Lucy bounced her steps as she trailed behind Gisele in the second-floor corridor. The way her garters moved with her thighs felt intimate today, and her stockings felt so soft that she wasn't looking forward to removing them. Her whole outfit felt fresher overall and her feet seemed to have a little more room. Her mob cap didn't pinch. She could have sworn her horns and chest felt bigger. Her panties had a sensuous feel to them as she moved, they were riding in just the right spots and it made her feel sexy. Lucy wasn't hungry, but she had the urge to sink her fangs into something.

Lucy had a few days to think about her last conversation with Fae. While she didn't get everything she wanted out of it, she was thankful Fae was alright and that she had a way to contact her now, even if it wasn't as frequently as she'd like. She thought she had her head wrapped around Fae not being able to reciprocate her feelings, but she was confident that would come with time. In her free time, Lucy thought about extra steps she could take to show Fae she was putting in the effort. Lucy was doing better reciting the names and summoning objects was getting easier. Jezebel wasn't correcting her posture as much but she still needed help from time to time. It was a far cry from her first day when she needed constant correction.

As they rode the elevator down to the dorm level, Lucy asked Gisele what she had planned to do with the rest of her afternoon. Gisele wanted to go along with her normal routine, which meant going straight to lunch and napping. Lucy asked if she wanted to spend some time helping out at the nail station and Gisele declined. They went their separate ways after they entered the dress hall.

Lucy opened her locker and began undressing. Her clothes teased her with every movement, so she played along. When she deliberately snapped her garters off it reminded her of Fae slapping her ass, and the way her stockings felt as she removed them made her reminiscent of hands sliding down her legs. It gave her goosebumps. Untying the lace drawstring that allowed her tail through her panties felt exciting somehow. When Lucy started to shimmy her panties off and the band curled up on itself she imagined she was stripping down for Fae. She pulled them down until she was nearly exposed and then pulled them back up while keeping the sides rolled up on themselves. She pulled them until her lips started to peek out and then quickly dropped them to her knees. She sat on the bench and kicked them off of her feet in an exaggerated reclining position.

Lucy realized the nail station was going to have to wait. She needed to take a shower first and she had no intention of using it to get clean. She could feel some eyes on her already; her strip tease hadn't gone unnoticed. The attention was pleasant. She wanted everyone to know how good a mood she was in. Her cheeks flushed with anticipation. Her shoulders were rolled back as she entered the wash hall. Lucy was swinging her hips like she was on a fashion runway. She quickly found an empty shower. She didn't grab the shampoo and made no move for the soap.

Lucy took the shower head straight off its mount and waited for the water to get to a comfortable temperature. Lucy clicked the shower head over to the pulse setting and directed the stream straight to her clit. She wasn't trying to hide what she was doing in the slightest. Morgen had told her months ago that no one would hold this against her and she wanted to put that to the test. The water had always been her favorite, but today it felt nicer, more pleasurable. She couldn't put her finger on it but she appreciated the elevated sensations. She imagined taking this sort of shower with Fae and wondered if she used the shower like this at all. She imagined showing Fae the ropes and figuring out what setting was her favorite. With her free hand she was caressing her own ass, running her fingers down her thighs, and sometimes she would assist the water by rubbing herself. She imagined this hand was not her own. She slid it up her body, following the curves, and caressed her breast. She squeaked out a moan quietly. She wanted the other maids to notice, but she thought being loud would have been trying too hard.

Lucy remembered how Fae's tail had teased her on the last night they spent together. She remembered the sensation startling her. She had never had a desire for any back door play before, but she found herself rubbing at it with a finger and enjoying the stimulation. That feeling was unique to Fae, and she was starting to cherish it. There was something about this that she found flirty. Lucy thought that the next time she was alone with Fae, she'd let her experiment a bit. She trusted Fae with that now. Lucy bit her lip as she felt her relief coming. She had set out for a quickie from the beginning. She leaned her free elbow against the wall for support. Quickie or not, this always made her legs feel weak. Another squeak came out, small but prolonged, and when her legs stopped quivering and she could feel the distracting thoughts leave she turned off the shower and put the head back on its mount. Her hair hadn't even gotten wet through the whole process. She felt satisfied but suspected she'd be in the mood again by the evening. She needed to focus while she could.

Lucy turned around and was disappointed to see an apparent lack of interest in her little show. She was hoping that she'd get noticed by someone or maybe turn someone on. Morgen was more correct than she had realized. As she scanned around the room, Morgen fresh on her mind, she noticed Heidrun getting herself clean for the second shift. A thought came to her, and she kicked herself for not having it earlier. If Morgen knew that Foras was about to come after her, maybe Heidrun knew something about it too. It didn't have to be important, Lucy thought, just something to confirm that Morgen was feeling uneasy in the days leading up to her disappearance. 

