell trailed off as Circa removed her hood, the younger girl’s cat-like ears peeking out now as she uncoiled her tail to match.

Looking the blonde over more closely now, Tataru winced. “O-Oh… oh dear… You do need to leave Houma, immediately… Lord Naomi has taken some form of interest in you and I do say it's not one you’ll like given your personality I’ve seen so far…”

Frowning, Circa tugged on the collar once more. “So, you made this, right? Can’t you just remove it?” Shaking her head sadly, Tataru shrugged weakly back at her. “I’m afraid not child… That collar was something Lord Naomi wanted for all of her… err… pets, as she calls them. It can only be removed by the one who places it on another. Aether circulates it, binding it to the person it's attached to. To attempt to remove it by force causes it to shrink… And unless you’re into asphyxiation I wouldn’t recommend trying to take it off yourself…”

Growing horrified, Circa looked down again before immediately withdrawing her hand from the cursed choker. “ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS THING IS GOING TO STRANGLE ME?!” she screeched. She thought it was just to taunt her, not threaten her life!

Raising her hands in a placating way, Tataru tried to calm the younger girl down. “N-Now now, it will be fine! The magitek only shrinks if you try to remove it. So honestly, it’s a nuisance more than anything but it won't harm you all on its own. Just… uh… ignore it! Yes, ignore it! And everything will work out fine!” The Lalafell announced sighing to herself in relief. Though for Circa, that was anything but what she felt right now…

“Circa, you’re eyes twitching… Do you need to sit down?” Lala’Nee whispered worriedly. She had never seen her partner so flustered and angry before… Clenching her fists, the Miqo’te was so done with this city that she couldn’t even think anymore. She just wanted out of this terrible place!

“If I take this cursed thing out of Houma, will it strangle me?” Looking back at the girl thoughtfully, Tataru began counting with her fingers before making a questionable expression. “I… don’t believe so!” Looking back at one another, the younger girl ground her teeth as she waited… but that was all the Trade Lord said on the matter.

“So, in essence… I’m a prisoner here too. Because you *don’t believe* it will strangle me, but there’s still a chance of it happening if I leave?” Circa asked sternly. Raising her finger to retort, Tataru had to pause now. “You know… it actually never came up in the design that the wearer of that collar would be leaving Houma. Hmm… I’ll need to discuss this little flaw with the work crew about it…” The Lalafell trailed off earning the teenager’s ire once more.

“So, what the hell do I do about all this then?! I’m supposed to be leaving Houma in a few days! My long-time friend is trapped here possibly for years! And a crazy nymphomaniac psychopath wants me to be her freaking pet! Is there anything else that hasn’t happened to me since coming here that can damn us further?!” Circa cried out angrily, tears threatening to come back.

“Well… don’t forget that Naomi also put a bounty on you…” Glaring at Erenia as she shrunk back, Circa cupped her face trying to calm down. She felt so helpless here it was miserable! She had never been put into a situation she couldn’t see a way out of… Even her emergency escape plan was no longer an option since she might be strangled if she jumped to another continent!

Eying the girl somewhat sadly, Tataru sighed before walking off her desk and back down onto the chair she had been seated on before. “I do apologize… but I’m afraid I can do no more to assist you. You’re certainly in trouble from the sound of it. But… with one of you in debt to Houma, and another being pursued by a Lord no less… my hands are tied…”

It wasn’t what the Scholar wanted to hear at the moment. Some form of reassurance would have been nice. But, Circa understood the position the Lalafell was in. To be honest, compared to the last Lord of Houma, Tataru was by all accounts cordial…

Thinking things over, the blonde finally shook her head. “Can… can you recommend us a place we could stay for a few days? Preferably out of the reach of Naomi’s influence…” At that, Tataru did smile. “I believe I can arrange a place for you. I’d normally charge you for my time. But that token you used should cover the difference. Truly child… wasting it on a single debt. You could have gotten so much more out of it you know. But I suppose in your current situation it was for the best. Give me just a moment would you.”

And with that, Circa, Momo, Lala’Nee, Bell’Anna, and Erenia soon departed. There was a lot to talk about. And a lot of plans that now had to be altered…

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Three Days later…

Walking somberly as her ears folded back, Circa said nothing as Momo walked beside her up the steps leading to Lady Faye’s castle. Both their fairies flew beside them, but they too were just as silent. There had been a lot of talking and hashing out ideas in the small condominium Tataru had arranged for them to stay in. The price was steep… and it used almost all the funds both girls had saved up since coming to Doma. But it had been safe. No one knew they were there or bothered them. It gave the group time to process everything that had happened to them since coming here.

In the end… there was really only one course of action. Much to Erenia’s dismay, she hadn’t been able to talk the Miqo’te out of it. And much to the cat folk’s appreciation, Momo had refused to leave her side. So that left them both only one real option if they couldn’t leave Houma. They would have to take the ruler's offer of preliminary employment until Erenia had paid off her debt so they could leave. At least this way they wouldn’t go into debt themselves…

It left a bitter taste in the cat girl's mouth, however. She never thought that her life would end up like this coming here. Being under the thumb of someone was a terrible thing. Having her friends under the same thing she would be was almost too miserable to even think about. But… at least she wouldn’t be alone for this…

Squeezing Momo’s hand as she held it gently, the Lalafell beside her smiled up at her as they kept walking. It didn’t take long for them to reach Lady Faye’s castle. The *borrowed* hood she still had might have not been necessary, but none of them knew how long Naomi’s hunt would last and there was no point taking chances like that. ‘Hopefully, Faye’s offer can protect me from that psychopath…’ She would take the Viera’s offer over the fox's any day of the week.

Standing before the entrance, both Scholars and fairies looked up as they saw the doors to the massive palace… open...? Looking around confused, there was no one around. No guards, no staff. Nothing… This was a bit eerie… but Faye had told them that they could see her at any time if they reconsidered. ‘More like was coerced…’ The teenager thought bitterly.

Taking the long pathways of the imposing castle halls, it wasn’t long before the four of them reached Lady Faye’s chambers. And… like before with the entrance… it was wide open? Peeking in tentatively, Circa gulped as she saw Lady Faye seated on her structure-like throne, sipping from the same pipe she had been using when they first met. She looked so relaxed and uncaring. And, she probably was…

Taking a deep breath, Circa squeezed Momo’s hand reassuringly as her fairy landed on her shoulder patting the blonde's cheek. “It’ll be alright…” Lala’Nee mumbled. She didn’t sound so assured herself either. But that was to be expected. Their Fae often felt the same emotions as their summoners from what the Miqo’te had discovered. Though that left her wondering why hers was always so horny… ‘Not the time to ponder this, stay focused!’

Standing up straight and composing herself, the cat girl let go of her friend’s hand, before confidently walking into the chamber. Showing weakness was a sure-fire way for the ruler of the city to think them unfit to serve her. She didn’t care what she had to do. She would save Erenia! And get them safely out of this city! Everybody was counting on her…

As she approached, worry filled the teenager's mind as Lady Faye’s eyes locked on her. They were keenly focused, but her face betrayed absolutely nothing as she continued smoking from her kiseru. It felt almost like a mile’s worth of walking… but the cat girl finally stood before the ruler of Houma. As it had been before, she had shrunken upon getting closer to her in person. She was barely below the Viera’s knees as she sat seated upon her throne. It was… slightly bigger than it had been last time, she noted.

Continuing to puff on her pipe as seconds ticked on, Faye finally exhaled before removing the metal kiseru and giving it a sharp tap on the side of her throne to empty the ash. “Ahh, so you’ve returned? I believe… that your submersible has just come in. You kept me waiting till the very end.” The rabbit-eared woman chortled in amusement.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Circa nodded slowly. As Faye’s hand extended to her, the Miqo’te saw her permission to speak was granted, having mentally gone over all the rules Kiku had given her before their first meeting again. “My apologies Lady Faye. Circumstances changed… and I believe your offer is the best option for us now. We would like to continue staying here in Houma…” It was painful to say that. But it was the truth nonetheless.

