Oh Sentient Socks, where have you gone? Oh, he wasn’t the finest artist doing Prequel fanart, but in my opinion, he may have been the funniest. But he’s disappeared and, I fear, forever. Here’s one of his best that I decided to color.
First, yeah, Quill’s hands are too small. Okay. Let’s move on. That’s not the point. And BTW, I get about as NSFW on this as I could, so if that’s too lewd, don’t look farther! I’ve got lots of “in progress” pics, but I’ll just jump to the finale so you don’t have to go through them all if you don’t want.
Okay, that’s where we’re heading. Might be overworked but wth. I don’t get paid for this shit. 🙂 First, we have the base colors:
And yeah,the clothes aren’t colored yet. Why? Why, TRANSPARENCY my boy! No, there’s no reason whatsoever that their clothes would be in the slightest bit transparent. Well, no reason besides my own interests… Next up, background base colors.
Working on background colors now. That scratchy red star thing was a beast! The rest are just base colors, and I wanted to make sure the wall was a different shade from the floor. Let’s get some clothes on though.
Okay. There. Clothes. Transparent Clothes. And yeah, naughty bits – even for Katia if you look close at the top left frame! These are actual transparent layers too. I can remove the transparency if I want. But I’m a perv. Time to turn on the light.
I figured a single light, orange-ish shaded. A single candle or lantern most likely so the light’s going to be pretty sharp. I loved how QW turned out in the light. Actually I’m literally painting light here rather than adding shade as usual, because the whole piece was a bit dark. How to add light? Well, I chose to go with Color Dodge layer anyway.
Here I’ve added some shading. Also notie the shadows in the top left and top right frames. Those are new. Followed a tutorial to figure out how to do them properly. Now add some shiny and that’s about it.
The above image is ALMOST like the final version, but in the above image the clothes are opaque. You may get the form of a lizard nipple, but you don’t get to peek at anything underneath! 🙂 Told you they were adjustable transparency!
Anyway, that’s what I’ve been working on the last couple days. Like I say, it may be overworked, but I did learn some new techniques and hopefully getting better at older ones.
Anyone reading this knows what Prequel is, and probably has already read the update. But I wanted to talk about it a bit since IMHO (In My Humble Opinion. Anyone who thinks that means anything else is just dead wrong) it’s the best update in a long, long time for multiple reasons:
1. Something HAPPENED. Katia’s not just sitting helpless in a cage any longer. She has (and I think I hate this word but it works) AGENCY. Some, possibly minor, control over her own destiny again.
2. Though she’s now mind-controlled by Sigrid again, she also has Sigrid mind-controlled. So at least she ends on almost equal footing.
3. She now has gladiatorial calcium in her corner so she’s not totally alone.
4. We can actually SEE her again. She’s no longer invisible! (
5. The last two panels.
Before I get into the meat of what I want to say, just a shout out to Kaz for that double-text “Don’t say anything!”. Clever use of CSS and text to indicate they are both making the exact same command. I doubt most people will think about that, but it’s a cool method of conveying that rather than the more expected two-lines.
1. Ever since the end of Infiltrate (way back in SEPTEMBER 2017 BTW!) Katia has been invisible and stuck in a cage. She had no ability to affect her destiny. Everything she tried failed. Sigrid just appeared to be too powerful to touch and had anticipated her every move. Frankly, it’s been a slog. Throw in slow updates (sorry, but… they are slow.) and you have waning interest. It just hasn’t been a good story.
However, at the end of the last update, things were picking up. She was doing SOMETHING, even if I could see little way it could help significantly. But I was definitely interested again, and that’s a good thing. Problem is we’d seen Sigrid counter every move and I was scared she was just going to counter this one too. If that would have happened, there would have been a mass exodus I think. (Not me. I’m friggin hooked for life. Sometimes it pisses me off, but I am anyway.)
