Chapter Text
Lumine had mentioned the conversation she had with the shrine maidens only as an off-hand comment, curious and surprised about what she heard of Yae's future plans. Certainly it has seemed like a lucrative opportunity, and a practical consideration— but for the Guuji herself, the priestess in charge, to spearhead the project seemed quite strange, and so, Lumine had to ask about it.
"The shrine maidens perform a sacred duty, right?" Lumine had asked. "Is it really okay to let common people and tourists wear their uniforms for money?"
"It isn't as if we're having them involved in any real shrine maiden work without the proper qualification. They aren't getting even remotely involved with any kind of religious practice." Yae easily answered. "As a matter of fact, the association with such a holy duty is part of the novelty. It makes it all the more attractive and exotic to tourists, and that is something that must be taken advantage of— so long as it is still exotic and novel. Presenting this novelty in the form of young, pretty girls will be all the more profitable."
"Huh." Lumine nodded thoughtfully. Indeed, it was a very logical explanation, and Yae was clearly always thinking ahead. It was quite impressive. "I see. That sounds reasonable."
Paimon had her own thoughts, as always, and they were also very strong ones: "Um, no, that sounds really underhanded and shady, and like you're exploiting your own faith and your own workers for Mora."
Yae looked amused. "You'll have to blame Ei for that, I'm afraid. Her foolishness is what brought us to the point where we all need to focus on profits above all. Sacredness, purity and faith are petty trivialities for mortals to be concerned over."
Now, even Lumine understood what an outrageous thing that was for a head priestess to say, and she heard Paimon mutter something much to the same effect.
"I'm more interested in the practical things, like keeping the shrine running, and making sure this nation doesn't suffer economic collapse just as Ei finally starts to get herself together."
Lumine could only have one, instantaneous thought upon hearing that. So she decided to voice it:
"Wow, you're a lot more responsible than Zhongli."
"More than Morax? Why, thank you." Yae smiled pleasantly, as if not at all hearing the implications. Or probably just ignoring them? "It's quite flattering to be compared to a god so diligent and reliable."
Lumine exchanged a single glance with Paimon, who looked just as amused as she herself did. It was hard to hear that and not to give a little snickefr. Yae either did not hear it (unlikely) or chose to ignore it (more likely), as she changed the subject, rather unexpectedly:
"Now, what was it you mentioned the shrine maidens told you? They offered to have you model for them?"
"Hm?" Lumine took a moment to searched her memory before finding what was it that Yae had meant, just as she thought she heard Paimon make a stiff noise. "Oh, yeah, that. They said I could also be one of the models for their shrine maiden photos. It was very nice of them. Since it's basically a job, they'd pay me for it too, right?"
"Of course they would. Are you interested?"
"No, um, Paimon really thinks this is kind of—"
"It seems like a good deal. I don't know if it's the kind of job I'd be good at, though."
"No, nevermind that, Lumine, you really shouldn't—"
"Now, now, why ever not?" Yae asked, wide eyed, tilting her head, seemingly addressing them both at once. Lumine shrugged, not quite finding the right words to express her reservations.
"A job that involves simply looking pretty doesn't really suit me. It's just not the kind of person I am."
"Yes, that's right, Lumine!" Paimon said, strangely fired up. "You have dignity! Self-respect! You're a strong, cool fighter, a reliable adventurer! You don't need to stoop so low as to rely on your looks to get Mora!"
Lumine looked to Paimon in confusion at the strange comment as Yae looked on, clearly more than a little entertained by the two answers.
"You think you can't pull it off? You couldn't possibly be saying you're not pretty enough, surely?"
Huh, did she? Somehow that's something she never considered much. "Hmm. That's not really it. I never really thought about it." No, actually, Paimon was right. In a way. If Lumine understood her correctly. "It's kind of like Paimon said. I'm a fighter and adventurer. I think modeling requires something I don't have."
"Um, that's not at all what Paimon meant. Lumine, do you really not see the problem here?"
Well, this was concerning. Did she really not understand something here at all? Was there something very obvious she was missing? What in the world could Paimon have meant?
"Why don't we give it a little test run?" Yae said. "I've had several spare outfits made in different sizes, in preparation for the project. Would you like to come try it on and see how you feel about it?"
Oh, that actually sounded like fun. And she was done with all her tasks for the day, so she had the free time for it. "Okay. Sure."
"Perfect," Yae clapped her hands, and turned to the Paimon who looked just about ready to yell in protest. "Now we'll be quite busy for a while, so you should go talk to one of my girls in the meantime. You must be tired for floating around all day, right? I'm sure one of them can fix you up a meal and a place to nap."