Tapping her metal pipe gently as the sound echoed throughout the chamber, Faye’s expression was unreadable… at least, that was until a wide smile spread across her face. It was full of amusement that left the teenager feeling worried for some reason. She was deliberately pausing for long periods to rile her up… And, it was working…

“You wish to accept my offer of preliminary examination? Hmm… I regret to inform you, that, unlike your ship which has just arrived, that ship has sailed.” Silence made up the throne room. Circa, as well as Momo and their fairies, stood in shock by what had just been said. Thankfully, the Miqo’te was quick to gather her barring, or else she’d look even more the fool than she already felt.

“B-But… You said I could return to you if we changed our minds at any time!” The Scholar almost snapped before wincing as she remembered just who it was, she was speaking to. Thankfully, it didn’t look like Lady Faye noticed her tone. Or at least cared as she continued to stare down at her bemusedly.

“I did say that. But as I’ve also stated, your ship has arrived. And that window of opportunity fled with it. No… I believe I’ve seen enough of your character to have come up with a better role for you to fill.” This, caught the teenager off by surprise.

“Another role…?” That didn’t sound good. Did she plan to have her work as one of those tiny people in one of the markets? Or maybe as a Geisha she flaunts? It filled the younger girl with anxiety brimming on the edge, ready to explode. Damn this city! Damn this entire country! None of them should have ever come here!

As she was about to snap back at the ruler, an echoing of footsteps rang out drawing all of their attention away from the Viera seated in front of them. It sounded, like a lot of people were headed this way. “Please take a step back. I had a prior meeting scheduled. And they are right on time, while you were late to see me. You may wait over there while I discuss business with them.” Faye announced pointing to a pillar on one of the sides of her throne.

Not wanting to end this but knowing it would be better to bide her time and at least hear out the only option they would probably get, Circa bit her tongue drawing blood in the process as she stifled her anger. Grabbing Momo’s hand who seemed just as crestfallen by the ruler’s statements, all four of the girls moved where they had been directed as they slunk against the marble stone, and waited their turn to speak again…

As the footsteps grew nearer, people soon began to take shape as they came before Lady Faye. One thing that Circa immediately noticed… was while small, they were only about half the size of the ruler while everyone else that had approached her before shrank to mere inches. Did that mean something?

The first to come into view was a tall Elezen. He was dressed in a pearly white dress suit with the jacket casually draped across his back. Not a shrapnel of dirt or grime stained his clothing. There was neither a wrinkle to be seen on any surface. He looked extremely handsome for one of his race, and the smile he wore could swoon just about anything that breathed. And possible some things that couldn’t…

Beside him walked an equally tall Miqo’te much to Circa’s surprise. She had on a pale black sleeveless dress with the middle cut open exposing the crevice of her breasts as well as her navel. Her appearance was asymmetrical all and all. An elbow-length glove on one hand, and nothing on the other. A thigh-high boot on one, and a high heel on the other. The mismatched outfit, however, seemed to fit the strutting woman as she kept pace beside the Elezen. Like him, she also wore a coat draped across her shoulders. While his had been a dress suit, however, hers was a pale furred one that went monochrome with her black outfit. It clashed with her noir ears and tail, but so did the rest of her.

Looking past the regal pair, a face Circa instantly remembered appeared causing the Miqo’te to stiffen in dismay. Sashaying her hips as all four of her tails swayed to the rhythm of her strut… was Naomi. Like the last time they had met, she wore skimpy clothes barely concealing any of her form, as her whole demeanor screamed at others to look at her.

Next came Tataru, the Lalafell wearing something similar to what she had first met her in too. Though there were more adornments on her now. A small clear box that looked to be filled with something was mounted on her hip. She also wore vials strapped to her thigh that were showing below her knee-length socks. That same wide hat she had been wearing was there, however, which drew Circa’s attention. The quill pen wavered around as she walked in cheerily.

And then, the last person entered. She was someone that put the Miqo’te on high alert. But for the life of the teen, she couldn’t figure out why. It was like her instincts just screamed to run away from her... Coming in shorter than Naomi but larger than Tataru had been, was a little girl? No, that wasn’t right. The way she held herself wasn’t childlike, and the fact she was drinking what looked like alcohol was also a dead giveaway…

Her hair hung wildly behind her back, coming down almost to her feet. Had it been not for a large bow containing the purple locks they would have been cascading everywhere. Peeking out above it, were two massive spiked horns, tipped with red at their peaks. She wore nothing on her chest but what looked like cotton wrappings to cover her breasts, leaving everything else to be exposed. Around her waist, she had on traditional Doma apparel but it was cut shorter than most. The bindings were made of thick rope as well instead of leather belts. She did have long thigh-length socks on, but that almost seemed unnecessary since she wore a thick pair of elevated pagoda sandals. Without them, she might have stood just inches above Tataru in stature. But what had to be the most unsettling thing to Circa, was the massive iron manacles around the girl’s wrists and ankles. They looked extremely heavy but it didn’t seem like she even noticed their weight as she carried a massive gourd in one hand and an overly large drinking dish in the other.

As she walked, however, the child suddenly stopped before tilting her head a fraction of an inch. It was enough though, for their eyes to meet. Feeling immediately intimidated in a way only Faye had ever done to her before, Circa’s tail shot down between her legs causing her to involuntarily tremble. ‘W-W-Who the hell is she?!’

Cracking a small smile before her eyes turned back to Faye, the girl paid Circa and their group no more mind after that much to the Miqo’te’s relief. There had been pressure there. But it didn’t seem like that girl even tried to level any her way. Was it magic? Or just her very presence like it had been upon meeting Faye for the first time…?

Looking at her friends, Circa knew they felt it too. Momo was still shaking, clearly rattled beyond words. Lala’Nee who had been hovering before had fallen to her shoulder gasping. And Bell’Anna whimpered in the Lalafell’s hands. It seemed the only one who could rival such a fearful presence would have been the ruler of Houma herself, had she been trying to intimidate them the first time they had met. But… as much as it panicked the teen to think about it. She didn’t believe that child-like girl was trying to intimidate them. ‘I-I think she was sizing us up…’ What a terrifying prospect…

As the five of the group stood before Lady Faye, four of them took a knee respectfully while the fifth Miqo’te next to the Elezen shrunk down upon getting closer to the woman. Unlike the others, she bowed low to the floor instead of reverently. All of them though were clearly giving honor to their ruler.

Raising her hand and extending two fingers in the air, the five of them rose up before they started speaking. It seemed like that was a signal, because the stiff postures and composed demeanors fled with the act.

“Oh, my Mistress~ I’ve missed you so~ Why must you only call on me when you have news to deliver? You know I’m at your beck and call at any hour, every day~” Naomi moaned out, her body swiftly moving as she pressed herself into Lady Faye’s foot affectionately. It was such a sudden shift, that it completely caught Circa off guard. She was acting so… submissive… It was nothing like the fox woman the Miqo’te had seen before.

But it didn’t seem like Lady Faye cared much for the smaller woman’s proclamation. Smirking to herself as she took a small puff from her pipe, the Viera sat silently watching as the others began to speak.

“She probably likes the peace her throne room provides. And a cat in heat would bother her so.” The Elezen muttered smoothly as he rubbed his bangs to the side with a smirk. Immediately, Naomi’s head shot his way as she hissed savagely. “What we share you’ll never have, you pompous elf! My Mistress knows what she has~ and only uses me when she wishes.” The fox woman grinned.

“And speaking of things people have, just how long do you plan to play pet to that pointed-eared tease, my precious kitten~? You would love my company far more than his!” Naomi hissed out again, venom savagely lacing her words.

