At another senior cabin that evening, Cynthia is on the outskirts of her own party. The living room of the apartment before her is crammed full with a crowd of women, her own entourage, and their special guest Sean in the center of it all, while she hangs back by the kitchen, leaning by the counter and drinking from a small glass of vodka. Unlike her, the rest of the party’s inhabitants are in high spirits from drinking so much alcohol, and the high point of their unreserved celebration is Sean playing, and winning, strip poker against a few of the women.
“Ah hah!” exclaims Sean as the time to reveal had come to him last. “Now, do not mistake me for commenting on the amount of lovely ladies here, when I say full house!” He reveals the so-called combination of cards and completes his victory over the three women he is playing against. While only his chest is bare, one of the girls is already completely nude, and the other two join her when they slip off their underwear to the cheering of the others around them.
“Avast, me darlins!” Sean then shouts, springing up to his feet in drunk bravado. “The victory, and your clothes, are now mine!” He snatches up the pile of dresses and undergarments from the floor between him and their owners.
“Hey!” complains one of the girls as they stand and all the others laugh, her short brown hair a tangled mess. “The game’s over, you, you give us back our clothes, I’m freezing!” With her nude body streaked in sweat like the other two, the drunken statement doesn’t appear to be true.
“Nuh uh uh! To the victor goes the spoils, am I right?” He happens to take a sniff of some of the garments, blinking at the scent. “Ah, the smell of lavender. Such a lovely fragrance! And who’s the source of this sweet pollen?”
“That would be me,” replies another of the naked women, her blonde hair grown to her shoulders sticking to her sweaty skin. Grinning, she says, “It’s my perfume. Do you like it?”
“Oh yes, it is quite delightful! Most appropriate for a sweet flower as you.”
“I’m glad you think so, Seanie. So, how about we trade?”
“Trade? Trade what?”
“Oh, you know.” She steps closer to him, giving him a close and clear view of her features, her tone succulent. “If you give me back my clothes, you can have a taste of this sweet flower’s nectar.”
Silently observing from her spot by the kitchen, Cynthia hasn’t minded the drunken debauchery, but at the blonde’s direct suggestion to a considering Sean she steps up. “Alright, that’s enough. The party’s over, everyone out. Drop the clothes, Sean.” Most of her subordinates moan and complain, but do as they are commanded, thanking and congratulating her on their way out of the apartment.
After dropping the bundle of clothes, which the brunette pounces on and grabs up her portion from, Sean makes his way over to Cynthia, unsteady on his feet. “Aw, we’re calling it, so soon? I thought we was just getting warmed up, doll!” Despite himself, a hiccup jolts him, leaving him in a stunned posture for a moment.
Unable to not smirk at him, Cynthia reminds herself this could be one of the few times Sean’s ever truly been drunk, and so far he’s been more comical through it. “I’m afraid so, Sean. It’s all fun and games until someone tries to make a move on you when I’m right here watching.”
“Ah, yes, a very, hic, strong point you make there.” He glances back at the blonde, who has made no move to retrieve her clothes and instead stares at him hungrily, and reprimands her. “You, you silly girl, hitting on me in the presence of our hot hostess!” He looks back to Cynthia, at last noticing something that puzzles him. “Hey, are you, okay?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.”
“Okay, now, that I don’t believe.” Coming up beside her, Sean goes on, “You don’t look fine, you don’t sound fine…” He puts a hand on the bare portion of her shoulder, but then recoils at the touch. “You don’t even feel fine! What’s wrong, Cynthia?”
She sighs, turning away from him and trying to hide her distress. “Sean, I’m sorry, but it’s hard to explain. You wouldn’t understand.”
“Uh huh.” Sean looks away, musing. “Yeah, I suppose I wouldn’t. There are plenty of things I don’t understand, already. Like, biology. History. Politics. And women.” He looks back to Cynthia, putting on a grin. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t try to understand it! So, what is it?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing, Sean.” Cynthia takes the last sip of her vodka, a frown fixed on her expression.
Seeing her finish off the glass, an idea occurs to Sean. “Hey, that’s it! That’s what the problem is. You need more to drink!” He snatches a bottle off the counter and offers it to her. “Here, have some rum.”
