The dreary Seattle rainfall added an element of cold misery to the night, neon lights reflecting off of the puddles and water flow on the streets and pavement. Most honest folks had abandoned the downtown streets, the traffic near non-existent. Unsavory characters walked these streets, held in check only by the occasional passing Lone Star patrol. The stars were covered in a blanket of clouds and further obstructed by the high rise buildings. Many of these opulent and oppressive structures were home to Mega-Corporations, their own little personal fiefs in a city locked in a limbo between order and chaos.

It was on this night that Samuel found himself trudging along the midnight streets, yawning loudly and quite visibly to the amusement of the man who walked beside him. "If you are serious about this kind of life, Sam, you should spend more of the day asleep." The taller of the pair said, his thin lips quirked up in a lopsided grin.

"Bite me, Razor. I would've gotten more sleep if my bitch neighbor and her boyfriend could fuck more quietly." Sam shot back, glaring irritably up at the other man.

Razor rolled a single green eye as his left eye was noticeably absent and was instead replaced by a cyberware lens. The pair both wore long and rather concealing coats with heavy and thick shirts and pants beneath. Combat boots thudded along the moist concrete without subtlety and both wore a pair of leather gloves. Most similarities ended at the clothes though and that was clear to any who looked at the extremely odd pair.

Razor stood tall and rather broad shouldered which was rather unusual for an elf. One of his pointed ears was missing its very tip, as though it had been torn right off. His face might once have been the desire of most any woman but was now a map of scars and Cyberware implants. His silky black hair had a single white streak dyed in and was cut off just above the shoulders. On the rare occasion that his right sleeve moved in a way to reveal his wrist it would glint silver in the light, his flesh and blood arm entirely replaced long ago. That was a street samurai for you though, couldn't wait to just start changing their body.

The elf's slightly shorter companion was almost the complete opposite. His handsome face was chiseled and unscarred and by the shape of his ears he was very much human. There was no sign of a single piece of cyberware on his body; everything was as natural as could be. His blonde hair was cut short above the ears and his eyes were a dull grey color. The only thing similar physical thing about him was his lanky form though his fitness was a bit more pronounced on the account of his humanity.

"Once your first jobs done hopefully you'll have enough to move out. Maybe get a new arm." Razor supplied helpfully.

"About time, these milk runs you've kept me on lasted long enough. I'm ready for some real action!" Sam said, his tone tinged with excitement.

Razor's grin faded at that. "Careful, kid. You'll learn to treasure the milk runs after a while trust me. When things get real you'll be praying for them."

Further conversation was halted as the elf held his arm out towards a nearby alley, the pair stepping into the shadows that were their element. Razor stopped them at a rusty metal door which he tapped on twice before streaking his finger down in a diagonal motion. A gentle hum sounded out and Sam felt a pickle on his skin as gooseflesh rose up down his arms. He recognized the sensation, magic. A ward of some kind maybe? There was no way Razor had cast some spell, his essence was so low there was no possibility of him ever using magic.

The elf opened the door and motioned for Sam to follow him down a narrow flight of stairs. The door closed behind Sam of its own accord, which he chose to attribute to the wind. When they reached the bottom of the dim stairway they stepped into a well-lit room, chairs and a large table set up in the center. The figures here ranged from rough looking to those that looked like they hadn't seen action a day in their life. Razor's crew, the people he actually ran with in the shadows.

"This the new kid? Human eh? Thought he'd be another dandelion-eater." Said a rather rough looking dwarf, half his face dominated by a tattoo of a gnarled and twisted vine.

"Sorry to disappoint Gregor. I see everyone's already here, so I'll make introductions quick so we can jump right in on the job briefing." Razor replied, his lopsided grin back in full force.

Sam sat down next to his mentor, waiting for the elf to get started. "Right, so this is Samuel. Been feeding him a few milk runs on my off hours and he's pretty solid. Got a good head on his shoulders and is fair with a gun. He'll be joining us on our next run." The elf said.

The dwarf snorted and the human woman next to him looked more than a bit skeptical. "No offense, Razor, but you sure he can handle it? Milk runs are one thing but has he ever been on an actual run?"

"None at all, but I figure this next run will be easy enough. Best chance to add a new addition to the team." He answered, clasping his hands out on the table.

No further objections were forthcoming so Razor continued on. "Right Sam, the dwarf Gregor is our Shaman. Knows a bit of medicine as well so if you get shot he'll probably be able to patch you up. The woman is our Decker, Omega. The orc is Gash, used to run a couple of security gigs for the Mega-Corps, knows most of them inside out. He's also the second best shot here." Razor said.

The orc, who looked a tad too big for his chair rose a single brow at the introduction. "Second best?"

"What can I say, I'm optimistic."

Sam glanced from each of the other runners, taking in the group that his mentor ran with. The orc looked more like he'd fit in with Lone Star or some para-military organization than a group of runners, with his short cropped hair, measured stare and the somewhat expensive looking combat armor. The dwarf didn't look like any shaman he'd ever met, wearing a dark leather vest that displayed his thick arms for all to see. He possessed a good deal of body piercings from what Sam could see and the ink on his body was not exclusive to his face. The other human was, on the other hand, like any decker he's met. Her short blue hair was obviously dyed and her yellow pupils indicated either color contacts or implants. She was cute in a punk sort of way and probably the one closest to his age in the group. Her cyberdeck was sitting on the table at the ready.

"That out of the way I think we can now discuss the details of the job." Razor said.

"Our employer wants us to make a run at a Yamatetsu research lab operating out of a supposedly abandoned building in the Downtown district. It's a simple in and out job, get in, grab the target, get out." Razor stated.

"Yamatetsu... our employer after Cyberware?" Omega asked.

"Bioware actually. According to them the lab is working on some forms of biotechnology that enhance magical abilities. In this instance they are after a formula that is designed to interact with magic, Formula 27. The data vault the info is in is located on the seventh base floor with Security forces between it and us." Razor said, nodding to Omega for some reason.

Sam watched the woman work at her cyberdeck and pull up a holo of a moderately sized building. Razor pointed to what looked like the middle floor. "This here is the ground floor; there are thirteen floors beneath the ground. An old parking complex next door is the only other entrance aside from the main one; we'll have to use the maintenance elevator there to get entry."

"Hmm... I'm assuming we'll hit it at the night shift change. Any ideas about how we get around the little security that's left?" Gash inquired.

"Yeah, our employer will be supplying me with a device that should eliminate power to the complex." Razor replied.

Sam finally spoke up, clearing his throat loudly. "How much of a window will the outage give us before they manage to restore power?"

The young man was pleased by the look of approval his mentor granted him before replying. He had learned well his lessons. Sam knew he was ready for this next step and he'd prove it to Razor and the rest of the crew. The elf had his doubts no doubt but he'd trusted Sam this much and the human intended to continue to prove himself worthy of that trust. He was going to pay him back for everything.

"Twenty to twenty-five minutes. More than enough time to get in and get the data and make a clean getaway. Security will still be present but should be isolated and since the maintenance elevator runs on a separate circuit to the complex we won't get cut off from the escape route. The job will pay 50,000 and we'll split it five ways after necessary deductions are made. Any questions?" Razor finished, looking around the table.

The number was pretty damn good from where Sam was sitting, way better than anything he'd been making on the milk runs. He kept his silence and obviously everyone else was satisfied as they kept their silence as well. "Right. We'll meet up at the complex two days exactly from now. Live the days like they're your last ones and clear your heads for the job." The elf said, standing and dismissing everyone with his normal lopsided grin.

Sam raised a brow at the neon sign flickering at him above, looking back at the scrap of paper in his hand to make sure it was the right place. Even from out here the young man could hear the electronic rhythms pounding on the inside, no question it was a club but it was a question of it being THE club. With a name like The Scorched Earth, the man hadn't exactly known what he had been expecting. The place looked rundown even by the standards of this side of the city, half the sign was dark while the other half flickered and the brick and stone looked crumbled where it wasn't covered in faded graffiti.

The sign depicted a volcano next to the flickering letters, though there was no lava spewing out of that thing anytime soon. After the meeting last night Razor had given him the paper and recommended he go there to get his head cleared. At the time he had snorted and rolled his eyes but yet here he was standing outside of the club. Sam had been in and out of his share of clubs in his young life however this one certainly screamed, 'place to get mugged outside' more than most others he'd visited.

Sam pulled his coat up closer to him, the collar obscuring most of the lower half of his face from the sides. His concealed pistol was tucked neatly away within though he doubted this place was the type to stop him at the door for carrying. Sure enough, the rather intimidating looking troll on duty as bouncer was leaning against the wall next to the doors and not seeming to care over who went in. Perhaps that was why Razor had recommended the place, for that certain element of danger Sam craved so much.

The young man stepped inside and was assaulted by the loud electronic rhythms blasting throughout the club. Just glancing around he could see it was a popular stop for all types, gangers or wageslaves, poor or rich, hunters and hunted. Metahumans and humans alike convulsed to the beat of the music or sat at the bar or the booths at the sides. Sam himself settled for the bar, figuring it best to get a bit of drinking out of his system.

It was during his beeline to the bar that he noticed out of the corner of his eyes a couple of gangers beating the daylights out of some poor bastard for whatever reason. No one lifted a finger or turned an eye towards it. Sam felt his heart start pumping as his eyes glanced around in cautions. Everyone and anyone could be a threat in a place like this. Some drunk wageslaves looking to take their anger out, a couple of gangers feeling slighted, or some boyfriend who though he saw someone chatting up his girl. It was thrilling, providing just that extra bit of adrenaline to set his blood pumping.

Sam sat down on an open stool between a man practically sleeping in his drink and an elf woman. It took a moment to catch the bartender's attention, a mountain of meat that was human despite appearances. "What're ya drinking?"

"Whiskey, no ice." Sam said, forcing a calm exterior as Razor's lessons took over.

Keep calm, that was what everything the elf had told him boiled down to. Keep a level head and think before you act. It was never easy. Sam was not the type to remain calm, he liked action, he liked violence, he liked that rush that coursed through his veins like it was here. A tiny smile graced his lips as his drink was delivered to him. Razor knew all of that and that was why he was sent here. Sam had to give it to the elf once again; he knew how to manipulate people without most knowing they were being manipulated. He should have taken a corporate job rather than run around in the shadows.

Sam sat there and nursed his drink, turning around a bit and opted to people watch. He marked up the more dangerous elements and what areas to avoid, creating a mental map of the place. Curiously there was no one gang that ruled the place; rather it appeared to be a sort of mecca were a number of gangs met. It was an oddity. Sam imagined the place erupted into violence more often than not but right now it seemed as though there was some unspoken truce in the air. There were plenty of drunks of course. No end to addicts either, meeting dealers here to get their fix.

Sam licked his lips and took another drink, allowing the liquid fire to travel down his throat and warm his belly. It made him more alert, the burning, sharpening his senses nicely. He couldn't drink too much here tonight as having his senses dulled here might very well spell disaster. The man on his right clearly had opted on the side of not caring and would likely wake up a little lighter in his pockets. That wasn't the young man's problem of course.

"Nice place isn't it? Just that right bit of danger."

The voice was lyrical and smooth like honey, almost unnatural to Sam's ears. He turned to his left and noted the elf woman was also staring out away from the bar, viewing the sea of bodies beyond the island. She was, as most elves were, drop dead gorgeous. Her form was slim and filled out her blue dress nicely, smooth creamy skin utterly unblemished by scars or cyberware. Her nails were well manicured and painted blue, her blue heels looking rather cheap as did most of her clothing. Nothing a standard party girl couldn't afford. Her dark hair was as silky as Razor's if not more and was styled and cut just below the shoulder.

It was her blue eyes, however, that convinced Sam there was more to this woman than met the eye. They were cold, calculating, and dangerous. They sent his adrenaline flowing freely and his heart pumping loudly. He managed to keep his cool though he certainly did not drop his guard.

"Just found out about it tonight. Friend of mine knew I enjoyed a bit of danger." Sam said, turning his gaze back to the dance floor.

"Yet you are here rather than out on the dance floor. Isn't that where the real danger is?" The elf said, leaning back against the bar.

Sam smirked at that. "I like danger but seems to me I get plenty sitting on the fringes. Especially if more people like you are here."

The elf granted him a sideways glance, her lips turning upwards into a smirk of her own. "Dangerous? Me? What makes you think that?" She purred.

"My friend taught me a lot of things. One of which is that more often than not the more dangerous people often try to look non-threatening." Sam replied.

"Smart friend. Does he have a name?"

"Sure. I'd rather you ask me mine though." The shadowrunner said, enjoying this little exchange more than he had expected.

The elven woman chuckled, a beautiful sound that would send most men's hearts soaring with affection. Sam just felt a little bit more on edge, the amusement being most likely not the light hearted kind. Something about her sent his teeth on edge, a natural glamor about her that send shivers down his spine. It wasn't magic exactly though he would not have been surprised to find out she was a mage of some kind. It was a natural aura of presence that made one wonder why they had not noticed her sooner.

"Buy me a drink, then you can tell me your name." She said, the natural air of command around her almost oppressive.

"What are you drinking?"

"Whatever you are, human."

Sam considered terminating the conversation here and getting out of the club. The elf was giving off vibes that screamed danger to him, like a spider enticing its prey into a web. Every sense he'd honed on the streets was telling him to leave but his blood was pumping and his curiosity was piqued. At her behest he ordered her a whiskey and watched her carefully as she drank down the burning liquid. Not one grimace as the fire traveled down her slim throat, not one flinch.

"Samuel. Pleased to meet you, miss...?" The man said.

"Lyria. Whiskey... it has been a while since I last had it. It has a certain kick to it. I myself prefer wine." The elf stated.

"Tell me then, Lyria. What brings a woman like you here? Just the danger?" Sam asked.

Lyria stared at the brown liquid in her glass for a long moment, her smirk never leaving her lips. "Do you see all of junkies around this place? All of the alcoholics? What is one quality they seem to lack? Control. Power over their own destiny. They are subservient to the whims of their addiction, feeding it and feeding it until they are consumed by it. I look upon them, upon the gangers and scum, the wageslaves and the addicts and pick one. I talk, I interact, I get them to do things for me. Buy me a drink. Dance with me. Simple things. Then I get them to take me home and there I take over for the addiction or whatever controlled them once before. I show them how utterly weak they are, how powerless, I pick them apart and I make them beg for me to make them weaker still."

Sam swallowed hard before forcing his gaze from the elven woman. His heartbeat pounded like a wardrum and he could feel the rush deepen. A haze fell over his mind as he was drunk upon the adrenaline. The woman sitting next to him was a predator in the clothing of prey. Intelligent and a being that desired control. Domineering one might say. She gave others their rush and got a rush of her own in return. Sam understood what it was she wanted all too well, power and control just as he desired danger and excitement. He knew why she told him of course; the elf already had her hooks in him and was promising him exactly what he wanted.

"So. How would you pick me apart?" Sam inquired.

Lyria smiled at him. "Dance with me and find out."

_______________________________________________________________________

The events of the club were a whirl of events after that request and the next thing Sam was aware of was vaguely walking into his coffin apartment. The room was as tiny as they came, ten foot by ten foot with a locker shoved aside for his belongings and a bed stuffed into the corner. The space was dirty and in ill repair as was expected of a place like this. Sam hardly cared as it was a place to rest his head and that was all he needed. Now... it served a different purpose.

Lyria. Lyria was with him here, that was right. He had taken her back here upon her request. No. That wasn't right. It hadn't been a request but more of a command. Even now she looked around the apartment not in disgust but as a conqueror might their new domain. Sam felt his unease return though this time it was accompanied by arousal. This woman was certainly something else and somewhere in the back of his mind he made a note to thank Razor for the directions to the club.

"Take your things out of your locker then go sit on the bed." The elf commanded.

Another power play and one Sam entertained, removing the few items within and placing them on the floor next to it. Lyria then removed her coat and placed it inside, slowly removing her other clothes as well to join it. Sam watched her carefully, memorizing the dips and curves of the elf as he waited with baited breath. It was not simply the desire for sex that drove him to do as she said but more curiosity. What trick could she have up her sleeve that could push him further and further over the edge? He already felt a rush being near her but this... the suspense was killing him.

When she was finished putting away her clothes the naked elf approached the bed, her posture no less commanding or regal for her nudity. If anything it was increased. The woman placed her hands on his chest as she started to kneel down without a word, her expression neutral as her fingers snaked their way inside his coat. Sam closed his eyes briefly as he allowed himself to enjoy the sensation, before a new sensation replaced it.

Cool metal was placed under his chin and it took but a slight glimpse for Sam to realize it was his concealed pistol. The sound of a bullet being pushed into the chamber sent his heartrate thundering in his skull as fear spiked through his veins. Lyria smirked as she held the weapon to Sam, the ease in her posture almost frightening in itself. The shadowrunner swallowed hard as he realized intangible danger had left and real danger had taken its place.

"Mmm... here's the game tonight. Do everything I say, everything no matter how degrading or humiliating, and you live. Disobey and I'll kill you. Nod if you understand, Sammy." The elf purred.

Sam nodded, not daring to speak lest his voice betray his fear. A game such as this was certainly new to him, producing a rush unlike any other along with quite a bit of arousal. Even with all of this he held the thought in the back of his mind that he probably wouldn't be killed no matter what way the wind blew. However there was always a doubt and that doubt was where excitement was drawn from most.

"Get off the bed and kneel in front of me." Lyria commanded.

Sam did so with little hesitation as self-preservation instincts began to rear their head. His eyes trailed the elf's smooth and long legs, pausing slightly over the space between her legs and the little tuft of black hair there. From there he looked over her stomach and up at the swells of her breasts. The gun was held to his forehead now though he noted that her finger was on the outside of the trigger. Smart move to avoid a little accident.

"Bend down and kiss my toes. Don't stop until I say so." She instructed.

Sam swallowed slight, hesitating ever so before bending over towards her immaculate and slender feet. Her nails gleamed a sapphire blue when they caught the light and as he moved closer her could smell a fragrance of some scented shampoo. Fruity really though the exact kind escaped his definition. He had no doubt the gun was still trained upon him up above so without further hesitation he got to work.

His lips found the big toe of her right foot, peppering the digit with adoration and affection. Her toes wriggled slightly at the contact which caused him to smile ever so, even with all her control her body still betrayed itself in ways everyone felt. Sam showered her toes with kissed, almost swearing he could taste the fruity scent upon his lips. He felt his arousal straining against the fabric of his pants but he pushed it aside. He kissed and even briefly allowed his tongue to peak out from his mouth to lightly lap at her, his heart pounding as he worked.

"Enough. Sit up." The elf commanded, her tone not indicating pleasure or disapproval.

She suddenly slapped him with her free hand; the sting lingering long after her hand was gone. "Thank me." She said.

Sam looked up into those cold blue eyes and the gun poised over his forehead, the slap sharpening his senses with pain. "Thank you." He said, his own eyes betraying naked lust.

The elf held the gun in her hands up to Sam's lips, her own curling up into a smirk. "Kiss it."

The shadowrunner hesitated only a moment before pressing his lips to the cool metal of his gun, shivering slightly from the contact. He knew quite well that with but a movement of Lyria's fingers he could very easily be choking on his own blood, however that thought only pushed him on to kiss the weapon more passionately. Sam knew it was probably more than a bit fucked up but right now he was more aroused than he could ever recall being. His life rested in the hands on another, one wrong move and she might just snuff it out.

"Enough. Strip then lay out on the bed." Lyria commanded, standing and gesturing to the bed.

With but a quick glance Sam could see her drooling lower lips, her own arousal showing quite clearly. The young man quickly set about removing his clothes, resisting the urge to tear them off but only just. With that done he laid out upon the bed, staring at the elven goddess as she moved to mount him in a single graceful motion. His throbbing arousal pressed up against her own and he managed a slight groan when the pistol was placed under his chin once more, her cold eyes looming above him.

"You don't get release until I allow it. If you do I'll pull the trigger without a second thought." She promised and Sam knew without a doubt that would be the most difficult order to follow.

Lyria slowly lowered herself onto Sam, drawing a wave of warmth a pleasure that traveled up his nerves and set his senses on fire. The elf bit her lower lip as she accepted his girth, her face flushing red and her cold eyes fogging over slightly. The man growled as he was fully sheathed into her, twitching and writhing beneath this elf in ways he had never before. Certainly he had been with other women before but those had been quick and painless affairs, quick fuck and runs. This... it was something different. Never before had he felt so powerless in his life and aroused by it.

The elf started in a slow rhythm, her motions careful and measured even in the act of sex. Her breasts heaved above him, the swells of flesh bouncing ever so as she moved. His hands reached up and groped them, his fingers ghosting over her hardened nipples. Lyria did not protest even though it had not been ordered, indeed it seemed to spur her on. The more she worked the harder Sam had to fight against his own body, willing its reactions down. His body was soaring higher and higher upon this cloud of pleasure, one he had never felt before.

Lyria's moans filled the air of the apartment and intermixed were the quiet groans of Sam, the man attempting to hold in these sensations. The pressure continued to build more and more as the elf worked upon him, driving him closer to the brink of insanity as he held it in. His body was screaming for a release, crying out for a blissful climax but he knew well the rules of the game even now.

Finally Lyria spoke, her words breathless. "Now! Let go now!"

Sam's fingers sought the purchase of the mattress as Lyria's found the purchase of his chest, nails digging in painfully as he finally achieve his climax. Blinding white obliterated every coherent thought in his mind as his lips parted and his body was rocked by the powerful orgasm. No sound escaped his throat though he doubted any could properly communicate the pleasure he felt. Soon enough his body fell limp when he had spent himself and Lyria herself seemed to be rather drained for that exertion. The skin of his chest was sporting some nice gouges but that hardly mattered to him.

Lyria tossed the gun in her hand to the ground, moving to lie down beside Sam with a smirk upon her lips. "Well, I take it you got your dose of danger?"

The shadowrunner chuckled breathlessly as he stared up at the ceiling. "Probably for the next six lifetimes."

The night of the run. Amazingly Sam felt rather calm considering the circumstances, his mind completely focused on the run. Razor's familiar form stood beside him as the crew did a final check while Omega started working on eliminating power to the building. Sam unloaded the clip in his pistol, checking if it was full before pushing it back in and sliding a round into the chamber. Razor looked as ready as could be, flexing his cyber arm and causing a metal blade to reveal itself from the top of his wrist. His own gun seemed an afterthought compared to the multitude of blades upon his form, including the sword as his side.

Both Gash and Gregor were sporting cheap AK's, the dwarf muttering a few words under his breath. Prayers to his totem perhaps? Sam was not schooled in the arts of Shamanism so he couldn't say for certain. He only hoped whatever strange magic at his disposal would be of assistance in the run. The young street samurai felt an arm on his shoulder and noted Razor was regarding him with an odd glint to his elven eyes.

"How did Scorched Earth treat you? Your head here?" He asked.

Sam smirked. "One hundred percent."

"Good! Alight, Omega you ready yet?" Razor said, turning to the Decker sitting on the back bumper of the van.

The woman looked up from her deck and nodded wordlessly, holding up five fingers that slowly began subtracting. Once she reached one a swift motion activated the code their employer had supplied them with and supposedly would cut the power to the facility below. The device hooked up to her deck, a little yellow box, hummed loudly for a moment before going silent once more. With this done everyone bolted for the maintenance elevator.

Gash slammed the button that indicated the seventh base floor and the elevator hummed to life, the gate closing with a metallic clatter. Sam took a couple of deep breaths as the elevator travelled further and further beneath the earth. Security on the seventh floor would be isolated but that did not mean defenseless. The young street samurai held his weapon at the ready and noted his tension was shared by everyone but Razor. If anything the elf looked more relaxed as he rolled his shoulders.

"Omega, watch our asses. Sam, you've got the middle. Greg and Gash, you're on my left and right. Let's go get a pay day shall we?" The elf commanded, earning nods all around.

The doors opened and the runners spilled out, Razor drawing his sword and directing the group to the left. Sam expected he'd memorized the layout; he was the leader after all. From the maintenance room the group exited into hallways that screamed research lab. Sterile white walls were as clean as could be and the air smelled and tasted clean. There were no lights on and the two security cameras in the hall hung dull and lifeless, indicating that the employer had certainly held up their end of the bargain. No security had bounded across their path so everything was going smooth so far.

Sam's eyes wandered through certain glass windows into the actual labs, the rooms vacant given the late hours. Shift changes were typically the best time to hit places like this as there were few actual employees. Most runners were not overly fond of shooting civilians, it also tended to help in avoiding raised alarms. As such there was no resistance as the group of runners made their way through the research facility.

The group entered into a staff lounge area, as clean and sterile as the rest of the facility. Every plate was neatly stacked and every surface was completely spotless. It truly looked so artificial to Sam, an illusion no one could truly feel comfortable with. Well, at least he didn't feel comfortable with the cold artificial rooms in this place. It just screamed corporate controlled and that was something most runners were eager to avoid finding themselves under.

The group froze as footfalls sounded from up ahead, a pair of them in imperfect rhythm. Razor gestured for Gash to take the other side of the doorway they would enter the lounge from and for everyone else to get out of sight. Sam took cover behind one of the counters and waited, controlling his breathing. His heart was pounding and once more his adrenaline was flowing though this time it felt different. Still good but more in a manner that kept his senses sharp.

"...Another drill probably. I swear, fucking corporate likes to keep us on our toes." Came a voice from beyond the doorway.

"Eh, a pay check is a pay check. Stop whining. Let's just check the maintenance area and head back." Retorted another.

The door slid open and judging from the succession of loud thunking noises and grunts the guards had been knocked out. The following clatter on the ground confirmed this so Sam stood, noting two guards dressed in para-military armor. Not really surprising considering how wealthy Yamatetsu was. Razor and Gash were already securing their wrists with zip ties and fastening gags around their mouths. If a run could be finished without a shot being fired it was a damn good run.

After stuffing both behind a couch the group started moving down another hall, Razor glancing back to Omega briefly. "12 minutes left until lights on." She said.

The elf nodded and set off down the next corridor, the group arriving at a secured door. Omega moved to the security lock and hooked in her deck, vanishing into the Matrix. It appeared the outage did not include independent circuits. While she was in all everyone else could do was wait. Sam kept his gaze down the hall, training his weapon sight at the far wall. The operation was moving as well as had been expected so far and part of his mind was actually disappointed by the lack of action. Of course he knew he should just count his blessings but so far he wasn't seeing much of an upgrade from the milk runs.

That was until the door slid open and the lights flickered back on. Then he knew that something had gone wrong.

Omega returned from her journey into the Matrix and faced a very red in the face Razor, who gripped her arms and gestured to the ceiling lights. "I thought you said we had twelve minutes!" He yelled.

Her expression was one of naked alarm. "I-I, they must have fixed whatever issue the device caused faster than anticipated!"

"Fuck! Let's get the data and make a beeline out of here. Watch the halls and get behind some corners gentlemen, let's give her the time she needs!" Razor ordered.

The hallways were open and barren things which left very little cover to be found. However the corridor they just came from had a corner to use if anyone came down the far hall. Gash took position there and Sam covered his own angle in case the inevitable security teams came from the direction they just came from. Gregor started muttering under his breath while Razor stood just outside of the door to the data vault. Sam swallowed hard and tightened his grip around his pistol; looked like things were just getting exciting.

Sam suddenly felt a rush of vigor flow through his body, almost like he had been sleeping all this time and now his senses were sent into overdrive. Gregor grunted and took his position, apparently his magic being more effective than Sam ever gave it credit for. He could feel each and every groove in his gun's grip more clearly than ever before, he could hear Omega's heavy breathing as she worked, and he could see each individual bead of sweat perspiring on Gash's face. The world existed in perfect clarity and he assumed it was such for every member of the group.

Suddenly Razor took off into a full sprint down the hall, the younger man just managing to hear the sound of approaching footfalls. Apparently his senses were still not as in tune as the elf's. The security guards just managed to round to corner before being confronted with a cybernetically enhanced elf. In these next few moments Sam was reminded why the elf was someone he looked up to.

His body moved seemingly as if it possessed a mind of its own. With a twitch of his cyberarm his hidden blade presented itself and was thrust right into the gut of the first of the trio of guards. His sword was swung in a wide arc at his comrades, slicing clean through their weapons. His armblade was withdrawn from its fleshy sheath and with a long stride was thrust up into the skull of one of the guards. The other one drew his side arm and fired off a round at Razor's leg, the bullet meeting solid metal.

Razor ended his assault with a swipe of his sword, beheading the man cleanly. His movements were graceful and almost like those of a dancer, his cybernetics seeming to not even detract from his elven grace. In fact they added to it in a way. Lyria had amazed Sam in ways he'd never before seen but watching Razor at work was always breathtaking. The man was a macabre artist in the ways of combat.

Sam's admiration was cut short as guards started arriving from the way they had come, Gash switching positions to avoid getting shot. A fully automatic weapon was shot at the corner where Sam was positioned, the man jumping slightly at the sound. With a few deep breaths the man peeked out around the corner, firing off a few shots while the guards reloaded. There were no calls for surrender; shadowrunners tended to avoid surrender.

"I've got the data! Do we have a clear exit?" Omega said, coming to a halt against wall next to Sam.

Almost in response the clink of metal upon the ground sounded and Sam's eyes noted two canisters had just been tossed this way. As a low hiss came from both of them it did not take a genius to guess what was within them. "This way! We'll have to find a way to circle around to the elevator! Come on!" Razor called.

Gash and Gregor were the first to make it through the slowly growing cloud, followed by Omega and finally Sam. The tear gas stung at his eyes even more so with his temporarily enhanced senses, drawing a hiss as he rubbed his free arms over them. They burned at his lungs when he accidently inhaled them; however he did not stop moving forward lest he be shot. The young human squinted and followed the blurry shapes of his comrades through the hall, Razor shouting ahead about something.

More gunshots sounded up ahead and he heard a scream in the din. He managed to blink away the blurriness and noted that the forms of Gash and Gregor were upon the ground, bleeding from several bullet wounds. Sam quickly took cover at the corner next to Razor, who nursed a wounded shoulder. Omega seemed mostly fine, but was clearly shaken but the sudden deaths of her comrades. Sam himself stared at the bodies longer than necessary, his veins running extremely cold. They were dead. They were actually fucking dead. He'd seen death before and delivered it, but this was just... too sudden.

"Sam, Omega! Argh! Listen, past those guards is another hallway we can use to circle back to the lounge from earlier! I'm going to lob a grenade down there, the second it goes up you run as fast as you both can. Don't think, just run." He said, fumbling at his belt for a grenade.

"What about Gash and Greg?" Omega asked, her wide eyes flicking over their prone forms.

"They're dead. Nothing we can do about that." Razor said, his eyes hard.

Omega hesitated before her jaw set and she nodded to Razor. The elf turned his attention to Sam who gave a much less steady nod, his breathing heavy. With Gregor's death the power flowing through his body had evaporated, leaving him feeling hollower on the inside. He felt sick, his eyes unable to stop straying from their bodies. One moment they had been fine and now they were dead. He barely knew them and now he'd never get the chance to. His eyes returned to Razor, who had just pulled the pin from the grenade.

Without further preamble the elf toss the grenade down the corridor, resulting in a series of shouts. When the explosion occurred, Sam did not think before running and set of in a full sprint. Omega was not far behind and just behind her was Razor. He ran faster and harder than he had ever before, Razor still managing to overtake him. The human felt sheer animalistic fear. This was not the little game he had played with Lyria, this was real life or death.

His mentor led them down a sharp turn down the next hall, turning again down another before arriving at his destination. Sam had managed to catch up by this point, however when the door slid open he noted Razor jerked back slightly just as shot was fired from within. Another series of shots saw the elf jerk and spasm until he fell back right on top of Sam, riddled with led. Omega stepped over the fallen pair, only to find herself in the firing line. The young street samurai let out a cry as he heard a hail of bullets before a thunk and then all went quiet.

He strained against the weight of Razor; desperate to escape until he found himself staring down the barrel of a guard's rife. Sam froze, stuck beneath the weight of his now dead mentor and with a gun pointed at his head. He swallowed thickly, the fear inside of him as real as it could possibly be. He felt light headed and like he might vomit but all he managed was to remain frozen as he stared at the weapon, a deer in the headlights.

"Captain, we got a survivor here. Should we take him to interrogation?" The man holding the gun asked.

Hesitation, a few distant words exchanged with one here and the other over a radio. "Nah, whoever hired em' will deny responsibility even if he knows. The doc says she could use some fresh subjects down at the lab though." Came the response.

Sam didn't have a moment to ponder what that meant before the man above him switched his grip on his weapon and slammed it down against his head, the world slipping through his fingers as he fell into darkness.

Pain. That was the first thing Sam was aware of. His head felt like a car had rolled over it a couple of times and his entire body ached. His nerves were on fire and he groaned as he returned to consciousness. His head lolled this way and that as his eyes fluttered open, the light above blurry and undefined. He couldn't remember what had happened at the moment or how he had ended up this way. There had been the run...

"Razor!" Sam exclaimed, sitting up immediately as it all came rushing back and regretted it just as quickly.

The run, Razor and Omega and Greg and Gash they...

The human felt sick and promptly vomited on the space beside him, his body no longer managing to accept the sights he'd witnessed. His mentor was dead. The entire group had been killed because the power had managed to be switched on a few moments ahead of schedule. Sam was breathing heavily, his heart racing and anger burning through his mind. They had all died and meanwhile he had just let it happen. He retched as he remembered how Razor had jerked and spasmed while being shot and the blood chilling scream Omega had let out.

Already feeling a bit woozy the young street samurai took a look at his surroundings. He was behind a reinforced glass door in a cell by the looks of it. He had been stripped of all clothing and noticed that his hands were zip tied behind his back. The light of the room was giving him a headache and he felt even more awful than when he had first awoken. The world outside the glass cell door was more glass cell doors, a room full of cells that were a mix of empty and filled. All manner of people could be found there from humans to meta-humans and even a few that looked like ghouls.

Sam managed to sit up proper and pondered over the situation, trying to calm himself down. His comrades were dead and he was imprisoned in who knew where. No one knew where he was and he already knew the employer had no interest in going to get him. Shadowrunners were disposable assets. He locked his jaw as he realized that in his current position there was no real easy way out of this. All he could do was wait and see.

Hours seemingly passed as Sam waited in his cell, whiling away the time by looking at the others in the cells. When the doors to the outside finally opened it revealed a pair of armored guards wearing full helms, though from their girth he assumed they were either trolls or orcs. The approached the cell of a dwarven man, who fought and struggled against them. Only muffled noises could be heard from Sam's side of the glass but he didn't need to hear a thing to see this scene play out.

One of the guards zapped him with a shock maul and then they carried the stunned meta away, the doors sliding shut once more. It was a good hour before the guards returned again, taking an orc this time in a similar way. One thing Sam knew for certain though, whoever left with those guards did not come back to their cell. His imagination ran wild with what could possibly happen to them, all sorts of extremely gruesome scenarios playing out in his mind as he waited for the guards to return once more.

When they did it was his cell they came to, resulting in his heart pounding louder and louder as one punched in the code to his cell. The human made a decision not to resist as he figured that might mean he could avoid getting shocked so as to possess a better chance at escape. It appeared luck was not on his side however as the first thing the guards did this time was to shock him. Electric pain shot through his body, causing him to cry out and his muscles to spasm and tense incredibly. His thoughts and plots were destroyed by the amount of pain pulsing through his body, ending when the maul was removed and his limp form was lifted between the two.

Sam tried to track where they were taking him, giving up eventually after the fourth turn down a corridor. The places all looked the same, all sterile passageways that were indistinguishable even in a clear state of mind. After a bit of walking they arrived at their destination, a large square room with a set of restraints for his arms and legs hooked up to some machine. On the far side of the room was a black viewing glass, whoever was behind it being hidden from his sight.

The guards clamped the restraints on him as they cut the zip tie on his wrists and set him down on the machine, Sam twisting and writhing as feeling returned to him. It was soon lost when another shock was administered, the man crying out once more at the pain. With this done the guard's left the chamber. The young human was breathing heavily at this point, his head locked in place by another restraint on his forehead. He couldn't move an inch.

The doors slid open once more and in walked a youthful looking human in a loose fitting lab coat. Headphones were shoved in her ears and she appeared to be chewing some form of bubblegum. Her clothes beneath the coat were a simple black dress and a pair of heels. Her hair was dyed white at the tips, her nails were painted pink and she looked distinctly Asian. Japanese if he had to be the judge of that. In another place he'd have found her rather attractive, but being in his current position he was more thinking of how to get out of here.

"Hey! You! Let me out of this thing!" He said.

The woman either didn't hear her through the music blasting in her ears or didn't really care. Regardless she produced a large syringe from her lab coat and pushed the needle in his right arm without hesitation. Sam hissed in discomfort, opening and closing his hand as the needle was pushed inside. However his hisses turned to cries of pain as the substance inside the needle felt like liquid fire. It spread through his veins and the whole of his body quickly, causing the pain to spread to ever single nerve.

With a quick check that the needle had been drained she turned and departed from the chamber. It felt like an eternity before something happened, the fire burning through his blood and made every single heartbeat torture. He strained against the restraints as he tried to escape his bindings, an exercise in futility if ever there was one. Eventually it felt like it was settling down, however that only heralded a feminine voice coming over some comm device.

"Formula 27 has been injected into Subject 37-E, initiating the introduction of magic into the system." The voice said, cool, clinical, and unfamiliar.

Formula 27... hadn't that been the name of the thing their employer had wanted? The irony of being a test subject for its use was not lost upon Sam. A low hum sounded out from the machine below him, his hairs starting to stand on their ends as some energy started to develop from within. Suddenly it felt as though he was being shocked again and his mouth opened wide as he let out a scream. Every single part of his body was in so much pain that he lacked words to properly describe it. It felt like his very bones were being eaten away at and his skin was about to split open. He didn't know how long he endured this mind numbing torment before the edges of his vision started to blacken and unconsciousness finally took him.

Once more Sam's first sensation upon awakening was pain. It was apparently beginning to be like old hat in this place. This time though he noted that his hands were unbound as he was able to raise them in order to squeeze his temples. The headache he had possessed had developed into a full blown migraine, to the point where he almost wished whatever that machine had done to him had killed him.

He sat up; finding this time doing so was just as bad as the last time. He also found that this time he was completely enshrouded in darkness. Sam had one of two answers for that, either he had gone blind which was frightening or the room was just so dark he couldn't see his own hand in front of his face. Until proven otherwise he opted to believe it was the latter. Sam slowly tried to stand but found his head meet the ceiling of whatever place he was being held in.

Alright, low ceiling, that was promising for the dark room theory and despite how having a really low ceiling was not exactly a good thing it at least gave him hope that he wasn't blind. Sam crawled about in the darkness, seeking out surfaces with his hands. Through his groping he was able to discern that he was indeed stuck in a closed off room, so in all likelihood he was not blind unless the place was actually lit. Being blind, captured, and a test subject would really take the situation to absurd levels of misfortune. Really anything would be better than that.

The darkened room suddenly jostled and shook which sent Sam tumbling back on his ass. The shift turned the room onto its side which has Sam grunt when he hit one of the walls. He groaned and shook his head, trying to hold his balance. As if he hadn't been nauseous enough this shifting was sending his stomach roiling. What the hell was going on?

Blinding light suddenly poured in as he heard something scratching against the walls outside. Once more gravity shifted and he was sent tumbling towards an opening where the light had poured in from. He yelled and was found himself landing face first on a soft plastic surface. He shook his head as his eyes adjusted, groaning as he felt himself being shifted again before feeling himself become pinned between two of the plastic surfaces.

His chest felt compressed painfully and when his sight finally adjusted and he saw what was holding him in place he thought he'd have a heart attack.

It was a pair of gloved fingers. His eyes found their owner, who was the same girl who had administered his shot. He pushed up against the massive digits, straining to just be able to breath normally. The young woman was wearing the same headphones in her ears as she worked, bobbing her head slightly as she looked him over. He estimated himself to be about two or three inches in height. What the hell had these people done to him?

He didn't have much more time to ponder the situation as the woman shifted her grip and moved him towards a magnifying glass. He struggled and strained in vain as she painfully gripped his limbs and pinned them beneath metal pieces deigned to hold a subject. She didn't seem overly bothered by his struggles, just adjusting her grip expert and handling him like any lab specimen. With his limbs pinned down he was spread eagle beneath the glass as the young woman took her time observing him.

She produced a metal prod and, despite his best efforts to avoid it, poked at his naked form without restraint. "What- ah, stop! Please stop!" Sam cried.

If she had heard him she didn't show it. Instead she continued her little examination despite his protests. He felt small and weak, angry and violated, but above all he was piss scared. Whatever these bastards had done to him had reduced him to the size of a thumb. He didn't even know why they did it or if it could be reversed. The prod seemed to finish though the young woman then flicked it over his member, smirking slightly. That most certainly was violating and he found himself shouting various choice words at her to get her attention. Nothing. No acknowledgement or reaction from her as she filled out some notes on a chart. She started humming a little to whatever music was blasting in her ears.

Sam was on the brink of hysteria when the woman finally removed him from the observation area. He struggled and writhed, pushing against her fingers in vain. He even tried biting and only got a mouthful of plastic for his efforts. The only response he got to these things was a slight tightening of her grip which ripped the air from his lungs. The woman then stood and Sam found his world become a blur of motion. His perception was terrible at this size so whatever lab they were in was obscured mostly as the woman moved wherever she was going.

If he had eaten anything for a long while Sam suspected he would have vomited. His misery was only compounded when he managed to twist his head around to see just what the giantess was moving towards. There was a set of glass tubes arrayed on a rack, five being corked and the last one being open. Sam yelled as he was casually deposited in the open tube by the gigantic woman. He managed to catch his hands on the lip of the tube and smirked as he attempted to pull himself up.

