As I slid into a seat at the long, metal table, Vicki was already waiting for me on the other side, chained at the wrists and ankles to the chair. I thought that was kind of a waste of time, the threat she posed was not physical, after all. It wasn’t up to me, though, it was up to the irritated-looking guard standing behind me at the door, who’s expression seemed to indicate that he thought this whole thing was a waste of time. We would see, I supposed. Vicki smiled brightly as I sat down, to all appearances she was thrilled to see me.
“Rayna! How nice to see a familiar face.”
“Hello, Vicki. You are looking good.”
It was true; despite everything, she remained just a couple of lights and a photographer short of a modeling shoot. That wasn’t really surprising, though. Ubarae had evolved to use their physical appearance, especially their attractiveness to humans, as a defense mechanism. Under threat, they often grew even more appealing, in an attempt to protect themselves, a bit like the way a dog will resort to puppy-dog eyes when it knows it’s in trouble, to soften the aggressor. It usually worked, for both species.
“Does that disappoint you?” the first hint of malice crept into her brilliant smile.
“Not really. One thing I have learned, Vik, is that it is kind of a waste of time, trying to police other people’s feelings. Perhaps there is a more appropriate punishment for you out there, but would anything ever really be enough? I’m not going to dwell on whether you are suffering or not, as long as you are in here, locked away from anyone you might hurt. That’s enough for me. Really, why should I spend any more mental energy on you than I already have?”
She seemed briefly disappointed by that but moved on quickly.
“Be that as it may, you are here now. So, there must be something you want from me, clearly. If not to ensure my punishment, then what?”
“I came by to ask for your help, actually.”
“My help?” her delight returned. “What could I possibly help you with?”
“I was hoping you would help me train some new recruits.”
Vicki laughed, tossing back her dark hair back as she did.
“And why do you think I would ever agree to that?”
“What, are you concerned about how their training could be used against you?” I asked.
Vicki raised an eyebrow, seemingly genuinely surprised by the question.
“No, why would I be worried about that? I’m already in here.”
“Right, but surely there are others out there…”
“I don’t see any of them helping me out,” Vicki scoffed. “No, I just don’t see why I should get involved at all. What is in it for me? Why should I put myself out, for you?”
“Why not?” I shrugged. “You don’t have a lot else going on right now, do you? And I think I can make it worth your while.”
“Really? Alright, let me hear your offer,” she grinned, happy to have some negotiating power.
“The offer is very simple, actually. You get out of your cell for a few hours here and there, and you get to play with some kids and absorb whatever you can from them.”
It might not sound too tempting to a human, though boredom still might be enough to make it work, but she was a succubus and she had to be hungry at this point. Ubarae could passively absorb energy from any human around them, and with this many guards and prisoners she would have enough to keep her alive, but only barely. More emotionally charged interactions and more intimate contact were necessary for them to get a good meal. And I knew that her preferences tended towards control, subterfuge, and suffering. I was, essentially, dangling a steak in front of a starving lion. And as to treating new recruits like rare flank steak… well, that was part of the training, too. To her credit, Vicki tried to pretend that she wasn’t interested.
“I don’t know, that sounds like it could be pretty dangerous for me. Not too tempting.”
“There’s no need to be scared,” I met her eyes. “They won’t be allowed to hurt you. But you can hurt them, at least a little. I won’t even intervene, as long as you don’t take things too far.”
“Why would you allow that?” she raised an eyebrow, suspicious.
“Why not? They need to learn sometime, better to do it in a controlled environment.”
Vicki chewed her lip, considering.
“So, to summarize, I can do anything I want to them…”
“That doesn’t cause serious injury,” I amended.
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“Granted. And they just have to take it?”
“No, they do get to try and stop you, otherwise it wouldn’t be very good training. But they will have to stop you without injuring you. No violence from their end, just methods of restraint.”
Vicki made a show of considering it, hemming and hawing and chewing her lip. After a moment, I rose from the table,
“Alright, if you aren’t interested, there are plenty of others here who will be. I’d say I’ll see you around, but I doubt it.”
“Wait!” she blurted, losing her composure for just a moment before taking a breath and continuing. “Alright. I am, admittedly, bored. I’ll give it a try. If it pleases me, maybe I’ll even continue.”
I smiled, I hadn’t doubted it for a minute.
“Perfect. We’ll start tomorrow. I look forward to working with you.”
It wasn’t always easy, but I tried to be unfailingly polite with ubarae like Vicki. They wanted my hatred, my spite, my anger. Pain and weakness were the best, but any negative emotion from me tended to be what they most desired. A cool, detached politeness was the best way not to give her what she wanted. The look of disappointment on her face was all the reward I needed.
I steadied the heavy bag as it swung on the chain,
“Alright, Luke, that was better. This time, I want to see you bring your leg up more.”