All the angry energy seemed to practically deflate out of her. Paimon looked for all the world as if she was about to drop to the ground. "...Ngh." Lumine has never quite seen her friend that way. Almost... intimidated? At least, she has never reacted this way to anything that's not a use of violence or force, absolutely none of which she saw on display here, at any point. "...Why does Paimon get the feeling that you're trying to get her out of the way...?" She grumbled, but sighed as if to concede— if not without one last energetic declaration, as she pointed a finger at Yae. "Fine, but you better not be up to anything fishy! If you take advantage of Lumine, I'll never forgive you!"
"How suspicious! Why in the world would any of these things be true? I have nothing but the best of intentions for our Traveler." And honestly, Lumine had to agree. But she still had the distinct feeling she was really missing something. Really, what in the world could be so questionable about this situation that Paimon, who never minced words, was apparently unwilling to just tell her? It was so strange and so unlike her. But that thought floated away as Yae's delicate touch brushed against Lumine's waist, and she turned to lead her through the shrine. "Now, come with me."
* * *
Lumine had always been curious about the interior of the shrine, so she took the opportunity to look at every inch as Yae had led her inside through the different rooms and subdivisions. It had occurred to her that it may not be proper, and she wondered if unrelated people like her were even allowed inside— it was an hour where there weren't a lot of other shrine maidens around, but surely at least one of them had noticed? Still, it was fascinating place, a strange mix of mysterious beauty and plain modesty. Yae led her inside what seemed to be a storage room, with a closet that had stacks of red and white cloth and the sandals everyone in Inazuma seemed to like to wear, and closed the door behind them.
The room took on a strange silence, and Lumine was very aware of how it was not a big room, and how the two of them were very much alone in this small, enclosed space. That was something she didn't think she had experienced with anyone since she had come this world. It wasn't even very common for her to be alone in a room with anyone but Aether, and it felt quite strange.
"Now, take off your clothes."
Right, of course, that's the obvious next step. One by one, Lumine took off her gloves, boots, and slipped out of her dress easily, leaving her in her bloomers and undershirt. The life of a traveler and adventurer required a practical approach even as she wanted to keep her outfit from her original world; and so, she chose clothing that she could take it off at any time if needed without having to only be in her underwear. She wasn't enthusiastic about wearing any other outfit than her own, but if it was just for a few hours and she'd return to it later, there shouldn't be a problem. A different issue was the question of where her clothing would be kept in the meantime. Lumine folded it neatly in her hands, turning to Yae about to ask her only to be met with one of those mysteriously amused expressions she always had.
"Aren't you an obedient one? Following such an order without even questioning. What a good girl."
Something about that phrasing felt strange, and made her feel equally strange. Not unpleasantly, but it was an unfamiliar emotion she didn't dislike but was all the more odd for its pleasantness, and there was always this sense that Yae was saying one thing but meaning another that was all the stronger now. Lumine found herself feeling rather on the side of sheepish, for some reason, almost flushing as something in her reacted with a strange giddiness she wasn't sure how to process. The clear question she had in mind seemed to float away, and she struggled to find the words to phrase it again: "...Um, where should I put the...?"
She watched Yae's eyes narrow as they looked upon the clothing in her hands, with the most strange little pleased smile. At least, she thought it was pleased. "I'll take care of that. Here." She took the bundle from Lumine and put it inside the closet, then took out two long pieces of white cloth.
"Now, Lumine, I understand why you thought otherwise, but when I said to take off your clothes, I meant all of them."
"...Oh." She swallowed around a lump in her throat. Well, if that's what it took... but... "Is this not okay?" She looked down at her own undergarments.
"It's absolutely darling, but it won't work with Inazuman clothing. You must have seen the way the kimono has a very perfect, distinct shape, right? Such a thing is not easily achieved unless every layer of clothing is tailored to the full ensemble. And this is for the purpose of modeling, after all. You want every piece to look perfect."
Right. That makes sense. Everything needs to be perfect. But... Lumine looked at the clothing in Yae's hands— she could tell that one was something like a bra, or would at least serve the same function, and another seemed like something of a thin robe, but neither of them would... "Does Inazuma fashion not include underwear?"
"Oh, this is underwear." ... Ah. Wait, what? No way. Lumine could only look at the pieces of cloth in disbelief. "And yes, most youths today feel much like you do. That is why underwear specifically made to work with traditional fashion has been made, but I don't have such a pair here. You can keep your panties on, but these cute little bloomers of yours must go. Unless," There was a twinkle in Yae's eyes that was just a bit mischievous. "These are all you have for underwear yourself."