His captor was having none of that, the woman blowing air out her cheeks and rolling her eyes in slight annoyance as she picked up the tube and shook it slight. Sam tried to keep his grip on the lip of glass but it was no use. He ended up sliding down the wall of the tube and hitting the bottom in a heap. The young woman set the tube back in place and corked it and started humming to herself once more as she got back to whatever work she was doing here. Sam grunted as he sat up at the bottom, shaking his head as he tried to reorient himself.

Well... he wasn't blind at least. At this point however the man figured being blind was not actually the worst thing in the world. His team was dead; he had been turned into some test subject, and reduced in size. The man wasn't sure how much worse things could possibly get. Then again he didn't know what was going to happen to him. He could end up dissected or some other horrific fate. The tried to calm himself down; weird shit happened to runners every day. The difference was that this weird shit was happening to him.

The man looked through the glass but found his view outside distorted a bit. He could see that the subjects of other tubes were men and women like him, human or meta. That explained why no one had come back from that room a while back. This was not how he had been hoping his curiosity would be sated. Sam growled a punched at the glass. Of course he did not damage the thing. He'd have better luck breaking the glass by spitting at it than smashing it with his fists. Razor probably would have been out of here by now.

Sam wasn't sure how long it was before the woman came back. When she did she removed the rack of tubes and placed them on a cart. He was jostled naturally but tried to hold his balance as best that he could. He didn't know where he was headed but he remembered his lessons in this moment. He refused to break down and start sobbing or start screaming his head off. In a situation like this the power was out of his hands. All he could do was watch and wait for a way out of this to present itself.

The cart rolled along and the street samurai tried once more to get a good look around. He guessed they got on an elevator at some point. He could hear muffled snippets of conversation from the massive figures they passed but little else. He supposed they were still in the same building which helped in planning his escape. Though that brought up the question of what the fuck he could do once escaped. Three inches was not exactly a safe height. He knew a mage or two but whether they could reverse this... not exactly a sure thing.

The cart finally lurched to a halt and the exchange here was easier to hear. First came what he assumed was the voice of the woman who had been pushing the cart. "Subjects for your approval Miss Lysender."

"Set them up on my desk."

That particular voice sounded familiar but in his current state of mind he found himself searching his memories for corporate folks he knew. It was a rather slim list. The rack was moved from the cart to a desk and the tubes were selected one by one by this figure sitting at it. Sam found himself slammed against one of the walls painfully when his tube was taken last. He grunted as he stared up at this Miss Lysender and found himself staring into the very recent past which both rose his spirits and froze his heart.

He was staring into a very familiar pair of blue eyes and at the face of Lyria Lysender.

Sam was frozen as he looked at Lyria and he could see recognition in her own slightly widened eyes. He most certainly had not expected to meet with her again, let alone here during the worst day of his life. He wasn't sure if her presence here was a good thing or a bad thing. The elf was unpredictable at best. The two stared at each other for a long moment before the elven woman glanced at the woman who had brought him in.

"How did we acquire this one?" Lyria asked.

"I heard he broke in with that group of shadowrunners two days ago. He survived so they tossed him in the test room."

Two days. He had been going through all of that shit in two days? He had only expected a day though that certainly explained his hunger and the dryness of his tongue. He'd never told Lyria what he did for a living and hadn't asked her what she did. That night had more been about mutual satisfaction than learning about each other. Her clothes from what he could see now were those of a high ranking corporate official. Blue dress suit, glasses, likely heels under the desk. She had looked like just another party girl with her cheap clothing. He had guessed there had been more to her.

Her eyes gazed over his tiny nude form and her brow furrowed slightly. "Of course they did. Didn't even care if we had enough human subjects. I'll talk to Doctor Lawson about informing her people about the phasing out of human subjects from search criteria." Lyria said.

"You can take these ones to the lab for dissection. I'll dispose of this one." The elf said, waving a hand at the remaining tubes.

Sam felt his heart sink at that little declaration and was about to try and shout something when Lyria rather carelessly put the test tube down on her desk. For the millionth time the young man was slammed against the glass. He suspected his entire body was going to become one big bruise by the time all was said and done. His mind was awhirl with what might be meant by 'dispose'. Dissolved in acid? Tossed in an incinerator? He did hope that she was joking or using that as a cover but he was currently not that lucky.

Minutes passed and seemed to bleed into hours. Lyria left her desk a couple of times only to return and start clacking away at her computer. He was forced to just watch her work having given up shouting for her attention a few minutes ago. Her slender fingers moved with seemingly a mind of their own, the glint of her blue nail polish occasionally catching the light. All the while he was left to wait in hunger and anticipation, each minute becoming torture as he was reminded of every ache or thirst or hunger. Those might very well not be problems anymore by the time Lyria was finished with him. Shadowrunners were not exactly treated with mercy.

Finally Lyria's fingers wrapped around the tube and deposited it in her purse, jostling Sam around once more. Here he was surrounded by various items, a bottle of blue nail polish, a tube of lipstick and a brush being the ones immediately pressing up against his prison. When Lyria finally started moving the jostling only got much worse as Sam found his balance next to impossible to find. He tried to brace himself with his feet against one wall and his hands flat against the opposite. The fact it was glass made his grip tenuous at best.

He caught occasional glimpses upwards outside of this dark canyon of Lyria's personal affects, gazing upon the elven fingers curled around the purse's handle. He had no idea where he was going or what his fate in those hands was but he figured it was probably better than dissection. The man remembered those same dainty fingers as they had clawed into his chest. Now they could probably annihilate him with a simple squeeze. Sam swallowed and hoped to whatever God might be listening that she was not going to kill him.

They travelled like this for what seemed like hours until they reached what he assumed was her car. The purse was tossed into what was likely the passenger seat, tossing Sam about in his glass prison. One of her smooth creamy hands reached into the purse, causing the tiny man to press back away from it involuntarily. The hand claimed a simple compact mirror and removed it from the dark, wave patterned purse. Just moving that thing would require effort on his part when Lyria could just pick it up like it was nothing. It wasn't until now that it truly sunk in how vulnerable he was in this state.

After a few moments the elf tossed the mirror back into her purse and started up the engine. The vehicle lurched as once more they were moving. This time there was only the ceiling of the car above him. As such Sam took the opportunity with the tube being on its side to crawl on his hands and knees towards the cork. He kicked at the tightly stoppered piece, pushing at the cork with all his might. He wasn't going to just wait here to die. Lyria was a familiar face perhaps but she was still a wild card.

For once, luck was apparently on his side, the cork actually started to budge. It must have been loosely applied and Lyria's careless handling must have loosened it even more. Sam pushed at the cork more and more, straining his muscles and locking his jaw. His face turned red as he strained more and more. He just needed to push the thing enough for him to be able to get out of the damn tube. This was his chance to do something besides wait for something absolutely horrible to happen to him. Maybe his last chance.

Finally his luck seemed to have turned up as the cork budged loose enough for him to push it out fully. With that done he climbed out of the stifling glass tube and into the jungle of Lyria's purse. He stumbled as he stood, trying to find his footing on the fabric of the bottom of the purse. His entire body was one big aching bruise but he seemed to have full range of motion more or less. The hunger stabbing at his stomach was a constant but he saw nothing to alleviate that at the moment, nor for his thirst.

He gazed around at the purse and tried to get a feel for the terrain. Nothing too surprising for a woman's purse was here. A commercial credstick for purchases, her cosmetics, a few scraps of paper here or there. He noted a few sticks of gum lying about in places and a few disposable wipes. Her corporate ID was propped against the far side, recently renewed from the dates. She had some high clearance so she was obviously pretty high up on the ladder. Maybe she was even in charge of this whole operation.

He looked around for a good route out of the purse and saw that her brush was now propped up enough that he could likely climb up it a little before having to climb the fabric. It wasn't too far away either. Once out of the purse... well he'd cross that bridge when it came. He was banking on her taking a while to drive wherever they were going and while the road was smooth it seemed best to make his move. With this plan in mind Sam opted to get moving now before the situation changed.

He stepped onto the surface of the compact mirror and started moving across it, a tiny bump in the road almost throwing him off his balance. It was blue outside though that was no real surprise. Lyria seemed to have a fetish for the damn color. It did look good on her, he had to admit. A bit of blue hair dye would really make her look a bit cuter in his opinion. He could bet she'd do it as well if not for her corporate position. Bastards liked everyone neat and clean and just so.

The trek took him over from the mirror to the credstick. Here he felt the vehicle slow to a halt and felt his blood freeze. The brush was still propped up thanks to the car seat being what it was leaning up against however if she was getting out... that was not good. Curiously the car started moving again then stopped. Was she in traffic? He didn't know what time it was but it looked like it was day time judging from the light filling the vehicle. Was it rush hour maybe? That might very well be good as it gave him more time.

A final start and stop. He heard the window roll down and a muffled voice say something. Then Lyria's clear voice. "Yes, I'd like a Number 3 with no pickles. Iced tea with a lemon for the drink."

Another muffled response. The Lyria again. "Thank you."

She was... going through a drive-in? She was probably making money out the ass, weren't those folks supposed to go to fancy restaurants and shit? Then again... he had met her at some seedy club in Downtown Seattle and they had fucked in his coffin apartment. She was hardly a conventional corporate elf as far as he was concerned. Regardless as he processed the situation he realized a problem here; he was standing on her credstick. By the time he made this realization he could see the shadow of her hand lowering into the purse.

Sam didn't think before he moved, running and then leaping from the credstick as fast as he possibly could. He hit the floor of the purse with a grunt and turned just in time to see Lyria's fingers frighteningly close as they felt around for the item he had just been upon. She removed the credstick from her purse and it had thankfully been without looking. The young man swallowed hard. That had been way too close for his comfort. One second hesitation and he'd have been discovered.

The car started and stopped a couple of times before his captor made her exchange at the window, tossing the credstick back in her purse carelessly. It landed further away from him so breathed a sigh of relief. He could smell whatever it was she had ordered. If he were to be the judge of things it was a taco of some kind. His hunger reasserted itself, pushed down harshly as he finally reached his goal when the car came to a stop. Likely she was eating in the parking lot, more time for him.

The crunch of her distant teeth on her meal provided an irritating backdrop as he grabbed fistfuls of bristles and climbed up the brush. Dark strands of Lyria's silky hair were still attached to the brush, his fingers occasionally losing their grip because he gripped them and not the bristles. The wooden handle was going to be the hardest bit and then it was nothing but fabric. Occasionally the crunch vanished as she likely paused for a drink. Sam hated his own body at the moment as just the thought of water was making him feel weaker. He needed something soon or he'd drive himself mad. So to push himself he imagined some warm food awaited him outside of this canyon.

With a surge of energy he climbed the bristles and reached the wooden handle, breathing heavily from today's stresses. He allowed himself a minute or rest before wrapping his arms around the handle and trying to shimmy his way up the wooden bit. He felt the car start after Lyria finished her meal, pulling out of the fast-food joint and back onto the road. Sam was breathing heavily by now, getting halfway up the handle when his arms started burning in protest. He inched along the brush as best he could, seeming to take hours before he neared the end. Sweat perspired over his body which made keeping a grip rather difficult.

The car slowed down and Sam was nearly to the fabric, it was so close he could taste it. The car stopped. He reached out...

Suddenly gravity shifted.

The purse jerked as Lyria no doubt picked it up and that sent the brush tumbling back. Sam tried to grasp at the fabric but it slipped through his fingers and he ended up thrown to the purses bottom. The force had flung him a bit but thankfully the brush had not landed on him. That probably would have caused some serious damage. He didn't have time to rest on this small mercy as the tube of lipstick rolled towards him. Sam yelped as it caught him off guard, pressing him between it and the credstick.

It hurt. The weight squeezed him and the constant movement of Lyria made it much worse. The air was crushed from his lungs and it became a struggle just to break. This was ridiculous! He was being crushed by a tube of lipstick for crying out loud! How pathetic would that death be? Nothing badass or cool like giving time for the team to get away, crushed by lipstick. Black started to encroach on his vision and his lung felt like they were on fire. This was so stupid... so damn stupid.

Suddenly the pressure left him as the purse was sat down at the lipstick rolled away. Sam breathed heavily, taking in long and greedy gulps of air. He collapsed onto his ass. So much for his daring escape attempt. He vaguely noted the tube he'd been held in being removed, hearing a slight curse from above as a dark shadow filled his vision above. Long strands of dark hair reached into the purse as a pair of blue eyes searched about for a moment before zeroing in on him. A pair of light blue tinted lips curled up at the sight of him.

"Well, you look like shit, Sammy." Lyria's lyrical voice came down.

Far past caring about anything at that point the young man managed to lift his arm and present her his middle finger.

"Oh, I believe we already did that. I do hope your memory wasn't addled in the procedure, its happened before I hear." The elf said with a chuckle.

He didn't try to resist as her hand reached down into the purse and those soft and delicate fingers of hers pulled him from the darkness. She opened her hand and allowed him to lie down on her palm. Sam felt his pain start to melt away when he met the surface, wanting nothing more than to drift off to sleep but forced himself awake as he stared up at Lyria in anticipation. She stared back at him though amusement was more prominent in her blue orbs. He swallowed hard, reminding himself just how dry his throat was.

"W-water." He rasped, choking slightly on his words.

"Hmm? You need to speak up."

"Water!" Sam cried out, coughing slightly.

Her eyes seemed to light up at that. "Ah, yes, I imagine you are probably thirsty. We don't typically bother to feed or water the test subjects since they are dissected anyway." Lyria stated, carefully setting him down on what looked and felt like a counter. Marble if he had to guess.

The elf departed for a moment, returning a moment later with some bottled water. She uncapped it and poured a small amount into the cap, placing it down near Sam. The street samurai didn't feel shame as he crawled over to it and started cupping handfuls out and guzzling it down greedily. He'd done what he had needed to do on the streets to survive before, this was nothing different. The water ran down his cheeks in tiny streams but he didn't stop. When he finally did stop his throat felt much clearer and his body felt tolerably more human. Still tiny but it was a hell of a start.

Lyria was leaning against the counter, her hand pressing up against one of her cheeks and the elbow supporting it all. She was watching the whole thing with less amusement and more curiosity. When he looked done she poured a little more out anyway before offering up a bit of bread. Sam eyed it warily though his body screamed at him to savage the wheat product like it was his first meal.

"Is- is this a last meal?" He asked warily.

Lyria shrugged casually though her eyes flashed dangerously. "It can be if you'd rather die than live like that. Pretty simple job for me really, light squeeze, or stomp and you're gone." She said.

Sam swallowed visibly, nervous. "I like living. Death's so... finite, you know?" He said, chuckling a little nervously as he tried to be charming.

"I agree. So in that case, eat, drink, and we'll talk about that. I'm especially keen to hear about the whole shadowrunning bit. Depending on what I believe there I might just dispose of you anyway." The elf said, frowning at the end.

Sam knew what that likely meant. She thought he had sought her out and manipulated her to get in. That their little meeting hadn't been exactly random. He grabbed at the torn piece of bread and started chomping away. It was probably the best thing he had ever tasted considering the circumstances. He occasionally paused to take a long drink, well aware of the eyes upon him through the entire thing. All the while he was going through what he was going to say. His breaking out of his test tube, which had seemed a great idea at the time, now seemed much less so. Rather incriminating really.

Really though he doubted Lyria had much room to talk regarding manipulation. She spent spare nights trolling about lower clubs, looking for random schmucks to dominate. Sam had been one of those schmucks technically but really he doubted most could blame him. The gun to the head bit had certainly been a new one for his bedroom antics. There was also something else he had picked up in her words, regarding him living like this. Sam was serious about wanting to live but being tiny for the rest if his possibly short life was not exactly ideal. He supposed he was getting what he had wished for in a way, a life of danger.

Once Sam had eaten his fill and drank himself silly he found himself feeling tolerably more human. He still ached all over but at least he wasn't dying of thirst or starving any longer. His eyes turned back towards Lyria, who was looking at him expectantly. Obviously she wanted to hear about the whole shadowrunning thing. Sam took a deep breath, his lungs having recovered nicely from his suffocation before going into the whole story.

"Right. So I am- was part of a shadowrunning group. You probably heard about the break in on the facility so I'll spare you the numbers and stuff you probably don't care about. We were contracted to get data on Formula 27 and deliver it to our employer." He started.

"Who employed you?" Lyria cut in.

Sam gave her a frank look. "I don't fucking know. Your security forces knew that so they tossed me into that place rather than interrogate me. Razor, he might have known but your guys gunned him down so that info died with him. Can I continue?"

"Please."

"Right. So our employer gave us a little device to help us bypass the building security systems and cut the electricity. Unfortunately something went wrong and the power came back more rapidly than expected."

Lyria smirked. "We have several backup systems on those levels. They can run on independent power sources. Requires manual startup but it does the trick."

"I see. Well, whatever the case was my team ended up dead and I got thrown down into the test chambers. A lab assistant prodded at me and I almost got suffocated beneath a tube of your lipstick, pretty much sums up how it is being tiny. I didn't know who you were. Though I can tell you I was half expecting another gun in my face when we met up again." He said, nervously chuckling at the end.

Lyria said nothing and instead regarded him with a searching look. It was basically the truth for the most part. He'd omitted his freshness to the group and opted to forgo talking in detail about the death of his team. That sore was still a bit too raw to open up again. People died but those had been his people. The elf seemed to be weighing his honesty and Sam felt naked, well more naked, under that gaze.

"Alright. I believe you."

Sam felt a wave of relief wash over him. "Thanks, Lyria."

"I said I believe you. Doesn't mean I am willing to look past the fact you tried to steal from my employers. That could have ruined me." Lyria said, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"I didn't know-."

"No, I bet you didn't. You fucking runners are all the same. You don't give a shit about ruining people as long as you get paid." The elf said, her free hand clenching into a fist.

Sam felt anger rise in his own chest. "What the hell do you know about it!? You ever tried living on the streets? You've got a nice corporate job but the rest of us? We've got to survive. Yeah, people get hurt in the process but that's what has to happen sometimes. Don't play the upstanding citizen card, elf, not after what I saw in that lab."

The two glared at each other and Sam felt a thrill of fear cross his heart. He didn't back down even though he realized Lyria was the one with the real power here. She was no saint just like he wasn't. They had blood on their hands and the woman was not wiggling out of that. Not when he'd seen her send five metas to some sick area of her facility to be dissected without a quaver in her voice. He wasn't innocent here but neither was she.

After a long moment she let out a breath and a chuckle. "You look just like you did at that club. Your taste for danger will be your end one day, Sammy."

"Maybe. So what now?" The man asked, the fire dying down as he faced uncertainty.

The elven woman seemed to ponder this as she put the cap back on the water bottle and set it aside. In the end she shrugged slightly. Sam frowned at that and at the hand offered on the counter. Slowly he helped himself on and adopted a kneeling position as Lyria moved through her large home. Looked like a penthouse apartment from his limited view. The elf sat down and kicked off her heels, lounging back in a comfy looking chair and holding up her hand so they were eyelevel.

"Good question. Technically I've disposed of you. So as far as my employers are concerned you're dead. Strangely I don't want to kill you." Lyria said.

"So where does that leave us? I suppose my leaving is out of the question." Sam inquired.

"Sure, you could go. You'd get squished like a bug or eaten by an actual one probably but no skin of my back. Growing you back is out. Survival of the shrinking is low enough; we haven't even started working on the reversal." She informed with a chuckle.

"I'm thinking I could use a little pet. It does get so lonely up here. Besides... I know how you liked serving me that night." Lyria offered.

Sam blinked at that rather brazen offer. She had laid out why it was a stupid idea for him to strike out alone. Logically she was correct. He's probably last all of two seconds on his own. On the other hand being her... pet didn't sound particularly appealing either. He'd played along well enough that night out of curiosity, arousal, and the rush but being made servile seemed emasculating. Death was on one hand and on the other was a life of bondage to a woman as her little plaything. Hard to decide which was preferable when laid out like that.

"You mean slave." He said bluntly.

"If you prefer. You'd get food, water, comfort and in return you'd be mine. Worse fates out there." Lyria said, shrugging.

Sam frowned. The only other choice was pretty much certain death. He was one for danger and taking risks but risks were on either side. One had stupid risks and the other had risks he knew and could accept. Lyria clearly had a mean streak, she obviously loved power, he could bet a good amount that holding him like this got her juices flowing. Being her... pet was not exactly as safe as she made it sound he suspected. Sam didn't want to die. However he also didn't want to lose himself. That was just death of a different kind.

In the end though, staring at the exquisitely shaped face looming before him he felt that rush. That adrenaline started pumping through his veins and he remembered how very intense she had been that night ago. The rush was like a bad addition and Lyria was positively toxic, no two ways about it. The offer she made was simply become her toy or die. The latter was finite but the former held such... possibilities. The danger there was real. His odds were better. He also felt confident enough he could match her will. He wouldn't lose himself. Not to her, not to anyone.

"Fine. I'll do it. I'll live under your roof, Lyria. But I'm no one's pet or slave and I'll never be one." Sam said with all the fire in his gut.

The elf laughed at that, her eyes gleaming with mischief and with that dangerous light from that night when she'd held a gun to his head. "Please, don't insult me. By the time I'm done with you, Sammy, you'll be my own little domesticated human." The elf said.

"Regardless. Today must have been so rough on you, my little human. You need rest otherwise I won't be able to mold you." Lyria said, giggling as she reached down and lifted up one of her heels.

Sam couldn't react before he found himself dropped into the blue heel, rolling down the arch and towards the toe section. He could smell the mixture of her fruity scented shampoo and sweat, the cocktail overwhelming his nose. Lyria giggled as she put the heel back on the ground, bounding away out of his view. The human shook his head and sat up, staring up at the hill of the rest of the heel. The toe section was closed and snug enough where he could easily sleep in it. The arch would be a bit of a climb and the heel section was likely the best place to get a vantage point.

The smell of Lyria was heavy in this place though at the moment it was far more comfortable than the other places he'd been sleeping. Was this her way of rattling him then? Making him take residence in one of her heels, surrounded by her intoxicating scent? Sam smirked; it would take more than that to rattle his cage. The elf was not going to break him. He'd thrive in Lyria's shadow like he did in the other points in his life. He was no person's toy or pet or slave and he wasn't going to start being one.

Sam laid back in the shade of the toe of Lyria's heel, the plush material beneath him not as soft as the elf's skin but it felt divine. He crawled and tucked himself in the nook as deeply as possibly while still managing to be comfortable. The elf was right. He felt utterly terrible and like one big sore spot. The residual body heat Lyria's foot had left was incubated in the toe section though he did wish he had something to cover himself with. Not perfect but even in these imperfect conditions Sam found himself drifting off to sleep. Not unconsciousness but finally a real sleep.

Dreams were nothing Sam normally worried about. His slumber was generally a grey and formless thing but that was not so tonight. Gunshots roared in his ears as he watched his team fall again and again. From there he felt himself pricked with a thousand needles, tied to a table. Lyria was the one administering the shots, a sadistic grin on her face as she watched him writhe and scream. His veins were like liquid fire and his muscles twitched involuntarily. The world around him grew and Lyria reached down a massive hand, darkening his vision as a baleful shadow descended upon his form.

With a cry he sat up cold sweat a sheen across his form. He was breathing heavily, gathering his wits and trying to get his bearings. Right. He was in one of Lyria's heels. Somehow the strange reality of his situation was grounding enough to bring him down from the fear of the imaginary. It had been years since his last nightmare, though considering the events of the last few days it was not exactly surprising. Anyone would have some trauma after losing their team and then becoming an experiment by some shady corporate facility.

Once he came down from the fear Sam slowly crawled to the entrance of the toe section of the blue heel. The little fountains in Lyria's apartment filled his ears with the gentle babbling of water cycling. The light was dim where he was currently located, her living room if he had to be the judge of things. Likely he could get a better view from the elevated and open heel section. If he climbed the straps it would be a bit better as well though after yesterday's fiasco in Lyria's purse he figured climbing was something he could forgo.

He started up the arch of the footwear, crawling up the slanted platform slowly but surely. He couldn't hear the sound of anyone nearby so he figured that Lyria was still asleep. Sam glanced around as he climbed and noted some light shining dimly through the curtains. Early morning most likely so the dimness of the room was mostly the lack of artificial light. As he climbed the young man noted the other of her heels was right next to this one. He could probably jump the distance between the two if he was feeling adventurous.

Finally he reached the heel section and stood up straight, stretching his muscles and joints. The joints popped a bit and his muscles realigned themselves wonderfully. He still ached and could see a number of bruises on his form but at least he felt mostly functional today. He ran himself through a couple of basic stretches to try and clear up some of the aches. Sam winced through a couple of them but soldiered on through. The man then stood up again and moved to the right edge of the heel section, peering out at the room.

The living room possessed a nice looking black couch in the distance and two chairs, one being right above him. A glass table lay between them, clear of everything but a discarded credstick. The carpet was thick and white; most likely going through it would be like traversing a field of wheat. Curtains were behind the couch, the dim light of morning slightly brightening. Judging from the sound of it the fountain was also on this side. With those observations done he moved towards the left edge of the heel section.

A long hallway likely led from where he had come from in the kitchen if he remembered the trip correctly. Another hallway opened towards an unknown part of the house. There were two doors that were closed to him in the distance. Two short steps separated the living area from these places, apparently switching from carpet to tiled floor. He wondered if the same was true for the rest of the apartment. Climbing the steps was out of the question for him. So he was contained to this area whether he liked it or not, smart move from Lyria.

Sam sighed and sat himself down at the edge of the heel section. He supposed the situation was not so bad at the moment. He currently was not too concerned about dying as his new 'owner' seemed far less interested in killing him and more interested in domesticating him. He let out a sharp barking laugh, as if. He'd put up with the elf's games because they could certainly be interesting but if she expected to ever own him truly she'd be disappointed. He was no one's bitch.

He laid back and chuckled as he reached a hand up, the towering straps of the heel reaching far higher than he ever could. None of his lessons had ever prepared him for this. At this point he was playing things by ear in this little misadventure. There were no rules he needed to follow or procedures laid out for how to handle being shrunk and taken in by a domineering elf. He supposed that made him a bit of a pioneer. The young human wondered if Razor would get a kick out of that or how he's handle this. He liked to imagine he'd have done the same.

He felt a slight tremor in the ground and heard a particularly loud yawn that heralded the approach of Lyria. The elven woman stepped out from the unknown hallway wearing a blue bathrobe, her bare feet slapping against the tiled floor as she walked. Her hair was a bedraggled mess but she was no less beautiful for it. She yawned again, stretching up towards the ceiling slightly as she did. Her blue eyes lazily fell upon the discarded pair of heel and she smirked slightly when she noted him.

The colossal beauty stepped down to the living area and she slumped down into the chair. She then reached down and gripped Sam between her thumb and forefinger before allowing him to slip down into the palm of her hand. Her free hand wiped the sand from her eyes as she allowed herself to recline back a bit. Sam once more admired the softness of her flesh and stared at her expectantly. The first morning of his time here.

"Good morning, Sammy. You feel a bit clammy. Didn't you like your new bed?" She commented, yawning once again.

So close to her mouth he got a frightening full view of her pearly white teeth. Ropes of saliva stretched and broke and some flecks of spittle escaped the moist cavern. Her throat opened up with the powerful exhale of breath, a pit into the darkest depths. There was no trace of morning breath as she was not a mouth breather; in fact he detected the scent of mint upon the air. Of all the places he could end up he most certainly would prefer to avoid her mouth. The powerful series of muscles closed and her full lips replaced the frightening view. He cleared his throat and spoke up, wiping away a bit of spittle from his face.

"After the hospitality of your facility it was pretty nice. I'd rather a drawer or something but whatever." He said, avoiding talk of why he had been sweating.

"Oh? Maybe I'll take it under consideration. For now though I need a shower and you look like you could use a bath." Lyria said, standing slowly and moving off through one of the closed doors.

The lights in this new room were flicked on and a sterile white vista greeted Sam. It was a pretty damn nice bathroom considering what he was used to. Clean and spacious with facilities truly befitting one with cash to burn. Sam was set down on the sink and Lyria vanished from the bathroom form a moment only to return with a towel and a couple of washcloths. She set them down on top of the toilet and leaned down towards Sam, her fingers sending the faucet running and pugging the drain.

"Well, how about your kind and caring owner gives you a bath?" Lyria purred.

Sam narrowed his eyes slightly. "I can bathe myself." He replied, his tone clipped.

The elf frowned slightly. "I see. Suit yourself Sammy." She said, shrugging as she turned the faucet off when the water in the sink was high enough. She removed one of the washcloths from the pile and bounded off towards the shower.

Sam felt a bit skeptical with how easily she had given that up. If she had wanted she could have manhandled him quite easily. She could have forced her will upon him but instead she'd opted to let him do what he wanted. With a bit of wariness he looked down into the sink. It was about half full which meant the climb out was going to be a bit irritating most likely. She'd added a few drops of soap in, nothing too much but enough for him to clean himself off. Oddly accommodating for one who wanted to domesticate him.

He turned just in time to see her slip out of her robe, her creamy slim body just how he remembered from those nights ago. She opened the shower door without another word and stepped inside. Her form was obscured by wavy translucent wavy glass. She turned on the shower and a hiss of water roared to life, filling Sam's ears with the sound of the shower. With that he opted to handle himself and slipped down into the sink. The sides were as smooth as he had feared with very little purchase for him to find on his way out.

He hit the warm water and let out a small sigh of pleasure. The sleep had felt nice but actually being able to bathe made him feel actually alive for the first time in what seemed like a long while. He dunked his head under the surface and held himself under there for half a minute before rising up again. The young human ran his fingers through his short hair, which was rather oily after a few days without being washed. He'd gone longer periods without bathing naturally but he had always hated it.

He moved towards some of the suds and started scrubbing down his form, scouring his form as best her could. Sam kept towards the sides of the sink as he worked for now as the further in he got it would be less a bath and more a swim. Lyria's shower sent steam into the air and provided a backdrop for his own bath. She hummed as she showered, her lyrical voice managing to cut through the din like a siren's song. The human leaned back against the side of the rounded sink and allowed himself to drink in both her voice and the sound of the shower.

Soon enough the shower cut off and it sounded like Lyria stepped out of the shower. There was a pause before he could hear her start drying herself off. Sam himself tested the sides of the sink and tried to climb, only to slip back into the water. The elf finished up drying herself off and leaned over the sink, her naked breasts swaying above him as she wiped off the mirror and looked at herself. The towel was wrapped around her hair for the moment and with a sound of satisfaction she stepped away. A moment later he heard her walk out of the bathroom and flick off the lights.

Sam found himself left in darkness floating in the water, a bit irritated to say the least. He tried to climb up the side once again and then slipped back into the water. The young man growled as he struggled to get out of the sink, foiled each time by his own wetness and the smooth slanted surface he was working against. He smacked a fist into the water and tried climbing up a different spot with similar results. No matter how hard he tried or how careful he was in the climb Sam couldn't get out of the sink.

"Lyria!" He called, swallowing his pride for a moment.

Of course there was no answer. His voice didn't carry very far in this state and she was no longer in the bathroom. He slumped down against the side of the sink and figured that he would need to wait for her to finish whatever she was doing. Minutes passed and built upon themselves as the air and water cooled. The air conditioning was running, lowering the temperature a bit. At first it wasn't so bad however as time went on it became much more noticeable to Sam. The water wasn't going to stay warm forever.

It must have been a good half hour before the lights were flicked back on. By that point Sam felt cold in the water, shivering and his teeth chattering audibly. His eyes searched upwards and found Lyria returning to the mirror with her towel gone. She was plugging in a hair dryer and humming a little tune to herself. Her robe had been replaced with more casual clothing, a white t-shirt though what she was wearing below the waist was unknown. He swallowed his pride once more.

"L-Lyria!" He called, his voice stuttering.

A pair of blue eyes peered down at him, eyebrows raising. "Sammy? Well now, what are you still doing in there? You'll catch cold." She inquired with a tiny smirk.

"The sink is too smooth so I can't get a grip."

"Is that so? Well now that is unfortunate." Lyria said.

Sam sighed and lowered his head, cursing under his breath slightly. "Could you please help me out?" He asked.

Lyria beamed down at him. "All you needed to do was to ask, my pet." She said.

The elf reached down into the sink and plucked him from the water, depositing the tiny human out onto one of the washcloths. With that she flicked on her hairdryer and started running her fingers through her moist hair as the thing roared to life. Sam meanwhile set to work drying himself off, still shivering quite a bit. He caught a peek over the edge of the counter at the rest of the elf's attire. Sweat pants and socks.

When she flicked off the hairdryer Lyria then tied her black hair up and smiled at the mirror, checking her teeth. "A bit casual for a work day." Sam commented.

The elf favored him with a sideways glance. "Indeed. I do get weekends off. I'll be heading out for my Saturday morning run here soon." She responded, offering him a hand to step on.

Sam stepped up and allowed himself to process Lyria's little punishment. He doubted she was absent minded enough to forget him or to not know that he would not be able to get out of the sink. She had opted to send him a little message no doubt about it; consent or life will be very difficult. Sam frowned as they entered the kitchen. Would she do that every time he wanted to bathe alone then? Just leave him there for a while and let him shiver in the cold? He wouldn't put that past her.

The beauty offered him a sliver of ham and another cap of water, setting him on the table. She meanwhile set to work tying her running shoes up. Sam had been expecting bread again so it was refreshing that she had opted to vary his diet. Likely more selfish on her part than anything else but still he appreciated it. The tiny human finished up his meal and found the elf peering down at him.

"So, want to come on a run with me Sammy?" She inquired, offering a dazzling smile.

Sam gazed up warily. He couldn't see a pitfall at this point to refusing though she could still force him to come. He opted to go with what his body told him; he was still rather battered from the previous days. "No thanks, bit too bruised from the last few days."

Another tiny frown followed by a shrug. "Suit yourself." She said.

With that she snatched him up and walked back into the living room. The elf dropped him carelessly into the heel he'd slept in, sending him tumbling down towards the toe section with a cry. He groaned and heard Lyria walk out of the living room and later a door shutting to announce her departure. Well there were worse places she could put him considering. Once again she hadn't forced him to do anything. At the moment, aside from the rough drop Sam figured this was much better than the bath penalty. It was possible she agreed with his summation of his state.

Laying back the young man still felt a bit cold being where he was. There was nothing to cover himself with and his erstwhile owner seemed content to let him be naked. Then again, where did one find proper clothing for someone his size? He contemplated this and opted that of anything to ask Lyria about it would be clothing. He disdained having to ask her for help given how it stroked her ego but there was nothing else for it. With that decided he figured there was very little to do except wait.

The soreness was slowly leaving his body and he figured that hopefully by tomorrow he'd be much more able to move around without it hurting. The wait provided him enough time to realize that the AC was still on and even in the heel it was a bit chilly. Likely Lyria had been thinking ahead for when she got back from her run. A reasonable explanation, the other being that she delighted in tormenting him in little ways for denying her offers. Paranoid probably but considering the elf wanted to make him her pet it was not farfetched.

Minutes bled into each other as he rested and found a nice enough state where he moved in and out of a light sleep. About an hour later he heard the door open and a set of heavy footfalls start clomping through the apartment. They paused in the kitchen, before heading in his direction. In she waltzed, panting like a dog and with the scent of sweat heavy upon her form. She sat herself down on the couch, taking long greedy gulps from her bottle of water. Sam moved from the toe section and observed her.

The elf simply rested like that for a good bit, eventually pulling up a laptop as she peeled off her running shoes and tossed them near the heels. Even from this distance the smell of her sweat wafting from the shoes was heavy. The odor assaulted his nostrils and actually turned his stomach for a bit. There was no mixed in scent of her perfume there, just powerful sweat. He noted Lyria typing away at her device, blocking out everything around her. Her shirt was stained with sweat and he imagined clung to her body.

For a long while she simply worked at whatever was on the screen, propping her feet up on the table and occasionally shifting. Sam smirked at this familiar tactic. She wasn't going to shake him with another few minutes of pretending he didn't exist. There was no water to freeze him here and even though it was really cold she wasn't going to get him screaming for her attention. Sam simply crawled back into the toe section and lied back down, trying to ignore the powerful smell nearby.

He was right; a few minutes didn't shake him. A few hours on the other hand did. Lyria didn't sit there the whole time of course, she moved about her home doing this or that. Sam felt himself getting more and more irritated at the ignoring act she was putting up. She made herself lunch and even after that she kept right on going about her day like he wasn't even there. He was hungry, annoyed, and the smell of her shoes might have faded but was still there in the air. So it was when she finally sat down on the chair overlooking his little cave after dinner that he spoke up.

"Lyria! Lyria damn it, I know you can hear me!" He yelled.

No response at first, she simply reclined back in her chair.

"Lyria!" He all but screamed at the top of his voice.

That got a response as she shifted in the chair and peered down into her heel, quirking a single elegant brow. "Hmm? Oh, Sammy, how has your day been?" She said, her tone sickly sweet as she reached down and dumped him out onto her hand.

Sam growled slightly. "Why the hell are you ignoring me? All I said was that I wanted to recover from my injuries." He demanded.

"Exactly so I'm giving you that time." She answered simply.

"Bullshit. If that were true you'd have let me get a lunch and dinner. Instead you kept me down there for hours." He said.

Lyria frowned. "Nothing was keeping you from getting it yourself. The kitchen is right over there." She said with a shrug.

Sam lost his cool at that. "Of course there is! I can't climb those damn steps! I need your help to get around this place!" He said.

Lyria's face was blank for a moment before she allowed her lips to split into a grin. "I'm sorry, what was that? You said you needed what now?"

Sam paused for a moment before realizing what had just left his lips. It was completely true. If he wanted to survive day to day he needed Lyria's help just to get around and eat and bathe and sleep. The young man felt his shoulders slump slightly at that realization, locking his jaw in irritation. She had been giving him exactly what he wanted all day. It hadn't been punishment it was to show him how much he needed her. She hadn't forced him to do anything, hadn't lifted a finger to do anything unless he asked for it. That had been the whole point.

"I-I need your help." He said, his voice far to quite for her to possibly hear even with those keen triangular ears of hers.

"Say again? What do you need?" She said, turning her head to grant him her ear.

"I said I need your help, damn it!" He shouted bitterly, choking back the stab at his pride.

Lyria chuckled, leaning back in her seat and giving Sam a look that chilled him to the very core. Her free hand brought its pinky gently across his back, a rather humiliating gesture of affection. "Well now that is nice to hear. Acceptance is a lovely first step... my little pet."

The next week passed in much the same manner, with Sam bitterly resisting his owner's 'offers' and attempting some semblance of self-sufficiency. On those days when Lyria went out to work he would crawl from the heels he'd been granted and try to brave the steps. The journey across the plush white carpet of the living room was a trek but the true challenge lay with the steps. Not one of his attempts had been successful. The surface of the steps was far too smooth much like the sink and he couldn't find purchase. If there was something he could climb up it might be possible to conquer one of the steps, sadly he lacked anything that tall. Pushing Lyria's discarded footwear was laughable; it would be like pushing a house.

As his body recovered his resolve followed but over the days it was slowly but surely being picked away. Lyria only granted him a single meal each day, typically ham, bread, occasionally both with water. What she was doing to him was effortless for her, it didn't inconvenience her at all to leave him be and ignore him. For him it was a much different story. The contact between them was kept short and Sam could feel himself slowly living for just those tiny snippets of conversation. The combination of the partial starvation and isolation was wearing away at his desire to deny the elf.

Little insidious thoughts worked their way into his skull on those days when he found himself lying in the high heel with nothing to do. It wouldn't be so bad to just let Lyria bathe him or go with her on her morning runs, would it? Just a few little concessions for a better overall quality of living. She wouldn't be winning anything and he could escape the monotony of this dull and fruitless existence. It would make everything so much easier if he just gave into the elf on these seemingly tiny things.

Only she would be winning. Sam knew she was testing his resolve and trying to wear him down. It killed him to admit to himself that it was working. Just as it had killed him to admit to her that without her he couldn't do much of anything. How had it come to this, he wondered as he woke on the next Saturday morning. He had entered this contest of wills so confident he could weather anything Lyria could toss at him but now his surety was being rattled. Now he just was so tired and hungry and desperate for extended interaction that he was seriously considering giving into Lyria if only on these little things.

Her slapping footfalls on the tiled floor beyond the living room proper sent his heart racing, his eyes seeking out her distant form. She descended those two massive barriers that kept him in the room with two dainty little steps, waltzing over to him. Even recent from her slumber the elf was a goddess of flawless beauty, the half lidded eyes and bedraggled hair minor detractors at best. Most elves transcended human beauty which was often why they were so hated, ageless, graceful, and perfectly suited for high level corporate positions. Of course many would envy them, the most fortunate of the Metahumans.

Sam felt himself plucked from his place in the high heel and accompanied Lyria on the journey to the bathroom. The routine was the same as before, the same as it had been all week when she set him down on the edge of the sink and let the faucet start running. The elf then departed the bathroom for a moment only to return with her towel and washcloths, setting the down on the toilet with a slight sigh. Her blue eyes then settled on his form, a tiny smirk upon her lips as she spoke.

"Have you decided to finally let your owner bathe you, Sammy?" She inquired.

Sam paused for thought at that. His mind was torn between continued resistance and just giving her what she wanted. It was just a fucking bath after all and it was keeping him from lunch and dinner and giving him a freezing morning. On the one day he had opted to not even go into the bath Lyria's hand had 'accidently' sent him tumbling into the sink. She played it off as an honest mistake later of course but Sam got the message. Stuck between his two states of mind he glared up at the elf for a moment before hanging his head.

"Yes." He said, sure he would choke on the words.

Lyria's eyes lit up and she smiled victoriously. Somehow this was worse than her just losing her temper and forcing the indignity on him. At least with that he would have forced her hand. He would have won some petty victory in this game of power. Sam swallowed hard as he glared daggers at the elf for forcing this out of him. It was his only comfort that giving on these little things did not necessarily mean she'd broken him. He was still no pet and he wasn't going to start being one.

