A Priestess' Innocent Pastime, a Cleric's Newfound Hobby
There were quite a few rumors going around Rhodes Island, if one were willing to lend their ears to small talks and hardly verifiable stories. A mannequin shaped like a caprinae and finely dressed, appearing out of nowhere behind you when you're alone, sitting against the wall as if it'd been there since before you. An assassin who boarded the landship on his own and was only seen once, despite having supposedly been on several field missions. An heavenly voice singing in the dead of the night, causing people to see and hear images and sounds of what probably was the sea, according to the iberians who had heard the recollections of those who had heard the voice. A small plushie wielding what most wanted to believe was a toy knife, stalking the hallways between sunset and sunrise. An underground arena hosting fights between metal crabs and gloompinchers. The list could go on for quite a while longer. For quite a lot longer even, if we were to also consider the less outlandish rumors going around.
As it stands, the events about to be described are related to one of such more easily disprovable rumors, one centered on a certain person who had herself quite a peculiar reputation on the landship.
Admittedly, calling this one a rumor might be somewhat of a mistake. It was more of a small fact, slowly but somewhat steadily spreading through the halls, the details occasionally changing in odd and at times rather weird ways. The core of the rumor, however, had never changed.
Pallas had started drawing. And not just any kind of drawing, no. Portraits. Full body portraits, for the most part. Whispers stated that the minoan priestess would gladly accept any volunteer who wanted themselves depicted through graphite on paper. That much was... perhaps unexpected, but not all that odd, at least for someone such as Pallas. Nearly everyone knew of that one time the priestess had wandered into the kitchens while drunk, dazed everyone present -including Gummy, Matterhorn and even Ceobe- with an hour-long speech the content of which noone could quite recall, and then drank every bottle of liquor in the pantry while the kitchen staff and kitchen thief were still stunned. Compared to that, her taking up pencil and paper to draw others seemed much more ordinary, doubly so when taking into account the priestess' love for the arts.
It was when the details got involved that the rumor became somewhat... peculiar. And it was precisely to disprove -or perhaps confirm- such details that Hildegard, or Archetto as most on the landship knew her by, was currently headed to where the rumors pointed to when discussing the priestess' atelier. The location was one of the somewhat few things each and every version shared, after all. Rhodes Island was by no means small, and with that many people residing on it, the place was bound to have some sort of recreational area. Or rather, it had a few small sectors meant for such purposes, placed here and there on the landship. Archetto's steps were taking her to one such sectors, a small cluster of rooms she had admittedly never visited before.
Five rooms in total, to be more accurate, two on each side and one at the end of a long, perhaps somewhat narrow hallway, a small plate hanged at its entrance to tell Archetto she had reached the right place. That place was somewhat close to the engines, at least compared to the living quarters, but the soundproofing seemed sound. She walked to the second door on the right and, sure enough, a plate with the word "gallery" was affixed on it.
So far so good.
She coughed a couple of times to clear her throat. She wasn't nervous, but that was Pallas she was about to meet. A certain... degree of conversation was pretty much assured. Then she knocked on the door. With a bit of strength since, unlike most doors on the landship, those of that small sector were made of wood and padded with a thin layer of wool.
She waited a little bit, but nobody came to answer. So she tried knocking again, with a little more strength. Shortly after, the handle turned and the door swung inward.
"Ah, lady Hildegard. It is a pleasure to see you on such a fine evening"
"The pleasure's mine, Pallas. I was hoping we could have a small chat about some rumors circulating about your... recent activities, if it doesn't bother you nor disturb your schedule"
"But of course we may. A conversation with a friend is never a bother, of that I shall always assure you. Dare I call if a most joyful occasion rather, and even moreso with a person such as yourself, lady Hildegard, with whom I am honored to share a number of interests"
"You truly don't have to praise me so, Pallas, especially in such a roundabout way. I like to think of us as past such formalities" she replied, admittedly with somewhat of a smile on her face.
"Upsetting you was not my intention, and I apologize if my choice of words was unfitting. But allow me to invite you inside, for the doorstep is a place meant for partings and reunions, and I believe this moment to be neither of the two"
"Right on the mark on that. If you'd allow me to, then"
The forte moved aside to let the feline-looking liberi inside, and the latter took a look around without being too conspicuous about it while the door was closed behind her.
While Archetto had gazed upon a few art pieces over the years -nearly entirely after having left Landen, admittedly- she had never stepped inside an atelier of any kind, unless one were to consider the monastery's brewery as one. Perhaps because of that, the room she had just entered didn't quite fit what she had expected from the word.
It was fairly spacious, a little over thirty six square meters at a glance. The main light wasn't terribly bright, but there were numerous lamps stacked in a corner, with another one placed on a desk. Desk which was covered in scrolls, a quill resting in its inkwell right next to them. A tall stack of paper was placed besides the chair, and on top of it was a small suitcase. A small table with a few glasses and surrounded by a grand total of five chairs was placed near another corner of the room.
Then there was the sofa, which seemed somewhat out of place there. But the rumors did mention a sofa. And there was also a large bed, one a fair bit less... aseptic than the ones in the dormitories, and equipped with canopy and curtains too. That, too matched the rumors. Then there were three wardrobes, which also matched what was whispered in the hallways. As for the pencil-made drawings hanged on the walls, most of those were not at all like the rumors suggested, in that they weren't portraits. Some, however, were, and of those a few in particular were rather...
... maybe... maybe there was more truth to what Archetto had heard than she had first assumed. A very faint red briefly appeared on her cheeks.
Shaking her head softly, the cleric quickly shifted her focus from the pencil drawings to the bottles. Several of them. In fact, Pallas already had one in hand and was pouring some into a glass.
"Would you enjoy partaking in this fine delicacy with me, lady Hildegard?" she asked as she lifted another, empy glass her way.
