Being A Clown
In the great city of Somnia, at the center of the Dreamlands, a young jester reflects on his chosen vocation as he heads out to a festival to meet old friends, have fun and embrace the clown persona that's been a part of him all his life.
Being a Clown
By Samadhir
A Gift for Lapinbeau
_Author's Note: This work was written as a gift for Lapinbeau (http://www.furaffinity.net/user/lapinbeau) whose artwork I greatly admire and is set in his fantastical Somnia universe. It centers around Jessie, the Naughty Jester, his most well-known character whom I felt needed some well-deserved love and attention. While my interpretation of Jessie and Somnia and related characters might not be considered 100% canon, I still hope that this will be considered a worthy tribute. The character of Amator belongs to Ironwolf85 (http://www.furaffinity.net/user/ironwolf85) and the characters of Malin and Sedna are inspired by the halfling-gnome duo of Cheska and Magda, who belong to Cheska (http://www.furaffinity.net/user/cheska) - all are used with permission. I hope that this story will bring more attention to Lapinbeau's wonderful works and that you'll have as much fun reading it as I had writing it! _
It wasn't easy being a clown.
The thought went through Jessie's head as he stepped out of his small bath chamber into his only slightly larger apartment, naked as the day he was born, his smooth, alabaster skin still slightly damp from the thorough ablution he had given himself in preparation for the night's events. People often didn't appreciate all the effort it took to devote oneself to the Jester's art, to spend one's life learning all the tricks of the trade and the time it took to maintain and develop an appearance, outfit and mannerisms that would give you your own identity and stand out from the crowd.
Especially when, like Jessie, you'd had to play the Jester your entire life.
Padding over to the dressing table by the side of his bed, he settled his pert backside down on a stool and lit some candles that were placed in front of the mirror. When the table was lit well enough for his grooming, he took a long view of himself in the reflective surface.
What stared back at him was a pretty, somewhat effeminate boy eighteen years of age with a round, cute face - a boy like many of his age, except for two notable features. The first was the mop of messy, soft purple hair on his head, which he had washed and dried a short while before the rest of his body so he could get right to grooming himself after his bath. The second were his large, expressive eyes - their pupils and irises were completely golden.
It was not an unattractive picture by any means, but it was nevertheless one that caused Jessie some consternation. It was the pink, uncovered state of his face that was the problem; he felt vulnerable and naked in it, far more so than his current lack of clothing could ever make him feel. It was time to rectify that problem, and put on what Jessie considered his true face.
Opening a small box of cherry wood that he always kept on the dressing table, a box he considered among his most prized possessions, he took out its contents and started to put on his Jester's mask. To start with, he dipped a sponge into a jar of white face paint, rubbing it all over and around his features until every square inch of his head from the neck up was covered either in white paint or his hair.
When that was done, with not a single spot of his natural skin colour showing through on his face, he took a brush dipped in purple and painted large domes over his golden eyes, and two small circles on his cheeks in pink. Finally, a thicker brush added a bit of purple powder over his features, to give his mask a bit of an extra tinge.
Putting his makeup kit back in its box, he took another good look at himself in the mirror. What stared back at him now was the character Jessie had in many ways played all his life - a character he had been named after, in fact - and a role he had assumed more or less permanently these past couple of years. Inspecting himself to make sure that his clown mask was just perfect, he gave a wide, boyish smile at his reflection, exposing a tiny gap between his two rather large, pearly-white front teeth.
With his personal grooming out of the way - he had already dyed his hair the day before - it was time to get dressed. Getting up from the table, he walked over to a small closet by the other side of the bed, where he kept his jester's costume. In it, he kept several sets of neatly folded garments, which he brought out and lay on his bed before he got dressed.
The costume complemented the colour scheme of his mask, pink and purple in alternating stripes, fashioned from silk and satin. Jessie had sewn most of the outfit himself from rolls of fabric he'd received as gifts or purchased from sphere-travelling merchants - it was cheaper that way, and he was a clown of limited means. He wasn't half-bad at it, and had managed to stitch together some rather lovely outfits for the clown he always played.
He began by pulling on a pair of tight silk panties, choosing a tanga to accentuate his rather wide hips and cute, girlish bottom without coming across as too scandalous, and then a pair of mid-thigh silk stockings. After that came a billowy shirt and a doublet made of satin, with silver buttons in double rows on the front and white ruffles around the neck and wrist. On his feet went a pair of purple boots with curled toes, likewise made of satin and reinforced via elven craftsmanship to be both flexible yet sturdy around the soles. White silk gloves on his hands put the finishing touch on his outfit.
Well, not completely. The crowning glory of his costume was, appropriately enough, a jester's cap snugly fitted around a wig stand on the dressing table where he'd applied his mask. Carefully removing it from its holder, he held it in his gloved hands for a few moments, reminiscing on its importance to him.
The cap had been with him all his life, ever since he was first found as an infant on the steps of an orphanage; it had been the only thing left in the basket aside from the blankets that covered him, and the only clue to the identity of whoever had left him there, though no one had ever been able to find or identify his mysterious benefactor in all the years since. The distinctive headpiece led his caretakers to affectionately refer to the baby as "the little jester," which soon morphed into Jessie. One could almost say that it had provided an inspiration for the path he later chose in life, as his constant ponderings about his parentage had led him to an interest in clowns and tricksters. Maybe that was precisely why it had been left with him: to inspire him to honor his family by taking up the role of the jester... though what great lineage would be honoured by their child becoming a clown, he had never figured out.
It was a wonderful piece of workmanship, too. Made of the finest silk in the style of a balaclava that fit snugly around face and neck without feeling constrictive, its two tails that hung down beneath the shoulders were capped with silver mithril bells that made the most delightful little celesta-like sounds as he walked. Not only that, but subtle enchantments had also been worked into the hat; the bells could be silenced with a simple touch and the fabric around the facial area was so flexible that it actually moved with the wearer's expressions.
The only downside was that the snug cap tended to totally mess up his hair, so he was often content to walk around without it. For this occasion though, he felt he should go the extra mile, and pulled the cap over his head until it fit just perfectly.
Finally, having put on his Jester's crown, all that was left his Jester's sceptre: his marotte Chucky. Chucky was placed at the end of a foot-long stick, with a little cap in the same style as his own, a wide grin with a small gap in his front-teeth, bright eyes and a little button nose, with a ruffle around his neck. Jessie had done his best to make Chucky as cute and non-threatening as possible - a lot of the marottes he'd seen over the years just looked creepy. He hung him from a strap inside his doublet, letting his head rest against his thigh; Chucky sometimes complained about having to hang upside down whenever they went out together, but it was preferable to being stuffed inside a hot, snug vest.
Fitting a small purse into one of the many pockets inside his doublet, Jessie turned to another mirror standing in the corner, this one full length. The visage staring back at him now was a beautiful creature known as the Jester - or, in some circles, as the Naughty Jester - in its full glory. Fidgeting with his garments a bit to make sure everything was on just right, he then took a moment to admire himself. Jessie didn't think of himself as vain or haughty, but that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate true beauty when he saw it.
Jessie was rather short, standing just barely five feet, and somewhat thin with curvaceous hips lending his figure a vaguely feminine aspect. His smooth, unblemished skin, now only visible on his uncovered thighs and lower hips, combined with a lack of any kind of body hair to contribute to his youthful, boyish appearance - the look of someone who had never truly grown up, but preferred to remain in the carefree, optimistic state of adolescence. That was fitting in his case, for the Jester was in many ways the eternal child, unbeholden to conventional notions of proper behaviour and always on the lookout for new and amazing experiences.
And tonight was a good night to release that inner child and glory in the wonders of the world. Tonight was a perfect time to spread cheer and amusement and hopefully receive some in return (along with the odd silver piece, ideally). Tonight was just the right time to be himself.
To be a clown.
"Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, step right up! Do you possess any skill in the arcane arts of telekinesis and levitation? Then try your luck at the Wheel of Tamara! Show your talents for all of Somnia to see and win fabulous prizes! Don't be shy; show us what you can do at this fun and easy game, brought to you by the Elysian Emporium!"
Jessie stood on the street among the gathered knot of onlookers, taking in the spectacle of the huge market stall, draped in red velvet and lit up by floating glowglobes. A large spinning wheel in the centre of the booth bore the painted image of Tamara, the famous mentalist. On a small raised platform to the left stood a rather plump furling rabbit, dressed in a gaudy costume studded with rhinestones and glitter, and a tall hat with large blue feathers that made Jessie's own outfit look positively restrained by comparison. The barker bunny loudly advertised his Wheel to anyone who passed by.
The object of the game was to use one's magical and mental abilities to levitate a series of coloured balls through holes of varying sizes in the spinning wheel, with the highest scores awarded to players who got all the balls through the smallest holes, and who did it the fastest. The prizes consisted of various bottles of fine wines and boxes of candies and chocolates - some with minor enchantments to enhance sensory enjoyment or to act as aphrodisiacs. These were quite generous prizes indeed, especially since the game wasn't especially hard for any mentalist of moderate skill, and the entry fee was rather low. The game likely generated little if any profit; it was probably a publicity stunt for the Elysian Emporium which had established itself in Somnia these past few years, possibly as a recruitment tool for skilled mentalists, as it was rumoured the Emporium was quite eager to hire them.
Jessie did possess some minor skill in telekinesis that he'd learned from his less-than-stellar studies at the Academy of Somnia, but probably not enough to do well at even such a relatively simple game. Besides, he had better things to spend his money on tonight - though the enchanted candy did tempt his not inconsiderable sweet tooth, and aphrodisiac beverages his no less considerable carnal appetites - and after enjoying the performance of an elven nobleman effortlessly moving the balls through the Wheel of Tamara to the applause from the crowd and rabbit hawker, he walked on to see what other delights the Carnival could present him with this night.
The very term "night" was in fact something of a misnomer in Somnia, because it was always night in this city at the centre of the Dreamlands. The sky above lay perpetually open to the vast infinity of the cosmos, like a blanket of midnight blue satin studded with countless glittering stars and ever-shifting colourful auroras and nebulae and stranger phenomena. Watching over it all were the three moons: Selena, the largest, with its pale, silvery-blue light; Kamar, cast in warm shades of rose-red and orange; and Chandra, always covered in a shade of dark, regal purple.
This rendered timekeeping somewhat fluid in Somnia, though the moons did brighten and darken at regular intervals roughly corresponding to the day-night cycle of most ordinary worlds, allowing some kind of calendar to be kept. Businesses and shops often kept irregular hours, if they were unable to keep open constantly, and new arrivals to the city quickly learned not to expect total punctuality from the locals. Still, work was often done during the relative brightness of the moons' luminous phase, while pleasure was mostly relegated to their darker hours - and such was the case with the carnival.
Somnia was a colourful and vibrant city even in ordinary times, but now it unfolded like a kaleidoscopic wonder to overwhelm the senses, lit up by a myriad of glowglobes, floating candles, dancing pixies and will o' wisps and other, even stranger sources of light. All of this, along with the tents, stalls, attractions and banners, were to commemorate the city's defeat of a great demonic invasion from the Pit of Repression ages ago. And not just the sights, but also the sounds of music, vendors hawking their wares, machines and contraptions whirring and buzzing to mingle with the merry noises of the crowd, and the scent of culinary delights from food stalls and nearby restaurants, perfumes and incense and the smoky fragrance of spells sent crackling through the air by magicians to the wonderment of their audiences.
Some people claimed that the vibrancy of the festival was specifically designed to spite the demons who'd been forced back to their dark abyss, and to show that Somnia would never give in to the despair, terror and malevolence those nightmarish entities were so determined to spread across the cosmos. For the three days it lasted, the city would celebrate joy and beauty, to demonstrate that it would always stand as a beacon against the darkness.
Wandering the streets, Jessie basked in the atmosphere, walking past festival-goers from hundreds of different worlds: furlings and ornith of countless species, shapes and sizes; aristocratic gnomes on floating palanquins attended by nubile goblin slaves; benign Gehennite demons with their horns studded with runes and small gems, their blue, green or purple skins tattooed with brazen symbols, wearing revealing leather outfits adorned with spikes that were both threatening and alluring at the same time; imps and familiars flapping about on their leathered wings with mischievous little giggles; orc mercenaries armed to the teeth on the lookout for a good time; native dream spirits in a myriad gestalt forms; sentient mechanical constructs with bodies of steel, glass, copper and brass with glowing soul spheres in their chest cavities; star elementals with little lights dancing on their lithe, midnight-blue bodies and through their silver hair. Those were just a few of people one could meet on a regular walk through Somnia, all gathered to enjoy the night's festivities.
All the myriad peoples and cultures that made their home in the city had left their mark on its architecture and look. In just a five minute stroll down the main street, Jessie passed quaint shops and taverns in half-timbered buildings with tinted multi-pane windows and floral arrangements standing next to multi-story golden pavilions lit up by blue lanterns, along with temples and shrines covered in psychedelic mosaics and wreathed in sweet-smelling incense, small towers with onion domes of faintly glowing crystal and even a large oak that had been outfitted with small wooden cottages where little furry creatures rushed back and forth on the tree limbs, balconies and hanging bridges lit up by the warm glow from inside their homes. And Astaroth Boulevard, the affluent residential district at the centre of the festival, was considered one of the duller neighbourhoods of Somnia; there were other parts of the city that made the Boulevard look mundane by comparison.
