Chapter 18 – Cora: Day-Lilly Recital
CORA:
Selenee and I applauded the culmination of Bloom's Day-Lilly Recital. Their dancers, many Selenee's former classmates, were wonderful. Sel was enraptured through the performance, swaying and mimicking their movements. Each time her shoulder bumped mine I felt a flutter, and was pulled to the night prior, laying on tile beneath Mentor Serica.
I still felt the ghost of her, a soreness inside that made me wish for more. It had been more than I'd imagined, but I still wanted to slap myself for what I'd done, impatiently taking her into my body without direct permission. I thought she'd been hinting at it, and I just wanted it too bad, to be grown and strong, and claimed.
I'd felt that way for years. Every time a customer at the bakery would leer, get direct and pressing with an order, or scold a mistake. It should have frightened me, but instead it would worm its way into my belly and set me on edge for the rest of my shift.
When I'd settle into bed my mind would race for hours with an intense, full-body longing I couldn't take care of myself.
When I heard of Serica's methods, and unique form of womanhood, filtered through a friend of a friend, I warred internally for weeks, before finally begging my Dad to let me enroll.
And he had, and I did, and she let me. I thought for sure that she'd turn me away, instead the last two days had been the most fulfilling of my life.
Then this morning, she canceled class, looked disheveled, distraught. I had to accept it, something had probably come up, but I felt myself reeling in her absense.
I was glad to have Selenee as distraction. She was always so kind and ready to pull me away from obsessive thoughts. I still felt awkward around her though, after I'd finally told her how I thought of her. She'd said I felt too much like family, but she hadn't changed how she behaved around me.
We still frequented the bath-house. She still splashed, giggled, held me in the water, completely nude. And yesterday I finally got to live out that fantasy with Serica.
"Bravo!" the man to my right shouted. He'd introduced himself to the two of us as Reilin's father before the performance. We of course recognized him as Lord Regis Durough.
It made sense he'd recognized us as Serica's other students. The man had shaken fifty hands waiting for the show to begin. He was a bit round, and radiated a soft warmth. Selenee and I sat with the half-finished funnel-cakes he'd purchased in our laps.
"Well Selenee?" He wrapped an arm around my shoulders to poke her in hers, "How'd you like it? Think you could pull off that back-bend from The Wilting?"
"Might take me a few tries," she paid him a sunny smile. Just as quickly his hands were back to clapping, and I realised I was holding my breath. I straighened up in my seat to join in.
"Its a shame Rei didn't come along," he turned to us in his seat, his knee holding against mine, "though dance was never her thing. You two made excellent stand-ins."
We didn't invite her...
"Thank you Lord Regis," Selenee said, leaning into my other shoulder, "We're so glad you decided to sit with us."
She was so soft, I had memorized the curve of her lips, spent my childhood dreaming of giving them my first kiss. I still hadn't kissed Serica, it was still a possibility.
Shut up, you know she's not interested.
"I do my best to keep up with my daughters, their cohorts are as good as family," he beamed, and patted Sel's knee, "Serica gave you all the day off, do you have plans for the afternoon?"
I don't-
"No Sir." Selenee didn't seem at all shaken. She was much more used to this kind of attention, so I deferred to her judgement.
"Excellent. I've been considering a gift for Reilin, a commemoration of her new mentorship, but I want it to be practical. Who better to assist in picking something out than you two?"
"Oh that's a great idea." Selenee said, bringing her hands together. I nodded.
"And if you see anything you like just have the attendants set them aside, it's no big matter."
Selenee and I exited the performance hall in his wake, as he parted a sea of aristocratics clamoring for a moment of his attention.
"Are you sure about this?" I asked her, he seemed nice, but I'd never been taken shopping, had only listened to her stories, seen her hauls.
"We haven't promised anything, you accept the gift and politefully decline anything past sundown, don't worry," She placed a hand in the small of my back and a damp warmth spread through me I'd be struggling with for hours. Selenee added, "I've been out with far worse, he's really being sweet."
How do you politefully decline?
I'd never been propositioned. I didn't think Serica counted, I'd approached her, literally signed up for her attention.
"Just hang on you two, I've almost got this wrapped up," he said, throwing a wink over his shoulder.
Selenee waved him off, "It's important to have good connections," she said to me.
I couldn't help but drift into thinking about it, being courted, kept, yes he was old, there was brass in his crimson. A book came to mind, I'd found it abandoned in the bathhouse, taken it home, "Wrapped in Obligation". In it a maid had accepted her master as a lover. She'd abandoned her fears and grown into herself under his care.
Would it be that different from Serica? If he was kind, let me take my time...