The Chains of Devotion

Not a cloud filled the sky, allowing the sun to shine across every tree, rooftop and street. One would not be faulted for thinking it was still Summer, thanks to the immense warmth beaming down from above. Though this weather was often considered sweltering and oppressive, there was one person who found comfort in the shimmering sunlight and street-cooking heat.

Pointed fangs protruding from green-colored lips curled into a smile as a young woman garbed in a long cloak stood on the sidewalk and basked in the warmth. She closed her eyes and took in the sensation of the sun shining down on her. A few years ago she would have found the sun to be unpleasant, but a lot of things had changed in her life since that time. One in particular was her diet.

Not a morsel of food had entered Jineerra's mouth in the last six months. Her body no longer required it, now that her very soul was bound to a being of nature. The attire symbolizing her enslavement was earthen in nature, and absorbed the nutrients in water, soil and sunlight, converting them into sustenance for the wearer. Though she missed the taste of a freshly glazed doughnut this was not an arrangement she complained about, as it allowed her to live the life of a plant person, just like the woman she was devoted to.

Green polish glistened in the sunlight whenever she took a step. Her large, bare feet only emerged from beneath the leafy cloak when she moved, and even then one could not see her heels or ankles. With the entirety of her hands and most of her feet covered by the cloak, the sturdy, wooden cuffs locked on her wrists and ankles remained completely concealed from the public eye.

Each pair was linked together by a vine that was slightly more than half as thick as one of her own wrists. In the name of fun and curiosity she had tried many, many times to sever these bindings, and the sheer futility that resulted from it filled her with such glee. Of course she knew that even if she could tear the vines tethering her wrists and ankles, they would immediately regenerate.

She came to a stop in front of a house and extended a hand from beyond the cloak. The wooden cuff on her left wrist glistened in the sunlight, showing that she put a great deal of love in keeping them looking flawless. She knocked on the door before immediately withdrawing her hands back into the cloak.

The door drew open and revealed a girl of vastly smaller stature to herself. Of course that could be said about many people, as Jineerra was quite tall, even more so than her master. “Greetings.”

Of all the people Mihao expected to see visiting her, Jineerra was at the bottom of the list. It was even more surprising to see her alone. “Heyhey. It's been some time. Come on in.” She held the door open and allowed the taller woman to step inside. She gestured toward several hooks built into the wall beside the door before speaking again. “You can hang... whatever that is... over here.”

“...My Master made this for me...” Jineerra muttered with a small pout as she removed the cloak and hung it on the wall. This exposed what constituted as her attire, little more than a network of ivy vines and leaves trailing across her body and limbs. There was considerable coverage around her chest and waist, giving it the image of a bikini, while only a few vines followed her arms and legs.

As Jineerra hung the cloak, Mihao found her eyes fixed on the green symbol attached to the top half of Jineerra's back. It resembled a green tree with its branches and roots twisting and winding around into a perfect circular shape. The symbol was large enough that Mihao's petite hands could not cover it up, understandable given the size difference between the two.

“Can I get you anything? A drink maybe?” Mihao said as she headed for the kitchen.

Jineerra seated herself on the couch and turned to observe Mihao's movements. “Oh, no thanks. I haven't had anything to eat or drink in quite some time.” She gestured toward her leafy attire as she spoke. “This uniform gives me all of the energy I need. I just have to water it and let it absorb sunlight.”

“Oookay. Well that's weird.” Mihao said as she shrugged her shoulders. “But kinda cool. Saves money on food.” She turned and disappeared within the kitchen, leaving Jineerra wondering if she was preparing something for herself.

She seated herself properly again, placing her hands on her lap and waiting patiently for her host to return. The sensation of water droplets falling onto her leafy garment caught her attention, and she turned to find that Mihao had silently crept up beside her.

