Chapter 17: Early Afternoon

“See how important this can be?” said Anton as he held out the soiled cotton ball “With your darker skin tone it isn’t always going to be so easy to spot the grime right away”

Kianna gawked in disgust at the layer of brownish tan crud that seemed to appear out of nowhere, and was smeared over the alcohol soaked cotton ball that Anton had just run down the length of her sister’s long ear.

“Ew!” cried the dark elf as she lowered her own ears “That’s so gross!”

“Yes, it is” said Anton as he set the cotton ball down on the corner of the tray that was farthest away from everything else “But it’s not abnormal, and I wouldn’t be surprised if your own ears were similar”

“Ew! I hope not!” exclaimed Kianna as she watched him pluck another cotton ball from the bag and douse it with a splash of alcohol “I shower everyday so they shouldn’t be!”

“Does Fiona not bathe daily?” asked Anton as he took hold of the top edge of Fiona’s ear and began to run the cotton ball up and down the grove that ran along the upper portion of her inner earlobe.

“Well ... Yeah!” said Kianna as she glanced at her still magically entrapped sister “At least I think so?”

Fiona’s entire being remained dull and nearly lifeless as she continued to stand motionless and unresponsive to everything but her Master’s commands. With her mind held back by her collar, she did nothing as Anton worked to clean her sensitive ears.

“Even if she did, it really wouldn’t make a difference if she doesn’t actually scrub her ears properly” explained Anton “Just letting water run over them isn’t going to be enough to actually keep them clean”

“... Oh” said Kianna as her brow pinched nervously “Really?”

Anton smirked at the seemingly embarrassed dark elf as she immediately laid her ears even further back against her head in an effort to hide them from sight.

“Still feeling confident that they’re clean?” he asked.

“... Yeah” muttered Kianna.

“Oh, would you like to make a bet on it then?” asked Anton as his grin spread across his face.

“... No” mumbled Kianna.

Anton laughed as the dark elf hunched in on herself and began to pout.

“It’s not funny!” she whined as she looked back at her sister “You don’t understand! They’re really sensitive! And it’s really easy to make them feel weird!”

“I do understand. That’s why I’m making such big deal about it” said Anton as he met her eyes “But it’s very important that you understand, just how very important it is for you as a dark elf to keep your ears clean! I know that they’re sensitive and that your first instinct is to never touch them. But unfortunately for you, that isn’t going to be an option anymore”

“I really don’t like to touch them though!” whined Kianna as she began to pout again “I know it’s weird but it just never feels right when I do!”

“That’s not that weird at all?” said Anton as he gave the dark elf a perplexed look “That’s perfectly normal, all elves are like that”

“They, they are!?” cried Kianna as her eyes went wide “Really!? Why!?”

“... I keep forgetting just how clueless you two are” sighed Anton “Although this really should have been something you would have learned in school. Did you not take Sex-Ed?”

“Uh, yeah!” said Kianna as one of her ears cocked upwards in a curious manner “But we never talked about my ears!?”

“Hm, well that’s an oversight...” mumbled Anton as he moved around to Fiona’s other side.

Turning quickly so as to followed him, Kianna held the tray out to him so he could prepare a fresh cotton ball.

“Are you ticklish?” asked Anton as he began to work on Fiona’s limp ear.

“Um, kinda, I guess? Not really though” answered Kianna as she shrugged her shoulders “Fiona is!”

“Really!? You don’t say...” said Anton as his eyes narrowed mischievously “Well, we’ll just have to put a pin in that little factoid for now!”

Kianna couldn’t help but to smile at his obvious glee.

“Anyways, you still understand what being tickled feels like though, right?” asked Anton “That’s it’s a very unpleasant feeling?”

“Yeah” nodded Kianna.

“Okay good, well, normally a person can’t really tickle themselves” explained Anton “And if they can the feeling still won’t ever be as intense as it would be if someone else were tickling them”

“Right!” said Kianna as she continued to nod.

“Well an elf’s ears actually work in a similar but reversed way” continued Anton “It’s a very unpleasant feeling for any elf to touch their own ears. But the unpleasant feeling isn’t nearly as intense if someone else touches their ears, and if the right person touches them, then the whole thing comes all the way around the track and it can be a very pleasant and even blissful experience”

“... Wait, seriously?” questioned Kianna “ ... Why is it, like that?”

