TITLE    : Demonic Submission Ch. 38
STORYID  : demonic-submission-ch-38
SUMMARY  : Celestine wishes to protect those around her... at first.
AUTHOR   : TheLastChaosLord@lit
DATE     : 2014-02-02
CATEGORY : non-human-stories
FLAGS    : 
TAGS     : |incubus|demon|succubus|deep-throat|


<em>Hello all.</em>



<em>First off, I'd like to welcome WanderingMindGames back as my editor and generally someone I can bounce ideas off of. Hopefully, with her help, my mechanical failures will be less frequent.</em>



<em>So this chapter more or less picks up from the previous, with Celestine and Navira heading to Navira's home and the events that occur on the plane over. However, once they arrive at Navira's home, Celestine finds herself surrounded with mortals that she feels inclined to help and protect, even if it's only for a days, and the fallout that surrounds that.</em>



<em>I hope everyone enjoys, and happy reading!</em>



~~~~~



Celestine found herself standing in the washroom, cursing her brashness. Why she felt the need to try and provoke Navira just a moment ago was beyond her. She had been more or less obedient up till that point, but when Navira tried to mock her for actions she herself had commanded, it really began to push Celestine the wrong way. The fact that she was still alive though was a good sign, as Celestine took it to mean that Navira was likely to continue keeping her word, at least for a time.



Pushing that aside for a moment though, Celestine began to ponder what had just happened to her and what she had just done. She could still taste the flight attendant, and blushed slightly when she remembered how easily she had decided to swallow his seed. She knew that Navira had demanded that she blow him, and that she had been reluctant at first, but as soon as she got into the swing of it, she couldn't deny that she had enjoyed the experience.



Looking at herself in the mirror, Celestine tried to think what that meant for her. She never considered herself someone who 'slept around', and once upon a time she actively chastised those who did. But now that she had, she realized the world wasn't crashing down... She knew it wouldn't of course, sex was just sex, and in this case it was only oral sex, but still, Celestine had expected some sort of change in her after doing something like this. Yet the only change she felt was perhaps the lingering satisfaction that she had controlled the flight attendant so completely. Twice he had cum on her command, and even thinking about that sent a shiver of erotic excitement through her.



A part of her worried that Tristan might become upset with her for sleeping around but she realized that even if he was angry, he had no ground to stand on if he wanted to lecture her. He fucked just about anyone in a skirt, and killed more than a few of them on top of it. Besides, he knew Navira was probably going to order her to do things like this, otherwise why would he suggest she bring contraceptives? Still, Celestine found an impish smile forming upon the lips of the woman who looked back at her from the mirror in front of her.



Much as she didn't like admitting it, Celestine couldn't deny that she enjoyed knowing that Tristan felt jealous at times. It was a small way of getting back at him for all the crap he'd put her through, and it made her feel wanted and sought after. Plus, it wasn't like she was trying to make him feel that way; it was just a result of circumstances. Circumstances he helped put her in.



Regardless, Celestine finished getting herself cleaned up and decided it was about time to head back out. She couldn't hide in the bathroom the whole trip, even if it wasn't a tiny cramped latrine like most aircraft possessed.



~~~~~



Celestine stepped back into the cabin, only to be surprised by what she saw. Navira had changed seats and was actually fully dressed, having apparently put her clothes back on at some point while Celestine was in the washroom. However, Celestine also noticed the absence of the flight attendant. She was about to snap at Navira, fully planning on demanding to know what she had done with him, but she just barely held back her angry words. Instead, she rigidly walked over to a seat across from Navira and looked at her as the Demoness seemed to be looking over a magazine of some sort.



Celestine waited for a moment, hoping that Navira would take notice of her, but it quickly became apparent that she was either intentionally ignoring her, or that Navira honestly didn't notice her arrival. Then again, she was a demon on par with Tristan, so there was almost no way she simply didn't notice Celestine's arrival. "What happened to him?" Celestine tried, forcing her voice to stay level and calm.



Navira glanced up from her Magazine with one eyebrow raised ever so slightly as she pondered Celestine's question. Eventually though her features relaxed into a slight smile as she set aside the magazine and leaned her elbows upon the table and put her chin in her palms. "Honestly Celestine, what do you think I did with him?" She asked, her smile growing as her eyes glowed in a silver light for a moment.



Celestine gripped the arms of her chair tightly as she tried to keep herself from exploding. "Why? Why did you kill him? Do you bore of people that quickly?" Celestine continued, her voice becoming sharper as her anger boiled.



"Do I bore quickly? Hum... No, I wouldn't say so." Navira replied after a moment's thought. "I only bore when things stop being entertaining, that's all." She clarified, looking to Celestine innocently.



Celestine found her jaw tightening as she fought to keep her anger contained, which only seemed to make Navira all the more amused. Celestine had done everything she had been told, all in the hopes of helping him survive. But now, now he was gone, as if Navira had planned it all out just so she could spit in face of Celestine's actions. And now she was grinning like a lunatic, as if excited to see Celestine explode at her, like she wanted it to happen...



It was then that realization cut through Celestine's rage, and brought everything to a screeching halt. Her anger stalled as she thought about it, and her new hypothesis was quickly confirmed by Navira's features going from excited to confused. Celestine couldn't help but smile lightly at Navira's bewilderment and even had to fight to keep herself from laughing. "I... I get it now." She began, still smiling at Navira. "You want to see me lose it on you... You want to see me furious, because it would be entertaining to you."



Navira cocked her head ever so slightly, before she rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. "Damn... you're not that bad at this. It's a shame, I think seeing you lose yourself would have been very entertaining indeed. You've been trying so hard to keep your anger contained ever since this morning..."



"I suppose I have. But then I guess that is where my mistake lies." Celestine admitted casually.



"Mistake? What... are you going to plan out how you get angry now, or am I missing something here?" Navira asked curiously.



"No I don't plan on losing my temper with you at all if I can help it. What I meant was that getting angry at you at all is pointless. I'd just be playing along with your script, entertaining you exactly as you planned. It's not like I can hurt you after all, even if I wanted to. So there is no point in getting angry, and now that I realize that, I think I'll just stop." Celestine explained, visibly relaxing.



Navira frowned ever so slightly. "Oh... but there is a point... entertaining me. That's the only point that I care about. That's the only reason you're here. It's the only reason you are allowed to live at all." Navira explained, her voice lowering slightly with every sentence, becoming more threatening with every word.



Yet Celestine simply shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I really couldn't give a shit about that." Celestine replied nonchalantly. "As far as I'm concerned, all I care about is surviving these three days and then being on my wa-<em>uggh!</em>"



Celestine felt Navira moving before she saw it, and a moment later she physically felt Navira's hand around her throat, just like she felt herself being lifted from her chair and slammed against the wall of the plane, her feet dangling out from under her as Navira kept her pinned up. "The only way you are going to survive this is by keeping me entertained!" Navira hissed venomously as she glared up at Celestine, her irises glowing with demonic power. "So you best start playing along, or-"



"Or what?" Celestine croaked, despite the nearly crushed windpipe. "Or you'll kill me?" She asked as she looked down at Navira. "Do it, and Durial will never forgive you." She managed, as she pressed her feet against the curved wall to try and support some of her weight.



Not that she was successful, as Navira pulled her away from the wall to rob her of any purchase her feet afforded her before slamming her against it again, making Celestine's vision fill with stars for a moment. "He'll get over it." Navira hissed.



"Sure he will." Celestine slurred weakly, the lack of oxygen and the blows to her head not helping her as she fought to keep conscious. Still, the sarcasm could still be heard in her voice. "Right after he's got your head on a pike."



Navira frowned, but relaxed her grip on Celestine's throat a little, letting her breath some to keep her talking. "Durial wouldn't go to war over you." Navira scoffed. "You're not that valuable, no matter what Vestiem said."



"Maybe I'm not... but you're not sure of that, and that'll keep you from acting." Celestine replied, her hands up on Navira's arm to try and stay breathing. "I'm betting you've got too much to lose to risk it all on something as insignificant as me. Plus, I'm betting you're not willing to risk him hating you, all over me..."



"I don't know." Navira replied quickly, her free hand pulling back as her fingers curled lightly, before long sharp talons began to form from and heavy armoured scales grew over her hand. "It's been said I can be crazy at times." She warned, a sadistic grin forming upon her lips as she waited for Celestine's response.



Celestine knew if Navira struck her with those claws, she'd not only relieve Celestine of her head, but she'd probably tear a hole big enough in the plane that would probably lead to it either crashing or coming apart mid air... Still, she couldn't back down now. Taking one last deep breath, Celestine spoke up again, her lips turned up in a wide smile. "Before you rip my head off and probably kill everyone on board save yourself... Let me ask you something."



"Oh?" Navira asked, her head cocking as her own grin grew wider. "Please don't tell me you're going to beg for your life! That would be so utterly boring."



Celestine gave a single chuckle at Navira's words before shaking her head. "Nah. Nothing like that. My only question is this: are you bored?"



Navira's frown returned as she tried to comprehend the question. "What? What do you mean?"



"I mean exactly what I asked." Celestine returned quickly, emboldened by the fact that she wasn't already dead. "Are you bored? It's a simple yes or no question Navira..."



Frowning deeper, Navira replied. "No of course not. I was actually quite entertained there for a moment... wondering how you'd spend what I thought would be your final few moments of life. I wondered what you'd say to try and stop me from simply killing you..."



"See?" Celestine began. "Isn't a lot more fun when you don't know how it's all gonna end?" But Celestine didn't get an answer, as Navira simply let her go and dropped her upon the floor. After pushing herself up to a sitting position, Celestine looked up to Navira, and found Navira looking down upon her with a curious gaze. "That's your problem Navira... That's why you bore so easily... You know how everything's going end because you write the scripts!" Celestine continued adamantly, hoping against hope that her gambit would work, and that she wasn't about to be splattered all over the inside of the plane.



But as she waited for Navira's answer, the talon's upon her hand faded, and Navira made a bit of an 'oh' face... like she suddenly understood what Celestine was saying. "You... you bet everything on this gamble... didn't you? If this ploy didn't work, you didn't have anything else to fall back on."



"Nope." Celestine admitted. "But then it wouldn't be as fun if it wasn't all or nothing, now would it?" She asked with a smile, even as she knew how crazy that sounded. The concerning this was, Celestine actually meant what she said. For all the peril she faced, the last few seconds had been some of the most exciting moments of her whole life...



"Oh." Navira began, her features turning to a soft, affectionate smile. "I think I see it now..." She began again. "... This is why he values you so... You fly in the face of expectations... shattering them at every step." Navira kneeled down in front of Celestine's, dropping a knee to each side of her, so she was close enough to almost be straddling Celestine. Navira looked at her with almost loving wonder as her hands came up and cupped Celestine's cheeks, leaning in and nuzzling her adoringly. "Before, when you said you didn't care about entertaining me..."



"I was just bluffing." Celestine finished for her. "Just a part of my idea, I needed you engaged, otherwise you might have actually been bored when I asked the question... I know what I'm here for Navira, if I don't at least manage to keep you somewhat entertained I'm likely going to end up dead, despite your promise to Durial. You are a demon after all, and your kind break their word all the damn time."



Navira giggled as she pulled away to look into Celestine's eyes again. "True." She paused as Celestine realized that Navira was looking for something in her eyes. "Though I have to say... I'm not certain if you're lying or not, about bluffing I mean... For all I know, all you really do care about is saving your own skin for the next three days."



Celestine smiled a little wider. "I'm sure you could figure it out if you tried to, but then... wouldn't it be more fun not knowing for sure?"



Navira laughed at Celestine's words, long and hard, until eventually she managed to pull herself together. A moment more and Celestine felt Navira stroking her cheek gently. "It's a shame I did not find you first... Three days seems likely hardly enough time. Still, I suppose we'll make do. I'll keep playing my games with you though..."



Celestine frowned lightly. "Why? If you know how they'll end, how can they be entertaining?"



Navira smiled darkly. "That should be obvious. They are entertaining because I want to see if you can find a new ending or not. Sometimes I'll win of course, but seeing you fight against it will be very entertaining indeed."



Celestine smiled, as if Navira's words didn't concern her at all. "Well then, I look forward to it." When in reality, Celestine couldn't deny that Navira's words were frightening as hell.



Yet as the moment dragged on, Celestine found Navira leaning in ever so slowly as if to press her lips against Celestine's. "Whoa... what... what are you doing?" Celestine asked as she began to squirm, trying to find a way to slip away. But the moment she tried to turn her head, she realized that despite Navira's soft touch, her hands would not move no matter how hard Celestine tried to wiggle free. "Wait! I'm not into you like that."



"I know." Navira whispered. "But that's what makes you so inviting..."



But before Navira closed the final gap, both of them heard the sound of someone walking in, pushing one of those aircraft meal carts. "Alright ladies, brunch is ser-..." Celestine glanced over to the voice that had paused mid-sentence, only to find the flight attendant standing there, fully clothed and with his mouth half open as he saw the two of them. At first she wondered if he would just turn around and leave the way he came, but a moment more and he continued. "I see someone likes to have their desert first..." He said with a suggestive smile as he continued in with the trolley.



"Hum... I would have if someone hadn't interrupted." Navira replied playfully as she glanced back at the steward, smiling lightly.



"I can pretend not to be here if you like. I certainly don't mind watching." He replied calmly as he brought the trolley to the nearby table.



"Hum... No, that will be fine." Navira replied as she got up off Celestine. "I wanted to see her squirm and I got what I wanted, so no need to go any further." She explained as got up off Celestine and proceeded to sit down.



"Well, in that case, brunch is served." He replied as he began opening up the trolley.



Celestine meanwhile was looking at the attendant, clearly confused as to why he was still alive. It wasn't that she was disappointed, but rather she was very confused... Slowly she got up and moved to sit near Navira as she watched him continue about his work, setting out plates and their food. When he turned his back to them, she glanced over to Navira. "I... I thought you said..."



Navira shrugged. "I never said anything of the sort. You simply assumed. Though one has to wonder why you would think that. Do you really think I'd pick up his clothes and hide them away if I really had followed through with what you feared?" Navira asked with a playful grin, clearly enjoying Celestine's confusion.



Celestine blinked once or twice at Navira before glancing to the flight attendant as he finished putting out the food for the two of them. "You little devil." Celestine muttered, slightly embarrassed by the whole ordeal that came about from assuming Navira had killed their attendant.



"Flatterer." Navira replied pleasantly. "And before you think it, I didn't plan what happened a moment ago out... I simply asked him to go get us some food given how long you were lingering in the bathroom."



"I wasn't in there that long." Celestine replied a bit abashed.



"Twenty minutes?" Navira posed. "Long enough I think."



"Huh..." Celestine replied, not thinking she had been in there that long. But as she picked up her fork, she found Navira watching her curiously. "What is it?"



"I'm just wondering... everything that just happened was by the seat of your pants. No real planning or plotting... Just a single massive bet. Right?" Navira queried.



Celestine smiled lightly. "Yes. Like I said, I didn't have a backup plan. If that didn't work I was screwed." Celestine glanced to the attendant, wondering if he was listening to their conversation, but he seemed to be busying himself with his work or wilfully not paying attention.



Eventually though he stood up from the trolley and glanced to the two of them. "There you are ladies. Would you like me to bring the rest up to your attendants in the forward compartment?" He asked courteously.



