Leomi Lance peers into Jessica and Elizabeth's disquieting eyes, she cannot distinguish whether the irises are black, brown, or dark green but the pupil within holds a definite pale silvery reflection triggered by the obscure wood. She grasps at this light to return to a semblance of sanity after what she did.
She experiences a falling sensation as she peers in and embraces her lover with a heart beating faster than a racing horse gallops. She hates what she chose to do with her every fiber of her being, it doesn't matter how humiliated she felt tied up to that branch or how terrified she was of completely losing her mind from powerlessness to stop her torture.
Yet, she cannot help the fact that she felt pride and satisfaction at seeing this woman utterly crush her survival instincts for her, not to mention the waves of screwed up felicity she experienced from holding Jessica Elizabeth Vil Freepath's life in her grasp.
Leomi loves this woman far more than she does herself and who has returned that emotion when tested. Her mind is in turmoil but she knows she had to do what she did to make sure she wouldn't sacrifice her life if the two came in true conflict.
Yet, she cannot forgive herself for the method she used because she knows she picked it by virtue of being the most shocking to her lover. All Leomi can do is seek her lover's judgment, the consequence for her abuse. She pushes herself against the woman's warm and sexy body, melding into the sensation of utter acceptance she receives.
Their lips meet again and again, without tongue nor pressure, they do their best to distract their bodies' desire by confirming the feelings in their hearts. Yet their lust continues growing, restrained because of the pressure each of their thighs is applying to the other's intimacy.
The relief is almost imperceptible but it is necessary for them to hold back their cravings and protect their decision to abstain. Leomi's heart isn't slowing down, in fact it palpitates painfully inside her chest partly because of her actions but mostly out of fear.
She can clearly feel the irregular vibrations accompanying each of her jay's heartbeats and that is what scares her. This is a reminder that her seemingly immortal berserk isn't so. Leomi's instincts awaken, she wants to protect her, to safeguard her, to give her everything she possibly can before their time runs out.
The presence of death in their relationship is far from novel, it has been constant and even strengthened their ties. Yet, this danger isn't one Leomi can ward off on her own, it makes her desperate to make love.
As the thought enters her mind, Leomi cannot help but to remember the mind-rending sensation of Jessica's tongue on her slit right after Elizabeth toyed with her body for so long. It torments her still.
Leomi wants it again, so badly it is akin to an itch, but also to do her best to give this incredible experience to these two insane sisters. Especially because she is conscious of her reluctance to bend the knee to service them.
She had hoped that washing Jessica's feet like peasants do for another without any consideration of status would have rid her of the grandeur her heart holds over the rest of the world.
Yet Leomi is aware that it is what drives her ambition to challenge all opponents and win. This is why Jessica Elizabeth Vil Freepath is the only woman for her. No one else could rise to such a height in her mind or heart that she would bend the spine to their desires, even if thoroughly defeated.
Her lover is the only one she would voluntarily admit a loss to without a fight, not that she has to because the woman is plenty strong enough to seize victory on her own no matter the difficulties she faces.
Guided by instincts, Leomi dazedly pushes her jay down to the snowy ground, these myriad thoughts swirling in her mind. She slowly pulls away from her lover's lips to admire the record of battle engraved in her flesh.
Elizabeth reaches out to take hold of the side of Lance's neck. This simple gesture makes Leomi feel that the depths of her being has been acknowledged, both darkness and light.
She gently fondles her lover's breast with her left hand's slender fingers, reserving the arm she owes to satisfy the woman she will always feel a responsibility to make happy. But her right hand is hers to direct and she utilizes it freely.
She scrapes her nails along the scars which cause her jay pain when merely touched and uses tender caresses to stroke delicate but pleasurable weak points she worked hard to find, doing her best to enhance the opposed sensations she is causing.
Her lover's grin twists but only grows larger as Leomi stimulates her flanks, belly, thighs, and scars. She takes courage in Jessica and Elizabeth's clear satisfaction at her actions to lean forward while retreating downward.
Her jay's body stiffens, it is a perfect precursor to having the woman squirm in heart-wrenching pleasure according to Leomi's informed opinion about her lover's twisted tastes.
Jessica and Elizabeth move their hand to place it on top of their kitten's head to comb the smooth hair, it causes Leomi's reluctance at being the one to service the other to surge but doesn't make her hesitate in the least.
