... To be honest, my dear sister, I'm having trouble remembering the events of yesterday after the holstaur. It was all a blur. The milk had some lingering effects, I suppose. I next awoke in my bed, in the arms of my puppies. The puppy lust sprites, I mean. And once I was in bed with them... well, sorry to get explicit, sister, but it was very difficult to get out of bed after that.

Sometimes I feel almost trained by them. I'm writing this letter now in early morning before breakfst, and it's almost Pavlovian how they can get me to los trrrakc of t____

Senya moaned as his puppies held him down, pinned to the soft bed, and licked another orgasm from his throbbing cock. The cum spurted out, and they lapped it all up, like... like puppies eating up a spilled treat. The pleasure was exquisite, but somehow, their coos and whimpers of delight were even better. It felt strangely wonderful, pleasing his puppies. He wanted to do it every morning. And every night. And every minute of every day.

"P-puppies," he gasped, in between licking out the blonde puppy girl's cunt, "Master needs to—mm—needs to go do work now!" Mmm...

But all they had to do was pout and whine at him, with those adorable sad expressions and big, wide eyes, and he just... he couldn't bring himself to push them away. He just kept licking, delighting in his puppy's moans of pleasure.

He watched from the corner of his eye as they descended back on his cock, knowing grins on their faces. They were giggling once more, no doubt at his total helplessness to fight them off. But why would he want to fight? His puppies only wanted to make him happy.

He whimpered and whispered his praise as they started licking once more. They loved it when he praised them. It made them lick him even more eagerly, which made him praise them more, which made them lick him...

~~~~

Senya had gotten up at 5:30, aiming to quickly write the letter and get out the door. It was 7:35 when Bobbin knocked at the door, shooed away his lovers, and convinced him to get out of bed.

"I suppose you're annoyed at me for letting them push me around," Senya mumbled as they descended the stairs.

Bobbin smiled. "Not at all, Master."

He frowned. "But you were yesterday morning."

She shrugged and hopped up, sliding a ways down the banister on her pert ass. "That was yesterday morning. Besides, you had a long day yesterday. I have no problem with them reinforcing, um... healthier dynamics."

"Healthier than Mo—the holstaur, you mean."

"Mm." She winced a little as he almost said the pet name.

Once again, breakfast was exquisite—thick, crispy waffles with jam, and sausages on the side. Oh, and a fruit salad, naturally.

"No maple syrup this morning?" Senya asked, popping a slice of tasty pink fruit into his mouth. "I like having a sweetener for my waffles."

"None today," Bobbin said curtly, applying a liberal coating of butter to her toast. "Out of syrup."

"Honey, maybe?"

Bobbin looked up at him, her expression unreadable, then popped a strip of bacon in her mouth. "I think it would be best if you curb that sweet tooth a bit." She swallowed. "Just finish your breakfast. I need to go check on Jerrod, and you need to head to the vineyard."

Senya froze mid-chew. "The vineyard? You mean... Tricin?"

"Hm." Bobbin leaned over and forked one of Senya's little waffles over to her plate before he could react. "Personally, I'd try to avoid the lamia herself. Just talk to the fairies. All I need is the day's harvest."

"By myself?" Senya hadn't meant for his voice to come out quite so small.

"You and a few hundred fairies." Bobbin smirked. "Don't worry. Tricin likes to play the big tough domme, but deep down, she's a good girl. Plus, right now, she's still recovering from her punishment. They're probably teasing her mercilessly in some hole right now." She giggled at the entendre.

Seya chewed on a bit of sausage cartilige. "Why?:"

"Revenge." Bobbin shrugged. "And... just horny glee. She has them all really well-hypnotized, but fairies have a tendency for what's called smooth minds. Brainwashing is easy-come, easy-go. Right now, they're mostly free, but they can't resist the urge to take petty revenge. It's part of their Primal Code."

"Primal—" Senya stopped himself midway, partially remembering. It was a fey thing. Sort of like instinct, but more binding, as he understood it. Not too unlike his ex-partner's almost superstitious need to rearrange furniture whenever he got stressed. A compulsion.

Bobbin hadn't noticed his interruption. "So they'll bind her, and tease her and tickle her until she ties herself up in knots trying to handle it. And then she'll regain the upper coil, and they'll regret it." Her fingers climbed beneath the table, and Senya saw her breaths grow slightly heavier. "Or they won't. It's... well, it's pretty much something to see."

She rocked back and forth for a moment or two, clearly teasing herself, then took her hand away, now a bit slick with juices. Senya was impressed at her restraint. He almost wondered why Bobbin would edge herself on purpose, but quickly decided what his employee did in her free time to ease tensions was none of his business.

He chose his next words carefully. "Bobbin... back with Tricin, the fairies were still able to brainwash me and hypnotize me, with Tricin's help. Are they going to hypnotize me again?"

"They shouldn't." But Bobbin's voice didn't ring of the sort of confidence Senya longed to hear. "It's very important that you be careful. Don't eat or drink anything strange, don't stare at them too long, and whatever you do, do not fall for the 'panties on the doorknob' trick."

Senya blinked. "Wait, wh—"

"Trust me," she muttered, "you only have to fall for it once to never want to fall for it again."