The cleric spotted an open box nearby, one containing bottles of beer she was well familiar with, to use an euphemism. And a few of said bottles were empty. A soft smile appeared on her face, one she didn't see any reason to conceal.
"One glass can't hurt, now can it? Especially not one recommended by you"
"Ah, a flattery I truly don't deserve, my dear friend, for I am sure there are individuals even more versed than I in the ways of savoring wine and spirits on this landship" she replied as she handed Archetto the now full glass.
The cleric truly believed Pallas to be wrong on that last part, but she wasn't quite there for that so she decided to not steer the conversation into that direction. The two sat down instead, at the table she had seen earlier, and had a brief chat about, well, the wine. And beer. Archetto was admittedly less knowledgeable than Pallas when it came to all the different kinds of brews one could find, how to tell them apart, how to better savor them and so on -like pretty much everyone else, to be fair- but, unlike the priestess, she had participated directly in the production of beer. Which wasn't quite wine, no, but Pallas didn't shy away from trying out all different sorts of alcohol, and listening to Archetto's stories of her monastery's brewery was something she often liked to do.
But Archetto wasn't there for that either, which is why she brought the conversation to a different subject rather quickly.
"So, Pallas" she said as she put her empty glass down "I believe you've heard the rumors that have been moving from mouth to mouth as of late, right? The ones about you, I mean"
"I cannot in truth call myself well informed in this regard, lady Hildegard" she replied as she emptied her own glass for the fifth time "But I am not ignorant about it either, no"
"So, these... how did these rumors came to be? Oh, I'm not asking why you decided to draw portraits, but as of late there have been rather... odd voices about the kind of portraits you produce"
"I do believe I know what you are referring to, yes. I am afraid I cannot speak of the one person who sparked this change, for they asked me to not disclose their name, but I believe they have talked about the experience with some others, as ever since then I have occasionally received some peculiar requests"
"This person asked you to... to bound them with chains before being drawn?"
"Oh, not at all, no, allow me to clear this small misundestanding right away" she explained as she put down her glass, the bottle she had opened now empty "I have always asked those coming to me for a portrait to wear chains for the drawing, possibly as firm bindings if they were comfortable with it. What this one particular individual did was wear a toy of a certain nature while I produced the portrait"
Archetto froze.
"As I said, I believe they have spoke of the experience with others themselves, for such events took place a fair amount of times again after it, and... "
"H... hold on, Pallas. Hold on a moment, if you may" she interrupted her, her ears fluttering briefly "May... may I ask why you demand people be bound in order to draw them?"
"But of course. In fact, this is a subject I am quite happy to converse about. I believe this penchant of mine could be considered a gift from master Dyonisus, one of the many esteemed teachers of the Great Halls of Athenius and possibly its greatest artist"
"I'm afraid I am not familiar with the name"
"Alas, that is to be expected, for none of his paintings ever make it to the public eye. Master Dyonisus, like each person whose mind and soul are one with their art, is owner of quite a few traits we could maybe consider as remarkably peculiar. Among them is the habit of burning his paintings upon their completion, leaving only himself and the subject to have ever gazed at the full product of the strokes of his brushes"
"That's... quite the odd habit for an artist" Archetto conceded, admittedly rather startled.
"Indeed, and it is also, I believe, the reason why his fame never truly left the great Athenius. I was also granted the honor to pose for a few of his works, and I believe it was then that I came to understand, if only to a small degree, why master Dyonisus insisted the subjects of his paintings be bound. Regrettably, the words to fully describe this feeling elude me to this day"
Archetto blinked. She'd known Pallas for quite a while by then, she'd gotten rather accustomed to her oddities even, but that little story of hers had still managed to surprise her. Perhaps because she remained silent for longer than she had meant to, perhaps simply because the priestess had already decided to, she stood up and grabbed a somewhat thick stash of scrolls, handing them over to the cleric before moving back to her own chair.
"A fair amount of the portraits I draw are not with me, for those offering to pose wish to keep them themselves, but some I was allowed to conserve" she explained as the liberi began to look at the pile in her hands.
"These are... " she began to say, only for the words to die in her mouth.
Archetto wasn't exactly an art connoisseur, she'd be the first one to say so, but she could at least tell that those were some fine pencil strokes she was looking at. The shading was remarkable too. Most portraits weren't quite finished, but that probably meant the rumors were right in stating that Pallas only drew the same subject -in the same pose, at least- for a single session, getting as far as she could with the portrait and ending it there. Which, depending on how long one said session lasted, could mean she was surprisingly fast with the pencil. There were also a few images where her style seemed rather different, and the cleric couldn't help but wonder if she had drawn those while drunk.
With all of that said, a not indifferent number of those portraits were, shall we say, daring in the way the subject was posed, at times even in the angle they were portrayed from. Making a conscious effort to not linger too much on the faces she recognized nor on those that appeared several times, she spent a fair amount of time going through the stash of papers, more than once even, occasionally lingering on a particular piece or the other for a while. There was a faint redness on both women's cheeks but, while Pallas' was most likely caused by the wine, Archetto's had a rather different origin.
"These are" she eventually said, resting the stack on her own lap "Much... much more explicit than I had expected" she said, her tail fluttering a little "Some of these I'd dare to consider almost... almost pornographic even"
While not a single person portrayed on those papers was naked, most were in a fairly advanced state of undressing. Not to mention those who had seemingly picked up outfits not quite meant for everyday uses just for the occasion. And the poses were undoubtedly... suggestive. The chains wrapped around them didn't help one bit in that regard, and some... well, some were even clearly wearing adult toys, though wether they were actually active or not... actually, Archetto might've been able to tell by looking at the facial expressions maybe, but she had made a not entirely conscious effort to not do that.