Leomi is aware she didn't recognize this woman as an equal by her own will, not that she wouldn't. No, Jessica and Elizabeth are her equals because they rose and established themselves, making their rivalry inevitable.
One thought that rises above all others in Leomi Lance's mind as her lips trail down her jay's flesh to lay small kisses along the way; this is how things should be, our love is a battlefield of conflict and reconciliation that constantly tests the depth of our emotions.
Leomi, with her body prostrated between her lover's open and inviting thighs, wraps her arms around the legs. Her mouth reaches the tattoo of a lance and she nudges the ring of promise around the handle with her nose before continuing down towards her ultimate goal.
She trembles as her eyes come level with her berserk's very lower stomach. The sight never fails to stimulate her to the point of no return because the innocence of a bare flower contradicts with the obscene act of shaving one's sex.
This duality also perfectly represents their relationship. However, Leomi doesn't pause because it would be a crime to make her lover wait with wide open inviting thighs. Leomi trails down to the object of the now all-consuming desire raving inside her chest.
This is the first time she has been allowed so close but she has stolen innumerable looks to memorize every detail. Yet, she can't help but to once again engrave the vision in her memory.
The moist slit is longer than hers, the tanned matte flesh of the firm outer folds encompass soft-looking pink inner lips. Leomi forces herself away from her lover's already pulsating bud to lower her mouth to the very base of her love's sex.
The timidity, shame, and reluctance she feels are nothing to her, they are proof that their love surmounts everything. She pushes her tongue out towards Jessica and Elizabeth's wet petals to pry them open.
The flower's dew is sweet, sanguine, and strong in iron. The taste overwhelms Leomi's senses while the sensation of the tongue makes her jay arc backward with curled toes.
Lance pushes further in with her tongue, she splits the entirety of the slit from bottom to top in an expression of her deepest love. Leomi feels her berserk reflexively close her twitching thighs and grasp at her hair with her hand.
Jessica and Elizabeth's twitching reaction causes Leomi to pull away just before she reaches the bud. Not voluntarily but because the action of causing her love's ecstasy triggered her womanhood to contract and quake in rhythm, warning her that she will come if she continues pleasuring these two insane sisters who stole her heart.
“T, too, too much.” Jessica and Elizabeth stutter.
Leomi pulls herself atop her lover to kiss her lips. She is in complete agreement but unable to voice it, partly out of pride but mostly because she is physically incapable of speaking right now.
They tremble together in blissful aftershocks that fail to make them reach an ecstatic climax that neither of them feel like they can handle without losing themselves completely.
Elizabeth pulls on her black and white hair to bring her love inside her warmth. Leomi nestles herself inside her lover's embrace, relishing in the fact that she is being guarded against the snow even though she would rather be the one doing so for Jessica. She pulls the half-dozen fire constructs closer around them.
--- --- ---
The two lovers ride back home, Leomi holding the reins because her jay is wrapped in a thick blanket inside her arms. She had to take a bath to get rid of the melted snow mixed with dirt that she laid in to protect her kitten.
It took them a while to awaken from their febrile state, mostly because they kept losing their breaths from incessant kissing. The flow jay is standing on the warhorse's head, refusing to look at either of them like it bears the embarrassment the two should be feeling towards their behavior but don't.
“I'm going to have to give you something more consequent than a simple ring.” Jessica and Elizabeth speak up.
“Is that so?” Leomi asks rhetorically, forcing herself to be sound calm even though her heart skipped a beat in anticipation.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Yet, Leomi's impatience reminds her of the weight of the future that rests on her shoulders. Her lover can make her forget but it never lasts long if she isn't being held or tormenting either of them.
Her shoulders grow stiff and her muscles tense. She buries her stress like she usually does when she can't abuse her jay's patience, by relying on her self-confidence. Much of her anxiety comes from the difficulty of keeping Jess and Liz from harming themselves.
Leomi represses the impulse that demands she recreate their night in the tent once her jay brought them victory in the war through returning the Princess. She wants to bend Jessica over the table once they arrive to fuck her silly and then be taken by Elizabeth so hard her mind blanks out.
The freedom she experienced back then is unlike anything she's ever felt but it cannot compare to the acts of love she just shared with her lover even though they didn't... couldn't go all the way.
That night, Lance's goal was to release them both from the physical and psychological pressure that accumulated during the weeks of trials they went through. It was effective but not an act of love because she didn't understand Elizabeth enough to be in love.