Really! Lumine had to scoff just a bit. "Oh, no, I do have actual underwear." She let them slide down to her feet and slipped them off, exposing the black panties underneath.
"Of course you do. You proper, modest, good girl. Here, let me." Yae took the piece of clothing from her, still with that ever so sly smile on her face, and she was looking at Lumine in this strange way, looking at the bloomers in her hands, and Lumine's exposed body, all that was left, the underwear and... her bra. That she would have to... take off...
Lumine hesitated.
She considered, and thought, and finally, turned around, with her back to Yae, her hand reaching to the back of her neck to untie it—
Before Yae was suddenly standing right behind her, her hands right where she was aiming, fingers brushing against a point at Lumine's neck that send shivers down her spine. "You're right," she said, speaking directly into her ear, as she untied the two knots holding the garment and slipping it off with perfect, practiced ease, as if he she had made it herself. "It's much easier this way."
Everything suddenly seemed to happen so much faster. Her heart practically exploded with how fast it began to start beating, how suddenly, from standing here in this room, alone with Yae, her body all but entirely exposed in ways it has never been to anyone, before this woman that she barely knew but seemed to hold such sway over her, who mesmerized her, who walked and talked with such confidence and power and... "Here, I'll dress you. Follow my instructions."
The rest came into a blur. She vaguely registered receiving instructions from Yae— put up your arms, lower them this way, spread them like this, do this— following each one almost as if on autopilot, her heart beating faster when there was something she couldn't understand and Yae would clarify, every touch of hands on her bare skin making her dizzy. On her neck, on her nape, on her arms, on her waist, on her legs. There was piece of white cotton cloth being slipped on her, then another being wrapped around her, and then another, and then Yae was leaning down and slipping her feet into socks— it seemed so silly that she would protest if she wasn't so overwhelmed— and then another smaller piece of cloth across her waist, and then another layer on top of that, and another, and Yae's hands everywhere— and everyone one of Yae's gestures, smooth, confident, professional, directing her and her body, commanding every movement to ensure the process goes smoothly, taking hold of her limbs to put them exactly she wanted.
Lumine thought she heard her saying more, explaining what every layer and piece of fabric was, what role it served in the full ensemble, but it was hard to focus on understanding that in light of the whole situation. By the time Yae finished fastening the last two pieces of red fabric across her lower body, looking her over, and saying "Alright, all done." Lumine had felt as though it all took another century of time years, but a century that passed in the blink in of an eye. She felt warm. The cloth felt stuffy. Heavy. There were so many layers, and the texture of the fabric was pleasant, and comfortable, but unfamiliar on her skin. And there was a lot of it. The outfit always look much lighter on the other shrine maidens, but now she felt how warm it really was to wear. She felt sweaty, embarrassed, almost childish for it. Vaguely she wondered if all Inazuman clothing like this, and how the locals dealt with the summer heat.
"Would you like to take a look at yourself?" Yae spoke straight into her ear in a low voice so suddenly that it cut through the foggy mess of her thoughts, and Lumine jumped in place.
When she turned her head back to meet Yae's gaze and sharp, knowing eyes, her ever-present knowing and amused smile, she felt a sudden timidness overtake her, and she looked back at her feet. "S-sure."
A hand on her chest delicately yet firmly turned her around to a face a mirror that she could swear had not been there before, but that did not matter as much as the sight before her— her own reflection staring back, dressed so unfamiliarly, Yae standing right behind her, all but hovering over her, a confident, sure contrast to both her own feelings and her timid face in the reflection.
"Well, would you look at that. As pretty as ever, and even more charming. It suits you well. One could mistake you for a real shrine maiden."
Lumine wasn't sure if she agreed. She thought the way she looked made it all too clear she didn't belong, that her nature as an outlander was clearly broadcast everywhere she want, no matter where she went. She thought there was surely something odd about it all, clearly unnatural. Yet it was hard not to feel a much deeper flush creep up her face at such high praise. And in spite of it all, she liked the way she looked in the outfit, and she liked that Yae thought it looked good, that she was praising her, the things she was saying about her.
"What a shame I can't keep you around as a real one. I think I'd quite like to have you working for me."
