While the inspiration picture is entirely lovely and I enjoyed seeing Cara's thighs close up, the whole picture itself led my mind to my own body hair and something within my virtual family.
-----
Tommy put the plug in the bathtub beside the armchair. Smiling, he turned his chosen bath oil bottle over the fast collecting water.

Miwa sat in front of the armchair. “My Lord, sitting in the armchair to play the shamisen feels too weird.”

“Okay, sorry for my Western mind. Create your art as feels right,” Tommy said before leaning over to kiss Miwa's forehead. He scratched his nose and moved in front of a vanity. “Scruff.” As the water continued to run, he covered his cheeks and chin in a thin layer of shaving cream before passing the razor over his stubbly facial hair. He grimaced at his hair falling into the foam and placed his razor on the counter before pulling up his shiny black strands into a hair clip.

“You'll need to go under the water, my Lord,” Miwa teased as she carefully plucked individual strings.

“Are you trying to get a trip to the pool before I'm supposed to present us to The Queen?” He grinned at her in the reflection of the mirror.

“Not at all, my Lord.” Miwa laughed her tinkling pleasure. “He may very well want to swim later, my Lord.”

Tommy stepped to his tub and turned off the water before returning to the vanity to clean up the mess he'd left behind. He sighed as Miwa produced the first, long notes of a song she'd played many times for him. Mess cleaned up, he eased himself into the hot water and leaned back onto the bathtub pillow. He closed his eyes.

Miwa's voice joined the shamisen's music.

I need to start up learning Japanese again. Tommy breathed in and tried to separate the fragrance notes in the oil preparation he had used. First he smelled the pine that would help him to smell similar to The Queen. Then the Ylang Ylang to help their energies balance. Then finally, the Bergamot for its sunny radiance. Without opening his eyes, he murmured, “Love, when you finish this song, please bring me the razor I forgot on the vanity.”

Miwa seamlessly moved from a Japanese word to saying, “Yes, my Lord,” before returning to her song.

What will I shave today? I'm glad in this household that I've come to learn body hair not to be assigned by gender identity or presentation. Tommy lifted his hands out of the water to flex and wiggle his fingers. He rested his hands on his chest to explore areas that he might shave, or have Miwa shave. The hair on his forearms had grown back feeling thick. His smile returned when he thought of The Queen's heightened passion the time he had shaved his pubic hair. “Smooth, not soft,” he murmured.

Miwa changed from one note to another as if in agreement with his non-contextual statement. Her song ended, she kissed his forehead before moving to complete his order.

“Miwa, love, I want you to shave my chest and back for me.” Tommy opened his eyes to enjoy her response.

“It shall be my pleasure, my Lord,” Miwa said, his pink razor in her hand. “Would you like me to do that first, my Lord?”

“Please.” Tommy moved to his knees so his torso was above the water. He lowered his chin to his throat and waited. He breathed in at her small, soft hand moving over his back to coat his skin with the Shea butter shaving lotion he'd created for the body.

“I'm so grateful you enjoy me giving you this care, my Lord.” Miwa's touch changed just before the protection strip of his razor touched his skin.

He released a held breath. “I enjoy it, even if I can't enjoy your shamisen playing at the same time.”

“I could sing, if that would please you, my Lord.”

“Maybe sometimes, but today I'd just enjoy talking.” His eyelids fluttered as her other hand touched the small of his back. “What areas of my body do you think I should shave for our Queen?”

“I believe your expression at one point implied you were thinking to shave everything below your neck and I would agree, my Lord,” she said, her voice stronger in speech than it had been while she was singing.

He laughed. “It seemed at first that you were trying to get out of giving a real answer.”

She joined him in laughter. “No, my Lord, just taking my time. After all, you didn't ask a yes, no question, my Lord.” Her fingers move gently between his asscheeks.

“Ahhh,” his moaning sigh formed phonemic sounds that time. I hope I just come into the bathtub so it's easier to shave my pubic hair. “That's perfect, my dear. Thanks for continuing down.” He wrapped his hand around his shaft.

“I'll be done there in just a moment, my Lord.”

Just after the razor moved over the hair around his asshole, he cried out as he ejaculated hard. He grabbed the side of the tub and looked over his shoulder at her. “Hopefully The Queen doesn't want me to come too soon.”

She brushed a hand over his smooth cheek. “Especially since there's so much more of you to shave still, my Lord.”
--

​
And yes, as I was writing this, I thought of Posy Churchgate's comment of my writing being like an impressionist picture since I don't think this is a straightforward “sex scene.”

