YummyLunches said: Hmm, I've been thinking. It seems that people have been getting less and less impressed as more chapters come out, [snip] Sex scenes also tend to cause a stir in pretty much every story whenever they happen, and this latest one that I've included was one that I personally felt was the most interesting one I've ever written, even if it wasn't really supposed to be all that arousing from a reader's perspective. Responses seem to indicate, however, that it wasn't particularly popular this time around. For my part I've just had less time lately in which to comment -- there are several stories I need to catch up on, and I haven't even looked at the newest ones yet. Your story is still one of my faves; I love the relaxed writing style and the less testosterone-laden character interaction. I enjoy that this story is character-driven rather than plot-driven (for those who aren't familiar with the terms, that means it focuses on who the characters are rather than what happens to them). On this most recent sex scene -- I had mixed feelings about it. OT1H, it's about time the Mermaid got some lovin', and it's refreshing to see an h-scene that's more about affection than lust. OTOH, Amelia's approach to the sex (so much focus on technique that she ends up sharing little of her feelings) is antithetical to intimacy. This is not at all unrealistic; I've done that myself. But because I've done it myself, I know that approaching sex in that way shows more fear of intimacy than desire for it. If that was your intention, kudos on that bit of characterization (it shows that your MC has flaws). |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
| @rega: Wow, I feel kinda odd being compared to such a big name. Meep. @Ocu: Yay very yuri. Yayifications~! I feel like I’m the one sounding cheesy most of the time, haha. @green: Oh. The probability of me randomly disappearing on this story is quite slim. It’s interesting that you say that about the hip. I’ve had both my hipbone and my tailbone ground on before, but yeah, it’s not really supposed to be especially good-feeling for me. It’s just something fun to do usually, kinda like how using your lips or fingers doesn’t really feel good in that sort of way to the person performing the act, but it can still be fun in an observe/tease the other person kind of way. @Nox: Wow, tons of people are asking about Sofa. As for that other thing, I guess I could start posting chapter numbers if that makes things easier. Do you perhaps keep notes on your progress based on chapter numbers? @dere: Oh, I thought SoL meant… :P @tyger: Hmm, interesting that you interpreted it that way. This sex scene was very asymmetrical, both physically and emotionally even if genitals are the same type. The position is very intimate (facing each other, and body pressed together) and is usually associated with mutual-feeling-goodness, but only one was feeling good in a sexual way, and only she came. The point wasn’t that two people were coming together on equal terms and confidently having sex together. In this scene, the main character wasn’t at all interested in feeling good herself, at least not in that moment. I wouldn’t really say that it’s focused on her technique, but more that it’s consumed by her careful observation and deep thought. Everything is about giving Samira a good time, and making sure that the experience is comfortable, un-overwhelming, and memorable for her at the expense of herself getting any sexual pleasure in the short term. This is because, at the same time as everything going on, the main character is also challenging an unsure, reluctant Samira into accepting a girl x girl romance, by challenging her ideas of what romance can be. Emotionally, there’s too much at stake to really put any thought into herself getting lost in pleasure at that moment, but the hope is that in the future Samira will be more open to connecting in that sort of way, and that chances to have intimate sexual romantic interactions will be therefore plenty. I think this line is very indicative of the mindset that’s going on: I’d like to think that she’s considering the validity of girl and girl romantic relationships the moment she’s feeling the greatest pleasure, and I can definitely believe that she’d already been on her way to discovering a predilection for it without my involvement, but then I can’t help also feeling awfully manipulative. Yes, it’s manipulative, and my character does kind of feel bad about it too, but the long term strategy is more important than to indulge now. It takes a bit of finesse to naturally plant a thought into someone’s mind just as it’s leading up to their orgasm, and hopefully sticking around as it’s happening, without ruining the orgasm. Of course it didn’t feel all that complicated until I tried to explain it, but hopefully that increases understanding at least regarding what I tried to do. Or maybe it just confuses matters more. Or maybe I don’t really know what I’m talking about, very yay. Feelings are weird. But yeah, I guess there’s always next time for me. :x @everyone: To all of you who have the same question, hopefully this next chapter clarifies things for you. Thank you all very much for reading, and hopefully things get awesomer over time. |
YummyLunchesJul 7, 2014 3:59 AM
| ## Chapter 25: Water & Fire Samira listens quietly as she continues to apply the gel along the surface of my skin, all over my body, humming a pleasant tune. First my legs, then my arms, then my torso, and so on, until I am completely covered. She wears the faintest signs of fluster as she evenly spreads the slick ointment everywhere it needs to go. Also mixed in, is a thoughtful look, most likely relating to our most recent sexual encounter, which I hope she will remember with some fondness. She makes a face, as if visually announcing to others that she’s placing her thoughts elsewhere. “This will help keep your skin soft and smooth, and in good condition, even when living an amphibious lifestyle,” says the mermaid in a most sweetest manner, apparently already successfully entered a different, less embarrassed mindset. “It helps keep moisture in when we come out of the water, and it helps regulate our moisture when we are in the water too, high or low salinity alike. Plus, it doesn’t clog pores, and prevents rashes. It gives you moisturized and younger-looking skin both in water and out. Oh, oh, and it also protects from sun damage.” Ah, she’s starting to sound like a sales lady. I guess that’s unsurprising. I run my fingers along the surface of my arm to feel a smooth, and just faintly waxy substance along my skin that seems to glide effortlessly. It doesn’t seem to come off all too easily, and it doesn’t feel thickly coated. Instead, it feels like a much improved version of the typical skin moisturizer back home, and I gather, perhaps possessing vastly superior lasting power, seemingly leaving a thin slick coat atop the skin, even while most seems to seep in. There is also a surprising lack of any oily residue, which had always bugged me about many a moisturizer back home. Strange, as I rarely have thoughts of ‘home,’ if I can even call it that now. It seems so distant now. “Mermaids use this both in water and out?” I ask. “Yes,” Samira answers cheerfully. “But not only mermaids. It stays in a clump when not in use, and is just as easy to apply whether underwater or not. It doesn’t easily dissipate, and remains easy to spread as long as it is fresh. It’s a mermaid developed formula, and is starting to gain popularity with sky people too.” “What is it made of? It sounds like something that would be very popular back where I came from too.” “Unfortunately, you’ll have to ask someone else that,” she answers with an apologetically sweet smile. By now, Nura, who sits beside me, didn’t seem all too interested in what Samira had to say, but she gives my arm a firm touch to feel for herself what the fuss is all about. Seemingly alarmed by the texture, she raises my arm up to feel its underside too while Samira watches quietly with a nervous smile at the display. “So then, are we ready to go?” “I suppose so.” “Going my way?” asks somebody from behind all of us. I quickly spin around to see Agaue the salamander standing by the entrance to our current chamber with a pretty pair of sheathed swords on her back. She has with her another person who I don’t yet recognize, what looks like a girl fashioned out of water, not too unlike the slimy girls I’ve seen, such as Sofa, but actually made out of free-flowing water. She doesn’t seem to have the elasticity, and bounciness of the aforementioned slimes, but the way that the water forms a definite shape seems to indicate to me that there would be some sense of solidity if I wee to touch her. “Oh hey, you’re a human aren’t you? I remember seeing you down by the dwarves!” exclaims the watery girl. “Fancy seeing you again!” I look at her with confusion, and turn to look at Samira, then