Working for Yae. To be one of her shrine maidens. Lumine thought that sounded nice, to get to see her every day. Well, maybe if it was a temporary part-time job, since she had too many other commitments. But from what the other shrine maidens said, she often wasn't present at the shine itself and was often kept busy by other things, and more often than not their work involved taking care of the duties she didn't have time for. So maybe not. But then again, actually, isn't that what she's already been doing?
"...I think I've already spent a lot of time working for you."
"You mean when I was helping you with Ei?" Yae chuckled. "You don't think I was the one doing you a favor?"
"You did save me and help me a lot. But it felt more like I was completing tasks for you, since you kept sending me off to do things. And I was following your instructions a lot of the time."
"I suppose I did. And you did such a good job, my dear, brave, special girl. My valorous, courageous hero who saved three different nations, all in a row."
This was too much. It was enough the way everyone kept praising her way beyond what she deserved, and how the rumours about her prowess in the resistance were getting far, far beyond anything resembling reality— but this was something else. She couldn't possibly handle such flattering words from Yae. Not the way they made her feel so giddy that she felt she might burst, and had to look down not to look her in the eye, nor have to face her own flushed expression in the reflection.
"...I didn't realize it had this many layers." She said to distract herself, and change the topic. "It's quite warm. Isn't it difficult to get around like this?"
"Sometimes. Right now the weather is quite pleasant, but in the peak of the summer heat, it's not a fabric that breathes very well. But my shrine maidens know what they're getting into, and they know how to endure. They're good workers."
Lumine swallowed around a lump in her throat, against a strange excitement that has been building in her since she realized how alone the two were in the room. Something in her desperately needed to burst out, and she wasn't sure how to deal with it. She just wanted this moment to last longer. To bask in Yae's presence. To hear her voice.
"How would you like to get a taste of the experience?"
Lumine's eyes shot up back to her reflection in surprise. "Huh?"
"Since you're already dressed like this, would you like to be a shrine maiden for the day?"
She sputtered. "Is that— is that okay? I mean— what does a shrine maiden do? I'm not..."
"We can make an exception. I assure you, you won't be involved in anything it would be improper for someone without the proper training to be involved it. Tell me, have you ever asked one of my girls what are a shrine maiden's duties?"
Lumine desperately searched the mess of her memory for some semblance of a conversation. Right, there was—"Miyuki. She said it was..." Her voice faltered. Was that really the right answer? What was the right answer? What did Yae want for her to say?. "...To obey your orders."
She thought that she could feel Yae's chuckle directly against her skin, the vibrations the noise was making... she resisted the urge to press her thighs and rub them together— ... wait. Wait. Ah. That's... that's... is that what her feelings were... where they were heading... was that what she was... "That's right. That's all I'd like you to be. Play at being my assistant, and one of my workers." Her voice dropped just a little lower into almost a smooth, sultry rumble. "Spend some time with me."
That. That was definitely something she wanted. And that was definitely what she was feeling. And Yae herself... was she just messing with her? What was she doing? What was she getting at? Could she dare hope that it was the thing she so longed for, that she only realized now?
"W-what would I have to do?" Through some miracle, she had managed to ask with only a slight tremble to her voice.
"Why, nothing at all. Since this is just a personal favor, and I won't be paying you, I'm also not so cruel as to demand or expect any kind of real work from you. Aren't you always working so hard already?" Yae's warm breath tickled her neck. "Don't you want to just take a break from it all and have a bit of fun with me?"
She thought her mind might have just stopped functioning right then and there, with all the absolutely insane information it was being forced to process all at once.
"Sorry— f-fun?"
"That's right. Fun." Lumine watched Yae in the reflection, shifting in place. "And for that, my dear, I only want just one last thing from you."
And then Lumine saw it. Yae pulling out and presenting her with an object. It had a deep purple color, vaguely cylindrical, deceivingly innocuous in its perfectly mundane size, and with a very, very distinct shape.
The shape of... the shape of a...
Lumine thought she might faint.
"Oh," She said instead, eyes going wide in the mirror.
"Aha, so you do know what this is." Yae said cheerily. "You're such an innocent and naive little thing, I though I'd have to explain it to you."
Is that how Yae saw her? That she wouldn't even recognize what was very clearly a sex toy? "Of... of course I know what that is." Her voice was pitifully small. "The shape is, um. It's hard to mistake it for anything else."
Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Was that what she was missing? No way. No way could this have been— "...Wait, is what why Paimon was..."
"Oh, I very much doubt she suspected these were my motives. She was just being protective of you because she conferred modeling as akin to any other kind of sex work, and therefore exploitative in her eyes. The shrine maiden uniform is a very common sexual fetish among humans, you know."