Navira shook her head. "No, no. I asked you to prepare another portion so that you might sit and eat with us." Navira said inclining her head towards another chair as she began to eat herself.



Celestine took her actions as a signal to begin eating, and didn't hesitate to start into it. She hadn't had breakfast earlier due to worry about what was going to happen with Navira, but at the moment, hunger was more an issue that paranoia. Soon enough the three of them were eating, and when they were about halfway through, Navira spoke up again, looking towards the flight attendant. "Tell me something... You enjoy your job, correct?"



He glanced up to her from her food and smiled lightly. "No, I love my job. I know a lot of people would call it disturbing and degrading, but honestly, they can go fuck themselves for all I care. I get paid primo bucks to play host and fuck buddy to anyone traveling on this plane, and I do love fucking, so who am I to complain?"



"Well... I'm guessing you have to serve male clients on occasion. That might be a hang up." Navira suggested; a playful naughty hint to her voice. It was then that Celestine stopped eating, as she realized something was up. Navira didn't strike her as someone who engaged in casual conversation with mortals for no reason at all...

<hr pg="2" />However the flight attendant only shrugged at her suggestion. "No, they usually bring in specialists for that sort of thing. Not saying I've never had to serve a male client mind you, but it doesn't happen enough to be a problem."



Navira smiled lightly as she heard his explanation and after a moments thought, she spoke up again. "What if I could offer you a job that paid a comparable amount to what you're making now, but includes housing and living expenses? You'd have other minor duties in addition to what you do now of course, but they more or less go hand in hand with what you do already, so I don't see a problem there."



"Wait... what?" Celestine asked glancing to Navira, not understanding what she was getting at. "Since when do you need a flight attendant?"



Navira only smiled to Celestine before shrugging lightly and looking back to him as he spoke up again. "I'm flattered, but I'm not really interested in being someone's personal call boy. I mean don't get me wrong, you are fucking smoking hot, but I like sampling and then moving on. Which is why I work in a job like this." He responded politely as he could manage.



"Oh, I wouldn't tie you down like that. Quite the contrary actually, you'd have all manner of fine young pussy to sample at your leisure, to fuck however you see fit." Navira replied, much to his and Celestine's surprise. However, to Celestine's disappointment, he almost sounded excited by the prospect.



"Really? How many are we talking about here? Five or six or-"



"Fifty-seven plus or minus a few." Navira cut him off easily. "And about half as many men if you're so inclined. All of them would be available for you to stuff your dick in as you see fit..." Navira explained with a sultry grin. "You of course have to convince them, but then the chase is half the fun isn't it? Plus, there is a fairly high turn around, which will ensure you don't get bored..."



"What are you doing?" Celestine asked, horrified and stunned by Navira's words. "Are you trying to... to make him into one of your dol-"



But Celestine felt Navira's finger upon her lips, as she smiled darkly. "Hush Celestine... I'm having a discussion with our friend here. Now, please don't interrupt us again." Navira instructed lightly, a dark smile upon her lips as she met Celestine's eyes. Instantly Celestine could tell her words weren't a suggestion... they were orders.



"I got to say your offer is really enticing..." The steward began as he tried to think rationally, but it was getting harder and harder. The prospect of screwing an endless number of women definitely held its appeal... Still, what was left of his soul resisted it. "But I'm going to have to decline. I have a nice pad and the like already, so it isn't like I need a new place to live." He explained gently. "Plus, as nice as it sounds, it seems like a bit of a fantasy..."



Navira smiled and nodded. "I can see how one might think that. So, before your decision is set in stone, how about you come with us after we land? I can show you that I'm not just bullshitting you, and maybe even give you a sampler for your trouble." Navira asked curiously.



Yet as Celestine sat fuming at what was happening in front of her, she began to sense Navira's power wax and gather, and she realized Navira was about to lash out with it to try and influence the flight attendant. Almost reflexively Celestine steeled her own mind against her influence, desperately hoping that her own powers weren't about to drive Navira out of her mind. If Lavanna was any indication, it might make Navira turn on her and try and kill her in her panic. Yet as the seconds ticked by, Celestine realized Navira wasn't carpet bombing the area, but was instead using her powers only on the flight attendant. She felt Navira's influence reach out and impact the flight attendant, washing over him and any reluctance he might have felt like a soft wave...



As soon as she realized there was no danger to herself, Celestine looked to the steward again, hoping that he would fight Navira's influence; that he would turn Navira down despite her tempting offer and power. But as much as she might have hoped that he would be able to resist, her rational mind knew better, and soon she began to see his features relax and a new lustful glint begin to shine in his eyes. In seconds he went from resolutely denying Navira, to being riddled with lust and becoming pliable, and Celestine found herself silently cursing Navira for it.



"Hum... that might not be a bad idea." He replied happily. "Actually, it sounds like a great idea." He announced easily. "What could it hurt? Worse case scenario, I get some tail and then head out."



"Exactly!" Navira chimed in excitedly, eyes shining in excitement. "But in the meantime, I think we're done here. When you're done cleaning all this up, the two of us can talk some more about it, alright?" She asked pleasantly, leaning over slightly to expose some of her cleavage to him.



"Of course." He replied without hesitation as he began to clean up the plates and dishes, stowing them back into the cart. After a few moments he left the cabin, pushing past the door that led into the forward cabin.



A moment later and Celestine found Navira looking to her, her smile dark and victorious. "Now... what were you saying before?"



"You know what I was going to say." Celestine replied coolly. "You're going to turn him into one of your dolls aren't you? You're going to bring him back with us, break him down, and then mould him to your desires."



"Of course I am." Navira replied without any hesitation at all. "It's what I do after all. Plus, I'll need something to distract me if I'm not to try and do the same to you."



Celestine chuckled darkly. "Please Navira; we both know that even if you try not to, you're going to end up at least making an attempt on me. It's in your nature after all."



Navira shrugged and continued to smile. "Seems Durial did everything he could to prepare you for your stay me." Navira commented lightly. "It isn't really fair though... He knows so much about me, and I know hardly anything about you."



Celestine shrugged at her words. "The world isn't fair. And you know that better then most, being the one who usually has the upper hand. Even now you are in a position of control... I tried to save his life, but I wouldn't have bothered if I knew you were just going to use your powers on him and turn him into one of your toys."



Navira chuckled again before sighing pleasantly. "There is an alternative you know... to me twisting him into a doll." She began teasingly, looking to Celestine to take the bait.



Not that Celestine was blind to the obvious ploy, but then it didn't really matter if she noticed it or not. Even a slim chance of saving the flight attendant's life was something she had to explore. "Alright I'll bite, what is the alternative?" Celestine asked, fully expecting her to say that Celestine could take his place willingly. Not that Celestine would take such an option for a virtual stranger. Maybe once she would have... but she wasn't that naïve person anymore.



"Protect him," Navira suggested easily, "just like you did before. He can't become my plaything, if he gives himself to someone else after all. And unlike me, I'm certain you wouldn't take advantage of him. Nor would you eventually throw him away like I inevitably will." Navira explained casually.



Celestine looked to Navira for a long moment, wondering what she was doing and why she was doing it. The idea of stealing the flight attendant out from under Navira wasn't something that dawned on Celestine earlier. Still, it seemed unlikely, given Navira had her power and all... she could have swayed him at any time. "I doubt very much that you're just going to let me do that. Even if you let me try, you could just use your abilities and he'd immediately go over to you, so what's the point?"



"What if I said I wouldn't use my powers on him any more then I already have?" Navira asked curiously, turning her chair toward Celestine to look at her directly.



"Even if you didn't, you have a lot more to tempt him with; fifty-seven something's if I remember correctly. I'd still be at a massive disadvantage." Celestine replied frankly.



Navira shrugged. "What can I say, the world isn't fair." Navira replied with a grin, using Celestine's words against her. "That said, you do have a very distinct advantage in your corner Celestine."



"Oh? And what pray-tell is that?" Celestine asked bluntly, not believing that she had any advantage in this situation at all.



Navira giggled lightly before shaking her head. "Why the greatest advantage any woman can have when it comes to men... He wants to fuck you." Navira answered brazenly. "He wants to bury his cock into your sweet pussy and fuck your brains out before he fills your cunt with his cum..."



Celestine's face went red as Navira explained what she thought of the situation. "What are you going on about? He loves sex; you could say that about any woman when it comes to him!"



"True, but it's different with you I think. I'm betting you're one of the few who hasn't gone all the way with him right off the hop. Instead you did just enough to make him want you more. Case in point; he hasn't even seen you naked yet... It's sort of like you're the one who got away, even though you haven't really gotten away yet." Navira proposed.



"No offence, but I think you're full of it." Celestine replied back, stubbornly refusing to accept that she had any special hold over him...



"Maybe I am, but I bet that right now, our delectable flight attendant is busy jerking off in the forward compartment bathroom as he thinks of you, even though he knows he should be cleaning up so he can back here to continue our discussion." Navira hypothesised, grinning lewdly at Celestine. "If you don't think so, then go to the forward compartment and find out for yourself. If he's doing his job like he's supposed to, then you can just say you came to get some juice or something. If he's not, go to the bathroom up there and listen closely, and I'm sure you'll hear him masturbating like there is no tomorrow..."



Celestine glanced away, though her face was still flush as she pondered how to reply to that. "E-even if he is in the bathroom, there isn't any way I can be sure he's thinking of me and not you." She argued, though Celestine was surprised to find her voice not as firm as she wished it to be.



"Oh I'd stake my reputation on the fact that he is... He couldn't stop stealing glances of you during our meal, and I'm betting that he's hoping that <em>you</em> are one of those fifty-seven women I was talking about earlier." Navira insinuated easily.



"Oh enough!" Celestine shot back as she got up, before she began to head towards the front of the cabin. "I don't believe you, but it seems the only way I'm going to get you to drop this ridiculous theory of yours is by going to find him."



"Happy hunting." Navira answered back, as she reclined back in her seat as she watched Celestine go.



~~~~



Almost immediately upon entering the forward Cabin, Celestine found herself regretting her decision. She knew she had been herded to this choice by Navira, but she let her embarrassment get the best of her, and now she was up here in what most might think was the First Class section... Glancing around she quickly saw the two demons that seemed to be Navira's guards, sitting amongst the seats. Neither of them even bothered to look back at her as she slowly walked down the isle, apparently utterly unconcerned with the coming and going of a mortal.



Glad for that at least, Celestine pushed on and found herself approaching what was likely used as a storage and cooking area for the flight attendants, blocked off by a closed curtain. Passing the washroom on her way there, she felt encouraged by the fact that she didn't hear anything coming from the closed door. Just glancing at it, Celestine could tell it was a more traditional airline bathroom, cramped and small and doubted that anyone could comfortably do anything in there at all.



A few more steps and Celestine began to see the trolley the steward had been using earlier through the gap between the curtain and wall leading into the storage area. Encouraged by what she saw, Celestine moved quickly and calmly to pull the curtain aside, fully expecting to find him there unloading it. Yet as the heavy material slid aside, all Celestine saw was an empty isle leading up to the cockpit, the trolley half-hazardly abandoned in place. Frowning slightly, Celestine glanced back to the washroom she past earlier, wondering if the normal noise of the planes engines could cover up someone pleasuring themselves inside...



Taking a deep breath, Celestine headed back that way, only to find that she had missed the fact that the door clearly displayed that the bathroom was currently occupied. It was all she could do but stand there and stare at the small red revolving sign that was inlaid in the door, connected to what she guessed was the lock inside... At first she found herself trying very hard not to listen to anything at all, hoping that she wouldn't overhear something she didn't want to hear...



But then it dawned on her that their flight attendant might just be going to the bathroom... It wasn't uncommon for men to need to do so after having sex after all. Finding some comfort in such reasoning, Celestine decided to simply stand and wait for a few moments; hoping that he would come out like nothing was the matter at all and she would go in after him. He might ask her why she was using the front bathroom instead of the rear bathroom, but she figured that was easier to explain with lies rather then telling him to the truth of the matter...



Yet her logical and reasonable plan all came crashing down when Celestine heard a low pleasure laced groan emanate from behind the door over the sounds of the plane. It wasn't long enough for Celestine to be completely certain she heard it, but it was certainly enough to make her doubt her previous plans and put more stock in Navira's hypothesis... A moment later though she recalled she wasn't the only one in the forward cabin, and glanced back to the demons that were present, only to find them still utterly unconcerned with her or whomever was in the bathroom. But her attention was drawn back to the bathroom as she heard what could only be described as heavy quick breathing, broken up by the occasional moan and grunt.



Again Celestine found herself unable to do anything but stand there for a long moment, staring at the door like it made no sense at all. It was during that long moment of uncertain observation that Celestine noticed that there was a slight gap between the door and the frame that it slid into. While it wasn't anything she could see through, Celestine could see the latch for the lock. It was a simple thing really, probably just a rod attached to the knob inside the door. Turn it to the locked position, and it would drop the rod down into a groove in the doorframe...



Without even really meaning to, Celestine began to ponder how she could get into the bathroom. It wouldn't be hard to pop the lock open with something thin and strong. Maybe if she grabbed a fork or knife from the storage area. But as she turned to look towards where the trolley sat, Celestine felt the heft of something strapped to her waist, sitting snuggling against the small of her back. Reaching back she found her own blade, and slowly pulled it out, looking upon its sharp edge. It would work perfectly. A fork or other utensil might not be heavy enough, but this was...



"What am I doing?" Celestine mumbled to herself, uncertainty clinging to her. Yet no internal answer was immediately forthcoming, and instead the only answer she got was more suggestive sounds from inside the bathroom... Celestine shook her head and turned back towards the rear compartment, not willing to just barge in on him... For all she knew he was doing something perfectly innocent and she was just mishearing it all.



But when she looked up, she stopped in her tracks, as she saw Navira standing in the isle, right at the entrance of the rear compartment... She leaned against the doorframe with casual ease, her head cocked lightly as she waited to see what Celestine would do. After the initial surprise, Celestine decided to push on and leave things be, but she was stopped again as Navira raised her hand and pointed at the bathroom, her lips moving in a slow easily read manner... 'Open it' she demanded silently, a confident grin upon her lips.



Celestine pondered defying her, but the man's life was at stake, and as much as she didn't know him, he hadn't done anything to deserve being twisted into one of Navira's dolls. So Celestine turned back, and found herself in front of the door again. She realized at this point that her heart was almost hammering in her chest, as if the prospect of opening the door, only to find him stroking his own cock mumbling her name sent shivers of excitement through her. It was perverse and depraved but she wanted to know... She wanted it to be true...



And so, Celestine reached out with the blade, and slipped it into the gap between door and doorframe before pressing it up against the edge of the bolt, shivering as she felt the weight of it press against the blade. Strangely, the heft of the lock surprised her, as she found it heavier than expected... Could it be that he was holding onto the knob, trying to hold the lock in place? Possibly, but that would mean that he knew about her standing out there, which sent a new ripple of naughty delight through her. The occasional moan and grunt could still be heard from inside, which meant he couldn't stop stroking his dick, even if he knew she was out here...



Unwilling to wait any more, Celestine pushed harder now, lifting the lock out of place. Once unlocked, she slid the blade back into it's sheath and slowly slid the door open as she looked inside to find their flight attendant, standing with his trousers down as he leaned over the small counter, one had wrapped around his cock as he stroked himself hard and fast. Celestine saw that he didn't notice her opening the door, his eyes still half lidded as he shivered in pleasure. She could hear him mumbling lightly to himself. "gonna ... oh god... I'm gonna... gonna <em>mnnh!</em> Gonna..."



"Cum?" Celestine asked slowly, her voice coming out like velvet...



"Oh god yes..." He replied, apparently not realizing that he had actually heard her voice, not just imagined it. But after a moment some part of his brain must have kicked in and his eyes snapped open and looked directly at her, standing just outside the doorway. The moment recognition hit, the steward froze like a deer caught in headlights, still half hunched over, his hand holding his cock firmly.



For a long moment the two of them simply stood there looking at one another, his face one of surprise and shock, while Celestine found herself only affording him a faint smile, as all her previous hesitation seemed to evaporate away into nothing. To her surprise though, he moved first, as she saw his hand begin to stroke up and down his cock again, slowly at first, but gradually speeding up. "Can't even hold yourself back for a minute, can you?" Celestine asked gently, even as his free hand held the edge of the counter tightly, as she heard his breath accelerate again. "Have you no shame?" She asked, clearly amused.



"No." He replied quickly. "Not any more... I wouldn't have ever done this before... but if I don't... I won't be able to hold myself back... I won't be able to stop myself from just trying to rip off your clothes and fucking you, whether you wanted it or not!" he replied sharply between his quick gasps of air. "I know I shouldn't but... but!" Celestine's brow rose as she watched him fight for control over himself as he grit his teeth and slowed his hand, before eventually stopping. She could see him shaking with exertion, and was surprised by how badly he seemed to want to cum... "I'm sor-"

<hr pg="3" />"Who told you to stop?" Celestine asked easily as she cut off his apology. "Keep going... if it's to keep yourself from pinning me down and ravaging me then why should you stop? Unless that's really what you want to do?" Celestine asked, surprised by her own words though she gave no sign of it. They just came so easily. It felt almost like she was blowing on hot coals, feeding them and watching them glow bright and beautiful...



In response to her words, the flight attendant lost all semblance of restraint and quickly resumed fucking his own hand... Celestine watched with rapt attention, as she saw dribbles of pre-cum slip from the head of his cock and trickle down his fingers as he continued. Soon enough it was too much for him, and Celestine watched as his cock spurted it's load all over the counter, sink, and the faucet and it's handles, glazing just about everything in at least a little of his spunk...



"Are you satisfied?" Celestine asked as she looked over the mess that he made...



He nodded lightly, somehow unable to meet her eyes. He had masturbated in front of women before, but never like this... Never before had he felt both shamed and aroused by his viewers gaze. Unlike other women who often simply stood there entranced by the sight of him masturbating, the way she looked at him... it was like she found him both pitiful and amusing at the same time. "I'm... I'm sorry." He apologized weakly, unsure as to what exactly he was apologizing for... She was the one who came in on him, not the other way around. She should be the one who was embarrassed and ashamed, so why did he feel so bad about it? Worse, was that he felt bad about lying to her. He wasn't satisfied... If anything his lust felt even greater then before. All he had done was succeed in staving it off.



"Do you think I care if you're sorry?" Celestine asked lightly, but it was the lightness of her voice that somehow made her words cut deep. If she was angry it would be easy to accept and tolerate, but this uncaring observation pushed him hard. "It doesn't matter..." She continued before he could reply. "Finish cleaning up the dishes and then come back to the rear cabin." Celestine ordered simply as she turned away.



"I'll... I'll clean up this as well." He replied weakly.



"I don't recall telling you to do that." Celestine replied simply. "Leave it exactly how it is..." She ordered instead, her smile still faint and light as she left him behind.



He stood there for a moment more, shaking with want as he felt his desire for her begin to turn into an unhealthy need as the seeds of his sin continued to grow, threatening to consume him...