On that topic, here’s why I think Katia, though still in a cage, has the upper hand anyway. First, she overcame Sigrid’s musk last time unusually fast. That’s what Sigrid’s been asking her about for all this time. How did she do it? I don’t think even WE know how she did it – but it implies she will likely get over it before Sigrid does. If that happens, she can just borrow some perfume and keep the upper hand. Kaz would never let that happen, but still it offers hope. Second, though Sigrid has her tumblespider, it’s not intelligent (probably). Katia has summoned skeleton that is, and is working on her behalf. (I wonder if he knows the skeleton that was cleaning up QWs room?). Plus there’s that sword that is obviously not there for no reason. Actually that’s probably not good for Katia. She’d screw it up. Like having a loaded gun around. Still, it APPARENTLY is a good thing.
2. However, are they both actually CHARMED like Katia was when she was with Sigrid before? Silenced obviously, but CHARMED? If so, neither Katia nor Sigrid would want to do anything to hurt the other. If they’re both just silenced, but still are enemies, things get problematic. Katia is blind which limits what she can do a lot. But then, if they’re actually charmed, then neither will react normally till one gets un-charmed. So this actually could be the end of conflict between them for some time. Hopefully Sigrid will let her out of the cage and share some ice cream. And if the charms are identical in power, Katia has proven she can break out of it abnormally quickly. So I’m hoping for the Charmed outcome, even though that means less conflict for awhile.
3. Assuming the skeleton sticks around and doesn’t get destroyed, Katia may have found her first real companion. Okay, hired gun, but still. In the long run though, what’s the cost of that? Cairn-Corp probably doesn’t mess around. They may end up her biggest enemy yet – faceless (flesh-less) corporation. But hey, if the alternative is coercion or death by Sigrid, good choice anyway. I do wonder if this skeleton might know the one Dimitri had cleaning up the bedroom though. That might lead weird places.
4. It’s so good to see canon Katia again, even if she is blind. And those last two frames… I’m sure that was Cider work, at least partially. Even Sigrid is cuter than normal. But Katia is downright adorable when she screams! Of course, her paint is peeling a bit. That got me wondering… is Kaz going to try to track exactly what parts of her paint are peeling so he can keep it consistent? Jeeze, that would be just like him – to worry about something so inconsequential. As for her being nekked… always good to throw the fan-service in. Unfortunately I bet her clothes are stolen if she ever gets out of here anyway. I say good riddance. I never liked em. She needs a new outfit anyway. I wonder if Sigrid would lend her something?
5. These are just so good. I feel kind of bad to say that, because those complex .gifs undoubtedly took a hella lot more work. But… I even like Sigrid here! Probably because for the first time, in the last panel she’s not completely in control. That’s a nice thing to see.
Anyway, that’s it. I just felt like ranting on the new update. I’m finally looking forward to the next scene. Mostly to find out if they are really charmed with each other, or just obeying each other’s commands. I hope for the charmed outcome really. I’d love to see Sigrid being as nice as can be to Katia AND vice-versa. No, I’m not shipping them. Katia belongs to Quill-Weave regardless of the stupid author. What does he know?
I don’t remember where I got this sketch from, but I’m sure I’ll find out after I post it. I’ve had it for a long time, but I thought it’d color it tonight. Nice and quick, no complexity – to befit it’s sketchy attitude. Some people don’t like the Quill-Weave – she’s certainly stylized! But I like her. I think she’s cute this way. And Katia, of course.
Anyway, I’m putting the mods to the test on the Prequel Booru again. But without some controversy, what’s the point, right? And if it turns out to be too much – well, okay. So be it.
And if someone knows who drew it, drop me a line please. I did a look through the booru and e621 but didn’t see it.
ORIGINAL:
My colors added:
I suppose it is NSFW but I think it’d be okay to reblog to my bdprequel blog anyway.
GamGyuls, I thought it was awfully pretty and I colored it today. Don’t think he’ll mind.
Colored:
I probably again put too much emphasis on her breasts. I always do that. But at least I kept it subtle. (For me!) I really think she’d be a Righteous Queen Cat. I’d kneel before her! Tail could be out of sight or maybe she just keeps it inside the dress.
