Chapter 5: Late Evening

“Look at me when you say it Kianna” demanded Anton in a soft tone as he tilted her head back and lifted her chin higher with both hands.

Kianna scrunched up her face and kept her eyes shut for a moment before slowly cracking them open and looking up at him.

“Who is your Master now?” implored Anton as he gazed into her eyes.

“ ... Y-you” she croaked softly, her voice broken and barely audible “ ... You!”

“Very good. I knew you could do it” whispered Anton as he gave her a soft smile and squeezed her cheeks with his thumbs “My brave little Dark Elf”

Kianna whimpered pitifully as she tightened her eyes and pressed her ears down even flatter.

“Now...” said Anton as he gently lowered her head and let her go to hang limp “Let’s get you a drink”

Kianna groaned and shivered involuntarily as the influence of his aura left her and she was struck by the chill from the lack of his warmth. She closed her eyes completely as she felt him rise and stand up in front of her.

Anton made it a point to only give Fiona a quick glance as he crossed over to the end table, picked up the glass of water and made his way back to Kianna. Kneeling back down, he reached beneath the dark elf’s hanging head and lifted her face up by the chin.

Kianna had a miserable looking grimace on her face as she was made to look at him. She made a tiny whining sound as she defiantly kept her eyes shut.

Shaking his head, Anton moved the glass of water closer to the dark elf’s nose and grinned as her nostrils flared ever so slightly.

Kianna’s eyes shot open immediately as her nose told her mind about the treasure that was so close now. Swallowing painfully, she bucked her hips against the sybian and leaned as far forward as she could as she tried to move herself closer to the water. Desperate and no longer caring for her pride she turned to Anton and whimpered pleadingly.

“What do you say my little Dark Elf?” he asked.

Mouth hanging open and pain rolling through her chest with each breath, Kianna tried to speak but all that came out was a broken hiss.

Anton shook his head.

“You have to say it right” he said in a soft and encouraging tone “I know you can do it”

Kianna groaned as she glared at him and pointed her ears straight back. Her whole body trembling now she took as deep a breath as she could.

“Eeese!” she cried through her teeth before she laid her ears back down submissively and pouted her lips.

“Very good!” chuckled Anton as he smiled and moved the glass to her mouth.

Kianna eagerly pulled herself forward to meet the glass with her lips. Moaning in pleasure, her eyes rolled to the back of her head in bliss as the cool water filled her parched mouth. Her pain began to subside almost instantly as the healing liquid flowed down her throat and quickly seeped into and then spread throughout her entire body.

Anton forced the dark elf to maintain a slow pace as she gulped down the whole glass of water. When it was gone she leaned forward again and tried to follow the glass as he pulled it away from her. At the last possible second she clamped her teeth down on the edge of the glass and with her ears pointed straight back behind her head, she held on as tightly as she could.

“ ... What? Really!?” exclaimed Anton as he gave the glass a soft tug “Kianna let go!”

“Mm mm!” moaned Kianna through her teeth as she looked over at him by moving only her eyes.

“ ... What, are you even trying to accomplish with this?” asked Anton as he smiled at the determined looking dark elf “I’m not going to let you eat this glass!”

Kianna blinked and then groaned in frustration as she let the glass go.

“Such a silly little Dark Elf!” laughed Anton as he gave her chin a squeeze and stood up.

Kianna hung her head and groaned in annoyance when he let her go. Tilting her head up a bit her eyes darted to the pitcher of water sitting on the table across from her. Seeing that Anton had yet to move she flattened her ears back down submissively and took a deep breath.

“Please!” she chirped quietly as she hunched in on herself and looked down at the floor “More!”

“Hm?” hummed Anton as he tilted his head in surprise that she already sounded so much clearer “What was that?”

“Please!” she asked a little louder this time “ ... One more!”

“Hm, well” chuckled Anton as he folded his arms over his chest “I appreciate that you asked politely but I’m afraid I’m going to need you to ask correctly as well”

Kianna peeked up at him before tightening her eyes in annoyance.

“Please” she mumbled quietly “ ... Master”

“Aw, you’re such a clever little Dark Elf Kianna!” exclaimed Anton “I didn’t even have to explain anything! You already knew what you needed to do!”

Kianna groaned in embarrassment before sheepishly looking away.

“Now, since you’ve done what you were asked, you’ll get another drink” teased Anton as he turned to the table holding the pitcher “But this will be the last one for now! Too much, too quick and you’ll get a stomachache!”

