“Is… is this really alright? Isn’t this some big, important meeting?”

“Of course it is. You’re meeting the High Council; they’re the only ones in all the land who are considered to be on the Lord’s level, politically.”

“And… I just walk in like this?”

“Of course. This is still your castle, after all. Besides, the High Council always meets in the nude.”

“You still haven’t explained anything about this meeting, what are we having it about?”

Eyarra’s smile was oddly reassuring, even in this time of great stress. “Why, you, of course. Your arrival is the event we’ve all been waiting for, some of us for hundreds of millennia! It’s said that your appearance is the greatest single event in Irropoi’s past, present, or future. In terms of change, at least. The High Council wants to meet you, wants to get to know you, and they all undoubtedly wish to ensure they are on your good terms. They’ll also inform you as much as you need to know about your position; your power, your influence, and the rights you have in this world.”

“How are they going to get to know me if I barely know myself?” Hadrian’s question was answered with a shrug.

“I’m sure that you know enough about yourself to give them something. Besides, as long as they know it’s the Lord, all that matters is being in your favor.”

Feeling utterly uncertain that he was anything less than INCREDIBLY in over his head, Hadrian was thusly ushered – and damn near shoved – into the chamber he was told the High Council awaited him in.

As he stumbled out into the chamber his eyes rapidly scanned the room. Abruptly, he realized that the minimal preparation he had received from Eyarra was not nearly enough to ready him. His gaze locked upon each of the twelve women around him in turn, and on their faces he found a mixture of reactions.

There were four tables, each of them seating three women of similar appearances. Behind him and to his left were three reasonably normal-looking women. The first one had shoulder-length brown hair, plump pink lips, and… red eyes? Well, not the strangest thing he had ever seen. The second had blonde hair that fell down her back; he couldn’t see how far. Her eyes were green, and to all appearances she was normal. The third was what caught his attention.

She wore a bow across her back, though like the others she had no clothes except the straps for the quiver and weapon. She had a white design on her forehead almost looking like an intricate, upside-down tiara with the point nearly to the bridge of her nose. Two thin scars, barely there at all, lined her left cheekbone. Her hair was jet-black, with a short pixie cut that had to be less than two inches long, at most. What drew his attention was what it revealed. With such short hair, her ears were clearly visible. Her pointy, slightly elongated ears. Hadrian couldn’t help but wonder if all of them had such ears. Then again, compared to the Kitsune, they had ears that were virtually identical to his own.

The next table seemed normal, for a moment or two. They looked like ordinary women, identical triplets. Each had medium-length strawberry-blonde hair and very pointed faces. Unlike the other three, who remained stoic and returned Hadrian’s gaze with calm interest, these women showed some degree of reaction as Hadrian looked upon them. The first covered her mouth, apparently stifling a giggle. The second outright blushed but refused to look away, and- what had happened to the third?

The third girl was gone, or so it seemed; in her place sat the last girl from the first table, the one with the pointed ears! Hadrian looked back but saw she hadn’t moved. The third girl from the first table looked confused at his reaction, but the third one just snickered.

“Sorry, I thought this form might please you more.” She innocently toyed with her raven locks as her blonde table-mates rolled their eyes.

“I don’t- what do you mean this form?”

Before Hadrian’s eyes, the woman’s form melded back to how it was before. He blinked several times and took a step backward.

“I knew we shouldn’t have left Eyarra to this. Lord, please tell us, did she prepare you for this meeting at all? Or did she simply enjoy having you to herself while she could?”

Hadrian turned to the table behind him and to his right, and at last saw some semi-familiar faces. Kitsunes, three of them, and all of extremely very vivid colors.

The one to the left had six tails, each of them a very light blue. Teal, was that the word? They had a small tuft of white at the end of each one too. Her ears were of a similar coloration, as were her lips, though her lips lacked any white markings. He couldn’t quite see whether the coloring to her lips was natural or makeup. The one in the middle had eight tails, all of them a brilliant red and orange mixture, as if they’d been individually dyed in a fiery swathe. Her hair and lips were a bright but somehow dulled color of red, blending it more naturally with the color of her skin. Then there was the third one. She had a mixture of colors, like the second one, but instead of blending together they were linked in intricate patterns that travelled all the way up her tails to the very tips. Black fur and violet markings, bright ones that were clearly visible where they lay upon the fur, nearly glowing even in the lit room. The violet tattoos looked like they’d been painteds on, almost, except that it was clearly a part of the fur. Her face seemed unmarred, and the hair on top of her head was rather more like the red one’s, as the blacks and violets in her hair shifted tone and brightness and blended together.

