DerivativeWings

I like this

University has been eating all my time lately but hopefully I'll be able to finish the final chapter sometime somewhat reasonably timely. I was really hoping to finish it all off back in July when I had more time but it was not to be.

All three

It's time for the next chapter! I'm glad people seemed to have enjoyed the previous one - this story is a little different from what I usually write so I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do it full justice. Just like last time, I've added some extra little world details at the beginning but feel free to skip those if you just want to get into the second chapter. Enjoy! Tidbits of the town Underside server’s bathroom – This pleasant, airy room is tiled in a white and pink checkerboard pattern. Only staff can enter, as they all get a personal key. The chamber pots inside have lids to prevent any bad smell, and a high window keeps the air inside fresh. The window faces the great drop towards the crater’s side, and the great waterfall can just barely be heard inside the bathroom. Later in the day when shifts end, there is sometimes a bit of a queue. Fashion in Tethertown – The blue-and-white skirts of the Underside servers are definitely not anything to be worn on the streets of Tethertown. The city is highly vertical, with side-streets often leading to rickety staircases and rope-bridges. Trousers, a blouse and a short jacket are what the respected ladies of Tethertown wear, though recently even shorter legwear has become quite fashionable with women who spend most of their time outside. Trapped in the Bar Chapter 2 - Mistake and Misfortune Special thanks to Biku! (Not for anything relating to this chapter, just for being awesome in general) This was absolutely not fine. A little less than an hour later, and Laine was squirming even worse than before he had used the pot. He had hoped his bladder would not be getting any fuller since he was no longer drinking anything, but his kidneys seemed happy to add what felt like oceans into his already swollen and tired bladder. Laine was using every trick he knew to holding himself while still being able to act a proper server until his shift ended. At this point, most guests were just buying their afternoon coffee at the register and enjoying it outside in the sun, but some were still having a late lunch. Thankfully, Laine didn’t have to interact with the guests at this point as he was going around clearing the tables after the guests had left them. Whenever he was facing an empty table, he would cross his legs and sometimes give himself a squeeze hoping nobody would see. However, clearing the tables had now put him in the worst position imaginable – right in front of the massive window facing the waterfall. No matter how much his eyes tried to avert themselves from the crashing water, it always seemed to be there in the corner of his vision. Of course, the suggestive imagery of the large crater filling with liquid was hardly lost on him at this point either. The one upside to Laine’s location was the relative privacy he could now take advantage off. The back of the bar was already relatively quiet, with less than a handful of tables taken. Facing the window, Laine’s front was completely obscured. Now, Laine was free to massage his aching bladder and even clutch himself when it felt like he was about to pee. At feeling the hard bulge of his stomach, Laine couldn’t stop a low whine from slipping out. The sound was incredibly embarrassing, but he simply couldn’t help it at this point. Red-faced and hoping nobody heard, Laine kept on scrubbing the table clean with one leg over the other. Despite his troubles, it was just fifteen minutes left until Laine could leave. Given that he had been able to hold himself so far, Laine felt reinvigorated and confident. He could last fifteen minutes. As long as he allowed himself to squeeze and squirm when it became unbearable, he would make it through the day! As Laine was thinking about all this, a group of cheery-looking younger adults entered the café and took their seats near the window. At this point things were very slow, so Laine took notice despite his predicament. A somewhat worried-looking server whose name Laine hadn’t spoken to yet rushed up to where Laine was finishing up his tables. “Hey, Laine, right? They showed up for dinner, but we don’t normally serve dinner for another ten minutes or so… Gus said he’d make an exception, but we’re a little understaffed. I know your shift ends soon, but could you keep them company for a little while we get things ready?” She bit her lip nervously. “Pour up some water for them, you can leave after. Is that ok?” Laine nodded in a somewhat convincing way. “U-um, yes. Mathilda told me about how to-” “Oh, wonder!” Laine was cut off, but the girl seemed to brighten up. Before he could say anything else, she had already rushed off in the general direction of the kitchen. This was not good news for Laine’s tired and stretched bladder. The conversation with the girl had made him seize up, but now that she’d left Laine felt dangerously close to leaking. It was like his body had interpreted him stopping his squirming and squeezing as a signal that it was time to let go. *Spurt* A small amount of liquid rushed into his underwear, reminding him once