Hyacinth and Liath step outside into the court of the Lockhearts’ Guild, and Liath exhales.

  “Thank you for letting me take the lead in there,” Liath says. “I know that took restraint.”

  Hyacinth rubs the back of her head. “Actually,” she says. “I kind of prefer that. It’s a little weird to have it expected by random other people, but I like being yours. And it’s nice to have someone to do the talking for me.”

  Liath ughs. “Alright. I just… I felt like you were talked over in there, and that didn’t sit right with me.”

  Hyacinth nods. “Yeah, I get it. I don’t like it entirely either, but so long as we trust each other I don’t mind you having a little bit of control like that.”

  “So what do we do with the ring?” Liath looks at it contemptively.

  “I think we should return it to whomever gifted it to the past occupant of my body,” Hyacinth says. “I mean, I’m curious, and it’s probably practically worth more as a reward in starting cash than it is on my finger. It is only a plus one bonus, and having some money to invest in equipment and training would be a serious break for us.”

  Liath considers for a moment. “I agree. In the long run thirty steel should be within our means, but investing in proper basic equipment will probably help us a lot with making steel consistently. I know that I’d have more fun with pain py if we had more variety in painful stimuli than just my nails, and anything that makes it more fun will definitely pay dividends in how often we do it, you know?”

  Hyacinth nods along. “Yeah, that makes sense. I also think that investing in void-tearing and life-weaving lessons will help us turn euphoria and ichor into money a lot more efficiently. Probably some level of basic competency is assumed in More Bien’s calcutions already - if it turns out that all I can turn out from void-tearing is lumps of bck, fused gss…” She rubs the back of her head. “I’d be more comfortable knowing I can actually produce products people will buy.”

  Liath taps her fingers against her arm. “I agree. Let’s head over to the Weavers’ guild and see what we can get for the ring, then.”

  Hyacinth cps her hands together, and smiles. “Off on an adventure,” she sing-songs. “I want to see what the weaver gender is like!”

  Liath ruffles Hyacinth’s hair. “Cutie. You really like this gender stuff, huh? Well, I’m gd you’re having fun. Let’s go!”

  She takes Hyacinth by the hand, and leads the way.

  ~*~

  The weavers’ guild is a modest, unassuming building with paper walls reinforced by heavy, green-cquered wood. It rests within a stone compound, which has a delicately tended garden that must cost a fortune in upkeep; not a single flower is out of pce. In every direction the garden feels natural and yet surpassingly beautiful; it’s truly a masterpiece of deliberate composition.

  Liath and Hyacinth are greeted at the door by a dryad in a discreet steel colr, and, wonder of wonders, an actual (if short) kimono that covers her nudity, who offers each of them a kimono of their own to wear for the duration of their stay. Hyacinth’s is short, like the submissive at the door’s; Liath’s is long, sized to reach her ankles.

  Hyacinth and Liath dress, as directed, and share a blushy gnce at being unexpectedly expected to wear clothing again. It seems they still need to figure out some things about how this world works.

  They are ushered into a tatami-matted room with a low table — a style familiar from the Housepet’s guild — and bid to wait while the giver of the ring is found. In the meantime, the sub from the door serves them a small pot of jasmine tea.

  The wait takes a few minutes, but eventually a bck-furred fox-woman enters the room. Unlike Hyacinth and her housepet friends, this woman is more fully vulpine, with an elongated snout and fur all over her body. She wears a long bck kimono marked with pink cherry blossoms, and a sly smile on her face.

  She crosses the room and sits across from Hyacinth and Liath with no preamble, then bows slightly from her seated position. Every motion is precise, artfully defined to draw the eye — even though she’s unaccountably wearing clothes.

  “Welcome,” the fox-woman says. “I am Kumi; it was I who pledged this ring to the woman who previously inhabited your body, Hyacinth. I am pleased to see it return, if sorrowed to know that the fate of my submissive-to-be was not to stay.” She reaches out, picks up the tea-kettle with a delicate hand, and inclines it just so, pouring a small measure more into each of Hyacinth and Liath’s teacups to refill them. “I hope you do not find the customs of my guild to remind you over-much of your previous worlds. While it is true that we of all genders cling most fiercely to the clothing of our former worlds, this is for reasons of kink, rather than prudishness.”