"Um," Lumine said, as whatever thoughts she had left in her mind were reduced to a screaming, screeching tide.
"And as endeared as I am by your little fairy friend, she's quite troublesome when I want to have some privacy. She's like a tiny, floating little grandmother, and just as overprotective." Yae's eyes narrowed, and she looked Lumine up and down so thoroughly, such a devious smile that Lumine could just feel the ghost of a touch on every part of her body, as if baring her and stripping her down with her eyes alone.
"But now I finally have you all to myself, to do with as I like." She whispered with the most honey-dark voice, looking up Lumine as if she were her next meal, as if she were a helpless prey animal obliviously led by Yae into a carefully long-prepared trap, watching with satisfaction as the jaws snapped shut. Lumine certainly felt trapped. watching herself in the mirror, under Yae's gaze, as if her presence alone was keeping her in place. The close quarters and the intimacy of the room took on a claustrophobic quality that was as frightening as it was exciting.
Trying to regain some sense of bearings of self-control, Lumine tried to think coolly. Logically. Dryly. Overcome the mess of emotion swimming in her head. What was she to do? How was she to proceed forward from here? What was the right choice? In her centuries of life, she had only been focused on adventuring and exploring, on the joy of discovering new worlds and exciting things. This was not an experience she has ever had before. She had grown accustomed to improvisation, to adjusting to new things and new experiences, but here she was entirely out of her depth in every sense.
So she did the best she could, to try to adjust, and to understand.
"What... is it that you need from me?"
"Need from you?" Yae snickered almost cruelly, as if to mock the very idea, and Lumine's reflection in the mirror flushed a far deeper red. "Nothing at all. But I do have something I want. And what I want is to play with you. I'm going to put this inside your little cunt—" The vulgar word was so unlike her, felt so unreal and unnatural coming from her, that Lumine saw her eyes widen with shock, and yet the sound it went straight between her legs. "—And I'm going to turn it on. You're going to follow me around like a pretty little doll with this inside you, as my personal assistant, and obey me, like a good, diligent, loyal shrine maiden. Of course, you're absolutely not allowed to come at any point unless I tell you to— and you will only come when I tell you to, on my command. Now if you can follow these instructions and be a good girl, I'll reward you."
Nevermind— forget adjusting to this situation, forget going with the flow. How was she supposed to process all of this? With her body heating up yet going cold all at once, with her heart jumping out of her chest, with the thick layers of clothing covering her heated skin, and try to process what Yae wanted of her? "Turn it on"? What did that mean? She... she wanted her to walk around the city? With— with this... with this inside... and to... and to not...
Her vision went blurry. She might have actually almost fainted.
"Now what's with that cute and scared little face? I'm not going to hurt you. Trust me. I have nothing but fun in mind for you."
Right. Breathe. Breathe in deeply. (Is she was already feeling this way, just from the suggestion, how in the world was she supposed to handle it when they actually...) Lumine took in slow, sharp breathes, and willed her voice to work again:
"It's just, um. I'm a little overwhelmed. It's a lot to spring at me all at once, honestly, I really wasn't prepared..."
She saw Yae's expression soften, turn almost fond, and she sighed. "You're just too cute. What an innocent answer." Lumine tried very hard not to pout, but it was hard to hide her discontent at that response. Really, that was unfair of her. Yae clearly understood what she wanted to convey, as she laughed, and finally stood back up straight and stepped back out of her personal space, giving Lumine some breathing room. "But fair enough. I can hardly put it inside you if you're all tense, now can I?" A sentence that did not do anything to calm the beating of her heart. "Here, I'll help you relax."
Before Lumine could question how Yae could possibly calm her down in her current state, those lean, beautiful hands brushed again her stiff back and then pressed into them. Soothing, rubbing, deceptively delicate-looking, pretty fingers proving powerful with the controlled force they pressed with into her back muscles, precisely working out every tense nerve, every delicate spot— and hitting the most sensitive spots on her nape and neck, sending shivers through her body. Yae massaged her carefully, soothing out the tension out of her, and Lumine could feel her body softening, soothed by that firm, insistent touch, all but kneading the tension and stiffness out of her body with knowing expertise.
"Shh... there we go." She shuddered as Yae's warm breath tickled her ear. "Let me take care of you."
