Tales of MU Chapter 352: Rough Trade

*Shiver*

I STILL feel like something bad is about to happen.

Re: *Shiver*

Total agreement here. I think I might have to skip that chapter. :(

Yes. Mack may be being admirably careful by looking at the fine print, getting details, extracting an oath, and so on, but I can't help feeling that this situation still has the potential for epic disaster.

Spot the typo

because everybody other person’s got a scabbard or sheath on their belt

"everybody" should, probably, just be "every"

Re: Spot the typo

"I took off my coat and handed it to her, then stated taking off my clothes."

started?

I don't think any trouble starting at the party will be due to anything intentional on Caron's part, she cares too much to be that skeevy. Still, the potential for trouble from Other sectors is staggering..

Also, WTF? Writ of Slavery????

This should be great. I have no doubt that they will get tips. From what the guy in the leather shop said, Mackenzie's response to paddling is unusually pronounced.

PLEASE let it just be her navel...

Sometimes Mackenzie's severe mental development issues cause me physical pain. We could have saved a whole chapter if Caron had just called her "chicken". Bock bock, Mack!

Somehow I can't see Ian being okay with Mackenzie going into the exotic entertainment industry (however much he might like the "fringe" benefits)

Somehow I can't see Mack's lawyer being thrilled with the idea of her getting a reputation for being part of BDSM shows. I know they probably have a Fight Club mentality (don't talk about Fight Club) but with Mack's luck, someone will see them coming or going and try to use that to discredit Mack with the university.

Oh, and I'll go ahead and say it now - I bet Mercy will be there.

I hope this *does* blow up in her face... it was getting a little boring 'round here anyway, and Mack needs to learn that she isn't as smart as she thinks she is.

Agreed. Amaranth could use even more of that than her little toy, actually.

a couple typos

"I’d rather seem (see?) them punished than get my money back"
Before that, Amaranth puts her 'had' on Mack's shoulder.

This chapter makes me want another piercing....granted, more mundane than Mack's will be.

Damn, that's just asking for trouble

Okay, there's stupid and reckless, and then there's utterly insane.

I mean seriously, weigh the odds here. Considering Mack's lifestyle, the odds of her being indisposed by means beyond her control (such as arrested, or knocked unconscious, or teleported into the middle of the labyrinth) are non-trivial.

A society where you can sign your freedom away is pretty scary.

Does anybody else see a MAJOR problem in that Amaranth kept pushing for a piercing after Mack said, and I quote, "Hell no"? Also, that she kept pushing for one where Mack specifically said she didn't want one?

Honestly, I hope this thing is as painful for Mack as possible. I want Mack to say "I didn't want this, but I trusted you and now it hurts." I want Amaranth to suffer, and I want Mack to realize that Amaranth is not good for her.

That disturbed me, too. I thought our nymph would be better than that.

Looks like all the typos were fixed by the time I found it tonight. :)

Anyway, Mack needs to learn that her stubborn streak tends to be more trouble for her than it's worth. She needs a good lesson or two in the negative consequences of being irrationally and stupidly stubborn. Just because she can stick to her wands doesn't mean that she always should. Still, I see this as a potentially eye-opening experience for Mack. She'll probably enjoy it and may even learn a thing or two along the way.

Amaranth's gaze may
Not be the only thing that
Pierces Mackenzie

Anyone who would
Use oil of depilation
Is a Nair-do-well

Mackenzie still needs
A Veil costume that's fit for
The Tomb of Horrors

Yay! You're back!

I suspect she'll go for the navel piercing...somehow it seems like the most appropriate thing to do. Bad feelings about the method of payment, though.

I feel that Mack seeing the BDSM scene is not the most terrible of opportunities.

She's into humiliation/exhibition play, and BDSM dungeons (in my experience) are safe spaces. No one touches you if you don't want to, and the Dungeon Master is there to keep people safe. If Mack really does want to be a 24/7 lifestyler, it would be good for her to see how other dominants interact with their submissives, how play partners work, and maybe get a chance to talk to other submissives.

I wonder just what the trap that Caron is going to spring really is?

I can't believe just how submissive and self-destructive Mackenzie really is, I find it squicks me. Eeeeuw! Think of all the bad things that have already happened to her, and now she's looking for more. Stupid, stupid, Mackenzie!

“Wonderful!” Caron said. “I won’t regret this.”

Love it, the classical AE twist on a common saying.

Anyone else notice that the "binding spell" is not specified in detail?

{eyeroll}

They really are two college kids getting in too deep aren't they? Brava, AE. Again!

