Torturous Company

Waking up with a wince and a flinch, Melisandre let out a tiny whimper as she rolled onto her side, quickly pulling her blanket up and off of her feet, the young Fennekin’s tail curled up next to her. Though the daily torture sessions of their new owner were bad enough, even the moments not spent with Gustav were rather terrible for the three girls, trapped in their dark and cramped cell whenever not locked up in a pillory or some other sort of bondadge device and acting as a living piece of art. The constant tickling and whipping had made the cubs’ feet so sensitive that even the blanket gently caressing against their pawpads was enough to wake them up no matter how exhausted, forcing the trio to desperately try to get any sort of rest in their straw beds in between their torture sessions. Of course, laying in bed was about all the three girls could do even if they weren't tired to the point of passing out daily, since walking barefoot on the cold, rough stone floor of the dungeon felt like a whole new type of torture all on its own. Propping her paws up and letting them dangle off the side of her tiny bed while Melisandre tossed and turned about on the other side of the cell, Mercy let out a tiny sigh of relief, the cold air at least slightly helping mend her sensitive pawpads as she tried to fall back asleep. Diana was just as preoccupied trying to rest, her cot tucked against the wall opposite the heavy wood door locking the trio in, the Buneary’s ears folded back with a nervous frown. Though she had no idea of what time it was, having last seen the light of day when her and her friends had been hauled into their new owners custody some weeks back, Diana was fairly certain it had been a while since the last time they'd been taken in front of the Furfrou, which meant that it was probably time for yet another torture session soon enough. 

After a few minutes of restless worrying and vein attempts at getting some shuteye, the Buneary’s worries were proven true, all three of the girls immediately snapping awake at the sound of heavy footsteps approaching the cell door from somewhere down the corridor. Knowing exactly what was going to happen, the cubs sat up in their beds, dour and sighing as they prepared for whatever their owner might've had planned out for them this time around, too defeated to even attempt to put up any kind of a resistance. Moments later, a key slotted into the lock of their cell door, the heavy slab of wood creaking open as several guards stepped inside, only giving an almost annoyed growl as they grabbed the girls, used to the ritual after serving under their lord for so long and doing the same thing to countless other prisoners over the years. All three girls were chained the same way, with heavy and cold iron cuffs slapped around their ankles and wrists, their arms above their heads as a pair of guards grabbed them, each taking one arm and dragging them out of the cell. With her legs dragging behind her, whimpering as she did her best to save her poor soles from being subjected to the cold and rough floor, Melisandre was hauled to the all too familiar exhibition room, a large wooden pillory in the middle of it, big enough to house all three cubs side by side. The girls were shoved into the pillory, with their ankles and their wrists slotted through the holes before being locked in place in front of them, securing them in place. Making sure the pillory was locked up tight, the head guard finally removed the chains from the little prisoners’ hands and feet, letting the shackles drop to the ground before he tucked the key into a ring of several others hanging from his belt, all while Diana subtly eyed up his collection of keys, unbeknownst to the man. Sure that the girls were locked up tight, just as his master wanted them, the head guard collected the chains from the floor and gave a whistle, signalling his men to leave the room, knowing that the Furfrou paying their salaries didn't usually like having the servants around when enjoying the show. The men all stepped out of the exhibition room, leaving just the girls all alone, their soft moans and grunts the only thing echoing around the room as each tried unsuccessfully to find any kind of a pose to stay comfortable in the pillory, hoping this session wouldn't be as long as their last. 