Nura in turn. They both had upon their countenances the unmistakable look of worry. “Dwarves?” I ask meekly. I find myself unable to speak boldly in the face of her enthusiasm. “Yes, before we, and others, were freed, you were there. You were the last those criminals brought in. Because of those fiendish practitioners of the most foul crafts, there sprouted a monstrous growth from your very body! And they were using brutish methods to separate it from you!” I glance over at my two confidants to gauge their reactions. Samira continues looking worried and nervous, while Nura wears a look of resignation before giving me a strange, but warm smile. I guess here’s a chance to learn some more about the period leading to my recovery of sorts. “A human? How can that be?” Agaue quickly bolts towards me, nearly knocking Nura out of the way if not for the salamander simply passing through her body. Nura must have rather quick reflexes, hardly moving a bit, and remaining composed at Agaue’s sudden charge. I fear for what she might have done if she deemed the salamander to be in the midst of an attack, and quickly moved to defend me. With great interest, Agaue lays a hand on my shoulder, and another near my chin, directing my face towards her for inspection. Her eyes pierce intimidatingly, and I find it difficult to look her directly back, but as I try to avert my gaze, she persistently shifts the position of her head to match, as if there were something special to be garnered from the appearance of my eyes. “You’re really a human? Even though you’re not a man? Were the amazons right? With their nonsense about Great-Mothers, and human women, and whatnot?” “Y-Yeah, I’m human. But I don’t know about the amazons.” “Oh, what those amazons would think if they only knew. If they only knew, ha!” She gives me a few quick sniffs near my neck, then a light pat on the cheek before finally releasing me from her overly strong grasp, chuckling to herself in amusement. “So, um, you are done with this place?” I decide to ask in return. “I assume related to those two?” I inquire, motioning towards the pair of swords on the salamander’s back. “Oh yes, but only one of them, but what do you know of swords, eh… human?” she answers with a laugh. “The other one was made elsewhere? Perhaps a spare? I must admit I don’t know much about swords.” She laughs some more. “Now if you want to know about my swords, let me tell you. Only one of them is from Neena, the metal one; Neena is only good with metal swords. That’s not to say that they’re bad swords. She has great skill, and she uses good materials.” “What is your other sword made of then?” “Glass, of course,” she replies nonchalantly. Sensing my expression, her amusement grows. She remains silent to bait my question. “Glass makes a suitable weapon?” “Yes, very. Our glass at least, makes for very strong weapons, and can withstand temperatures that metal ones cannot.” She seems to enjoy leaving hooks in the conversation so that I can ask all the questions, as if laying bait for a helpless prey, directing it here and there, stringing it along for her own amusement. Sensing my interest by asking seems to put her in good spirits, and soon she is all smiles, with tail visibly wagging side to side. “Um, is there a reason to use glass?” “We salamanders, when serious, fight with fire! The most skilled users of the fire arts can reach temperatures that can melt the most heat-resistant metal swords in less than a second. Our special glass is both strong, and so resistant to heat that even the best fire users can only just barely delay its solidification long enough to shape it into something useful before becoming tired. As good as the blacksmith Neena is, the only use I have for her swords is to bonk someone in the head with, haha. But not every fight requires the use of our prized glass swords.” “How does it, um, become molten in the first place?” “There are some naturally occurring furnaces that are hot enough deep underground if you look hard enough.” “Yes, yes, very fascinating,” says Agaue’s partner. “Now back to what I was saying before. Human, I’m glad to see that you are alright.” “I’m sorry,” I say to the watery girl. “It seems like what you’re saying is probably true, but I have no recollection of the events you described, and it’s a lot to take in. If you’ve introduced yourself to me before, then I don’t remember. Have we introduced ourself before? I’m really sorry about this.” “Yes, you were under the influence of another organism,” explains Nura. “For that duration, you were not yourself, and any deed committed by the vessel that is your body can in no way be attributed to you as a person.” To the watery girl, she says, “If you may be so kind to help explain to the human what she went through, that would be greatly appreciated. I believe that she’s ready to know now.” Nura gives me an encouraging smile. “Oh yes, I forgot. Firstly, although I witness what those wretched fiends did to you. I don’t think we’ve formally met. I’m known as Pacifica, a spirit of the element of water, an undine. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” “Oh, and I’m Amelia, human, and likewise.” “One of the very few, I believe,” adds Agaue, who was attentively listening in. “You see, one of the things I do –one of the many things– is to ferry passengers through the various waterways. One day, one of the criminals, masterfully disguised as any normal passenger had me bring her to a strange suspiciously unmarked location. I should have refused right away, but she assured me that she would know the directions. You see, where she got me to drop her off, a band of her wild cohorts laid in ambush! Ruffians! With their devilish devices, they seized me and confined me in their evil lair! I could do not a thing as they poked and prodded me in a most perverse way, and I watched them create twisted monstrosities, somehow based on the inner workings of my body. But wrong!” I listen in confused silence. “Seeing as how I possess keen intellect and sharp wit…” “Really now?” interjects Agaue. “…as I was held captive, I did not rest. No! I deduced the nature of their nefarious schemes! Human, how much do you know about the slime family of monsters? Not much? You see, they are living entities with liquid bodies, in some ways similar to undine, but no doubt inferior! There are many types depending on the composition of their liquid bodies, up to and including semi-solids. You see, those devilish dwarves, that’s what they were, they had an idea. Terrible but true! They hypothesized that the vicious roper and the slimes were related creatures, that the parasitic ropers belonged in the same family as the slimes.” “Huh.” “Yes, yes! Ropers are terrible parasites, existing as seeds, cores if you will, that embed themselves into helpless victims, and rend their moist vulnerable flesh from the inside, turning it into semi-solid structures sprouting monstrously from the victim. And at the same time, the parasite also wrestles from the rightful owners, their very own bodies! Terrible parasites indeed! You see, many varieties of slime also exist as cores, controlling a body of semi-solid mass, and this is the connection those dreaded dwarves wanted to establish.” “And–” “I’m not done! Let me tell you of the terrible deeds they’ve done! They started by collecting a large amount of dormant roper cores. Seeing as how there are no humans in this day and age to infect– ahem, almost no humans in this day and age to infect, ropers of the dormant variety were plentiful. They took those dormant roper cores, and worked their dark arts, of inner workings I dared not learn, and attempted to twist them into the slimes that we know of. They tried and they tried, varying their processes in an attempt to perfect it, and created legions of almost-slimes. Creatures of various standing within the slime-roper spectrum were created, comprising at least one new hybrid race, I would say. Obviously having no space to keep such creatures, the experimenters carelessly set them free into the wilds, without warning to the local population, and with no precautions.” I stare blankly at the undine, fully expecting to not have any chance to speak, despite the small pause, until she is completely done. “You see, those almost-slimes can still infect as their former roper selves could, although to what effectiveness I cannot say. And no one expected there to be any humans nearby, much less a female human. Yes, you were infected by one such creature.” Pacifica pauses again from her overly dramatic explanation, and I can see both Samira and Nura, with faces full of worry, gently holding on to my shoulders in preparatory support. From the looks on their countenances, it would appear as if both of them had been possessing at least partial knowledge of those previous happenings, and are just now taking the opportunity to have it revealed to me. As trauma-inducing as all of it sounds, at least I cannot be upset at