again of how and why he had to keep holding at all costs. Squirming and blushing, he too left for the kitchen to get water. Greeting him was a neat metal sink and several see-through carafes lined up for him to use. Placing the nearest one under the tap, he started filling it up. Just a single second in, and this was an emergency. He didn’t want to clutch himself and announce his need to anyone that may walk through this part of the kitchen, but he had no other option. Banging his knees together, while using one hand to prevent liquid from spilling out at any cost. The filling carafe took his mind to strange places. He imagined grabbing another for himself and doing what he desperately needed to do, he imagined jumping up the sink, sitting down and lowering his underwear so he could finally…! Fighting back what felt like several potential spurts, Laine was able to turn off the running water as the carafe was almost filled to the brim. The clear water was almost glittering in the sunlight let through the submarine window. Earlier, Mathilda had showed him the location of ice cubes, as well as a certain sour fruit used to add a fresh taste and aesthetic to the water. Now that he didn’t have to listen to the running water any more, Laine was no longer quite as frantic and could cut the fruit into bite-sized pieces without too much of a hassle. Getting the ice proved to be more of a challenge. Squatting down to open the fridge, Laine was immediately greeted with a gust of freezing air. “Haah-ah…!” The frigid breeze traveled past his exposed and trembling legs and continued up under his skirt to caress the sensitive areas protected by clothing. The shock caused another involuntary release, which while much smaller than the first one forced Laine to rock in place as he waited for the overwhelming urge to once again subside. When Laine was certain he wouldn’t immediately wet the floor if he moved, he quickly brought out a tray of ice and carried it to the table. The cold feeling on his hands was quite difficult to ignore, but he managed to endure just long enough to get back to the counter. When adding the cubes and the fruit to the carafe, Laine realized his grave error - the additional volume had now filled the glass jug to the brim. Normally this would be a simple enough problem to solve – just pour out a bit of the water, but the mere thought of draining just a little bit of water from the overfull container almost brought Laine to the brink of a third leak. Instead, Laine did the only thing he could think of. Gripping the handle with one hand, and the other to steady the container, Laine started making his way out of the kitchen and to the tables. This was proving to be an even worse idea than Laine had initially thought. Making sure the overfull carafe didn’t spill took almost all his attention and focusing intently on a liter of liquid precariously held within a fully filled container was not exactly what Laine needed right now. It seemed like a miracle Laine even made it out of the kitchen considering just how full both the carafe, and his bladder, were. Too much shivering would break the surface tension of the carafe and spill its contents all over the floor, but Laine really wasn’t really in a position where shivers were optional. His walk became a desperate balance of desperate squirming to keep his lower flood under constraints while simultaneously never letting it reach all the way to his hands. Eventually, the inevitable happened. The biggest bladder pang yet – it was though his bladder tried to void itself all at once – hit Laine like hammer. He couldn’t help doubling over slightly, in his current posture he was nanoseconds away from starting a stream he couldn’t stop. While his bladder calmed down, the carafe’s delicate balance had been disrupted. Laine reacted just a moment too late and drops of water came crashing out and hitting the floor dramatically before Laine was able to stop the flow. The escaped water had luckily been too small an amount to make a mess, but before Laine was even able to breathe a sigh of relief, a disastrous sensation made itself known. Somehow, a few frigid drops had splashed onto Laine’s leg, caressing him with chill as gravity forced them to run down the skin of his inner thigh. This was too cruel. It reminded Laine of the feeling of wetting himself, streaks of urine travelling down his legs when the pressure reached an unbearable peak. This was ice-cold water, and the sensation would have been highly uncomfortable under normal circumstances. With a bladder as full as Laine’s it was beyond agonizing. He had to close his eyes and squeeze his entire body shut to resist a mortifying wetting then and there. Somehow and against all odds, Laine found himself at the table. There were four young men sitting and talking, seemingly a group of long-time friends. The raven-haired one farthest from the window seemed particularly boisterous, though they all quickly settled down as Laine approached. When serving a table, Laine had been instructed to pour drinks for the guests. But that wasn’t happening today – Laine didn’t know what he would say if they explicitly asked him to, but he knew that he wouldn’t and couldn’t pour water out of the carafe right now. Luckily, nobody questioned him as he simply placed the carafe on