“Is this really what you want to do?”
“Of course,” Eir replied, a serene smile on her lovely face.
“If you’re sure,” Jay shrugged with a little uncertainty. “This just doesn’t seem like it would be much of a fun activity for you.”
“This is something I’ve wanted since we first met,” Eir assured her. “Well, one of many things, but I did hope that this would be possible at some point. I’m glad we finally have the opportunity.”
Jay turned her head to ask Eir what else she’d been hoping for, but before she could she received a gentle rebuke.
“Please don’t move,” Irene admonished. “Talking is fine, but you must maintain that pose for a while longer.”
“Right, sorry,” Jay murmured as she resumed the specific positioning she’d been instructed to hold. “How long do I have to be like this?”
“Not too much longer, dear,” the older high priestess assured her as she continued to sketch on her canvas. “We can take a break in a few minutes.”
It was a little boring to have her portrait painted, but if it was what Eir wanted, Jadis was willing to do it for her. Well, it wasn’t all that bad. Quiet and subdued, really. After the previous night’s debauchery with Kerr, Jadis could use a little subdued relaxation. The dancers had been amazing, and her night alone with Kerr in the big bed had been a scene. Kerr’s screams of pleasure had probably kept half the temple awake. But a little reprieve from the intensity to do something calming was appreciated.
Of course, now Jadis was thinking about bringing Eir to the Bounding Buck, which was a delightful bit of mental imagery but not a thought that was going to help keep herself calm.
Glancing over at where Eir sat behind and to the side of Irene, Jadis couldn’t help but smile. Her elven lover was such a strange person. Most of the time she was demure and refined, a perfect example of the meek yet noble priestess. But other times, particularly when they were in bed, she was a wanton slut with a penchant for both being a sub and a dom, depending on the situation.
Today, Eir was being the perfect angel. With how modest she looked sitting there in her white robes, one would be hard pressed to imagine that she’d ever even heard of the word sex, much less anything of a lewder nature. Of course, that was only if one didn’t know her the way Jadis knew her. Jadis had no trouble imagining Eir’s proclivities at all, especially not with the reminder from that morning.
Waking up to find an elf sucking one of her cocks had definitely been a highlight in Jadis’ second life.
“What are your parents like?” Jay asked in an attempt to distract herself from wandering down another inappropriate line of thought.
“My parents?” Eir blinked as though she were taken off guard.
“Yeah,” Syd said as she shifted slightly in place, drawing a look from Irene. “I’m going to meet them at this ball, which I’m looking forward to, but what can you tell me about them ahead of time? Anything I should know?”
“I’m not sure where I should start,” Eir let out a soft laugh, looking genuinely at a loss for words. “What would you want to know?”
“How about their names?” Jay asked. “That seems like a pretty good place to start.”
“You also said that they are nobles?” Dys added. “What’s all that about?”
Eir shifted in her chair, her serene aura slightly disturbed though she quickly recovered. Jadis wasn’t yet sure why, but she got the impression that Eir didn’t like talking about her parents. Was she not on good terms with them? She didn’t think that was the case, but there was definitely something off in the way Eir was reacting. If the topic was truly a sensitive one, then having a conversation about it when another person, namely High Priestess Irene, was in the room was probably a bad idea. Jadis was just about to tell Eir to forget it and change the subject when Eir began speaking again.
“My father’s name is Einar Aedraheill, and my mother’s name is Svana. My father inherited the title of Margrave from his father thirty years ago. His territory, Aedraland, is on the southwestern coast. It is not a particularly large territory, but it is peaceful and well-kept. Aedraland is known for its glassworkers and many of the stained-glass windows you see in Eldingholt were actually made by skilled artisans who live in my father’s territory.”
Eir’s description was certainly… informative, if a bit dry. Jadis got the feeling that this was the kind of explanation that a visitor would get from the pamphlets handed out in the visitor center for Aedraland, though. Jadis had hoped for something a little more telling. Searching for a question that she hoped would give her more of what she wanted without stepping on anything too sensitive, she settled on a question she’d heard her own mother ask in similar, get-to-know-you kind of situations.
“What food does your dad hate?”
“What?” Eir squeaked.
“What food doesn’t he like?” Syd asked again. “What does he never eat? Like, I hate pears. Not even sure why. I just can’t stand them.”