“Touch is a solid theme”- the words of a dear friend when I was trying to come up with posts for July- well, possibly into August as I'd like to work on submitting at least two manuscripts to publishers in August once Camp Nano July is done. I saved her suggestion because, at first, I wasn't really sure what to do with it. However, as I was reading “Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight” by Sharon Heller, I realized that I indeed have tactile challenges that I didn't realize. Dr. Heller talks in that book about how tactile is one of the earliest scenes; I was six years old when I didn't want my mother to touch me ever. In my opinion, the book does a great job talking about tactile difficulties as not just being “clothing tags make me itch”; if we went by the stereotypes of “sensitive people,” I wouldn't fit them because I'm underreactive to much tactile sensation. I wonder if that's part of why I've made such shiny spots on my keyboard's keys :D. I also wonder if improving tactile sense is part of why I don't need BDSM impact activities to be as harsh as I used to want them.

“Here's the box from the therapy company.” Ziba placed a small brown box on the kitchen table between Happy's and her mats. After joys nod, she continued, “Would you like to open it?”
Happy passed the letter opener to Ziba.
Quick work with the opener and Ziba had the box open. Not too loud. “It's your brushes.”
Happy typed on joys tablet and pushed a button. “Can we try them now please?”
“Of course.”

While I'm not working on this WIP currently, when my friend made her suggestion, I immediately thought of “Typing My Love.” Happy (the character who's on the Autism Spectrum in that book) doesn't get diagnosed on the spectrum until adulthood- this also joy (Happy's pronouns are joy/joys/joyself) to avoid things like Applied Behavioral Analysis. Another friend responded to my post about EMDR and skin brushing by mentioning how skin brushing had been awful for them because it was done to them as a child; we talked about the differences between their childhood experience and me choosing skin brushing as an adult. I'm not sure if the little bit of fiction between the paragraphs will be fit into TML, but it's definitely a scene percolating in my brain.

Overreactive to tactile. That one has been a track in my head. Even though I feel comfortable saying that I'm on the Autism Spectrum without a formal diagnosis, I definitely struggle with stereotypes about not liking hugs, kissing, sexual activity, etc. Then I realize that my behaviors with that are rather complex and do include a bunch of avoidance. I want to be hugged more, but not by strangers; I'm good with my Master, my girlfriend, my daughter hugging me, the occasional person at church who doesn't put me off too much. But when others with Sensory Processing Disorder and/or on the Autism Spectrum talk about not wanting anyone to touch them at all? I struggle with that; I'm not sure why, with my former comments. Just because *some* people are okay doesn't mean I'm at all average on this. While it doesn't fit Happy very well either- the idea of overreactive to tactile- I'm pondering when an intimate scene between one or more people with overreactive tactile sense might look like. Of course, that sends my mind to a #MasturbationMonday post in which I showed intimacy between an allosexual and an asexual persons.

What to do when an idea is so far from your knowledge that stereotypes are what come to mind? I don't have any characters already created, breathed into life that hate all touch, even most touch- even Didier, asexual but not sex-repulsed, wants cuddles. I'm glad for my reading that explained how touch is more than just people or things touching one's skin, but also the air, the temperature etc.

I want to ask my readers a specific question now, but words fail me as I write this the evening before seeing my med manager (who I don't entirely trust). What are your thoughts about someone being over- or underreactive to touch?

Silly me, I'm at the mall (thank goodness for laptops) because the AC isn't working at home, and I realized that I forgot the notebook I wrote in yesterday so I could lay on the cool floor in the basement. Ah, the prompt: “intimacy in a pool of water.” I have such diverse thoughts on this. “Sex on the beach” and “sex in a swimming pool” are both common enough fantasies, but as my reading has shown me, neither are very good in reality; in my “Vala's Story” story-verse, the rules around the indoor pool are delightfully specific and only partially shaped by BDSM.

Since I already dipped into that story-verse with my girlfriend Audrey (it'll be “last week” when this is actually posted), I figured I'll stay there. There's another body of water in The Queen's mansion that doesn't have tons of rules- why doesn't anyone think about how chlorine on the genitals would be bad? And thank you very much, but I don't relish the idea of sand between my buttcheeks.) I'm waiting for the players in the Oasis- one of his small, themed playrooms- to step forward.
--

I leaned back against the wall with the comfortably thick “outdoor blanket” separating me from the sand. The Queen promised me the chance to be a voyeur.

Suddenly the door sprung open to admit Tommy and Simon; I was struck by everything about them.