“Because this is how elves strengthen the bonds they have with their mates” explained Anton “Their minds and bodies are both hardwired to be this way for that very purpose”

“... Wha!?” cried Kianna as her ears pointed themselves straight upwards “W-what do you mean!? How does that work!?”

Anton chuckled at the dark elf’s confused expression before continuing.

“In the minds of elves their ears are the most vulnerable part of their bodies” he explained “This isn’t actually true of course. Since an injury to the ear doesn’t come anywhere close to being fatal for them. But since their ears are so sensitive, they can’t help but feel this way. Right?”

“Yeah, pretty much” mumbled Kianna as she shifted her own ears back and forth.

“Right, so, elves have an extremely sensitive body part that the last thing they’ll ever want to do is touch. Unfortunately for elves though, ears are still the inlet for one of the main senses and are still necessary for their quality of life, and even overall survival. So they still need to have them groomed. And all elves do have an innate desire to have they’re ears groomed, they just don’t want to do it themselves. Because this is an extremely sensitive body part that unlike all your other extremely sensitive body parts, is not an erogenous zone ... Or at least not normally” explained Anton as he grinned and gave her a pointed look “You see, when a pair of elves become mates, they’ll groom each others ears. And by exposing what they consider to be their most vulnerable body part to each other, they’ll start to build a bond. Their ears are still extremely sensitive though, so this experience can be very intense for them. But unlike the carnality that sex can be. This experience is almost always one that is gentle, attentive and loving. Regardless of the intensity. And the bond that can be created through this act is considered one of trust and reliance”

“That ... sounds kinda, romantic” mumbled Kianna.

“It is considered a very romantic act since it will often trigger very deep feelings” explained Anton “In some elven cultures it’s even considered something like a sacred act that’s more or less akin to a mating ritual”

“... Seriously!?” cried Kianna as her eyes went wide while she looked directly at what he was doing to Fiona “ ... Then, you’re!?”

“It’s not like that for dark elves!” laughed Anton as he turned to her and dropped another cotton ball on the tray “And even if it was, I seriously doubt that any romantic feelings are being triggered right now between me and your sister!”

“... Yeah” mumbled Kianna as she looked from her sister to him and back “ ... Right!”

Anton raised an eyebrow as he noticed Kianna’s ears pointing themselves straight back while her expression became dark and glaring towards her sister.

“Hm ... Well, I think this is good enough” he said as he gathered together the pile of used cotton balls and took them to the counter where he wrapped them up in a paper towel and tossed the whole bundle into the small trashcan that sat next to the commode “I’m sure Fiona’s about ready to wake up by now”

“Probably!” grumbled Kianna as her face softened while she gazed at the still form her sister had become.

“Hm, then again ... It might be easier to just finish this up while she’s in this state...” mused Anton as he cradled his chin in his hand and looked the motionless dark elf up and down.

“Probably!” repeated Kianna as she too gave her sister a look over.

“That wouldn’t be right though” mumbled Anton as he shook his head “She disobeyed out of fear and not malice. And as annoying as she is, it’s not really fair to punish her for something that any other elf would have done...”

Taking a step back, Anton flared out his aura with enough power to make the center jewel on Fiona’s collar begin to glow.

The dark elf immediately opened her eyes and cringed back as she shook her head.

“Welcome back” said Anton as he let his aura fall away “How are you feeling?”

“... It’s so easy!” growled Fiona as she stared down at the floor and balled her hands into fists “It’s not fair! I hate it! And I hate you too!”

Anton remained quiet as he watched the dark elf. After a moment of stillness, Fiona began to tilt her head to one side and then the other as she repeatedly raised and lowered her ears.

“Do your ears feel any different?” asked Kianna as she leaned in and looked her sister in the face “Do they feel better!?”

Fiona grimaced and looked off to the side to avoid her scrutiny.

“Yes!” she muttered quietly as she began to lightly tremble “ ... They do!”

“... Are you okay!?” asked Kianna as she took a step closer.

“Yes!” grumbled Fiona as she blinked away a bit of light moisture from her eyes “I’m fine!”

