Eben's eyes are closed as he relaxes in the stream. Summer is quickly coming to an end, so the half-elf savors the last days of warmth before the cold comes to steal it all away.

The changing of the season reminds Eben of the fact that he has been in service to Adder for almost three months now. It's surprising how well he's almost perfectly adapted to the domesticity of his role. It's a drastic change from what he's used to— a life of thievery and constant danger.

But this peace is a farce, Eben knows. No matter how kindly Fern smiles, how much Sheppard promises, or how benevolent Adder appears, he is not a guest here. He is a prisoner, and he knows that he must break his shackles in one way or another.

So his options are such; submit to Father Sheppard's whims, or manipulate the gorgon to his side.

The first option is the most tempting. After his meeting with Sheppard last month, the priest's promises had been stuck on loop in his head. Ever since he'd lost his home all Eben had dreamed of was a place and a people to belong to. Whatever anger he holds against Nǣdre Tor for detaining him, he can't deny the appeal of living in a community that accepts inhuman beings like him.

But this option comes at a price. He would have to serve Adder for an indefinite amount of time before being rewarded, and that reward was pending on if Sheppard actually kept his promise.

Eben trusted that slimy creep as far as he could throw him.

Besides the priest's trustworthiness though, there was also the issue of Adder. So far his stay with the gorgon has been pleasant, but who knew how long that would remain true? If Daisy and Fern were to be believed, Adder had killed the last person he got close to.

That issue also presented a problem for his other plan. Eben knows Adder is desperate for kindness and human interaction, but the gorgon seems truly loyal to the cult; The last month alone had seen two attacks on the village - first, a pack of cockatrices that had made their way into the fields, and then a scrappy harpy that had swooped down from the nearby mountains.

Adder had been quick to respond, his petrifying gaze decimating the harpy, and his strength and agility allowing him to take down the cockatrices with ease. Eben remembers how the gorgon had come back covered in wounds each time, yet didn't seem perturbed at all. To Adder, it was just another day. Pain was expected.

What would convince him that this way of life was flawed?

Eben sighs, rising from the river. He shakes the dampness from his hair as he goes to sit on his towel on the riverbank, soaking up the waning rays of sunlight. Eben leans back, savoring the peaceful moment. He can hear the sound of leaves rustling in the wind and the distant chatter of birds. However, the distant sound of Adder's bells makes him sit up.

Eben dresses, toweling off his hair as he walks closer. As Eben approaches the sound, he spots the gorgon on the edge of the riverbank sunbathing.

It's a little spooky how Adder's lower half blends seamlessly with the fallen leaves. If someone unaware of the man's true nature were to come across this scene, they might just be transfixed by what appeared to be a beautiful man resting in the sun.

Feeling a little creepy for drooling over the sleeping gorgon, Eben shuffles his feet to alert him of his presence.

Adder perks up, turning his head towards the sound. There's a flick of a forked tongue in the air before the gorgon smiles. "Hello Eben, did you enjoy the water?"

"I did. It was refreshing after running around Nǣdre Tor all day"

"Did you get to participate in the festival of Demeterra?"

Eben takes a seat beside Adder. "No, I didn't see the appeal of chasing some strange woman all day. Not to mention, if I had won, they would've locked me in a barn overnight with her! How is that fun?"

Adder chuckles. "It's not some strange woman you chase, it's the proxy of Demeterra. And you're only locked overnight with her if she chooses you."

Adder pauses as he stretches sinuously. "It's not meant to be fun, it symbolizes Demeterra going to rest while humanity sows the seeds of change."

Eben snorts, unconvinced. "Sounds like an excuse to fuck in a barn. Do we need a festival for that? I've done that multiple times without it being celebrated."

Adder makes a choked noise. "Eben! It's not— they don't— it's a holy festival! "

Eben rolls his eyes, forgetting the gorgon can't see them. "So you're telling me if you were trapped in there with some beautiful man or woman you wouldn't seduce them?"

"No— well—" Adder stammers "nobody would ever have me..."

"Why wouldn't they?"

"Because they're afraid..."