"I'm so glad you've finally let me take care of my cute little pet. My heart has simply been aching with regret at not being able to treat you properly." She said, her voice dripping with sickly false sweetness.

"Up yours, dandelion eater." Sam growled.

Lyria's eyes flashed at that and the icy look she gave him was enough to give Sam cause to take an involuntary step back. "Careful, pet. My patience is limitless but my goodwill is not. Keep up the lip and I might just have to actually punish you."

The edge to her voice was unmistakable as she turned the faucet off and mixed in some soap with the water. Sam had no idea what kind of 'punishment' she subscribed to but the fact that she didn't consider the isolation and starvation punishments was cause enough to give him pause. Then a tiny smirk adorned his face. He'd been looking for a good method for rebelling against the elf when the answer had been just under his nose. Fear had kept him from being too disrespectful but now he figured there was very little to fear when he had nothing to lose.

"I've tangled with street rats more scary than you, chummer. You're all talk, elf, and no action. You like to act dangerous when really you're a slave to the mega-corps with no real freedom." He said, mouthing away at the woman.

Her brow lowered more and more until she was giving him a look that could most certainly kill. Sam smirked and narrowed his eyes as he didn't blanch or flinch away from the staring contest. With blinding speed her hand slammed down next to him, her implacable and unshakeable outer shell starting to break at the disrespect lain at her feet. That was something Sam did flinch from; swallowing hard at how the close the blow had come to pasting him. Looking back up he found her expression change suddenly to a wintery smile.

"Ah, I see. You want me to punish you is that it? Taking back some measure of petty control for yourself? Well then I'll give you exactly what you want and we'll see at the end whether or not you think it's in your best interests to piss me off." Lyria said, snatching up Sam with blinding speed and closing her fist around him.

All at once Sam felt the air crushed from his lungs as the soft walls of flesh pressed up against him. He could feel that they were moving somewhere but at the moment all that really mattered was that he couldn't breathe. It was just like when he'd been nearly crushed by that tube of lipstick. The elf was pissed and he could feel deep in his gut that he'd made a rather big error in judgment trying to goad a reaction out of her like that. Finally the pressure let up as she shifted her grip so he was between her thumb and forefinger.

"Let's see how mouthy you are after this." Lyria said, releasing her hold suddenly.

Sam screamed as he felt himself falling, slipping between something and ending up splashing into water. He surfaced a moment later, looking around to get his bearings. A transparent prison of plastic was all around him and the water was rather deep and certainly cold. He looked up just in time to see Lyria fasten a cap onto the bottle of water before sauntering off back to her shower. Sam searched about frantically for a way out of the plastic prison, kicking and pounding against the walls. He stopped when it became clear that he was doing nothing more than making ripples in the water.

He was forced to wait in anticipation as the elf finished with her morning routine, staring out at her through the plastic. The cold was getting to him much faster, sending out little puffs of air with each of his breaths. It occurred to him that air was limited for him but he couldn't stop from breathing heavily and from chattering his teeth. Lyria ate her breakfast and switched into her usual running clothes before returning to him with a cruel smile on her lips. Sam swallowed as he waited for her to address him, fear lancing through his heart.

"Hope you are nice and cozy in there, pet, because we're going for a run." She said, snatching up the water bottle and promptly making her way out the door.

The movements of her hand as she walked sent the water shifting around the bottle and repositioned the air of the container. Sam held his breath and had to follow the air bubbles, rising up and taking long gulps of air. They weren't on Lyria's normal run and already he was feeling the punishment as he frantically swam about searching for the air bubbles. The elf didn't have a care in the world as she left her apartment building but her pet was struggling just to keep himself from drowning in a water bottle.

When Lyria actually started jogging things went from horrid to absolute torture. The water sloshed about with abandon and brought Sam along for the ride as she moved her arm in regular and long motions. He slammed into the sides more than once and was forced to grab mouthfuls of gasping air when he could. He tried to fight the current but it was no use as he ended up just getting taken along for the ride. The ride along run was probably already shaping up to be the worst experience he'd had since shrinking and they were just starting out on her route.

Eventually and mercifully Lyria stopped for a moment, allowing Sam to swim to a pocket of air at the top near the cap and gasp for air. His lungs were overjoyed at the temporary relief however a new problem, one much bigger and more frightening presented itself. Gravity in the bottle shifted once more, leaving Sam swimming in the water and trying to follow the air. It was only when he looked down that he was reminded of where exactly he was and why the elf had brought him along.

Lyria's plush lips met the opening of the water bottle, her throat opening to guzzle down the liquid in long greedy gulps. Sam stared for a moment down at the dark pit below, water starting to rush past him and vanishing forever past her agile tongue and into the gullet of the elf. His legs and arms moved with renewed purpose, frantically trying to escape the current being drawn into Lyria. Breathing was secondary at this point to being devoured by the vindictive elf. His heartbeat sounded in his skull like a wardrum as he was drawn closer and closer to Lyria's awaiting mouth. Her throat seemed to open even wider and Sam knew he was certainly small enough to slip past her lips and down her elegant, slender throat with a single gulp.

Suddenly it seemed as though Lyria had her fill of the drink and tore it away from her lips with a satisfied sigh. Sam was thrown back into a section with air as the cap was reapplied and gravity reoriented itself. He drank in the air that now half-filled the bottle of water, grateful for the momentary peace as Lyria stood in place. He had no idea where they were on this route of hers but he prayed to whatever God was up in the sky that it was near the end. He wasn't sure how much his burning arms and lungs could keep this up.

No such luck as the elf started on her route once more, sending the water frothing about inside the water bottle. This time was still awful but drowning was not too big of a concern as the water bottle was half empty at this point. He actually thought he was starting to get a feel for the movement of the water, gauging the motions it made to try and minimize being slammed into the walls of his prison. All the while he dreaded the return of those lips on the bottle's opening and the grizzly fate that awaited beyond them.

They stopped again and this time when the bottle straightened upright and the cap was slowly unscrewed Sam gathered his reserves of strength and swam to the bottom of the bottle. When the bottle tipped up and the water was drawn into Lyria's waiting mouth once more he was the furthest away from her lips. He swam as frantically as before as the elf drank more and more of the water, trying to avoiding being pulled down. The water level continued to lower until it was about a fourth full. Then she capped it once more and went on her merry way.

The rest of the route continued without another visit from the lips, simply a run back through what looked like familiar terrain. It was hard to judge but Sam thought the outside looked familiar. Perhaps he was simply getting delirious from the sheer exhaustion he was feeling right about now. He felt battered and bruised and his lungs were hurting each time he took a single breath. Finally Lyria's pace gained a more walking quality to it and he very much recognized the building where his owner made her home.

As she opened the door he figured he was in the clear, only for Lyria to prove him very wrong. The bottle was uncapped and tipped over her lips once more, drawing in more water. Sam swam as best he could, clawing at the sides of the bottle as the water drained from the bottle entirely. It was no good; he was slipping down the plastic and towards the entrance and couldn't stop himself. He screamed as he grasped at the inside of the entrance of the bottle for purchase, his legs slipping past Lyria's lips.

He could feel the heat of her breath upon him and hear the sound of how heavy it was, fogging the outside of the bottle. His fingers slipped from the purchase and he fell right past the elf's waiting lips. As soon as he was in the moist cavern the lips closed shut and left him in complete and utter darkness.

Hell. That was what Sam would describe Lyria's mouth as. His fingers slipped over the moist tongue he found himself upon, the surface sticky and rough all at once. He breathed in her breath and the breaths she took; he could even hear the distant drumbeat of her heart. His only purchase was the fleshy member beneath him that pressed him up against the roof of her mouth. Sam screamed and earned a mouthful of her saliva for his trouble. The sticky substance tingled as his skin in this dark, moist, fleshy, hell which only added to his fear.

Lyria's tongue threw him about her mouth, coating him in a thick layer of saliva. It was in his hair, it was all over him, he could even swear some of it was up his nose. It was warm in her mouth and that was the only redeeming factor considering how cold the water had been. His eyes stung as his face was pressed into the tongue below him when he was pressed against one of her cheeks. Was she tasting him? Appraising his flavor or something? Her tongue flicked against his member teasingly, the thing fearfully at attention as adrenaline coursed to every inch of his body.

Slowly he felt himself drawn to the back of her mouth and towards the pit of no return he knew lay there. In hindsight he knew it had been stupid to push Lyira. This was the woman who's idea of a good first date was to hold a gun to his head while they had sex. He had been desperate to hold onto some semblance of dignity. Where was the dignity in this? Was this any way for him to die? Eaten alive for stupidly pissing off Lyria? Just some lining on her stomach, a snack before lunch?

Suddenly gravity shifted and he felt himself falling forward, his eyes squinting open as blinding light met him. He fell down and landed on the familiar soft surface of her hand, coughing and sputtering. He's been choking on her saliva, the substance threatening to enter his lungs and now his body struggled to eject it. He wiped his eyes, trying to remove the stinging fluid as he just struggled to reorient himself. His eyesight was blurry and it hurt just to keep his eyes open as the saliva stung at his eyes.

"I wonder, do you feel validation in your defiance? Are you pleased with your decision to force me to punish you? I don't particularly care if you keep forcing my hand like that every day. As I said, I possess endless patience. At the end of the day it's your choice." Lyria said, her voice like ice.

Sam shivered as he looked up at her. He'd miscalculated in a major way when he'd opted to try and goad a reaction from his erstwhile owner. After the starvation and isolation he'd thought he could handle anything Lyria could conjure up. Submitting to her, to anyone, was anathema to him. She'd never once raised her hand to him in violence or forced anything upon him, even here she did it only due to his insults. Of course she wasn't going to let him just mouth off at her and call her what he wanted. She twisted it and placed the control over the matter squarely on him. She was right of course; he'd never have been put through that if he hadn't tried his luck.

The tiny human was wracked by another coughing fit and hated how very right the elf was in her words. Even now there was only apathy in Lyria's actions, ice where others might show fire and rage. Only for a brief instant had he witnessed her fire, when the shell cracked momentarily. After this however he found himself legitimately fearing just what laid beneath the mask of ice she crafted about herself. How bright did her rage burn? How terrible could she be when she was actually enraged? Part of him still wanted to know, that stupid adrenaline high seeking part. The vast majority never wanted to piss her off again.

"Now, would you like help drying off?" Lyria asked.

He glared up at the elf and managed to defiantly shake his head, coughing violently once last time. The elf shrugged and set him down on the kitchen counter with a set of napkins in the distance. The human gritted his teeth and tried clawing his way towards the objects. He slipped several times as his form was still very slick, ending up falling over himself. Lyria merely bounded off, the lingering scent of her sweat wafting through the air ever so. He wanted to hate her but found the feeling a hollow one.

The going was torturous across the kitchen counter towards the place where the napkins were stored. He felt so damn sticky and the lingering saliva stung when it entered his eyes from his hair. In his mind's eye he could still remember with crystal clarity the hell of the elf's mouth, it was a memory he suspected would remain for a long time to come. The wet squelch of her tongue as it moved, the slow drip of saliva within her mouth, the terror as he felt himself being drawn back towards her waiting throat...

He shook his head to try and dispel the thoughts, arriving at the napkin holder she had set up. His fingers gripped at the middle most one and he tugged with all his might. His burning muscles screamed in protest as he slowly loosened the napkin from his snug place. He strained to pull it out, nearly slipping over himself several times. Success was eventually his and he removed the large piece of fabric and quickly wrapped it around himself. His heart swelled slightly at being able to do something for himself at least.

His eyes and hair were the first thing he focused on, drying both as best he could. Some of the saliva was dry by now and was sticking in his hair; it couldn't be helped for now. Sam focused on the spots that were still wet and blinked his eyes open fully. There was still some light stinging but at least he could see now so that was good. He scoured himself as best he could, unable to find a place where saliva had not gotten. Lyria's tongue had been quite thorough in its ministrations.

After a time he was somewhat satisfied, laying back on the napkin and staring up at the bottom of the cupboard above. Laying on the object an idea suddenly struck him and he stood slowly, looking for a relatively untouched part of it. Once he found a sizable dry patch he gripped the edges and started tearing at it. It was slow going and he couldn't tear at all the layers, it was far too thick for that. He had to tear at individual layers until he finally had what he needed. Once he finished Lyria returned and collected him with a look of slight amusement on her face when she saw what he was holding.

She said nothing about it as she deposited him back in her high heel before leaving him to his own devices for the rest of the day. For his part Sam was content to lie down beneath his makeshift blanket. So far today had been his worst since his team was killed but at the very least he had taken something away from it. He clutched the fabric with strong fingers. It was his proof that despite everything he did not need Lyria for everything. He could still remind himself that he was human.

The next day found Sam groaning miserably as he awoke, his body sore in most every possible way. The majority of the previous day had consisted if Lyria ignoring his existence and him passing in and out of consciousness from sheer exhaustion. He was certain he looked terrible after the events of the previous day, indeed he noted patches of his skin were red from the irritation caused by the elf's saliva. His muscles protested as he sat up, shifting his tiny blanket off of him. He hadn't eaten at all yesterday either and so his stomach growled loudly for some form of sustenance.

Lyria's approaching steps drew a sigh from him as he knew that resisting her offers today was most certainly not in the cards. He was far too battered and hungry to possibly argue with her. That fact sat bitterly in his stomach as the elf stepped into the living area. He didn't resist when she collected him and made her way to the bathroom, indeed he tried to move as little as possible. When she let him down near the sink he let out a groan and laid back, staring up at the ceiling with a pained look etched across his face.

"Care for that bath now, Sammy? Or are you planning on bad mouthing me again?" Lyria inquired as she set the faucet running and deposited down her towel.

His eyes flickered over her face as the elf stared down at him. She knew his condition just as well as he did and she still wanted to hear him say the words. Sam could say with surety that he had never met a more domineering woman than Lyria Lysender. She didn't use overt force or violence to gain dominance most often, indeed most of the time she just had to do nothing. The young man glared at her as best he could before averting his gaze to the side. The words she desired bubbled in his chest, almost refusing to come out of their own accord. He had nearly submitted yesterday so he didn't know why it was so hard.

"I'll take the bath." He replied curtly.

Lyria smirked. "Oh? Are please and thank you dead phrases in your vocabulary?"

Sam gritted his teeth, choking back the choice words that wanted to be let out. "Please, help me take my bath." He gritted out, feeling as though bile might rise in his throat.

The elf gave him a pleased smile as she mixed in soap with the sink water. "There now, was that so hard? I would be delighted to help you, my little pet." She said.

With gentleness he nearly thought absent her after yesterday the elf gripped him and placed him on the palm of her right hand before cupping it slightly. Slowly she lowered it into the sink, allowing water to flow into her hand but stopping from gathering too much. In essence her hand formed a type of mini bath tub, which Sam actually took a minor amount of amusement in observing. Her free hand was cupped as well, gathering a bit of the water and allowing the warm liquid to fall over his form slowly.

She repeated this a few times to soak up the tiny human resting in her hand. Next she soaked a washcloth and lightly took the very corner of it so start scrubbing at him. He was actually rather amazed at how steady her hands were and how gentle she could be. She was also extremely thorough, leaving nothing untouched despite one or two yelps of protest from him. The elf merely smirked as she continued her work, amused at the few times he squirmed and applying some firmness to prevent mess ups with her work.

As much as Sam hated to admit it the bath was actually quite pleasant if more than a little humiliating. Lyria knew zero boundaries when it came to his body, touching whatever she needed in her cleansing. He tried to relax but found it nearly impossible as it was genuinely uncomfortable for someone else to be doing this for him. He'd already slept with her but this was rather different in a way he found difficult to encapsulate. It was the secession of power to Lyria most likely, letting her do as she pleased.

The process was finished wordlessly as Lyria started drying him off with the same almost tender gentleness. In the middle of this he heard a ringing noise peel through the house. Her comm system, he'd heard it ring a number of times before. The elf continued cleaning him as she briefly left the room to collect her earpiece and answered the incoming call. He grumbled slightly as they returned to the bathroom and she allowed him to lie out on the cloth, speaking with whomever was on the other end of the call.

"Lyria Lysender speaking. Ah, hello sir. Yes sir. I'm glad you think so." She said, her pinky lightly pushing Sam down onto his back.

He grunted and looked up to her and noted a rather mischievous glint to her eyes. He noted that her blue nail polish was starting to fade on her fingernails, chipped in some places even. The pinky strayed down lower and he gasped as it flicked over his member. She smirked as she continued the ministrations until he was nicely at attention. His fingers clawed into the purchase of the cloth beneath him as she lightly rubbed at him. The touches were teasing at first, only becoming more serious when she seemed satisfied with his condition.

"Of course. No, it was only the one break in. Correct sir, all terminated just like in my report." She continued with her conversation unabated.

Sam on the other hand was being driven up a wall by her ministrations. He was torn between wanting to resist and welcoming the pleasure pulsing through his body. Of all the ways he had expected the bath to end this had most certainly been the furthest from his mind. Oh he most certainly enjoyed looking at Lyria, without a doubt she was the most beautiful woman he had met. These past days however he had been more concerned with resisting her, with trying to remain as independent as possible. Now he found his arousal burning within him as Lyria toyed with him, knowing somewhere in the back of his mind he should be resisting her.

"Indeed. Yes, I feel we have an oversaturation of human subjects. Metahumans should be the focus for now." She said, likely talking about her work.

Sam felt himself reaching the end of his rope from the attention Lyria was lavishing him with. He stared up at her but found she wasn't even looking at him at the moment, her gaze being training to the side as a slight look of annoyance flashed across her face. The pinky halted its movements for a moment as she nodded to whatever was being told to her. He ended up pressing himself up against it himself which resulted in her taking away the digit entirely as she moved away from the sink for a moment.

The human wanted to scream in frustration. She had spent the last little while building him up and wasn't even finishing him off. Instead she left him hanging in the torturous limbo before release. The elf smirked at him as she paced slowly around the bathroom, knowing full well her actions. Sam glared at her as he gasped for breath, the cruel woman content to let him exist like that for the moment.

"I don't mind. Oh, is that so? I'll have to take that up with her then. Thank you sir." She drawled.

A minute later she returned to her previous position and returned her pinky to its previous position. Sam groaned loudly as she renewed her attentions, positioning her free arm under her breasts as she worked almost absent mindedly. He felt the edge drawing closer and closer, the denial only having served to lower his resistance. Finally and mercifully he reached his climax, and explosion of sheer bliss wiping his mind clear of anything and everything. His body rocked with the force of the release, leaving him panting for breath on the cloth.

Lyria smirked as she lifted her pinky up and took it into her mouth to wipe it clean of his miniscule offering. "Mmmhmm. Of course. I will handle it. How kind of you sir. Thank you. Well you can count on me. You too sir. Goodbye." She said, removing the earpiece and turning the comm off.

With that done she disrobed and entered the shower, humming lightly as she turned it on. Sam meanwhile managed to gather enough of his scattered wits and use the cloth to wipe himself clean. That had been... he was not sure what that had been. The aftermath had left him with a confusing mixture of emotions that roiled around in his skull. Fear? Arousal? Humiliation? Anger? Possibly a mix of all of them. She'd taken what she had wanted there but it was not like he had been begging her to stop.

He pondered over this as the elf took her shower, the woman emerging looking refreshed and revitalized. After drying herself off and setting her hair up she gathered up Sam and set off out of the bathroom. Rather than head towards the kitchen they went down the hall that Lyria always emerged from in the morning. It was here that they arrived at the place he assumed to be the elf's bedroom.

A massive king sized bed adorned with rich blue sheets dominated the room, a set of expensive looking drawers and a walk in closet only adding on to the image. The room was neat and tidy with the color being the only real personal touch he could note. Lyria seemed to have a fetish for the color, indeed a few bottles of blue nail polish were arrayed neatly beside one another on one of the drawers. So she did her own nails, Sam always had assumed she was well off enough to get someone else to do it for her.

The nude elf set Sam down on her dresser. "I have to go in today for a little bit so no run this morning." She said.

"I'm devastated." Sam deadpanned.

Lyria rolled her eyes at him. "I'm certain. I'll give you breakfast and see if I can't pick up some lunch on the way back. If you're good I might share." She continued, rifling through her drawers and setting out her clothes for work.

Sam watched her get dressed, allowing his eyes to trail over the exposed flesh of her body. The familiar dips and curves were only so much larger and more imposing now. She noted his peeping but obviously didn't particularly care over it. She hooked on her bra and a set of panties, both blue of course, following them up with a pair of stockings. Lyria seemed to go through the motions rather briskly and without a thought crossing her mind as to what was what. She was certainly efficient at most everything she set her mind to.

"So... are you going to explain what happened back there?" He inquired.

"Hmm? I shouldn't have to explain a bath, Sammy, unless yesterday really did shake your brain loose." She said, slipping on a nice set of black heels.

Sam frowned. "You know what I'm talking about."

"Mmm... not sure I do. Anyway, hope you got an eyeful of my room. Maybe later down the line when you're ready I might just move you in here." She said.

Sam could read between the lines enough to know she meant when she'd domesticated him like she promised to do on the first day. He narrowed his eyes but made no comment at her feigning ignorance. Of course she would dance around that. As they departed her room he just opted to let it go for the moment. It wasn't like he was going to complain about that to her. It was more that he wanted to know her motives. In all likelihood it was just her providing a bit of reinforcement, a reward for being a 'proper' pet. It was easier to believe that, it helped foster the hollow hate he held for her and to detract from the arousal it had awoken.

Sam was soon discovering that the week days were the dullest parts of the week. As much as Lyria could be cruel and apathetic at least when she was around things could be interesting. When she was gone from the house there was nothing around and nothing for him to really do aside from explore the living room. There wasn't really much to see. It was so utterly boring that when Lyria returned and gathered him for lunch he found himself much more willing to engage in conversation with her. It was nothing groundbreaking, how was your day? Anything interesting happen?

Amazingly the elf was detailed in her accounts and humored him, informing him of the minutest details. In a way Lyria had become his method for experiencing the world outside this apartment home. She shied away from informing him about the exact details of what she was working on; opting for things that occurred at the job itself rather than what it was about. He wasn't particularly sure why, it wasn't as though he could take the info to anyone. He opted not to push lest Lyria halt these little sessions.

Lyria's baths were now a constant though the aftermath of the baths was much more chaste now. The man figured that there was little purpose in denying her on that front if he had cracked once. He had also opted to go on her morning runs, tucked within the pocket of her sweat pants. It was hardly a fun affair for him, being thrown around like pocket change, but it kept him getting his meals and allowed more time to talk to Lyria. Despite these he still managed to keep up some semblance of resistance, refusing this or that offer. It often cost him a meal but better to miss one that just become her domesticated pet.

It was Thursday at breakfast when he finally made the suggestion to Lyria. "Could you possibly not put me back in the living room when we are finished here?" Sam said, finishing up his bread and drink.

The elf, who had previously been reading something, turned her attention to him with a slight frown. "Why?"

"I've already explored the living room. Figure getting a good lay of the land might be a good idea since I live here now." He said, keeping his tone carefully casual. He'd rehearsed this all last night in his head; he needed to be practical and logical to get Lyria to agree.

The elf hummed slightly as she turned back to her reading, taking a sip of her soykaf as she did. Sam figured that meant she would think about it which was better than her skillfully finding some excuse to deny the request. His reasons were not entirely to alleviate his boredom as he was hoping to locate something that might help him bypass the step problem in the living room. He'd be barred from crossing most doorways of course; they all slid open and had no openings at the bottom to slip through.

After a while Lyria set her reading down and gave Sam her attention once more. "Interesting idea. Wouldn't you rather come to work with yours truly though? If I'd known you were so stir crazy I'd have offered to bring you along ages ago." She purred.

The young human weighed that counter offer very carefully, savvy to Lyria's manner of thinking by this point. If he refused he would likely be missing a meal and he might just end up in the living room anyway. If he accepted he'd be walking into the situation blind. He was intrigued to see the elf at work first hand but the opportunity to find a way past those stairs took priority. The outside world was tantalizing if he was being honest, any other time he would have leaped to the offer. As such he figured it was better to risk her displeasure now rather than postpone the scouring of the apartment for supplies.

"Uh, not today. Thanks for the offer though, I think I'd rather just stick around here till you get back." He responded.

A tiny frown, followed by a shrug. Not a good sign at all. "Suit yourself. Before I leave I let you down to the kitchen floor so you can explore to your heart's content." She said.

That... was almost too easy. So much so that Sam was picking over her words searching for some kind of a trap. She was giving him what he wanted once again like she always had but this time there seemed to be no real chance of drawbacks. It wasn't like he could be trapped anyplace like the sink and she wasn't putting him in the living room which granted him almost free roam. It was as though there was no catch involved. Had this been his first day here he might very well have believed that but refusing Lyria always had some drawback aside from losing a meal or two.

Regardless, true to her word, as Lyria was preparing to leave she set him down on the kitchen floor. Staring up at her from this angle always did make her truly seem like a titan of sorts, filling his with equal parts somewhat irrational fear and adrenaline filled arousal as he followed those legs that went on forever. For her part the elf simply walked out the door to her apartment without a single parting word, leaving Sam alone in the apartment to explore these new areas now open to him.

He had a general idea of the layout from Lyria having carried him around pretty much the entire apartment. The kitchen was as good a place as any to start his search, so he set off upon the white tiled wasteland. Chair and table legs stood as might pillars nearby and various cabinets were closed to him unfortunately. The towering monolith of the fridge loomed far in the distance, its doors something only Lyria could force open. It appeared for the most part he'd be forced to stick to the floor. He could probably climb the legs of the chair and table, though falling from so great a height would certainly kill him.

The progress through the kitchen was slow going and frustratingly it was mostly clean and pristine. He occasionally heard the sound of a vacuum of sorts making the rounds through the apartment though it typically avoided the living room. At least while he was there. Lyria certainly wasn't the one doing the cleaning and he had his doubts she arranged for anyone else to handle the place. Still, the image of the controlling elf pushing around a vacuum and wiping down countertops and chairs with a bottle of spray, blue rubber gloves and an apron actually got a chuckle out of him.

As he took to this journey across the kitchen his thoughts turned towards his dead mentor. Of anyone he imagined Razor could have easily lasted through Lyria's games. The older street samurai had been one of the most adaptable people he had ever known. Sam imagined what he might say in this particular situation. Probably something about one of the many jobs he'd been through or that time he'd tangled with a troll in a kitchen with nothing but a butter knife. The young man doubted he'd have given an inch of ground to the other elf. That's what he chose to believe anyway.

As he closed in on the impressive looking dinner table Sam could have sworn he heard something whirring to life in the distance. His eyes turned towards the kitchen entrance and noticed a rounded machine slowly moving through the kitchen. His question regarding the cleanness of the home was now answered; a robot did that particular job for the floors at least. The thing was fairly big from his point of view, the size of a small dinner plate and was about his height from his best guess.

The little thing moved towards the counter near the table before he noticed the little blinking green light on its top turn solid red. The thing swiveled in place until he assumed it was facing him. That... did not seem good. Immediately a long serrated needle protruded from the area that was facing him. Ok, that was definitely not good. Sam swallowed hard as he realized that in his time here he'd never encountered any bugs or rats. He suspected this thing was probably the executioner of pests around here and judging from the absence of them it probably did a damn good job at it.

The thing barreled towards him, needle gleaming in the artificial light. Sam didn't gawk any longer and ran towards the relative safety of the space under the table. The thing gained quickly as he went into a full sprint, the senses Razor had spent long hours honing returning to him. A quickly glance behind told him revealed the needle speeding towards him, thus Sam waited to the last second before leaping to the right. He fell into a roll as the needle and the robot whirred past him, recovering quickly to continue his sprint for the table and chairs.

His opponent swiveled sharply, locating him quite easily and speeding towards him like some murderous death machine. It was coming at him from the side so he once more waited for it to close before leaping forward and closing the distance between him and brief safety. He ran between the thin gap between the chair leg and the table leg, his pursuer hitting both as it tried to follow. Sam smirked as the thing struggled futilely to get between the overly thin space, the needle pointed at him but too far away to possible hit him.

At least until the needle suddenly extended with lightning speed.

Sam's eyes widened and he only just barely managed to move aside, the blade grazing the side of his cheek. He hissed in pain and cursed whatever engineer had created the infernal device as he wiped the thin trail of blood from his cheek. So this had been the draw back to his refusal to Lyria's little offer, tangling with some killer vacuum cleaner. The young street samurai allowed an uneasy smile to cross his lips as his senses sharpened, adrenaline flowing through his body. In a twisted way he was actually somewhat pleased, this was an opponent he could lash out against and actually fight through physical means.

He channeled every lesson he had learned from his mentor as the thing lashed out with the extendable needle. He dodged and backed up until he was out of range of the infernal thing. Once the opponent's strengths and weakness' were discerned one could counter attack. That needle only seemed to be on one end and didn't seem able to change positions. If he could somehow get on top of the device he might be able to figure out some way to deactivate it. Of course since the thing probably hit like an oncoming vehicle even without the needle he'd need to devise a way to get up without being smashed and then stabbed through the face.

The device stopped lashing out, retracting the needle and backing up as it started to recalculate the situation and find a path in. Going under the chair itself would be easy enough for the thing and then he would be trapped in an enclosed space with the thing. The machined seemed to realize this at the same moment he did, moving towards the opening quickly. Thinking quickly Sam ran towards the table leg, leaping up onto it as the thing quickly gained on him again. His hands found purchase with the smooth grooves in the wood. His climbed quickly, the needle slamming into the place one of his legs had been mere moments ago.

He half turned his head, smirking as the machine had made a mistake in its single minded pursuit. Sam leaped from the table leg, landing on the back of the killer vacuum with a grunt. A savage grin was on his face as he had succeeded in getting the drop on his mechanized opponent. He was most certainly not bored any longer as he fought for his life. His heart was pumping and his pupils were dilated as energy surged through his body. How therapeutic it was to finally have the advantage over something since arriving in this home.

It appeared his opponent was less than pleased he had found purchase on top of it as it became quite frenzied. It sped from beneath the table and out into the open kitchen floor, hit its sides against the wall to try and dislodge him. Sam nearly slipped from his place atop the smooth metal, managing to find a handhold on the red light. His fingers clutched it for dear life as he searched around the surface of the machine for something he could do to switch it off or at least deactivate its kill mode.

His eyes zeroed in on a button with a power symbol on it, his grin widening as his panicking foe continued its efforts to dislodge him. He couldn't quite reach it while he held on to the red light. If he made a mad dash towards it just when the machine hit against the wall then he just might be able to make it. However if he was off by just a second he'd probably be flung from the thing and stuck in the wide open with no escape. It did not take a genius to calculate his odds of survival if that occurred.

His mentor had been of the mind that if the goal was easy or without risks then it was no goal worth achieving. With this in mind, the second the machine slammed the wall Sam ran towards the power button. Everything else in the world melted away as he only had eyes for the button. If he thought about the possibility of failure then his legs would slow. He was going to make it or die. There were only those two absolutes.

Sam gripped the edges of the circle around the button, slamming his elbow against the power button without a second of hesitation. The endless whirring of the device slowed to a halt and it lightly bumped against the wall. The red light faded out to black as the machined was defeated. The street samurai lay out on his back, breathing heavily from both the exertions and the excitement. He let out a sharp string of laughs, slapping a hand against the surface of the vacuum roughly.

That... had been a twisted kind of fun. It hadn't been a horror show like being trapped in Lyria's water bottle, or a dreadful experience like being isolated and starved. For those moments when he'd been avoiding death and fighting against the machine he had been reminded of what he had done before this had happened to him. He liked to think that, considering the circumstances, Razor would have been pretty damn proud that he had retained so much. Lyria probably would not have expected him to have conquered it, she probably had expected him to run and hide. See if the bitch would underestimate him after this.

Slowly Sam sat up and slid off the top of the machine, staring at it a little warily as though expecting it to return to life. It stayed deactivated fortunately. With a sigh Sam realized it was unlikely he was going to find anything of use in the kitchen. Perhaps one of the other rooms might yield more resources. Of course he doubted many would be open to him as Lyria usually closed most doors behind her.

With his mental map of the large apartment he knew that there was the kitchen, the living room, Lyria's room, the bathroom, and four doors that he had never entered before. He assumed one was a spare bedroom and the other might be another bathroom for extended stay overs. Possibly a study, she certainly seemed to vanish behind one of them for a while. Sam figured he'd see them sooner or later in his time here. For now he headed towards the bathroom he knew was there in the hopes it was not closed.

The giant apartment continued to look as imposing as ever as he trekked out of the kitchen and through the adjacent hallway. He didn't know exactly how much time had passed since Lyria had departed but it had to have at least been an hour between his exploration in the kitchen, his fight, and the trek through the hallway. The elf's work days fluctuated he had found, sometimes she was home early and other times she was home very late. These days she was typically a bit moody.

Sam felt great relief at noting the door to the bathroom was still open. Things were looking up for him it appeared between conquering that killer vacuum and this. The room itself was dark but the light from the outside helped to illuminate things nicely enough. The young man started his search along the floor, noting that like the kitchen it was mostly clean. He feared the machine had already been through here as he moved his search towards the open shower cube. Very likely it had not been inside of there.

He stepped into the shower space and noted it was still quite wet. It smelled of her fruity shampoo, filling his nose with the smell he most associated with Lyria. Her morning runs usually replaced the scent with sweat so it was always nice to smell this scent. It was odd to him how she took a quick shower, ran up a sweat, and then took another shower. It seemed needlessly frivolous to him though he was glad she never insisted on him taking another bath. Then again he supposed she had money to burn to afford a nice place like this one. If she wanted to take two showers she had that right he supposed. Maybe the first was to wake her up and the second was more of an actual shower?

Regardless he stepped through the after math of her showers and gazed warily at the drain. It was thankfully grated so it was unlikely he'd be falling down the hole. He did notice something very useful at the drain that made his eyes light up. Some strands of black hair. Lyria's black hair. Her hair was fairly long; if he twisted a few strands together he might be able to craft a decent enough rope. If he could also find something to tie to the end of it he might be able to make a grappling hook. That would most certainly get him over the steps.

Excitedly Sam gathered up three strands of the hair, wrapping the bundle over his shoulder and around his waist. The hair was still as silky smooth as ever; hopefully it was also as strong as silk. With this haul made Sam made his way out of the shower and back into the bathroom proper. He hummed slightly as he looked around and opted to head towards the area around the toilet next. It had some tight point where that infernal machine would no doubt have difficulty reaching.

It was still as clean as the rest of the bathroom, a few dust particles here or there but otherwise it was looking like a bust. That was until he noted something that looked rather out of place. He picked it up and smirked at his luck. One of Lyria's toenails. Looked rather like it was from the big toe from its size and strength. He could still see some very faded blue on spots of it. It was fairly clean as well; then again everything in her apartment was clean. He half expected the few bits of dust would sparkle.

He slipped the trophy under the wrapped hair and slowly made his way out of the bathroom. He pondered over just heading to her heels and storing the items with his blanket but opted against it. Lyria probably wouldn't care over much regarding his supplies. She'd probably give him an amused look and let him do as he pleased like she normally did. Ironically he was using bits of her to try and climb a previously insurmountable barrier. He wondered if that would please her more than not.

___________________________________________________________________

It was some hours later when the door to the apartment opened once more. Sam could hear Lyria humming some light tune as her heels clacked against the floor to signal her approach. He had spent his free time tying up the hair into a suitable rope and tying the nail on the end of it. His grapple was complete; he'd just need to test it out later. For now he just couldn't wait to see the elf's reaction to the inactive machine against the side of the kitchen. He lingered near it with a slight smirk on his face.

The elf stepped into the kitchen with a set of headphones in her ears though her blue eyes found the thing easy enough. Sam, who had expected a frown, was surprised to see a little smirk on her lips at the sight. She said nothing, merely picking up the inactive machine after setting her purse down on the counter and walking out of the kitchen. Well... that had been disappointing. He had expected annoyance or displeasure but the last thing he had expected was for her to be pleased to see the sight.

She returned a few minutes later, her heels and stockings having been discarded. Her head lightly bobbed to whatever music she was listening to and her feet made little dainty steps, half between dancing and not. Sam found himself mesmerized by the motions of her body, the great titaness moving towards him on her way to her purse. Her grace was almost unnatural and it showed in the simplest movements. His eyes lingered on her feet and her slender toes, the fresh coat of blue nail polish bright and vibrant. Despite himself he felt a bit of arousal shoot through him.

He snapped out of his trance as he noted that Lyria wasn't even looking at him, indeed as her steps came closer he suspected she had no intention on stopping. Sam's eyes widened as her left foot came up, its shadow falling over him. The young man quickly leapt to the side as her foot came down, barely escaping being trod upon by the seemingly oblivious elf. He stood quickly, a surge of adrenaline coursing through him. The machine had been something he could fight but Lyria was most certainly not.

"Lyria! Hey, Lyria!" He shouted, realizing it was probably no use with those headphones in her triangular ears.

The elf indeed did not hear him, checking something in her purse before moving away from the counter and back toward him. Her foot crashed down perilously close to where he was, so close he could smell the mixture of her sweat and scented soap. He had an idea and tried to reach out to touch her closest toe, but her foot was already gone as she walked towards the fridge. He needed to use touch to get her to notice him if his voice wouldn't do it. Otherwise he could very well end up a red smear on the tiles.

He ran off after her, once more reminded of just how massive she was. With a few steps she was so far from him that he dreaded the run, opening the fridge and humming under her breath as she looked through it. She tapped the ball of her left foot against the ground as she searched for what she needed, raising her heel up and presenting the arch to Sam. She removed a carton of milk from within and drank directly from it for a few moments. He was getting closer, just a little bit more. A little bit more...

He was panting and gasping by the time he neared Lyria's feet, the elf placing the milk back in its place and closing the fridge. Sam had nearly reached the exposed arch of her left foot when she started moving again. The arch was moved to be flat and he quickly jumped out of the way to avoid being crushed beneath it. He punched the ground as she walked off towards the cupboard. Damn it, he had been so close! He cursed the elf and her stupid games, they always ended up with him panting and gasping for breath.

With a low growl he got up and started jogging towards Lyria once more, who had opened one of the top cupboards and was looking through it. She removed a box of something and placed it on the counter. Thankfully she was not too far away this time so he managed to catch up with her soon enough. She was munching on some kind of crackers or something, humming without a care in her world. Sam meanwhile had encountered a new problem as her munching on her little snack sent a few crumbs falling towards the ground.

To her they were probably nothing but to him they were rocks falling from a great height. A couple of times he had to jump aside to avoid one hitting him in the head. This rather dangerous obstacle subsided briefly between each cracker, giving Sam a window to make a break towards his goal. He reached her nearest foot and all but threw himself at it, panting and gasping as he rubbed it to try and get her attention. He was getting quite a bit of exercise today apparently, from killer vacuums to chasing after Lyria.

The elf peered down at him and swallowed, removing one of her head phones and cocking her head with amusement clear in her eyes? "Sam? What are you doing down there, it's a bit dangerous to be scurrying around underfoot." She said.

He glared up at her in response but soon found himself caught by surprise when her foot shifted away from him. She moved it closer then, managing to dexterously catch him between her toes around the waist. Sam immediately felt his arousal skyrocket at this particular position, his member pressing up against the underside of her big toe. There was one arousal he would have preferred to remain a secret. He did most certainly enjoy her feet quite a bit and being pinned like this was more than enough to get his arousal aching between his legs.

Gravity shifted as she moved her foot up enough for her to be able to remove him with her fingers, something he was both disappointed by and silently grateful. He was laid out on the palm of her hand before her as she was munching through another cracker, swallowing moments later. She offered him a rather innocent smile that certainly did not fool him for a second. She probably had some silent bit of fun putting him through the ringer. Her eyes trailed over his member.

"A bit excited are we? Didn't know you had a thing for feet, Sammy." She purred.

He glared up at her. "I don't!" He growled.

She raised a single brow. "You say that but your body disagrees with that assessment. I felt something pressing against my toe and it wasn't your hand. It's quite alright. I'm not one to judge, pet." She cooed, drawing in closer.

"If you ever want me to play with you, just say the word. What kind of owner would I be if I didn't play with my little pet every now and again? Now that I know what gets you going I'm certain we can have quite a bit of fun." She whispered, her breath hot and smelling heavily of grain.

Sam was about to rebuke her again but found the words failing to rise in his chest. One because Lyria was unlikely to believe him, and two because despite himself the offer was appealing to him. It would be on his own terms so it wasn't like she was forcing him to do anything. He was wary of her suggestions and ideas given they were all geared towards giving control to her, but this one had some promise he was fond of. Sam opted to let the suggestion sit in his mind for a bit rather than discard it out of hand.

"I'll think about it." He said, earning a pearly smile from the elf.

"Anyway. You didn't tell me you owned a killer vacuum." He said, her tone taking on a slight edge.

Her answer was as infuriating as it was expected.

"You never asked." She replied.

It was late at night on the next day when Sam decided it was time to try out his grappling hook on the dreaded stairs. The day itself had been fairly dull; Lyria had yet to repeat her offer about taking him to work and had seemed rather internally focused for most of the day. Sam figured it best to wait for her to both return from work and go to sleep before trying his hook out. Especially with the knowledge that the vacuum was back on the prowl, cleaning the place up while the elf was away.

He had time to think about the offer she had made the previous day while he waited. Playing with Lyria as she had put it. He knew it was her trying to make him into a more complacent pet, that much was transparent. It was also true however that the elf could drive him wild with desire. He agonized between accepting her little offer and just forgetting about it, the memory of the almost painful arousal he had felt between her toes returning in his mind through the day. Really this conflict was also playing into her hands, a sign of how much she had worn away at his resolve.

That was why tonight was so important. Those stairs represented the seemingly insurmountable truth that he couldn't do much to help himself. That he lived by Lyria's goodwill so long as he dwelled with her. They were his cage. If he could climb those steps then it would be taking back a measure of control for himself. It would show that he didn't need the elf to do everything for him. After conquering that death machine he was already riding high on confidence all he needed was something else to cling on to. His time here had been defeat after defeat and indignity after indignity, if he didn't find something to hold onto he felt that Lyria might actually be able to keep her promise.