~~~~

"Is that all you need?" the most forward of the fairies buzzed. The little creature's windswept red hair wafted around her as she hovered before Senya's eyes, a big happy smile on her face, her own vaguely insectile eyes gleaming with absolute delight.

"Yes, ma'am!" Senya chirped, hefting the second large basket of dark purple grapes. "I'll take this right back to the, uh, the house!"

The several hundred fairies swirled around him, giggles echoing throughout the swarm. "Are you sure?" they vibrated. "Don't you need any more... help?" Their colors shifted and writhed like gorgeous prismatic waves.

Senya swayed a moment, lost in the swirling patterns. He hesitated, watching the countless pigments glitter in the morning sunlight. "I... y-yes. I am very sorry, but with all due respect, I do not require any more aid."

Bobbin had coached him on how to be polite to forest fey like fairies. So far, it was a bit frustrating. Formality did not come naturally to Senya. He and his sister were more accustomed to breaking market stalls and offering to fix them in exchange for lunch than, well, asking for lunch politely. Anya was a wealthy mage now, of course, and Senya... apparently owned a ranch, but it was nonetheless difficult.

But the fairies didn't seem offended. The blonde flitted up and planted a ticklish little kiss on his nose, making his head spin like he'd been hit by a wave. "You're so sweet!" she cooed. "It's okay. We'll see you tomorrow, honey?"

"S-sure." But as Senya turned away, he paused. Something in her phrasing made him feel... uneasy. What was it?

Sweetie.

Sweet boy.

Honey.

After a moment, he shook himself. He was just being foolish. He looped the handles of the two massive baskets onto the yoke and headed out, his back hunched beneath the heavy load. Eager to minimize the time he spend carrying the grapes, he decided to start down a faster route this time, rather than the curiously roundabout path Bobbin had sent him down.

But as he caught a glimpse of the tall hill in the distance, the strange sense of deja vu returned. He'd seen that hill plenty of times since his arrival, but now something felt... off. Had he just never appreciated the beautiful view? The clover trees really were a striking shade of purple.

Wait, how did he knew they were clover trees? Senya rubbed his forehead, face growing warm. These fey were messing with his mind.

It was probably a fairy trick. He decided not to risk lingering in Tricin's territory—even if she wasn't a threat now, he had the weird feeling that she would be offended if she learned he'd dealt with her fairies without first yielding once more to her wondrous hypnotic embrace.

And he didn't want to offend Tricin. Like most of the fey on this Ranch, he had a feeling she would only take such behavior as a challenge. Or, worse, she would decide to 'punish' him for it.

Or maybe that's what I want, said that dark voice in his mind again. Gods, imagine her 'punishing' me... trapped in her coils, unable to resist, unable to...

Senya quickly became quite lost in these thoughts, oblivious to his surroundings. He knew he needed to shut them out, somehow, but something about them was just intoxicating.

As he wandered down the path, he suddenly noticed a loud purring from behind him. He jumped, turning to behold a gorgeous dark-haired woman. She had a nubile form, bright catlike eyes, a long fuzzy tail, and a pair of tufted cat ears atop her head. She wore a very short green skirt and a pale blouse that didn't even cover half her torso.

It took Senya a strangely long time to remember Valina, the catgirl who had seduced him his first day here.

She clasped her hands behind her back, giggling at his reaction. "Ooh, sorry! Kitten didn't mean to frighten Master."

Senya tried to regain his cool. He remembered the last time they'd met, and spotted that collar, with its little bell on it. For some reason, seeing that bell gave him comfort.

