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strawberrymintie · 3 years ago

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The Bet

This is my half of a trade with @mikosmaw! She drew me art of my favorite voreish ship, and I wrote this short story of her gladiator, Lionel, collecting some spoils he won in the ring~

I hope you like it! -------

Over the roar of the crowd chanting “cull the cowards,” Nicholas threw his wine glass to the ground. Flora winced at the sharp sound, though everyone else just laughed. They wouldn’t be responsible for cleaning it up, after all.

“Damn it all!” Nicolas yelled, his voice slurred from all the alcohol that flowed freely in the colosseum's private viewing box. “Phoenix lost!?”

“I told you to bet on Lionel,” a fellow dignitary said. “Your man didn’t stand a chance.”

“You’re lucky it’s just an exhibition match, Nicolas,” another said. “Your prize fighter will escape with his life.”

“What does that matter if he loses!? Making a fool of himself at his own exhibition match... Pathetic.” Nicholas reached for his glass, forgetting he had shattered it moments earlier. As soon as he realized, he grabbed a bottle from the table and poured himself another.

This was Flora’s least favorite duty as Nicholas’s attendant. The lavish parties she could handle. The political banquets were fine. But she hated when all the wealthy young men gathered together to watch gladiator matches. It always ended up with copious amounts of money tossed around--and often bottles or ashtrays literally tossed around.

“Flora!” Nicholas yelled over his shoulder.

“Yes, sir?” she answered, wondering what he was upset about now. Was it because she hadn’t started cleaning up the shattered glass? Usually she waited until everyone left to clean the larger messes. Heaven knows they’d just make more.

“See that box?” He gestured lazily towards the back table. “Take it down to the Pit.”

“What is it?”

“The money your stupid boss wasted on Phoenix!” one of the men yelled, and the others erupted in laughter. Nicholas rolled his eyes, letting the others rib him. Fellow members of the elite had that privilege.

“Yes, yes, I lost, we all know,” he said, growing weary. “Flora, take this down to the Pit and deliver it to the winner’s team. This is what I get for putting my chips on the wrong man…”

And, just like that, they went back to bantering, ignoring the lowly servant girl. Flora breathed out a sigh and walked to the back table. There was a lovely lacquer box sitting there that must have been worth a significant amount by itself. Flora picked it up. Heavy--likely filled with the money her employer had bet.

“Don’t take too long,” Nicholas called over the clamor. Flora didn’t like the idea of going down so close to the arena, but anything was better than here, surrounded by smoke and spilled liquor and men who acted more like frat boys than VIPs.

As she slipped out, Flora felt that urge she often had, that she could just run away. With this money, she might actually have a shot…

She shook the thought from her head. No, she’d deliver this down to the Pit and then return back to Nicholas. He’d probably be done galavanting by then. It would only take her a few hours to get the private box back to working order. Of course, the arena had its own cleaning service, but Flora would be ashamed to leave it in such a state for them. The least she could do was clear out the garbage and sweep up.

When she finally arrived at the Pit, she stared at the double doors, a bit apprehensive. Who was this money even supposed to go to? Apparently, Nicolas hadn’t been betting against his friends, but someone tied more closely to the gladiator himself. A coach? A sponsor?

Of course he’d forget to tell me the essential information, Flora thought. She tucked the box under her arm and used her free hand to knock on the door.

“Come on in,” a voice from inside called.

Steeling herself, Flora opened the door. “Pardon me,” she said, stepping in with a lowered head.

The room was a mess, not too unlike the private box she’d come from. There were piles of large pillows on the floor, almost like a dog bed. Inside, there was only one person--the gladiator Lionel himself. He was more than twice her height, with huge horns and piercings everywhere. Not to mention, he had just trounced Phoenix, who had been touted as the best of the best. To say Flora was intimidated was an understatement.

“Ah, yah got payment, huh?” Lionel said. Flora nodded stiffly. “Put it on the table. Close the door behind yah.”

Flora hadn’t been planning on staying long, but she wasn’t one to refuse a request, especially on official business. She did as she was told, then walked to the table in the back. The table was cluttered with random items--bottles, bags with their contents spilling out, bunched up clothes, and a few suspicious stains. The housekeeper in her felt the urge to tidy up, but that wasn’t what she was here for. She brushed aside a few crumbs and set the box down, which looked almost comical in the mess. When Flora turned around she was surprised to see Lionel standing in front of the door. He was way bigger than the door. How did he even get in here? “Yah don’t look like the betting type, I gotta say.”

