Author's note: Haven't seen the response to chapter 2 yet, but want to get these out as soon as I can, as always thanks a bunch for reading. Also, trigger warning for this chapter, no erotic description of rape occurs, but it does come up.
Lori was woken with a pain in her head and soreness on her side, her eyes snapped open and she took a few moments to get her bearings. She couldn't feel the softness of the bed she fell asleep on, and was low to the ground. With a groan the neko realized she had fallen out of the bed, and noticed Elz sitting in a chair facing Lori, humming to herself as she thread some grasses and flowers together, making a crown of them.
A low growl bubbled up in Lori's throat as she saw the dryad being decidedly unhelpful, raising herself from the ground with a grumbled curse in orcish. She couldn't speak the language properly, but knew some curses, which was half the battle for the guttural language. She knew she moved around quite a bit in her sleep, but assumed that wouldn't be a problem, turns out she was wrong. "Elz could at least help Lori up instead of sitting there doing nothing!" she spat at the dryad, frustration leaking into her voice as she rubbed her temple, ears flattening. The orange glow of the room toward her dawn had at least come.
"I was under the impression neko always landed on their feet? Here though, have some halsmare." The dryad replied with a small giggle, annoying Lori more. She spoke in arcano, her voice no longer ringing clear like a bell from the magical fae language, though her voice was still light and airy, with an undercurrent of whimsey in everything she said. She finished up her flower crown, her own fingers doing less work than the stems and grasses that her magic animated, placing it atop her head.
The dryad must have been busy overnight, creating a more fitting outfit for her current station, a simple, somewhat thin green dress that hugged her shoulders and came down to her knees. It matched the house's color, and was modest enough to not risk the dignity of Lord Eter or his staff. Lori knew it would have been made out of various grasses and similar flora, knitted together by the Dryad's dexterous hands and potent plant based magic. As she spoke, her aura briefly filled the room with the aroma of maple, and a small aqua colored leafy growth sprouted from one of her fingers, which she promptly plucked clean and handed to Lori.
The neko wasn't an alchemist, but was vaguely aware of the leafy blue herb was a pain cure used in healing salves and for any number of mild pains. It didn't heal, but it did numb, it also had to be imported by the magocracy, as it only grew in exceptionally arid climates, like the deserts of the orcish sultanate. Lori briefly considered using the dryad to make money if she was capable of conjuring expensive plants like this, but if that was discovered, it'd be enough to get House Erenvloth expunged, and she dismissed the idea.
The herb smelled strongly, not exactly unpleasant, but it still caused her to flinch as she popped it into her mouth, stinging her tongue like fresh mint, or Maddie's fluids. She chewed on the leaves, feeling a soothing chill begin to spread through her body, numbing the ache of her head and side. Hopefully a bruise didn't form, she planned to spend quality time with Eter today. She spoke with the plant still in her mouth. "Not when sleeping stupid dryad. At least plant make Lori not hurt. What time is now?" Her voice was slightly muffled by the herb, and it wasn't dignified, but wasn't like the dryad would care.
"It is five drops to true dawn." Lori quickly wracked her still waking up brain to remember what time that meant it was. The magocracy and fae unsurprisingly used different systems, the Fae's time was relative, changing to match the cycles of the lunar and solar periods that were so entwined with magic. The magocracy, and most mortal societies, used a standardized clock. The conversion escaped Lori and she sighed, it was early, but not early enough to go back to sleep. She once more groaned, the physical pain of her fall was now gone, but she still wished she had gotten more sleep.
Rebinding Elz had depleted most of Lori's magical reserves, digging into her physical energy so as to not kill her by rending her of her aura; she still hadn't recovered. While her aura wasn't fully drained, her body felt heavy, and the thought of exerting any more serious use of magic made her queasy. She'd need food, rest, and time to fully recover. As much as she wanted to curl back up in bed, she knew she couldn't, her exploits yesterday meant she couldn't be properly introduced to the estate, and she'd be busy as a result.