Tommy's deep black hair had been cut in messy bunches, giving him an extra shaggy look. The whites of his eyes had turned pinkish and the tears still poured down his cheeks. His pale skin was highlighted by the dirty white straitjacket restraining his torso and arms. His semi-hard cock rested against his thigh.

Smoldering with intensity, Simon's eyes moved over Tommy's shuddering form. Tight black jeans showed off how tanned the rest of him was. “Time to get in the water, little boy,” he growled.

“Ye-yes, sir,” Tommy whimpered. His toes pushed into the sand.

Simon moved behind Tommy. His lips pressed against the metal-encircled neck. “Are you my good boy?”

“Yes, yes! Please, sir.” Tommy jerked as Simon obviously worked on the buckles. “Need you.”

“Of course you do.” Simon reached around Tommy to pull his arms away from his body. “How is it feeling so far?”

“Okay. Um, miss the... tightness.” Tommy wavered on his feet as if ready to fall to his knees.

Circling around to Tommy's front again, Simon paused and placed his hand on Tommy's cheek. “I'll hold you tight in a moment.” He grabbed the jacket at the shoulders and eased it off Tommy before tossing it to the floor. With flying fingers and pushing hands, he removed his jeans and pulled Tommy back against him. His eyes closing in bliss, he kissed Tommy hard until the boy moaned against him. Continuing in the kiss, he walked them backward to the pool. “Easy now,” he muttered into the kiss as they took gentle steps into the warm water. He helped Tommy to ease down into the pool so they could lean against the side.

“Love you, love you.” Tommy's head rocked against the pool's side.

“Love you too. Relax now.” Simon brushed Tommy's hair away from his face. “Such a good boy.” He sprinkled kisses over his love's moist face.

“Might I be a little more than a voyeur?” I asked Simon.

Simon nodded. “Just keep your voice down.”

“Was he very wound up?” I asked.

Simon nodded again.

“Has he earned an orgasm?”

Rolling his eyes, Simon asked, “Is that all you think of?” Before I could respond, he continued on, “First this bath and then probably some snacks. You saw how I marked his ass and thighs, yes?”

Tommy pressed his face against Simon's neck.

Simon wrapped his arms around Tommy's chest and held him tight. “Sh, little boy. You don't have to be alone ever again.”

I held in any comment; poor Tommy, still so hurt by his parents' abuse too. Looking around, I spotted a perspiring bottle of water and held it out to Simon.

“Thanks.” Simon took the bottle and pushed the cap off with the same hand. “Tommy, drink.”

Tommy lifted his head enough to give his lips to Simon and the water bottle. He drank deeply until seized with a coughing fit.

Simon patted Tommy's back and passed the half-empty bottle to me. “Okay?”

“Mhm.” Tommy pressed down against Simon. Then his ass lifted just out of the water. “Awww,” he sighed.

“Good, little boy. Did you have a good orgasm?” Simon cooed.

“Yes, love.” Tommy coughed again.

“I love watching you two, whatever you're doing,” I said.

“We do tend to play harder than you enjoy for yourself with Shaman anymore.” Simon accepted the water bottle back from me. “Can you tell Raanan that he and Gaelan need to change the water?”

“Sure.” Careful not to lose my balance on the sand, I crossed the room to the intercom box. I looked closely at what I'd never described well in the Vala's Story books. My gaze sped through the sections until I found first the slave quarters and then Raanan's room. “Raanan? Simon wants the water in the Oasis changed in awhile.”

“Got it, my Lord,” Raanan said a moment later. “Joelle, good to hear your voice.”

I returned to the blanket and knocked the sand off my feet.

Tommy looked into my eyes for a long moment before muttering, “Thanks, Joelle.”

​“You're welcome. I hope you enjoy the rest of aftercare.” I leaned back against the wall and pondered what I'd been invited to watch.

Looking at Elliot's wonderful picture led me to a thought of a character I haven't worked with in awhile. Sure, it's only been a few weeks since you've seen Audrey (if you regularly read my #MasturbationMonday posts), but I wanted to consider Iven's cock (and genitals) since Kayla mentioned that we “were a little low on cocks.” Well if you know me, that's practically an invitation for me to work with transgender and/or non-binary characters.
--
Audrey held the car door open for Iven. “Get in, my sweet boy.”

“Thanks, my Lady.” With careful movements, Iven settled himself into the passenger seat of Audrey's car.

She slipped into the driver's seat and revved the engine before easing out of the parking spot. “Any thoughts about what the doctor had to say?”

“I'm so glad she said I'm all healed, my Lady. Not having to be as careful about heavy lifting? I'm still unsure about my decision not to have my vagina closed or the procedure where they make it possible for me to pee standing.”