Kianna’s ears rose back up and pointed themselves straight upwards in excitement as she watched him cross back over to the table and refill the glass.

Turning back around, Anton chuckled at the sight of the eager looking dark elf. Her over-the-top glee at getting a second helping was clear across her face as she literally bounced up and down on the sybian.

“Settle down Kianna!” he admonished softly as he knelt back down in front of her and took hold of her chin “You’re going to choke yourself if you don’t calm down”

Kianna made an obvious effort to still herself as her eyes stayed locked to the glass of water being held out of her reach. Once it was clear that she was in control of herself, Anton moved the glass to her lips and chuckled again at her ecstatic sounding whimpers.

Moaning happily through her nose with each swallow, Kianna had a bit more gusto to her as she clamped her eyes shut and greedily gulped down the soothing water. With the second glass now gone even faster than the first one, Anton set it down at his feet and examined the effect it was already having on the dark elf.

Kianna’s eyes were closed as she rested her chin in his hand and sighed blissfully. Already her breathing wasn’t nearly as labored as before, and a slight flush had given her skin a healthier color. Her closed eyes tightened a bit as she tilted her head to the side and nuzzled her cheek into Anton’s palm. Sighing deeply again, she let her ears hang limply as she immediately started dozing.

“Hm, how cute!” whispered Anton as he took hold of her face with both hands.

Startled, Kianna blinked open her eyes and looked up at him as he began to rub her cheeks with his thumbs.

“Well, you’re already looking much better...” mused Anton as he smiled back at the large, bright eyes that had already been cleared of the webs of bloodshot veins “How are you feeling?”

Kianna stared at him for a moment before her eyes suddenly went wide. Pulling herself back and away from his touch, she stopped short and looked at his hands before focusing her eyes back on his face and leaning herself even further away from him. Once again her ears pointed themselves straight upwards as her eyes became probing. Unlike before however she was now staring at Anton with a look on her face that was not only marred with confusion but gave the impression that she had never seen him before and was now trying to figure out what she was looking at.

Anton tilted his head in curiosity as he watched the dark elf.

“ ... Hey there” he said as he playfully arched an eyebrow “You starting to feel a little more alive?”

Kianna said nothing as her eyes followed every little movement he made and her ears twitched and shifted back and forth as she focused on each word he said.

“ ... You?” she whispered after a long moment of silent scrutiny “ ... Are you not?”

“Hm?” hummed Anton as he tilted his head slightly to the side and leaned in closer in an effort to hear her better “What was that?”

“You?” said Kianna as she leaned her head even further back from him “You aren’t, scared?”

“ ... No?” questioned Anton as he creased his brow in suspicion “Why? What should I be scared of?”

“ ... I, don’t know?” whispered Kianna as she shifted her ears back and tilted her head in a questioning manner while a worried expression came over her face.

“ ... Alright?” said Anton as a slight grin spread across his face “What exactly are you talking about?”

Kianna’s worried look deepened as she lowered her ears and hunched in on herself. She went still as she continued to simply stare in silence.

As he watched her, Anton noticed that a thin strip of her bangs had curled in just enough to irritate her left eye and he couldn’t help but to chuckle softly as she kept trying to covertly blink it away.

“Hm, you know what Kianna...” he mumbled as she winked her eye in annoyance “You’re actually a pretty cute little Dark Elf”

“Huh?” questioned Kianna as her eyes darted to his “What?”

“I said you’re cute” grinned Anton as he reached out and moved the lock of hair out of her face before tucking it into a strap of her head harness “My little Dark Elf is cute”

Kianna froze completely as his hand moved back and forth around her face. Blinking in surprise her ears pointed themselves straight upwards as a look of confusion reappeared on her face.

“Who is!?” she questioned quietly as she tilted her head and cocked one of her ears in a curious manner “ ... Do you mean me!?”

Anton couldn’t help but to smile at the flustered look on her face.

“Yes, I’m talking about you” he said in a hushed tone “You are very cute, my little Dark Elf”

Kianna remained completely still for several moments as she stared back at him.

“ ... You, think I’m!? ... W-wait! No! I’m not yours! I’m not your little nothing!” she mumbled as she looked away with her eyes “I don’t belong to you!”

Anton smirked as he took note of the light blush that was quickly forming across her cheeks.