“I, well… she told me that there would be a gathering of twelve people at four tables, three leaders and a table from each of the four nations. She said some of them would look different from myself, and that I shouldn’t expect all of them to look like her, either. I don’t really know-“

“I do. That would be us, assuming you’re looking for the ones most different from yourself.”

As he turned to the final table, he could not even hope to hide the shock in his eyes. Sitting behind it were three women so different he had little doubt in his mind that these three were not of the same race as each other, like the other tables seemed to be. Whatever – whoever – they were, they were more beast than human, or at least a close balance of the two. The woman on the left seemed normal, for the most part. In fact, Hadrian didn’t notice anything unusual about her until he noticed the long, coiling tail that was extruding out beside the desk. It actively twitched, and while he glanced over her she toyed with the tip, which sat upon her desk. Above the waist, the only thing that hinted at her unusual nature were a cluster of scales around her hip that he could barely make out above the line of the desk, and the fact that when she smiled at him, he could see fangs.

The second one, he couldn’t have even pretended to not notice. Her head was normal, and although skinnier than he could imagine was healthy for a normal human being, her torso was as well. But rather than arms, she had shoulders that led briefly into flesh, and then transitioned into great, cerulean wings, so beautiful he couldn’t quite understand how natural feathers could blend so seamlessly into such perfect symphony. It looked, rather than a normal wing, like a thin, smooth blanket cut into a perfect mimicry of a wing. She flexed them idly, as if noticing his attentions and trying to give him a better look. As she flexed out the wings, he noted that he could see the feathers as she moved, but almost as soon as they settled into their new positions they were once again near seamless.

Still, the third seat was the one that looked most obviously non-human, given that it was more than her arms that were transformed. She stood several inches taller than most of the other women, and her ears were more noticeable than the elves. They were pointed similarly, but larger and less humanoid; they instead looked more like cones, none of the softness or contours of a humanoid ear. Her face was mostly humanoid, but she had a slight distension to it he couldn’t place immediately, until he noticed the rest of her features. Her torso was close to a human’s, except that the complexion of her skin was closer to yellow than any natural color. And nearly six inches down any of her limbs he could see, the yellowish skin gave way to light golden scales that glistened in the bright candlelight illuminating the room.

Hadrian was rather overwhelmed with the overall differences, but now that he’d had his chance to examine them, the girls seemed more than willing to talk, if he wasn’t.

“Well then, Lord, are you going to introduce yourself to us? We can only talk for so long without knowing each other’s names before it becomes simply rude.”

The nine-tailed Kitsune had been the one to speak. She gestured to the very first table he’d glanced at, the one with the elves. “Why not start out with yourself, then proceed in the manner you already seem to have chosen?”

She had a regal air about her. Not a superiority issue, considering how openly and friendly her posture and tone were, but… rather than trying to make herself seem elegant, she just radiated a certain nobility. Hadrian decided not to question her.

“My name is Hadrian. I’m… somewhere around twenty-six. I think. Kind of still making up my mind, actually; I think I’ve already changed back and forth between a few numbers as my memory shifts. I don’t know anything about myself, or anything about this world. I woke up here in what Eyarra called the Altar of the Lord…” Hadrian paused briefly, casting a glance behind him to verify the name was correct. Eyarra gave him a subtle nod, and he continued on quickly.

“…and I haven’t been told much aside from my title and that I apparently have a servant. Servants. And that… I’m some kind of leader,” he added after a moment, a little befuddled by having to say such things.

There were hushed murmurs. No talks occurred across the tables for the most part, other than brief glances and subtle gestures, but there was obviously quite a lot of interest about Hadrian and his lack of a past.

“Well then, I suppose we should start off our end of the introductions.”