"Master is feeling better, I trust?" she asked, licking her lips—and reminding him of her long, rough tongue. "Master does not need me now?"

"Um... no." Senya cleared his throat, feeling his face heating up. Valina was staring right at his cock, which he noted with a start had gone rock-hard and was pointed right at her. "Not today."

"Aw." She gave a meek nod. "Kitten understands. Kitten was very naughty last time."

"You, uh..." Senya bit his lip. "You're feeling better now, then? I mean... well, different."

"Mm. Different." She gave a big smile, eyes half-closing. "Kitten feels... fixed! Kitten was getting so silly. She gets so silly when she isn't disciplined enough. But Kitten has learned her lesson." She leaned in, beaming at him. "Kitten will be a good girl now for Master. But... if Master wants to make Kitten a better Kitten?" She batted her eyelashes demurely.

"Um... great."

Senya felt vaguely disturbed. He'd never heard of a catgirl acting like this. Catgirls were... well, cats. Weird and contrary. Goofy and erratic. Sometimes a bit sadistic, though the nicer catgirls would always ask permission before dialing your nerve centers up to eleven and tickletorturing you for hours on end. This docile, pliant act... if it was an act...

Idly, Senya wondered what Valina had done to deserve being placed on the Ranch. Everyone had to have done something, right? What had this creature done to deserve having her mind torn away from her? 'Breeding', she called it. Like she was an animal.

"Valina?" he managed, realizing he was getting a little lost in her gorgeous eyes.

"Mm?" she giggled. "Ooh, it's Kitten's old name. Kitten almost forgets sometimes! Ditzy-witzy!"

"Do you... do you prefer to be called Valina, or Kitten?"

And then the brainwashed catgirl did something very strange.

She... blinked.

For a second, or even just a split-second, Senya had the strange sense that he wasn't looking at Kitten. He was looking at someone else, someone older, someone who... who did not understand. Not because she was 'ditzy-witzy', but because she was looking at something alien to her.

The bell at her collar gave a little ding.

The happy smile returned. "Kitten!" she squeaked. "Kitten is a good kitten! Valina was a bad girl." She started to drop to her knees, purring loudly. "Kitten will be a good girl. Master needs Kitten..."

"Um—" But Senya was too slow to react before she grabbed his hips and took his cock between her lips.

There was no teasing, this time, no manipulation. She just poured everything she had into his cock, poured all that submissive obedience in, and sucked. Senya swayed in place as he felt her devouring him, listened to her lips at work. Her soft slips slid up and down his shaft as she took him in deep, then pulled out, then took him in again. Her head bobbed rapidly in his lap. Her rough tongue delicately lapped over his head, bathing him in her saliva, her warm lust. And she held his gaze all the while. Her eyes were wide with desire.

Senya held on for maybe half a minute before he came. Pleasure blasted through him, and she squealed into his cock, swallowing his whole load with a strange hunger. But she didn't stop sucking.

And then he held on for maybe two more minutes before he came again. Kitten just kept sucking and licking, moaning happily as she guzzled it all down. Her eyes were placid, blissful. Senya was helpless against those eyes. She wanted to suck him, wanted it more than anything, it seemed. How could he resist her? All he could do was stand there, knees quaking, and accept the pleasure she longed to bathe him in.

Finally, after his third orgasm, he managed to remember enough of himself to pull out. It helped that his shoulders, still laden with the yoke, were killing him. His cock was slick with her spit. Kitten gave a disappointed whimper, and right then and there, he almost gave in all over again. He wanted to take it further, to push her down, to fuck Kitten in her needy slut pussy, to breed her, to let her lust consume him, to give himself to her—

But that was a bad idea. On... so many levels. So Senya took a deep breath and, almost reflexively, petted her head. "Kitten," he whispered, "I... I need to stop this."

She looked up at him, giving a broad smile. She got to her feet. "Yes!" Before he could react, she grabbed the yoke from his shoulders, hefted it over her own, and took off down the path. "Kitten should help Master! What does Master need?"

"I'm—I want to talk to Bobbin—"

"Master talks to Bobbi!" she sang, prancing toward the house. It was all Senya could do to keep up. Her biceps were plainly visible. Kitten was very strong, it seemed. "Kitten is a good girl! Kitten takes Master to Bobbi!"

The farmhouse came into view up ahead. Kitten ran up to the porch, and Senya raced after.