Eventually, Jessie made his way to a park where a small fairground had been set up. Taking a look at the various attractions and amusements - one of the most notable being a massive, smiling djinn who used his mastery of wind magic to send dozens of laughing children spinning through the sky - he thought that maybe it was time to find someplace nearby where he could dance, juggle, tell jokes and stories or otherwise entertain passers-by in the hope for some coin, when a commotion from a nearby canal drew his attention.
Somnia was crisscrossed by canals, through which flowed the great River of Dreams that made its way from the subconscious thoughts and nocturnal imagery of the inhabitants of the spheres into the Dreamlands to pool in various lakes; the city had been built on the largest of these canals. The waters possessed a shimmering, blue-green tone, and one could often make out faint images and visions in the streams, the residue of the dreams of all the minds that created them. The city had placed powerful wards to minimize the occurrence of nightmares in the canals, but the visions could still be rather frightening at times and occasionally a demon might arise from the waters, hopefully to be apprehended by the authorities in short order.
While the water was crystal clear, it could be a risky enterprise to drink or bathe in it; it held magical, psychoactive properties that ranged from subtle to overwhelming, and could prove beneficial or malevolent, depending on the dream streams of any particular day. It was often used for rituals and alchemical substances, and an entire discipline had sprung up devoted to properly identifying the nature of any particular sample drawn from the River.
Heading over to the ornamented iron railing overlooking the canal, the vantage growing packed with curious onlookers, Jessie beheld a long series of elaborate gondolas and pleasure barges making their merry path through the water. Looking closer at the sigils on the boats and the attire (or lack thereof) of their crews, it became apparent that this pleasure cruise was organized by the Golden Tigers, one of the city's biggest mercenary companies, who had grown rich from hiring out their services as nightmare hunters to Somnia and through running a wide variety of taverns, restaurants and brothels. Undoubtedly, this little display was meant to show off their wealth and power and to tempt youths with dreams of power and glory and of the fortunes that awaited them if they signed up with their crew. The years of gruelling training and servitude, the humiliations from their superiors and the dangers they'd be facing (and, it was rumoured, the nights spent as bed mates to the higher-ups) that preceded such luxurious fortunes they could always discover for themselves once they'd signed on.
At the centre of the largest barge, a gaudy craft with saffron yellow sails, crystal lamps and a figurehead of a naked woman with a sword in hand riding a tiger, the company's founder Sascha Mar'Hana lounged on piles of velvet pillows with a wine goblet in hand, entertaining a number of guests. True to the name he'd given his group, he was a furling tiger with a distinct golden hue to his pelt. He'd been a great warrior once, but advancing age and the hedonism that had come with his newfound wealth had turned him rather plump and mellow. He was bedecked in gold chains that went all around and over his body and limbs, many of them dangling with small jewels, and connected to several piercings that studded his flesh. His only proper article of clothing, if it could be called that, was a strip of pink silk between his legs, fastened to two piercings in his pelvis, though the prominent bulge still didn't leave much to the imagination.
Of course, if Sascha's own attire left little to the imagination, that of his slaves and servants left nothing at all. On several of the boats, smooth-skinned boys and girls, humans, halflings, some goblins and even the occasional elf, roamed the decks offering trays of delicacies to their patrons or lay beside them on the pillows to provide companionship. None wore a stitch of clothing on their bodies. Instead, thick layers of glittering gold or silver paint covered their bare skin, with a second layer of patterns and motifs drawn atop this in various colours, turning Sascha's harem into a garishly erotic spectacle for the enjoyment of the crowd. Walking around like that was one of the things newbloods could be called on doing in the Golden Tigers.
Still, they took to their roles with enthusiasm, putting on a good performance for their onlookers. Flashing mischievous smiles, blowing little kisses and wiggling their bare gold and silver tushies, they provoked angry parents into dragging away their children from the scene, and induced couples to shoot their significant others pointed looks if any seemed too immersed in the naughty show. One elven boy, his golden skin complemented with stylized depictions of butterflies in glittering purple pigment, stood by the figurehead with his hand between his legs, openly fondling himself; he looked right at Jessie and gave him a seductive wink. The clown boy blushed and pressed himself closer to the railing in hopes that no-one would notice the sudden stiffness in his loins.
As Sacha's personal barge floated on down the river and the caravan of boats started to thin out, most of the crowd dispersed, some loudly protesting that such a thing shouldn't be allowed to pass by areas with children, others silently moving on with rosy cheeks and barely suppressed giggles. Jesse, taking a few moments to "cool off" from the sight he'd just witnessed, stood up as well and was about to head back to the fairground for some presumably more innocent performance when a voice suddenly called out to him.
"Hey, Jessie!"
Looking back down the canal, Jessie noticed someone standing up and waving at him from the final barge of the caravan, a vessel smaller and less gaudy than Sascha's but still bedecked with pillows, glowing lamps and a couple of painted servants. One of those servants, a human female painted silver with green writhing serpents, was leaning against the very person who'd called out to him, a golden-haired boy of the same race.
It didn't take long for Jessie to recognize him. "Amator?" he called back.
"The one and only!" Amator responded with a confident grin. He then motioned for the steersman to direct his craft to a small iron ladder that led up to the street. Giving his silver-painted companion a few comforting words of farewell before planting a gentle kiss upon her lips and applying an affectionate squeeze to her bottom, he climbed the ladder and soon stood before Jessie, while the barge continued its journey down the stream.
Being a few years older than Jessie and standing half a head taller, Amator was an impressive specimen with a golden mane falling to his shoulders, fierce green eyes and a face that was youthful and pretty while still exuding strength and determination. Like Jessie, his face was painted, though in a more modest way: four wavy red lines, two on each cheek, along with red domes around his eyes adorned as a kind of war paint. Dressed in a brown leather doublet over a red shirt with loose-fitting breeches in stripes of gold and crimson and a pair of sturdy boots, a beautifully crafted sword in a sheath hanging from his belt, he looked every bit the dashing young fighter that he was. "Fancy meeting you here, Jessie."
Jessie gave a lopsided grin of his own. "Well, what about you? How come you were travelling with a Golden Tiger pleasure cruise? I wouldn't have thought you'd be interested in joining up with them."
"Oh, I'm not. I'm just here as an 'honoured guest' of Sascha, though not honoured enough to ride in his own barge, apparently. I've been hoping to secure the Tigers' aid in the founding of Castus, though my prospects for that seem rather slim. Given that they hold slaves themselves, maybe they're not so keen on the idea of creating a refuge for escapees."
"That would make sense," Jessie nodded as he glanced at the last boats leaving the park behind them on their journey down the river. "Are you sure you want to miss out on the rest of the cruise just to talk with me?"
"It's no problem. The Tigers won't miss me overmuch, and there wasn't a great deal to do in my little gondola other than enjoying the view of Somnia and lovely Cybil - though both are admittedly spectacular, and you should see what Cybil can do with her silver feet! But I can enjoy Somnia just as much dockside, and there are plenty of cute lads and ladies about... you most of all." He laughed and embraced the clown boy in a sudden bear hug. "It's great to see you again, Jessie!"
Amator was strong, and Jessie could only squirm in his grip as he felt the air pressed out of him. "It's... great to see you too, Amator... but you're ruining my outfit..."
The fair-haired warrior glanced up at him with a smirk. "Since when did you get so prickly about your clothes, my little clown?"
Before Jessie could explain how long it took to iron out the satin doublet properly, Amator reached down to give him an impish squeeze to his backside. "Hey, watch it!" Jessie protested feebly. "Not here!"
"And since when did you get so concerned about propriety either?" Amator chuckled as he let him down again. "When you walk around like that, I wouldn't think decorum is any high priority of yours."
Jessie straightened out the front of his jacket and re-adjusted his panties that had gotten somewhat ruffled by Amator's groping. "I see you haven't changed a bit, Amy", he said with a mock-serious expression, but his mask cracked into a grin upon seeing Amator's perturbed look at hearing him using that nickname. "But then, that's part of why we all like you."
"Guess so." Amator crossed his arms and tried to look stern, but he too couldn't help but smirk at that big, gap-toothed smile of Jessie's that always seemed to infect anyone in proximity to it. "So, did you have anything planned for tonight, or...?"
"Um, I had intended to perform a little in this very park, maybe earn some coin for my troubles. But if you want to do something else, the festival keeps going tomorrow and the night after that."
"Well, nothing fancy or exciting, really. I just thought we could catch up on old times together down at the Blue Fairy - I'm staying there for this trip, with a discount from the Tigers due to our recent talks. I'll pay for food and drink and whatever... other services you might like. What do you say?"
Jessie thought about the offer for a moment. It would've been fun to explore the festival a bit more, and if his talks with Amator led where he suspected they might, he could be there all through the night. Still, he did want to know what Amator had been up to and free food and lodgings were always a bonus. And if their catching up on old times might lead to something else...
The clown boy smiled at his old friend. "I'd be delighted to, Amy."
While the festival centred mostly on the Boulevard, its vibrant tents and bustling attractions and cheerful celebrants spilled over into several nearby neighbourhoods as well. The Blue Pixie was located in one such district, known as the Delician - a collection of upscale festhalls, pleasure houses and drug dens catering to the more refined tastes of the Astarothians. The Boulevard might have represented the more classy and genteel aspects of Somnia, but the short trip to the Delician tempted many of its residents to occasionally indulge their more zestful appetites.
Jessie and Amator adopted a leisurely stroll on their way to the Blue Pixie, stopping by several stalls and tents to play some simple games, watch performances or take up some of the hawkers on their offers. Jessie splurged on a small bag of sugared almonds from a candy store run by a friendly old gnome, and stopped at a tent selling doll accessories to purchase a little decorative mask for Chucky - the marotte appreciated it greatly. At a street corner, they came across a pretty clown girl doing acrobatics for the amusement of onlookers; when she saw Jessie she beckoned her fellow jester over and offered him a kiss. As he leaned forward for the affectionate gesture, she removed her head from her shoulders and held it forth to give him a giggling peck on the lips. The crowd, and Amator, laughed heartily at his shocked expression and Jessie made an exit from the scene as quickly as dignity and politeness allowed while the girl put her head back on, smiling and waving after him.
Eventually, having come into the Delician - a somewhat seedier neighbourhood where red lights glowed in many of the windows, males and females of a wide variety of races walked around in various states of undress winking seductively at passers-by, and boisterous laughter and pleasured moans emanated from inside its various buildings - the two boys came upon the Blue Pixie. One of the establishments owned by the Golden Tigers, it was a most grand, imposing black stone building standing several stories tall, its facade presenting multiple levels of large clerestory windows of blue glass topped with an oculus displaying a naked androgynous fairy with blue wings and skin.
Passing through ornate doors wrought of similar blue glass and watched over by a vigilant ogre guard, they found the main hall of the Pixie stretching out before them in the same colour scheme that dominated the inn. Its ceiling arched above them several stories overhead, letting in faint light through all the clerestories; chandeliers with sapphire lamps hung on long chains from its arches. Tables dotted the softly carpeted floor, with semi-circular booths along the walls. To the left stood a well-stocked bar with several bartenders seeing to the needs of their customers, and to the right a pair of saloon doors led into the kitchen. Behind the bar and kitchen doors, a series of stairs ascended up to several balcony levels with doors and corridors leading into what were presumably the guest rooms. The vaulted, nave-like hall gave the impression of a cathedral, but this was a place devoted to pleasure and socializing rather than prayer and contemplation.
And in keeping with the name of the place, tiny pixies about the size of Jessie's palm flittered about the hall, casting their azure glow on their surroundings as they performed little tasks like dusting or lighting the lamps, or simply danced through the air for the amusement of the patrons.
It spoke to the Tigers' wealth and influence that they were able to own an establishment like this.
A furling deer, his husky, muscular frame draped in an elegant indigo robe while little decorative crystals dangled from his impressive antlers, walked up to them as they entered and greeted them with a subservient bow. "Ah, ser Amator! What an utter delight to have you among us once again!"
Amator raised his eyebrow, smirking at the obsequious cervine. "I was in here just a few hours ago, Myron. Do you have to act like I've returned from an epic quest to the depths of Gehenna every time I step inside this establishment?"
Myron couldn't hide a smirk of his own as he straightened again. "Well, that is what they pay me for - every one of our patrons should feel like an honoured guest at the Blue Pixie." Noticing Jessie, it was the buck's turn to raise an eyebrow. "And I see you've brought along a handsome young clown to brighten up our humble establishment. A personal friend or just pleasant amusement?"
"Who says they have to be mutually exclusive? Jessie here will be dining with me, at my customary place, and I expect you to extend every courtesy to him that you've extended to me."
"Of course, sir. Right this way." The buck gave another small bow and led the two friends up a short flight to the raised dining area. The clientele consisted mostly of what seemed affluent well-to-dos lounging around at the tables engaged in pleasant conversation with their peers, attended by lightly dressed, attractive waitresses and waiters, and often with courtesans on their arms. In other words, not a crowd that Jessie would ever have been a part of if not for Amator's patronage.
And it seemed the Tigers saw fit to treat Amator most generously, as Myron led the two of them to a spacious private luxury booth along the wall. Seating themselves on the soft turquoise upholstery, they watched as their buck host called for one of the pixies to come down and use her magic to add a soft glow to the crystal candles on the tables. Studying the little fairy as she performed this task, Jesse noticed she was unclad and rather voluptuous; apparently the Tigers spared no expense in giving their patrons pretty things to look at while staying at their establishment.
