turn 1

oct. 4th, 1986 - evening

instructed to tend to the guest's needs for the evening, Shannon stands in wait, facing away from the bathtub in a tiled room tinged with the colour of cream. she may start to feel faint; it would be best if someone were there in case of emergency. a light fog gathers moisture at the backs of her thighs, humidity crawling up her spine and pooling in the small of her back, dampening her uniform.
how long will she keep you this time? the furniture holds onto silent hope that it will not be stalled. it has matters to deal with. business to which it must attend, no matter how strongly it is pulled to stay.

behind her, Erika tests the water until it runs hot enough to take the chill from her bones. "no need to wait your turn," she says, her voice echoing clear and sharp around the two of them. Shannon hears her sit down.

"and what would you mean by that, Furudo-san?" Shannon's words resound, high and clear like a chorus of bells.

"I think you know. like a pawn waiting to be moved."
the metaphor sticks her in the side, buries under unflinching skin. she does not yet think to pull it out.

a huff comes out of Shannon, so light she has no clue if Erika could hear it. "...will you let me know if you are in need of assistance?"

Erika giggles. what a strange guest we've found ourselves with.
"why should I ask first? I guess you're not trained well enough to get to it immediately."

the furniture does not allow the spider to see the bursts of white-hot rage beaming forth from its gaze, but it spills out all the same when it speaks. "does that surprise you? I was taught that restraint is befitting," it explains. keep your eyes off of her body. face away from her, just in case. it is almost never called to assist someone while they bathe, but it knows how to avoid causing discomfort during rather intimate tasks.

"no." the detective sounds dismissive. "my assumption was off, that's all."

Shannon's silence says more than words could.
perhaps she wishes you would turn around. but there's no way of knowing. her limbs and head are heating up, she notices, and wonders if Erika chose to steam up the bathroom on purpose. the moth smiles and somewhere, deep down, hopes that her skin is scalded, that she shares its torment.

"I forgot earlier, will you put my hair up? it's just going to get in the way," the spider requests, prompting the servant to open a nearby drawer and retrieve some hair ties.

when Shannon turns around, a faint shadow in a silhouette sends to her a second of déjà vu, but it leaves her mind as quickly as it enters.
"may I open the curtain?" she asks.

"go ahead."

the spider's back is hidden by long, straight hair left dry from saltwater. if only she could grow hers, if only her lifestyle would allow. when she gathers it with her hands, she realizes how unwieldy it is, how she could grab and twist it, pull that head down. if she has to.
and she feels somewhat better.

a brief glance at bare skin, bones that stick out in all the same places. skinny, stunted back and hips. she shuts the curtain before her eyes travel too far down.
she finds herself thinking of excuses, looking blankly at the wall once again.

"did I say I was done with you?" a wet, groping hand snatches the back of her shirt. she relents, twisting around, and Erika's hand retreats into the slight gap in the curtain. "it's not easy to wash yourself after falling off a ship."

especially if you're as weak as you look. Shannon fixes her eyes away from the girl she knows is watching them as she wets and soaps the washcloth already kept aside. your skin should not touch hers when you wash it, you don't want her to get the wrong idea.
Erika is still when the cloth is put to flesh, the furniture can feel her breathe with its palm pressed against her shoulder blade, imagines feeling her pulse and considers the thought of its hand wrapped around her neck, before forgetting it entirely.
"are you starting to feel better, Furudo-san?" she asks, hand rubbing circles around the guest's back through cloth.

"I feel... sufficiently warm. and clean," Erika sighs.

"that doesn't quite answer my question." Shannon's voice falters.

the detective huffs audibly. "you're wasting my time. I expected more from you." she turns her head just to look in Shannon's eyes.

"what do you mean, exactly?" the furniture shoots back. am I really that boring?

"I mean, why do you use that cloth? why don't you take advantage of the opportunity?" she looks ahead. another thorn breaches the furniture's skin.

it is taken aback for a moment. "I. I have a responsibility."