She put the idea away for later; asking those kinds of questions out in the open wasn't a good idea. This was her only lead and she wanted to be careful with it. Jezebel and Lucy had been discussing their next steps during her practices but they hadn't come up with anything yet. The second shift would get to their dorm rooms right as curfew was being called. Lucy didn't need her phone or any other tools to sneak into another room after lights out. That was the play she thought, and she could ask that much of Heidrun in the open. Lucy made her way over to Heidrun making sure she was sloshing water and just being conspicuous in general. 

"Hey Heidrun, you mind if I come by your room after shift?"

Heidrun stopped what she was doing and looked Lucy up and down as if searching for something. Lucy couldn't remember talking to Heidrun before, and she figured the sudden interest may be a little off-putting.

Lucy continued, "Look it's nothing bad, I'm not getting you involved in anything okay? I just want to talk to you a little bit, I just can't say why here okay?"

Heidrun nodded, but her furrowed brow and wide eyes told Lucy she was looking for a way out. Lucy decided to close the conversation before Heidrun had a chance to object.

"Alright, I'll see you tonight then."

Lucy left for the nail station hastily and started her work. She hadn't helped out here since just before Fae was taken from her and she wanted to get back into the swing of things. More importantly, she wanted to practice so that she could do her own nails better. Lucy was thinking ahead to when she'd leave the palace and the answer Fae had given her when they last spoke. Lucy wanted to put extra effort into her appearance. She decided, given the uniform, that nails and hair were about the only things she could improve before they left. Lucy struck up conversations with the other maids and focused on conversations about techniques and favorite styles. Before this, she was only concerned about getting the polish applied and up to Jezebel's most basic standards.

Many of the maids were curious about Lucy's good mood. Lucy waived these questions off with statements about Gisele improving, and having her daily workload get less stressful. Those lies wouldn't be as easy to tell if Gisele had decided to stick around, and Lucy was grateful for her luck. Other maids openly gossiped that her good mood was entirely down to the show she put on with the shower head. Lucy giggled at this, and it brought a large smile to her face. She caught some attention after all, and they weren't being mean about it. Lucy looked up occasionally to keep an eye on Heidrun, making sure to note her progress with her bath. She left the nail station before Heidrun could show up.

That evening during her exercises, Lucy wrestled with thoughts of suspicion. She hadn't done anything concrete for Jezebel yet and it was eating at her. They had only made a verbal deal and Jezebel was the only one making tangible progress. Lucy had produced nothing for Jezebel, not so much as a lead. Lucy had that lead now, but every time she thought to bring it up a wave of anxiety stopped her. It wasn't really a lead yet, just the idea that she might have one. It was best not to say anything now.

In the last three summonings, Jezebel hadn't had to correct her posture at all. This led Lucy to a question that she was comfortable asking.

"Ma'am I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but why are you training me on how to do this before I've found anything? Shouldn't you be doing it after? Like, I mean, not to argue against my own interests but, we don't even know where we're going to be looking yet. Aren't you worried you're putting this effort in for nothing?"

"No, Lucy. If I have anything to say about it you're not even going to see the deal happen. Foras is already after you, or Fae, or both. I would like to be bargaining for one maid, not several. Right now I don't have any chips to bargain with. Lately, he's been getting more involved in my business and nitpicking the work you all do. He's posturing."

"Posturing for what?"

"I told you once before that as long as the job gets done, Lucifer doesn't really care what I or Foras do or how we manage our charges. Foras is starting to make a fuss so he can build a case that our work is inadequate. I don't know exactly what he's after but he's trying to put me on the back foot. Politics, Lucy."

"Are you on the back foot?"

"I'm afraid so. There's no sense moaning about it. Let's make sure he has a tough road ahead of him shall we?"

Lucy resumed her exercises but Jezebel wasn't instructing her anymore. She was merely observing as Lucy did the exercises on her own.

"Alright Lucy," Jezebel said after several more repetitions, "I don't think you need any more guided practice with basic summoning. I would like you to continue that on your own time. From here on out, we will be working with name recital and only name recital"

And so they did. Lucy was having the most trouble not hissing her s sounds. They weren't at it long, it was already close to curfew when they started, and they concluded the exercise after only a half-hour. On the way back to the dorm, Lucy had the urge to keep her eye on Jezebel's key. She got a glimpse of it at the double doors, and again in the elevator. She wanted to get a good enough mental picture of it to summon it if she had to, but she wasn't satisfied with the glances she got. It wouldn't be enough. She'd need a few more tries before she would risk it.