Well, sometimes I create stuff and other times I commission stuff. Sorta. Usually I’m too cheap to commission stuff honestly, but I found myself with about $40 in my Paypal account when Kazerad ended a drought of streaming with two back-to-back this weekend.
He was surprisingly amenable to lewds too, so i took advantage!
The first night he started drawing Quill-Weave in front of a monitor. While still in sketchy-stages he asked the Stream in general if she should be naked. As I recall, my own response was – “Uh… yeah!”.
Kaz – “Because if she’s naked this is going to go in a completely different direction.”
Me – “Naked. Yes. Naked.”
A full hour later and we have Quill sitting nekked in front of a monitor.
I’d offered to send him $10 for it, so was ready to shell out da big bucks when I realized he wasn’t done yet. He was animating it! Oh… well…. okay!!! Little did I know this would become….
(insert drumroll)
SELF-ABUSE TAIL TENTACLE PORN!!!
He never asked for it, but I sent $15 instead. Animation is painstakingly boring work. Naturally while working on this in the stream there was a discussion not only of “lizard tits” but “lizard nipples”. So Kaz is finishing up and asks me if I’d pay to have nipples added.
I’m like…. $5 for nips!
30 seconds later I get this…
Kaz tries to figure out how much $ he could make just drawing nipples for $5 in 30 seconds or so. 🙂 Okay, more like 5 minutes, but still. Was I played for that $5? Hell no. I’m just super hetero and Kaz spotted my weakness and exploited it! I’d pay $5 again happily! Why? Because I like those little 6-pixel lizard bumps inordinately much! That’s my problem, not Kaz’.
But this tale of lizard tiddies isn’t over yet.AMKitsune did one last edit to make the monitor flicker:
Yeah, it is better, even if it lost the nipples. I’m not totally worthless at photoshop and the like… I could revise to add em back in I suspect. But I’m good…
Of course the question of what she’s watching came up. The answer is obvious for Quill-Weave. It’s human porn. Skin is so deviant and unnatural that she can only engage in this perverted fetish when no one is around late, late at night.
BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE! Not of this, but Kaz streamed again yesterday. Literally, like, starting in the daytime. Johnny Cheesedog may like Lizards even more than me. He had to leave from the stream yesterday so as a joke, when he left the stream Kaz immediately started drawing two lizards kissing.
Then Johnny came back and Kaz stopped. Now that’s just harsh. Funny, but harsh.
Well, Johnny is the guy who sent my that Brolaren Quill-Weave in an apron that I had such fun coloring, so when I finally joined back into the stream, I commissioned Kaz to finish it, which he did in fine style:
I’ll never eat fruit pies the same way again.
Originally it was going to be Weedum-Ja and Quill-Weave. I protested a bit when it switched to QW+QW but really, in the end I can see the advantage.
I didn’t really contribute to the content, except maybe having a little fruit-filling spilt onto their chests, but the end result is classic Kaz, (if maybe a bit more explicit than normal!).
So I’ll call that a gift to Johnny Cheesedog, but really… it’s just funny sexy lizards for anyone to enjoy. My headcanon is that their tongue-dexterity is such that they can french kiss INSIDE the hollow space of a fruit-pie without breaking it. That’s pretty hot.
I showed it to Kaz and he was okay with me putting it on the Booru. Rather pleased at that, though if it gets taken down by mods, I’ll understand. It’s pretty much the furthest edge you can get without being totally totally NSFW.
Anyway, so I came across Starfighter’s work while looking for a Rajirra or Katia to draw, and darned if he doesn’t say right there on his FA page that he’s fine with others finishing/coloring his sketches. So I took him up on it!
I wouldn’t say I’m GOOD at linework/inking. Just that I’m getting better. I kept most of the sketch in behind my lines here as I was planning to go truly furry with it, and some sketchy lines enhance that I think.
I wanted to experiment with this one, so I tried some colored gradient shading on her boobs and a bit of belly. The result was less than optimal. Interesting, but naaa… It’s not just that I only did the boobs and belly so they pop out as 3d on a flat cat – but the color just is wrong and the gradient is TOO smooth. Someone said they look like eggs. (They do!) But it was funny so I’ll show it here anyway.