the fact that they are finally letting me know the whole truth, and I am hopefully slowly on my way to knowledge-parity with a native inhabitant of this world. “Oh,” I say, overwhelmed. “Am I, um, is it going to be a problem?” “No,” says Nura, looking in my eyes reassuringly. “Remember when you were feeling unwell? You were slowly starting to feel various symptoms as the thing was trying to take over your body. Periods where you didn’t feel like yourself, where you didn’t remember things, where you, um, lost control. After it took over, I subdued you, and took you to the dwarves, which you wouldn’t have remembered; by then, the seed had already taken over your mind. However, the important thing is that it’s not a problem anymore.” “Indeed,” says Pacifica. “Those experimenters removed the blasted parasite fully after much persuasion. Your ghost friend convinced them to take responsibility for their negligence.” “W-What happened to me after that?” I ask, unable to stop trembling. “Er, I believe the, um, villainous experimenters tried to keep you around, or um, steal you away, as a living human specimen was quite difficult to come by, but your ghost friend… took care of them. They’re no more.” “It’s all in the past now,” says Nura. “You’re safe now,” says Samira. “Are you going to be alright?” asks Nura as she wraps her loose-sleeved arms around me in a warm comforting hug. “If you’d like, we can rest for a while, if you’re not feeling well. Our journey schedule is flexible, in that we have no real timeline to adhere to. It is more than okay for us to do as we please.” “No, I-I think I’ll be alright,” I say, shaking my head. “Certainly those events sound more than shocking, but I am somehow not entirely surprised. It’s as if a part of me already knows, or have at least mentally prepared me somewhat for an eventual revelation.” “So then, finally, will you be joining us or not?” asks Agaue with a patient look. I give Nura as confident an expression as I can before answering with, “Yes, I believe so. I don’t want to skulk around anymore.” “Good,” she says with a knowing smile and a simple nod, seemingly drawing the previous explanations to a close. Thoughts pertaining to the subject continue to swim in my mind, however, and I believe they will not go away for some time. It was definitely a lot to take in, but with the information at hand, I’m confident that I have a pretty clear idea of the entire sequence of events. Alongside the sudden influx of knowledge and revelations, a certain shadow of doubt is cast. My hands, and their sudden betrayal, lunging at the throat of dear Samira. I cannot say for certainty anymore who or what the true perpetrator was on that dark day which continues to haunt me. “This fine lady will be accompanying me through the Fire Heart to reach the lake on the other side, which is my home. That is, before those unscrupulous dwarves unceremoniously abducted me for their most reckless—“ “Calm down Puddles,” says Agaue. The water girl gasps in surprise. “I am not a puddle. I am a spirit of the–“ “Yes, yes. No need to get so worked up, haha.” “Yes,” says Nura with a giggle. “What about Billabong?” continues Agaue. “Oooh, Billabong. I like the sound of that.” Samira decides to chime in. “I’m not a–” Agaue cuts her off with an affectionate arm around her shoulders, then another by her waist, and promptly lifts the other girl in her arms with an impressively smooth motion. I almost expected her to start steaming, either through a physical reaction seeing as how she’s made of living water, or an emotional one seeing as how it may be a bit embarrassing to be in such a position. I would know, since Nura worked her charm on me in such a way before. “Okay then, Pacifica. No need to get testy, haha.” Nura clarifies when there is a moment for her to speak. “We’re about as ready as we can be. It would be great if we could accompany the two of you to the other side. Our destination lies beyond. Perhaps we could even obtain some supplies at the Fire Heart.” “The three of you, uh, ghost, mermaid, and human?” “Yes, that is correct.” “Heh, lucky human.” “Hmm?” “To have two of what amounts to bodyguards traveling with you. They seemed to have claimed you, but at the same time let you do as you please. Others may not have been so… respectful of your, what do you call it? Freedom, haha. Surely you ought to be careful regardless. Who knows what else would try to claim you. So where exactly are you three going to? I’m simply asking for curiosity’s sake if you don’t mind.” Both Samira and I instinctively glance at Nura, since the journey was entirely of her design, and the location of her knowledge. I can’t help but smile to myself as I’m reminded of how fortunate I was to have been found by Nura. Despite all the things that have happened since then, I believe it was truly fortunate for me to have met her then. If what Agaue insinuates is true, then even more so, as who knows what could have ended up happening to me? I find myself imagining cruel servitude as a slave, or being slaughtered senselessly for sport, I shirk at the discomforting thoughts, and then afterwards, I sigh contentedly, knowing that I have a flawed but loyal guardian spirit, and an amiable friend, or perhaps more-than-friend, both soundly at my side. “I’m afraid it’s best if I not say,” replies Nura politely. “No matter,” Agaue dismisses with a wave of a hand, the same hand she had supporting Pacifica’s shoulders, but not before shifting the water-girl’s weight so that it’s propped against her own shoulders for a moment. That momentary one-armed carry somehow impressed me greatly, although now that I think about it, I have no clear idea how heavy Pacifica is, as she could reasonably be a great deal lighter than I imagine. The salamander brings her lips to the water spirit in her arms, kissing her, and then promptly dives, feet first into the water. Nura motions for me to follow suit as she floats towards the surface of the pool, and Samira looks at me with a both sweet and encouraging smile before gracefully slipping in. I instinctively draw a deep breath of air as I look to the rippling gateway with equal parts of excitement and dread. As I hung in suspense, I try my best to expunge the instinctive aversion to plunging into the aquatic depths, compounded by years of life experience as a member of the ‘sky people.’ No fancy dives, I break the surface of the water feet first, outstretched and true as an arrow. Straight down, and I am engulfed. With practiced efficiency, I empty my lungs, blowing out a stream of bubbles that tie me to the overwater world I had just come from. But it severs the moment I take a deep breath to refill my lungs with water, and I turn my head to see the trail of bubbles leaving me, retreating back to where they came. Before long, we start to move along a large underwater passage, with me kicking and sweeping frantically to keep up. Samira notices, and lends me a hand, being infinitely faster and more graceful in the water than I. Nura floats nearby to keep me company, and even matches our speed when Samira helps me along. She doesn’t seem to tire, no matter the speed; one of the advantages to being I ghost I suppose. I look ahead to see Agaue and Pacifica, swimming surprisingly fast seeing as they’re in the lead, or perhaps it’s only with Pacifica’s aid that they can move at such speeds. The salamander’s tail waves from side to side as she swims, continuing to burn brightly, even underwater, lighting the way like a brilliant banner riding boldly through enemy territory, set along a backdrop of twisted but wide rocky caverns, and soft eerie glows. There are various forks in the branching passage, and the others take me along the chosen path without hesitation, and as we continue, the feeling is that of going deeper. We occasionally pass by other people swimming about in the same underground waterways, but we move along so quickly that I cannot see clearly who or what they are. I quickly lose sense of the direction we are headed in, except to say that I am simply following the others. After what seems like hours, for which I am glad to have Samira here to assist me with, we reach a point where I can see something like a large warning sign carved deeply in the rocky surface, and somehow emitting a glow from the carved-in portions, following the lines, with a massive flurry of bubbles just visible ahead in the distance. As we approach, the surroundings seem to get noticeably warmer, and we arrive closer and closer to the surface where it is almost as warm as a hot tub, and small lines of symbols are carved along the walls like guide-lines leading to the surface. Somehow I don’t remember seeing similar symbols when I first entered the water, but it may be possible that I wasn’t paying enough attention, and simply missed them. I can only imagine how hot it must be at the massively bubbling area up ahead, and I can only assume the witnessed phenomenon is due to water