The raven-haired elf woman spoke calmly, gesturing one by one to the two elves to her right, Hadrian’s left, starting with the one farthest from her.

“This is the Elven Ophanim, Valeera. She’s a hundred and seventy-five thousand, two-hundred and thirty-seven, and she’s currently the head of the Agricultural Experimentation Committee.”

“It’s a pleasure,” the auburn-haired elf said with a soft smile.

Hadrian couldn’t quite take in the titles. He felt… almost cowed by the age that the woman had stated as if it were nothing. The amount of knowledge and experience she must’ve had… honestly, that single number was more shocking to him than at least two-thirds of the table filled with animalistic women.

“Next to me is the Elven Cherubim, Saylati. She’s just over fifty thousand, and she acts as the official leader of day-to-day matters, as the High Chancellor of the Elven Forests’ Senate.”

Saylati gave nothing more than a curt bow of her head and a fairly extravagant hand gesture, but Hadrian swore there was something about her that exuded friendliness despite the fact she had yet to say a word.

“Finally, I am Alonna, the Elven Seraph. I am one-hundred and twenty-two thousand, six-hundred and seven years old. I serve as the speaker for the elves on the High Council and have been appointed as the Lord’s personal bodyguard for the day that he shall arrive. As the High Council will seldom meet without the Lord present, if it does not displease you I shall follow you from this day forward and act as your personal protector from any manner of dangers that assail you.”

“What dangers exist in this world that would threaten the… me?” Hadrian asked, eyeing the bow on her back. Suddenly it made perfect sense why she was the only one who had entered the chamber armed.

“Though we have kept them to a minimum,” she said lightly, fingering the shaft of the bow as if subconsciously, “there are a few places where the Rifts have begun to open, especially in the southern peninsula. The jungle there makes tracking and locating the rifts-“

“Perhaps,” a soft voice cut in over Alonna’s words, “we should focus on introductions before we begin to explain such complex matters to him. It is, after all, still his first day here.”

Hadrian turned to the voice and spotted the middle woman of the table with the three identical – well, no longer identical – women sitting beside each other. Now, it seemed, the one in the middle had taken to a more tribal look. Hadrian had no idea how it was that they did it, but she’d altered her skin to be much darker than it had been originally, with several markings on her face and arms; everything else was covered, as her outfit had remained virtually the same. He couldn’t say why she had done it, as nothing else in the room looked similar, but she gave him a small wink all the same.

“We have no ranks among our species save for positions on councils, nor do we track our age as most others do. I will simply state that my name is Portrayyas, and these are my fellow High Council members, Ettiira and Terrnas. I have seen the shock on your face, and though explanations need be kept for a moment, I will still your questions by simply saying that our race is known for their… adaptability. Particularly when it comes to appearances.”

The knowing smile told Hadrian he would get no more, and it was matched by almost perfectly identical (shocker) smiles from the other two beside her. He shook his head and turned to the next table – the Kitsune, the ones he had originally skipped over when the bestial girls behind him drew his attention.

“I know you are more familiar with our race,” the violet-and-black kitsune led with, raising an eyebrow. “So I’ll be short. My name is Qiala, and I am the eldest Kitsune. I stopped counting my age nearly three hundred millennia ago, and I have been the speaker for the High Council for twenty of them, a member for two hundred and seven. I have retired from all of my positions, save for this one, and I spend most of my time engaged with my own experimentation in my home in the deep reaches of Kitsune lands.”

She gave a quick gesture to the two beside her. “This blue Kitsune is my sister, Freya. She’s the Archmagus of our Academy, and has been for the past two thousand years. She’s younger than I by about twenty-five thousand years. This fiery little Kitsune to my right is my mate, Xintha. She’s almost a hundred and fifty thousand years old, and has been the leader of the Inquisition for the past seven years.”

”Someone who’s actually new to their position, at last,” Hadrian couldn’t help but think to himself. He nodded at each of them, and turned to the last table, the one with the most varied groups. The girl with the scaled arms stood from her chair, exposing everything above her lower thighs to the room. Hadrian could see the golden scales on her legs matched the ones on her arms, and that they seemed to cover all of her body save for her face, abdomen, and the glistening slit between her legs. She gave a grand gesture to herself and the other two seated at her table before being seated.