Showing proper table manners, Jessie removed his white silk gloves and laid them on the seat beside him, then pulled his jester's cap off over his head, freeing his unkempt mop of purple hair, made even messier by the snugness of his hat. Trying in vain to smooth it into a more presentable appearance by running his fingers through the soft mane, he then untied Chucky from his vest and placed the marotte to rest with his gloves and cap, the new little mask lending Chucky quite the dashing air. Amator, for his part, unbelted his ornate longsword and handed it to Myron for the weapon to be put away for safekeeping.
Having seen to their comfort, Myron took a final bow and left to attend to his other guests. The fairy remained, however, to take their orders. Leafing through the menus that had been placed on the table, Amator eventually settled on a skewer of barbequed chicken, pork and beef glazed in honey and spices with citrus rice and slices of orange, while Jessie chose an interesting-looking casserole he had never tried: chicken, bacon, chili sauce, bananas and roasted peanuts baked in cream and aged cheddar and blue cheese. Amator ordered a dark beer from the house's own cellars while Jessie, who had never acquired a taste for alcohol, chose a brand of cider with peach and vanilla that he was particularly fond of.
Amator smirked as the pixie flew away to handle their orders. "Still not up for a real man's drink?"
"I find that being a real man is rather overrated," Jessie responded. "I never did grow to like the taste of strong drink, and I've never felt like I missed out on much. Besides, drinking makes such fools of people, and I'm already a fool enough that it's compounding a felony!"
"Robin Barkley, from his Treasury of Wits and Wisdoms. If you want to be a great jester, you need to be more original with your witticisms, my friend."
Jessie could only harrumph at that, while a waiter brought their drinks along with salad and spiced nut-bread with jams and cheeses on a tray. He forgot how well-read Amator was; the rebellious former slave considered himself a true warrior-poet, and strove to be as culturally immersed as he was skilled martially. Unable to come up with a clever retort, Jessie could only hit back with a little put-down of his own. "So, Amy, are your loyal freedom fighters aware that their great leader is splurging away at one of Somnia's finest establishments in the name of their great cause?"
Amator frowned. "Well aware. I keep no secrets from my men. We have experienced great hardships on our journeys together, but I have never denied them luxuries whenever we are able to enjoy them. They know and accept that I take whatever pleasure I may when I am away to secure support for their future, and I would never frequent such establishments if the Tigers didn't pay most of my expenses - I don't like to drain our coffers unnecessarily. And you don't have to enjoy my generosity if you don't feel like it."
A sense of shame came over the clown boy at that. Even in jest, it was discourteous to make such comments to someone who'd invited him along and paid for his dinner and company. "Forgive me, it was wrong to cast such aspersions on you. I greatly appreciate your kindness, and it was only my shame at my lack of self-made quips that caused me to snap out like that."
The painted warrior patted Jessie's shoulder, his smile returning. "It's no problem, Jessie. I just tend to get overly sensitive when my devotion to my followers is called into question. Forget about it and let's just enjoy our time here."
They did so, Jessie taking a sip of the sparkling cider, savouring its fine quality, while his friend took a swig from the elaborate earthenware tankard. While Jessie spread a mix of brie cheese and blackberry currant over a slice of the bread, though, he couldn't help but inquire further about Amator's activities. "So, you were hoping that the Tigers would give you support for your cause, then?"
"Indeed," Amator replied as he popped a cherry tomato in his mouth, "but so far they haven't shown much enthusiasm for my proposal. I thought that they'd have the manpower, with all their recent fortunes, and that their hunger for glory might tempt them. But you saw the state of Sascha on that barge - the old tiger seems more content these days to devote himself to hedonism and managing his various businesses than to fund crusades by young and, I must admit, relatively unknown outsiders. It's a shame - I grew up admiring the tales of his adventures and battles, so to see what he's been reduced to..."
"And because of the whole slavery thing, I presume?" Jessie asked as he bit into the bread, the delicious flavours and textures of its nuts and spices along with the sweet and creamy spreads mingling in a delightful medley across his tongue.
"Maybe so, but I've told them they don't need to worry. We might have our differences on the matter of slavery, but I know that the serfs they keep are well-treated, that Somnian laws guarantee them their rights and that they have several peaceful ways to achieve freedom. I can tolerate that state of affairs. I know it's not like my own experiences..."
Amator's mood darkened momentarily, as it often did when he recalled his childhood.
Amator had been born to a barbarian tribe on a harsh and war-ravaged world, where every day was a struggle for survival. His father, the chieftain, had been disappointed that Amator had throughout childhood shown a slender, weak figure rather than the brawny, muscular physiques of his brothers, a slight frame ill-suited to the warlike tribal culture. As such, he'd earned a place low in the pecking order of his family, and while his father did try to give him all the love he could, he had never been able to fully respect his smallest son.
Then, one day when Amator was eleven years old, a powerful empire invaded the barbarian lands and forced the tribes into submission. His people fought bravely, but in the end they were forced to bend their knees to the conquerors. His father was allowed to keep his position as chieftain and his tribe was spared, but only on the condition that several of his subjects were sent away to slavery, including his only surviving son. The young boy was shipped to the imperial capital, never to see his home or family again.
Amator was taken under the wing of a mighty wizard who owned the empire's greatest fighting arena, and started training him to become a gladiator. Rather than the straightforward, brutal fighting style of his people, the boy was taught the more graceful, dance-like warrior's art of his captors, which suited his slender frame better. The boy eventually grew into a young man and a highly skilled warrior, his girlish body reinforced with subtle but well-formed muscles.
He quickly established a reputation as one of the best fighters in the arena, triumphing in his contests through skill and speed rather than sheer brawn. He soon became a favourite of the crowd, not just for his skill but for his good looks; young girls, and more than a few boys, swooned at the sight of the golden-haired, beautifully-sculpted young gladiator dancing around in the arena, bringing down all adversaries set against him. Especially when he participated in the special "nude versions" of the games.
As ferocious as Amator could be in the arena, he never enjoyed killing; he spared his opponents whenever he could, taking their lives only when left no other choice. His master was rather indignant about it, knowing well the bloodlust of the crowd, but this strategy gained Amator many comrades and admirers among his fellow gladiators, indebted to him for his mercy. Most came to the fighting pits under circumstances similar to his own, and because of their camaraderie, their shared loathing for the masters who'd forced the lives of fighting slaves upon them simmered and grew. Before long, plans for a rebellion started to brew, with Amator as its natural leader due to his charisma, intelligence and organizational skills.
At last came the day celebrating the anniversary of the empire's founding. The central spectacle of the commemoration was to be a massive pitched match in the arena involving hundreds of gladiators, scores to a side. But, just as the opposing forces were about to lay into each other, they drew to a halt and instead turned as one toward the arena gates, charging the shocked guards. As lines of archers formed across the seating tiers to fire upon the slaves attempting to batter down the gates, the rebellious gladiators unleashed their secret weapon: casks of stormpowder, smuggled in and placed under the guard towers and luxury slave-holder boxes ahead of the match, exploded in synchronized blasts, causing panic and confusion as the rest of the audience fled the arena. Amator had done what he could during the planning of this operation to minimize casualties among the spectators, and his efforts paid off as most escaped with their lives. The archers broke ranks and joined the fleeing crowd, allowing most of the gladiators to escape as well.
Fighting their way through the city, the escaped slaves made for a magician's college specializing in the study of planeswalking, where they forced the wizards to open portals and send them to another sphere. Destroying the gates once they were safely through, the small army had since travelled across several different worlds and planes, attacking slave caravans and promising their captives freedom and dignity in return for loyalty to their cause. Amator's main goal since then had been to find a place somewhere across the spheres where he could establish a homeland for people like himself, ruled by a warrior caste of graceful freedom fighters.
Jessie finished off his sandwich, which he'd left as an appetizer-sized tidbit so as to leave more room for dinner. "Still, it was nice of the Tigers to give you a room at this inn and let you take part in their boat parade."
"Well, I did impress them with my story to some degree." Amator shrugged. "I dunno, maybe I can still get some minor support for Castus, even if it's just some monetary aid. It depends on how generous Sascha and his majordomos feel at the moment."
"Are your followers safe?"
"They've set up camp in a vast system of caves on Elshara, with permission from the friendly kobolds living there. It's a pretty nice place, with gigantic glowing fungi and pink crystal growths in the rock, but I don't think we'd want to live there permanently. It's damp and cool, and we don't want to crowd out the kobolds."
"I take it you're still aiming for the Isle of Cephalon as your prospective home?"
"Aye. It would be fitting, given that it's currently the base of the Hades Consortium, a particularly ruthless group of slavers. But even with all the people we've gained in the past year, they're still too powerful for us to take on directly."
Although they'd only been at their table for a couple of minutes, the waiter returned bearing their entrees; apparently the Blue Pixie was fancy enough to use magic to speed along the cooking process. As the steaming dishes were set before them, Jessie's nose was hit by the enticing vapours wafting off their dinner, his casserole served in a small pan with a golden-brown, thick crust, while Amator's skewer came on a silver tray along with a basket of fresh flat bread. They thanked the waiter, who gave a polite bow before retreating to leave his patrons to enjoy their meal.
Letting the food cool down a bit first, Amator turned to Jessie again. "So, what have you been up to since we last met? I heard you finished your training at the Academy. Am I sitting by a fully qualified Dream Knight right now?"
Jessie's eyes immediately became downcast at that. Amator noticed the change. "Oh... That bad, huh?"
"You could say that, yes." Jessie reached for his glass to take another sip of the cider. "I mean, I did complete my training, but at the bottom of my class. I didn't do well enough to be selected for Dream Knight training, or any of the other higher masteries."
"But... your mentors at both the Academy and orphanage had such high hopes for you. Especially Miss Honkers..."
The Jester's eyes went from downcast to closed in a deep frown as he sighed at the mention of Honkers. His friend was concerned with the reaction. "What, did she get mad at you for failing?"
Opening his eyes again, Jessie gave Amator a pointed look. "Of course not. She would never behave like that. She was as kind and understanding as any person could've been, and never once reproached me for my failure."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to denigrate her... but if that's not the case, why the long face?"
"Because I reproach myself for my failure. Honkers invested so much time and effort into my studies, and always supported and encouraged me. To know that I let her down after all that is much more painful than any rebuke she could've given me."
Amator nodded in sympathy. That was a situation he could well understand.
Miss Honkers was a strange creature. With chalk-white skin, and never seen without her red clown nose, red and green striped top hat or matching swimsuit, Jessie had never been able to figure out exactly what kind of being she was, though he suspected her to be some kind of dream spirit in gestalt form. All he knew was that she was an exceptionally caring, kind-hearted and loving soul who had raised him and many other orphans, guiding them throughout their lives.
From what she'd told him about her past, Honkers had once worked for a large and prestigious circus troupe that travelled the planes, bringing cheer and amazement wherever they performed. As the circus's most well-known and beloved clown - due to her contagious sense of humor, her skill with stage magic and her sexy, curvaceous figure - her skills allowed her to earn a large nest egg over the years. Eventually quitting the circus due to "artistic differences" with the management, she came to Somnia, looking to settle down. There she discovered a large but ramshackle orphanage at the edge of the city, and accepted a position as the junior Matron to the old lady who ran the place, using most of her circus earnings to renovate the house and make sure the children were given the best treatment and upbringing possible. When the former owner died a few years later, Honkers became the new owner and Matron.
It was during her first year as head of the orphanage that Honkers found Jessie on its steps, in the basket with only the little jester's cap giving any clue as to the identity of his benefactors. Perhaps the knowledge that the orphanage was run by a clown woman played a part in the decision to leave him in its care. Whatever the truth of the matter, Honkers took a special interest in the little boy and devoted special care and attention to his upbringing.
Honkers herself had proven another of Jessie's inspirations for the jester's path he would eventually follow. Her stories of her time in the circus, her impressive array of magic tricks and the aura of joy and optimism she radiated made a deep impression on him and inspired him to follow in her footsteps. Seeing his interest, she taught him much about clowning, especially techniques that complemented the acrobatic skills he'd exhibited since childhood. Misdirection, card tricks, juggling, perfecting his poise and dexterity and patching up his bruises after particularly nasty falls from the balance bars he'd perch upon while practicing his tricks - the depth of her knowledge was most impressive.
She'd also been the one to detect the magical power in him. Golden eyes such as his were widely seen as a sign of great arcane potential and a natural inclination to the occult arts, and Honkers had hoped that Jessie could become a skilled wizard one day, perhaps even one of the fabled Dream Knights who combined weapon mastery and swordsmanship with potent sorcery to bring peace and stability to the Dreamlands. After negotiating with the leaders of the Academy, managing to get part of the expensive fees waived due to the potential his eyes hinted at, Honkers succeeded in getting him admitted into the prestigious institution a few years ago, paying for most of his tuition herself.
But sadly, his time at the Academy proved a disappointment for everyone. Despite the latent power that his tutors sensed in him, he never seemed able to properly harness or manifest it. His performance in elemental magic classes was mediocre at best, his attempts at dream phasing always ended up with him in the completely wrong places and his mental fortitude against mind-affecting sorcery was almost non-existent. Despite some skill at fencing and an aptitude for illusions and sympathetic magic, Jessie would graduate near the bottom of his class.
