Chapter 3: Compassionate Cuirass

Patricia hesitated when she landed outside what had been Clara’s door. For all she knew her instincts to seek out Clara could be a trap. There’s no way I could know if Runetress had hidden anything in my mind as a backup in case I ever escaped, but… what does that matter? She quietly snorted, giggling with a quick shake of her head. Runetress is gone. Some other heroine defeated her, or one of her rivals scared her away and took everything besides me. I was probably too much of a hassle…

With another deep breath, Patricia raised her hand, pausing for a moment as she gathered up the courage to knock on the door.

All that matters now is that I’m free. I’m free, and I need to start living my life again. I need to reconnect. I’m going to need Clara’s help for that. Even if she isn’t Cuirass anymore? I know that I can count on Clara. I’ve always been able to count on Clara.

Her knuckles finally rapped against the door, and Patricia held her breath and her partisan just as anxiously. Every second felt like minutes. She wasn’t sure what she would do if she were wrong. Every attempt to reach a conclusion left Patricia dizzy and uncertain. There were other heroines she could try contacting, other people who could help her, but for some reason, she could only focus on Clara.

There’s no point in making plans until I know what’s going to happen now. I can worry about other possibilities when they matter… all of this is just too much for me after… after all of that…

Just as Patricia began to give up hope she could hear the deadbolt sliding out of place, and then the door flung open. “Patri—Partisan…! It’s been… It’s been so long…!” Before Patricia could even get a good look at her old friend, she was pulled into a tight hug. “Come in, please, come in… We have so much to talk about…!”

“Sounds good to me…!” Patricia laughed as she returned the hug somewhat awkwardly. Afraid to let go of her spear, she moved her other arm around her friend. Her face was scrunched up shyly, even as happiness was so visible in her deep brown eyes.

The shorter woman grasped Patricia’s hand and pulled her inside of her home, then pushed the door closed and threw the deadbolt back into place. Where Patricia was tall and slender, Clara was short and made of curves. Wearing a large white sweater only made Clara look that much softer and warmer. Her messy blonde hair always looked like she’d just crawled out of bed in the most perfectly attractive way. Her hazel eyes were bright and warm, so soothing and welcoming.

Clara “Cuirass” Clemens was the first real heroic ally Patricia had ever made. Being back in her embrace, after such a long time, was immensely relieving.

“Where… where have you been? When you first disappeared, I just assumed you were tired or your normal life had gotten too hectic to keep up with your heroine side job, but when months passed by…” Clara squeezed Patricia tighter. She was voluptuous in ways only heroines seemed to be, her body so supple and welcoming.

While Patricia had found her partisan and needed to remain in contact with the artifact to draw from its power, Clara had found an enchanted steel cuirass that imbued her with magical powers. One of them meant that, while she was soft and warm to the touch, Clara was more invulnerable than well-worked steel. She was even capable of passing that property onto other objects, making a simple cardboard tube as sturdy as a well-crafted sword.

“I… there’s so much to tell…!” Patricia held her friend tight, quietly sniffling. It had been so long since she’d felt such a tender touch that was for her, not the satisfaction of that twisted villain. “I’m not sure what happened. My memories still feel… strange? I can easily remember things from before it happened, and I remember what happened during, but I… can I sit down…?”

“Of course…!” Clara laughed shyly as she guided her friend to a large, plush couch. Just like Clara herself, it was warm and comfortable, readily accepting the taller woman’s body into its cushions as she sat.

Clara stayed close but made no motion of impatience. All she did was wait, and squeeze Patricia’s hand.

She hasn’t changed at all… She’s still so supportive, so kind, so…

Beautiful.

Patricia quivered. She didn’t remember having any feelings of lust towards her friend before Runetress’s control. It could have been a source of anxiety, but there was something soothing about it instead. Clara was beautiful. Her skin was so soft, and being squeezed against her body felt so good. If her time under Runetress’s influence enabled the heroine to appreciate her friend’s beauty, that it hardly seemed like the worst possible scenario.

She didn’t feel an urge to drop to her knees and offer her mouth for Clara’s use. She didn’t feel a need to serve the voluptuous woman as she had once fulfilled every small longing that Runetress had. If anything, it seemed likely that the experience had just awakened latent desires.

I’m free from that horrible woman’s mental control. Anything I’m feeling now is just me.

