I startle awake, my eyes flipping open. Leomi deposits my left arm on my side, letting go of my wrist to slip away from my grasp, the two of us shivering from the cold as we separate. There is some light entering the tent from the flaps, meaning it's morning.

I hurriedly close my eyelids as she takes hold of her clothes and goes through them, picking the dagger she stole from me out. Her sharp traits seem frozen as she grips the handle and turns to me.

She pushes on my left shoulder to make me roll on my back and then mounts me, hiding the dagger behind her back. I should be afraid or tense, but I actually feel exhilarated, especially with her intimacy pressing on my belly.

“You're up early.” I speak up, surprising Leomi.

As expected, she brings the dagger around. I open my eyes and intercept her wrist. Leomi frowns and pushes the weapon towards my neck. I let her, wondering what she's up to.

“Things to do.” She mutters, placing the blade on my throat.

“My jugular is here.” I tell her, shifting the dagger slightly to the side.

“I, need to see...” Leomi pauses, a flicker of pain going through her face.

“What?” I ask, smirking behind my mask.

“Face, light.” She mutters, her hand shaking.

“Sure, if you can handle yourself.” I push on the blade with my neck.

Leomi reaches for the mask but breaks down before even touching it, her ass dropping on my belly as she lets go of the weapon's handle and buries her face in her palms, repressing sobs. I feel odd about her state, on one hand I enjoy her suffering, but on the other hand, my Lady should be stronger than this.

“I, I'm sorry, Liz.” Leomi stutters. “You don't, need this, from me.”

“Don't worry about it.” I shrug. “I don't fear death at your hand.”

I take hold of her waist and shift her to rest on my thighs so I can sit up. As I do, I feel a pang of pain coming from my ass. I shudder at the memory of what she did to me, what I did to her.

“Still hurts.” I groan.

“I wasn't gentle.” Leomi mutters, her sobs receding. “Neither were you.” She adds, curling her lips.

She flips from distress to fierceness like the blink of an eye, launching herself at me to push me back down and bites down at my upper right breast's flesh. I hit the pelt a little hard, having been caught by surprise.

I grunt and catch my breath, using my sense to inspect her, finding that Leomi's switch wasn't complete enough to repress the panic roiling beneath her expression. She's primed for when I rip the bandage off. Soon.

Her mouth runs down to my nipple and her soft lips catch my nipple. She runs her wet tongue around it, stimulating me. I exhale, appreciating the attention but rather off-kilter about how to best manage her mood swings.

Maybe I should just take a page from her book. Leomi starts aggressively sucking on my tit, nibbling it. I tremble in delight but focus my desire on her, I lift my right thigh and set it between her thighs, finding that she's getting wet.

Leomi gasps against my breast as I start rubbing her flower with my leg. She grows much gentler, licking my nipple and caressing my belly with her right hand, avoiding my leather glove.

I assemble a few lion strikes and activate them, suddenly throwing her to the side and taking hold of her wrists to pin her down. Leomi's light gray eyes turn up to my mask, her plea obvious.

“You were thinking of her.” I accuse, shoving my knee against her moist sex.

“N, no.” Leomi denies, her uncertainty obvious.

“You don't even know yourself.” I mock, applying pressure on her flower.

“Uhm.” She moans, wiggling in my grasp but without trying to escape it.

She closes her thighs over mine, expression turning aggressive. I placate her by running my knee up and down, masturbating her. Leomi resists for a short while, using her muscular legs to restrain me but finding herself unable to completely prevent me from pleasuring her.

“Too weak.” I comment.

Leomi soon loses all tension and opens her thighs, surrendering to the mounting promise of ecstasy. She arches her back, pushing her waist up against my thigh. I retreat as she rises, forcing her to keep seeking me, literally bending herself along my will.

“Liz!” She weakly protests as I shift the instrument of her bliss out of her reach.

“Night's done, Leomi.” I tell her, smirking. “No more trust here.”

“I, I wasn't thinking of her, please finish me off.” She beseeches me.

“Can you swear on it?” I ask.