His scores had been nowhere near enough to qualify him for Dream Knight training, his grades and letters of recommendation sufficient only for various dead-end jobs in Somnia. His completed studies had earned him a student's rental discount at a small apartment in the city, though, where he moved after his time at the Academy, no longer wishing to be a burden to his old mentor's orphanage.
What Jessie had said to Amator was true: Miss Honkers had never shown anger or disappointment with him for his failure. She offered him only sympathy and understanding, and helped him settle into his current apartment. She'd even gifted him with furniture, bedclothes and other items to liven up his new home. But even more than that, she instructed him on how he could use his gifts, and the knowledge he'd absorbed at the Academy, to fight back against the nightmares threatening Somnia in his own way. One need not be an authorized Dream Knight in order to help preserve the balance of the Dreamlands, and a freelancer was at liberty to use skills and methods that might be frowned upon in the established orders.
That had been a few months ago. So far, that freelancing career had yet to take off, and Jessie supported himself with performances on the streets and in the occasional tavern or club and, though it hurt him to accept them, Honkers sometimes augmented these efforts with envelopes containing a bit of money. The rent on his apartment was further reduced by Jessie sharing the bed with the landlord from time to time, a wolf with a background as a mercenary and a taste for young boys like himself.
It might not have been a glamorous existence, but Jessie still dreamed of one day finding that special niche that would let him be remembered as one of the great champions of the Dreamlands, someone who rose from nothing to found his own style of nightmare fighting, perhaps even a school of magical virtuosity that others would follow. It was a quaint little dream, but then dreams were what Somnia was all about.
The boys decided it was finally time to tuck into their meals. While Amator held up his skewer and took a bite out of a juicy chunk of beef, Jessie gathered up some of the casserole and blew on the chili-and-cheese-dripping forkful for a few moments to cool it before putting it in his mouth. He had been right to try this particular dish: the chicken and bacon added substance, the chili sauce spiciness with the bananas a slightly sweet counterpoint, the peanuts a delectable, crunchy little treat while the cream cheese smothering it all lent a lovely texture. The chefs at the Blue Pixie certainly knew their trade.
Amator seemed to enjoy his meat skewer just as much, savouring the spicy meat as he also scooped up some citrus rice with fried vegetables, and a few of the orange slices. Contentedly chewing his food, he washed down the spicy flavour with the beer. "Mm-mm, this is wonderful! When I'm travelling with my followers, we have to make do with whatever victuals we can scrounge up; as grateful as we are to the kobolds, most of us would prefer not to see another bowl of mushroom soup in our lives!"
Jessie nodded as he took another sip of the cider. "The Tigers can afford to hire the best. It really is amazing how high they've risen these past couple of years."
"Indeed," Amator mumbled through a bite of chicken, still a little miffed at the Tigers' lack of enthusiasm for his requests. Then he thought of something. "Hey, since your time at the Academy didn't work out the way you planned, why not sign up with them? I mean, you can swing a rapier decently enough and you have some skill at magic; maybe the Tigers can teach you things those stuffy old professors couldn't. They are well known as nightmare hunters, after all."
Jessie shook his head as he continued to tuck into his delicious casserole. "Thanks for the tip, but I really don't think a career in their mercenary company is for me. I know a few spells and may not be half-bad with my sword, but I'm still nowhere near good enough to become one of their soldiers, even if I could put up with the harsh discipline. And with a body like mine, I'd probably spend years serving drinks dressed in nothing but silver paint, when I'm not busy being buggered by the officers."
"And would that be so bad?" the painted warrior sniggered. "I'm sure you'd look really pretty walking around naked and covered in glittering paint... and given some of your proclivities, I would've thought you'd be eager to bend over for all those beefy, powerful warriors..."
"Ha ha," Jessie deadpanned as he drank a bit more of the cider. "And I bet you'd love to be one of those beefy, powerful warriors, wouldn't you? It's a shame the Tigers' just don't seem interested in you..."
"Gee, thanks for the reminder. For your information, I'm already a greater warrior than they could ever hope to be, and my fellow ex-slaves are far worthier company than Sascha's decadent sybarites."
"Are you sure it's wise to talk that way aloud when you're being served in one of their own establishments? You are still trying to win them over, I presume?"
"I'm not in the habit of hiding my honest opinion simply because someone might be spying on what should be a private conversation," Amator responded, but Jessie noticed that he lowered his voice and that his self-confidence started to wane a bit. Obviously hoping that he hadn't failed at his diplomatic mission just then, he changed the subject. "So... how's Tengka?"
Jessie paused a bit at the question, causing Amator to draw the wrong conclusion. "What, did I awaken another painful memory for you now?"
"Oh no, not at all. It's just... I actually haven't seen Tengka in a while. Not since she went on another journey to Mount Gehenna a few months ago."
Amator's eyes widened at that. "To Gehenna? By herself?"
"Yeah, something about searching for her origins and the history of her people. Don't worry; she can take care of herself. I think the demons of the mountain have more to fear from her than she does from them."
"Well, that's true. I only met her briefly last year, but from what I could tell, and from what you've told me about her, she is a fierce creature indeed. She must be, if she's capable of handling you, after all..."
Jessie couldn't help but blush at that.
For as long as he could remember, Tengka had been his... Jessie honestly couldn't quite decide on the nature of their relationship, and he was sure Tengka couldn't either. Had she been his bully? His friend? Or, in recent years, his lover? She seemed to move between the different categories as her mood took her, gentle companionship sometimes turning into sadistic browbeating and then into passionate lust in a single evening.
No doubt her dark heritage contributed to her erratic personality, for Tengka was a Krampus. This race of demonic beings mostly dwelt around the slopes of Mount Gehenna, though it was unclear if they originated there. Her lineage had granted her green skin and hair, furred goat legs similar to those of a satyr, and yellow slit eyes; it had crowned her head with a pair of black, curved horns and her backside with a lion's tail, and given her sharp fangs and wicked claws, and a thin tongue over two feet in length... along with a distinct odour of herbal mint and hemp.
Tengka had been found as a baby, the only survivor from a traders' caravan that had been attacked and destroyed by unknown assailants on the outskirts of Somnia. Her rescuers uncovered her hidden beneath one of the ravaged wagons with a magical trinket of silence that kept her cries from being heard by whoever had destroyed the convoy; if the city watchmen who investigated the scene had not been so thorough, she might've starved to death. No other Krampus was found among the corpses of the caravan, so why they were carrying a demon child with them remained a mystery. The little girl was taken to Somnia and handed over to Miss Honkers' orphanage, shortly after Jessie himself was discovered on its steps.
Despite Honkers' best efforts to provide a safe and loving environment, Tengka had been mercilessly teased and bullied by her fellow orphans. Her demonic features, and the dark stories many of the children had heard about the Gehennites, had frightened them, and they responded by trying to browbeat the little demon into being meek and passive. Those attempts failed rather spectacularly, since Tengka's lineage imbued her with great strength and the instinct to lash out at her tormentors in kind; more than a few suffered bruises and scratches for their trouble, leaving Honkers with no choice but to keep her separated from the other children most of the time. This left the demon girl a lonely and sad creature, hidden beneath a tough and bitter exterior.
While not all the children had joined in the bullying - some went out of their way to be as kind to her as they could, in fact - Tengka had only counted one true friend at the orphanage: Jessie. The little clown boy, dressed in his striped tights and much-too-big tunic with sleeves hanging down to the floor, and often seen with makeup and dyed hair, had always been kind to her, seeking to comfort her whenever he found her crying in some dark corner of the big house. Maybe it was a natural sympathy, since the meek and scrawny little clown tended to be teased quite a lot himself. Maybe it was because, unlike most of his fellow orphans, he found the Krampus' features to be alluring rather than scary. Maybe it was simply due to his kind and loving nature, and his inability to watch others in pain. Whatever the reason, Jessie always tried to cheer her up during her dark moods, bringing her sweets, giving her his toys and inviting her to come play with him.
Tengka hadn't responded to his overtures immediately. Her treatment at the hands of the other children left her suspicious of any who showed her kindness, fearing it was just part of some evil prank. She spurned Jessie's early overtures at friendship, running away when he tried to approach her, or growling at him and angrily rejecting his gifts. But Jessie didn't give up. Even as Tengka displayed what some grown-up might have called spiteful ingratitude, the clown boy kept reaching out to her, sensing the deep pain under her harsh and angry exterior, determined to find a chink in her defensive armour. Eventually, Tengka did allow him to approach and talk with her and began accepting his gifts, laughing at his jokes and antics and spending more and more time with him. After a while, the two became nearly inseparable and were constantly seen traversing the halls and corridors of the orphanage together on little adventures.
But even as the two grew closer, Jessie being Tengka's only friend and Tengka one of Jessie's few, the Krampus girl still exhibited something of a naughty, even mean streak at times. During their play fights, which she won every time, she would sometimes wrestle and push Jessie beyond his comfort zone, leaving him with bruises on his skin and tears in his eyes. She would call him cruel names, and storm off in anger for no apparent reason during their times together. She even played humiliating pranks on him occasionally, once pantsing him in front of the other children and another time tripping him into a fountain during a visit by the orphanage to a museum. Honkers' had reprimanded and punished her for those pranks, and had asked Jessie whether he was comfortable spending time with the demon girl when she did such things to him.
Despite Tengka's erratic behaviour, which did hurt and upset him at times, Jessie never wavered in his friendship with the Krampus. Even at her worst, he always stood by her side, not just out of pity but because he genuinely enjoyed her company. Tengka could be a real pain at times, but it never took long before she turned happy and affectionate again. Besides, as the demon girl grew in strength, people grew more wary about being mean to her, and that meant being more wary about being mean to her friend as well.
As an adult, Jessie sometimes wondered whether Tengka's behaviour might have represented some kind of test of their friendship, to see how far she could push him without being abandoned by the clown boy. If so, it had been a foolish and risky enterprise as well as a cruel one... but Jessie liked to think that he had passed the test with flying colours.
There was, however, another reason Jessie had steadfastly remained by her side, though it was not one he'd understood at the time and even now the notion stirred some unease within him. On some strange level, Jessie had enjoyed her roughness and humiliation. Not all of it, of course, and that scintillation had been mixed with genuine sadness and discomfort. But some aspect of her domineering, aggressive personality had appealed to him, even excited him as something forbidden and naughty that he wanted to explore in defiance of the relatively safe and orderly world governed by grown-ups. The darker sides to Tengka's character could be alluring... and as they grew older, that attraction began to express itself in different ways.
When the two odd but close friends entered their teen years, the nature of their relationship changed. Jessie had by this time firmly settled on becoming a jester, and hopefully a Dream Knight as well. He'd started assembling his iconic costume, with the help of his mentor Miss Honkers, his striped pantaloons soon turning into shorts and then into panties as he grew older and bolder... and he wore his makeup more and more constantly until it essentially became a permanent feature.
Tengka, for her part, had matured from a fuzzy little Krampus girl into a fierce and beautiful woman. Statuesque, tall and powerful, any bullies who still thought to torment her were swiftly cowed or beaten into silence. She had exchanged the long black tunic of her childhood for a revealing outfit consisting of a pair of tight leather thongs and a brassiere of boiled, studded leather - her goat legs and a luxurious patch of flowing green fur that started to grow on her back made her look more dressed than she actually was.
Most notably, she had acquired and started training in what would become her signature weapon: a massive Kanabo club she won in a card game from an Oni demon, who mistakenly assumed she'd never be able to wield it properly. But with her great strength, she soon become a right terror with it, and started taking it with her wherever she went, inspiring fear and respect in anyone who thought to challenge her.
She spent less and less time at the orphanage during that time, preferring to wander and explore Somnia on her own. This was no problem in and of itself; she was nearing adulthood and had every right to broaden her horizons, and she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. But to the worry of Honkers, Tengka increasingly spent her time in the seedier neighbourhoods of the city, in less than wholesome company, including criminal gangs and fashionable demonic cults. The Krampus would also be away by herself for days or even weeks at a time, reluctant to divulge where she'd been upon her return. Eventually, she moved out of her childhood home completely, rejecting any offers from Honkers to aid her in her future course in life.
With this new bohemian lifestyle, she naturally came to spend less time with Jessie as well. The clown boy followed her on some of her excursions, but many of her new favourite places were too extreme and frightening for him, which led to her chastising him for being a wimp. And when his studies at the Academy began, the two met even less frequently.
But somehow, this separation did not weaken the close bond the two shared; if anything, it only strengthened it... and turned childhood friendship into teenage passion, though in a way that might have puzzled outsiders.
It was around this time, as Jessie moved out of the orphanage and took up residence at the Academy, that his sexuality fully blossomed. The eventual look of his costume, which left his smooth, slender legs exposed and the panties framing his feminine hips and bottom, was in part influenced by his newfound feelings. Sex and sensuality were hardly taboo subjects in Somnia or most of the Dreamlands, and such revealing outfits were by no means considered shocking; some of his fellow students wore outfits that made his look positively modest by comparison.
But for some time, Jessie kept his desires in check through relatively innocuous means, exploring his passions through erotic texts and pictures, the occasional ribald conversation with friends at the Academy, and self-stimulation by a variety of means. He acquired his first, simple toys around this time, which aided his fingers in discovering which parts of his body felt good at their touch. He also developed crushes on some of his fellow students (of either gender, for he had discovered boys and girls held equal attraction for him) and even made some tentative flirtations with them, to varying degrees of reciprocation. But he was still too shy and unsure of himself to take the final step to full shared intimacy, content to remain a virgin for the time being.