~~~~~



Celestine found herself almost vibrating as she walked back to the rear cabin, even as she forced herself to walk at slow casual pace to buy herself some time to think. She didn't know why she had told him not to clean up his mess, but some part of her wanted it to be left there. It wanted someone else to find it by accident... like she wanted someone to find the remains of his depravity from when he masturbated to thoughts of her.



Realistically speaking, she knew that no would know that the mess left behind was partially because of her, but she found that she really didn't care about that. Even the chance of someone finding it and recognizing it for what it was filled her with a perverse sort of excitement... So much so that she couldn't help but picture some young stewardess coming on board later on, only to go to the bathroom and find cum splattered all over the small counter...



Shuddering hard, Celestine shook her head and tried to force such thoughts from her mind. Though it was difficult, given that she realized she'd have to deal with Navira being smug about being right about the flight attendant. Even beyond that though, Celestine had to think about how to save his life. If she followed through with Navira's suggestion, and somehow kept him interested in her, it might keep him safe for a while at least... Perhaps long enough to get him away from Navira.



As she entered the rear cabin, Celestine found Navira sitting idly as she sipped from a fresh glass of wine. All at once Celestine felt a rush of awkwardness as she moved to sit down a little ways away from her demonic hostess. At first she waited for Navira to say something, but after a few moments, it became apparent that she was going to wait for Celestine.



"So..." Celestine began, trying to sound calm, but largely just sounding awkward. "It looks like you were right about him..."



Navira glanced to Celestine with a pleased smile. "Of course I was. Believe it or not, I know how human men think. I've been at this for quite some time after all."



Celestine frowned lightly, not feeling wholly unlike she was being talked down to. Still, she needed questions answered, and tolerating her condescending tone was the best bet to getting those answers. "Fair enough. But what happens now? I mean... I think I can keep him interested in me for a while at least, but we can't just take him with us to your place."



"Sure we can." Navira replied easily. "He can stay with the other mortals under my tender care. If he does so, it's likely he won't realize there are demons about as they don't tend to visit the mortal dorms all that often."



"Okay... but what then?" Celestine asked carefully. "Let's say I keep him under my thumb for the next three days, what happens to him after that? I doubt very much that Durial will let me bring him home like some lost puppy, not that I even particularly want to." Celestine admitted frankly. As much as she wanted to keep him alive and well, Celestine still didn't particularly like him. He was handsome yes, but explaining the situation to Tristan and Markus was definitely not something she felt inclined to do.



"That's between you and Durial." Navira replied easily. "Or, if you find that you don't want him, you can simply let him go. So long as he doesn't find out anything about demons it shouldn't be an issue. That said, you'll be the one responsible for keeping him in the dark."



"Which won't exactly be easy when we're living in with you." Celestine replied dryly.



Navira shrugged. "As I said, you'll be in the dorms most of the time, so it shouldn't be a problem. Plus... you can let him frolic about with the others. That should keep him good and occupied." Navira suggested playfully.



She might have meant it as a dig, but Celestine realized that Navira wasn't wrong. Their flight attendant seemed to be perpetually horny, so it wasn't like that was a bad option. "Actually, that might work." Celestine replied easily as she continued to think about it.



"Oh?" Navira began, a bit surprised by Celestine's words. "I'm surprised you're willing to use people like that to meet your own ends."



Celestine shrugged. "If your people are anything like I expect them to be, I think they'll be more than willing to enjoy a few rounds between the sheets with our good steward."



Navira laughed at that. "I do suppose you are right. I can't deny that I raise them to be deliciously perverse."



"Well, if that is settled, I suppose I'll explain the situation to him when he gets back. I'll tell him that he'll be joining us under the pretence of your job offer and go from there." Celestine surmised before a thought struck her and she looked back to Navira. "The only reason you're giving me this chance to save him is because me trying to save him entertains you... right?"



"Of course!" Navira replied. "It isn't like I'm going to be idle in all this either... I'll still be there, tempting him at every opportunity. You're going to have to work hard to keep him safe from me." Navira replied with a confident grin.



"I see." Celestine replied calmly, doing her best to hide the fact that she didn't trust Navira's words at all. Yes, she might have been motivated by her entertainment of this situation, but that didn't mean Navira wasn't running multiple games at once. "Will you be using your abilities on him like you did a moment ago?" Celestine asked frankly. "If you do, it's going to be less entertaining."



Navira shrugged gently. "I will restrain myself for the most part... but if you start getting complacent, I might just come and snatch him away."



"How generous of you." Celestine replied coolly.



"What can I say? I'm almost saintly in my generosity." Navira teased as she leaned back, her eyes gleaming with dark mirth. "Still, I'm curious how you knew that I used my abilities on him..."



Celestine shrugged. "I've been around Durial long enough to know what it looks like..." Was all Celestine could muster in terms of a reply, not wanting to go into depth about her actual abilities. Regardless of that though, as much as she didn't like it, Celestine found herself accepting Navira's terms when it came to their flight attendant. It wasn't like she had a lot of choice in the matter either way. But with that understanding, came clarity of purpose, and Celestine didn't hesitate to act. A moment later, Navira was surprised to see Celestine pulling off her jacket and draping it along her chair before she reached for the hem of her black shirt.



"Might I ask what you're doing?" Navira inquired curiously, even as Celestine turned her back to her and began to pull up her shirt.



"Striking first." Celestine replied simply as the shirt came away from her body to reveal the black lace bra she wore. Still with her back to Navira, Celestine grabbed her jacket, and slipped it back on, leaving the front open and wide enough that anyone who looked could see the curves of her breast and the narrow strip of material that held the cups of the bra together.



Navira chuckled lightly. "I'm glad to see you're taking this seriously. Though I must say I'm impressed by your boldness."



"It's not like I have a lot of choices here. I'm guessing your definition of 'restraint' and mine vary quite a bit." Celestine informed as she looked to Navira. She knew that both her demonic marks were on complete display, and if anything, were hoping they might draw his attention. "In fact, I'm betting that if I hadn't done something drastic like this right off the bat, you would have simply lashed out with your powers and this would all be over before it begins."



Navira smiled wide at Celestine's words before she shrugged gently. "Guilty as charged."



Celestine left that alone, not surprised that Navira would act so quickly. Still, she didn't have to wait long as he came into the rear compartment after a few moments more. He glanced at Navira, but the moment that he realized that Celestine wasn't wearing a shirt under her jacket, she found his eyes glued to her. Again, despite her actual goal, a sense of erotic delight crept into Celestine's awareness, as she saw the desire reflected in his eyes. "Hello again." She began, her voice casual and aloof, not unlike how she spoke to him in the bathroom.



"Hello to you to." He replied easily as he began to walk towards her. "I see you've changed. I hope you're more comfortable now?" He asked as she saw his eyes work their way down her body and up again, pausing upon the demonic mark stamped around her navel.



His words incited her smile to grow ever so slightly. He had regained his composure since the bathroom and had become calm and casual again. Her appearance surprised him, but he had recovered well. "I'd be more comfortable with some company." She replied easily, one hand falling to the chair next to hers as she patted it invitingly. He didn't hesitate to sit down, and much to Celestine's cheer, he didn't afford Navira a single glance more.



"Well it is my job to see the passengers comfort." He answered smoothly. "Perhaps there is something else I can get for you to make the trip even more enjoyable?" He suggested, with not a small hint of innuendo.



But Celestine surprised him with what she had to say next. "Tell me your name." She requested simply.



Blinking once or twice first, he shook off his initial surprise before speaking up again. "Well... as much as I hate to say it, that's not something I normally do. I mean I could think up a fake name, but I think we'd both see through that."



"Tell me your name." Celestine repeated as she leaned towards him, one hand falling upon one of his thighs. "Your real name." She added as she met his eyes with her own gaze.



"It's..." He began, clearly not sure if he should tell her or not. Yet despite his clear uncertainty, he felt a jolt of excitement run through him at her slightest touch, as the urge to force her down and fuck her senseless began to rear its head again. He began to push it down, trying to let his rational mind reign, but that all came to a screeching halt as Celestine leaned forward and pulled her shoulders back a smidgen, causing her already open jacket to part a little bit more, giving him an even better view of the soft curve of her ample bust. A moment more, and the last vestige of his reluctance was blown aside as she parted her soft lips and let a soft alluring sigh, making him feel the delicate tickle of her breath against his neck. "My name is Jacob." He finished, even as a ripple of hope ran through him.



"Hum... Jacob..." Celestine replied, testing out his name slowly, her eyes still locked with his. "Your name is Jacob..." Her smile grew a little, and she was rewarded with the sight of his breath catching as she leaned in just a few millimetres closer. "I like your name Jacob... It suits you well." She finally said, hoping her soft inviting tone would tie him to her all the more. She was rewarded when she noticed him squirm slightly in his seat, as if trying to keep himself from losing himself to his own desires.



Celestine didn't recall when exactly, but somewhere along the line, she began to notice that she could almost sense his lust, not utterly unlike how she sensed the spheres of sin that demons possessed. Yet his was somehow obviously human to her. Perhaps she began to sense it when she found him in the bathroom, but that was something to consider later. For now, she needed to cement her hold on him. "Are you still going to take up Navira's offer to stay with us for a while?" Celestine asked as her hand began to slowly inch up his leg, hoping to keep his attention locked on her instead of looking to Navira. Unsurprisingly, Celestine found herself using the skills Tristan had taught her to keep him focused. It never dawned on her before that she would use seduction to help protect someone instead of using it for her own gain.



"Well... to be honest I was thinking about that." Jacob replied, even as she leaned towards her, enough so that she could feel one breast gently compress against his body. "And I was wondering something about yo-"



"Yes." Celestine cut him off simply, an impish smirk crossing her lips.



Jacob smiled lightly at her words before responding. "Yes what? How could you know my question before I finished asking it?"



Celestine shrugged lightly, which had the added benefit of rubbing her breast against him, before she replied. "You were going to ask me if <em>I</em> was one of those fifty-seven women Navira was talking about earlier... The answer is yes." She explained lightly, the hand upon his thigh squeezing him tantalizingly. She took a long slow breath in before she continued. "Though you could say I'm 'on loan' to Navira. After three days, you might never see me again." Celestine continued, her voice taking on an unsure tone, as if they might not have enough time.



"Well that's a shame..." He replied honestly. "We'll have to make up for it enough for a whole lifetime."



"Hum... Sounds fun." Celestine replied teasingly, her lips curling in a slight smile.