He walked from his home in her heel and marched up to the seemingly insurmountable barriers. From his observations he got that the edge of the steps possessed slight rises that would be ideal for hooking the grapple. It would be actually getting them up there that would prove to be the main issue. He also had his doubts that the chitin of the nail itself was going to support his weight. It was from her big toe so if any nail could hold him up he suspected it was going to be that one. He also knew that he was very unlikely to get another shot at this.

Sam hefted the makeshift grapple and spun in around slightly, getting a feel for the weight and how much he'd need to compensate. It was in that moment he heard the slap of familiar bare feet against the tiles and from the darkness emerged Lyria. He froze as her blue eyes zeroed in on him, staring down with a neutral expression on her face. In that particular moment he felt like he had been caught red handed doing something against an unspoken code of rules. Fear lanced through him as he waffled between running back to the heel and continuing, instead finding himself unable to do either.

The elf said nothing and instead sat down cross legged at the top of the steps, placing her hands in the folds of her blue bathrobe. Her eyes were fixed upon him, judging and weighing him with but a single glance over. Somehow the darkness that enveloped them made her all the more imposing. Still she said nothing and it took a moment for Sam to realize she wasn't going to interfere with him. She was simply watching him though why he had no idea. Amusement perhaps? Yet as far as he could tell she wasn't smiling. Her face was vacant of all emotion as she observed him.

Gathering his wits again Sam pushed her presence from his mind for the moment. She was not important; indeed she was the enemy in this situation. She was the reason he was doing this, to try and fight against her domestication. He focused on the anger he held towards her, at the horrors and indignities the elf had forced upon him again and again. With steel in his heart he started swinging the makeshift grapple, twirling it around and around at great speed. He swallowed hard before releasing and feeding rope as the hook sailed up to the first step.

He pulled back and the thing slipped over the rise and back towards him. He gathered it up again with a growl a swung it up and over once again, getting a similar result. The third time proved to indeed be the charm as the nail caught on the rise and allowed the rope to be pulled taught. He grinned victoriously and tugged experimentally before approaching the step itself. Right so the moment of truth was here. He could do this. He wasn't going to fall, not this time. He was going to climb it.

Tentatively he placed a foot on the side of the step, following it with another. The line held and so did this hook, eliciting a sigh of relief as he carefully started stepping his way up the step. He took it slow for fear that going too fast might shake the hook loose from its place or even tear one of the hairs on the rope. He could feel sweat perspiring from his body as his nerves were on edge. After over a week in this place he was finally going to climb the barrier. Not only that but he was going to show Lyria firsthand what happened when one underestimated him.

He was nearing the very top of the step which was the point when he would need to transfer to the edge from the rope, the most precarious point. He reached up and seized the edge with one hand, instantly losing his grip on the smooth surface. His surprise caused his grip on the rope to falter, sending him tumbling to the carpet with a loud grunt. He gritted his teeth and looked up at Lyria as though daring her to laugh. Not a single giggle came from here, her face still absent all emotion as she watched him struggle.

With a growl he got back up on the rope, testing it to ensure the grapple was still in place. Satisfied at the thing still holding he started his slow climb once more. The edge was too smooth so he'd need to cling to the rope a bit longer to get a good grip on the edge where the grapple was caught upon. When he reached the top this time he kept climbing for a little, no doubt putting a bit of extra strain on the nail but it couldn't be helped. He couldn't fall this time; he needed to reach the top.

He pulled himself up over the edge and sought the purchase beyond the edge. His fingers found it and he let go of the rope, his legs dangling off of the edge as he struggled to pull himself up and over. Through heroic strength of effort he slowly crawled his way onto the surface of the step, rolling onto his back and chuckling breathlessly as it stared up at the ceiling. One step down, one more to go. Lyria made it look so easy when she came and went but actually climbing it was rather treacherous.

With a victorious look being given to Lyria the young man retrieved his grapple and moved to the last barrier between him and victory. He imagined the view from the top would be quite sweet once he finally made it up there. Standing atop the place had been in his dreams, victory swelling in his heart as he felt able to do anything. He was so close that he could practically taste it. He took a few calming deep breaths, trying to quiet the wardrum that had become his heart. Just a little longer before he could rest well in victory.

He spun the hook round and round once more, tossing it up onto the topmost step and grinning as he managed to catch it on the first try. His foot found the wall, followed by his other as he continued his climb. His arms were straining and his breath felt rather labored but still he pushed himself onwards. Halfway up the step he started to feel the trials of the past days start to melt away. Lyria couldn't poison this moment. He was doing this, it wasn't her, it was him. He didn't need her for everything, just like he had showed yesterday by defeating that machine.

He wasn't sure exactly when it dawned upon him that the rope was lowering by tiny amounts slowly, but he certainly knew what it meant when the hook slipped from its purchase. His eyes widened and he yelled as he fell to the hard tiled below, the air being knocked from his lungs. He struggled to realign his breathing as his eyes fell upon the bent, almost broken form of the nail. The gaze he granted it was almost uncomprehending, blinking a few times before actually beginning to react to the situation.

He had failed. The notion washed over him like a wave of the purest despair. He had climbed as far as he could but in the end it hadn't been enough. The victory that had been so close at hand had been snatched from him. His eyes turned accusingly towards Lyria. Her. It must have been her. She must have sabotaged the nail, bent it in her fingers just as he had been about to reach the top. That was it! His view had been obscured by the step; it would have been the perfect time for her to make her move.

"You! You- you bitch! You bent it! Why!? Why do you take everything from me? Why couldn't you let me have this one thing!?" He screamed at her.

Lyria said nothing, though her expression softened ever so.

"Wh-why... Oh God damn it... Fuck!" He continued, the bitter sting of tears rising to his eyes.

He hadn't shed a single tear in many years. Even when the realization that his team and Razor had died he hadn't cried. The last time he could truly remember was the day his mother had died. He remembered crying despite his best efforts to not, cursing whatever God was up there from snatching the last family in his life from him. Now however, failing to have climbed the only barrier he'd needed to climb to take back some self-sufficiency he felt lost. The goal that had filled his time, that had seemed like it might validate the suffering at Lyria's hands, was now snatched from him. It was no doing of Lyria, he knew that deep down. It was his failure. He had failed without her ever lifting a finger to bring it about. The hate he tried to push towards her evaporated as he sobbed bitterly.

The expression Lyria gave him was almost something he could call pitying. He didn't think it was possible for her to pity anyone or anything. The expression made him no less filled with despair as he sobbed in frustration and despair. There was no escape from this damn nightmare. He looked back on that stupid and cocky idiot striking that challenge with Lyria and laughed at him. It was no challenge. That implied each side had and equal chance of success. The indomitable will of the elf was beyond denying.

He looked up at her and found her switching positions with her foot hovering over him. Sam almost wished it might come crashing down to release him from this wretched state. Instead her toes spread apart and she gripped him between them. Despite himself he found his arousal grow at the action, the digits firmly gripping him by the waist. She stretched her leg out over the steps and placed her heel down on the carpeted floor. Her scented soap filled his nose and served a focal point, the soft skin of her foot all around him supple to the touch.

The elf wriggled her toes ever so slowly, moving him so that his hardened member was massaged by the movements of her big toe. He whimpered slightly, seeking purchase on the soft flesh as Lyria worked. His face pressed against the blue nail polish, another thing he associated with Lyria. The elf was as gentle as she could possibly be as she worked on him. Soon enough his sobs turned to moans and groans under her ministrations. The dexterous motions of her toes against him sent him up a wall with arousal.

He felt his despair and frustration start to become distant as the elven woman worked on him, replaced instead by pleasure and arousal. He found himself kissing at the blue nail despite himself, his breathing heavy and fogging up the polish. Sam felt certain that the shreds of his dignity were being annihilated here. That somehow this was a major victory for Lyria. However at the moment he found himself lacking the ability to care overmuch. All that mattered was this feeling building up inside of him.

The movements increased in speed a little and Sam felt the pressure inside continue to build and build. His eyes sought Lyria's in the darkness and found them half lidded with a bit of desire herself. One of her hands had strayed beneath her bathrobe and was making regular motions between her legs while her other was gentle massaging her breasts. Earlier he might have been slightly disgusted at her getting off on doing this too him but now just focused on his own need for a release.

The pressure finally reached its peak and he cried out as he found his climax. He tensed once, twice, three times before he found himself spent between Lyria's toes. He slumped over, watching as she administered to herself. She soon followed him in finding her own release, her toes curling painfully around him as she cried out. The elf looked at him with half lidded eyes, a tiny smile gracing her lips. He was far too scatterbrained for the moment to think of a good response to that.

For a long moment they simply sat there and stared at each other. Sam wanted to hate her so badly, to despise her for bringing him to this pathetic state. In the end though the emotion that most flowered in his gut was desire. He hated himself for it but he had enjoyed and appreciated every second of that pleasure she had given him. It had taken him from that sobbing mess he had been. He supposed he was still a mess for now but at the very least he wasn't crying any longer like a weakling.

After a time Lyria moved her foot and plucked him from between her toes, kissing his tiny form. She lavished him with her soft flawless lips, the cushions pressing against him again and again. Finally she stopped and placed him in her palm, giving him a smile. "You see? I'm here for you, pet. If you fall I'll pick you up, if you are sad I'll make you happy. You can just leave everything to your caring owner." She whispered moved towards the high heels.

Sam found himself holding onto her thumb as she tried to lower him in. "Wait... please, let me stay with you. Just tonight." The need in his voice might have otherwise made him sick.

Lyria paused. "Not yet, pet. You'll need to earn that." She said, placing him in the heel before walking away.

Sam watched her depart, the fruits of his labor still upon the bottom of her foot. He crawled beneath his makeshift blanket and tried to force himself to sleep. He tried to force himself to forget how good she had made him feel, to forget how soft her skin was, how smooth her voice was when she comforted him. He tried to forget the horrible need infecting his voice as he had pleaded she take him into her room. He tried, yet in his dreams that night, he knew only Lyria.

Sam felt sick through most of the next day, the memory of last night burned into his brain. His compliance with Lyria was mostly silent, a grunt in affirmation given where it was needed. The elf seemed content with the silence. If anything she was in an extremely good mood though he supposed last night had given her quite the ego boost. She hummed through her morning routine and treated him much the same as before. Only it felt different to him. It felt more... assured, like she knew he wasn't going to resist her.

As he lay awake while she was at work he felt hollow inside. It was like he'd reached some mental crossroads and found himself unable to go one way or the other. On the one hand he valued his independence and saw the possibility of letting Lyria domesticate him as distasteful. He had conceded to her on a number of points but still he had resisted in his own way, refusing the idea that he belonged to her. Somehow the very idea seemed like it would make him lesser, that part of him would die.

On the other hand he had tried everything to remain independent and nothing had succeeded or bore fruit. He'd disrespected her and forced her to punish him, a punishment that occasionally haunted his nightmares. He'd refused her help and found himself unable to do the simple things without it. He'd even tried to climb the only barrier between him and the rest of the home and found it had pushed him down. It seemed so very easy to just give up. To just let Lyria have her way and do as she pleased.

The internal conflict was soul rending. The thought of being the elf's plaything, placidly letting her do whatever she wanted, made him want to vomit. Yet at the same time he remembered his arousal when they had first met, the authority that dripped in her voice as she ordered him around. He enjoyed it on some level. It would make everything in his life so much simpler if he just stopped caring about resisting her. Would being Lyria's pet really be such a horrible fate? Her honeyed promises from last night echoed in his mind, sliding into his thoughts.

"No!" He yelled aloud, slapping himself.

He looked quite the miserable sight for his nearly two weeks of living with the elf. Fading bruises still adorned his body and his hair was growing out a little more than he normally allowed. A slight shade of a stubble had formed over his chin and his eyes were ringed with dark circles. He had thinned out a bit for the starvation from before, still only just beginning to recover from it. Looking over himself he knew well what resistance had gotten him, a life of misery and frustration.

Even still he couldn't bring himself to just let Lyria make him hers. He had pleaded with her last night to take him with her but still he rationalized it as being emotionally distressed. What would he do for the rest of his life then? Live out his days in the elf's discarded footwear, drifting through this existence? It seemed so hollow and empty and lonely. He'd push Lyria away out of fear for losing himself. Wouldn't that kind of living be a loss of himself in another way entirely? Sam didn't know but the alternative still filled him with icy fear.

The next day came, followed by the next, followed by a week. He kept to himself as much as possible, settling on isolation but for brief interactions with Lyria. The elf was apathetic about the entire affair, watching him with disinterest. Sam just tried to keep himself from falling to the desire to give into the elf. He started refusing her offers again and found himself stuck at one meal a day once again. In the isolation he tortured himself with his own thoughts as his dreams were continually haunted by the night by the steps.

Then there were days where he was simply angry. Where he lashed out at everything and punched the walls of his home. He even had turned his anger to Lyria.

"Damn you, elf, why are you doing this to me? Does it get you off to torment me, bitch!? Answer me!"

She'd punished him for that one. This time it had been tying him with three rubber bands and tossing him in a dark shoebox for the rest of the day. A sort of time out where everything was darkness. It reminded him of the first day he'd been shrunk and was in that damn testing lab. Time had passed agonizingly slow in the box. Every minute had felt like an hour. He'd screamed in anger for a long while until finally settling down. The entrapment in the cardboard prison hadn't been as horrific as the water bottle but it was certainly unpleasant. It was only him trapped with his thoughts in there.

After the punishment he'd gone back to being quiet for most of the time. Days blended together and time was only measured by the basic interactions he had with Lyria. The elf's schedule was the only reason he probably remained somewhat sane. He was certain that sanity was fraying as time passed. She didn't seem to care overmuch, going about her days without a care in her world. As long as he wished it the elf appeared willing to just let him be on his own. She barely acknowledged he even existed, just giving him the basics of attention and treatment.

It had been like that since he had arrived. Besides the odd punishment for disrespecting her authority Lyria typically just ignored him unless he allowed her to do something. Part of him wanted to go back to asking her about her day, to actually making conversation with her. The other part feared any interaction with the elf after that night. The fear of becoming her pet was still very much prominent in his mind. Over the days however he made note of empty his life was becoming, just as he had also feared. He had no goals beyond living, nothing to aspire to, and nothing to fight besides Lyria's poisonous desires. He was drifting through life rather than living it.

The turning point for him happened exactly two and a half weeks after the incident on the steps. Lyria had left a bit after coming back from work, barely offering him a thought in her mind. She was away for hours into the night until the door finally opened. With it came the sound of unfamiliar and slightly unsteady giggling from a distinctly feminine source. Two pairs of heels clacked upon the tiled floor. Sam immediately felt alert, peeking out of his little home cautiously to see what the commotion was about and managed to catch snippets of conversation.

The unfamiliar voice came first, her voice heavily slurred. "Woah! You weren't kidding when you said this place was nice! ...So where's that beer you were talking about Lyria?"

Next came Lyria. "My my, someone's impatient. Fridge, bottom shelf."

"Ah ha! Woah." The sound of stumbling heels followed.

"Careful, dear, here let's go have a sit down." Lyria said.

The footfalls were coming closer towards his direction and he moved a little back into the toe section to ensure he wasn't seen. Soon enough both emerged into the living room. Lyria was granting a steadying arm to a rather attractive looking young human woman. Her hair was dyed dark blue and cut at the neck and she wore a black leather jacket and a ripped pair of jeans. She wobbled in her pair of spiked heels as she walked. When she turned her head slightly Sam noticed the glint of several piercings on her right ear and she was holding a bottle of open beer in her left hand.

Lyria led her over to the couch, wearing that same cheap dress she had worn when he had first met her. Her movements were utterly unimpaired from whatever she had been drinking, as graceful and controlled as ever. When she set her down she moved towards the chair that overlooked Sam's home. She sat back gracefully and pushed the heels Sam dwelled in slightly to the side with her feet. Once that was done she stripped of her cheap heels and tossed them aside, flexing and curling her toes in the cool air.

"Heh, I'm with you there. These fuckers are too hard to walk in." The blue haired woman said, tearing her footwear off and placing her feet on the glass table.

The woman gulped down a bit of her drink though Sam figured she was a bit too far gone for needing more. Lyria's brow twitched ever so when the other woman put her feet up on her furniture, eliciting a warning look to the party goer she'd brought back. Though obviously very drunk the woman had enough common sense to catch the icy look and put her feet back down on the floor.

"Sorry 'bout that, girl. Shit, are you like loaded or something? This place looks damn big!" She said.

Lyria smirked. "Something like that."

"I share my place with like three other girls and it's still pretty small."

"Oh? Three? Were they at the club?"

The young woman snorted. "Nah, they think it's a distraction. They all have sticks up their asses about doing proper things and shit. Going to school, blah, blah." She said with an airy wave.

Lyria chuckled as she took a sip from her wineglass. "But not you?"

"Pffft, that stuff is boring. My parents were pissed when I dropped out, called me a deadbeat. I still pay my part of rent, not like I'm not self-sufficient." The woman said, her expression darkening a bit.

"Sounds like you've got things figured out." Lyria commented.

"Damn straight. Besides, occasionally I get to run into beautiful elves and they let me buy them a drink." She said, giving the elf a look of drunken desire.

It dawned on Sam that she was repeating the same thing she'd done to him with this woman. Obviously there were less guns involved and a lot more booze but the young woman had been drawn into Lyria's little web. A spark of something shot through his heart as he watched. Was it jealousy? The elf hadn't brought home anyone here before like this so maybe he was feeling territorial. It was completely silly but the fact it was actually there terrified Sam more than he cared to admit.

Lyria spun the ruby liquid in her glass. "Beautiful? Flattery is a nice quality in my pets, but I'm looking for a lot more than that." She remarked almost disinterestedly.

The woman giggled. "Pet huh, do I get a little collar that has a tag with the name 'Sally' on it?"

Lyria offered Sally a little smile. "Only if I take a liking to you."

The human set her beer down. "Just tell me what to do, Lyria."

The elf's eyes sharpened at that. "First off it's not 'Lyria' to you. You'll call me Lady Lyria or Mistress. Understood?"

Another drunken giggle. "Yes, Mistress."

Sam watched Lyria at work and saw an almost mirror image playing out before him. She had probably gotten bored with his attitude or something and had opted to have fun in different ways. He supposed it was rather something to be expected as Lyria herself hadn't been getting any action since he moved in. The exception was that night on the steps but he doubted that particularly counted. The elf was her own person with needs and wants, but part of his mind thought it was him that should be providing those for her. A part he crushed out as soon as it rose its ugly head.

"Strip." Lyria ordered.

The young woman stood and started to quickly remove her clothing until Lyria stopped her. "Stop. Not so fast. Slowly." She commanded.

Sally gave her a naughty look and slowed her stripping. Sam watched on and felt more than a little voyeuristic for his viewing. He felt himself growing rather aroused as the pretty young woman stripped. She was probably his age, maybe just a tad older. Another giantess that towered over him, unaware he was even there. Lyria knew he was there most likely and could have taken this into her bedroom but obviously didn't care to. Why would she?

Each article of clothing was slowly peeled from her tanned skin, discarded across the living room with a few tosses. Her bra landed over the heel next to the one he currently hid in, heavy perfume wafting from the article of clothing. Her the soft globes of her breasts were a bit bigger than Lyria's and her entire form seemed a bit more well rounded. Sally represented a human beauty in all of her glory, each inch of her flesh desirable in some manner. Sam traced the patterns of a few tattoos on her body, one of a stabbed heart poised where her own was, another of an elaborate grim reaper on her back, and a series of Kanji lettering down her lower leg. She eventually stood naked before Lyria, displaying her form with very little restraint or embarrassment. The elf set her glass down on the table and sat back in her chair.

"Give me a dance." She commanded.

The drunken party goer slowly started to sway her hips and move her body in an erotic fashion, her naked breasts swaying slightly. She moved closer towards Lyria with each motion, when she got close enough she turned and displayed her ample rump to the elf. She was all over Lyria, her movements hardly graceful and it was a pretty simple dance but judging from the way he noted the elf shift in her chair it was at least somewhat effective. Sam found his own arousal at the sight grow the more he watched.

From what he understood from Lyria the point of these things was not just eroticism for the sake of it but rather a form of control. Telling the person in question to do something and the act being carried out. No matter how humiliating it was she obviously took great enjoyment in forcing people to bow to her whims. Sam recalled when she had done it to him the acts had turned him one quite a bit. None of them had been sexual but all of them had possessed the constant threat of danger looming overhead. She knew her partners quite well it seemed.

Lyria gripped the human roughly by the ass and pulled her up onto her lap. The elf cupped her other hand over her breast and started fondling it, earning a low groan from the human. Sam swallowed hard as he watched the act, trying very hard to look away but finding that quite difficult. Watching Lyria work was a pleasure in and of itself. He didn't need to be on the receiving end of her attentions to find them enjoyable.

"Not bad, not the best either. I'm still not sure you're up to being my cute little pet, human." Lyria said at length.

"Ahhh... please Mistress, give me another chance..." Sally moaned, biting her lower lip as the elf played with her breast.

"Hmm... alright. I want you to get down on the ground and kiss my feet." The elf purred.

She continued to play with the human for a moment before releasing her and letting the drunken woman go to task. Sam felt his arousal skyrocket painfully as he watched the young woman place her lips Lyria's toes. The memory of being caught between the wonderfully soft digits as they wriggled around him was quite prominent. The drunken woman's tongue peeked out and she sloppily worshipped at the elf. The domineering woman looked quite pleased, her own face flushing from the attentions.

Sally looked up at Lyria with drunken mischief as she took the elf's big toe into her mouth. The flawless metahuman gasped in surprise, her composure cracking slightly as the human suckled at the digit. The diminutive onlooker swallowed hard, his mouth dry as the shorter woman lavished the elf with attention. The intoxicated woman clearly knew what spots to hit her 'mistress' at. Lyria looked very much caught off guard by the actions, trying to regain her shell and failing as her blush deepened.

After a few more moments she stopped Sally. "Enough. That was... satisfactory." Lyria stated, standing before undressing herself.

The living room was a mess of scattered lingerie as the two naked giantesses played their games. Sam watched Lyria help her lover to her feet and accepted a sloppy kiss from the human. She reciprocated, locking lips with the blue haired party goer passionately. Her hands trailed up and down her back, pulling the human into her possessively. The diminutive man found his hand straying lower despite himself as he watched these veritable goddesses at play. He found his jealousy giving way to desire, silently wishing he was involved in their affections.

Sally squeaked as Lyria allowed one of her hands to stray lower towards the drooling lips between her legs. The pair fell to the carpeted floor, a tangle of flesh and hair. Lyria was above Sally as her fingers played with the human's arousal with expert ease. The human woman's foot ended up brushing against the heel Sam was in, giving him a nice close up. He noted the freshly applied pink nail polish and felt his around grow at the closeness. His own ministrations grew more feverish as a result.

The drunken woman moaned as the elf worked her magic, gazing up in disappointment when Lyria suddenly stopped. She smirked down at the human. "Not quite yet pet, you have to work for the finishing act. I have my own needs that need to be satisfied." She said.

Sally pouted before offering a mischievous smirk and moving lower below Lyria. The elf held herself up on her elbows and the balls of her feet, but ended up finding balance rather hard to keep up as the human started moving her head up and lapped at her own dripping lower lips. Sam watched on as the human worked, desperate to get the release she had just been promised. She drew sweet moans and cries from the elf, who was just straining to keep from falling over her lover.

Lyria did not last long from these attentions, crying out as the fruits of Sally's labors were greedily guzzled down. Sam ended up spending himself once Lyria found her release, biting his lower lip to keep from making too loud a sound. He suspected Lyria would not be too happy trying to explain away his presence. As he fell on his side and stared out at the two titans he was only vaguely aware that his owner had mounted the party goer and was going to town on her judging from the squeals that were being ripped from Sally's throat.

They all culminated in a loud cry of sheer pleasure, the drunken woman achieving her desperately desired release at Lyria's hands. The elf licked at her fingers as she peered down at the exhausted woman. A smirk adorned her lips as she allowed herself to lie down beside her on the floor, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into her. Sally looked very content from limited view Sam had of the two titanesses.

"You make for a very fine, pet, Sally." Lyria purred.

A breathless giggle followed by a yawn. "Does that mean I get that collar?" She asked.

Lyria chuckled. "Mmm... depends on if I want a follow up performance or not." The elf said.

The human kissed the elf before shifting so her ass was brushing up against the other woman. Lyria reciprocated by shifting so she was holding her from behind and kissed at the blue haired human's neck affectionately. Sam felt his jealousy skyrocket at how Lyria acted towards Sally, gentle and as tender as could be in the aftermath of their exertions He hated himself for the emotion as he had spent the last couple of weeks denying Lyria. Watching her as she played with another, toying with another 'pet', it grated at him no matter how much he denied it.

The two fell asleep on the floor of the living room and Sam followed soon after, his mind whirling with the erotic acts he had borne witness to. His dreams were filled with the two giantesses, their acts playing out again and again through the night.

Sam hated his reflection. Staring up at him from the sink water was an unruly mess that he barely associated with himself. His blonde hair had lengthened in over a month and the stubble on his jaw was threatening to become a full blown beard. His eyes were ringed with dark circles and his form had suffered from starvation. Grey eyes that had once been filled with fire were dimmed from cruel experience. He barely recognized the person that was peering back at him from the warm pool, a twisted mockery of what he had once been.

The image shattered as ripples moved across the water, dispelling the cruel result of his torment. A massive hand tested at the water, droplets flying as it rose once more. Light played across the moist skin and refracted from the droplets as they fell. Sam followed the hand, past the wrist and up the arm. His grey eyes fell upon the blank face of Lyria who took one look at him and looked set to walk away to handle her own affairs after making certain the water was good enough for him not to freeze in.

"Wait." He said, the sound of his own voice surprising him.

Lyria's blue orbs fell over him once more like chips of solid ice. There was very little warmth to find in her gaze or her expression. The week of silence he had raised most certainly hadn't earned him any point from the elf. Her elegant brows fell and she tapped a finger against the side of the sink. He noted that the nails were freshly painted blue. The shade was much darker than the normal shade, almost sapphire really. He rather found that he liked it, made them seem like little jewels studding her digits.

Sam swallowed hard. "I'd... like you to bathe me." He said.

Lyria's mouth was set in a tight line at that. "Is that so? Well, I'm not sure I'm feeling up to that, Sammy. Given the silent treatment you've been giving me this past week."

Sam blanched. "I'm sorry, Lyria. I've just been... thinking."

That was a good way of saying dealing with an internal crisis of identity. After the long string of denials he'd put himself through he just wanted to stop being like he was now. He felt as hollow and vacant inside as he had expected when first undertaking this long resistance. There was no real reason behind what he did but for a desire to preserve his dignity. He reflected now that in his current state there was very little dignity for him to find. He was just drifting along, only not dead from thirst or starvation because Lyria bothered to keep him alive.

The miniscule man fell to his knees before the elf, bowing his head slightly. He looked and felt a far cry from the individual Lyria had first brought into her home. He needed something to strive towards or to aspire to. Something that could give him a drive that he lacked and had been lacking for some time now. At this point anything was better than living like he currently was. There was nothing human about it, nothing dignified about it. Maybe that made him weak. Maybe that made him less of a man. He found that at this point he was far past caring what anyone else might think. Lyria was his only judge in this place.

"I have nothing. I feel nothing. I've lost everything that mattered, I can't find a purpose living like I have. Life without purpose, without drive, and without feeling is just existing." He said.

"Please, Lyria. Give me something that makes me think I'm alive again. I don't care how humiliating it might be. Please help me." Sam choked out.

The elf said nothing for the longest time. The silence was positively deafening and part of him feared that she would deny him that. That she would let him live as a shell of a person in her shadow forever, keeping him alive so he could scurry about in ways that amused her. Then he saw it. A glint of sapphire placed down before him. His eyes rose from the nail of her index finger and to her face. He saw the ice in her eyes still remained but there was something else behind the eyes that he couldn't quite identify.

"Kiss it. If you want to be my pet and gain some purpose then kiss my nail until I tell you to stop." Lyria stated.

Sam stared at the offer before him. He stared at the warped reflection of himself that stared back at him from the surface of that jewel. The word pet echoed in his skull for what felt like an eternity. If he kissed it then he'd formally be recognizing and saying without speaking a word that she owned him. That he was lesser than she was. Lyria would keep the promise she made the first day and his final defeat would be at hand. Could he really just sever the last tie he held to what he had once been?

It wasn't even really a question for Sam at that point.

He lowered his face towards the offered nail and pressed his lips to the flawless surface. He kissed at the nail as though it were his life line, his dry lips cracked, making the kisses somewhat painful. He didn't dare stop even as part of his brain screamed at him to; following the order that Lyria had given him without fail. Likely the elf was getting off to this subservience, he half expected her to be rubbing herself off while he worked. Even with that knowledge in mind he continued to kiss at her nail.

"Enough."

The voice cut through his thoughts and he halted his attentions, staring up at Lyria. The elf had allowed a very tiny smile to cross her lips. She moved her finger and offered him a light and patronizing pat on the head with the digit. He felt something snap inside him that that and felt something wash over his mind. Relief perhaps? It was what he chose to believe in any case as the elf started stroking down his back gently.

"I must say, you resisted me much than I expected. Your will is unquestionably strong, pet, it was just pointed in the wrong direction. I was never the enemy; I wanted and still want to make you happy and content. Never forget that." Lyria said, her lyrical voice soothing.

Sam nodded as the elf stroked him, silently pleased he'd at least exceeded her expectations. She offered him her hand and he accepted with a little smile of his own. They didn't talk through the bath, nor through breakfast or her morning run. It was enough for him to feel like some weight had been taken off of his shoulders. His new goal was slowly emerging in his mind. If Lyria's intention was to make him happy then he should try to keep her happy in kind. It was vague but it was better than what he'd had this entire last month.

After the run Lyria slumped back on the couch in her running attire, taking him from her pocket and settling him on her open palm. She was sweaty as she had not yet taken her second shower, her flesh slick from the exertion of her exercise. Even like this she still managed to look beautiful, Sam found himself taken with her in this state. It made her look more... fallible he supposed, more personable. Not the imposing and domineering Lyria but a normal woman who had come home from a bit of exercise.

"My feet feel a bit sore. I've been up and around the office so much this past week. Why don't you give them a nice massage? There's a clear task for you, pet." The elf said.

Sam blinked at that before he stared down at her titanic feet below. He doubted she'd feel anything but a light tickle from his ministrations. Still she was right, it was at least a goal that he could work with for the first time in a month. He even managed a slight smirk before turning his gaze back to the elf. It was certainly better than waiting around in her heel all day just sitting around and doing nothing.

"Why not? It's not like I had any plans for anything today." He said, chuckling nervously.

Lyria offered him a smile. "There we go, pet, now you're sounding a little better. Here."

She placed him down on the other end of the couch and kicked off her running shoes, followed closely by tossing her socks away. That done she laid back on the couch and placed her feet up on the couch. Sam swallowed as he stared up at them. He'd seem them up close before but staring up at them like this really gave him a sense of scale. Sweat glistened on their surface and as she flexed and curled her toes above the bottom of her feet creased and wrinkled. The smell this close was also rather oppressive, heavy with sweat and very little of her scented soap remaining.

The diminutive human walked up to the walls of flesh, watching his footing due to the impressions created in the couch. His fingers pressed against the clammy flesh of her heel, his arousal growing. Sam moved his hands in circles on the surface of the skin, pressing again her as much as he could manage. His efforts earned him a giggle from Lyria, her toes wriggling in delight above. She shifted her foot ever so from the tickling he gave her, knocking him back on his back.

Sam stood again, glaring at the elf's feet in annoyance. Of course she would be ticklish. Just the way to make his task that littlest bit more difficult. He suspected her motives behind this task was partly to give him something to do, and partly because she liked feeling powerful. It wasn't a massage in the classic sense, though that didn't bother Sam as much as it might have once. Certainly it was humiliating but after doing pretty much nothing for quite some time he found this task quite refreshing. He just needed to figure out how to approach this without getting knocked over again.

After striding back up to Lyria's foot he opted to try and cling to the bottom of her foot, gripping her heel and trying to hold himself up on it. He found getting a good grip was actually quite difficult as the flesh of her foot had smoothed out once her feet had stopped moving. Not only that but the sweat clinging to them made holding on once he found his grip even more challenging. He ended up falling off just after he managed to reach the arch of her foot, landing on the couch and growling in irritation.

He stopped for a moment and pondered the problem. One thing Razor had often told him was that if the obvious solution to a problem won't work then seek out an unorthodox method. It was then that he realized this wasn't about power, or just giving him something to do. The elf was testing his creative thinking. She could very easily make the job much simpler by setting her feet on their sides or creasing the skin at the bottom of her foot. Instead she made it difficult for him. Maybe he was reading a tad too deeply into it; however when it came to Lyria the obvious answer was rarely the correct one.

It was as he pondered the situation that his eyes fell over the leg of her sweat pants and he found the idea struck him. The leg was rolled up a bit as her sweat pants would otherwise reach down a little over her feet. This exposed the underside a little bit which was a much softer fabric that was easily removed. If he could manage to get a bit of the fabric them maybe, just maybe... yes that could very easily work if he could get the material.

Sam strode around her feet and towards the fabric of her sweat pants, gripping handfuls of the blue fabric and starting to climb. "A bit off from your target, pet, my feet are further that way." Lyria said as she watched him with amusement.

The young man ignored the comment and climbed up the leg of her pants until he worked his way to the top of her leg. Once here he moved to where some of the underside was exposed in the fold and started grabbing handfuls. The fabric was light and fluffy, almost like cotton but had some strength behind it. Sam strained as he pulled at the fabric with all of his might, the stubborn area just refusing to come loose. He shifted the direction he pulled to try and work it out and grinned when he heard a tearing sound.

The next moment he fell back, holding handfuls of the stringy soft substance for his troubles. The bits were nice and long however he suspected he'd probably need at least another handful for durability's sake. After another struggle with the fabric that left him red in the face Sam came away from the endeavor with feathery blue strings. With these gathered up he sat down on her exposed ankle and set to work on his next project. All through it he could feel Lyria's eyes silently watching him.

He wound up a number of them together and then tied them off into segments. He tested the strength as he worked, removing weaker links in favor of stronger ones. When he found out he didn't have enough he slung what he did have over his shoulder and went to gather more. It was time consuming but Lyria hadn't set a time for his little goal to be completed. Not only that, it was her day off so it wasn't like she had anywhere to be. He found himself enjoying the work, simple though it was. It felt good to be productive once again.

When he managed to finish his little device he held it up. A blue makeshift rope of somewhat short length was the fruit of his labor, not nearly enough to hope to climb the steps but enough to help with his task. Lyria squinted at Sam and smiled when she noted his creation. The smile pleased him in some way, feeling as though he'd passed whatever test she had set forth for him. Of course he still needed to put the thing in action and see if it would even hold his weight up as he worked.

He slung the thing over his shoulder and walk towards the top of her foot. The climbing here was a bit difficult given the smoothness of her skin but Lyria moved her foot slightly forward to give a slope for him to climb. He gave her a half glance back in appreciation as he climbed towards her toes. Being here certainly brought back memories, bittersweet ones of being pleasured between the digits in the night. With a dry swallow the young man balanced himself against her big toe, swinging himself around so he was on the underside of the digit.

With one foot on the webbing between her toes he removed the rope and slung it up and over the large digit with the other end pinned under his foot. He got it on the first try thankfully and managed to tie the rope off easily enough. With that done he tied the other end around his waist and tested the slack remaining. Not much really, an inch or an inch and a half but it was better than before. Most of the sweat likely was gone by now so that would certainly make his job much easier.

With a deep breath Sam slowly worked his way down to the ball of her foot and started rubbing his hands in circles on the flesh. It looked rather like he was climbing a wall or cliff face, honestly it kind of felt like it. A very soft and supple cliff face that smelled of sweat. When Lyria wriggled her toes the rope shifted a bit but held strong. Sam smirked at his own cleverness, silently thanking his departed mentor for giving him the tools to think outside the box. The female elf that was his owner giggled slightly but continued to let him work for some time. Sam allowed himself to become absorbed in the very simple task, enjoying the feeling of Lyria's skin beneath his fingers.

After a bit of time the elf abruptly shifting her leg and moved the foot he was working on forward. When the young man looked down he found himself looking down not at the cushiony couch but the long drop to the carpet below. Fear lanced through his heart as he found himself dangling by the makeshift rope with no purchase in the open air. His eyes met Lyria's cool blue ones, finding a dangerous light flickering there. Not the one that flashed when he pissed her off on those rare occasions but more like the light that had flashed during the first night they met.

"How very clever of you, Sammy. You see? You were being silly. You won't lose yourself being my pet. You are still the same quick thinking young human you have been for some time." Lyria said at length.

"Maybe." Sam said, his tone still a bit unsure as to the truth of that.

The elf rolled her eyes. "Oh come off it, you enjoyed yourself if that is an indication. No reason to keep yourself from something you enjoy." The elf said, moving her foot once more so she could reach down and tear the rope so she could move Sam closer to her face.

The young human swallowed hard as he dangled by the rope in her fingers. "I guess there are worse things than having a drop dead sexy elf as an owner." He joked nervously.

Lyria chuckled. "That's more like it. I'll make a half decent pet out of you yet, Sammy, mark my words. Now, let's go get cleaned up again shall we?"

Sam nodded as she tore the rope from his body and allowed it to fall to the floor without a second thought. He supposed he was correct. In the world they lived in, where mega-corporations exploited the masses, where dragons moved people around like pawns in an endless game, and where diseased mutants stalked alleys and sewers there were worse fates than living as Lyria's pet. She lived very well which meant in turn he would live very well. Hell compared to his life up to this point he was practically riding high. The only thing that nagged at his brain was that his life was no longer really his own, it belonged to another. No matter how he tried to rationalize it the thought set in his gut in a raw kind of way, refusing to leave.

The next few days were rather odd in the Lysender home. Lyria was rarely one to display outward wear and tear, she was also only rarely enraged or showed frustration. Yet through the days Sam noted a shift in her as she grew increasingly short with him. Her grumpiness carried on through the day usually and the young man was smart enough to avoid triggering any of her rage towards him. Usually though it didn't take much. A simple question about her day had earned him an earful regarding 'knowing his place'.

It was very likely the frustration was centered around her work since she vanished into her home office on many occasions. Her morning runs were abandoned in favor of going in early at every chance. If his wellbeing didn't depend on Lyria being more or less amiable he likely would have found it amusing. The elf appeared almost human with how she stressed out over whatever was happening in her life at the moment. As it was however her mood was potentially becoming hazardous for him as her handling of him in general was rather rough and even hurt on occasion. Ironically he had cleaned up and looked rather well ever since accepting becoming Lyria's pet, yet she was slowly looking worse for wear.

This was why at breakfast on Thursday Sam managed to work of the courage to make a request. "Lyria, I'd like to go into work with you today."

The elf looked at him in slight irritation, the hint of dark rings around her eyes. "I would much prefer you didn't." She said, turning her attention back to her reading as though the conversation was terminated.

He swallowed hard and continued. "Well excuse me if I fucking insist. I'm getting a bit worried about you. What's bothering you so much at work?"

Lyria turned a glare on him that froze the blood in his veins. She set aside her reading and loomed over him as much as she could manage, causing him to take and involuntary step back. It was always a risk that she might take his pestering as a transgression worthy of punishment. However if the alternative was to have her keep being upset or possibly figure out what was wrong it was a risk worth taking. The elf wasn't as infallible as she liked to believe, she wore down like everyone else.

"Insist? Who do you think you are? Let me remind you who the head of the house is, pet. It's the one that isn't two inches tall. I said no so that's all that needs to be said on the matter." Lyria hissed.

"Isn't it in the pet's best interests if their... their owner is in a good mood? Shouldn't I be looking for why you've got such a shitty disposition lately?" Sam pushed.

"I'm warning you, Sam, drop it."

"You being a mega bitch lately is affecting me, ya know. You aren't the type to get so frustrated so seriously, what is the matter?"

Lyria's fist slammed against the table, shaking the utensils and knocking Sam on his ass. Her knuckles were white and her fingernails looked like they were biting into the palm of her hand rather painfully. One of her incisors was digging into her lower lip. Looking at the mask of fury on her face Sam half expected her to lift her fist up again and pulp him. He had never in his time knowing her seen Lyria so enraged. Her cool mask occasionally had faltered but this was pure and bare faced anger burning before him. A thrill of fear and adrenaline shot through him as he stared up at her, waiting for the axe to drop.

The chair screeched as she stood and turned away. He could vaguely make out the quiet sound of her counting to ten under her breath. Her fists were clenching and unclenching as the elf calmed herself down from the angered state. Sam allowed himself to release a breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding in. At least he'd come out of the thing without being killed. Whether or not he was going to be punished for insubordinate behavior towards the elf still remained to be seen however.

"You are right." Lyria said, turning back to him while pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I have been stressed out as of late because of my work. I feel like I'm drowning on dry land! It's like everything that can go wrong this week went wrong. I swear I'm going to kill someone if something doesn't work like it's supposed to for one fucking minute!" She said at length, sitting back down and placing her head in her hands.

Sam was rather taken aback by this. He'd never seen Lyria so... vulnerable felt like the wrong word here. Defeated maybe? He could hear the frustration in her voice and she looked like she was on the brink of breaking down. The indomitable force of will he'd fought against for a month, the one that had beaten him, was being pretty badly battered by whatever was going on. That probably meant it was pretty bad. He found himself curious what could drive someone like Lyria of all people to such a state.

The young human cleared his throat. "Uh, so, that's a no on the punishment?" He said, chuckling as he hoped to lighten the mood.