“We are the Ferals. Our race is relatively new to the High Council; we only joined some hundred and twenty thousand years ago. I can see in your eyes you’ve already realized how varied we are; each tribe and in some cases each family in the Feral lands is vastly different. Still, all those who dwell within the southern peninsula, and the nearby islands, are considered as one race. As far as species…”

She gestured briefly to the girl at the end of the table, the one with the orange-scaled snake tail. “This is Elysse, one of the Naga. She’s seven thousand years old, has a potency for magic the likes of which could rival a Kitsune, and is the second-eldest of her Tribe. To my right is Varrite. She’s the leader of the Verdant Pass Guards, and I’ve yet to meet any Rift being that can defeat her, in the sky or on the ground. My name is Kil’tair, and I am the commander of the Lord’s Royal Guard. If you seek to leave the city and travel anywhere, all you need do is say the word and we will accompany you, no matter how far or how long your journey, and ensure that you do not fall victim to any of the Rifts.”

Hadrian looked around, trying his best to appear confident as he took in all of this information. A personal bodyguard, and an entire guard that would accompany him across the world, as well as something called “Rifts” that apparently posed such a great threat that it made all of these things necessary? Not to mention the existence of races, what he heard as no less than three continents, and people literally thousands of times older than him. There was very little reason for him to appear confident in any way, but somehow he managed to pull it off.

“Alright, then. Where do we start with my worldly education?”

“I believe this should help. When I learned from Eyarra that you had no memories,” the voice of Qiala faded a bit as she ducked under the desk for a moment, “I brought this.”

A massive book, one that must’ve been nearly two-thousand pages thick, was plopped somewhat unceremoniously onto the desk in front of her.

“It is a basic history of our people, the Kitsune; at least as far as we have shared with other races. The others are already aware of this, but you should know the Kitsune are rather secretive, or have been in the past. Either way, this will start you off. You can ask any questions this book raises for you, and I will be happy to answer, either about our race or the world in general. Then, each of the others can continue on, and-“

“I should say that none of us have any particular desire to spend weeks going over the history we already know,” Varrite interjected, waving a winged arm at the Kitsune. “Perhaps there’s a better way?”

Qiala shrugged, putting the book away with a touch more tact than she’d brought it out with. “Perhaps. Not everyone has the taste for intellectual pursuits that we do, I understand that.”

“A book is hardly the correct way to teach someone with no background; that history was written for scholars, not a man who – from what we’ve heard – only learned what a Kitsune even was a few short days ago,” the elf Saylati interjected.

“I… have to admit, perhaps it would be better if we called this meeting to an end?” Hadrian said, shrugging. When all eyes turned to him, he shrank back a bit, but continued on.

“I have a great deal to learn about the world. The way you all act, the fact that we’re even here… like this… naked,” he said, forcing out the last word, realizing his embarrassment was only making him stand out more, “not to mention your appearances, and magic… I have no memories, but all of this still seems unnatural in a way I can’t understand. And all of it is such basic material that you probably wouldn’t even think to teach me; from the shock Eyarra displayed, it seems almost like teaching someone how to breathe – you’d never think to teach it because you just assume everyone understands the concept. Rather than teaching me through education, or even through questions, I want to learn by experience. Take me out into the world, or at least out into the city, this city, the…”

“Rafflesia City,” Terrnas interjected, sensing the unasked question.

“Thank you, Terrnas,” Hadrian said, giving a nod in her direction. “Do you all have any duties which require you to leave the city?”

There were a set of shaken heads, and Qiala spoke up again.

“Many of us have positions outside of this city, but as members of the High Council we have steps taken to ensure that we can fulfill the duties while remaining here, in case our attentions are ever required. Those of us who cannot fulfill all of our responsibilities from here have subordinates who are just as capable as we are.”