The girls wriggled and squirmed around as they waited for what felt like an eternity, their ears perked up for any sounds that might signal their owner approaching, trying to calm down their racing hearts. Mercy was certain that the Furfrou deliberately always had them brought up and locked in place well before his arrival, as just the pillory itself was torturous, straining their little bodies while they all waited anxiously for the approach of their master. Already getting worn out by the awkward pose that the pillory forced her into, Diana groaned and tried to control her breathing, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths, the Buneary’s eyes suddenly snapping open at the sound of footsteps echoing down the hall, several distinct sets of them in fact. The girls didn't know quite what to expect, as Gustav usually came to the torture sessions alone, preferring to savour and appreciate the sadistic form of entertainment all by himself. With Melisandre doing her best to put on a brave face, and her two friends giving much more meek and nervous looks, the little Pokemon girls all held their breaths as the door opened once more, the grinning Furfrou stepping in. This time however, Gustav wasn't alone, instead accompanied by two other people: a Salazzle and a Granbull. By the way the pair were dressed, it was rather obvious that the two visitors weren't just more of Gustav’s guards, their lavish clothes making them seem more akin to the man's equals instead. Putting her street smarts to the test, Melisandre got a quick read on both of the newcomers, able to deduce plenty even when stuck in a pillory. The Granbull was wearing clothes that were downright tacky, expensive for sure but also the sort of garments no man of taste would be caught wearing, suggesting that the big and broad gentleman had either come into money very recently or was overcompensating for something, possibly both. Since the host of the two wasn't the most honest person around, Melisandre guessed that the Granbull might've well been some sort of an influential thug, a lowlife offering his services to the right people. The Salazzle on the other hand was wearing much more modest clothes, still expensive but slightly muted, her eyes expressing the sort of deviousness that made Melisandre assume she was a rich merchant of some sort, standing tall with a smirk on her face as she stared at the bound girls, studying them just the same as the Fennekin was doing to her. Stepping deeper into the room, Gustav motioned towards the pillory like the cubs were just yet another expensive piece of art, nothing more remarkable than the marble statues littering the halls of his mansion,
“You ask what their galleries lack? This, this is what makes my collection so unique, unlike anything you'll find on this world~”
The Granbull laughed while the woman smirked, both seemingly rather impressed by the restrained girls, their eyes on the paws and palms of the helpless trio as the Furfrou turned to a table full of torture implements just off to the side, recognising his guests’ interest in this particular piece of art, 
“But please, be my guests, enjoy the piece to its fullest, I insist~”

Quite happy to take the Furfrou up on his offer, the two guests stepped over to the girls, both grinning maliciously as their eyes met the pleading gazes of the young captives, already aware that begging for mercy from the pair wouldn't do them any good. Particularly intrigued by the tiny Pichu, the well-built goon grabbed one of the girl's feet, gingerly clutching her heel as Mercy let out a little whimper, watching with a nervous gulp as the man chuckled and held up a finger. Slowly, he moved the finger to the middle of the girl's pawpad, pressing against it and softly dragging his fingertip up from the heel towards the tip of the foot, making her toes all curl up in unison as she shivered hard enough to make her tail quake, trying to avoid the predatory stare of the big male. While her friend entertained the little Pichu, the Salazzle instead focused her attention on Melisandre, immediately taken by the much more determined and strong-willed girl in comparison to the cub's more sheepish companions. Narrowing her eyes as she stared down the Fennekin, the woman took her slender fingers and softly interlocked them with the girl's toes, pressing her palm against Melisandre’s sole, slowly rubbing and massaging in circles. Biting her lip and attempting not to show any reaction to the teasing, Melisandre’s tail twitched and her ears folded as the merchant's smug smile grew wider, loving the way she was breaking down little by little, struggling to hold it back. Still rubbing the one foot, the Salazzle simultaneously began to tickle the girl's other foot, running two fingers along the sides of her paw, pressing down just enough to make the tickling unbearable, hoping to chip away at the young Fennekin’s facade even faster. The woman's plan was working perfectly, giggling with a sly look as Melisandre closed her eyes and tried to look away, groaning and trembling, unable to stay still as the itching overwhelmed her body, writhing around in the pillory while Mercy whimpered right next to her, undergoing similar torture from the Granbull. 

Taking delight in watching as his esteemed guests tickled and teased the trapped little girls, Gustav grinned while strutting around like a proud cock, practically beaming with pride at his eccentric art that seemed to be making quite the impression on the pair he'd brought along to admire the art piece. The Furfrou couldn't keep his hands to himself for very long however, unable to resist just letting his guests enjoy the bound cubs, wanting to indulge in the joy of it as well. Reaching over to his table of soft torture implements, the man debated for a moment as his hand hovered over a series of different brushes and other tickling tools, finally landing on a large, bright red feather carefully laid out on the table, picking it up and twirling it in his hand as he chuckled with barely held back malice. The Furfrou stepped over to the third girl, staring straight into Diana's eyes as she immediately dropped her gaze to the floor with a tiny whine, already squirming against the pillory as she strained to move away from her master, her hands clenched into fists as she whimpered. Leaning down to come face to face with the young Buneary, Gustav brought the vibrant feather over to her snout, smirking as he wafted it against her nose a few times, making her flinch as she shivered against her bindings. With a devious grin, the man slowly moved the feather downwards, and over to the cub's paws, starting at her toes. Gently, the Furfrou pushed the feather between each of Diana's toes, making the girl squeak softly the first time the ticklish tufts caressed her sensitive foot, already panting as he repeated the same with every toe on both of her feet, making her toes curl up. Moving on towards the girl's heel, Gustav used the feather like a duster, sweeping at her delicate pink pawpads with just enough pressure to really make the Buneary twitch and shake, her heavy breathing and gasping mixing in with the sounds of discomfort from the other two girls. Suddenly switching it up, the man flipped the feather around, using the stiff and sharp stem of it to trace lines and figures into the soles of Diana's feet, not hard enough to hurt the cub but just enough to be torturous to the ticklish Buneary, her tender paws wiggling in the air as she whimpered and bit her lip, all under the delighted watch of her sadistic owner. 

