Eleanor:
The next day, she had a thought.
Maybe I should visit Lena and apologise or something. However, it was mostly her fault.
Accordingly, midmorning found her at the dormitory again. Lena and Esther were present; apparently, all the rest were out.
Lena was sitting beside the stove, which was not lit, gazing into space. While Esther was standing near the kitchen sink, looking as if she might do some cleaning up... Only there was nothing to clean.
Is Lena just sitting around doing nothing?
Eleanor kept her face neutral as she said hello to them.
And exactly what is Esther doing? I guess she has no idea what to do with her free time.
"Esther, how are you finding life in Manifestoria?"
"Well, it's very different from what I'm used to."
"How so?"
Esther picked up a clean plate and carefully put it back on the dish rack.
"Nobody ever gives me anything thing to do, and when I try to clean up, both Aragon and the Misfits say no and then do it themselves."
I suppose that figures. Grey-collar slaves never have any free time to themselves, by definition.
"Here, draw up a chair and sit with Lena and me."
Eleanor did as she was told, and the three ladies sat around the cold, unlit stove.
Shit, what do I do now? I don't particularly want to mention yesterday's incident in front of Esther.
Fortunately, for once, Esther came to the conversational rescue.
"Ah, yesterday, Aragon said I should ask you about my question..."
He probably said she might try asking us, but she took it to be a literal order. Anyway...
"Yes?" said Eleanor.
"Well, I asked him why the Misfit girls put up with the boys having sex with them."
Eleanor twitched but managed to retain her perfect control. She noticed that Lena didn't exactly look comfortable about the topic, either.
"And he said something about girls can also have orgasms. But I don't know what that means."
Huh?
What?
She's asking me why women enjoy sex with men.
Various memories rapidly ran through her mind, kicking up dust all over her nicely controlled emotions.
Oh, right, yeah, that explains a lot. This is unpleasant, can I go back to my house and think about this all?
Her subconscious connected the dots and presented its conclusions to her.
That she had never, ever, enjoyed sex with her husband.
It didn't appear to be within her to do so.
Oh hell. I'm a dud when it comes to sex, aren't I? Just like Lena. And it has taken me all this time, all of these years, to realise that.
What a joke.
It must have been suppressed because of all the horrors.
She was lost in her ruminations - until Esther spoke again.
"Ahh, Eleanor?"
"Oh, sorry! I was thinking, err, thinking about the question."
She looked at Lena and found she was looking back.
Crap, Lena knows what I was thinking. As she should, since she is the same! Damn woman.
Ah, forget that; I need to answer Esther's question. It is part of my duty.
"Well, let's see... To start with, it is good of Aragon to pass the question on to us women; after all, it is definitely not for him, a man, to discuss this."
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"It isn't?" said Esther.
Of course, it isn't! Sigh. Anyway - what do I say?
"Esther, surely you must have masturbated at some time in your life?"
"I don't think so. What does masturbate mean?"
Lena is sitting there, and she's beginning to look amused. Yeah, thanks for the help, Lena!
Just keep total control. I don't want Lena to have the satisfaction of seeing me blush like a little girl.
"I suppose the best way of doing this is, err, for you to try masturbating yourself. Then you will know what it's all about."
"How do I do that?"
Lena, don't you dare laugh. This is deadly serious for this poor girl.
Eleanor took a deep breath.
"OK, first, you must be alone in your bedroom. Say, do you sleep in the same room as your daughter?"
"Yes."
"Right; in that case, you must ensure she is out and not likely to return for an hour or so. Anyway, you always make sure that the door is locked! OK?"
"Err, yes?"
"Then..."
Eleanor explained the mechanics of masturbating from the women's perspective. She was impressed that Lena, who obviously didn't have the [Emotional Control] ability, could keep a perfectly straight face. Well, it did twitch a few times.
She finished the explanation. Esther looked slightly sceptical.
"So, it's a bit like having a master have sex with me, except I sort of do it myself?"
"Ahh, that's right."
"But, where does the orgasm come in?"
Remember, she's only ever been raped.
"Perhaps you might need to practice a few times, but I assure you, something will eventually happen."
Esther was still looking doubtful but willing to do her best.