boiling. As everyone climbs out, I remain at the water’s edge, grabbing onto land, and violently coughing out the water in my lungs, or whatever they now are. It feels irritating that I’m not able to draw as much air as I’m used to due to them being still partially filled with water. Water that isn’t being renewed, and replenished with oxygen. The salamander shakes the water off her body and parts from her amazingly long kiss with the undine. Nura simply floats up out of the water and lands herself gracefully ashore, and Samira pulls herself out with fully-formed legs at the ready. This time it’s Samira up on land looking down at me in the water. “Amelia?” she starts cautiously. “Are you okay?” “I can’t… get the water out.” She looks me over for a moment before focussing on my face again, seemingly taking a second to realize what I meant. Understandably, transitioning in and out of the water must not weigh on her mind much, if at all. “After you’ve had enough practice, you’ll eventually be able to clear water or air as you please. Um, so until then, please bear with it. Is there anything I can help with?” She looks at me with a now-usual worry, hair draping down, and water smoothly streaming off her body. I just stare at her, breathing as heavily as I can, which must be the least charming way a person can look at another person. I make a weak attempt as a smile, which I suppose must make it look even more disturbing if not during sexual play and if we were in the world of humans. Thankfully, Samira is abundantly understanding, and she gives me a warm smile back, extending a hand to help me out of the water. Nura gives me a couple gentle pats on the back as Agaue and Pacifica wait for me, the undine still in the salamander’s lizardy arms. With all of us gathered and safely ashore, the salamander leads us along the path where I can clearly see two figures up ahead, standing by the riverside. As we approach, they great us, and Agaue gently sets Pacifica on her feet. “Hello and welcome, travelers,” says one, an undine like Pacifica. “The Fire Heart is just up ahead,” says the other, a girl, herself fashioned out of fire. “And be careful of the water,” says the undine, pointing towards the water passage we were just in, now formed into the river beside us. “It may be dangerous for you.” “Not for the salamander. Why, welcome back to the Fire Heart, Agaue.” “Yes, not for the salamander, but for the salamander’s companions perhaps.” “Yes indeed, the salamander’s… Agaue’s companions look as if they’re not suited to swimming in the fire.” I look to the river in question, and upon closer inspection, nearly jump in surprise. I can clearly see the boiling section seen previously from our underwater viewpoint, with rising torrents of steam, but immediately beyond it the river continues, not as water, but as… fire? It looks similar to lava, but it seems to flow as water would, not terribly disturbing the ground beside it, or the surfaces containing it as it does. “Yes, as you can see, at this junction, this is where water ends.” “And fire begins.” “We safeguard the junction.” “And travelers from the junction.” “Right. We’ll be on our way then,” says Agaue. “Say, human, I take it you’ve never been to the Fire Heart before, yes?” “No I haven’t. It’ll be my first time.” I look at Nura and Samira nervously, but only enthusiasm gleamed from their countenances. “Ah, I see,” she says making an alluring arch of her back, and a snaky twist of her shoulder so that she can turn her face to see me. I catch a glimpse of a smile forming as she’s turning away before she continues forward, fiery tail waving back and forth in large sweeping motions in time with the bounce of her step. |
YummyLunches said: @Nox: Wow, tons of people are asking about Sofa. As for that other thing, I guess I could start posting chapter numbers if that makes things easier. Do you perhaps keep notes on your progress based on chapter numbers? well normally i try to read it all in 1 sitting but my computer crashes alot(i really over work it) and chapter numbers would make it easy to remember where i last left off on and dammit Yums X| i was just about to go to bed when you posted this now i wont be able to sleep until i finish it |
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| Interesting seeing the idea of using those special glass swords with fire, much creative :P Yummy said: “Calm down Puddles,” says Agaue. The water girl gasps in surprise. “I am not a puddle. I am a spirit of the–“ “Yes, yes. No need to get so worked up, haha.” “Yes,” says Nura with a giggle. “What about Billabong?” continues Agaue. “Oooh, Billabong. I like the sound of that.” Samira decides to chime in. “I’m not a–” And this was cute. ù_ù |
 "You keep changing the shape of your eyes. How does that even work?" -AbhLeaderKrelian |
SydoKiller said: Interesting seeing the idea of using those special glass swords with fire, much creative It was quite surprising to even mention something like that in purely psychological story. |
| Signature removed. It was too good for this cruel world. |
| @Yulu: I didn't assume it would feel good for the person being ground upon (that sounds strange to say :P) but I just didn't see how it would feel good for the other person lol but as I said, I lack the equipment necessary to understand -_- and how did you manage to get someone to grind on your tail bone? Either I'm picturing some pony riding, extreme flexibility or somebody is upside down XD .. Glad to see you won't be disappearing ^^... now off to read the latest updates :P |
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beast_regards said: SydoKiller said: Interesting seeing the idea of using those special glass swords with fire, much creative It was quite surprising to even mention something like that in purely psychological story. Interesting indeed--but considering there's an innate sense of SoL in this story, having events shape the mental state of the character works quite well. @YuLu Good chapter. Such cute, much dialogue, very interesting. |
| It's natural for a person to deny he's a failure as a human being. That's why he searches for somebody who is more miserable than himself. That's why so much animosity exists on the internet. Those who aren't able to find a more miserable person, turn to the internet and call other people losers, even though they've never met. Just to make themselves feel superior. isn't that pathetic? There's a sense of security that comes from speaking badly of someone else. But that isn't true salvation. — Tatsuhiro Satou YandereTheEmo said: The only thing more pathetic than quoting someone you know nothing about, is quoting yourself. |
| Okay I read it ^^ I'm glad you take the effort to describe the strange nature of "breathing" in water, not only would it be a shock to your system that is of course adapted to breathing air, but is now accepting a fluid exchange rather than gas, but then what happens when you get out of the water? That stuff needs to come out lol. Now things are becoming more clear with the slime girls and potentially what happened to sofa :P. Going back a bit further, was there anything significant about the bandaged girl? I never really thought about it until now, but was she just a random girl in passing? |
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| I know it was already touched on before, but imagining the absolutely horrible sensation of being stuck halfway between breathing air and water sounds rather unpleasant. No falling into the fire, now. I figure that's probably at least a bit worse. =) I can't help but imagine a female-tuned version of the MGQ Drain Lab for how they pulled that roper loose. I'll just cut that thought right there, though...just going to be trouble later if I don't. |
emeraldtryst said: sorry Em, the transmission had a lot of interference, I didn't quite catch that.....I can't help but imagine a female-tuned version of the MGQ Drain Lab for how they pulled that roper loose. |
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| @GG - Oh? Here, this should jog your memory. NSFW! https://fireden.net/4chan/images.4chan.org//vg/src/1370632132464.jpg |
emeraldtryst said: @GG - Oh? Here, this should jog your memory. NSFW! https://fireden.net/4chan/images.4chan.org//vg/src/1370632132464.jpg Oh, thank you so much, Em. Like I needed that first thing in the morning! |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
| Swimming in fire sounds like a great idea :) will definitely have to try that later. *notes* |
| Pacifica sounds like an awfully rhetorical, professor-like person... Personally, I find that to be a really fun and unique trait for an Undine to have... X3 Anyway, I'll leave you with this little thought that was somehow sparked by Amelia's conversation with Agaue... I wonder how a Salamander's hands would feel to the touch? Would they be hardened and rough, made callous by the swords and the fire they use in battle, or would they rather be smooth and warm, like the belly of a snake, perhaps because of their elevated body temperature? |
