Carahil - VII

Clark noticed a pair of eyes glowing at the top of the stairs. Prizna had crept out of the dormitory on to the upper landing to watch. Meena was probably with her, but her eyes didn't glow like the Deadric woman's. Clark silently went to join them and found Tsarrina watching, too.

"This one thinks the Imp would put on a wonderful show, if she could borrow him for a while. Prizna would like that, too."

Prizna bent and whispered in the Khajiit's ear.

"That one did what with her? In the air? Both of them? Meena is small, but this one would not believe it possible."

Meena assured Tsarrina that it had happened that way.

"Go fetch Darwen. That one is slender and light. Maybe the imp can ..."

Clark was shaking his head. "Sparky can't manage any more than Freija today. He needs rest, just like anyone else."

Tsarrina understood. Freija was the kind that took everything she was offered. Probably because she'd been an Arena combatant, she'd got the habit of treating each time as if it could be her last. Becoming immortal didn't make any difference, it seemed. And Sparky had already been with Prizna and Meena before Freija got hold of him. He'd sleep soundly after this.

"Tsarrina wants us to stay and let Sparky meet the others," Clark told Carahil. "I was here for nearly two weeks, the first time I visited, and that didn't include the Orc."

"I'm sure Sparky would be delighted, but what am I supposed to do? No, we should take him back to Benirus Manor today, as soon as he gets his strength back. If Tsarrina wants to provide him any new partners, they can come to us."

And it wasn't more than a day or two before Juliana knocked on the door at Benirus Manor. She wasn't alone, however. A tall nord, Bjarne Long-arm, was with her, representing Tsarrina's customers.

Juliana did most of the talking. Bjarne's job was just to be there, looking large and handsome, while Juliana did the persuading. She was a bit disappointed that Clark wasn't there. She thought that she had a good rapport with Clark, and he might have helped bring Carahil around.

"Yes, Tsarrina asked me to come here, but I'd have probably sneaked out and done so on my own account. I've heard so much about Sparky from Freija, Prizna, Meena and Virgilia. How could I not want to find out for myself?"

"So what's your angle?" Carahil addressed Bjarne.

"Well, they weren't just talking about the imp. I guess I wanted to find out about the Altmer with the amazing nipples."

Juliana's jaw dropped. How could the stupid nord say that? She started to apologise for Bjarne's bluntness, but Carahil wasn't reacting the way Juliana had expected. She looked more thoughtful than offended.

"Amazing , you say?" Carahil asked. "What did they tell you about them that you'd consider amazing?"

"Virgilia and Freija were talking about the way the imp made theirs really pop when he used that little shock spell of his. But they both said that yours swelled up even more than theirs did. They reckoned it was because the imp had been doing that for years, and made them that way. I suspect they were both a bit jealous, the way they said it."

"Being a nord, I go with Freija pretty often, so I know hers are really something. If yours made her say that, then amazing's the only word for it."

"Isn't there an Altmer at Gweden?" Carahil asked. "Have you checked hers out?"

"Yes, there's Cybelline, and she's got a nice pair on her, too. But nothing to make the other girls talk."

Juliana pulled Carahil aside. "There's a few other things the girls talk about, and Bjarne's got one of them. He's one of the regulars we all like, if you know what I mean."

"So you'd like to meet Sparky, and Bjarne would like to meet me. I think we can at least accomplish that." Carahil opened the dining room door, and the imp fluttered into the room. He looked at Juliana, and Bjarne, and then inquiringly at Carahil, for guidance.

"Sparky won't do anything, until I show him that it's all right to do it. If I undo my dress like this and let my breasts show, like this, then he'll know what's going on."

Sparky performed as expected, as Bjarne watched. He wished that he'd worn looser pants, as Carahil's nipples were everything the Gweden women had told him. Carahil told Juliana to get hers out too, and let the imp have a choice. "He likes variety, so they don't have to be 'amazing'."

Carahil turned her attention to Bjarne. The bulge in his pants was still growing, and it needed to be attended to before something ripped.

Carahil woke late the next day. Juliana had made the most of her time with Sparky, and he'd flown her the same way he did Meena. He seemed to like that as much as she did, even if it was the most tiring way to do it. Bjarne had been her gentle giant, and she couldn't help comparing him with Clark. Sometimes quantity was as important as quality, and Bjarne's less tutored technique didn't matter much to her. She might not want that much every night, but now she knew where to find him...