"you can pinch my nerves but you can't put your hands to my skin?"

"perhaps I prefer otherwise," it says quietly.

"if you say so. restrained as always," Erika comments. "not my business if you have someone in your life. or maybe you're worried about going too far?"

something like laughter bubbles in the furniture's throat; bitter bile that's forced back into its stomach with more accusations. it's different if they're true.
"maybe you should be the one worried about going too far." its voice comes out gentler than expected, but the threat is not lost.

a slight twitch is sensed by Shannon's hand. "oh?" Erika pauses. brief, but her hesitation is delicious.
"sincerely, you should do more about it this time," she suggests, slow and poised.

were the moth more courageous, it already would have.
"what would you have me do, then?" Shannon asks, relieved the girl in front of her can't see the small smile at the corners of her mouth.

"what's the point if I tell you!?" the guest snaps, "just, grow a spine! no more fluttering off."

she keeps being led into traps. the only way to avoid them is to break off the path entirely.
"Furudo-san," a stern voice calls. hands pull away, rinsing and wringing out the small, tarnished cloth. "do you think you've turned the water too hot? it may be agitating you."

over her shoulder, Erika takes a few seconds to read Shannon. she knows it when she sees it, eyes searching her, all over her.
"I'm fine, thank you," she mutters, glancing at dampened clothing.

"you did it on purpose," the servant points out, hoping her blouse is doing its job of concealing what's underneath.

"let's say I have my suspicions." she has not ceased staring. it gets uncomfortable, and then she turns back around. must have pulled something. serves her right. if she knows, that would mean she's close. hopefully not.

"it's only natural to have suspicions." Shannon leans closer to make sure she's heard and sees Erika adjust the water temperature. so it was too hot, after all. she doesn't ask for permission when reaching out to close the curtain, too wrapped up in demonstrating something far from obedience.
the fingers wrapped tightly around her wrist aren't what ends up stopping her. it's the sight of her guest, bare skin reddened and dripping with water, taking sick delight in watching Shannon force herself to meet its gaze.

"wait. I'm not done with your assistance!" it raises its voice to a high bark, meeting the furniture's eyes with a challenging look - wings pinned, limbs rigid, bound from action by endless possibilities splayed out behind her eyes.

it was never consequence you were afraid of. it was being known, and now you will be known no matter what move you make. so at least make it count.
she finds something unexpectedly sharp in her throat, drawing it out and honing it to a needle tip. "if you needed help washing up, you could have asked nicely."

"I know." a scowl threatens to take over Erika's face. it's adorable when she loses some of that composure. she should lose more of it, perhaps.

the furniture considers the safe option, to deny her and leave; it reminds itself there's no more backing out. "so you've committed to being impolite? I see."

"polite or not, you will assist me." so sure of herself. she isn't wrong, both of them know why.

"I'll fulfill my duty," it agrees, pushing down a playful smile. "would you turn around?"

"would I turn around? why would I do that? it's nothing you haven't seen before." unless it isn't.
but it's close enough. despite an approximately half-foot height gap, the moth sees proportions like its own, traces it has recognized in no woman's form save for its own.

the relief of recognition would be overwhelming, if not for the all too familiar feeling embedded within it. Erika has something that makes her complete. more so than yourself, at least. desire and envy take their turns scorching its insides, twin poisons aching to be freed from miniscule insectoid organs.

"I didn't think you would need a reminder." the guest's voice breaks through her unquiet thoughts.

Shannon draws a short breath through her nose. "I- I'm not always the best at my job."

"that's why I like you," Erika says, somewhere between teasing and genuine. or so Shannon can hope as small hands encircle her wrists, pulling them away from where they rest. "come on. I have an epitaph to solve."

just another reason to keep her longer. it would be unwise not to follow along a little, she thinks, breaking Erika's grip as she reaches for her forearm. "you have plenty of time," she assures, hands gliding up the detective's arm to her shoulder. warmth and gentle soap soften her skin; the furniture takes note of how its fingers sink into it. what it admonishes itself for noticing is her slight chest, fuller than its own but similarly undeveloped.

