Wynessa woke in the quiet mid-day just in time to see Madame Lufoncia leaving the room with Cori closing the door behind her. The pale woman quickly moved to try to cover her naked body, even though she was completely shielded by the light blanket already. Cori chuckled softly as she strode purposefully back to her student and laid down beside her.
"It's alright. The Madame has seen more naked bodies than any of us." She wrapped her arm around the back of Wynessa's shoulders, pulling the dark-haired head unto her shoulder.
"That's not so much the issue. I've never seen a woman with a beard like that. Even Ogre women can't grow beards that thick." There was a fear in her own voice that Wynessa could not understand, but as she waited for Cori to respond, a quiet sigh raised the beautiful chest Wynessa rested on.
"That's because the Madame was born in a body that can grow a beard as prolific as that. She is a woman, always has been, but she's grown to love the body she has so she doesn't want to do anything to change how she looks." Cori's words were chosen carefully and her response was somewhat practiced. "It is not my place to say anything further, so if you have any other questions you should just ask her directly. She's not shy about it, but she's also not going to be as patient with you as I am."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, she's gotten these kinds of questions her entire life as especially with her chosen profession. She's a brilliant woman, but it grates on you after a while." As she spoke, Cori ran her deft fingers through Wynessa's hair, pulling it away from the pale face hidden by the dark strands.
"Oh... That makes sense. At the camp, we had a person who was sent to the Warlock and came back a different person than they had left, but he was so happy about it. I guess he asked for it to happen and the Warlock allowed it? He had been the daughter of a general or something before, but he was so much happier afterwards. Is it like that?" The innocent curiosity in her voice was almost touching, but Cori persisted.
"It is not my place."
"I understand. Thank you for telling me. I won't ask anything further."
"Good." Cori tightened her hold around the pale woman, holding her close for a moment and kissing the top of her forehead.
After a few minutes of silently holding each other, wrapped in the blankets and pillows that covered the floor, Wynessa spoke up again with a deep blush covering her face.
"So... Erm... Can we do that again?"
"Yes, I think we can." Cori kissed Wynessa's forehead again before the pair tumbled into each other again and again for the rest of the day and well into the night.
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Miklian sat staring up at the paintings that lined the great Temple of the Thousand Gods. Some of the more popular Gods had their visage painted, some had statues of various quality, some simply had symbols or offering bowls. From where he sat in the public pews he could watch people flow in through the doors as well as watch a number of different forms of worship. Religion had always fascinated him, but he had yet to find a god worth dedicating himself to so he fell into an undedicated worship like so many others.
He believed something or someone was out there, that the stories they told in their daily lives were being written somewhere, but he had yet to find where his words felt heard. He sat watching different groups, different prayers, different worships, for the majority of the afternoon until the sun began to set behind the western mountains.
Miklian was about to leave when a group of six or seven giants filed into the temple and were immediately met by a human who directed them towards an alcove. He was unable to hear what they were saying, but it was clear that all the giants who entered into the area were worshiping together.
With his curiosity piqued, he stood and moved towards the temple keeper who had directed the group.
"Excuse me, can you tell me who those giants were going to worship? I'm feeling a bit lost and maybe something of my kinsman's practices can help me." His attempts at honesty more care across as pitiable clarity because the human keeper nodded understandingly and moved to lead him towards the alcove.
"Of course, this way, if you please. Please understand the Temple of the Thousand Gods only accepts those willing and all must sign a formal confirmation before the records keeper and at least two witnesses." The keeper stood at the entrance to the alcove and held the door open for the giant patron before closing it behind Miklian and stepping away.
Before him was a hallway that easily would fit the tallest ogre leading to an equally spacious worship area lit with candles and chandeliers around a stone tablet ritual space. The collection of giants were not the only worshipers within the hall as a fair number of elves and humans gathered as well. At least one goblin joined their collection too. Miklian stood in awe by the exit as he watched the gathering.