Again unable to not smirk, Cynthia turns back to him, stating, “I’m pretty sure that’s the last thing I need, right now.”
“Aw, come on, doll. You know what they say. Feeling the blues, drink some booze!” After Cynthia hesitates, sighs, and takes a gulp from the rum, he says, “There, now isn’t that better? …So?”
“So, what?”
“Why you so sad?”
Cynthia snaps at him, “Sean, I’m sorry, but I just can’t talk about it, okay!? Just leave me alone!”
Startled, Sean steps back, his hazy mind confused by her attitude. As he stares at her when Cynthia turns away, the blonde, who has never left the apartment nor put her clothes on, slides up next to him, lays an arm over his shoulder, and says, “Yes, Sean, we should leave her alone. Why don’t we go back to the bedroom, where we can learn more about each other?” Unsure at first, he glances between the blonde, her features, and Cynthia, who seems oblivious to them, and shrugs before following her into the back of the apartment.
Not entirely oblivious, Cynthia chose not to intervene and let her subordinate take Sean away, further wracking herself with whatever troubles her. If she couldn’t enjoy herself that evening, at least Sean could in a drunken fling. She looks to the bottle of rum, takes another deep drink of it, and in turning realizes she’s not alone in the main apartment yet. The third woman Sean had beat in strip poker, her long blue hair draping past her shoulders and to her breasts, slightly stumbles about in a daze looking around the living room. “Oh, where is it? I, I got spun around, when everyone left, and now I can’t find it.” She turns around to the dress left on the floor. “Hey, there it is!” She fumbles over and picks it up. “No, wait, I think this is Ashley’s. It’s too small for me.” She tosses it aside, and then groans, “Where, where did my dress go?”
Not sure she is amused by, or pitying, her ally’s situation, Cynthia calls to her, “Amanda! Amanda, come here.”
Amanda turns to her, remembering she was still there, and crosses the room to her. “Yes, Cynthia?”
“Uh, Amanda…”
When she notices Cynthia cringing at her fully exposed body so close to her, Amanda gasps, “Oh, I’m sorry!” After covering her feminine features with her arms and hands, she asks again, “Yes, Cynthia?”
Cynthia pauses, not sure how to begin, and then looks her in the eye and says, “Amanda, have I been a good boss student?”
“Oh, sure! Of course you have, Cynthia! You are my boss, so naturally I would tell you that.”
“No, no, please be honest to me, Amanda. Have I been a good boss student?”
“Uh, well, I guess so. I’ve never had a problem serving you, I think, nor any of the others. Um, I mean, except for Ashley. I think she might be jealous of you. She was hoping that rumor about you and Sean before you two hooked up was true.”
“…I see.”
When Cynthia looks away, putting a palm to her forehead, Amanda at last notices her distress. “Cynthia, um, is something wrong?”
“Amanda, I, I’m not sure I’ve been a good boss student, here at school. On top of that, I don’t even know if I’ve been a good person, at all.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s just, I’ve been thinking lately, and I’ve done many things I’m actually not proud of it. I’ve put other people beneath me, just becaus
e I’m wealthier than them, more beautiful than them. I’ve made fools of friends and foes alike, I’ve done things to hurt others, and I’ve been a part of terrible plots to harm others. Most recently, with Cain. I had helped that mad man in trying to find anything to use against Matt, and in return I got sent to the infirmary with a fever and my reputation was nearly destroyed by gossip.”
Amanda looks puzzled at first, trying to make sense of what Cynthia said, before she replies, “Okay, I guess you may have done some of that stuff, but you’ve never done anything like Cain has. Everyone’s known he’s been a bad guy, but no one dared to challenge him on that until Matt came along. And now, we all know how he’s gone insane when he was trying to kill you, in the tournament.” When Cynthia shudders as she suppresses a whimper at her statement, Amanda quickly apologizes, “Oh, I’m sorry! Is that bothering you, too? I didn’t mean to bring it up, if it is.”
“No, no, you’re fine. But, yes, that’s been bothering me, too. I’ve known about him going mad before then, after what he had in mind for Matt, but I never went to the authorities with it until today after the fight. And I, I just feel guilty, you know? If I had done something about it sooner, if I had confronted him or reported him earlier, before today, I may have prevented him from becoming so bad. I may have avoided the risk of him trying to kill me, or, of trying to kill someone else. If I had acted sooner, this whole stupid conflict with him could have been done with, but I didn’t, I stayed back and let Matt and his friends deal with it.” She looks back to Amanda, tears dampening her eyes. “Does that make me as bad as Cain, Amanda?”
