Autumn Festival Chapter 2

"And just what the hell do you think you're doing?!" she shouted at the startled khajiit.

The glow of the cat's Night Eye disappeared immediately - to be replaced with a look of horror and embarrassment as she stuttered for words.

"Ma'am! I... I was... cleaning."

Quill stepped into the room fully and set the lamp on the table. "Cleaning? Is that what you call this? Cleaning?!"

"No! Well, I mean... I was cleaning. Earlier. And I was working on the floor... and there was this board..."

Quill sat on the side of the table as the khajiit stood and tried her best to restore herself to some dignity. She was still in her maid's outfit. There was that. Had she truly been in here reading Quill's smut all night?

"I see. And you found my secret books? The ones CLEARLY marked Do Not Read?"

"Ma'am," the maid said, her head bowed guiltily and eyes averted. "I am only a poor khajiit. Curiosity runs strong in us, you know..."

"Stronger than self-discipline it would seem!" Quill finished. "AND it would appear someone has been in my bed as well?!"

"I... your books. They are very... enthralling."

"You've been here reading them all night then?"

"I was just getting ready to put them back when you came - but then this one caught my eye."

Quill sighed. Perhaps she'd caused her maid enough embarrassment already. That the young and impressionable khajiit had been carried away by her own dark imagination really shouldn't be held against her. Who knows how many countless innocents would be corrupted by these if she should ever let them be published?

Now tears were beginning to form in her maid's eyes and Quill's resolve began to break already. She found it impossible to even maintain a front of indignity against such a face.

"Oh for goodness' sakes, go wash your hands. I'll put these away. Then come back here. You're lucky that I have another matter to discuss with you that supersedes this little incident."

The khajiit's eyes looked up hopefully and she curtsied in obeisance. "To be sure ma'am! I'll be right back ma'am! Anything that pleases you ma'am!"
"Oh, go on with you then."

"One thing, though ma'am... can you leave that last book out for me to take home?"

Quill sighed again. "I suppose. What's done is done. Now that you've become a pornography addict."

"Only your pornography, ma'am!"

That tipped the scales and she began to hand over the offending book. "Wait! Not with that hand! You go clean up, then you can have it."

The maid scurried off and she heard the sound of water downstairs.

"DO A GOOD JOB AND USE THE SOAP!" she called as she put the books back under the floorboard. All except "Cat on a Hot Thatch Roof". It was, admittedly, one of her favorites.

Then she crossed to her closet and removed the hidden spare Evil outfit from the back. Well, it was a night for revelations obviously. Time for one more...

Of course the cat came back too soon and she was half in - half out of the Evil outfit.

"Ma'am!!!"

Quill quickly tucked herself in adequately before turning around to face her maid.

"Welcome back, young one," she replied in her best Evil Mistress voice. "You have delved into my secrets enough. It is time for you to know your Mistress fully!"

"Oh yes! I've always dreamed of seeing you in that outfit! You look magnificent!"

"You've... seen this outfit then?"

"Ma'am," the khajiit said with a disappointed look, "I found that outfit the first week I started here. Give me some credit."

"Well, anyway, what do you think?"

"It looks gorgeously evil! And I must say, until I read your 'special' books I would never have dreamed you would actually wear anything so... risque!"

"Ah, this is the part of my personality I don't show around town here. But every few months I take a trip to a far-away land where I have set up an Evil Tower of Doom and terrorize the locals as the Mistress of Evil!"

"That sounds exciting! And you wear that?"

"Well, not on rainy nights. You don't want the leather to get too wet. But otherwise yes! Or at least... that was the plan."

"Oh? Something went wrong?"

The Evil Quill-Weave crossed to her bed and flopped down on it.

"Only everything. It turns out I'm not very good at being evil."

"Well you look very evil anyway."

That made Quill feel a little better. She sat up and looked down at herself. "I do, don't I?"

"You know, I really do need to be punished for reading your books."

Quill smiled. Evilly. "You do, don't you!"

The albino maid reached into the back of the closet and brought out a little riding crop she kept back by the Evil outfit.

"At least ten spankings, I'd say! I've been pretty naughty!"

*****

An hour later, the two were laying beside each other in the small bed with the light turned out.

"I would love to Quilly! Really I would! But I have one request."

"What's that?" Quill asked as she watched the maid's finger trace circles where her nipple would be if she had any.

"I want an Evil Maid outfit!"

"Oh?"

"Yes! Something appropriate! If I'm going to be the maid of the Mistress of Evil, I need to be dressed appropriately too!"

"But... I intend to quit the whole thing! Sell the tower. Why would you..."

"Who knows what the future may hold, ma'am? Please? You've let me in on your secrets. This will really make me feel a part of them!"

"I suppose. We'll get an early start tomorrow and meet with my tailor who designed my outfit. She's really quite talented at such things!"

"Um... Quill?"

"Yes?"

"Since we're going to leave early tomorrow..."

Quill turned to face her maid. "Yes?"

"Can I sleep here with you? Just so we're ready to go. We khajiits are notoriously bad at keeping schedules, you know."

"Yes, there is that. Okay. Just for tonight."

"Of course."

"Well then, goodnight... um... Maid?"

"Maid of Evil!"

Quill smiled at that. "Okay. Maid of Evil then. Goodnight."

"Um... one more thing..."

Quill turned back again. "What?"

"Can you hand me that book? I want to finish it before I go to sleep."