If she had known everything at the time, she wouldn't have made the aberrant error of believing her plight was even remotely comparable to Elizabeth's nor acted on that mistaken assumption.
That crucial oversight acts like a shadow on what should be Leomi's crystal clear memory of that night and is at the origin of her desire to make another attempt, not that she wouldn't want to anyway.
Yet, Leomi does not even consider proposing that they sodomize each other again. Lance herself isn't certain whether it is because it would be improper to do so in their home or because the act is only proper on the field of battle.
Either way, she feels that their romance more than satisfies them right now even without making love or having sex. It won't last, it can't, but the ephemeral status of life and their relationship is what makes them precious.
Still, Leomi is only growing more and more restless as her stay here is approaching three weeks. She takes comfort in the fact Frank and Hale have succeeded better than she had hoped.
They recruited three young adults in the village and two more from surrounding farms despite the old temple guard talking against the Hospitaliers. If they did so well in this situation, the others will have already begun to send recruits to Castle Lance by now.
Her absence will only truly be felt in spring when the Hospitaliers gather. She does not think her lover will remain here until then as she's shown signs of impatience as well. Leomi hopes it is alright for her to stay and keep pushing her duties away but she doesn't consider leaving because she isn't here merely for herself.
She spots the run-down stone home Jessica and Elizabeth gave her through the mere act of existing in this location. She smiles as she pulls on the reins to stop their mount. She hops down with her lover and swiftly takes hold of her hand because there is a risk the relentless woman will immediately rush back to work.
“I want your lips.” Leomi speaks up.
Lance closely observes Jessica's charming traits so as not to miss the adorable flicker of amazement she never fails to express when told someone could desire a kiss from her.
While Leomi is intensely jealous that this expression isn't solely hers, she does not resent it and even welcomes the challenge of reserving this cute mouth for her exclusive enjoyment.
Jessica and Elizabeth hold where they are, wordlessly telling Leomi they won't be approaching or obeying just because she voiced a desire even though their lips have already parted.
Lance steps forward. She gracefully leans down and to the side so as to level with the mouth her lover isn't raising. Their humid lips meld and their tongues meet. The kiss storms back and forth, grazing their palates in turn as they exchange wild strokes.
Leomi's controlling personality takes over, she applies pressure and straightens her spine to raise her jay's chin. While Jess and Liz resist to show that they aren't surrendering, they do allow it because their kitten's forcefulness is something they desire because it is proof they are wanted.
Besides, they are aware that they must make the effort to meet her half-way in a relationship or it won't last and they won't be kissed so passionately. The two lovers link foreheads as they roll from one side to the other, losing themselves.
The bruises on their cheeks, from when they punched each other, cause them some hurt which kindles the fires burning in their chests. Leomi's right hand trails down to the left side of her love's chest to gently caress it.
There is only skin and bones to feel but Leomi likes to stroke the ribs because it reassures both her jay and herself to do so. For her, it has to do with the absence of the parasite that both saved and plundered her lover's life.
The two separate as they run out of air, which wouldn't be happening so quickly if they didn't forget to breathe with their noses. Neither can really help their lack of levelheadedness considering the wild morning they just spent.
Leomi swiftly climbs back on her horse to bring it back, and run away before they completely lose their cool. She taps the mount's flanks and trots away towards the village.
On her way to the animal pen, she makes an effort to respond to the people who greet her but her heart remained with Jess and Liz. It doesn't help that the flow jay is still shunning her from where it stands between the horse's ear.
“I know, but I needed to make sure she could at least raise her hand to strike me down.” Leomi mutters. As it doesn't react, she tries again. “So what if my body reacted? It always does when it comes to her.” The golden jay twitches. “I hated every second I held her head underwater but I can't help what I am, only what I do.” She whispers in defeat, repressing the stone pushing its way up her throat and the tears threatening to pour from her eyes.
The jay flinches. It flaps its one wing to clumsily take off and loop back around to her. Leomi can't help the smile that pulls at the corners of her mouth at witnessing this awkward flight.
The bird slips in the air and suddenly losses balance. It makes a desperate barrel roll to avoid crashing into her shoulder. Its tiny clawed feet barely managing to catch the cloth of her tunic.
