Every seven years, the Parians capture a stranger and sacrifice him in their Temple of Blood. They take a goodly youth and scourge him until he dies. His blood is used to bake their ceremonial cakes every winter.
—Axel Thiele’s “Against Parian Settlements,” quoted by Sven Nisse
Gitte
“Who do I have to fuck to get a drink around here?” said Commander Sariel.
He was always saying dramatic things like that. One might be forgiven for thinking that Commander Sariel’s smile meant that he was joking, but I wasn’t fooled by his lighthearted tone. Commander Sariel was quite unamused. That was my cue to go to the pantry as quietly as I could and prepare his favorite drink. I poured black coffee into a cup until the bottom could no longer be seen, then I added schnapps until the bottom could be seen again. Commander Sariel drinks this deadly concoction of pure caffeine and alcohol only when he’s really upset about something. I returned with the cup and silently placed it directly in front of him on his desk.
Commander Sariel spent the next 30 minutes slowly sipping his drink, feet up on his desk and staring moodily at Kraej City’s perpetually grey skies covered in haze. He only came out of his funk when the phone rang. It was Commander Uriel calling, and I patched him through right away like I always do. I could hear bits and pieces of Commander Sariel’s part of the conversation.
“You should have told me...When would that...I think you’ll find that...bah... Angels are overrated...No...That’s too… Earlier, of course…”
Thank goodness. He sounded more like his usual jaded self now. Commander Uriel could usually be relied on to cheer the other Commanders up. A few minutes later, Commander Sariel pressed the button that made a buzzing sound on my desk, signaling his desire to see me in his office.
“Ah, Gitte, you’re just the person Uriel and I need!” he said. “Tell me, where is the nearest high-end lingerie store?”
“Sir, it’s Bertel’s at the corner of ninth and seventy,” I replied after checking my map and store directory.
“What? No, I meant lingerie for women,” said Commander Sariel.
Female lingerie? Has the Commander been exploring the other side of his sexuality? It was probably just a prank of some sort. I checked my map/directory book again. “That would be Troublemaker on Rohde street.”
“Great. Get ready, Uriel and I will need you to accompany us there at noon.”
Noon was my lunch break. I would need to wolf down a sandwich instead of taking a break, but Commander Sariel would tip me for my trouble, of course. Commander Sariel was now downright bubbly. Was he really looking forward to it this much? He must be planning a truly epic prank.
Commander Uriel arrived a few minutes before noon. He was always very punctual, unlike some people I could mention. It only took us five minutes to get to the lingerie store. I realized that I’d made a mistake when we got there because Troublemaker’s window display had no merchandise on display. All it showed was a stylized etching of a voluptuous woman’s silhouette in red. The reason was readily apparent once we entered the store.
They did sell lingerie and it did look very expensive and high-end. There were lots of lace, frills, and sheer materials, but there were also lots of leather, latex, and chains. In short, it was a fetish underwear store.
“This is perfect!” said Commander Sariel as he held aloft a shiny black crotchless thong. “Do you have this in an extra small size?”
“Put that down!” said Commander Uriel. “Seraph will murder you if you try to give her that.”
“Only because Seraph wants to be the only one to give her sexy underwear!” said Commander Sariel. “I bet he’d love to see her in this.”
Commander Seraph? Was he to be the unlucky person that Commander Sariel was going to prank? Commander Sariel put the thong down, but he kept looking at even more outlandish things. Commander Uriel sighed and turned to me, saying, “Gitte, can you find some normal lingerie?”
“Yes, sir,” I said. Surely Troublemaker had a few conventional pieces in stock. I managed to unearth a pretty blush pink lingerie set. Commander Sariel whistled when he saw what I was holding. The set included a cage bra, panties, fishnet stockings, garter belt, suspenders, and waist cincher. It was absurdly sexy, but it was fairly normal, at least for this store. It was the only set with no slits, cut-outs, zippers, or see-through fabric in embarrassing places.
“That will do,” said Commander Uriel.
“I can’t wait to see the look on his face!” said Commander Sariel, convulsing in laughter. “We need the bottom bits in extra small, but the bra should be…”
“Don’t look at me, how would I know?” said Commander Uriel when Commander Sariel looked at him as though asking for his opinion.
“Miss, the person in question has…” Commander Sariel turned to the store clerk and used both his hands to make a cupping gesture in front of his chest, wordlessly indicating generously-sized breasts. The clerk came back with bras in different sizes and both Commanders picked the size they thought was the right one.
With magnificent indifference, the Commanders ignored the other customers and clerks stealing glances at us as they whispered and giggled to each other. I prayed that the inevitable lurid tabloid stories tomorrow about the Commanders buying fetish underwear wouldn’t mention me.
“Is this really necessary?” asked Commander Uriel.
“The poor child needs clean clothing from the skin up!” said Commander Sariel. He added mischievously, “I’m just being thoughtful. I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.”
Will she really? I wondered who this mystery woman was and how she was connected to the three Commanders. I coughed discreetly. “Sirs, you do know that women don’t wear underwear straight off the rack, right? This needs to be washed first.”
“Good idea,” said Commander Uriel. “If you could please…”
“Certainly sir, I’ll get it done,” I said.
“Before the end of the workday,” said Commander Sariel. “And I’ll be shopping for dresses that will need to be washed, too.”
“Yes, sir,” I said.
“I can’t believe I went lingerie shopping for a girl I’m not even sleeping with,” said Commander Uriel.
“Why don’t you two finish up here while I go dress shopping for the little angel?” said Commander Sariel.
“Fine by me,” said Commander Uriel.
Commander Sariel left while we stayed to finish buying the lingerie. Commander Uriel wanted to buy multiple sets in all the available colors in case, I quote, “she doesn’t like pink.” Hmm, who could “she” be?
