Enlightenment Through BDSM

Three strangers, two girls and one guy, had just seen me with my chest out, my very new chest. I wasn’t sure what I had been thinking, why walking out there had seemed like a good idea at all. I would’ve been fine with just Kalia and Elash seeing, but with the other three?

I was surprising okay with that too, I realized, feeling a thrill fluttering through my chest even as I was backed up into the changing room. It was embarrassing, mortifying even, but I still felt the rush seeing their eyes on me, their shocked faces, the way they couldn’t look away, each us frozen in shock. I wanted to touch myself again, I realized, my body begging for more, to continue what I’d started earlier. I’d say finish what I started, but I wasn’t sure I would ever want to stop.

“You needed help?” Elash said as she rounded the corner, a flirtatious smirk on her face. I covered my chest again out of reflex, but she just laughed. “Too late for that on many accounts, I’m afraid. But turn around, and I’ll help you tie up.”

I nodded, head still light from everything that had happened, but I managed to turn myself around like she asked as she bent over to the pile of discarded accessories. “So how does this work?” I asked.

“This belt,” she said, wrapping a large white cloth I’d thought was a scarf around my waist over and over, grazing my exposed stomach with a pinky as she did and sending shivers through me once more. “Hold the shirt tight against your chest, unless you want to wear it this loose, of course.”

So loose I was hanging out of the top completely? There was no way I was going to admit how much that idea excited me, the idea of everyone I ever saw looking at me the way the people in the shop just did, so I pulled the the shirt against myself. Reluctantly.

“Bow in the back for presentation,” she said, tying the cloth tight against me. “You’ll want to do it in the front then spin it around if you do it yourself, or just have your friend out there help you. And then when that’s done, tie this cord for the final touch.”

She let me do that, handing me a piece of string that matched the green of the vest. With only a little more help I figured out the rest, getting the knee pads and wrist guards on and taking one final look in the mirror.

Before, I’d looked pretty. I guessed I still did in the new outfit, but maybe spunky was more the right word? I thought it looked kind of cool, honestly, the slim black pants with the open toes and heels, the similarly open fingered gloves that went almost to the top of my sleeveless  vest that left an honestly distracting amount of cleavage showing. 

The thing I didn’t think I looked like was dangerous, unless you meant a danger to myself. “I’m supposed to fight in this?” I asked. “Aren’t people going to have like, axes and swords? Will the wrist and shin  guards really do much for me?”

“Not really, but that’s what dodging is for,” Elash said, looking over my outfit with what seemed to be a very proud look. “And your HP.”

“Right,” I said, still looking myself over with a frown.

“You really do have bad amnesia, don’t you?”

“Apparently,” I said. 

“Well, I think you’re in good company. Monk type Jobs don’t usually have armor at all, but she was insistent, and I’ve made guards like this for brawler type monks and rogues before. Stick with her and the rest of your party, and you should be fine.”

“The rest…” I wasn’t sure before, but I had been wondering if two people was enough to go out. It certainly hadn’t seemed like it from the way Kalia and Dreck were talking. 

“You don’t have any other party members?” Elash asked, looking concerned.

“No. There was one, but he left, and another, but… They were gone before I got her.”

“I see,” she said, picking up my dress and folding it up before handing it to me and turning back into the store. “I’ll make sure she knows where the Guild is then.”

“Thanks?” I said as I followed her back out, not quite sure what that meant. I didn’t have much time to ponder it before my gaze was distracted by the trio of shoppers, all of whom started giggling as I walked out. 

“Won’t forget that anytime soon,” I heard one of the girls say as we passed by, my head and ears hanging low. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t ever forget the look on their faces either.

“Woah,” Kalia said, her face almost as surprised as the other three had been earlier. “You look so cool.”

Somehow I felt myself blush even more at that. “Thanks.”

“Maybe a little more kunoichi than monk, but it definitely fits you,” she added as she got closer and looked around. “Oh, and that bow is so cute!” There was a bit of childlike glee in her voice, an innocence to her I hadn’t really experienced up until that point. 

“Kaliasthar,” Elash said before continuing in their shared second language. At least I recognized the one word this time, even if it was just Kalia’s full name. They only exchanged a few sentences, but it seemed more tense this time, their tones slightly more harsh than before, though it also seemed to end on a more neutral note.

“I would like to see you again,” Elash said with a smile once they were done speaking amongst themselves. “Both of you, for business of pleasure.”

“Might have to take you up on one of those, or both if it’s okay with Mai,” Kalia said, directing to last part to me with a smirky side eye. 

“Totally!” I said, failing in my attempt not to seem to eager. The lingering remnants of my rush from earlier still hadn’t died down yet. 

“May your evenings be few and bright until then,” Elash said with a bow.

“And yours shorter and brighter,” Kalia responded, returning the bow and turning to leave with me lagging shortly behind in both regards, grabbing my yellow dress on the way out.

“She was nice,” I said as I rushed outside to catch up.

“Very nice,” Kalia said. 

“What’re we gonna do now?”

“Head to the local Adventurer’s Guild chapter. Oh, hey, you sure you want to go with ‘Mai?’ This’ll be your last chance to change it, really.”

“I’m sure, I’ve been thinking about it for a while” I said as I marveled at the buildings once more. It was different, now that I wasn’t worried about that damn cloak the whole time. I was able to take in the sights a little more, enjoy the strange triangular architecture a lot of the buildings had, look at hanging pots of assorted rainbow flowers I’d never seen. 

“Good, it suits you.” 

“What’s the Guild, by the way?”

“Oh, right. It’s like, uhm, Indeed for adventures, where we’ll get jobs and stuff.”

“I thought I had a Job, Servant?”

“No,” Kalia said with a slight chuckle. “I mean jobs like freelance work, bodyguard details, monster hunting, stuff like that.”

Neither of those sounded very safe, but I didn’t want to press on that. Still, there was one thing I was worried about. “Do we need more people to do that?”

Kalia walked on for a little while without answering. I wanted to see her face, but I was bringing up the rear, barely able to keep up behind her as the street was growing more crowded the further we walked. “Eventually,” she eventually said. “We need some work now though, soon. We’ll team up with some other people probably, or take a really easy job like rabbit hunting.”

“Oh, that sounds fine,” I said. I’d done that before with my dad. I didn’t really like it, but I knew how to do it at least. “How far until we get there?”

“We’re here,” Kalia answered, walking right up to perhaps the strangest building I’d ever seen in my life.