"Kitten, I—"

As they arrived at the door, Kitten abruptly stopped and grabbed his arm. She gave a yank and a twist.

In one swift, powerful move, Senya found that their positions had been flipped: Kitten had shoved him against the door and now pinned him against it! Her eyes blazed with lust, but there was something else kindling in there.

"Valina," she whispered, "doesn't like to talk in the open, where scarecrows are. Valina is a bad girl. Scarecrows are very mean to Valina if they hear her talk."

"Wh... what?" Senya stared at her, heart pounding at the proximity. "What are you—"

Valina—Kitten—the catgirl silenced him with her lips on his, a kiss so powerful it made his knees buckle. He swooned into her embrace, and Valina caught him, moaning happily. For a moment, she squirmed, and he thought she was about to have him penetrate her right then and there. They were both young, aroused, and naked, and clutching each other. He wouldn't resist. How could he resist this creature anything?

Instead, she opened the door and pulled him inside.

To Senya's surprise, the farmhouse was empty. They entered the dining room, and the table held only a small plate of crackers and cheese.

Valina released his hand, then kicked the door shut behind them and set the baskets down. "You should eat something," she chirped, hips swaying back and forth as she approached the table and sat back against it. She winked at him. "Important to eat normal food during ranch business. Keeps Master strong."

"I..." Senya was still out of breath from Valina's teasing attentions outside. "I, um..."

He found he almost wanted to just start stroking himself. The urge was surprisingly strong. It boiled in him, making his hand twitch excitedly. It was a strange thought, but it almost made sense. She won't care. She'd probably love the show. Might make me a bit more sensible. Give me some... control.

He shook off the strange compulsion.

Valina seemed to misinterpret his hesitance. "No worries, Master!" She giggled, grabbing one of the cheeses and popping the whole tiny wheel into her mouth. "Mm!" She rubbed her tummy as she chewed rapidly and swallowed. "Yummy!"

Yummy.

Yummy-nummy.

Yummy-nummy honey.

Senya rubbed his eyes, feeling distinctly off-balance. Where were those thoughts coming from? "I, um," he croaked.

"Oh, Master." Valina covered her mouth, hiding a widening grin. "Kitten not fooling Master. Kitten feels drugs just like Master does! Maybe not as strong, but..." She snacked on a cracker. Her way of eating was surprisingly cute—extremely dainty, and almost flirtatious, though there was nothing sexual in the way her slightly sharp teeth nibbled away at the cracker. "It is very safe for Master. No tricks!"

Desperate to get the strangeness out of his head, Senya approached and picked up a cracker. After a moment, he took a slice of what looked suspiciously like brie. Senya hadn't really cared for brie, the few times his sister, Anya, had made him try it. It seemed smart to only eat things he hated, if he was worried about poison.

Though in truth, he hadn't been worried until Valina had explicitly brought it up.

He tried the cracker. It was alright. A bit stale, maybe, and the cheese was brie. In Senya's experience, brie was cheese that had died and never been given a proper burial. But it wasn't terrible.

That mediocrity was actually a pretty good endorsement, he thought, finishing the rest of the cracker. Fey food always tasted amazing, there was always tons of it, and they were always suspiciously eager to share it with strangers. As the saying went: There's no such thing as good food for free. But this was clearly just... well, normal food.

Something about the normal food, and the awareness that it was normal, made Senya suddenly very hungry. He started stacking slices of cheese and crackers to make 'sandwiches' as he spoke. "So, um... can Valina talk now? I feel like there's some sort of..." He coughed. "Look, you could've seduced me pretty easy back there."

"Oh, I know." He looked up nervously from his crackers and saw her beaming at him. She wasn't eating anymore, which made him a little nervous.

"R-right." He cleared his throat again. "But you didn't. Why?"

"Kitten was curious." The catgirl's tail suddenly flicked into view, brushing over his hand and pointing out one particularly greenish hunk of cheese. "Try this, Master. It's from the dopterines!"

"What's it called?" Senya asked, scooping up a bit and popping it into his mouth. He blinked. The taste was very strong and salty, but surprisingly delicious. He had no idea what sorts of cheeses mothgirls made—they were said to be a perverted and lusty species, with all sorts of strange customs.

"Dickcheese."

Senya's eyes widened. He sputtered and spat the concoction on the floor, nearly retching in sheer shock. He stared at her, mouth open in mute horror.

