Zuria Kingdom

[Bloodedge]

"Kuku~" Cador snickered. Merlyn had an interesting way about her, and it occasionally showed in the brightest of shining moments. As far as things to her liking were concerned, this revelation was one such moment. "How incredibly chivalrous of you, Merlyn. I'm glad I gave you free roam of my subconscious," he stated in earnest. If there were other succubi around, he'd undoubtedly choose Merlyn as his go-to at any given moment. Sure, her influence over him at present was something beyond normal comprehension, but... he did offer her his dreams before even seeing her face fully.

Indeed, all was certainly for the benefit of Merlyn! Laughable as the notion was, Cador simply continued drinking. It was apparently thought by Merlyn that Arthur couldn't be considered a 'follower' of hers. Cador strongly disagreed. Perhaps she'd missed part of his discussion with the Future King while being scarred by the events of Leorio's chambers. In spite of the fact that Arthur was never sure how much he could trust Merlyn, he seemed to have absolute faith in the succubus. Perhaps Cador himself was already more invested for various reasons, including his lack of immunity to her passive traits, but Arthur was not to be counted as an exception to Merlyn's believers. "The curse of Clairvoyance strikes. Arthur may not bend the knee to you, but I have reason to consider him a legitimate follower of yours. Far less devout than my loyal self, of course~" he joked.

[Apollymi]

Snickering. That was about right for what she'd just said. Of course, she wasn't the type of take advantage of him. Even so, she expected him not to fully understand exactly how much she could have done if she were less... well herself. A chuckle escaped her, "I thought we were in agreement that I wasn't at all chivalrous~" she said with mock surprise crossing her face. "Admittedly, I too am glad you gave me permission to roam your subconscious. I kind of like it here. It'd make a great time-share~" she jested with that same kind of tone she always had.

Cador continued drinking in his dream but he apparently, took issue with Merlyn thinking that Arthur wasn't one of her followers. He claimed it to be a curse of her Clairvoyance that she had no idea about Arthur's mindset. According to Sir Cador, though Arthur didn't bend the knee to her, he was still a follower. He tossed in the idea that the blonde was less devout than himself which made her laugh just a little. "Well, I don't know if that is a curse of Clairvoyance. I felt no need to spy on the two of you... I trust you Sir Cador," she mentioned in gentle passing. True enough, upon seeing this man's actions within the world, she knew he deserved quite a bit of her trust, beyond all of that, she simply knew he was always deserving of such trust. "So, if you say that Arthur is a follower of mine, though not to the same extent that you are... I have no choice but to believe you~" Merlyn's words came out with sing-song tone. She was amused as she always was while speaking to Sir Cador. She knew this would be the case when she laid eyes on him the first time. Funnily enough the plan to get her locked up, while it helped Arthur gain better standing with Kolin, also gave Merlyn this amusement and the ability to chat with Sir Cador uninterrupted for long periods of time. This was what she meant by doing things the 'fun' way.

[Bloodedge]

"Of course we were. But, minds change~" Cador said about Merlyn's apparent chivalry. Hearing his dream referred to as a potential timeshare, he quirked a brow while tilting his mug. That was actually a rather interesting concept, he thought. "You're right! Hmm. I don't have any other takers, though; no one else would even be able to sit through the presentation. I suppose then, I'll just have to settle for renting it out to you. The rental fee will be nominal, of course, but quality is assured~"

The idea of Arthur truly being Merlyn's follower, was accepted by virtue of trust in Cador. He'd hardly done a thing to earn such faith, as far as he was concerned. Alas, he would not be one to question this. He had just as much faith in Merlyn, and he'd harbored said faith long enough for it to be no result of succubus magic. "Many thanks. Don't think buttering me up is going to get you cheaper rent, though. All it will earn you is..." He paused, thinking it over during another swig. What would such statements from the succubus get out of him? "... well, everything else." Ah, yes. The same way he pretended to be around Queen Kolin, he found himself being in actuality around Merlyn. Eventually, he'd discover how much of this was an effect of her nature as a succubus, and how much of it was a legitimate feeling of comfort in good company.