"OK. Evereena is out now with the Misfits, so I'll go to my room and try it. Thank you, Eleanor, for your advice."
She left, closing the kitchen door behind her.
There was silence until they heard the faint sound of Esther's bedroom door opening and closing.
Lena:
She couldn't take it any longer. She put her hand over her mouth and started laughing.
That was hilarious. Esther got the straight-laced king's daughter to explain to her how to masturbate!
Oh, by the Voice, that is so funny!
Eleanor sat there and watched as Lena laughed out her amusement. After a while, Lena calmed down.
"I'm so glad you appreciated my effort," said Eleanor.
"And I'm so glad you could answer her question truthfully. The poor girl has a lot to learn, you must admit."
"Yes, I know."
"And, by the way, do you have a high score for [Emotional Control]?" said Lena.
"Yes. In fact, it's maxed out."
"So, that explains why you are always so, shall we say, unexpressive. Frankly, it's a bit off-putting; I can never tell what you are thinking."
Lena got back a calm, level stare.
"I don't think it's a good idea for me to express my strong emotions; it would upset everyone around me," said Eleanor.
"That bad, hey? I guess we all have our problems."
That's right, both her hubby and baby were killed. So, I suppose she certainly does have her reasons.
There wasn't much more said between the two of them this time.
Eleanor made her excuses, and she escaped for the day.
Esther:
Esther dutifully locked the bedroom door, took off her clothes and lay in her bed. She put a blanket over her to stop the slight chill.
Now, according to Eleanor, I should...
Again, dutifully, she followed Eleanor's instructions to the letter.
After a while, her breathing became deeper.
This feels much better than when a master was having sex with me. Quite a bit better.
Why couldn't it have felt this good before?
She was beginning to pant.
Now, what was I supposed to do... That's right, I'm supposed to think of something sexual...
She thought of some of her past 'sexual partners' - and dismissed them immediately.
They were in no way enjoyable.
She thought about Bronsen and Drayden.
Nyah, they're handsome but just not the slightest bit interesting.
Finally, she thought of the most likely candidate, Aragon.
After all, he wants to have sex with me.
Let's see, imagine him naked.
With an erection.
Now, she was definitely panting.
And, that's right, tail twisting? What if I imagine twisting my tail around Aragon's?
-
-
-
She relaxed her entire body and thumped back onto the mattress. She was covered in sweat, and the sheets were damp. Her hyperventilating breathing slowed right down to something more like normal. As did her heartbeat.
Oh, by the Voice, that was amazing! Wonderful! Is that what they mean by an orgasm?
Is that what the Misfit girls experience when they have sex with their partners?
Oh wow. No wonder they want it.
Why did I never experience this before?
Yeah, that's what the Misfits and Aragon keep on referring to - the difference between rape and consensual sex. Now, I'm beginning to understand what the difference is.
Having sex with the man of your choice. It must make the conditions just right to allow orgasms.
With Aragon...
Having calmed down, she recalled what she had just fantasised about.
And went bright red with embarrassment. She clutched the blanket to her and rolled back and forth on her bed.
This is so embarrassing! Oh, by the Voice, can I forget this? Please.
No forgetfulness came. She curled up and cringed at the memories of what she had imagined she could be doing with Aragon.
There is no way I will be telling Aragon anything about this!
No way!
She lay in bed, waiting for her body to return to normal.
Ding! [Sexual Technique] ability has been granted, with an initial allotment of 1. It's a good start, but you have a long way to go.
She was shocked. Voice of the World granted abilities to slaves were few and not very high. And she had never heard of them being more than a bare announcement. The fact that she had received another ability, that for [Sexual Technique], blew her mind. And the Voice had made a comment!
What's more, it implied that she would be getting more points in the future.
I'm definitely, absolutely, totally not saying anything about this to anybody anytime soon!
Narrator:
Considering the Misfits’ initial [Sexual Technique] allotment for actual mutual sex was below one, why did Esther get such a relatively high number?
Remember, rule two: It's all bullshit.
This effectively compelled System-san to get creative. It was no longer compelled to be rigidly rational in its actions concerning the Misfits and those related to them,
The opportunity to be inventive was much appreciated.
At least by System-san. As for the people affected, time will tell what they will come to think of it.