No, instead I went for 2 level hard-shading. This is an in-progress point. I had the background basically added and most of the colors. But I wanted it more furry than this so I wasn’t done yet.
And here’s the final. I got some suggestions – mostly on the shadow and there’s a VERY slight pink on the nipples. Hopefully almost imperceptible.
That’s it. Starfighter’s Rajirra. She thicc. I also learned a new acronym! BFCT.
There will undoubtedly be more of similar proportions to come. Starfighter has more! Hehehehehehhhh. I’m calling this one nsfw, because it isn’t. Nothing is obviously showing, but, let’s be honest, you don’t want to use this as a screen-saver at work.
She awoke slowly. In fact, she wasn’t sure she ever awoke at all. Everything was blurry and there was a noise in her ears that sounded like rushing water. She was vaguely aware of a shape that occasionally came into view, then disappeared. And she smelled something terrible. If she could move, she didn’t have enough conscious thought to try.
Someone was holding her up once or twice. Or something. Water was poured into her mouth, but she couldn’t quite figure out how to swallow it right. Then she went away again for a while.
The second time she woke up, the noise in her ears was still there. She saw a face, but it faded in and out of view. She tried to talk, but nothing seemed to come. She pissed herself. More than once. She felt like she should be ashamed of that, but she didn’t really care. And then she went away again.
Suddenly she awoke with a start. She was in water. Very cold water! She thrashed but she was held tight by something. But her head wasn’t underwater, so eventually she stopped fighting it and let the water flow past her. Something was jostling her, and she turned to see what it was. A hand was stroking her under the water. At first she thought it was nice, feeling a warm hand against her skin and fur. But slowly she realized it wasn’t soothing. It was harsh. It was scrubbing her. It began to annoy her.
“Stop that,” she said. She heard something behind the sound of the water in her ears, but she couldn’t make it out. She repeated herself. “Stop that!”
She tried to turn her head, and this time it worked. Her eyes saw a face, a human face. Bearded and grizzled. She felt like she should know this person. It was talking, but it wasn’t talking right.
She shook her head. Something was wrong with her head. She tried to concentrate on the voice.
Then suddenly she knew who it was.
“Honest John?” she said, switching to the Common tongue. She had to fight the fuzziness in her head to comprehend the language.
“Welcome back Ra’Jirra,” he said.
She looked around, trying to understand where she was. She sat in a stream, and she was soaked. But the water wasn’t as cold as she’d first thought. And this brigand was bathing her.
“You’re… giving me a bath?”
“That’s right, kitten. You were getting pretty ripe in there.”
“Kitten. Don’t…”
“I’ll call you whatever I damn well please. That goddamned Skooma cost me a good chunk of what I got from you. Not to mention the time and effort I’ve had to put into saving your mangy ass!”
“I… Wait. You called me…”
“Ra’Jirra. That’s your name, isn’t it?”
She nodded and tried to sit up on her own. Suddenly a wave of nausea came over her and she heaved up nothing but bile.
“Here,” he said, offering her a small jug. “Drink this. It’s just water.”
She took a short pull and rinsed her mouth out, then spat the vile taste into the stream. Then she took another drink and swallowed it. Immediately another wave came over her and she brought up what she had swallowed, so again she rinsed her mouth out.
“I,” she said once she’d recovered. “I don’t think I can hold anything right now.”
“Probably not. Come on, let’s get you dried off. You’re clothes are still drying off too. They were pretty bad,” he explained. “Can you stand?”
She tried. It didn’t work.
“Well hell, I carried you this far,” he said, and picked her up bodily. She felt his muscles bunch and she managed to wrap an arm around his neck and shoulders at least. Thick.
“You’re… pretty strong for an old guy,” she said.
He didn’t answer but set her down on an outcropping where the sun was shining warmly.
“Sorry Doll, I haven’t got a towel. You’ll have to dry off the old-fashioned way.
She lay back and closed her eyes. No skull was there. It was nice, even if she felt weak as a… kitten.