"disappointed?" the moth could not make its correction, settling for its palms on her ribs, almost cupping her breasts, drawing a faint gasp only audible by the resonant acoustic structure of a bathroom.

"why would I... be...?" it trails off, tinged with nervousness, until letting out a soft giggle. "I don't think it matters much right now."

"I would never have asked if it didn't matter," Erika retorts, seemingly composing herself appropriately. the servant isn't rough, but she isn't gentle, her touch only as firm as is needed. she hears what she can only think of as a whimper when her thumb presses into the sternum, fingers braced against the side of her ribcage.

gazing down at the spider with eyebrows raised, Shannon retracts her hand to conceal a smile, reluctantly taking pride in the red hue brought to her guest's cheeks. "I know I'm not hurting you."
she swiftly taps the side of Erika's thigh. "put your foot up on the side," she advises, reaching for another handful of soap.

"you could have. I don't always know what to expect from you," Erika comments, reaching for the wall to steady herself while her leg is raised. shifting its gaze to her legs, the furniture cannot help noticing her thin spread of pubic hair, just enough to obscure any detail, and hoping the warmth on its face is owed completely to the shower's steam.

part of it hopes it's invited for a better look sometime. another knows it will have to be bolder for that to happen. Shannon's grip kneads into Erika's thighs slightly more than she's expecting it to, but she hears no complaint.
"you must be exhausted. if you would like a seat, we can have one brought in," she remarks, picking up on a tremble in the other girl's body.

there's another noise Shannon can't distinguish. "mmm, n-no, I should be fine," she stammers weakly.

so she's shaking for another reason, the moth decides, fingers nestling into the cleft of Erika's butt. it feels a jolt run through her spine, forcing it to arch sharply for an instant, and its arms return to its sides.

"done with me already?" the detective asks between shallow breaths, a fog of disorienting heat filling Shannon's head upon hearing her voice. tension grips her thighs, keeping her from faltering.

"not yet," she speaks, reaching to take the showerhead in hand. "down." so water doesn't get everywhere, of course.

for some reason, Erika slinks to her knees with a quiet thump. she's given a few seconds to adjust and get comfortable before a jet of cool water hits the back of her neck, tingling fingers of fluid trailing down her torso and warming up by the time they reach her bottom. it's surprisingly pleasant; humiliating and purifying at once. hands folded in her lap, knees and shins aching against cold white porcelain, she possesses all the dignity of a stray dog. no longer does she meet Shannon's eyes.

the furniture takes in the sight - a tiny, pale creature, coiled tight to preserve warmth with quivering thighs clamped together. shutting off the water would be an act of mercy if it would leave the room; instead, it holds open a thick towel, stepping out of the way.
the gesture makes itself clear. Erika is a blur as she stumbles to her feet and practically leaps to wrap herself in the towel, falling into Shannon's arms. her trembling is much more prominent, bringing a grin of satisfaction to the servant's lips.

"you c-could have, could have asked if you wanted to hold me," the spider breathes.

their bodies pressed together, Shannon takes a breath. through the layers of her clothes and the towel, she can faintly feel Erika's erection against her thigh. "I wanted you to seek it out," she whispers, the grip of her arms tightening.
the guest reluctantly settles into warm, damp comfort until it begins to get humid. when she starts to wriggle, she is easily let out, left standing with naught but a towel bearing Shannon's radiating gaze.

"you can drop the towel, okay? put your hands up," the furniture instructs, gathering a light cream-coloured blouse.
it is even more humiliating to be dressed. with saccharine condescension and the lack of attention paid to her arousal, Erika feels juvenile. as the corset is tightened around her ribs, she expels a breath. her cheeks feel as hot as they did a few minutes earlier, the throbbing between her legs has not ceased.

"feeling refreshed, Furudo-san?"