[Apollymi]

Apparently Sir Cador changed his mind about Merlyn's nature during their conversation. "Well, if Spirit Knight wishes to change his mind about the nature of my virtues, I'm hardly inclined to argue~" Merlyn's words were playful as ever. She quite enjoyed this moment. What was more, Sir Cador easily found himself in the spirit of her joking nature. He seemed to at least agree with the idea of his dream space being a decent time-share. But he claimed he had no other takers. She'd be the only renter, but it was at least quality assured. "Well, the fee is always fine. So long as the product is worthwhile. After being part of this tour I've no problem paying up~" she mentioned. What an interesting metaphor and yet also strangely a truthful desire. Merlyn could take up a bit of the Spirit Knight's brain space. She would enjoy the time here, and likely pay whatever he desired to enjoy its comforts. What a strange way of thinking when they'd both already made known their lack of desire for anything truly committal.

Her ability to butter up the Spirit Knight came with thanks, but also with a clause about it not lowering he rent within the space of his mind. He had more to say but there was a gentle pause between his thoughts as he swigged from his drink. After he spoke a bemused chuckle escaped the white haired lass, she had quite the response to his words. "Why I would never expect a discount on the rent!" she seemed mockingly outraged by such an accusation. "Though buttering you up, definitely shouldn't give me everything else~" she said still in good humor but there were more words to follow. "Make sure to keep something for you." Strangely this statement was something Merlyn meant. He should definitely never give anyone everything, but if he wanted to give her something or even most things, she might accept them... mostly because she was willing to think of an equivalent exchange between them as the most ideal.

[Bloodedge]

Cador stood, stepping closer to the fire. He felt as if he was actually warming up here in the dream. Perhaps that was the fault of Merlyn and her reality-shifting, or perhaps it was simply Cador's imagination. Whatever the case, he continued drinking by the fireplace. Jokes shared between the two seemed to be never-ending, with no single instance of jest being addressed only briefly. Naturally, the timeshare of his subconscious mind was not exempt from this way of conversing. "Ah, good! When the madness is over, I'll be expecting the security deposit and first month's rent. Oh, and here at Spirit Knight, we reserve the right to evict you for being even a day late~"

No lateness, no discounts, no complaints. This imaginary rental situation was coming together quite nicely. Though... as imaginary as it was, Cador literally couldn't resist believing there was great truth behind the banter. Speaking of this little 'agreement' of theirs, Merlyn spoke of the exchange rate that came along with the flattery. Yes, that was worth some negotiation, wasn't it? "Hmm, very true. I should benefit as well, and everything may be overpaying for flattery. Well Merlyn, I'm quite stumped. What would you consider a fair exchange? I'm sure a decent enough arrangement can be made."

[Apollymi]

The fire was quite warm, Merlyn continued to sit, even as Cador wandered closer to the flames. With all the words and jokes passing between them, one might have thought the two old friends. Though this wasn't the case, she knew they would be at some point, perhaps this is why she was so comfortable with their current arrangement. Just the same she allowed her eyes to wander over the man, in addition to having an upstanding personality he was actually quite nice to look at. It was a shame one like Kolin couldn't have found satisfaction with a man like this, and thus left him a bit broken in her wake. She'd almost destroyed him for other women with her schemes, but Merlyn supposed such was the nature of a woman with lusts as great as Kolin's. "Even a day late? That's pretty serious. Not to worry though, I've never missed a payment on anything~" she joked along with the man, a gentle upturn of her lips as her mug returned to her hands and she sipped from these dreams.