Stretching her body out after her prostration, the elegant Miqo’te looked back at Naomi before shifting her eyes away just as quick. “Lord Artoriel… may I silence her for you?” Her voice was deep and had an air of affirmation. It was almost like she meant what she had just said. No… she probably did. The way the woman tensed her body was the same way Circa had seen others do before they prepared to fight. She was serious…

But, it didn’t seem the Elezen thought so as he began laughing boisterously. It was the kind of laugh that drew attention to him, and it was just as pristine and attention-grabbing as the rest of him was. “I would think our fair Lady would be most disappointed if you did, Z’Veera. The task of finding a suitable lord is oh so taxing. She might make a mistake in who she chooses… again~” The Elezen now known to be Artoriel announced, his condescending eyes landing squarely on Naomi as her tails shot up in hostility.

It looked almost as if the two would come to blows, but Tataru stepped forward ignoring the pair and drawing Faye’s attention squarely to her. “Salutations my lady! I bring you good news! The experiment I was running proved fruitful! I’ve tested it out on multiple stock laying around my lab and the conversion worked out splendidly!” Tataru squealed.

Shifting their eyes away from one another, both the Artoriel and Naomi looked to the Lalafell as she pulled out a spool of thread that glowed a fine sheen of blue. It looked almost to be made out of light itself. Stretching out a single strand, it showed clearly before her as she displayed it for Faye to see.

“It’s quite simple to use. All you need is some form of fabric. Simply lace it into the fabric, and anything caught in the cross-stitching will attach itself to it! This includes both organic and nonorganic matter! From my experiments, the willing participants could still think and feel everything happening even in their altered states! It was beyond my wildest expectations!” Tataru squealed excitedly once more before slipping her nylon-socked foot out of her boot.

“Here’s one example I brought for you to observe yourself!” The Lalafell excitedly announced wiggling a bit as she tried to balance on one foot. It was hard to see from where she stood behind the five people, but… it almost looked like the pattern of a person was stitched into Tataru’s sole… Just what the hell was she even going on about?

While this intrigued Circa, it seemed to intrigue Lady Faye even more as her eyes widened slightly. It was enough of a reaction for Tataru though as she beamed proudly. Setting the pipe down on her armrest, the Viera finally spoke silencing the others before her. Or at least all except the purple-haired girl who hadn’t said anything at all. She just stood there smiling as she drank from her drinking dish. Occasionally she would refill it but she didn’t move to interact with anyone else.

“Have you begun mass producing yet? I can see the profit of this hitting the markets within a week. There should be countless buyers in both of your districts as well as possibly from curious guests in Tataru’s.” Faye announced as she looked at Naomi and Artoriel. Bowing back almost simultaneously, they both began to nod.

“Oh, I think I have plenty of clientele who would love to put some of that on pre-order if you can cutie~” Naomi teased as a tail flicked out to rub Tataru’s cheek much to the Lalafell’s annoyance as she batted the offending appendage away. “I think I could make use of it too. The punishment games have gone down in popularity by 2.4% from last month's estimate… I can find many new ways to implement them to draw my guest's entertainment again!” Artoriel announced happily. Again, the child-like girl said nothing, seemingly uninterested as the others seemed to be. But, it didn’t seem to concern Lady Faye when she turned to address her next.

“Kino, dear~ How goes the new opiate you’ve been cultivating? It’s been far too long since we last spoke together~” Faye cheerily announced. Tilting the dish down and away from her face, the purple-haired girl let out a small yawn before smiling back at her leader. “Well… It’s not quite there yet… I still can’t get the number of narcotics correct… People begin to get violent when they come off it, needing more doses… It’s a pain…” She mumbled in an almost sleepy tone.

Humming thoughtfully, Faye tapped her finger into her armrest as she pondered something. Eventually, she did nod back. “Perhaps you require fresher applicants? Those already influenced by your other cocktails might not make for good test subjects.” At that, Kino just smiled before lifting her drinking dish towards Lady Faye in a salute.

“You read my mind. I thought about that shortly before our meeting. I have some new guests eager to try my experiments out. I’ll see the results when I head back and update you later.” This seemed to please the Viera as she smiled back at her before turning her eyes back to the rest of the gathered Lords. It had become apparent to Circa that if two lords were here, the others had to be as well. Well, except maybe the Miqo’te. Faye hadn’t addressed her at all, and her size was smaller than the others. She barely came up to half of Tataru’s height…

As the talks between the group died down, Faye decided to take this opportunity to silence all discussions entirely. Raising her hand, every eye in the room landed on her. Smiling back at her gathered group, the larger woman spoke once more.

“It pleases me to hear your reports. Delivering them in person is far more pleasurable, if inefficient in time. Never the less… that’s not why I brought you all here today.” At that, all eyes including the child’s looked at their leader curiously. It seemed they had all been of one opinion prior.

Smiling in amusement as she made them wait, a habit Circa now knew the rabbit-eared woman certainly loved doing, she finally spoke. And what she said next caused shock amongst the four of the five people in front of her.

“It brings me delight to announce, that the fifth Lord, has finally been chosen. The Warden of the Guardians.” Looking at one another surprised, eyes shifted around uncertainly before Faye’s hand shot up again showily. “I see your shock. It has been a few years now that this position’s been open. It pains me that it has, but I require very specific criteria to be met when I assign a position to one of you. And my choice has yet to be wrong… so please, greet your new Lord, for she will be the one to carry my voice to you all from now on.”

Lowering her arm down, all eyes followed before Circa felt her heart skip a beat. Faye’s hand was pointing over towards where she and her friends had been standing a ways back. Immediately most of the group present were shocked by who they saw. Most of all being Naomi herself, as the fox-eared woman gawked openly at her having not noticed the teenager’s presence in the room until now.

“My kitten?! Have you been hiding away here all this time? That’s so naughty… I might have to punish you now…” She glowered, all four tails swaying wildly behind her. But then, her leader’s words suddenly registered.

“Wait… Do you mean…” Naomi started as she looked between Lady Faye and Circa. Shifting her head to the massive woman utterly dumbfounded, the teenager had to stop herself from looking behind her just to make sure the Viera wasn’t pointing at someone else hidden in the shadows.

Upon shifting her weight to her other foot, however, the slight twitch of the woman’s hand followed her. She meant her alright. Completely at a loss for what was happening right now, the voices of the other lords soon broke out with mixed opinions on Lady Faye’s announcement. They were loud enough to drown out anything the Miqo’te could have said in return.

“Her? A child? You’re putting her in charge of your city's defense? Please tell me you jest…?” Artoriel muttered not believing what he was hearing. Naomi seemed exceedingly pleased in contrast. “A Lordling as my kitten?! Ahh! I chose right with you! I knew you were special my pet~ You’ll be my pride and joy~ Why not come home with me to celebrate~” The foxy-woman winked, her tongue sneaking out to lick her lips hungrily.

Stepping a bit closer, Tataru had an odd look on her face, as she thought about something hard. “Hmm, you’ve certainly caused a lot of things to happen in such a short time. I’m surprised that it’s all your doing though and not Lady Faye’s. You’re either the luckiest individual I’ve ever met… or the smartest having set all these events in motion yourself. Perhaps time will tell…”

Kino said nothing as she tilted her head to drink from her gourd directly, her throat bobbing as she began to chug whatever it was, she was drinking quicker. All and all, every Lord had a mixed reaction it seemed. But Lady Faye soon addressed them all, and this time, it seemed it included Circa.

“Pardon the sudden revelation, Lord Circa… But I did say you were late to meet with me. I could have announced it to you prior, but you kept me waiting. I do hope that’s not going to be a future problem between us.” Faye quipped bemused at the utterly shocked look the teenager was giving her.

Finding some form of words come back to her after the statement, Circa was gobsmacked. “M-M-Me?! B-But you said you didn’t want me, err, us to work for you anymore!” It was the only thing that came to mind, and it proved the wrong thing as Faye suddenly laughed aloud making the younger girl blush red with embarrassment.

“I certainly didn’t say that! Gods, you need to listen to your leader better if you’re to be my new Lord, girl. I said that the preliminary trial I would grant you had been rescinded. I need not test you again after having done it the last few days. Your actions were quite insightful to my decision.” Faye grinned.

