Where the Heart Is, Part 9

With the Thousand Eyes now acting on your request, you decide that your next step will be to secure a more reliable food source. Thinking back to Rysanial's report, you remember the particularly vulnerable priestess that she had mentioned discovering during her investigation here. You decide to pay her a visit.

You set out through the city, which is now baking in the heat of the afternoon sun as its citizens go about their business. Everything around you is alive with movement. Vendors line the streets, hawking their wares at you, as well as the countless other pedestrians walking by. The occasional pickpocket slips through the crowd in search of their next mark, though you're able to detect and evade them without any difficulty.

In the sky overhead, multiple birds circle lazily above you. Closer to earth you catch sight of the occasional rat scurrying around in some of the alleyways, rummaging through the garbage. You let all these sensations wash over you: all the sights and sounds and smells of civilization.

It won't be long before you enter the more prosperous areas of the city. Before you reach that point, you briefly duck into one of those narrow side alleys. After making sure that none of the passers-by walking the streets have any line of sight to observe you, you shapeshift again, this time transforming into a black cat.

After all, it wouldn't do to have "Kavia" be seen anywhere in the vicinity of this priestess. This way, even if the heroines do somehow learn that she's been seduced, there won't be any link to trace it back to your primary cover. With that taken care of, you bound out of the alley on the other side, darting through the crowd toward your ultimate destination. In your new form, you don't notice any of the pedestrians giving you even so much as a second glance at any point along your journey.

Eventually you arrive at the rectory. A large building erected not far from the Cathedral, it provides housing for many of the priests, priestesses and others of Selal's faithful that serve there. Fortunately, despite its close relationship to the place of worship, its fundamental purpose of "lodging" is still, at the end of the day, an ultimately secular one. As such, it cannot itself be claimed as holy ground... and you're free to operate here without significant issue.

You spend some time surveying the place, taking note of the potential entrances and exits, as well as who is coming and going. Until finally, you see an opening. Using all your demonic stealth, you slip right underneath the voluminous robes of a particularly inattentive old priest, just as he's about to go through one of the doors. After that, all you need to do is dodge his feet for a little while, before slipping back out again. And with that, you're inside the building.

Many images and icons of Selal line the walls, along with her saints, and to a lesser extent her sister goddesses. For all that it's not technically holy ground, you can't deny that there is a somber reverence to this place, as the goddess' adherents go about the business of daily life. You creep up and down the halls, listening in the hushed silence for the creak of the floorboards that would signal the approach of one of the building's inhabitants.

When you do find your true target, it's in the building's laundry area, helping to wash some of the clothes alongside a few younger women. For a priestess to be assigned a chore like this, it probably means that she's on the lower-ranking end of that designation. Either that, or it's a discipline of humility for her order. Or perhaps simply something she took on herself.

Either way, she does her work quietly, even as the others around her talk while they work. If you had to pick one word to describe her, it would be... plain. Not beautiful, not ugly, just... unremarkable. Even among her associates she doesn't stand out. She fades into the background of their conversation, never speaking except for when she's directly addressed, which is hardly ever.

It fits perfectly with the description Rysanial gave you in her report. Mother Yvette Vernier. Seventh child of eight to a minor noble family. No notable accomplishments. No notable prospects. Handed off to the Church of Selal since there was no other place for her. According to Rysanial, she achieved the rank of priestess in her late thirties. Due in part to her genuine diligence... but mostly as a favor to her family.

You watch from hiding as Yvette finishes the chores, then takes her leave, returning to her quarters as the afternoon fades into evening. You sneak along behind the woman, slipping into the tiny room behind her. From there, you watch as the priestess kneels down... and pulls out a small book from a hiding place between her bed and her mattress.

Peering around her, you can see that the book was one of three hidden there. And while the other two are worn and dog-eared through long use, the one she's holding now is clearly much newer. You know that it was, in fact, a gift arranged by Rysanial during her time here.

Even with your small size, it requires a tricky bit of finesse to keep out of her line of sight, requiring you to quickly dart under the bed yourself at just the right moment, even as the priestess is turning away from it. But to be fair, Yvette is not exactly paying close attention to her surroundings either. She sits down at the edge of her bed... and soon you can hear a tiny, suppressed whimper from above you as she turns page after page.

Now that she's completely absorbed in what she's reading, you're able to sneak back out again. Moving with all the graceful stealth that your feline body can manage, you creep around onto the bed behind her, which allows you to glance at the book in her lap, reading the pages that she's so engrossed in.

It's obvious why Rysanial picked out this woman from among her fellows. In the eyes of everyone around her, she's unremarkable. Overlooked. Passed off to the Church by her own family, like she was an unwanted trinket, put into storage where it wouldn't bother anyone. Her whole life decided for her, sent down a course where there was no hope of ever experiencing the kind of love or passion where she was the apple of someone's eye.

