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The soft feather meticulously explores the entire sole of her foot, slowly tracing it from heel to ball, occasionally teasing over and between the toes.
Sora—relaxed and enjoying it—“Honestly, just like the brush, this is quite pleasant, but I did warn you that you absolutely weren’t going to be able to tickle me.”
Emma—without stopping what she’s doing—“You sound far too confident in your supposed invulnerability. Shall we skip the easy stuff and go straight to something that might actually be a challenge?”
Sora—“Hmm…”
Emma sets the feather down beside the brush and begins to lightly rake her nails along the other sole of Sora’s foot, right where she judges it to be most sensitive. It sends a small shiver through her, and for a moment her toes tense against their restraints before relaxing again—a reaction that does not go unnoticed by Emma.
Emma—amused as she sees the first cracks appear in her friend’s armor—“Or maybe you’ve gotten a bit ahead of yourself and this is starting to be too much for you?”
Sora appears calm on the surface, but deep down she’s wishing her friend wouldn’t be quite as thorough and creative as she had been with the brush and the feather. The sensation of having her feet held in place, fully stretched and exposed, doesn’t compare at all to what it feels like when the same stimulus is applied while one is free to curl their toes and scrunch their soles even slightly. “Not at all…” Her voice doesn’t come out as steady as she would have liked.
Emma smiles, noticing that tiny reaction. “Of course, of course… not at all. You know, Sora, all of you who like to boast about not being ticklish—rather than seeing it as a lost battle or an impenetrable wall—I see you as a challenge. A challenge waiting to be solved. And all I need for that is to find the right tool… Shall we try the toothbrush?”