This changed, however, when Tengka came to visit him at the Academy near the end of his first year of studies. They'd met a couple of times previously that year, whether at the Academy itself or out on the town, catching up on what the other had been up to: Jessie having to shamefully admit his studies weren't going all that well, Tengka describing how she'd started to travel into the wider Dreamlands on journeys of self-discovery, even taking a few brief trips to some of the spheres. As always, she'd switched between being friendly and kind to biting and sarcastic and dominant, and Jessie had enjoyed both sides to her. As he mentioned some of his new friends at the Academy however, particularly the girls, he couldn't help but notice just a faint trace of jealousy in her yellow, slit eyes.
When she arrived at the Academy that day, however, Jessie noticed a change in her behaviour. She seemed unusually tense and reserved, their conversations surprisingly formal and threadbare. Jessie had no idea what was making her so uneasy, and worried that perhaps something she'd witnessed during her recent travels had left her shaken.
That evening after they'd parted, as Jessie sat on a bench in a secluded section of the Academy gardens, reading a book about the thaumaturgical practices of the Orsinian Principalities - a surprisingly fascinating subject due to their penchant for perform their rituals in the middle of orgies - Tengka suddenly appeared before him, her expression unreadable. Jessie put the book down and politely asked her about why she had returned from her supposed trip into town so quickly, but Tengka simply looked over his body as if measuring him up. When the clown boy stood and tentatively tried to approach her and ask what was wrong, she suddenly dashed forward and grabbed ahold of him, shoving him up against a tree. She held him against the smooth trunk by his collar, leaned in and displayed her teeth in a threatening growl as Jessie trembled in fear, having no clue what she was about to do... and then she put her lips to him and kissed him.
It was the first true kiss Jessie had ever had. His body tensed as she pressed her lips against his, but soon he opened his mouth and let her long, sinuous forked tongue in to curl around his own. At first he was nervous and unsure of what to do, and even briefly resisted, but as Tengka wrapped her arms around him and grew more intense, her characteristic body aroma of hemp and mint now appealing as it filled his nostrils, he soon closed his eyes and sank deep into the kiss, returning her lustful affection as he felt blood rush into his private parts.
The kiss was the most erotic thing Jessie had ever experienced, but what followed soon put it to shame. Tengka reached up to unhook her hard leather bra, letting it drop down to reveal her breasts dangling like ripe, juicy green fruits on her chest. Jessie could only gaze at them at first, stunned that his old friend was going as far as she did, until Tengka took his right arm in hers and pulled off his glove before placing his hand against her bosom, guiding him to caress and fondle her left teat and stroke his palm and fingers over the stiff, dark green nipple. Once he got the hang of it, she started kissing him again while sneaking a clawed hand down to his bottom, squeezing his right cheek as the Krampus and clown boy continued to express their passion for each other.
Breaking from the kiss, Tengka then leaned over his shoulder to nibble at his ears and necks, her little fangs grazing his skin and holding him on an exciting edge. While her right hand kept squeezing his butt, her left unbuttoned his purple doublet and slipped underneath his shirt to play with own nipples (which he'd learned from his self-explorations were very sensitive), soon making them stiffen beneath the fabric. Rubbing herself against him, her furry leg started to grind against his groin, the bulge in the front of his panties twitching slightly. He tried to keep fondling her breasts in return, but the sensations so overwhelmed him that his arms soon fell to his sides, leaving him to simply bask in the Krampus' affectionate touches.
Soon, all those sensations became too much for him. While he'd practiced some self-control while pleasuring himself during the nights in his room, he was still very inexperienced and Tengka was just sooo good, finding just the right spots on his body to touch and stroke and kiss, that when she reached into his panties to wrap her fingers around his stiff boyhood and pulled it out in the open he was unable to hold back any longer. She only had to stroke and caress his hard length for a couple of moments before he moaned and spilled his seed upon her strong but gentle hand.
Tengka seemed a little disappointed that Jessie had finished so quickly, but still giggled as she let go of his member and started to lick his pearly essence off her fingers. "Delicious," she noted with a wry grin, as Jessie came down from his peak with ragged breath, staring into her eyes as she savoured his offering, unable to say anything or even think straight in the immediate aftermath of his first intimate encounter with a girl. Before he could even begin to wonder what this would mean for their relationship, Tengka pulled her bra back on, stuffed his now limp member back into his panties and then took him by the arm as she led him through the garden and back into the Academy building, through its winding corridors and staircases and into his room.
Jessie had been fortunate enough to be assigned a small, out-of-the-way dorm room to himself when he enrolled, which meant he and Tengka wouldn't be disturbed for what the Krampus had in mind. Tengka produced a small, green bottle and insisted he take a sip from it; doing so, he almost choked on the hot, ginger-like taste, but Tengka wasn't bothered by it at all when she took a sip of her own. Almost immediately, he found that the drink made him very hot and libidinous and had him quickly growing hard again. It also removed all his inhibitions and insecurities, and when Tengka told him to remove his clothes, he didn't hesitate to strip down while the Krampus removed her only two articles of clothing before the two of them tumbled into bed together, embracing, kissing and becoming one.
That night passed in blurred pleasurable haze of lustful passion. Empowered by the aphrodisiac and Tengka's salacious encouragements, Jessie transformed into a wild animal so unlike his usual meek persona, thrusting and growling as he claimed the beautiful demon girl, who got into such an ecstatic frenzy that the clown boy's skin was left with a couple of clawmarks for days afterwards. He spent himself inside her twice, the first time thrusting in from on top as her fuzzy legs wrapped around his back, the second while she straddled his hips and ground up and down on his rigid length. She allowed him to recover a bit afterwards and then took him in her mouth to drive him to his third and final climax of the night, drinking down his emissions while he writhed around on the sheets in helpless ecstasy. Then they cuddled up on the bed, Tengka draping her strong arms over her old friend - and, he presumed, newfound lover - in a spooning position. Soon they drifted off in blissful sleep, Jessie closing his eyes with a satisfied and loving smile.
The next day, as the magical lamp in his room brightened to signal dawn's arrival when the non-existent sun in the heavens of Somnia couldn't, the sore and tired but very happy young clown awoke to find his beloved Tengka gone. It would be some months before he saw her again.
"Jessie?"
"Eh, what?" the clown boy answered in confusion as Amator pulled him out of his trip down memory lane.
"You seemed a little gone there for a moment. You must've been thinking about something nice if it got you that excited..." He nodded towards Jessie's groin with a smirk, where a tent had arisen in his panties.
"Oh..." Jessie blushed as he shifted in an attempt to make his erection invisible, but the positioning of the table frustrated these efforts. "Yes, you could say that... but rather wistful too."
"About Tengka?"
"Yeah. Like I said, she went on that journey to Gehenna recently, and I haven't seen her since."
As she grew older, Tengka became more and more preoccupied with her origins, not unlike Jessie's own curiosity about his family. But while Jessie had for the most part come to accept that his ancestry would likely remain a mystery, his friend became obsessed with finding out as much as possible about her people, the Krampii. Not normally a studious individual, she started spending a lot of time in various libraries throughout Somnia and consulting scholars in demonic lore, all in hopes of discovering as much as possible about where she had come from. Her travels throughout the Dreamlands had much to do with this personal quest as well.
One particularly interesting feature about the Krampii, which led some scholars to believe they were not in fact Gehennites by origin even though they mostly resided at that Mountain now, was their obsession with retribution and punishment. Gehennite demons were famous for being tempters and corruptors, leading people into sinful and wicked acts. But Krampii, though often violent and mischievous, tended to cast their proclivities as punishing people who had deserved it; they were well-known across the spheres as warnings to misbehaving children. Indeed, a few had gained renown as dark vigilantes throughout the Dreamlands, actively hunting down evil-doers and dragging them back to their domains to fates unknown. Some speculated they might originally have been bred as a form of avenging angel by some powerful divinity, but had lost their way and taken on the characteristics of the very demons they were meant to oppose while still retaining aspects of their old natures.
From what Jessie had known of Tengka growing up, there definitely seemed to be some truth to that. While his friend had been very naughty at times and did possess an undeniable mean streak, he couldn't remember her ever trying to tempt him into wickedness, aside from the rebellious disobedience towards authority figures that most children displayed. And her aggressive side had mostly been directed towards bullies and meaner older children, even against those whose cruelty hadn't been directly aimed at her. There did indeed seem to be a strong sense of justice in the little Krampus, even if she often displayed it in strange ways.
Particularly when it came to his love life. After that night with Tengka, Jessie had gained the confidence to seek out the romantic attentions of fellow students and friends, and to express his full passion with them. Even Miss Honkers, seeing how her little clown had grown into a young man, decided to teach him a couple of new tricks, these far less innocent than the silly games and shenanigans she'd taught him in childhood. Usually limiting herself to using her hands, mouth and breasts to bring him off, she instructed him in the erotic arts she herself had picked up during her long years, the better to help him please his partners and find pleasure in turn. With her help, and his own explorations with several boys and girls, he soon turned into quite a skilled lover.
Tengka, however, grew jealous of his relationships, afraid that someone else might replace her as his most beloved friend and partner. The next time they met, some months after their memorable night together, she scolded him for his many infidelities and took him back to his room where she undressed him, tied him down on his bed and punished him with a fearsome switch of crudely-bundled twigs. It had left him in tears and his back, cheeks and legs scraped and abraded... but his member had been hard and dripping when she was done. Afterwards she smeared a soothing lotion over his bruised body, before guiding him inside her once more for another night of bestial passion.
The clown and the Krampus met fairly regularly for about a year, sharing memories and stories, indulging in the joys of the flesh whenever they found the opportunity, and occasionally Tengka tried out new paddles, whips and bondage techniques on her old friend, making Jessie whimper in terror each time, even as he was indescribably excited and aroused by her ministrations. But then, shortly before his less-than-stellar graduation from the Academy, she left on her longest, and possibly most dangerous, journey yet, and they'd not seen each other since. It was impossible to describe how much he missed her.
Jessie and Amator kept at their dinner, talking about all manner of things, from the young warrior's latest adventures to how the clown boy's friends and acquaintances were doing, to recent developments in Somnia. Their waiters were most attentive, the tankard of ale and glass of cider refilled whenever they desired more. Finally, Jessie finishing his casserole and Amator his skewer, the two friends leaned back against the soft, blue upholstery of their booth to let the food settle in their stomachs, utterly satisfied with their meals.
"Mm-mmm, that was wonderful..." Jessie sighed happily as he wiped his lips with his napkin, which the Blue Pixie had imaginatively enough woven out of sea blue cloth. "This place sure knows how to cook a great casserole."
"They do," Amator agreed as their dinner plates were cleared away, while their glasses remained for further refills. "They make mean desserts too, but I'm a little too full for that at the moment."
Jessie felt rather full himself, but gave into his sweet tooth and ordered something for later anyway, settling on saffron pancakes with blueberry cream. Meanwhile, he kept up conversation with his friend while continuing to enjoy the peach cider.
"So, no recent visit to the stocks for you?" Amator inquired with a smirk as he took a swig of his ale.
Jessie's cheeks turned red once more. "I've been able to keep myself out of trouble well enough..."
His friend nodded, but kept looking at him with an almost lustful gaze. "It's a shame, in its own way. I remember when I went into that brothel and stumbled upon you: bound to that rack with your feet over your head, covered in demeaning graffiti - I particularly liked the little smiley face someone had painted on your balls - your southern star revealed for everyone to see and anyone to claim... You were quite adorable really, with your nervous expression and puppy dog eyes."
The jester blushed even more furiously. That was how the two of them had first met. "And you were more than willing to make use of a poor, helpless boy, condemned to the rack despite his innocence." Okay, he hadn't been entirely innocent, but he had planned on giving that amulet back once he'd studied it for his oneiromancy test. And he hadn't committed the theft on his own, just followed along a group of other students who wanted to do the same. But they'd been discovered, and pinned Jessie as the fall guy for the burglary. He'd been sentenced to 120 hours of community service in the local brothel; he'd been unable to walk for days after he was done... and he'd missed the test.
"How could I not? You were utterly irresistible tied up like that... and I'm always eager to see justice properly served."
"Yeah, I bet you are," Jessie snorted. "At least, whenever a nice, tight arse is thrown into the bargain."
"True... or when it comes to providing dinner and hospitality for a good friend. At rather steep prices, I might add."
Jessie sighed; he hated it when other people's generosity was used against him. Mostly because it genuinely did make him feel guilty. "I am well aware of that, Amy, and duly grateful. But I would appreciate it if - "
"Amy!"
Looking up to see who had interrupted their banter by calling out Amator's overly familiar nickname, the clown and the warrior spotted a pair of short females, a gnome and a halfling, making their way between the tables, patrons and waiters of the Blue Pixie towards them.
The halfling girl was of the Erzani nation, Jessie assumed, based on her dark skin and her black hair braided with golden beads. Little gems studded her slightly pointed ears, and her right golden eye had a strange, intricate pattern tattooed underneath it. Dressed in a purple satin vest and tight black pants with fine boots, she strode forth between the tables with the confidence and grace of an elegant, poised noblewoman.