An eyedropper was being dipped into a tea cup and used to apply these little drips of water onto the attire of Jineerra's enslavement. “Oh! Well that is a clever little device there.” She said as she observed the eyedropper. “May I?” She said aloud as she extended her hands to receive the two items.

Mihao handed off the two items and watched as Jineerra applied tiny droplets to her attire. She seemed to respond as if she herself was taking in the tiny morsels of water, making Mihao wonder just how connected Jineerra was to her “clothing”.

“One second.” Mihao said as she stood up again, she approached Jineerra and guided her gently onto her back, allowing her to lie across the couch while applying the droplets. Mihao slipped herself underneath Jineerra's legs, seating herself again with the latter's feet on her lap.

The second Mihao placed her hands one of them, she was startled by how tiny her hands were in comparison. “These might be too much for me.” She said as she began to knead the tender flesh, nuzzling her thumbs into the arches and gently pushing the digits back.

“Geheheh~ My Master loooooves them. When she gets her ahold of them, she simply can't let them go. It turns me into a pile of mush~” Jineerra said as she raised her untouched foot as high as the shackles would allow, and wiggled her toes directly in Mihao's face.

As Jineerra's foot was brought inches from her face, it dawned on Mihao that the appendage was large enough to conceal her entire face, even without the digits. “I'll bet...” She replied in a tone reflecting awe. “I bet you also love it when she does this.” She lifted the foot grasped in her hand and let her tongue gently slide from the heel to the ball of the foot.

The teacup in Jineerra's hand began to shake violently as Jineerra's eyes widened. “Eeeheee~! D-Don't do thaaaaaat-!!” She let out a high pitched squeal as some of the water spilled onto her stomach. “I can't staaaaaaand teasy little sensations like that! Such torture!” She said as a shudder ran down her spine. Her eyes fell to her stomach and watched as the water began to soak into the ivy vines and leaves surrounding it.

As Mihao's hands went back to massaging, her eyes scrolled toward the wooden shackles on Jineerra's ankles. She ran her fingers around the entirety of one cuff and saw that it was sealed completely around, with no opening or latch that could even hint at a way to remove it. “What's it like?” She suddenly spoke up.

“Hm?” Jineerra's attention was turned from the eyedropper and onto Mihao. “What's what like?”

Mihao ran her fingers across both cuffs at once, then along the vine linking them. “Wearing these every minute of every day. Wouldn't you rather have them unconnected? Don't it feel restrictive?”

The smile that emerged on Jineerra's face was one that Mihao recognized as being filled with love and adoration, as if the former was about to begin gushing at any moment. “That's basically the point. They convey the feeling of powerlessness like nothing else. They symbolize the fact that every moment of every day, I am her prisoner, her slave, her property. I cannot escape it. I cannot break them, no matter how hard I try.” Jineerra said aloud as she ran the hand with the eyedropper in it across the cuff of the hand holding the teacup. “She used to remove the vine every once in a while, but I insisted on keeping it.

Mihao wasn't sure if it was endearing or awkward, hearing the butterflies in Jineerra's stomach flutter out as she spoke of being completely controlled by her lover. “The funny thing is, in this kind of relationship, you're actually the one in control.” Mihao said as she flexed and moved each of Jineerra's toes about.

“How... so?” A gasp and shudder emerged from the recipient of the massage treatment, whose incredibly sensitive feet were triggering physical and vocal reactions from being played with. “That seems incredibly backwards.”

“Not really. I mean you love being her slave, you want it, and she's willing to give it to you.” Mihao set the right foot down and picked up the left, starting from the beginning of the massaging process. “Submission is something that is given, not taken.” She said aloud as she lifted the vine tethering Jineerra's ankles. “A good relationship requires communication and understanding between both partners. And in a relationship like this, your master needs to know that you're still comfortable with this arrangement. If she truly loves you, she won't just shut you up and keep you in chains. You're her lover first, and her slave second.”

