I moved Reilin back into my desk-chair as Illia watched and maintained her hold over the girl, "It's harmless," she explained, "Reilin won't feel or remember a thing."
That tracked with what I knew of her abilities, Darkbloom, a pairing of the Anal and Thigh affinities Darkness and Growth, was recognized as an insidious craft. My eyes traced along the tendril between them, it carried the motif of vines, wrapped and whirligigged across the floor.
I hated this. Holding someone against their will was not my mode of operations. Reilin was not an enemy combatant, despite my initial hesitance with the girl I'd developed a bond.
My own practice, which I rarely utilized these days, was Hearthlight, combining Radiance and Fire. Fire was still a useful tool in my day to day life, but I had little use for Radiance, and the light had grown distant. The skill made sense at my graduation, back when the plan was to lead adventuring parties through winding dungeon complexes. Most of my work nowadays was above ground, during daylight hours. Earth and Wind were more useful tools in my mentoring endeavors. Illia identified herself as The Darkbloom, and a Witch. I wasn't Hearthlight or Tactician, just Mentor, and struggling.
"Get out of your head Serica, we need to sort through this." I pulled my gaze from Reilin's terror-frozen face, back to the situation at hand. Illia rose to perch on her palms above my desk, "There are other ways to make her talk."
Really?
How much harm were we going to do in the name of protecting these girls. I had trust that Illia wouldn't employ methods that would physically imperil Reilin, but having your deepest wounds exposed against your will carried its own sort of pain.
"Illia, no." She wasn't wrong, we needed more information if we were going to pull off anything of worth, but Reilin had been through enough, "There are others at the manor. The watchman Purfree seemed to understand what was going on, we can draw it out of him."
I understood Illia's point of view. She'd likely already considered this and shot it down. We had Reilin right here, and kidnapping a watchman added an unnecessary level of exposure to our proceedings.
"You're willing to fail at this to spare her feelings?" Illia tapped the heel of her stiletto against the wood floor and the shadow-vines wove wild in tight circles.
I felt a migraine brewing behind my eyes and clasped the bridge of my nose, "No, but surely we can pull off a covert interrogation..."
"You mean surely I can. The man will remember and report whatever you manage to drag from him, and it'd likely be flawed information to begin with."
She wasn't wrong, and beside that point, I had little stomach for torture, even against those I despised. I'd cut ties with my first adventuring party after learning they'd sadistically forced an ogress to talk.
"You're right, I'm asking. This is important to me Illia, is there a way to make it work?" I ran my fingers through Reilin's frozen curls. I wanted to comfort her, though I knew she couldn't feel it.
Illia's almond eyes tracked to the ceiling and she muttered something under her breath, then turned back to me, "Yes there's a way, and I'll tear down your life piece by piece if you ever speak of it outside this room."
"I- I wouldn't betray your..." I spun a finger tighter into a curl that resisted, stuck in time.
Would I?
From her point of view, absolutely I would. She'd poached my prospects. I'd stolen her golden goose. There was no love between us, maybe the enjoyment one pulls from a tight rivalry, but no love.
"You're doing me a massive favor here. I'm not going to make you regret it," I released Reilin and sat on the edge of my desk, "What do we need to do?"
She hesitated, then cleared her throat, "There's a pairing of two of our primary affinities that can reveal what we need while veiling our presence."
Pairing affinities, the process of subclassing. The first two affinities you bring to A rank went through a ritual pairing and bonded. In Illia's case, Growth and Darkness became Darkbloom, allowing each affinity to operate with the magics of the other.
There was another sort of pairing, usually temporary, that could occur between multiple participants. Illia was referring to this sort of exchange.
"Take off your skirt," Illia huffed as she hiked the slit of her velvet dress across her waist, exposing a green lace thong, and long toned legs in black stockings. It was no wonder she'd sworn me to secrecy, the implication was clear. Revealing meant radiance, my cock, and veiling was darkness, her ass. Dawn's-Break. It was a filthy indirect proposition from a woman I'd never let myself consider as anything more than a wall to crumble.
Pairing affinities with another person wasn't simple rutting, it was deep communion, a baring of one's truth, and it carried implications. She was right to want this kept between us. We were not romantically inclined.
"Illia, I didn't mean to... We don't have to do this," my hands crept to my lap. I'd only been through this process once, and it had seared me. I'd told myself "Never again".
"I know you didn't," she began fishing at her thong-strap with nervous fingers, "I'd have turned you down if you had."
I tasted her truth, her lipstick in my gut, it held power, and I'd have to let more of that inside me.
The bargain was power through mutual submission, I would know parts of her I would never want to see, and she would know me in ways I'd never want revealed.
I hesitated. I understood why she'd leaned toward an inquisition of Reilin. The collective trauma between us would have been less, but I wasn't going to put the girl through more.
I began to unbutton my skirt.