"You'd be surprised how little fear intervenes when it comes to attraction. I'd bet you'd have a gaggle of groupies if Father Sheppard didn't order everyone to stay away. I mean, you look like one of the Pantheon."

Adder pauses, the tip of his tail thrashing. Eben worries for a moment he's angered the gorgon before the man speaks again. "Do you... do you really think of me that way?"

Eben watches as Adder fidgets nervously with his blindfold. This conversation was going somewhere new...Did Eben dare take things further? It was dangerous, surely. But Eben thrives off danger, so he continues.

"Of course. Have you really never been intimate with anyone?"

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Eben watched, fascinated, as color spread on Adder's pale cheekbones. "No... never."

Eben felt his face heat up, barely even believing what he was about to say. "Well...if you want to find out what it's like, I wouldn't mind showing you."

Adder tilts his head questioningly, bells jingling. "Show me...?"

Eben flushed harder, glad Adder couldn't see his pink cheeks. How was this giant gorgon so innocent? "Sex, Adder. Or at least fooling around. Do you want to try it?"

Adder's tail thumps on the ground as he wrings his hands. "I— I can't I— Father Sheppard says--"

Eben huffed. "Father Sheppard isn't here, and I'm not about to tell him about my sexual escapades, so how would he ever find out? It's fine if you don't want to, it's just a suggestion."

Adder turns his face away from Eben, anxiously fiddling with a lock of hair. "You've...done this before?"

Eben grins, eyes narrowing salaciously. He's got him, hook, line, and sinker. "Many times. Bandits are a randy bunch."

Adder bit his lip, fiddling with the hem of his loincloth. Eben can't help but feel his heart race at the fang that pokes out from the gorgon's mouth. "Eben... I've never done anything like this, I don't have any idea what to do..."

"You don't have to do anything," Eben purrs "I'll take care of you. okay?"

"...Okay..."

Eben grinned. "Let's go to your room."

The two of the walk back, full of anticipation as they enter the cave. Once inside Adder's lair, Eben takes a quick glance at Adder's small room. There's not much in the way of decor, but on the ground is a huge pile of furs and blankets. Adder's bed, he assumes.

Eben sits on the edge of the gorgon's nest. "Go ahead, lie down."

Adder does as he's instructed, stiffly lying prone on his back.

Eben chuckles when Adder jolts as he straddles the gorgon's lower half. The gorgon is sun-warm beneath him, and Eben can't help but relish the feeling of another's body heat. "It's okay, Adder. We'll go as slow as you need. Tell me if you want to stop, okay? I want you to enjoy this."

Adder nods, clawed hands gripping the furs beneath him. "Yes, Eben."

Eben flushes at the obedience of the gorgon. He could get used to feeling this powerful...

Eben clenches his jaw. No, he can't get caught up in this. He's just gonna show Adder a good time. That's it.

Eben drags a hand down the front of the gorgon, mapping out the dips and valleys of Adder's muscular frame. "So polite, Adder. You're always so good, aren't you?"

Adder lets out a strangled sound. "...No I'm not..."

"No? You are the sole protector of Nǣdre Tor, and you do your job so well."

Eben leans forward, kissing the man's heaving chest. Adder jerks, sighing deeply. "I just do —ah— what im supposed to do..."

Eben sits up, smoothing his hands again up and down the gorgon's frame. "No, I think a lesser man wouldn't be as devoted and loyal as you are, Adder. I really like that about you."

Adder groans at the light touches. Eben can't help but feel blood rush south to the sound of the gorgon's pleasure. He's becoming more affected than he planned...

He kisses his way down Adder's torso. Pausing just before he gets to the prominent bulge under the loincloth.

Eben looks up at the man. The gorgon is panting with one arm strewn over his face, totally out of it. If Adder is so disheveled just by this, what will happen once they actually start?

"Still with me, Adder? Do you wanna keep going?"

Adder whimpers, tail shifting on the soft furs. "Yes, Eben, please."

With that enthusiastic reply, Eben relents, kissing the heated flesh through the cloth.

Adder snarls, bucking his hips and startling Eben. He pants, writhing under the half-elf. "I'm sorry, please don't stop."