the table. “Gil, you ought to ask now that a server is here, you can’t wait.” The tall, raven-haired one urged on his shorter friend who seemed to be blushing, though it was hard to tell with his face turned away. He turned to Laine. “H-hey, could you show me the bathroom, please? I-I’ll buy something first if I have to…” The short one who was apparently called Gil spoke bashfully without really looking at Laine, seemingly hiding behind his curly locks of blonde hair. “Uh, sure. Staircase near the counter, by the ship’s wheel thing mounted on the wall.” Laine pointed in the towards the counter, he himself curtseying as he did. “B-but… Could you show me, I went looking before and I couldn’t find it at all…” The youth was blushing even deeper at this point, the red tint reaching all the way to his ears. The world seemed completely intent on torturing Laine’s poor bladder with obstacle after obstacle. He was tempted to simply deny the request, but Gil seemed so distraught and Laine couldn’t help to feel a certain kinship with the desperate young man. “Please f-follow me sir.” His stutter had been very subtle, and Laine hoped that neither Gil nor his comrades had picked up on it. Laine was in dire straits and beyond, too, but not having to carry the carafe had been a significant boon to his ability to hold. Additionally, the fellow seemed so embarrassed and flustered Laine couldn’t help but want to set him at ease and assist him out of his predicament. “Oh, thank you...!” Rising out of his seat, the young man started following Laine to the bathrooms. At first, he was walking somewhat normally behind Laine – if incredibly stiffly. Soon he gave up on this and instead elected to directly hold himself while blushing furiously. Laine looked back a few times and had never before seen someone so scarlet – Gil seemed close to bursting into tears. The walk to the bathroom was mercifully for both of them very short – Laine really wasn’t sure how Gil could have missed it. The blonde seemed to shy away from the few people they passed on the way, staff and some other guests. Laine had felt vulnerable and defeated just a minute ago but next to Gil he felt like a stoic protector. Though even with Laine’s somewhat restored confidence, he couldn’t stop a few shudders and curtseys on the way so anyone closely observing would still undoubtedly just see two boys desperate for a toilet. The toilet was occupied, though luckily there was no queue. Gil seemed pretty miserable and even closer to crying than before as he made his way to stand near the door. Despite his apparent desperation, Gil refrained from knocking or otherwise trying to make the bathroom’s current occupant speed up. Just as Laine was about to leave, some cruel god seemingly once again intervened to further add to his troubles. It started as a whimpering sound, coupled with the dripping of water. Laine turned around to find that the locked door had been one obstacle too many for Gil. Streaks of pee were making their way down his trousers, dripping out at the hem. The poor youth was sobbing, it seemed he was still trying his best to keep himself contained even though that looked to be a hopelessly doomed effort at this point. For Laine, the effect was beyond paralyzing. Here was someone wetting themselves barely even a meter away, and his own struggle was once again reaching a boiling point. Laine was leaking, and it wasn’t at all like before. While carrying the carafe, he had willed himself to keep himself dry just a little longer. Now, it seemed completely hopeless. Where would he even pee, if he managed to hold on? Making it home was an impossibility, and he’d need to change first. Using the server’s bathroom was just not possible – this late in the day the servers who were done for the day were taking the opportunity to empty their bladders before heading home. Perhaps Laine could pee in an alleyway yet faced with the scene before him he knew he didn’t have any more time. At least he wouldn’t be alone. *Pssht* Laine leaked again, more, this time. The front of Gil’s pants was soaked, but he was still stubbornly grabbing himself. Laine was a single second away from resigning himself to the same fate, when suddenly the bathroom opened to reveal a girl in a strange large hat and a sundress. “OhthankgodIcan’tholditanylonger…!” Gil rushed into the bathroom with superhuman speed and slammed the door behind him. The previous occupant gave him, and Laine, curious looks as she passed them but didn’t comment on either of the pee-dancing wrecks as she left the bar. Laine had been quite unceremoniously left behind. Wetting himself had seemed like his only alternative just a moment ago, yet now such a thing seemed completely unthinkable. Despite several pangs of protest from his bladder and another rebellious spurt, Laine was able to run away from the toilet door before he ran the risk of hearing the noises Gil would undoubtedly make upon relieving himself. When going up the stairs back into the main portion of the bar, Laine glanced towards the direction of the staff toilets. They were far from unoccupied, a small queue of two serving girls waiting for their turn at relief had formed outside. All his options were cut off. He was running out of time. What was Laine to do? Laine's tale will conclude in the next chapter...