It seemed they had quite the agreement going, full of banter and yet, beyond the confines of moments where lives were at stake and things were in danger, they'd likely have already done something about this mounting tension. What a shame that evil queen was getting in her way, even without realizing it. Whatever the case, Merlyn found herself thinking over what would be considered a fair exchange for her outright flattery of him. "Hm, probably equal flattery, maybe a couple of those cheeky glances you keep stealing of me~ Those are nice. Feel free to take as many of those for yourself as you'd like!~" she said in that same tone, but these sentences weren't really jokes at this point. She was quite serious, he should give what she did, and not too much more unless the spirit of generosity stuck him. "I'm already making out like a bandit at this point, the fairness of this exchange is nothing to worry about~"

[Bloodedge]

Never missed a payment, she said. Good. He would be prompt to collect─ as cordial as he would be in upkeeping the quality of his dreams. He'd have to keep it worth the pay, after all. Speaking of the pay, there would soon be a suggested form of repayment for his most generous offering. Equal flattery was one thing, but Merlyn also decided to bring up the matter of his wandering eyes. She'd taken note of that, then? Cador cleared his throat when the truth came to light, though he did not argue against this factual claim. "Is that all? You and I both know, I was going to take those for myself anyway. It's almost impossible to not look at you, after all." Truer words had never been spoken. Even the effort it took to play nice around Kolin paled in comparison to looking away from Merlyn. He'd even started gazing upon the succubus more consistently now, hardly a wholesome thought in the back of his mind. Outside of this very room within the dream, his other thoughts played out. While he watched Merlyn, behind every door and window leading out, there were visions of Merlyn and himself in all sort of compromising positions. At least he was good at compartmentalizing. . .

"Why yes, you are certainly the winner of this exchange no matter how you look at it. You get to enter and consume my dreams, flatter your way into my greatest graces, and I... get to look at you?" he questioned as if upset, though it was all in good fun as well. The banter between them was so easily kept up, he hardly had it in him to abandon it. "Well, at least the hood is off. I suppose I can woefully accept the idea of staring at your face while you devour my mental state~"

[Apollymi]

A cleared throat and no denial. How interesting, Sir Cador was a very honest man after all... he had no problem admitting to the wandering eyes he rather obviously possessed. Still she couldn't help a more playful reply to the man's words. "Only almost? Hm, I might be a bit of a failure then... might be time to give up~" she mused as if stricken by the idea that it was possible for the man to look away from her. Of course, she knew he could, she also knew it maintained a certain level of difficulty. Dealing with her was likely stressful even for the most devout of men...

It was rather true though, the banter between this pair was far too easy to keep up. Given this it was almost impossible for one like Merlyn to completely give up any method of her speech even now. "I mean that sounds like the deal... but there are some perks. Like getting to look at me...while I am doing all of those things~" Merlyn teased. Of course, she wasn't so shallow as to only allow this man to watch. In fact, she'd prefer a great deal more than that, but... was now really the time? Well, Merlyn was full of teasing energy, beyond that she was actually a succubus, so there was no time like the present to place more teasing thoughts into the random compartments in the man's head. "I could also remove more clothes... Or devour those dreams in a more direct manner if that'd be fairer~"

[Bloodedge]

"Yes, almost. Well... for me, at least. That's quite the compliment, you know?" the Spirit Knight replied, knowing how incredibly difficult he found it to resist Merlyn's passive aura. He also understood the difference between himself, and most other men of this world. Almost impossible for him, was likely outright impossible for those who didn't have his experiences. "Feel free to put forth the extra effort regardless, though. I think I would rather enjoy it."

Ah yes, how could he have forgotten? It wasn't a matter of him being allowed to gaze upon Merlyn, but specifically that he could do so while she enjoyed the commodities of his dreams and offerings. That certainly sweetened the deal, didn't it? A scoff was Cador's response. Luckily for him, there was more to come. It would be of no use now, but now was definitely not the time for anything greater than the relaxation his slumber offered. Regardless, Merlyn improved the conditions of their arrangement quite nicely. He even began to wonder something as a result. Merlyn determined reality, but if this was a dream he was conscious of, did he have some control over her reality in this situation? If he thought hard enough, he wondered if Merlyn would suffer the disappearance of her clothes via forced lucid dreaming. "Hmm. That is certainly acceptable. I often dream of Cornwall, though; the cold will be dire," he said, never removing the most recent train of thought from his mind. In learning whether he had such power or not, perhaps he would have useful information for the future.

