Xora 3: Shell Game

by Brandy Dewinter

 

Chapter 11 - "Jingle Bells"

 

It was my turn to wake up Tryx the next morning, though she was actually awake when I entered the room. She stirred as soon as I stepped through the doorway and stretched with a motion that was so intensely sensual I nearly had to leave and try again.

"Good morning," I said as I took advantage anyway and cradled her head in my lap. It wasn't quite the same. The stiff petticoats I wore under the silly maid's costume were a poor substitute for the gossamer film she had worn the day before.

"Still about your maidenly duties?" she asked with an innocent tone and a not-at-all innocent smirk.

"It's about the only maidenly thing about me," I said disgustedly. "Actually, Mordant hasn't come out of his room yet so I don't know if I'm forgiven or not."

"How did you keep those pettis so full after wearing that thing all this time?"

"Oh, this isn't the same costume. I replicated another one so it would look, well, it's hardly 'nice', but you know what I mean."

"Nice it's not," she agreed, "but catering to his, um, interests today is a good tactic. Always keep him guessing. Hot and cold - well, in your case, molten and stellar core temperatures are all you have, so call it, 'obedient and rebellious' - so that he doesn't quite know what to expect from you."

I nodded, and then leaned to whisper softly. "Well, Boss, I have good news and bad news."

She pretended to snuggle closer - well, actually she *did* snuggle closer, and quite nice it was indeed, but she was pretending that she wanted to snuggle. Or maybe she was pretending . . .

*"Cut to the chase,"* ordered Titania. *"You're dithering."*

*"You'd dither, too, if Tryx hugged you like that."*

*"She *is* hugging me like that,"* Titania pointed out. *"But we have work to do."*

*"Spoilsport,"* I snipped back at her, but I did get back to business despite the distraction.

"I think I found the place we need to get into," I reported. "But I couldn't get into it."

"Why not?"

"It had a biometric lock. I think it was some sort of palm lock, but I couldn't figure it out."

"You have Mordant's palm print," Tryx pointed out. "All it takes, at least for one of us, is a handshake."

"Oh, you're right," I said. "How stupid of me."

"If you've never faked one before, it's probably just as good you didn't try," Tryx said pensively. "Depending on the particular lock, it may need the actual pattern of skin whorls, or it may need pressures from specific muscle and bone configurations, or it may even need an oil secreted from the skin. Could you tell which kind it was?"

"No," I admitted. "I never even knew there *were* so many kinds of biometric lock. I guess my expertise has been more with mechanical locks."

"From your primitive world assignments," Tryx confirmed. "I guess there were a few things in Federation Agent training you needed after all."

"More than a few," I replied. "So, what do we do now?"

Tryx sighed and sat up. "It would take too long to explain how to beat that lock, and without some practice you'd be too likely to set off an alarm. I think I'll need to take it on myself."

I nodded. "The important room, the only one with a lock I couldn't get past, was in Tunnel 11."

"Okay. Did you find out anything else?"

"Not really. The corridors on either side of the shuttle pad are full of store rooms, but none behind any locks that matter and I couldn't find anything suspicious."

"Thionite is so potent that a year's supply for a major drug lord could fit in a coffee cup, so it's not likely to be left lying around in an open store room."

"That's what I thought. Like I said, the only room I couldn't get into was behind that palm lock thing."

"Well, I guess I know what I'll be doing tonight," Tryx said as she stood up.

"Um, maybe," I cautioned. "According to Laran, you're likely to be, um, entertaining Mordant again tonight. He's flattered that you chose him voluntarily and, well, you *are* the galaxy's most beautiful woman - at least for a blonde. But the fact it was your choice to go to bed with him means you could 'unchoose' him at any time. That's why he started you on the drug. He doesn't want you thinking you're in control."

"Well, it's true that I *can* control any man I want, drugs or no," she claimed, patting her carefully-tangled hair and stretching out a sleek, supple leg before dissolving into giggles.