Staring back at Faye shocked, each new statement adding to the disbelief she couldn’t possibly bear, Circa soon bared her fangs. “So, you were testing me! That boat could have taken me back at any time, couldn’t it!” She snarled angrily. Her rage only began to bubble higher as the older woman simply nodded.

“Of course, ~ Vessels come and go from Houma all the time. Do you think it would be that hard for me to order one for you?” Trembling angrily, the teenager didn’t even know what to say to that. She was completely pissed off to have been toyed with. To have all her friends toyed with!

“So, what happens if I decline!” This, caught everyone off by surprise. Even Lady Faye seemed interested too now as she raised a sole eyebrow. “Decline? Don’t be ridiculous… You were already planning to stay here. That tantrum is ill befitting you know~” She continued to mock her! The Miqo’te had half a mind to do it out of spite!

But another voice rang out drawing the attention of the teen. “I think that might be for the best. Again, the Warden Lord is the one who instructs all Guardians of Houma to do their bidding. They reach everywhere the city touches. Are you really telling me that you want this child to be in charge of that?! The Lord's role is to protect you themselves as well!” Artoriel announced clearly displeased with his ruler’s choice. The Miqo’te beside him didn’t seem to weigh in but her cat-like eyes did keep peeking over the younger girl inquisitively.

“Be quiet elf! Lady Faye has already chosen her new Lord! Accept it!” Naomi hissed angrily as her eyes shifted towards Circa hungrily. “Besides, my kitten is special~ I tested her myself, and she passes~” the older woman purred. This only caused the man to roll his eyes.

“Get your rocks off somewhere else! Can you think with anything but your genitals? We’re discussing Lady Faye’s protection itself! Not who you wish to bed!” This immediately caused an argument between the two. Tataru for the most part seemed to mumble every so often, but it didn’t look like she had decided if Circa had been successful or just lucky. That was until Faye’s voice spoke up again ceasing their arguments.

“If it will rest this matter, Lord Circa hails from the country of Aldenard, from the city-state Gridania. She managed to become a conjurer in under a year at the age of seven. She graduated to a white mage by age ten. From what intel I’ve gathered she by far surpassed any in her city and made a name for herself before she vanished a few years later along with her brother. Coming all the way from the continent of Limsa Lominsa, she appeared again and took up the role of an arcanist. Again, she took to the calling faster than the other students there and within a single year… she became a Scholar. What you see in front of you is not a child. She is a prodigy! If one as young as her could do this much in such a short time, can you not see the potential that’s wasted by letting her go?” Faye finished calmly.

Most of the others seemed surprised to hear all this. None more so than Circa herself. Feeling her jaw hanging as she gawked at the Viera both surprised and horrified that she knew all these things about her, the Miqo’te could only shake her head. “H-H-HOW DO YOU KNOW ALL THAT?!” She hadn’t told anybody where she had come from! And anyone she could have spoken with would have only had part of that information!

Giving the cat girl a deadpanned look, Faye scoffed before rolling her eyes derisively. “Oh please~ I hardly had to extend my fingers before everything I wished to know of you and your companions came back to me. Knowledge is power. And I have plenty to spare. Never forget that…” It hadn’t sounded threatening… but the implication from her words was there.

Shivering as Faye’s eyes shifted off of the teenager and back to her other lords, the seated woman continued. “You’ve all heard of her exploits, so what say you now?” Scowling, Artoriel still looked unhappy. Naomi was practically frothing at the mouth as she stared Circa down ravenously… And Tataru was rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

Kino… hadn’t stopped drinking? Looking intently at the girl who had said nothing about her yet, Circa felt an odd feeling coming from her. Something was… wrong. Cracking open a single eye as theirs met for but an instant, that pressure from before came back. And it was much, much stronger!

With only the briefest warning imaginable, Circa shoved her hand out as her staff appeared. Had there been no indication, she wouldn’t have had the chance to act, as a loud boom echoed out from Kino’s direction.

She didn’t even have time to think about the spell as she reflexively cast it. Immediately a bright blue barrier appeared around her as she used Adloquium. And had it been any later, she might have lost her life. Crashing into the shield, was the shorter girl’s gourd?!

Feeling her body being shoved back as an unimaginable weight attempted to crush her, her fairy suddenly flew in front of her face adding power to the Scholars shield. But it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t even nearly enough!

Feeling the barrier shatter as the gourd came through, Circa flew back past her friends and into one of the many marble pillars that made up the room surrounding Faye’s throne chamber. Hearing cries from her friends as she laid flat in pain against the smooth stone, the Miqo’te fell forward as the gourd fell to the floor, along with what remained from her now shattered staff. It had completely been splintered by the force…

Flying to the teenager’s side as they began to cast healing magic on her, both Lala’Nee and Bell’Anna were beside themselves as Momo’s hand shot out with her wand. But, a sharp grip on the Lalafell’s ankle paused whatever it was she had begun to cast.

Looking up with blurred vision, Circa grit her teeth trying to warn her not to do anything. Thankfully, it seemed she understood. But the shorter teen didn’t lower her weapon as she glared at the group of people still in front of them.

All eyes, inevitably landed on Kino, as the horned girl flexed her fingers cracking each of her knuckles in turn. The smile she wore was gone, as she frowned indifferently back at Circa. It was then the Miqo’te knew, just why it was she scared her more than the other lords had. She had power…

It was that palpable kind one couldn’t fully suppress. It was like Lady Faye herself. A force of nature… There was no way to measure something like that! But thankfully, the girl’s eyes soon left the panting teen and turned towards the Viera frowning down at her.

“Was that your full strength...?” Faye asked calmly. In response, the smaller girl rolled the shoulder of the arm she had used to throw her gourd before shrugging. “It was enough… I guess she passes.” Her voice had returned to its bored tone as it had been before. But her eyes did focus back on Circa once more.

“Though you might need to practice more… You didn’t notice me winding up… That could have cost you your head.” She wore a smirk showing off the faintest pair of fangs, before turning away. “You have my blessing…”

Watching unanimously as Kino began to walk off, no one said anything as she departed the throne room. At least, until Faye spoke up again drawing all eyes back on her. “Considering Kino was the old Warden… I think you can trust her judgment. That is if there’s still any indecision remaining from my own…”

There wasn’t. Not after that display. As Faye lifted her hand up, she raised two fingers again, before lowering them back down. This, apparently called an end to their meeting. Sparing the teenager one last look before sighing, Artoriel began to leave, followed along quickly by the Miqo’te he had come in with.

Tataru was next, but she did speak once before departing. “Please come visit me once you’re settled, Lord Circa. I think you’ll require a new weapon as well as your uniform.” Bowing lightly, the Lalafell left, leaving only Naomi as the remaining lord.

Pouting, the foxy-woman flicked her tails in annoyance before giving a solidary look to Lady Faye. “Did you really have to have that walking distillery damage my kitten like that?” But she got no response, and the smaller girl finally turned and began to walk away.

“Be seeing you kitten~ Make sure to come to my den once you feel better. We’ll need to postpone your celebration…” She sounded bitter, but she made no further comments as she too walked away just as all the others had done.

Crawling to a knee as she caught her breath, Circa panted hard and fast as she felt her mana pool drain. That had never happened before. Not from a single spell! Looking to her side where the large gourd still lay… it was completely intact. Just what the hell was that thing made of?!

“Well… All things considered; I’d say that went rather well.” Faye announced, her pipe back in her hands as she began puffing it slowly, small wisps of smoke coming back out as if it had never gone out.

“Your accommodations have all been taken care of. Both yours and your companions.” Faye muttered, her eyes shifting to the still kneeling girl trying to gather herself up after that ordeal. “I’ve also assigned you a personal Geisha. You may remember her. If you’re too busy with your duties to come and see me, you can send her in your place. But… I do prefer face-to-face chats. I’d like to go into your duties more… but I think you’re in no mood to talk business right now. Seek me out, once you feel better. But do try not to keep me waiting as long as you did before…”

Wanting to retort, the teenager wasn’t even sure what to say. But, the sound of footsteps echoing drew her attention away from Faye. Coming before the throne as her body started to shrink, was Kikuchi. The Au Ru smiled happily as she looked upon her Mistress with pride. “You summoned me, my Lady? How can I do your bidding today?”