To his relief that earned a slight bark of laughter from Lyria as she removed her face from her hands and gave him a bitter smirk. "Yes, though I probably should since you called me a 'mega-bitch'. Pretty disrespectful to your owner." She said.

Sam smirked. "What's that old saying about what to call a spade?"

"Careful, pet."

"Right, right, sorry Lyria."

The elf took a deep breath and took a drink of her soykaf, leaning back in her seat and staring up at the ceiling. At least she looked less angry at the moment so that was certainly something. Of course that might very well change any moment. Lyria wasn't exactly what he would call a mood swinger but at the moment she was much more unpredictable. His best bet on getting that ride along was probably now or never.

"I was serious about wanting to come along. If somethings got you worked up I should be there. To take notes, ya know?"

Lyria snorted. "It's hardly one thing. Well, not just one thing. One thing is certainly pissing me off more than the other things."

"And that is...?"

The elf sighed. "It's time for the annual inspection of the facilities. David Rowe, the inspector in question, is a corrupt bastard and his trying to coax bribes out of me. Along with trying to get in my pants."

"So just tell him to fuck off?" Sam suggested like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

A bark of laughter followed that statement. "Were it so easy. Unfortunately his reports dictate our budget for the next year. I already refused to pay him, stupid move in hindsight. He'd have been done in two hours with a glowing report if I'd just paid him off. Instead he's going over everything with a fine toothed comb. Of course that's just when the mainframe decides to get screwy and the air conditioning decides to die. So he's going to bend me over in the report most likely." Lyria explained.

Sam had never understood much of corporate life. He'd grown up in rough parts of the city, running with gangers and scum and never really given two shits about advancing himself that way. From what he did get from that however this Rowe character was trying to screw Lyria for not paying him off. A shake down made perfect sense to him but the fact it was in a corporate setting just weirded him out.

"So then why don't you just pay him now?" He asked.

"If I did that I'd look weak, so he'd think he could walk all over me. I just have to ride it out. I have a few strings I could pull if his report ends up screwing me completely, so there is that." The elf said.

"Anyway, speaking of that I should get a move on, I have a meeting with him first thing. I'll bring you along if you really want it, pet." Lyria said, standing and regarding Sam with a tight smile.

The young human returned the smile, feeling somewhat accomplished at having improved her mood a little bit. The whole pet thing was still something he was not 100% about for obvious reasons, but he found it didn't make him completely worthless. The elf was his tormenter; she had caused him heartache and distress; however he still didn't hate her. If anything he held a twisted affection towards her. Making her feel better helped make their relationship seemed more of a two way street in his eyes.

"Sure. Otherwise I'd be waiting around in your heel all day. I'm sure hanging around you will be more exciting."

She rolled her eyes and offered him a hand. "Hardly exciting. Anyway, I suppose I have been rather neglecting my poor little pet these past few days."

Sam had feared he'd be placed inside her purse once more and the very thought made him remember his first ride here. Lyria however unbuttoned the front of her suit with one hand, displaying the valley of her glorious cleavage. She offered him a rather naughty look as she pushed up the flesh orbs with her free hand and moved him over the valley. The elf shifted her grip so that he was dangling from her finger by the arm and lowered him towards her breasts despite his light struggles. He'd thought the pocket if not the purse but this... not expected.

His world soon changed as he was placed down between her breasts, finding himself forced to stand on her blue bra. All around him was a canyon of pale, soft flesh. In the distance he could hear the beating of her heart, the rhythmic drumbeat of her lifeblood. He stared up from his new dwelling and saw Lyria smirking down at him. If toying with him like this kept her from being as bitchy as she had been then Sam was willing to ride along for the fun. After all, it wasn't everyday someone got to say they were surrounded by a titanic pair of breasts.

"Comfy? I hope so. I remember you were groping them quite a bit when we first slept together. Well, now is your chance to get reacquainted." Lyria said.

Without another word or giving a chance for Sam to respond to that she buttoned up her uniform, shrouding the young man in relative darkness. Her suit was pretty common, white undershirt, black jacket and pants. Her black heels were regulation standard. None of her blue personalized touches, which he was certain annoyed her quite a bit. Honestly he thought she'd look better in a blue suit but Sam supposed corporate life was not exactly a fashion competition. The clothing allowed very little light to filter in as she buttoned herself up fully.

Sam's footing shook as she walked, causing him to stumble back and lean up against her chest. Her heartbeat was much louder when his ear pressed up against her chest, producing an almost hypnotic sound. Since he couldn't see much he had to rely on his other senses to help him out, so he opted to stay closer to her chest. If he moved too far away from it he'd end up tumbling down her shirt and that could very well be fatal. Besides, there were worse things to listen to than that great heart within her chest. It was so very soothing really; just the sound of Lyria's blood circulating was something he fancied he could listen to for hours.

A bit of interest crossed his mind as Lyria drove to her work. He knew she worked for Yamatetsu and in the same facility where this Formula 27 was located, but very little about what she actually did. The anecdotes she shared about her days were typically things that happened around her and not exactly what she herself did. She obviously had some oversight on matters in the facility itself, however Sam had to wonder if she ran the place itself or just a small aspect of it.

The ride was not too bad where he was if, though the darkness was certainly stifling. Her fruity scent was rather heavy for the closeness he had to her, the intoxicating aroma filling his nose and lightening his head a bit. Not being able to see the outside world was certainly crippling but he figured that he could at least hear what was going on. He kept mostly in one place for the journey though the more mischievous side was tempted to mess with Lyria a bit. Perhaps later, distracting her while she was driving seemed a bit too dangerous even for his tastes.

When the car came to a halt and Lyria started moving again Sam gripped onto her bra as she forward, presumably having dropped something. Gravity shifted for a few moments before Lyria stood up straight once more. It felt much like riding in her purse had, only without the threat of immediate suffocation. Her movements acutely affected his footing and his position. There was room for him to try and squirm down further between where the middle section of her bra met the part of her chest between her breasts, however he feared slipping down that might be rather easy.

After walking for a long while she finally stopped, sitting down at her desk presumably. A heavy sigh left her lips as she slumped back in her chair. A few moments later she leaned forward and he heard a light beeping noise as she activated a comm. "Irene, when Mr. Rowe arrives send him in for our appointment."

A pause followed by a rather heavy German accent. "Yes Ms. Lysender."

________________________________________________________________

Lyria sighed heavily as she waited for the fall of the headsmen's axe to fall squarely on her neck. By far these appointments were the things she had grown to hate this week. Each day that smug, pompous, arrogant bastard walked into her office and laid into her facilities. He lacerated her procedures, her employees, and areas he claimed were 'over-budgeted'. He was a corrupt man but he was also a corrupt man who was very good at his job. She supposed that was one reason the higher ups hadn't terminated him ages ago.

She grumbled slightly, removing her pocket mirror from her purse to give her complexion a quick once over. The elf tucked a loose bang behind her triangular ear, a tad irritated when it didn't stay there. Just because she hated the man's guts didn't mean she could afford to let her appearance falter. She had to be unshakable, to be without a chink in her armor or weakness he could exploit. Corporate politics were as cutthroat as they came in the wretched world, a single flaw might spell disaster for her.

The mirror snapped shut and was deposited in her purse once more. A giggle almost left her lips involuntarily as Sam's fingers brushed against her chest. If only other men and women could be so easily handled as him. Lyria briefly allowed herself a fantasy of squeezing Rowe in her fingers so hard his head popped off, smiling contently. Ah well, such pleasant distractions were at least attainable in her mind. It was in that moment when her door slid open and in walked her greatest headache this past week.

David Rowe was an older human, his hair grey as much as it was black. His wrinkled face was hawk-like and might once have been attractive but his aging had certainly not been kind to his appearance. Sharp black eyes zeroed in on her as he smoothed out his crisp black suit. He offered her a rather wintery smile as he moved towards her desk. A slight incline of his head was the only difference he offered to her before taking his seat across from her. A flare of anger crossed her mind that he hadn't even asked for permission first.

"Good morning Ms. Lysender, I trust you had a pleasant drive." He said, the heavy scent of aftershave wafting from him.

Until you showed up it was well enough, she thought. "Good morning Mr. Rowe. It was well enough, thank you so much for asking. Shall we review your findings yesterday?" Lyria said, offering him a smile she was certain would cause her face to crack.

Rowe nodded, producing a little note book. Old fashioned indeed, most notes Lyria herself took were digital. "Indeed, best to get down to business. To be quite honest, inspection of the laboratory facilities was quite... disappointing." He noted with a prominent frown.

Of course it was. "I'm sorry to hear that. Would you please clarify what you find lacking?"

"For starters I noted that in your reports you stated you would be phasing out human testing for Formula 27. Yet in your specimen holding areas I noted no less that twenty humans. This has increased budget allocation to specimen health." He noted.

"As you well know, Mr Rowe, does not just exist to test Formula 27. We also research experimental Cyberware and Bioware for possible Yamatetsu patenting. Human specimens will always be vital to ensuring the most complete results for the testing phase." Lyria responded.

Rowe made a little mmmhmm sound before scribbling some notes into his little book. That scratch of pen on paper was a noise Lyria had come to associate with the man and she found herself hating it. Every answer she gave was recorded by writing when she knew for a fact the bastard recorded her vocal responses. Perhaps it was some tactic to get under her skin, something to make her sweat.

"Regulations require specimens possess a certain level of health up to testing. I've noted the quality in quite a few of yours to be lacking." He continued.

Lyria wanted to scream at that. First he commented on too much budget allocation for human specimen health and then went on to say she wasn't spending enough overall? After three days of dealing with his contradictory reports she was feeling quite ready to leap across the desk and strangle him. Violence was never her first answer to a problem but David Rowe was like a tick stuck to her back. She couldn't touch him and he was sucking her dry. Instead of that however she grinned and bore it.

"We often have to accept lack of quality specimens as a compromise to ease of access to them. It is difficult to establish channels to get access to consistently good specimens. Given the option between wasting budget and on getting them to healthy condition and just using them as they are I opt for the latter." Lyria responded.

"Your intentions are admirable but such cutting of corners can skew results."

"Perhaps, however I am confident in the lab team I've assembled and their ability to compensate."

"Ah yes, speaking of your team..."

Lyria sat at her desk and endured every single little 'issue' the man brought up, addressing them as best she was able. To his credit he did notice some problems that were lying beneath her nose. She had not been aware, for instance, that one of the technicians was a Cram addict. With that in mind she made a mental note to terminate him the next chance she had. For the most part the 'problems' he brought her attention were either thing she was in the process of fixing or things that were that way for a reason.

The most galling thing about this to her was that a number of the higher ups would listen to and see his report and consider it reason to slash her budget. Not enough to terminate the project but enough to really hurt where it mattered. Of course, she could just make it all go away by paying him off. Something he subtly hinted at twice in this appointment of course. Something she'd never do even if it might make things easier in the short term. In the long run it would show her to be weak then others would think they could squeeze money out of her. It only needed to start with one before the floodgates opened.

Sitting in one place for two hours was terrible naturally. She could feel her ass starting to numb and more than once she had caught herself starting to fidget. Lyria couldn't slump back, she couldn't relax, and she couldn't do anything that wasn't businesslike and proper. She had to sit there, her back straight, nodding occasionally, and without removing eye contact from Rowe. After all, she was also being inspected. His notes weren't on just what she said but on how she looked as she defended herself. She couldn't look 'slovenly' at any point in time when interacting with him. He also conducted himself with utmost dryness. It was like cleaning her ears out with fucking sandpaper!

Finally and mercifully the old inspector starting wrapping things up. "Well, I think that concludes the lab facilities. Today I'll be taking a look over your mainframe and cybersecurity systems. Do inform your people to be ready for me." Rowe said, standing slowly.

"Of course, Mr. Rowe, I'll call them as soon as I can." Lyria said, standing and moving to slide the door open for him.

As the man gathered up his things, he halted at the door. "Actually there is one more matter..." He said, looking towards the office cameras.

At this Lyria actually rolled her eyes. "I am very sorry sir; however I'd prefer to avoid... office entanglements." She said, anticipating his offer.

He lowered his voice. "Nothing to do with that. Its regarding your... break in a while back."

That was all Lyria needed to hear to prompt her to deactivate the cameras with a press of the switch near the wall. Her tongue felt dry as she anticipated the very worst from Rowe at this. She might actually need to pay him off if he was talking about Sam's little team that had broken in. The specifics had been left out of her reports so if he found out it was a group of shadowrunners that would jeopardize things quite a bit. Having them snooping around was very bad for business and could ruin many people.

He moved closer to her, his voice a nasally whisper. "We have reason to believe someone on the inside orchestrated the whole thing."

Lyria blinked at that, certainly not having expected to hear that come out of his mouth. "What? Are you serious?"

He nodded. "They knocked out power to a certain floor; it is extremely likely they could only have done that with inside help."

"Right... but they only took out one part of the system. If it was an inside job wouldn't they know better?" Lyria inquired, her mind whirling with the possibilities.

"I thought so as well. However it's probable that whatever the runners were after was not what this insider was after. It explains why the runners could only take out the one." He continued.

"This isn't me saying this, its Mr. Sato."

Lyria felt her blood freeze and her heart skip a beat. If she had a possible insider and it had someone that far up the food chain concerned that wasn't good. Yamakaze Sato was her chief supporter and immediate superior. She had a good enough relationship with him, however if he thought that this insider could compromise the project then the threat of him withdrawing support was very real. Her fists clenched at that thought; if the project failed she'd be under review. That was not a place she wanted to be.

The elf nodded wordlessly before switching the cameras back on. Rowe walked out the door and Lyria found herself seated back behind her desk. This... was really the worst case scenario. Rowe was an irritation but the threat of an insider was a very real danger to everything she had managed to build. It could quite literally ruin her. She was above suspicion if Sato had ordered Rowe to keep her in the loop; however some key staff might get pulled from their stations for interrogation if something went wrong. Which meant Lyria needed to deal with this before it blew up in her face. Quietly.

The rest of Lyria's day was consumed in figuring out just who she could reliably trust. Recently employed individuals were already out from her list though that only crossed a few names off the list. Her head scientist, Dr. Eleanor Lawson was fairly unlikely to be the culprit given her dedication to the project itself. Risking its sabotage is never something the middle aged human would consider. Beyond those however the elf was now swimming in a sea of potential suspects, from security staff to facilities management. She had wished for something to take her mind off of Rowe, however had she known it might have resulted in... this she would have just weathered the storm.

As such she had almost forgotten Sam was between her breasts, only reminded when he tickled her slightly. Her mind was far afield from the games she had intended to play with him while he was there, focused on figuring out who she could trust. Another thought crossed her mind, disturbing but probable. Rowe could have been screwing with her to work her up into a frenzy to find whoever was behind break in. Mismanaging a situation like that would be pretty terrible for the report he would send in. Paranoid or unstable individuals were frowned upon. At least in the workplace.

There were far too many unknowns and far too many possibilities. She also knew that regardless she couldn't rely on Rowe to find them; even if he did it would only serve to make matters worse. The sooner she narrowed down the candidates the better, as it was she had constantly been suspicious of most everyone in the building. The man who brought her a delivery, the maintenance staff she passed, and even her own secretary. At this rate she was going to drive herself completely insane.

When she finally got home, the first thing she did was slump back into a chair and kick off her heels. She heard a little noise within her clothes and allowed herself a tiny smirk. No doubt Sam had not appreciated her sudden movements. The former shadowrunner had likely heard every detail but that didn't matter to her. The tiny human was really the only thing she was confident she had power over now. However he might very well have some detail he could share about the run. Though first, she intended to make up for lost fun.

"Now that we are finally alone, let's have some fun, pet." Lyria purred.

With that said she slowly pushed her breasts together, giggling when she felt the tiny human start to squirm between them. Heat pooled between her legs as she felt his struggles against her flesh, how he writhed against her simplest movements. He hadn't been inaccurate when he claimed she got off on their disparity in power. Part of her wished all of her problems were two inches tall and could be suffocated between her breasts, an illicit part that craved power. She released her hold to give him some air, taking the opportunity to unbutton her undershirt.

He was panting and staring up at her with wide eyes, his tiny member standing at attention. Lyria felt her amusement grow as she pressed her breasts together over him once more. He squirmed and writhed and pushed against the mounds of soft flesh, prompting the elf to start rubbing them against his body ever so. She pressed and released him over and over, her mind taken from her worries for the moment as she toyed with Sam. The elf sat back in her chair and simply enjoyed herself as she tormented her little pet.

"Mmm... I wonder what it feels like. Being pressed between my breasts I mean. It must be pleasant given your arousal, Sammy. Does it get you off, being utterly at my mercy?" Lyria said, pausing her attentions briefly.

Sam stared up at her, breathing heavily. "Please, don't stop." He panted, his gaze almost pleading.

"That didn't sound like an answer to my question, pet. I guess it doesn't get you off as much as I'd though. Ah well." Lyria said, removing her hands from her breasts and simply sitting back.

A moment of silence. The she heard a light grumble from Sam. "Hmm? You'll have to speak up if you want me to hear you."

"I said, yes it gets me off! Damn it, finish what you started!" The tiny human shouted.

Lyria rolled her eyes before she pressed her breasts up against Sam once more. He was still as rude as ever. It was endearing at times but other times it was annoying when she just wanted to hear him beg. She'd made him her pet but it was clear he still had a bark to him at times. The elf was often very tempted to try and beat it out of him, holding back of course. There was a difference between power and force after all. Power gave her more control than force ever could. Yes, she could force Sam to do whatever she wanted but there would be no point. His heart wouldn't be in it. With power though she could get him to do things of his own volition. Like admit that being squeezed between her tits got him off.

The elf continued her attentions, being very careful to give Sam breaths of air when he needed them. She found her own arousal growing however this was pushed to the back of her mind as she worked, focusing on getting her pet to reach his limit. His tiny body was at the mercy of her breasts, being squeezed and massaged between them over and over again. Lyria licked her lips as his squirms intensified, little moans occasionally slipping through when she released him for air. Such simple gestures were all it took to bring him to the brink.

She felt his release as his body tensed between his fleshy prison, spots of moisture appearing on the breast he exploded onto. A giggle escaped her lips as she lifted the spent human from between her breasts and set him on the palm of her hand. He was drinking in great gulps of breath as he laid out on her hand, staring up at her in gratitude. The elf lightly licked at whatever was not on her breast and let out a low noise of approval. Not much to swallow really but the taste was familiar enough from her quick trysts.

"You dirty little pet, I bet you loved every second of that." Lyria purred.

Sam let out a breathless chuckle. "Fuck, that was pretty good. Wouldn't mind doing that again." He said.

"Oh, I'm sure it can be penciled into my schedule. Anyway, now that you are all spent I want to pick your brain a little." Lyria said, standing and heading into the kitchen to wipe off the little mess on her breast.

Sam managed to sit up and looked at her curiously. "This about what that guy told you? About an insider orchestrating our run."

Lyria nodded as she dabbed a towel over the wet spot, setting Sam down on the kitchen table. She set the thing aside after a minute and sat down, with a stack of crackers. She offered one to her pet, who accepted and started munching away. Lyria for her part chewed more thoughtfully as she thought of what best to ask him first. Questions about the run seemed prudent enough. He likely had no idea who hired him as he had said in her initial interrogation. However any information was better than what she currently had.

"Right, so I'd like to know how exactly you got in. What let you shut down the system? Was it a code?" Lyria inquired.

Sam's initial response was muffled by a mouthful of cracker, earning a roll of the elf's eyes. "Don't talk with your mouth full. Didn't your mother teach you that?"

Sam swallowed. "Nah, she taught me other shit like how win a fist fight or hold a gun. Former security force, real hardass bitch."

"Anyway, the employer gave us this cube. Omega, our decker, used it with her deck and boom, lights out." He answered.

"Can you describe the cube?"

"Yeah, it was yellow and could fit in the palm of your hand. It hummed when she used it then it shut down the power."

Lyria sat back in her seat and sighed. That wasn't exactly useful. Likely the cube held some kind of code to short out the system for a bit while they did whatever they were doing. She suspected they were still around as most likely they still considered themselves above suspicion. They might even be plotting to use another group of runners to serve as decoys. Why leave when they felt they were perfectly safe to pick away at this piece of info or that business secret? It's what Lyria would have done in their shoes.

She interrogated Sam at length about the smallest details of his mission, finding with some surprise he was oddly receptive. The death of his team was not a subject he clearly enjoyed talking about but he went into detail there as well. Perhaps her conditioning had been more successful than she had anticipated? Or it was possible he simply believed there was no point in keeping the events a secret. Regardless of his reasoning Lyria appreciated the straightforward nature of his replies even if the content of them just left her with more questions than answers.

"Maybe you're looking for the wrong things. Or rather looking the wrong way." Sam stated as he sipped on some milk from a cap.

Lyria lifted a brow, prompting him to continue. "When you're looking for things on the inside maybe you shouldn't be the one doing the looking. It might help if you had an... outside source." He said.

"Oh? What outside source might that be? Keep in mind we are talking about sensitive corporate secrets and things that could jeopardize my work." Lyria inquired, her interest nonetheless piqued.

Sam swallowed hard and looked around despite the fact there was no one around but them. He looked rather serious and quite a bit nervous to boot. An odd combination that the elf had never seen in him before so naturally now she was extremely intrigued. She leaned in as he gestured her to move closer to him, turning her head so her ear was offered to him. Sam stood and moved very close, gripping the flesh of her ear and leaning in. Lyria stifled a little giggle from the contact.

"Xana." He said.

Lyria drew back and quirked a single elegant brow. "Xana?" She said, earning a loud shushing noise from Sam.

"Don't say the name so loud!" He said, looking actually and visibly scared.

"Um, OK, who is this person?"

"She's a ghost. A fly on the wall. A spy of sorts, freelance. Supposedly she can learn any secret from any person, track down any criminal, all for a price no one who employers her is allowed to talk about." He said.

Lyria laughed. "Sounds like a ghost story, pet."

He glared at her. "It's not a ghost story. Razor had dealings with her on occasion. I never saw her but plenty of others have. She gets results and doesn't seem to care who she works for."

Lyria regarded Sam skeptically as she mulled over this bit of information. It wasn't as though she was going to make much progress on her own and checking security footage would likely yield nothing as well. She needed to find this insider before anyone else could. At this point she figured doing anything was better than doing nothing so she sighed and waved a hand towards Sam. This seemed like a stupid little ghost story but on the off chance it wasn't she figured this Xana might have better luck than she.

"OK, I'll bite. How do I contact this Xana? Let me guess, sacrificing a ghost? Looking into a mirror and saying her name three times?" She said.

Sam shook his head. "It's a forum, Business and Communication Information Sharing. Boring name but it just has a single thread titled 'Xana'. Requests are private so just type in your name and address; submit it and you'll get a visit from her supposedly."

Lyria rolled her eyes and snorted at his apparent superstition though her disbelief did not change the fact that later in the privacy of her home office she opened the forum he had spoken of. The site was grey and dull looking in appearance and design. Sure enough there was only one thread marked as private, the name Xana in big bold font. She hovered over it before opening it and just typing in the necessary info. She hesitated a moment before submitting it. Afterwards she simply closed out of the site and hurried off to do more productive things with her day. She snorted at the thought of this imaginary boogieman paying her a visit. It was laughable.

They were there, curling about her torso. Formless shadows, snaking their way across her body and filling her mouth and nose. She tried to scream but no sound emerged, she tried to reach to the comm lying by her bed but found a tendril had wrapped around her arms to pin her hands above her head. They were icy to the touch, freezing the very blood in her veins. Wide eyes silently screamed for someone, anyone to help her. She tried to kick and thrash but found that ability taken from her as well. The inky darkness squeezed her harshly, taking her breath from her lungs.

Lyria couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe! The malignant force was suffocating her without making a single noise. The icy touch was so cold it practically burned at her skin to the touch. Her bulging eyes glanced over her body and that was when she saw it. The cruel mockery of a woman's face, twisted and grotesque. Her jaws opened wide, drool falling from a long lolling tongue and fangs glinting in the soft moonlight. Then there was the voice, oh God that fucking voice. It felt like blood might dribble from her ears just from hearing it.

"You think me a joke, elf? Let us see you laugh after I am finished..." The creature growled, lunging forward with a mouth filled with rows of razor sharp teeth...

Lyria shrieked as she awoke, sweat glistening over her form. Her wide and fearful eyes searched around the room and her heart thundered in her skull. Her breathing was loud and laborious as she searched for the monster of her nightmares. She slowly realized there was nothing there and sighed in disgust as she slumped back in her bed. She swallowed hard, her mouth feeling rather dry and rubbed her clammy hands against her forehead. She felt so cold and yet at the same time felt hot.

Damn Sam for filling her mind with his nonsense about some spy master of darkness. She shoved the covers from her body and stumbled out of her room, trying to calm herself. The elf flicked on the lights of the kitchen and produced a cup, which she filled with tap water. With long greedy gulps Lyria downed the cold liquid, gasping for breath after she finished. The woman slowly calmed her body down, telling herself over and over again that it had just been some stupid nightmare. There was no monster sitting in the shadows, waiting to tear her throat out.

The elf flicked the lights off and moved back towards her room. She noted that Sam wasn't raising a fuss from her shriek earlier; perhaps he's slept through it? That would hardly shock her to discover. She made a mental note to come up with some punishment for causing her to think like this. Lyria crawled back into bed, pulling the sheets back over her body before closing her eyes. As she did the thought in her mind was directed away from invisible monsters in the shadows. Finally she managed some semblance of peaceful thoughts and smiled a bit as she was about to drift off to slumber.

"That must have been some nightmare."

Lyria froze instantly at the sound of the erotic feminine voice, her eyes shooting wide. Her entire body tensed up and she felt utterly paralyzed. She couldn't move. She didn't want to move. A whimper escaped her lips as she imagined the monster standing right behind her, poised to rip her throat out. The cool, domineering, powerful elf was gone and in her place was a woman paralyzed by the sheerest terror. Only with heroic willpower did she manage to turn her head towards the source of the voice.

There sat a woman, wearing a dress of the darkest color. Her dark hair cascaded down her back, curling ever so. Full ruby lips were turned up into a slight smirk. Her features were flawless though her skin possessed an almost greyish pallor to it. Black nails on her fingers and toes glinted in the darkness. What hypnotized Lyria the most however were the pools of crimson in her skull. Like bright rubies where her normal eyes should be. Just staring at them too long made her feel like she was falling into those eyes.

"You must be Lyria Lysender. Pleased to meet you my dear."

Lyria swallowed and reached for the light switch near her bed.

"Ah, I would prefer if you did not turn that on. One with my... condition is not suited to bright lights." The woman said.

As Lyria looked closer at her she noted that in her right hand, looking like a terrified rabbit caught in a trap was Sam. His eyes met hers and their mutual terror was certainly communicated. Lyria found the word 'condition' was ringing around in her skull. Specifically in regards to her aversion to light as well as her almost unnatural presence. It was then when the condition itself hit her like a sack of bricks. Something that was spoken of with fear by human and metahuman alike.

"You're infected with HMHVV." Lyria stuttered out.

The woman chuckled, rolling her red eyes. "That is the technical phrase for the condition yes. I prefer Vampire myself but to each their own, Ms. Lysender." She said, shifting her grip on Sam so he was dangling from her fingers by his arms.

"This one is pretty cute, isn't he? Don't think I've ever seen a two inch tall man before. Is he for sale by any chance?" The woman inquired, her tone light and conversational.

Lyria gathered her courage and shook her head, earning a pout from the pale woman. "Pity. I can think of a few lovely uses for him besides sitting in those heels out there. Ah well, catch."

The elf only barely managed to catch Sam in midflight, holding her human pet tightly. He was practically shaking with fear and it took a moment for her to realize she was as well. Her guest merely stared at her with those blood red eyes, as though waiting for her to say something. Lyria tried to calm herself down, failing, before wracking her brain for something to say. Anything to distract her from those hypnotizing ruby eyes.

"You are Xana." She stated.

The HMHVV infected woman giggled. "I assumed that went without saying. You posted up a request on the forum so now I'm here."

"Your response time is... impeccable." Lyria said, trying to make light of things despite her terror. The request, yes, she had sent a request for help. She needed to focus on that. Not the eyes.

The vampire sat down on the bedside, a little too close for Lyria's comfort and offered a smirk. "I like to stay... on top of things you might say." She whispered, the sound of her voice sending tingles across Lyria's body.

Lyria tried to gather her thoughts though the most prominent among them was thinking how much of a mistake this had been. This so called Xana was infected with the Human Meta-Human Vampiric Virus. As Lyria recalled only humans afflicted by the virus became Vampires, her own people tended to become Banshees. Those afflicted tended to become immune to aging and were extremely dangerous for their ability to transfer the disease. As Lyria had little desire to become a Banshee she figured it best to try and deal with this as quickly as possible. Her guest seemed less interested in sucking out her essence but who knew when that might change?

"Ahem. I do indeed have a job I would like done. It is a rather sensitive matter. Would you like to perhaps move to the kitchen to talk?" Lyria inquired, recovering her wits.

Xana shrugged. "We're on your dime."

The elf nodded and stood from the bed, gesturing for the woman to follow. As they left the darkness of her room and crossed through the apartment Lyria got a better look at the vampire. She was shorter than Lyria by an inch or two and looked as close to human perfection as it got. Normally not much compared to an elf but Lyria felt the unnatural pull Xana exuded and had to check herself before falling into the hypnotic state again. Just looking at her and being near her was too much.

They sat down at the kitchen table and Lyria placed Sam in the pocket of her robe, figuring he was frightened enough. It was unlikely he could contribute anything meaningful to the conversation so Lyria opted to just let him tuck himself away. How she wished she could join him as she sat across from Xana. She also made a note never to laugh at her pet's superstitious sounding advice again. Being caught off guard like that was something she'd very much prefer to avoid.

"Yes. Well, according to some sources of mine an insider in a research facility I oversee hired a group of Shadowrunners to break in and steal some data. This was a cover for them doing something while attentions were on them. I don't know who they might be or what their goal might have been however I need them found and taken care of in a timely fashion." Lyria said, finding her pace as she looked anywhere but Xana's eyes.

Xana was silent for a moment. "Will this be infiltration and assassination or do you want to make them disappear on your own?"

The elf was silent for a long moment as she considered it. "I wish to handle this my way. I would like them found and delivered to me discreetly. That is what I would require from you."

"Mmm... not much to go on, but doesn't sound overly difficult."

"I can give you the name and location of the facility and clearance-."

Xana raised a hand. "No need. Let's talk payment. I have two methods you can pay me, conventionally or in essence."

Lyria swallowed. "Whose essence?"

Xana smirked and leaned back. "Doesn't matter to me, though elven essence does have a rather... fine taste to it."

Lyria's heart skipped as her smirk revealed a pair of ivory fangs and her tongue peeked out to lick over her teeth. Just the thought of those teeth on her neck was the stuff of nightmares. Yet staring into her eyes almost made the prospect sound appealing. Such was the power of one infected by HMHVV. With the Awakening the world became saturated in magic once more and the dormant disease returned in full force. Even still those with the disease- aside from Ghouls- were fairly uncommon. Thankfully so.

"I have access to test subjects in the underground portion of the facility. When you are down there during your investigation you can pick out what you want and I'll set them aside as your payment." Lyria said, more than willing to break some company policy to salvage the situation.

"That will do nicely. Alrighty then, I think I know what I need to do then. It will probably take me a week. Where do you want to meet up when I find them for the transfer?" She asked, clapping her hands together in a pleased fashion.

Lyria thought for a moment. "The lab of Dr. Eleanor Lawson. She'll be kept in the loop during the matter as I trust her absolutely."

Xana lifted a brow. "Oh? Are you certain that is wise?"

The elf nodded. "She would have no reason to work against us as the project is as much her baby as it is mine."

The vampire thought for a long moment, staring at Lyria with those infernal eyes. Slowly she extended one of her pale hands across the table. The elf hesitated only a moment before grasping Xana's hand and finding it felt ice cold. The other woman pulled her arm across the table, jerking Lyria from her seat with a yelp. She pulled back her sleeve and revealed the elf's pale creamy skin and started tracing a large vein with one hand. A queer smile adorned the woman's face, paralyzing Lyria as she feared the vampire had decided she really wanted some elven blood on her lips.

"Mmm... your heart is pounding so fast. Are you afraid of me I wonder? Are you waiting for my fangs to fall upon your skin and bleed you dry?" Xana asked.

"Yes!" Lyria said, the words ripped from her involuntarily.

"Ha! Honest at least." Xana said, releasing her grip.

"Not to worry, Ms. Lysender, draining clients is bad for business. I rather like repeat customers you see. I'll take the job and call you once I've got the insider." The vampire continued, standing and moving towards the door before pausing and looking back to Lyria to offer some parting words.

"It should go without saying that if you back out of the payment I'll collect directly from you. Every single drop of it. Goodnight, Ms. Lysender."

Lyria waited until the door shut behind her guest before letting out a breath she had not been aware she had been holding. Her palms were sweating and shaking as she slumped back in her chair. That... had been harrowing. Lyria had seen her share of close shaves given her tastes and the fact she frequented rough neighborhoods, however none had been quite so frightening as that. The vampire's parting threat had been entirely unnecessary as the elf understood all too well what screwing the creature would bring her. A few less pints of blood.

Still, she figured at least she was hopefully going to get her info and then some. Lyria had an idea how to make her problem disappear once they were ferreted out, something that would be more of a hassle than killing them but would draw less questions than if a body turned up. With a few calming breaths the elf plucked her pet from her pocket and found Sam still looking terrified. She set him down on her palm and started stroking him, trying to soothe her own nerves through the motions. The elf said nothing and the human was happy to keep the silence as well as owner and pet just tried to settle their nerves. It was many hours until Lyria managed to lie down again though no sleep visited her that night.

It was a lovely Saturday afternoon that found Sam exercising in his little hovel, still trying to forget the icy grip Xana had held over him. His owner had seemingly recovered nicely enough though he wondered how much of it was a mask and how much was just her accepting the situation. As he ran through a series of pushups he opted to believe it was the latter. The elf was not easily shaken after all, honestly the fact she had been caught off guard in the first place had surprised him. Seeing the normally unshakable elf terrified had only added to his terror.

Sam grunted as he counted out twenty and stopped, switching position for a series of crunches. He typically went through sets of twenty before resting and then repeating another set of twenty. Perhaps it was pointless given that Lyria did most heavy lifting but now that he was getting some more meat on his bones he figured it best to occupy his time in some manner. Exercises also served to take his mind off of matters he preferred not to think on too much. Like how he was the elf's property. A fact he accepted but not something he tried to dwell on.

Once he finished his crunches it was on to squats, which was about the time he heard the door to the apartment open. Boot heels clacked against the floor, signaling Lyria's approach as he finished up his last set. The elf had left for unspecified reasons and had been away for the past couple of hours doing this or that. Normally she left to obtain groceries but those had been stocked yesterday. As she entered the living room he noted her more casual attire, a nice blue blouse, jeans with a boot cut and a pair of brown boots.

The elf sighed as she sat down on the chair nearby and scooped Sam up, quirking her eyebrow after feeling him. "You've been sweating. Exercises?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, not much else to do after you left. What's up?"

Lyria frowned and set him down on the glass table, crossing her legs as she seemed to engross herself in her own thoughts for a long moment. "Do you remember that girl I had over not too long ago? Sally?"

Sam thought for a moment before the memory came back to him. "Oh yeah. I remember her. Tattoos, blue hair dye, nice rack." He replied.

"Yes well, I just had a cup of soykaf with her. A date I suppose you might call it."

Sam took a double take at that before laughing. "A date? As in like a normal person date in broad day light? Didn't know you had it in you!"

Lyria favored him with a familiar warning look. Sam had come to interpret that look as telling him to watch himself unless he wanted to be punished. He pondered pushing a bit more but thought better of it. Knowing the elf she had plenty more punishments to mete out if he got uppity with her. He'd already gotten away with the whole figuring out why she was pissed thing so he doubted that she would give him much more leeway. Wisely he shut his mouth and let her continue.

"Anyway, yes, like a normal date. I'm just letting you know in case I bring her around the apartment again. I'd rather not have to explain away why I have a little man living in one of my shoes." She said.

Sam rolled his eyes. "You don't need to tell me when to lie low."

Lyria held his gaze for a moment before nodding and standing, offering him her hand so they could go eat lunch together. Sam stepped up and held onto her thumb as they moved through the apartment. Lyria left him a bit of ham, bread, and milk and moved to the counter to make herself a sandwich. Sam nibbled thoughtfully as he pondered what she had just told him and the implications it might hold. Truthfully he hadn't given much thought to the love life of his owner but now he was required to for his own sake.

Romance and traditional courtship had never been things Sam had associated with the elf. Mostly she just seemed to like to enjoy one night stands. He felt a little something in his gut towards Sally, jealousy perhaps? Lyria looked at him as a pet, a possession, property she owned and treated well but not a partner. Obviously she listened to him when it suited her but Sam doubted she saw him as much of a person. That settled bitterly in his mind but he was quick to divert his thoughts from it lest such a thing fester.

Instead he focused on the staying out of sight bit. That was fairly easy given he could just hide in his little hovel while Sally and Lyria were in the apartment. If that wasn't enough there was always under the chair or couch. There were actually quite a few hiding places for him in just the living room now that he thought about it. The rest of the home was the domain of that stupid vacuum and he couldn't climb the steps anyway. Of course the thoughts of hiding and his home in the heel brought up another thought that had been on his mind for a bit.

Lyria sat down and started chowing down on a vegetable filled sandwich. He snorted at that. The dark haired woman was one of the few elves he'd met who didn't abstain completely from meat though it was obvious she still preferred her vegies. Even when visiting fast food places she mostly ordered vegie filled meals. At most she might eat one thing with meat in it per week. Most elves were like that though not all, Razor being one of the exceptions he knew. Pushing her diet out of his mind Sam instead opted to act on his curiosity.

"Hey, Lyria. You said one time that I'd have to earn my way into your bedroom. How exactly might I go about doing that?" Sam asked.

The elf chewed thoughtfully before swallowing and taking a sip of water. "By being a good pet." She answered simply, taking another crunching bite of her sandwich.

"Well that's not vague at all." Sam said, rolling his eyes.

"That lip of yours doesn't help your case." She noted absently as she ate.

The man considered letting the matter drop and just settle for living in her heel for the foreseeable future. It wasn't bad if he was being honest with himself. However he figured that he had taken up the role of Lyria's pet so he could find some purpose. Being a good pet fell under that purpose he supposed. If the elf wasn't such a controlling bitch she would probably have just told him but no, of course she wanted him to ask her how to properly debase himself before her. Typical Lyria really.

"Can you tell me how to be a good pet, please?" Sam ground out, his teeth clenched.

Lyria turned her eyes to the ceiling as she chewed thoughtfully. "I shouldn't have to tell you. You know exactly what I like by now."

Sam sighed at that and stared up at the ceiling. Of course he knew what she liked from him. Obedience, revering her form, treating her like a goddess worthy of worship. Basically humiliating himself for her amusement. Part of him still rebelled at the idea of just serving her willingly. It was bad enough that he did things like that when she requested it of him but doing it of his own volition just seemed like another nail in the coffin of his dying dignity. Really though, if he was going to be her pet was there any other option?

Wordlessly he moved towards her right hand which rested in the table before him. He knelt down in front of her fingers and bent over to kiss at her blue nails. He looked up towards her face and found her giving him a single glance before returning to her meal. Encouraged ever so Sam moved between all five of her nails and kissed and them, lavishing them with attention. He even allowed his tongue to leave his mouth to lightly lick at the nails. All the while Lyria focused on her meal and pretended not to even notice his attentions.

The part of him that desired to still be treated as a human being screamed at this slavish behavior. He did not stop however and continued to kiss and worship at her nails, eventually moving onto her fingers themselves. The digits splayed out accommodatingly for him to work on them and so he worshiped at the soft flesh of her elegant, slender fingers. Her scented soap filled his nose with her familiar smell and he almost fancied he could taste the flavor on her skin. By the time he moved onto her knuckles he found himself getting aroused.

When she finished eating the elf stopped him and picked him up, holding him before her face with an amused smirk. "A good start but I know you can do better, Sammy."

Lyria moved back into the living room, placing Sam back in his little home to his great irritation. She then departed briefly before returning with some documents from her work, spreading them out on the table as she sat on the couch. She slowly removed her boots first and then her socks, flexing and curling her toes slightly before resting them on the ground. With this done she started looking over this or that approval or budget report. A mind numbing chore but a crucial part of her job unfortunately.

Sam got the message. He climbed down from the heel and slowly worked his way over to the couch. He passed under the table, over her discarded blue socks, and past the pillars that were her boots. One was lying on its side, a massive cave he suspected could house many his size. He ignored these things and moved towards his true goal. Another degradation really but honestly his dignity wasn't doing him much at this stage. The memories of Lyria's ignoring of him were still fresh in her mind. With no effort she could send him back into that hell, so staying in her good graces was a reality of the situation. He also would not deny being aroused by the ten wriggling toes before him. He remembered well that night he had been pleasured between them.

With a deep breath mixed with sweat and scented soap Sam knelt before Lyria's toes and started kissing at her nails. Blue flecks of fabric were here and there from her socks, so he picked those out to clean the feet of his owner. He licked and kissed at her toes though he noted a number of times the elf was not even looking at him. This only spurred him to increase his attentions, to lavish her exquisite feet to his full abilities. It was humiliating of course but the humiliation intermixed with a type of enjoyment as he worked.

Abruptly Lyria's foot shifted forward and caught him between her toes, causing him to gasp in surprise. Immediately his member hardened against her big toe and once again she set the digits wriggling. He gasped and held onto the purchase of her toe, writhing in pleasure as she worked at him. She still wasn't looking at him, her attentions being delivered almost absent mindedly as she worked over her reports. At the moment he didn't mind and just let her do as she pleased. He opted to interpret this as her being pleased with his attentions, a reward of sorts.