As Anton continued to watch the sullen looking dark elf, her trembling lessened to nothing as she hunched in her shoulders. She seemed to be searching aimlessly as she let her eyes move absently across the floor before finally glancing up at him.

“Am I done now!?” she grumbled quietly before quickly looking away from him.

“Nearly, just a few more things to check and we’ll call it good” said Anton “I want you to place your hands back behind your head now”

Fiona kept her eyes downcast as she raised her arms back up and planted her hands on the back of her head.

“This may feel a bit cold at first” warned Anton as he placed the ear-buds of the stethoscope in his ears. He pressed the disc shaped resonator against his wrist so that he could test it by listening to his own pulse. Satisfied that the device was working correctly, he stepped closer to the waiting dark elf and pressed the resonator against her chest. He moved the resonator back and forth first above, and then below her left breast as he listened to her heart beat.

Fiona stiffened as the cold disc made contact with her skin but remained silent as she grimaced and looked off to the side.

Anton nodded in satisfaction as he listened to the sounds of her beating heart.

“Can you take a deep breath” said Anton as he placed the resonator directly between her breasts “Hold it for a moment and then let it out slowly”

Fiona opened her mouth halfway to breathe in as she was asked.

“And another” said Anton as he moved the resonator down a little “ ... Good”

Fiona shivered involuntarily as Anton quickly moved to her side and pressed the cold resonator against her back just below her left shoulder blade.

“And another” he said as he continued to listen to her body “ ... Good”

Anton repeated this process on her right side before lowering the disc down and pressing it against the small of her back a few inches above her hip.

“W-what are you doing!?” exclaimed Fiona as Anton wrapped his hand around the lower half of her waist and gave her a squeeze.

“Checking your organs” said Anton absently as he tightened and relaxed his grip on her a few times.

“My what!?” exclaimed Fiona as she looked down at her side where he still held her.

“I’m listening to your liver and kidneys” explained Anton as he moved to her opposite side “Just relax. I’m nearly done...”

Fiona grimaced and groaned in irritation as she lifted her head back up. She locked eyes with her sister for just a brief second before Kianna went back to intently watching Anton work.

“Your lungs sound a little dry and you have a slight wheeze, but that’s probably because you’re still a bit dehydrated” said Anton as he came back around to Fiona’s front and pressed the resonator to her navel just below and to the side of her belly button “ ... Everything else sounds just fine though”

“She’s a perfectly, healthy specimen!” teased Kianna as she smiled at her sister.

Fiona pointed her ears straight back and gave her a dark glare before looking away.

“More or less” agreed Anton as he took the stethoscopes ear-buds out from his ears and laid them back behind his neck “You can lower your arms now”

“Am I done yet!?” mumbled Fiona as she let her arms fall to her sides. She was giving the tray in Kianna’s hands a nervous look as she stared at the dental tools that had yet to be used.

“No, but we’re getting closer” said Anton as he gave the dark elf a quick look over before turning away from her “Kianna, could you come over here please”

Kianna followed him over to the counter where she watched him pick up the tablet and pull a stylus out from it’s side.

“You can set the tray down for a minute” he said before handing her the tablet and stylus “I’d like you to fill this in as we go”

“Okay!” cried Kianna as she took up the stylus and readied it against the tablet. Taking a closer look at the screen, she saw that a spreadsheet-like document was currently open and had been partially filled in with her sister’s information. Included already under “General” was her name, species, sex, sexual orientation, death status, natural hair color, natural eye color, age and birth date. The areas for height and weight were both currently blank.

Reaching into the large center compartment, Anton pulled an extremely thin, black plastic scale out from the bottom of the travel bag. The scale was a foot square in size and shape. As Kianna watched, he flipped the scale over in his hands and turned it on by flipping a tiny switch along it’s side. Grabbing the tape measure from the tray he then turned and went back to Fiona.

“Step on this please” said Anton as he set the scale down on the floor in front of the dark elf.

Fiona hesitated for only a second before stepping off the bathmat and planting her feet on the scale.

