... She winces at the prices. If it's as Palmbrand666 claims, it would be worth saving up for, but... She can't see any indication on this brochure of what actually goes on. It all seems very tasteful. And while on one hand she's grateful for that, the vagueness of the brochure is maddening. 

To Palmbrand666: 

I found their flyer. Looks expensive. They don't mention anything about torture though??? It looks super boring honestly, hard to believe it's the same place

To: ClawsThatCatch

Oh, yeah, they put that out to catch all the normies who wouldn't go otherwise

you want the black/pink brochures not the rose one 

She googles again, more focusedly this time.

There is a pink brochure with gold cursive lettering on it. It has an image of a soft pink collar on it, lying on a red-sheeted bed. 

Welcome to the Rose Bowers, your first step into your sexuality. Whether you're a virgin, new to kink in general or merely to one experience in particular, the Rose Bowers is where you will find experienced partners and staff to mentor you, as well as peers in your new experience to share your discoveries with. Join an accepting, welcoming environment under the expert tutelage of sex educators, courtesans, and therapists, and unlock the joy of a healthy, whole and hearty sexual life. Discounted packages are available to disadvantaged applicants. 

The inner side has the same table of prices, with a few additional entries for discounts - apparently she qualifies for 10% off simply because she is a virgin. The inner image is a simple heart rendered in calligraphy. 

No matter your background, tastes or fantasies, you are welcome at the Rose Bowers, and are sure to find someone just as deeply invested as yourself among our many millions of daily visitors. Through fateweaving systems, we'll find a perfect match for your experience and skill level, and guide you through the process of unlocking the sexually confident and self-knowing person you could be. 

There is more verbiage, about the various safety, privacy and contraception assurances the Bowers offers via their warding systems. 

That... 

Well. She's never had a relationship before. (The girl she burned doesn't count.) 

She doesn't really care about losing her virginity, though. It troubles her, a little. Rarely. But she can masturbate.

She doesn't need anyone. 

She doesn't want this. 

... still, worth reading the brochure. 

On to the next one.

The last brochure is black, and bears red cursive letters, stark against the background. A bowl of blackberries sits on the cover, sitting in their own juices. The liquid pools viscously, clinging, half-dried and sticky. 

For some reason she feels hot, looking at that. It reminds her... 

It reminds her of blood. 

She takes a breath and goes down to the white text below it. 

Welcome to the Blackberry Gardens. 

Within the Rose Bowers Resort, there is a dedicated play space specifically for no-consequences fatewoven play between consenting participants. In other words: If you have fantasized about it, you can do it here, without asking, without flinching, without turning away. You can flow into the motion of your desires as much or as little as you want. All physical damage done is reversed by state of the art Grace warding tech, and mental and emotional harm is prevented by advanced fateweaving. If a scene would cause permanent harm, it never happens. Period.

Liath fumbles open the brochure, and reveals a table with a whip, a flogger, a branding iron, and a cattle prod laid out, along with a coil of rope. Her gaze is drawn across to the text in the left-hand column. 

You may choose to work up to this experience with the assistance of coaches, counsellors and courtesans, or you may plunge in directly. There is no wrong way to use the Blackberry Gardens. Whatever your fantasy is, we will provide the tools and participants necessary to provide it - in extremis, the Goddess Sunaira herself. 

Whatsoever you desire, the Blackberry Gardens will allow you to have it safely and consensually.

That... is pretty damn clear. 

But does she want it? 

She digs her right hand's nails into her left arm, the habit of thought that comes so easily to her now. 

... Yes. 

Yes, she wants that. Even at this exorbitant price. And yes, she'll take the 10% virginity discount. 

To Palmbrand666: 

I looked at the flyers. The black one convinced me. I guess I'll have to save up. Thanks for your help.

To ClawsThatCatch: 

glgl! if you make it DM me about it

To Palmbrand666: 

Will do. Thanks again.

In the meantime, there is work to do. Her life won't stop for her; and she's just graduated college. 

Time passes. 

Gradually, she acquires a small library of fantasies that she returns to again and again. Wishing. Wondering. Hoping against hope that someone could want it. 

She meets a few sadists casually online, but their desires seem pale and weak compared to hers. Who cares about whips. Who cares about canes. What use is a flogger anyway? 

She wants to dig her claws into willing flesh and rip. To bury her serrated tail somewhere very sensitive. To maul someone, really and truly, to break their spirit, to see them suffer.

She wants more. 

To ClawsThatCatch:

Hey

I saw your fic you posted 

someone's into branding, huh? nice nice 

did you get that from me? you love the Silvia series, yeah? and I know that's got a lot of that in it 

To Palmbrand666:

Actually I did that in the other order. I loved the series because it had so much branding in it. So many of the other fics I saw just... don't get the appeal I guess? But I've always wanted to be able to kiss someone and have them enjoy it 

Wait, fuck - 

To: ClawsThatCatch 

You have a problem with that, hot lips? 

To: Palmbrand666

uh yeah actually I do

I'm, uh. I'm from Cthonia. It's like a demon bloodline thing. I don't know why it happens. 

To: ClawsThatCatch

Huh. I'm from Cthonia too actually. I'm there right now. Doing demon shit. 

hope you don't mind a lot of my fans get mad when they find out

To: Palmbrand666

No actually that's fine! I, uh, I also am a demon. Though I was raised on Arcbright. I don't know what... it's like where my parents came from, they don't talk about it. They took political asylum because they were formerly enslaved. 

To: ClawsThatCatch

Oof. Yeah, uh, my family was deposed and now my parents are serving centurylong sentences.

To: Palmbrand666

Oh. 

I'm sorry. 

To: ClawsThatCatch 

I'm lucky they're alive, honestly. At least this way I still get phone calls now and then. 

My auntie - well, she was a nurse under my parents, they employed her, but she's my aunt now - got custody of me and basically raised me 

it's been hard. I write to cope.

To: Palmbrand666

My parents... were very big on control exercises. They wanted to make sure I'd fit into human society. It was hard, at first. And the wanting to hurt people never really went away. Sometimes I wanted to hurt them for it. 

To ClawsThatCatch: 

Do I look like I wanted to hear about how your life has been hard? 

To: Palmbrand666

Sorry. I... yeah. 

Thank you for the stories anyway. They help.

To ClawsThatCatch: 

I try not to imagine hurting the people who did this to my family. They're monsters. My family, I mean. Everyone says so. Even my Auntie says so. She wouldn't understand if I told her I understood them. 

If I can forgive them, I can forgive you too.