As he was pleasured between Lyria's wiggling toes he found himself very much enjoying this particular perk. The elf's rewards were typically little trysts like this, pleasuring him however she pleased. Of all of her methods so far he vastly preferred this one. Her breasts were wonderful and her finger could be nice but being trapped between her toes held a nice appeal. He didn't resist her attentions and allowed the elf to take control of the situation, finding his pleasure climbing higher and higher. All the while the elf continued working, her gaze never once moving towards him.

Finally he reached his breaking point with a loud cry and found his mind clouded over with utter bliss. Lyria stopped wiggling her toes and simply moved to lie back on the couch, propping her feet up on the cushiony surface. Sam was still stuck between her toes and remained there for some time as Lyria worked. He panted and gasped for a bit before settling down from the release. It was an hour or two later when he noted that she started wiggling her toes again. He laughed slightly at this; oh she was very pleased with him. Bracing himself once more Sam finally noted a glance from Lyria, a smirk upon her lips.

It was late Thursday of the next week when Lyria received the call. It had been a simple thing that had chilled her blood when she answered her comm. The familiar erotic voice of Xana had only spoken two words but it had been enough to turn her legs to jelly. Her mind returned to the sight of her fangs and how iron her grip on her arm had been. Just two words were enough to both fill her with dread and a slight bit of pleasure. Mostly dread at the prospect of meeting the vampire again.

The two words were; "Mission accomplished."

It was all she had needed to hear. Immediately after hanging up she had called Sally to cancel on tonight's date. Thankfully her... girlfriend was understanding enough when she had cited the reason as being work related. Technically not a lie but not the full truth either. It was the third date so really it wasn't like they hadn't seen each other plenty since their initial start on the relationship. With a parting apology Lyria had informed Sam of where she was going and for what reason. After seeing the pale expression on his face she had opted not to invite him along. She was cruel at times but not so cruel as to force him to be in Xana's unnerving presence again.

The entire drive through the Seattle streets was stressful. Rain steadily pattered down on her car and without anyone else with her Lyria was left with only her own thoughts. Rationally she knew Xana was not a threat to her so long as the vampire was in her employ. She understood that she was just another business woman out for herself, aside from her unique payment option. However Lyria was also not ashamed to admit the woman was unnatural. There was a wrongness about her that was as oppressive as it got. Lyria had seen and done plenty of morally reprehensible things but just looking into those red eyes she felt that anything she had done paled in comparison to what Xana herself had.

She took in deep breaths when she arrived at the garage, looking at herself in the mirror. Lawson's presence would help calm her no doubt. The doctor had quite a few tricks up her sleeve and being a hermetic mage made her a weapon in and of herself. A small comfort but a comfort nonetheless. No doubt since making contact with Xana she had prepared contingences in case the vampire turned on them. Again it was very unlikely but a being like Xana was never to be underestimated.

None of the night watch stopped her as her clearance gave her full access to all parts of the facility. She reached the elevator and took a deep breath before clicking down the correct floor. The metal box lurched slightly before descending into the depths of the facility. None of the guards would be permitted on the floor and security was out. This was corporate espionage of the highest order, technically sanctioned but even still it was best to cover her tracks. Lyria did not want to risk blackmail material finding its way into the hands of David Rowe.

The sterile halls of the research wing of the facility greeted her when the doors opened. The cameras were all dark and the place was as vacant as they came. She felt her heart pound louder and louder as she drew closer to her destination. When she stood outside of the door to the lab the elf took a few deep calming breaths. Nothing was going to happen. Nothing was going to happen. Xana was not going to tear her throat out, she was going to deal with the problem and put this whole affair behind her.

The lab was dim though not entirely absent of light. Beakers and tubes lined the walls and everything was almost obsessively neat and tidy. Her eyes immediately found the form of Xana skulking in the shadows with a trio of figures all tied and black bagged. The vampire wore a security uniform and a wry smirk. Beside her was a dark skinned human of middling age and somewhat attractive appearance. Dark, wiry hair was pulled into a tight bun and a lab coat was tight around her form. Glasses were pushed up the bridge of her nose upon her entrance and Lyria received the slightest of nods.

Dr. Eleanor Lawson. Pretty much the generic success story but no less impressive for it. Orphaned and adopted into a wealthy family in London she was top of her classes no matter what she did, showing great aptitude for hermetic magic. Eventually hired onto Yamatetsu she and Lyria had worked on a number of smaller projects before this one, though this was their biggest by far. There was no one the elf trusted more in this world. She liked to think they were friends though it was often hard to figure out Lawson.

Lyria was somewhat surprised by the sight. "I hadn't expected three."

Xana smirked, offering an unnerving look at her fangs. "Neither did I, fortunately one proved quite loose lipped when I... persuaded him."

"How did you manage to get three people in here without anyone questioning it?" Lyria asked, earning an enigmatic smirk.

"A girl has to have some secrets, Ms. Lysender."

The doctor rolled her eyes. "She handed them off to me and I stored them in specimen containment. When Ms. Xana found the last one I arranged for all three to be brought up to my lab under the guise of preliminary testing." She revealed, her tone dry.

The vampire pouted at the human. "Where's your sense of mystery, doc?"

The woman regarded the HMHVV infected entity with a cool look. "Not present. Now that Ms. Lysender is here please remove the bags."

Xana rolled her eyes and tore the black bags from the heads of the three conspirators. Lyria frowned as she recognized each one as people that had worked in some way on the Formula 27 project. Two women, one man. Human, troll, and elf respectively. They were gagged and looked around in confusion and fear. Xana handed her their ID cards and Lyria looked over them with a frown. With deliberate slowness she read off the names.

"Izumi Akane. Winona Lyr. Lethanros Silverence. Interesting. How did you figure them out and what were they after?" She asked.

"They aren't exactly master criminals. It was a nice trick with using some hapless runners on a priority target but the dandelion eater here didn't completely wipe his login when he accessed the data. Considering what was happening it was understandable your cybersecurity overlooked it. Probably would have taken weeks to pinpoint and they'd have likely noticed the snooping. Fortunately for you I'm pretty discreet. As for what they were after..." Xana said, gesturing to the good doctor.

Lawson cleared her throat. "They were looking into experimental cyberware we were developing to minimize essence loss for mages. They managed to make copies of the data though didn't get everything. They were apparently planning to use another team of runners to serve as a distraction so they could get the rest and then sell it to Cross Applied Technologies."

Lyria frowned. Yamatetsu dominated the Cyberware market but Cross Applied Technologies were a fairly powerful second tier corporation. It sounded like an entirely inside job but obviously they had them already lined up as a buyer. Fortunate then that the idiots waited to receive the bulk of the data. If the cyberware being developed in her facility ended up in outside hands that would have spelled disaster for her. She glared at the trio harshly, kicking the Asian human in the stomach harshly. The woman squealed behind the gag, tears leaking from her eyes. Pathetic.

Dr. Lawson looked on at the brutality with clinical detachment and Xana actually looked fairly amused. Judging by the bruises on all three she had interrogated them through means beyond mere intimidation. Lyria was not normally one to lash out so but these fools had fucked with her and had brought her more stress than she cared to recount. She was due a little violence for that at least. After kicking the elf in the groin and cuffing the troll a couple of times she straightened her clothes out and turned to Lawson.

"Right. I want all three processed and given Formula 27 doses. We'll deal with them tonight and I'll handle the paperwork later. Xana would you be so kind to offer your continued assistance until all three are dealt with?" Lyria said, earning looks of horror and struggling from all three.

Xana shrugged. "The doc already paid me but sure, why not? Not every day I get to help with mad science experiments."

The vampire put her full security helmet back on her head and gripped her shock prod, forcing the three to their feet. The troll tried to make a run for it but was laid low with the highest shock setting. Lyria felt just the slightest bit safer around Xana as she seemed far less inclined to rip her throat out. That was not to say she was still not drawn to her and that she still didn't feel wrong. It was just obvious she was not a threat. In the apartment she had been unprepared but now Lyria had possessed time to steel herself.

The trip down to Test Chamber Four was wrought with failed escape attempts being foiled again and again by Xana. Her inhuman speed and strength was on full display and the elf even found her own natural agility put to shame. In the test chamber the vampire easily restrained all three to the tables within. Bulk chambers like this had been a recent installation, another expense Rowe had gotten on her case about but Lyria felt confident in the expenditure. In little cases like this they were very useful.

Once restrained the gags were removed and Lyria found her ears assaulted by a blend of begging, threatening, and bargaining.

"Please Ms. Lysender, don't do this! Please..."

"You fucking bitches! Let me the fuck out of here!"

"Listen they were going to pay us a fortune, enough to split six ways and still set someone for life!"

The elf rolled her eyes as Eleanor injected each with Formula 27. The Formula itself was not a shrinking formula; such an expense would be worthless to Yamatetsu. It was the nascent stages of a drug that could magnify magic use. The shrinking had been a convenient spell to use in order to figure out what effect the drug might have on those having magic used on them. Likely to be phased out in the next month as the project progressed. The result of much research on Eleanor's part and much working of the corporate political structure on Lyria's. If successful Lyria might even find a place on the Board of Directors.

Once the Formula was applied the trio departed to the observation room. Here there were two rods that were charged to conduct magical energies. Eleanor took both in her hands and started breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth, focusing herself. Xana watched the whole affair with mild interest, even removing her helmet to get a good look. Lyria for her part smirked as she felt vengeance finally at her fingertips. Finally she could put this whole fucking thing behind her and rest.

"Formula 27 has successfully started bonding to the subjects. Introducing magical energy." Dr. Lawson stated.

The air around the woman crackled and sizzled as she funneled her spell into the rods, the energy emerging in the test chamber. The inhuman screaming within was muted within the soundproofed chamber. It hardly mattered much anyway as it was not long before all three passed out under the stress. Subject survival was much higher by this point in the tests, Lyria was most pleased to see that all three were so far not bursting as they reduced in size slowly. The elf took the opportunity to produce her comm. After a ringtone Lyria received a greeting in Japanese from a perky female voice.

"Hello, this is Lyria Lysender for Mr. Sato. Would you please connect me?" The elf inquired in English.

Heavily accented English met her response. "Ah yes, one moment Ms. Lysender."

A brief few notes of drab elevator music signaled she was on hold before another accented bit of English greeted her. "Ah, Ms. Lysender. I understand it is rather late in Seattle. Shouldn't you be asleep by now?"

"Hello Mr. Sato. Yes it's a tad late but you know me, work, work, work." She replied, earning a chuckle on the other end.

"Of course, you always were rather driven. How can I help you today?" He asked.

Lyria took a glance at how far along the process was before responding. "Simply calling you to let you know everything is stable here. The... problem you were worried about has been taken care of."

A moment of silence met her words. "I trust it was discreet?"

Lyria chuckled. "Oh yes, quite discreet. You needn't worry over it any longer. I was quite thorough in my investigation. I can send a full report at your convenience. Off the record of course."

"Ah ha, no, no. I trust your handling of the situation fully, Ms. Lysender. I must say I was concerned at first but hearing you handled it so decisively and in a timely manner relieves me greatly."

It felt as if a thousand pounds had suddenly fallen from the elf's slim shoulders at his words. Rowe was still going to be a thorn in her side for a few more days but compared to the crisis she had been facing it was nothing. He was an asshole but an asshole she could manage, if she hadn't captured those three... well her benefactor was not the most forgiving. She gathered herself and hurriedly responded.

"It means a great deal to hear you say that, sir. You can count on me to handle things here." Lyria said.

"I have no doubt about that. I would not have put you in charge otherwise. I know your work will yield great profits for the company." Mr. Sato said, a slight beep sounding over the line.

"Ah, yes, I'm sorry to have to cut this short but I have another call on the line. Keep up the good work, Ms. Lysender."

Lyria was smirking as she came away from the call and found Eleanor had finished the process. Xana was still lounging near the window, staring out in amusement at the three shrunken form before turning her red eyes upon Lyria once more. The elf faltered slightly when those pools of red met her eyes, steeling her mind against the hypnotic gaze. She held the vampire's gaze and earned a giggle from the woman as she passed her by, placing her helmet back on her head and moving to the door.

"Well, it's been real girls, but I'm off. You ever need something like this again pop me a message on the forum." With that the vampire was gone, leaving Eleanor and herself.

The pair moved into the test chamber and Eleanor handled each of the shrunken trio with a set of rubber gloves. She placed them into a set of three test tubes almost out of habit and handed one to Lyria. The elf smirked at the tiny, unconscious body within. Oh she was going to enjoy exacting revenge of the highest order on these idiots for daring to defy her. Her amusement must have showed for the doctor cleared her throat.

"I take it you aren't disposing of them quickly then?" She stated.

"Of course not. It would be a dreadful waste." Lyria stated, and then followed up with a question of her own. "Do you want any of them?"

Eleanor shook her head. "Thank you but no thank you. I shall let you have all of the fun there."

Lyria shrugged. "Suit yourself. If you change your mind the offer is open ended."

Eleanor nodded and handed the remaining tubes to Lyria who couldn't wait to get home with her new prizes. The elf wondered how Sam might like getting some new playmates. Likely not as well behaved playmates but Lyria hardly cared about that. Unlike with Sam she had no previous attachments to these creatures. So she doubted it would be too much of a loss if she... made an example of one of them. Thoughts for the next day no doubt, for now she found herself really wanting to crawl in bed. The sooner she got up, the sooner she could play with her new toys.

The morning brought with it unknowns and Sam was unsure how to feel about that. His owner had come home late last night with this pleased countenance about her, and though they had not spoken he got that her search had yielded fruit. Of course he was curious but he had kept it to himself as they went through the morning routine. Pleasure practically radiated from the elf as she went about the morning and Sam simply chose to bask in it for a bit. She seemed to have a spring to her step through her morning run as well.

As for the conspirator that had caused her such trouble he wasn't sure he wanted to know how she had dealt with them. Possibilities swam through his mind, from shooting them in the sewers to dissolving them in acid and everything in between. If there was one thing he knew about Lyria it was that she was judicious with her retribution and punishment. As she came down from her exhaustion from the run and Sam occupied his time with kissing her fingernails at the kitchen table the elf finally spoke to him for the first time today.

"So, I have a surprise for you Sammy." She said, moving her hand from his attentions.

"Oh? It's not a new vacuum cleaner is it? One that shoots lasers?" He quipped, earning a reproachful look.

"Not as such."

The elf stood and moved to her purse, humming as she gathered up whatever contents were within. Sam's eyes widened at the sight of the glass tubes and on what exactly was within them. More tiny people like him. He winced as he noted Lyria's careless handling, phantom pain from his own experience coming back to haunt him. It seemed like ages ago that he first arrived in the tube. The elf uncorked each tube before shaking out the contents of each one out on middle of the table, giving Sam a nice eyeful of them.

One he recognized almost immediately. She lacked the headphones and wore a look of terror rather than disinterest but it was the same young Asian lady that had 'processed' him. The other two were strangers. The elf was as handsome as they come, his long red hair falling freely about his head. His features were sharp but no less elegant for it, looking almost fragile but Sam knew better. He had made the same estimate of Razor in their first meeting and had paid for it then. The last was a troll, standing head and shoulders taller than everyone else. Her tusks were filed nicely and her hair was cut short, horns sweeping backwards from her forehead. Judging from her physique if he had to guess she used to work security or some physically demanding position. Not bad looking for a troll either.

Lyria swept a hand over the trio. "Behold, the conspirators. Now my toys. I think there is a rich irony, don't you agree Sammy?"

Sam could certainly appreciate the irony. Victim to the formula they used as a decoy and taken as shrunken prisoners by the woman they nearly ruined. He also felt a bolt of anger cross his mind. If these bastards hadn't used his team like that then they would still be alive and he wouldn't be like this. In a way they were the architects of his misery. Hard not to hold a grudge towards people like that. He lifted a brow towards the nearest one, the elf, as he recovered from the rough landing.

The other shrunken man shook his head to clear his thoughts before beholding the gigantic kinswoman sitting before him. He paled and stumbled back. The human woman looked paralyzed from shock, staring up at Lyria like a deer in the head lights. The troll was shocked though she quickly seemed to recover and instead stared around to get her bearings. She turned an ugly glare towards Lyria soon after. The elven woman merely leaned forward in her chair and propped her chin up on her palm.

"I wonder if you three idiots know how much stress you put me under these past days. All because you decided to get a little greedy. Well look what that greed had bought you, shrunken to an insignificant size. I was thinking about just killing you at first but when this idea struck me I just had to do it. How does it feel, to be so pathetic?" Lyria said scathingly.

The troll was the first to speak up. "You bitch, you can't do this! Give us back our normal sizes! They've got you on record there by now!"

Lyria looked at the troll like she was a fly in her soup. "Hardly. I, unlike you, am not stupid. Security and observation was disabled and my superiors don't really give a shit what I do to you as long as you are gone forever. I can do whatever the fuck I want to you little shits." The elf hissed.

Her finger shot out and slammed into the troll, knocking her on her back before pinning her down a pressing slightly. Sam winced as he watched the woman struggle against the digit. He was now rather grateful that Lyria had been a bit more merciful towards him. The troll gasped and sputtered, her grey skin turning a bit darker around her face. After a few more moments the elf let up and gave the troll some much needed air. Her gaze turned towards the other two, who both looked rather horrified.

"However, I'm not unreasonable. I'm not going to kill you." Lyria said and Sam knew what was coming next. Likely the exhales of relief from the human and the elf would be short lived.

"I've learned what fun it can be to have tiny things like you as pets. So I'll make you three my newest pets. If you go along with your new roles you'll find a mostly comfortable life here. If not you probably won't enjoy your time here." The elf said, smirking down at the range of reactions.

The elf looked horrified immediately and it took the human a long few moments to process the words before her expression shifted similarly. The troll looked disgusted but considering the pain she'd just experienced the woman was silent. Sam knew well the range of reactions as all were emotions he's felt as he cracked under Lyria's will. The elf phrased it like they really had a choice, Sam knew far better than that. There was no real choice, it was submit or lose oneself. No choice there as far as he was concerned.

The human woman started crying. "P-please, Ms. Lysender... I have a little sister I need to look after. Please, please don't do this! Please..." She sobbed.

Lyria regarded her coldly. "I doubt your sister would be so little to you in that state, Izumi Akane. Maybe you should have thought of her before you engaged in corporate espionage."

The young woman wailed piteously and though Sam recognized her as his first poor experience in this new life of his he felt some sympathy. Obviously Lyria didn't as she just rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the other two, both of which obviously opted for anger as their new primary emotion. The former shadowrunner knew exactly what that would get them, it certainly wasn't a reward.

The elf was red in the face as he spoke. "Damn it, Lyria, you can't just make us into pets! We're people damn it! If you want us punished it should be a board of directors doing it, not you!"

Lyria rolled her eyes. "As I've said, I can do whatever I want to you. I've already made you my offer. It's up to you if you want to take it. Anyway, I should let you get settled into your new home."

With that the elf plucked each of them up and offered Sam her hand which he stepped on. She walked out of the kitchen and into the living room where she set Sam down in his heel gently and just let the trio tumble out of her hand carelessly into the other. The elven woman stood and stretched before looking at the time. She cursed and cast a glance down towards Sam.

"Ah, damn it, I have to meet up with Sally in a few minutes. Pet, why don't you help get them acclimatized? I'll be back in a few hours so try to get along with your new playmates." Lyria said, her footstep thumping on the floor as she rushed to her bedroom to get ready.

Sam himself cast a glance to the neighboring heel and caught the sound of a combination of cursing and miserable weeping. Figuring that it was probably not the best time to go introduce himself the more domesticated human climbed up the rise in the heel and sat down in the heel section. He opted to start up his sets of exercises while the trio handled the situation themselves. He'd stop by when things had calmed down a little. Welcome them to the neighborhood he supposed with a wry smirk.

As it was it was an hour later when they were the ones to approach him. He was doing a few stretches when he noted all three climbing up the heel he occupied. Sam stopped his activities and gave them a neutral look. They all looked more than a little wary of him given that they hadn't said a word to each other though likely they had taken note of his presence at the table. He himself was wary of his new neighbors as they were unknowns. He had just started getting the hang of this whole pet business but now Lyria decided to shake things up a bit. At least she could keep things interesting.

He sat crosslegged when they reached the top and the two parties sized each other up. He had regained much of his lost muscle mass and his returning training regimens had kept him well enough in form. He was as naked as they were though seemed far more comfortable with it. Clothes had become a bit of a lesser concern though he had occasionally toyed with the thought of asking Lyria for some. Or even making some himself from napkins and the like. It was a long while before anyone spoke; the one to break the ice was the elf.

"Ah, hello. We noticed you at the table earlier." He stated.

Sam smirked. "Wow, I noticed you too, what a coincidence."

The elf cleared his throat slightly. "Ha, yes. I think I heard Lyria call you Sammy?"

The former shadowrunner opted to have some semblance of mercy. After what they went through he considered any real debts between them filled for now. He stood and offered out a hand with a smirk. "It's Samuel. Sam to pretty much everyone but Lyria."

The elf's shoulders visibly slackened in relief as he shook his hand. His companions, the troll especially, looked less convinced by the friendly gesture. "Lethanros Silverence. Leth will do. This is Izumi Akane and Winona Lyr." He said, gesturing to the human and troll respectively.

Sam nodded at Akane. "I've met one in passing before."

She looked at him in confusion which hardly surprised him. She probably had processed countless subjects and carted them to their doom without a care in the world. He could imagine ending up on the receiving end was probably the worst nightmare scenario for her. Lyria was certainly fond of irony, he would give her that. Sam didn't feel much hatred towards her though he was certainly willing to take her a walk down memory lane to see if it drew a reaction. A bit cruel given her circumstances but hey, Lyria was probably rubbing off on him.

"I was under a microscope at the time." He commented.

The woman's face paled almost immediately and Leth looked a bit less comforted by that. "I-I oh God!"

"I'm fairly certain she's sorry, Sam." Leth said hurriedly, obviously trying to keep things from degenerating.

Sam shrugged and sat down. "Hardly worthy of a grudge by this point. So, what brings you to my little slice of Lyria's home?"

The troll wrinkled her nose. "You mean you live in here? Like down there?" She asked, pointing to the toe section.

The human smirked a toothy smirk. "She uses scented soaps and hasn't opted to wear these since I got here so it's not bad really. Slept in way worse places let me tell you."

The disgust didn't leave the troll's face as she peered down once more. He could imagine the concept of living in something that one once wore was pretty difficulty to wrap one's head around. At this point, until he got in good enough to get a spot in her room the heel was home as far as he was concerned. Leth sat down in front of him and Akane managed to work up the nerve to sit next to him. Winona stayed standing and leaned against one of the straps, peering out at the sea of carpet.

"Right. So you've obviously been here longer than us. How long is that exactly?" The elf asked.

Sam looked upwards and sighed as he pondered exactly how long it had been. "A month and a half maybe? Lyria would probably know the exacts, time tended to blend together at times."

The elf seemed taken aback by that. Saying it out loud it did seem like rather a long time to be living like he had. It was probably actually longer than that but it was a long time either more or less. Most of it had been in a state of misery while at the moment things weren't too terrible. The troll turned her attention back to him at the number, surprise upon her face. A frown then crossed her lips as she spoke up.

"All that time and you couldn't escape?"

Sam laughed at that. "And go where exactly? At two inches tall I'm sure a rat would have a nice meal of me. Escape wasn't exactly my priority. More matching wits with Lyria."

The troll looked fit to say something again before Leth cut in. "A good point, I suppose. Escaping conventionally in our current condition would be unwise. Have you tried to contact the outside perhaps?"

Sam saw what they were here for now. They wanted hope. They wanted to cling onto some escape from this current situation. He couldn't really blame them as the prospect of living like this had seemed daunting to him at first as well. He could probably have given them some false hope to cling to, kept them going in some way. As it was at the moment brutal honesty suited him best. These folks weren't his friends and he owed them no soft lies, besides they would all find out one way or the other.

"Nope. Was mostly just trying to keep some modicum of self-sufficiency in the apartment. Take my advice here. When Lyria asks you if you want to jump, you say yes and jump. She's fond of giving people a choice between refusing her or allowing her to do as she pleases. Eventually she gets her way." He said.

The troll sneered at him. "Sounds like you're more a whipped pet than a man."

Sam offered her a smirk. "Talk to me after a month of that attitude and I'm pretty sure you'll agree with me, chummer."

A snarl replaced her sneer as she took a step towards him. "As if. I'll never be that bitch's pet. I'd slit my own throat before that!" She roared.

Leth stood and moved between them to prevent any conflict from rising up. In the meantime Akane spoke up again. "What's she going to do to us?"

Sam shrugged. "I dunno. She won't make you do anything probably. Not her style. She'd rather you give into her of your own volition."

The look she gave him was halfway between horrified and disgusted and the expression was shared among her companions. Leth cursed under his breath while Izumi pulled her knees up against her chest. Winona just looked pissed off and slammed a fist into one of the straps shouting 'damn it' over and over again. Sam wished he could have taken some pleasure in crushing their hopes but there was none to be found. Technically these three were the reason his team was dead and certainly he held some hatred for that. However in his mind, whatever fate they suffered at Lyria's hands would probably be punishment enough.

Akane spoke up again. "Wait... I do remember you... you were the surviving shadowrunner Lyria said she'd be disposing of!"

Sam nodded. "Yep, that's me. Pretty sure you never thought you'd be seeing me again did you? Lyria's sense of irony is pretty extreme." He said with a chuckle.

The troll growled and advanced on Sam. "You think this is funny, you piece of shit!?"

The street samurai got to his feet and gazed up at the taller woman evenly. "I think it's nicely ironic that you ended up asking the guy you screwed over for help yeah."

The elf paled. "You mean... you know?"

"That my team was a decoy? Yeah. Lyria was quite willing keep me in the loop. There are benefits to having her favor." He answered.

The troll growled and took a swing at him, which Sam easily ducked under and backed up into a low crouch. Leth and Akane backed up in alarm, the former shouting for Winona to back off to little effect. Sam knew the feeling she probably had. She was pissed and scared and frustrated and just wanted to punch something. He sure as hell wasn't going to be her punching bag though, that much was for certain. Her face was a mask of fury while Sam himself wore a tiny grin as adrenaline poured into his bloodstream. It had been a while since his last fight.

As he ducked and weaved his way through the troll's clumsy attacks, Sam remembered what Razor had taught him. If his foe was bigger and stronger than him it was best to use their bulk and try to turn it against them. The blows he landed were shrugged off but were mostly to goad Winona to follow him closer to the edge of the heel section. She snarled as she leveled a right hook at his head, her knee coming up to meet his ducking head. The former shadowrunner hadn't seen that coming and felt spots dance before his and stumbled back to the very edge of the heel, blood trickling from his nose.

Winona swung out again and Sam growled as he sidestepped it barely and gripped the troll's arm. He used her forward momentum to shove her towards the edge. The troll yelped in surprise, her hand reflexively grabbing Sam's which sent them both tumbling over the edge. They landed in a tangle of limbs, Sam finding his face shoved between her ample cleavage. He let out a muffled groan and could hear Winona making similarly pained noises. It was something of a fall even with the carpet.

Sam pushed himself off of the troll and rolled to the right, stumbling to his feet as he clutched as his bleeding nose. The troll wasn't far behind, shaking her head to shrug off her disorientation. Sam spread his legs apart and fell into a ready stance as the troll advanced again. Without the fall advantage he was very much outclassed in terms of reach and strength but speed was on his side. He ducked and weaved his way through most of Winona's attacks, countering with quick jabs to exposed weak spots like her liver.

He yelped when the troll's knee met his stomach, knocking the wind from his lungs and forcing him back. Winona wasn't done yet as she swept at his feet to try and send him toppling over. Sam managed to avoid that, reorienting himself enough to deliver a kick of his own between the troll's legs and squarely upon her lower lips. The troll howled in pain and stumbled back, giving Sam some room to breathe and think. He stared warily at the troll for a long while as he pondered how best to not get his face pounded in.

Winona spat to the side and was upon him once more, relentlessly pursuing him. Sweat and blood and bruises were on both of their bodies by this point but neither seemed fit to stop yet. Sam felt the rush of a good fight flowing through him once more and his smirk widened. Being stuck with Lyria had afforded very few opportunities for fights, aside from the odd killer vacuum, but now he was getting his fill with one he had to admit was pretty much his equal in combat. Maybe even better than him. It was exciting, thrilling, and refreshing all at once.

The two pounded away at each other, Sam landing a good hit on Winona's eye next and she a right hook to his jaw that caused his world to explode in pain. Leth and Akane were practically screaming at them to stop but neither could hear the pair over the roar of combat. Sam finally spoke as he leapt aside from a kick, his voice breathless but excited as well.

"Not bad. You must have been with security in the building." He remarked.

For the first time since they had met the troll allowed a positive expression to cross her face, a savage grin. "Not bad yourself for street scum."

The two slowly lowered their arms and regarded each other as they took great gasps of breath. Her anger seemed to have mostly been quenched from the brawl though her grin vanished to be replaced by her familiar frown. Sam let himself fall on his ass and laughed breathlessly. Damn she had certainly done a number on him. He predicted there would be a number of new bruises on his body by the time morning rolled around. Ah well, had been worth it really.

"This is so fucking fucked up." The troll said, shaking her head.

"I've been telling myself that for weeks. Doesn't make it any less real." Sam replied.

"Damn it... stupid fucking elf bitch. This isn't right."

Sam favored the troll with a frank look. "Right or wrong has nothing to do with it. Lyria does whatever she wants. As far as she's concerned we're just things she owns."

The troll glared at him. "I'm just supposed to lay back and accept that? Like you? Just content myself with living in her shoes and letting her domesticate me?"

Sam sighed and shrugged. "You probably won't at first. I didn't. I resisted for about a month. If you can last longer I'll commend you for that." He said, fighting hard to keep bitterness from his voice.

The troll turned away and kept to her own thoughts. Sam in truth partially hated what Lyria had turned him into. However he had lived the alternative and had lived it for a very long time. At least like this he could say in some twisted way he was sort of happy. He liked to think Lyria held some kind of affection towards him, even if it was only as an owner might have for a pet. At the end of the day, serving her was better than just living an empty existence. Serving the elf gave him some twisted sense of purpose. Of course he wouldn't expect any of these three to understand that. Not yet anyway.

Leth had managed to work his way down with Akane following close behind. "Winona, we talked about this! What the fuck were you-."

"Easy, elf, she was pissed. Perfectly understandable. Besides I haven't had a fight like that in a while so it's null sweat."

The troll turned her gaze to him again. "Yeah well, just stay the fuck away from me human. You might have given up but I'm not just going to roll over." She said scornfully, stomping away towards the heel Lyria had initially deposited them in.

Leth gave Sam an apologetic look and took off after the troll. Akane lingered to give Sam a long look. He couldn't get a read on what the look translated. Sorrow perhaps? Despair? Or maybe she was scared looking at what she might well become in Lyria's care. The latter one certainly would have horrified Sam if he was in her shoes. After a few moments the woman trudged after her companions. Sam for his part opted to just lay back and ride out the aches from his fighting with Winona. With those three around things were certain to be more... interesting.

Through most of the day Sam found the new arrivals were trying to explore the living room. He smirked when he saw them standing by the steps. There was no way they were getting up those but he opted to let them figure that out on their own. During the long days of his isolation he had possessed plenty of time to explore the place and knew the room all over. At the moment he was trying to wrestle with his own feelings towards the trio. As such he was more than willing to give them their space. Especially Winona after their little brawl.

After dark the trio had opted to return to the heel. Amusingly the troll refused to sleep inside of it and took her place under the arch of it. For his part he slept lightly as he hardly trusted the new arrivals. Winona especially was someone he wouldn't doubt would wish him harm. Honestly he wasn't sure what Lyria was thinking keeping them alive, he would have expected her to kill all three. Then again it could be the idiots might get themselves killed or that she had plans for them he couldn't see at the moment. He understood her well enough but she still managed to surprise him.

The next morning arrived quickly enough and Sam waited for Lyria to return from the bedroom. Swathed in blue robes she emerged with her bedraggled mess of hair and offered him her hand with a tired smile and a yawn. He stepped on and noted her being a bit more rough in gathering up the conspirators, gripping the squirming and protesting trio in her other hand after collecting them. She hummed lightly as she moved into the bathroom, dumping the three out on the sink counter but holding onto him and bringing him close to her face.

"I don't think I ever properly thanked you, Sammy. If you hadn't told me about Xana I might not have caught these three. I could have done without the whole her being a vampire bit but still, I owe you some thanks." She whispered, her voice sending shivers down Sam's spine.

"Ah, well, I uh... figured helping you helps me right?" He responded.

"Mmm... I'm happy you recognize that, Pet." The elf said.

Sam didn't expect her plush lips making contact against his body, the soft cushions pressing him into the supple flesh of her palm. He gasped as the left him and returned once more, enveloping him in her warmth. Her hot breath washed over him as she parted for the last time and he felt his mouth grow dry. The twisted affection he held towards her swelled with him from the contact and the praise. He idly wondered if he was a good enough pet to be taken into her bedroom, that mystical domain he had glimpsed fully only once.

With that she gave him his bath with tender affection, her expert hands already quite used to doing this. The trio looked on with mixed expressions though he already knew the troll was probably disgusted. As far as Sam was concerned at that point the bitch could go fuck herself. He allowed himself to enjoy Lyria's caring attentions, letting her handle everything. The elf turned her gaze towards her newest possessions, the warmth leaving her in favor of cold amusement. As she dried her pet off she addressed them.

"Any of you three care for your loving owner's attentions?" Lyria inquired, her voice filled with false sweetness.

Winona favored her with a rather rude gesture, which ended with Lyria's hand shooting out and grasping her painfully. Her attentions with Sam were ended and her face became a mask of annoyance. The troll gasped as the breath was squeezed from her lungs and her captor regarded her with the same notice she might give an offensive insect. Akane joined Leth in trying to talk Lyria out of doing whatever she was planning but were silenced by a positively deadly look from the elf.

"Maybe now is the best time to make clear that all three of you are on very thin ice with me. In my endless generosity I opted not to kill you and even gave you the choice to be my pets. Magnanimous of me, no?" She hissed.

"You don't want to push your luck. If you go too far I'll assume you are spitting on my generosity and I'll act accordingly. This is your first and only warning." Lyria said.

With that the elf promptly dropped Winona into the sink, the troll screaming the whole drop before making a splash. The elf glared at the other two before turning on her heel and getting ready for her own shower. Sam heard the troll rise and start coughing and sputtering for breath from the suffocating grip. Akane and Leth looked pale in the face as they came down from that rather blatant threat. Sam shrugged when they gave him a look. The elf had never issued a warning like that to him, but then he had not screwed her over.

The two followed into the bath to check on their companion and Sam didn't miss the ugly glare Winona shot his way. Lyria's praise had done him no favors towards her but then he had already suspected the troll was going to dislike him. The loud hiss of the shower sounded through the bathroom and Sam mostly just looked at the shower, watching as his owner washed herself. At times he'd played with a fantasy or two of showering with her, either on the floor as he knew the drain couldn't suck him down or, more erotically, being drawn over her body. The thought got him nicely aroused and once there it was hard to shake off.

The elf finished her shower quickly enough for a morning soak and stepped out in all of her nude glory. She dried herself down and wrapped the towel around her head before offering him her hand. Sam got up onto it as she departed, clicking off the lights as she left. It was then he realized that she was going to do the same to them as she'd done for him. He knew well how quickly the water got cold and for another brief moment he pitied them. For her part Lyria smirked down at his erect member.

"Exciting thoughts, Pet? Imagining your loving owner lavishing you with attention perhaps?" She inquired.

Sam pondered speaking up about his little fantasy, figuring she was pleased with him so might as well go for broke. "Ah, imagining taking a shower with you actually." He admitted, swallowing slightly.

Lyria giggled. "Oh? I think that can be arranged after my morning run." She said, her voice dipping into sultry levels as she placed him on the kitchen counter before setting off to her bedroom.

He frowned slightly at the fact she had denied him her room but shrugged it off. He would just need to keep up his efforts to please her if he wanted residence in that magical place. Instead his thoughts turned to their shared shower to be. He honestly hadn't expected her to agree so readily to the idea. She did seem to enjoy a clear disparity between owner and pet and he had feared she might take that idea as blending the two realms together. Regardless of her reasons he could barely wait for the morning run.

Lyria returned soon enough in her normal running attire and favored him with a smirk as she plucked him up and moved to her home office, her hair still moist. She briefly checked over her messages and the a few other bits of info. Sam kissed at the flesh of the hand wrapped around him and lapped at the soft skin as well. Lyria giggled and gave him a warm look of approval before returning her attention to the info on her screens. The young human felt a swell of pride and kept his attentions up. It was absolutely humiliating but it was what Lyria liked.

After a bit the elf decided the trio had waited long enough and left him on the kitchen table as she went to dry her hair and retrieve them. She returned soon enough and dumped the cold and shivering individuals out on the table. She provided each of her pets with some bread, cheese, and a cap of water. Sam watched all of them wolf down their food, the only meal they'd likely had in a while. He himself took a drink from the cap before enjoying his own meal, moving a bit away from the trio just in case they took exception to his better treatment.

Lyria stretched slightly and gave all of her pets a look. "Right so who wants to accompany their caring and kind owner on a run? I already know Sammy is up for it, what about you pets?"

Winona looked fit to say something she'd regret but Leth quickly interceded, still shivering slightly. "Ah, thank you, Lyria but I think we are all good to stay here."

The elf frowned slightly before shrugging. "Suit yourselves."

After the trio finished eating Lyria brought them back to their heel, dumping them carelessly inside before setting Sam in her pocket and heading out. As always the going was very bumpy but Sam didn't mind over much by this point. The runs had ever been his favorite part of the day but it did beat waiting around at the apartment. It gave him something to do or at least a reason to spend time with Lyria. They didn't take over long really though it felt like an eternity now that Sam had something to look forward to once back home.

Soon enough they were back home and Lyria went straight to the bathroom, sliding the door closed and looking at her pet with a mixture of amusement and hunger playing in her eyes. The look got his blood pumping as he watched her strip and his arousal strained against Lyria's fingers as she opened the shower door and closed it. He swallowed hard, his mouth dry as Lyria brought him up to her face. He could smell her sweat heavy upon her though that hardly brought his desire for her down.

"Now then pet, how did you fantasize this shower might go? You on the floor? Or maybe... sliding against my smooth, flawless skin?" She asked.

"Your skin." He said, a little too quickly.

Lyria chuckled. "Good choice. Well then... let's get started. First, let me get myself all soaped up."

With that she set him on a little shelf in the shower that held her washing supplies. The shower hissed to life and Lyria sighed in pleasure as the water droplets cascaded upon her flesh. Her eyes were locked with his as she ran her fingers up and down the curves of her slim body, smirking at him as she dragged out her play. She gripped a bottle of some blue liquid and squirted a bit out on her hand, rubbing it into her hair. The air of the shower became thick with the familiar fruity scent he knew so well. This must be the shampoo she used so much.

She washed her hair and then gripped a bar of soap and a washcloth, soaping up her form before her wet fingers shot out and gripped his tiny form. The air was nearly pushed from his lungs as she pressed him against the skin of her soapy neck. She slowly drew his form over her flesh, bringing him around to her throat and over her breasts. His senses were in overdrive as he was filled with her intoxicating smell and the sensation of her soft and wet skin. As she drew him over her nipples he noted just how hard they were. She let him linger upon each one briefly, pressing him against the hardened nubs almost painfully.

She next moved him up and down her arms and hands, Sam quickly learning how to break for air in this situation. Her grip was excellent and the thought of falling from her fingers only crossed his mind once. From her arms she reached under her smooth pits with him and moved back around to her back. Slowly she drew him towards her ass, her soft cheeks cushions comparable to her breasts. He groaned and bit his lip as his arousal grew more and more, only increasing when she very briefly rubbed him between her ass cheeks.

The world darkened very briefly as the mounds of flesh clenched up to envelop him though he still managed to make out the faint shape of her asshole. His glimpse lasted for a few moments, just long enough to ponder a few wild scenarios. He emerged into the light of the bathroom and Lyria drew him lower down the back of her legs, the pleasure he was experiencing near indescribable. Still there was frustration building up as he desired a release for this limbo he was stuck in.

The elf lifted her leg slightly and then drew him up against the underside of her feet, taking her time here and rubbing him more furiously. Sam bit his lower lip and let out a groan as he climbed higher and higher on his cloud of bliss before finally he found his release. The young human felt his body tense as he rode out the mind numbing orgasm, the force rocking his form and scrambling his brain of anything but the bright white that settled over his mind. He watched as his pleasure was washed away with all the dirt and grime in Lyria's shower, panting and gasping for breath.

The elf brought him up to her face which was flushed with arousal as she sat down in the shower. "My turn, pet."

Sam didn't have the opportunity to question what that meant as he was moved between her spreading legs. His eyes widened as he released exactly what she was intending the very moment her free hand spread her moist folds aside. He cried out as she took him between two fingers in her other hand and slowly moved him towards her opening. Fear lanced through him as the memory of being inside of her mouth rose up. Now he was being put inside her once again, probably his worst fear in regards to Lyria herself.

"Lyria, wai-!" He cried out in alarm just as he was pushed between her folds and into the elf herself.

The fingers pushed him up into the warm and moistened folds, sliding back out as soon as he was deposited within. The way behind him closed completely, leaving him stuck in the warm embrace of Lyria's body. The walls around him contracted slightly, pulling him deeper into the dark cavern. Sam opened his mouth and ended up swallowing a gob of Lyria's juices. His body was saturated in the slick fluid of Lyria's arousal as he squirmed slightly against her body, only serving to further pleasure.

As he thought on it though this was... different than being in her mouth. In there he had known what the end might be, gruesome and painful. In here there was a feeling of not exactly safety but a warmth of sorts. A since that he was closer to Lyria now than he was most of the time. More than that this was a chance to please her further, to work towards his goal of being moved to her bedroom. Besides, Lyria had so often made him feel good so now seemed like the perfect time to return the favor.