"I believe you," I said, laughing in return, though I was highly aware of how much truth there was in her statement, "and apparently even Mordant is aware of the, ah, possibility. In any event, he wants it both ways. He wants your voluntary . . . company, and he wants you hooked on the drug so that you won't ever tell him no. According to Laran, that means you get a dose every now and then, but not as often as I did."

"So what happens tonight? Do you get the drug again?"

"Maybe. Kyla seemed to think I have another day or so of penance, though. Mordant wants to be sure I say yes the next time he asks, so he's going to teach me a lesson - something demeaning during the day and no drug tonight."

"So, you'll be free tonight, like you were last night, and I'll be occupied with Mordant."

I nodded. "That's the way it looks."

"Well, maybe I can sneak out on him," she mused.

"Maybe," I agreed. "When I did that the other night, Cheya caught me and she didn't think it was that unusual for, um, for you to be out."

"Oh, that's right," Tryx remembered. "You were, ah, you had my appearance at that time, didn't you? How did that work?"

"No problem," I said, grinning. "I just remembered to act like my IQ was down twenty points and I was very convincing."

She laughed and poked me in the arm, but there were wheels turning behind her shining blue eyes. Then her expression became more serious. "Just how, um, how much of a problem would it be for you to go with Mordant - to go to bed with him?"

"Oh, it wouldn't be fun, but I expect I could handle it. Titania can keep things from getting too unpleasant. Unless . . . does he have any, um, special interests?"

"Not extreme ones, at least, not that he's shown so far. He must have been breast fed as a child, though. Or not. Whichever way it is that results in an oral fetish. Can you, um, well, could you do that?"

My reply was not to her, though my response was not hidden. *"Titania, that is NOT helping!"* I thought.

*"Not me, girl. You're just remembering Darius."*

*"Yes, but Tryx doesn't know that."*

*"She does now. At least, she does unless she's blind."*

Since the answer to Tryx's question was obvious, I decided I might as well admit it. "I, um, expect I could . . . manage."

She smirked at my hard little tattletales and nodded. "With some enthusiasm it would seem."

"I guess I just enjoy pleasing my lovers," I said.

"I'm sure Eloi would agree," Tryx pointed out. Before I could comment she continued. "But that could be the solution to our problems. If Mordant wants Tryx in his bed tonight, yet I have to be free to move about . . ."

Well, it was for that reason that Jonesy had assigned us both to this mission. I guess I had been avoiding that same conclusion, but it was obvious as soon as she brought it out in the open. It was also a bad idea, but for a reason none of us had anticipated.

"I can't let you do that, Tryx," I said.

"Why not?"

I sighed and told her the rest of it. "When Laran said I still had some penance to do for Mordant, well, she didn't exactly say it would be, um, 'demeaning.'"

"Tell me the rest of it," she ordered.

"He's likely to dream up something really unpleasant," I sighed. "Maybe even, um, some sort of bondage. It wouldn't be right for you to take that instead of me."

"So *that's* why you wanted that job," she laughed, then anger replaced the amusement in her eyes. "Do you think spending time in bed with that slug is something I enjoy? I'll take being tied up any day over that."

"Oh, um, sorry. I didn't . . . I shouldn't have assumed . . . "

"No," she said firmly, "you shouldn't have assumed." Then the laughter was back in her eyes as she said, "But I'll take it as a compliment to my acting ability that you thought my interest in the sack of . . . 'processed porcine feed' was real."

I blushed and ducked my head, remembering once again that Tryx was Jonesy's best Field Agent.

*"Hey, what about us?"* interjected Titania.

*"Right now, 'us' are out of our class,"* I replied. Then I shrugged in a dual-purpose gesture for both my internal and external partners, and said, "I guess I'll just have to, um, try to sustain your reputation."

"Stars, girl, NO one can match my reputation, not even me," Tryx laughed. "Just pretend like he's the center of your universe and that whatever he wants to do is the greatest idea ever invented. It will work fine. After all, he's a man."

"Indeed?" I replied archly. "I was never that way."

Tryx didn't reply to that. She didn't say a word, anyway. Shaking laughter that echoed off the walls is not a word. After a moment - maybe two, she wasn't in any hurry to stop laughing at me - she said, "Enough, Xora, let me ask you one question. If it weren't for this punishment that Mordant might have in mind, is there any other reason we shouldn't change identities tonight?"