And yet... this woman wishes she could have had that. You can see it in her plaintive expression as she reads the smutty book that your succubus arranged for her to receive. Much like the older two books of erotica she already had, it gives her an escape. A fantasy of a different life she might have led, if things had been different. It's not much. But it's all she has.

Of course, the book Rysanial gave her is much more targeted for your purposes. It tells a torrid tale of a woman seduced by a demonic lover. Which is, admittedly, a bit on the nose. But as a way to prepare her ahead of time, it seems to have worked splendidly.

You creep closer, until you're right behind the unsuspecting priestess. She's starting to squirm a little now, one hand starting to drift lower on her body. At the same time, though, she's clearly struggling with her guilt for indulging in such lustful behavior. You feel a surge of anger run through you as you witness the shame that the other mortals have instilled in her, suffocating the desires she could have otherwise followed.

You cannot allow this to continue. This poor woman needs more than this.

Still, the moment need to be just right. You wait behind her, unobserved, until she reaches an especially juicy moment in her story, where the fictional incubus makes a particularly aggressive move on the book's naive heroine. Only then do you release your shapeshifting, returning to your natural demonic form. Yvette startles as she feels the weight behind her on the bed... then a moment later feels your arms around her.

She opens her mouth to scream. But your hand clamps over her mouth, stifling her cry. Already your aphrodisiac touch is affecting her, as she feels your hot skin on hers. She turns, and her eyes widen at the sight of her fantasy now before her in the oh-so-real flesh.

For a frozen moment the two of you remain there, her body trembling against yours, her heart beating rapidly as she tries to come to grips with what is happening to her. But you don't give her a chance to adjust. You run your other hand slowly down her front, going directly between her legs, right to where she was so hesitant to touch herself. Even through her clothes, your expert fingers cause her to writhe in your lap, her body bucking in your grasp as she is assailed by sensation beyond anything she has ever experienced. She moans into your hand, but you hold her tight through all of it, keeping her quiet.

Then you pause, allowing her almost enough time to regain some semblance of her composure. You lean in close, whispering right into her ear as she quivers in your grasp, your breath hot on her cheek. "Oh holy priestess..." you say, making the words sound as sinful as you know how. "...your desire, your need has called me to you. I have come in response to your summons, to fulfill the secret longings of your heart."

You remove your hand from her mouth, sliding it down the side of her neck. Your fingers brush tantalizingly against her throat in a way that emphasizes her vulnerability, before going even lower to knead at one of her breasts. For several seconds nothing escapes her lips. And when she finally does say something, it's barely more than a squeak.

"Oh most holy Selal," she recites in a small whisper. Though she makes no effort whatsoever to stop you from fondling her. "Have m-mercy on us sinners. And... and... and deliver us from the snare of temptation. May your sword carve a path for our feet to follow, and may your shield... may your shield guard us from...!"

But her prayer has absolutely no true desire or force behind it. Already you can feel her leaning into your touch, her body unable to resist, her modest will buckling in the face of your allure. Even without words, your every touch promises that you can give her the passion and desire that she has so long been denied. You nibble on her ear, your tongue licking up her neck, flooding her with even more aphrodisiac as you increase the pace of your molestation.

Even just with your hands over her clothes, it doesn't take long at all for you to drive the sheltered, inexperienced woman to orgasm, which forces you to clamp your hand over her mouth again. Her body arches adorably, then slumps back against you, limp and defenseless in your arms.

Of course, you're nowhere near done with her yet. You roll her over onto her back, positioning yourself over her as you start removing her clothes. She looks up at the winged, demonic figure looming over her with awe and wonder, her breath catching at the raw desire she can see in your eyes.

Desire for her.

Has she ever had anyone look at her like that, in all her life? Sadly, you doubt it. It's almost heartbreaking how quickly she just folds. In barely any time at all, she's looking up at you like she barely dares hope that any of this is truly happening.

You soon finish stripping her. And for a while, you simply allow your hands to roam her naked body, letting her drink in your touch as she writes before you. Then you go lower, your tongue slipping between her legs as you eat her out. This causes her to clamp her own hands over her mouth to stifle her scream, as her legs wrap desperately around your head.

With all your skill you tease her along, keeping her right on the edge as you service her cleft. It doesn't take long to reduce her to a gasping, quivering wreck. You show her what it's like to be adored, until you sense that she can take no more. Then you pull away... only to climb up onto the bed once more, your own clothes tossed aside as well leaving your cock now exposed.

Yvette's breath catches in her throat at the imposing sight. She understands what is about to happen to her. This time, you make sure to cover her mouth preemptively, before lowering yourself so that your member rests on her stomach. You let her feel its length against her skin, let her see with her eyes how deep it's about go into her. Her eyes somehow widen even more, and she lets out a long, wanton moan into your hand. A moan that combines delight and despair into an emotion more intense than either.