Finally she opened her eyes and turned to where he sat with his back to her, sharpening a knife with a stone. Her knife she realized.
"Why?” she said.
He turned and looked at her. “Damned if I know. I guess I’m just a milk drinker at heart. Had a cat once. It died.”
“I’m not a cat,” she said, but without the offended tone she’d used before.
“No. Never wanted to fuck my cat.”
She thought about that for a minute. She owed this man her life, she was sure. “You… want to fuck me?”
He laughed. “No thanks, Doll. To be honest, the damn thing doesn’t work anymore anyway. But no. I kinda like you. I guess I miss being a father a little.”
She knew better than to ask him about his past. “I bet you were a fine father.”
“Lousy. But she turned out alright anyway.”
“You know, you can like someone and want to fuck them too,” she said, rolling over on her stomach and closing her eyes again.
“Enough of that. Let’s change the subject, shall we?”
“Sure. How long was I… gone for?”
“Oh, a couple of days.”
She didn’t open her eyes. It wasn’t a surprise. It felt like a couple of days. At least. “Sorry, Honest John.”
“Eh… not like anyone’s waiting for me anywhere. You needed the help.”
“I did. What else did I say?”
“It was all in Ta’agra. I don’t know it much. Sorry, I don’t know your life story now.”
“Would you like to?”
He looked at her again, and stroked her back. The fur was drying but she was still pretty wet. She probably should have been offended, the touch resembled too much the petting of an animal. But it felt good and she had no pride left in her.
“I don’t think so. I can’t tell you mine. Best we just leave it at this,” he continued stroking her back and she let him.
They stayed there the whole afternoon while she dried off, an old highwayman and a foolish khajiit that by all rights should be dead. But it was the first peaceful moments she had had since the night she murdered Katia Managan. She didn’t want it to end.
But finally he helped her to her feet which, though wobbly, finally had started responding. He half-carried her to where her clothes lay. They didn’t smell bad anymore, but they were stained. Vomit and shit and piss, she had no doubt. But they were what she had, and she put them back on.
“I don’t suppose…” she began.
“Sorry Doll, no. I saved your life. We both know that. But it’ll have to be enough. We all have mouths to feed in our own way. Mine’s a rotten one, I know. But it’s what I do.”
She had to have some help getting her clothes buttoned up, but considering what he must have had to do to get her cleaned up, she wasn’t embarrassed.
“I understand. But I don’t think I can walk on my own yet.”
“Nope. Another day I expect,” he agreed. “Got a little lean-to built on the other side of that hill. I had to move it. You’d messed the old site up pretty good.”
She managed to walk a few steps on her own by the time they got near the camp and he started a fire to make some soup. She tasted it and, though pungent with onion and garlic, it wasn’t bad really. Some bits of meat were in it, but she couldn’t swallow those. So she made do with the broth.
That night she slept with the old man. True to his word, he didn’t try anything, though she felt she owed him some physical comfort. But he made it clear he wasn’t interested in that. They lay looking up at the stars and not speaking, and she found his hand and held it for a long time while they said nothing. Then she went to sleep against his back.
She woke up late, trembling. She was hungry. So very, very hungry. She tried some of the broth, and even managed some of the meat, but it didn’t satisfy. She drank some water, but the hunger she felt was of a different sort.
Then she realized what it was she needed. She looked at the old man, but he was sleeping deeply. She crept up to him and stealthily slid a hand into one of his deep pockets. She found something there. A vial. The same. It was almost empty, but not quite. She slid it out of his pocket and opened it. The scent was both vile and enticing at the same time.
“Just a drop, mind you,” he said.
She jumped, but didn’t lose the vial.
“Sorry, Honest John,”
“Keep it,” he said, never turning back to her. “You’ll need it more than me. But it won’t last long. There’s only a day or two’s worth left, and you’re going to want more. It’s going to get tough for you after that. Your ass-coins won’t buy much.”
Suddenly she remembered. It struck her as funny. She’d probably shat them out.
“Where are they?”