Slowly recovering from his initial panic Sam squirmed his way deeper into Lyria, her walls immediately pushing up around him in response. That was a good sign at least. He rubbed up against her walls, licking at the moist flesh and doing everything in his power to stimulate the elf. She was tight and so very warm; almost sweltering if same was being honest. The air of the cavern was thick with her fragrant arousal, making Sam feel rather light headed. The young human kept at it though regardless.

He crawled deeper and when his fingers brushed over a certain spot Lyria's walls violently and almost painfully smashed against him. The released him soon after, drawing a smirk from Sam. That seemed to be a particularly sensitive spot. He wondered what would happen if he teased at it a little more. He moved his body so he could rub up against it and found her walls clench violently again, almost crushing the air from his lungs. This time he continued to run against it, not letting up now that he had found her sweet spot.

Flesh squelched up around him, a wet slurping noise that was the soundtrack of the experience. Again and again it squeezed up and he fancied that he could hear loud squeals muffled by the layers of flesh between him and the outside. Sam felt his arousal grow as well as he rubbed up against her, Lyria moistening even more in response. He was almost drowning in her arousal and what a death that would be. Drowning and expiring while stuck up inside of Lyria. All in all, there were definitely worse ways to go out he thought with a smirk.

The muscles pushed up around him one last time, squeezing all breath from his lungs and pinning him in place for a long and agonizing moment. Then it slackened as Lyria rode out the orgasm, her juices spraying over Sam and coating him in her release. It got in his eyes, in his mouth, and in his nose and left him coughing and sputtering as he tried to reorient himself. The walls relaxed but he found his exhaustion too great to do much of anything. Not good as he could feel darkness encroaching on his vision with each breath due to lack of good breathable air.

Lyria's fingers then slid in between her folds and pulled him from within, causing Sam to cough and sputter as his body was washed clean in the shower. He breathed in the fresh air as the water was soon turned off and laid out in Lyria's wet palm, staring up at her flushed face. The elf ran a finger tenderly up his body as she slumped against the wall, breathing heavily. The two stared at each other before Sam was the first to break the silence, a tired smirk crossing his lips.

"So, ah... ha... better than the first time?" Sam asked, referring back to their coupling in his own apartment when he had been her size more or less.

Lyria let out a breathless chuckle. "Oh yes, definitely. I think I could get used to shoving you up there, Pet."

"So... better than Sally?" He inquired.

Lyria shook her head. "Oh no, not touching that one with a ten foot pole."

"C'mon, she'll never know."

"I am not going to compare sex with my girlfriend to having my pet play human vibrator." The elf said.

Sam rolled his eyes. "So, better, got it."

"Pet..."

The reproach in Lyria's tone was enough to get Sam to lay off. He hadn't missed the human vibrator comment either and briefly wondered if that should offend him. The young man shrugged it off in the end, figuring there were far worse fates than being Lyria's sex toy. A month ago he might have taken issue with the dehumanizing thought and part of his brain did, but the rest knew the... perks that would have. Lovely perks they were, serving this veritable elven goddess.

Lyria recovered quickly enough and dried them both off before noting a few bruises on his form upon closer inspection of his body. "Did I hurt you, Sammy?" She asked, the faintest hint of concern in her tone.

Sam waved it off. "Nah, just got into a spat with that Winona chick. Nothing to worry about."

Lyria's eyes flashed. "Is that so..."

"It's nothing to work yourself up over. I used to be a Shadowrunner remember? I can handle the troll." Sam said, not quite sure why he bothered to intercede on Winona's behalf.

Lyria regarded him for a long while before shrugged and smiling anew. "Well, if you say so then I'll take your word for it, Sammy."

After getting dried off and spending most of the day with Lyria he found himself back in his home within the heel. It was here that he faced a rather pissed off Winona, flanked by her compatriots. Sam would have been lying if he had said that he hadn't seen this coming. Really Lyria had been doing him no favors in showing she obviously favored him above the trio of conspirators. Leth and Akane were likely less of a problem but Winona obviously would be quite irritated at him.

"Where the hell is she going? Does she just feed us once or something?" She demanded.

Sam took a deep breath and stood, staring down the troll. "If you don't go along with her then that's what she does, yeah. I told you to agree with what her demands might be, but instead you decided to piss her off." He said, adopting an even tone.

Winona was about to say something but thankfully Leth cut her off. "I see. So she wants us to what, let her bathe us? Go with her on her runs? Hardly seems terrible."

Winona rounded on the elf. "What!? Are you kidding me? That's what she wants. She wants you to think that so she can turn you into... into this domesticated prick over here!"

Leth frowned and looked at Sam who nodded. "She's right. She wants you to give up your freedom to her. She starts small but eventually ends up plucking away at your self-sufficiency until you rely on her to do everything. Then she gets you to try and serve her, building you back up."

Akane spoke up. "If you know all that then why aren't you fighting it?"

Sam paused at that. It was not exactly an easy answer to give and really it had sat in the back of his mind. Something he never wanted to admit aloud because he knew it would just make him more of Lyria's pet and slave. It was a sick and twisted thing, he knew that but even still it had fostered in him over his time here. A feeling in his gut that kept him from straying back into rebellion even though part of him screamed at the degradation he put himself through. Something he'd never been able to properly vocalize, and he still found he couldn't. Not to these strangers who could certainly not understand it. Instead of the truth he opted for something not too far from it.

"Because I tried for nearly a month and all it got me was misery. At least like this I have some purpose. I don't feel as empty." He said.

Winona looked fit to take a swing at him but Leth held her arm and gave her a hard look. The troll gave him a look of pure disgust and stomped away. The elf meanwhile gave him a pitying glance before heading after her. Akane stared at him for a good long while, the gears in her head slowly turning. She looked like she was wrestling with something though before Sam could guess at what she turned and followed her companions. That left Sam alone to slip back into his home and take comfort in his solitude for a moment.

It was only in this moment, alone and away from anyone who might hear him that he could choke out the cruel words that so tore at his chest. The naked truth.

"It's because I love her." He whispered, the words vanishing upon the air but echoed in his mind the entire night.

There was quite a bit of tension in the air the following morning. Sam didn't miss the positively venomous look Winona was granting him. He half expected her to come at him again though that didn't materialize. Fighting her the first time had been rather fun honestly but he suspected he wouldn't do too well in a rematch. He was battered and bruised from both the fight the day they met and the... pressure Lyria had kept him under. She was sporting a black eye but could probably tear him apart.

Soon enough the dark haired elf emerged from her bedroom, letting out a yawn as she bounded over to her pets. Gathering them up in a manner similar to yesterday, Lyria walked into the bathroom. Sam allowed himself to enjoy his bath with her, something rather calming after the intense shower with her yesterday. The elf finished the bath quickly enough and dried him off before granting the trio a look. It was a gaze that expected them to refuse the offer already upon her lips; Sam expected the same thing honestly.

"Care for a similar treatment, pets?" She inquired sweetly.

The troll snarled and looked away, Leth frowned before following suit. Akane however surprised Sam quite a bit by stepping forward and falling to her knees. Tears glistened at the corner of her eyes as she stared up at Lyria, who regarded her coolly. The young woman tried to gather her words, choking through her wretched sobbing and trying to ignore the shocked look of her fellow conspirators. When she finally managed to speak her words were unsteady and fell from trembling lips.

"M-Ms. Lysender. I'll d-do whatever you w-want. Please just promise me something. Just one thing, please." The woman said, sobs wracking her chest.

Lyria lifted a brow. "I don't want you to do anything. You choose to be a good pet or you don't. It's that simple."

"T-Then I-I'll be a good pet! Please just listen to me." She choked out.

"Akane, listen to what you are saying!" Leth cried, trying to talk some sense into the human.

"I know what I'm saying! Shut the fuck up Leth!" She shouted, her face red and puffy from her tears.

Sam cast a glance up to Lyria and caught the rather pleased smirk spreading across her lips. The gigantic elf placed her elbows on the sink counter and held her chin up with her palms. Leth and Winona both appeared a bit taken aback by the response from the young human and Sam had to admit he was a bit shocked as well. He had expected it might well take weeks before any of the trio might break down. Yet here Akane was on her knees, pleading with Lyria. No doubt the elf saw that as a possible victory in the making.

"Alright, I'll listen." She purred.

Akane swallowed hard. "My little sister, I'm all she has left. Please, Ms. Lysender, can you do something for her? She's only eight years old. Please, I'm begging you! I'll do anything if you promise me you'll make sure she's okay!" She sobbed.

Lyria blinked at the request, seeming to chew it over for a long while. Sam wasn't certain whether she might have mercy or not on Akane. After bit the elf extended a finger, placing it down before the human woman. Sam knew exactly what was going to happen next as the very same thing had been required of him. Lyria had leverage over Akane now, something she could use to keep her toeing the line. She hadn't even needed to starve her over much, just wait for the young human to break on her own.

"Kiss it. Lick at it. Keep doing it until I tell you to stop and I'll see what I can do for your little sister." The elf commanded.

"Oh, thank you, Ms. Lysender! T-Thank you..."

Akane all but threw herself at the task with a fervor that even Sam found almost heartbreaking. He held no great love for the woman for what she had done but he at least had to respect the fact she was willing to sign away her freedom for another. She kissed and licked and repeated her desperate thanks over and over again. More tears fell from her face, whether they were of joy for having helped her sibling or sorrow for becoming Lyria's pet Sam would probably never know. The smile on the elf's face was sickly sweet as she watched.

Akane's companions looked utterly horrified by what they were seeing. Well, Leth looked horrified while Winona looked completely disgusted. She shouted at the human to stop but the other woman was deaf to her pleas. She kept going, her thanks sounding more and more broken with each time they were spoken. Sam watched on with a neutral expression as this was the end scenario he had expected. Eventually, every one of Lyria's pets ended up debasing themselves before her. As far as he was concerned the elf and troll were looking at their own future.

Eventually Lyria stopped her which saw Akane curl up into a ball, sobbing wretchedly. "O-Oh God..." She whimpered.

Lyria lightly plucked the human up and started stroking her with her pinky, making gentle shushing noises like she might to a child. "Shhh, Pet, I'll take care of everything. Just relax." She said soothingly.

With that she started bathing the young woman, who just let herself fall limp but for the occasional sob. Sam watched on while he noted both of Akane's compatriots were looking away from the scene. He supposed he couldn't really blame them. It was frightening to see what Lyria did to people. The young man was used to it himself; indeed, he loved spending time with the elf. Likely Akane would get used to it if nothing else. It was unlikely she could ever feel what Sam felt towards the elf.

Lyria finished and dried Akane off near Sam and left her beside him before striping for her shower. Winona wasted no time in marching up to the mournful Asian woman and seizing her by the arm, shaking her violently. Leth tried to get her to stop but the troll pushed the elf aside while she snarled right in her scared face. Her grip looked positively painful and Sam didn't think he'd ever seen her so very angry.

"You stupid bitch! Why!? Why did you think you could just give up to her?" The troll demanded.

"My sister... I need to make sure she's safe. Please, Win, you're hurting me." Akane whimpered.

Sam stood and glared at her. "That's enough, troll. Back off."

Winona turned her glare upon him. "I bet your happy with yourself, huh, you sick fucker? You filled her head with all this nonsense!"

A loud 'ahem' sounded from behind the troll. Winona released Akane just in time for Lyria's hand to shoot out and snag her up. The elf gave the angered woman a wintery smile as she crushed the breath from her lungs. Sam could have sworn he heard a slight cracking noise but it could well have just been his imagination. Whatever the case it was unlikely the troll was going to be breathing well like that.

"I did tell you yesterday that you were in thin ice, didn't I? I don't like it when my pets fight each other. I think you need a nice long time out to cool down." Lyria said.

The elf promptly moved towards the toilet, opened the lid and dropped the troll carelessly inside of the bowl before closing the lid. Sam blinked at that, half expecting her to flush her but instead simply turned a look upon Leth who promptly headed into the sink. The elf sniffed slightly in derision before heading towards her shower. The hiss of the water turning on came a moment later, allowing Sam to snicker slightly at the punishment delivered upon Winona. He was also rather glad she'd never done that to him.

Akane sat with her face in her hands and Sam didn't interrupt her thoughts. There wasn't much he could really say to make her feel any better and really he didn't feel inclined to do so. Instead he wondered over what kind of trouble Winona might cause from this point on. One of her companions had just debased herself before Lyria and her punishment was as humiliating as they came honestly. If he had to be the one to predict such things the troll was going to continue to be a problem because while she obviously feared Lyria, she hated her even more. Leth was easily cowed but clearly hesitant to just give in.

Lyria emerged and offered Sam and Akane her hand. Sam stepped on almost instinctually by this point while Akane did so hesitantly. With her passengers in tow the elf hummed as she deposited them on the kitchen counter while heading into her bedroom to get changed. After waiting long enough for Leth to be nice and cold she retrieved him, dressed in her normal work attire at this point rather than her running clothes. Sam knew what that meant of course, early work day. Idly he wondered if she'd be asking Akane along.

Sure enough. "Akane, dear, would you like to come with Sammy and me to work?" Lyria asked sweetly.

The young woman hesitated before nodding wordlessly. Lyria smirked and left briefly to put Leth back in the heel before placing Akane between her breasts. After buttoning up her suit she turned a glance to Sam who was a bit confused. Usually he rode along between her breasts so a part of him feared she was replacing him. However he got her general place when she unbuttoned her skirt and slipped her thumb on the waistband of her blue panties. Her other hand gripped Sam and dangled him over the new opening.

"Mmm... I think I'll keep you in here from now on when we go out. No funny business while I work Sammy." She said, dropping him in and snapping the waistband shut.

Sam swallowed hard as he heard the fabric of her skirt being slipped back into place and steadied himself as she finally started to keep moving. Her panties were very tight, almost unprofessionally so and were pushing him into her lower lips. He kept his squirming as little as possible while stuck here, at the same time gripping her flesh to keep from slipping down as she walked. A smirk crossed his face when she finally got to driving as he started to entertain some more... erotic ideas about the day.

________________________________________________________________________

Lyria was actually happy when she sat down in her office and the call came from her secretary that David Rowe was here to see her. Aside from the fact one of her pets had given her the most wonderful leverage to use and another was trying his hardest to be the best pet he could, this was her last meeting with Rowe. The bastard had finished his inspection and was likely going to ream her but had found nothing disastrous. This last meeting was more formality than anything else and was his last chance to try and shake her down for bribes.

She stood up when he entered a few minutes later, exchanging the usual cordial greetings along with a handshake. Internally she was practically soaring on cloud nine that this was the last time she'd need to so much as look as his face again. She wished that she could just make him vanish like the conspirators. However while they had been low ranking nobodies Rowe had friends. Friends in high places that would question his disappearance. So that was unfortunately out of the question. Such a pity.

"Ms. Lysender. I have concluded my inspection of your facilities. They are not as... poor as I had feared though I will be making a few notes to my superiors regarding the questionable profitability of continuing to fund this project." Rowe said, wasting no time with the thinly veiled threats.

Lyria crossed her right leg over her left smiled politely like an idiot. "I see, well I am pleased to hear you found our facilities adequate. However I am very sorry you do not see the use and possibilities in our research. Can I do anything to convince you otherwise?" The elf inquired.

"Well, other than the sizable donation I have mentioned periodically..." He said.

"My answer there must, unfortunately, remain the same." Lyria responded.

"I see. Well in that case let us go back over my overall findings to recap what I will be reporting." He said, his tone turning curt.

So began another hour long session of listening to his dry and reedy voice drone on and on about this or that. She managed to sit attentive for the first thirty minutes before she started shifting positions in her seat. Sam was squirming a bit between her legs, at first earning a touch of amused arousal but then actually becoming a problem. Lyria felt him crawling a bit higher up her lower lips, wondering if he was simply trying to find a better position than he had. Her wondering about his motives ended the second his tiny hand made contact with her clit, sending a bolt of pleasure up her spine.

She harshly bit her lower lip as the tiny human had her squirming in her seat. It wasn't like she could just reach down and deal with him now. No, Rowe would take extreme exception to that and him finding out about her possessions would be very, very bad for her. Lyria was in a very rare situation where she was under the control of another. Sam's little movements against the now erect nub could very easily put her in a compromising situation here. Indeed her shifting and fidgeting was going to be noticed sooner or later.

Abruptly he stopped his movements and it dawned on Lyria what was going on. A game. A dangerous but somewhat exciting game. At first she thought it was a bit of rebellion on Sam's part, which was briefly entertained before being discarded. It seemed much more likely he recognized her complete boredom with Rowe and was giving her a distraction. Something to make the normally dull meeting exciting. As he moved again she found herself waffling between deciding he would either be punished severely for this or greatly rewarded.

A rising gasp in her throat was cut off and masked as a slight cough. To make it more believable she reached for a glass of water nearby and sipped at it. A flush was starting to tinge at the tips of her ears as well. If it spread across her face she knew full well that Rowe would take note. Once again however Sam halted his stimulations. It was a lovely feeling actually, if the domineering elf was being completely honest with herself. Office sex was a fantasy of hers of course but nothing she'd seriously entertained. Now it was happening right under the nose of David Rowe.

Sam started squirming again and Lyria didn't even want to imagine how moist she was getting from both the scenario and the attentions. She shifted again and realized that a light sheen of sweat was perspiring across her skin. Her eyes moved to the clock in desperation as she just wanted Rowe to finish things up. Her words were still controlled but how long would that last? How long until a stray moan left her lips and gained the attention of the dry and boring man? How long until she reached the point where she couldn't keep her hand from straying low?

Each minute felt like an hour, especially in the lull periods were Sam just waited. The anticipation was what made those times probably the worst. The expectation of the squirming to start up again and destroy her ability to pay attention to Rowe always there. What had he just said about laboratory funding? Oh, right, yes that was what he meant. Lyria took another long drink of water and nodded at her guest as he talked. She needed him out so she could deal with this problem fast. But where could she go? The bathroom? No, they had hidden cameras. Her car? The parking lot also had cameras. Home. She needed to get home. Wait... oh, that was right, she had a meet up with Sally planned after work. She'd have to cancel... no. No, she wasn't going to let Sam win this little game. She could endure. Oh she was going to punish him so much when they were home.

Finally Rowe finished talking and slowly rose, Lyria standing a little too quickly as she hoped the action might knock Sam down from his position around her clit. No such luck. "Well, Ms Lysender, it has been a pleasure. I look forward to meeting you again some time." Rowe said.

Lyria shook his hand briefly and offered him a smile, mentally cursing the bastard when he stopped at the door. "Ah yes, one other thing."

Lyria almost let loose a few extremely choice words that likely would see her lose her job rather fast, curbing her tongue only through sheer willpower alone.

"Mr. Sato informed me you took care of business. Excellent work. I do hope you will handle such matters in a more... timely fashion next time."

With that he was gone and Lyria slumped back in her chair. It was going to be a very long day.

________________________________________________________________

After the meeting with Rowe Lyria had found Sam less inclined to stimulate her as she worked and for that she was quite grateful. When she got to the car at the end of the day and started driving she pondered addressing him but opted against it. Akane rarely moved between her breasts thankfully so the stimulation was only between her legs. He had a feeling her date with Sally was not going to be smooth sailing.

She arrived at the little café when the sun was bathing the world in an orange glow. She took a deep breath and headed inside, not having to look long to find Sally. She was dressed in her normal jacket and wore another pair of ripped jeans with a bootcut, a pair of combat boots on her feet. The blue haired human stood and met her with a warm hug and a kiss on the lips. Public displays of affection made Lyria feel itchy but she went along with it, which was when she heard Akane start crying out for attention from within her breast. This was when she realized her mistake in bringing her along with her here. Of course with Rowe she was afraid to talk but in public like this she might end up finding someone to save her.

"Hey, did you hear that, Lryia?" Sally asked, looking past Lyria.

The elf thought quickly and grabbed Sally's hands to push up against her breasts, coming up with a quick cover. "Hey do you feel any lumps? I was feeling around earlier and I thought I felt something." She said.

Sally lifted a brow considering they were in public but gave her girlfriend a humoring feeling up which squeezed Akane between the elf's breasts. "Feels fine to me. I didn't know elves worried about that shit." She said, letting go.

Lyria chuckled nervously as she sat down. "Yeah well, you never know yeah? Can't be too careful."

Sally gave her a doubting look but simply shrugged a moment later. "I mean, not like I'm complaining about you wanting me to grab your boobs or anything. Anyway, I ordered some soykaf for you already." She said with a smirk, gesturing to the steaming drink.

Lyria nodded and took a long drink of the warm liquid. At that moment Sam started stimulating her once again and the elf nearly snorted her soykaf out of her nose. Of all the situations to find herself in this was probably the worst. She had a tiny between her breasts inclined to try and get someone's attention and Sam down in her panties playing a game with her. The latter was arousing and welcome in an odd way but the former was a real danger. She did not want her girlfriend or anyone learning her secret.

"Bad Soykaf?" Sally asked in regards to her choking cough.

"Ah, no, been a little under the weather today." She said.

"Elves get sick?"

"Of course we do." Lyria said, giving Sally a look.

"OK, OK, still getting used to the ins and outs of elves. Do you think it's serious?"

"No, just a little... cold. Yes." She responded unconvincingly.

Sally gave her a doubtful look but shifted the conversation towards something shitty her roommate said about her this morning. Through the conversation Akane tried to speak up, only for Lyria to adjust her breasts around with the flimsy excuse of wearing a bra that didn't fit her well. Her girlfriend was obviously a little weirded out by her through the whole thing and Lyria decided she was going to punish the human between her breasts most severely. She still had leverage with her little sister so she'd use that as well.

The sensations between her legs returned as Sam continued to stimulate her. In fact he seemed a bit more frequent in his attentions. Maybe he had taken her words regarding comparing his performance and Sally's as a challenge. Really she wouldn't put it past him though his punishment was going to be on her mind as well for this. Not a beating or anything but... something. Something bad. She resolved to figure it out as soon as she was finished here.

"Seriously, Lyria, do you hear something? I keep hearing like this far off yelling." Sally said.

Lyria suddenly slapped at one of her breasts to knock Akane back, earning a look from Sally. "Ah, bug. Also I don't hear anything. Maybe its outside?" She suggested.

Sally shrugged and finished up her soykaf. "Yeah, you're probably right. Anyway. I wanted to ask you something, can you just hear me out before you say anything?"

Lyria nodded. "Of course, dear."

She looked uncomfortable as she avoided eye contact with Lyria. "Sooo, I'm getting tired of the bullshit that goes on with my roommates. The place is also kind of... hostile since I'm not going to school at the moment and I'm working down at the tattoo parlor. You've also got a spare bedroom and a big place. So I was wondering if I could maybe move in with you." She said.

Lyria's eyes widened and she opened her mouth, being cut off by Sally. "You promised to hear me out remember? Look, I know we haven't been going out for long. I don't want you to feel like I'm forcing you or anything and I can pay rent so I'm not trying to mooch off you. It's just... I need to get out of that fucking place. They're driving me insane. Just give me like, a week, if it doesn't work out then I can always move out into some coffin apartment no questions asked."

The elf crossed her arms over her chest, partially because she was considering the offer and also to squeeze Akane to keep her from interrupting. Sam obviously had heard the question as he thankfully stopped his stimulation for the time being. It was a serious question to ponder. Lyria enjoyed spending time with Sally, and the reverse was obviously true and her argument had merits. However given her other... houseguests she'd need to change some things around and be very careful with her around. In the end it was not something she could just figure out in two seconds.

"Can I give it some thought, Sally? I'm not saying no I just... need to think about it. It's a pretty big step considering how early we are into this." Lyria said.

"Of course! I'm just happy you're willing to think about it. Just give me a call when you make a decision." Sally answered, flashing Lyria a smile that always had a way of warming the elf's heart.

"Certainly. Anyway, I need to get back to the apartment here soon. Some cleaning to take care of among other things."

Lyria stood and accepted a brief kiss and a hug from Sally before heading back to her car, biting her lower lip as Sam started stimulating her again as she got into the car. Once the door was shut she chuckled slightly. "Akane, I'm going to punish you for your antics in there. Severely." The elf growled, roughly squeezing her breasts together before starting the drive back to her home.

She could hear Akane whimpering the whole way back and felt wet tears staining the flesh between her breasts. When she got home Sam redoubled his efforts which Lyria was more than happy to address now as she rushed into the bathroom. She opened the lid of the toilet, smirking as she noted Winona still shivering within. What a show the troll was about to be treated to. She slipped off her skirt and gripped the waistband of her panties, pulling them down as well as she sat down on the toilet.

A gasp left her lips as she pushed Sam inside of her for the second time in two days and allowed him to work his magic. Any resentment she might have felt towards the tiny human for the teasing and stimulation shattered as she helped push him deeper inside of her tight and moist folds. She'd never admit it aloud but between Sally and him, Sam's attentions were far more arousing and pleasing. The tiny man could get up in just the right places and he squirmed so pleasantly.

Considering the attention he'd granted her through the day Lyria didn't last very long and a loud mewling wail left her lips as she was rocked by the climax. Her release dripped from her fingers and into the water below, a few gobs smacking into Winona below. The elf reclined back as she basked in the afterglow with a smile. As frustrating as the teasing had been the release made everything completely worth it. Slowly she worked Sam from her body and held the coughing and wet human between her fingers.

"You know, I'm going to punish you for that." Lyria said, her breathless words conveying everything Sam probably wanted to hear.

"Worth it to hear you breathless." He replied.

"You are insufferable." Lyria said.

She placed him on the sink counter and unbuttoned her suit to remove Akane from between her breasts. "You know something, Akane, I don't like when people try to lie to my face. I've been thinking long and hard about your punishment as well. Beg me to punish you or I'll make sure your little sister is thrown out on the streets."

Akane sniffled miserably. "Please... punish me." She choked out.

Lyria smirked. "You were a real pain in my ass today. Only fair you get better acquainted with it." The elf said.

She promptly bent over and used on hand to spread on of her ass cheeks. Obviously Akane had gotten the idea by this point as she started screaming. Lyria rolled her eyes and slowly moved the squirming woman towards her anus, pressing her into it. She inserted the tiny human head first up into her, letting out a low hum of approval as she pushed her all the way up. She blushed slightly as she stood, feeling Akane's squirming and letting out a low coo of delight. She'd be spending a lot more time up there when she messed up, Lyria decided.

Her gaze switched to the troll, who looked at her with more fear than hatred for once. "Did you learn your lesson? If not I should warn you I drank quite a bit today." Lyria said.

Winona wisely nodded her head hurriedly, earning a chuckle from Lyria as she removed her from the bowl and drew up another bath in the sink as she cleaned herself off. Akane's squirms earned the odd blush as she clenched her ass tightly. Sam gave her a raised eyebrow but said nothing in regards to the punishment. Lyria would ensure she didn't die of course; her torments were just beginning as far as she was concerned. As she washed Sam clean and let Winona bathe herself Lyria decided that this had been a very good day.

The mood of the next week among Sam's... companions was rather despondent. Winona seemed to be more apt to keep her tongue in her mouth around him, though ended up punished at least once a day and Akane was still rather shaken by her acquaintance with Lyria's ass. The elf still brought her with her to work but kept Sam between her breasts with her, probably because she figured he might keep her in line. Truthfully, the young man didn't know what he might do if she tried getting the attention of others. Thoughts of escape had long since left his mind; really he had very little desire to be separated from Lyria.

Leth was the only one of the trio he could halfway hold a conversation with. Akane just whimpered most of the time and Winona's conversation were... not pleasant for either party. The elf though was rather level headed. Sam still blamed him and his companions for what had happened to his team, but since he was stuck with them he was willing to be civil. Currently he was indulging him in a conversation regarding making clothes for everyone, something Sam himself had been pondering as of late.

"Napkins are far too flimsy." Leth stated.

Sam raised a brow at him. "Not many other options in terms of material. I doubt Lyria would be inclined to let me tear at her clothes to make some for us."

"Hmm... what about the carpeting?" The elf said, gesturing out to the open field of carpet.

Sam shrugged. "If you did that you'd have to hand weave everything. Napkins already have some good shaping potential, no need to start from scratch."

Leth gave him a tiny smile. "I get the feeling you've thought long and hard about this?"

"Not exactly hard, but I've pondered it on and off."

It was true, when he had first acquired his napkin blanket he had pondered tearing it up and trying to make a robe or something from it. There hadn't seemed much point to clothing lately considering Lyria obviously didn't really care about it. Leth and his fellows were newer so it made some sense that they would worry over little things like clothing. Something to make them feel tolerably more like people. Sam was more than willing to give his advice on the matter though he was less inclined to help.

Leth sighed and looked around at the heel the pair sat in. "I still have trouble convincing myself this is real, you know? Like how screwed up is this?" He asked.

Sam shrugged noncommittally. "You tend to adjust after a while. Honestly, out of all three of you I don't see Lyria finding much reason to punish you. Just keep your head down and jump when she asks and you'll get used to it, chummer."

"That's just it, I'd rather not get used to it and I find it hard to believe anyone could. I mean, how do you just accept that someone owns you know?" He asked.

Sam knew his answer of course but it was not one for strangers when he himself was still wrestling with it. "I dunno, you just kind of do. I don't really know what she intends for you guys but judging from how harsh she punished Win and Akane it's likely she cares less about your wellbeing."

"What makes you so special then?" He asked, not accusing but sounding genuinely interested.

Sam gave him a frank look. "I didn't try to screw her over."

Leth blanched and with that the temperature in the heel got a few degrees colder. The elf, having gotten the info he needed, opted to cut the meeting to a close before that subject got brought up and departed. Sam figured that was best anyway as Lyria would be coming by to gather them all up today for their morning routine. The young man was content for the most part though his mind did wander towards what had been said between Sally and Lyria, the monkey wrench that kept him up.

Was it jealousy he felt towards the woman? Possibly. She was Lyria's girlfriend after all and he was just her pet. Sure Lyria treated him with obvious affection and gave him much more leeway than the three stooges; however she still obviously viewed him as a possession. A valued possession, but certainly not an equal. Sally had something he didn't in that way. Of course the prospect of her moving in and Lyria spending most of her time with the woman worried him. Of course that wasn't even broaching just how the dynamic of the apartment might change with Sally around.

These thoughts continued to rattle around in his mind as the elf's footsteps slapped upon the tiles, the exquisite woman stretching up into a yawn before heading into the living room. Once she gathered them all up it was into the bathroom. Leth and Winona were keeping to their guns in regards to bathing though Akane meekly allowed Lyria to wash her without complaint. Sam fancied he had worn that look when he had isolated himself to try and hold onto his dignity, like one was utterly lost. Though it also held a... broken quality to it.

Sam didn't think too long on it. When everything was all said and done everyone was enjoying a nice breakfast, some more cold and shivering than others. The young human caught the look Winona was giving Akane and then giving Lyria. As Lyria went through her stretches in preparation for her morning run he could just feel something bad was going to happen. Like something far worse than anything else that he had seen in the household of the domineering elven woman.

The troll stood and marched closer to Lyria, glaring up at her. "Does it get you off?"

The elf turned an icy look towards Winona, narrowing her eyes dangerously. "Does what get me off?"

"The shit like you did to Akane. Or what you did to make that pampered pet over there. Does it get you off, you sick bitch?" Win asked, drawing a wince from Sam and a look of disbelief from her two companions.

Lyria glared as she snatched up the troll in her fist and squeezed before likely noticing something. The troll was laughing. Smiling and laughing at her. Sam thought for a moment that Winona had utterly snapped and the looks her companions were giving the situation showed they were feeling the same thing. As the elven woman sat down though Sam noted an expression of anger replaced by a sort of strange calm. Like she finally understood something about Winona in that moment.

"What's the matter, bitch? Aren't you going to punish me? Show me just how weak I am compared to you?" The troll sneered.

Lyria let her go onto the table, shaking her head slightly. "No point. I see that is exactly what you want. You want me to punish you because you can take that, you can endure that."

"I'll be honest Win; I've pondered what I can do to make you into an obedient pet. Punishing you just encourages you. You won't care if I starve you either." The elf said at length.

It almost sounded to Sam like she was admitting the troll was too difficult for her to crack. Lyria admitting any kind of defeat was almost unheard of in his mind. Indeed the troll seemed somewhat smug herself for having forced the elf to admit that she was too difficult. It was then that the elf reached over her with a neutral look over her face. The calm from before was still there but Sam found it chilling rather than comforting.

"I think I have a solution though."

With that she plucked up Leth by the arm carelessly. The elf yelped in surprise and writhed in her no doubt rather painful grip. Sam eyed Lyria warily, thinking for a moment she was just going to punish Leth in Win's stead. The troll's confidence seemed a tad shaken by the gesture though it was not the thought of another being punished that drew the reaction. Rather it was the manner in which Lyria eyed Leth, her tongue peeking out from behind her lips to run along them as her calm expression turned to one of hunger.

"What are you doing!?" The troll shrieked.

Lyria gave her a look. "What does it look like? I don't have breakfast until after my runs but I think my stomach can handle something to tide me over until then."

Leth looked utterly distraught. "You can't do this! This is cannibalism!"

Lyria chuckled darkly and smirked at the tiny elf trying to escape her grip. "True, though I doubt anyone would fault me for ridding the world of you. I certainly don't care overmuch about keeping you three around. I already have a good pet, I'm just weeding out the ones I don't particularly want." She said.

Sam cleared his throat, feeling just a tad uncomfortable watching this. "Uh, Lyria, don't you think that's a tad... extreme?"

"Hardly, Sammy. Besides I doubt you care overmuch about me making a snack of one of the ones responsible for your team ending up dead." The elf stated.

Sam looked at the horrified faces of Leth's compatriots as he pondered her words. She was right he supposed, he didn't exactly wish them any ill will but they had screwed him bad and if the woman he loved decided to dispose of them that was her prerogative. It sat a little uncomfortably in his gut but he nodded to her in understanding and closed his mouth. The elf looked pleased by his obedience while the trio looked utterly horrified. The troll looked in disbelief at him.

"You are just going to let her do this!? What is wrong with you!?"

Sam glared at her. "Not like I could stop her if I wanted. Lyria's right as well, you fuckers got my team killed. Turnabout is fair play, wouldn't you agree?"

The two were prevented from further arguing as Lyria opened her maw and dangled the other elf over her mouth. Sam well remembered exactly what that looked like, a dark pit from which there was no return. The difference between his experience and Leth's was that the elf wasn't going to be returning. The sight below him certainly redoubled Leth's squirming and writhing as he begged Lyria to reconsider this. Winona was screaming at the female elf to stop this and Akane was hiding her face in her hands, trying not to look upon this scene.

"Please, Lyria don't do this! Please don't eat me! Please!" The elf begged.

"If you want to blame someone, blame Winona. If she had just fallen in line I wouldn't be inclined to eat you. I've never eaten a shrunken person before either, so you should feel honored you get to be my first. Try to taste good now, little morsel." Lyria said.

With that she dropped Leth into her waiting mouth, the smaller elf screaming on the way down. Lyria's lips closed shut and she looked rather like she was swooshing him around on her tongue, sampling his flavor and taste. That was something Sam found unnerving considering he was the same size. She had done the same to him after all so he knew what that was like. He forced himself to watch though. Winona was practically begging Lyria to stop and let him by this point, on her knees.

"Lyria, I'm sorry! Please just let him out. I'll be good, I promise! Please, you don't have to do this!"

Lyria ignored her and continued her tasting until she seemed to have enough of that. Once she was done she moved her head back and swallowed, sealing Leth's fate. The woman traced her snack's progress down her slender throat, choking at bit as he resisted on the way down. She swallowed again which was enough to get her meal going down. She continued to trace the passage all the way down to her stomach, lifting her shirt to expose her slim belly and rub at it as she let out a low sound of approval.

"Mmm... Oh, I can feel him wiggling about in there! It tickles." She said.

Her previously empty stomach groaned loudly as it recognized the presence of its new occupant rather fast. The elf turned her gaze to a still shocked Winona. "Want to listen?"

She plucked up the troll and pressed her over her belly, forcing her to listen to the sounds of the elf's digestion. Sam swallowed hard as he watched Lyria at work, reminded once more that while she could be playful she could also be ruthless and very dangerous. She delayed her run for a further two minutes as she enjoyed the intimidation she was giving Winona. Sam suspected the troll wouldn't be forgetting this little incident for a long time to come. He most certainly wouldn't either.

"Hmm... I'm not normally much of a meat eater you know, but I figure exceptions can be made. If you keep this up Win, I'll down you next. Don't screw with me and never doubt my resolve." The elf said, taking the troll back to the heel to think before plucking up Sam and Akane and placing them in her pockets for the run.

All through the run Sam's mind was whirling with what he had just witnessed. Lyria downing another sentient being. Sure the guy had screwed him over but he hadn't been an asshole. He wasn't sure if it was right for him to feel so little pity towards the no doubt half-digested man. Just this morning he had been having a perfectly normal conversation with the guy. It was like he was far past caring what Lyria had done to him. It was something he almost found it too easy to accept. If that had happened during his first week with her Sam might have called Lyria a monster for doing that even though the guy had screwed him. Now... he wasn't sure he would bat an eye if she decided to eat Winona or Akane. There seemed something just... wrong about how he could accept that.

A pair of elegant ruby painted lips were turned down in a frown as Lyria stared up at the apartment complex beyond the driver side window. It was a far cry from her own home, looking rather run down and in suspect repair. Images of hordes of cockroaches, unspeakable sludge growing in corners and prostitutes aplenty filled her mind. Sam's apartment had been pretty bad but this made her wonder over which was worse. The thought that her girlfriend had been actually living here filled her with mild disgust.

The elf stepped out of the car, her boot heels clacking upon cracked concrete as she walked with her head held high towards the entrance of the complex. A pair of shades were pushed up her head and she was wearing her blue blouse and jeans, closest she got to casual clothing aside from her exercise attire. This place looked like a lovely local to be mugged at night in front of. The doors slid open haltingly, allowing her to step inside the grungy looking apartment building. The inside was certainly not improving her opinions.

The wall paper was torn and revealed cracked plaster behind it, the tiles being a shade she could only describe as puke green. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see something crawl beneath a chair, immediately avoiding thinking overly long on what it could be. One of the lights flickered overhead and another was completely dark. The air was thick with some cheap air cleanser, offending the elf's nose. It was a good thing Sally had never invited her over here before, Lyria wasn't sure she could stomach repeat visits. She wasn't overly elitist but even she had her limits. Sadly this was the most some people could afford.

She walked over to the shady looking dwarf behind the counter, clearing her throat to get his attention. "Lysender. I'm looking for Sally Holister."

He didn't look up from his reading. "Yeah, she said you'd be by to help her move her shit. Your clear to head up, don't disturb the tenants. Room 16 E."

Lyria nodded stiffly before deciding between the stairs or elevator. Not exactly trusting the thing to hold even her weight the elf decided to get some extra cardio in as she walked to the stairs. Walking up sixteen floors was not her idea of a good time but at least they weren't going to kill her due to equipment failure. Well, they were less likely to she amended as she noted the very rusty railings.

It had been a week since her count of pets had gone from four to three. Deciding to let Sally move in had not exactly been a quick decision. There was much to think about, not the least of which was how she was going to juggle her pets and her girlfriend without the latter knowing. The most obvious solution was to downsize and she had to admit, the thought of dipping Winona in ranch and gulping her down had crossed her mind once or twice. The stubborn woman was not as bad as before but was still defiant to an annoying degree. Although that just seemed like it would be admitting defeat, like she couldn't break the troll.

Instead she figured she could just move Sam into her room and stuff Akane and Win into her closet. Sally had a full time job so it wasn't like she couldn't work around her. Not only that but she found that she rather enjoyed spending time with the human. She was crass but that was something the elf could appreciate. The other reason she was fine with this was the week probationary period. If it didn't work out then they could just put that whole thing on hold and Sally would move out.

As she arrived upon the 16th floor her eyes fell upon the door, which had a handle hastily welded onto it. The words 'Maintenance Required' were scrawled onto a piece of paper and tapped up onto it. With a sigh of disgust the elf forced the door aside, having to jerk the handle quite a bit. She entered into a dimly lit hallway with lettered apartments spread out before her. Her cool blue eyes zeroed in upon the one lettered 'E' and strode towards it. The atrocious tile choice was not exclusive to the ground floor it appeared as well.

The elf buzzed at the door, gathering her wits as she received a response from a bored sounding voice. "Yeah? Who is it?"

"Lyria Lysender. I am here to help Sally move her things."

"Oh, right."

The door slid open and the elf stepped in. The woman at the door was a dark skinned human about Sally's age, somewhat attractive in her opinion though the lack of blue hair put her below her girlfriend on the scale of attraction. As with most human women she was shorter than Lyria though not but much. She had her hands on her hips as she sized the elf up, raising a single brow at her well off clothes.

"Huh, Sally told us you were some kind of big shot, guess she wasn't talking out her ass." The woman commented.

Lyria snorted at that. She was well off but was still nowhere near the top of the corporate ladder. Not yet anyway. Once her project succeeded and was finally placed on the market she had no doubt a nice promotion would be in order. Her eyes were currently set on the head of the Seattle branches of Yamatetsu. Once she got there one could truly say few would be able to match her power in this city.

"Where is Sally?" Lyria asked.

The woman jabbed her thumb towards the apartment proper. "In her room packing up."

The young woman led her through the apartment. It wasn't exactly as spacious as Lyria's and even less so when she considered that four women lived here. Well, three now. Lyria herself hadn't gone all out on an apartment as it was just herself that lived there. This place was smaller though it didn't live up to her fears at least. No roaches or scum, pretty well maintained honestly. Only one bathroom from what she could see though so she suspected living here with three other women would suck.