She reached beyond the car console separating them to pat his knee. “Can you put your finger on what's causing your uncertainty, lover?”

Iven laughed. “Lover? Okay, if you like calling me that, my Lady. I don't know. Maybe I'm unsure what it means to me to be a man, since it's not like our culture gives me much valuable guidance.”

“I find you to be an entirely gorgeous man, if that helps.”

“Thanks, my Lady.” He dragged his bright pink tongue over his lips. “My Lady, the doctor did say I'm ready for genital-based sexuality, at least from a physical perspective.”

“Yup.” She grabbed a look out the corner of her eye to see his hopeful expression. “Would you like to spend some time in my bed this afternoon since you're still off work?”

“I would like that very much, please, my Lady.”

She dropped a quick kiss on his cheek. “Rest your eyes and we'll enjoy my bed as soon as we get home.”

-

Iven stood at the doorway to Lady Audrey's bedroom. His heart seemed to pound in his ears.

As she pulled down the comforter and flat sheet, Lady Audrey watched him.

“I hadn't had any gender confirming surgeries yet, the last time I was in your bed, my Lady.” He brushed his fingers over his thigh. So glad no phalloplasty meant no skin graphs.

She nodded. “Are you feeling better in your body?”

“Very much. Thank you for all your help with it, my Lady.” Why is she treating me like it's my first day as a sub?

“Strip and place your hands on your neck,” she ordered.

He yanked off his sweats and shirt before tossing them toward her hamper. One foot at a time, he stepped on the toes of his socks and pulled his foot out. He sucked in a deep breath and held it with his fingers inside the waistband of the red boxer briefs Lady Audrey had bought him. With a shake of his head, he released the held air and pushed the underwear down his body. I picked the correct procedures for my comfort. I like the way my body looks now. Her low moan drew his gaze up to her face.

“Should we have renegotiated things before you stripped?” she growled.

“No, my Lady. We've already worked through new language I find comfy and I'm all healed. I'm excited to see if and how I appreciate your touch even more 'cause I like my body this way.”

“Was the pause in removing your underwear about worries on what I'd think of your cock size?”

He swallowed hard as he followed his hands against his neck. “Yes, my Lady. I like it, until I'm reminded about how small I am in comparison.”

“To other guys' cocks? Or to mine in specific?”

“Um, in general, I think, my Lady.” He tightened his fingers' interlacing.

“Do you need to put on your sports binder to feel comfortable?”

“Please, my Lady!”

“Go do it and then resume position!”

Iven ran to his room, nabbed his tan-colored sports binder from its spot in the drawer, before he pulled it up his body. Adjusting his breasts so they were compressed better, he tried to slow his breathing. He returned to her bedroom with more controlled steps.

“There. You feel better?”

“Yes, thanks, my Lady. My offer still stands if you wanna get top surgery.”

“I know, my Lady.”

“Rearrange the pillows and blankets so you can lay in the middle of my bed, be comfortable, able to breathe.”

“Yes, my Lady.” Iven ran across the carpet and slid on his stomach up her bed. The pressure of his cock pressed against the comforter zinged pleasurably through him. He rose to his knees and piled two pillows together against the headboard. Releasing his breath, he then pulled as much oxygen as he could in his binder. Good thing it's just the sports binder. He lowered his body back flat before turning over and resting from his shoulders up on the pillow.

“Very good, my boy. I have some plans for you.”
--

​Maybe I'm too much in a noveling space (finishing up work on a novel WIP during Camp Nanowrimo as I put together this post), but as you can see, this is already like 800 words and there is no genital-based sex. Audrey says you need to come back next week for part 2.

I got the piece started for Masturbation Monday started before church this morning, although I continued it somewhat there, around my trying-not-to-meltdown. I've also made the change that I have to approve comments before they go live on my site; I do things very different in my writing. I'm not writing for a primarily white, primarily cisgender, primarily heterosexual audience. While I could be turning away readers, I rightly don't give a fuck. I'm writing for people who do or could enjoy erotica/erotic romance, but very seldom find themselves in the pages.
--

Kaya studied the chapter in the ASL phrase book, using her hands to make each sign after she studied it. I can do this. I know these signs well enough. "I want to play now. In Camelot," she signed.

"Yes, Lady," Ailin signed. His Adam's apple jumped. "Thanks for 'voices off' day."

"Sure," Kaya signed. She grabbed his hand and started them toward the play wing. I'll be able to just talk in sign soon. No, both of them said I have to use what I'm learning. She considered the signs before asking, "Your hearing aids in our bedroom?"

