"No more ladykilling!" Enyo's haranguing / remonstration wasn't nearly done yet but Ares figured he was over the worst of it thankfully. "I don't know what flip has been switched inside the brain of yours but you've gotten pretty decent at harassing women!" Ares wouldn't exactly call it harassment... Though maybe what he did to Mimi actually was. In his defence, he was being harassed first! "If you don't tone it down the next time you come back from a trip there'll be a conga line of women behind you so tone it down! 'Every grain of you is precious'? I'm too impressed to even be mad about it. I don't blame Sandy, she's innocent..." Enyo gave Sandy head pats and kept berating Ares all the while. "You, however, are the true culprit and need to repent! I am putting a temporary ban on flirting, no more for the foreseeable future! Better yet, the next time you go on an 'adventure' I'm coming along to make sure you don't go overboard!"
... That's definitely not the only reason... Ares knew Enyo had gotten a bit 'stressed' in his absence and didn't much like the thought of him running off again before she'd gotten her fix of him. He would be here for a little while before leaving again but as if that was enough for a woman with a libido as enormous as hers! She was probably somewhat serious about this declaration... Like twenty percent serious, that is. The major issue here was that she was unstoppably horny. The ends justify the means and the means are a way of getting something else she wants, basically an excuse. Still, Ares, much like with every other point so far, couldn't refute the charges and just nodded his head. It's not like he minded Enyo coming along for a trip too, the more the merrier if anything. It could be like one big family road trip in the Elliot across Akarala. Ares could discuss who was going and who was staying later, though, as a lighter topic has just been brought up but it was still one that Enyo felt stronger about than perhaps anything else mentioned thus far.
"The Redhome mark. I'll overlook you handing it out to Mimi, who wasn't even a part of the harem at the time, before anyone else. I can tell you didn't mean to start something official, and were just playing around, but don't do it again! As of now, I have decided, unilaterally, of my own accord, with no need for a second opinion..." Enyo was being a bit of a tyrant here but Ares let her continue because it wasn't him that was going to have to do anything. If Sandy or Bellona took umbrage with her declaration and whimsical rule generation then it was up to them to bring it up with her and object. Ares would get involved in some matters, sure, but if it only affected the women he would try and abstain as much as possible to make sure he didn't influence how they lived their lives relative to being in the harem. If they voted amongst themselves to make it more comfortable, add or subtract rules, then that was on them. Enyo was like the judge bringing forth suggestions but it was up the Redhome harem as a collective to make joint decisions going forward. Ares wouldn't permit anything obviously ridiculous, and would step ion if chaos was taking hold, but choices like the one Enyo was making? Meh, it was their freedom to have the mark or not. He hadn't planned on it being a big deal. Still, if this rule was accepted now, when there were only three women in the harem, it might raise complications later if a new arrival disagreed with it and had no say in the matter. That wasn't Ares' domain though, and Enyo was his de facto head of the harem in situations like that, so he would leave it all up to her just as she wanted him to.
Enyo continued "... that we shall all bear the Redhome mark somewhere on our body. It doesn't matter where so long as it's visible or else there'll be no meaning to it." This solidified Enyo's position on this topic as there were technically two different options here. It wasn't necessary to have the mark visible but Enyo wasn't allowing it and Ares sort of agreed but for a different reason. Ares wanted it for safety, so that anyone who saw the mark would know better than to mess with someone under Ares' unyielding protection, but Enyo wanted it to be more symbolic. She wanted it to be more akin to a dog peeing on a tree to mark it as his own, Ares being the dog in this case and the harem members being a small forest. The mark would be like a semi-visible leash, all of which led back to Ares' hand and influence. Basically it was the difference between 'I can't mess with that woman because she's a Redhome' and 'that woman is a Redhome so she belongs to Ares'. A subtle difference but one emphasised 'pack mentality' while the other 'romantic ownership'. Technically it would serve both purposes, and it was up to the woman wearing the mark to make her own choice on how she viewed it, but the other option would be ever present too and couldn't be ignored. In essence, Enyo was declaring that all Redhome women must publicly state their loyalty to Ares and that they were taken by him. It was quite aggressive but Enyo was an aggressively territorial woman anyway and this was in line with how she usually acted. Part of this was because she wanted to feel pride in Ares' indirectly through others being jealous of his 'collection' but a part of it was also because Enyo didn't want to give up any of the harem whatsoever. Overtly she was protecting Ares' interests but, really, she was protecting her own. She viewed each of these women as her own too so, to her, this Redhome mark was extremely important to the function of the harem in the long run and she wasn't going to compromise easily on the matter. This might be the issue she has to fight for the most in the future, as any new member will have the right to challenge it and challenge it they likely will depending on their personality, but Enyo was pretty diehard and would take any measure available to her to win the Redhome mark discussion. She was already thinking about ways to 'encourage' Bellona and Sandy of either of them disagreed. She only needed one of their votes to make it a majority right now and a bit of friendly blackmail wasn't exactly impossible...