Murmurs of agreement reached his ears, and Hadrian nodded sagely. “Then… yes, staying with each of you for one month gives me an entire year to learn what I need to understand this world. Hopefully that will be enough. Then I can worry about the actual title and what you all expect of me. I ask your patience, and since most of you here are over ten thousand years old, I hope that asking one year will not be more than any of you expect. That being said… Eyarra told me the Lord is able to invite anyone he wishes to stay in his quarters; I have a hundred and twenty-five beds. It would greatly honor me if all of you would join me for the next year. I may only plan to shadow one of you at a time, but you are all welcome to stay.”

There was, for the first time since he announced his lack of memory, a brief moment of shock in the room. Some of the High Council members were frozen in silence, taking a few moments to absorb what he’d just said; others were whispering, some looking quite animated. The elves were remaining silent, though he couldn’t tell whether in shock or composure, while the morphs all seemed quite eager, chattering between themselves. The Kitsunes and the Ferals were showing a great deal of mixed reaction.

“I for one can safely say my opinion is shared by my fellow Morphs of the High Council when I say… we would more than honored to accept this gracious offer.”

Portrayyas’ words were very much appreciated. Hadrian bowed his head, pleased that at least some of them were happy with the idea.

“We, too, would gratefully accept this offer,” Alonna said quietly. The elves merely nodded their heads in acquiescence.

“We wish to remain in our own quarters,” Kil’tair said, her voice firm but not, perhaps, harsh. “We prefer to remain among our own kind, or rather, those we trust. While we have all been on the High Council for thousands of years, our meetings number in only the dozens, and we have very little personal knowledge of each other. Without the Lord, we have had few reasons to meet, and you ask many of us to share dwellings. Such close quarters could create… tension.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. Eyarra, you said there were one hundred and twenty-five beds, yes?” The Kitsune, apparently having been at full attention as the conversation continued, nodded furiously. “How many of them are in their own rooms?”

“Well, the three Guest Wings on the first floor each have twelve beds, then the second floor… well, the third-“

Hadrian lost track of what she was saying, for a moment consumed by the fact that his Living Quarters had at least three floors. He brushed it off just in time to catch the ending, though.

“-would probably be the fourth floor, where there are six rooms accommodating one person each, or if you would all prefer, you could stay on the third floor, where there are two rooms small enough for four people to reside in them; my sisters and I can easily have a bed removed from one of them to make it more spacious and pleasant. As the Living Quarters are empty aside from yourself, it shouldn’t cause any issue for you or them, either way.”

“Fair enough. So, would you accept the offer under those conditions? Assuming that the others agree, you’ll likely have your own floor, so-“

“The fourth floor will be fine. We are thankful for your consideration of our request, Lord.”

Hadrian nodded. She seemed rather a bit less… poised than the others, though perhaps not in a bad way. She came off rough, but Hadrian didn’t feel like it was to be intentionally off-putting. In fact, despite their appearances and sometimes cold demeanors, Hadrian didn’t think any of them were particularly threatening. They all seemed genuinely interested in him, and curious, not dangerous.

Though, that could change with time…

“We see no reason to hold back the High Council. We shall happily join you, and we are certainly looking forward to our turns…” Qiala said wryly, and for the first time Hadrian thought he saw something other than composure in those eyes.

“Simply for the sake of fairness, perhaps we should simply go around the room, then. So, Valeera, would you do me the pleasure of being the first person to accompany me?”

The edges of Valeera’s lips touched upward as she bowed her head. “’twould be an honor, and a pleasure as well I should hope.”

Hadrian blushed, but there were no reactions from the other women aside from some muttering. Hadrian shrugged and watched as Valeera strode from her position to his side. “Lead the way to your quarters, Lord, and we can begin your education.”

"Well then, it seems that’s all that needs to be done. Eyarra, you mentioned something about sisters… are they available?”

“That depends Lord, what for?” She asked innocently.

“I was hoping you could all prepare the rooms as needed for the High Council. I assume they’ve been mostly kept in living conditions, but if there’s anything left to be done, and to remove some of the beds…” Hadrian trailed off, assuming Eyarra would know far more about what was needed than he did.

“Absolutely. I can contact them immediately, I just need a moment,” Eyarra said, swiftly moving across the room and heading for the doors. Hadrian nodded, confident what needed to be done would probably be handled before they even arrived.