The elf entered into Sally's small room, finding the blue haired human busy taking down a poster of some J-pop group from the wall. The young woman was wearing a black t-shirt, a pair of loose fitting track pants, and a pair of flip flops. Her hair was freshly dyed blue and tied into a ponytail and her nails were painted black. Lyria looked around and was relatively unimpressed by the sight of the tiny room. It was about ten by ten in her estimation, maybe a little bigger. The bed itself looked pretty worn out and likely could do for a flipping. A few boxes littered the little walking space and had Lyria watching her step as she entered. Sally turned at the sound of her entering and beamed, bounding over and wrapping the elf in a warm hug.

"Hey babe, I'm just finishing up. Thanks again for letting me move in." The human said, pecking at Lyria's cheek.

Lyria's escort rolled her eyes and made a disgusted sound. "Get a room, Sally." She said.

Sally stuck her tongue out. "I am, Jules."

Jules walked away shaking her head. The elf felt a bit of icy hostility from the woman to be perfectly honest. Apparently Sally's mention of her strained relationship with her roommates was not exaggerated. She saw one woman so she suspected the other two were either out or had classes. Regardless, the less time she had to be around in this building the better. Lyria idly looked into one of the boxes and smirked as she noted a stuffed dragon with one of its button eyes missing. It seemed so... unlike the crass woman to own that.

Sally noted where her gaze was and blushed. "Ah, shit, t-that's not mine I swear! I'm just holding onto it for my little sister."

Lyria picked up the cuddly looking golden dragon and smirked. "Oh? You know you probably shouldn't trust dragons, m'dear. Nor sleep with them. Tends to end badly as I understand." The elf commented.

The blue haired human snatched the stuffed dragon out of her hand with a grumble and put it back in the box. "I told you it's not mine. Anyway, I just need to get my clothes together. Those boxes there can go down if you are feeling up to lifting some shit."

Lyria nodded and picked up the nearest box, finding it quite manageable. With her load in hand she headed down the stairs to her car and stuffed it into the trunk. When she returned she noted Sally was putting away her underwear and Lyria smirked when she noted a particularly lacy piece in her hands. With a mental note of forced clothes play for their next sexual encounter Lyria started transporting the rest of the boxes down to the car. In the end it did not take overly long as Sally didn't own too much personal affects.

Her girlfriend wrapped her arm around her waist and stood on her tip toes to give her a nice long kiss near the car. Lyria indulged in the possessive gesture, reciprocating Sally's advances. Public displays of affection still made her a bit itchy but the human was slowly warming her up to it. The human pressed the elf's back against the car, deepening the kiss as her tongue thrust itself into Lyria's mouth. The woman allowed Sally to do as she pleased; a rarity for her but her game of pleasure denial at the hands of Sam had piqued her interest in the other side of dominance. Of course it was small steps for now.

After a few more moments the human broke from the kiss. "Thanks again Lyria, seriously. I needed to get out of that fucking place. I felt like I couldn't breathe."

Lyria smirked down at the shorter woman. "I can believe it. I was about to throw up from staring too long at the floor tiles."

Sally giggled and broke away from the elf, sitting down in the passenger seat. Lyria turned the car on and tossed Sally a warning glare as the human removed her sandals and placed her feet on the dash. The crass nature of the young woman was attractive in some ways but in other ways it drove her up a wall. Her girlfriend rolled her eyes and removed her feet from the dash, as though Lyria was being ridiculous. The elf sighed and pulled out of the apartment lot, pondering if this was such a good idea now.

"So. Why was it so bad over there?" Lyria asked as she drove.

Sally snorted. "It'd be easier to tell you what wasn't wrong over there. I knew the girls from high school so I figured I'd room with them for a bit while going to college. Wasn't my scene so I walked out on it. Fucking cunts thought I was trouble after that since I spent some times in clubs and worked down at the tattoo parlor. So we'd get into fights. Got pretty ugly really fast. Made fun of some of my other friends pretty often. When I started dating you it got really bad, dyke was tossed around just before I knocked Jules on her ass." She replied.

Lyria frowned. "Just because you were dating another woman?"

"Well, that and you being loaded didn't help matters. Anyway, too hell with 'em right? If they couldn't accept what I wanted to do they weren't friends anyway." Sally said, obviously wanting to terminate the conversation.

Lyria nodded and let Sally switch into another topic. "Anyway, you've got such a big place. Ever thought about getting a pet or something? Seems lonely just living alone like that."

Lyria smirked at that. "Oh, I don't know about that. Pets can be quite the responsibility. You have to housetrain them and everything. Some have a habit of getting caught underfoot as well."

Sally shot her a lewd look. "Oh? Will you be 'housetraining' me then?"

"That could certainly be arranged, my dear." The elf said with a chuckle.

The drive back was rather uneventful though Lyria did entertain a few erotic scenarios regarding aforementioned housetraining. She hadn't broken out her riding crop in a very long time. Or really any of her more extreme bondage gear. The image of Sally cuffed to her bed with a ball-gag stuffed in her mouth was going to be on her thoughts for a bit. Mostly their sex had been pretty tame but now that Lyria actually had a relationship again it seemed like talking about limits and such might be a good idea. Pushing Sally into something she didn't want was not something she wanted to do.

Sometime later the pair entered her apartment and Sally smiled at the sight of the large place. This was her first time here without being drunk after all. Lyria led her to the spare bedroom and set down the box she'd been carrying, remembering that she'd need to be moving her pets while Sally moved the rest of her things in. If Sally found out about her more... exotic tastes the elf wasn't quite sure what she might need to do. Nothing pleasant, that much was for certain.

"I need to go check on something, Sally, are you going to be good to carry up the rest?" Lyria asked.

Sally kissed her briefly and smiled. "Sure thing. This room makes the one I had over there look like even more shit than I thought. Can't wait to try the bed out. Maybe, once we've got everything up here you can help me break it in?"

Lyria smirked. "I'm getting the feeling you moving in was not purely to get away from your roommates."

"Getting the chance to fuck like rabbits with my girl is a nice bonus." She remarked.

The elf rolled her eyes and walked out of the room. Once she heard the door to the apartment close to signal Sally heading down to the garage Lyria headed over to collect her pets. She knelt down near the pair of long discarded heel and smiled at Sam. He had been working some time to get into her room and she figured the least she could do was reward the efforts of so loyal a pet. That and the move would hopefully keep Sally from figuring out her dirty little secret.

"Right, so Sally is moving in. I'll be moving you into my bedroom and stuffing the other two in the closet." She said.

Sam looked a little nervous for some reason. "Uh, Lyria, you are probably not going to like this but... Win's hiding under the chair."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees as she processed that. The elf looked under the chair and sure enough she could see the form of Winona lingering in the back out of arm's reach. Of course she would choose now to act up again. There was a chance someone from the outside might find her so she was obviously going to take it. Akane was still cowering in her heel, having no doubt remembered what had happened last time she had dared to displease Lyria. The risk of failure was too much for her.

"Winona... if you don't come out from under there right fucking now I swear I'm going to show you what Leth's last moments were like." She promised.

The troll stubbornly refused to get out from under the chair and so Lyria tried vainly to reach under it, unable to grasp at her. All she could do was glare at her in anger. This... was not good. If by some chance Winona managed to get Sally's attention and tell her just what her... darker moments were like things would get very hairy, very fast. She growled as she started to shift the chair and tried to reach around from behind, still not getting anything for her efforts. The apartment door opened again and she heard the sound of Sally's footsteps heading to her room thankfully.

Lyria cursed under her breath as she tried to grasp at Winona desperately, growing more and more furious towards the troll. She had made a mistake not killing the bitch as soon as she could as an example. Eating Leth had certainly made an impression on her but clearly her desire to escape outweighed her fear of the elf. She swore to herself that Win was going to pay for this. She was going to make the troll wish she was dead. Lyria didn't know how but the bitch was going to be pleading for mercy soon enough!

"Lyria? Hey, I've got one more box. You almost done in there?" Sally called.

"Yes! I will be done when you are!" She responded.

The apartment door shut and Lyria thought quickly as she grabbed Sam and Akane. She bolted towards her room, opening her closet to drop Akane into a pair of her old boots before shoving Sam into a drawer. Those two taken care of she returned to her problem in the living room and continued to grasped and claw beneath the stupid chair. She actually heard Winona laugh at her! The elf felt her icy fury rise like a tsunami.

"What's the matter you sick cunt, afraid your little girlfriend is going to find out your dirty secret? That you're a fucking murderer?" The troll said.

Lyria snarled, losing her cool. "Shut the fuck up you tiny bitch! You three bastards tried to screw me over; if I want to kill you then I have that right! No one cares about you; no one cares about your worthless tiny life, Winona!" She yelled.

At that moment the door to the apartment opened and Sally's steps came this way instead of heading to the bedroom. Lyria looked back, her hand still wedged under the chair. Winona took that opportunity to bite her finger. The elf drew back with a yelp, nursing her bitten finger as the troll bolted from under the chair and out over the carpeted floor. Lyria crawled after the troll, swiping at her and missing.

"Hey, Lyria, I was just wondering if you... you..."

The elf dared to look up and saw Sally's eyes fixed upon the screaming and jumping form of Winona. Her eyes were comically widened and her fingers slipped from her hold on the box, the thing thumping to the floor. Lyria's mind went blank as she stared up and waited for a reaction from Sally. The girl fell to her knees to get a closer look at Winona, her jaw hanging open. The elf swallowed hard. She supposed though the words that fell from Sally's lips were rather appropriate for her.

"Oh... oh my God... Wha- what the fuck!? What the actual fuck!?"

Lyria found herself unable to do much of anything but stare helplessly up at Sally as the human looked down at the shrunken troll. Her mind however was exploding with every possible scenario she could do to salvage this situation. If she captured Winona before the troll opened her stupid mouth then maybe she could explain it away as something work related. There was a way out of this she just needed to stop the troll from saying anything to Sally-

"You have to help us! This crazy bitch has been holding us captive for weeks; she even ate one of us!" Winona cried.

Like that for example.

Sally blinked and then looked to Lyria, who had gotten to her knees. "Wha-what is she talking about Lyria? Is- is this like a real fucking person?"

The elf pondered exactly what she could say here, for once finding herself at a complete loss for words. The cat was very much out of the bag and down the next street from Winona's words. Sally could see with her own eyes exactly what Lyria got up to in her free time and she did not predict this would go over well. The blue haired young woman looked at her helplessly, trying to make sense of the situation obviously. The elf locked her jaw for a moment before settling on trying to talk her down.

"Now, Sally, please calm down. I can explain." Lyria said, trying to keep her tone level and calm.

Winona yelled up at Sally. "Don't believe a word she says! She's going to lie to you!"

The elf very wanted to pound the troll into a very gooey red paste at that very moment. Instead she gathered herself up and smiled slightly at Sally. If she approached the matter calmly and coolly then she might have a chance here. Sally did not yet know it but she stood on the brink of being able to utterly ruin Lyria for good. All she would need to do was let out this whole thing and the elf would be very dead very fast. As such it was important to get the young woman to see her side of things.

"I am not going to lie to you, my dear. Please, just come sit down on the couch with me so we can talk. You can bring Winona over with you if you like." She said, offering an encouraging smile as she adopted a comforting tone.

Sally nodded dumbly and carefully offered Winona her hand, the troll clinging to her like a drowning man on a rock. Lyria gestured over to the couch and sat down beside Sally as the human placed the troll on the glass table. Good. Things were reasonably back in her control. Now she just needed to keep the situation from escalating overmuch. Sally continued to stare at Winona, almost as though she couldn't believe her eyes. Lyria imagined that she might very well not.

"Winona, since you are so mouthy why don't you talk first."

Lyria then endured the troll shouting and waxing lyrical about what the past few weeks had been like. She went into especial detail about how she had eaten Leth, which earned a shocked look from Sally. The blue haired young woman looked at her warily however Lyria remained completely outwardly calm. If she lost her temper then any chance of her ever salvaging the situation was lost. When Winona finished both looked at her, the troll in triumph and Sally in something bordering horror.

Seeing that expression on her girlfriend's face hurt a lot more than she would like to admit. Lyria buried that hurt and instead turned her attention to Winona. She didn't snarl, she didn't glare or anything like that. What she did instead was to move her hand closer to the troll, curl her finger up against her thumb and then flick Winona hard. The troll had the breath knocked from her lungs and was thrown onto her back by that. Sally looked mortified.

"What the hell, Lyria!? What the fuck are you doing!?" She cried.

Lyria gave her a calm look. "Look closely at her, Sally. Tell me what you see."

Sally obliged. "I see a woman you just fucking hurt!"

Lyria shook her head. "Really? Because what I see is a worthless worm barely worthy of being considered a person."

"What Winona failed to mention was why she is like this. She and two others orchestrated a level of corporate sabotage that got several people killed and almost cost me my position. My superiors gave me allowance to do with them as I pleased. I have one other here who can attest to that being true as he was a survivor of their actions." The elf stated.

Sally looked at the recovering Winona a bit more warily and Lyria almost smirked as she could practically see the gears in her head turning. The wind from the troll's little horror story was mostly knocked from the sails, now Lyria had a decent chance of turning this in her favor. Sally thought for a moment before turning her attention back to the elf. The look in her eyes showed that things were turning the elf's way.

"Let me talk to this other guy."

"Wait! But he's her trained little pet! You can't-!" Winona started.

Sally looked at the tiny woman. "Shut the fuck up! Seriously, let me... fuck, just let me figure this shit out. Goddamn..." She said, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Lyria smirked at that response and walked into her room. If she played her cards just right then she might well get out of this. Of course that all depended upon Sam. That thought struck her like a lightning bolt, stopping her hand from pulling the drawer out. Her fate was quite literally in Sam's hands. It would be quite easy for him to go along with Winona's story and free himself from her once and for all. He might well be her pet but when a chance like this was presented to him perhaps he might well see hope of getting his old life back.

The fear almost stopped her from opening the drawer. Even still there was no other choice here. Sam's story was her only hope of turning things her way and keeping Sally calm and on her side. If she could erase any sympathy for the conspirators from her mind, make her and Sam appear their victims then there might be a chance. It was her only chance really. Lyria had never been much of a gambling woman but right now she was flipping a coin. On one side was a way out of this awful situation and on the other was her almost assured death.

Slowly she opened the drawer and held Sam up in her hand. "Listen. Sam. Sally found Winona. I need you to tell her all about the fact that they screwed your team over. If she doesn't believe me then..."

Sam's eyes widened. "I- You are serious? She knows?"

Lyria nodded. "Please Sam. Please, I need you to help me here."

Sam looked thoughtful for a long moment. The elf couldn't get a read on exactly what he was thinking for once and that scared her. The thought that this could be his escape had to have crossed his mind once. No doubt he was thinking about it even. However when he simply nodded in response to her pleading she still had no idea what his plans were. The whole walk back to the living room Lyria could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Real and actual fear was spreading through her veins like ice as she set him down on the table.

All eyes were on Sam. Sally's curious ones, Winona's desperate ones, and Lyria's fearful ones. He looked at each one in turn, his gaze lingering upon Lyria's for a long moment before finally he spoke up.

"My name is Samuel. I used to be a shadowrunner." He started.

Sally's eyes widened. "Woah! Like, a real honest to God runner?" She interrupted, sounding rather impressed.

Sam smirked at her. "Yeah, the real deal chummer." He said.

"That's six kinds of badass, man. I knew this one guy- sorry, keep going." Sally said, noting the looks she was getting from both Lyria and Winona.

"Anyway. My team was given a mission to hit Yamatetsu for some experimental bioware. Formula 27. Didn't know what it did, wish I didn't now. We were given something to help us take out the power so we could get in, grab the data, and get out. We got in, but the getting out never happened for most of us." He said.

"It was a set up. Winona and two others set my team up as a distraction so they could steal some experimental cyberware. Every last one of my team got killed and I ended up a test subject for Formula 27, the pricks probably laughing at themselves at disposing of me like that. If Lyria hadn't picked me up and given me a chance I'd be dead and long dissected." He finished.

Winona looked fit to say something but Sally raised a hand. "Why did she help you? Just out of the kindness of her heart or some shit?" She asked

Sam scratched the back of his head and Lyria cleared her throat, opting to answer that one. "He and I had met in a bar and slept together. That was before we were together mind you. I recognized him and thought he had used me to get inside somehow. I was going to... punish him for that but I believed he honestly had no idea that I worked for Yamatetsu."

Sally was quiet for a long while, getting up off the couch and pacing around a bit nervously. Lyria swallowed hard out of her sight. The human might still very well decide to expose this whole thing despite the tale. Sam's testimony seemed to have at least taken the horror and disgust from her mind. Really, at the moment Lyria couldn't get a clear feeling on what Sally was thinking. Usually the human wore her emotions on her sleeve but now... now she was a little different.

After a minute or two the blue haired woman sat down and looked Lyria in the eye. "I want you to tell me fucking everything from the beginning. How you met Samuel here, whatever this Formula thing is, how you found out about these guys. Everything. Don't you dare lie to me."

Winona looked mortified. "But you can't-!"

Sally snarled at the troll. "Did I say, 'Winona you can talk'? I don't think I fucking did, so sit down and shut up!"

The troll promptly clamed up, likely realizing that alienating her one hope of escape was not the wisest of ideas. Lyria held back a smirk and recounted the entire sordid tale from her perspective. Honestly she was very surprised Sam had gone along with her. It tugged at her affection towards him and she made a note to reward her loyalty after this was done with. Right after she punished Winona in the worst ways possible of course. That was a task she would approach with especial glee.

Lyria obliged Sally's demand though it was with some hesitation that she spoke about certain events. It was classified information after all though, between exposing corporate secrets to her crass girlfriend and being exposed and silenced as a compromised asset the elf opted for the former. The blue haired woman listened attentively and honestly, telling it all back to someone just drove home how twisted and convoluted the whole thing had been. Sally's eyes widened when she mentioned Xana.

"Wait, like a real vampire? Fangs, red eyes, the whole thing?" She asked, sounding a bit skeptical.

The elf shivered as she remembered her dealings with the woman. "Unfortunately, yes, she was quite real. Sam and Win and both attest to that."

Sam simply nodded while the troll muttered some unflattering words towards Xana under her breath. With that question answered Lyria continued wrapped up her story and let Sally digest everything she'd been told. The blue haired young woman was still for a long while before she offered Lyria a slightly nervous smile. The expression itself told the elf nothing but how crazy all of this sounded to her.

"Babe, I get the feeling living with you won't be boring." She said, pecking the elf on the cheek.

Lyria felt a swell of victory as she looked at Winona's expression of pure despair. "Wait! You can't be serious!"

Sally turned a cold look towards the troll. "You tried to screw over my girlfriend, bitch, and you let some poor sap take the fall for your crimes, talk about a dick move. You're damn right I'm not gonna lift a finger to help you." She said, flicking the troll in a manner that Lyria didn't mind saying excited her.

Sally stood and sighed. "Right, I'm gonna go finish getting my shit all settled in. Once you finish up here I think we should... talk or something about this."

As soon as Sally was out of the room Lyria's hand lashed out and gripped Winona in something that could only be called a vice. She smiled in a sickly sweet manner as the troll had the breath crushed from her lungs. The look of terror upon Winona's face was delicious as she struggled to breathe. The amount of effort it took for her not to squeeze the troll into a gooey mess between her fingers was rather heroic but she did hold back. Oh no, she wasn't going to make things easy for the bitch.

"Win, Win, Win, I don't think I need to tell you how very displeased I am with you. Honestly, did you really think you could outwit me?" Lyria purred dangerously.

"Let me assure you, I will be punishing you most severely for this. I won't kill you though, not yet anyway. Instead I'm going to make every waking moment of your worthless life a complete hell. Starting now." The elf promised.

With that Lyria moved her grip so she could take one of Winona's arms between the thumb and forefinger of her other hand. Without so much as a pause she snapped the woman's arm, bone shattering under her grip easily. The troll howled in agony as her right arm was twisted at an odd angle now, thrashing wildly in Lyria's grip. Pleased by this the elf unzipped one of her boots and pulled it off, moving into the kitchen with both Win and it in her hands. She was going to enjoy this far more than was right.

Lyria riffled through one of the drawers and smiled as she pulled out a roll of masking tape. "If you don't want to be my pet then I'll just have to find another use for you." She stated, placing the struggling troll face down where the arch of her foot would normally rest inside.

The elf then maneuvered two strips of tape into the bottom of her boot, humming to herself as she worked. Once she had her victim secure within Lyria placed it down on the ground and slowly lowered her blue socked foot inside. The arch was really the best place to put her aside from area around her toes. It would greatly reduce the likelihood of her getting squashed prematurely. Winona's screams were cut short as her foot slid right into place and Lyria zipped up her boot. She smirked as she could feel the pleasant writhing of the pathetic woman under her foot.

"Ah, I think you are the perfect fit, Win. Enjoy your new job." The elf stated, though she knew the troll couldn't hear her.

She could only imagine what kind of personal hell Win was going through right now, trapped between the arch of her boot and her socked foot, though the constant writhing and squirming told her all she needed to know. It was of course extremely sadistic but considering what the troll had tried to pull Lyria was willing to make her a permanent addition to all of her footwear. If she ended up squished like a bug one day it was no skin off of her back. Sam and Akane were perfectly obedient after all.

Lyria walked back to the living room, her socked foot pressing into Win's tiny body again and again with each step. All joking aside the troll was quite a good fit right where she was, neither too much of a protrusion to make walking uncomfortable or too unnoticeable to avoid Lyria feeling pleased by her struggles. She returned to Sam who stared up at her with a raised brow. The elf offered her hand to her favorite pet and he stepped up onto it gratefully.

"So, what did you do with Win?"

Lyria smirked enigmatically. "Oh, I gave her a new job. She's much better suited for it than she ever was at being a pet. You won't be seeing too much of her but she'll be around."

With that the elf walked back to her room and placed a kiss upon the crown of Sam's head. He fell onto his back and Lyria promptly peppered his body with kisses. Her plush lips pecked at him again and again, and she noted his arousal was front and center. Idly she slid the door to her room shut as her silky tongue peeked out from behind her lips to flick over his erect member. He let out a low groan as she swished her tongue around between his legs liberally, showing her adoration to her favorite pet.

He squirmed under her tongue gloriously and Lyria made a note to use this method more often. She knew that he feared being inside of her mouth after her first punishment, however perhaps she might be able to work past that. At this stage she could well just force him into it and he would not protest much most likely, but she greatly preferred moments like this. With him pinned beneath her tongue and practically begging for her to dominate him completely. Forcing him into certain things held little appeal.

Under the constant stimulation he let out a strangled cry as his body tensed and he rode out the orgasm. The salty tinge of his release peppered onto the tip of her tongue, the member drawing back into her mouth. She swallowed the pitiful offering and smiled down at her heavily breathing pet. For his part Sam gazed up at her in gratitude, lying out in her hand covered in a thin coat of her saliva. Such a small amount merely tingled at his skin no doubt rather than burning at it.

"That is for being a good and loyal pet, Sammy." Lyria purred as she opened her drawer.

Sam smiled up at her strangely. "I thought about it, about trying to escape. I don't think I could go back to that life. Not after living with you, Lyria."

Those words warmed her heart slightly. "It makes me happy to hear you say that. You never need to go back to that life, not when you have an owner to dote over you." The elf said.

Sam opened his mouth to say something then closed it and then opened it again. "Lyria, I- Ah, never mind. It's... not important right now." He said.

Lyria lifted an elegant brow but simply shrugged it off and lowered Sam into her sock drawer, suspecting he'd vastly prefer a place there. She left the drawer open with a slight crack to allow light to enter. With him rewarded for his loyalty and Win enduring literally tons of punishment the elf felt a slight skip to her step as she left her room. Sally was waiting for her in the kitchen and she lifted a brow at her.

"So what did you do with the cow?" She asked.

The elf lifted her boot. "I tapped her to the arch of my boot. Inside mind you, I am not in the mind to forgive her soon."

The blue haired girl shook her head and leaned back at the kitchen table. "Could have just given me a warning, ya know something along the lines of; 'hey babe, I've got a bunch of shrunken people scurrying around my apartment. Watch your step.'" She grumbled.

Lyria sat down on her lap, earning a slight grunt from the other woman. "Now, now, would you have believed me if I told you that?" She purred.

A sharp bark of laughter. "Nah, I guess not. So, what's the deal? I mean with Sam and the other cunt that tried to fuck you over."

Lyria kissed Sally lightly on the lips. "What do you mean? I own them both; they are my pets, pretty simple really."

Sally pushed back slightly. "I mean now that I know can I... ya know handle them?"

Lyria pondered that question for a good few moments. She pressed her foot down slightly to compress Win a bit under her arch, pinning her completely to keep her squirming down as she thought. Honestly she hadn't thought of what Sally might want to do now that she knew. The fact that she wanted to handle them at all was surprising. Technically she was her girlfriend so if anyone should be allowed to handle her pets it would be her. She doubted Sam or Akane would protest too much.

"Certainly, my dear. My pets are your pets as long as we are together. Just be gentle with them. They are more fragile than you might think. If I'm not here then you can find Sam in my sock drawer and Akane in one of my old boots." Lyria said.

Sally beamed. "Thanks and I promise I'll be super careful with them!"

With that Lyria opted to indulge in a long kiss with her human girlfriend, who was only too happy to reciprocate. Sally's arms wrapped around the elf sitting upon her lap as she chased after her lips. The elf had a newfound respect for the human; certainly her acceptance of the bizarre situation was a sign of loyalty. Of course she was also feeling more than a little horny after making Win a new addition to her boots and getting Sam off. The metal table screeched as Sally laid Lyria back on the kitchen table with a smirk.

The human stripped off her boots, pausing for a moment to stare down into the one that held Win. The blue haired woman stuck out her tongue at the screaming and crying troll, and set the boot down. She unbuttoned the elf's jeans and unzipped them quickly, sliding them down Lyria's smooth and creamy legs. Her blue panties were similarly discarded, displaying her wetness for her partner to see. This had not been how she had planned to enjoy Sally's first day here but she had to admit it was a bit more arousing.

The human squatted down and dragged the elf's legs closer to her before all but burying her face between Lyria's thighs. The normally domineering woman let out a loud moan as she felt Sally's tongue slid between her moist folds, curving upwards to mercilessly assault the ceiling of her inner walls. The elf's eyes flew wide and her back arched, toes curling with delight as the human delved into her. Her fingers worked themselves into Sally's hair, digging into her scalp and trying to push her deeper.

"Ah! Sally, that's-!" Lyria gasped out.

She squealed in pleasure as Sally found exactly where to touch, her nails digging further into her lover's skull. Her walls twitched in response to the skilled tongue of the human and Lyria found herself growing closer and closer to the edge. This wasn't some slow seduction; it was rough, passionate, and fast. The elf rocked her hips forward, trying to drive her lover deeper. Normally she liked being in control but Sally taking what she wanted was quite enticing in and of itself, in more ways than Lyria cared to vocalize.

Under the constant assault it did not take long before Lyria let out her loudest cry and convulsed with the force of the powerful climax. Her eyes rolled about in their sockets as she lay back on the kitchen table, twitching as Sally licked her clean. That... had felt pretty good. Maybe having a housemate would have more than a few perks. She found herself being pulled up and into a kiss, Sally smirking at her as the elf drifted in her state of afterglow.

"Bet that felt good. I've wanted to fuck you all day. Let's go break in my new room, eh?" Sally suggested.

Lyria nodded breathlessly. "Ah, if you can do that thing with your tongue I don't think I'll ever ask you to pay rent." The elf said with a chuckle.

With a problem pet dealt with, her girlfriend accepting of her situation, and her good pet properly rewarded Lyria felt this had been a very productive day.

The sock drawer was actually rather pleasant, if Sam was being perfectly honest. It was rather dark most of the time and unless Lyria wanted to remove him he was rather stuck there, however it was plush and pretty expansive for one of his size. A step up from his time in the elf's high heel really and he was living in her room finally. Truly with that goal fulfilled he probably should be ecstatic. He was in Lyria's room after all and there was something enticing in snuggling up inside of her socks.

However despite this step up in residence the former shadowrunner was feeling somewhat... neglected. In the week since Sally had moved in Lyria had spent less and less time interacting with him. She still bathed him and kept him fed along with Akane of course, however that was mostly it. The elf had stopped asking if he'd like to accompany her to work and on her runs. Ironically he had achieved his long standing goal but now it felt as though Lyria was actually drifting further from him rather than closer.

There was a good amount of jealousy directed towards Sally for that. The blue haired human sapped much of the elf's attention. He supposed, in his more bitter moments, it made sense. Sam was just her pet after all, while Sally was an equal of sorts. He didn't hate Sally exactly, she actually seemed somewhat fun and easygoing from what he'd seen. However he did hate that Lyria was turning her attention to the other woman over him. It made him more than a little melancholy.

It was after that first week that Sam found the drawer sliding open in the afternoon and he stared up with elation, expecting to see Lyria for lunch. Instead he found the curious face of Sally staring down at him. The young man pushed the sock he'd been covering himself with off and earned a chuckle from the gigantic woman. A smirk split across her mouth afterwards.

"Do you, like, sleep in her socks or something? Huh, guess that actually makes sense. A little weird though, huh?" Sally said.

Sam forced a smile on his face. "Heya, Sally, any reason for the visit?"

"Oh, yeah. Lyria called and told me she'd be working late tonight, so she wants me to feed you and... what's her name... the Asian chick." She explained.

"Akane." He clarified.

She snapped her fingers. "Right! That was it. Anyway, hop on up!" The human said, offering her hand down into the drawer.

Sam hesitated for a moment. The hand was foreign, strange, and most importantly did not belong to Lyria. It was silly but after so long of the elf handling him he had reservations about anyone else doing so. Her hand was smooth and so soft with elegant and slender fingers. By comparison Sally's looked rougher; possessing callouses and sloppily cut fingernails. Nonetheless he climbed onto her hand, gripping her thumb for a brace as she moved her hand rather too quickly for his tastes.

The young man felt strange sitting upon her hand, it wasn't uncomfortable just... different. Her handling was careful enough though so he figured it wasn't so bad. He noted she was wearing a simple t-shirt, jeans, and nothing on her feet. Her bra was also so black he could see it through the white of her shirt. Really she was not unattractive; indeed she was very pretty, it was just that she was not Lyria that threw him off. Sam supposed it would just take some getting used to.

Sally moved to Lyria's closet and removed the boot where Akane made her new home. The human reached down into it and pulled out the other woman, who looked up in fear at the blue haired woman. The blue haired woman headed over to the kitchen with her charges in tow and set them down on the kitchen table, whistling to herself as her prepared their little meals. Sam ate wordlessly while Akane opted instead to try and appeal to Sally.

"H-hey Sally. L-listen, I know Lyria told you about what we... did but, please, don't treat me like this. I'm not some pet, I'm a person! I-I need to get out of here, my little sister, she needs me. Please!" Akane said.

Sam suspected he knew her thought process. Appeal to Sally since she was not Lyria and while the elf was not around, hoping she'd be able to find mercy in her heart. Hell, she hit better angles than Win ever had. Lyria's new insole had just tried logic; she hadn't tried to hit the blue haired woman's heartstrings. The young man peered up at his owner's girlfriend, suspecting her response before it even came. As with many things, he was right on the money.

The giantess snorted and lowered her face towards Akane, blowing hard at her and giggling when she fell on her ass with a squeak. "Ha! Wow, I didn't even have to touch you! Talk about pathetic. Far as I'm concerned you can spend the rest of your life like that, you tiny bitch. Now go ahead and eat." Sally said scornfully.

The woman teared up. "B-but- but you can't just..."

Sam rolled his eyes and gave Akane a look. "Give it a rest, Akane. Just shut up and eat, you don't want Lyria to punish you again do you?" He said.

The young woman's shoulders slumped in defeat. "N-no... I'm sorry for talking, Miss Sally." She sniveled miserably.

It didn't feel good to crush her hopes like that but really her begging was getting on Sam's nerves. What did she think Sally was going to do? Change her mind? Judging from the satisfied smirk on her face she had actually enjoyed telling Akane no, refusing to help her in any way. With Lyria not around to scold her, the young woman leaned back in her chair and propped her feet up on the table. With her fun with Akane done with the young woman simply started at the ceiling, flexing and curling her toes idly.

As he finished his meal Sam found his gaze shifting toward Sally's towering feet, his eyes drinking in the wrinkles that formed when she moved her feet just so. They weren't like Lyria's feet but he had to admit they held their own appeal. It felt kind of strange, feeling aroused at another woman's feet. In his mind it felt a little like he was cheating on his owner, however he couldn't bring himself to look away. He even managed to catch a glimpse of her black nail polish when her toes curled.

He was immediately aware of his arousal, staring so long at her feet and unfortunately Sally eventually took note. She moved her feet back to the floor and leaned in, a slightly bewildered look on her face. "Uh, did you just get a hard on from looking at my feet?" She asked.

Sam flushed deeply. "No! I-I-!" He fumbled over his words, trying to salvage something fast.

The blue haired human raised a brow. "Oh? Then why the stiffy, Sammy?"

That use of the name Lyria granted him grated more than he would have liked to admit. It was like Sally was touching something she had no right to. "I was daydreaming and it just happened, okay!? Also, it's Sam."

"Lyria calls you that." Sally pointed out.

"That's Lyria." He shot back.

The young woman held up her hands. "Okay, I get it, whatever. Calm down, jeez. It's not like you're the first guy I've met to have a foot fetish." She said.

"I just told you I don't!" Sam ground out.

Sally rolled her eyes. "Uh huh. Daydreaming, got it."

Sam gritted his teeth but wisely bit back a few choice words. Annoyingly, the young woman propped up her feet on the table again and he forced his gaze from them. Akane had returned her gaze to her little meal, lapping up some of the water in her cap as though she hadn't seen anything. The young man sighed and sat himself down as he waited for his fellow shrunken person to finish her food. He tried to calm himself. Getting so defensive wasn't like him. Why did it matter if he did have a foot fetish really? Not like he was fooling Sally with his denial.

It wasn't long before Akane finished however Sally didn't seem to notice, instead occupying herself with a little handheld device. The other human woman moved closer to Sam and let out a low sigh. The former shadowrunner turned his gaze towards her and saw it. That same look in his eyes, that same brokenness though here there were tinges of despair. He felt, for the first time, actual pity for Akane. He loved Lyria, that was what kept him here no matter if she returned that love or not. Akane, while she had screwed him over, had nothing.

Her eyes turned to Sally's towering feet and she hugged herself. "We're never going to get out of here are we?"

"I dunno."

"What's the point of living then? If we are just pets, what kind of life is that?"

Sam sighed. "I can't answer that for you."

"I hate her. Lyria. I hate her and I hate Sally. I think I hate you too for being so accepting. It doesn't change anything though. I'm still tiny when I wake up, still a plaything." Akane said, curling her legs up and hugging them to her chest.

There wasn't much Sam could say to that so he just kept his mouth shut. Sally eventually noticed both of them were finished and leaned forward, placing her phone off to the side. Abruptly she plucked Akane up, earning a squeak from the tiny woman and a violent flinch from Sam from the sudden movement. She pinned her between her thumb and forefinger, pushing her breasts up as she held her by the torso. The smaller human pounded at the fingers, screaming and crying out.

"You are kinda cute, ya know that? Always had a thing for Asian chicks. What about you, Sam? Don't you think she's cute?" Sally said.

"I-I suppose."

"Awww... you hear that, Akane? Sam thinks you are cute. Aren't you going to thank us for the compliments?"

The poor little woman was all but gasping for breath as she screamed out her thanks. "T-thank you for the c-compliment! Ahhh, p-please, air! Please!"

Sally rolled her eyes before moving her hand and letting Akane roll into her palm. Next she plucked Sam up, and set him down in the same hand. The young man glared up at Sally for the rough handling and watched Akane slowly recover. She clearly had few problems getting used to the idea of pushing smaller people around. That in itself rubbed Sam the wrong way. Something about Sally just felt... off to him. It was probably just jealousy but her almost complete 180 had him think there was something more to it.

She looked back to the door and then at the time before peering back down to the tiny people in her hand. The look she gave them certainly had Sam feeling more than a little uneasy, a mixture of amusement and casual boredom. Like she was looking for a fun way to pass the time between now and when Lyria returned. Akane must have gotten a similar vibe as she shrunk further away from the giantess.

"Hmm... I want you two to kiss." She commanded.

Sam blinked. "What?"

"You heard me. I want you and Akane to kiss."

"No way! Why would I do that?"

Sally shrugged. "Because I told you to? Lyria said I could do whatever I wanted with you two as long as you weren't hurt too much. No harm in a kiss is there?"

Sam glared up at her. "Forget it!"

The woman's eyes flashed and a moment later gravity shifted as Sam felt himself gripped by the leg and dangled upside down before Sally's massive face. He cried out as panic surged through his veins. This was far rougher of a treatment compared to Lyria. The human shook him slightly, scrambling his thoughts and threatening to cause him to spill his lunch. He felt utterly helpless as he writhed in Sally's grip, without the familiar protection of Lyria. Instead this alien woman was handling him.

"Hey, you don't wanna listen that's cool. I can entertain myself with you two in other ways. Probably won't be fun for you two. Or you could just do what I say and make out."

Sam wanted to refuse. This was different than dealing with Lyria. He had submitted to the elf, not to her girlfriend. It wasn't fair how this stupid, vulgar bitch could just handle him however she wanted. Lyria at least valued his intelligence and treated him somewhat well while Sally was treating him like a toy. It hurt. However he knew she was right. Likely she could get away with doing a few other things to them and Lyria would not care too much. Sam knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't sweat Sally playing with them.

So he resigned himself to the orders of the giant woman with a nod. Sally smiled at him and set him back down into her palm. "See? Not so difficult."

He really wanted to punch Sally in the face though he imagined she'd feel a little tap from his efforts and little else. Instead he pushed down his anger and turned to Akane, who already looked fit to accept this. Sam allowed his eyes to rove over her face, drinking in her angular features and her light freckles. She was very pretty really and her plush lips looked fit for kissing. A couple of months ago he would have loved to have gone steady with her. Now however, being forced into kissing her in the hand of a giantess was the cause of anger.

Slowly he leaned in and saw her breasts heave in a deep sigh. She leaned in to meet him and they shared a very brief kiss. Her lips were as plush and lovely as he has estimated and even though the contact was brief he felt... somewhat pleased to kiss some woman his size. Sally let out a tsk at the somewhat lack luster effort.

"C'mon, give me something better than that. A nice deep kiss."

Sam glared up at her but found it was Akane that took the initiative. The woman surged forward and captured his lips in her own, her tongue battering its way into his mouth. It took him a moment before he started to reciprocate the attentions. Sally smirked at the sight and he saw her slip her hand under her shirt and bra, her fingers playing over her nipples. He almost wanted to retch at the obvious pleasure this was giving her. Again there was that feeling. Like she was accepting this too easily and reveling in her new power. It didn't feel normal or natural compared to how hesitant she had been when she had first learned about this.

"Wrap your arms around each other."

Hesitantly both raised their arms, only breaking away from the kiss briefly for air. In any other situation Sam would have been more than receptive to this attention. Now however, juggling between humiliation and this strange feeling from Sally there was no enjoyment. In fact there was a slight bit of fear. What if she wanted them to go on further? To watch them fuck in the palm of her hand on command? It was something Sam doubted Lyria would ever do but Sally he was not so sure. She seemed to be getting into this.

"Put her on her back."

Carefully Akane leaned back into the flesh of Sally's hand as Sam kissed her from above. He could see the look on her face and knew the same worries were going through her mind. Still they kissed and acted as Sally desired. It was a case of the devil one knew being better than the demon they didn't. Lyria was cool and collected and logical. It was easy to please her. Sally was unknown for the most part. She had seemed hesitant to treat them like pets but now Sam was not so certain of that.

Fortunately before it could be taken even further the door to the apartment slid open and Sally cursed low, her hand removing itself from her bra and her other hand placing both out on the table. Sam and Akane tumbled out onto the cold and hard surface with a cry and a squeak respectively. The sound of heels clacking against the floor sounded out and a chair screeched as Sally got out of it. Lyria soon walked into view and drew Sally in for a light kiss on the lips.

"Welcome back, Lyria. Fed and watered them just like you asked." Sally said, immediately losing that odd expression now that the elf was back.

"Thank you, m'dear. I trust they weren't too much trouble." The elf said, setting her purse aside.

"Oh, I would say we got along just fine." The human woman said, casting a glance over both of the shrunken humans below.

Sam gritted his teeth but remained silent in front of Sally. Lyria offered her hand to both he and Akane and it might have been just him but Sam could swear there was some mutual relief in being in a familiar hand. The elf walked out of the room and towards her own room, closing the door behind her. She set Akane back into her boot and was about to set Sam in his drawer before he stopped her quickly. There was no way he was just going to remain silent about this.

"Wait, Lyria. I want to tell you something."

The elf lifted a brow. "Oh? Go ahead, Sammy."

"It's about Sally."

Lyria's expression didn't change and so he spilled his thoughts regarding the blue haired human. He also relayed the events just prior to her arrival. The elf frowned slightly but did not interrupt him. When he finished her expression was mostly neutral and he could practically see the gears of thought turning in her head. After a long while she finally spoke.

"I see. I will speak to her about her... entertainment methods. As for her mood, it's not too odd to me. Coming from your line of work you have to admit that shrunken people is hardly the most odd thing to come across. She was also none too fond of Win when she learned of their conspiracy if you will recall. Nonetheless, I will watch her if that makes you feel better, my pet." Lyria said.

Sam let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you Lyria."

"No need. I figure I owe you the benefit of the doubt for your loyalty." The elf said, giving him a brief kiss upon the crown of his head before setting him in the drawer.

As he rested in the shadows of the drawer Sam felt conflicted. After watching and experiencing how Sally easily turned her view of him on a dime it was enough to warrant some reflection. Not only that but he very much feared what she might do once Lyria relayed her displeasure at her method of playing. Perhaps informing the elf might not have been the best idea in the long run. Only time would tell he supposed.