“It’s not from me,” she said, looking away. “The man I work for, he was betting.”

“Good. I don’t really like people who bet against me, especially people who think that clown Phoenix coulda beaten me.”

“I do not know much about arena fighting,” Flora admitted. “I am just here to deliver your winnings.”

“Just deliver, huh…” Lionel raised an eyebrow. “So I don’t suppose he told you what he bet?”

Flora looked over her shoulder at the table. “I, I assume it’s money in that box. I didn’t open it. I don’t pry.”

Lionel laughed. “Yeah that’s part of it. Money’s nice and all, but I make sure I get a meal out of it, too.”

“I… I’m not sure I follow,” Flora said. She absentmindedly reached up to touch the ends of her braids, twisting a few strands of hair between her fingers.

“The losers I getta eat.”

Flora’s heart felt like it stopped. She put a hand to her chest to make sure it hadn’t.

She had to have misheard him. Or was it a joke? The thought had entered her head when she saw just how large and dangerous this man was, but that was just her mind running wild. It would never actually happen. That was just barbaric.

“I guess he sent you instead? That’s technically allowed, I guess, but it looks like he didn’t even tell yah? That was shitty of him.”

The gladiator began walking forward, tiny clouds of dirt raising around his hooves after each step. Flora tried to back away, but she bumped into the table behind her. A bottle on it tipped over, clattering onto the floor, but she didn’t even hear it.

This couldn’t be happening. Nicholas would never do this. Not because he cared that much, of course, but because his life would be a complete mess without her! Now Flora was nothing that special. Certainly not irreplaceable. But she already knew his likes, his dislikes, what needed the most cleaning and when to start each area… Teaching a new housekeeper would be a hassle. Surely that was worth more than a stupid sports bet!

…Right?

“Yer pale as a ghost, girl,” Lionel said, stopping in front of her. “I’ll be gentle with yah. I’ll even take these off…”

Lionel opened his mouth, wide, and Flora saw the four golden rings wrapped around his teeth. Some sort of jewelry? With his sharp claws, he pulled them off, one by one, and dropped them. They clattered to the ground, one rolling under a table.

“Better?” he asked with a toothy smile. Flora still couldn’t muster a single word. Even her scream was caught in her throat. She suddenly felt faint. She barely caught the edge of the table, keeping her standing up.

“Hey, there’s no need to look like that,” Lionel said. His voice was still rough, unrefined, but it had a sort of sincerity to it. Enough that Flora looked up and met his eyes. “You’ll be just fine.”

“I… will?”

The giant man crossed his arms. “Course. You think I’d just kill ya? You haven’t done anything to deserve that, have ya?” Lionel expected a response, but Flora just stared up at him, motionless as a frozen fawn. What a dick, sending his maid down. Not to mention a total cop-out. Scaring the shit out of rich assholes? Fun. Putting them in their place--his stomach? Even better. But this? Left a bad taste in his mouth.

Lionel sighed. He wanted a meal, but… “Suppose I could just hunt down the guy who set this whole thing up instead.”

“No!”

Flora’s sudden outburst surprised both of them. She hadn’t expected that to actually come out. She took a deep breath, steadying herself. “No… Please. He sent me to do this, so, if it really is safe… I will.”

“...You’re sure about that?”

“I pride myself on my service,” Flora said, finding the strength to stand without support again. “This… This is my duty, I suppose.”

Lionel paused for a beat. Well, it was still a shitty situation, but if she was willing, he wasn’t going to turn down a meal. He’d been looking forward to it ever since he heard one of those rich idiot actually bet against him. Unfortunate he didn’t have that guy to humble, but this girl was not a bad snack. She smelled interesting--lightly floral, but hidden under a layer of smoke and booze. No doubt from having to babysit those bozos upstairs.

An interesting smell. He wanted a taste.

“Well then. You ready?” Lionel asked, trying not to loom too threateningly. It was hard when you were as big as he was.

Flora took a deep breath. “Yes.”

Lionel scooped the young lady up in his paws, keeping his claws retracted for now. She was light as a feather. He flopped down on his pile of pillows, ready for his hard-earned meal. Now, where to take a taste-test?

“Hmm…” Lionel looked at Flora, who seemed so small in his hands. She didn’t look terrified, but certainly unsure. Her hair, tied in two braids, left most of her neck exposed. Not a bad place to start.

He leaned in and took a long, slow lick, feeling the human shudder slightly under his tongue. She tasted light, pleasant. Clean, for lack of a better word. Basically the opposite of himself. He slid his tongue back in and clicked it against the roof of his mouth, savoring her flavor.