But it proved unnecessary. Sandy didn't mind, she wore her juggernaut clothes most of the time anyway and so the mark, no matter how obvious, would still be hidden occasionally. Not that she would try to, she quite liked the idea of a mark actually and wasn't opposed, but it was hard to find somewhere that would remain unobstructed. She'd make an effort to have it seen, and that was acceptable to Enyo, but if her clothes slipped and covered it every now and then it was understandable. Her best bet was to put it on her arm or something and then leave a gap or cut in the clothes she wore but she was till thinking about the best way to go about it. As for Bellona... She could be shy about this sort of thing, and she probably wouldn't ever openly suggest the mark idea, but if someone else did she wouldn't go against it either. She was absolutely the type of women to be incredibly embarrassed but still pick somewhere blatantly obvious anyway and Ares' assessment of her was 100% correct as he'd find out when she picked her mark location. For now though she was just being quiet and nodding along to Enyo's demands obediently without raising any objections... Her face was red though. Very cute. Ares felt the urge to bully her but held strong and let the conversation flow without interrupting.
Eventually the three women came to a consensus and now Ares had to get involved as he had to apply to the mark. He could sort of guess where they'd want them but he waited for them to come to him one by one and ask in case he was wrong about his assumption. First up was Enyo and this was a no brainer. So much so Ares spoke before she could even open her mouth to deny her request. "No, I'm not putting it on your face." This woman was crazy! She'd really do it if Ares let her! She seemed to pout a bit but Ares already planned a perfect response that was sure to make her swoon and, more importantly, give up on this absurd idea! "I don't want to put a mark on your beautiful face, I prefer it the way it is." Simple, yes, but highly effective as Enyo smiled and wobbled side to side in her seat. Maybe Ares really had gotten better at complimenting women. That response was pretty basic to him now, and flew out his mouth effortlessly, but he would have definitely not ever spoken such words a few months ago... Though, then again, the reason he was denying Enyo this was because he didn't want to look like a control freak! A symbolic mark is one thing but on the face?! Unless he was given a chance to explain himself others would think him truly evil! Also marking Enyo's face had to break some kind of law somewhere, it was blasphemous at bare minimum! Men might actually attack Ares on sight for such a transgression. Be it jealousy or anger he would surely get into fights every day of the week if he was so careless in agreeing to Enyo's nonsense. "I am never marking any harem member's face! It's too much!" He tried not to stick his nose into the matter but, legitimately, he had to draw a boundary somewhere!
"Fine, then here." Enyo gave up quickly, aware she wouldn't ever convince Ares to change his mind. As for where she selected next, Ares again wasn't surprised and had expected this. The back of her palm on her right hand. It was either this or above her heart but the latter would likely wind up covered most of the time as Enyo didn't wear particularly revealing clothes often. A dress to a party would show the mark but Enyo knew better than to expect that to be a regular occurrence. She wanted it over her heart but it being visible was paramount to her so she picked somewhere that would always be visible instead. unless she was wearing her Legion armour, which covered her from head to toe anyway, her hands had no reason to ever be covered. She didn't really wear gloves, and if she did she could wear half palm gloves, so this was a perfect spot. Every time she politely shook a hand, raised a fist in the name of justice, wielded a weapon to defend that which she cared about, held close someone she loved, the mark would always be there. People used their dominant hands often on a day to day basis so the mark was going to just sort of always be there forever from now on. It was the next best option after face and Ares perfectly fine with this so he got to work and carefully, delicately, etched the mark onto her palm while everyone watched. It was a fairly simple process, and didn't take long, so Enyo probably spent more time staring at it, and making happy squealing noises quietly under her breath, than Ares did creating it. The black outline, the dark red void colouring, and the small golden dots all made the capital 'A' really truly pop and stand out. It was impossible to pretend you couldn't see the mark and so Enyo was over the moon with her new symbol of affection. She'd been ecstatic about the Redhome name and now this? For her the harem was really coming together, especially now that she diddled Bellona. It was feeling very real and so she was pleased as punch so Ares had really gotten off lightly with today's reprimands as a result. He wouldn't have been spared so much if Enyo wasn't in a fantastic mood but, in that sense, he'd done good keeping her happy.