PantsManJul 9, 2014 3:13 PM
| Someone asked me about the glass swords mentioned in the previous chapter. The general idea I have with the glass swords is that they are very fire resistant. The salamander character Agaue carries both a metal one for normal everyday usage, and a “glass” one for rare occasions where its use is appropriate. They weren’t meant to be enchanted if that’s what you’re asking, but I intended for them to be more valuable than metal swords on average due to them being harder to craft. The idea is that deep in the ground, there are pockets where the heat is extraordinary, which I referred to as “furnaces” in my chapter, which I guess serve kinda like actual furnaces for the creation of such swords. Although whether the material is actually a type of glass as we know it here on earth is debatable/unknown, but I imagined the motif of a glass-blower for the one who crafts it, who is most likely a salamander because I intended for the idea of glass swords to be mainly part of various (some since I wouldn’t want to monopolize all of their cultures) salamander, and salamander-influenced cultures throughout the island. The salamander craftswoman would probably be aided by several fire spirits (ignis) to keep the material heated to melting point by way of the “furnace” in order for it to be worked on. I kind of imagine it (in completed form) to have a sort of smoky grey and just very barely translucent look to them, and they’d generally look elegant/fine, and sort of ornate, with a slight curvature optimized for slashing. I’d probably describe one in more detail if I decide to have my character actually see it in the coming chapters. A salamander (with or without an ignis) would use it in combination with fire arts (possibly in dance or performances as well as combat), and it wouldn’t have any real benefit for anyone that didn’t already use fire besides it being a nice sword. About the bandaged girl from way back, that was supposed to be a mummy. I also had a dream about an anubis. About a salamander’s hands, it would probably depend on the person. I’d imagine that some of them might have smooth hands that are nice to touch. |
| The way I pictured those swords was a tougher variety of Obsidian, which was one of the first tools used by ancient man for both weapons and generic cutting instruments. It was an extremely valuable resource until they discovered iron, but the principle is still there. Now if you base it on "glass" that is used in various fantasy games, take Elder Scrolls for instance, they have a weapon and armor made of "glass" but its actually a mineral called malachite. I don't know if that would be any stronger than iron IRL, the real ore doesn't look all that durable and seems more for decoration (tabletops, jewelry, etc) but idk, again the concept could still be applicable, if you make it anywhere near as strong as Iron, it could still very well have a high durability at higher temperatures. I was just wondering if the mummy concept was abandoned or not :P |
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| ## Chapter 26 - Asymmetry - Part the First “When we get the chance, I’ll teach you how to swim more effectively, okay?” suggests the mermaid Samira as she takes my hand in hers comfortingly as we walk with the others. The air is stuffy, and there is a stifling pressure upon my chest. “O-Okay,” my voice croaks in response to the dry air, and I clear my throat quickly afterwards. We follow on land alongside the river of fire which brilliantly lights the way, casting light that seems to reflect off the shiny surface of the seemingly dug-in tunnels. Samira smiles back happily. “Are you going to be okay?” asks Nura from my left, and a half-step behind, with the look of genuine concern upon her face. I see her fingers clench at the sleeves of her shrine maiden’s robes. “I think so,” I reply, with an effort to sound reasonably reassuring. After a while of walking, we cross a land bridge that arches over the river of fire. On the other side, there stands a large gateway many persons high, carved into the stone greeting us. Once through the gates, the cavern ceiling expands abruptly, and everything seems to open up. Dim translucent bowls of light float high up in the air, drifting here and there like an imitation of the night sky, but each star moving with a mind of its own. A towering structure lighting the way in the dim cavern catches my eye off in the distance, with small lighted arches dotting the path to it. In the far distance, I see movement, people. “Fire Heart is just beyond these archways,” announces Agaue. As we walk, I realize the archways aren’t as small as I had thought. I’d been simply deceived by the distance. They tower over us as we walk through them, each one highly decorated with cryptic inscriptions in the textured stone faces, and stylized depictions of various events, perhaps lost in time, carved into them. After a bit of walking, after we near the heart of it all, I notice people gathered around a large spread-out cloth set up with some items laid neatly upon it; more people than I’ve seen in one place since arriving at this world, and all of them appear non-human, and female. A few of them wave, and I feel compelled to wave back, sensing no hint of wariness on the part of my companions. I realize that they begin waving back too, with Samira being perhaps the most enthusiastic with the waving. Nearing the imposing towering structure I had seen off in the distance, we come across a steep cliff downward, with a vastness that renders me dizzy just looking into it. I gasp when looking down it, and a sense of danger threatens to overcome me. The tower starts at the base many stories down in terms of height, and rises up to as far as can be seen. It’s like as if a large cylindrical area as wide and tall as the largest domed stadium had been cut out of the earth, and the tower was erected at the center of that enormous pit. The tower itself is wide at its base, tapering mildly inward as it rises up all the way into the ceiling which is higher up above the ground we’re standing on than the pit is deep. The tower is transparent like clear glass, and there are what look like giant amorphous blobs of various shades of orange, casting glows along the rocky walls, and rising up the column, disappearing in the ceiling. It quickly brings up the image of a giant tubular lava lamp. Down below, the tower seems to have risen out of a pool of perpetually molten rocks that extend about a person’s height outward around the perimeter, and many glowing symbols are etched in several equally-spaced rings around the tower, and in strings radiating outward in straight lines. I also spot many people down below, sitting down, dotted around the tower in meditation at various distances from, and facing the center. It appears as if people avoid sitting directly on the symbols. I notice one person shuffling a step or two closer to the tower before resuming her meditative trance. A large spiral staircase, fashioned out of the walls of the pit, run along its perimeter, forming a long track to walk in order to get down. “Wow, that’s really cool,” I say. Nura gives me a knowing smile, and gently touches my hand. “But what exactly is it for?” “I am not sure. Perhaps people gather around it, because it is an auspicious place?” As I take a moment to continue gazing at the fantastic scenery, one of the girls seated closest to the tower suddenly stands up, and does the unthinkable. She steps forward, and jumps straight into the tower, instantly vanishing in a mist of embers. I can’t take my eyes off the cloud as is drifts for a bit, and then scatters into the ether. “Wha—.” “Was that?” Samira completes my thought. We glance at each other, and she’s the first to part her gaze. What does that mean? Agaue gives a flippant shrug, and we continue on our way. “We could use a rest,” she says as we come across the gathering of various peoples, from the scaly tailed, to the fire-bodied, to the apparently human, though I must assume they aren’t. Some have colorful rugs spread out with various glittering trinkets arranged in perfect order, some with clothing on display, some an assortment of little knives, some with food, and some with things I cannot readily identify as being this or that. It is difficult to tell what belongs to whom, as everyone seems to be moving around, looking at other people’s items, and chatting, without appearing to guard their wares from any potential thievery. That must not be a big concern here. Having been in a relatively isolated area for the past while, the sights and sounds of people and their chatter overwhelm me, and I struggle to focus, finding it difficult to make out the individual activities among the bustle. Truthfully, there mustn’t be many people here compared to human gatherings back home, but my overwhelmed