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This chapter contains some suggestive language.

Eteri felt out of time. And especially out of place. She glanced at the dying sun as it pulled shadows with itself, stretching them out into deep parallel lines. 

Time seemed to run into a standstill as she took a few breath, trying to put two words together. 

“My name.” Giving them her name would mean they would recognize her. It meant accepting that she was indeed a slavegirl. Why couldn’t her heart stand just as still as the day? She felt like a tree taken in a chaotic and wild gale, twisting this way and that.

But she was here for her family. And this trio of girls would become her new one, in time. 

She had to accept that. 

“I’m Eteri,” she said. Not just her name was Eteri. She was someone, yet. A little defiance in the face of annihilation. 

She was not sure why as of yet, but the strange looks Huin had given her and Thana’s calmness made her feel completely out of place. This room had been built to look inviting enough, but it was nothing but a trap.

It name betrayed its actual function, after all. She wouldn’t lower her guard just because a few pretty girls were asking her to. 

She was Eteri. And she would remain as much. 

“Beautiful name,” Thana conceded with a warm smile. “Now we just have to… ah, it is coming already.”

From behind her something wheezed through the air, approaching quickly. Thana extended a tan hand and a tiny glass bird touched her palm. She brought it to her ear and listened. 

Whatever it was saying to her, Eteri could not understand. Perhaps it was a good thing. 

“She is to be sent down for dinner.”

“Is it dinner time already?” Huin wondered.

She shared a look with Nives. The dying sun outside made it quite clear what time of the day it was – and yet she seemed to be completely oblivious to it. 

Weird indeed. Nives did not seem like she had been here long enough for the strange magic to affect her, or perhaps affect her as deeply. Perhaps she could indeed become an ally. 

“It is,” Eteri nodded, trying to support the blonde in any way, though she did not really know how. She was still reacting to external stimuli without a real plan. 

She ought to be better than this – she was better than this!

“I, uh, if I have to get ready for dinner, can you please tell me how I should behave? I don’t want to make any mistakes.”

“I like your attitude,” Thana praised her. “It shows you are already understanding what matters. It’s not your will, my dear. It’s the will of the Zalethi and her pleasure that makes the world turn.”

Nives nodded, sharp – but hadn’t she hesitated, if only for a moment? Eteri chose to believe she had. If only not to be left alone in this room. She had to find someone who could understand her. 

What a shame her only ally was so cold and Huin was approachable and helpful. 

“As for what you are required to do… Huin, come here, would you?”

She did as she was told, sliding into the pond until her thighs sloshed and then she came to embrace Thana. 

“That’s a good girl,” she praised her. 

Huin let out a sharp breath, her hands reaching for her chest. 

“Ah. No touching.”

Thana did not wait for her to comply this time – Huin just did. Thana’s hands rose to massage her sizeable chest, sliding beneath the tinkling beads and caressing her soft breasts with a familiarity that made Eteri shiver. 

“This is what are here for,” Thana explained, still caressing the other girl’s chest. Huin’s breath deepened and her cheeks grew flush.

Eteri’s heart picked up pace. She did not like this. It made her feel anxious. And weird. A strange kind of pressure was growing inside her stomach, and though it wasn’t completely unpleasant, it was new and scary and she did not know what to do with it, or how to deal with its presence. 

“You will likely get mellowed out by us,” Nives said, turning her gaze away from the display, “to make sure you are ready and you are not going to embarrass yourself. Or us. Keep in mind we are all in this together.”

“You make it… ah… sound like it’s some kind of… punishment…” Huin groaned, her eyelids fluttered as she squeezed her thighs. 

Eteri couldn’t see what else was going on, but she doubted she was seeing everything.

Thana seemed to be the most experienced, indeed. 

Mellowed out. Did that mean…

“T-Tonight?” Eteri stammered. She wasn’t ready. She had perhaps never been ready! The workshop was her home, and this kind of affection, especially something like this shown so openly…

But just imagine if it had been Tatia in her place. She was much more experienced than her – she would not even get this veneer of protection from them. Just thrown into the wolf’s den. 

She bit her lip and signed herself. She just had a blasphemous thought about the Zalethi. 

Just like with everything else, it was becoming so hard  to keep these conflicting thoughts and ideas together. She felt like a slate of ceramic about to break under too much tempering, too soon. 

But she was made of sterner stuff. She had just shown that. 

“I will do what is required.”

“That is reassuring,” Thana stated, her smile never leaving her face. “Nives, be a dear and take care of our precious new member, will you? Dinner is coming soon and she has to be presentable. As for the rest, I was instructed to only teach you the very basics. Still, judging from the adorable look on your face, I am sure you are going to find them fascinating.”

“I cannot spin gold out of wheat,” Nives lamented giving her nails and her worn-out hands a look. “And she is far from the most refined material.” She sighed and stood up. She towered over Eteri by a good head, her golden mane falling behind her like a halo. “Get out of those drags, new girl. Let’s see what I will have to work with.”

Author’s Notes:

As always, thanks for reading.