“Not bad at all,” he muttered. “You know, uh…?”

“F-Flora.”

“Flora. You’re pretty tasty.” At that, the girl blushed a light pink. Lionel chuckled. Didn’t seem like she got that many compliments if that got her bothered. “Yeah, your flavor’s, uh, delicate. That’s the word.”

Delicate flavors didn’t leave you content after just a taste though. Flavors like hers needed to be consumed in large quantities to really shine. Luckily, there was enough to fill his belly staring right back at him, and Lionel was ready for more.

Tucking a finger under each arm, Lionel lifted Flora up, opening his mouth wide. She stared down his throat for a moment, still barely processing what was going on, until she was jolted back to reality by the feeling of his warm, wet tongue on the back of her legs.

“Hmmm…” Lionel purred, the sound vibrating in his throat.

Flora’s heart pounded, but she wasn’t completely seized by terror. This felt oddly comfortable. As his tongue reached the back of her knees, she could only think about how it felt warm and soft. Almost like a bed.

Someone like her never had a chance to sleep in. She was always up early, getting everything ready for the day. She could only dream of having no responsibilities, no one depending on her--needing her--to get through the day. If this was really safe, and she really would be released unharmed, was it crazy to find the idea of just being able to rest inside of this man appealing?

Lionel would never be this popular if he actually digested people, right? Flora always tried to trust what people told her, even though this one was hard to believe. But she wanted to. And it made sense. Nicholas would never want her dead, and Lionel… He seemed kind, despite all of this. He would have let her go. At least, he said he would have, and--

Lionel’s stomach gurgled expectantly, wondering what was taking so long. The delicious morsel had spent more than enough time in his mouth. It was time to send it down to where it belonged.

Lionel almost didn’t want to, but he had plenty more of her to taste. So he gave a powerful swallow, pulling Flora down. Her legs were sucked into his gullet and suddenly she slipped further down into his mouth. With his lips around her waist, Lionel licked her sides, enjoying every moment of her flavor. He purred again, louder this time, and Flora looked away, for some reason feeling embarrassed herself.

I suppose this is a form of service, she thought, to both Nicholas and Lionel.

Now that she was in his throat, Lionel’s stomach grew more impatient. It growled once more, wanting to enjoy the meal, too. Lionel swallowed again, pulling her further in. Now only her chest and head were outside his body. He placed his hand under her top half to support her, though she was stuck by now. She couldn’t have escaped if she wanted to.

Lionel carefully pushed his hand backward with his tongue, replacing her solid ground with one much softer. He made sure Flora didn’t scrape her back against his teeth. They were fun to show off, but they were very sharp, and she could easily get shredded by them if he wasn’t careful. He stuck his tongue out past her head, cradling her upper body before swallowing again, pulling her body further down into his belly and her head into his mouth.

One or two more swallows should do it. With a tiny bit of regret, he threw his head back and gave a final, powerful swallow, forcing the girl down his throat. From there, the waves of peristalsis took over, effortlessly carrying her to his hungry, awaiting gut.

Lionel leaned back further, feeling his stomach distend as she was squeezed down into it. For such a small girl, she gave him quite a nice gut. Just round enough to have something to rub.

“Not so bad, huh?” Lionel asked, panting slightly to catch his breath.

Inside his stomach, he felt Flora wiggle, trying to right herself. The walls were soft and squishy, close like they were embracing her. They moved around her, his stomach happy to finally have her all to itself. Lionel had to admit, he loved feeling her squirm, trying to get her bearings, though he was happy when she finally settled down, too. “Comfy?” he asked.

The voice was from both above and all around her. Flora could hear the man’s heart, the air in his lungs. And she didn’t need to do a single thing. She couldn’t do a single thing.

“Yes,” she responded.

“Good.” Lionel stretched, then placed his hands on his belly. He couldn’t help but rub it. It felt amazing.

Flora startled slightly as Lionel began rubbing his belly. (That, too, felt pretty good.) She wasn’t used to receiving care. It wasn’t comfortable for her, not yet, but it was… Nice. She snuggled down into the gladiator’s belly, content.

“So,” Lionel said before either of them could fall asleep. “That guy, his name is Nicholas?”

“Mmhm…” Flora usually would never respond so casually, but she was so tired. It was all she could manage.

“...I’m still gonna go scare the shit outta him.”

#soft vore #safe vore #trade writing #extreme cuddling

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