Magical micro micturition. I wonder if she had to wait for a tiny toilet to be installed or if the wizards just magicked it into existence for her.

Someone so small uses the human toilet? I guess it’s easier when you have wings to get up there. I say we try and do it! Truly there is nothing that might go wrong.

This fiction contains content sponsored by Wizards of the Coa- -I mean, it was a fun story! Magic: Arena is pretty fun, and seeing more Bouncy + Meta is always nice.

I'll go ahead and add a vote to asking for the toilet if it's not too late. I'm sure the imp has some kind of scheme and I would see it

Foreword This took a really long time to finish (mostly because life caused me to take a writing hiatus when I was half-done) but it's also probably the most work I've put into anything written so far. It's primarily focused on a male protagonist (with a smattering of female desperation/peeing mixed in for good measure). If the people who proofread chapter one way back reads this story they're probably going to question why the heck it took so long for me to release but so is life. The start of each chapter will feature a small glossary of people and places, which I hope will improve the readability and immersion into this little world I've created, though reading these is purely optional. I hope you all enjoy! The main cast Laine Russ – The protagonist of the story. Started working at the Underside recently but has still not completely figured out how to handle being the only male server at an all-female café. While he doesn’t mind the work at all, being thrust into the role of the only male serving at the Underside comes with its own host of challenges. Mathilda Ebb – Worker at the Underside. A friendly waitress girl who tries her best to make the guests feel welcome and the staff happy. In charge of training new employees but does not know of Laine’s “special condition” at the start of the story. Gustaf – Gus is the Baker/Owner of the Underside, whose veins run thick with sourdough and rye whisky. The gruff but lovable man is fiercely proud of his craft but recognizes what sets his dive apart is the servers. He pays them well as a result. Locales Tethertown – A sprawling city fastened with chains to the walls of a massive crater. Tethertown originated as a mining facility drilling the cavern walls for rare materials, and mostly lacks the careful city planning of an architect as a result. The crater’s higher levels are all but depleted of valuables at this point, yet Tethertown still grows. A bustling city of trade and a bit of a cultural melting pot, the city is most famous for the precarious buildings attached haphazardly to the bottom of the city’s foundation. A well-placed window on the floor of such a house can offer you a great view if you’re careful around it. Underside – A café with all-female servers. Terrible, terrible coffee. Serviceable tea. Decent baked goods (Lightgarden has better and cheaper, but you don’t say this to Gus’s face). The main reason the place gets customers other than the friendly staff is the great location. Being that the main part of the café is located underneath the sprawling city, guests are treated to the expansive view of the great lakes underneath. There is a small hand-painted sign outside which reads “Vertigo is no-go”. Trapped in the Bar Chapter 1 - The new recruit [Desperation (M/F)] [Peeing (M/F)] Special thanks to MasterXploder and Dimwitrolo “Welcome to the Underside!” This was not the kind of work Laine had been expecting to be doing when he first arrived in Tethertown. In retrospect, the helpful old man directing him to the nearest place hiring might have been pulling his leg. Somehow, he had gotten the job. The Underside was a café with an all-female staff. When Laine had realized this shortly after his hiring, he had been worried that the owner had gotten his gender wrong. Laine wouldn’t say he looked like a girl, but he could probably still be mistaken for one. He certainly wasn’t powerfully built, and while he did have his chocolate brown hair cut short, such a look was becoming trendy with the girls in Tethertown as of late. The owner, sensing his distress and confusion, had explained that if Laine didn’t reveal himself to the patrons and worked as hard as any other server it would not become an issue. Apparently, they had been short on hands for a while now and could use even a girlish boy. Laine had been running the register to get people their baked goods and drinks during the morning, which had been mostly successful. He couldn’t do it alone yet, as he wasn’t allowed to touch the monstrosity of a contraption that was the coffee machine, but hopefully he’d be able to learn in time. Now, during the lunch rush, he was navigating the wooden interior