Aghast, Amanda forgets about covering herself and reaches to affectionately touch Cynthia, wiping away a tear before it drops. “Oh no, no, Cynthia! You’ve never been as bad as him.”
“But, how can be you sure, of that? What have I done around here, that’s not been bad?”
Amanda is at first lost for an answer, but after glancing around the room gets it from the sculptures set about it. “Well, you’ve made some great sculptures! See, like the ones in here, they’re masterpieces, your prized work! And, uh, you also make good music. You play the violin so well, it moves everyone around you. Right?”
Sniffling and wiping at the other tear, Cynthia gets out, “Yeah, I guess that’s true.”
“Yeah, so, that’s some good you’ve done! And, um, what else? Oh, you’re Sean’s girlfriend!”
“Hah, and how’s that a good thing?”
“Well, ever since you’ve been together, I think I’ve noticed you become much sweeter, and stuff. You laugh more kindly at things, instead of laughing because you’re being mean.”
“…Yeah, you may be right, about that.”
“Yeah, so, you see? You haven’t been so bad a boss student, or so bad a person. You’ve done some good things here, and ever since you hooked up with Sean, you’ve become better, and happier.”
Cynthia quivers a moment, taking a breath to calm herself, and looks back to Amanda. “Do you really mean that?”
“Yes, I do, Cynthia. I mean, you’re talented, smart, beautiful, passionate…”
Amanda is startled when Cynthia interrupts her by embracing her, holding her tightly without care of her being nude. “Thank you, Amanda. Thank you. I really needed that.”
Briefly feeling awkward, Amanda then hugs Cynthia back, soothing her further with her hands stroking her back. “I’m glad I could help, Cynthia.” After a moment of the two remaining embraced, she asks, “Do you feel better, now?”
“Yes, I do.” Cynthia steps back, smiling to Amanda. “Again, thank you.”
“No problem.” Returning the smile, Amanda looks around before remembering something. “Hey, speaking of Sean, where did he go?”
“Oh, uh, I think he’s in the back, with Ashley.”
“Huh? With Ashley? Shouldn’t you be with him, instead?”
“Well, I didn’t want to bother Sean with my problems, so I figured he should enjoy himself tonight and not worry about me.”
“Oh, okay. Knowing Ashley, he probably is.” An awkward moment passes with Cynthia taking another drink from the rum before Amanda asks, “What’s he like?”
“Huh?”
“You know, Sean. What’s he like in, um, you know…”
“Oh, yeah. He’s alright. In fact, he’s probably the best I’ve done it with.”
“Really? How so?”
Leaning back against the counter, Cynthia swirls the rum around in its bottle before explaining, “Well, I will admit, he was a bit rough, the first time. But by the third time, he had it down to a system. Imagine this. He addresses every spot on your body with affection, stimulating your senses and rousing your desire. Then, he goes in, and he starts out nice and slow. The longer it goes on, though, the faster and harder he goes, and before you know it, it’s done, and you’re breathless.”
Blinking as she imagined it, Amanda nods, leaning against the counter beside Cynthia. “Wow. That sounds nice. So, you like how he does that?”
“Yep, that I do.”
“Cool. I wonder how I would like that. Too bad I may never find out, though.”
Cynthia looks at her in confusion after another sip of rum, her face becoming flushed with heat. “What do you mean, by that?”
“Oh, you know, since he’s your boyfriend. You wouldn’t want any other girl sleeping with him. Well, except for Ashley, this one time.”
Cynthia’s gaze scans over Amanda a moment in consideration, and with eyes gleaming then says, “And who says I wouldn’t let you sleep with him?”
Her turn to be confused, Amanda turns to her. “Huh? You mean, you would…”
“Sure, why not? It’s the least I could do, after your kind words encouraged me.” Taking one last gulp from her drink, Cynthia sets the empty bottle aside, a swagger then in her expression and movement as she circles around Amanda. “And besides, we couldn’t let Ashley have him all to herself tonight, could we?”
