jessara40k_lj

Title: Courtship
Fandom: FFVII Cetra Restoration AU
Rating: R
Warnings: implied slavery, het, implied slash

( “I’m...not entirely happy with the reason Aeris asked you to come here. I know it’s necessary, but it makes me uncomfortable.” Even though he’d pushed for it. )

Title: Courtship
Fandom: FFVII Cetra Restoration AU
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: implied slavery, implied het, implied slash

( “You want me to approach them, and ask to dance, rather than hint or wait for them to ask me?” Zack looked to locate his targets as Aeris pushed him into a turn, noting how they treated their consorts without trying to analyse it now. )

Title: Courtship
Fandom: FFVII Cetra Restoration AU
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: implied slavery, implied het, implied slash

( “Lazard, I’m curious about how all of you ended up as consorts, so would you like to start us off?” )

Title: Odd Celebration
Pairing/characters: Brangwen/Elena
Rating: M
Warnings: Some really disturbing sex. Biting deep enough to draw blood in sensitive places. Drunken sex.

( “No, it’s not worth the trouble of trying to find something strong enough to get us drunk usually. And most wines and beers don’t really taste that good to me. But...I’d feel awkward if you were the only one getting drunk.” )

Title: Courtship
Fandom: FFVII Cetra Restoration AU
Rating: PG
Warnings: implied slavery, implied het, implied slash

( “No, but he’s got a consort, a pure human called Lazard.” Although Zack wondered if it might be better for Aeris’ spouse to have a consort of his own after all, so that he’d expect less of Aeris’ attention. )

Title: Courtesy - Complete
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII AU (Cetra Restoration AU, linked here)
Pairing: Cloud/Sephiroth
Rating: PG
Warnings: Slavery, implied slash, politics

( No one would think it was at all odd for him to be focused on Cloud, and it meant he didn’t have to work at being polite to the other guests. None of them had been openly rude to him, but there’d been a coldness and distance that had made it abundantly clear how unwelcome he was, and kept him from relaxing. )

A post linking to everything in my Cetra Restoration AU so far since I didn't post them in timeline order.

First I've got some stuff about marriage customs among the Cetra, some information about classes and castes and a very basic summary of how their government works. I've also posted some information on inheritance in this AU, how slavery works under the Cetra, and what concubines are trained in. None of this is necessary to understand the stories, but it's useful background if you're interested.

The first story chronologically is Concubine, which is in two parts and focuses on Aeris, Cloud, Sephiroth and Tseng.

01. “Cloud, this is Tseng, he’s my birthday present to you. I thought I’d save you the trouble of finding a concubine for yourself.”

02. “You really mean that? You don’t want to even try Tseng before you try me because he’s new to you, and hasn’t been pressing you for sex before you were ready?”

It's followed by Affection which consists of eleven parts and tells the story of how Cloud and Sephiroth accepted Tseng into their relationship. The themes came from ff_threesomes.

00. “Considering how he was wearing his hair I think you could get away with just giving him some jewelled clips for that, with perhaps a few rings, in either white or yellow gold. For his collar and cuffs...you pretty much have to go for a lesser version of mine; in either white or yellow gold, with just three or four slots on the collar.”

01. “You’ll have noticed that Isis is a bitch?”

02. “I was hoping you'd play with me since we’re trapped inside by the rain. You both look so gorgeous in the dresses I picked out for you, let me dress you two up again, please?”

03. “Yes my lord. You...want me to look to your consort for orders tonight then?” Tseng sounded uncertain, but it was what Sephiroth wanted, needed, if he was to get this right.

04. He inspected his body as he towelled himself dry, making sure that any bruises still showing from last night would heal before tonight - he didn't want to repay Sephiroth's generosity by hurting him with the reminder of what he couldn't give.

05. He couldn’t quite believe he missed the petty abuses many consorts indulged in, or the vicious gossip of the over-indulged lapdogs he’d considered most of the other concubines he’d met to be.

06. Did Sephiroth feel this emptiness after taking Tseng that first time? Was that why he'd never asked for a repeat performance?

07. “Do you need some company sir?” Tseng was always so polite and deferential, but...

08. “I...if you summoned Tseng, and gave me the general outline of what you wanted I...believe I could take control. I...don’t mean a show, I mean the three of us, together...all at the same time.”

09. For once he was going to look as if he belonged with the other two, and that would help him feel like he belonged as well.

10. “Not today. If you can just focus on my pleasure sometimes why can’t I do the same?” He knew that Cloud didn’t really agree with that, but the Cetra wouldn’t object in front of Tseng; he didn’t trust their lover enough for that.

The third story, Birthday Gift, was actually the first to be written and, like Concubine, consists of two parts and covers how Aeris met Zack.

01. The Cetra wouldn’t be urging him to make the best impression if he wasn’t being considered for a good place, somewhere that his duties wouldn’t necessarily include spreading his legs.

02. “Aeris, this is Zack, I thought that since you gave me my first concubine for my coming of age I’d give you your first bodyguard for yours.”

