The air in Nefer's private sanctum was thick with the scent of amber, lotus, and the crisp, organic tang of Dendro that always clung to Lauma like the perfume of a deep, ancient forest. It was a heady mixture, a sensory representation of their clash: sun warmed stone meeting earth cooled foliage.
Lauma knelt within the central pillory, a beautiful, brutal construct of dark, polished wood inlaid with gold leaf that mirrored the patterns on Nefer's own attire. Her wrists were secured in the upper stocks, forcing her torso forward into a deep, graceful bow, the line of her back a perfect, vulnerable arc. The lower stocks held her ankles, spreading her just enough to be utterly exposed. The Verdant Priestess, a figure of reverence and gentle power, was presented as a supplicant. An offering.
"Comfortable?" Nefer's voice was a low purr, laced with a familiar, mocking warmth. She stood before Lauma, a silhouette against the warm glow of the sanctum's Dendro luminescent flora.
Lauma's bluish purple hair fell over her face, obscuring her expression, but her voice was steady, if slightly muffled. "You promised this was it. The final favor."
"And I am a woman of my word," Nefer said, circling her like a predator. Her fingers, adorned with rings, trailed lightly over the knobs of Lauma's spine, making the priestess shiver. "This is the fulfillment of that promise. The closing of our account. You came to me, remember? Worried about the stability of your Dendro resonance. You said you needed a… profound, grounding influence."
"I did not specify this," Lauma retorted, though there was no real heat in it. There was a strange resignation, a willingness in her submission that went beyond simple repayment.
"You specified a solution 'beyond the means of your modest establishment,'" Nefer quoted, her voice dripping with irony. She came to a stop directly in front of Lauma. "And you were right to. My methods are… unorthodox. But they are effective. You need to be pulled from that overgrown, verdant headspace of yours, Lauma. You need to feel the earth. And I," she said, her tone dropping into something intimate and possessive, "am very good at grounding."
Nefer was not dressed in her usual regal finery. She wore a simple, sleeveless linen wrap that left her arms and legs bare, highlighting the powerful, sleek muscle beneath her sun kissed skin. Strapped to her hips with harnesses of woven gold cord was the object of her intent: a Feeldoe, crafted from polished obsidian that seemed to drink the light, its shape both elegant and intimidating.
"Our pure and merciful Lady Moonchanter," Nefer murmured, her voice a soft, taunting caress. She placed a foot on the raised platform of the pillory, right between Lauma's restrained hands, her thigh brushing against Lauma's cheek. "So kind, so gentle, and full of compassion for all. It's no wonder that people are drawn to you. Even the local wildlife can't help but nuzzle up against your hand."
Lauma remained still, but her breathing hitched.
"But don't get too close," Nefer continued, her voice dropping to a whisper, "or you might just wake up one day to find you've been charmed into embracing a whole new religion."
With a deft movement, she guided the tip of the obsidian toy to Lauma's lips. "Open."
A flicker of defiance shone in Lauma's eyes, visible for a moment through the curtain of her hair. It was the same look she got when Nefer declined her commissions, a silent, stubborn protest. But it faded, replaced by a heavy lidded acceptance. She parted her lips, and Nefer pushed the head of the Feeldoe past them.
"Suck," Nefer commanded, her voice firm yet laced with a dark thrill. "Get it nice and wet for me. For you."
The obscenity of the act was not lost on either of them. The proud priestess, on her knees, bound in a pillory, being made to prepare the instrument of her own penetration. Lauma's cheeks hollowed as she obeyed, her tongue working over the smooth, cool stone. A faint, verdant glow the innate Dendro energy within her seemed to make tiny, phantom leaves brush against Nefer's skin for a moment before fading. Her eyes, the color of Turquoise with a vibrant pink center shade, were locked on Nefer's, filled with a complex storm of shame, surrender, and a deep, undeniable connection.
"Good," Nefer praised, her own breath coming a little faster. She withdrew the toy, now glistening, and stepped back. "Now, for the main event."
She didn't move closer to Lauma's exposed core. Instead, she raised a hand, and the Dendro energy in the room swelled. A shimmering, emerald green construct began to form beside Lauma. It was an illusion, a perfect, spectral duplicate of Nefer herself, its form composed of light and intent. It was a power she rarely showed, a testament to the depth of her arcane knowledge.
The illusion knelt behind Lauma, its hands warm and solid despite their magical nature coming to rest on the priestess's hips.