“ ... Are you sure about that?” he asked as his smirk grew into a light smile “Because all things considered ... at this moment I’d say you do!”

Kianna’s eyes tightened into a glare as her ears pointed themselves straight back.

“Listen you! Just because-!” she started.

“And by the look in your eyes ... I’m not so sure you even dislike that idea!” interrupted Anton as he leaned in close and stared her down “ ... Do you!?”

Kianna’s eyes became guarded as she went to speak.

“Whatever you do Kianna!” interrupted Anton as he let his aura flare outwards and surround her “Do not, lie to me...”

Kianna was stopped short by the sudden heaviness in the air around her. Blinking in surprise she opened and closed her mouth without saying a word. The worried expression returned to her face as she lowered her ears and cringed back.

Anton went still as he continued to stare her down. After a moment his face softened as he eased back himself.

“I know you’re afraid Kianna” he said as he released his aura and gazed into her eyes “And that’s fair. You have no idea what’s going to happen to you or your sister. You have every reason to be afraid”

Kianna grimaced miserably as she hunched herself down onto her shoulders. Breaking their eye contact, she looked down at the floor in front of herself and began to tremble softly.

“Please! Please don’t hurt us!” she whispered quietly around a sob “I’ll really do anything you want! Anything!”

“ ... Anything?” questioned Anton as he narrowed his eyes “Are you sure about that?”

The dark elf sobbed again as she flattened her ears back submissively and nodded her head.

“Yes!” she whimpered as she raised her eyes and looked up at him.

“ ... Alright then” said Anton as he nodded softly “This may be a difficult thing for you to do, or to even understand. But I’d like you to try your best regardless”

Kianna swallowed a lump in her throat as she waited for him to speak.

“ ... There’s only one thing I want you to do Kianna” said Anton as he reached his right hand out towards her “I want you to try your very best, to trust me”

Kianna leaned back and went rigid in surprise as his hand moved towards her face. With her back as straight as her bondage would allow, she went completely still as her eyes darted from his face to his hand and back.

“What!?” she questioned.

“I said I want you to trust me” repeated Anton as he hesitated and let his hand rest in the air just shy of touching her.

For several moments Kianna merely stared at him without making a sound.

“ ... What?” she whispered “ ... Wha, why!?”

Anton took a breath in through his nose and let his eyes drift close as he gathered his thoughts together.

“I know that this isn’t going to make any sense to you, and that is actually one of the reasons as to why I think it’s so important” he explained “I know that you’re going to be suspicious of-”

Anton was cut short by the sensation of something being pressed softly into his hand. Looking back up he found that the dark elf had bridged the small gap herself and had laid her cheek into his palm.

Kianna was lightly trembling as she took small, quick breaths through her nose. With her eyes focused on the floor and her ears still laid back submissively, her nervousness was clear on both her face as well as through her rigid stance.

“It, it doesn’t matter why!” she mumbled as her eyes came up and met his “Like this! R-right!”

Anton tilted his head thoughtfully as he watched the dark elf make a conscious effort to relax as she let her head roll slightly to the side and come to a complete rest in his hand.

“ ... What are you doing?” asked Anton as he surprised Kianna by sliding his hand down lower and cupping her chin in his palm.

“I, I’m doing what you asked!” she exclaimed as she was made to look up at him.

“Why?” asked Anton as he looked her in the eyes.

“ ... This, this is what you wanted!” exclaimed Kianna as she tightened her ears together behind her head “What you asked for!”

Anton merely stared at her as if waiting for her to continue.

Kianna swallowed another lump in her throat as she was pulled in closer to him.

“I, I have to!” she stammered nervously “Fiona, we! ... I have to save her!”

“Your sister is just as capable of helping herself as you are” stated Anton “You aren’t solely responsible for her fate anymore than she is yours. Why are you so ready to sacrifice yourself?”

“ ... Because I can’t not do anything! I have to do something!” exclaimed Kianna as her eyes filled with desperation “And this ... This is all I can do!”

Anton was silent and still as he watched the dark elf grow more and more anxious.

“ ... Are you mad?” whispered Kianna as her eyes darted from his eyes to his ears and back “ ... Isn’t this what you wanted me to do? ... I, I’m sorry! I’m trying, I’m really trying! I-”

Kianna stopped mid speech as Anton raised his free hand and laid it on top of her head. Frozen in uncertainty, she did nothing as he stared down at her for several long moments.