of the café, taking orders and serving customers. Laine had quickly taken a liking to the job. The view out the giant glass windows on the bottom floor was breathtaking, and the patrons had endless tales to tell the new server. Sunken treasure, monsters in the mines, and the origins of the crater Tethertown resided in. Laine had no way to sort truth from fabrication but was nonetheless smitten by the strange tales of adventure of his new home. The other servers treated him well, though he was a little embarrassed being the only boy serving in the shop. For some reason the owner of the café, who Laine now knew as Gus, had refrained from telling them about Laine’s gender. Laine had no idea why, and if he could reveal this fact to the girls. It’s not like he had a way to bring up the subject anyway, even if he wanted to. The only part of the job that bothered Laine at this point was the clothes he had to wear while serving. The blue and white skirt and blouse fit surprisingly snugly and was quite modest. However, Laine was certainly not used to wearing skirts, and walking from table to table with his bared knees revealed for all to see was rather quite embarrassing. Still, Laine had been incredibly relieved that panties had not come as part of his kit. Instead, he had been given white boxer-style underwear which fit well and would make a potential wardrobe malfunction much less of a total disaster. Now, halfway into the work day, Laine was confronted with a bit of an issue. The lunch break had come with free food and drink, and since he was still new to the city, it had seemed a good idea to make use of a free meal when presented with one. At this point Laine certainly wished he had held back a little, especially on those drinks. However, as Laine had previously found out on his first day, going was not as simple as one might expect. The servers were prohibited from using the customer’s bathroom, having one to themselves. There was just one problem with that bathroom; it lacked any semblance of privacy. The server's bathroom consisted of three porcelain pots. When he first had tried going in there to pee he had found it “occupied” by a fellow server, causing him to leave the room as quickly as he’d entered. After that he had vowed to simply use his the toilet of in his rented room, which had worked out so far. But today, serving had gotten progressively harder as Laine’s bladder filled far beyond the point where he would usually rush for relief. His smiles became less confident, and his walking from table to table stiffened. He started avoiding the big windows, as the massive waterfalls lining the walls of the crater were simply giving him too much trouble at this point. “Hey, do you need some help?” Feeling the light tap on is shoulder, Laine instantly tensed. He turned to find Mathilda Ebb standing behind him. Mathilda was a friendly girl from the staff, red-haired and taller than Laine. She had taught him the ropes around the bar. And while Laine had quickly developed a liking to the girl, now was not the time to have a conversation. “Ah, no. I’m fine...!” To his own ears, Laine’s words seemed weak and unconvincing but hopefully it wasn’t as noticeable as he feared. “Thanks for showing me around earlier, I really – hnn!” A powerful wave from his bladder caused Laine to tense up, and he couldn’t stop himself from raising one of his legs in a particularly unsubtle way. “I see.” Mathilda scanned Laine’s squirming form, analyzing his embarrassing posture. “You need to pee.” Laine’s face heated up. He didn’t quite know how to react in this situation. Not only was he bursting at the seams, he was now thrust into a social situation he had no way of navigating. He did need to pee and needed it badly. But he could not see how Mathilda could help him with that without him revealing his secret in the most embarrassing way possible. “Don’t worry, this is actually quite common for new servers.” Mathilda let slight giggle slip, causing the curls of her fiery red hair to bounce a little. “If you’re shy, I can guard the bathroom while you go – just be quick about it.” Laine’s eyes lit up with a new hope. It wasn’t a permanent solution to his bathroom troubles, he’d still have to figure out a way to pee in the future. But an easy way for him to relieve his aching bladder seemed like the gift of gods at this point. After Laine had gotten his blushing and thanking out of the way, Mathilda hurried him to the bathroom. Laine entered, as the girl waited outside. Once again, Laine was greeted with an unwelcome sight upon entering the pink and white checkerboard-tiled room. Faced with the shapely behind of a tinkling girl, Laine tensed and turned away quickly. The girl was peeing without a care in the world, causing Laine’s bladder