“Runetress. She… she did… Something.” Patricia sighed, still tightly squeezing her partisan. “I don’t know how, or what but I… I spent a long, long time as her possession. She had me doing trivial tasks for her, but then I… I just woke up one day, and she was gone. You were the first person that I knew I could count on, so I came to you. I don’t have any clothes, and I haven’t paid rent in… months? I have no idea, and tonight I… I know there are people who could help me, but I just… I just want to spend time with a friend.”

So much remained unsaid, but Patricia wasn’t ready to deal with everything quite yet. It was only her first night free from Runetress’s domination. Confronting everything so soon felt counterproductive.

A little time enjoying her newfound freedom felt more important.

“Oh… oh my goodness, I… Patricia…!” Clara pulled Patricia in and squeezed her so tight it almost hurt. “I’m so glad you came to me…! We can… Tomorrow? I know some people who can help you get things sorted out… they’re all probably asleep by now, anyway…!” Clara laughed for a moment, but then her demeanor shifted and she let out an apologetic sigh. “I’m so sorry, Patricia. I tried looking for you. I did. Every so often I’d hear about someone like you appearing, but it never… it never helped me track you down. I was your mentor, and I… I let you down. Is there anything I can do right now…?”

“Clara… This is Runetress we’re talking about.” Patricia quietly laughed, relaxing in her friend’s embrace. It was impossible to not feel hyper-aware of Clara’s breasts, so soft and warm even through the sweater. Being held against Clara, Patricia strained to keep herself still. “She had me under some spell, hidden away in a place that was probably covered inside and out with magical defenses. I’m sure you did everything you could… but… well… there is something you could do now…”

“What…?” Clara drew back, staring intently into Patricia’s eyes. “Say the word. Whatever it is, we’ll do it.”

So many options teased at Patricia’s mind—not least of which was a kiss. Clara had been her mentor. They’d met when Patricia had only just turned twenty, and Clara had been in her early thirties. Asking my mentor to teach me how to kiss a woman, now that I want to, now that I can’t get myself to stop thinking about her like this… it would be so easy to use her kindness as a chance to make this meeting intimate, but…

Taking a deep breath, Patricia forced herself to calm down. Even if her urges were her own, and even if Clara was exceptionally sexy, rushing right into that so soon after escaping felt like the definition of impulsive.

She couldn’t convince herself to put the thought entirely out of her mind, but she could delay it. There would be time.

“Well… How would it sound if we… watched a movie together…?” Patricia couldn’t stop her cheeks from turning a deep pink. “I’d really love to just… pop some popcorn, and curl up with an old friend! Something… low-key, calm, nothing too… exciting, just… something nice. Just me and you… watching a movie together. Being close. Does that sound… okay…?”

Clara smiled, slowly nodding as she rose from the couch. “It sounds just fine… I know your partisan helps empower you, but do you want me to put it anywhere…? I know you don’t have any other clothes, and mine wouldn’t exactly fit you…”

“I think… keeping it close might help me feel better…? I feel safe with you. You’re Cuirass. Invulnerable. Unstoppable. No one’s going to nab me up while you’re around, but…” Patricia’s flush deepened. “I’d hate to not have it close by. I think that I went a long time left all alone, and the partisan might still be helping my body heal. If it makes you feel uncomfortable—”

“No, no!” Clara laughed, shaking her head as she leaned in close to press her lips to Patricia’s blushing cheek. It was a quick kiss, but it was more than enough to have Patricia giggling and squirming in her seat. “I just asked that for your sake. I’ll get some popcorn going.”

Patricia sighed in relief. “Thank you, Clara…! You really are just… just the best.”

The blonde shook her head as she drew back. “Just doing what I can to help a woman I care about feel safe. That’s all. You wait right here! Is there anything you want to drink…?”

“Oh, anything, really… Even water sounds really good right now. I can’t remember the last time I had a drink…!” Patricia laughed, the sound gradually fading as she watched Clara walk away. The blue jeans tightly hugging her hips did things to emphasize the shorter woman’s perfect ass that Patricia never would have imagined. They weren’t so tight that they looked uncomfortable, and they wouldn’t stop her ass from yielding to a tight squeeze from both of Patricia’s hands, but she still looked so… round.

