"Where are you taking me, Princess?" Azier asked with a little too much excitement in his tone as Zephyra held his head in her arms gently. He thought she had started to warm up to him, because instead of putting him back in that disgusting crystal box thing, she had him pressed against her body....Although she had been smart enough to hold him just below her breast line to where the pillows he wanted to plunder so badly were just out of reach.
Dammit.
That was fine, he'd enjoy her cool, smooth hands as she brought him down a hall, and another corridor until she came to a door that was painted green and gave it a brisk knock.
There were other doors down the corridor as well, and they were all painted different colors and decorated in different ways. Based on what he knew already, he was sure that these were the bedrooms of each girl. The pink door with girlie trappings /had/ to be Sera's, which contrasted to the deep purple one with a simple silver design on it that looked like some sort of calming symbol that he had hunched belonged to Zephyra.
For now, they stopped at a green door that was plain with no adornments. The cool-headed woman who kept him in her care reached out and knocked on the door with a respectable, yet hard strike from her knuckles.
"I've taken you to Evyra for a bit so I can assist with the removal of your torso from that metal. Can you feel anything we do to it?" She seemed to have asked out of curiosity rather than care.
"I can. I can feel all of my parts wherever they are. It's a bit maddening - but fun. Like, 'guess the texture' sort of thing. It was a little game I played often when I was locked underground. You'll be gentle, right?" He offered in a hopeful, but yet lazy tone.
"Hmm," Zyphera hummed out thoughtfully. "I will consider it. You haven't been a complete scoundrel."
"Oh, well I suppose I must try harder - I do have a reputation to keep up. I'd rather not make your sister a liar," Azier joked, and actually caused Zyphera to let out a low laugh that hummed in his ears with delight.
"Do not mind Ilsandra. She may come off as callous - but I assure you, she isn't a bad person, and she certainly is not always correct about others." She spoke with assurance.
Azier gave a soft smile as he dropped his tone into one of tenderness. "Your words are wise and kind, Zephyra. Thank you for the comforting thought - I'll consider that another lesson from such an honorable master such as yourself."
They had waited there for someone to answer for far too long it felt like, and so once more Zephyra reached out, but this time she rattled her fist onto the door and then pounded on it the more irritated she got.
Finally a harsh "What!?" bellowed from a very angry woman.
"Please come to the door," Zephyra answered calmly and kept her chilled exterior strong.
"Why?!" The same strong, yet smooth voice yelled back.
"Ilsandra asked me to, and that means you need to open the door," Zephyra informed her sister as though she had read from a cook book step-by-step. "I have done as she has asked, so open the door."
"Nnnggh!" Came a muffled response.
Azier knew that sound - that was the ever-present, exasperated groan that a frustrated person 'in the zone' made when they had to break out of whatever they were so enthralled in.
What could such a beautiful, and strong woman do in her room alone with such passion? His thoughts caused that same desire of arousal that was met with -nothing-. It more than disappointed him, and he let out a sigh.
The green door was pulled inward and they were met with Evyra's angry, sweaty face. She was a whole different world of stunning. She was the burgundy-brown haired maiden he had spied when he first came aboard. Up close, he could see the undertones of black and brown in her coiled tresses.
Her hair was short, and it came just above her shoulders in a neat cut that went all the way cleanly around the back of her neck, and evenly to the other side of her face. She had brilliant bangs that were cut above her eyebrows, which actually really helped frame her more squared features.
'Woah' he thought to himself as his eyes beheld the shorter, far more muscular sister before him. Those muscles - they were defined, but still had that smooth feminine quality so that she didn't look like a boy doll dressed up as a girl. In fact, when Azier tried to think about her without those strong arms, she didn't look quite right in his mind.
Oh how he wanted to squeeze her flesh to see how solid those steel muscles were. An added bonus was that she smelled like sweet vanilla and light musk, and his nose felt tantalized the closer she came.
He had been so lost in his thoughts, that he had not paid any attention to what either woman had said, and it earned him a jaunted response.
'Snap' 'Snap'
"Hey! Are you there? Did your brain explode from the question being too hard?" Evyra asked with a frown on those plump lips he wanted to kiss.
"I-oh, I'm sorry. My old head isn't what it used to be, ha ha." He played off and tried to shrug his shoulders, but they were still locked in metal somewhere. "You get locked down in the dark for a few hundred years and it seems to do a number on the old noggin," Azier looked up to Evyra's endless emerald eyes and offered her two red ones with just the right amount of 'puppy dog' expression to make him seem genuine and not simply a pathetic loser.
"Aw," Evyra let out with short-lived empathy and reached out to take Azier's head into her own hands whose fingers looked flawless. They were even soft, despite how much damage it looked like she had done to a nearby beat-up dummy. "Come here, you. I'll make sure you don't scream too loud...."
"Oh no, please do-waitwhat?" He quickly went from aroused to confused in an instant.
"They're going to cut your chest out of that metal. You should heal, right?" Evyra wondered as she raised an eyebrow.
