Effort Effigy
mc; Mdom; nosex
The lady behind the counter extended her hand out to the customer. “Good morning, and welcome to Pyramid Dream. My name is Tyre. How can I help you?”
The customer shook her hand, “Thank you. My name is Carol, I wanted to make an appointment?”
Tyre smiled, “Of course, miss. May I ask how you heard about us?”
“I was referred to by one of my friends.”
“Someone from school?”
“No, a friend of my mom's. She told me to mention her name?”
“Yes, we're offering discounts on future visits to people who refer others to us. We'll do the same for you, of course.”
“Thank you. Her name is Patricia Lynn.”
She started typing into her computer, “Please just give me a minute while I find a proper appointment.”
Carol nodded. She couldn't help but notice a ring on each of Tyre's hands. “Does this job pay well?”
“It's a very rewarding job, one that I've been proud to hold for over 10 years now.”
“Are there... any openings?”
“Not here, dear, but many of our clients have told us how our treatment did wonders for their lives and their careers.”
Carol perked up at that, “She said the same thing.”
“I'm sure she did. Ah. I have an opening here in two weeks. The 26th, 10 am.
“That will be fine.”
Tyre handed Carol a clipboard. “Just put your name, address, and phone number here, please. Mary will set you up as soon as I give her your information and the information of her referral.”
Carol did as she was told and handed the clipboard back.
Tyre looked it over, “Very good. Thank you very much, and we'll see you in two weeks.”
“Thank you very much. I'll see you then.” Carol walked out.
Mary was in another room going over the payroll for the staff. On her arm was a bracelet decorated with several sparkling emeralds. She had already put down her work in order to look over the information Tyre had given her. Patricia Lynn was confirmed as having been a former customer and now a recruiter. She worked for a cosmetics firm as a saleswoman. She quickly composed an email and sent it to the boss.
In a large mansion some distance away, Mr. Viscount Anue quickly looked over at his smartphone as the email appeared. He grabbed his “scepter”, a large collection of birthstones set into a rod of shaped steel. He tapped it on the ground twice, “Myra! Come in here!” The tapping was unnecessary; he just liked the gravitas the ritual seemed to have.
Within a few minutes Myra entered the room in her french maid uniform. Her thick red hair ran down her back, and she greeted him with a small smile and wide, sparkling eyes. She wore a diamond-studded necklace. “How may I serve you, master?”
Have Patricia Lynn contact you and get me the information on Carol Sanderson. Report back to me as soon as you can.”
Myra bowed her head, “As you wish, master. Patricia Lynn shall contact me as soon as she can and provide the information she has on Carol Sanderson. Is there anything else, master?”
“No. You may resume your duties.”
Myra bowed. “Yes, master.” She began to walk away when her phone rang. She answered it. “Hello. Who is speaking? Acknowledged. 5 foot 6, 125, brunette, shoulder length, 17 years old. Working as an intern at KaDyne Insurance. No further information. Thank you.” She hung up. “Is there anything else, master?
Viscount tried not to laugh. The predictability could be a charm as often as it was a bore. “No. You may resume your duties. Toni will set Carol Sanderson up as usual.”
Myra bowed. “Yes, master.” She walked away and left the room.
“Hello. I'm here for my appointment.”
Tyre beamed. “Welcome, Carol. We've been expecting you. Just keep walking down this hall and one of our staff will assist you.”
“Thank you.” Carol walked down the hall until she met a charming young man hold a bathrobe.
“Hello. My name is Brett, and I'll be your relaxation coordinator this evening.”
“Really, why do they give you employees such weird titles?” asked Carol teasingly.
Brett laughed and shrugged, “All part of the job, miss. Now, if you'll follow me please.” He led Carol to a small room which seemed empty save for what appeared to be a small backpack and a large table with legs folded and hanging on the wall next to her. There was a faint fragrance, but she wasn't sure were it was coming from.
“Here we are. Just give me one moment, miss.” Brett bent over, and that's when Carol noticed that there were two handles on the floor. Brett grabbed one and opened one side of the floor up as if it was a door, lifting the section and then sliding it into a slit on the floor itself. He did the same with the other side.
Carol peered at the now unrevealed jacuzzi tub, steam gently wafting into the air. “That's pretty nice.”
“Thank you miss. Our boss believes in this place very much.” Brett carefully opened the pack, placing its contents and the robe next to the bath. “Please enjoy yourself. I'll be back in one hour.”