When Lucy arrived at her room for the evening, she gave Gisele the news that she'd be stepping out just before curfew but that she wasn't leaving the dormitory. Gisele met her assurances with skepticism but decided that if Lucy was lying to her she'd simply throw her under the bus. Lucy left for Heidrun's room. Lucy knocked on the door and awaited a reply before opening the door, but none came. She opened the door only to find the room empty. When she saw the two beds she thought she had made a mistake. Lucy wondered how was she going to talk about Morgen in front of Heidrun's new roommate. If she couldn't talk about this in the wash hall then she couldn't talk about it in front of the roommate either. Lucy paced the floor while she thought it over.  She wasn't thinking long before the room's door opened again and Heidrun walked through it.

"Sorry! I got here early so I let myself in since you were expecting me anyways," Lucy said.

"Yeah, not an issue Lucy, not like there's much to see in here."

Lucy leaned to the left to look behind Heidrun, who had shut the door behind her.

"Is your partner not with you?"

"Don't have one."

"You didn't get a new pairing after--" Lucy cut herself off, she realized now something was amiss. Heidrun's lack of a partner brought to her mind the process of bonding and the consequences of being alone. Morgen was snatched. Heidrun should have gone through what Gisele did, if not worse. "Y-yeah I wanted to talk about that. You were the only other person in the room that day that looked as bothered as I was."

Heidrun averted her gaze, "Do we have to talk about this? It's been a while and I'd like to put it behind me. I thought we were going to be talking about something different when you came up to me straight after masturbating to be honest."

"Oh I, uh, I mean I wasn't exactly hiding that but, yeah no. Look, getting past it is why I'm here. I just need to ask you something real quick and then I won't bother you about it again alright? I get it, but I'm curious about something that isn't letting me move on."

"Make it quick Lucy." Heidrun rolled her eyes.

"Was Morgen acting differently before she disappeared? Like, in hindsight did she seem like she knew something bad was going to happen?"

Heidrun raised her eyebrows, "Did she look that way to you?"

"No, but you live with her so like I thought you might know something I didn't."

Heidrun paused before responding, "What makes you think something bad happened to her?"

Lucy's eyes widened. She'd given away that she knew something. She searched for a way to recover.

"Well, the look on your face when it happened. You looked absolutely distraught before anyone else in the room knew what was going on. So yeah I just kinda assumed something bad had happened."

"Well yeah, Lucy, I think I would know if my partner was missing before anyone else. Doesn't that seem a bit obvious?"

Lucy started to get the idea that they were both hedging their answers. She wondered why Heidrun would be so evasive if her goal was to get Lucy out of her room and put the incident behind her. Lucy decided to ask a more pointed question.

"Why didn't your bond burn you? That's why you would have known first right? It's not like Jezebel found out before you did."

Heidrun's eyes narrowed, "Drop the pretense."

"I could tell you the same thing! Holy shit you're sitting there acting like you're not being suspicious or something."

"You first. You're the one who asked to talk in the first place. You either tell me why you're actually here or get lost."

Lucy drew a sharp breath as she cycled through her options. She knew that she was hitting resistance because there was something here to find, and she was running out of ways to be coy. Heidrun was seeing through everything she'd already tried.

"I found Morgen. She'd been running off-hours errands for Jezebel right? She broke your bond a long time ago, didn't she? I bet she did."

Heidrun pressed her lips into a thin line. She walked over to Morgen's old bed and flipped over the top mattress, then started lifting up the box springs.

"Help me lift this up on its side, gently."

"I told you why I was here, I think you owe me an explanation too before you go tearing the room apart, shit."

"I am telling you, help me already."

Lucy gave a frustrated huff but took the other end of the box spring and helped Heidrun move it slowly onto its side. Lucy realized there was a hole in the bottom.

"Hold that still." 

Heidrun stooped down to the hole and put her arm in, fishing around for something. After a moment she pulled a black satin drawstring bag out of the opening. It was as big around as her palm and nearly a foot tall. She took it over to her bed, placed it there, and helped Lucy put Morgen's old bed back together.

"There was an afternoon a few weeks before Morgen went missing where she barged in with this thing. She looked shaken, and she cried a few times that night. She wouldn't tell me what it was. Of course, I looked later after she'd gone missing. She was frightened every day in between. She'd put on a brave face in the morning but when she'd come in she'd just sit on the bed shaking. The last time I saw her she was sneaking out of here with a white box."