Pallas' gaze fell to the floor. It lasted for but a fraction of a moment, but still enough to make Archetto wonder if she couldn't have worded that better.
"I was expecting to hear such words, yes. This is nothing short of a failing on my part, I am afraid"
She stood up and began walking along the edge of the atelier, her gaze lingering on the drawings hanged on the walls as she moved past them. Archetto followed her with her eyes.
"Allow me to confess, my dear friend, that my intentions when I first took on the pencil were not pure, for art was not what I was truly in pursuit of. It was only when someone noticed my drawings that I was first asked to make a portrait of someone. The products of these hands of mine gained a certain traction it would seem, and yet I still don't know wether I am worthy of the title some have given me. I am a priestess, yes. I was, I am, and I shall be. An artist, however? I wonder... is what I am doing merely another way to... "
Her words died in her mouth as she stopped walking to stare at a certain paper hanged on the wall. Most of those were remarkably different from those in the stack still within Archetto's grasp, enough to make her guess Pallas had drawn them before getting started with the live portraits. As for the one the forte was looking at, it portrayed a sarkaz, standing in what seemed to be a minoan village, a fair bit away from some other people far in the background. He had many telltale signs of a mercenary, but lacked in truly outstanding features.
"... the subjects of master Dyonisus's paintings were far more alluring, dare I even say explicit, and still the sublimity of his brush strokes and the otherworldliness of his colours brought everyone to speak of those only as pure art. I cannot help but ask of myself... am I merely disgracing the craft, with what I am producing in this room?"
"That's-!"
Archetto realized half a second too late that she had jumped to her feet. Partially to kick the image of Pallas prepped up who knows how, given what she had just said about this Dyonisus' works. Still, her sudden movement had managed to drag the priestess' gaze away from the drawing and to the cleric.
"I have never seen the works of this master of yours, Pallas, so I will not draw any comparison between those and these" she said, placing the stack of papers down before walking up to the forte "But of this I can assure you: for as many variations there are of the stories pertaining to your drawings, all of them refer to this room as an atelier. And while words such as "daring", "risque", even "titillating" or downright "erotic" are used to describe your works, people still speak of you as an artist"
If a... rather unconventional one she thought, figuring out that maybe that last part was better left unspoken.
"Are you of the same mind, if I might dare to ask?"
"I... am not quite as versed in the arts as you, Pallas. You are well aware of that" she replied, a faint redness reappearing on her cheeks "But wether your drawings can be considered such or not, people still come to you to have themselves portrayed, even if they... sometimes make use of unconventional accessories in the meanwhile. Isn't that in itself something worthy of celebration?"
"Ah, Hildegard, dear friend" the priestess replied as she grabbed the cleric's hands, the liberi having to look up a bit to meet her gaze "These words of yours fill me with joy and pride. Please, do allow me to show you my appreciation"
When exactly Pallas had grabbed two bottles of beer -Landen's beer-, or when she had managed to put one into Archetto's hands, the cleric knew better than to waste time wondering about. Honestly, she hadn't quite planned to drink that much that evening, but it's not like she had other plans either way. That, and it'd be somewhat hypocritical of her to turn down the beer of her own monastery. And so she uncapped her bottle while Pallas did the same, the two women raising their makeshift glasses for a soft toast before gulping the content down, the all-too-familiar flavor briefly bringing Archetto's mind back to her distant home.
"There is one thing I'd been meaning to ask of you, lady Hildegard" Pallas then said once they were both finished with their bottle.
Well, bottles in the forte's case. A whole lot of four.
"Is your intention to verify or disprove the rumors about me all I have to thank for your presence here this evening, or did you perchance come to request a portrait as well?"
Archetto froze. Again. That same question wouldn't have fazed her much if at all just that same afternoon but, having not only confirmed the peculiarities of the forte's live portraits but having even been surprised by just how far said peculiarities went, she couldn't quite keep her tail from waving with a bit of agitation. Their gazes were locked on each other's, and she could see some sort of faint glint in Pallas' eyes.
"I-in that regard, I, well, y-yes actually!" she stammered, realizing what exactly she had agreed to only after having said those words.
"I am overjoyed to hear that!" the forte exclaimed as she vigorously shook the liberi's hands, startling her even further "I had in truth meant to ask this of you for a while, lady Hildegard, but those few I have approached on my own have always declined my offer, and I believe this to have made me hesitant in reaching out to you as well. For that I offer you my most sincere apologies"
"Oh, w-who could these few people be, by chance?" she asked, partially out of genuine curiosity, partially to gain at least a bit of time.
"Dr. Kal'Tsit, lady Gladiia, and mr. Phantom. But let us not linger on such thoughts! To have as dear a friend as you come to me to have themselves portrayed fills me with pride and joy! Elation even, dare I say!"
Admittedly, Archetto couldn't even picture any of those three in the kind of... situation Pallas enjoyed to draw. Honestly, even just asking them to pose in such a way in the first place was a display of bravery she doubted herself capable of. But she had a far more urgent matter to think about.
"Allow me to ask then, lady Hildegard, if you have any preferences for your portrait? As I am sure you know, I tend to draw full body depictions, but I am more than willing to listen to any request you might have. In this regard, actually" she continued as she guided the liberi to one of the wardrobes "I do have a few items here. Do feel free to look for anything you might be interested in as I gather my pencils and a scroll"
"N-no, actually, ehm... " Archetto stammered, but too slowly apparently as Pallas had already made it to the other end of the room, leaving her alone in front of the imposing set of three wardrobes.
... ok, Hildegard. You just have to pose for a portrait. How hard can it be?