  Hyacinth looks over at Liath, prompting her to speak for her.

  Liath gnces back at Hyacinth, and bows slightly in return. “I am not discomfited,” she says. “If anything, the return of covering clothing is welcome to me, being only recently adjusted. Would you care to tell me more of why the weaver’s guild chooses to wear such modest attire?”

  Kumi smiles, a sliver-thin thing. “You may. The weaver’s guild attracts those who kink most prominently on those aspects of service that have to do with protocol. Breaches of etiquette are taken most seriously by my guild, being often the justification for funishments, and as such, we cling more to the old traditions of our host realms, particurly those that are most rigid, stratified and difficult to satisfy.”

  Liath nods. “I see. Hence the granting of a ring to one’s intended submissive?”

  Kumi nods in return. “Just so. While I am sorrowed to learn that my intended is no longer in this realm, it settles a worry that had been in my bones for some time. While it is not acceptable to my guild’s protocol that you retain the ring, not being its intended, I am prepared to offer its full value plus ten percent for its safe return.”

  Hyacinth gnces at Liath, a frown coming to her face, but does not speak.

  Liath csps her hands together. “Understood. Of course, the ring being my submissive’s rightful property, I am not inclined to acquiesce to your protocol merely because it would pce you into difficulties with your guild… But I do feel that the ring should be returned, in my heart, so I am inclined to accept your offer.”

  “That is most generous of you,” Kumi says. “I will have my servant fetch the appropriate payment immediately.”

  There is a sound of motion from outside, and then the sliding door opens, and the submissive from earlier in the steel colr carries in a cquered tray with three rows of ten heavy steel coins on it, along with three more set aside in a grouping to the edge. The servant bows quite precisely, and kneels by the side of the room.

  Kumi spreads her hand. “I trust you find this payment acceptable?” She spreads her hands slightly, gesturing to the payment. Pink light rises from her heart, the offer made in earnest.

  Liath nods. “I agree to your terms.” And the contract is sealed.

  Hyacinth cracks a small smile, and bows to Kumi.

  Liath bows as well, and hands over the ring.

  Kumi takes the ring, and pces it delicately on a small pillow offered to her by the submissive, which the submissive then takes and pces within a tiny cquered box and seals once more. “Thank you for your custom,” she says. “I hope you have a pleasant day. If you wish, you may avail yourselves of my submissive’s services before you depart.” She stands, bows slightly once more, and nods to Liath and Hyacinth in turn.

  Hyacinth and Liath nod back, and then Kumi departs.

  The dryad comes forwards, and bows herself, notably deeper than Kumi did. “This one is Amber, my dies. This one is pleased to offer whatsoever service you should desire.”

  “No, thank you,” Liath demurs. “Though I appreciate the offer. We intend to depart.”

  “Then this one shall escort you out and relieve you of your robes once more,” Amber says. “It was a pleasure to receive your custom.”

  “Thank you,” Liath says. She offers Hyacinth the delicately id out tray of coins, and Hyacinth sweeps them all into her pouch. Then they stand, and depart, shedding their robes on the way out.

  ~*~

  “Well,” Liath says outside. “That was certainly an experience. I hope you didn’t mind my turning down the offer of being given head by Amber.”

  Hyacinth shakes her head. “No, she’d have undoubtedly made Euphoria while we only got away with Ichor. It was the right business decision… Even if my cock regrets it a little. I’d rather fuck you.”

  Liath ughs. “Me too.” She pulls Hyacinth in close and hugs her. “So, where shall we do that? I’m pent up after all this walking around, and we have something to spend on toys now. Shall we shop for something fun?”

  Hyacinth folds her hands together and taps her thumbs against each other. “I think I have an idea. Have you ever done wax py?”

  “No,” Liath says. “But yes, candles shouldn’t be too expensive… That does sound fun.” She smiles, showing all her very sharp teeth.