"I hope so. We can consider it an exercise in testing my pain ability," he offered up in hopes to see what kind of chord he could ring with her.
"Oh? You're into that kind of stuff, too? That excites me. I haven't had a pain partner in a long time," Evyra trilled with delight and contentment - and much like most souls who were in their own world - the burgundy haired amazon shut the door on Zephyra's face.
"I'm into a lot of stuff, lovely - you'll need to spell it out for me, I can be a bit slow." Azier looked up to her eyes in hopes they would meet.
No luck though, Evyra had started to play with Azier's new haircut that hadn't been styled. At least she enjoyed herself, and her hard nails felt so good against his scalp. She had much more pressure to give than Zephyra had - and it was like a contrast of day to night in their mannerisms.
Her voice caused his satisfaction to raise. "Ah, well I mean pushing yourself to the limits, you know? Always trying to improve, and never backing down from a fight, even if you feel like you're dying. That feeling of always surpassing the limits and never letting anyone hold you back -- that kind of stuff." Evyra explained wonderfully to him, and slowly he started to build her M.O. up in his mind.
'Now to find the weakness... Everyone has a crack somewhere', he noted silently. 'I need to prod at the right things. Ah, I know.'
He'd start with the classic, "your father must be really proud of you for your accomplishments as a warrior."
This woman was fierce, and had unnatural freedom - it wasn't something afforded to most people, let alone a royal lady. Either her dad was proud of her, or he was disgusted by her. It depended on which kind she had that made all the difference.
"You are slow, aren't you? There is a reason we're all on this ship together, and it's not just Ilsandrra on her own. We're seen as tokens to be sold. He just wants a pretty penny for his pretty petals," Evyra grumbled with a gritty sound in her throat.
Her face made a twisted expression as she messed with his hair to what he presumed was to get out of the conversation.
"My apologies, Evyra. My father was of the same mindset, except he had no girls. They can be cruel, and from what I can tell, you've actually become stronger and let your spirit be free. So many others crumble on the will of their parents. Your plights are justified," Azier spoke with a sigh and had genuine regret in his voice.
"I want to say 'fuck you' to my dad, too - mine is just dead, so it's petty instead of honorable like your path is," he added with extra 'butter' to his already creamy tones.
Evyra grinned sharply to and sported a wicked expression of determination as she laughed.
"Oh we're best friends now. My sisters don't get my rage. They say it's standard and I should just accept it - but I just can't. I don't want to merely change our fate. I want to conquer it, and make it my personal bitch. Just because something is standard, doesn't mean I have to just sit here and take it," Evyra went on with vindication.
"Right? I'm only like this because of my asshole dad. Once I find myself again, I'll start taking your path, too. It's the only way to go." Azier hadn't a need to lie about any of his words with her. She felt familiar in an instant, and like they had known one another for the past 100 years.
Not only did he just want her in his collection because of her looks - but that soul - he had to have that kind of perseverance burn at his side before someone else saw how beautiful and wild she was. Even better, he didn't feel like he needed to lie or try hard to relate to her, and that had never happened before.
"I think using your anger to gain your dreams is far more admirable than those who take that rage out on others to feel better. You have a steel spine, Evyra. I like you," Azier revealed a pleased smile which exposed his newly brushed teeth. He was so happy to have brushed teeth again.
Evyra's tone dipped into one of a somber notion. "Thanks for that - it's so nice to get pumped up instead of pushed down. They just don't get it, even though we have the same background - they just don't understand why I am so mad. They should - and that just enrages me further. Everything has been taken from us."
"It's nice to be able to talk to someone about this. Thank you Evyra," Azier said with a soft affection that actually didn't borderline on the sexual.
"Yeah, you got it Al'hazier - I feel the same way. I've never been spoken to so nicely by a prince before. You all seem to have a specific taste. I'm surprised I haven't scared you," Evyra returned pleasantly.
"You? Scare me? Only if we're going to be enemies in battle. Plain, boring princess can't handle someone as interesting as you. Also, call me Azier. My friends do, and you and I seem to be kindred spirits." He answered with confidence and some conviction too.
I mean, who the hell were their parents to treat them all like pawn pieces? Can't someone just live their lives on their own terms without being prodded into something they didn't fit?
Well - they could now, and he wasn't going to waste it.
It wasn't about the desire to have a harem - now he had a goal, too. Who said harems had to be for utility and power? Why not for fun? Why not for a constant party companion?
Azier was ready to actually add a new reason to live to the list. The first was still to stick two middle fingers way up at his dad, and now the second was to try to corrupt some beautiful proper princesses into doing very naughty things for the pure reason of just, 'because I can'.
"Evyra, I think I may have the perfect revenge plan in mind..." The charmed voice of Azier began and trailed off to see if she would bite.
"Lay it on me, Azier" she said almost instantly. It seemed this bait was the perfect one to cast out.
"Why don't we start a party?" He answered cryptically.