[Apollymi]

"Well, if it's a compliment from you... and of such great magnitude. I suppose I have no choice but to accept it~" Merlyn mentioned, but her joking tone and pouting face implied slightly more displeasure than she actually felt in the moment. She was also more than presently surprised when Cador told her to continue her efforts, claiming that he might enjoy them. Well, if that was what he wanted... she certainly wouldn't argue with the man. "As you wish, Sir Cador~" and that was that, she said with a mocking inclination of her head and her right arm crossing over her chest. Soon enough she settled back into her seat, seeming still way too amused by the words that Sir Cador had to share.

Still the matter of her offer of fairness hung in the air, and it would seem that Sir Cador was agreeable to those terms. Though they came with the warning that he often dreamt of his former kingdom and thus it was often cold. Along with his spoken words came a strange change in Merlyn's current state of reality. "Well, I'm generally unbothered by changes in temperature..." Merlyn had started to say something catty but lost it as she lost all of her clothing. Instead of being even remotely upset about this she simply rested her elbow on the arm of the chair and her head in the same hand. Basically holding her own chin she looked directly to Cador with an amused expression. "I didn't take you for much of a lucid dreamer Sir Cador... Still this is a rather exciting turn of events~" the woman teased mercilessly as if she wasn't the one currently naked in this situation. Whatever the case, she wouldn't bother restoring her own clothes. She wondered if this man was the type to change her attire whenever she appeared in such instances knowing that he was capable of it. There were several interesting implications about their future endeavors if he knew and understood this concept.

[Bloodedge]

"You undoubtedly have a choice," was Cador's rebuttal. "If you were to choose acceptance, though, that would be ideal~" In response to Merlyn's mock of a knights' bow, Cador mirrored her movements. This was a worthwhile exchange of amusing gestures while the banter continued, and while Cador tested his ability to control the dream around him.

By the time the succubus commented on temperature changes and their lack of effect on her, things were beginning to change. Cador had yet to take his eyes off Merlyn, and now, they were glued indefinitely. She did say she was fine with the watching, and that was about as consensual as it could be. Slowly but surely, his eyes lowered... and then rose... and then, repeated the motions. How long would this go on? Well, it seemed Cador had no intention of stopping. Merlyn did nothing to return her garments, after all. Such a thing was surely permission, and whether it was or not, refraining from looking had officially become impossible for even Cador. "Yes... exciting..." he spoke slowly, converting most of his internal focus into an effort... just to speak properly. "I'm not much of a lucid dreamer at all, honestly. I just thought very hard, for quite a long time. Much to my satisfaction, it actually worked eventually. Now I wonder if I should be regretting that decision. . ."

[Apollymi]

Hm, what an interesting exchange of mocking ideas. How very amusing she found these exchanges with Sir Cador. She'd already agreed to accepting his compliment. Of course she would soon find she no longer needed to try extra to gain this man's attention. While sitting with her chin balanced in the palm of her hand, she could practically feel this man's eyes on her. He'd created the situation in which she was naked, she'd simply done nothing to remedy it. A small smile spread across Merlyn's face as the Spirit Knight finally managed to speak, two words at first but he did actually get them out. "Hoh? Not much of a lucid dreamer, but still managed to strip the succubus. Not a bad first attempt I must say~" she mused as if congratulating the man on the feat he'd accomplished. Ah, but, as always Merlyn's teasing knew no real bounds. She always had more to say... "Also, you were not rendered completely speechless. That's pretty encouraging, I'm glad you are satisfied by the result," Merlyn continued to tease this man about the nature of her nudity. She knew his eyes followed her body both up and down multiple times even. She wondered exactly how much concentration it took him to be capable of speech at a time like this. "Admittedly, I'm quite curious Sir Cador as to why you would regret this decision?" Merlyn asked this question in a very straight forward manner, still she sat about completely nude within this chair as if she was absolutely comfortable. She wouldn't alter his views, she didn't mind if he looked, but if he had a point he was trying for in this moment he should definitely share.