Pulling her pipe back and pointing it towards Circa, the smaller woman looked over her shoulder before her face took on one of shock momentarily. “O-Oh my… U-Umm… Circa and Momori. It is a pleasure to see you again. Is… everything alright?” She asked somewhat worried by the haggard-looking Miqo’te, frantic pair of fairies, and glaring Lalafell still holding out her weapon.

“Kiku~ Be a dear and show Lord Circa to her new chambers. That reward we discussed shall be bestowed to you now. I hereby grant ownership of you, over to her. You will be the lord attendant to Circa. No one else will have more authority than you among your ranks. Do you deem this a worthy compensation for filling one of my Lord's ranks?”

Dropping whatever composure, she had left, Kikuchi sputtered before looking between Circa and Faye in shock. “W-Wait, she’s… SHE’S A LORD?! I… I brought you… a-a lord?!” Seeing affirmation as Faye nodded down at her with a smile on her face, the Au Ru blushed red through her pale makeup before falling to the ground in a deep bow, her face firmly pressed into the floor as she tried to show her utmost respect to her leader.

“I… I am not worthy of this honor Lady Faye! You give me too much!” Sighing, the Viera gave Circa and her group a smirk before shaking her head as if she had just heard something ridiculous. “Rise, little Kiku~ You will be worthy of whatever I tell you to be worthy of. And Lord Circa needs an attendant. That is you. Now if you’d please… I believe my new Lord Warden of the Guardians, could use a place to rest. She had a meeting with her fellow Lords, and is tired…”

Rising immediately, Kikuchi shivered as she looked at Circa taking in her appearance once more. There were blood stains on her clothing… ‘Just what kind of a meeting did they have?!’ Quickly strutting over to the teenager trying to do her best not to run in the presence of her Mistress, the Au Ru stopped beside the group before dropping to the floor in a deep prostration similar to what she had done for Lady Faye.

“I-It is a pleasure to be of service to you Lord Circa! I, Kikuchi will be your servant from this day forward. My ownership has been graciously given away to you. Please use me for whatever needs you can think of. I will give my life to serve in all things. This is my code of honor and my pride on the line as a Geisha of Lady Faye’s noble court. Thank you for receiving me.”

Looking back at the smaller woman not fully believing this to be real, Circa didn’t know what to say. She still felt so utterly exhausted after depleting all her magic in less than two seconds. Thankfully, it seemed the Au Ru’s words didn’t need an affirmation from her as Kikuchi stood back up.

“Please, allow me to escort you all to the rooms Lady Faye has had me prepare for you. I was informed that an honored member of her Lords would be residing there, but I was unaware it would be a brand-new Lord entirely! I pray you will enjoy the room I’ve helped cultivate.” Bowing once more, the Geisha kept her head low and waited.

Getting the hint after a minute, Circa looked between her and Lady Faye, but the Viera seemed uninterested in her now that she had dismissed her. Panting softly, the teenager finally stood up as she grunted in pain. “S-S-Stand… down, Momo… Let’s… let's just go…”

She didn’t have the energy to process this right now. She needed, time to think. That… and a very long nap…

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Waking to the sound of running water, Circa cracked open her eyes as her vision blurred. Grumbling as they closed again, the Miqo’te felt like sleeping longer as her whole body ached, but the feeling of something landing on her chest caused the teenager to open a single cat-like eye again in annoyance.

“About time you got up lazy! You’re as healed as you’re going to get. Not much else I can do until you get up” Lala’Nee whined as she sprawled herself out on her summoner’s chest with a bored look on her face.

Letting out a deep sigh through her nose, the cat folk leaned up slowly feeling a slowness she wasn’t used to. “H-How… how long was I out for?” She remembered everything that had happened but she didn’t recall getting into a bed. It was kind of fuzzy after she started walking out of Lady Faye’s throne room. Did she pass out on the way to… wherever this place was?

Sitting with her legs crossed as she slid down the tired girl’s stomach, the fairy pouted as she saw the sapped state the larger girl was in. “I think it’s been at least two days. A lot happened since you fell asleep. But I’ve taken care of everything on your behalf! So, do you wanna reward me for all my hard work~” The fae grinned before pursing her lips in a kissing motion.

Rolling her eyes, Circa pulled her blanket off her burying the startled fairy beneath the covers of her sheets. Standing up on stiff legs, the Miqo’te looked around as a foreign sense of wonder overtook her. ‘Is this really a room?’

The massive bed that had to be the size of two king-sized ones slapped together was in the center back of the room. Surrounding said bed, was a moat of water! Coming out of one corner of the river looked to be a small mountain crafted into her wall as a waterfall fed the streams.

On the other side was what appeared to be a small town. No, that wasn’t really right. There were buildings carved into her furniture and the nightstand beside her had a few buildings atop it. The moat fed into it giving water to the small square between the structures as a fountain rained it down in the likeness of a Viera. ‘That’s… probably supposed to look like Faye, isn’t it?’

Shaking her head dismissively, Circa looked around admiring the rest of the chamber, (making sure to step wide over the *river* that surrounded her bed). She had a large dresser with many small holes cut into it. Nope, those were windows…

Peeking in, the teen confirmed that there were miniature furnishings inside of it. Eyeing the rest of the room, the Miqo’te was quick to catch onto the theme that everything from the furniture to her bed itself had small holes and intricate stairwells cut into places. People were meant to be inside them… weren’t they?

‘How the hell am I supposed to feel about something like that?’ A room was supposed to be a private place, wasn’t it? By the sheer number of cracks and crevices people shrunken down could fit into that she could see (and most likely doubling in the places she couldn’t) there had to be a hundred extra rooms at the bare minimum inside her one.

Groaning, the teen moved back over to her bed before flopping down next to the writhing pile of blankets she had left her fairy under. “By the gods… This is real…” mumbled the exasperated girl. She had almost hoped she had dreamed the whole, *lord* thing Faye had made a show of up.

But, nope. She had a good hunch that this room was quite specifically designed for someone of their status considering how massive it was. She had only looked at the room itself and there were 4 different doors leading to other places she hadn’t explored yet! The ceiling was literally higher than the roofs of the Conjurors Academy in Limsa Lominsa!

Cracking an awkward smile as her nervousness festered, the troubled girl was at a loss for words. Or at least she was until Lala’Nee popped out having finally freed herself from the velvety thick comforter the teen had been sleeping beneath.

“Jeez, are you trying to suffocate me! At least use your thighs or butt if you do that!” The smaller girl whined angrily. Ignoring the statement for once, Circa gazed up too lost in thought to care. Which prompted her fae to drop her butt on Circa’s nose starling the cat folk as she sat on her face.

“You, okay? You seem kinda off…” Not sure if she wanted to laugh or shake her head, Circa just stared back at her fairy in disbelief. “Off? I was randomly told I’m a leader of a portion of a city beneath the ocean that’s built on illegal activity and slavery! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BE OKAY WITH THAT?!”

Cupping her ears as she received the point-blank shriek from her mistress, Lala’Nee pouted before leaning down and gently petting the exasperated girl on her cheek. “It will be fine Circa! A lot of things have happened since you’ve been unconscious. Momo and Bell’Anna are in a room like yours across from you. Erenia got brought here afterward too! You were already planning on serving that Faye woman… I guess, look at this like a promotion! Plus, this place is really nice, isn’t it?”

Frowning, Circa wasn’t sure how to explain morals and duties to a creature that didn’t really care for any, to begin with. As far as Lala’Nee and for that matter Bell’Anna cared, if it was something that made their summoners happy, then it made them happy. They didn’t care about the politics of mortal races or even what happened to them so long as each of their mistresses was content. It was both extremely endearing to have someone so faithful with you but a bit disturbing too…

Thinking about how to explain it, Lala’Nee began gently caressing the teenager’s tribal tattoo’s as she gently kissed her cheek. “This place seems fun! I think it’s perfect for someone like you, Circa~”. Unsure of how she was supposed to take a comment like that, the Miqo’te eventually sighed as she figured out what the fae had meant by that.