Her companion couldn't have provided a more pronounced contrast. The little gnome bustled between the tables nervously, profusely apologizing whenever she bumped into one of the big folks around her. Her curly red hair was in a tangle, freckles dotted the pale skin around her little button nose, and her large front teeth gave her the look of a skittish gopher. Her clothes were a mish-mash of overly large robes, coats and skirts in brown and grey, festooned with pockets filled to the brim with maps, toys, strange tools and other knick-knacks. Completing the image was a pair of thick glasses with additional lenses in various shapes, sizes and colours attached to the frame by hinges for easy use, which magnified her already large, green eyes to comical proportions.
Amator broke out in a grin as they arrived at their table. "Ah, I wondered when you two would show up! I guess the festival's been quite enchanting?"
"Very much so," the halfling responded in a delightful little voice. Looking at Jessie with a bemused expression, she inquired, "And who is your harlequin friend here?"
"Ah, this is Jessie the Jester, one of the most skilled and beloved clowns in all of Somnia!" Jessie decided to let Amator's exaggerated praise pass without contradiction. "Jessie, please allow me to introduce Malin," he continued while indicating the halfling, "and her wife Sedna."
This marital arrangement hardly surprised Jessie; same-gender marriages were common among the Little Folk. He stood and leaned forward to shake hands with the couple. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Malin. And you, Sedna." He gave the gnome a polite kiss to her hand, making her giggle.
"The same, my dear Jester friend," Malin responded with a curtsey. "We could all use a little laughter to brighten our day... or night, as the case may be in Somnia. So, Amy, would you prefer to be alone with your companion, or may we join you at table?"
"Oh, you can certainly join us, if you wish," Amator answered, "but we have just finished dinner, just so you know."
"That's alright. We just ate ourselves, so we're quite content," the halfling assured them.
"Wouldn't say no to a bit of dessert, though!" her wife put in in a high-pitched, eager voice.
"How fitting," Jessie put in himself, "because I was just about to order some myself." As he and Amator sidled closer together to make space for the halfling-gnome couple, one of the sapphire pixies delivered the menus for their new guests' perusal. Malin and Sedna settled on a blue velvet cake to be shared between them, while Jessie ordered his pancakes. Amator gave in and asked for a small bowl of candied cherries.
"I knew you'd be unable to resist some sweetness," Jessie teased as the pixie flew away to send for their orders. "So, what's the history between you and these lovely ladies?"
"Oh, we've known each other on and off for a few years now," Amator replied. "They've assisted in my quest for a homeland for the freed slaves from time to time, but I've yet to manage to recruit them to my cause on a more permanent basis."
"Hey, it's not my fault," the excitable gnome put in as she shrugged off her overflowing robe and laid it underneath the table to give herself a little more space. "I've been trying to convince Malin to join that noble crusade for a long time, but she'd rather hobnob with high society and -"
"Oh, be quiet, you silly girl." The halfling playfully swatted at her. "I think Amy has more than enough followers for what he has in mind by this point, and what use would he have for a socialite priestess and a skittish tinkerer anyway?"
"You're a priestess?" Jessie inquired, guessing that Malin was referring to herself by that title.
"Aye, to Orakha, Goddess of the Sacred Night and Warden of the Eastern Star. A popular deity among the Erzani, and one who always held a special appeal to me. Mystery, allure, grace... love," she punctuated the last word with a kiss to Sedna's cheek, making the gnome blush and giggle once more. "It's said that she holds the love between two women as the purest, most noble form of love, so there was no objection to us getting married in the faith. I officiated the ceremony myself."
"Have you known each other long?"
"Since we were young," Sedna responded. "My family worked with a caravan of airships, and we travelled frequently to the Erzani lands, to do research on the history and customs of its peoples; it's a most fascinating subject, actually. I could go on all day about their courtship rituals... Anyway, I met Malin as part of a diplomatic mission - she's the daughter of a powerful chieftain, you know - and we had an instant rapport. My folks noticed our growing friendship and tried to visit the halflings as often as possible so we could be together. She sometimes came with the caravan on its travels, we spent more and more time together, and eventually youthful friendship blossomed into romantic infatuation...
"... and infatuation soon turned to sweaty, panting nights between the sheets and a desire to spend the rest of our days together. After she converted to the Orakhan faith, of which I had recently been inducted as a low-ranking member of the clergy, we tied the knot and have been roaming the planes in search of fun and adventure ever since."
"A charming little story," Amator noted as a number of pixies flew at their table, carrying the ordered desserts with them. Placing the bowl in front of him, he picked up a cherry and started to chew on the delicious, candied red fruit - Jessie was half-surprised the proprietors hadn't had those coloured blue as well. "And if it's fun and adventure they've been seeking on their journeys, I'd say they've found plenty of it. They may not be official members of my growing army, in spite of Sedna's best efforts, but they've helped us out with information, supplies, even fought by our side a few times. Many Orakhan clergy learn the arts of stealth and assassination as part of their training, and Sedna's gnome heritage has blessed her with a good knowledge of machines and advanced weaponry."
"That was the adventure," Malin noted. "The fun..." She looked over the golden-haired human with an amused as well as lustful expression.
Jessie wasn't surprised by that either. Extra-marital relationships were accepted and common within both halfling and gnome communities, and they fit right in with the generally loose mores of Somnia as well.
Amator merely smirked. "Quite fun indeed. Few things are as enjoyable as a threesome with two lusty girls from the Little Folk, Jessie." To punctuate his statement, he put another cherry in his mouth and started to suck on it suggestively.
"Little Folk..." Malin snorted as she laid out the blue velvet cake in front of her and Sedna. "You Big Ones and your epithets. Then again, I understand why you'd be attracted to us... You know that he prefers smaller partners, Jessie? He's afraid that being in bed with someone stronger and more powerful than himself will make him appear unmasculine."
"Not that he doesn't enjoy being the bottom to them, however much he may hide it," Sedna chuckled. "Everyone knows the story of the half-orc clan whom he convinced to join his crusade. The condition was that he had to go down on his hands and knees and allow himself to be taken by the chieftain and each member of his bodyguard, in full view of his followers. Oh, he protested and tried to appear stoic throughout the ordeal... but he spilled his seed on the ground no less than four times, and none of the orcs ever touched his cock..."
Jessie tried to keep from laughing in order to be a good friend, but he couldn't. Amator's cheeks went red to almost match the crimson stripes painted on them. "I make... the necessary sacrifices for my people..."
"Indeed, and quite enthusiastically, I hear," Malin smiled before turning to Jessie. "So what about you? What's your story, and that of your relationship with Amy?"
Jessie told them as much of his life as he felt comfortable sharing, while enjoying the sweet, rich texture of the saffron pancakes which he smothered in blueberry cream; Sedna and Malin ate their blue velvet cake by giving spoonfuls to each other. The two females listened raptly, and he found out that they were most interested in hearing about his romantic adventures, whether with Amator or others. He briefly mentioned Tengka, and was persuaded to give more details when the subject of the Krampus fascinated his new acquaintances.
"Ooh, she sounds like an absolutely marvellous woman, that Tengka!" Sedna grinned as she licked her spoon clear of blue cream.
"Yeah, maybe she could even be a match for you, Amy?" Malin said to the painted warrior, the corner of her mouth turned up.
"Maybe so - I've only met her a few times, but she did strike me as someone who could trade blows with me and not get beaten too severely."
"Always so modest," Malin quipped before turning back to Jessie. "So how's the clowning business these days?"
"Oh, it's doing alright. Somnia is well suited to the jester's art, and there are always some kind folks willing to toss a few coins for a joke, a dance or an acrobatic routine to help me keep going through the night. I had planned on performing down at the Astaroth Boulevard earlier tonight before Amy dragged me along to this place."
"Must be quite a privilege for you to be here," the halfling noted, before quickly adding, "I mean, if you aren't used to being able to dine at establishments like this, I bet it's quite an experience."
"Oh, it is, and I'm very grateful to Amator for taking me here. I just wish I didn't have to live of the generosity of friends..."
Amator put a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon, Jessie - you know I don't mind in the slightest."
"Yeah, I wouldn't have gotten far if I didn't live on my wife's money." Sedna grinned at her spouse before turning back to Jessie with a quizzical look. "One thing I've been wondering about, though... Amator has told us that he's never seen you without makeup... and apparently no-one else has. Do you never take it off?"
Jessie raised a hand to his painted cheek in uneasiness. "Eh, no, not really... Not in public."
"Why? Is it out of a sense of extreme professionalism?"
"Y-yes... I guess you could say that..."
Why did he always wear his makeup? Jessie himself was not entirely sure.
He'd first started wearing his jester's mask as a child, when Miss Honkers commenced teaching him the tricks of the clown trade. A jester needed an appearance to suit his role, and he was taught how to mix the paints and apply the sponges and brushes, and how to powder his mask to give it that proper shade. At first wearing his mask with his regular chestnut brown hair exposed, he soon learned how to dye his ruffled mane purple, his favourite colour, which eventually became the colour of his entire outfit.
At first he'd only worn his mask during his training sessions and when occasionally putting on little performances for the other children at the orphanage. But as time went on, he'd worn it more and more often, until it became routine for him to paint himself in the morning even when no jester training or entertainment for his fellow orphans was scheduled for that day. Honkers didn't mind; many of the children, like so many of the inhabitants of Somnia, had their little quirks and strange personal habits, and going around in cutesy little clown get-up was certainly one of the more innocent idiosyncrasies one could pick up.
Eventually, however, he discovered that he not only felt compelled to put on his clown mask every day, but he had great difficulty taking it off. He grew uneasy appearing in front of others without his makeup - strangers and acquaintances mostly, but even in the presence of close friends and mentors like Honkers and Tengka, he felt distinctly uncomfortable in his natural face and hair. As he entered his early teens, the purple jester's mask and dyed hair became a permanent part of his persona, and he only took off his makeup for his private morning prayers and ablutions before quickly re-applying it.
What had caused this strange habit? He could think of several things.
Jessie had been a small and weak child. Honkers did her best to persuade the stronger and bigger ones from picking on him, but she had a lot orphans to take care of and whenever he ventured outside the orphanage's walls to play, he had no one to protect him (except, occasionally, Tengka) from any mean young bullies who roamed the streets. In some strange way, wearing that makeup increased his sense of security; while it did make him stand out more, it also gave him an alternate identity, a clown persona that others could tease rather than his true self. This made it easier to bear other children's - and some adult's - cruelties.
Being a clown also allowed him to deflect the attention of his would-be tormentors with jokes, pranks and performances. People didn't always refrain from picking on those more vulnerable than themselves out of simple compassion, but they often did show restraint with those who amused and entertained them. And if they were going to laugh at him anyway, Jessie could at least make them laugh in a manner of his choosing. Besides, if he was already acting the fool and humiliating himself with his pratfalls and antics, it took a lot of the satisfaction out of trying to bully him.
As he grew older, however, the nature of his jester persona changed. Instead of being a persona apart from his true self, the Jester had slowly merged with the Boy to become one. Before long, he started to see the messy purple hair, the chalk-white skin and the purple domes around his eyes and dots on his cheeks as his true face. He had submerged himself so completely in his chosen role that he became the Jester on a permanent basis; indeed, he didn't see it as a transformation at all, but simply a truer expression of the person he had always been.
And if the mask was his true face, then being without it naturally terrified him. To appear without that makeup was worse than being naked and vulnerable; it was like having his entire identity and reason for being stripped away, leaving some hapless ghostly image behind. To minimize the risk of that ever happening, Jessie eventually acquired various specialized paints and dyes, containing rare ingredients and often enhanced by magic, that stayed on for days without smudging, and which could only be washed away with certain kinds of soap and shampoo. They were more expensive than regular makeup kits, and a not insignificant amount of his earnings were spent on buying them. But in Jessie's mind, that was a small price to pay for keeping himself whole and true.
On some level, Jessie acknowledged to himself that his obsession with his "true face" wasn't entirely healthy. There was no genuine danger in going outside without his mask, aside from the social implications by a world that had long come to accept and regard him as the Jester. He sometimes wondered if he'd ever find the strength to show the world the boy underneath the white powder and purple paint, if there was any reason to. But the Jester was still an absolutely integral part of his personality, and he would never let go of it entirely. For now, he would be a clown, and unless some strong reason presented itself, he would always remain so.
Besides, Somnia was a place of dreams (and nightmares) come true, where glamour and illusion could be as real as the gold, iron and marble brought in from all over the spheres. If the Jester persona was just an illusion, did that really matter in a place like the Dreamlands?
Sedna sensed his unease, and didn't push the topic further. The four guests at the Blue Pixie - warrior, jester, priestess and scholar - worked on their desserts a while longer, keeping their conversations to pleasant, light-hearted matters. Once they'd had their fill and their plates were empty, they leaned back against the upholstery, their bellies full and their appetites thoroughly satisfied... their gastronomical ones, anyway.
As the little pixies once more arrived to clear away their table one last time, Myron paid them a visit, bearing a little bowl with what looked like hard, ocean-blue candies. "A complementary treat for our honoured guests," the deer explained. They all accepted one and popped them into their mouths; as Jessie sucked on it, he felt his stomach tingle and grow warm, before he realized that the food had apparently settled completely! It was obviously a magical effect, apparently offered to allow guests to go on to other business immediately without getting bloated or cramps. But what business...?
"Marvellous," he said as the sweet candy left him feeling refreshed and active, without the listlessness that usually accompanied a rich meal. "These people really go the extra mile."