Once you fully drive home the situation to her, you slide your length back down, lining it up with her soaking cunt and pressing against her entrance. She whimpers, looking up into your eyes, searching your demonic visage for any signs of a mercy she does not truly want. You meet her gaze... and then you enter her.

You take it as slow and gentle as you can at first, letting her feel every inch as you push past her hymen and into her oh-so-tight channel. She arches her head back, her body shuddering with a breathless squeak as even that one insertion gives her inhuman pleasure beyond anything a mortal could provide. You hilt yourself inside her, her body yielding before you as she trembles and spasms, already overcome beyond any hope of salvation.

And you're just getting started.

You begin to make small thrusts. Slowly at first, making sure not to give her more than she can handle. You lean forward so that you're fully atop her, letting her feel your weight pressing down on her as you fuck her into the bed. Overwhelmed as she is, she can do little to respond, but you can see the helpless yearning in her eyes as she surrenders herself to you, body and soul.

Faster and faster you thrust, her body now a bit more acclimated to your size. Her chest heaves from the exertion, as your flesh slaps together with hers again and again. She looks up at you with an awed expression of utter worship, as you give her something that she never thought she could have. Something that all her years serving her goddess failed to deliver.

In that moment, as you share pleasure and passion with each other, she feels special.

Unfortunately, you won't be able to drag this out for as long as you'd like. She's certainly no heroine. And even for a more ordinary mortal she's inexperienced, her cloistered life not exactly giving her deep reserves of stamina. You can tell that she's reaching the end of her rope. So you increase your pace, to really let her go out with a bang.

Under your intensified assault, her eyes are now rolling back in her head. But even so, she somehow does her best to cling to you, like a drowning woman hanging onto a lifeline. You fuck her in a frenzy, until finally she reaches her peak. And you release your hot seed inside her, causing her to go over the edge herself.

To a virgin like her, the orgasm is devastating. Her entire body goes ramrod-straight, shuddering and spasming as she clamps down on you. Then she slumps into your arms, dead to the world. Once you've fully spent your load and painted her womb, you roll back over, changing positions so that the priestess is lying on top of you, nestled into your chest. You run your hand comfortingly up and down her back as you consider your next move.

It takes quite some time, but the woman's eyes eventually blink slowly open. She's confused for a moment... and then her eyes go wide as the memories of what just happened to her come rushing back. She tenses, looking up at you fearfully... but she makes no attempt to escape from the arm you have around her naked body.

She knows in her heart that she's yours now. She just doesn't know what that means for her.

With a gentle but firm tug, you pull Yvette in close and give her a long, drawn-out kiss. She melts into you, returning the kiss as best she knows how. Her inexperience is clear, but her earnest effort is touching nonetheless. When, at long last, you finally pull apart, her cheeks are flushed and her expression embarrassed. She buries her face into your chest, unable to meet your intense gaze as you continue to hold her.

"Is..." she begins, hesitantly. "Is... this really... real?"

You grin back at her. "Yes. In fact... what we just did is the most real thing that there is."

Running your fingers affectionately through her hair, you consider your options. It's getting toward nighttime now, and you'll still need to help Yvette hide any evidence of your little tryst. Fortunately, her familiarity with the laundry should come in handy. After that, though, you'll need to make some decisions, such as where to actually sleep tonight.

You could return to the safehouse and Lady Alicia once again, spending the night there. It would mean putting yourself under her scrutiny once again, but you might learn some things yourself while you're at it. Alternatively, you could spend the night here, with Yvette, getting to know her better. If you're lucky, you might be able to learn some degree of information from her as well, though the risk and the reward would probably both be more modest.

Then there's the question of whether you want to do any dreamwalking tonight, and if so, into whose dreams? And with what goals? Alternatively, you could forgo a dreamwalk tonight, and devote more time to talking with whoever you spend the night nearby.

There's also the question of Yvette, and what role she'll play in your plans going forward. In the state she's in you're sure that she would eagerly accept a corruptive boon. That could help with her confidence issues, as well as give you more options and greater effectiveness in terms of what you can do with her depending on the situation. In addition, if you wanted you could pair that boon with a condition, which you will know immediately if it is ever broken.

Finally, you consider the tasks you could ask the priestess to perform. You could ask her to keep her head down, serving merely as a food source while you're in the area. On the other hand, you could ask her to inquire after anything that might be useful concerning Elianna, whether rumors or gossip. She might be able to turn up something useful.

Alternatively, you could task her with directly expanding your influence, seducing more of her friends to your side and building a base of corruption in the Church of Selal itself. That could give you more agents to work through in Nelin, much like though you've established in the other regions. Though you would definitely need to give her a corruptive boon if you want to ask her to do that.