She wavers and breaks down again, crumbling to the ground, panting in desire, closing her thighs to try to stimulate herself by pressuring and shifting her flower's petals. I bring my knee back down, setting it between hers to prevent her from doing so.

“Liz!” Leomi yowls in anger, fighting my grip over her wrists.

“If you want to do anything this morning, it'll take your virginity to entice me.” I honestly tell her, using flow to keep my hold. “Shouldn't have gotten my heart beating with adrenaline so early.”

“Please?” She sincerely pleads, eyebrows angled down.

“Oh, waw.” I mutter, taking a sharp inhalation. “That was, way too cute, to be fair or real.” I utter in a raspy voice.

“Rhaaaa.” Leomi growls, biting her lower lip.

I focus on recovering a regular breathing pattern while she swirls and wriggles under me, trying to release her built up sexual tension through physical exertion since that's all she can do at the moment.

She tries to push up to me with her belly a few times, trying to brush her bronze skin against mine for some comfort. I deny it to her every time by pulling back while keeping hold of her wrists, very much savoring the deeply vexed look on her face.

I watch her muscular body's struggle with interest, and no small amount of regret at having refused the dance despite finding much pleasure in tormenting her like she has Jessica. Leomi lasts quite a while before giving up, settling down, and even then she only gave up after her excitement faded.

“Urk.” Leomi groans in spite.

“That, was really fun.” I tell her honestly.

“It's, really not, in this position.” She replies with deep frustration. “It was quite humiliating to feel your eyes on me during my struggle.” She admits with difficulty.

“Odd, you kept going anyway.” I note.

“Told you, I'm screwed up.” Leomi responds, gazing away as she blushes. “I want to be seen, I think it's a way to push back against the fear that I would be looked down on for wanting women.”

“Hm.” I reply noncommittally. I doubt that's the reason, she never seemed to have that fear. “Did you like it?”

“Not really, I'd very much rather have your spot.” Leomi admits, cheeks growing hotter.

“You're thinking of something further than that or you wouldn't be blushing like a maiden.” I comment.

“I...” Leomi pauses, biting her tongue.

“Speak.” I command.

“I was, am thinking of last night too.” She tells me, turning her eyes back to mine. “I felt humiliated at first, I want to feel it again this morning, for real.” She whispers, her thighs' muscles twitching, showing her desire.

“No.” I deny with glee reinforced by her evident dissatisfaction.

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“Then, I'll do it to you.” She mutters. “That, would be just as good, if not better.”

“You said you had things to do.” I comment, changing the conversation as I'm having trouble resisting the offer.

“We need to finish last night's talk.” Leomi tells me, growing serious.

“That's...” I hesitate.

“Necessary.” Leomi insists in a firm tone. “Would likely have been easier after a bout, but you dug your own grave there.” She says, smirking as she expects a victory.

“Nah. The sight of you struggling like that, it was worth it.” I tell her, making sure she can hear my grin.

“Grah!” Leomi growls in renewed frustration.

I let go of her wrists and expel unstructured energy to cover my wreck of a body from her sight as I hurriedly get up to my feet, realizing a second too late that I'm revealing the color of my flow. Wait, I did that yesterday too by making a mask with unstructured energy, yet she didn't react.

“I'll get you a kneeling naked in the light at some point, Liz. The delay will only enhance the delight I'll feel from that victory.” Leomi murmurs just loud enough for me to hear.

“Dream on.” I reply, searching for my weapon with my symbiont's sense.

I detect the fond smile that takes over Leomi's lips as she sits up and grabs the blanket to cover herself. I make my way to my liangi, grabbing it while she seeks her uniform and underwear out.

She finds her pair of panties near mine along with my bra before I can get to them. I extend my hand out, she hands my bra over but fits my underwear on with a look of defiant enjoyment on her face. I try to steal hers but she throws them over her shoulder, pointedly looking down at my tight pair of pants on the ground.

“I want to spend the day knowing you're not wearing anything under that.” Leomi tells me.

“Hm.” I ponder. “Okay, if you answer my question. Why do you have so few pubic hair and such a bronze-like skin?”

