The soft cloth nearly chafes her nipples with how sensitive they have gotten under Ling’s continued ministrations. She can feel her mistress’s fingers slip into her lacy underwear, the fingers as slick with her saliva as her nethers are with her another liquid. Ling’s tongue runs over the contours of her ear before whispering softly into it.
“I’d like to try the tea, my dear. Take a sip and let me taste it.”
Qiu’s arm shakes as she brings the cup to her lips. Trying to focus on keeping it stable so she doesn’t spill a drop causes her to feel every sensation just a little more intensely than before and Ling makes full use of it. Channeling just a bit of ice qi into one finger she touches the cold digit to Qiu’s erect nipple making her squirm. She rolls the stiff bud between two fingers, both moving in circles to alternate between the cold of her qi and warmth of her skin increasing the blushing redhead’s sensitivity ever further. Her other hand does not simply sit idle either. One finger forces its way into her rear while another teases away at her other hole making Qiu feel every thrust as if it were inside both of them. Her thumb flicks back and forth over the girl’s clit making her legs tremble and threaten to collapse.
By the time she finally manages to sip the tea she has to bite her cheek before she does so that she doesn’t give their game away the moment her lips part. Even so she moans into the cup as Ling buries her finger up to the knuckle into her rear at the exact moment she does. The volume of her heart drumming in her ears almost overshadows the sound yet it seems to wrap around her to reverberate through her head as it echoes out of the cup. Tears form in the corners of her eyes at the embarrassment when she hears Shun speak louder to block out their noises. Turning her head to the side she meets Ling’s gaze and sees the unmistakable gleam within her ocean blue eyes, the wide sadistic grin below almost reflecting in them.
Yet still she nearly drowns in those eyes, the now puckered lips drawing closer and closer to her own like a siren’s call are irresistible. The gentleness with which the young mistress kisses Qiu stands in stark contrast to the harshness of her treatment. Her tongue slips between the redhead’s lips with almost reverent care letting the liquid run over it into her own mouth. With their mouths connected Qiu can feel Ling swallow the blend of fine herbs, hot water and the two lovers’ saliva. When the ice princess moans into her mouth after she does it takes every bit of self-control Qiu has to stop herself from tossing the cups away and wrapping her arms around the girl to trap her in her embrace for the rest of the night. All too soon Ling withdraws. She erotically licks her lips, her eyes roving up and down Qiu’s figure as she does.
“I do believe that was the wrong cup, dear heart. What a shame, we’ll have to do this all over again.” She adds with a knowing smile, secure in the knowledge that neither of them thinks of it as a shame at all. It feels even better the second time than the first although Qiu can’t help but think the second didn’t feel nearly as good as the third. The fourth kiss proves a pattern in that and makes Qiu let out a soft whine when Ling withdraws and doesn’t return for a fifth. “Aren’t you enjoying this a bit too much, my lovely Qiu? How shameful, you truly are getting off mere meters behind our guest’s back aren’t you? Degenerate.”
“Yh… yhour deghenerate, misthrehs.” Qiu pants with flushed cheeks and a lascivious gaze. Ling covers her mouth with her hands. Her shoulders shake in a silent laugh that threatens to spill out and make her succumb to her urges. She imagines pushing the redhead down and ramming her fingers home as the ceramic shatters on the ground. Images of the redhead screaming lustfully under the gazes of all three women in the room flash through her head, their inhibitions fully gone and their secrets out in the open. She takes a deep breath and channels ice qi through herself in an attempt to cool her head. Bao is one of them but it is too soon to trust her with everything they are. Even though they’ve only been truly acquainted for little more than a day Ling has grown fond of the lanky woman, she’d truly hate to have to kill her to protect Qiu and Shun. Especially given the hassle it would cause diplomatically, no, as much as it chafes at her nerves she has to control herself just a little longer.
Seeing steam waft out of Ling’s mouth Qiu catches herself and realizes just what she was trying to tempt the Li into doing. The realization she nearly dragged them down again stings and her hands tighten around the hot cups. She lets the heat soak into her skin letting the burning feeling serve as her chastisement. With a pleading look she begs to be punished for her transgression. A thicker cloud leaving the ice princess’s lips before they form into a sadistic smirk shows her exactly how Ling is about to reply. She realizes just a second too late she tempted her mistress once more.
A loud smack resounds when Ling slaps Qiu’s bottom, far too loud for Shun to obscure. Ling and Qiu stare at each other coming to the realization they messed up at the exact same time as they turn towards the alchemists and see Bao turn around to look at them.