I just shrugged. "When do we switch?"

Tryx looked at the still-slumbering Breen and said, "Well, we don't know if we'll be alone any time later today, so . . . "

I nodded and started stripping out of my maid's costume. Even as I dropped the apron and dress, my hair was turning blonde and my, um, girls were swelling until they wouldn't have fit in the costume anyway. Before my eyes, the stunning blonde Tryx became . . .

*"Do I really look like that?"* I asked my hidden helper. A mirror just wasn't the same.

*"Well, you could use a better smile like the one she's showing, and you definitely need to spend some time working on those little attention-getting gestures. She can do as much with her hair and hands as you do with your legs and derriere, but all in all . . . yes, you really look like that."*

*"Gee, thanks,"* I said, disappointed at the list of my shortcomings.

*"You asked,"* Titania pointed out, and of course she was right.

There was one good thing about the switch. Tryx had to wear even higher heels in order to simulate my height, and I lost a few inches in my own footwear. When we walked from the room, she was taller than me, but only from the ankles down. On the other hand, I had to remember to lose those twenty points of IQ.

*"What is your thing about blondes and brains?"* asked Titania. *"Tryx is a highly intelligent agent."*

*"Oh, I know she is, Ti,"* I admitted. *"But I need something to tease her about. Besides, that's the way she's been acting anyway. Even Mordant knows gorgeous blondes are not likely to be rocket scientists. She's been *acting* ditzy, even though she's not. So I'll have to do the same."*

*"How convenient,"* Titania replied sarcastically.

*"Tryx thought so,"* I countered.

My dark-haired doppelganger and I split up then. Tryx - as Xora - went to find something to clean, and I had my borrowed appearance to clean up since I was simulating a night of drug dissipation. Again.

We didn't really need the confirmation that the locked room was important, but Mordant provided it anyway. On our first full day back in his moon, he secreted himself away in there most of the day. He emerged only for the evening festivities, and that's when I found out what my punishment was to be for refusing him. Of course, Tryx was going to have to serve it.

I was just one of the girls when he entered the room - blonde and beautiful but no longer hanging on his arm as his favorite. That didn't last long either. He called me - well, he called Tryx but that was me . . .

*"Cut to the chase, Xora,"* Titania grumped. *"For now, you're Tryx to Mordant, just as Tryx is Xora. Deal with it."*

*"Me, Tryx? Oh, Lord, no! Anything but that!"*

*"Xora . . . "* she warned, then followed it up with a pinch that was *not* preferable to her normal, ah, demonstration of petulance.

*"Ow!"* I shouted, but silently. Titania had, however, accomplished her objective. I 'cut to the chase', at least on the identity thing.

Anyway, Mordant called me to his side, and of course I sidled up like I wanted it more than anything I could imagine. I even managed to put on one of Tryx's incredible smiles.

"Tryx, honey," he began, "you truly are a kind and generous person."

"I'm glad you think so, Oslo," I purred in his arms.

"Oh, I think it's undeniable," he said. "After all, you've put up with the selfish Xora for quite some time now, haven't you?"

"Um, well, we've been together for a while," I agreed cautiously.

"But one of my goals in life is to add pleasure where ever I can," he claimed grandly. "Right, girls?"

His drug-enslaved chorus confirmed his claim. "Yes, Oslo."

"So I've decided we should give Xora a chance to demonstrate she's not selfish. Don't you think that would be fair?"

He hadn't said a word to Tryx-as-Xora yet, at least not directly. On her behalf, I asked, "What did you have in mind?"

He finally turned to 'Xora' and said, "I noticed that you're still wearing your maid's costume and that you've been helping the housebots out today."

"Yes, Oslo," she said meekly. (Tryx. Meek. And I had thought she was a good actress before!)

"I expect you noticed that the tunnels run quite a distance through this old rock," he suggested.

She nodded, and he didn't wait for any further confirmation. Mordant grinned as he set the first stage of the challenge before her. "I think it's much too far for the other girls to walk. You could show you aren't selfish by helping them get around."