"Yes, Lady. After session? He slowly fingerspelled the word 'session' with his eyebrows lifted.

Kaya nodded.

...
Kaya pointed at the floor before signing, "Lay."

Ailin sank to his knees before winging his legs around and slipping onto his back on the stone floor. He spread his feet just slightly more than shoulder width apart before lifting his gaze to Kaya's face.

Turning away from him, she went to the disguised toy cabinet. She spotted a pen and grabbed that for his safe object. Shaking her head, she moved it to her left hand. She sought his gaze before signing, "Safe object."

He lifted his left hand to accept the pen from her. "Thanks, Lady," he signed.

The door opened, admitting The Queen.

"The Queen!" Ailin signed.

Kaya looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Joining us, The Queen?" she signed.

"Like to join," The Queen signed.

Wrinkling her forehead, Kaya pondered her sign vocabulary. Do I really know enough ASL to manage a 2 dom-scene?

The Queen brushed his fingers across her forehead. First in speech then sign, he said, "You will handle whatever you were worrying about."

"How are you so much further in your ASL than I am, my Queen?" she blurted in speech.

"Working with Ailin twice a day, voices off." The Queen clasped Ailin's shoulder with one hand. "Scene?" he fingerspelled.

She pulled the handful of clamps and a glans ring from her pocket. She pointed at them and signed, "These... touch... orgasm."

"Orgasm?" The Queen repeated, signing with both hands.

Kaya nodded.

"Eventually, The Queen?" Ailin signed.

"Yes." Using his index finger The Queen traced a path, like a visual growl, from Ailin's collar to the line of his pubic hair. He took the glans ring from her palm. With a few slow strokes, he increased the gorgeous hardness of Ailin's cock before slipping the metal ring past the head of his cock. He pointed at Kaya, the clamps, and then Ailin.

I don't need to sign to do this. She tweaked Ailin's nipples, one at a time, harder and harder until he gasped. Focusing on his chest and face, she affixed a Japanese clover clamp to each nipple.

Ailin cried out, his lips remaining parted. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the pen.

"Safe object," Kaya signed.

The Queen fisted Ailin's cock as Kaya moved on to pinching up small chunks of his chest and stomach before securing plastic-tipped clamps on them.

"Please, Lady, The Queen," Ailin signed, his hand hovering carefully over him to avoid touching any clamps."

"No," The Queen signed.

Kaya moved between Ailin's legs. She met his gaze before leading it to his hand holding his safe object.

"Lady," he pushed out in a whimpering voice. He released a deep groan when she placed the first small alligator clamp with rounded teeth on his scrotum; the sound continued until he was breathless through the application of three more clamps.

From a pocket in his jeans, The Queen produced a three-jointed urethral sound. He lifted both eyebrows.

Kaya nodded; Ailin closed his eyes for a long moment before he reopened them to the doms' laughter.

"You, The Queen?" Kaya signed.

The Queen nodded. He released Ailin's cock and went to the toy cupboard. Positioning himself so Ailin and Kaya could see, he cleaned the sound with a wipe before grabbing a tube.

Kaya wrapped her hand around Ailin's hard shaft as The Queen dripped what happened to be sterile lubricant over the glans. She watched The Queen grasp the glans ring as he eased the sound into Ailin's piss-hole. She looked to Ailin's hand holding the safe object. Even with her moved gaze, she listened to her boy's soft moans. His eyelashes fluttered, drawing her attention to his face.

"Please, orgasm, Lady," Ailin signed.

"The Queen," Kaya signed. I love the way his hand rocks against the floor as he holds onto the pen. Safe objects are more enjoyable that I even imagined. She moved to his side where she could watch The Queen and Ailin's hand with the safe object.

Ailin's toes curled into the floor as the metal slipped past the final joint into his cock.

Holding Ailin's cock and the sound still with one hand, The Queen signed, "Ready to orgasm?"

"Please, The Queen!" Ailin signed with huge movements even laying on his back.

The Queen lead Kaya's hand to replace his on Ailin's cock. He withdrew the sound a few inches before thrusting it back in.

"Please!" Ailin screeched.

"No voice, boy," The Queen signed.

"Please, The Queen!" Ailin signed.

"Count from 10 to 1. Then you may orgasm."

How'd he put together than second sentence? Kaya pressed her teeth into the inside of her lip as The Queen withdrew the sound.

His right hand shaking, Ailin made a fist and shook it.