Valina burst out in giggles. "Just kidding! They call it jökulhúð—it means, basically, 'glacier curds'. They make it from yaks' milk and turn it into cheese in big ice caves, you big ditz."

He looked at her in disbelief. "Wha..."

Valina grinned and clapped her hands together. "Ooh, that felt good. Good in a non-sexy way, I mean!"

"You, um..."

She grabbed another cracker and scooped up some more of the jokul... whatever, and before he could even think, popped it into his open mouth. He reflexively chewed. It was still delicious, after all. "Sorry," she whispered, batting her eyelashes at him. "Kitten doesn't mean to be naughty. Valina is just such a bad kitty..." She planted a kiss on his closed lips, "... and it helps her if she gets to misbehave."

"Mm." Senya chewed and swallowed. Valina was very close now, he realized—her face was inches from his. She'd somehow scooted her rear along the table without him registering it.

Wait, when had he sat down?

"S-so," he whispered back, leaning away from her, "Valina is... free-willed. And Kitten is..."

"Obedient," Valina moaned, leaning in and nuzzling him. "She's a good kitty." One eye opened, green and feral. "A good slave, Master."

"And you're free-willed right now."

"Oh, no!" Valina giggled. "The bell would be dinging if I was disobeying orders. Bell makes Kitten behave. Makes her a good girl." She reached down, tugging her blouse down a little to expose the belled collar to him. He felt his head sway as he caught a very good look at one of her nipples.

"So you're just... lucid?"

"When Kitten gets fucked," Valina said, leaning back, "she remembers lots. Lots of old programming. How to be a good girl. How to be Kitten. But Valina never goes all the way awa! Sometimes I'm more Valina, but I'm usually still a good kitten."

"Are you one right now?"

Valina looked at him coyly. "Am I a good kitten?" she cooed.

Seny was starting to sweat. "Um..."

She leaned in again, and seemed to slip from the table onto his knee. "Am I a good kitten?' she mewled, staring him right in the eyes. She wriggled her hips slightly, and he couldn't help but groan as he realized his hard dick was now pressed into her side. "Am I being a good kitten right now, Master?" she asked, her voice very, very small.

Senya was quivering. He could barely trust himself to speak. She's trying to... to...

Somehow, Senya managed to rally enough to manage two words: "Pussycat, go see the queen."

Valina stared at him for a moment. Her lip quivered.

Suddenly, the catgirl leaped off his lap like it was on fire. She leaped a full meter, fell against the back wall, and moaned, pulling up her skirt. "M-mean master," she whimpered, starting to visibly stroke herself. "P-please don't m-make me—aah—mmme—" She quickly shut her mouth, as if struggling to hold something in.

The catgirl rocked back and forth, stroking herself faster and faster. Her face took on a calm, blissful look. Her lips began to quiver, and slowly parted...

"Enough," he said quickly. "Sorry."

With this, Valina managed to wrest her hand away. A low sigh of relief escaped her.

A moment passed in silence as Valina stared at him, her face a mix of anger and surprise. She took a step forward, and her hand reached for a chair next to her, fingers clenching around the cross rail—

The bell gave a warning chime, and she stopped, her expression easing just a little bit back into bliss. She leaned back against the wall, audibly purring, neither nymphomaniac nor homicidal. "Mean Master," she whispered again, but there was no more venom left in her. "Mm... Kitten just wanted to play."

"That was Valina, I think," Senya said slowly, leaning forward in a futile effort to hide his erection. Valina's lips quirked upward in response. "You were changing the subject."

"Guilty. Kitten's guilty." She giggled. "Bad kitty. Kitten did warn you how naughty Valina can be!"

"She did, I guess." Senya grimaced. He gestured to the table. "You're welcome to... to stay, if you want, Valina. And you can... you can be Valina, if you want to be." Even as he said it, doubts filled his mind. What did that really mean? And how would she interpret it? How would she twist it? "But as Master, I command you to... to not touch me again unless I ask for it." He took a cracker and dipped it in the dopterine glacier cheese. "Maybe I don't have the authority yet to enforce that, but if you break that rule, I'll... I'll make you stroke yourself until all you can do is mew."

Wait, what? Senya frowned. What an odd remark to make. Where had that come from? Why would she have to mew? He shook his head, a bit confused. He'd thought he was alluding to something, but now he had no idea what.

Maybe Valina did, though, because she was slowly smiling. "Mew," she said, nodding happily. She pranced over and jumped back up onto the table, resting her rear on the edge near him. "You are a strange Master," she said. "Maybe because the last Master didn't raise you. Nicer."