"You mean, like, carry them?" Tryx asked in surprise.

"Goodness, no," he claimed. "You're a healthy girl, but carrying someone your own size is a bit much to ask, don't you think?"

"If you say so, Oslo."

"Of course I say so," he confirmed. "But I found out something else about you that seemed perfect for this problem," he said with a casual tone, but obviously what was coming was neither simple nor innocent. Turning to me, he said, "You told me, didn't you, that she had been on Machovia?"

I nodded, but I didn't say anything. Tryx had told me Mordant wanted to know my background but she hadn't provided the details of what she had said. I couldn't embellish my simple agreement with any specifics. Not that he wanted any.

"I did some checking up this afternoon and I found out that a little while ago there was a girl named Xora who competed in their ponygirl races on Machovia. And even won against their champion. Could you be that same Xora?" he asked her.

It was a trap, of course, but what could she say? He might have received enough of a description to make denial impractical, and it didn't really matter anyway. He had obviously made up his mind on what penance 'Xora' would pay.

Tryx shrugged, and confirmed his supposition with a nod.

"So there you have it," Mordant said in satisfaction. "The girls need some help getting around Dariabar, and we have an experienced ponygirl to take them where they need to go."

He looked sharply at 'Xora' and said, "You wouldn't mind, would you Xora? If you think that's unfair, just say so. Drem can have you on your way to Mistfall in no time."

Tryx shuddered, but she shook her head. "Please, Oslo, I'd rather stay."

"Even as a ponygirl?" he prodded, forcing her to acknowledge her debasement.

She nodded again.

"Good, good," he said smugly. "I knew you had it in you to be pleasant instead of selfish. In fact, I was confident you'd see the, ah, the error of your ways, and so I've had Drem put together a few things to help you learn how to please others. Isn't that thoughtful?"

"Yes, Oslo," she said meekly.

Drem was either listening or there was a signal I didn't see, because on the heels of Mordant's words, the servant entered the large chamber, pulling a cart. He dropped the cart poles and stepped away. Tryx moved to take his place but when she reached for the poles, Mordant stopped her.

"Now, Xora, that wouldn't be right. Ponies don't pull their carts with their *hands*, do they?"

"I don't suppose so," she said resignedly.

Drem stepped forward with a pair of wrist manacles in red leather trimmed with gaudy gold edging. Pulling her wrists behind her, he linked them with a few inches of golden chain. Now there wasn't any obvious way for her to pull the cart, so she just stood there looking down at it.

Mordant had other challenges in mind, of course. At first they weren't too bad. After a moment of spectacular nudity, Tryx's French Maid costume was exchanged for an incredibly tight corset and thigh-high boots, with a high neck collar to force her to keep her head up, all in that gold-trimmed red leather. None of that was a problem for Tryx, since her unique version of the Federation uniform already included similar elements.

*"Not unique any more. Yours is just like it."* Titania reminded me.

*"Not by my choice,"* I claimed.

*"Don't quibble,"* she countered, laughing silently.

*"This is *not* funny, Ti. I should never have agreed to let Tryx do this in my place."*

*"As I recall, it was her idea,"* Titania pointed out. *"And as you were just thinking, Tryx wears much the same sort of clothes by choice so it's no hardship for her."*

*"That corset only covers half her boobs,"* I growled. *"She doesn't usually run around with her nipples hanging out"*

It was an irony only Tryx and I could share that her middle was getting squeezed so soon after surrendering her matchlessly small waist for the mission. It was another that we both knew the only reason she *hadn't* been running around with her nipples hanging out all day - and mine the night before - was because our symbionts had a hidden hold on the skimpy maid costume's top. I was incensed at Mordant's adolescent humiliations, but I also knew Tryx was enough of an exhibitionist to find the whole thing more than a little amusing.

With the corset in place, it turned out there was also a way to pull the cart. Drem raised the cart poles and bonded some sort of pad to the front of the corset, then attached that to a fitting on a crossbar between the poles.