So she opened the first drawer. She probably shouldn't have been surprised to see chains hanged inside, she even told herself as much, but the sheer... variety of them was admittedly beyond her expectations. Chains and restraints of other kinds too, actually, with a few padlocks but mostly just somewhat elaborate snap hooks lying around in neat order. Still, she couldn't quite see anything that really stroke her fancy, though how exactly a chain or strap or gag or... so on could do so in the first place, that she didn't quite know. Still, she closed the wardrobe and moved to the second one, which turned out to be full of clothes of all different sizes. On closer inspection, however, calling them costumes might've been more appropriate. There was even one of those incredibly daring outfits first seen in some adult pubs in Rim Billitton and which then spread to nearly the rest of the world, colloquially called a cautus suit. That aside, there were actually some rather pretty outfits in there. But she ultimately decided to keep her own clothes on and made her way to the third and last wardrobe.
Perhaps the content of that one shouldn't have surprised her too much either. As a matter of fact, however, it was the one that left her the most speechless. For there wasn't much inside there, but what was present were all adult toys. Now, the Landen monastery didn't quite preach chastity, and that wasn't Archetto's first time seeing those sort of tools, but she wasn't exactly terribly familiar with them either.
"T-these... "
"Ah, yes. Miss Closure caught wind of this activity of mine as well, and kindly offered these to me. I am, in truth, not sure I truly need these, but she placed such a large discount on them that I believe turning them down would've been an offense to her good will. And I cannot deny that a few people have indeed made use of these while being drawn"
That sarkaz...
"Has anything caught your interest perhaps, lady Hildegard?"
"W-well, actually... "
"Ah, yes, something quite simple indeed" Pallas spoke as she followed the cleric's gaze to a certain particular item.
S... she was really looking forward to this, wasn't she? Archetto thought with somewhat mixed, or rather confused feelings as she realized that Pallas was a fair bit more enthusiastic than usual.
"I do admit I wasn't expecting you to select something from this wardrobe, my good friend, but surprises are indeed one of life's most varied condiments, are they not?" she continued as she handed the thing to Archetto.
"That they are, yes!" she agreed as she took the small egg vibrator, a wire linking it to a remote with a leather strap attached to it.
No, wait, that's not what I should've said!
"Is there anything else that caught your interest, perhaps? What about the pose, or the angle?" she inquired again, a not so faint fire in her eyes.
"I-I was thinking of letting you do as you please, actually! I-I did come here to witness your craft first-hand after all, did I not?"
Silence abruptly fell upon the room. Pallas tilted her head slightly to the right, then slightly to the left, then back to the right again, her gaze suddenly feeling much sharper than just a few moments earlier. A lone bead of sweat trailed down Archetto's forehead, her eyes fixed on the priestess as her mind wandered to everywhere and nowhere.
"I shall pour my every effort into this portrait then, my friend Hildegard, so as to disappoint neither your expectations nor the trust you are so kindly showing me"
"Ehm, sure"
Pallas then walked to the first wardrobe and opened it, her gaze moving back and forth between the liberi and the restraints hanged there for quite a few times, perhaps a dozen or so, before her hands reached for a few chains -one of which in particular was oddly thin, less than a pinkie- and pulled them out together with a generous amount of snap hooks, closing the wardrobe again as she made her way to the chair Archetto had sat on until not too long ago. She moved it to the center of the room, then grabbed a few lamps and dragged them nearby as well. And a mirror too, which Archetto truly had no idea where she had taken from.
"May I ask you to come over"
"Oh, right away" she agreed, her heart beating at a rhythm twice as fast as her footsteps if not more, the vibrating egg still in her hands.
Pallas placed all the chains down with the exception of one, which she put on her shoulder, and rested her hands on Archetto's.
"Please, do inform me if my touch makes you uncomfortable in any way"
"Don't worry about it, Pallas, really. But yes, of course. I will" she replied, giving her best shot at looking calm.
"Very well. Then, allow me to" she concluded as she started moving her hands.
Slowly, and softly. Her touch was delicate, as if she was handling a fine piece of frail pottery. Her palms moved around Archetto's shoulders for a short while, then down to her elbows and her wrists, her fingers occasionally tapping down as if to get a better feel of her skin through either the liberi's dress, her short sleeves or her gloves.
While not at all unpleasant, it was not a kind of touch Archetto was used to. There was something... affectionate in it, affectionate but also somehow distant in a way, enough to make her feel oddly conscious of her own body. Especially when Pallas brought both hands up to cup her cheeks. Archetto nearly shivered, her ears twitching in surprise. Then Pallas smiled, she smiled ever so softly, and the cleric felt her heart skip a beat for some reason.
"A most beautiful form, my friend" the forte commented as she walked around to Archetto's back, her hands still roaming lovingly over her body "As expected of someone versed in the arts and crafts of the battle"
"You flatter me, Pallas" she replied, admittedly glad that she couldn't see her face in that position.
An odd shiver ran along her spine as the priestess moved her cape aside, one hand softly running over the liberi's corset while the other placed its index on her nape. From there, the digit trailed down slowly, a warm and gentle pressure following the line of Archetto's spine, all the way to her lower back. And then two more fingers joined it to softly grab hold of her tail through the skirt of her dress, the unexpected contact nearly making Archetto jump.
"Am I being too daring, perchance?" she asked, all her motions coming to an halt.
"N-not at all, Pallas! I was merely a little surprised, that's all" Archetto replied, only to wonder why exactly she had thrown away that chance to deescalate things at least a little bit.
The priestess hummed as her hands resumed moving, her legs bending as she kneeled down to better follow Archetto's tail all the way to its end, the forte's hand closing lovingly on the tuft of fur at the end of the liberi's tail, only to then pull it against her cheek briefly.
... breathe, Hildegard, breathe. In, out, in, out.
Pallas' palms then trailed to Archetto's sides and down along her legs, stopping behind her knees and moving back and forth around the area a few times, a spot the cleric herself was surprised to discover as rather ticklish. She managed to not let out a laugh though.