"They'd better, given the prices they charge," Malin put in after Myron had walked off, but she nevertheless seemed as satisfied with the dessert as he was.
"Oh, they're not so bad, once you get to smooth-talk them a bit and establish a few connections," Amator noted. "But yes, they can be rather pricey. I only intend to stay here a few more days, so as not to lighten my freedom fighters' coffers too much."
"Um, how do they feel about that?" Sedna inquired. "That their leader is splurging in Somnia while they- " Before she could get any further, a look from her wife shut her up, as did the expression on Amator's face, both annoyed and a bit guilty.
Before he had a chance to answer, however, Jessie stepped in. "They are well aware of it - he keeps no secrets from his men, or women. They have experienced great hardships on their journeys together, and he has never denied them any luxuries he could spare them whenever the opportunity presented itself. The Tigers pay for most of his expenses here as part of his meetings to try and secure their co-operation in his campaign for the future of his followers, who are aware and accept what he gets up to. Besides..." he gave an appreciative look at Amator, "it would be unfair to cast such aspersions on his character after we have already benefited from his generosity."
Amator regarded Jessie with surprise at this near-perfect recitation of Amator's own words from earlier that evening... a look which soon turned into one of grateful appreciation. Sedna's expression now mirrored Jessie's from earlier that evening as well, the tables neatly turned. "Forgive me, Amator. That was very rude of me."
"No offence taken... not much anyway. Although..." He looked at Malin. "Your wife may need to be taught proper manners, my dear. I think you should consider... punishing her in the near future to make the lesson sink in properly."
"Don't worry," the halfling chuckled. "I make sure to properly discipline my dear Sedna whenever she's been naughty..." She turned to her wife and growled lustfully, making the red-haired gnome quiver and blush under her gaze.
"In fact," Amator continued, "you might get that opportunity sooner than you think..." Looking around at his guests, he asked: "Who wants to join me for a nice, warm bath?"
Jessie's ears perked up. "A bath?"
"Aye. The Blue Pixie has some wonderful facilities for that very purpose. I checked before I left for the festival and there is a private chamber available if we should desire to use it. I've always found that a relaxing bath is an excellent way to freshen up after a good meal with friends."
"After a good meal?" Malin inquired. "Isn't it common praxis to wash up before dinner to avoid cramps?"
"Oh, hush. Alright, so just this once I thought it would be a good time to freshen up with a bath after a good meal, now that the enchanted candy has calmed our bellies."
Jessie considered Amator's proposal. "Well, that does sound like fun... but I don't have any swimming trunks with me."
"Who said you'd need any trunks?"
"Oh..." The meaning of Amator's invitation became clear, making Jessie's cheeks flush red. "Eh, alright then... Yes, I'll join you in the baths. I'd be delighted to, my friend."
"I know you'll be," his friend said with a smile before turning to the halfling-gnome couple. "And what about you, ladies?"
"Well, I certainly wouldn't say no," Malin answered. "As for my dear wife, whatever her thoughts on the matter, I think she'd better obey me in this instance. Like you said, she is in need of some 'discipline' right now, and I can think of no better place to teach her some manners ..." She reached down to clutch at Sedna's thigh possessively, making her wife squeal.
"It's settled then." Amator eased off his seat and stood up by the side of the table. "I'll just go and pay for dinner and get my keys, and then you can come with me to the bath chambers."
As the young warrior headed off to the reception area, Jessie felt himself grow rather hot and flushed at the prospect of what was to come; he hoped that his makeup would be enough to hide the most obvious signs of his excitement. But the ladies seemed to sense it anyway, and Sedna leaned forward to whisper, "Feeling a little nervous, Jessie-boy?"
"W-who, me? What would I be nervous about?"
"Oh, nothing. Though... Amator has told us quite a bit about your cute buns. We've been dying to get an up close view of them. I guess it's a good thing you didn't bring any trunks..."
No, no makeup could hide the blush he experienced now.
"Ooh, he does not disappoint, Amy!"
Malin nodded in agreement with her wife. "Yes, it's quite a gorgeous derriere indeed."
"Well, I have a wide range of experience with delectable rumps," Amator smiled, "and this one definitely ranks in the top ten!"
"He's not as well-endowed as you, though," the halfling went on with a tone of pretend dispassion. "How long is he when at full mast?"
"About five and a half inches; it depends on how excited you make him."
"Yeah, yeah, very funny," Jessie said to the trio standing behind him ogling his bare backside. "Could you just get undressed too so we can get to some damn bathing?!"
The Tigers, it seemed, wanted their guests to bathe in as much style as they dined. Myron had led them down a flight of steps and escorted them to the underground bathing area, and to the private bath chamber Amator had rented for the night. The deer had given a courteous bow and told his guests to have fun (with a smirk hinting at knowledge of just what the quartet would be getting up to), and left them on their own to take in their surroundings.
The chamber was octagonal in shape, with a similarly shaped pool mirroring the room's geometry. Pillars surrounded the pool, reaching up to the domed ceiling, and by the aisle that housed the clothing closets and towel cupboards, cabinets with soap, shampoo, lotions and perfumes, and even a small mini-bar could be found.
Unsurprisingly, the chamber was decorated in shades of blue: aquamarine marble to fit with the water theme, and a midnight blue ceiling. The walls presented mosaics of people of all genders and races bathing together in streams, lakes and oceans - and there was a decidedly erotic overtone to all these scenes. Glow globes suspended from the pillars cast a warm, golden light across the chamber, and little glowing crystals inlaid in the tiles at the bottom of the pool sparkled, creating the effect of reflecting a field of stars through its green-blue water.
The only sound was that of a marble fountain featuring a naked female pixie pouring water from an urn into the pool... although presently, the giggles of Sedna joined that continuous gurgling as she admired Jessie's naked bottom.
Immediately after Myron had left them, Jessie's three companions all insisted that he get undressed first. The two small females wanted to see if the clown boy was as pretty as their warrior friend maintained, and Amator was happy to persuade his friend to satisfy their curiosity. So after a moment's uncertainty, Jessie had stripped off his clown uniform and put it in the cupboard, hesitating a moment as he slid his thumbs into his panties before pulling them down to his ankles and tossing them in as well, to the whistles and appreciative purring of his onlookers.
Cajoled into turning around a couple of times so he could be inspected from every angle, Jessie was growing rather restless, wanting to get into the pool as soon as possible before he turned crimson from embarrassment. Amator just chuckled at his feeble protests. "Oh, don't be such a Silly Billy. We know you're enjoying it."
"S-Silly Billy...? Aygh!" he cried out as the blond warrior reached out to give him a smack right across his bottom, making his cheeks wiggle to the delight and laughter of the two females.
"Still, I think you're right," Amator continued. "Come on, ladies; let's get into our birthday suits for the occasion." He began to work on his vest while the two little females did the same to their clothes, Jessie standing to the side and rubbing at his bottom with some indignation. Still, his friend hadn't been completely wrong; embarrassment turned him on, and he was getting rather stiff from the experience. One more reason to jump into the pool as soon as possible... or it would've been, if the water wasn't so crystal clear.
It didn't take long for his companions to get completely undressed. The sight of their naked bodies made his heart flutter and his member jump a little. He had seen Amator in his natural state several times before, of course. The warrior's body, tanned from dozens of battles under the warm sun of many worlds, struck just the right balance between feminine grace and masculine power, his well-defined muscles complementing his elegant poise and fine lines perfectly. And his penis... At seven inches long, and quite a bit thicker than Jessie's own, it was a most impressive tool. Unlike Jessie's, it was circumcised, leaving its pink head fully exposed at all times. In contrast to the clown boy, who fidgeted and blushed as he stood exposed to his companions, Amator showed complete comfort with his nudity, proudly displaying his body.
The halfling and gnome soon stood unclad as well. Malin's smooth dark skin, adorned in places with tattoos to match the one under her eye, stood in contrast to Sedna's pale white and freckled body. The halfling's breasts were fuller and more rounded and tipped with large chocolate-coloured nipples, while the gnome's were smaller with candy-pink little buds. Chancing a glance down, Jessie noticed that while Malin's sex was as smooth as the rest of her, Sedna had a small patch of red hair above her lower lips... lips that, unless he were mistaken, were already slightly wet. The little gnome was obviously as nervous as he was, but also just as excited. Both of the little females were utterly gorgeous, in their own ways.
Jessie grew hotter at the sight, trying to stand at an angle to hide his hardening member, but his efforts were in vain. "Like what you see?" Malin asked playfully.
Realizing the futility of trying to hide it, given that they were all naked, Jessie simply stood straight, letting his half-mast pole be on full display. "Well, I can hardly deny it..." he said, glancing down with a nervous smile.
The halfling just nodded appreciatively at his lower portions, while Sedna giggled in that adorable little ways of hers. "Alright then, shall we stop fooling around and get to some actual swimming?" Malin said before turning around to stand by the edge of the pool, giving Jessie a brief view of her well-rounded, finely shaped bottom before she dove into the waters with a splash. Her wife instead jogged off to descend the steps into the pool, her freckled little tush wiggling on the way, until she was fully immersed, the clear water hiding absolutely nothing from view.
The water was deep enough that the two small females couldn't stand on the bottom of most of the pool except for a shallow area specifically designed for guests of shorter stature. They swam over there, allowing them stand up to their lower chests in the water, before embracing and kissing. The sight of the two females making out, their tongues curling around together while their wet titties and nipples brushed against each other, was enough to make both boys' shafts stand to full attention, the foreskin on Jessie's tip pulling back to completely expose his purple head.
Amator put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Beautiful, aren't they?"
Jessie nodded in agreement. Malin went without saying, but even Sedna was beautiful in her own way. Her freckles, buck teeth, and wild red hair all added up to a series of imperfections that made her truly adorable. Watching them lustfully kissing each other in the water, their love for each other obvious, both warmed his heart and made his cock twitch.
The golden-haired boy reached down to give him an encouraging pat on his ass. "Get in the bath now. I'll be along in a moment; just thought I'd make some drinks to serve up first."
That sounded good to Jessie. He walked over to the steps where Sedna had entered the bath and daintily climbed in. The water was warm and soothing, heated to a relaxing temperature without being overly hot, and it felt and smelled like fragrant oils had been added to it. Shivering in contentment as he stepped into the pool, the warm water caressing his erection, Jessie stood up to his shoulders on the tiled floor and started to swim lazily around to work the kinks out of his muscles, watching the lesbian make-out session on the raised platform all the while.
Amator merrily mixed the drinks up by the bar, adding ice and pouring various ingredients and drink mixers into each glass. Standing with his back to the pool, it afforded the bathers a view of his strong back and well-shaped, subtly muscular ass, including the red hawk tattoo on his left cheek - a memento from his alliance with the wild elven clan of the Red Steppes on Cariman, he'd told them.
Sedna and Malin eventually stopped kissing, separating with a strand of saliva briefly connecting their lips. "Aren't you afraid that will wash off in the water, Jessie?" Sedna inquired about his mask.
"There's no chance of that. My makeup is enchanted and contains special ingredients to prevent that sort of thing from happening."
"Quality stuff," the gnome nodded. "It's a wise man who can appreciate the value of such things."
"It the term 'man' can even be applied to me..."
"Oh, I'm sure we can make _something_out of you," Amator called from up on the green marble floor by the pool's edge, where he held a pair of glasses in his hands, his impressive member pointed straight out towards his friends. "Tengka did, from what I hear..."
Jessie might've blushed at that comment earlier, but by now he'd gotten used to such personal statements from the free-spirited young warrior and his little companions. He simply swam forth to the edge while Amator squatted down to hand him a glass filled with ice, blackberry juice and grenadine syrup. Amator then went to the side of the pool where Malin and Sedna could easily reach up and accept the larger glass that they would share, with strawberry liqueur and candied cherries along with two straws. Walking back to the bar, the golden-haired boy poured himself a simple glass of red wine.
Jessie sipped at his drink contentedly, the cool, delicious liquid providing a nice counterpoint to the warm water around him. Malin and Sedna held their glass together, drinking through the straws, until Malin tilted the edge over a bit to let some of the drink spill down onto her wife's left breast. Sedna shivered when the icy liqueur poured onto her chest, but then gasped as Malin bent down to lick the red drink off her breast and suckle upon her pink nipple. The erotic display made their holding of the glass rather precarious, but Jessie waded forward to helpfully take it from them so the halfling could better focus on stimulating her wife.
Jessie took the opportunity to steal a little sip from their glass. He coughed at the taste of alcohol; it wasn't disagreeable, but still a bit too strong for his tastes.
Malin looked up from where she was suckling on her wife's breast. "Hey, don't take our drink!"
"S-sorry."
Amator sat down by the edge, letting his legs soak in the water while he sipped his wine. "It's just liqueur, Jessie. Are you telling me even that is too strong for you?"
"Well, like I said, I'm not much of a man," Jessie answered as he handed the strawberry drink back to the little females. "So I guess I'm still not up for a man's drink."
"A man's drink? Strawberry liqueur is just for girls!"
"Hey!" Malin called out. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, nothing," Amator replied as he put down his wine glass and slipped into the water himself. He waded toward the females, stepping up onto the raised platform which left him waist-deep. He looked down at Sedna. "You know, Malin, I think it's time that your pretty wife got that 'discipline' we talked about earlier..."
Sedna cowered under his gaze, but her wife just smirked. "Good idea. What did you have in mind?"
"How about we bend her over the edge of the pool and give her a firm spanking?"