Meanwhile Navira sat back in her chair, listening the two of them talk from several seats away. She didn't watch them directly, but still fought to keep herself from smiling overly much... Everything was going exactly as she hoped it would...



~~~~



The trip to Navira's home didn't take long once they landed, and during the entire trip, Celestine stayed relatively close to Jacob, fighting to keep him focused on her and safe from Navira. However, when they began pulling up towards her home, Celestine didn't have to distract him, as he seemed quite distracted by the size of her home... Like Tristan, Navira seemed to have a penchant for large homes, but unlike him, Navira's estate seemed to be divided into two large buildings. One was farther back and dominated the top of a small hill, the other smaller building, was near the front of the estate. At a glance it vaguely reminded her of the dorm buildings from back in university. The main portion of the building had three stories, and there were smaller single story outcrops that reached out from the central mass of the building. Additionally, there seemed to be a parking lot of sorts off to the side of it, filled with a number of different vehicles. The building farther back was more akin to Tristan's home, and looked more like a mansion than anything else. Large windows could be seen from the long driveway, and she could see there was a long tunnel like building that connected the two facilities, but beyond that Celestine didn't get a great look, as they quickly began to pull in towards the closer of the two buildings.



Soon enough Navira was leading them inside, with Jacob and Celestine following. Celestine noticed Navira's two guards heading towards the main building however, leaving her and their mistress behind without ever coming inside. Once inside, Celestine began to look around, realizing that the main hall of this building was set up much like a dorm building, with the center of the building being hallow and rooms ringing around the outside walls on both floors. Celestine also noticed the large skylight that dominated the roof above the hallow core, allowing the area to be filled with diffused natural light.



It was nicely furnished, with the core appearing to be a common area that more than a few people seemed to be lounging in, either watching the large TV at one side or sitting around talking at one of the various tables. But behind all the normal appearance of the building, Celestine could faintly detect the musk of sex and carnality... She looked to everyone over again, looking more closely now, only to realize that for the most part, they were all fairly attractive. Some were more so than others of course, but each and every one of them had some allure to them. However Celestine noticed something else about them; none of them looked older than their late twenties... In fact, some looked hardly any older than nineteen.



But her observations came to a halt when she heard one of the younger men call out excitedly. "Miss Navira, you're back!" No less then half of the heads in the common area turned towards the front door, and Celestine saw most of them light up in excitement. The most eager of them leapt up from their chairs and began to approach the three of them.



Celestine glanced back to see how Jacob was doing, only to realize he was looking about at all the women that were wandering around. It wasn't that he was staring, but Celestine could see and feel he was somehow scrutinizing them... Possibly sizing up several of the women as potential fuck buddies... She wasn't surprised so much as a little annoyed at how quickly he was working. Still, she saw something else in his eyes... a part of him realized just now that there was something off about this place, that it wasn't quite normal. She hoped that he'd keep his questions to himself for now. She didn't have the time to come up with a lie that would cover all this right at the moment...



Still, her attention was dragged back when the closest of those who got up to meet Navira spoke up. "Welcome home Lady Navira." He was fairly tall, though thin in build and wore wire frame glasses, giving him a striking intellectual look. "I hope your trip was pleasant?"

<hr pg="4" />"Why yes Daniel it was." Navira replied. "I've actually brought some new guests..." She began before raising her voice some for everyone who was around to hear. "Listen up everyone; I've brought some new companions to join us for a while. This is Jacob," Navira began as she indicated him, still dressed in his uniform from the plane, "and this is Celestine, the special guest that I have told you all so much about." Navira finished with a smile.



"Wait... you've told them about me?" Celestine asked directly, though she only got a bit of a grin in response. Almost instantly the small group that had coalesced around them turned towards Celestine and began to look her over curiously. "Uh... hi." Was all Celestine could manage as she began to wonder what was going on.



One of the younger brunette women stepped forwards and smiled warmly to Celestine. If nothing else she appeared to be at least somewhat normal. If anything, she reminded Celestine of a first or second year university student. But even as she began to speak up, she was cut off when someone from the upper level gave shrill cat call down towards them. A dozen heads glanced up and Celestine saw a man perhaps as old as she was, sitting precariously on the railing as he looked down at her with a lustful glare. To Celestine's eye, he looked like a classical bad boy... rough looking but still easily one of the most attractive men she had seen so far amongst the residents. He wore simple clothes that displayed his well toned body, and Celestine could spy a bit of five o'clock shadow darkening his chin and cheeks.



"Collin?" Navira called up. "Why don't you come down here and meet our guest instead of just watching her from up there while you brood?" Navira asked with an inviting gentle smile.



"Meet anther one of the stupid sluts that follow you around like love struck fangirls? Thanks, but no." Collin replied rudely, as he sneered down at the lot of those surrounding Navira.



From behind the Brunette came a younger looking blond girl, who hardly looked like she was out of high school. "Collin, you ass!" She called up to him angrily. "What bug crawled up your butt today?"



"Eh, you know Cassidy. Same old same old... slutty girls who are barely out of high school think they can talk big; when all that's big about them is their breasts and the empty vastness inside their heads." Collin retorted, clearly not impressed by her words. However, despite his crudeness, Celestine couldn't say he was completely wrong about her. Cassidy fit the bill for what Celestine came to expect from slutty airheaded cheerleaders... Her breasts almost bordered on enormous, despite her slight body, with her hair dyed to a golden blond. Still, Celestine couldn't deny that she was what a lot of people thought of as an ideal woman... But it didn't really help that Cassidy wore a skirt so short that her ass was almost hanging out, or that she wore a tank top that was so high on her body, that the bottom of her breasts could be seen from under the bottom edge of the garment, revealing that she was in fact not wearing a bra. Still, she had long toned legs and a fit trim body and was someone who clearly worked hard to keep it that way.



Yet despite Collin's words, she didn't seem to rise to his attempts to piss her off, and instead turned back to Celestine and Jacob. "Hi!" She said with all the cheerful enthusiasm of an entire pep squad... "I'm Cassidy, and this is Jillian!" She said indicating the brunette who Collin had cut off earlier.



Jillian picked up the greeting without skipping a beat. "It's nice to meet you both. We've heard a lot about you Celestine, but we're looking to get to know you too Jacob." Jillian explained warmly.



Before he could reply, Cassidy stepped forwards and took one of his arms and hugged it tightly against her chest before she let out a little purr. "We're <em>really</em> looking forward to it." She added, as she looked up to him with her baby blue eyes...



Celestine felt Jacob's lust stir, and she couldn't help but smile at his almost kneejerk reaction. Cassidy suited his tastes almost perfectly: attractive, possibly spoiled, and desperate for a good rough fucking. Yet what he did next surprised her a little bit, as Jacob looked over to her, as if wondering how she felt about it. Not wanting to push him away, Celestine only smiled lightly and nodded once, triggering a wide smile to form across Jacob's lips as he looked to Cassidy. "Well that is awfully kind of you."



"No it isn't." Collin interjected. "She doesn't want to get to know you, she wants to get to know your cock. Likely by wrapping her lips around it." He added brazenly. "Sluts are like that."



"Collin!" Jillian gasped. "Please, that's enough!"



"Oh fuck you." Collin replied coldly. "Like I'm gonna listen to Navira's favourite pet." He announced as he grabbed something off what Celestine guessed as a nearby counter. Even at a distance Celestine could see it was a porcelain vase, and it looked like he was threatening to drop it.



"Collin! Don't!" Jillian continued to plea. Meanwhile, Celestine glanced to Navira, who seemed oddly out of place amongst them all. Unlike almost all the humans around her, who were watching the exchange with concern and uncertainty, Navira was smiling faintly, as if she was enjoying a grand show... It was also blatantly clear that she wasn't going to do anything about what was happening in front of her.



"Don't what? Drop it? Fine... I won't. I'll throw it." He replied sharply before he wound up and snapped it at Jillian from above. She cringed and threw up her hands to defend her head, while most everyone else tried to move away to avoid being hit themselves...



But much to everyone's surprise, there was no smash or crash. Just a light slapping sound... A moment later Jillian peeked up through her hands and what she saw floored her and just about everyone else... Celestine had caught the vase mid air without it breaking or anything, and was now simply looking up at Collin with what couldn't be described as anything more than mild annoyance. A moment more and a few faces, Jillian's included, looked up to Collin to see his reaction, and found his features twisted into stunned confusion. Those that weren't looking at Collin seemed to be expecting Celestine to say something, but instead, she simply turned back to Jillian and smiled lightly, apparently waiting for her to continue.



It was only after Navira cleared her throat that Jillian seemed to snap out of her stunned state, and after a moment she shook her head and smiled warmly to Celestine again. "T-Thank you very much!"



"Don't worry about it Jillian." Celestine replied gently, being completely honest. Even without the two Demonic Marks she bore, she probably could have protected Jillian, though she might have not been able to save the vase. "In any case, you and Cassidy were welcoming us?" Celestine reminded, hoping to get this situation moving along.



"Oh! Yes. Sorry about that." Jillian giggled before smiling again. "I'm going to be your gu-"



"Hey!" Collin snapped out, cutting Jillian off a second time. "You think I'm going to tolerate just being ignored like that?!"



However unlike before, those crowded around didn't look up to Collin with uncertainty or concern. Instead they looked up with annoyance, almost as if they were emboldened by Celestine's presence. "Just ignore him." Celestine suggested to Jillian, who in turn smiled apologetically.



"I really am sorry about him. He usually isn't this bad. It's just when new guests come to visit us, he worries about his own standing." Jillian explained. "He really isn't that bad... just moody sometimes."



"Jill!" Collin yelled out, as if horrified that she was talking about him like that. "What are you doing?! Don't tell them that shit!"



Jillian looked up to him, and Celestine saw the worry in her eyes, though she also recognized that it was worry for Collin, not for her own safety. "Collin, it's okay! You don't always have to be the tough guy! Why don't you come down and just try and talk with them?" Jillian pled. Yet the only thing that Jillian's suggestion seemed to accomplish was pissing him off even more.



In response, Celestine saw Collin pull back behind the column he had been sitting against while he sat on the rail, as if he was reaching for something. A moment later and he reappeared with what looked to be another table setting of some sort. Though unlike before, he never got a chance to throw it, as the vase he had thrown a moment ago shattered against the column beside him, spraying him with shards of porcelain. Instantly the air was full of gasps accompanying Collin's angry shout of pain...



Jillian's gaze snapped back to Celestine, stunned that she had not only prevented Collin from attacking them again, but had somehow hit him with the shards of the vase. "Damn Celestine!" Jacob spoke up, clearly impressed. "You have one hell of an arm! That was a hell of a throw!"



Yet Celestine only shrugged before she replied. "I was aiming for him honestly..." She admitted simply, even as Collin dragged himself off the rail so he could stand up, one hand at his face as blood leaked out between his fingers.



"Collin!" Jillian cried out. "Are... Are you okay?!" She continued, her voice shaking in worry, even as others laughed and pointed fingers at Collin.



"I'm fine!" He rasped, before glaring at Celestine. "You're going to pay for this!" He snapped viciously.



"No I'm not." Celestine replied bluntly. "I know I won't because you're a coward who curses and spits from on high where he thinks he's safe. Everything you do is just a show to try and make yourself seem more threatening, more defiant, more unapproachable. But all that really means is that you're a sad little man alone up in what he thinks is his tower. Maybe you had everyone here fooled, but don't you dare think that I'll tolerate your crap." Celestine smirked lightly. "Besides... they all see you for what you are now... If you were once on top, you most certainly aren't any more." Celestine finished simply.



Collin glared at her for a long moment, his eyes clouded in fury before he eventually darted out of sight. Celestine waited a few moments to be sure he wasn't going to come back before she looked to Jillian, who looked to her sheepishly. "Shall we try this one more time?"



But now that Collin was gone, Navira spoke up, voice light and amused. "Well, I had planned on Jillian and Cassidy here to be your guides... They will show you around the dorms and what not, and they'll be able to answer any questions you two might have for the time being. Once that's done, feel free to get to know some of the others. I'm sure they're all eager to meet you. I'll return in an hour or so to see how everyone is doing." Navira explained easily.



Celestine frowned lightly. "Wait... you're just leaving us here?"



"Of course. This will be where you'll be staying after all. But on that note, Jillian, please see to them being assigned rooms if you would be so kind." Navira instructed.



Jillian nodded quickly. "Yes Ma'am."



"Very good. Well, have fun you two. I can't wait till this evening's festivities." Navira replied as she turned and took her leave.



Jillian turned back to Celestine and smiled lightly. "Shall we begin?" She asked with an almost reflexive warmness.



~~~~~



"And this is the communal dining area." Jillian explained as they entered one of the wings of the dorm. "All the rooms have small kitchenettes in them, but most of the residents aren't all that great at cooking, so those of us are who are good at it, help feed everyone from here."



"Jillian's really good at baking." Cassidy piped in grinning at her friend as she still hung off Jacob, though it was clear he didn't mind. They had gone from her holding onto his arm to allowing him to wrap his arm around her while she hugged herself to his body. "Though they are hard to enjoy." She began to whine. "They are really good but really fattening too."



"That's only because you go on eating binges." Jillian replied, smiling happily at her friends compliment. "If you ate a little bit at a time, it wouldn't be such a big deal."



Cassidy pouted a little bit. "But... they're so good."



Jacob couldn't help but chuckle at their back and forth, even as his hand slid further down her waist and began to grope her ass, though Cassidy gave no sign of minding. "I got to say you two are a ball to hang around with. I mean, I still don't really know what this place is for, but it certainly is interesting. All manner of people seem to live here."



"Well, technically this facility is listed as an 'off-campus' dorm for the nearby University. That said though, only maybe one in seven of us are actually university students." Jillian explained. "Cassidy is a first year, and I'm a second year. Though we knew each other back in high school."



Cassidy giggled excitedly. "Sometime I'll have to tell you about all the trouble we used to get into back in high school." Cassidy said to Jacob. "There was this one time we met these older guys an-"



"Cassidy!" Jillian cut her off exasperated. "Why do you always have to tell people that story! You know how embarrassed I am about it!"



Cassidy stuck out her tongue at Jillian before turning back to Jacob. "Long story short, we were at a party, someone dropped us some ecstasy, and we had a fucking wild night with some older guys. Miss by the books there doesn't like talking about it though because she thinks it's a blemish on her perfect record!" Cassidy explained with a naughty grin.



Jillian's face turned an adorable shade of red as she tried not to lose it on her friend. But before she could reply, Celestine was kind enough to change the subject. "I figured you two were collage students. You remind me a lot of the orientation guide they gave us during my first year. Actually, if I'm being honest, this reminds me a lot like one of those tours..."



Jillian smiled widely at Celestine's words. "Thank you. I was actually one of the orientation guides at the university so it makes sense why you get that feeling."



"I see." Celestine replied simply, even as she continued to look around. The tour thus far hadn't been anything too surprising. Living area, cafeteria, a recreation room... Things one would find in any dorm that was well funded. But to her eyes it was all just obfuscation. It was all just meant to hide the fact that this building was a holding area for Navira's playthings... Several times through their tour they come past areas where the sounds of rampant fucking could be heard behind closed doors, and as well trained as the majority of the residents were, Celestine couldn't help but catch that empty look in the eyes of some who weren't paying attention or interacting with others.



It was the same look as the 'bred' humans had back at Vestiem's court, which were sold and traded as nothing more than merchandise.



That said, Celestine didn't think all of the people here were bought from the demonic markets... Some of them were more apt at talking and interacting than others, and had stories and memories of a time before they came here. When she asked why they came here, the question was either deflected in one way or another, or it was said that they were staying here in the dorm for university. All in all, some of these individuals might have had lives before they came here. Hell, some still might...



"It's lucky that the two of you are in the same dorm together." Celestine remarked casually. "Sometimes friends break up after high school after all."



"Well, here's the thing," Cassidy began, "After Jillian graduated, she kind of dropped off the face of the earth for like six months! It was only when I was at a football game cheering on our high school team that we happened to run into each other. At the time I didn't think I'd want to go to university, but after we started talking again, Jillian said I should come and apply. I wasn't sure at first, but as soon as I met Miss Navira I was sold. We've been together ever since!" Cassidy glanced to her friend and they shared a smile before breaking into a giggle together.



But soon Jillian's laughter subsided, and she looked to Celestine. "Well, that concludes the tour of the facility. Maybe I can introduce you to some of the people around here? There's all sorts of interesting people you can meet. And if you're... um..." Jillian blushed a little bit as she glanced away, apparently embarrassed by her words. "...feeling 'randy'... I'm sure someone will be willing to satisfy you."



Celestine frowned. "Uhm... wait... what?" She asked confused slightly by what Jillian was saying.