“If there are no further matters, I call this meeting to an end. I can do that, right?" Hadrian asked, looking around for confirmation.

"Technically no,” Portrayyas said, hand on her chin. “As the High Council are the only ones capable of overruling you with a unanimous vote, we're the only ones who can end one of our own meetings... but I should think we're all in agreement on ending it this time, yes?"

There were a chorus of nods from everyone else. Hadrian clapped once and then looked over toward the door before he glanced at the woman standing by his side.

"So, the uh... the Elven Ophanim then? First question, what exactly does that title mean?"

She just smiled at him. "Not to worry, Lord. We should at least be comfortable. We have an entire month for you to learn everything there is to know about me, as well as this world."

Hadrian nodded. "It seems that I will be needing a great deal more than that."

"Oh, but that is the most wonderful thing about Rafflesia," the elven woman said, laughing with a voice like the tinkling of chimes. "Some of us in this room have grown so old that we do not even count our age any more, and we still have not uncovered one thousandth of one percent of all the mysteries that there are to be revealed in this world. Give yourself to Rafflesia and time will cease to have any meaning at all."

Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing remained to be decided.

"Lord, my sisters have prepared the rooms," Eyarra said quietly from behind him. "The Ferals can stay in their own rooms on the fourth floor, while the Morphs and Elves have opted to use two of the rooms on the third floor meant for four guests, adapted to fit three each. The Kitsune requested their own floor as well, regarding magical experimentations; I granted this request and placed them on the ground floor, in one of the rooms originally meant for six. I hope that's acceptable. They've also requested access to your facilities in regards to the same; I told them I would ask on your behalf, and-"

"Eyarra, it's fine. Give them access, and take it easy. I fully expect it to take a lot of work to get everyone settled in, but there's no need to stress."

"Stress? Oh no, I'm excited. I've been doing maintenance and cleaning on these rooms for nearly ten thousand years with no one to take advantage of it; having so many guests is like a dream come true after such a long wait!"

Eyarra was gone after saying that, giving a quick curtsy as she rapidly moved toward the Kitsunes, relaying the news.