mind multiplies them. I see a girl with lizard-like features not unlike Agaue’s, which leads me to believe she is another salamander, casually propped up next to a large cauldron. Her attention though, is focused on another girl who appears below the hips to be a giant snake, but is shaped like a human up top. The salamander holds a thin needle glowing a bright orange in one hand, and an ornate fan with wispy plumes like fire in the other, gently winnowing across the needle until it cools to a metallic sheen. She holds the other’s ear still, and pierces it with the needle, threading the jewelry through. She then closes it up with a small round piece that sparkles between her clawed fingers as she snaps it in. And besides them is a copper-skinned girl with long tummy-length hair of silver, and streaks of pink, who looks mostly human, dipping a needle in some sort of dye, and pricking it against the skin of a scorpion-looking girl, along the side of her torso, leaving intricate floral designs. The scorpion-girl is lying down on the other girl’s lap, and has her tail resting limply on the ground, and encircling the both of them. Her many legs are curled into each other into a compact cluster like a flower not yet blossomed, but every once in a while, they twitch in time to the needle-pricks. The people notice us, and greet us warmly, which we return in kind. A few of them seem to recognize Agaue, and a couple seem to recognize Samira. Being the sociable girl that she is, my mermaid companion is quick to mingle with them, bringing Nura and I in with her. With no prompting on our part, it is quick to be brought to light that I am human, a discovery that at first causes us some difficulty, as we became overly cautious and watchful of how the others would react. However, we soon ease up when no sign of danger presented itself. If anything, they are simply curious, and many come our way. “Where did you come from?” “I believe it’s another world, different from this one.” “How did you get here?” “I don’t know, exactly.” By the way her eyes lit up, I suppose the light-coppery-skinned girl who was tattooing the scorpion-girl seems the most outwardly interested in me. Ylva is her name, and she wears very little clothing, covering only the breasts and hips, but is adorned in much jewelry, from wood carvings, bone, beads, and metal baubles that sway, and jingle, and clatter with her movement. She is also lightly covered in tattoo markings, which makes me wonder whether she did them herself, or had someone else do them for her. Agaue was right, for Ylva is an amazon, just like the charming duo, Seren and Tesni, and her interest in me being human can’t be hidden from her face regardless of how hard she tries to do so. Her unspoken thoughts; her eyes betray them. “Would you like me to do something for the hairs on your body? I can get rid of them quickly,” asks Aminah, the salamander with the large cauldron, the one who had been performing piercings. Her deep eyes gaze with a razor sharp edge, and unsettle me in the way that they tighten with a devilish smile. Unlike Agaue, she wears layers of jewelry, many carved out of stones of all colors and textures. Her hair is made up in a highly ornamented fashion that I have not the skill to replicate. “You can do that? How?” She chuckles. “However you’d like yourself decorated with hairs, it will grow that way over time, including none at all. Seeing as how you’re still adapting, I can whisk it away for the time being if that’s your wish.” “You’re saying all I have to do is believe?” “Yes, in a sense.” She chuckles. “And when you are attuned to the world, you will find that you have some control over how you grow.” I look down at my legs sticking out of my little outfit. Since my arrival to this world, tiny wispy hairs have sprouted from my once-smooth skin. They’re barely there and hard to notice, but there nonetheless. “So how would you like it?” I feel the numerous nearby eyes upon me. “Um, I usually go for smooth everywhere. Well, except for my head hair.” I point to my head as if making a meaningful gesture. I see a sudden fire flicker across her eyes, and she says, “Ah, why don’t you remove that pretty little dress of yours so we can get started?” “Right here?” “Yes. Where else?” “Um.” My throat goes dry as I’ve surely garnered the attention of nearly everyone in the area. I turn to look at my companions Nura and Samira subtly gesturing for me to back out. I look at the others, quickly studying their expressions. All are interested, and curious. Some are amused, and some, no, many are salacious. Am I imagining this? When have so many looked at me with those lecherous kind of eyes. I look once more to Nura and Samira, who are comically continuing to gesture as they had. “Well?” Aminah asks, her lips easing into a smile. I’m not sure what has come over me, but for some reason, I want to give it a try. “Um, sure,” I say timidly. And with that, the energy in the room swells. Should one be stepping in and out of dresses, or taking them on and off over one’s head and shoulders as one does with shirts? I usually treat them like long shirts for the purposes on taking them on and off, but in the movies I always see them drop to the floor while still around a girl’s legs. I usually don’t think so intently about such matters, or maybe I did, but having so many eyes on me makes me wonder even more so. My indecision leads to both hesitation and anxiety, and I can see my companions looking worried for me. I shouldn’t worry them, but this is important. I think. This one-piece dress is the only thing I’m wearing, this lingerie-dress thing, that really doesn’t cover a whole lot, and looks quite erotic, meaning good, and my body probably doesn’t hold nearly enough charm to deserve such an exquisitely sensual outfit, and so many people are staring lusty looks at me, which I’m really not sure how I’m supposed to react to, but my body’s already decided on an appropriate response, one which I was not consulted on, and what if the others see shapely nipples, and the slight moisture down there, or what if they already know, and can already see it, since the fabric’s pretty thin so they might—. I take a deep breath, hopefully not too loudly. Oh well. I loop my fingers around the thin shoulder straps, and pull them, hopefully daintily, over my shoulders and along my upper arms. I push the narrower portion of the dress past my hips, and let it all fall down, brushing down my longish legs, and crumpling into a satisfying ring around my feet. I like how nicely it simply slid off. That fabric made it feel rather nice too. Well, that’s one ordeal over with. These people have no idea as to the awesome intensity of the battle that was waged in my head, and here I am in all my breezy naked glory for them to see. Wow. When exactly did I become this cheeky? Honestly, I’m frightened. Aminah turns back to look at me with a look as if she was impressed by something. “Now the jewelry. You can have someone else keep it for you, and then we’ll wrap your hair up,” she says, holding up some sort of dark-colored towel. I kneel down to remove the silver and blue anklet, and turn to find Samira with an urging look. She quickly comes towards me. “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asks. “Is there something I should be worried about?” “Well, not exactly. I just wasn’t sure if you would be comfortable with the, um, attention,” she says with worry. “Oh. I’m nervous of course, but I think I’ll be okay with the two of you around. I hope.” She nods, and smiles happily as I hand her, temporarily, her gift to me, for safe keeping. It seems preferable in my mind to entrust it to her than any other, as the lovely trinket belongs between her and I, and no other. She seems pleased by my decision, and I can’t help but notice at the edge of vision, a flash of pain and guilt upon Nura’s visage before being quickly spirited away. I must remember to speak with her soon. “Good, come,” Aminah says with a beckoning gesture. “What do I need to do?” “Turn around.” I do as she says, and gasp as I feel her sweep up my long hair, and wrap it around in the towel, tying it neatly out of the way. Casting glances toward the people around me, I feel as if I were on display. I let out a surprised yelp as I suddenly feel scaled hands run along my shoulder and arm, as some sort of light-grey powder is rubbed onto my skin. I let out a whimper as I feel it spread down my back. “Sensitive, are you?” Aminah teases from behind me, and I hear a couple of people laugh somewhere, and many amused grins all around. I can’t decide whether to interpret that negatively or not. I usually go down the negative route, but here, I’m not so sure. Among the people, I notice Nura and Samira, and another girl that appears to be talking to them. I wonder what they’re saying. A hand runs gently along my breasts, eliciting a surprised moan out of me. “Um, do I really need it everywhere?” I