Cassidy only chuckled though and spoke up more openly. "She's saying if you're looking for a good fuck, I'm sure you'll find someone who's more than willing. There are plenty of hot guys around here after all, and all of them are more than capable, believe me. Me? I think I'm going to get to know your friend Jacob here a little bit better..." Cassidy explained as her attention turned to him and she gave him a naughty smile.



Celestine felt Jacob's lust throb hard and tried to ignore the tent he was beginning to pitch. Still, she was pleased by the fact that he still looked to her with a measure of uncertainty, like he still needed her permission. Though she was perfectly willing to give him such permission if he wanted it. If he was occupied with Cassidy, it meant he wouldn't be trying to get into her pants, or Navira's... With a light nod Jacob and Cassidy quickly excused themselves and headed off in a hurry towards Cassidy's room...



"W-What about you Miss Celestine?" Jillian asked quietly, apparently unsure what she could do. It would have been adorable to Celestine, but at the moment she was forcing herself to keep level headed.



"I noticed the mansion is connected to the dorms by a corridor building... Perhaps you could show me the mansion now?" Celestine asked curiously.



Jillian's eyes lit up in desperate excitement, and for a moment, Celestine felt a strong pulse of lust emanate from her before it waned and she spoke up. "D-did lady-...er... I mean Miss Navira invite you?" Jillian explained, though she was clearly hopeful that Celestine had been invited. "We only visit the main house when Miss Navira wants to enjoy our company more... 'intimately'. If she did I'd be more than happy to accompany you, but we can't go if we aren't invited..."



Celestine shook her head. "No, I haven't been invited yet. Is it common for residents of the dorm to be invited over?"



Jillian looked visibly distraught at Celestine's answer, but responded regardless. "Well... yes and no. Some of us, like Collin and myself, are invited pretty regularly. But a lot of us are only invited once or twice a year. Sometimes she invites some of us all together but usually we only see individuals or pairs go to visit her." Jillian explained simply. "Though I think some of us are actually allowed to live in the mansion." Jillian began again. "Sometimes they go and don't come back. Servants from the house come and collect their things and take them away shortly after."



Celestine kept her features calm, even though she wanted to frown. It was far more likely that Navira had either tired of her playthings or accidently kill them while being 'intimate' with them. It was also possible that she would simply consume their souls when she felt they were ripe for it. "Perhaps you can simply introduce me to some of the others? I'm not really up for any excitement at the moment." Celestine proposed, which seemed to bring a smile to Jillian's face.



"Yes of course! I'd be happy to." She replied enthusiastically, much to Celestine's mystification. A moment more and they were heading back towards the main dorm, her momentarily dejected attitude evaporating and being replaced by the plucky guide once again.

<hr pg="5" />Yet as they walked, Celestine spoke up, a curious thought entering her mind. "From the sounds of it, you've been here almost two years, right? During your stay here... did you know two women by the names of Diana and Troy?" Celestine asked curiously, wondering about the two she had come to know back in Court. The two Navira had let die in the process of saving her.



Jillian's head turned and smiled widely to Celestine. "Diana and Troy?! Of course I remember them! They were Lady Navira's favourites for a really long time! Not only that, a lot of us really liked them too! They were unique in that that they kind of skirted the line of the two groups that live here."



"Wait, groups?" Celestine asked curiously.



"Oh, yes... see most folks here can kind of be broken down into two groups. On one side, you've got the kinder gentler people, what most would consider your 'average' person. They are good people that wouldn't hurt anyone and do their best to look out for one another. I guess the best way to describe them would be to call them friendly and courteous. On the other side, you have the rogues. Don't let the name fool you though, most of them aren't really villains. Instead most of them are just rough and hard to approach. I guess you could say you get a 'dangerous' vibe from them. Some of them are real jerks, and do push it too far sometimes, but that doesn't happen often." Jillian explained.



"Hum... like you and Collin then." Celestine surmised.



Jillian stopped dead in her tracks. "Wh...What? I... I don't know what you're talking about!"



Celestine turned and smiled lightly back at Jillian. "Oh... I think you do." She insinuated lightly. She didn't continue for a moment, and instead enjoyed the sight of Jillian's pretty features going all red for a few seconds. Eventually though, Celestine relented, and spoke up again. "I mean how you are one of the innocents and how Collin is one of the rogues." Celestine explained.



As soon as Jillian understood what she meant, she chuckled nervously and let out a sigh of relief. "Oh! I see now. Here I thought you that I was one of the rogues." She lied quickly.



"Nah." Celestine replied as she continued to walk down the hall, not glancing back to Jillian when she continued to speak. "Though, it's pretty obvious that you're infatuated with Collin." Celestine added nonchalantly.



"What?! No! no it's nothing like that! We're just friends and-" Jillian tried, but Celestine cut her off gently.



"Relax Jillian. I'm not going to go around spreading your big secret. I mean hey, I kind of recognize the concept... He's the big bad rogue, you're the curious and impressionable collage girl. You know it's wrong to like him, to want him, yet you still do." Celestine theorized calmly. "I don't really get the 'why' mind you. As far as I can tell he's a royal fucking asshole."



"He... he isn't always like that. He's actually kind of nice sometimes." Jillian defended quietly. "At least in private when he's with me."



Celestine frowned lightly. "So he's nice to you when it's just the two of you? Forgive me if this is rude, but it sounds more like he pretending to be nice to you in the hopes of getting you into his bed." Celestine suggested bluntly before she glanced back at her, only to find Jillian blushing hard while staring down at the ground. "Oh for the love of..." Celestine gave a long sigh as she realized that Collin wasn't trying to get Jillian into his bed, he had succeeded in getting her there, and likely several times already given her reaction. A moment later she turned and put her hands upon Jillian's shoulders, trying to reassure her. "Look, don't fall for that again okay? He's just trying to use you. I know he'll say he loves you, but if he can't admit it openly, it's just a pile of bull. If he tries to force you into a situation where the two of you are alone, run away and come find me. I'll deal with him." Celestine assured, meaning every word of it.



It hadn't been the first time she had to deal with things like this. Before she ever met Tristan she occasionally had to help her friends think straight when they were dealing with abusive or just asinine boyfriends. Nor would Collin be the first douchebag she'd have to knock out in order to protect others.



Eventually Jillian nodded to Celestine's words. "Okay... Thank you Miss Celestine. I really do appreciate the help."



"Jillian, just call me Celestine, there's no need to be so formal." Celestine corrected gently. "But anyway, enough about him, you were telling me about Diana and Troy."



"Yes." Jillian said with a smile. "Like I said, they were everyone's favourites and they were inseparable, with Diana on the darker side of things, and Troy on the lighter. Both worked to keep everything balanced here, and to keep the rogues from being too crazy, even though Diana sometimes went a little nuts herself." Jillian explained with a slight chuckle at the end. "They are actually the ones who helped me approach Collin too. Even more than that, they helped me find this place. I somehow fell in with them at the university and one thing led to another and here I am now."



"They were university students?" Celestine inquired, a bit surprised by the thought.



"No... I don't think so anyway. I actually met them at one of the parties near campus prior to starting my first year, and only really noticed them because they were the center of everyone's attention. But for whatever reason, they noticed me and brought me here with them. I've been living here ever since." Jillian explained happily.



"Hum..." Celestine replied simply. "So... do you know what happened to them?" She asked, trying to ignore the fact that the two of them had been recruiters for Navira's sick dormitory...



"Yep. They live with Lady Navira up in the mansion now. It isn't surprising that they got invited to live there though. I remember Lady Navira always showered them in gifts... The day they got their piercings, she had them show them off. Troy was adorably shy about it, but Diana was happy to put everything on display, and even played with them some, much to the approval of the guys who were watching." Jillian explained happily, completely unaware of the fact that both of them were long dead...



...Dead, in part, because of Celestine...



"I only got to meet them for a brief time." Celestine admitted, though left it well enough alone after that, not wanting to dwell on their pointless deaths...



~~~~



Cassidy and Jacob fell upon the bed together in an exhausted heap, trying to catch their breath. Cassidy felt so full of cum she was worried it would start running out of her pussy and start staining her sheets. Then again, her sheets were probably stained already when he laid her down and came all over her face and hair earlier on.



If nothing else, Cassidy was impressed with his stamina... they had fucked for almost an hour already, and only now was he beginning to show signs of exhaustion, while she was already tender and sore. Jacob hadn't taken her gently, not that she would have wanted it any other way. Still, she was glad he was finally satisfied, any more and she was convinced her pussy might never recover.



But her relief went out the window when she began to feel him going stiff again... "Whoa babe! I gotta give you props on enthusiasm and vigour, but I have to take a break... Maybe in a few hours we can pick this up?" Cassidy asked gently. "We should be getting back anyway. Navira will be back soon I think." She added, hoping that would discourage him. Thankfully, it seemed her idea was going to be successful, as she felt Jacob pulling away from her. Taking the opportunity to stretch out herself, Cassidy rolled over and onto her back, taking slow deep breaths. "Though that was easily some of the best sex I've had in a good long while... I can't wait to drain those balls again later." She admitted as she slowly opened her eyes.



But what she saw was counter to what she thought was happening. Instead of getting up and off the bed, Jacob seemed to be climbing higher on it, almost so he was kneeling along side her head... "Hey, uh... babe... What are you doing?" She asked worriedly, his hard heavy dick almost brushing her cheek.



"Get to it you spoiled little brat." Jacob demanded in between heavy breaths. "Get to sucking that dick!" he ordered again harshly.



"B-...But I can't! I'm already so tired... Please, just a little break, okay?" She asked, her voice beginning to shake.



But Jacob's answer didn't come in words... Instead his hand simply shot out and took a large handful of her hair and forced her head down upon the mattress as he began to climb over her. Cassidy struggled of course, crying and whimpering as he began to force his cock into her reluctant throat. But Jacob knew the real score... He knew what Cassidy really wanted. She wanted to be fucked and violated... Just like all those other stuck up sluts out there. He knew he was right... he knew because she had protested at first the last two times he had fucked her...



She had resisted both times, just like she was now. It was the look in her eyes that convinced him the most... if it wasn't for that he would stop himself. Or at least that was what he told himself anyway. But her eyes were the key. At first, he could see rapt panic and fear filling them as he began to rape her mouth and throat, stuffing his cock as deep as her body would allow as he savoured the sound of her gagging on his dick. But as he continued to pound in and out of her, her eyes would go blank for a moment... and then quickly become lost to rampant lust and pleasure. He could see it in her eyes, and could feel it as her throat opened to accommodate him more easily... he could feel it in how she began to suck on his cock every time he pulled back... And he knew because she began to moan for more...



What Jacob didn't know however, was that Cassidy's reaction was little more than her programmed response. This was what Navira moulded her into... The teenage slutty cheerleader, who simply went wild whenever someone presented her with a cock to suck or fuck... He also didn't realize that the short bouts of reluctance were not part of that pre-programmed response. But instead what was left of her human survival instincts trying to help her avoid serious injury... But they only went so far, and Navira's manipulation of her mind and soul ran deep, deep enough that Cassidy could not recall her earlier reluctance. All she could remember was what pleasure she had been moulded to feel when she was treated like this...



But then Jacob couldn't know any of that... And even if he did, the roots of his sin only kept growing in the face of this beautiful toy that had been handed to him. He had long since stopped really caring if Cassidy felt any pleasure because of his actions. They were just words his twisted mind came up with to ease the guilt that was constantly waning, each time he fucked her...



It wouldn't be long now... Not long at all before all morality in Jacob died, and all he cared about was satisfying his lust...



~~~~~



"What do you think you're going?" Celestine asked coldly as she glared at the three men in front of her. One of which, was currently holding Jillian tightly to himself, despite her struggles to the contrary. They were all large fit men, though one of them dwarfed the others by about half a foot in height and at least a foot in the width of his shoulders.



But instead of an immediate response, a new voice spoke up from behind her, near the entrance to the common area that she and Jillian had come in from. "Well... we're planning on borrowing Jillian for a little while. We were hoping that Cassidy would be with you as well, but alas she isn't. Such a shame... It will be quite hard on Jillian to share her four ways..." The man's condescending voice answered Celestine's question. Turning to glance back at him, she saw the man who had approached Navira first when they originally arrived.



"You... your name is Daniel." Celestine said more to remind herself than for his sake.



"Ah, you remembered. I'm flattered." He said with a slight bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Jillian hurried you off so quickly after you dealt with Collin that I didn't get a chance to approach her or you... But perhaps we should deal with the matter at hand? Jillian will be quite worn out if we four share her amongst us. Perhaps you would like to carry some of the load?" Daniel asked with a disgustingly kind voice.



Celestine looked back to Jillian and spoke up. "You okay?" She asked, completely ignoring Daniel now.



"Y-yes." Jillian replied weakly. "I'm sorry Celestine, I should have warned you about this sort of thing..."



"Warned me?" Celestine wondered aloud. By the sounds of it, this sort of thing happened regularly...



"Shame on you for not doing your duty Jillian. Every good guide should warn their charges of potential dangers." He announced easily, even as Celestine noticed others watching from afar, many of them worried and concerned, but none willing to actually do anything about it. Others watched curiously, clearly wondering how Celestine would handle this. Celestine realized that most of the people here were sheep, weak and pliable enough to be taken advantage of without raising too much of a fuss... Those that weren't sheep were wolves... Moulded by Navira to become beasts and prey on the sheep. She doubted all this would cost anyone's life, but it was clear by how one of the goons was holding Jillian, that they had no reservations about violating her.



"Shame on her? Shame on you wretch. You honestly think that I'm going to just stand here and watch you and your cronies drag her off to be your sex toy?" Celestine asked even as she felt a familiar demonic aura approaching. Navira was close by, and likely watching. Not that it mattered. Jillian hadn't done anything to deserve this.



"Stand there?" the tall willowy man responded. "No, I don't expect you to stand there. I expect you to kneel down and be thankful I'm giving you the opportunity to suck my d- Hey! I am talking to you!" He snapped angrily as Celestine simply turned her back on him and started walking calmly towards the three goons. "Glenn! You know what to do." Daniel ordered simply, and Celestine saw one of the three stooges moving towards her, hands lifting to try and grab her.



"I wouldn't if I were you." Celestine told him simply, even as he was coming within reach. A moment more and it was clear he wasn't going to stop and Celestine couldn't help but smile lightly. Adrenaline was already hitting her, and the idea of putting these assholes in their place excited her. The next step she took brought her into a proper stance and she swept her arm outside his before catching him just above the elbow and dragging him forward and off balance. It was at that point Celestine felt him begin to stiffen, trying to pull back as he realized too late that Celestine was much stronger than she appeared. Not that it helped him any, as Celestine held him firmly with one arm, while her free arm pulled back and struck hard at his exposed ribs. Instantly she was rewarded with the sound of him giving a ragged cough as the air was forced from his lungs by the blow.



However, the man must have been accustomed to pain, as instead of dropping like Celestine had thought he would, he only pulled that much harder, struggling to free himself from her grip. She got two more blows into his unprotected side before he finally managed to free his arm from her grip and stagger away. Celestine didn't pursue him, but instead stood upright, watching him with an easy confident smile.



"You bitch." He rasped as he caught his breath, though Celestine couldn't help but think she heard some begrudging respect in his voice. "You're stronger than you look. Sorry for taking you lightly..." He took another slow breath before settling into what Celestine guessed was some sort of boxing stance. "I won't make that mistake again." He assured her, as Celestine watched him calm down and focus.