Runetress’s efforts to help me enjoy women have definitely worked… I’ve never seen anyone that I’ve wanted to touch, to feel, to learn how their body reacts more than Clara right now…

“I think… after an experience like that? You could use a little wine!” Clara called out from the kitchen, oblivious to her friend’s lustful thoughts. “I’ll open a bottle I keep around for stressful occasions… It’ll help us both loosen up and just relax! Then we can find the right movie, nibble some popcorn, and do anything else you want. I mean it… anything at all! You’ve been through such a traumatic experience, and I want you to come out of it knowing that I haven’t forgotten you, and that I’m here to support you!”

I’d love to support you… anywhere, really… Patricia’s eyes hooded. How can a sweater make someone look so sexy? How can denim look so irresistible? You’re something else, Clara…

“Your company, a little wine, and some popcorn…? That should hit the spot, I think…!” Patricia giggled to herself. Clara had always been a little oblivious. She was a helpful mentor figure, teaching Patricia how to defend herself and how to solve the kinds of problems a superheroine runs into regularly, but she always missed the small things. It felt oddly appropriate that she would be completely oblivious to Patricia’s desires.

A memory rose to the surface from deep inside of Patricia’s mind. Runetress was straddling her, pulling away her robes. Underneath them, the villain tended to wear little, at least when she was alone with her Partisan. That time, she’d only been wearing a garter belt leading to stockings that disappeared into her boots.

Her breasts had been bare, looking so heavy and large at her chest. She’d grasped Patricia’s hands and held them just beneath before using the heroine’s palms to support their heft. They’d spilled past Patricia’s hands, too big for her to keep them contained. Her dusky nipples, such a pretty shade of brown, had looked so cutely small protruding from her pale breasts. “Squeeze, Partisan… Squeeze…”

Without even a chance to think, Patricia could remember how it felt to squeeze, to knead, to feel her owner’s breasts yield to her grasp. They were so impossibly soft, and the slightest pressure had them reshaping to fit in her hands.

They were sensitive, too. Runetress’s face had contorted instantly, and she’d let out the most unrestrained, lewd groans as she grinded her naked crotch against Patricia’s bare body.

“Feel that weight in your hands… feel it in your mind… Mmm… Feel it making you so hot, so needy, so weak. The hotter you become, the more that you become nothing but my obedient toy…” Her voice had been so low, so breathy, and so possessive. There was no room for Partisan to deny, or to resist. She nodded, her eyes fluttering as Runetress laughed. “Tell me how it feels, my little heroine toy. Tell me how you feel. Tell me what you are.”

“W-weak…! Hot…! It makes me feel so weak… so hot… Mmm… soo… so obedient…! Your breasts are so perfect… so… ohhh… I’m your toy, Runetress…! Your runes bind me, body and soul! I can do nothing but obey you… I must obey you… I must… I must… I…”

“And you always will…!” Runetress had laughed before their lips met, and the pleasure from those plush lips sinking against her own would have been enough to make Partisan cum if magic weren’t redirecting that pleasure to instead make her a more helplessly obedient possession. All she could do was return the kiss and shudder, powerless to stop her body’s eager attempts to further bind her in the powerful villain’s control.

So many other memories of squeezing, kneading, savoring Runetress’s body rose up in Patricia’s mind. She drowned in them, squeezing at the pole of her partisan. Remembering every curve of Runetress’s body was as easy as remembering her own name. She could remember her taste, how every contour of Runetress’s body responded to her nails, to her teeth.

Runetress had been so very thorough, making such extensive use of her heroine-turned-slave.

I want to have these kinds of memories for Clara… I want to feel Clara like I felt Runetress… Patricia’s lips rubbed together.

In the next room, Clara was pouring them wine and preparing popcorn.

The next room felt like it was a million miles away, and it took all of Patricia’s self-control to stay on the couch.

I want Clara… I want to be close to Clara… I want to taste her, to know her… Patricia’s grip tightened again as she shook away the memories of her magical mistress. She’s always been so kind… making her feel good like that would be a nice way to show Clara that I never forgot her either, right…?

“Sorry, it won’t be much longer…!” Oblivious as ever, Clara remained unaware of her mentee’s fantasies. “I’m really so glad to see you again…! Watching a movie with you again will be wonderful!”

“I’m sure it will…” Patricia spoke too low, too softly for Clara to hear before her tongue ran over her lips. They suddenly felt so dry, and Patricia wanted them to be dripping wet. “I’m sure that we’re going to have a lot of fun tonight…” Her fingers idly slid along the pole of her partisan, her eyes glancing through the television sat in front of the couch.

Coming to Clara was definitely the right decision…