asks, flustered. My nipples, already taut in preparation, receive a wealth of sensation. “It’s easier to just cover you up, so you don’t have to think about where to apply it. Besides, it gets rid of blemishes and impurities. Getting rid of hairs is just something nice in addition. As you can probably deduce, most don’t need to worry about hairs this way. They simply do this for health and beauty reason.” “Oh. I guess that makes sense.” “And I can’t exactly turn down the chance to explore,” she says, and grips my shoulder firmly. I turn to look at her when a sudden caress between the buttocks makes me jump, or at least stumble forward a bit. Her hold braces me sufficiently to prevent any violent dirtying of my face by falling forward. Her ‘exploration’ of the folds between my legs prove no less energizing, nor embarrassing than before, and seem to go on for far longer than is necessary. Was it her intent to leave me so infuriatingly aroused? I feel horribly taken advantaged of. When she is done with her explicit teasing, she releases her hold of me and gestures to the others to back up. I feel my whole body slump, and my wobbly legs struggle to maintain the thin facade of pride and confidence in my stance. Aminah brandishes her large ornate fan in one hand, and runs the other hand along its surface. Then she pulls the hand away slightly, and starts to flap the fan repeated and gently toward her hand. Orange spots start to form in the grey soot covering her hand, and before long, her fanning carries a stream of brightly glowing embers dissipating into the ether, first from one hand, and then the next, until both are swept by a cleansing fire. “Your turn,” she says, eyeing me with what looks like desire. I cross my arms, and keep my legs together. “Relax. It’s not going to hurt or anything. Keep your arms and legs apart, and just enjoy the breeze.” She starts waving her fan at me, slowly at first, and then faster, into a rhythmic flapping. A wind certainly does pick up, much stronger than I expected, and then sudden warmth envelopes me, reaching under my skin, and into my flesh all at once. I gasp. She walks slowly around me as she continues fanning, directing it all over my body, sending hot currents swirling over every bit of my skin. My powdered body glows a dangerous orange with wild tingling sensations scrambling every-which way and that, and then it starts to chip off, and then peel, and then drift. Hot glowing embers swirl madly around me in tight vortexes at first, and then gradually slow as the diameter widens. They continue to widen and slow until they encircle just Aminah and I, becoming vast swarms of individually-distinguishable glowing specks, like time-lapse photography of the majestic night sky. They remain like so for just a moment before disappearing into nothingness. ---- “Are hot springs particularly abundant in these lands?” I ask. Nura lets out a lighthearted laugh as she settles down beside me. “Places where people congregate tend to have niceties such as hot baths. Considering where we are, it’s not surprising that many are hot springs.” After the mystic hair-removal procedure, which turned out to be quite the spectacle, I found myself covered in perspiration. After a quick drinking of water on my part, Aminah suggested I relax in the conveniently close-by hot springs, and freshen up. I check myself over, and see pleasantly hair-free skin that water glides smoothly over. How refreshing it is to have that dealt with. “Eek,” Samira yelps as she puts her feet in the water. After a while, she starts giggling for some reason. Through the thick foggy air, one can make out the amazing surroundings. A languid pulse of red and orange light surrounds us. Large stalagmites rise from the pool, and large stalactites hang from the ceiling, all fairly even in size and spacing, like rows and rows of teeth about to clamp down. A spring of water on one side, and an outpouring of molten lava on the other, joining to form one pool. This arrangement appears to be stable somehow, with the boundary between the two being almost as clear as a line, with a visible gradient only as long as an arm-span, in a combined pool about as big as a track field, and never mixing. It’s hot, but not unbearable unless one moves too close to the lava, and there’s ample space to move around in to find the correct temperature to suit one’s tastes. A few people are about in the large cavern. Some in the pool, some out, and some propped at the threshold. Well, both thresholds. A pair sitting rather close to one another with water up to their chests adorning peculiar expressions catch my attention. Are they? My eyes dart about, and I notice a couple more potentially enjoying themselves. I’ve never exactly thought about the situation in this sort of way, but my thoughts align just then, and realization found me finally. It’s a world filled with exceedingly attractive women, and all exceedingly lust-filled, at least towards each other, but also quite possibly towards myself as well. Perhaps I ought to be testing the waters more, so to say. The term ‘sapphic central’ makes me chuckle to myself. Even with all this talk about capturing a man, surely there must be a decent amount looking to ‘court’ women, even by conservative estimations, right? At the very least, that is what my intuition is so kindly telling me, by giving my dear heart wings to flutter by. I wade around in the waters a bit, and very quickly start feeling light tickling sensations. I yelp, and look down to see a swarm of blurry red glows gather around me like little living embers dancing in the water. They swim all around, and gently kiss my skin everywhere, worming their way into every fold, and every crevice. Nura, being beside me, appears to be having the same thing happening to her, and she seems to be trying very hard not to break out in many unbecoming noises. I hold onto her with both arms, letting out whimpering sounds, as I suddenly felt it very difficult to stand with so many little licks and caresses in all the sensitive parts of my body. Samira quickly wades toward us, giggling, bringing a small swarm of the glowing red things following hungrily after her. “Ahh! What are these thing?” I cry out. “Don’t worry. Let’s go in the water,” replies Samira, pointing downwards with a finger. I look to her, confused, but do as she instructed after I see her lower her head under the surface. By instinct, I take a deep breath and hold my breath as I bring my legs up, letting myself slide all the way into the water. I only realize afterwards that it was quite unnecessary. However much I dread having water-filled lungs, I exhale, only to feel the warm liquid fill me uncomfortably as I inhale again. By now, the ember fish are having their way with my upper body as well, and I find it difficult to keep my eyes open. My mind is in a whirl, and red swarms flashing across my vision do nothing to help. Then I feel the comforting touch of both my hands being held, securely, and safely in two others, one in each hand. I slowly open my eyes to see two friendly faces looking back at me. Nura, and Samira, the three of us all holding hands in a ring. The brightness and clarity of the underwater landscape is a stark contrast to that above-water blanket of fog, and the many swimming embers dance around us in heated celebration of our coming together. ---- “Are you feeling alright?” Nura asks me. I turn around to see her leaning against me, shoulder to shoulder, her face close, and her arms draped affectionately over me under the waters. “Y-You were there!?” “Yes, always,” she says with a grin, and then her expression returns to a relaxed neutral. “Do you feel a bit better now?” She has a knowing kind of look about her. The ember-fish of before have mostly left us by now, and had returned to the fire side of the pool, but a few still linger around curiously. I wonder what attracts them, and why have they left now. “Yeah, I’m glad that we got to share a nice moment, the three of us.” “Yes, I’m still trying to make sense of things myself,” says Nura in a solemn tone. “What’s wrong? Does it have to do with what happened before?” I ask. “I think we are all still recovering from that, but at least we have made up about it.” “I still feel guilty,” she says. “The way you look at her instills me with a feeling similar to that of the wicked things I felt before. I know I should let you find your own way, but I’m not sure how I should handle this.” “You mean what we share? And that Samira and I don’t have?” “But you want that with her, don’t you?” Nura says, slipping a little. “I did agree that the three of us could find a way together, and I think that is the best way. Samira’s a sweet girl, and I like her a lot. I know that she’s very good to you. I’m not sure how to handle you anymore, but I think she just might be able,” she says, with her gaze low, and avoidant. “Handle me? Are you saying that you don’t want to be with me anymore?” “No. That