Kaya tugged a clamp off Ailin's scrotum; his hand blazed through several number. His counting froze when she removed the next clamp. She grinned to see him sign 3. She pulled the last clamp off his scrotum before grasping his hand. She pressed his thumb against his palm and then urged his middle finger down. She drew his index finger between her lips.

Ailin writhed against the floor as his cum shot out of him, onto the floor, onto his stomach. His left hand relaxed, letting the pen roll to the floor.

The Queen went about gently removing the clamps remaining on Ailin as Kaya lay on her side and curled against her boy. When the last clamp was removed, he also turned onto his side and encouraged Ailin to nestle against him. "Good boy," he signed and kissed Ailin's cheek.

​"Thank you, Lady, The Queen," Ailin signed and closed his eyes to relax in their care.

Okay, we're back into Ailin's POV. I'm undecided if this is the last scene in this figuring-out-story-things-in-fiction thing. I was amused though- before I forget- I'm not sure people realized that this is within my Vala's Story serial and Ailin is just so proper, so submissive that Kaya gets called "Lady Kaya" as a dominant in The Queen's hierarchy, same as Prisca, although only Kaya is directly dominant over him. Of course, this is still days before The Queen is told- which actually happens in the re-written "Gates of the Garden: Book Two" (I know, I gotta stop fixing my serial :D ) Ailin is still holding out on his identity btw- Deaf? Hard of Hearing?
And two bits of explanation for you- in talking about ASL, there is something called ASL Gloss (where some of the English translation of an ASL sign is given in mostly or all capital letters.) Also I'd pondered something called "hand shape" in ASL; rather than trying to describe something like an "A hand shape," I'm giving you the link to go look at the hand shapes in ASL. http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-layout/handshapes.htm
--

Lady Kaya placed a hand on Ailin's shoulder. She spoke one short word.

Her lips moved. Consonant. Ate? Her tongue moved within her mouth. That's a T. Um.

Adan signed, "Hey. Are you so upset that you cannot manage to figure out?"

Ailin nodded.

Adan signed, "Wait. Our Lady wants you to wait." After a moment of Lady Kaya's lips moving, she started translating into ASL.

"This might be better done on paper, but I'm concerned about title use. Does that work okay in ASL?" Kaya asked.

"Can I answer for you, my Lady? Ailin's feeling rough," Adan said.

"Sure," Kaya answered.

"ASL doesn't have a lot of the respect language that English does, my Lady," Adan started, only to have Kaya lift her hand like a B.

"Speaking of titles, for now you and your brother can drop them, at least until we've enjoyed swimming."

"Yes, thanks, my Lady." Adan nodded. "So, there is no Mr. or Mrs. or related words in ASL. While The Queen will need to make a decision once Ailin agrees to tell him or if you decide to push the topic, you can make a decision for now, what pleases you."

"Let's step back into our room." Kaya pointed over her shoulder at their closed door.

Ailin laughed.

"Your gesture was close to the sign for past, my Lady," Adan explained.

They went back into their room, Prisca closing the door after all of them.

"Ready to translate?" Kaya asked Adan.

Nodding, Adan lifted her hands in front of her chest.

"Prisca and I are in agreement of keeping Ailin's hearing between the four of us until after The Queen comes to the mansion this coming week. To that end though, I think we should be careful how much we sign outside of our bedroom so we don't involve anyone else in keeping this from The Queen; honesty is so important to this family. So we will make a decision between the four of us about titles. That said, I need to be sure that you, Ailin, will agree to renegotiate with The Queen about title use once he knows." Kaya tapped her fingers against her thigh. "Well that was a lot for you to interpret, Adan. Do we need to switch over to writing or are you still good?"

"I'm good, but I would suggest, my Lady, that if what you're thinking now is to negotiate with Ailin what he'll use right now with you, until we find out if hearing aids will be able to help him or not, it might be more pragmatic to do this part in writing." Adan turned to Ailin and translated her comment into ASL.
Kaya wandered away to her nightstand.

Prisca said, "Adan? I want Ailin to know that whatever he agrees with Kaya goes for me. Though I have a suggestion that may ease worries about us signing outside our room."

"Yes, my Lady?" Adan replied.

"Why don't we say that Kaya and I asked you both to teach us ASL? We're already both bilingual."

"Oh my Lady! That would be wonderful." Adan brushed her fist over one eye. "I have a book you could start with the manual alphabet!" She ran to Prisca's bookshelf and grabbed one thin book.

They both want to learn ASL. This has got to be some dream. The phrase book? Thank goodness I'm relaxing and managing to lipread again.