Lauma gasped, trying to twist her head to see. "Nefer… what is this?"
"A more… thorough grounding," Nefer said, her voice a husky echo as she positioned herself at Lauma's entrance. The illusion mirrored her movements at Lauma's other portal. "You think in binaries, Lauma. Sun and Moon. Light and Dark. Yes and No. Tonight, you will learn there are more than two answers to any question."
In a single, synchronized thrust, they entered her.
Lauma's cry was strangled, a sharp, broken sound that was part shock, part overwhelming sensation. Nefer filled her from the front, the obsidian stretching her, a solid, grounding presence. The illusion filled her from behind, a burning, living energy that seemed to ignite her very nerves. It was double penetration in its most literal sense, but it felt metaphysical an invasion and a completion all at once.
Nefer began to move, a slow, deep, punishing rhythm. The illusion moved with her, a perfect, relentless mirror. The feeling was immense, overwhelming every one of Lauma's senses. The pillory held her fast, leaving her no escape from the twin assaults. She was the meat between two stones, the verdant grove being cultivated by twin suns.
"Heh. You never change, do you?" Nefer grunted, her hips snapping forward, driving a moan from Lauma's throat. "Everything is turning out more than fine, no? You're getting exactly what you were looking for… and yet there you are, trying to retreat into that beautiful, sulking mind of yours. Don't. Stay here with me."
To emphasize her point, she released a controlled pulse of Dendro energy from the illusion. It wasn't painful, but it was intensely stimulating, a burst of phantom sensation that made Lauma's back arch as much as the pillory would allow, a silent scream on her lips.
Then, the impact play began.
Nefer's free hand, the one not bracing herself on the pillory, came down in a sharp, stinging slap on Lauma's right buttock. The sound cracked through the room, a stark counterpoint to the wet, rhythmic sounds of their joining. A bloom of red appeared on the pale, perfect skin.
Lauma jolted, a fresh wave of sensation crashing over her.
Another slap, on the other side. Then another, and another. Nefer wasn't just striking randomly; she was painting a masterpiece of sensation. The sharp, grounding pain of the impacts fused with the deep, filling pleasure of the double penetration. It shattered Lauma's composure, broke through the layers of priestly discipline and melancholic grace. Tears welled in her eyes, not entirely from pain, but from the sheer, overwhelming intensity of it all. She was being unmade, piece by piece.
"Come on, Lauma," Nefer urged, her voice ragged with her own exertion and growing pleasure. The base of the Feeldoe rubbed against her with every thrust, building her own climax. "Let go. Show me the woman beneath the Priestess. The one who knows how to take what she needs."
She leaned forward, her breath hot against Lauma's ear, her voice dropping to a whisper that was for them alone. "You got what you wanted. You promised that was it."
It was a echo of their past, a reminder of the favor that had led here. But in this context, it was a challenge. You wanted this resolution. Now see it through.
A broken, sobbing moan was her answer. Lauma's body began to tremble violently, her inner muscles clenching around both Nefer and the illusion. The Dendro energy of the construct reacted, flaring brighter, sending tendrils of pleasurable feedback arcing through her system. The pain from the spanking melted into a pervasive, all consuming heat.
"I know this goes against your principles," Lauma gasped out, the words a desperate, reflexive attempt to cling to some semblance of their old dynamic, even as she was being utterly dominated within it.
Nefer laughed, a short, breathless sound. "Ha… Trying to get me to change my mind now?" She delivered another sharp slap, right on the sensitive skin where thigh met buttock.
"No!" Lauma cried out, her body bowing in the stocks. "No… I just… Thank you."
The words were whispered, but they hung in the air, more intimate than any act of penetration. It was surrender. It was gratitude for this violent, beautiful unmaking.
That was her undoing. With a guttural cry, Nefer drove into her one last time, her own orgasm crashing over her as she felt Lauma shatter around her. The priestess's climax was silent for a moment, a perfect, tense suspension, before a wave of Dendro energy erupted from her, harmless but palpable, causing the flora in the room to bloom instantaneously and filling the air with the scent of rain kissed petals and rich soil. The Dendro illusion dissolved into a shower of emerald sparks, its purpose fulfilled.
For a long moment, the only sound was their ragged breathing.
Slowly, carefully, Nefer withdrew. She unlatched the pillory with a series of soft clicks. Lauma slumped forward, but Nefer was there to catch her, lowering her gently to the soft carpets covering the stone floor. She gathered the trembling priestess in her arms, pulling a light blanket over her cooling skin.