Seemingly satisfied with that, Pallas stood back up and finished circling around Archetto, getting back in front of her, her gaze falling on the liberi's ears.
For a few moments, Archetto's mind went back to their first meeting. She had expected Pallas to mistake her for a feline back then, since her external racial traits were extremely dissimilar to those of a liberi -somewhat of a common occurrence for the cleric, really- but, much to her surprise, the forte had realized right away that she wasn't one. She hadn't really guessed that she was a liberi either, granted, asking directly without ever voicing what her guess might've been instead, and Archetto's complete lack of feathers -something that used to bother her quite a lot in her teens, admittedly- was probably to blame for that, but it was still more than she'd have expected.
The feeling of Pallas's hands sliding underneath her cape and onto the collar of her dress brought her back to the there and then, the faint blush on her face growing slightly in intensity as the priestess' fingers reached for a couple of buttons and undid them, enough to let the garment hang rather loosely from her chest. Then she went for the buttons of her shirt as well, undoing the uppermost three. Archetto caught herself swallowing something as she realized that, in that state, her bra was visible to a degree. Some thoughts of a certain nature entered her mind, but she quickly pushed them out.
Only for them to come right back knocking when Pallas moved her hands behind Archetto's back, not quite undoing the cleric's corset but rather unfastening it to a degree, which allowed her dress to hang even more loosely and reveal just a little bit more of her chest.
Wether Archetto was relieved or worried to see Pallas reach for the chain she had previously placed on her own shoulder, she couldn't quite tell herself. What she could tell was that she hadn't expected the forte to slide the middle of the chain underneath her now loose upper garments, a shiver of an entirely different nature running over her skin as the smooth metal made contact and moved along her body.
The priestess smiled.
Something in the cleric's chest fluttered.
Then, with a remarkable display of manual dexterity, Pallas slid the chain behind Archett's neck then made its two ends run down, making them circle around her chest, right above her breasts. She then twisted them on each other once, right between her breasts, and made them run another circle, this time beneath them. At last, she brought both ends up behind her back and linked her to the loop behind her neck with a snap hook. The chain felt snug, enough to make her chest stick out a bit more than usual, but at the same time not really tight.
"Does this aesthetic satisfy you, my friend?" Pallas asked as she gently prompted her to turn around, Archetto's gaze falling on her own reflection in the mirror.
Admittedly, having the upper half of her garments loosened enough to reveal her cleavage felt rather embarassing already to Archetto, especially because the rest of her clothes were still in perfect order. But the chain hugging her chest beneath them, not quite visible but not really hidden either, felt far more indecent than she'd have ever guessed.
"... you are... truly skilled in this, aren't you?" she asked back, not entirely to dodge the question.
"I do have a good share of experience. That is, I believe, undeniable"
Archetto caught a glimpse of Pallas' tail moving softly left and right, which in turn made her ears twitch.
"Now, if I might ask you to sit down"
And her heart speed up.
"Yes, sure, of course, right away"
The padding on the chair was soft, comfortable, neither too thick nor too thin, but Archetto barely even registered that, her attention completely on Pallas' hands instead as they grabbed another chain.
"If I may" she said, warned perhaps, as she kneeled on the floor, grabbed Archetto's leg and lifted it up "Please, do inform me if any chain is pulled too tight around your body, for that might cause lasting damage"
"I will, of that I can assure you"
Then Pallas took off Archetto's knee-high boot, the somewhat slow process of undoing the string holding it shut feeling even longer than it truly was to the liberi, the cold steel around her chest mixing with her rising body temperature to produce a tiepid haze in her mind. Once done with the boot, Pallas took off Archetto's sock as well, then pushed her ankle against her thigh. And then she proceeded to tie the two together by drawing an eight around them, drag the chain up a bit along the gap in her bent leg and tie it again, repeating the process a total of four times and locking everything in place with two snap hooks, firmly securing Archetto's leg in a frog tie.
Then she grabbed another chain and ran it around the liberi's other ankle, still fully clothed and firmly planted on the floor, the steel rings running around the chair's frame a couple of time before coming back. A third chain looped around her left thigh, running beneath the chair to link to her right one. This chain was then pulled a bit, forcing Archetto's legs just a bit more open. By then, her legs couldn't really move anymore, only wiggle a little bit.
She swallowed again, more than a few beads of sweat running down her body. Her breathing was growing a little heavy, and the beating of her heart rang an oddly alluring melody within her ears.
Another chain entered her field of view, just as Pallas left it to walk behind her. Her hands grabbed Archetto's wrists to pull them up above her head and together, with a lack of resistance that nearly startled the cleric herself. Unsurprisingly, the cold steel ran around her wrists, then circled around her thumbs before looping around her wrists once more. But the chain still had many rings to its length, and was thus dragged down, looped once around the backrest and then... slid underneath Archetto's clothes. It ran around her chest once before sliding back out of her garments and around the backrest once more, gently pulling her against it before moving further down. Pallas made it circle around the seat as well, and then from there she slid it underneath Archetto's skirt too, making it hug her waist before pulling it back out. And then she pulled it up once more, running it around Archetto's tail, right at the base of the tuft of fur at its end, and at last secured it to her wrists again with a snap hook.
Only then did the priestess walk back in front of Archetto, one last chain dangling from her palm. The oddly thin one the cleric had noticed earlier. She was surprised to feel Pallas' fingers sink gently into her flushed cheeks, causing her lips to part open and reveal her tongue. She was startled to feel the chain run around her tongue, the steel feeling oddly rough as it gently looped around a few times. Pallas didn't use any hook, simply tying it as if it was a rope instead, and letting a fair bit of its length hang loosely from Archetto's mouth. The cold steel around her tongue didn't felt tight at all, and yet its roughness and the mastery with which Pallas had tied it made it extremely unlikely for it to fall off, despite the liberi's own saliva beginning to coat it.