Celestine was about to reply, but he darted forward and threw a quick jab straight at her head, which Celestine only barely managed to dodge. Yet instead of feeling worry, Celestine's excitement only grew as she felt her heart thunder in her ears at the prospect of a proper fight. Her opponent threw another jab and again Celestine dodged it, but he was getting closer to hitting her. A third and fourth strike were thrown her way and Celestine managed to dodge the third while deflecting the forth but the speed at which he continued his attack was quite impressive. Yet Celestine's luck seemed to run out as the fifth jab came before Celestine could manage to dodge or parry, and caught her along her right cheek sending her back a few feet.



Seeing her stagger was all the incentive he needed to press his attack, and soon Celestine found herself losing more and more ground as she backpedalled, trying to guard against the blows she couldn't weave away from. But for every step he took forward in haste, Celestine saw his stance degrade, and soon enough her opponent found her no longer running away, but instead darting forward within his reach. In the fraction of a second that past, Celestine couldn't help but savour the look of surprise that crossed his features before she lashed out with an hook punch, catching him right in the chin and sending him almost spinning away from her. Now seeing her opportunity to press her advantage, Celestine didn't take long to start perusing him. But as he continued to turn, she saw what seemed like random movement turn into a structured stance as one food planted and the other lifted with his spinning body. A moment more and Celestine saw it coming around only to catch her in the side of the head, forcing her advance to come to a screeching halt as his foot connected with her skull. Absently, Celestine registered a gasp from Jillian, as if she were terrified that Celestine had been hurt...



Glenn staggered back as best he could, glad that he had managed to connect with a kick that he could only describe as desperate. He had been holding back with his legs in hopes of using them to finish her off, but he was fairly certain that if he hadn't lashed out wildly like that, he'd be on the ground being fed more of her brutal punches. "Glenn!" Daniel snapped, dragging Glenn's attention to him. "Stop fucking around and hurry up already."



"Shut the fuck up Danny." Glenn growled back, his side already beginning to swell and sting badly from her earlier strikes. "This chick isn't something to sneeze at you know. Every time she hit me it felt like someone was punching me with a fucking brick!"



"I certainly hope that's a compliment." Celestine said aloud, making Glenn's blood chill as he realized that he hadn't knocked her out with the kick. Looking back at her, his eyes went wide as he watched her getting up, when she should have been laying flat on her face, completely unconscious.



"Celestine!" Jillian cried out excitedly. "Are you okay!?" She asked desperately, even as she was still held firmly in the arms of the giant.



"Yea I'm fine." Celestine replied as she rolled out her neck some. "That wasn't a bad kick." Celestine complimented simply as she turned her attention back to Glenn. "But I'm not done yet. Come on, let's keep going." Celestine requested as she fell back into her stance and an excited smile spread across her lips again.



But Glenn couldn't help but chuckle a little nervously at Celestine's enthusiasm. "You're one weird chick, but hey, what the hell right?" Glenn didn't wait for an answer and darted forward again, throwing a jab towards her as quickly as she could. Yet as she ducked aside, he saw her arm sweep outside his striking arm, and realized that she was about to drag him off balance again. Before she began to pull, he immediately wrenched back, hoping to guard his already weakened sides. Yet as he pulled away, he felt resistance. Not because she was pulling him back, but because she was letting him pull her with him. It was at that point that he realized his mistake, as he watched her turn herself around his body as she held onto his arm, effectively flanking him as her fist came rocketing over his shoulder, and straight for his head, which was now upright and utterly defenceless.

<hr pg="6" />The blow rang out in the common area like a sludge hammer hitting the fleshy body of a butchered pig. But Glenn didn't feel Celestine's fist connecting with the side of his face. Instead, he only knew he had been struck because he saw the world snap around beyond his control, as his head almost turned its entire range of motion from the force of the blow. He tried to maintain his footing at first, but his legs suddenly felt like they were made of water, and even as he fell, he realized he wasn't going to feel the ground hit him as it came rushing up to meet him.



With a low thud Glenn fell to the ground, silent and barely moving. Only the rise and fall of his chest showed any sign of real life, as even his eyes hadn't closed completely, though his pupils had become invisible as his eyes had rolled into the back of his head. Celestine only stood over him at the moment, looking down at him and smirking lightly. She hadn't expected the blow to drop him like it had, but then the only experience she had with fighting with the two demonic marks she bore were against other marked servants. Glenn was just a regular human being, which was a shame. She would have enjoyed that more if he and the fight had lasted longer...



"G-...Glenn?" Daniel asked aloud, stunned that his crony had dropped like a sack of potatoes. Celestine only glanced back at Daniel, amused by the idea that he was surprised that anyone could put his friend down. For a long moment the concourse was quiet as all the onlookers stared on in surprise. But after a moment or two more, someone let out a whooping cheer, and soon enough Celestine looked around to find many of the innocent's celebrating her victory over Glenn. Almost instantly she was filled with a sense of elation and pride, as she soaked up their praise.



But when the cheering suddenly cut out and was replaced by a collective gasp, Celestine heard Jillian cry out. "Look out!" Celestine snapped around just in time to see the human giant coming straight for her, having handed Jillian off to the third goon so he would have his hands free. Celestine was going to say something, but it became readily apparent that the pseudo giant wanted nothing to do with what she had to say as he dropped low into what Celestine could only guess was an attempt to tackle her, much like a football player might.



If it were anyone smaller than the giant, Celestine wouldn't have been concerned. Unfortunately, he was too damn big to dodge and was already nearly on top of her by the time she turned to face him. The initial impact sent her falling back after soaring several feet, and even as she skidded along the tile floor, she saw him stomping towards her, clearly intending to flatten her under his bulk. So even as she continued to slide, Celestine threw up her legs, and began to roll backwards and over her head using the momentum he had hurled her back with. A moment more and she reached up to plant her hands and sprung up on them, rolling into a hand stand as she continued to turn and get her feet under her again before darting further back, clearing the area where the giant landed trying to do a one man dog pile.



"You know, you're pretty fucking quick for such a big guy." Celestine called out, smiling down at him as he got up on his feet again, glaring daggers at her. "But just charging at me isn't going to really do the job you know<em>hooa!</em>" Celestine cried out as she ducked back, his attempt at backhanding her taking her off guard again. The sheer reach his size afforded him was absurd, as his arm was almost half again as long as hers. Worse, was the fact that he was too tall to kick him in the head properly. She might be able to reach, but it wouldn't have all the power she would need to actually drop him.



So Celestine jumped away, even as she saw him continue to shadow her. The way he moved it was like he was used to chasing people who were fleeing from him, which given how he had attempted to tackle her earlier, only added to her assumption that he was some sort of football player. Soon though Celestine ran out of room to run, and the goliath raised one of his meaty fists above his head and brought it down like a hammer, aimed at crushing her skull into her torso.



Raising both arms, Celestine did her best to absorb the blow, but even with her enhanced strength, she was nearly knocked down to her knees. Yet the realization that her opponent wasn't flattened, stunned the giant, giving Celestine a moment to strike back as she darted forwards and lashed out low, hoping to bruise his ribs and the core of his body. She knew striking up at his head would be pointless, as the angle was just too much to deal with properly. She managed to land three heavy strikes to the core of his torso before he swept his arm across her, knocking her back several feet and nearly onto her ass.



Not that she had a lot of time to recover as he was right in front of her again, swinging down with the opposite arm, as if forcing her down with his hammering blows was a matter of pride now more than anything. Again Celestine absorbed the blow, and popped up and forwards again as she tried to land more jabs and hooks against his body. Unfortunately, he was faster to react this time, and he swatted her away after she only managed to land two telling hits. Yet even as they continued to fight, the crowd began to cheer her own again, calling for her victory and his blood.



Again he tried to club her into submission with a swing of his heavy fist, as if in defiance against the cheering of the crowd, and again Celestine somehow managed to absorb the blow, even as she fell to a single knee this time. But as much as her continued resistance to his punishment urged the crowd on, Celestine knew she couldn't take another hit like that. Her arms were screaming in protest, as every muscle from her wrists down to her shoulder blades burned in pain from overexertion.



"Kneel damn you!" the giant roared at Celestine, even as she came in trying to lash out at him again, only to be swatted back before she even got the chance. This time she fell back further than before, her weariness beginning to take hold. But it was in that moment that Celestine saw her opportunity, as the giant rushed forwards towards her, raising both fists high in one final attempt to pulverize her.



Instead of fleeing, or raising her guard again, Celestine stepped forwards and lashed out with her foot with all the might she could muster. Striking, not high, but low, as she caught the giant in the side of his forward knee, just as he was planting it down to crush her into paste with his arms. If her last ditch effort didn't work, she knew she would be laid low. His attack probably wouldn't kill her, but it certainly would concuss her at the very least. And then she'd be at their mercy to play with as they saw fit...



Yet the double handed hammer blow never came, as it was cut off by the sound of a painful howl as the giant's knee twisted badly and he went down and fell to the side, slamming down and skidding to a stop along side Celestine. Celestine herself was stunned that she hadn't heard the sound of tearing cartilage or the fracturing of bone, given how that the blow sent hot spears of pain up her leg... Still, she stepped back as she and the rest of the crowd watched his large form groan in pain for a moment. The onlookers stood in awe of the fact that he was down at all, only for panicked whispers to fill the common area as they saw him begin to push himself up again. Much to their confusion, and despite the danger he posed, Celestine simply stood by and watched, as the goliath started to get up again.



Yet as he got up to his hands and knees, and looked up at her, Celestine only gave a satisfied smirk. "Now who's kneeling?" She asked curiously, clearly taunting him.



As rage filled his features, the giant began to push himself up again, pushing off the ground with his hands and standing on his knees. Which, as a result, brought his head up into an almost perfect position for when Celestine tensed her whole body, and lashed out with her legs once again, catching the giant cleanly in the head. The sound of bone breaking echoed in the chamber as his head bounced around like a bobble head, his sheer mass keeping his body from moving with any of the impact of the blow, and instead imparting it all to his cranium. Even as Celestine's foot came away from his skull, the damage was obvious... his jaw hung awkwardly and was obviously broken, and much of his cheek looked as if it had crushed in, the bones under the flesh giving way to the force of the strike. A moment more and the giant simply fell forwards with a limp thud and a moment later a pool of blood began to form around his mouth and nose...



Even as he fell, the crowd erupted in ruckus cheering, as if Celestine had won some great victory for all of them. Still, she didn't let it get to her just yet, as she looked to the last of the three goons and glared at him coldly. "Get lost." She ordered bluntly, and he quickly let Jillian go and ran off. She was going to turn to Daniel, but it seemed several of the innocents beat her to it, as she found several them grabbing Daniel and shoving him forwards towards Celestine. "Well..." She began looking to him coolly. "Now that I get a proper look at you, I would have figured you for one of the innocents. You look straight laced, smart, and clearly not the sort to pick a fight on his own..." She proposed calmly. Yet as she spoke, everyone went quiet, hoping to hear her words. "Instead here you are, leading goons around in the hope of getting your dick wet... What the hell is up with that? You like playing the Villain or something?"



Yet for all the damage Celestine had done, and the hoard of people that clearly disliked him, Daniel wasn't spineless, and clearly had his pride. "You think these people are innocent?" He asked arrogantly. "Please! Each and every one of these people would throw any of the others under the bus if it meant earning Lady Navira's favour! I was just smart enough to know how to use others to my advantage. I'm no fighter as is plainly obvious to you, so I used others to fight for me. Ever since those two disappeared, I've been the one who runs things around here!"



"Those two?" Celestine asked with a bit of a frown.



"He means Diana and Troy." Jillian explained. "Diana was able to keep the other rogues from becoming too aggressive, because she had enough friends amongst the rogues to run things here when she felt like it. Troy was able to convince some of the innocents to see the attractive qualities in the rogues and become more... ah... 'willing' to enjoy their company. Which meant things didn't have to devolve into what Daniel just tried to pull. There was a balance before, and those two helped maintain it..."



Celestine frowned lightly but cocked her head as she pondered it. "They were your protectors... your guardians. Sure they did it in a weird way, but they still kept most of you safe, right?" She asked the innocents in the crowd. Yet before they answered, she looked to the corners of the room, and the balconies where the rogues had kept to themselves, while still being able to watch from the corners of their eyes while feigning disinterest. "And they kept you lot satisfied, so you wouldn't have to pull shit like this... Right?"



Everyone nodded in their own way before Jillian stepped forwards and bowed her head lightly before looking up with an admiring smile. "Thank you Celestine, for saving me, and for helping all of us. With Daniel's group broken up, we might get some peace and quiet around here, for a while at least."



"You really think this is going to change anything?" Daniel sneered. "This won't change a damn thing. Someone else will just get restless and take what they want... It's who we are after all. Look around you; with so many attractive men and women to be had, do you really think the rogues will be able to hold themselves back!? They'll start taking what they want, just like they always do, just like we were <em>made</em> to." He announced bitterly. "You'll be no different. One day you'll look at one of us and decide that you want payment for the protection you've offered, and there is only one currency here!"



Celestine felt a twinge of annoyance as Daniel explained, but she eventually turned back to him simply. "You think so?"



"Of course I do you idiot. That's just how people are... you call these people innocent... I just call them liars. We're all wolves; some of us just like to wear sheep's clothing. All but you, you'll be the worst of us I'm sure! You don't wear the sheep's wool, you were the guise of the shepherd, supposedly working to protect the sheep while striking down the wolves. Even though you only do so because you want to fatten them up and feast on them later!" Daniel accused viciously.



Yet Celestine didn't snap at him, instead she simply shook her head and spoke up, voice more annoyed than actually angry. "Well, I can't attest to how smart you are, but at least I'm smart enough not to try and pick a fight with someone I know can beat me into a bloody puddle." Celestine replied easily, a slight smile crossing her lips as she pondered doing exactly that to Daniel. "But whatever." She continued, shrugging her shoulders lightly. "I'm not a brute, so I have no intention of beating the shit out of you. Now that everyone knows how you use others, I doubt anyone is going to follow you. So get out of here you jackass, I am sick of looking at you." Celestine concluded before she looked to those assembled around her. "I want everyone to leave him alone. I know he deserves an ass kicking, but if you do that you'll be no better than he is by preying upon those weaker than you." Celestine announced simply. At first the onlookers seemed hesitant to agree, feeling that it was only just to punish him according to his crimes, but Jillian soon stepped forwards and spoke up.



"Come on guys, you know she's right! Daniel is one of the worst of us. Better to strive to be better than him, rather than sink down to his level! Celestine worked hard to keep us safe, putting herself in the line of fire for me, and in a way, for all of us." Jillian explained adamantly. Eventually the others seemed to nod their heads and backed off from Daniel, who promptly scurried away from the group, not bothering to even curse them on his way out. A moment more, and Jillian looked to Celestine and thanked her again, before everyone swarmed her and began thanking and congratulating her individually. She looked to Jillian as everyone clamoured around her, but all she could do was smile and shrug. Without ever intending to, Celestine somehow managed to become the center of everyone's attention.



But then was that a bad thing? She had no idea how she was supposed to resist whatever Navira had planned for her, but maybe this could be the solution. Protecting the people who lived in Navira's shadow from each other and the predators Navira had sown amongst them was a noble cause. Hell, even Markus would agree with her, saying that it was the just thing to do. These people didn't know they were little more than entertainment for Navira, so someone had to look out for them. Celestine didn't delude herself into thinking she could protect them forever, but even the three days might make a difference, and it might save her sanity. Before she met Tristan, she had protected her friends and those close to her, why not hold onto that part of herself and do the same here and now?