"To our master, he of the shed blood, he of the rent flesh, he of the battle weary, he of the slaughtered masses, we dedicate our sacrifice and beg your blessing to martial prowess! Connive, father of war, master of the fallen bodies, hear our call!" One of the human women stepped up to the stone slab and picked up a sword Miklian had not seen and motioned for one of the giants to step forward. The giant who moved was more plainly dressed than the others and wore no shoes or belt, only his pants and an undershirt.
Miklian felt his stomach drop as the man removed his own shirt and laid down face-down on the slab.
"Father Connive, accept my sacrifice!" He called to the congregation before nodding to the human woman who expertly drove the blade through the back of his neck, severing his spine and causing a spray of blood to decorate the stones beneath the now-deceased giant.
He wasn't sure when he had left the alcove after the sacrifice, but Miklian stared down into the river where he had thrown the remains of his lunch. His body heaved and a clammy sweat mixed with the heavy scent of the river water that rang through his head, the sting of bile in the back of his throat warned him of another wave of vomit before the force of the expulsion forced his fists to clench around the railing once again.
He hung over the edge for a few moments after his body stopped rejecting all the food he had eaten throughout the day and thought back to the worship he had seen. He never imagined the deity his mother worshiped with such fervor, such dedication, was a god that fed off the evils he had seen in this bloody invasion.
Without thinking about how it might look, he ran most of the way to Madame Lufoncia's and burst through the doors into the packed-full building. He could barely see for the smoke from the incenses and the noise from the other patrons, but he stumbled in and made for the only empty space he could find near the divider. Shortly after he sat, a young masculine person came to speak to him.
"Welcome to the Madame's parlor, big guy. Call me Arehn, or baby if you want to. What can I get for you?"
"The Madame, when she's free. It's business." Miklian was hushed and as soon as he spoke the last word, Arehn nodded quietly.
"Don't you worry, honey. I'll make sure you've got some tea while you wait." Without letting up the cutesy demeanor, they blew a kiss to their guest and skipped off towards the human-sized side and returned shortly with a hot cup of tea and a bottle of clean water. "She's in the middle of seeing a client, but once she's ready I'll take you back."
Miklian nodded and began drinking the water slowly, knowing he would probably be waiting a little while.
Sure enough, he had finished the water and started on the now-cold tea before he was ushered to a back room where the Madame was getting changed behind a folding divider. Arehn shut the door quietly behind them as they left and the soft click of the lock told the giant they would not be disturbed.
"What was so important that you had to come back after I told you, in no uncertain way, that Wynessa needs to be let alone for a few days?" Madame Lufoncia was obviously amused as well as tired as she came out around the curtains in her sheer flowy draping robe. "Hm... You looked better this morning."
"I want to join." The giant kept his voice low enough that only she would reasonably be able to hear him with all the noise in the main hall.
"You're already a part of it, but your enthusiasm is good. You're too obvious, darling. Stay back here for about fifteen minutes, I'll send someone to entertain you. They will have instructions that you will have to follow to the letter if you want to do this properly." She dramatically swept the end of her robe across his face before turning to her ready cup of frothy purple liquid.
"I don't need any services, Madame. Please, I just want to do what's right. I... I saw something. At the Temple." His body shuddered with chill as he thought on the ritual sacrifice and drained the rest of his tea like it was booze.
"Oh darling. Did you not know? Was it Connive's people?" The giant nodded silently before she stepped towards him and gently patted his cheek. "I'm sorry you had to find out that way. They've gotten more brash in the last ten years, but they've always been the main reason the temple has their rules on sacrifices. There's nothing we can do about them."
"It wasn't even that! I've seen my people sing praises to Connive after battles, but I never realized how much of that god is just mindless slaughter. A god who only cares about bloodshed, not how it's done, there's no honour in that!" Tears had started to fall down his face and before he could stop himself, Miklian fell from the chair and curled tightly into a ball, clutching his knees to his chest as he wept openly and without care for the shame he was bringing to his family with each sob.