Then Pallas knelt down once more, with a final item in her hands.
The vibrating egg Archetto had technically -if we want to put it that way- picked out herself.
The cleric was sure her expression was neither calm nor composed, but she also couldn't tell what exactly was on her face at all. Then Pallas' lips curled up slightly into a soft smile, making her already crumbling composure crack even further.
The priestess secured the remote to Archetto's thigh with the strap then looked up, their eyes meeting as she slowly, ever so slowly pushed the egg beneath Archetto's skirt, what was meant as a way to give the liberi all the time she needed to refuse inadvertently turning into a blissful torture. Seeing how Archetto didn't speak up at all -arguably because some words got caught in her throat-, Pallas eventually pushed the egg against Archetto's underwear.
It was only then that the liberi became aware of her own wetness, and a part of her nearly died of shame. But Pallas made no comment on it, neither vocally nor physically, as if pretending not to notice, and simply pushed the toy beneath the damp garment instead, the liberi's panties more than enough to keep it from slipping away. Then her fingers trailed back to the remote and turned the only wheel present on it a little, an extremely faint yet deafening buzz suddelly assaulting Archetto's ears as the vibration shook her entire body despite its low intensity and foreseen arrival. Pallas then kept turning it up, the faint buzz growing slightly more intense together with the stimulation on her clit and entrance, sending jolts up along her spine, her tail instinctively trying to wave a little, tugging at the chain holding it up. The priestess then turned the toy back down, albeith not off.
Pallas then stepped back and dragged the mirror in front of Archetto, presenting her with her own reflection.
"Is this pose to your liking, my friend?" she asked.
The liberi nearly didn't recognize herself. As far as... state of undressing went, hers was easily one of the least advanced among the drawings she had seen Pallas produce. The only things she had really taken off were a boot and a sock, after all. And yet... and yet her current condition seemed beyond provocative. The partially undone upper half of her clothes, loose enough to reveal a bit of her cleavage and bra. Her thighs, forced open nearly to the point of indecency. Her bare leg folded and held up, causing her skirt to ride up and leaving only her petticoat to cover her panties. Both the vibrator and the remote were hidden under her clothes, but a segment of the wire connecting the two poked out from underneath, a sight as immodest as it was alluring. Then there were the chains peeking out from beneath her clothes, which made her feel warmly hugged and hopelessly exposed at the same time. Her arms were forced up, her wrists secured above her head. She could still cover her face if she so wanted, but the thought didn't even enter her mind. The tip of her tail was poking out from behind her, held up and close to her wrists by another chain. And then there was the last one, tied around her tongue like a work of art, her own saliva beginning to trail down along it.
"Lady Hildegard?" Pallas asked, perhaps worried for the prolonged silence of her model.
"Ah-ah, n-no, this is... most impressive, yes... " she commented, marveling at how little the chain around her tongue hampered her speech.
"I cannot deny" the priestess said as she leaned down, her lips dangerously close to Archetto's ears, her warm palms sending goosebumps all over the liberi's shoulders "That here, on this evening, I am blessed with a most beautiful woman to portray with my pencils"
Stay still, by the heavens! Stay still! Archetto ordered to her own heart, with results that were questionable at best.
Pallas then moved the mirror away, the cleric's eyes finding themselves glued to its surface for as long as physically possible before the priestess began to set a few lamps around her, turning them on, off, on again, moving them here, there or over there yet, until she found a lighting she was satisfied with. Then she walked in circles around Archetto, slowly, each step impossibly loud as the liberi became aware of her own sweating, the soft buzz between her legs too strong to ignore but also too weak to monopolize her attention, her limbs occasionally pulling against the chains embracing her more out of instinct that out of conscious choice, a soft cling to remind her of her current helplessness.
Then, at last, Pallas grabbed a small ladder and placed it almost right in front of Archetto, moved slightly to the right. She sat on top of it, staring at the liberi from above but not by much. In her hands were a piece of hard carboard, upon which she unrolled a scroll, and a few pencils. Placing all but one in a pocket, she rested its tip on the paper and then looked at Archetto.
Their gazes met, and the liberi saw herself reflected in Pallas' eyes, the priestess' gaze deep and warm, something the cleric couldn't quite name dwelling deep within as she stared, she stared and admired.
Her ears twitched when Pallas brought her gaze down, the sound of graphite and paper meeting suddenly filling the room with its sharpness.
Archetto breathed. She closed her eyes and focused on breathing. In. And then out. In. And then out. She managed to not think too hard about how exactly she was feeling, about how exactly her body was feeling, but that only made her more aware of what her mind was going through. She tried to move a bit, shift her position a little, if only to... do something, distract herself -from the toy, or from something else- but the chains prevented her from doing that. They weren't tight enough to amper her blood flow, but at the same time they didn't really leave her any wiggle room either.
Her ears twitched again. Her tail tried to move, but it couldn't do so they way it wanted, its tip unable to stray too far from her wrists. That only made her more aware of everything.
She was being watched.
It should've been terribly obvious, Pallas was drawing her after all. And yet, as she sat there alone with the forte, bound, basically fully clothed and yet hopelessly exposed, she found the priestess' gaze unbearably intense. She opened her eyes as soon as she caught her mind wandering to dangerous places, and stared straight ahead. Pallas was well within her field of view, but Archetto made a conscious effort to not focus on her. The sound of the pencil running on the scroll of paper, however, was somehow much too intense for her to ignore.
Her hips jerked softly, so softly she might not even have noticed it herself had the chains not notified her of it with a clink. The buzzing between her legs kept teasing her, making her body grow even hotter, drawing more sweat from her skin as a decidedly physical kind of pleasure built up within her, slowly but steadily. She regulated her respiration, every breath reminding her of the chains wrapped around her chest.