“131 pounds, 4 ounces” read Anton as a set of red lighted numbers appeared at the top left corner of the scale “Write that down under “weight” please. You can step off now, Fiona”

Kianna quickly jotted down the numbers onto the tablet as Fiona stepped off of the scale and Anton unrolled the measuring tape. A coin-like weight at the end of the measuring tape made a sharp tap as it met the tiled floor. Lifting the weight a bit, Anton straightened out the tape and positioned it in front of the watching dark elf. Without having to be asked, Fiona stepped up to the tape and stood with the weighted coin between her feet.

Anton opened his palm and in an identical manner to when he created the riding crop, he formed a thin, glowing orange rod in his hand. Using the rod as a mark against the tape as he leveled it with the very top of Fiona’s head.

“Stand, straight...” he mumbled as he eyed where the rod landed on the tape “... 5 foot, 7 inches is close enough”

Kianna immediately began to scribble on the tablet again as Anton stepped away from Fiona and began to roll the measuring tape back up.

“You have been weighed and measured!” quipped Anton as Fiona glared in irritation and hunched back in on herself “Do you feel like a real slave now that you have a bit of documentation?”

“Oh yeah!” mumbled Fiona as she moved backwards and stepped back onto the bathmat “I sure do!”

“Good!” teased Anton as he slid the scale across the floor and out of the way with his foot “Nurse! Can you bring the tray back over here, please! ... We’re done with that tablet for now, so you can leave that over there”

Kianna quickly made her way over to the counter-top and traded out the tablet for the tray before moving back to stand next to Anton.

“Am I seriously not done yet!?” exclaimed Fiona as she watched Anton drop the measuring tape on the tray.

“No, not quite. We still have that mouth of yours...” said Anton as he looked over the items on the tray before turning back to the dark elf “Then we’ll be done with you”

“Fine, great! Here, look!” exclaimed Fiona as she opened her mouth wide and let her tongue hang out.

“... Mm” mused Anton as his eyes immediately locked onto the dark elf’s fang-like canines.

“I’m good! Right!?” snapped Fiona as she closed her mouth and shifted her lower jaw from side to side “I’ve got all my teeth, and everything!”

“Yes, you do...” mumbled Anton as he narrowed his eyes at her and slowly nodded his head.

“... What!? ... I don’t like the way you’re looking at me!” growled Fiona as she pointed her ears straight back and scowled in anger “What are you going to do to now!?”

“Not get bitten again” muttered Anton as he turned around and made his way back to the travel bag.

“... Again?” questioned Fiona as her ears pointed themselves straight upwards and a perplexed look spread across her face “Wait! I’m not gonna fucking bite you!”

“I know” said Anton as he rummaged around in the bag a bit before pulling out what looked like a square shaped glasses case “Because I’m not going to let you”

“What is that?” asked Kianna as she watched Anton take a strange metal mask-like item out of the case.

“This is called a “Whitehead Gag” it’s a gag that’s commonly used in the dental field” said Anton as he came back over to them and showed both of the dark elves the item “With this I can make sure that I don’t get bitten again”

The gag in Anton’s hands was almost butterfly-like in it’s shape and was made up of two curved pieces of shiny metal rod that were hinged together at both ends. A second smaller curve jutted back from the center crests of both of the larger ones. Attached to either side of the gag were two metal ratchets and a pair of wedge-like cranks. A black leather strap with a buckle completed the insidious looking item.

“W-wait!” cried Fiona as she leaned away from the gag “Why do you keep saying again!? I’ve never bitten you before!”

“I never said that you did” said Anton as he glanced at Kianna and gave her a small grin.

Kianna’s eyes never left the gag as they grew wide and became nervous looking. She flattened her ears back submissively as she hunched herself down onto her shoulders.

“... Wait!? You did!?” cried Fiona as she gave her sister a perplexed look “When the Hell did you bite him!? I don’t remember that!?”

“Do you remember that one time when I had you in a headlock and was forcing you to ingest knock out drugs against your will?” asked Anton as he let a condescending smirk spread across his face.

“... Yes!” growled Fiona through her teeth as she glared up at him “I do, vividly! Remember that!”

“It was sometime around then” continued Anton “So its really not surprising that you didn’t have the sense to be paying attention. You were understandably preoccupied at the time”

“I hate you! So much!” mumbled Fiona as she turned away from him and looked back at her sister “Good for you Kianna! I’m actually kinda jealous of you right now!”

