The Drow Queen of Glaley [Very NSFW]

[Coquette Blacquin]

"She said you chose Varisia," whispers Cindy. "She said you abandoned us."

[The Iron Bull]

Bull stares at her blankly. "The fuck?" he manages after a few seconds, sounding flummoxed.

[Coquette Blacquin]

"She said you made it clear you belong to Varisia first and foremost, that you're hers and not ours. I thought you were on our side. I thought you..."

[The Iron Bull]

"That I..." He frowns, then his eyes widen as the clues come together in his head. "You mean on the day Noire decided to slap a dragon in the face," he realizes, expression darkening. "Is that how she saw..?" He grunts, tugging on his left horn irritably. "I didn't abandon you, Cindy. I was keeping my promise to Cedric."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"...your promise?"

[The Iron Bull]

"To protect you," Bull reminds her gently. "So Cedric could sleep until... well, now, I guess."

[Coquette Blacquin]

Cindy's eyes fill with tears. "She said we have nothing, own nothing. Not our body. Not our child. Not you."

[The Iron Bull]

"Okay, first of all? I own my own damn self, thank you very much," Bull says curtly. "I love you, Cindy, and I'd kill, die and live for you, but I'm not property to be owned. Than said..." He gently reaches out to cradle her hand in his, hie expression turning tender. "Neither are you. She might control you in a lot of ways, same as me. She's got more resources, a favorable position advantage and the law on her side. So yeah, she can put a lot of pressure on us, make us choose between doing what she tells us to or suffering. Don't mean she owns us."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"...Noire thinks in terms of ownership," she says slowly, "but... I don't mean like that, like a s-slave. I mean... I can't really trust you if at any moment Varisia could make you betray me."

[The Iron Bull]

Bull frowns, thumb absently running across the back of her hand. "Not seeing where I betrayed you," he replies slowly. "Noire was being a dumbass and I tried to run damage control. I give exactly two rat turds, the dried up, stale kind even, about Noire's pride, so I did what I done to keep you safe."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"I'm not saying you did, either -- I wasn't there and I don't know the specifics. But... she made it sound like if Varisia said to jump in a lake you'd run off to get your swim trunks. What if she orders you to betray me in some way? Tell my secrets, spy on me for her, drug me?"

[The Iron Bull]

Bull shrugs a little, still holding her hand. "I'll make the call, I guess. If the choice is between sharing some crumbs of your privacy or having a devoutely loyal minion of hers assigned to follow you around at all times... Least with the former we can pick and choose what she finds out. And, you know, won't have some creeper staring at you all day, prolly with a weapon at the ready." Bull hesitates a second, then admits, "you're not the only one that has to... cross some lines they hate to pacify the Dick. I try and take on as much as I can on myself, seems to work most'a the time, but, well, if Dick gives a direct order and Noire countermands it out of pride, I gotta judge if it's worth the gamble of that be'n the inch too far, the inch that gets me taken away from ya fer-- for good."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Would you hurt me?" she asks, point blank. "If she asked you to?"

[The Iron Bull]

Bull exhales slowly, head lowering. "...I don't know. Not for-- I know there's a line, I know most of what's over it. But iffen she- if she ordered me to..." He has to search a moment, "ordered me to give you a smack and I thought that refusing would lead to her punishing you worse because a male told her 'no' and whatever she was pissy about in the first place? I'd say tha's worth it." He swallows. "Hate myself for it. Shame and disgust wouldn't fade anytime soon, that's for sure. But..." He gives her a somewhat helpless look, eyes damp and voice thickening. "Fuck, I don't know. I'm the son of a pair o'mercs that died when I was a boy, who grew up fighting in a seedy casino den thing and somehow lucked out being saved by a hero. Fuck if I know what's the right of all this. I'm trying, Cindy, I really am."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"I know," she whispers, and the tears flow freely now. "I know you are, Bull. I.. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you. I should have known that you'd only do something like that for our own good. But it hurts. And I still have to find a way to free Blossom and--"