Adan slowly demonstrated the sign for LADY-polite, her A hand sliding down her jaw before the thumb of her 5 hand touched her chest and made two small circles.

Is she going to continue consecutive interpreting so she's not SimCom-ing? Ailin turned his attention to Lady Kaya; she'd sat on her bed with a pencil and paper on her lap before gesturing with one index finger. Hoping he wasn't shouting, he said, "If you did that gesture with both fingers, you'd have the sign for COME, my Lady."

"Thank you," Kaya signed.

"I didn't know you'd picked up a sign, my Lady," Ailin cried as he ran across the room to her.

Kaya pulled Ailin down onto the bed beside her and hugged him for a long moment. Releasing him, she then brought the pen and notebook onto her lap. She wrote, "Of course I learned a few signs from seeing you and Adan use them repeatedly. What was that sign Adan showed Prisca just now?"

Ailin accepted the pencil from Kaya and wrote, "Lady, the polite form, my Lady."

"Remember, no title for now. At least not until we agree to what we're going to do."

Ailin put his hand to his hot cheek before nodding.

Kaya hugged Ailin with her arm still wrapped around his waist. She started writing again. "Does the 'my Lady' construction make any sense translated into ASL?"

"Not really, but then none of it really translates well," Ailin wrote.

"What about just using the polite form of Lady that Adan taught? I'm fine with that."

After joining them on the bed, Prisca signed, "Me too."

Joyful laughter escaped Ailin.

Kaya wrote, "Good boy. I like seeing you happy. Everything will be okay." She placed the notebook and pen on the bed before dropping to the floor between his legs. She kissed the head on his cock before sucking it into her mouth.

A moan of pleasure buzzed across Ailin's lips. But, my Lady? He placed his hands on her shoulders as he enjoyed the intimacy. A light touch on his arm startled him.

Adan signed, "Lady Prisca wrote 'no beg.' I don't think Lady Kaya would disagree."

Ailin relaxed his forearms back onto Kaya's bed. His toes curled into their carpet. He sighed when she placed her left hand on his thigh, her right hand cupping his balls. No beg, no waiting for the comfort. Her beautiful eyes as she awaits my release, tries to pull it out of me. His attention wandered across her soft squeezing hand, her warm mouth and tongue relishing attention on his cock. Oh I'm going to come fast if you keep doing that. His gaze dropped to meet hers; the affection and passion in her honey brown eyes filled him with peace just before his orgasm surprised him. He clutched her shoulder trying to warn her of his coming. "Thanks, thanks. Love you," he whimpered. Her gentle swallows coaxed more pleasure from him until he moaned what he was sure was aloud.

After several more moments, Kaya lifted her mouth from Ailin's cock and kissed his inner thigh. Then she stood up and signed, "Come."

Right now, I have a lot of thoughts about Ailin and his hearing loss so that's what I'm writing. I was amused to see the next WIP being on the 27th when I was setting it up (so it would be set up and I could share it with a BR); it made me think of a conversation with my therapist- "Well Christmas is just another day to me." "Yes, even so, you have enough food, right?"
Now as I'm writing, I'm managing to cause detail issues that'll mean re-writing in Vala's Story, although that's totally fine as I'm figuring out stuff about Ailin here so I can show what I need to in her story. Here, we've switched to Adan's POV; she's Ailin's twin, also fluent in ASL, but her hearing is fine. In the structure of The Queen's hierarchy, Prisca is Adan's dominant and the 4 share a bedroom.
--

"Adan, sweet, I know you and your brother sign a lot, but interpreting is a different sort of thing, isn't it?" Kaya asked.

"It is, my Lady, but I would offer you two thoughts: if you don't want me to go for simultaneous interpretation between you and him, I'd have an easier time, and also you could write if you would prefer. Professionally speaking, interpreters tend to work for thirty minutes to an hour, depending on the demands of the situation and a bunch of other facts, my Lady."

Kaya nodded. "I want to keep this conversation short and to ask you and Prisca to join us in the pool after this. Do you mind interpreting? And we should agree on title use while you're interpreting, shouldn't we? Well an interpreter's supposed to be like a tool, so you'd only use a title if the person you're interpreting uses one, right?"

"I could do that, my Lady, although I must admit that I'm not sure where my Lady is at the moment. She went off somewhere in the house, telling me just to hang out here with Ailin, maybe an hour ago."

"Before we start, I'd like you to get Prisca on the intercom."