Needle of Piercing (+1 vs demonkind)

I had wondered whether Mack was ever going to get pierced, and indeed, whether it was possible to install a permanent piercing in a half-demon. It would need a magic piercing needle just for starters. However, Caron knows what Mack is and seems to consider it do-able. Mack and Amaranth's motivations and actions are, as usual, subject to incredulity and hand-wringing from some of the commentariat. This might indeed be justified. However, the risks from the actual body piercing aren't going to be significant considering the facilities available in tWoMU. Come to that, the risks from any of the common body piercings aren't that great even in the real world. People do sometimes lose sensation in a pierced body part, but often they gain extra sensitivity.

We can also see what Mur-si has been up to. Well, one of the things she's been up to. Mack is going to get increasingly hemmed in by this.

"Writ of slavery" - yes, that sounds about right. They had a similar legal measure in Rome where a magistrate could assign a person to the ownership of another (I assign = addictio; yes, it's where the word "addiction" originates).

Mack's performance at The Tomb of Horrors could be beset by all sorts of problems, and there's a possibility that Mack will get stage fright. However, she and Amaranth should be able to come up with a perfectly acceptable debut performance. Simply coming up on stage with her piercing on display, and being spanked with the Strap of Smiting to a very visible and audible orgasm (or two) should be more than sufficient. If Amaranth was able to work up a little routine, pacing daintily around Mack, drawing out the pauses, making her touch her toes or holding her by her hair, they would likely be in line for a standing ovation and a scattered shower of coin. And while Mack would be drowning in embarrassment, Amaranth would just love being at the centre of the spectacle. She would probably be thinking about repeat performances. So would the audience. And the dungeon master. This is a possible hazard.

Now, are any MU students part of that scene? How about the staff? Or Mur-si? I'm guessing: probably more the seniors; in all probability, yes; she's probably a founder member. Well, Mack's fame could cost her - another possible hazard. It's also a possible career path. Mackenzie Blaise, the diabolical enchantress of desire, is available only on Blazing Lust Productions. We deliver real red hot action - accept no substitutes! Grandma Blaise would not approve.

Ian will probably not be happy about the upcoming performance, but unless he is a piercing fan, he might well be even more squicked by her unexpected body modification. And how long will it be before the rest find out. I don't know whether any of the predators on her floor would be able to scent it out (not a straightforward thing even for a wolf), but Feejee might spot it in the bath. What might her reaction be?

"Hello Mack, I... you... wow... ... Oh, all right, I am a lesbian. Wanna help me ditch my boyfriend?"

I think the more Puddy finds out about this, the more pissed off she will be. She would wish she had had the piercing idea first, and she'd want to be the one on stage, paddling Mack's ass.

"Fine, I'll pay for the damn TV. But I get a turn on stage with the paddle."

Sooni won't necessarily find out. But if she does, how long will it take her to go from "That is weird and disgusting, Miss Mackenzie." to "Come along, Kai-Kai, we're going to get you some pretty jewellery..."?

Steff? We all know what her reaction would be.

Finally (for now), there's Callahan. She's very good at reading posture, and Mack wouldn't be the first student to turn up on the field nursing a new piercing. If she's part of that scene, then she might have heard rumours...

"...skinny, loud, stupid bitch, new piercing there, appearing at the Tomb's Veil party. Y'know, maybe I'll go this year."

Re: Needle of Piercing (+1 vs demonkind)

"'Writ of slavery' - yes, that sounds about right. They had a similar legal measure in Rome where a magistrate could assign a person to the ownership of another (I assign = addictio; yes, it's where the word 'addiction' originates)."
I applaud your research, sir/ma'am.

Lawyer

Well back awhile ago I said something was bothering me and decided not to say anything, but now that someone else has mentioned Mack's Lawyer..... is anyone else wondering how many 'flects Mack has on her hand mirror from Lee that she NEVER checks and hasn't touched in a LONG minute? We haven't heard from Lee in AGES and Mack has a terrible memory.
E

Re: Lawyer

I think she has at least been looking at it - she uses it for surfing the web.

*drools*

That being said, doesn't anyone else think Ian might be a little annoyed that she didn't ask him about it first? He IS supposed to be her boyfriend...

And anything I have to say about the BDSM club has already been said.

Hahahahahahahaha, I can't wait. :B

Also, stupid that they're going to be doing this when Caron JUST warned them to stick to WalledMart and the public bazaar, or Mack risks being kidnapped and sold to Mercy.

prediction

Amaranth is too young to get in (she's 17, right?) Caron shows up, volunteering to take over her half of the performance. hm.

The evening may not be to my taste, but I doubt Mack or master will be that seriously upset. Now that forfeiture clause is something to worry about. She should at least demand that an honest effort to appear reduces the penalty.
Alternately, I get the impression the girls can manage to fork over the 2 Gold if they have to. Paying in advance, with a refund after the performance, would likely be much wiser.