Hadrian shook his head and laughed. If everyone here was as enthusiastic about teaching him as Eyarra was about taking care of his home, perhaps he wouldn’t need a year after all.

~~~~

Hadrian followed the High Council back toward the chambers, watching as they filed away one by one. Eyarra, as well as two Kitsunes he didn’t recognize, constantly appeared in doorways and hallways, gesturing toward one or more of the group and usually taking them toward a staircase. He assumed the Kitsunes were her sisters, one a brilliant pink color and the other a nearly-golden yellow, with a few markings across their bodies in different shades.

Eventually the only person that was left was Valeera, who accompanied him all the way to his room. He hadn’t actually thought that she would want to start on the questions so early, but the day was still young. Actually, he was going to have to see about food. He hadn’t found anything to eat since the snacks Eyarra had brought to his room… and he’d probably worked those off shortly after. Not to mention water, although he’d been having fluids…

A blush colored Hadrian’s face as he found himself unable to avoid recalling the last time he’d escorted someone to his room, but he was at least able to keep that much of his reaction secret, or so he hoped. He tried to keep his face pointed toward the windows as Eyarra appeared in front of them and pulled open the doors, though in hindsight that probably only made his discomfort more obvious.

As the doors shut behind them, Valeera moved over to the bed without hesitation, brushing her hair back and staring around.

“A bit barren… I’ll be sure to introduce you to some of the Elven carpenters – they can have this room furnished to your desires within the month, and they’ll do it in a manner so beautiful it could make a lesser being cry at its splendor.”

“That sounds wonderful, if strange,” Hadrian murmured, walking over to the windows and staring out. He’d never actually left the room until the High Council meeting, but Eyarra had occasionally left his side to retrieve things, so he’d occupied himself by staring out the window. It was quite a view.

It looked over a massive, sprawling city that covered the landscape as far as the eye could see. But despite that, it almost looked natural, despite being as man-made as possible. There were almost as many trees as there were homes, maybe more, and buildings were far apart and reasonably elaborate. Long, cobblestone streets linked them, leading off into the horizon before even considering stopping. It gave him the idea that this world truly was vast; so vast he’d never live long enough to see every inch of it.

“Rafflesia City is a rather inspiring view, isn’t it?”

Valeera had approached him from behind; he hadn’t noticed until her voice appeared right behind him. Before he had the chance to turn and address her, the Elven woman wrapped her arms around him and pulled her body tight to his, her chin resting on his shoulder to share in the view.

Despite what he thought at least might have been an innocent gesture, Hadrian couldn’t stop his own reaction. Neither of them had changed after the High Council meeting, and he could feel her entire body pressing into his back. Most noticeable were the two warm mounds pressing into his shoulder blades, and he couldn’t keep still enough to ignore them.

“The Lord’s always had the best chambers. I spend little time in this city, but even I’ve always recognized that. Looking out over the entire city, and in a way the entire kingdom. The High Council have their quarters across the city, though none so nice as this… mine is a manor on the northern side, with a one-room tower that goes above the rest of the house, and a great bay window overlooking everything to the south.”

Her hands wrapped around his body even tighter, and slowly, she trailed her fingertips down his abdomen. The tickling sensation of those long, slightly sharpened fingernails left him torn between laughter and arousal.

“Sometimes I like to look out that window and think of all the wonderful things out there people are doing… all the intimacy and pleasure they’re sharing, all the people who found someone new today, and most of all… every last hole that’s being filled.”

Hadrian couldn’t help the reaction he had to those words; even if they weren’t especially erotic until the end, the sultry tone of her voice was enough to send chills up his spine. Besides, it wasn’t like he hadn’t expected this to happen when he invited the High Council to stay with him… though perhaps not quite so soon.

Either way, he was growing more confident now that he at least had some idea of where he was and what was happening, even if it was all still so very far over his head. That gave him just enough bravery to turn into her grip, leaving her grasping his lower back as he reached around behind the elven woman and gripped both of her petite, tight cheeks. He pulled her tightly to him, feeling his hardness rubbing against her womanhood. Without clothes, the embrace was intimate from the moment he’d turned around.

“Shall we add yours, holes, to the list of holes… being filled?” Hadrian couldn’t help but stumble as he stared into her eyes. The sheer radiating confidence the woman had in her eyes was enough to set him off of his former glory, and quickly reminded him just how out of place he really felt.

But that didn’t seem to bother her. If anything, her smile widened.

“My, it’s no wonder Eyarra spent so much time with you. By our toy standards this is… quite large,” Valeera said, trailing her fingers around his sides until she was lightly caressing his shaft, running her fingers from tip to base, over and over. Her touch was like silk, and twice as pleasurable.

“Am I truly the only male in this entire world?” Hadrian asked, starting to gently knead her soft flesh in his hands. She gave a soft moan, one of arousal more than any real pleasure yet, and leaned her head in close to his neck. As she spoke, her breath tickled at the nape.

“Mmm, until the Lord’s prophecy we didn’t even realize there was such a thing. Even what crude drawings we had of your anatomy were enough to base a few objects off of, but… my, this is so much more fun than the fake ones.”