to throb as joining the server girl’s splashing melody became more and more tempting. Until the server girl finished, Laine was trapped. Peeing in this situation was out of the question - but he couldn’t even leave the bathroom until she finished. He wouldn’t make it out dry if he did - plus he’d look silly leaving. And surely Mathilda would notice something wrong if he left so soon. Laine could hear the girl humming a little song while she wiped herself and gave Laine a look of confusion as she passed the red-faced boy in a skirt. Laine almost felt a little dirty as he approached the chamber pots. He wasn’t supposed to be here. This was a sacred sanctuary set up to provide the girls of the Underside with respite and relief, and twice he had entered here to see something he shouldn’t have. Regardless, his bladder was full to the point where it was too urgent to worry about this. Laine would have to work on his soiled pride and tarnished chivalry at some other point. Trying to do it while standing would surely result in calamity for the bathroom and his clothes at this point, so hiking up his skirt and sitting down on the closest pot, Laine readied himself for the relief. He couldn’t pee. Laine was being tag-teamed by two problems. An intense pee shyness had gripped him as soon as he sat down over the pot. Even though he knew that Mathilda was keeping guard outside, that wasn’t helping him feel any less exposed. The second problem was even worse: the imagery, brief as it had been, and sound of the girl from before had triggered a particularly embarrassing response from Laine’s own body. He couldn’t help it, and unless he was able to do something about it, peeing would be nigh impossible. Laine was panicking. The pressure just below his navel was more intense than he was used to, emptying was not just a want, it was a need at this point. He’d been on the pot for at least half a minute, but nothing was coming out despite his straining. The stress and pressure were not helping his efforts to calm down one bit, either. Just when Laine was seconds away from crying at his predicament and giving in completely, there was a knocking on the door. “Are you doing okay in there? Do you need help?” A massive shiver traveled through Laine all way across his spine as the unexpected voice shocked him out of his despair-filled concentration. The tension in his body left him completely as he was finally able to start his much-needed pee. “I-I’m okay, just need a little bit longer...!” The stream felt a little uncomfortable leaving him – as though his body had not yet completely readied itself yet. Even so, Laine tried his best to stay relaxed as he feared stopping would make it impossible to start once again. The relief was quite intense, even as Laine’s lower stomach hurt quite badly due to the pressure from his bladder and the tension of forcing his body to empty itself. His lower part was protesting too, tense as it was against the liquid moving through him. Still, easing the terrible pressure in his bladder was worth all this discomfort - and more still. Suddenly, his pained reverie was interrupted by yet another knock. This time it had the opposite effect, grinding his stream to a painful and unexpected halt. “Hey, are you done soon? Another server needs the bathroom, so you need to hurry it up.” There was some hushed conversation Laine couldn’t completely make out, but he could hear some words from a voice other than Mathilda’s. “Rookie”, “No breaks, damnit” and “Absolutely bursting here”. Getting his stream going a second time seemed like an impossibly pitiful dream. His bladder was now dealing with the renewed stress of having to start peeing quickly, of course. But his other problem had flared up once again, hard. The combined imagery of the brief glimpse of peeing butt he had witnessed before, combined with the frantic suggestions from outside had pushed him over the edge. Laine quickly made up his mind. Continuing to sit on the pot while preventing a desperate girl from entering the women’s bathroom was simply more humiliation than he could bear. Now that his bladder was no longer seconds away from emptying on the floor, the chivalrous alternative was now a viable option and as such the only option - even if it left him with a half full bladder. Wiping (it was faster than shaking the pee off) and quickly getting his underwear up he exited the bathroom, letting a red-faced and potty dancing girl enter in his stead. He gave Mathilda a smile that he hoped came off as thankful and confident. He had gotten to partially empty his bladder. He could make it through the day. It was going to be easy - it had to be, since he didn’t have any other choice. This was going to be fine! Laine's tale will continue in the next chapter...

