NOVEL SIMPLE 94. Bonds with Friends
Bonny danced for the crowd, her robe cut out on the sides and worn loose. Flashing and teasing, exciting the crowds. She occasionally leapt onto a twelve foot high pole, the shaft of Courage's spear, driven into the cobblestone of the plaza. She swung around it, twirling with legs spread.
There were two lines of people waiting for her attention, the first were those injured during the One Day War with Wrath. Many of those were blistered and had problems breathing due to the poison Zeal and been forced to spray across the city.
The second line was for those willing to pay for a few moments with Bonny. Most gave a small silver square, one hundred curn, for a few precious moments of Bonny's attention and a short dance. A few paid more, a large silver square that was ten times the value of the small, worth two days pay for most laborers. Those received a little more attention and a kiss.
Bonny turned to the next person to enter the circle, a familiar, pretty, brown bunny girl.
Bonny smiled as they started dancing together, “I’m surprised to see you here, Hyzenth.”
“I need you, Bonny. My men aren’t enough anymore.”
Bonny shook her head. “You don’t like women. And you’re trouble. I have enough girlfriends that I don’t have to put up with more of that. Zeal is going to be a nightmare to train as it is.”
Hyzenth dropped her head to Bonny’s shoulder and held on to Bonny’s waist. They slowed their steps to a shuffling, almost romantic dance, bodies held close together. “Please?”
“I’m sorry, but no.”
They continued for a minute, until Bonny pushed away slightly. “I’m sorry again, but that’s all the time I have. I have to keep these short.” There line waiting for a personal, if not private, dance with her was long, snaking through the crowd.
“You owe me a kiss. I paid for a kiss.” Hyzenth suddenly sounded desperate.
As they leaned in, just before their lips touched, a figure appeared on Hyzenth’s shoulder. Bonny ignored the demoness, she was already dancing for her, feeding her.
The two bunnies met, lips and tongues touching, caressing. At least Hyzenth knew how to kiss. It was nice, romantic, sexy. Desire rose in both of them and the kiss grew frantic, needy.
Then Lust yanked at Bonny’s soul.
The pain was spiritual, not physical. There was a clenching and tearing that permeated Bonny's whole body, like each cell being pulled apart.
Her very being was being pulled toward Hyzenth. She tried to resist, but it felt like being dragged through sand, slow and gritty, with nothing to grip, nothing to offer resistance or support.
In desperation, Bonny reached out along the bonds to her friends.
The ties to Miu and Eloisss were strong, almost as sturdy as the steel that bound her to Lust. She had only been with them for a couple of months, but they had relied on each other to survive, had grown together. They had both confessed their love to her. She flooded their bonds with her essence, reaching out, giving herself to them.
The tie to Kanae wasn’t quite as solid. Kanae didn’t need her like Miu or Eloisss did. Bonny didn’t rescue the fox or save her life. Instead, Kanae joined them for what they could provide, then fell in love with the excitement, with the sex. She had also confessed her love. It was more than enough. Bonny touched her, giving back, transferring power.
Willowbelle and Adelina were there as well, but their bonds were weaker. They had joined the party for other reasons, not as personal, though both enjoyed Bonny’s company. Bonny wasn’t really sure if Willowbelle would stay, since she had joined at Oakleigh’s request and was worried about the Gods, Demons, and Fates that circled like sharks. Adelina was more complicated, especially since the night Bonny had spent as a tiny avatar. She connected to them as well.
Freja’s bond was surprisingly strong, considering the few days they had known each other. The night away from the city had solidified something between them, had built something that hadn’t existed before. Freja was dedicated and loyal, she had also confessed love to Bonny and her bond was almost as strong as the one Eloisss held. Bonny surrendered herself to the centaur.
Violet was part of Bonny. There was no need to act. There was no bond, no tie. They were already together, independent souls somehow merged. They were separate, but inviolable. In-violet-able? Bonny smiled to herself despite the situation.
Zeal’s bond was like Freja’s, surprisingly robust. Perhaps because of the vow, the resurrection? Bonny knew she could trust Zeal with her true self, despite knowing her for less than a day. She could trust the dragon with not just her life, but her whole soul. She grabbed on, filling the bond with her essence.
Bonny anchored herself to her friends, spending power to reinforce their links, their union. She then reached through them, tying them to each other, building a web between them. This all happened at the speed of thought, in times measured in moments, in fractions of a second.
She could feel them all, their desires, their fears. They could feel her as well, the anxiety, the attack. They gave support, each giving what they could, holding onto Bonny’s spirit, intermingling their essences.
Her soul found purchase, and resisted. It stretched, but didn’t tear.
Equilibrium.
Hyzenth and Bonny stood frozen, lips and tongues still intertwined.
The world faded, leaving the two of them alone in a white cloudy limbo. They separated and stepped back, watching each other. Lust materialized between them.
“Why?” Bonny asked.
“I need more. This should be your night to conquer. The whole city is excited and you’re giving me sips of watered wine.”