“Thank you.” Once Brett had left, Carol carefully took her clothes off and stepped into the tub. She took a deep breath and relaxed. The water was perfectly warm, and the scents of honey and lavender filled her head. Small jets of water pulsed themselves gently around her. She felt almost dizzy as she took it all in. Already a part of her just wanted to drift away into sleep. For a few seconds she immersed herself in the waters, resurfacing soon after. She had never experienced luxury quite like this in her life; this normally wasn't the kind of thing one could afford at her age. But when her mom's friend told her about this place and how cheap it was... well, why not celebrate her new job and new apartment?
It was ten full minutes before she turned lazily towards the bottles and soaps and other things Brett had left. Body gels, bath salts, soaps, shampoo, conditioner, even a bottle of bubble bath. All them them with wondrous and occasionally unidentifiable fragrances. Bathing brushes and bathing mitts too. She took her time washing herself, caressing her skin with gels and soaps that were smooth as silk. Her hair was next to clean, and she could feel it becoming sleeker and smoother in her hands as she did so. All her troubles seemed to drift away with the steam.
She had barely finished and was resting when a soft knock on the door brought her out of her reverie. “Miss?”
“Oh... I'll be out in just a minute.” Carol got up and left the tub before she put on her bathrobe. The terrycloth felt great against her skin, and she wondered idly if she was the first person to have worn it.
Brett walked in, carrying another, larger bag with him. “And how are doing, miss?”
Carol took a deep breath, “It's wonderful.”
“Very good.” He lifted the sections of floor back up, covering the tub again. With a smooth motion, he unfolded the table's legs, took it off the wall, and set it on the floor. Noticing for the first time how wide it was Carol looked in admiration, but felt too lazy to say what she was thinking. As if responding to a comment he was familiar with, Brett explained, “It's not as heavy as it looks miss, and I've been doing this for years.”
“Mm-hmm...” If only he were a few years younger...
“Yes. Alright. Just get on and we'll continue.” Carol did so, lying face-down and resting herself on the cloth which now lay sandwiched between herself and the table. Her feet and head dangled delicately as her hands lay on her side. Brett opened the bag and pulled out small glass jars, each of which contained a large stick of incense. He place four of them on each side of the table and lit them, the scent of jasmine filling the air. Then he set down a metronome, placing a small ruby on top of the pendulum rod before he started it up. “Just breath with the rhythm, Carol. In and out, in and out, slowly and peacefully.”
Brett then knelt down and started gently kneading her feet. Carol moaned in time as she felt a gentle wave of energy slowly rise within her. “You can feel the energy within you, Carol. Just relax as it takes away all your aches and pains.”
“Hmm... yes...”
He massaged the soles of her feet, “That warm, gentle wave slowly rising, the soft heat soothing your tired body and removing all that hurt that's been stirred up in you. Do you feel it?”
“Yes...”
“Doesn't it feel good?”
“Yes, so good...”
“Excellent.” He continued for a little while longer. As the metronome ticked, on, he moved on to her hand. He cradled her right hand in his hands and gently rubbed it it. And now, you slowly feel that wave of warmth growing within you. It's the warmth of your own life, and now it's taking away the stresses of your own life. Do you understand?”
“Yes...”
“Good. Very good... You are feeling relaxed, and open, and you know that if you talk about your stress and your life it'll help your body to handle it and feel better. Do you understand?”
Carol felt herself floating in that tide of calmness, feeling more peaceful than she had in years. No knots or pain. No reason to be guarded, not in here. “Yesss...”
“Very good. Tell me, Carol, do you live alone?”
“Just... moved...”
“You are trying to be independent, is that correct?”
“Yes...”
“But being independent means you don't get to be with your family as much as you'd like, right?”
“Not... really...”
“Are you dating anyone right now, miss Carol?”
“....................no.”
Brent nodded. She'd do. “All alone. You feel lonely, don't you.”
“....”
“Do you feel tense again?”
“Y-Yes.”
“Just listen to the calm in my voice, Carol. It feels so much better to go along with it. Let it join you and take that tenseness away again.”
“Along with it... yes...”
“You feel lonely, don't you.”
“Yes...
He started massaging the palm of her hand, “And work? What do you do for work?”
“...Interning....data entry.”
“Where, Carol?”
“KaDyne Insurance.”
“Is it hard work?”
“Sometimes...”
“How so?”
“Tedious, sometimes.. not much pay... don't...”
“Someone who relaxes at the start will never get ahead, is that how you've felt?”
“Yes...”
“And I'm sure they don't give you the respect you deserve, Carol.”
“....no...”
“But don't worry Carol.” Brett finished the right hand, moving onto the left, “I'm here to help you.”
“Help me...”
“Yes. Carol. Now relax.” He started on her left hand, firmly but gently. “Remember that warmth? Now feel it spreading, past your body and into your mind and soul.”