How much time went by just like that, in relative silence, Archetto couldn't tell. There wasn't a clock inside there, at least not where she could see it, and for a few reasons she didn't quite feel like trusting her own perception of time at the moment. What she did know was that her breaths had grown heavy. Her chest heaved up and down regularly, but there was more intensity to it. Her tail kept tugging at the chain around her wrists, its inability to wave freely causing the liberi to grow restless. The temperature was far from high, and yet sweat had since long seeped into her clothes.
She tried to close her legs, to no avail, only to realize that she hadn't quite done so to cover herself, the buzzing sound still present, and with it the vibrations that had oh so slowly carried her up an hill of tender warmth, pleasure having piled up until nearly the point of overflowing. Had she not fought off the feeling, she'd have already reached an orgasm. But the thought alone of doing so in front of Pallas was more than she could bear. She nearly bit her lip at some point, but ultimately decided against it.
A sound then reached her ears. Not that of graphite on paper, not that of Pallas changing pencil or sharpening it, not that of the buzzing toy, not even her own breath.
No, that had clearly been a step.
She turned around, her eyes falling on the minoan priestess for the first time in who knows how long exactly. She had taken a step down the ladder she'd been sitting on until then. Then another step, and another, and then on the floor. She closed the already small distance separating the two and stood right next to her, leaning forward a bit, her pencil having temporarily stopped moving. Archetto looked up. Their eyes didn't met, for the priestess was focused on the cleric's cape and shoulder at the moment.
But still her heart fluttered.
So intense was Pallas' gaze, that Archetto nearly felt her hands touching her, goosebumps spreading through her skin from the point the forte was gazing at, something the cleric's mind immediatly associated to veneration lingering in her eyes as her hand resumed tracing lines on the scroll. She stared, she stared, she stared and Archetto nearly forgot how to breathe. Pallas' eyes then wandered down, to the cleric's chest, gentle hands warmer than a sunny day caressing her without touching her, cutting her breath short. The egg stuck underneath her panties was still working, and yet it was that gaze that truly set Archetto off, every muscle in her body growing stiff, her chest pushing out what little air was left in her lungs, her legs and hips trembling, the clinking of the chains announcing her orgasm to the world as a moan she had struggled until then to hold in finally broke free of her throat, rushing past her lips and out for all to hear, for Pallas to hear.
She closed her eyes to get a brief respite from the sight of the priestess' own, trying not so much to stabilize her breath as much as to process having just had an orgasm in front of the Pallas, one so intense she could still feel it lingering in every fiber of her body, its searing heat causing her to sweat almost profusely. The toy was still vibrating against her wet privates but, somehow, that stimulation by itself suddenly felt hopelessly incapable of bringing her over the edge again, despite how undeniably pleasant it felt.
With a storm of thoughts and emotions swirling around inside her mind, Archetto forced her own eyes open, just in time to see Pallas sit on her knees right in front of her, staring at the liberi's naked leg intensely, tapping one of her pencils on the scroll as if in search of inspiration. So close she was, that Archetto could feel her breath on her skin, each breath of the priestess causing her hips to jerk as those eyes caressed her leg with illogical intensity, each stroke of those imaginary touches sending searing pleasure up from Archetto's leg through her spine, all the way to her brain, coercing another soft moan out of her, dying her cheeks an even deeper shade of red. Pallas resumed drawing, and Archetto desperately fought against the orgasm she could feel coming.
A losing battle if she'd ever fought one, that was, especially as she found herself unable to look away from Pallas' admiring eyes, the touchless attentions of the priestess quickly bringing the cleric over the edge a second time. Her voice leaking more than before, her body shook again against the chains, a climax strong enough to white out her thoughts for a few moments filling her whole body, reaching every corner and then bouncing back, as if the steel constraints holding her down also prevented her orgasm from abating, her hips jerking as hard as they could as if to get just a little bit more out of the vibrating egg. Through all that, Pallas still said nothing, never averting her gaze. But Archetto could've sworn her lips had moved upwards a little, just so very faintly, and that alone made her heart skip more than just one beat.
Then the priestess stood back up and walked next to Archetto again, leaning forward. The two came face to face, their gazes locked on each other. All composure was now gone from the cleric's face, and yet she couldn't help but feel like the priestess' expression was the truly intense one, a blazing fire burning deep within her eyes. Archetto only then realized that she hadn't caught Pallas blinking a single time since she had called her over to get her in position for the portrait. Another wave washed over her, hazing her thoughts.
The forte's mouth then opened up, and all sounds seemed to disappear. For a few seconds, Archetto's hearing parted from her, casting her in a world of complete silence. And there, in that distant place, her eyes captured each and every motion of Pallas' lips, a single, soundless word leaving them.
"Magnificent"
Archetto's mind went blank. Her lungs stopped functioning. Her heartbeat came to a brief halt. Her field of view grew more and more narrow, until the only things left in it were Pallas' eyes. Those eyes that looked either green or grey depending on the light, which hadn't blinked a single time to keep gazing at Archetto, silent passion and admiration burning bright deep within them.
"Magnificent" she spoke again without a sound, tracing one last line on the scroll.
Slowly, excruciatingly slowly, the world came back to life. Archetto's ears twitched wildly. Her tail struggled against the chain with unprecedented vigor. Her heart resumed beating. Air filled her lungs.
And something deep inside her exploded, a wave of pleasure like she'd never felt before taking over her, her every muscle spasming, a moan louder than she'd have ever thought herself capable of leaving her lips, the chains clinking to remind her of her current situation.
And still Pallas gazed at her. She looked on, and Archetto found herself unable to avert her own gaze, which in turn made the feeling even stronger, and last even longer. In truth, the cleric's high couldn't have lasted more than a few seconds, and yet she could've sworn whole hours had gone by.