Kianna had an expression of pained embarrassment on her face as she turned to her sister.

“I didn’t know!” she whimpered as her eyes began to overflow with sorrowful tears “I didn’t mean it!”

Both Fiona and Anton were immediately taken aback by her level of reaction.

With a look of complete devastation on her now tear stricken face, Kianna slowly looked up at Anton.

“I’m so sorry!” she pleaded as she tightened her grip on the tray in her trembling hands “Please don’t be mad at me! I didn’t mean it! I swear!”

Struggling to come up with a response, Anton found himself fighting the urge to laugh as he nodded absently.

“Are you serious!?” exclaimed Fiona as she leaned forward and gave her sister an exasperated glare “Are you really crying over this!?”

“Shut up!” cried Kianna as she ducked her head and clamped her eyes shut “It’s ... it’s embarrassing!”

“... You’ve gotta be kidding!” muttered Fiona as she shook her head in frustration “Of all the stupid shit to get upset over!”

“This is a little surprising, Kianna” said Anton as he placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze “I’m not actually mad at you at all, so there’s no reason for you to be this upset”

“But I hurt you!” whined Kianna as she continued to avoid his eyes “ ... I bit you!”

“Well, yes! You did do that!” laughed Anton “And I’m not going to say that it didn’t hurt! But you should know. I’m actually pretty glad that you did it”

“... You are!?” asked the dark elf as she raised her ears in a questioning manner “Why!?”

“Because I learned a very important lesson about you” said Anton as he bent down and leveled his face with hers “Something I need to always remember!”

“... What!?” questioned Kianna as she raised her eyes up just high enough to look into his.

“I learned that my little dark elf might be the sweetest and cutest little creature ever, most of the time!” teased Anton as he grinned playfully “But I still need to be very careful with her! Because as it turns out, she does have some very sharp little teeth! And she definitely knows how to use them!”

Kianna stared back at him for a moment before scrunching up her face and turning away as another embarrassed blush spread across her cheeks.

“You’re an ass!” she mumbled as she tried in vain to stop herself from smiling “You’re so mean!”

“I know” said Anton as he ruffled her hair “But I have to be. It’s the only way I could ever tame a bite happy little monster like you!”

“I’m not bite happy!” whined Kianna as she twisted her head back and forth under his hand “It was only the one time! It’s not gonna happen again!”

“I’m gonna hold you to that!” smiled Anton as he turned back to Fiona and leveled the gag with her mouth “In the meantime though, let’s get back to it, so we can get this over with”

Fiona stared at the gag for a moment before glaring up at Anton.

“Yeah, I’m not going to wear that thing!” she declared as she pointed her ears straight back in protest “I’m not the one that bit you! I shouldn’t have to suffer for it!”

“This isn’t a punishment, Fiona” chuckled Anton “This gag isn’t actually painful to wear, so there’s no reason for you to panic like this”

“I’m not panicking! But this isn’t fair! I didn’t do anything!” exclaimed Fiona as she looked from him to her sister and back “Why should I have to get muzzled just because Kianna bit you!?”

“Well, several reasons really. For one, I don’t actually trust that you won’t bite me, even if you say you won’t. For two, wearing this will make it easier for me to look you over and I’ll be done that much quicker” explained Anton “For three I want you to know what this gag feels like, so that way when I threaten you with it later, you’ll understand what the consequences are”

Fiona went to argue but was stopped short as Anton raised a finger and silenced her.

“And finally” said Anton as his face took on an expression of seriousness “ You’re going to wear this, because I said you are. And that is really the only reason that you even need”

“... Wha, excuse me!?” exclaimed Fiona as she leaned away from him.

“You heard me, Fiona” said Anton in a calm yet stern tone “Now make this easy and open your mouth”

Fiona stared at him for a moment before narrowing her eyes.

“... You know what. Fuck it! No!” she declared as she set her jaw and stood tall in defiance “If you want me to do something, then I’m going to make you make me do something!”

“... You’re going to make me, make you, do something?” questioned Anton as he cocked an eyebrow at her “And what exactly does that mean?”