  “Let’s make a couple small purchases and use the square outside the Housepet’s Guild to fuck,” Hyacinth says. “Nobody should mind you being there, and it’s nice to get to enjoy the weather. It seems like it’s always nice and warm around here…”

  Liath csps her hands. “Ninety percent of the time, yes,” she says. “But on the st day of every month there’s rain scheduled by the Twins. Apparently it’s part of street cleaning.”

  “It’s so weird to think that they have the weather under control here,” Hyacinth says. “Funny the things that strike you as odd…”

  “Yeah.” Liath smiles, and links arms with Hyacinth. “Off we go, then?”

  Hyacinth nods. “Off we go.”

  ~*~

  A few purchases ter, and Liath and Hyacinth tumble back onto the pillows outside the Housepet’s guild, a stingseed-powered lighter and two candles in hand - one low-melting-temperature, especially for BDSM, and one a cssic beeswax candle. The purchases, including a bandolier for Liath to carry them, have set them back eight steel four gss, which Hyacinth still feels a little uncertain about, but it’s not like they’re not going to want a lighter eventually… And since they can produce their own stingseed, they should be able to keep the cheaper model in supplies fairly easily.

  Liath pulls Hyacinth over to a specially-set-aside section of the mats for messier py, where a yer of thin tex has been id over the cushions to protect them. Then she bids Hyacinth to lie down on her front, and carefully lights the candles.

  Hyacinth shivers a little as she watches Liath light the candles, the demoness’ obvious care handling the hot wax sending shivers down her spine. She’s heard that the lower temperature ones composed especially for py aren’t too awful, but that ‘regur’ candles sting like a bitch — well, she’ll get to test that soon enough!

  Liath lightly runs her free hand back and forth along Hyacinth’s back, warming her up a little with soft sensation. She scritches her behind her ears, too, for long enough for Hyacinth to get well and truly into subspace.

  “Ready?” Liath asks, looking at the slowly melting candles.

  Hyacinth bites her lip, and nods. She can barely see what Liath is doing, over her shoulder as it is, and the tension’s making her cock throb against the tex-sheathed mattress beneath her. “Ready…”

  Liath brings the low-temperature candle over Hyacinth’s back, and very gently tips it. A tiny little drip of hot wax falls from the candle’s tip onto Hyacinth’s skin.

  “A-ah!” Hyacinth jerks, at first from shock and then from pain. Even the low-melting-temperature candle burns; she feels her thighs tense and then rex as she tries to focus on feeling her way through the pain to where it becomes more than just intense.

  “More?” Liath asks.

  Hyacinth lets out a pained whimper, but nods. She doesn’t want to be burned again but she does too; she wants to struggle, wants to bite something, but doesn’t want it to stop.

  Liath tips the candle again, and more drops of wax scatter across Hyacinth’s back. She lets out a harsh whine, and clenches hard, her breath coming faster. It hurts, it hurts so good —

  Her body’s being tormented, and she’s being crushed beneath Liath’s heel, completely at her mercy, hers to hurt and burn and torture —

  It’s perfect. She’s in her proper pce, being crushed and stepped on, being made Liath’s own, and beyond the sensations, she needs to feel this, the painful attention that makes her feel like she’s really one with her love —

  The wax hits her back again, and Hyacinth shudders, the pain redoubling, her hips instinctually grinding against the mattress, and she surrenders to it, falling into it, letting it fill up her thoughts with crackling agony —

  That suddenly crifies and becomes badgood perfect pleasurepain as Fantasy Surge kicks in once more, leaving Hyacinth drained and panting hard against the mattress. “Fuck,” she swears, her body tensing again as pleasure and hurt war over her brain. “Please, please, more —”

  Liath chuckles, and she reaches for the beeswax candle. “You asked for it.” And with a cautious hand, she tips it over Hyacinth’s back.

  The pain when it hits is like hot sparks from the fire have suddenly struck her back. It fades quickly, dissipating away, but every drop makes Hyacinth gasp out sharply, her body twitching and clenching as she fights to stay still beneath the intensely-hot wax. And Liath is willing to give her so, so many drops.