The fourth story is Consort, which tells the story of how Aeris and Zack got together over the course of ten parts for 10hugs.

01. “Yes. Obviously I no longer need your services as a tutor. In fact I had learned all you could teach me of healing three years ago. There is no further place for you in my household and so you are dismissed from my service.”

02. This was Zack's very first time as a Cetra's first bodyguard, and he was pretty sure that he was young for it; he certainly didn't feel ready for it, and he'd take whatever advice he could get.

03. No one had; all of his training since he’d been given to Aeris had been geared to the idea of a lone crazy making some suicidal attempt to kill her, but that didn’t absolve him of responsibility, he’d been sworn to protect her in a way none of the others had.

04. So, she'd come to this isolated window to enjoy one of her oldest winter pastimes, watching the snow fall on Midgar.

05. “I don’t know.” Aeris sounded unhappy as she pushed away from him, and her hands fell to rest on his thighs. “What happened to your pants?”

06. “My lady?” She stuck her head out of the furs when Zack called for her so uncertainly.

07. “...misbegotten, bigoted, hypocritical bastard...waste of breath and life-force...filthy sadist...imbecilic coward...”

08. “I...yes, if I can fall in love with you and convince myself I can handle the job then I’d be willing to be your consort. But I know I couldn’t handle what Sephiroth goes through.”

09. “Are you alright? You’ve stopped shivering.” The concern in Zack’s voice reminded Aeris where she was, and she made a quick check of how she felt before she answered.

10. “I want to taste you everywhere. Will that be a problem for you?”

The fifth story is called Spouse, covering Cloud's espousal because I couldn't resist the temptation to try my hand at story_arc.

01. “We’re due to do a cull of the Midgar Zolom fairly soon. I think that it would be appropriate if Rowan was paired with me for that. Arrange it.”

02. “My intent was to offer the same insult to you as you did to me, bringing a companion who knows me and has shared my bed when we are considering one another as spouses. Insulting Sephiroth was not part of my plan, so an apology was needed.” Cloud didn’t say anything further, allowing Rowan to hear what Sephiroth was saying to her concubine.

I did a little bit of background for chapter two, but it's a side-story, not part of the main storyline.

03. “Yes, I...it’s just, as I was signing those papers with her it really hit me.” He looked at Sephiroth, worry clear in his eyes. “I’m committed now, she agreed to a clause that makes interfering with each other’s households, including inflicting any form of abuse on consort or concubines, grounds for divorce and that was the last stumbling point. Now the only way I can back out is if she does something I could declare feud over.”

04. Cloud couldn’t say anything for a moment from the shock, then he turned to Sephiroth and saw that shock mirrored on his face.

05. “So, we need to decide which of my guards I should ask to be my spouse.”

While I was writing Spouse inspiration for Elena's background hit me, so I wrote a ten set from story_arc for her, called Indenture. Chronologically this story starts a couple of months after Concubine, but it only intersects with the main focus of this AU in Spouse and continues after that.

01. “Yes, sweet sixteen. I can get a job now.” If she could find one. Or she could sign consent for Lucy to sell her into indenture slavery.

02. “Elena, I wanted a chance to convince you to change your plans. The preliminary contract we drew up at your sister’s request satisfies her specifications, but I think you’d make a good concubine.”

03. “You’ll recover. When she comes to get you tell Sarah I said you could have a Potion.”

04. By the time she was up to looking around at the scenery they’d left the city and were riding through the countryside, over a meadow towards a small forest.

05. “What makes you think you can’t contact your family? Rowan won’t mind, ask her the next time your together, and she’ll probably send your letter with the next set of messages she dispatches to Midgar. And if you can’t wait for that, or you don’t have time to write everything you want, you can use your allowance to pay for it to be posted separately.” Scarlet’s confidence and the way she acted as if Elena’s wistful regret was nothing but a fairly common request comforted Elena, a lot.

Rowan Interlude. “Elena, is there something you want to talk to me about?” From the way she stiffened Rowan had hit on the right question, but...perhaps she’d been a bit too blunt. “I won’t be angry with you, or at least I’ll try not to be angry. And if I am I promise the most I’ll do is dump you on the bed and walk out of here.”

Scarlet Interlude. “Hello Elena. What are you working on now?” She’d given quite a few of her earlier efforts as gifts to the other concubines, but Scarlet was the only one who got to see everything her surprisingly talented lover carved from her gems, including her efforts with the garnets Rowan had given her when she said she was ready to try something other than quartz.

06. There was no point in protesting the way she was being more or less ignored, and for a moment Elena wished she hadn’t pushed Blake away; at least his tongue had helped distract her while she was being groomed to Scarlet’s satisfaction.

07. She shivered, trying to control her apprehension and considering just how perverse a sense of humour the Planet must have.

08. “You three go and get the rest of Elena’s things. Elena, you can unpack later, and put everything up in the wardrobe, for now you need to get measured for new formalwear and a new collar and cuffs. I’ll show you where.”