"You are... strange."

Valina beamed. "Valina tries to be."

~~~~

They spent the next half-hour like that, eating cheese and crackers and... talking. Actually talking. She got more normal as the conversation went on, in fact, and was soon almost exclusively using first-person pronouns again. It was an almost bewildering relief after the last two days.

Valina and he compared sexual conquests—she had a slight preference for boys, and he a slight preference for girls. "A perfect match!" she exclaimed, making him uncomfortable. She told him about the time she and her girlfriend had set fire to a nunnery, and he told her about the time he'd helped rebuild a nunnery. They weren't sure if there was a connection. It seemed unlikely, but Valina was stingy with details about her homeland.

In fairness, Senya was, too.

Valina was actually fairly funny, though she couldn't seem to help but flirt with him every now and then. She seemed to have a weakness for puns and entendre, so Senya tried to avoid bringing up shafts and nails and screws when discussing his work.

Valina seemed quite interested in carpentry. He expounded to her on his most prized work—a chair designed for two occupants, commissioned by an amorous baroness who had tried several times to pay him in sexual favors. Valina was perplexed as to why he'd rejected this offer, until he'd admitted he'd just really needed to pay rent that week.

She was actually a pretty reasonable person. Senya couldn't help but wonder, though... As normal as she seemed, she must have done something to deserve being here. He didn't dare ask about that.

"Woodworking," Valina said, with a wistful sigh. "I guess you meet a lot of angry dryads."

"You have no idea." Senya giggled, popping another cracker into his mouth. They were out of cheese. "Do you have any crafts like that? Anything you do for—" He stopped himself, realizing too late what he was asking.

Valina blinked bright green eyes at him. She frowned, glancing outside at a tree. "Glassblowing."

It took Senya a moment to realize she wasn't looking outside—she was looking at the window itself.

"I used to love glassblowing," she said, sighing. "Valina was really good at it, too! Made lots of pretty things. Shiny baubles. But then Valina got a nice little collar and became... became a good girl."

Senya bit his lip, not looking directly at her. He had no idea what to say. He'd almost managed to forget where he was, who Valina was, until now. What she'd probably done.

After a moment, she glanced back at him, smiling. "We're out of cheese."

"Yeah." He gave a weak laugh. "I wonder where Bobbin and Jerrod are. I'm really supposed to be delivering those." He gestured at the baskets of grapes next to his chair.

"Mm." She shrugged. "Sometimes they have business. With each other, or with others. Why don't we go downstairs, though?"

"Downstairs?"

"Mm-hm!" She reached down and hefted one basket over her shoulder. "That's where we take the grapes, silly! And Kitten wants to help. And there's more cheese down in the cellar."

"This house has a cellar?"

The catgirl giggled, taking his hand to tug him off the chair. "Come, Master! Let Valina help you. Don't you want more cheese?"

He grinned. "Well, you're saying it the same way Mo—the holstaur asked if I wanted more milk, so now I'm skeptical."

"Aw." Valina beamed as she picked up the other basket. "Kitten loves Mommy's milk! She's so sweet and caring to Kitten."

He followed her as she bounced over to a door he'd always assumed was a closet. "And how does... Valina feel about her?"

Valina glanced back at him coyly. "I do not think Valina cares for her much. She's never around for long when I'm with Mommy."

She opened the door, and Senya was startled to see a set of very narrow, very steep stairs spiraling down. Senya wasn't especially afraid of heights, but just looking at this made him a bit queasy. But she danced down confidently into the darkness.

Not wanting to be left behind, Senya followed.

~~~~

The stairs weren't as treacherous as they'd looked—there was a nice wooden railing. Fine polished yew; smooth to the touch; a real indulgence for a cellar almost no one would see. Senya still had to be careful as he followed Valina/Kitten down into the cellar.

It was, he realized, a wine cellar. Shelves lined the walls and filled the stone chamber like a library of fine drink. Bottle after bottle occupied the shelves. It was astounding how much there was. He'd never seen so much wine before in his life.

Senya could see by the dim lights of tinted red lamps that shone within red wine bottles, giving the place a sort of... intimate feel.

Senya stared at one of the red lamps. There was a little woman inside, he realized after a pause. Her form was bright red and wreathed in flames, and she was dancing merrily—and lewdly. He watched her dance inside the bottle. She looked over at him and pursed her lips, blowing him a lusty kiss. The red bottle seemed to fog up...