"Yes, my Lady." Adan got up from the bed, smiling at Ailin as Kaya pulled him between her legs and cuddled him. Studying the intercom panel, she pushed the button for the whole house. "My Lady Prisca, my Lady Kaya would like you to talk to you on the intercom." She waited beside the panel. Why wouldn't he let us say something sooner? Look at our Lady loving on him!

Prisca's voice came suddenly over the intercom. "Sweetheart, does Kaya still want me?"

Adan pressed the answer button. "Yes, my Lady."

Kaya took over at this point. "In about twenty minutes, I'd like to take the twins to the pool. Are you free to join us?"

"I'm just down the hall in Tommy and Simon's room. Be there in a moment," Prisca answered.
Adan returned to Prisca's bed.

"Sweet boy, why did you hide this so long? It's not like dealing with hearing loss would get you punished," Kaya cried out.

Positioning herself so Ailin could see her, Adan translated Kaya's words into ASL.

With halting signs, Ailin replied, "Manly men wouldn't be deaf, my Lady."

"Love, love," Kaya murmured as she kissed his cheeks.

"Brother, you know your hearing loss doesn't affect your gender," Adan signed. She wrinkled her nose. "And this is why family aren't good terps."

"What do you mean by that?" Kaya asked.

"I just put in my own thought there, rather than just interpreting your comment, my Lady."'

"Hm. But I'm sure Ailin knew it was you talking rather than you interpreting me? What if just act like the family we are? Like you could just sign brother before your own comments?"

"Well since we're not at the doctor or anything important outside our family, I guess that's okay, my Lady," Adan replied. Switching to sign, she said, "Brother, I'm going to try to interpret in a more family like way."

"OK," Ailin signed.

"Why do you want to wait to tell The Queen?" Kaya asked.

No beating around the bush with our Lady.

"He's still getting Vala ready. And LGBT Pride is coming, my Lady. Can't we wait until when we're all together, like he said at the last stable meeting?"

"You know he'd rather know something that's wrong so he can help. Sweet, are you so overwhelmed that you're dropping my title so much?"

"Sorry, my Lady." Ailin's face scrunched up like he was about to cry.

"No, no. Tell him he's not in trouble. You're not in trouble." Kaya hugged him. "We might not be following exact interpreter protocol, but I know you're not supposed to talk in the third person like that."

"Hey, what's up?" Prisca said after opening the door and heading into their room.

"We're not going to keep it from Prisca too?" Kaya asked Ailin.

Ailin rubbed his face for a moment before shaking his head. His head bowed, he started to sign. "My Lady, Adan's been helping me to bluff my way through hearing loss for months now. I... I'm not ready for us to tell The Queen yet, my Lady."

Prisca held out her arms and lifted both her eyebrows as she'd no doubt seen the twins do at many a point while signing.

A tear streaked down Ailin's cheek as he nodded.

Prisca caught Ailin and Kaya in a big hug. She stepped back and sat on the bed behind Adan. "Why and how long do you want to wait to tell The Queen?"

"Just until he comes to the mansion in a few days, my Lady, just so I don't have to struggle over the phone or beg someone else to tell him for me," Ailin replied in more certain and emphatic signs.

"Signing and Adan interpreting is working much better than you guessing at what you only half hear, isn't it?" Kaya asked.

Ailin nodded.

"Sweet boy, what do you think about a different hairstyle for you?" Kaya asked.

Brushing a hand over his head, Ailin appeared to be considering Kaya's question.

Don't try to guess what our Lady wants. Give your truth. Adan clasped Prisca's hand where it rested on her stomach as she waited for someone to say something. She relaxed back into Prisca's embrace when he started signing.

"Maybe something that would allow me to show off hearing aids, if my hearing can even be helped by them, my Lady?" Ailin smiled hopefully. "Maybe get enough cut off that we could donate my hair, my Lady? Do you think The Queen would say yes, my Lady?"

"I think he'd be open to it, but are you thinking a buzz cut? I would miss your curls." Kaya pouted.

"Not that short, my Lady." Ailin shook his head. "Might we look online later so we can print out a picture when I ask The Queen, my Lady?"

"So we're going to wait until after Vala's collaring and maybe a day or two for settling in?" Prisca interjected?
"Please, my Lady," Ailin signed with huge gestures.

"And you'll just keep relying on your partial hearing and Adan's help until we tell him?" Prisca continued.

"And writing when we're in your room, please, so Adan isn't having to interpret all the time, my Lady?" Ailin batted his eyelashes at Prisca.

"Sure. Erik is away. Let's go get in the pool naked."

​Adan took Ailin's hand in hers and led him into the hallway to wait on their Ladies. Thank goodness my Lady took it better than I hoped.