“In your backpack. Sorry, I threw away the sheep’s bladder. I just put them back in your pouch. I don’t advise shoving them back up there without a bladder though.”
She tipped the vial slowly as she held out her tongue. A single drop fell down her throat and was gone, but instantly she felt better. She put the stopper back on and put it into her backpack.
Then she curled up behind Honest John and held him. The Skooma made her horny, but even through the buzz, she felt she owed this man more respect than to try and force him. Instead she let it wash over her and she felt… ecstasy. It was like a continuous orgasm, but more than just in her crotch. She wanted to share it with someone, but the old man wouldn’t get it. He wasn’t… high like her.
It felt most like a full-body orgasm that didn’t stop. The stars were spinning, but not wobbly like before. It was more like she could sense their movement, and her perception had become so sharp that she could see them turning ever-so-slightly against the night sky. Finally she went back to sleep, and slept the most peaceful night of her life.
In the morning, however, she was hungry again, and not for food.
“That’s much better. Asshole eh? Yeah, good choice really. You could get raped and, unless they’re really kinky, you’d still have it. Plus they’d have to get stinky. How much?”
“Twenty,” she said.
“Hmph,” he said. “Twenty. Lady, I’ve seen boys half your size stuff at least 50 up there. But thanks. You’re a smart lady. Keep it.”
The sigh of relief was quite sincere. She would be essentially completely broke without that, and she’d been broke before. The word didn’t convey the feeling nearly well enough, but it was appropriate. When you’re truly broke, you are broken. And it’s hard as hell to climb back out of broken.
“Now, he said, and he reached for her back. Let’s get this off of you. Don’t worry, I really am honest. I’m not going to bother you.”
In a moment he had the bondage free and she unwrapped herself, then put the shirt back on.
“Well, Honest John,” she said, trying to recover some dignity, “if you’ve seen enough…”
“Not enough for my preference, but it’s all you got. I know the feeling. Not exactly packing a serpent myself, but it gets the job done. So, where you headed? Need some company?”
“WHAT? You rob me and now you expect me to continue with you?”
“Never know. It’s a wild world out here. I might get killed by something. Then you can get all your loot back. Besides, it’s not like you’re going to report me to the Imperial Legion, are you? You’re on the run.”
“Maybe,” she admitted.
“Yup, what I thought. Come on, I can at least keep the worse robbers from hitting you up again. And they’re more likely to take more than your stuff. Might like little kitty titties too. You’re better off with me, I’m telling you…”
She stood up and brushed off the dirt. “I’ll do fine. I just won’t leave the road again!”
“Think that’ll help?” he said, as he handed her the much-lighter backpack.
She shrugged.
“It won’t. Not unless you stick by a Legionnaire, or a caravan. And there aren’t any caravans today, and… well… Legionnaires ask questions.”
She considered her options.
“Good,” the highwayman said. “You’re thinking. I knew you were a smart cat.”
“Don’t call me a cat,” she said, growling.
“Fine. What do I call you?”
“Don’t. But okay. Thanks, I guess.”
“Then I’ll call you… Doll. For your doll you like so much.”
“Honest John, I’ve been awake all night. I’m sleepy as hell.”
“Oh! Say no more. Curl up right here. I’ll keep an eye out for you. Not like I’m in a hurry. I’ve made enough today.”
“Off of me!”
The big man shrugged. “Sorry lass, you were easy. Easy is a highwayman’s best friend. Weeks go by without finding an Easy. But I’ve got relatives over near Anvil that could use a bit of this coin. You go to sleep, then we’ll head that way.”
Odd as it seemed, it was the best option she had. She curled up at the base of the tree and slept.
Five minutes later, she awoke screaming. Honest John had his hands over her mouth as soon as she’d started.
“Hush cat! Want the whole Imperial Legion on us? What the fuck is wrong with you?” he said as quietly as his anger would allow.
She nodded and he removed his hands.
“Don’t call me cat,” she said again.
“Nightmare?” he asked, to which she nodded. Her head was still bleary.
“I had those before. Here,” he said, rummaging through another pocket. He produced a small vial. “Drink a drop of this.”