Lucy realized that was the day Morgen was called to the 4th floor. She wanted to tell Heidrun but thought given the circumstances it would just make her look suspicious.

"Did you ever take a look at what was in it?"

"Yeah of course. Morgen told me not to but after she vanished there didn't seem to be much of a point in not seeing what it was. It looks valuable, but I'm not sure how that helps."

Heidrun loosened the drawstring and gently rolled the opening away from the bag's contents. Inside was a beige-colored stone. Embedded in the stone was a pale blue-green crystal. The crystal had a hexagon shape at the top and protruded several inches out of the stone. It was exceptionally clear. Something about it bothered Lucy's eyes. She felt as though she could look into it instead of through it despite its clarity. Lucy chose her next words carefully. She wanted credit for finding this. Jezebel had been clear. Lucy gets to leave with Fae if she finds something worth bartering to Foras. She thought the chance this didn't belong to him originally was small and thought Jezebel would go back on her word if Heidrun came running to her with it. Heidrun would benefit either way.

"Heidrun, I think I can get Morgen back with that. I know that sounds ridiculous but I think I can use that to get her back."

Heidrun put the object back in the bag and cinched it close.

"What? Out of the goodness of your heart? Do I look stupid?"

"I don't think that really matters Heidrun. You won't see her again for sure if I don't try. You have no idea where she got that from either. What if she stole that from Jezebel or something? If you get caught with that there's no telling--"

Lucy was interrupted by the sounds of curfew being announced.

"--I'm your only shot at seeing Morgen again. I need an answer. You were lovers too, weren't you? Morgen told me, you were there at lunch remember? I know what being separated is like, you know that. Let me get her back, let me try. You said you weren't sure how that thing helped, but I am."

Cautiously, reluctantly, Heidrun relinquished the bag to Lucy. Lucy gave her a short thank you as she bolted out of the door. Lucy knew she was cutting curfew close. She could sneak back to her room in the dark like she usually did, but that would mean waiting with Heidrun and giving her a chance to second-guess her decision and start finding holes in Lucy's claims. As Lucy flew down the corridor she stuffed the bag into her satchel as much as she could. It made her satchel look pregnant, but Lucy thought it would draw fewer questions from Gisele than the black satin bag would out in the open. 

When Lucy ducked into her room, Gisele took notice immediately.

"What on earth do you have stuffed in there?"

"Secret Jezebel stuff," Lucy said as she cut out the lights.

"Damn, immediately out with the lights too."

"I told you before I went out that I'd be cutting it close to curfew. Hell, I thought I would be out after curfew, if anything  I'm back early so you can fucking deal with it. What happened to that better off not knowing attitude you had before, shit."

"Whatever, Lucy. This better not affect me. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Lucy stared at the ceiling waiting for Gisele to fall asleep. Lucy was becoming suspicious of everyone as the time drew near. Lucy kept telling herself she knew better but she imagined Gisele going through her bag in the night. She wasn't satisfied with Jezebel's explanation. Lucy wanted more control of the situation and was tired of being a spectator. She thought about how easily Jezebel could screw her over. She could simply refuse to break Fae's bond after she got what she wanted. Perhaps teaching her summoning magic was a way to placate her into doing the things Jezebel wanted. Lucy needed to talk to Fae. Lucy felt like she was running out of time to prepare and Fae needed to know where to go. Lucy had an idea for how to let her know it was time to get moving. Lucy fell asleep for short periods but overall she slept very little. Her prediction that afternoon was accurate, and she was feeling horny again, but she was too anxious and tired to want to do anything about it.


The first thing Lucy did the following morning was search for Lydia. Lucy's satchel was still overstuffed and she knew it was only a matter of time before she had to tell Jezebel what was in it. Lucy was going to skirt all of her scheduled responsibilities today to prepare as much as possible for escape. She found Lydia in the dress hall surrounded by the usual friends.

"Lydia, I need your phone for a minute, it's important. Please?"

"You need to speak to Fae already?"

"Yeah, things are kinda moving quickly. I don't think you'll have to put up with being in the middle much longer. Fuck this is going to be so annoying to do over text."

"Okay. You have until we get out of the wash hall so you have a bit of time. I told Fae I'd do this for her anyway."

Lydia handed Lucy her phone and left for the wash hall with her cadre. Lucy sat on the bench and huddled close to the phone just in case someone tried to read over her shoulder as they walked by. She looked Fae up through the contacts.

Lydia: Hey Fae it's Lucy. It's urgent.

Fae: Morning Lucy, have you been thinking about me?

Lydia: Duh. We need 2 meet if we can. How cls can u get to my dorm?