Jineerra's expression told perfectly how much these words affected her. She sat up, setting the two items on the coffee table and examined the cuffs on her wrists and ankles. She was certain that tears were going to drip from her eyes. “Yes... Yes that should have been obvious to me. But I was too childish.” Jineerra let her right side lean on the back of the couch.

“As much as I love being her slave, it wouldn't mean nearly as much without the love and affection I get from her.” Jineerra said as she placed her hands on her chest, as if trying to still her beating heart. “She doesn't make me feel like some piece of property. She makes me feel like her most cherished possession. Her treasure. Something she lovingly tends to every day, as I serve her with the utmost dedication.”

As Jineerra finished speaking, the sound of clapping began to emerge from the front door. “What the...?” Mihao muttered as she stood up and walked over. She opened the door and found none other than the owner of the precious property sitting on her couch. “That was a wonderful little back-and-forth. You make a great relationship coach. Just as I suspected.” Azalea said aloud as she trotted past Mihao, letting herself in the house as if she belonged there.

“That's twice now.” Azalea suddenly said, as two of the vines dangling from her hips rose. “Twice now that you've proved vital to the stability of our relationship.” Azalea approached the couch and coiled one of her vines around the “chain” linking Jineerra's wrists. She pulled it in order to usher Jineerra up onto her feet and lead her around.

She pulled Jineerra's wrists forward, looping them around her own neck and placed both of the taller girl's hands at her chest. She cradled them in her own hands while keeping her partner nestled against her from behind. “As much as I cherish our little arrangement.” She grazed her fingers across the cuff locked around Jineerra's right wrist as she spoke, signaling the enslavement of the latter as the arrangement she was referring to. “It means nothing by itself. I love you because you have a warm, kind heart. Not because you are dedicated to me. I never want you to completely discard yourself, for my sake. You are a beautiful young woman, with a heart and soul that is as much your own as is mine, just as I give mine to you.”

Azalea was surprised by the sudden lunge forward Jineerra's head performed, despite having expected it. “My Master...” The latter whispered as she began to shed tears of pure joy. “I admit...” Her words were interrupted by a sniffle, which signaled Mihao to fetch a tissue for her. “That was why I loved being controlled and silent. I wouldn't have to think about myself. You tell me I'm beautiful and therefor I am... What a selfish way of thinking about it.”

She stood up, accepting the tissue to wipe her tears away. “It would be doing you such a dishonor if I didn't believe it myself.” She turned and gazed into the mirror positioned on the wall next to where her cloak was hanging. “This face... These ears. They filled me with such shame. But you... you never looked down on me for them. Even as a vile flower smasher, you never ridiculed my appearance. If you think I'm beautiful, I won't just accept it because that's what you say. I'll believe it myself.”

“That's the woman I love!” Azalea cheered as she closed the gap between herself and Jineerra, wrapping her arms around the taller girl and resting her head on the symbol on the latter's back. “You're so much stronger than you think you are.” She remembered the time when she and Jineerra first met. The reckless, destructive and antagonistic young dark fairy had been subjected to weeks of punishment prior to being enslaved, and despite initially being broken and completely subservient, managed to enforce her own will time and again.

Mihao couldn't help but smile as she observed the mingling and affection between the couple standing before her. It seemed that lately she was surrounded by nothing but couples, all gushing over each other affectionately while she stood by. “Ladies, ladies.” She suddenly spoke up. “If you're gonna get all gushy in my house, you'd best make room for the third wheel.” She said as she approached the pair and placed herself in between them.

Little did she know, that this would be the biggest mistake of her afternoon. As Mihao weaseled her way into the embrace, a gleam appeared in Azalea's eye, and she glanced over at Jineerra. “We really have been rude, haven't we?” She said as her lips curled into a smirk.

“We have. And we must fix that. She's done so much for us. We have to thank her properly.” Jineerra replied, her lips curling with just as much mirth.

As each rested a hand on one of Mihao's shoulders, a chill ran down her spine. It was a chill that told her that there was no escape from what was to come.