Nefer reached for a nearby carafe and poured a glass of water, laced with something sweet and restorative. She held it to Lauma's lips. "Drink."
Lauma obeyed, her eyes hazy. She looked spent, hollowed out, but peaceful. The anxious tension that usually lined her brow was gone.
Nefer then did something profoundly tender. She fetched a damp, warm cloth, scented with soothing lavender, and gently cleaned the sweat from Lauma's brow and the evidence of their union from her thighs. Her touch was methodical and gentle, a stark contrast to the earlier violence. She applied a cool, healing salve to the reddened skin of Lauma's backside, her fingers massaging the sore muscles with a practiced ease.
"You're too harsh on that beautiful skin," Lauma murmured, a weak but genuine smile playing on her lips as she leaned into the touch.
Nefer's teasing smirk returned, but it was softer now. "Only because it's a canvas worth marking. And because you take the marks so beautifully." She finished her ministrations and, in a display of effortless strength, scooped Lauma into her arms. "The floor is no place for a priestess to rest."
She carried Lauma to the large, plush bed in an alcove of the sanctum, laying her down amongst the silken pillows. She slipped in beside her, pulling the covers over them both. The moonlight streamed in, casting a serene glow over their entwined forms.
They sat in silence for a time, the moon outside the high window bathing them in its silver light.
"You waived my consultation fee," Lauma murmured eventually, her head resting against Nefer's shoulder. "But just this once."
Nefer's lips quirked. "Consider it a professional courtesy. For a former employee of the Curatorium who possesses both professionalism and integrity in ample measure."
Lauma looked up at her then, a true, unguarded smile touching her lips. It was a rare sight. "Clearly, we are different people with different ways of doing things," she said softly, echoing her own words from another time. "But I have never taken that to mean that we cannot get along."
Nefer looked down at her, the mockery gone from her green eyes, replaced by something older and more profound. Her hand came up to brush a strand of bluish purple hair from Lauma's cheek. Her touch was surprisingly gentle.
Then, Lauma shifted. She leaned in, her Turquoise with a vibrant pink center shade eyes searching Nefer's. "I wanna do you this time," she whispered, her voice still hoarse but filled with a new, quiet confidence. "Is that okay?"
Nefer's eyebrows rose, a slow, delighted smile spreading across her face. "Oh? The subdued priestess has found her fire? And what makes you think you can handle me?"
"Maybe I can't," Lauma admitted, her fingers tracing the line of Nefer's jaw. "But I want to try. I want to learn the geography of the sun. Let me map you."
The poetic request, so typical of Lauma, disarmed Nefer completely. A faint blush touched her cheeks. "You're full of surprises tonight. Very well. Show me what the gentle forest can do to a desert."
Lauma didn't hesitate. She closed the distance and kissed Nefer, not with the desperate surrender from before, but with a deep, exploring passion. It was a kiss that sought to convey all the unspoken things between them. Her hands came up, one cupping Nefer's cheek, the other sliding down to gently massage her breast, her thumb circling a hardening nipple through the linen.
Nefer moaned into the kiss, her own dominance melting into a warm, willing submission.
Lauma broke the kiss, her lips trailing a hot path down Nefer's neck to her chest. She pushed the linen wrap aside, baring Nefer's breasts. She took one pebbled peak into her mouth, sucking deeply, earnestly, like a babe seeking nourishment, her tongue flicking and swirling. A soft, keening sound escaped Nefer's lips.
While her mouth worked, Lauma's hand traveled lower, over the taut plane of Nefer's stomach, through the dark curls, until her fingers found Nefer's wet, waiting heat. She slid two fingers through the slick folds with an easy, confident glide.
"You're so wet for me," Lauma whispered against Nefer's breast, her voice vibrating against the sensitive skin. "And I just slid right in. You like that, don't you?"
Nefer could only gasp, her head thrown back. "Lauma..."
Lauma's fingers delved deeper, curling, searching, until she found the spot that made Nefer jolt as if struck by lightning. "Oh?" Lauma teased, a grin in her voice. She began to press and circle that specific, blissful spot with relentless precision. "Is this it, my sun queen? Is this the secret center of your power? Do you like it when I touch you here?"