“What are you doing?” Bao asks. Ling had expected disgust or anger but what she sees cuts far more. Disappointment. Hu Bao stands up and makes their way to the pair that still sits frozen in place by indecision. She crouches down in front of Ling and puts her hands on the ice princess’s cold cheeks. “Stop this, Ling. This isn’t you.”
“What the hells do you know, Bao?” Ling hisses through grit teeth, practically spitting the words out. The lanky woman rears back in shock at her fierce reply before leaning in once more as if nothing happened. “Don’t work your frustrations out on her. Please.”
“Oh ho, are you saying you’ll take her place then?”
“If it’ll make you feel better but please, leave Qiu alone.”
Ling’s long black hair billows behind her as she rises up and stares down at Bao with murder in her eyes. Her hands curl into claws, an uneven layer of frost manifesting atop the surface of her nails making them seem long and cracked.
“You will not get in between us, Hu.” She says in a voice that is almost wail, as furious as it seems pleading. Shun takes the two cups out of Qiu’s hands and puts them down. Without any hesitation she immediately wraps her arms around Ling in a comforting hug. “No one’s getting in between anyone, LiLi.”
Ling sags lifelessly into her lover’s embrace, all energy leaving her in an instant as she lets her head drop atop the brunette’s shoulder hiding her face from the world. Even the other pair of arms awkwardly hugging her from the back does not get her to straighten up. She almost sobs when the second pair pats her on the shoulder and leaves, having to stop herself from crying when she hears Qiu step towards Bao. Rationally she knows it is simply to explain what was going on, a fact that burns as that should be her duty and she is failing it once more. Yet even knowing that it makes her stomach turn all the same to feel Qiu vanish towards a Hu.
-----
“S- so this is a thing you all do often?” Bao says stiffly while looking anywhere other than at the two in front of her. Qiu nods and Ling follows shortly after albeit with a raised eyebrow. “Bao, why are you smiling?”
The tall woman looks guilty as she smiles awkwardly. “It kind of makes me happy, I’ve never been let in on a secret like this before. Don’t worry, I promise I won’t tell anyone.” Bao replies while twirling a dread between her fingers. Ling exchanges a worried look with Qiu. Even though they’ve convinced her not to tell anyone they now begin to realize there’s no guarantee she won’t slip up and accidentally spill the beans. Shun sighs at the scene and continues packing up their alchemical equipment. She has a strong hunch they won’t get to use it again before the night is out. Without turning around she raises her voice and dryly asks Bao a question.
“There was mention of you ‘falling at Ling’s feet’, Lady Hu?”
Bao lights up like a paper lantern. Choking on her tea she coughs and pounds her chest before turning around to look at Shun with wide eyes. Shun calmly turns away from her work and raises an eyebrow at her reaction. The lanky woman pushes her glasses back into place and scratches her cheek.
“Fair is fair.” She says, more to convince herself than to anyone else. “I… may have some interest in feet.”
“May?” Ling replies while hiding a smile behind her fan.
“Yours aren’t fair, they’re just too beautiful! Those pearlescent toes gleaming as if they were carved out of marble. Your sole that fits perfectly into the palm of my hand and is so soft it seems as if you never had to walk a step in your life. Your nails are shaped so perfectly I would believe you if you said it took an entire team an hour every single day to keep them that way. Your instep has just the right size to accommodate my thumb and the bridge of your foot curves just right. Ancestors, your heel may be even better. I could run my hands over your ankles for days.” Bao rattles out before freezing in place as if her soul left her body.
Ling stands up and takes a step back while covering her mouth with her hands as if shocked. She looks down on Bao with a look of feigned disgust on her face, one that would be given away the moment she’d remove her hands and reveal the mischievous smile beneath. She puts all her weight on one leg and slowly lifts the other, keeping it straight beneath the knee. With her toes pointed downwards she lets her shoe slip off and continues to raise her leg until her knee is at waist height. Slowly she begins to swing her foot side to side like a pendulum. Bao’s gaze follows it unabashed, all thoughts of modesty or subtlety gone at the display.
"How uncouth. If you're to stay with us we shall have to teach you some manners, Hu Bao." Ling exclaims with mirth clear in her voice. "Shun, do we still have the collar?"
"Yes, mistress."
"Could you get it for me, my dear?"
"No, mistress."
"Huh?"
Stepping over towards the drawer Dai Shun rummages through it until she pulls out a simple black leather collar, the inside inlaid with a soft fabric while the outside has a thin hoop on it to attach a chain. She promptly puts it around her own neck before turning back to face the others with a deadpan expression.
“It’s mine, mistress.”
“Oh ho?” Ling does not even pretend to hide her grin anymore, her eyes roving over all three of her partners with undisguised lust. “My, my, it would seem discipline is awfully lacking. Don’t worry, the night is yet young. I'll help you all correct that.”