This is a pretty cool one. Multiple-people desperation is fun and so is the setting.

Biku is the best. The queue-girl’s name is Selista.

Foreword: So... Yeah. This basically started as a dumb joke that like four people saw and somehow turned into a full story. It's definitely something, I hope at least some people will enjoy the peculiar style I've written in this time. Since it's a small-ish story I didn't get anyone to do a read-through on this one - I hope that the quality doesn't suffer too badly as a result. Note that the story is standalone and probably won't have any sequels or prequels. Probably. Enjoy! The City of Plex Our protagonist, magical trickster Elln, has found herself in quite the pickle! Accepting to deliver a package for the Scrambled Wizard had seemed like easy money, yet had proved to be not so. In her eagerness for a big payment she had foolishly uttered the word “yes”, which was all the wizard needed to work their enchantment into Elln’s unprotected mind. She should have been more suspicious of the wizard – between her and the delivery point lay the implacable southern wastes and certain death for an unaware traveler. No matter, she had crossed the Irgut Sea by disguising herself as a high priest of the marine god Glamuzt and stealing one of their incredible scrolls. She had made her way past the Monodands of the haunted Helmut Moor, and the great Tundra of Yarwhel where nothing lives. Elln the Eclectic would by no means be held from her destination and freedom. Still, traversing the jungle had proved an impossible task, the great chatter of the region’s two-faced monkeys greatly confused Elln, and she always seemed to end up where she started at jungle’s edge when the sun set. Elln would hardly give up, but she could recognize a futile effort when she saw one – and promptly decided to search the area for someone who might explain the peculiarities she had run into and how to avert them. Sustenance was for the first time in a long while, not a problem – the edge of the jungle had trees bearing juicy and flavorsome fruits which Elln ate with no reservation since her innate magic would warn of poison. Eventually she came upon an unexpected sight – domed stone houses and paved roads, and a great observatory. Certainly, Elln had not expected to run into civilization so far to the south – the roads led nowhere, and the village seemed to lack a harbor, yet it did not suffer the signs of abandonment and ruin. Boldly, Elln knocked on the wooden door of the building closest to her. Gently the door opened, revealing a woman perhaps three to five years older than Elln. “I inquire for the means to travel the jungle, and a place to stay the night. In addition, I would make use of your facilities after a long day of travel.” “A visitor in Plex, indeed! It is best you quickly learn our ways to avoid a costly mistake.” “I concur – but then may I borrow your bathroom first, so I can hear your explanation in full and without any discomfort?” “Such is not the way of Plex!” “Then where can I relieve myself? I am not without urgency, you see.” “All in due time. The center house holds many facilities one can use at a fee.” “A fee! Surely the people of Plex have other options or else face financial ruin.” “By no means. The lord sorcerer owns these lands, and while fruit is plentiful and consumed without penalty, thusly taxes are collected. I would advise against relieving yourself elsewhere – such acts often prove costly for the offender.” Elln had noticed a restlessness about the woman, and now she knew why. After days in the jungle, she carried only a small sum of money – presumably not enough to pay the fee. Elln would have to hatch a scheme, and as she squeezed her legs together, realized she would have to be quick about it, too. The center house was easily recognizable since it was larger than the other houses and was seeing considerable traffic. If this truly was the village’s only bathroom this might be explained, yet the folk of Plex must be truly daft and backwards if they would willingly follow such draconian laws. Surely, Elln could take advantage of this backwater foolishness – convincing the right people to let her use the toilet should be a trivial affair. Before entering the facility, Elln took a quick detour into a secluded alleyway. Making sure she was unobserved, she activated her magic cloak with a shake. Once for a pauper and then again and she became dressed as a lady of birthright; a billowing yellow dress with plenty of lace. When entering the center building she took great care as to appear regal, adjusting her posture and expression. Within, she came face to face with a pale woman behind a large wooden desk. “We offer two such services; firstly, ordinary