This was proven true when she smelled Lord Eter's aura nearing her room. Shit, she was still groggy and would have liked to be dressed properly, but it seemed she didn't have that choice. Her ears twitched, flattening against her head for a moment as the door to her room swung open, revealing a visibly displeased Lord Eter, his aura crackling with frustration, occasionally flaring up with regret and embarrassment. Lori felt almost like a kitten, almost letting her lip tremble as she looked up at her master, Elz glancing up with slightly distanced curiosity. "Lori... Can you explain why you disappeared for half a day and missed the dinner meant to introduce you?" His voice was slightly steely, but he didn't raise it, not allowing his temper to overwhelm him.
Lori hesitated a few moments before speaking, swallowing the bubbling sense of guilt and unease at seeing her bondmate displeased with her. She glanced away for a moment, looking at nothing in particular, before once more meeting her master's glare."Lori was... uh... She had to make Elz whole again, and needed to find some things... Plus Eter was busy, and she didn't want to bother him." the neko gestured to the dryad, who Eter only now noticed. She kept her voice from trembling, but still hesitated. She didn't want to further upset him.
The lord observed the sylvan figure with a dour gaze before turning his attention back to Lori. Elz met his gaze with a polite smile, but remained silent like Lori had instructed her, a stray comment taken the wrong, or right, way by a human could cause more than a bit of trouble. "Made her whole? Where in the Seven Hells did you find this girl? And why couldn't you wait until today, or at least tell me?" He replied while taking another step forwards, causing Lori to flinch as his scent violated her nostrils.
"Elz is not human. She is dryad, Lori needed full moon to make her physical. Removed curse on his land. She wanted to make her master happy." She spoke quickly, unable to meet the steady gaze of Lord Eter. She had been scolded by Leric plenty of times, screamed at and punished, but this was different. When they had first made love, Lori bonded with Eter, just as Elz bonded with the iron oak. He was part of her identity, and a part of her agreed with everything he said. A part of her was furious with herself, and she couldn't help but feel guilty as a result. Her ears folded against her head, tail coiling down one of her legs as her face fell.
Lori was sure of everything she has ever done, she had never felt guilty for her own actions, and rarely second guessed herself. None of those druids in her dreams told her about this part of bonding with someone. Instinctually she wanted to flee potential punishment, escape the putrid scent of his now incredibly close aura, but that part of her mind now bonded with Eter kept her rooted. She deserved this, she had embarrassed him, and more importantly, scared him. She whimpered as the emotions of his aura crashed into her, and she felt his concern, frustration, doubt, and worry. His face softened.
"I don't know about any of that, Lori. You embarrassed me in front of my own staff, and I couldn't sleep until Gabriel told me of your return. You will not do something like this again." He spoke in a softer, but still firm voice. Lori mustered the ability to look up as his anger shifted to fear and concern. The impression of a night full of stress, doubt, and worry hit her all at once. She was immobilized, overwhelmed by the guilt she suddenly felt. The flood of emotions felt like her aura was being torn apart, her eyes watered as she felt like everything she had ever wanted was taken from her. Soon her breathing quickened, and she almost stopped observing her surroundings.
Elz at this point refused to bite her tongue. "Hug her." she spoke, directing Lord Eter as he turned to face her, visibly concerned as Lori was completely unlike how he had ever seen her.
His hesitation only annoyed the fae, and she repeated herself. "You care about her don't you? Happy she's alright? She's being tortured right now, hug her." her voice carried more authority than it should have, considering she was talking to a noble lord while supposedly only a servant, but the lord did as she told him, taking another step towards Lori before wrapping her in a slightly awkward embrace.
This snapped Lori out of the abyss she had been putting herself in, and she felt a surge of relief go through her as she, more quickly than she probably should have, returned the hug. Her mood lightened, and the oppressive weight she felt on her heart was lifted. Her visible improvement only brought Lord Eter to hug her more tightly. "Lori is sorry..... She.... Lori is really sorry." the neko spoke softly. She was still somewhat confused, overwhelmed by the feelings she had felt, the things she experienced in those few moments. As she leaned her head against Eter's chest she couldn't help but purr, unwrapping her tail and allowing it to sway softly behind her.