As we left the store, I realized that my worst fears had come true. Cameras flashed and the paparazzi were undoubtedly able to capture pictures of Commander Uriel and me exiting Troublemaker carrying several shopping bags. Back at the office, I made an offhand remark to Commander Sariel about warning me the next time he pranks Commander Uriel because I suspected I knew who tipped the paparazzi off.
I hope Commander Sariel’s prank was worth the trouble we went to since the tabloid stories the next day were as trashy as I feared. The staff and EL soldiers greatly enjoyed reading the front pages of the three major tabloids which were covered in pictures of Commander Uriel coming out of the lingerie store, as well photographs of models in underwear. The tabloid headlines were: “What’s Got Uriel’s Knickers in a Twist? EL Soldier’s Sexy Secret Past Revealed!” “Commander Comes Undie Fire for Alleged Ties to Lingerie Smuggling Ring” and “BUSTED! Which Double DD Porn Star is Uriel Dating Now?”
In other words, it was just another day in the office for Commander Sariel.
The tabloids are actually decent compared to irl stuff
Probably cuz the higher ups are making sure nothing too bad gets out of hand.
I don't actually read tabloids so I wasn't sure if this was okay.
@RumireGale Yes, I think so.
and turned to me, saying “Gitte -> saying,
It was absurdly sexy but it was fairly normal -> sexy,
bits in extra small but bra should be…” -> small, but the bra
Hah, Sariel instantly knew what store Gitte was talking about for the first one and knew it was the wrong kind. He must have been there before.
Poor, poor Gitte. Stuck with a name like that and working for someone like Sariel. I hope he’s well paid for the stuff he has to put up with
Thanks for the corrections! Just fixed those mistakes.
Oh dear, Gitte is a woman. Did I not say that? I have to make that clear somehow, lol.
@LinMeili As written, Gitte could be either male or female. I was trying to figure it out the entire chapter, and still wasn't sure at the end.
@Moxx I see!
Good job!
Thanx for the chapter!
You're very welcome!
Thank you for the chapter.<3
Thanks for reading my story!
Loool poor Uriel
Also Every time i read the name Uriel I can't help to think that it was a girlish name ?
Anyways thanks for the chapter!
Sariel likes to prank Uriel, lol! Thanks for reading!
Based on this excerpt
"You should have told me...When would that...I think you'll find that...bah... Angels are overrated...No...That's too… Earlier, of course…"
I have 2 guesses as to why Sariel and Uriel had to buy underwear:
1-Because Asteria while drowsy took a morning shower and washed her underwear in the bathroom as usual, but forgot to check first if she had a clean change of clothes and didn't want to wear the dirty ones. So, Ely decided to call Sariel and Uriel for help, since he didn't want to risk leaving Asteria alone and without underwear.
2-Asteria needs new underwear because she ended up getting her clothes dirty during sleep with her period and doesn't have a clean set to change. So, Ely called Sariel and Uriel for help, since it was risky to leave Asteria alone and still suffering from her first period in this life.
Which of my guesses was closest?
I have no idea if they are strangers or not, since I don't read tabloids.
Thanks for the chapter
Have you ever had a girl who was angry or scared because of the lingerie that Sariel chose?
If the store had sets like the ones below, which ones would Uriel have found normal enough to buy for Asteria?
https://chan.sankakucomplex.com/post/show/4122551
https://chan.sankakucomplex.com/post/show/24545222
https://chan.sankakucomplex.com/post/show/4642557
https://chan.sankakucomplex.com/post/show/23274234
https://chan.sankakucomplex.com/post/show/19664040
https://chan.sankakucomplex.com/post/show/24650510
https://chan.sankakucomplex.com/post/show/20724371
https://chan.sankakucomplex.com/post/show/10845884
https://chan.sankakucomplex.com/post/show/7005724
https://chan.sankakucomplex.com/post/show/24660437
https://chan.sankakucomplex.com/post/show/20849353
https://chan.sankakucomplex.com/post/show/18712166
@Gin0001 Probably this one https://chan.sankakucomplex.com/post/show/20849353
@Gin0001 Uriel's not one to worry too much.
@meili ...Uriel? But whoever tried to choose the crotchless thong had been Sariel, right?
What would be the reaction of Asteria and Ely to the set with the hooded capelet?
If it was Ely choosing the lingerie for Asteria, which ones would he choose among the images I mentioned?
Were you asking "Why were Sariel and Uriel buying underwear?" because you weren't sure which justification would fit best or did you just want to hear our guesses?
@Gin0001 You said Uriel in your comment. *points to the comment above*
You'll see Asteria and Ely's reaction in a later chapter.
I've already written the chapters.
I just made my Patreon and it has up to 18.
Ely would just ask the saleslady which one is the most popular. Then he'd end up buying the most expensive set because its: higher sales = more commission.
But he would prefer no undies.
@meili Sorry, but I thought you were answering this "Have you ever had a girl who was angry or scared because of the lingerie that Sariel chose?"
@Gin0001 Oh, lol. Anyway, Sariel is a prankster but he's mostly harmless. A girl wouldn't be angry or scared at what Sariel bought.
You'll see in future chapters how people think of the ELs and Sariel in particular. One of the epigrams already mentioned that society thinks monster hunters are the most noble profession. And the ELs are monster hunters.
Did you forget that the dyr farm guy said that Sariel is gay?
@meili ...yes, I forgot.
This means that Ely has no fetish for any type of lingerie in particular and that he likes the so-called "commando" because he does not need to waste time getting lingerie out of the way or that he likes the little accidental glimpses that the lack of lingerie makes possible in the day-to-day?
@Gin0001 No fetish, I guess.
Ely thinks nude is better. It's just a personal preference.