The Drow Queen of Glaley [Very NSFW]

[Coquette Blacquin]

"If you are warning me to be submissive, that is a role I can play well, and am very versed in. If you are asking if I know about pain play, blood play, bondage, whips..."

[Claudia Emerison]

"Yep, not good. Okay. So. Consent," Claudia says firmly, eyes half closing as her face scrunches up in a clear show of focus. "How to boil this down..." she mutters softly, one finger tapping at her jaw. "Okay. So. Forcing consent illegal here. The drow were, uh, less than keen at such a hard line but this isn't just a drow enclave," she pointedly waves a hand at herself, "so they had to bend. Force is defined as violence, controlling magic, some aphrodisiacs, blackmail or threating to do any of that, even indirectly. Like saying you'll assign them to a patrol they're not skilled enough to do safely or something. Umm. Some grey areas are with aphrodisiacs and blackmail; if you willingly take a drug, then it's not illegal if someone takes advantage of your condition, assuming they didn't cause you to take it in anyway. The thought is, if you took something that makes you that vulnerable, then it's on you to ensure you're protected. And the blackmail; you can't, I dunno, blackmail someone you caught stealing to fuck you, but you can blackmail them to provide intel on their thieves guild, but if the thief offers to fuck you instead of spying for you, that's fine. Which is easy to abuse but we do try really hard to catch people.

[Coquette Blacquin]

Coquette waves a hand. "I have read about this consent thing." And I strongly doubt the Matriarch cares about it. 

[Claudia Emerison]

"Okay, good, but do you understand it?" Claudia demands. "Because the punishments for all of it were set by the drow as part of the compromise and they don't do punishments half-heartedly." She rather deliberately slides her eyes towards Zevran. "The Matriarch personally inflected the punishment on her own daughter when she broke this law. Beinthalla? I warned you that she's violent and aggressive, remember? But didn't warn you about her being sexually aggressive for good reason; Beinthalla raped one of the guard trainees after a spar. The Matriarch not only flensed her entire body, twice, she then performed a ritual that burned out her lust and sexual desire. Completely, forever, mind and body both. And all this in front of the entire Famiglia. She doesn't-- She's so old and so bound in magics and rituals and Gods know what else that-- honestly, if I was ten times braver and ten times dumber, I'd love to do some kind of divination on her because I'm basically sure she's turned into some kind of lawful outsider. She's tricky and cunning and manipulative but she doesn't break her word. Or the laws she's agreed to enforce." Finally going silent, she sucks in a huge breath, blushing a little at her word flood."

[Coquette Blacquin]

Coquette looks at her in horror, clearly internalizing the wrong lesson: The Matriarch is far crueler than even Varisia was. 

[Claudia Emerison]

Good, she seems to be taking this seriously. "So no, the Matriarch won't rape or coerce you into sex. Probably won't even offer, she doesn't much these days. But she's disdainful of prudes, so she'll test you. Being naked, having the servants in fetish gear, having illusions of sex acts on display, something. If it's not your thing and you can't muster honest interest or at least appreciation, then your best bet is like, uh, a step up from polite indifference. Just don't pretend to enjoy it, she'll suss it out before too long and be way insulted. Same goes for like calling her a pervert or whatever, obviously. I'd say the biggest key is being respectful. Actually, that goes for just about anything for her, come to think of it. She'll tolerate failure or disagreement with more, uh, tolerance than she would disrespect."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"It would take a lot to truly shock me, and I can hide it better than most. I will be alright."

[Claudia Emerison]

"I hope so," Claudia says softly, stepping closer to take Coquette's hand in a tentative, shy gesture of support. "You both seem like really nice people, and really care about each other and I-- I just-- It would be nice if... You deserve some good fortune."

[Coquette Blacquin]

Good fortune is in small supply, however. The dressmakers come and go; Zevran wakes while Coquette is in the bath, eating some of what she's left of her breakfast while he waits for her to return. She spies him, still nude herself, and crosses to him, wringing the last of the water from her hair. "Are you well, husband?"

[Zevran]

Zevran doesn't look at her, face turned down and body tense. "...I'm still here," he whispers softly.

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Did she hurt you? Only, I tried to drug her, but--" she says, fortunately in elven. 

[Zevran]

Zevran swallows, the effort pained and slow. "Yes. And yes," he says thickly. "Passed out for several hours after dinner." He shudders, rocking slightly. "Maybe... third of night."

[Coquette Blacquin]

She flinches, looking away. How much worse will this marriage be? If that's what one night did to Zevran... 

[Zevran]

Zevran's head sinks back against the pillows as he continues to rock slowly. "She's evil," he whispers, so faint she has to lean in a little to hear him. "Cruel and obsessive. Fanatical about suffering and hate. About-- about breaking me. She wanted-- she wanted to take me." His lip curls in a sneer or perhaps a snarl. "I've had better try."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Gods above, but I hope that's not who I end up wed to," whispers Coquette, twisting hair around her fingers. "Haven't we suffered enough? Why must we...?"