“Because I take care of my body.” She replies, throwing me a pointed look. “I take the time to lie under the sun and pull the excess out, makes me hard to resist.” She winks.

“Truth.” I mutter.

“But, your body is that of a warrior if I go by what I felt, you're not lacking.” Leomi adds, trying to pierce through the shroud of flow. “How do you have so much energy?”

“One moment.” I reply.

I fit my pants, bra, shirt, and Vuskyt mail on, forgoing my underwear at her request. I reabsorb my flow and sit down with my back against one of her chests, placing my liangi within easy reach. She settles between my legs, both of us ignoring the belt and metal rod on the ground.

“You sure you don't want to rest in my arms?” Leomi asks.

“I'd rather handle this on my own.” I reply, wrapping my arms around her waist.

“Alright.” She replies.

Leomi rests her back against my torso, I straighten up so I can rest my chin on her shoulder, having to extend my neck to be able to. She shifts down a bit to help me out, I appreciate the intent even though it's not necessary. We bask for a long while in each other's presence until she settles her hands on either side of my calves, caressing them to get me going.

“The Rykz pledged the flow to me.” I tell her. “The black color's coming from that so-called plant, it's somewhat sentient.”

The Little one squeezes one of my ribs with its tendrils, signifying its discontent at having been shoved aside. Leomi manages to stop her expression from changing but fails to repress the shiver that runs along her spine. Disgust.

“What's the down side?” She asks.

“...” I take a deep breath and squeeze her against me, pressing on her rib-cage.

“Hu.” She exhales. I force myself to release her.

“You hate them so much?” I ask, avoiding the question.

“I try not to, not as a species.” Leomi mumbles, recovering her breath. “But... Celyz has much to answer for, and Fenyz is responsible for many unnecessary deaths when she took Castle Lance. Cetyz is...” She pauses. “Could you tell me what happened before I tell you my opinion of Cetyz? You've already told me that the official version isn't accurate, Edusa told me about some of the discrepancies but didn't have a full picture. Tell me everything assuming I'll know if you lie.”

“Such distrust.” I mutter.

“I see her, face on yours. I'm, sorry.” Leomi utters in a fragile voice, her entire body trembling along.

She fights to keep her eyes open, apparently forcing herself to face my lie as reality, tensing up in case I retaliate. I don't. I would have if I weren't savoring how magnificently screwed up she is, how I'm slowly twisting her mind.

“But I do see you, someone who has been dishonest to me about many things yet nakedly honest about others.” She carefully continues.

“So have you, but I see your point.” I tell her, controlling my voice to avoid cluing her in on my lack of anger, one which I otherwise very much feel when she refers to me when she's with me.

I take a deep breath and let the words flow out of my mouth, recounting what happened with Aisha and Vikiana leading up to the torture, I even mention Conrad who stood up for me even though Leomi might blame me later for letting him die. I do make sure to avoid talking about the illusion construct.

She tries to interrupt me several times, especially at the start as I tell her that Vikiana went along with Aisha's plan, but I keep going, unable to hear my own words as my mind blanks out and refuses to dwell on the worse memories even as my lips move to tell her what occurred. I only 'awaken' as I reach the point at which I freed myself.

“That little prick, Odo, deserved worse than having his tongue ripped off.” Leomi fiercely utters, her cheeks still baring traces of the tears she shed as I told her of the torture I went through.

I let it pass with a smile, choosing to give her an account of my discussions with her mother, which is safer ground for me even if her empathy for my trials helps. My memory of the succession of events is fuzzy and so I don't even try to set a proper timeline.

“S, she never mentioned anything about my love life, about women. How, could she do this to you, because of it?” Leomi utters, shaken.

“You're confusing the two things, probably my fault.” I hurriedly tell her. No matter my resentment, I couldn't bear to take her mother from her like mine was taken from me. “Vikiana tried hard to listen to my perspective, and the fact she never said a thing means she valued you enough not to restrain you even if she thought you were wrong.”

