Page 107 of Culture and Curiosities
Chapter 28
Toman
“What?”
Considering I had repeated myself three times, I didn’t think doing it again would help, but I did my best to break it down in a different way.
“They have a variety of unique relationships that occur inside and outside of bonding. In my own relationship, I am the caretaker for my mate when his inner predator gets to be too much and he needs to escape it. Their society is stressful and they cannot shift on a regular basis. They are called submissives and it can be shown in a variety of ways. They have sexual toys that they use in those kinds of relationships as well. None of this should be given to anyone younger than bonding age.”
I was starting to understand why Wren sometimes rolled his eyes at the council meetings while sayingduh. Professor Zorin simply stared at me like the words weren’t processing. I even thought for a moment to make sure I’d been speaking the right language.
“They seemed to have learned this from humans, but many of our people participate in the different roles and styles of relationships. A large portion of themare sexual based, but it is not always required. It is, however, always for adults.”
Professor Zorin blinked and frowned, but it was less shocking than his initial behavior had been. He’d been so surprised, he’d looked almost human.
“Spankings? For pleasure?”
We were going back to that again?
I guessed it was harder to process…but it did not help me to understand why he kept asking about them. Repeating the information without changing the questions or discussion did not seem useful.
Were any of the people we’d brought through the portal experts in the human science of psychology?
Would that help?
“The pain and pleasure centers of the brain can get crossed under specific circumstances for certain people. They are not bumping into a door and getting aroused, but the combination of being in a submissive headspace and in a situation where desire has already been aroused, it can be pleasurable.”
He didn’t look like he believed me.
“My mate shared a faint echo of his feelings through the bond. He enjoyed it and I have heard others of our people agree with him.”
Several while at the diner and again in the council meetings.
Wren said it was called oversharing to do it in those places but it was coming in handy to be able to give the professor other accounts besides my own.
“Some even frustrate their mates just enough to earn a spanking which is sometimes called a word that is a mix of fun and punishment. The people who speak the common language of the land outside the portal create new words on a regular basis.”
Someone needed to study why they created new words on a daily basis. Wren thought it had something to do with their countries’ need to push boundaries and explore, but I didn’t have the background to be able to decide. A scholar would definitely be needed to understand them better.
“They spank for fun under specific circumstances because it helps fulfill a need and calms their inner predator?”
Professor Zorin was clearly looking to make sure he was processing the information correctly, so I showed him my agreement and took the explanation to the next step.
“Humans and mages also participate in the behaviors because of overwhelming feelings or thoughts. Having a partner or mate to help them handle those emotions makes them happier in the long run.”
I had heard enough stories from humans and our people alike to be confident in my explanation even though I didn’t always understand the details of their behavior.
“Being what is called a Dominant or another variation on the word that denotes specific meanings is a noble role, but one that is considered private in most areas of human culture. Our people around the portal are open about it. That is unusual for Earth, however.”
The professor was quiet for a few moments and slowly seemed to gather up his shock and surprise enough that he no longer looked human. For a moment I wished for a peek into his thoughts but that would be invasive and weird as Wren would’ve said.
“I understand why this information needs to be guarded until someone is of mating age. I will start working with the mage council to see if they can separate out the information better.”
He didn’t seem sure about how to accomplish it, but he was stubborn enough that I knew he wouldn’t give up easily.
“I think that is the best course of action.”
But…