Next up was Sandy. She was considering putting the mark on her ear. Exposing it beyond her clothes was pretty safe, she wasn't putting any vital organs out there unguarded so it wasn't a bad idea but she was reluctant because the shape of the 'A' might be a bit awkward and not look right... If she were an elf with longer ears it might have been manageable but, unfortunately, her ears weren't particularly large or anything. She went back to the drawing board for five minutes and her new idea was novel as she suggested putting it on her ankle. She wore a lot of clothes but her feet region were typically less covered than everything else anyway as bogging down her mobility more than she already did with bulky clothing was a bad idea. Lightening the load further down there was acceptable, and maybe even beneficial in combat, and she was ok with walking around bare foot thanks to her elemental nature. It would be pretty easy to wear sandals or nothing at all as she could just make her feet be made of rough sand and prevent any kind of uncomfortable feeling she might otherwise have to put with... Also, though she didn't mention this out loud, she'd had a discussion with Enyo about this because she wanted a second opinion on something specific. The harem outfits Ares picked up from Xasca often came with golden anklets and she was wondering if having the mark there would be sexy or not. Enyo was almost slobbering at the thought of it so the answer was clearly a resounding yes and now Sandy was feeling a bit excited to show off her curves and marked ankle to Ares later. She often thought the women she'd seen performing in those outfits before were pretty and now having a chance to become one was enticing in its own way. Enyo would be more than willing to help her make sure everything looked right so, though Ares didn't know it, he was going to be a very lucky man and receive a pretty erotic performance when he got closer to Sandy. She was already blushing somewhat as Ares marked her ankle but she was also looking forward to showing off her own charms and making his blood boil the way he made hers back in Xasca. Sandy wasn't like Bellona in that regard, she had a lewd streak in her too. Not to the same degree as Enyo, that was impossible, but she wasn't going to hold back when it came time to having fun in the bedroom either. If anything, she was hoping Bellona would hurry it up a little...
Speaking of Bellona... "Mmm, you heard me..." she said as she tried her best to look anywhere other than directly at Ares. Her face had never been this flushed before and it was for good reason because she'd blown even Enyo's boldness out the water with this request! Ares almost didn't think he heard it correctly and his own guess was completely off the mark. He originally thought she would just pick her palm or something similar to Enyo, maybe even near the shoulder or on her arm or something... How wrong was he!? His assessment of her behaviour was correct, she was ashamed of her own decision but stuck to her guns and refused to back down, but she'd gone way further than Ares expected her too...
"Sorry, let me ask again... Are you sure about this? I mean I can undo it later if you want but until then you're gonna have it there for everyone to see all the time you know?" Ares himself had no problem doing what was asked of him but he wasn't even sure why Bellona had gone off the rails like this!
"I'm sure..."
You don't look it! Ares had never seen Bellona be this meek before but he couldn't even blame her because this was the kind of lengths Enyo would go to usually, not her. In fact, Enyo was looking jealous she didn't think of Bellona's idea before her. If Bellona turned around now and changed her mind Enyo would get her mark redone in a flash. Perhaps knowing that, and being aware Bellona would lose out on this place if she gave up, was what was driving her to stay true to her choice. It was admirable and so Ares didn't question her again. If she was willing to do it, he would damn well do it for her! No second guessing, no hesitancy, he simply got to work... On Bellona's tongue. What was this mad tomboy thinking!? Ares had no clue but this was a statement of some kind for sure. Enyo's hand was a commonly visible spot?! From now on, whenever Bellona spoke, the mark would be right there! It wasn't even a contest! Enyo had been blown out of the water and was looking mighty astonished right now at having been outflanked by her shy and reserved, at least comparatively, sister! While Ares worked on it, Enyo couldn't help but send a mental message to check her sister hadn't been brainwashed or possessed.
[Blo Blo, have you lost your mind?! I know you're happy to see him again but I never thought you'd go that far!]
[...] Bellona's eye shifted side to side as she contemplated how to explain herself. As per usual, though, she resorted to 'honesty is the best policy even if it leaves me embarrassed and high and dry'. She wasn't good at handling emotional vulnerability but she would put herself in that position over and over again anyway when it came to Ares because she couldn't stop herself from being completely honest around and about him. [He likes my eyes, he thinks they're attractive and the prettiest part about me...
...
This way, he can see the Redhome mark as well whenever he looks at them so he knows they belong to only him...]
SQUEAL
Enyo leapt off her seat and dove at her sister right as Ares finished the mark. The noise she made was roughly in line with how much she wanted to squeeze her sister and hug her tight for being so cute and adorable. "Hey hey, Ares, get this!" Enyo locked Bellona in her arms but the latter managed to wriggled her way out and flee from the room to hide from the embarrassing truth that was about to be revealed. She couldn't stop Enyo from telling Ares the truth, and he would have gotten it out of her lips eventually with his persistent questioning and her inability to lie to him, but it was far too humiliating to have it revealed in front of everyone like this! At least if it was going to happen like that she didn't want to be there when it was said out loud! She had trouble looking at Ares ever since she made the decision to get her tongue marked anyway so how much worse would it be after he found out the reason?! Blo Blo was going to hide out in the bedroom for a while and fan herself to cool down and wait out the jitters. She'd be back to normal eventually, she powered through stuff like this often enough to know how to recentre herself fast, but for now she sat on the bed and held her head in her knees as she rolled her tongue around in her mouth and felt the mark. So what if other people saw it?... She liked it... And she knew Ares would too...