“But, she stood there, when you were tortured. Giving you the opportunity to kill your captors barely means anything.” Leomi protests, distraught and angry. “That's... worse than what she did to...” She cuts herself off. “I, just, how could she?”

“Leomi, I don't think you recognize how many people see me, much less your mother who knows I defeated you and helped take Castle Lance.” I sigh. “I've slaughtered my way here, whether I gave soldiers the option to surrender or not matters little. She didn't want me to be tortured but neither of us can say I'm innocent so you can't expect her to treat me as such.”

“She's put Nobles to death for comparatively worse acts than those you took during a war, without torturing them.” Leomi utters, a dark look in her eyes.

“Whatever her faults, Vikiana loves you and that's what guided her path even at risk of her life, her position among the Templars.” I say, tightly hugging Leomi. “She went so far as to work with me for the hope of rescuing you. And she did try to comfort me in her own way.”

“I don't need rescuing, I told her never to do anything like what she did back then, and she still went through with this!” Leomi angrily exclaims, as she tries to escape my arms. “Why, by the Lake, would anyone listen to this Shade? That woman is obviously a snake, barely fit to do the Emperor's dirty work, not give orders or make calls!”

“Let me tell you what happened next, alright?” I ask in a soothing tone.

“I hope you kicked her ass.” Leomi pouts. Liar.

“Actually, she spent over a month kicking mine.” I mumble. “From the ship to Meiridin, day in and out.” I give her a short account of our training sessions.

“Ha!” Leomi laughs.

“So much for being mad at her.” I accuse.

“Well, I take comfort in your defeat, what can you do?” She asks, patting my left calf. “No, really, what can you do?” She teasingly presses as I don't respond.

“Don't, tempt me.” I groan, suppressing the pull to show her.

“Sorry, sorry.” Leomi smiles.

I fall silent, not feeling like continuing any longer. Leomi went from tears, to anger, to joking around. It feels like... not that she doesn't care because she emphasized, but that's she's too burdened by her life and woes to offer me the attention I would need if I were to bare myself to her, beyond words.

It isn't entirely fair as I am hiding many things from her, and because I escaped the conversation last night when she was more than ready to listen and comfort me after dominating me. It would have better been able to unburden myself then, but returning the favor by taking her was what I truly needed.

“You're, not all here, are you?” I ask.

“I... I'm listening.” Leomi stutters, her traits falling.

“But we're still basking after last night, we can't get into this in the way we should.” I provide.

“I, think so.” Leomi admits. “I have a hard time, imagining how bad it was for you, and I'm processing what you've told me about Mother. It's a lot to take in...” She pauses, a brief look of shame appearing on her face.

“You still can't get over that, can you.” I utter, angry.

“W, what?” She asks.

“Getting fucked. You still feel shame, humiliation.” I flatly confront her.

“I do, it... helps me.” Leomi admits, looking even more shameful.

“You see me as beneath you.” I coldly affirm.

“I don't.” Leomi sadly shakes her head, letting her head fall to rest on my shoulder. “I just have, an image of myself, of who I want to be. It isn't true, it's an ideal, but that woman... that woman I want to become, she doesn't lose.”

“I see you like that now.” I tell her, comforting her against my better judgment and feelings, craving answers.

“Yet, entirely by my fault, I can't see it in your eyes or on your face, hidden from me behind my madness and your mask.” Leomi jerks, fighting her own body like she's repressing a deep sense of wrongness. “I'm a selfish, prideful being, who needs to witness her best self in her lover's eyes at all times.” Leomi tells me self-deprecatingly.

“And she does that for you.” I whisper, a cold darkness digging a pit in my stomach as I realize that she's admitting that she doesn't truly love me, that she calls for her at this very moment.

“You want to know what's funny?” Leomi asks, closing her eyes, leaving herself open for me to strike if I so chose.

“I don't care.” I rasp.

“I'm falling for you, because you're closer to that woman than I am.” She confesses, turning her head to drop a small kiss on the side of my mask. “I want to try us. To commit.” She says. “At least, promise I'll be with you until I... heal, and see you for who you are, it's the fairest thing I can do for you. I owe it to you.”