... and he realized that this was because he'd walked all the way up to the bottle. There was a faint whispering in his mind.

He stared at the woman in the bottle. There were other glowing bottle lamps around him, each with their own dancing man or woman, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from this one. She was nubile and gorgeous, with flaming hair and scarlet skin that shone like embers. Her dance was writhing and sensual, a mix of belly dance and outright lurid provocation. She exposed her pussy to him, and he realized his face was pressed against the glass.

The glass was warm.

She smiled at him and blew him another kiss.

The whispering grew louder. tkmetkmetkmetkme...

Without any thought, his hand grasped the bottle. It was warm. Sealed with cool green wax. The dancing figure seemed to giggle. She rapidly stroked her pussy for him with a single finger as she spun and leaped. Her eyes glowed white.

The whispering was getting louder. takemetakemetakemetakeme...

A hand gently wrapped around his wrist. The hand was soft, with very long, delicate fingers. Senya felt ticklish little tendrils wrapping around his arm. "I see you're enjoying the company of one of the sparkle sprites," said a husky, lilting voice. "Is she pleasing you, then?"

Senya blinked. The woman in the bottle continued to gyrate her whole body, breasts jiggling together as she toyed with her nipples. "Mm..."

Take me take me take me take me TAKE ME—

With a start, Senya registered the unfamiliar voice, and realized he was about to hold the warm bottle up to his groin. The dancing woman was pressed against the glass, eyes fixated on his cock, thrusting and swinging her hips.

He looked up, and it was like dunking his head into cold water. He hadn't realized how hot he felt, temperature wise, while he was looking into that bottle. He was back in the wine cellar.

And staring into two of the most beautiful purple eyes he'd ever seen.

Many of the women he had met on the ranch were highly sexual. Kitten was barely-dressed, always eager for a round. The slime girls, Brigitte, puppy girls and beembos just went around naked, displaying their whole bodies for his temptation. The Thriae only wore clothes to tease, to taunt, to...

Wait, Thriae?

The eyelashes fluttered, and he forgot his confusion. Stay on-track. The point was, this woman, this... creature was nothing like the other creatures of the Ranch. she was... tasteful.

She wore an elaborate red dress. It was a gorgeous garment that hugged her every curve, accentuating her full form, flowing from breasts down to her feet like molten rubies. Somehow, it was both the most modest dress he'd seen yet and the most erotic by far. Her skin was a very pale green, almost like the elven complexion, but a bit more yellowed. Tattoos of flowing vines and blooming flowers covered that skin like a canvas. Her lips were a brilliant bloodred, and her eyes were a gorgeous, drowning violet.

Such a strange word to think of. Drowning. Drowning. But it was what they were. He was drowning in those eyes. Her lips quirked upward in a smile as she seemed to study him, never breaking eye contact. It was like she saw everything to know of him through his eyes.

"Why, darling," she said, her voice soft, and delicately clicking in a way that made his spine tingle, "I can see that it is a pleasure to make my acquaintance."

She took his hand, taking the bottle from him, and brought his hand to those red lips. And before he could even begin to think about whether or not it was a good idea to let her, she kissed the back of his hand.

Pleasure poured into him like rainwater, trickling, exquisite. Her lips were perfect. They were wonderful. Senya trembled as she held the kiss just a bit longer than she needed to, but he could not look away from those violet eyes. They anchored him as surely as a rowboat to the dock. They would protect him from the storm.

The bottle returned to the shelf with a quiet clinking sound as she completed the kiss, returning his hand to his side as if it was a gift from her to him, rather than his own hand. She smiled. "My name is Ms. Vinifera, or Lady Vinifera, if you prefer. You may call me Miss Scarlet, if you please. My true name is so dreadfully scientific, don't you agree?" She curtseyed. But those eyes held him.

"Y-yes, Miss Scarlet," he replied, his tongue leaden. He shivered under her stare.

The eyes glimmered. "And you are... Master."

"Yes, Miss Scarlet." Senya wasn't sure why he kept repeating her name. It felt respectful.

Senya had grown up quite poor, and his sister, though considerably better-off after finding her gifts for magic, had always agreed with him that the wealthy were basically the worst. But he intuitively knew that Miss Scarlet wasn't like that. Miss Scarlet was a lady. It was important to respect a lady.