09. “I’m not sure. You might be better learning from someone else, someone with more experience. Ronan?” Tseng turned to the guard he’d been sparring with, sounding as if he was expecting the man to take over.

Cloud Interlude. “Brangwen?” He frowned down at her, wondering what he’d done wrong this time.

10. “Nowhere in particular. It’s just...Brangwen likes hunting me down before we...”

Brangwen Interlude. “Fold your hands at the back of your neck, and keep them there until I tell you otherwise.” Brangwen obeyed, interlacing her fingers behind her neck and resting her thumbs against her shoulders while Elena moved forward, reaching up to kiss her lightly and then stepping back just far enough to slip her hand between their bodies and rest it on Brangwen’s groin.

11. She twisted around in his arms, so that his cock was pressed against her belly instead of her hip and bit her lip, trying to decide if he needed his sleep badly enough that she should ignore this chance, probably her only chance, to discuss the desire she’d seen in his eyes sometimes when he looked at her.

12. “Cloud wants me to make at least five visits to the slave trading hall before I decide I won’t find anyone. He wants me to make an effort to find someone for when I give birth but if I don’t find anyone it is acceptable for him to formally announce that he’s sharing you with me. I...that is if you want that?” There were implications in Brangwen’s words that Elena wasn’t quite catching, although she did understand that Brangwen would put far more effort into her search to replace Elena if she said no she wasn’t quite sure why Brangwen was acting as if this was some sort of life changing decision.

Lucy Epilouge. “I’ll get the door Lucy!” She had to laugh and agree to let Wilhelmina get the door, her little sister had been so excited at the prospect of seeing Elena again that it wasn’t really a surprise she jumped up on hearing the doorbell.

And here's what I've got so far of my new story, Arrangements, about how Brangwen joined Cloud's guard, became his spouse and fell in love with Elena.

01. “We need to recruit at least two more guards, possibly three, within the next month or so, and then we might recruit three more in a year, if Morgan gets all the transfers he wants. So, if you know anyone suitable, or even think you know someone who might work out as a recruit, come and talk to me, in the next few days if you can.”

02. “Hmmm. I’m not entirely convinced, and I’m pretty sure there’s a flaw in your argument somewhere, but that doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that I want you to apply for one of the three positions in Cloud’s guard that will be coming open in a year.”

03. “Very well.” It was a shame to break into Brangwen’s conversation with Sephiroth considering how well they seemed to be getting along, but Aaran knew that he didn’t really have time to let them talk themselves out. “Brangwen, I need you for a final interview now.”

04. “Scarlet, do you know if there’s anywhere I can go to practise my mariatha?”

05. “Why? We haven’t been really arguing over any of this, and we’re getting through it all, even if it’s taking us a while.” And Brangwen couldn’t afford to pay a good enough lawyer to produce an espousal contract that was fair to her - and letting Cloud hire her a lawyer to do this would be a recipe for disaster.

06. The woman entering was one of Cloud’s guards, and a woman, so probably Brangwen and Elena sunk to her knees, spreading her skirts around her to hide the faint shaking of her hands as she bowed her head.

07. It was an honour that Aeris was willing to check her fertility and health the day before her wedding to Cloud, and confirm Reese’s assessment that she could carry a child to term successfully.

08. “Do you, Brangwen Cuprite, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love, honour and serve, in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer, as long as you both shall live?”

09. “Cloud? Aren’t you going to Brangwen tonight?”

10. You do want me then, want to have sex with me and you find me attractive?”

Title: Arrangements chapter 9
Series: Final Fantasy VII AU (Cetra Restoration AU, linked here)
Pairing: Brangwen/Cloud, Cloud/Sephiroth, Sephiroth/Tseng
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: If they were mine Aeris and Zack would still be alive, and not just running around in the Lifestream spying on Cloud. Since Aeris and Zack said goodbye to Cloud at the end of AC and disappeared into the Lifestream I guess they aren't mine.
Warnings: AU

This ended up a lot easier to write once I realised Cloud wasn't going to go to Brangwen without Sephiroth just about ordering him to.

( “Cloud? Aren’t you going to Brangwen tonight?” )

I've been asked a bit about what the Cetra did to Sephiroth's mind and if Aeris could reverse it, so I thought I'd expand on it.

( Sephiroth's conditioning )

Title: Arrangements chapter 6
Series: Final Fantasy VII AU (Cetra Restoration AU, linked here)
Pairing: Brangwen/Elena
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: If they were mine Aeris and Zack would still be alive, and not just running around in the Lifestream spying on Cloud. Since Aeris and Zack said goodbye to Cloud at the end of AC and disappeared into the Lifestream I guess they aren't mine.
Warnings: AU, slavery, reference to f/f

( The woman entering was one of Cloud’s guards, and a woman, so probably Brangwen and Elena sunk to her knees, spreading her skirts around her to hide the faint shaking of her hands as she bowed her head. )