“Oh, well,” Eir floundered for a moment before a smile tugged at her lips. “Well, my father never eats fish. Which is odd, since our hometown is on the coast. He once told me that when he was young, he was on a ship where most of the provisions were spoiled and couldn’t be eaten shortly after setting sail. He and the rest of the crew were forced to eat nothing but fish for nearly a month. I don’t think he’s eaten fish since.”
“Understandable,” Syd grinned. “What about your mother? What’s her favorite food?”
“Grapes,” Eir answered instantly. “I cannot remember a day when we didn’t have a bowl of grapes on our table in the morning. We have a small vineyard behind the manor and she always tends to the vines herself. She even picks them herself and preserves them. Father would always scold her, telling her to let the servants do the work, but mother would always say that she enjoyed doing the work herself. She said it made the grapes taste better. I have to agree, since I’ve always thought her grapes tasted best compared to any other I’ve had since leaving home.”
The fond smile on Eir’s face made Jadis grin, the mood lightening significantly. Wanting to see her lover smile more, she kept asking questions.
“So your mother is a bit of a green thumb?”
“A what?”
“It means she likes to garden,” Jay explained. “My mother was terrible with gardening, always killed every plant she brought home. But she always kept trying so we’d always buy her more plants and tools for gardening to help her.”
“No, my mother wasn’t particularly interested in gardening,” Eir shook her head. “She never paid much attention to the rest of the gardens, at least. Just the vineyard. That was special to her. When she wasn’t tending to her grape vines, she was usually attending social engagements or overseeing the manor and its budget.”
“What about your father?” Dys asked. “What did he do?”
“He takes his duties as a margrave very seriously,” Eir said with a small sigh. “Most of his time was spent recruiting and training soldiers and sailors. Whenever he wasn’t doing that, he would often inspect and oversee the glassworks. Honestly, I think he would have preferred to have had an artisan class that would let him craft glassware. He always seemed happiest when I’d see him inspecting the colored glass being made by the crafters. But duty demanded he be a military man, like his father.”
“Why?”
The simple question caused Eir to look up at Jay, her mouth open in a voiceless response. She eventually found the words she was looking for as she smiled wanly.
“He’s a margrave. It’s his duty. My father is an honorable man. He would never shirk his duties, not for his own desire.”
Jadis knew her elven lover well enough to hear what was left unspoken. The implication she’d made was that her father would not shirk his duties, but she had. That was the source of the tension she had sensed coming from Eir when she spoke of her parents. She had said that her mother and father were insisting on marriage, which probably had more to do with the duties of the heir of a margrave than any kind of social convention.
Eir was a priestess of Lyssandria. Not even a standard one, but a Beloved Cleric of Lyssandria. That was an amazing class, one that probably would have led to her reaching a very high rank in the temples even if she had never met Jadis. But being a priestess likely meant that Eir had renounced her claim to any title. Jadis didn’t know the specifics or legalities, but she doubted priests commonly held noble titles. She hadn’t seen any so far, at least. Did that mean that her father had been disappointed in Eir’s choice to become a priestess rather than uphold the family duty of being a margrave?
“I bet they were really happy to see you,” Jay said, trying to salvage the good feeling that had been tarnished by a bad memory.
“They were,” Eir smiled more broadly. “They were very happy. I… was not certain how to bring up our relationship when I met them, but my mother is always the first to know about anything of importance. She already knew all about you. I think you will get along with her. I hope you get along with both of them.”
“I can’t wait to meet them,” Jay grinned.
The next few minutes passed in idle conversation, with topics ranging from the home where Eir had grown up to the names of her extended family. When Irene informed Jadis that she didn’t have to stand still anymore, she was almost disappointed since she had been entertained by the stories Eir had been regaling her with.
“I should be able to finish from this point without any further need of your modeling,” the mature high priestess explained as she showed Jadis the sketch she had done. “With this base, my class skills will allow me to finish without issue.”
The sketch was nice just on its own in Jadis’ opinion. The charcoal lines showed the simple pose Jadis’ three bodies had taken and would make for a fine portrait, she was sure. Jadis would have preferred a simple photo, but since modern conveniences weren’t a thing, magical painting would have to do. Jadis didn’t know much about art, but she had heard once that oil and canvas portraits took months to complete on average. Irene had assured her, though, that the painting would be done in just a few weeks at most. Apparently, the magic involved greatly reduced the time it would normally take.
“I can already tell the end result will be stunning,” Eir praised Irene as she surveyed the sketch. “As always, your talents are a wonder.”
“You really are good,” Jay agreed as she looked down at the canvas.
“Are you planning on taking this with us when we go back on the road?” Dys asked curiously, addressing her question to Eir.