“It means that I’m going to win this! I’m going to make you cheat and use this fucking collar!” exclaimed Fiona as she gripped her collar and gave it a yank “You might have Kianna eating out of your hand but not me! I’m not going to be your fucking pet! You aren’t going to beat me Anton! I don’t fucking care anymore! I don’t fucking care what you do to me! You can fuck, right, off!”

“... Hm, I see” said Anton as he began to slowly nod his head “Interesting...”

“Fuck you!” declared Fiona as she spread her arms out wide “Do your worst!”

“Oh. No, no Fiona. I’m not going to do my worst” said Anton as he shook his head “You couldn’t survive my worst”

“... Whatever!” growled Fiona as she tightened her eyes “You’re not going to kill me Anton. And you can’t really control me! In the end you’ve got nothing! And you know it! I’m the one with the real power here!”

Anton blinked in surprise before throwing his head back and laughing.

“Is that really your angle!?” he exclaimed as he smiled at the incensed dark elf “You think you’re going to twist things up enough that you can somehow rule from below? It’s a clever attempt! I’ll give you that! But it isn’t going to work for you, Fiona, not with me!”

Fiona went to jerk back as two glowing rings of orange light suddenly appeared around her waist and at her ankles. These circles were nearly identical to the ones Anton had summoned when she had tried to flee her enslavement, but were only a fraction of the size. Before she could even take a step, the lower ring wrapped her legs in light chains and held her in place.

“No! Stop it!” cried the dark elf as the circle around her waist shot out two chains that ensnared her wrists and began to pull them down to her sides “I’m not, gonna, let you, win! Never, stop! I will, win this!”

Fiona pulled back and forth as she frantically tried to escape the chains. Her efforts proved to be useless as her wrists were pulled down to her waist and her arms were locked to her sides by the vine-like light chains that wrapped upwards around her body.

“... What do you even mean when you say you’re going to win this Fiona?” questioned Anton as he watched the enraged dark elf struggle “What exactly do you think you’re going to win?”

Fiona slowed her struggles as she registered what he had just said.

“What the fuck do you think I mean!?” she growled through her clenched teeth “You think I’m going to just give up and let you control me!? Well I’m not! I won’t let you beat me! I will win this! I swear!”

Anton was still for a moment before he nodded slowly and shifted his gaze to Kianna.

The second dark elf had a blank expression on her face as she silently watched her struggling sister. Staring at her for a moment, Anton couldn’t help but to feel a little fascinated by the fact that she, unlike Fiona, was so willing to casually accept her fate as a slave.

It was of course possible that Kianna’s acceptance was in fact a ruse, and that she was merely biding her time and waiting for an opportunity to escape from her situation. Nothing about her demeanor gave this impression though. As she seemed, at least on the surface, to be genuinely comfortable, if not even pleased, with the idea of being enslaved. For such placid behavior to come from a dark elf was not only unexpected, but down right bewildering.

This was certainly not the case with Fiona however, as there was far less of a contrast between her behavior and what would be considered a traditional dark elf’s. Her aggressive personality, defiant nature and desire for control were all in line with the rest of her kin.

Shifting his eyes back to her, Anton sighed softly as he watched her continue to struggle.

As a being literally designed to control others and to not be controlled herself, it was going to be interesting to see how well a dark elf like Fiona would adapt to this role reversal, or if she even could adapt to it at all.

As with any living creature, Fiona’s mental state would play a heavy role in her overall health. And if she was unable to adjust to her new position of being under the control of another person, then it was entirely possible that she would succumb to the mental stress of her situation and her health could drastically and rapidly decline as a result. This was not something that Anton wanted to see happen.

So, for the time being at least, it was going to be very important for him to maintain a constant visual over both her mental and physical conditions. As although he did intend to have at least a base level of control over her, he had absolutely no interest in destroying her or reducing her to a sickly, depressed, shell of a dark elf that was not only a step away from being on the verge of death, but was actively longing for such a fate.

Finesse would be of the utmost importance when it came to establishing control over this dark elf. And it was with this train of thought in his mind that Anton took a step closer to Fiona.

“Fiona” he began in a soft tone “Can you hurt me?”