She held it up, uncertain. “What is it?” she asked while sniffing at it.
“Skooma. Don’t touch the stuff myself anymore. But I keep some around. Comes in handy if you break a leg or something out here.”
Skooma. Of course. She should have guessed. But she was so tired.
“Aren’t you supposed to smoke it or something?” she asked.
“That’s the best way. But this is a good alternative when you need a quick hit.”
Ra’Jirra shuddered, remembering the thing that awaited her in her dream. “Fuck it,” she said, and downed the vial.
“HOLY SHIT! God dammit lady, you just killed yourself! Oh fuck. You just drink a drop or two! What kind of idiot…” said Honest John, standing up with horror on his face.
She felt funny. The world started spinning and her ears stopped working.
“Killed myself,” she thought as the colors in her eyes began to spin. “Figures. All that work, for nothing. I should have turned myself in. Sorry S’thengir. Sorry Katia. Sorry Mom. I fucked up.”
Her last thought was that at least the skull hadn’t followed her into wherever she was going. And then her consciousness disappeared for a while.
‘When she awoke a short time later, she was back in S’thengir’s private room. The window was glowing blue. Dawn.
“You alright?” said a voice from behind her head. She looked up and saw S’thengir standing over her. She was laying on his floor-bed, clothed in similar fashion to what he wore. She noticed the restriction around her chest then. And she noticed her hair was gone from the floor.
“What happened?”
“Hell if I know. You looked at the mirror and started screaming, then fainted I guess…”
“You dressed me?”
“Obviously. It’s getting light out. The tavern doesn’t open for a couple more hours yet. But I need you to tie me up before you leave.”
Ra’Jirra thought about that for a minute. “You want an alibi.”
“Damn right I do.”
She smiled as she sat up, “I could take your money too, if you’d like!”
S’thengir took her hand and helped her up. “Thank you, no. I’ve hidden it away though. You did rob me, I’m just not giving you the money.”
“Well, a girl can try! I need to spend a few minutes the restroom… the public restroom. Then I’ll be ready to go.”
The bartender ushered her out into the common room.
“Did you have a good time strapping up my boobs and dressing me?” she asked as she crossed to the restroom.
“Delightful. In other circumstances…”
“Yes,” she agreed as she closed the door. “Other circumstances.” She pulled something out of her backpack along with her gold.
In a few minutes, she had emerged again. The bartender was sitting on a chair, lengths of rope already cut. She began to tie him up.
“You into bondage, S’thengir?”
He looked at her. “Fuck you Ra’Jirra. Tie them tight. And when you’re out there, don’t talk till you’re out of the city.”
Finally, she was ready. She was about to leave when she realized something. She went back to where she’d left S’Thengir.
“Say… do you have any weapons I could take with me? Besides that mace I mean. I don’t think I could use it very well. A spear would be awesome!”
He shook his head, not able to talk with the rag tied into his mouth. But then he signaled to behind the bar. She followed his gaze and found the knife. It wasn’t much, but with at least a foot long blade, it was better than nothing.
“Thanks,” she said, buckling the knife and it’s sheath to her belt. His belt… Well, it was her’s now. Then she headed to the side door. She saw her clothes in a corner. She considered taking it with her. Even if she couldn’t wear it anymore, it would still bring a nice price at the right shop. But no. Her life as Ra’Jirra was over, along with the beautiful high-necked outfit. It might compensate S’thengir for his trouble. She opened the door, trying to walk like a male.
She almost made it with no problems at all, but the guard at the gate recognized S’thengir.
“Tavern closed today?” he called as she passed through. She shrugged noncommittally, but he said nothing more and then she was out of Kvatch.
The road was lightly traveled at this time of morning, and the few that she did pass paid her no mind. The sun was coming up, and by its heat, it was going to be a warm day.
It was mid-morning when she arrived at the crossroad. From here she could head west towards Anvil and the coast, or travel east towards Skingrad. She hadn’t really thought this through much, she realized. She knew only that she had to leave Kvatch. But the thought of the sea beckoned her and she turned to the right towards Anvil. If things went wrong, she might be able to hop a ship out of Cyrodiil completely. She thought of Elsweyr briefly. But no, that was not her home. She had to make her own home. Somewhere.