“Yes... I feel it...”
“Good. Feel that warmth drown away all your stress and worries. Feel them slowly melt away.”
“Ye....”
“Good. No more pain, no more worries, just contentment and happiness.”
“....”
Brett couldn't see her face, but he could tell she was smiling. “Very good.” He took out some palm wine from his bag and poured some on her back. He softly rubbed it into her skin,“You are pure in peace and contentment.”
“Pure...” Carol could feel the liquid seep in to skin. She felt as if her very spirit was marinating in joy.
“Yes. Very good. Turn over, please.”
Carol tried halfheartedly, but the warmth she was enjoying left her lethargic. She was vaguely grateful to feel a pair of strong hands patiently assist her.
Brett carefully began wrapping Carol's feet in linen strips, and then placing them on her body one by one, starting at the bottom of her legs and delicately working upward. Carol could feel the salty powder that saturated the underside of the strips. She sensed her legs dry out and the skin harden as they went numb. “You have been freed of your afflictions, and now comes the last step. With this last treatment, you will be protected from that worry for the rest of your life. How does that sound?”
Brett paused.
Carol smiled beatifically, “Wonderful,”
“Excellent.” Brett continued working his way up until the strips started covering Carol's torso and hands. She lost feeling, and as the strips went above her chest, she lost the sense her heartbeat. The metronome went quiet at that moment, stopped by his hand. Carol felt herself freeze in time, a moment of contentment that would never end.
A voice appeared sluggishly in her mind, “Close your eyes and breath through your nose, Carol. We're almost done.”
Carol did so, and Brett finished by putting the strips over her face. No feeling of movement. Almost her entire body was numb and rigid under the linen, and her mind along with it. Carol felt as if she was both in a rigid shell and in a featureless void. She could no longer think hard enough to put it into tangible thoughts, but deep down she knew that sadness would never penetrate again. The only link Carol had to the outside world was her nose, and the soft, shallow breathing it continued to perform.
“You've been excellent,” praised the voice. Brett removed the ruby from the metronome and tied it to a small string, suspending it above Carol's face. “One last step. Just keep breathing, and let it all go...
Carol breathed softly, keeping to the same soundless rhythm of the swinging ruby she could not see. Nor did she notice the glow that now permeated the air leaving her nostrils. The air wrapped itself around the ruby, caressing and being absorbed by it. Brett stood there patiently until the air connecting Carol and the ruby thinned down to a thread and became invisible.
Pocketing the ruby, Brett quickly removed the linen strips, slid the table over, and uncovered the tub. Dipping his hands into the water as necessary, he rubbed Carol all over, feeling the skin's softness return under his hands. Neither of them felt any emotion or excitement at this; it was all part of the process.
He took the ruby into his hand and spoke, “Alright then, we're done. Dry off, get clothed, and you can drive home safely. You'll get further instructions in the future, but for now just resume your normal life and act accordingly.”
The body of Carol Sanderson sat up. “Thank you very much. I've had the most wonderful time.”
“Why thank you, and be sure to recommend us to others. In an appropriate way, of course.”
“Of course.”
Having picked up the ruby from Pyramid Dream that morning, Hollie now stood before Mr. Anue. “I've picked up the ruby as you asked, master.”
“Very good. Please repeat the remaining standard instructions.”
“I am to report to Dorothea to have the ruby added to my bracelet for safekeeping until one of sufficiently high position in her company can be made your proxy. Is there anything else, master?”
Viscount smiled, even though he knew her mind was incapable of making any errors in the repetition. He kept a firm grip on his scepter, “Yes, a glass of wine, please. The usual. Then resume your normal duties. That will be all.”
“Understood.” Hollie bowed and left.
Viscount nodded. A new pawn in a new company. It wasn't much, of course, but it was his foot in the door. She'd recommend the place to her immediate supervisor, who'd recommend it to theirs, and so on and so on until another company was his in all but name.
That was something worth celebrating. He thought fondly back of the old days, back when he had to perform the ritual himself. He was a much busier man now, who had long ago delegated the process to other pawns like Brett. What money he was sinking into Pyramid Dream continued to return to him, and it brought friends.
Friends. Viscount thought fondly of those days too, back when he was young and foolish and only wanted a harem for his carnal needs. But he was wiser now, and wealthier as well. Still...
For all his power and delegated power, Viscount Anue was still human. And what was the point of an empire if you couldn't have a little fun? He scrolled through the profiles on his phone. Her? Or maybe her? Ah, now this one had hadn't seen in a while. His underlings were ensuring that the supervisor was keeping the business running, but that didn't mean he couldn't take a more personal view into the matter.
After all, he wasn't dried-up yet.
