* * * * *
1) This story contains non-consensual sex. It is a work of sheer fantasy in all respects, and is intended for the purposes of erotic entertainment only. In real life it is incumbent on all of us to ensure consent in any situation, and to show respect and empathy to those around us--not just with regard to sex, but in every aspect of life.
2) All characters are over the age of 18.
3) I appreciate positive comments and constructive feedback. I hope you enjoy it.
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Isabel took her seat in the cozy, dimly-lit space, and wondered what to expect. Her dancing days were behind her now, but she still had connections in the art world and usually had a pretty good handle on what a show would entail before it started. This time, though, the whole thing was a black-box, and it was kind of exciting.
Not that
Contraimperial
hadn't generated buzz. Only one performance had been announced, and it was to be held in Madrid. The word of mouth had gone viral, monopolizing the attention of the city's trend-setters for months. And yet, maddeningly little information had leaked about what the show might actually be
like
.
All this mystery only heightened Isabel's gratification in being here. She was going to be one of the lucky few to get to experience it--and from the front-row no less!
To her left, Camile was babbling with anticipation. It was she who had nudged Isabel into coming in the first place. Camile still harbored artistic ambitions, and hoped the inspiration she received tonight (and maybe the contacts she made?) would revitalize her flagging career. Now that it was actually happening, she was downright ecstatic. "Oooh,
hermana
, can you believe they made us do NDAs? And the waivers they made us sign?! I'm so keyed up I could pee myself. They say Catequil is a real asshole, but you can't deny the man's a genius. This is going to be a goddamn
mind fuck
, you know?!"
To Isabel's right, her fiancée Pedro shifted in his seat and rolled his eyes. He had little patience for Camile's dramatics. To be fair, their disdain was mutual. Pedro was a good bit older and worked in international finance. In Camile's view, he was also stuffy, repressed, a sellout, and quite possibly crypto-fascist--and she didn't care who she told.
Well, Isabel could get where her friend was coming from. Not so long ago, she might have said the same thing. She'd spent most of her twenties trying to break into the modern dance scene. As a woman hovering hopefully on the fringes of the creative set, identifying as a free-spirit, she wouldn't have given Pedro a second glance either.
Recently, however, Isabel's perspective had begun to change. All the years of rejection and deprivation had finally wrung most of the joy out of the art game for her. And at the same time, even if the ticking of her biological clock wasn't an issue yet, she'd begun to foresee a day when it would be. So, abruptly, on her 29th birthday, she'd quit dancing cold--just like that. From that moment on, she resolved to put her energy into building a 'normal life': settling down, finding a husband, having some kids.
Soon afterward, she'd met Pedro, and discovered there were some real advantages to the sort of stability, predictability, and lavish lifestyle he was able to offer. Tonight was a good case in point. There's no way Camile or Isabel would have been here at all without access to her fiancée's bankroll. The price of admission had been astronomical!
Pedro had resisted paying for the tickets, of course, and Isabel could understand why. Whatever
Contraimperial
was, it seemed a good bet that Pedro would hate it. But, Camile had been so eager that Isabel made it her mission to win him over. She'd argued that it would do wonders for his social-standing to be seen in such an exclusive venue (she had no doubt it was true). And then she'd thrown in a very dutiful blowjob, just to seal the deal.
* * * * *
Soon the lights lowered from murky to pitch-black, and an expectant hush fell on the audience. A chill ran down Isabel's spine, as a deep, resonant voice filled the chamber.
"When the conquistadors came, they didn't ask. They didn't seek consent. They just took. If they wanted what we had, they took it. Our wealth. Our freedom. Our culture. Our women."
The unearthly wail of a
quena
flute pierced the air.
"Five centuries later, you live in luxury apartments, and watch Eurovision on your screens. How is it possible for me to convey the essence of that raw, savage encounter, that happened so very long ago? How can you, the heirs of empire, truly grasp the rapacious appetites of your forbearers? And how can I, Catequil, the modern indigenous warrior, ever hope to reclaim the manhood which your ancestors stripped away...?"
A burst of illumination flooded the space before Isabel. Three men stood there, bathed in light, still as statues. The Andean tunics they wore were blazoned with vibrant colors and patterns, and overlaid by opulent white robes, and they showed off the men's powerful, well-formed limbs to good effect. All three of them were tall, and their height was further accentuated by elegant feathered headdresses. The men's solemnity, their gravitas, was like a palpable force, washing out over the audience.
For a moment the
quena
continued to play alone. Its tones were jess jarring now, almost lilting, wafting in from somewhere off in the darkness. Soon, it was joined in stately harmony by the
rondador
pipes and an
ocarina
of a slightly lower pitch. Keeping time was the calm, steady beat of the
wancara
drum.
As the music swelled, the men began a slow, ceremonial dance.
"We colonized people had our civilization,"
Catequil's disembodied bass intoned,
"though the white men tried to deny it. It was a thing of beauty."
The men's movements were unhurried, deliberate, hypnotic. There was something aristocratic about them, Isabel thought--a hereditary sort of nobility, written plainly in their high cheekbones; liquid brown eyes; and emotionless expressions.
Her attention was drawn especially to the figure in the middle. He was even taller than his comrades and a bit older (40, maybe?), and his gaze seemed to go right through her. She had recognized him at once by his sharp nose and broad forehead. This was Cataquil himself. Isabel was struck by the way his ethereal, pre-recorded voice was juxtaposed against his silent, corporeal form. The combination of the two was eerie--it gave her goose bumps.
Everyone in the international art world had an opinion about Catequil. The Ecuadoran provocateur's shows were infrequent and unpredictable, and notorious for pushing the bounds of what was acceptable. Many people wrote him off as nothing more than a derivative shock-artist. Those with more discerning taste, however, usually agreed with Camile--that he was a man with rare talent for jolting his audiences into new levels of awareness, by whatever means necessary.
The dance proceeded for a time. The patterns of movement were complex and fascinating--gradually becoming more and more elaborate, but always with the same aura of measured formality. Then, at length, the pipes ceased, and only the drum went on, banging out a slow, muffled cadence. The men became statues again, and the voice resumed.
"The conquistadors had a veneer of civilization, but they shed it soon enough--revealing the savagery that festers at the heart of all men. And over time, in the course of their brutality, they robbed us of our civilization, too--bringing us down to their level of degradation."
Catequil stirred, and with methodical, ritualized movements, began to undress his comrades. First he carefully removed their headdresses, one by one, and carried them off into the gloom at the edges of the room. Next he took their sandals, their robes, and finally their tunics. Isabel shared a conspiratorial grin with a wide-eyed Camile. The men had nothing on underneath!