  It takes a while. Liath drags it out, being exquisitely cautious about her pcement of wax, always cautious not to pour too much at once. It’s a slow, agonizing climb, inch by inch as drop after drop stings her skin —

  But eventually even her tolerance is exhausted. “Liath, Liath, I’m going to come, more, give me more —”

  Liath grins, and this time, rather than tilting the candle just a little, she tilts it almost ninety degrees, causing all the melted wax to fall out of the bowl of the candle at once —

  The extra-rge glob of wax falls onto Hyacinth’s back like a coal from the fire, burning in hard against her right shoulder-bde - and unlike all the other globs, it keeps its heat for agonizingly long, too rge to let the heat fade away quickly.

  Blinding white agony drives into the base of Hyacinth’s skull, and she lets out a strangled gasp. Even as pleasure, it’s more than she can take, and she finds herself jerking away, trying to get out from under the wax - but it clings to her body, still burning —

  She comes, and she’s not sure if she even wants it, her cock twitching hard as shocking-pink seed drools from her. When the glob of wax finally cools, she’s left whimpering in a puddle of her own fluids, her body shuddering and almost overcome.

  “...Too much?” Liath asks.

  Hyacinth hesitantly nods. “I - haaaaaah, fuck - feel like my limits are a little closer for burning than for cutting maybe…”

  Liath very gently lowers her hand to Hyacinth’s wax-stained back. “Alright. Then I’ll use my own hands, instead of something that I’m less familiar with.”

  Very slowly, she strokes her hand up Hyacinth’s burned back, taking note of where she flinches most, her scalded skin shuddering beneath Liath’s fingers. All the wax has cooled already, but the skin still doesn’t like being touched so soon after being burned —

  Hyacinth lets out a panting gasp that’s somewhere between pleasure and pain. “M-mistress, please…”

  “Should I stop?” Liath raises an eyebrow.

  Hyacinth swallows hard, her mouth working against itself, and then she exhales. “I feel… oversensitive… Like it’s hard for me to feel anything good right now…”

  Liath takes a long breath. “Ah. Alright. Give me a moment…”

  And Liath starts to touch herself, stroking her cock gently as her eyes rove all across Hyacinth’s body.

  Hyacinth shivers. “W-what are you doing -”

  “Getting off on this,” Liath says with a grin. “Just a little further…”

  Liath lets out a soft sigh, and then her gaze snaps to Hyacinth’s back. “Okay,” she says. “No way to be sure this’ll work, but…”

  She gently ys her hands on Hyacinth’s back, and presses them in.

  Pink light fres, and Hyacinth feels — Pain, yes — but more than that, a sense of relief, a feeling like she’s going to be okay. She falls into it a little, letting it bear her away to a pce where it’s simpler, just hurt and pleasure —

  And with a tiny little gasp, she reaches a second peak, this time enfolded by Liath’s gentle yet so painful touch, her body shivering in soft, lingering joyhurt. Liath runs her hand through her hair, and it feels right, sweet, precious…

  Ichor gathers, and settles into Hyacinth’s limbs.

  “Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah,” Hyacinth gasps out when Liath finally removes her hand, a soft smile coming to her face. Hesitantly, she sits up, not trusting the muscles of her burnt back not to twinge, and softly smiles at Liath.

  “That…” She ducks her head. “That was a lot. I think if you hadn’t done that thing with the pink light, whatever it was that helped me feel less over-sensitive — I think it might not have ended so well.”

  “Yeah,” Liath says. “That was the Lay On Hands move. It helps to shift oversensitivity and numbness to pleasure. But yes… I think I’m going to be more careful with new toys from now on.” She carefully extinguishes the still-burning candles, and then hugs Hyacinth, careful of her burnt back. “There we go,” she says. “Don’t worry, I’ll deal with the stingseed. You should rest.”

  “Okay,” Hyacinth says. She moves to the side, out of her puddle, hands Liath a vial, then lies back down and closes her eyes to rest.