[Bloodedge]

Under normal circumstances, even Cador would have admitted to pride in his own ability. Affecting a succubus who entered one's dream had to be some sort of incredible feat, after all. He was also managing to resist just enough to complete a proper thought... sort of. Ah, but it was the difficulty of the latter which left him incapable of appreciating what he'd managed. He was quite busy, instead, appreciating what had come of it. Dastardly as she was, Merlyn posed a question during his extended moment of stupor. Was he regretting his decision? Should he have reason for regret? He could hardly think of any reason, considering how overwhelmed he already felt mentally. "Hmm. If I had to hazard a guess..." he started, not even considering the fact that he was already moving closer to the succubus. Though not fully afflicted by her abilities, having an unabashed view of Merlyn's full glory could be considered far too much for even Cador. "It would probably be something about feeling as if I should immediately burn through several hours of my day, right now. Though... I was ordered to sleep so I could keep my wits about me. This is just a dream, after all. . ."

[Apollymi]

Closer and closer. Cador was making his way over to Merlyn much to general expectations. It seemed full nudity was a bit much even for the resistance of the Spirit Knight. Even so, the man was still putting great care into answering the offered question. Though he was responding slowly, he was responding still. A smirk remained on Merlyn's face as she shifted under this man's gaze. This wasn't uncomfortable he was simply already looking and figured he might actually enjoy seeing more or less of her at any given moment. Of course, Cador went on to claim he'd been ordered to sleep so he could keep his wits about him. Doing this would mean of course, that he likely wasn't intending to fall to the succubus' wiles in this very moment. "Oh, quite right. I suppose... you were given some very specific orders. Wouldn't want you falling prey to that sorceress in the dungeon while you're on duty~" she said with a chipper tone and full of sarcasm. Even so she stood in the moment allowing the man a full appreciation of her form before donning her clothing. Of course, such a thing would hardly take place in the manner at which it had disappeared. Merlyn was far too gifted in her ability to manipulate the dreaming subconscious. No, she had clothing appear around her body in order. Lingerie first, all lace and white. The layers of clothing she wore over it, black fingerless gloves, high black tights. Then finally the cloak which appeared hood up at the very end. "I suppose, I should do the kindest thing and allow the Spirit Knight his rest. You do have a few hours left and they should be restful~" Merlyn mentioned as if she was most amused.

[Bloodedge]

An interesting turn of events was ahead, though not exactly the type Cador anticipated. He'd been inching forward, and just as his hand began to rise, a change occurred around Merlyn. Rather, multiple changes occurred. Over the course of a few moments, Cador witnessed the multiple stages of dress belonging to the succubus, starting with white lace, and ending with everything she wore─ including her hood. A partially-outstretched hand halted midair, closing slowly before returning to Cador's side. "Well, that is a disappointment. I'm less inclined to call this the kindest thing; I'd sooner call it a punishment. I must have some bad karma built up... unless you are secretly the other half of Kolin~" he said, finally able to manage a more normal train of thought now that Merlyn wore her hood. At least one of them found amusement in this. The other, however, wondered if it were possible to experience the phenomenon colloquially referred to as 'blue balls' due to a dream. Regardless, he would toss his hands overhead in mock surrender, close his eyes, and sigh. "Fine, fine. I'll sleep the normal way today. I should be waking to deal with that wretched sorceress soon, anyway. Hopefully she won't treat me as dreadfully as a certain succubus who invaded my napping dreams~"