There was also a, um, 'feature' my Machovian ponygirl costume had not included. Drem attached a thong bottom that provided at least a modicum of modesty to the corset, and from the thin strip of material at the base of Tryx's spine, a thick tail - literally, a 'ponytail' bounced saucily. It was a deep midnight black perfectly matched to the cascade descending her back. Of course, the way Tryx was swinging her hips around didn't make it any *less* intriguing.

*"She's just trying to copy the way you slither, Slinky,"* Titania claimed.

*"I am *not* that blatant,"* I argued.

It's very hard to argue rationally with someone who is laughing too hard to think straight.

The laughs ended pretty abruptly when Drem brought out the bridle, complete with bit and reins. This *was* something I had endured on Machovia, and I had hated it passionately. I tried to send Tryx a message of encouragement, but I couldn't get close enough to touch her and she was no longer able to look around for eye contact.

Unfortunately, Mordant still wasn't done. Drem was standing in front of Tryx, seemingly by accident but blocking her path while Mordant pretended to turn his attention to the rest of us.

"You know what this place needs?" he asked rhetorically. "We need cheerful sounds. I think we should have, oh, bells ringing or something. In fact," and now he turned back to "Xora', "I think it would be very pleasant if our pony wore some bells so we could all hear her jingling her way, happily pleasing others. Don't you all agree?"

The agreement wasn't really necessary, and ignored as meaningless even as the chorus provided it. They - we - all watched with fascinated horror as Drem brought out what thankfully turned out to be the last of his torments for Tryx. But what a torment it was. Golden bells provided the required light jingling sound, though they were only the excuse for the most vicious part of what should have been my ordeal.

"I wonder where we can find to hang those delightful little bells," Mordant mused.

Drem answered that, with an option that nearly had me losing my composure entirely. In his hands were golden rings and a piercing tool. And the leer in his eyes made it clear where he intended to place them.

*"I am NOT going to let him do that to her!"* I shouted internally.

In fact, I would have moved to stop it, but Titania locked me into immobility.

*"God damn you, Titania, Let me GO!"*

*"Wait just a second, Xora, and let me explain something."*

*"Explain later,"* I snarled. *"I am not going to let that animal put those things on her."*

*"He can't,"* Titania declared bluntly.

*"He's sure as hell looks like he's going to,"* I yelled.

*"No, he's going to put them on Bee,"* Titania said. *"He can't really touch her unless Bee allows it."*

*"What?"*

*"Calm down and think, Xora,"* Ti ordered. *"Bee has, ah, enhanced Tryx in a few areas, too. All that Drem will touch is Bee, and even Bee won't actually be pierced by those rings."*

Even as my internal anger had raged, Drem had approached Tryx with the set of golden rings that were obviously intended for her exposed nipples. Only the knowledge that their turgid response was . . . unreal kept me from screaming within my rigid prison.

In moments it was done. Tryx sported two nipple rings from which hung those diabolical little bells. It was almost anti-climactic when Drem ran thin gold chains from the rings to her bridle so that every time she moved her head - or someone pulled on a rein - the bells would ring. It was ludicrously redundant since they also rang with every step she took, and every breath she took, and every, well, everything.

They rang with every step she took, and with every breath she took . . .

"Now we're making progress," Mordant said in satisfaction. "In fact, I think we're ready to try it out. Who should go first?"

His proprietary gaze swept over the arrayed bevy of beauties, before settling with seeming randomness on Laran. It was only after a moment that I remembered Laran's rooms were the furthest from the common area. At a wave of Mordant's arm, she climbed carefully into the seat of the cart, trying to keep it balanced.

"Why don't you go get that little 'toy' I gave you a month ago?" Mordant suggested. Of course it was really an order. The blonde girl's eyes showed sympathy for her charge, but determination as well. It was obvious that her own opportunity for a dose of thionite required her to be party to Tryx's humiliation, and there was no doubt where Laran's priorities lay. Mordant waved his hand and sent them on their way, the jingling of bells indeed carrying back a report of their progress. It was only after the sound faded that Titania released me. Then it was my turn to face Mordant's depraved amusements.

 

 

 

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© 2003 by Brandy Dewinter. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.