Nefer was beyond words, her body arching off the bed. She was reduced to ragged breaths and pleading whimpers. She managed to nod, her face flushed with a shyness she never showed anyone.
"You're so cute like this," Lauma murmured, increasing the speed of her circling fingers. "You acted so dominant earlier. What happened to all that fierce talk? Where is the woman who promised to 'ground' me?" Her left hand came up to cradle Nefer's neck, not choking, but holding her in an intimate, possessive grip.
Overwhelmed, Nefer grabbed Lauma's face and pulled her into a searing, desperate kiss, swallowing her own moans. She broke away, panting. "Lauma... I'm cumming. Please, can you... faster, please?"
Lauma grinned, her eyes dark with desire and affection. "Since you asked so nicely." She drove her fingers deeper, focusing all her attention on Nefer's g spot with a faster, more insistent rhythm.
Nefer's climax crashed over her with a force that stole her voice. Her body seized, a silent scream on her lips as waves of pleasure radiated out from her core, leaving her trembling and boneless.
Lauma slowly withdrew her fingers, bringing them to her own lips and tasting Nefer without breaking eye contact. "Damn, Nefer," she said, her voice full of awe and teasing pride. "You came so much. And just from my fingers. I'm honored."
Nefer, still breathless, could only swat weakly at her arm, a blush deepening on her face. "Don't get cocky, priestess."
"Oh, I'm just getting started," Lauma promised. She then moved, positioning herself over Nefer. "I want to feel all of you." She lowered herself, aligning their bodies so their wet, sensitive cores were pressed together. She began to grind against Nefer in a slow, sinuous rhythm, the intimate friction of skin on skin a different, but no less potent, kind of connection.
"Look at me," Lauma whispered, and Nefer opened her eyes, finding Lauma's gaze locked on hers. The scissoring position was intensely intimate, their faces inches apart, their breath mingling.
"You feel like... life itself," Lauma breathed, her hips moving in a steady, building tempo. "Like the sun warming the earth after a long rain."
"And you," Nefer managed, her hands coming up to grip Lauma's hips, "feel like the deepest, most secret part of the forest. The part no one else gets to see."
They moved together, the conversation falling into soft, breathy affirmations and flirtatious teases. "Is this what you wanted?" Lauma asked, her rhythm becoming faster, more urgent. "When you had me in that pillory... was this what you were trying to coax out of me?"
"Yes," Nefer confessed, her composure completely shattered. "All of it. The surrender... and this... this fire. I just... I wanted you to be as lost in me as I am in you. I wanted you to yourself, not as the priestess, but as Lauma."
The confession hung between them, more powerful than any orgasm. Lauma's movements became frantic, driven by the raw emotion of the admission. "Nefer..." she cried out, and her own second climax took her, a wave of pure, shuddering ecstasy that triggered Nefer's once more, their shared cries echoing in the quiet sanctum as they climaxed together.
Afterward, they lay tangled together, slick with sweat and satiated. Nefer pulled Lauma close, nuzzling into her hair. She began to speak, her voice soft and uncharacteristically vulnerable.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "For being so harsh earlier. The spanking, the words... I just... I get so frustrated. You are this untouchable, serene figure, and I am the one who deals in grit and desire. I wanted to prove you could want this. That you could want me with the same wildness. I was cruel because I was afraid this," she gestured to the space between their bodies, "was just a transaction for you. A favor to be repaid."
Lauma listened, her heart aching with a sudden, fierce love. She cupped Nefer's face. "It stopped being just a favor a long time ago, Nefer. Every time I come to you, it's because a part of me is calling out for its other half. You don't have to break me to have me. You already do."
Tears, rare and genuine, welled in Nefer's eyes. She pulled Lauma into a deep, languid kiss, pouring all her unspoken feelings into it. It was a kiss of understanding, of a long war finally ending in a truce that felt like a victory.
"No matter what," Lauma whispered against her lips, her eyes closing, "the light of the moon will always fall favorably upon her."
It was a blessing. A benediction.
Nefer watched her as she drifted into an exhausted sleep. She didn't pull away. She simply held her, the sun queen cradling the forest priestess in the quiet aftermath. The debt was paid. The favor was done.
But as she sat there, feeling the steady, calm rhythm of Lauma's breath against her neck, Nefer knew, with a certainty that was as frustrating as it was inevitable, that their accounts were far from closed.
"…Enough of that," she whispered to the sleeping woman in her arms, her voice barely a breath. But she didn't let go.