“I-It’s not the same! What I do with Naoh’a isn’t normal! That’s why I’m trying to fix him! And now I’m in a city where people do that as a pastime!” Circa whined. That was really the tip of the iceberg when it came to illicit activities, she had seen but that was another concept she would have to try to explain to her fairy later.

Blowing out a raspberry as she nuzzled the girl’s cheek contently, Lala’Nee spoke up again. “You can say what you want, Circa. But you can’t fool me! You love playing with things smaller than you! You’re a predator, after all, ~ With this new job, you’ll have all the things you could ever want to play with!”

Blushing as the gentle movements of her fairy soothed her in an awkward way only she could do, the larger girl sighed before shaking her head again. “They're not, things! They’re people! This place is dangerous! We could end up one of them within a matter of days!”

Rolling onto her back as she continued to caress her Mistress, Lala’Nee giggled at that. “Being a toy isn’t so bad~ At least not when I’m yours~ But that won’t happen to you! Kiku explained it all to me when you slept! A Lord is really strong! Like, really, really strong! You get part of that Faye woman’s power! It makes it so no one can do things to you when you work! You can’t be shrunken, you can’t be overpowered, and no one’s above you besides Faye! Even the other lords are on your level! You’re untouchable!”

Furrowing her brow, Circa tried to comprehend what her fairy had just said, but an irritating itch in her loins was distracting her. Feeling her ear twitch, the teenager blushed as she felt Lala’Nee licking her face and grinding her body against her.

“You’re a Lord~ You’re above all the other toys in the city! My Mistress can do whatever she wants! You can play with everyone you know! You can have anyone, not just your brother and me! But, make sure I’m in charge of them! I love you the most after all~” Lala’Nee purred, as she made her way up Circa’s hair and pet her furry ear whispering into it.

Letting out a soft purr from her throat, the Miqo’te grit her teeth. ‘Damn it!’ It wasn’t that time of the month yet, but it was damn close and Lala’Nee knew how to push her buttons! Snatching her fairy off her head as she panted red face, the blushing teen looked down at her fae angrily before feeling a pang of pleasure as the green-haired fairy hiked up her dress exposing her crotch to her.

“Wanna taste~ We haven’t played together in days! I bet I’m sweeter than milk~ Kitty~” Lala’Nee cooed, using the same tone Naomi had when she called her that. Eeping as the hand around her clenched into a fist, the smaller girl blushed before a sultry grin spread across her face as she saw the feral look her summoner was giving her.

Animalistic needs and hormone levels higher than her Aether limits. Circa was a beast when she got in the right mood. And the fairy knew exactly how to make her Mistress happy when she needed to be. Why worry about the present problems? She needed a little stress relief~

”S-Strip! We’re doing this quick; you hear!” Circa stammered angrily. Damn it she felt so hot right now, she couldn’t think straight! The fairy had the right of it. It had been over a week since she touched herself. Or for that matter her brother… Naoh’a hadn’t been that active the past few days, and he needed to remember his duties to his little sister…

Squealing in delight, it didn’t take more than one motion for Lala’Nee’s dress to hit the bed. She had nothing on beneath it by design of course. It was hard for her to get her Mistress in the mood, but when she was, there was no time to waste on undressing! If she hadn’t been ordered to wear clothes when they were out in public, the fairy would have been more than happy to stay nude for all she cared!

Fluttering into Circa’s cheek again, the green-haired girl moaned as she began rubbing her breasts against the larger teen. “Finally! Do whatever you want to me!” She sounded just as desperate as the Miqo’te had been. But that probably had to do with the fact she was…

Pulling Lala’Nee off her as she held the naked fae in her hand, Circa wriggled around with her clothes as she began bending to take them off with one arm. It was somewhat practiced. But it helped that she was rather nimble. To be fair though, most of her kind were. If she were desperate enough, she could bend her whole body down and touch her own privates with her tongue in a pinch… not that she ever tried that of course…

Removing her shirt, the cat folk couldn’t hold her partner back as Lala’Nee squealed once more and jumped onto her exposed breast. Hissing angrily as she was fondled involuntarily, the cat girl leaned her ass upward before tugging on her shorts now that she had both hands free. As her tail finally slid out last, she lay in bed just as naked as her fairy companion was.

Moaning out a mew as she pulled her familiar off her hardening nipple, the fairy’s mouth and hands having been wrapped around it in the few seconds she had snagged free of her mistress’s hand, Circa was quick to squeeze her giving the smaller girl a fierce warning.

“Knock it off! T-This is just a quickie! Don’t get ahead of yourself like you do when I’m… y-you know!” The teenager hissed angrily. She knew that she would get into a pseudo-heat of sorts if Lala’Nee kept playing with her after she got her relief. The teenager didn’t really know why that happened. But it happened nonetheless, and her fairy had been extremely quick to pick up on this fact and abuse it so they would keep doing things to one another… It was one of the reasons the Scholar deliberately avoided this kind of thing with her. 

“D-Do you promise to behave yourself this time? Or do I need to tie you up? Again!” The larger girl snarled. Pouting as she was restricted once more by the teenager’s hands, Lala’Nee shrugged before nodding her head. “I won’t do anything you don’t want me to~ Now let me taste you!”

Sighing, and against her better judgment, Circa complied. Moving Lala’Nee down towards her waist (and hearing a whooping cry of glee from her in the process) the larger girl rested her fae against her lower lips before immediately hissing as pleasure coursed through her from the tiny girl’s touches.

Burying her face into Circa, Lala’Nee cried out in relief as she slathered her face in the Miqo’te’s essence, the clear viscous fluid glossing over her naked form, lubing her up as if she were taking a bath with it.

Biting her bottom lip as she left her fairy to her own devices (silently praying she didn’t just make a terrible mistake), Circa moved her hands down towards her ass before pulling her cheeks apart. ‘A-A-Alright Naoh’a, t-time to get some exercise!’ He had been sleeping long enough. It was his duty to please her when she wanted it, damn it!

Grunting softly as a small fart escaped the confines of her ass, Circa pushed slowly as she felt something within her beginning to stir. She had trained him well. Soon enough, she felt it happen. Moaning out as something poked out from her puckered anus, the cat girl reached down before tugging on it, earning a few quieter mewls in turn.

Pulling her brother out as he flopped onto the bed limply, Circa panted as she relaxed her ass once more. In the past, she always worried about doing that on her bed in case something other than her brother came out. But, now that she had done this so often with him over the years he had been inside her, just a few quick flexes of her anal walls were enough of a signal that she was calling to him.

And like always, he answered her obediently. He was such a good big brother. Reaching down and lifting the tiny man up, Circa eyed Naoh’a as she saw him blearily blinking and trying to get adjusted to the light. “H-Hey… L-Long time, nghh! N-No see… Uh… I could use a hand. I-Its, not that time of the month yet… b-but a lot’s happened… So, get to it…” Circa whispered, her face flushing red as she talked to her brother face to face.

She had been trying to do that more and more. It was a reminder that he was a person and not just an object she could use. Though, in this circumstance, she was going to use him. Like an object. ‘I’m working on it, damn it!’ This wasn’t going to be an overnight fix!

Lowering Naoh’a back down to her anus, Circa blushed as she felt both her fairy and now her older brother beginning to lick and touch her sensitive holes. Leaning her head back and moaning softly, the teenager tried at first to stifle her sounds but a sharp insertion into her pussy caused the Miqo’te to yowl in surprise.

Looking up abruptly, the larger girl whined before shaking her head angrily. “D-D-Damn it Lala’Nee!” The fairy had her whole upper half of her body inside her! She said to lick her, not crawl in! The Fae was several times larger than her brother! It was like she was using an actual sex toy when she did that!

Gritting her teeth and muttering a few more choice curses beneath her breath, the teen knew she couldn’t just pull the fairy out now that she had done that. Her body reacted quickly to things, and after that jolt of pleasure, she wouldn’t cum as fast without it.

