Issue 1 Downtime

Atropha was tied, spread eagle, about five feet off the floor, staring up. She wasn't tied TO anything, mind you, but that didn't seem to ease anything.

The room she was in was pure white, with no signs of walls or anything--it just seemed to stretch on and on and on--probably an illusion, but it was hard to tell. There were various, several-hundred year old devices floating around too, covered in rust and age.

She had been there for...quite some time, just hanging out, before Atropha's voice came from behind her.

"Rise and shine!"

"Nice place." she grunts, trying to pull her arms and legs free from... well nothing apparently.

"I think so! It's often very quiet around here..." she says, as Atropha tilts up slightly to get a better view. Harbinger walks a slow circle around her, and blows a grey bubble, popping it, and going back to chewing on her gum.

"Where am I?" she asks, doing her best to stay calm.

"Does it matter?

It's one of my rooms here. Or, well, something like that. There's a door, anyway, behind you," she says, rapidly flipping Atropha so she was hanging upside down, looking in the other direction, and yup, that was a door.

She walked around again so Atropha could see her. "Takes me right past the General's quarters. You may still walk out that door on day. Who knows?" she said, blowing another bubble and popping it.

Wish I did...

"So this is where you take your toys when they stop being fun?"

"Yes, usually. If I feel like it," she grinned, blowing another bubble. "Sometimes I just spread their ashes across the cosmos. I'm a busy woman."

"How generous of you to take time out of your schedule just for me..."

"Don't flatter yourself," she said sharply, delivering a harsh kick to Atropha's face, sending her flipping back to an inclined and upright position.

"It's been a long time since I had to do two in a week, and I deserve some me time," she said, sweetly again.

She lets out a yelp at the kick and spits out a bit of blood when she comes to a stop.

"Yes, must be hard." she says, though she seems to be actually trying to sound like she means it. At any rate she sounds less flippant, probably to avoid another boot to the face.

"Better.

Now, what to do with you..." she asks, blowing a bubble.

"Oh, my, I have been SO rude. Would you like a piece of gum?"

"No thanks..." she mumbles.

"Fair enough," she smiles. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind," she said, blowing another bubble, and then tilting her head to one side. "Oh! That's right, I increased all his nerves to experience nothing but pain, so he's actually in a living hell. My mistake!"

Atropha whinces visibly. She doesn't particularly care for Legion, far from it, but that doesn't bode well for her own immidiate future.

"I hope that's not supposed to be comforting."

"The best laid plans of mice and men..."

"None you'd grant me." she says, swallowing hard and closing her eyes.

"Oh, I don't know," she said, flipping Atopha so she was parallel with the ground again, and sitting, rather hard, on her chest. "I must admit, I am of several minds about this."

Atropha lets out a pained "Ooph!" though that's almost more from anticipation than anything.

"Great... Why don't you... let me go then..." she presses out.

"No, no, no, that won't do at all..." she frowns, snapping her fingers.

Although she couldn't see it, a small campfire started directly below Atropha, her tail perilously close to being burned as Harbinger sat. "See,, you're rather special. How many sphinxes do you think there are, anyway? In your opinion?"

Her tail flinches and quickly snaps up and wraps around her own leg.

"I know of another one at least..."

"Well, I suppose I'd have to deal with that anyway if I wanted you to be unique, but no matter. You're not just some bimbo--you've got wings and fur and everything. It'd be a pity to put you beyond recognition.

The flames spread, until they formed nearly a perfect shadow under Atropha.

"How generous." And this time she actually means it. The fire beneath her and the fact that she can only keep herself up so much with Harbinger sitting on her chest is making her rather nervous.

"So, I don't know...I mean, my necklace here...see? This was the last person I brought into bed with me.

He went out with...oh, some girl, I can't remember HER name at the moment....nor his, actually...but I melted him down. To him, it seemed like it took a thousand years, but I was impatient, and it only really took a couple seconds. Unlike Legion, here," she said, smacking her lips again, it's not pain that he's feeling, but arousal--he thought with his dick in life, and that's all he feels now. But no release. Ever. I check in from time to time on his mind--I believe he is QUITE mad by now.

But that wouldn't do at all for you, would it?"

Atropha has nothing to say to that. Probably because she is busy trying to surpress the voice of terror screaming in the back of her head. She flexes her arms and legs again, trying to break her invisible bonds to no avail.

Realizing that more slack means more effort needed to keep herself away from the fire she shakes her head. "No! No... It's fine as it is."

"I was going to say." she smirked.

"I mean, I suppose I COULD do roast sphinx....think about it, no one's ever had that before! I'd have to...cut out all those nasty intestines, and stomachs, and livers, and things only Scottish people eat," she said, running a finger up Atropha's chest...causing her clothing to cut in half and fall into the fire below. "Some herbs, some sage...lots of butter. Do you think it'd be more like chicken, or some kind of gamier meat? Because you handle those differently."

Atropha flinches away from the finger, though the pain she was expecting still doesn't come.

"H-how would I know... And you wouldn't want to risk ruining it, right?" she says in a tone closer to begging than she intended.

"Thank you." she says while every fiber of her being wants to punch herself in the face for it. Not that she could anyway.

"Right... Of course..." she mumbles, sounding distant from trying to tune out Harbinger.

Harbinger frowned, and roughly slapped Atropha across the face. "This CONCERNS you, you know. You should pay attention."

Atropha's head jerks to the side, not bothering to turn it back up to look at Harbinger.

"Why? Does it matter what you end up doing to me?"

"Certainly. Some people get off easy--simply tied to a comet or something. Some even find their punishments...pleasurable. Eventually.

And some burn for all eternity.

However, I think you might need a refresher on the problems with disobeying me," she said, hopping off Atropha, and having her spin in place, so she was now facing down at the fire.

That certainly gets her attention. Not that it really changes anything.

"Don't pretend I have any kind of say in what you do to me."