The sun continued to beat on her and the chest wrappings were beginning to make their presence known. She looked around and saw a small copse of trees nearby that she headed towards. The shade was cooling, and she suddenly realized just how sleepy she was.
“Well,” she thought to herself as she sat down behind a large tree, facing away from the road, “There’s no need to look like a male anymore. Now I’m just another random khajiit. Off with this damned thing!”
She stripped off her vest and undershirt and began scrabbling at the bandage. He’d done a good job, it wasn’t going to be easy!
“Could you use some help there, lass?” came a voice. gruff and far far too masculine for her comfort.
She looked quickly towards the voice. A single, but very large man stood not 5 feet away from her. She scrabbled for her knife and had it out in a flash, but he turned and patted the scabbard that held a sword. Given the scars on his grizzled face and the use the sword had obviously seen, it was pointless.
“Sorry lass,” he said with a bit of a foreign accent she couldn’t quite place. “This isn’t your lucky day. If you’re any good at throwing that thing, now would be a good time to try. Otherwise, you’d best just put it away.”
She looked at the knife, then back at the highwayman. Her eyes started to water again. “Please…” she managed to squeak.
He walked over to her and sat down beside her.
“Oh now lass, I’m not so bad. I can help you get that thing off. Don’t worry, I’m not a rapist. Not into cats regardless. But I think we may need to have a look at that backpack of yours…”
“Please mister, I’ve had a hell of a day. A really, REALLY bad day,” she cried.
“I’m sure. And now you’re traveling alone. Sorry lass. But that’s a mistake you should have known. But look at the bright side. Believe you, me, there’s a lot more than old Honest John you could run into out here. Some’d as soon kill you as ask, you know? Do you mind?” he said, indicating her backpack.
She knew what was in it, of course. She’d be lucky to keep anything. But she nodded. She really didn’t have any choice.
He dumped it out unceremoniously on the ground and rummaged through the small pile. Some things he stuck in his pockets, others he left behind. He didn’t leave behind her gold purse. When he was satisfied, he put the leftovers back in and sat back beside her against the tree, pouring out the coins from the purse into his hand.
“Oh!” he said, then turned to her. “Nice! How long have you been saving this up?”
“A year,” she choked out.
“A year. Well, there’s always next year, eh miss?”
Through tear-streaked eyes, she implored him, “The little doll. Could you please?”
“Mmm?” he said. Then he rummaged through his deep pocket and drew out an odd animal figure. “This thing?”
She nodded hopefully.
“Was going to give it to me niece honestly. But sure. I’m not a cruel man. It’s just a cruel world, see?”
She nodded as he put back into the backpack. Then he turned back to her.
“Cunt or Asshole?” he asked.
She stared at him, uncomprehendingly.
“Which? Cunt or Asshole?” he asked again, enunciating more clearly.
“W… what do you mean? Are you going to rape me?” she squeaked, eyes wide with fear again now.
“Fuck no! Name’s Honest John for a reason, lady. Much as you’d like it, naa. But when you’ve been doing this as long as I have, see, you learn some things. And one thing you learn real quick is that smart ladies always stuff some coin up their cunt or their asshole. You look like a smart lady. Wrapping those boobs up, you were pretending to be a guy. Another smart idea if you’re traveling on your own. So which is it?”
“Pardon?! I don’t have any…”
Suddenly his demeanor took on a truly menacing look for the first time.
“I’ll have to have a look-see then, missy. Sorry, but I don’t believe you. I’ve been honest with you, haven’t I? I even put your little doll back. I’m going to ask you one more time, and if you don’t tell me the truth, we’re gonna have a little tussle, you and me, and you might get hurt. I haven’t hurt you yet, have I? No. Do you WANT to get hurt lady? Do you LIKE to get hurt?”
She shook her head, trembling now.
“Then which is it? Cunt or Asshole?” he said very quietly.
bdprequel 