‘So help me when I’m clearer-headed I’m going to tie you up and toss you out the window!’ Her fairy was way too presumptuous! She called her Mistress, then did stuff like this! Grabbing the smaller girl’s legs, Circa’s fangs slowly peeked out as she snarled a small smile. If she wanted to be a sex toy, then she could damn well deal with what that entailed!

Shoving the tiny girl hard into herself, Circa let out another yowl of pleasure before drawing her back out and shoving her back in again harder. It was fair to say… she liked it kind of rough… Considering how life had treated her thus far, rough was a good way to go about things…

Forcing Lala’Nee back and forth into herself, the fairy now helpless to resist as her arms were trapped inside along with her upper half, Circa worked the fairy's lower body, twisting her around and causing as much pleasure for herself at the expense of her fae companion's body. It was what she wanted after all!

Moving her other hand down towards her ass, knowing Naoh’a’s light pecks of attention wouldn’t be enough, the Miqo’te pouted as she shoved her brother's head back into her asshole. ‘S-Sorry… I n-need more!’ This stimulation wasn’t enough for her. She wanted to end this quick, but damn it masturbating got harder and harder the more, she used her brother. His licks just didn’t cut it anymore.

Perhaps changing his size and making him bigger might help? A larger toy in her ass might feel better. ‘Damn it, h-he’s, my brother!’ It was hard to remember that when she was in a mood like this! But… she could argue the details of his humanity out later. She REALLY needed to cum!

Moaning and writhing on her massive mattress, sweat tumbled down Circa’s body as she panted loudly for no one to hear. It was a good thing she was alone. Otherwise, anybody looking at her would think her a wild beast deranged and in heat… It really pissed her off that she thought of herself like that… But… fuck it… she needed this! It was all Lala’Nee’s fault anyways!

Feeling the peak of her pleasure rise, the teenager soon reached her limit. Crying out loudly, more so than she normally would have had she been anywhere else, Circa soon came as she felt Lala’Nee spasming inside her to match it. She had either cum herself or was drowning. Either option was probably pleasant for the masochistic fae…

Panting softly as she tried to catch her breath, the stimulation from her quim caused the cat folk to quietly hiss. ‘I-I-I told you to s-stop moving when I cum!’ She was moving harder than when she had before her orgasm damn it!

Knowing this was her fairy’s way to try to squeeze out another round together, Circa soon shook her head. It was working. Even having just come down from her pleasure, the hair on her tail was rigid and she could feel her body responding. This was not a quickie afterall… Her heat cycle must have been coming closer than she thought. She always got a bit horny right before it hit her…

Pulling her familiar out of her with a silent hiss, Circa lifted the smaller girl up to examine her. She looked utterly terrible. The fairy’s blonde hair was thick and matted in glistening fluids, causing it to splatter all over her naked body. She was also furiously drinking air, having most likely had to drink her fluids or drown beforehand…

The sight… was beginning to arouse Circa much to her dismay. She wasn’t… a bad person. But seeing the weak and frankly, pathetic state of her smaller companion right now… just left her feeling so aroused. She wanted to do more stuff with her! Worse stuff…

Lala’Nee would agree of course. She always did no matter how severe or insane the ideas were. The Miqo’te didn’t know if it was because she was her summons and had to obey. Or if she was really just that depraved of a creature. ‘My depraved creature…’ It said something, that this was the fairy who was summoned to her. Out of every choice she could have had, it was a horny fae who lusted for her at all hours of the day…

Looking on at Lala’Nee as the smaller girl began to calm down from her near-death experience, the fairy’s eyes soon landed on Circa’s slitted ones as she grinned back at her. “C-Can I go in again?! Please! I don’t want to leave your love tunnel yet!” The tiny girl squealed causing the teenager to smirk against her better judgment. She was a glutton for punishment. And… she had disobeyed her mistress- S-Summoner! A reprimanding was in order… It was… only logical… She didn’t want to do stuff to her. She had to!

Though despite telling herself this, Circa knew it was a flimsy excuse to do stuff with her fairy she was eager to try out. Something she had been considering for a while now came to mind. And if it were anyone but Lala’Nee, she would never do it. It either showed just how much she trusted the perverse creature, or how disinteresting the teenager had gotten with her sibling. ‘Hopefully… it’s the former…’

Feeling her arousal coming back fully, the teenager blushed as her eyes shifted off of the smaller girl disinterestedly. “You said you wouldn’t wiggle so much when I came… And then you did. I should probably punish you for being so disrespectful…”

Growing wide-eyed, Lala’Nee moved a hand up to her mouth before biting her finger cutely. “Punishment? Yes, please! Do whatever you want with your little plaything~ You, own, me~!” Lala’Nee panted out excitedly. It was almost worth it now, to add in some teasing.

“Well… I guess I should just stop then. That can be your punishment…” Seeing the face the fae made as she went from seductive to shocked and sputtering, Circa almost had to stifle a laugh from rising from her throat as Lala’Nee tried to wiggle out of her hands, clearly panicked by the notion they would stop here. That wasn’t on the table. She was still too damn horny! 

“Y-Y-You can’t do that! Y-You said you’d punish me! Use me! Lock me up in your clothes! Tie me to your butt! Do, s-something!” The fairy snapped, tears beginning to form in her eyes as genuine dismay entered her voice.

Sighing, the larger girl knew her teasing probably couldn’t be pushed much further. Reaching around her back and plucking out her brother whose head had still been firmly lodged into her anus, Circa withdrew him before eyeing the smaller male. She had grown a few inches over the last few years. And Naoh’a hadn’t which made him considerably smaller than he used to be.

That place she had carved out for him with her ass over years of shoving him in it was beginning to shrink. And the pleasure with it. Perhaps… now that she was in Houma, there would be ways to make him a bit bigger. Her magic didn’t really have a specific size when she used it. It always left him the same stature. Faye might know of a way to make it more accurate considering all the different sizes of people here in her city.

Hearing more babbling from Lala’Nee after her thoughts wandered on her, the Miqo’te gave the tiny fairy a sharp squeeze to shut her up. That was met with a loud moan of approval much to Circa’s embarrassment. ‘Freak…’

Flipping the smaller girl over, the cat folk inspected her familiar's butt closely. This idea had come to her in the past. For someone so small, and not normally corporeal of body, her ass was rather impressively shaped and sized compared to the rest of her. While Bell’Anna had been heavily endowed with her chest, the Scholar's own fairy had the exact opposite with a more prominent rear.

“Hold still. This is your punishment…” Craning her neck to see, Lala’Nee slowly started to pant in excitement as her face flushed red. Feeling the teenager’s fingers running over her plump cheeks was enough of an incentive not to whine or moan. She wanted to see what the younger girl would do to her!

Lifting Naoh’a up and inspecting his size comparatively, Circa soon shrugged. He would probably fit. “Sorry, but I want to see what happens…” It wasn’t like she was doing this just to be mean. She was just curious by nature. And if it worked out, then she had a safe place she could put Naoh’a when she had to use the bathroom. Or had a dangerous task to complete.

Moving her tiny brother's head over towards Lala’Nee’s ass, he seemed to figure something out as he began licking the smaller fae much to her delight. ‘No, you idiot! I’m not telling you to pleasure her!’ He only thought with his dick! This was the whole reason he got shrunken in the first place! It was like he never changed… Though, that wasn’t fair. She did kind of *break* him…

Forcing his head forward past the smaller creature’s pale cheeks, Circa soon met resistance as she pressed the smaller Miqo’te’s face into her familiar puckered hole. It was far smaller than her own, which was pretty accommodating to her brother. But, both of these two were lubed up from her prior orgasm. So tight fits shouldn’t be an issue.

Hearing a loud squeal as she shoved her sibling's head roughly into the fairy, Circa had to wince as Lala’Nee’s moans rose in octave as she wiggled her ass around. “K-Knock it off, damn it! This is hard enough without you struggling!”