"Mmm, that sounds wonderful!" She nodded towards the edge closest to them. "Sedna, be a good girl and bend forward." She took a casual sip of her drink to underscore her words.
"B-but darling..." the gnome stammered, "It was a perfectly fair question I asked up there in the dining hall. I just wanted to know how Amator's followers were doing and how- "
"Oh, so now you're _defending_your lack of manners? That's going to earn you even more discipline. And if you won't be a good girl and bend over yourself, I guess you gotta be made to like a bad one. Amy?"
As if on command, Amator reached forward and picked up the little gnome, who squealed and kicked as she was hoisted out of the water and bent over the edge of the pool like a doll. This left her naked, smooth and wet little tushie on perfect display. Sedna struggled helplessly for a moment, but eventually stilled after Amator put a strong hand on the small of her back.
Malin waded forward to the pool's edge, and let a hand stroke over her wife's pale right buttock, making the gnome shiver. Amator did the same to her left, in a touch that was surprisingly gentle and soothing. A cruel prelude to what was to come, no doubt. The warrior looked over to Jessie and gave him a wicked smirk.
"I'm sorry if you feel a little left out, Jessie, but there's just no more room here. Why don't you sit down on the steps and just enjoy the show?"
The clown boy did so, wading over and seating himself on a step that left his lower portions safely below the surface - he had a feeling he'd need that for what was to come. Raising his glass to his lips, he took another sip of the cocktail Amator had made for him, watching with anticipation what the warrior and the halfling were about to do to poor Sedna.
It didn't take long before he found out. Amator raised his hand and gave the little gnome a firm smack right across her cleft bottom, making her yelp in surprise and pain. She had no time to recover before Malin did the same, slapping Sedna's vulnerable backside with her palm, causing Sedna to cry out again and thrash in their grip, her legs splashing in the water, but there was nothing she could do against the strength of the human warrior who kept holding her against the marble tiles.
They kept spanking her, mercilessly swatting her bare nether cheeks, making them wiggle delectably, soon giving her bottom a nice rosy glow. The chamber was filled with the sound of their smacks, Sedna's moans that came across as both pained and ecstatic, and the splashing of the water around her and her tormentors' legs. Malin and Amator interspersed their slaps with gentle strokes and caresses over her rumpcheeks, calming their panting, struggling subject momentarily before returning to their joyful disciplinary work.
Jessie did as his friend had bid him, sitting in the water while sipping his drink and enjoying the spectacle. He wasn't a sadistic person by nature - he tended more towards the masochistic end of the spectrum - but that didn't mean he couldn't take some voyeuristic pleasure out of watching some discipline being administered to the lovely derriere of such a cute, pretty little thing as Sedna. He couldn't help but wince a bit in sympathy, since he himself had been the recipient of many such punishments, whether from Tengka or others of his more rough partners who liked an even mix of pain and pleasure.
But he could also tell that, like himself, she had come to enjoy such tender ministrations. Her moans and cries carried a strong lusty undertone, and her legs were spread enough that he could see her sex in between them, the lips puffed up and dripping with more than just the waters of the pool. It was obvious that this was no genuine punishment - just a special kind of fun and games. And as he watched it with one hand clutching his glass, the other was underneath the water between his legs, fondling his rigid length.
After a couple of minutes, the naughty show came to an end as Amator delivered one last smack across Sedna's tushie to the sound of one last cry. Malin bent down to kiss her wife upon her rosy-red nether cheeks, making the gnome shiver at the touch to her hot and sensitive bottom. Amator stroked her through her red mane. "Have we learned our lesson?" he asked tenderly.
"Y-yes..." she panted, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm... I'm very grateful for your lesson..."
"That's the spirit, love." Amator caressed her down her butt alongside Malin's kisses and slipped his fingers in between her legs, making Sedna moan as he played with her nether lips. He raised the hand to his nose afterwards. "Mmm, and it seems to have gotten you quite excited, my dear."
"It tends to do that," Malin quipped. "She's usually very wet whenever I'm finished punishing her."
Sedna blushed furiously at their shameless talk, before being helped back into the pool. She grimaced as her sensitive backside was lowered into the water, but regained a bit of composure once Malin held the liqueur glass to her lips and let her take some strengthening gulps. Amator, for his part, turned to Jessie, still seated on the steps with his glass in one hand and the other underneath the surface.
"And it seems you enjoyed it just as much, Jessie boy..."
This attention turned on him, Jessie quickly stopped fondling himself and raised his right hand above the surface. "Eh, well, like you said yourself: I always like to watch justice being served..."
Amator smiled warmly. "Touché, my little friend, touché... but I think it's time you stopped being a passive observer. Rise."
Amator could be very commanding when we wanted to. Jessie rose up at once, water dripping from his body, his erection pointing at his golden-haired friend. Remembering his near empty glass, he turned around and put it down at the top of the steps. He had a feeling it would only get in the way for what was to come.
The young warrior strode forth towards him, grabbing his wine glass that he had left by the edge of the pool on the way. He truly was a magnificent specimen of manhood, his whole being exuding confidence, elegance, poise and strength. Coming to stand beside Jessie on the same step, his green eyes locking with the clown's golden ones, he grinned before taking a sip from his wine glass, and then kissed the young jester.
It didn't really come as a surprise, and Jessie soon sank into the full passion of the kiss, letting Amator's tongue sneak into his mouth and curl around his own. He could feel the taste of wine on Amator's breath, but it didn't really matter; the feeling of kissing the beautiful warrior overwhelmed his distaste for alcohol, and he had to admit that the vapours of wine did make him a little more warm and tingly than usual. Jessie put his hands on Amator's chest, moving his palms and fingers over the pectoral muscles there and stroking the nipples as he let his tongue dance around with that of his friend.
Below, he could feel his erection brush against his friend's bigger, veiny member, feel Amator's precum leak out onto his own shaft. The warrior, keeping up his kiss, took the clown boy's cock in his hand and rubbed it against his own in a display of frottage that inspired the two females to rub themselves against each other as they watched, Malin gently stroking her fingers through her wife's sex beneath the water.
A year ago, had Jessie been in a similar situation, the sensations he experienced now would've been enough to make him spurt his seed into the water; he'd since learned enough of the arts of lovemaking to hold back his climax for a moment more deserving of it.
Continuing their kissing and frottage for a little while, Amator then broke off and went down on one knee in the water. Smirking knowingly at his friend, and apparently inspired by what Malin had done to Sedna earlier, he tipped his glass gently over Jessie's shaft, pouring wine from the base to the purple, leaking head. Jessie shivered at the sensation... and then closed his eyes and moaned as Amator lovingly kissed the tip of his penis, before sliding its head past his lips and into his mouth.
Jessie could only stand up to his knees in the water and shiver with pleasure as the powerful young warrior gently fellated him. Amator was obviously not going full-out, wanting to draw out the sensation for the clown. He bobbed his head up and down on Jessie's length, slurping up the wine he had poured over the sensitive flesh, one hand fondling Jessie's sac. Even with his friend being careful, Jessie had to do his hardest not to release his essence; Amator was very skilled with his lips and tongue, a skill that suggested that he had more practice with being the submissive partner in coital situations than the proud young man would care to admit.
Amator didn't pleasure him for long - just enough to get Jessie's passions flowing properly so that he'd be ready for the high point to their visit to the baths. Having cleaned Jessie's sex of the wine, Amator stood up and walked up the steps to the aisle. "I'm just going to have a look in the drawers for something. Would you ladies be kind enough to take care of him while I do so?" he asked of the females.
"It would be our pleasure," Malin answered joyfully as she and Sedna stepped off the platform, swam through the pool, and went up the steps to stand on either side of Jessie, cozying themselves up against him, their hands on his hips, stomach and chest.
"Eh, hi there, ladies..." Jessie could only say with a blush and a foolish grin that showed off the gap in his front teeth, a suitable image for the young clown.
"Hi there, Jessie..." the ladies said in concert as they stroked their hands over his body.
"So... having a good time?"
"Oh..." Sedna thought about the matter with an exaggeratedly ponderous expression. "Adequate, I guess."
"Do you want to be bent over the edge of the pool again, Sedna?" Amator called from where he was rummaging through the cabinet.
"Eh, well in that case I'm having a wonderful time!" the gnome quickly corrected herself.
"Good girl," Malin nodded before looking up at Jessie desirously. "Now, the question is: have you been a good boy, Jessie?"
"Um, that would depend on your definition of 'good' I suppose... I like to think that I'm a nice and relatively moral soul, without necessarily being 'well-behaved' all the time..."
"Mm-hmm... and tell me, if you happened to be a bad boy, how do you think you ought to be punished...?"
"Well, I... oh!" Jessie was interrupted as he felt Malin wrap her delicate fingers around his shaft, and then Sedna doing the same, the two little females beginning to stroke and caress him.
"We have heard that you're a most naughty little Jester," the halfling went on, as she circled the tips of her fingers around his purple head, "who's been up to all kinds of evil tricks... and devoted to all manner of perversions..."
"E-evil tricks?" he stammered as Sedna placed her other hand on his bum and started to squeeze it. "No moreso than what you two and Amy have been up to, I think. And as for perversions... ah!" He was cut off once more as Sedna slipped her fingers in between his cheeks, stroking them up and down his cleft tantalizingly.
"Of course, we aren't exactly unfamiliar with perversion either," Sedna put in, "and as you just saw with me a few minutes ago, familiarity can necessitate all kinds of delicious corrections..." She was just about to slip her fingers in deeper...
"Now, Sedna," Amator suddenly called from behind him, "I know you're eager to explore his ass, but I'm afraid that's my department right now, so if you'd kindly let your fingers travel to other areas..."
Sedna pouted but did as she was told, instead letting her hand that wasn't playing with Jessie's cock caress the insides of his thighs. Meanwhile, Amator moved forward to stand right behind Jessie, who braced himself for what was to come.
Amator didn't get right to final steps of their lustful dance however. Instead, he cuddled up to Jessie from behind, his erection throbbing against Jessie's lower back and the upper parts of the buttcheeks. Amator reached around to the lithe male's chest to play with his sensitive nipples, while brushing aside Jessie's purple hair so he could kiss his neck and shoulders caringly. Jessie sank into the experience, feeling so safe and comfortable in Amator's embrace.
"Do you know what I admire about you, Jessie?" the golden-haired warrior asked in between gentle neck pecks.
Jessie shivered as Amator tweaked his nipples, and as Sedna and Malin lowered themselves until he could feel their breath upon his hard member. "W-what...?"
"You are not like me," Amator explained as he started nibbling on Jessie's left ear. "You are not strong, or a powerful warrior. You're not as well-travelled as me or wise in the ways of the world. You do not have inspiring charisma or a knack for leadership. In many ways, you could be considered weak."
A little moan escaped Jessie's lips as he felt Malin give a tentative little kiss to his tip. "So, did you admire something about me, or...?"
Reaching down to pick up something from the floor, Amator then kept rubbing himself against the clown boy. "But you have other strengths, Jessie, strengths I've never had. You always look on the bright side of any situation, always have hope, and always see the best qualities in others. You are clever and perceptive. You can see things from angles I would never even have considered."
Underneath, Malin and Sedna had both began to kiss his member and lick it up and down. Behind him, Amator poured the oil from the bottle he'd taken from the cabinet over his fingers and slipped them in between Jessie's cheeks. Jessie shuddered, tensing his muscles as his friend rubbed at his southern star before relaxing enough to let Amator slip his middle finger in to coat him with the oil. The feeling was overpowering; his bottom had always been very sensitive.
"But more importantly than that," his friend whispered gently into his ear as he twisted his finger inside him, "you have a kind heart and a gentle soul. You can see the good in creatures most would hate and despise. You are always sensitive to others' pain and strive to ease their suffering. You bring joy and happiness, brightening up the cosmos, if ever so slightly, with your presence."
He removed his digit from Jessie's rump... and soon after, the head of his member, slick with oil, replaced it, prodding its way between the cheeks.
"Some might see your Jester persona as a weakness, a frivolous identity suitable only for the occasional amusement rather than for the battles and struggles to defend and improve the planes. But I know you have something far better than a warrior's blade or a wizard's death-dealing arcane arts: you carry the spirit of hope and joy that makes the Dreamlands what they are, and what they should be."
As he entered Jessie, noticing him growing shaky and weak with the sensation, he brought his hand under his lover's chin and turned the young clown's head around to face him. "Your mask is beautiful, Jessie. You should wear it proudly." And then they tenderly kissed again.
Below, taking a brief break from licking at Jessie's member, Sedna wiped away a small tear. "That was beautiful..."
Malin just rolled her eyes. "Silly girl..." Then they both went back to fellating Jessie, their tongues languidly travelling up and down the smooth, throbbing surface of his penis.
In the middle of their foursome, basking in the glorious pleasure of their sexual congress, Jessie took in Amator's words. In that moment, he truly appreciated having him as a friend. Jessie's self-esteem and confidence wasn't always the greatest, and he often wondered about the worth of his chosen path in life, even as he was utterly dependent upon it. But with people like Amator, and Malin and Sedna and Miss Honkers, and even Tengka, in his life to encourage and support him, it helped him retain the conviction that the path of the Jester was indeed a good one, and that he had made the right choice in walking it.
It wasn't easy being a clown. That much was obvious. But at that moment, Jessie felt that for all its troubles and travails, it was well worth it.