“No, I will not hurt them.”
“Don’t think you’re special just because I let you play dominatrix in front of the mortals. I own you. You will do as I want or I will reclaim your soul.”
“No, you got me killed and dragged me here. You don’t own shit.”
“You OWE me!”
“NO!”
Hyzenth stayed silent during the exchange, looking around at the strange scenery, then back at the two bickering in front of her. She shook her head and sat down.
Bonny reached out again, this time to all the goddesses she knew, as well as Wrath.
The tie to Courage was strong. Even with the newly instilled fear that Courage held, she remained devoted to Bonny.
Recovery was just as devoted and her bond showed that as well. Bonny brought healing to people and pain to her. She loved the bunny for both.
Justice was weaker, but she had given Bonny a quest and gifted Bonny her weapon. Bonny brought justice by fulfilling the quest.
Compassion was new, the bond just hours old, and it showed. She respected the gentleness and empathy Bonny had for other people, the care the bunny had shown to Lupa and to the prostitutes, when anyone else would have abandoned them. She gave what little assistance she could.
Wrath was complicated and in pain, but Bonny reached out anyway. There was history between them, going back beyond her arrival in this world. Wrath had been bound up with Matt, and a complex mix of emotions had carried through. The demoness was grateful for the recognition, the opportunity to help.
Each goddess materialized beside Bonny as they accepted her request for help. Courage and Recovery stood on either side of Bonny, arms linked with Bonny’s. Justice and Compassion bracketed them, hands around other goddess’ waists.
Wrath appeared by Compassion, still hobbled and tied, but holding hands with the goddess, her relationship entirely dependent on Bonny's empathy and forgiveness.
One other goddess stepped into existence. A bunny. “I will stand with you as well, Bonny.” Hope said, as she put her hand on Justice’s shoulder, adding to the chain.
The tie with Hope was was weak, but stronger than the one with Compassion. The antagonistic interaction days ago having formed the basis of a relationship. How it would turn out might be in question, but for now, Bonny was grateful for any help.
“‘No’ means ‘no’, Lust.”
Bonny pulled back on her soul, straining against Hyzenth and Lust, secured by her friends, both mortal and divine. She slowly reeled it back in, trying to reinforce it with power, hoping it wouldn’t rip. Could souls rip? Prior injuries suggested they could.
Hyzenth went white with strain and fear. She looked at the five goddesses and Wrath standing beside Bonny and gave in.
Bonny’s soul felt tender and sensitive as it snapped back into place, but she didn’t stop. She pulled against Hyzenth, pulling the other rabbit’s soul in turn.
Hyzenth yelped. “No. Why? She made me do it.”
Bonny didn’t respond. She pulled harder and tasted Hyzenth’s life, her dreams, her desires.
Bonny remembered feeding on Matt. Remembered how it felt, how she could feel the separate aspects of his essence. It was easier with him, since he gave himself to her willingly.
When Hyzenth resisted, as expected, Bonny let her. Bonny felt at the edges of Hyzenth’s lust and pulled on that one facet, the one piece of her soul, pushing back against the rest, separating, sifting, filtering it out. She pulled and twisted with the entirety of her being, using the leverage given to her by her friends and her goddesses.
Hyzenth screamed as her soul tore. Bonny consumed it, forever separating the bunny and demoness. When Bonny released her, she vanished, no longer tethered to the space and time between seconds.
Bonny turned on Lust, grabbing and pulling her in. She simultaneously bent her will to the bond between them, squeezing at the steel cable like a vice. Once in range, one hand slid down to grab Lust’s pussy. Bonny was surprised to find the demoness was wet. She slipped a finger inside and touched Lust’s core.
Lust was turned on by literally anything sexual, as well as many things not. She moaned as Bonny’s other hand grabbed her hair and turned her head to meet Bonny’s lips.
This wasn’t a show, Bonny used the borrowed power as leverage to take control and suppress the demoness’ influence. Lust responded to Bonny's dominance by submitting, giving herself over, any resistance falling away.
Bonny breathed in Lust’s essence, her very being. The demoness was made of individual spirits, bound together by an ideal, forming a shared consciousness.
Like Courage, Lust wasn’t quite omnipresent, but Bonny still felt the world open to her, she felt the people around them, their desire heightened by Bonny’s show, frozen in place, watching the two bunnies making out in public. There were people all over the world, some engaged in coitus, some preparing, some dreaming, some watching, some violating others. Bonny felt them all.
She felt the opposing ideal as well, Chastity. A few, here and there, isolated monks or priests who had sworn off carnal acts. A few lonely people who had given up on love or had some higher dream that called to them.
She expected to find Temperance around the chaste, but was surprised to find him missing. Maybe he didn’t care, maybe he left those to Lust’s opposing nature.
Bonny wondered again about the duality of the gods and demons.
As Bonny pulled the last of the demonic essence from Lust, the demoness whispered to her, "This doesn't matter, I win, anyway.”