Fae: Not very. Conference room.

Lydia: What if u ditched can u make it all the way here?

Fae: Yeah. That important?

Lydia: Yeah, pick me up at the elvtr. I'll wait.

Fae: k

Lucy checked to see if she could just put the phone back into Lydia's locker but she had secured it. Lucy bounced her legs impatiently while she had her eyes fixed on the elevator doors. Pairs of maids came and went. They gave Lucy and her satchel curious looks as they passed by. Finally, the elevator returned to the dress hall without anyone having called for it. Fae had her head poking out of the doors. Lucy waved with a grimace on her face. She ran in place a few seconds before she decided what she was going to do with the phone. She bolted to the wash hall and loudly called for Lydia, waving her phone in the air frantically. Lydia came to retrieve it with a scowl. Lucy winked and gave her an okay sign with her hand, hoping to placate her. Lucy sprinted away towards the elevator, and when she went in Fae hit the second-floor button and closed the elevator doors before anyone else could join them. Just as Lucy started to explain what was going on she found herself pushed against the elevator walls. Fae leaned in. Lucy realized she'd nearly forgotten how Fae tasted when their lips locked. A moan escaped them both. Reluctantly, Lucy pushed Fae away.

"I need you to follow me. I know somewhere private we can talk Fae. It needs to be private. We gotta be quick I have a lot to do. No, we don't have time to fuck, I wish we did."

"Good to see you too Lucy," Fae giggled.

The elevator arrived and the doors opened. Lucy took Fae by the hand and ran her down to one of the hidden closets she'd found earlier in the month. After checking for onlookers, she ushered Fae into the small space in the wall and closed the entrance behind them. 

Lucy brought her voice to a whisper, "Alright, we should be good. We can talk here Fae. It's almost time."

"Almost time for what Lucy?"

"To get out of here. Look, I needed a way to tell you something. Lydia can't know so I couldn't text you. What are your options for getting to the fifth floor?"

"Don't have 'em, that place is pretty locked down."

"Fuck, um. Shit. I'll think of something. Just wait for my signal okay? I've got something prepared for that. When you get the signal head to the meeting spot."

"Meeting spot?"

"Yeah I think right now that's gonna be the elevator just like today, but I'll text you if that changes. You need to get there quick when I give you the signal."

"So a text? What will it say?"

"No. Watch this, it's so fucking cool."

Lucy took her stance. A bright orange flash came from Fae's satchel and the vibrator appeared in Lucy's hand.

"When the fuck did you learn that?"

"I'll tell you later I promise, I'm gonna do that again when it's time to go okay?"

Lucy tossed the vibrator back to Fae.

"Got it, Lucy."

"Okay, I don't want you to get in trouble so get back to your partner as fast as you can alright? I'll just follow someone back into the elevator," Lucy hugged Fae and gave her a quick kiss, "I love you Fae, you don't have to say it back okay? See you soon. Stay safe bye bye."

Fae smiled, "Thanks, Lucy. You too."

Lucy left their hiding spot first. Jezebel would cover down if she was caught, but Fae was on her own if she was seen. Lucy waved her out when she was satisfied no one was looking. Fae left at a small jog. She turned around and waved at Lucy right before losing sight of her around a corner. Lucy was nervous but she felt ready to act if today was the day. She was going to need Jezebel to look at what Heidrun gave her to figure that out. Lucy still felt vulnerable. She didn't have a way to get to the sixth floor or break Fae's bond without Jezebel's cooperation. It turned her stomach. Fae was counting on her. Lucy wanted more time with Jezebel's key, or to figure out an alternate plan. Maybe Jezebel would live up to her promises, but Lucy wanted the ball in her court.

Lucy found her way back into the elevator before long. A pair of maids were departing for their duties, it was Lydia and her partner. Lucy put on a Cheshire grin as she passed by, but Lydia frowned at her. Lucy stepped out of the elevator and saw Jezebel pointing out flaws with maids' uniforms in her normal manner. Lucy approached, but only to get by and await Jezebel in her office. Jezebel, however, had other plans. When Lucy caught her eye she did a heel-turn and grabbed her by the arm, admonishing her sternly for being undressed and unready to start her day. Lucy kept cutting her eyes to the swollen satchel and then back to Jezebel. Jezebel cut her eyes lower momentarily then locked 

"Wait for me in my office Ms. Pyre. I'll deal with you and your delinquency directly."

Jezebel glared at Lucy until the door closed behind her. Lucy couldn't figure out if Jezebel was trying to sell the interaction or if she was genuinely upset with her. She sat down in her regular seat and put her feet up. All that was left to do was wait.