Valeera wrapped her hand around the object, and began to slowly and methodically pump up and down. Her confidence remained, but Hadrian could tell she was oddly… inexperienced. Her sexuality and the very aura of lust she put out was enough to make up for it, but Hadrian could tell just by the way she was exploring him that it really was her first time handling a dick.

That alone restored some of Hadrian’s confidence. Gently, he turned, never breaking contact with Valeera’s soft ass or removing her hand from his member as he pulled them around and pressed her backside up against the glass windows. Thankfully they seemed strong, because the moment he did so she groaned and he felt a great deal of her weight sink onto the glass.

“Feel like showing off?” Valeera teased as her thumb moved up to circle Hadrian’s head. Drops of pre were starting to come out, and she was quick to use them to lube up his head, adding to the pleasure.

“I thought you’d enjoy getting to let others see you for a change,” Hadrian said. His head dove downward then, his hands leaving her ass cheeks in order to let them flatten out fully against the glass. Instead they ran along Valeera’s sides sensually, while his mouth opened up to fully take in her right nipple and begin licking at the hardening mound. Valeera let out her first moan of real stimulation, the first of many if Hadrian had to say anything about it, and started to laugh.

“I suppose I can be an exhibitionist now and then too… well, what do you say we really get started then? I’m quite ready, Lord. Just thinking about getting to be the first of the High Council to stay with you, much less spending an entire month in your quarters…”

A small shiver ran down her spine as she started to gyrate her hips against him. He could feel it quite easily; her inner thighs were soaked with her essence, and the more she ground herself into him the more he wanted to pierce into her, to feel her tightness engulfing him. And with permission, who was he to delay?

Hadrian pulled a hand away from her side to aim his tip at her entrance. She shuddered one last time before suddenly thrusting herself downward, not giving Hadrian the chance to do it himself. Valeera split around him readily thanks to her arousal, but the feeling of her insides were so incredible that it caused Hadrian to gasp and pull himself to her, resting against her body and the cool glass.

“Your pussy, it’s…” Hadrian took a deep breath to calm himself, feeling somewhat odd using such vulgar words around a woman who until recently had presented herself as nearly unerringly regal. “It’s so smooth, it’s like it’s fitting right around me.”

“Age brings experience…” Valeera said simply, and began to move herself back and forth. Though the motion was small and barely visible, it felt like her walls were twisting around, trying to wring out everything Hadrian had. The stimulation was incredible, and while she kept the movement to a minimum, Hadrian found himself thrusting wildly in a matter of seconds.

“Oh… my… not so hard, dear… don’t want to break the glass,” Valeera chided lightly, unable to keep the smile off her face. Hadrian chuckled as he took the pace down a notch. “But I appreciate the enthusiasm…”

She started to constrict her velvety walls, adding to her already impressive tightness, gripping and petting his member. Hadrian pushed all that he could, trying to make up for a lack of force and speed with depth and passion. He leaned forward and locked lips with Valeera, immediately feeling her latch on and rub against her lips with her tongue. Hadrian met her there, allowing her just enough entrance to let them both grind against his front teeth as they tasted each other. When she withdrew slightly he leaned forward and gently nibbled on her lower lip, earning a soft moan as he slid in with a particularly forceful thrust at the same moment.

“Mmm… very good,” Valeera said softly as she looked down. She seemed almost enraptured watching Hadrian drive his tool in and out of her body, as if feeling alone wasn’t enough to believe what was happening. “I was very, very right before… this is so very much better than one of our toys. So hard, so soft, and so goooood. Try aiming it up a little bit more, like-“

Hadrian changed the angle of his thrust slightly and went hard but slow, grinding the head of his cock along her upper walls. Her sentence cut off immediately as she struggled to find the words to finish it. Hadrian took advantage to continue pressing that same spot, making her every moment one of as much ecstasy as he could bring to her.

“Yes, I- oh, it’s been so long… I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up, it’s just… oh…” Valeera was losing some of her composure now, and Hadrian was happy to try to push her over that edge. He pressed up against her g-spot with all his might and slammed his hips into hers, feeling the glass shaking with each thrust. Hadrian had to make his time count – the elf’s slick walls were milking him so hard that he knew he didn’t have much left in himself either.

“I’m gonna come…” Hadrian announced as his pacing became suddenly erratic.

“I… I’m… I already am,” Valeera gasped, as she suddenly began to convulse, her entire body quivering as she felt a tidal wave of an orgasm washing over her body. The soft walls of her pussy clenched down, becoming so tight and firm it felt like they were trying to squeeze the orgasm out of Hadrian. The young man didn’t need much coaxing; he was so close already that as he lost the ability to thrust he simply made one last, deep push and let his seed fly just as Valeera was opening her mouth in a wail of pleasure.

Hadrian sat inside for a few moments, feeling the sweat roll down his body while still struggling to hold up the elf’s leg. She smiled at him after a few seconds of panting heavily, brushing his hand away and sliding him out of her. Hadrian’s seed dripped slowly out of her, falling to and beginning to stain the carpet.

Hadrian glanced up at the elf’s satisfied eyes, becoming abruptly nervous. “So… that was a good first lesson, I think.”

Valeera just rolled her head back and laughed.