"Might I ask what brings you down here, Senya?" Miss Scarlet asked, tilting her head to the side. Her dark brown hair was immaculately styled into something like a chignon, with two long, sharp-looking ruby pins holding it in place.

"Yes, Miss Scarlet." Senya clasped his hands behind his back. "I'm just... I'm just here to deliver a, um... grapes."

"Ah." She raised one dark eyebrow, glancing around him. "I don't see any grapes; do you, Senya?"

"Um, no, Miss Scarlet." Senya bit his lip, unable to look away from her eyes. "I was... Valina was..." he was starting to feel nervous. Why was he so afraid to displease this woman? Why couldn't he just look aw—

"You lost them," Miss Scarlet said softly, a little smile flitting across her lips to show she wasn't angry. "Silly dear."

Senya let out a sigh, his heart filling with relief. "Yes, Miss Scarlet. Yes. I... lost them."

"It's good that you admitted it," Miss Scarlet said, reaching forward and chivalrously reclaiming his hand. "Come, darling. Why don't we discuss it over dinner."

"Din... ner?"

"Why, yes, darling." She giggled as she finally turned away, releasing him from those eyes at last. Once again, Senya felt his head clear. But less, this time. Less. "Dear Kitten is waiting for us. It doesn't do to keep a lady waiting."

"Kitten? She is?" Senya blinked. "Oh."

His mind felt a bit less sluggish, now, and he was starting to get a bad feeling about this. But Miss Scarlet's hand was on his, and he felt those same tickling tendrils climbing over his skin. He looked, this time, and realized that little creeping vines were climbing from her arm, from beneath her sleeve. They didn't seem too thick, and he had no doubt he could break them, but their attentions were both ticklish and a bit pleasant. He hoped this wasn't something to worry about.

Miss Scarlet led him along, and Senya obediently followed. He followed after her, weaving around the shelves of wine, until they came to the back of the cellar, where there was a clear space set out. Those "sparkle sprite" bottles lined the walls, filling the chamber with reddish light. Remembering what had happened last time, he carefully looked away, focusing his gaze on Miss Scarlet's feet. To his slight surprise, she was barefoot. Nonetheless, her step carried a significant sway. He had to fight to avoid looking at her rear.

In the center of the room was a small table with a red tablecloth. A bottle lamp was right in the center, which worried Senya a little—he'd have to be careful to avoid looking at it while looking into Miss Scarlet's pretty eyes, or he'd get hypnotized again.

Beside the table stood Kitten, laying out the last of the dishes and silverware. Her gaze seemed curiously distant as she straightened napkins. There were two chairs. Kitten was wearing a black-and-white maid outfit now, Senya realized—the kind lust sprites wore to put you in the mood. Not that lust sprites needed any help. Not that Kitten needed any help.

"Hi," Kitten said, turning as she saw him. "Master and Miss Scarlet! Kitten was just finishing..." She bit her lip, looking at Senya with an expression that seemed almost guilty as she clasped her hands behind her back. Senya couldn't help but look at her cleavage, accentuated both by the corset and her posture.

"Very good, Kitten," Miss Scarlet said, smiling. She stepped forward and rubbed Kitten's ears, eliciting a little whimper from the catgirl. She glanced over at Senya and chuckled. "I trust the maid pleases you, darling?"

"Uh... what?" Senya's mouth was dry as he watched Kitten lean into Miss Scarlet's touches, wriggling slightly. He found himself envying Kitten. He longed to be touched again by Miss Scarlet, to be so close to her, to enjoy her attentions.

Miss Scarlet released Kitten, to Kitten's clear disappointment, and gestured to the table. "She has set the table. She's been a good maid, don't you think?"

"Y-yes," Senya said, feeling his face heating up.

"Have a seat, Senya," Miss Scarlet said with an easy smile.

Senya found himself obeying. Miss Scarlet sat a moment afterwards.

The sprite danced and gyrated in the bottle. Miss Scarlet assumed perfect posture, her eyes fixed on Senya's once more. Senya felt his mind drowning in those eyes once more as she smirked. "Kitten, pour the wine."

~~~~

My dastardly brother, Senya,

Holy shit, you think you got mentioned in Great-Uncle Yvun's will? Keep me posted! Mail's taking ages to deliver, for some reason, but I promise I'm on the edge of my seat! I'm sure whatever happens with that, you'll be fully on top of it and ready to dive right in.