Intrigued by the multitude of torture tools on offer, the Salazzle decided to give the young Fennekin a slight break, stepping back as the out of breath girl immediately went limp, huffing and puffing as she caught her breath. The girl could guess that she wasn't being given the momentary reprieve out of kindness, at least by the time she saw the woman stepping aside and just out of her eyesight, unable to turn her head to the side far enough because of the awkward pose the pillory locked her body in. Though she couldn't see what Gustav’s guest was getting up to, Melisandre felt a nervous shiver running up her spine as she listened to the insidious giggling coming from behind her back, getting very anxious about what the woman might've found. Stepping right past all of the brushes and feathers, seeming just a tad too pedestrian for her tastes, the Salazzle’s interest was taken by what looked like a small oven near the corner of the room, spotting a few faintly glowing embers near the back of it, a few iron rods sticking out the mouth of it. Grabbing one of the rods and pulling it out, the woman was delighted to find a fist sized ball of metal stuck to the end of the handle, warmed up by the coals in the oven, uncomfortably hot but not enough to cause any burns, just enough to cause some real torment however. Having found a new toy, the Salazzle quickly returned to her girl of choice, holding the rod behind her back until she was right in front of the nervous Fennekin, quickly revealing the scalding iron as she pressed it against the cub's foot, laughing maniacally. As soon as the hot ball of metal touched her paw, Melisandre screamed and instinctively tried to pull her leg away from it, unable to move more than an inch thanks to the pillory she was locked inside of. Forced to just grit her teeth and whimper her way through the torture, the Fennekin writhed around as the warm and smooth ball rolled up and down the soles of her feet, roasting her sensitive pawpads, leaving her with a few tears rolling down her cheeks as she squealed. 

Impressed by the ruthlessness of his partner, the Granbull watched for a little while as the woman tormented the young Fennekin, burning the girl's paws as the Salazzle grinned and giggled. Getting swept up in the moment, the man knew that just using his fingers to tease the poor Pichu wouldn't suffice, he needed the help of some new tools as well, and thankfully his host had many to offer him. Leaving Mercy's side for a minute, the thug eyed up the rows and rows of different tools, from dimpled rollers to tiny needles, nothing really catching his fancy until he finally spotted the perfect thing for him. The Granbull grabbed a light and flexible wooden cane from a table, twirling it in his hands for a moment before he brought it down against the surface, grinning as it gave a satisfying crack, like a sharp whip. Gulping as soon as she heard the sound of the cane, Mercy watched with dread as the man slowly strolled up to her once more, mockingly prodding the tip of the wooden stick against her ribs and running it along her side as he walked in front of her, poking it against the shivering cub's snout as he gave a taunting chuckle, 
“Sing me a little song, birdie~”
Mercy watched in horror as the man brought the cane up into the air, aiming it right at her paws as she whimpered and did her best to brace herself, nearly hyperventilating as she closed her eyes. The girl could hear the swish of the wooden cane whipping through the air, jolting as it smacked her right across both feet, drawing out a high pitched yelp from her as she immediately broke into tears, bawling as the torturer followed up the first strike with several more. Snapping the wooden rod against one paw after the other, switching up with every rap as he grinned and laughed, the Granbull was impressed with just how much craftsmanship had gone into the cane. It was just lightweight enough to make sure it wouldn't bruise its poor victim's feet, since the pain of that would overpower any further torture done after, only allowing its user to smack the girl's paws hard enough to leave them stinging and even more sensitive than before. Eager to truly show his appreciation towards the craftsmanship of the wooden cane, the goon kept whipping away at Mercy's paws, each hit followed immediately after by yet another screech from the sobbing little Pichu, the girl's tail curled up as she quivered in agony. 