"Truly sublime"
Another wave washed over her. She pulled against the chains without meaning to, her fists clenching the air as her nerves began to approach the point of overload, a pleasure only partially physical in nature reverberating within her, her own voice echoing inside her ears.
Archetto closed her eyes out of sheer instinct, and the pleasure eventually began to abate. Slowly, but the feeling gradually weakened, gently guiding her down her peak and fading away, allowing her to regain control over her vocalizations, her heavy, broken breaths filling the room.
It was only when she had expected the feeling to fully disappear that she was reminded of the egg still buzzing inside her panties, keeping her soaked privates stimulated, preventing the pleasure from truly abating. And while that was, in itself, entire orders of magnitude weaker of a stimulation compared to Pallas' words, Archetto was by that point far more sensitive than usual. Both physically and mentally.
"Your portrait is finished, my friend" Pallas said.
Had her voice come from right next to her still, Archetto probably wouldn't have found it in her to open her eyes. But there seemed to be a bit of a distance between them now, not to mention the sound of footsteps that had quite clearly made its way to her ears. And so she dared to look at her surroundings again.
Pallas was, indeed, next to the ladder she had sat on for most of the session. Not far by any means, but still enough to allow Archetto some respite, if only because the priestess wasn't currenctly looking at her.
"I commend your patience, lady Hildegard" she said as she put down the scroll, the cardboard she had placed beneath it and her pencils "Very few grant me enough time to fully complete their portraits. And you stood remarkably still as well" she added, causing Archetto's cheeks to flush even more "I believe I should have expected no less from an archer of your caliber, my friend, and I apologize for having underestimated you"
Archetto opened her mouth to speak, only to stop at the last moment. Partially because she wasn't quite sure what to say, partially to give herself a bit more time to stabilize her breathing.
Now that Pallas was no longer looking directly at her, she had become much more aware of the vibrating egg still active on her nethers. Sensitive as she was at the moment, she feared even that would be enough to bring her to another climax soon enough.
"M-may I ask then" she almost forced herself to speak between one ragged breath and the other "To be released? My limbs are growing a little numb, I'm afraid" she said, making sure to not mention the vibrator at all.
"But of course, my friend. And allow me to offer you some refreshment as well" Pallas replied as she turned around, with a bottle -of water, somewhat to Archetto's surprise- in hand "Much you have sweated"
By all means, Archetto would've wanted to hurry her up and set her free.
At the same time, she couldn't help but wallow in the priestess' care for just a little while longer.
"I h-have, yes. Many thanks" she accepted as Pallas gently pushed the bottle to her lips and helped her drink the whole content, the cool water flowing down her throat much like a sweet panacea.
Only then did Pallas begin to undo the chains that were binding Archetto. One by one, and yet so swiftly the cleric nearly didn't even realize at which point she had gone from being bound to being free. As she was helped up to her feet, however, there was one thing the priestess had left in place.
"Allow me to express my gratitude, lady Hildegard"
"I-it was nothing, really!" she replied somewhat hurriedly, wanting to take the vibrator off while also feeling like doing that right in front of Pallas as she was talking to her would've been far too brazen.
"Not much of the night is left, I am afraid, and I apologize if you hadn't meant to allocate this much of your time to this, but I truly believe your portrait to be one of my most excellent creations"
"I'm g-glad to hear that"
Her legs were shaking a litte, her tail was waving wildly, and she was incredibly close to biting her lip to make absolutely sure she wouldn't moan.
"I ask this of everyone who comes here to have themselves drawn, my friend, so I shall extend the same question to you: do you wish to keep your portrait, or do you intend to leave it here, for others to see?"
Perhaps because the pleasure had simply built up enough, perhaps because of the implications of the latter option presented by Pallas, perhaps because the priestess' gaze hadn't quite gone back to normal yet as she looked at Archetto, the cleric found herself dragged over the edge one last time.
"I w- I was thinking o-of... ah... aaahhh... "
Her legs gave out, and Pallas reached out to her just in time to hold her up before she could fall. The physical contact made the whole session flash before Archetto's eyes, adding that certain something more that made her whole body tremble, her hands holding on to Pallas by their own will rather than by hers, a soft and long moan leaving her lips as she found herself helplessly falling into the forte's embrace, basking in her cool, welcoming warmth.
"... oh. Oh, dear. Do you require another bottle of water, lady Hildegard?" Pallas asked.
"N-no, I" she replied as she yanked the vibrator off herself -modesty be damned, at that point- "I just... need a moment to... to rest, that's all"
"But of course" Pallas agreed as she guided her to another chair.
From there, Archetto's gaze wandered to the one she had sat on while being drawn.
The seat was absolutely drenched. To the point the floor beneath it was wet too. Her cheeks flared red once more, her tail and ears waving and twitching wildly.
If all of Pallas' drawing sessions were even just a third as intense as that, she... she could see why so many came to her to have themselves portrayed. Multiple times too.
"A... about the scroll" she said.
"Yes?"
The priestess, who was in the middle of cleaning up the scene -Archetto's heart skipped another beat- stopped to turn at her.
"I... I was thinking I'd like to keep this portrait myself. B-but" she quickly added, unable to bear Pallas' gaze and yet unable to look away at the same time "You... you said you had intended to ask me to model, right?"
"That I did affirm, yes"
"Well, this... I came to you myself for this one, so... I'd lov- I wouldn't mind at all to be... drawn by you again if you'd be willing to. At your request, this time. And... that one portrait, I'd like it if you were to keep it yourself"
This... might just become an habit...
Pallas seemingly lighted up at those words.
"Yes! Yes, of course!"
From that night on, one more mouth would quietly whisper of the minoan priestess' live portraits.
The mouth of someone who would come to be the most recurring subject of Pallas' artistic endeavous.
Thank you for reading.