The Nord and the Breton had returned to Gweden before she retired last night. Nothing had been promised, but perhaps Sparky would pay another visit, and meet the Altmer. What had Bjarne called her? Cybelline, that was it. Carahil would like to chat with her about a few things.

Clark was due back in Anvil today. He'd gone off to Evergloam to consult with Nocturnal about Sparky, and get her guidance on what to do next. She seemed to know more about imps than anybody else did.

She heard a noise downstairs. It sounded like the front door being opened. "Is that you, Clark?" she called out.

Clark unwrapped Carahil from around him, and asked her what she'd been up to while he'd been away. "Nothing but sex, it seems like," she told him. "Sparky's pretty insatiable, and we had a deputation from Gweden here the other day. I found myself sleeping with a total stranger, and enjoying it!"

"Hmm, Nocturnal thought this could happen. It looks like Sparky's affecting you the same way you did him. You're actually starting to behave like an imp queen, because you're spending all your time with a drone. Just like you made him develop into a full male."

"An imp queen is just a baby factory. Except that she doesn't have time for a full gestation, so she lays eggs. Lots of them. And then she's back with the drones for more, while the workers tend the latest clutch."

"Obviously, you're not going through that cycle. Sparky's not able to get you pregnant, and you're not letting it happen with the rest of us, either. So he's just trying harder, and so are you, even if you don't see it that way."

Carahil's eyes widened. "So if I keep Sparky, he'll make me completely promiscuous? I'll just sleep with anyone I can get, and not care who it is?"

"I doubt it would get that bad, but that's the direction." Clark was more than a little concerned that he'd taken advantage of her after this compulsion had started. At least he'd stayed around to do something about it. The way Carahil was looking at him made him suspect she was thinking along the same lines.

"Nocturnal tells me that what we've done for Sparky should help. If we guide him away from the "one queen" situation that was normal for an imp, then it should diminish the effect he has on you to take that role. She says that the ideal scenario is if he can have a harem of his own - a "one king" set-up instead of one queen. Then he won't influence anyone, she thinks."

"But it could be everybody, to a lesser degree?" Carahil was still dubious about this theory. "The only way that wouldn't matter is if I take up Tsarrina's offer and send Sparky to Gweden. He couldn't make them any more whores than they are."

Clark and Carahil invited Randonil and Virgila over to Benirus Manor for dinner. There was an unspoken understanding that they'd stay the night. Sparky was at Gweden, getting to know everyone, and they'd have an evening without his influence, for the first time in ages.

It was equally understood that the Imperials would spend most of their time together, and the Altmers likewise. Randonil and Virgilia were there because it would work out that way, and everyone knew that.

Clark was eager to know all the gossip from Gweden, after they'd taken Sparky there the first time. He particularly wanted to know how the other women reacted to the prospect of performing with the imp.

Virgilia told him that it mainly depended on who'd seen him. Most of them thought of the little sexless creatures when anyone mentioned imps, and Sparky was a rather different - person. Yes, Virgilia considered Sparky a person, at least as much so as the goblins she'd been working with. "He definitely shows a personality, and he'll have his own favourites."

Sugar had asked if he'd grow any bigger. Her preferences weren't a secret. The one who surprised her was Selena, the Redguard. Virgilia had expected her to reject the idea out of hand, as she was the least magical of all the women there, and actively opposed any use of spells. But Sparky had tingled her, and made an instant convert.

"What about Carahil?" Virgilia wanted to know. "Is she fading back to the prim chapter head personality she had before this all started?"

"She can't undo the experiences she's had," Clark replied. "She knows that she genuinely enjoyed doing everything, even if her judgement had been impaired getting into those situations. She got lost, but found a new place she likes. And I think you're being unfair to the old Carahil. Don't forget that she was the one that went hunting Lorgren Benirus before he became a Lich. She was never scared of anything new, just mindful of her position, and all its responsibilities."

"Now Randonil's running the chapter, she doesn't have those any more. Do you think she'll start enjoying herself more?"

"More than that?" Clark made Virgilia stop and listen to the sounds coming from the next room.

"Hey, I want it that good. Get back to work!"