Lumine closed her eyes and let herself focus on the sensation, her mind going pliant along with her body, trying not to focus on the absurdity and foreignness of the situation and the shame at the back of her mind, but simply enjoy it. The thing Yae was asking of her was insane, even a little scary, but... it was exciting, too. Exciting in a way she had no words for. And how he could she say no, if it was Yae who was asking? Even telling her? Offering her the kind of attentions she could have only dreamed of getting from her, or any other person like Yae who had caught her attention in a similar way? And who was now practically indulging her, spoiling her with this massage, making her feel so... so...
"There you are." Again, that feeling of warm breath against her bare skin... "Feeling good, pet?"
"Mm." ...What did she call her? Oh, who cares. She's always saying all sorts of strange things. "...Uh huh."
It did feel good. It felt really, really good. When was the last time she's been this relaxed, this soothed?
A low, quiet chuckle rumbled against her neck. "How sweet. Girls like you are my favorite."
And then she bit into her ear, and Lumine gasped. Sharp teeth worried at her delicate flesh, and the sparks she felt tinging down her spine went straight between her legs, and she gasped— then Yae's hands were trailing lower, still insistent and firm in their kneading at her flesh, but now beneath the layers of clothing, slipping beneath, right at her bare skin, and then grabbing hold of her chest and fondling her bare breasts, gentle, then firm and harsh, and deeper, reaching her nipples— just as those very teeth sank against her neck—
"Oh—!" Her body trembled, her thighs pressing together for some relief for the insistent, pleasurable throbbing deep between her legs— she's never felt it quite like this, quite this good, she's never had anyone quite touch her like this, and every inch of her tingled, Yae's teeth worrying at nerves that practically sang in delight at the attention, and fed only more and more into the growing longing need, drawing out an embarrassingly lewd-sounding high pitched moan.
"What wonderful little noises. I can't wait to hear more." Yae's teeth released her neck only to give it a lick on the very spot she had bitten, only for her lips to press wet kisses . Lumine's only reprieve was her hands releasing her chest and slipping out from beneath the clothing as easily as they went in, only trailing lower to caress all the more chastely at her covered waist. Lumine squeezed her eyes shut and focused on keeping her shuddering body still, sinking into the sensation once more, too distracted to focus too much when she felt something much larger brush against her from the side as Yae's free hands slipped easily through the slits on the red clothing of her lower half, cold air brushing her legs as she felt the skirts being raised higher, and higher, and higher, and then...
Yae sucked on her neck just as Lumine registered the feeling of something big and hard pushing deep, inside her, a firm, foreign hardness slipping in, the entry smoothed up by her own slicked insides, and she let out the most pitiful noise as it pushed and pressed and her body tightened around it, squirming and covering her mouth to cover up her shame, squeezing her eyes shut tightly as if to escape from what she was sure was her shamefully lewd reflection in the mirror. It ended as soon as it started— just a single press and push and it was inside, and she could feel it, opening her up and filling her inside, in a strange, unfamiliar way, pressing into her sensitive spots.
"And that's done." Yae said cheerfully, as if she had completed the simplest and most innocuous task. "You were so wet from just a little foreplay that it slipped in effortlessly."
Slowly, her breaths coming in heavy and tense as she tried to adjust to the foreign sensation, Lumine opened her eyes, meeting her reflection in the mirror— her hair only a bit messy, her clothes still somehow not at all rumpled, unchanged from the last time she looked at herself, but her deeply flushed, sweaty face and expression seemed to her to so clearly betray her, in contrast to the way Yae looked positively pristine and untouched, as if nothing that just happened in the room had anything to do with her at all.
"Now, just one last thing." Yae leaned down, breaking her timid train of thought, and pressed the palm of her hand, through the layers, right at the base of the toy—and then it began to buzz, and move. Her reflection's eyes flew wide open in shock and she yelped in surprise at yet another new, foreign, and all too overwhelming sensation assaulting her insides. The all too late realization of what Yae had meant by "turn it on" settled in with another reality— that Yae wanted her to keep it inside when they went out and just walk around like this. She swallowed around a lump in her throat, turning her shameful face from her reflection, hands nervously pressing together, shifting to face the woman behind her.
"Shall we go then?" A hand came around Lumine's shoulder, a touch that was as gentle as it was commanding. Before she could regain her bearings, Yae's voice dropped low and she again leaned to whisper in her ear: "And remember. Do everything I say, and do not come until I tell you to."
Then, her hand still wrapped around her shoulder, she led the two outside the rooms and into the shrine backyard as Lumine gasped and pressed her lips together, desperate not to let even a flicker show of what was really happening beneath the sacred priestess uniform adorning her body.
It was going to be a long day, and Lumine felt as much dread as she did anticipation of it.