Milton was about to complete his second day with the Charmer’s absence. He didn’t feel any different, the charm needed more time between the host and the victim before it waned, and Henry had gone about his training as usual.

Towards the evening he went to the hot springs and found a vacant pool. He swam and drifted inside it some, then climbed up on a moss-covered shelf of rock where he lay and closed his eyes. His body was sore. Practicing his dodging skills was the harshest part. Milton was getting better at it, but it was basically a session of him just getting stomped by Hilda over and over again. And she had grown a little too comfortable with it all. How the practice went was that she said go, and her soles would start chasing him, Milton dodging as best as he could. When he was caught, it would be the end of it, she’d step off him and they would restart. But today, Milton felt she would stand on him a couple of extra unnecessary seconds. Sometimes he could have sworn to feel his skin wrinkle and twist, a very subtle grind from her part.

Milton heard a loud splash. Hilda had stepped into the pool, the backside of her naked body in its pale and youthful glory facing him. Hilda’s thin shape made her far less meaty, but her ass had somewhat of plumpness still and the thighs and calves were adequately muscular for her size. She lay with her head against one side, and owing to the irregular shape of the pool, in this part the walls of the pool caved inwards. The distance between where she put her head and where Milton lay could be closed with the length of her body, and she propped her feet up right on the ledge Milton was on, comfortably claiming most of the space. The sun was behind Milton, shining its golden sunset light on her feet, making the drops of water on them sparkle. Not a word had been spoken, Milton unsure if she even knew he was there. The toes flexed, and with all that water alongside the ripples of wrinkles forming along the length, it produced a glittering wave of motion under the sunlight. From heel to toe, her feet were perhaps a doorway and a half tall.

Those large peds moved so effortlessly, a wiggling dance. The toes were slender, to her thin stature, but a surprising amount of folded flesh presented itself when they curled and moved. Her left foot went over her right, the toes grappling with one another playfully, sliding in between each other’s gaps, taking care of each other. It looked like an act of seduction, like a woman dancing for him, trying to bring him closer. Milton did stare at them dumbfounded, but it was in awe of their size. Although giants were no new sight for him, since crossing the border he’d never had a single laid-back moment to simply observe. Now he did. He crawled closer and juxtaposed his foot next to hers. “So big…”

The feet tilted aside, revealing long legs leading to crotch and then torso under water. Her shoulders and head were above the surface, a raised eyebrow staring back at him. “When did you get there? You know, I’m not surprised to find you by my feet, staring at them like that. I knew you were weird when you wanted me to stomp you hard in training, but it’s becoming more and more obvious. You boys have no tact.”

“Wha— I was here first, actually. You’re the one who put these feet in my space.”

“You keep telling yourself that. Stop looking at me.” Her feet closed together in front of him, a wall blocking most of his view. “And you’re supposed to call me madam.” Milton sighed, and she cleared her throat self-importantly.

“Yes, madam.”

“Good. Don’t forget your place, human.”

“If I’m just a human, how are you so affected by me looking your way or the things I say? It should be insignificant to such an important giant like yourself, madam.”

“Stop trying to sound smart.” Her feet stooped forward, threatening to take him. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t endured already from training. “But, hey, listen. Umm…” Milton cautiously leaned to the side and peered past her foot, and she stared absently into the water, biting her thumb, a reddish color on her cheeks that might have been from the heat, or from nervousness. “My soles hurt, and I think it’s your job to do something about it.”

“What? But you—”

“Let me explain!” she defensively added. “Yes, I kick a lot and take plenty of hurt and I’m used to it. But ever since you came along and I have to stomp after you, my soles have begun to hurt. The reason being that I don’t normally have any practice or drills where I stomp the ground like that, so this is your fault. Or, maybe responsibility is a better word. My feet hurting is your responsibility. So, umm… I think you should do something.”

“Like what?”

“What do you think? Use your head.”

“You’ll barely feel anything if I massage with my hands. It would be a thousand times better if you did it yourself, or get Alluere to rub you off or something.”

“Shut up!” The feet snapped forward, almost slapping him, and Milton recoiled. They returned to their position. “Don’t worry about what it feels like sensually. It’s about you taking responsibility. If you want me to take you seriously, then show me you’re willing to take responsibility.”

Milton knew there was no point in arguing this. Whether he liked it or not, he’d be spending many days from now on with her and didn’t want it to get worse. “Fine, madam.”

“Good.”

Milton moved forward to the massive doors of pale flesh. He had no trouble picking at the soft arch and gathering folds of flesh between his fingers, kneading and rubbing them. The toes above him reacted, a girlish squirm, trying to endure the ticklish sensation. Milton didn’t try the heels, they were too hard and wouldn’t yield him any supple flesh to grab onto. The creamy arches, on the other hand, were welcoming. He was very curious as to what face she wore now, but didn’t dare peer past her feet to find out. “I’m thinking, maybe I can use my tethers? Pull and push methodically, that kind of thing?”