Stirred on by the sounds of squealing and howling, ecstatic that his guests had really gotten into the mood, Gustav couldn't help but to crank up the torture as well, tossing aside the feather in order to get something a little bit more exciting. Though relieved for the slight break, Diana knew better than to let down her guard as the man stepped away, her lungs burning and demanding air after a hard session of barely even being able to get a breath in between her gasping and whimpering. Wishing she could cover her ears and shut away the squeaks of her friends being tortured right next to her, the Buneary shivered in place, just hoping that whatever the Furfrou was getting wouldn't be as bad as what Mercy and Melisandre were being put through. Gustav debated for a while whether to follow the Granbull’s example and use a whip on the little girl's paws, or whether to maybe instead torment the cub with some ice, but his gaze soon flicked down onto a small, plain looking leather pouch sitting at the end of the table. Plucking the pouch off of the table with a smirk, the Furfrou stepped back over to Diana, getting a confused yet anxious look from the young prisoner as he tugged the mouth of the pouch open. Much to the girl's horror, Gustav unsheathed a knife from his waist, her terrified eyes following the blade as he carefully stuck the knife into the pouch. The man pulled the blade out, a little mound of off-white and fine powder sitting on it, leaving Diana even more befuddled than before. Happy to alleviate the girl's curiosity, Gustav squatted down and blew the powder from the blade onto the Buneary’s paws, standing up with an expectant grin, waiting as Diana's confusion multiplied. Just as the cub thought that nothing was going to happen, her feet started itching, starting off with just a slight burning before ramping up to unbearable levels in just a few seconds, leaving the girl squirming in the pillory as she whimpered. The itching powder felt like a thousand tiny little needles poking and prodding at Diana's pawpads, like an army of tiny insects skittering along her soles, made ten times worse by her inability to scratch the itch. Writhing and straining to shake off the devilish powder, the Buneary groaned while Gustav watched the helpless girl with a devious smile, chuckling as he carefully sealed up the pouch, making a mental note to thank his personal chemist for the wondrous concoction. 

As the torture continued for hours on end, the three girls each wailed and groaned in turn as their sadistic master and his two guests tormented the trio. The Granbull continued smacking away at the young Pichu’s paws and hands, until the Salazzle loaned the cane from him, giving the Fennekin a taste of it as well after the heated metal staff had cooled down so much that it wasn't getting the right sorts of screams from the girl any more. Diana wasn't having a much better time either, straining to stay sane with the excruciating itching powder sticking to the soles of her feet, trying to wiggle her toes and blow at her paws in a vain attempt to just shake off at least some of the horrific dust, shaking from the mental anguish of being unable to scratch the worst itch she'd ever felt in her life. Bringing the three girls right to their breaking points, Gustav recognised that it was nearly time to bring the session of torture to an end, since the activity lost much of its fun once the cubs were so exhausted they couldn't even squirm or cry for his amusement. Grabbing a horse brush, the Furfrou swept at the Buneary’s paws, dusting off the itching powder as she squealed and clenched her entire body, her pawpads left hypersensitive from the treatment she'd had to endure, not sure whether she should be moaning from relief at having the itching powder brushed away or screaming in agony at the coarse hairs scratching her feet. Smirking at Diana on the verge of tears, the Salazzle decided to give the other two cubs a little parting gift of her own as well, using her sharp claws to gently rake at the bottoms of both Mercy's and Melisandre’s paws, making the girls gasp as her nails caressed the pawpads left glowing red after all of the spanking and whipping they'd received. Finally satisfied, and having built up quite the appetite, Gustav tossed aside the horse brush and dusted off his hands, patting his two guests on the shoulders as he grinned at the exhausted trio of girls, 
“I think a grand meal would be in order after such a show, how about we go sit down in my dining hall and I'll order my kitchen to prepare us some dinner~?”
Both the woman and the man agreed heartily, chuckling and nodding as they walked with the Furfrou, all three leaving the exhibition room together, abandoning the exhausted cubs in the pillory. 

After waiting around for some time, what felt like hours but was more likely just minutes, only able to stay awake thanks to being forced to stay in such an uncomfortable position, the girls all perked up at the sound of approaching footsteps once more. The same guards who'd delivered the unfortunate group to the exhibition room had come back to collect the trio, and to drag them back to their cell once more, a few standing back as the leader of the bunch unlocked the pillory. With their bodies, and especially their paws, aching something fierce, all of the girls grimaced and groaned in pain as they were released from the pillory, shackles slapped around their wrists and ankles before they'd had even a second to appreciate being out of the wooden rack, a pair of guards grabbing each by their arms to haul them back into their cell. Whimpering as they were dragged down the numerous hallways, the trio were tossed into the dungeon before being released from their shackles, the heavy door slammed shut as they each dragged themselves to their cots, collapsing into their hay beds with pained sighs. Mercy was only barely holding back tears, and even the usually defiant Melisandre had seemed to lost all hope of ever getting out of the madman’s dungeon, but Diana had an unusual smile on her face, the shy Buneary looking almost happy while clutching something. Noticing the optimism on her friend's face, Melisandre cocked her head and gave the girl a questioning look, curious as Diana quickly glanced towards the door to make sure a guard wasn't standing there before revealing a small metal key hidden in the Buneary’s hand, smirking with an exhausted chuckle as the Fennekin stared at her in awe, 
“That head guard is kinda clueless when it comes to pickpockets~”