Eben is surprised the gorgon is apologizing. He'd honestly expected the gorgon to be rough. "It's okay, just remember I'm a lot more breakable than you."

Eben lifts the loincloth out of the way, finally freeing Adder from his confines. He's pleased to find that the gorgon's anatomy is not too unlike his own. Eben flicks his tongue over the tip before taking it entirely into his mouth, swirling his tongue.

Adder fists the blanket beneath him, visibly resisting bucking up and into the heat of Eben's mouth. The half-elf feels a little touched that the gorgon is trying so hard.

Eben pulls off the gorgon, pumping him slowly. "You are good, Adder, and you're long overdue for your reward."

"Eben, please, please..."

Feeling brave, Eben returns his mouth to Adder's arousal, sinking down until he's almost to the root.

"Ah! Ngg!!"

Eben can feel his own arousal demanding attention now. How could he have imagined that Adder would be so alluring?

Without his approval, Eben's hips grind down on Adder, seeking friction. The gorgon's body reacts immediately, tail coiling around his waist.

"Mff!"

The grip on Eben eases immediately. "I'm sorry! Are you okay?"

Eben feels insane as he longs for the feeling again. What was wrong with him? Why was he reacting like this?

"Nng, you just surprised me. It's fine." Eben pulls the tail closer, back to its former position. "Just don't squish me."

Another feral growl erupts from Adder's throat as the tail coils once more around the half-elf. "Eben, please, close your eyes."

Eben flushes, feeling vulnerable, but does as he's asked. "They're closed."

Eben hears a sharp intake of breath a moment later and feels soft, warm, scales shift against his skin.

Suddenly, there's a clawed hand in his hair and Eben feels his head gently guided downward once more. The gorgon whimpers as Eben opens his mouth and continues.

The half-elf worries for a moment about the hand on his crown, but Adder is not exerting any force. Instead, the gorgon is stroking and petting his hair, carefully minding the deadly tips of his claws.

The careful consideration of the monster is driving Eben crazy, causing him to moan as he ruts into Adder. When was the last time he's been treated so gently? Who else has treated him with such reverence?

He's quickly losing himself in this situation. A quiet part of his mind tells him to stop and retake control, but an even louder part tells him to fall apart in this monster's coils.

Adder's hand wanders down the side of Eben's head until it finds his ear. The half-elf's body is wracked with shivers as the tip of a claw gently caresses the pointed end.

Eben pulls off, completely gone now. His motivations for starting this are distant from his mind as he pants into Adders scales, pumping the man hard and fast.

Coils of muscle squeeze tightly around Eben as Adder finds his release, snarling and groaning. Eben finds himself whimpering as he enjoys every twitch and flex of the gorgon's body.

The hold on Eben suddenly goes lax as Adder gives his last sigh of relief. Eben can only sob at the loss of contact, still gyrating his hips against hard muscles.

Strong hands rearrange their position, and Eben gasps as he feels Adder hovering over him.

"Eben." The gorgon's voice sounds wrecked and it makes Eben twitch in his arms. "I want to try, can I?"

Eben nods furiously, eager for release. He chokes out a moan as his pants are pulled down he sinks into a warm, silky, heat that causes him to buck.

There's a scrape of fangs before Adder pins his hips down. The gorgon is unpracticed and clumsy, but it doesn't even matter as soon as Eben feels that forked tongue dancing for him. He screams with pleasure as he's forced over the edge, feeling euphoria seep into every inch of his being.

Once it's over, Eben is left panting and boneless, laying lax in Adder's nest. The gorgon surprises him once again by nuzzling his face into Eben's neck. Before he has a chance to abscond, the gorgon quickly falls asleep, capturing Eben in his arms. Eben can only surrender to the tender embrace as his head spins. What the fuck was that?

That hadn't been part of the plan. He wasn't supposed to get turned on, and he definitely wasn't supposed to allow the VENOMOUS monster with FANGS to perform oral sex on him.

Eben sighs as his own eyes became heavy. What was done was done... it was just a one-time thing. Just something to entice Adder to Eben's side.

Right?