“Um, no? What do you think I am, some wagon you’re fixing? I’m a lady, and we need to be cared for.”

“That doesn’t sound like a mighty giant speaking to some insignificant subordinate. That’s more like a woman speaking to a fellow man.”

“Shut up.”

Milton continued picking at her arch, unable to even enjoy the sunset as it was behind him, behind the pool wall. “So, um, what’s your background? How did you end up with the Rhinos? There are no marks on your neck, so you’re not an offgiant.”

“Actually, I was an offgiant before.”

“Really? But you’re sixteen. It takes ten years for the marks to disappear. How old could you have been when they did it?”

“Four.”

Milton paused. Then, he said, “I’m sorry.”

She snorted. “Sorry? Humans are so full of themselves. It’s not a bad thing. If anything, it’s better to have it done early. You become a true citizen earlier, you get an easier road into the giants’ way of life. When it happens as you get older, you’ll have enough of your old human life to be attached to, makes it harder to grow out of it.”

“I guess you were lucky, madam,” Milton said. “You ended up fighting for our mistress, for a good cause. If that’s the end, then I don’t see the harm either.”

Hilda snorted again. “Some sensible words, but I know it comes from that charm. Deep down you’re still dumb.” She cleared her throat. “Now, be quiet and keep rubbing. I want some peace.” Milton kept tending to her arches for the rest of the evening.

Due to the Charmer’s absence, Hilda would see to his accommodations. When Milton thought she would take him to some lowly hole to sleep in, she took him to the giants’ barracks, into her own tiny, dark room with a mattress and night table and two pegs where two sets of clothes hung.

Milton watched the one mattress in the room. “Are we sleeping on the same spot, madam? I can’t betray my mistress.”

“Idiot. Are you assuming I’d want it? Don’t get full of yourself.” She dropped him onto the end of the mattress, opposite of the pillow. “You stay on that side.” Hilda lay down and stretched out her legs. Fortunately, she didn’t fully cover the length of her mattress, her feet close but not intruding on his space. Sleeping next to a human who moved too much in their sleep was annoying enough. A pair of giant soles slapping him around would be impossible. Hilda wore a short linen shift reaching her thighs, and a thong to cover her womanhood. Her legs came together. “I better not catch you peeping at me.”

“Like I said, I wouldn’t betray my mistress.” She always hated those answers from him.

The late evening became night, little light coming in from the window. Milton lay curled up at the end of the mattress, and an issue quickly arose. “Psst, madam, are you asleep?”

“What do you want?”

“It’s cold. Isn’t there a blanket or something?”

“No, we don’t need blankets. It’s not cold for us. That’s too bad for you.”

“Am I just supposed to freeze? You have some spare clothes, could you put them over me?”

“No, my clothes aren’t blankets for you to use.”

“You’ve got to do something. You’re responsible for me, right?”

“Ugh, fine.” There was a lot of shuffling, and Milton noticed large shadows to either side of him. “You can snuggle up against me.” Milton crawled over to her left foot, which lay on its side with the sole pointing towards him, and he pressed himself up against the arch. The skin was warm and welcoming, plush to lay upon. Unrequested, her other foot came in and sandwiched him. It was a very light sandwich, Milton could move decently within but was in constant contact with her soles. Her feet warmed the air in between, and already it felt better. But then he thought about how she was positioning her feet, soles facing one another, an unnatural way to sleep. She was going out of her way to do it.

Milton managed to fall asleep, but woke during the night and noticed her feet were even closer. There was bare movement, the feet wrinkling and rubbing against him gently. Perhaps that had woken him. Milton was too tired to mind and slipped back into sleep. He woke to a bright predawn. Milton tried to crawl out along the length of her feet, but as he scraped against the balls, the toes moved in to take care of the itch he caused. Milton was smothered in between. The toes curled and scratched, the right side using Milton’s body to scrub her left. He was surprised by the angles in which the toes found around him, slipping in under his armpits to lift him, toes grabbing his face. The precision was notable. Was she really asleep?

When Milton got out, he peered down the length of her legs and scored a sight of her thong. Her foot lazily came and knocked him off his legs. It was awfully convenient for them to not have ever parted from him as he lay in between, entrap and smother him as he tried to get out, and kick him once he left them. Hilda groaned and rubbed her eyes, then sat up, her light brown hair tousled. Her tired eyes found him quickly. “Was it warm?”

“Umm, yes,” Milton said, stammering. “Madam.” Now he was the one blushing, turning away from her. Though he found himself overcome by something, a hole within him, a dark empty thing draining away at all meaning. He didn't know what the hell he was doing here.

“I’m changing, look away.” She got up and moved to her training outfit hanging on the peg. "What's wrong with you?" Hilda asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing." The blank expression on him must have been obvious. A sense of duty returned to Milton, helping him get up on his legs and go about the day. No, it hadn't been the emptiness which can come on those terrible mornings when one has no motivation to get up. It was the absence of the charm. The Charmer hadn't returned yet, as she should have, and the effects were creeping in.