It was far too hot; suffocating heat pressing at Rivin from all sides. He couldn't tell where he was, the room seemed to shimmer with steam. Then there were others there, bare flesh and grasping hands surrounding him in ways he could neither understand nor prevent. The doctor was there, behind him, always just over his shoulder no matter which way he turned. He could hear the man's voice, commanding him, praising him when he obeyed, urging him on. It was as if Rivin was a puppet, obeying the commands without any ability to control his body himself even as, in his mind, he was screaming. Body after body was paraded before him, touching him, pulling him, trying to claim his mouth, filling it with tongues that writhed impossibly until he tasted bile and struggled to breathe. One of the bodies became more clear, though the face was still obscured, it was female, but all the proportions were warped, too large or too small, grotesque. She latched hold of him, wrapped long, impossibly strong legs around him, and drew him inescapably into her burning flesh.
Rivin woke with a cry that might have been loud but that his throat was entirely dry. The choked sound was harsh enough to choke him and he fumbled at his bedside table for the wooden cup he kept for water during the night. Emptying the entire thing, swallow after swallow helped clear both his throat and his mind. Another dream. He fell back into his plush bed with an exasperated groan. The room was ungodly hot, but the reason for that he understood. The little sprite he had employed to keep his room warm was far too enthusiastic and couldn't seem to understand that 'comfortably warm' for a creature of this plane was not the same as 'comfortably warm' for a creature from the fire plane. Sending it a silent rebuke that had it tamping itself down into a pout immediately he sighed and tried to calm his racing heart and disarrayed gut.
In the weeks that followed Ilex's announcement that a new batch of adult (sexually mature at least) breeding stock was to arrive Rivin had grown increasingly more tense. The group had arrived, slaves of various kinds, mostly, though some of the males were being paid for their services. None would be informed of what the experiment was for, or even that it was an experiment. The women who proved to be worthy of being bred would never taste freedom, their only way out once they were pregnant the first time was death. They would know too much, even after they were no longer able to bear additional test subjects. Technically, Rivin did not know what happened to females who reached that stage, assuming they did, but he knew enough to know that they would never be released. The risk to secrecy was too great and the work too important.
He had assisted in the inspections, the tests for sexual readiness, and cleanliness from disease in a peripheral way. Drawing blood and other samples to test for heritage and compatibility had taken up the majority of his time, but it had still been a trial like it never had been before. Every time he went with his clipboard to give the verbal examination he prayed the subject would be male. Whenever he entered a room to find a young female waiting for him his body would try to seize up. Ilex had made no attempt to conceal that Rivin would be required to breed with this generation, so any time he encountered one of the females his mind inevitably tried to force-feed him images of what mating with her would be like until they choked him.
The few times he had been required to produce his seed for testing, Ilex, as well as several others, had been in the exam room to observe. The experiences had been worse, in some ways, than being beaten. Then, of course, there had been the beatings he'd received for mistakenly believing he was allowed 'personal experimentation' as the doctor had named it. None of that had happened in some time, but any expression of his sexuality not caused him to feel deeply anxious at best, violently ill at worst.
Trying to push all of that from his mind he went over the agenda for the day; Ilex had invited a Commander from the ZADC to come discuss some aspects of the experiment. The actual experiment, as far as Rivin could tell, and not the inane babble most people got. So far as he could remember no one from any branch of the military of either country the experiment was being conducted in had ever been told of their true purpose. Of course, some of the very high-ranking members must know, but none had ever come to talk about it. The Commander, Angevin was his name, was also a member of the Order of Reconciliation, so, perhaps that was why he had been given clearance.
Standing, Rivin began to groom and dress himself. He had been given the privilege of greeting their guest and showing him around, if he wanted the tour before settling down to talk. Or, more likely, if Ilex was busy at the time of his arrival. The exact time of expected arrival was not known, so it seemed wise to be dressed and available as soon as could be.
The day passed slowly; Rivin lounging in the library lying to himself that he was reading while really he fought for every sentence as his mind tried to bring him back into a state of dread. When a servant arrived to inform him that the airship (Airship?) had arrived and the passengers were disembarking he gladly launched himself from his chair. The main entrance hall opened into the courtyard, which was large enough for many carriages and, it seemed, a 'small' airship. Rivin had read about airships but he hadn't seen one before and the prospect managed to clear away all the debris that had been trying to gather in his head.
Stepping out into the sunshine, even the Frost sunshine, felt good and he waited, politely, as what he assumed was the Commander, disembarked. The ship was lovely; sleek designed with attractiveness intended. Rivin immediately wanted to know what kept it afloat, what sort of propulsion it used, if it required fuel. He would not ask the dark-haired, swarthy-skinned man these questions. Rivin was there to answer questions. With a polite bow that wasn't associated with any particular nation he greeted,
"Commander Angevin, welcome. I am Doctor Ilex's research assistant, if you will follow me please, you can refresh yourself before the meeting." Waving the man inside he followed in such a way that he ended up back in front where he could lead them down the corridors. The house was lavish, with a pretense of being a country estate, the stuffed heads of animals interspersed with fine paintings. He would answer any questions asked, but otherwise did not attempt to make conversation as they made their way to an equally lavish Refreshing Room. It contained a lavatory with several large silver basins sunk into a marble counter. The first basin steamed, while the last had chips of ice floating in it, with several degrading temperatures between. Fuffy towels were hung at hand height and several soaps were present on little dishes, scented and unscented. The toilettes were each in their own little stall with doors that fastened for privacy.
Not imagining that the man, who was, Rivin had discovered in his genealogical research, descended from a very high house indeed, would need help or explanations, the part-Lysanrin moved to stand, sentry-like, beside the door.