Shoving harder as she felt the writhing body of her brother trying to resist her will, Circa twisted him harder now determined on her course of action. Between Naoh’a’s silent protests and Lala’Nee’s more vocal wails of approval, it took her some time, but she finished her goal as her index finger scraped between the smaller girl’s pale ass cheeks.

Pulling her finger back and eying what she had done, the teenager had to smirk. It had worked. She had just shoved her brother inside of her fairy familiar. “How’s he feel in there? Is it painful?” Lala’Nee had stopped screaming after a couple minutes and was panting heavily on her palm, with the occasional twitch following her motions.

Craning a shaking head up to look at her, the smaller girl drooled as her eyes glazed over from bliss. “C-C-Can I k-keep him?! P-Please!” The fairy begged. Her face looked warped and twisted into one of perversion. So, it was pretty natural for her…

Scoffing, Circa tossed the creature down onto her bed before straddling the pillow her fae had fallen on. “Not a chance! Naoh’a’s my property, not yours! But you can house him from time to time. I get the feeling Naomi will try to do stuff to me again in the future… And if she finds Naoh’a…” The teenager trailed off worriedly.

It had almost cost her Erenia when they had first met. The foxy woman had been eager to do stuff with her ass. The prospect was actually more pleasant than her doing something with her pussy. But she couldn’t let anybody know about her brother's whereabouts. That was her sole priority while she was here in Houma…

Shaking her head slowly to rid her thoughts of the foxlike beauty from before, Circa looked back down at her fairy as Lala’Nee poked her ass with a goofy grin on her face. “Hey! This is a punishment! Do I need to take him out?”

Shaking her head quickly, the smaller girl quickly cupped her ass defensively. “N-N-No! I-I’ll be good! Please let me keep your precious property in me! I swear I’ll protect it!” She had said it…

Sighing, Circa shook her head again. As reverent and happy to serve as Lala’Nee was… she didn’t seem to grasp that people weren’t supposed to be property. Or referred to as *it*. ‘Well… I did call him my property a few moments ago…’ She might need to work on this more…

Deciding to focus on something other than her own hypocrisy, the cat folk pulled her pillow closer as she pressed her crotch against the silky object. It was soft and stroked her privates like a velvet hand caressing her pussy lovingly. It was enough to earn a purr from her throat in fact.

Grinding herself into the pleasant fabric, Circa moaned softly before her eyes landed back on Lala’Nee who froze up between her legs. “H-Here’s your real punishment.” Shifting her legs closer till her thighs pressed on either side of the fairy, the hormonal teen was quick to pin her fairy’s arms down so she couldn’t escape or move. She was completely trapped there. But more importantly… she couldn’t touch herself now.

Smirking as she saw the realization etch itself on her familiar’s face moments later, tears quickly formed under the smaller girl’s eyes as her brother pleasured her from her ass. Too bad~ This was a punishment after all. She wouldn’t get off until the teenager did!

Pressing her lower lips against the lithe body of Lala’Nee, Circa moaned loudly as her wet vulva crushed the smaller girl. Humping her pillow as she got off using her fairy’s body as a hand, the larger teen mewed softly, using a tone she tried to reserve for no one but herself when she was alone.

It was too cute. It sounded weird coming out of her mouth of all places. And… it had been the voice Naomi had stolen from her. Damn that woman! But, thinking about the feminine fox had… an odd effect on Circa.

Blushing as she remembered the mature woman’s body, the younger girl wasn’t sure how she had resisted touching her for a full hour. The demeaning tone she had used. Her condescending comments. It shouldn’t have turned her on as it had. But…

Meowing again as the sound came out naturally, Circa blushed furiously as she smothered her fairy in her love juices. This was… the first time she had ever masturbated thinking of someone other than her brother or her fairy… It felt wrong for some reason. But also damn good…

Biting her knuckle as she got some of her senses back, the teenager hissed from the pain of her fangs digging into her flesh, but she refused to show weakness. Even if the only witness to it was drowning in her cunt right now. Speaking of…

Leaning back a bit so she could see her better, Circa smirked down at Lala’Nee as she saw the tiny girl sputtering and coughing. Her glistening cum was leaking all over her, and splashing into the fairy’s face. ‘W-W-What the hell’s come over me?!’ She really did feel like she was in heat right now! Damn it all!

Deciding that this was the time to end it, Circa reached down and clenched her pillow hard. Pulling it into herself and forcing Lala’Nee into her cunt, the Miqo’te yowled loudly before furiously shaking her hips into her fairy. The pleasure was intense, and so foreign she hated it! But there was no stopping this. Not now!

Thinking of her brother, Circa tried to get off, but something was missing. It infuriated her once she knew what it was. Thinking of Lala’Nee, and the way she was using her, the teenager was quickly forced to do what she had been resisting until now. She needed it… Damn it, she really needed it!

‘Now that’s more like it! Meow for me~’ It was the last thought Circa had, before she wailed loudly, her voice taking out a feral cry as her orgasm struck her from the memory of what Naomi had done, cuddled against her sensually back in her sexual embrace.

Thrusting her hips into her pillow as her legs gave out under her, the screaming teen fell forward as she slumped into her bed exhaustedly, her breath now ragged and sore from her loud cries of bliss.

Laying still as the sound of water echoed out from the room she was in, the tired girl lay still as her breath came out deep, and full of fatigue. She was still… so tired… Knowing she had to get up, but not wanting to do anything but sleep, it didn’t take long for Circa’s eyes to close, as she began to doze off after her second orgasm in over a week of reluctant release…

…

Silence, permitted the room, now that the younger girl had fallen asleep. Lala’Nee still pinned beneath her, meant there was no one to speak, now that calm had permitted the elegant chambers. It was then that Erenia chose to utter a sound. Not for any reason to draw attention though. She couldn’t help herself, as she quietly chuckled in one of the buildings set up on the nightstand beside the bed.

Giggling as she leaned out over a balcony, the tiny Elezen, still just a few inches tall had to watch in amusement as she saw the sleeping form of Circa, passed out after her rather violent and vocal orgasms.

‘My, my, my~ I knew it. I always knew…’ To have her thoughts proven, was both a relief and eye-opening. Naoh’a was still here. Here, with Circa. To say she had been skeptical when their village's best Dragoon disappeared was an understatement. Like Circa himself, the Miqo’te had been only slightly older than her when he had soloed a raid on the Tam-Tara Deepcroft. The White Mage might have done so herself too, had her village not forced her to take a party with her since she was a healer.

Scoffing at the memory, Erenia shook her head again. ‘To think, you made him your little plaything, after all, ~ You owe every woman in Gridania an apology.’ He had been the number one bachelor there. And she just took him to make her own. No… That wasn’t true…

Naoh’a only ever had eyes for his little sister. It was obvious to the Astrologian. But not to all the other women who wanted him. ‘I guess I did too at one point…’ But she had stopped when she noticed how Circa always hated him getting attention from other women. Perhaps, she only had eyes for him too?

It was hard to say. The Miqo’te didn’t open up often. Even to her. Perhaps, that could change… now that the Elezen was her property. Blushing at the thought, Erenia tucked some of her long strawberry-kissed locks behind her ear and continued watching the sleeping giantess. She looked cute naked.

So lithe and exotic. She was truly beautiful. Even if the cat folk didn’t think it herself. Feeling a bit weird after a while of just voyeuring the teen, the smaller woman soon yawned before heading back into her temporary dwelling.

Lala’Nee had just dropped her off here and had forgotten about her. But, that suited the older woman fine. She didn’t mind at all, considering the show she just got to watch. It left her feeling… a bit left out though.

Touching the sticky fabric between her legs, Erenia withdrew her hand as she saw her glistening juices saturating her fingertips. ‘Things are going to be different here… I can’t wait~’ She always desired to play with one of these two kittens when she had first met them. And now… she might get to be played with by both.

Only time would tell though, what Circa had in store for her. Being the teenager’s property, was a very, enticing prospect~

And not even her fortune telling could discern what she would soon become to her precious friend…