“No, it’s much too large for that, and I fear it would be damaged,” Eir shook her head. Indeed, the canvas was six feet tall, so bringing it in the wagon would have been inconvenient at best. “The temple will hold onto this for us while we are away. I can retrieve it later when we are in a more stable situation.”
“I may make a few copies,” Irene mused. “I think this is going to be one of my better works. Now, did you want to start on those other paintings we discussed, or would you rather take a break for some afternoon tea first?”
The last was addressed to Eir, who looked immediately guilty at Jadis’ raised eyebrows.
“More paintings?” Jay asked. “How many more portraits of me do you need? I like seeing my face as much as anyone, but a whole collection of portraits seems a bit extravagant, doesn’t it?”
“These would not be portraits per se…” Eir explained, her eyes not meeting Jadis’ gaze. “They would be for my… personal consumption. Not for public display. And they should be much quicker to make.”
Eir picked up a leatherbound book from a nearby table. It was large in the short elf’s hands, but really it was about a foot and a half on each side.
“Personal consumption?” Syd repeated. “What kind of paintings are these supposed to be?”
“…The kind where you remove your clothing for them?”
Jadis stared at Eir, the request so utterly unexpected that her brain stopped working for a minute. While it was pretty much impossible to tell when Eir was blushing due to the color of her skin, Jadis was certain that the priestess was even more embarrassed than Severina had been the previous night.
“Shall I give you two some time to discuss?” Irene asked, a bemused expression on her face. “I hadn’t realized that you hadn’t gone over this part of your request with Jadis already, young Eir.”
“No, no,” Jay stopped the high priestess from leaving. “I’m happy to model for Eir if she wants some more… personal material to keep for herself. Just—just tell me where to stand and what to remove.”
“Lovely,” Irene’s smile shined. “Why don’t you strip off your shirts for now. We’ll start there and proceed however you feel after.”
“Okay,” Syd grinned, shaking her head at the turn the day had taken. “Shirtless it is.”
As Jadis removed the clothing from her upper bodies, she made her own request.
“If I’m doing this, I want a few portraits of you, too,” Syd pointed a finger at Eir. “Maybe we can even do one or two where we are together?”
“A splendid idea,” Irene beamed. “The portrait I did of Eir is one of my favorites. She has such an alluring look to her; the canvas simply adores her. The two of you together will be a masterpiece, I’m quite certain of that.”
And so Jadis and Eir’s date went on for several hours in that fashion until, sometime around dinner, Aila found them still in Irene’s workshop. The position that she found them in would have been embarrassing if it had been anyone else, but Aila had seen Jadis holding Eir in far, far more obscene ways on a regular basis, so there wasn’t too much shock to go around.
“I’m sorry to interrupt…” Aila spoke with some uncertainty in her tone, no doubt at least somewhat confused by the scene. “I was hoping I could talk to Jadis for a moment?”
“Of course, dear,” Irene said as she quickly finished her sketch. “I have this pose down now. Jay, why don’t you lift Eir’s leg up like that—no, I can see her vulva when you lift her knee that high. We want to tease the viewer, not reveal everything in one go. A little lower—yes, yes, that will do nicely. Dys, Syd, you two can take a moment. This will be a beautiful duo portrait.”
Breaking away from Eir and her other self, Dys and Syd walked over to the door where Aila stood. Seeing her redheaded lover always brought a smile to Jadis’ faces, but Aila’s expression gave her some pause. She looked worried, her bottom lip chewed between her teeth, and Jadis noticed that she had a letter in one hand.
“What’s wrong?” Dys asked, coming to a stop before her lover and putting one fist on her bare hip. “Did something happen with the princes? Or was there some other news from Vraekae?”
Aila shook her head, brushing the concerns away.
“No, nothing like that,” Aila tilted her head to one side. “I—I’m sorry to bring this up right now, I know you’re on your date with Eir and I don’t want to interrupt, but I’m afraid we won’t have much time to prepare unless I bring this up now.”
“Why, what happened?” Dys repeated, her concern growing. “Fill me in, Blue. Whatever it is, I’m sure we can overcome it.”
“I hope so,” Aila’s shoulders heaved in a heavy sigh. “Jadis, my parents are coming. They want to meet us. And by us, I mean you and the rest of your lovers.”
For a second time that day, Jadis’ brains froze. When they finally started working again, she said what was probably the dumbest thing she’d uttered. Ever.
“More parents?”
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