service for 3 pieces” The desk-lady points at the queue of women. “secondly, for a mere 17 pieces we offer extravagant service.” Such devilry! The ladies of Plex would undoubtedly keep their toilet visits to a minimum, so that when they did in fact enter the manifold sounds of relief would no doubt prompt a hasty decision. Despite the significantly lower price for the “ordinary” facilities, many must have been forced to pay the great premium of “extravagant” just to skip the queue, Elln mused. She was only in the possession of a single piece, which she had hoped would pay for a simple meal and lodgings. “Of course, as I am a woman of great import, I shall be using the extravagant service.” “Excellent! Please place your deposit into this tube. It will serve as your key to open the extravagant facility, so be mindful of it.” “I see! However, a lady of my stature would not carry cash, and my escort lags behind.” “That is not a problem. I promise to ensure one extravagant facility remains available to you until their arrival.” “Surely you can accommodate me better than that! I have traveled far and who knows when my escort will arrive? Why, I could take one of your tubes and fill it up later!” Elln ensured some signals of her need reached the desk-lady, a slight hunch forward and a few fidgets interspersed throughout the conversation. “By no means! Unless the tube has been filled with coin, it won’t open the door. I am certain your aide will arrive in good time and should they not, all know that women of higher status are in possession of strong mental and physical fortitude to withstand and endure as a true lady does.” Elln did not appreciate the desk-lady toying with her in this manner, yet just before she started to protest a girl from the “ordinary” queue left it to rush towards the desk. “Please allow me to use the “extravagant” facilities and quickly now, I have the coin.” The girl was distressed in both the tone of her voice, as well as her frenzied movements. The source of her misfortune could have been discerned by a man blind or deaf, though probably not both at once. “Unfortunately, I have promised the currently unoccupied “extravagant” facility to the highborn lady right here, who currently waits for her aide.” This desk-lady seemed a deviant to Elln, who took such a delight in the misfortune of women in need of a bathroom. The distressed girl turned to Elln pleadingly. Under her dress, she seemed to be doing everything a woman can to keep herself contained and though her dress hid her legs, the sound of her shoes against the stone floor expressed a feverish though doomed dance. Elln was not heartless. “You may let this girl ahead of me. Clearly she is of lesser stock and will not last, unlike myself. I shall be off to fetch my servant, who must be loitering or lost.” The girl gave Elln a look of intense gratitude. She snatched the tube after the desk-lady filled it with her coin and haphazardly started to walk towards the “extravagant” facilities. Elln was shocked to witness the girl start the process of hoisting her dress before she even entered the bathroom – and in such a public place no less! Elln quickly left the building, as even the “ordinary” queue offered no guarantees and her situation was, in all honesty, getting quite dire. Turning right out of the center house, she made for the nearest alleyway. Out of sight, she once again shook her cloak and uttered the magic word to return her dress to travelling attire – a pair of sturdy trousers and a tunic were far more suited than a dress to her task at hand. Once safely in the alleyway Elln wasted no time in checking her surrounding and did not spend a second admiring the slight bulge of her belly pressing against her belt. Instead she simply removed her trousers and undergarments, tossed them aside unto the cobble, and positioned herself against a wall. Elln had no skirt or dress to hide herself under as a well-bred lady might, and no cover of darkness that might obscure a woman of lower repute. She herself was bared, as was her deed, to any who might pass or even peek into the alleyway. Indeed, such a thing could be called careless or even callous. Most definitely was it shameless – even a sailor wife and barmaid would blush at such a display. Elln urinated fiercely and noisily upon the stones, even allowing herself to twice pass gas onto the street – her relief was total and she would be denied nothing. What she hadn’t noticed, and would come to notice far too late, was the gathering of sorcerous mist upon the streets and all around her. Elln had good reflex and a quick mind, certainly, yet at her own vulnerable moment of bliss she had dropped her defenses – she could not notice the encroaching danger…