Yet even as she talked with those around her, Celestine couldn't help but sense Navira's presence, lingering nearby somewhere. She was to far to be sure exactly where, but Celestine couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched...



~~~



"Damn it all to the fucking pit!" Daniel rasped as he stormed into his bedroom. "Fuck that stupid ape! How could she do this! I'm fucking ruined!"



"Well..." A new voice began from the doorway. "Not yet you're not... But I'll see what I can do to fix that." Looking back, Daniel found Collin standing there, cracking his knuckles as he stepped into his room, locking the door behind him.



"W-...Wait Collin... stop... come on man... we're on the same side! That bitch cut you up to!" Daniel reasoned, pointing to the bandages just above Collin's right eye.



"Maybe. But she didn't try and rape Jillian. I told you to leave Jill alone Daniel... I warned you." Collin replied as he got closer. "And now that your bruisers aren't around... well... you're easy prey."



"Wait! I'm sorry! Please don't!" Daniel screamed as he tried to retreat further into a corner.



But then that plea sealed his fate... Just like how Collin was here because Celestine had asked everyone to leave Daniel alone, Collin had to beat the shit out of Daniel because he begged him not to... It was just his nature really... he hated authority, and he was ever defiant...



~~~~



Celestine found herself surrounded by several of the innocents as they lounged in the common area, and surprisingly enough, even by a few of the rogues. It seemed that her earlier display had made her the top dog around here, and the rogues were here to pay fealty and make friends. For the most part the rogues that approached her seemed alright; though it was clear they were rougher around the edges then any of the innocents and it was almost painfully obvious that they were behaving only because of her presence. Well, most of them anyway. A few men and even one woman amongst the rogues were bold enough to try and make passes at Celestine. She turned them down for now though, not wanting to seem like she was giving favour to either side. Still, she couldn't deny the allure that some of them held. Perhaps she would take them up on their offers later...



Still, she didn't have time to focus on that much, as she was occupied with her new position. It was so easy to fall into her new role because it felt so natural to her. As much as she would have abhorred the fighting once upon a time, Celestine couldn't deny that she always enjoyed protecting others. While she didn't defend others because of the rewards that could come with such a job, she didn't keep herself from enjoying them either. It was easier to make friends when others already thought they could trust you after all.



However, it was because she was busy meeting new people and making friends that Celestine lost all track of time. Worse was that Navira's presence seemed to come and go almost at random as she continued to spend time with everyone, forcing Celestine to slowly just accept that her coming and goings were nothing more than just that. As such, Celestine was surprised when Jillian hopped up to her feet suddenly and rushed past Celestine's chair. "Lady Navira!" she cried out happily. "Oh my lady, Celestine's perfect! She's strong and kind and beautiful and!... and!" Jillian began to fall over her words as she spoke faster than her brain could come up with words.



Navira laughed at Jillian's words and actions though, holding a hand out and petting her hair lightly as she eventually went quiet. "I'm glad to hear it. I worried that she might not fit in here, but I understand she's done quite well for herself." Navira replied, before she looked to Celestine. "Thank you for protecting them. Daniel was acting too harshly, but there was little I could do to stop him unfortunately." She sighed lightly before smiling a bit apologetically to Jillian and the other innocents. "I'm sorry I could not help. Will you forgive me?"



Celestine couldn't believe what she was hearing. In fact she wouldn't believe it. The idea that Navira was sorry about anything was absurd. The simple fact of the matter was that she created the rogues like Daniel who would prey on others, specifically so she could watch it play out for her own amusement. Yet even as Celestine was about to protest, she was silenced by the collective voice of everyone who surrounded her, all calling out and saying that Navira wasn't at fault. Soon enough, Jillian spoke up again, as the others went quiet once more. "It isn't your fault Lady Navira. We need to learn how to take care of ourselves. Celestine's shown us that if we stand up for each other, we can fight back. We won't be cruel about it, but we aren't going to let ourselves be pushed around anymore. If you hadn't brought Celestine here to help protect us, and show us a better way, we would never have learned." Jillian explained sincerely.

<hr pg="7" />"Thank you my dear... and thank you to all of you." Navira added looking slowly across the group before she eventually fell upon Celestine. "And most of all thank you Celestine. I know you won't be here for very long, but I'd like to have Jillian stay with you to help you however she can. As much as Daniel won't be a problem any more, I'm afraid that a power vacuum of sorts might form. I don't suppose you could keep on protecting everyone here? I'm sure that everyone would be happy to give you any support they can." Navira explained hopefully.



For all her distrust of the demoness, Celestine wondered if Navira was being honest in this one instance. From what little Jillian had told her, Navira didn't interfere with the day to day lives of the people here. Instead, she would occasionally pluck one or two of them away and spend time with them before returning them, seemingly unharmed, but glad for the trip to the mansion. Though Celestine didn't forget the fact that sometimes, they simply didn't come back at all... Other times though, Navira would simply watch their day to day lives, and Celestine guessed that the demoness simply enjoyed watching the drama her mortals seemed to inevitably fall into. But despite the quasi-benevolence she showed her people, Celestine knew that this was just another way of preying on them. These people needed protecting, not only from Navira, but from each other as well. She had to do it...



"Of course." Celestine eventually replied. "I'd be happy to help in any way I can."



"I'm glad to hear it." Navira replied. "Jillian, be sure to tell her everything she needs to know. It wouldn't be fair if every problem that faced her was a surprise." Navira instructed simply.



Jillian nodded quickly before she smiled brightly back at Navira, apparently proud that she was being given such a duty. "Yes ma'am!" She announced happily before looking back to Celestine. "Okay, so probably the most important thing is that things get worse here at night. Once the sun goes down it gets darker in here because there's no light coming in from the sunroof, and while there are lights and what not, there are plenty of long shadows and dark places for rogues and the like to sneak about with in. The worst of them will just snatch up whoever they want and take them back to their rooms. Others corner us and try and pressure us into going with them willingly so that they can... well, you know." Jillian explained, blushing lightly when she came to that point.



"Now now..." Navira chided. "I told you to tell her everything. Don't beat about the bush like that. She might misunderstand if you do that."



Jillian only glanced back over her shoulder before looking back to Celestine, her blush growing. Her eyes wandered to those that surrounded them, all listening intently until she eventually looked back to Celestine. "They... they convince us to sleep with them... to have sex with them." She elaborated sheepishly. "It usually seems like we have to... because if we don't, they'll hurt us, and most of us want to avoid that..."



Yet as she looked down in embarrassment, Celestine couldn't help but feel the need to assure her that it was alright. Why Navira forced her to embarrass herself was beyond Celestine, but she couldn't deny that it triggered the urge to shield Jillian from it. Without even really thinking about it, Celestine felt her hand reaching out and resting upon Jillian's head, where she petted her hair lightly, not utterly unlike how she treated Rena when they were alone. "It's okay Jillian. I know it can be awkward to talk about things like this." Celestine was rewarded for her kindness with an adoring smile that warmed her heart, and gave her all the more incentive to help her and the others. "Listen everyone... this might not be the best solution, but I'm going to stay up tonight and keep an eye on everything. If anyone causes any trouble, just yell out and I'll step in and deal with it, okay?"



Jillian nodded happily before she looked to everyone else. "We have to do our part too everyone! Celestine can't be everywhere at once, so maybe there are a few things we can do to help ourselves as well." She paused to ponder for a moment before her face lit up with an idea. "After dark we should travel in groups. If there are more of us, it might make it harder for someone to try and pick one of us off like they usually do, right?" Jillian asked, glancing to Celestine. When she nodded her approval, Jillian nearly squealed in delight before looking back to everyone excitedly. "Alright, what else? There are no bad ideas!" Jillian continued enthusiastically.



Celestine watched as Jillian and the others began to gather ideas for how they could resist the less than gentle advances of the rogues, and despite the situation, Celestine felt almost inspired by how they were coming together. As she worked, Jillian reminded Celestine of her student union president back in high school. She was smart and well loved by those around her, and seemed motivated to make things better for them collectively. The other innocents seemed to listen to her, and while she wasn't the most forceful person in the world, Celestine couldn't deny an adorable sort of charisma that Jillian seemed to possess.



As Celestine sat and listened, several ideas were thrown around. Some were just silly, but others weren't so bad. Jillian eventually suggested that they try and make peace with several of the rogues, so that they could help keep everyone safe, just like Diana and Troy had. However, through it all, Celestine realized one thing... Navira was watching quietly. She hadn't left like Celestine had expected her to. Instead she simply stood a little off to the side, leaning against a nearby column.



It wasn't that she was threatening or anything like that... Rather she was almost deathly quiet, and almost perfectly still. The only times she seemed to move at all was the movement of her eyes, as she went from one face to another. Celestine caught her eyeing Jillian up several times, and even found Navira's gaze falling upon herself once or twice. But, ultimately, she seemed satisfied by what she was seeing. Maybe the idea of seeing the people she kept prosper entertained her greatly, and so maybe she was satisfied for now...



"Alright, these are all great ideas and we'll probably be able to use a number of them." Jillian announced, bringing an end to the brainstorming session before she turned to Celestine. "What do you think Celestine? Do you think some of them will work?"



Celestine's attention snapped back to Jillian and she nodded lightly. "Yea, they should. Making friends with some of the rogues might be your best bet too. I won't be here forever after all."



Jillian beamed as her idea seemed to attract Celestine's approval, even as several of the others giggled lightly, and the murmurings of 'teachers-pet' could be heard. "Oh be quiet you guys. I'm sure Celestine thinks there are lots of great ideas." Jillian huffed at some of them, clearly embarrassed a little by being called such things.



Celestine frowned lightly as she couldn't help but ponder the title that some of the others playfully branded Jillian with. It wasn't like this was a classroom or anything, but several things about it seemed to make the cogs in her mind turn... Jillian was, at least at face value, very much a teachers pet... She seemed to have some authority of her own, but also seemed to seek praise and approval from perceived higher stations of authority, like from Navira and even from Celestine. More than that, she was constantly trying to be helpful and polite, even if the situation didn't call for it. When Daniel and his goons caught her, she almost immediately apologized for not warning Celestine about it earlier, like it was somehow her fault and not Daniel's. What was most curious though was the fact that Jillian didn't seem to realize what she was doing herself. If anything, it seemed like she would probably deny things like that, and say that she was just the same as anyone else, even though she'd be willing to do just about anything to make those in power approve of her.



But that sort of person has its flaws, most notably the inability to begin anything on their own. Yes, they might be able to go above and beyond what they are needed to do, but unless they were told or encouraged to do something by someone they perceived to be above them, they wouldn't act. Largely because they wouldn't know if the person with authority would approve of their actions or not... Even as Jillian seemed to be leading the charge in regards to fixing the problems this place had, all she was really doing was following in Celestine's footsteps, doing what she knew Celestine would approve of...



But so what if she was? There was nothing wrong with trying to seek some approval. Sure she might have been taking it a bit far, especially given that she saw Navira as someone she needed to seek approval from, but Celestine might be able to help her with that. She could protec-...



Celestine froze mid-thought as a crippling realization struck her like lightning, triggered by that word after being repeated in her mind so many times... She must have been out of it for a moment or two, because it was only when Jillian put her hand on Celestine's shoulder that she seemed to snap out of it. "Are you okay Celestine?" Jillian asked worriedly. "I'm sorry, I should have noticed you weren't feeling well earlier. Glenn and John hit you so hard but I thought you were fine. But here you were just toughing it out for us... Maybe I should bring you to the infirmary?"



Celestine looked to Jillian for a moment or two, blinking once or twice as she tried to arrange her thoughts. She didn't want to accept the conclusion that she had accidently come to. If she did, everything she had done since walking through the doors of this place had been nothing more than a farce. Instead, Celestine tried to push her doubts aside and smiled lightly to Jillian. "No no, I'm fine I promise you. I just kinda had a daydream there is all." She lied as easily as she took her next breath.



"Oh, okay. Well, if you're sure you're feeling okay. But please let me know if you feel under the weather. I couldn't ask you to fight for us if you're hurt." Jillian replied sweetly. Unfortunately, Celestine couldn't help but feel like it was some sort of artificial sweetness...



Frowning lightly, Celestine spoke up again, unable to keep herself from trying to prove or disprove her conclusion, all the while trying to keep her voice polite and gentle. "Jillian, can I ask you something?"



Jillian cocked her head lightly as she smiled happily. "Sure. Go ahead Celestine."



"What do you plan on doing after University?" Celestine asked, even as she secretly hoped she was wrong about what was going on here...



Yet Jillian smiled happily in response. "I'm going into pharmaceuticals. I know it's a complicated and difficult field of study, but I'd like to help develop new drugs to help people feel better and help prevent disease." She declared proudly.



"Was that something you always wanted to do?" Celestine asked quickly, not giving Jillian any time to think.



It was at this point that Jillian began to show signs of confusion and worry. She didn't understand where Celestine was going with this, and Celestine's quick response made Jillian fear that Celestine was upset with her for some reason, "I... y-yes... of course. I've always wanted to help people." Jillian replied, trying to find her confidence again.



Celestine braced herself for what she forced herself to say next. "That's surprising... Are you saying you wanted to do things like that, even when you were a little kid? Most kids would probably think that figuring out pills and drugs would be boring..." Celestine replied, forcing her voice to inflect a small measure of disbelief and disapproval.



The reaction was almost instant, as Jillian's worry visibly grew. "N-no! I... I was a normal kid. It's just that I've grown past what I wanted to be as a little girl. I've matured and figured out a realistic and practical line of work." Jillian replied, trying to make up for her earlier error. An error that seemed to almost bring tears to her eyes.



Celestine nodded lightly; surprised by the fact that she wasn't missing a beat. "Yes. I can see that when I look at you Jillian." Celestine began; pleased to see Jillian soaking up the approving words and clinging to them to help define her own self worth, responding exactly as Celestine knew she would... "But still, I'm curious, what did you want to do as a little girl? I mean we all had dreams of what we wanted to be right? What silly little dream did you have?" Celestine asked firmly, clearly demanding an answer.



So many girls wished they could be princesses, but once they grew up, they knew how silly that really was. It wouldn't mean anything to most people of course; even admitting it to others wouldn't be a problem. Even for those people who compulsively tried to gain the approval of others, the question alone shouldn't have been a problem; because most people could understand that a dream from one's childhood couldn't damn them when they were all grown up...



But then Jillian wasn't like most other people. In fact, other than Celestine, every other human being in this building was, in fact, unlike most people. Celestine watched as Jillian tried to find an acceptable answer... But then that was the point... that there were no acceptable answers. Celestine wanted Jillian to admit something that wouldn't follow with her apparent need to seek approval...



And as Celestine watched, Jillian's eyes glazed, and a familiar emptiness filled them that betrayed how hollow she really was, and a cold unforgiving certainty filled Celestine...



But just as quickly as it began, Celestine put a stop to it all when she spoke up again, her voice light and happy. "Ah never mind. I'm sure even as a little girl you didn't have silly or foolish dreams." Celestine announced firmly. "Even if you didn't know what you wanted to do, you knew you wanted to help people, and that's pretty impressive Jillian." Celestine complimented easily.