“When can we start sparring for real?” he asked, wiping his brow.
“When you have the fundamentals down. Now, do it again.”
Luke sighed and began the drill again. His form wasn’t bad, but his movements were too slow, he needed to gain confidence with the patterns before sparring made sense. Otherwise, it would only embed bad habits. But at least he was putting in the extra work. Most of the others hadn’t bothered to come to the extra sessions I was offering. I got the impression that they found the drills boring. Well, I had something more exciting for them this afternoon, at least. Maybe it would make them appreciate a bit of boring routine.
“What is it?” Lucas had paused and was watching me intently.
“Nothing, why?”
“Oh, it’s just that you are smiling. That… uh, doesn’t happen too often,” he regarded me expectantly.
I stifled a laugh.
“Well, I am just appreciating your progress,” it was what he wanted to hear, and he had been improving so there was no harm in a bit of encouragement. “Now, there should be enough time for one more rep before the rest of the class arrives. Show me one more time.”
He resumed with renewed enthusiasm, and I watched until I heard the knock.
“Keep going,” I instructed, as I stepped away and opened the door.
Two guards stood, holding Vicki by each arm, her hands cuffed in front of her. I stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind me.
“We were told to bring her here, ma’am,” one guard explained. “Where should we secure her?”
“Fantastic, you are right on time. You can just take the cuffs off and leave her with me, alright?”
“I don’t think that is a good idea…” he began.
“She is here to train the students, who will be here any minute. If they see all this and realize who she is, what she is, then what I have planned won’t really be as effective. So, hurry up and leave her with me, before you ruin everything. I take full responsibility. OK?”
“If you are sure…”
“I am. Now, shoo. Come back in 2 hours, we should be done by then.”
With some hesitation, the guards removed the handcuffs and released her, watching her as they stepped away, the way most people watched a snake at their feet. At least they had good instincts.
“Relax. Vicki here is going to be on her best behavior, won’t she?”
The succubus smiled brightly,
“Of course, I would never break an agreement.”
The two men exchanged nervous glances, but they were clearly eager to leave and wash their hands of any further involvement in this mess.
“Alright, someone will be back in two hours. Just… keep an eye on her. She’s dangerous.”
“Oh, I hope so. It wouldn’t be very good training otherwise, would it?”
I smiled and waved as they departed, then turned to Vicki.
“You’d never break an agreement?” I laughed. “Did you expect them to believe you’re a djinn or something?”
“I take offense to that,” she put a hand to her heart. “I am extremely trustworthy, when I have given my word.”
“Uh huh. Frankly, I know politicians whose word I would trust more.”
“If you don’t trust me, why did you suggest this in the first place?”
“Maybe I’m bored, too. Maybe, I am hoping you will try something, so that I can have a little fun. Or, maybe I am just saying that, so you think twice when you do decide to fuck around. Who can say?” I shrugged. “Besides, anything you do try could also be considered a part of their training, couldn’t it?”
Vicki seemed to consider that for a moment, her eyes studying my face,
“You are a very unusual human, has anyone ever told you that?”
“Not in the last few days, so I appreciate the reminder. Now, as much as I enjoy chatting with you, your students will be here any moment. So, let’s go over the ground rules, one more time. They can try to restrain you, but they can’t hurt you. If you want me to stop the fight at any time, just tap out and I will handle it. You can hurt them, but nothing serious or permanent. No blows to the head or neck, and nothing with the eyes. Try to press them a little, make them sweat, but if they tap out, it is also over. Don’t make me enforce that. I haven’t promised not to injure you.”
“Understood. Now, I took from your little exchange with my jailers that you don’t want them to know I am a succubus?”
“Nope, we are going to see if any of them can figure it out themselves. So, for now, you are my friend Sam, and you are just here to help with their training.”
“Ok, but if I am not ubarae, what exactly am I supposed to be teaching them?”
“How to fight enthralled civilians, of course. You should have plenty of experience with that, so it should be easy for you to emulate.”
“Ah, I see. You want to assess their skills and sensitivities. Which means all of my opponents will have varying degrees of immunity,” a frown formed on her delicate lips. “This isn’t what we agreed to. I may need to change my terms.”
“Gold star,” I rolled my eyes. “You obviously knew this already. Don’t pretend you thought I was going to put you in a room with a bunch of susceptible victims. Neither of us are that stupid.”
“Fair enough,” her easy smile returned. “Can’t blame a girl for trying, can you? Still, you weren’t going to give me a heads up, so I could prepare?”
“I figured with lying and improv being two of your strongest skills, this would be more fun for you. Little bit of pressure, little bit of deception, it sweetens the deal, right?”
“Perhaps you do understand me after all,” Vicki actually seemed impressed. “Alright, shall we get started?”
“After you,” I opened the door and followed her into the training room.
Her victims would be here any minute.