The jay pushes its tiny chest out and turns to face the same way as her as if this was what it planned to do all along. Leomi guffaws and feels a soft warmth spread in her chest. For a moment, Lance feels almost like she's in her lover's arms.
--- --- ---
Lance returns just as Jessica finishes cooking deer stew for lunch. They settle on either side of the table to eat, a safety measure because they came close to a breaking point that morning.
Unfortunately for Leomi, this rather strict measure resembles some kind of etiquette which reminds her that she admitted she 'played' with women before they met. The reason that comes to her mind is that the women in question were mostly low born servants.
She hopes Jessica won't ask any questions, it's always harder to conceal things from her than it is from Elizabeth. She doesn't really have anything to hide, at most the answers would embarrass her because she was both sneaky about her actions and quite the libertine back then.
There were five or six Ladies from Noble families who weren't even interested in other Ladies but wanted to be kissed by one for the thrill and future bragging rights for having been 'courted' by the heir to a Count.
She also 'toyed' with plenty of young and nice girls in secret, servants and apprentice soldiers alike. She was quite mean at times but not as much as she has been to her lover since she never held back from doing what they asked of her.
Leomi pauses her swirling thoughts to force herself to speak up because Liz and Jess have told her everything, and also because she's starting to fantasize about what she could do to her jay in a tavern.
“I never allowed anyone else to touch or kiss me.” She murmurs.
The two of them fall into silence after this mention. The kitten refuses to even approach the subject of Celyz in her mind while the jay is feeling guilty and restraining herself from admitting everything because her lover made it clear she isn't ready to have the discussion.
--- --- ---
They decide to spend the afternoon training together to physically exhaust themselves as much as improve their swordsmanship. They're less likely to do something silly if they don't have any energy left when they go to sleep.
“Here, you should try this anyway.” Jessica speaks up when they take a break.
Leomi reaches out to receive the construct that resembles a Moebius loop with a few simple segments attached. The string of uninterrupted numbers and symbols that run along the strip almost give her a headache just from looking.
“The core will thin and thicken depending on how much you're slowing down your perception of time.” Jessica informs.
“You mean accelerating?” Leomi asks.
“...” Jessica blinks. “Huum.” She mutters with a frown.
“You accelerate your senses and thoughts so that it feels like time is slowing down.” Leomi says, explaining what she understands of the construct her mad genius created.
“Yes, that.” Liz replies with a chuckle.
Leomi sighs to hide her amusement. She doesn't understand how her jay can be so smart while still retaining a delightful sloppiness. Not to mention she still succeeded in making this construct.
Lance absorbs the perception-altering construct and prepares to test it, something she would never do if anyone else told her it was recently created and might be exclusive. She trusts that Jess and Liz wouldn't give it to her if the test was dangerous.
Leomi activates the construct and experiences an instantaneous splitting headache, like someone just split her skull with an axe before smashing it with a hammer. She loses the presence of mind necessary to dismantle the construct and all strength in her knees.
Before she can hit the ground, Jessica snatches her hand and brings her in for a hug. It takes a few seconds for Leomi to realize that the agony that shook her brain and almost knocked her out only lasted for a fraction of a second before the construct cut itself off.
“That... was not good.” Lance utters painfully.
“Our bad.” Liz mutters apologetically.
“It's fine, at least you can just give it away if someone realizes what you have.” Leomi replies in relief.
Jessica doesn't comment, she doubts she would even under threat of execution but she's experienced torture so she doesn't dare be certain she wouldn't give it up.
“You should try to put a scanning core in the bird.” Jessica suggests instead.
“But it's an unstructured construct.” Leomi protests, amazed by the fearless proposal considering what just happened to her.
“I'm pretty sure it will be able to make use of whatever you give it.” Jessica tells her. “If it can't, then who cares?”
“It could do something bad.” Leomi notes, throwing a pointed glance at her jay who's still helping her stay on her feet. Lance doesn't need the support anymore but it feels nice so there's no reason to say anything.
“Doubtful, it's just a scanning core.” Jessica scoffs confidently. “Just take precautions as I did.”
“You were being cautiously reckless, my jay, not careful.” Leomi berates with a flat voice.
Yet, she ruins the effect by turning away because she doesn't quite manage to hide the amusement stirring her lips into a smile. Jessica doesn't comment but Leomi knows there's not a hint of a chance that the woman missed it. She resigns herself to the fact she will have to let her jay experiment a little on the flow jay.