That in-of-itself seemed to force Jillian back into reality, as life filled her eyes once again and her previously blank face pulled up into a smile again. "T-Thank you Celestine. For a second there I thought you were upset with me or something... I thought you were mad at me." She replied, apparently not recalling the moment her eyes went blank...



"Nah. I don't think I could ever be mad at you Jillian, though you did kind of go blank there for a little while." Celestine informed easily.



"I did? Oh I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" Jillian replied desperately.



"Hey, it's fine. I have all day. It should be Navira you should apologize too. I mean her time is worth a lot more than ours, right?" Celestine asked, knowing how Jillian would react even before she did...



Jillian's features twisted into almost abject horror as she snapped around and rushed to Navira. Immediately she bowed her head and began apologizing. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! How could I ever waste your time like that!? Please forgive me Lady Navira!" As she spoke, Celestine walked up behind Jillian, watching her simply and calmly.



Navira looked to Celestine, trying to figure out what she was up to. She doubted she was becoming complacent so soon... but then what else could it be? Yet the Demonic Duchess put that aside for the moment, and looked to Jillian. "It's okay Jillian. Don't worry about it. You didn't waste any of my time." Navira assured warmly as she pushed away from the pillar she had been leaning against, coming closer to Jillian.



Jillian smiled brilliantly as she stood upright again, and it was clear that she was happier than ever to hear that she hadn't disappointed Navira... But her reply was cut off, when she felt Celestine's hand fall upon her brow, pulling her head back and up, as the scraping of metal on metal could be heard for a fraction of a moment before Jillian felt the cold bite of a razor sharp edge, glide against the soft flesh of her throat, splitting it with no more difficulty than it would cut through air...



Navira stood in shock as she watched the flesh of Jillian's throat part wide open like some gruesome second mouth, the blade cutting deep enough to open her throat and sever arteries. A half second later the first spurt of blood erupted from her gurgling throat, and sprayed across Navira's features, splashing her fair skin with crimson. A moment more and confused gurgling sputtered sounded from Jillian's lips and open throat as Celestine let go and took a step back.



Navira looked to Celestine, only to see her features had become calm and cold, as if she had done nothing more important than step on an ant, even as the blade in her hand dripped with blood. "What have you done?" Navira asked utterly stunned, even as Jillian clasped her throat, trying and failing to stop her blood from haemorrhaging out of the fatal wound. Yet when no answer came, Jillian staggered around to look to Celestine, eyes full of confused fright. Even now, as her lifeblood stained her shirt, it was clear to Celestine that Jillian had no idea what was going on.



Jillian tried to ask her something, but all that came was a wet cough that sent drops of blood speckling Celestine's cheek, though she seemed to give it absolutely no heed at all. In fact, if anything, Celestine seemed to be ignoring Jillian entirely by this point, her focus squarely on Navira. "I've made a point." Celestine replied bluntly as she recalled Tristan's words and advice. "I've done this to prove that I am not a doll Navira, and that I am never <em>ever</em> going to be one of your soulless toys." Celestine elaborated, her voice becoming harder even as Jillian grew paler.



Celestine glanced down to Jillian as her legs failed from under her, and she dropped down to her knees, looking up to Celestine desperately. Yet all Jillian received was Celestine's unmoved glare. A moment more and Jillian felt tears running down her cheeks, as she reached out with her blood stained hands, hoping against hope that Celestine would somehow save her, just like she had before, all the while wondering where she went wrong, wondering what she had done to anger Celestine so...



The shallow gurgle that came from Jillian was pathetic and weak, yet before her hand managed to reach Celestine, Celestine simply took a half step back, taking herself out of Jillian's reach. "Don't." Celestine ordered bluntly. "I don't want you staining my clothes..." Celestine explained, her tone distant and unfeeling before she looked back to Navira, not even bothering to watch Jillian expire...



"So... you killed her... just to make a point?" Navira asked with a shaky voice, as she kneeled down in the pool of blood that slowly formed around Jillian, taking her in her arms to hug her as she lay dead upon the ground. "And you feel no regret what so ever, when just moments ago you swore you'd protect her and everyone else here?!" Navira asked, her body visibly shaking, though Celestine could not see her face.



"Yes, I killed her just to make my point clear, and no, I don't feel any regret at all." Celestine replied firmly. "You wanted to turn me into something just like her; you wanted me to be another one of your <em>dolls</em>." Celestine nearly spat. "But instead of the teachers pet, or the slutty cheerleader, or even the villain, you wanted me to be the guardian... You know that I often can't help but care about others... You found that out when Diana and Troy died because of me. You knew I would see the struggles going on here because those two weren't here any more and you <em>knew</em> I would feel responsible. You knew I would see a sweet and innocent girl you made Jillian into, and that I would feel the need to protect her, and everyone else here to." Celestine finished, her voice becoming sharp near the end.

<hr pg="8" />"You should have made your point some other way Celestine." Navira replied, her head still down as her long hair dipped into the blood surrounding Jillian's body. "How do expect me to let this pass now? Now that you've killed this kind and gentle soul."



"I didn't kill anyone; all I did was break your toy. Jillian wasn't a human being... none of these dolls are. As for letting my actions go without consequence? You don't really care about these dolls, only what they can give you in terms of distraction and entertainment... As such, I'll have to answer your question with another question: Are you not entertained?" Celestine asked, her voice like broken ice, sharp and freezing.



Navira didn't reply for a long moment, her shoulders shaking as the seconds past. But as Celestine stood over her, she felt Navira's power wax and swell, and saw the dark red of the blood, begin to stain further up her hair, turning it a dark bloody crimson as her body shifted and changed. Navira's dark laughter began even as she was hunched over, and it filled the room and echoed in Celestine's mind as she began to take on her true form. Her clothes tore as her wings unfurled themselves from her body, and her sprouting tail punched a hole through the back of her form fitting pants as she rose to stand upright, and meet Celestine's gaze evenly with her glowing silver and black eyes. Navira's features were a mix of excited joy, amused bewilderment and even mild disappointment. Navira tore away the ruined bits of her clothes, leaving her largely naked save the tattered remains of her pants. A moment more and she stepped over Jillian's now cooling corpse, having let it drop unceremoniously into its own gore as Navira brought herself almost face to face with Celestine, her demonic form fully on display.



"I nearly had you." Navira whispered happily. "I nearly had you!" She announced louder, her voice almost bubbling with amused excitement. "But then you saw through it! You beat my game yet again you delicious mortal! I offered you safety, friends, pleasure and purpose! ...And yet you slapped it all away... unwilling to pay the price of your freedom. Even though the cost to keep such freedom was the lives of others. Wonderful... Absolutely <em>wonderful!!</em>" She exclaimed in joyous awe.



"Lives? I only killed Jillian." Celestine responded, clearly slightly confused, though clearly unmoved by the fact that others had to die for her to stay free...



"Oh no. John, the giant you beat down earlier, he's dead. He died shortly after I had him hauled out of here... You more or less stirred his brains into jelly with that kick of yours after all. And then there's Jacob..." Navira paused and leaned her head back, almost as if she was sniffing at the air, though Celestine knew better. "I can feel it..." Navira began again, her voice light and ecstatic. "He's-"



"I don't care about him any more." Celestine cut her off before she could go into details. "There never was any saving him..." Celestine admitted bitterly. "The moment you got onto that plane he was dead or damned, and there was, and there still is, nothing I can do about that."



"So you've resigned him to his fate?" Navira asked playfully, surprised that Celestine was so quick to cut him loose.



"His fate was never in my hands. You made me think it was, but like I said, he was dead the moment you stepped onto that plane. I'm not going to punish myself for the lives you destroy." Celestine replied firmly, unwilling to give Navira the satisfaction of any victory over her. She couldn't... if she started looking at the dolls as people again, the guilt might be too much for her to handle.



"I see." Navira replied, her voice becoming smooth and sweet. "I'm glad you figured that out... There were times I was beginning to worry for you. Thank you Celestine, I am quite entertained..." Navira finally answered Celestine's question, before looking down to Jillian's corpse. To no one specifically she called out. "Clean this trash up before I return. I don't want to see it ever again." A moment later and Navira turned away from Celestine and the dolls, and began to walk towards the tunnel that led to her mansion.



"Navira!" Celestine called out to her by the time she was a good forty feet away, making the demoness pause and glance back over her shoulder at Celestine. "I don't belong in your damn <em>doll house</em>!" Celestine announced, unwilling to spend even another moment of her time here in this forsaken pit of lies and non-people.



Navira's smile formed slowly, but eventually she spoke up. "No... I suppose you don't." Her attention turned to the dolls that still hung back from Celestine, amused by their mixed reactions. More than a few of them were horrified by what happened to Jillian, some were angry, but others simply looked on blankly, not really sure how they were supposed to respond, their programming lacking sufficient depth to feel sympathy or grief. "You." She began, looking to one of the blank dolls. "Go fetch Celestine's things from her room and bring them to the corridor." She ordered, only to watch the doll run off as quickly as she could.



Celestine meanwhile tore a strip of dry clothing from Jillian's corpse and cleaned her blade with it, before storing it away in its sheath and moving to follow Navira and dropping the bloody rag to fall where it may. Soon she fell in step behind Navira as they continued to walk, and Celestine felt no need to talk any further.



However, just before they left the room, Celestine heard a familiar voice wail in rage and anguish. She glanced back to see Collin pushing past the other dolls to fall to his knees beside Jillian, not carrying about the blood as he lifted her up into his arms. She only vaguely heard him demanding to know what happened, and wasn't surprised when several of the dolls pointed to her. To say the look he gave her was murderous would be an understatement, yet for all his pain and hate, Celestine found herself unmoved by his reaction.



"Nothing to say?" Navira asked curiously, still bearing her demonic form. "Even when he looks at you like that? That is, after all, a very special kind of hatred... The hatred of a man who has had the woman he loves ripped away from him." Navira informed playfully, clearly hoping to goad Celestine into some response.



Yet Celestine's reply surprised Navira, as it wasn't cold or distant, nor was it wildly emotional or regretful. Instead, Celestine simply asked a question, her voice gentle and calm. "Collin is the most complex doll you have, isn't he?"



Navira cocked her head lightly and nodded. "Yes he is. Or rather he is now. Diana and Troy were the most complex before him. Jillian ran a close second to Collin, but she's gone now, so he has very little competition." Navira informed.



"They said that Jillian was your favourite..." Celestine replied idly. "But I think they had it wrong... Collin was your favourite once Diana and Troy were gone. But you knew that his reaction would be the most intense when he saw you favouring Jillian over himself, even if he, as you say, loved her." Celestine theorized as she waited for her bags to be brought to her.



"A very astute observation Celestine, though knowing that that doesn't exactly change your current situation." Navira replied easily, as she watched Collin set Jillian down and start stomping towards them.



Celestine sighed slightly, as if dealing with him was going to be more annoying than anything else. "Look, if you want to keep your favourite toy, I'd recommend stopping him somehow. If you don't, I'm probably going to end up breaking him." Celestine admitted bluntly.



"What? You won't even try and talk him down?" Asked, clearly amused by the idea.



"What would be the point? You made him into a defiant bastard. He won't listen to me precisely because he sees me as some sort of authority. And even if he wasn't like that, he looks pretty pissed off." Celestine reasoned frankly.



Navira giggled and shrugged. "Valid arguments one and all. Very well..." Navira turned to several of the dolls closest to Collin. "Stop him. Don't hurt him though." She commanded, and soon enough no less then five of her dolls were swarming over Collin. Celestine had to admit he put up an admirable fight, but soon enough they had him pinned down.



It also seemed that the doll Navira had sent to get her bags had good timing, as just as the scuffle was being settled, she came up and offered Celestine her bag and then ran off again. Seeing that the ordeal was over, Celestine looked to Navira, even as several more dolls began collecting Jillian's body. "Are we finished here?" She asked simply, not really seeing any point to staying here any further.



"Yes, I think we are done here for now." Navira replied, before turning and heading towards her mansion.



~~~~



"And these will be your chambers. I hope you find them more to your liking than the doll house. I figured I'd reward you with something nice given how you've seen through my games three times now." Navira replied as she opened the heavy oaken door for Celestine. Glancing inside, Celestine saw that it was dark inside, but it was large and well furnished. Probably not as big as her own chambers back at Tristan's, but she was still impressed with what she was getting. "I'll let you settle in again. I'm sure you'll want to wash up some as well after all that fighting and bloodletting. I'll come in a few hours and we'll go out for dinner and some fun." Navira announced lightly, though Celestine could tell she was excited about something, though what exactly was unclear.



"Alright." Celestine agreed as she stepped into the room, hefting her bag inside with her. But as she looked around for the light switch, an unsettling and familiar feeling washed over her senses.



"Oh, and I do hope you and your roommate get along." Navira announced, as she began to close the door behind Celestine.



"Roommate? What roommate?!" Celestine cried out, rushing back, hoping to keep it open. Unfortunately, she never reached it in time, and it closed with a heavy thud, quickly followed by the bolting of a lock. Celestine tried the door regardless; hoping against hope that she wasn't locked in near total darkness with god knows what. Yet after a few shakes of the door, it became painfully apparent that she was locked in here... Tristan was right about Navira, rewards and punishments seemed to blur when it came to that woman.



So Celestine did all she could do... and began feeling around for the light switch, hoping that whatever was in here, wasn't going to pounce and devour her alive. Yet as she felt around feebly, Celestine couldn't help but feel like she knew this presence, like it had rubbed her the wrong way before. It wasn't demonic in nature though, and it certainly wasn't like Markus or any other human she had sensed before. Worst of all, Celestine couldn't tell exactly where it was... only that it was close, and likely watching her.



Yet hope was sparked when she found the light switch, and she quickly flipped it on, only to have the sudden brightness blind her for a moment. As she tried to blink away the glaring white, Celestine looked about for the source of her unease, only to have to fight to keep herself from whimpering when she found it...



"<em>Elanace</em>!" Celestine squeaked out, as the Nephilim looked at her with angry eyes, right before she darted forward towards Celestine, closing the distance in a numbingly short amount of time. Celestine thought to draw her blade and defend herself, only to realize how foolish such a thought was, as Elanace was already knocking her back and sending her slamming against the hard wall. Even as she coughed and gasped for air, Celestine remembered how Tristan described the Nephilim: demon hunters, powerful warriors, and most importantly, quasi-divine beings...



Celestine was about to ask her to stop, only to feel one of Elanace's arms cross her torso and pin her against the wall with enough force to lift Celestine off her feet, brutal intent shining in her eyes...



~~~~



Navira lingered just long enough to hear the sound of Elanace slamming Celestine around, and was pleased to find that her assessment of Elanace's reaction to Celestine was correct. Yet as she walked, one of her aids stepped forwards and spoke up, glancing worriedly back at the door Navira was leaving behind. "My Lady... I don't mean to question your wisdom... But is this wise? Lord Durial will be most unhappy if his pet mortal is slain."



Yet Navira only shrugged. "My agreement with Durial was that neither I nor any of my demons would cause Celestine undue harm... Elanace is not a demon, therefore she does not fall under the preview of that agreement. Besides, I doubt very much that Elanace will kill her. In all likelihood, Celestine will be able to make Elanace realize that she isn't just another doll." Navira explained, a fiendish grin playing across her alluring features as she continued her slow casual walking pace. "Though I suppose it is possible that Elanace will just kill her before Celestine gets the chance to explain... But then it's like Celestine on the trip over...It's more fun when you don't know how it's going to end." Navira added, grinning manically.