Still not sure what was happening, Amanda maintains eye contact with Cynthia as her body instinctively braces itself. “We? You mean…”
“I do. We’re going to make sure we, and Sean, really enjoy tonight.” Her hands slip off straps to let her dress fall down, revealing herself as nude as Amanda, face-to-face, and then slide down Amanda’s chest, sides, and hips as she closes in. “But first, you and I should warm up for the occasion.”
Now understanding, almost not believing it, Amanda gets out, “Yes, that sounds…” before Cynthia cuts her off with her lips. The kiss deepens as they embrace again, their bodies pressing together, and they prepare themselves for a long and passionate night.
***
While across campus many are relaxing or partying, one student is not getting that pleasure. Shoved out of the doors leading into the college building, Cain, dressed only in a ward patient’s white sheet, has a funny look on his face despite the dark expressions of the four officers escorting him into the night. About a hundred yards away from the building, one of the officers turns to address him, the moonlight beaming over the scar upon her face revealing her to be Professor Serpanz. “Cain Incarein, do you know why we’ve brought you out here?”
“Heh, I’m afraid I do not. For what fathomable reason could you have so rudely roused me from my rest, hmm?”
“You’re acting awfully smug for someone who looked delighted to have killed his fellow student in the arena, earlier today. It’s no question you’re guilty of that charge, the intent to kill another, but there’s another matter we may have to charge you with, one that was recently brought up to us after the tournament.”
“Hah, is that it? I was wondering who would have the audacity to do that. Who was it, then? The block-headed Buster, who was whiny because we weren’t going to do it a brute’s way? The craven Cynthia, so needlessly upset that I just borrowed Irene’s services from her, and then goes and betrays us all by falling for the freshman freak? Or was it the rogue himself?”
“It doesn’t matter who brought it
up to us, Cain, but what it is. Did you arrange to have Rose and Matt…”
Cain shrieks in convulsion, stumbling back into one of the officers. “Don’t say his name! It gives him power, it does, it makes him stronger, it corrupts, it poisons the air. It angers them, it does, they do not like it!”
Serpanz continues, deliberately repeating the name to Cain’s misfortune, “And Matt fight each other, and have Irene watching from afar, ready to shoot Rose in her human form if she was defeated by him?”
Chuckling as quickly as he had been cringing, Cain replies, “Oh yes, I was behind all of that. And what of it? I meant no harm, I was just playing a game with them.”
“Oh, really? Then, tell me this, Cain. What do you think of this game?” She punches him in the gut, blowing the wind out of him, follows with an uppercut to his jaw to knock him off his feet, and kicks him in the ribs where he lies on the ground. The other officers, cold as stone, show no objection to her treatment of him.
Coughing in pain at first, his body yet bruised from the battle earlier reliving the trauma, Cain then laughs defiantly. “I’d say it’s a bit rough, professor, but nothing I couldn’t handle. Is that all you got? I think you’ve gone soft, having to teach sniveling freshmen how to…” Serpanz cuts him off with a few stomps to his chest, making him gasp and curl up.
Her dark eyes gleaming with fury, Serpanz kneels down beside Cain, who began chuckling again, and asks, “How would you feel, if it was you?”
“Huh? If I was what?”
“How would you feel, if it was someone else playing with your emotions, gambling with your life? What would you think of being manipulated like some dumb animal, blindly led to its slaughter?”
“…Well, I suppose I would be quite upset. But that would never happen to me.”
“You’re wrong, Cain. It’s happened to you, before. Don’t you remember?”
Turning to look at her, confusion in his expression, Cain asks, “What are you talking about?”
“Did you forget you were a freshman once, as well? I remember you back as a freshman. So sure of yourself, cocky and spoiled. I had hoped my instructions and training would break you of that, but it was Saul Morothin, the Black Dragon, who did, instead. He and his allies convinced you that they wanted you in their club, and you met them out at the rune pillars on the far side of campus. They then told you that if you wanted to join them, you had to prove yourself in combat, and you, eager to impress them, agreed. But you didn’t know that you would be fighting all of them at once, and before you knew it, you were trapped in the court, having to demorph when they obliterated you and remorph to be beaten again, and again, and again, and they laughed at you every time. Am I ringing any bells, Cain?”
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