sounds bad, and I don’t mean it that way. I won’t leave you. Not unless you want me to,” she says quickly. She looks thoughtful for a moment. Seeing in her gaze the look of deliberation, and I remain quiet. “Your mind,” she says finally, “is blossoming. Our relationship, our connection, is changing. I’m unsure of how to proceed, how to guide you.” She looks up at me, attentive now. “Mmm,” I say, and nod my head. “I don’t want you to leave.” “Where I am taking you, will hopefully help with that. I plan to take you to who I consider to be a mentor of sorts, but I can’t say too much about that right now,” she says looking a bit relieved, and hopeful at what I said. “Okay,” I say. “Please keep that in mind for the time being, and know that I don’t want to hold you back in any way, at least not anymore. I’ll try to find a way to tell you later, when I better understand it myself. After I take you to meet her, you will understand. Just know that I’ll always be with you. Always.” She looks a bit self conscious, raising a hand to her mouth, and her face colors slightly. “Also, would you be alright with continuing to, um, have sex?” she asks with a small wave of the hand. “I’ll remember that. And yes,” I say with a laugh, and Nura’s expression instantly lightens. “I was afraid you didn’t want to do things like that anymore, that you didn’t much cared for me anymore,” she says with a huge smile of true happiness. “We’ll find a way to make it work,” she says with much hope. That felt like a rare moment of connection with Nura, since she has been more on the distant and withdrawn side as of late. I remember back to when Nura and I had just met, and how she had been the world to me then. It’s sad that we’d lost that closeness, so it would be nice to reconnect in some way. I’m just glad that she seems to feel the same way, and that’s the first step isn’t it? ---- “Hello,” someone says to me in a seductive, shiver-inducing voice. I quickly turn to face her. Standing before me is the girl I saw with Nura and Samira earlier while Aminah was feeling me up. “Um, hi.” I look around for my companions. Nura is still resting beside me in the relaxing pool, and Samira is standing by the stranger. I suppose things should be okay if they are around, and they seem comfortable enough with her. It seems like Samira had been talking to her while I was in deep thoughtful conversation with Nura. She is a bit shorter than me, with purple hair that gradients to a soft peach. She has a thin frame, and wears a two-piece outfit with a bared midriff. Her top wraps around like a tube top, but ties up at the back with a large neat bow, with the fabric folding over the front again, giving the look of a longer outer layer that looks like window curtains split down the middle to reveal a shorter tube-top underneath. It’s all straight lines, and sharp folded edges, except for the curvature that hints at her full breasts underneath. She has on a short, tight pencil-skirt that matches the top, reaching no lower than half-thigh, and a translucent, long, fluttery half-skirt over her right side, that floats about like a trail in the water. She has a sparkling silver necklace around her neck that joins near the collarbone to form a trailing chain that disappears between her breasts. She also has thin silvery chains that wrap around her wrists several times. I also notice silvery piercings in her ears, both in the lobes and cartilage, as well as a piercing in her belly button. Lastly, her right hip is adorned with a small rose-shaped bulb of folded ribbon pinned to the half-skirt, that also manages to look a tad bit like a meringue. Her outfit is so stunning that I spend the longest time simply gaping at it, and her. There’s something about it that exudes style, and really appeals to me, which I find both classy and sexy. “Sorry, I’m Chantal, mermaid. Nice to meet you.” “Amelia, uh—” “Human,” she says. “Yes, I was there, and Samira told me a bit about you.” She adjusts her plunging necklace causing the delicate chain to slide across the skin of her cleavage, and showing off her gel-slick fingernails of painted-purple. “Hey, Amelia,” says Samira. “I was just talking to my friend Chantal earlier, and she is willing to help me out.” I look to her, and can see that she’s nervous about something. “Uh, if you’re willing, I mean,” she adds hastily. “What is it?” I ask hesitantly. “Would you like to practice swimming for a bit? The pool is a bit shallow though, but it should be okay.” She makes a point of casting a glance all around her. I don’t see what’s causing her to be so nervous. So she found another mermaid friend, and they both want to coach me on swimming. Is there something else going on? “Sure,” I answer, trying to act nonchalant. We make the most of what we have available, finding an open spot in the cooler section of the pool on the water side. We start practice with quickly excising air when I submerge, and water when I surface, in the hopes of making the transition feel fluid and natural. It’s slow and fairly uncomfortable, but because of that, we spend a long time at it. My mermaid trainers speak words of encouragement from underwater when I submerge, and urge me to attempt speaking underwater, even with water in my lungs. I attempt it repeatedly, but do not get very far. It is their hope that I do eventually gain that skill, but we all remain a bit doubtful as to whether that will ever happen. Then both of the mermaids take turns giving me tips on how to move more effectively in the water, while Nura watches quietly. Samira takes great care in instructing me on my posture in the water, helping to align my back and limbs as I do her drills, in a completely wholesome sort of way. She seems nervous, as if afraid of touching me in ways that may be misconstrued as inappropriate, and I find that oddly cute. Unfortunately, my body’s not as flexible as I’d like, and my movements never become as streamlined as it should be. Chantal however, seems to have no such problems with her conduct with me, and is therefore much more daring, but in a good sort of way, massaging and pointing out my much underused muscle groups, and egging me on with her playfulness and sensuality. After a while, Samira lets Chantal take over, as if letting her bond with me through physical contact, and Chantal seems eager to do so. Both Samira and Chantal remain in their biped forms the entire time. I had hoped to see what Chantal’s fins looked like, but I was at least able to determine that her toenails are painted the same way her fingernails are. I wonder what happens to them when she switches to fins. After we finish, Samira offers to massage my body, which I can’t help but accept. Samira’s hands feel so good. My sore shaky muscles find relief in her angelic touch, truly a delight of the highest order. I sigh and moan quietly as Chantal looks onto me with amusement. Even Nura casts a curious smile my way, as the hint of amusement, evidently infectious, sparkle in her eyes. The two of them talk a little amongst themselves. We are back in a warmer part of the pool, and with the kneading action of Samira’s soft fingers, I find my heart beating at a heightened rate. It also doesn’t help that earlier, I was so thoroughly teased and primed by Aminah’s deep grope and glow session, and then teased again all over by ember fish, and then yet again by Chantal’s wandering hands, that I feel as if I’m just about to go find some much-needed release. Samira finishes up her massage, and we both settle down. When her hands leave my skin, I suddenly feel very self-conscious, for inside, I am burning with desire, whereas Samira seems rather nervous about something, but not in the same way as I am. “Amelia, how are you feeling?” she asks. She has a look of concern, and I wonder with dread if it’s because my state of arousal is so apparent. “Um, okay,” I answer hesitantly. Everyone seems to be asking me that a lot lately. With that, both Chantal and Nura’s attentions are on me now. “There is something I’d like to try,” says Samira cryptically, and I get the feeling that she has been planning for this. “What is it?” I ask. “I was thinking that Chantal could help out…,” she begins, and then trails off, averting her gaze slightly, and her face a bright crimson. I look at her, not understanding completely. Chantal looks at Samira with half-lidded eyes and amusement. “What Samira means to say,” she gestures with a hand of nicely painted fingernails, pretty and attention-grabbing as they are, “is that if you feel so inclined, that we could have a bit of fun, and she could… watch.” I stare at her, dumbstruck. “I’ve never seen Samira show an interest in the carnal pleasures before, so this is a rather new development.” I look to Samira incredulously. “Um, yes,” she says meekly. “I’d like to watch, um, maybe learn.” “Perhaps watching is what does it for her,” Chantal teases. “Are you sure?” I ask, still unable to believe what they are saying. Have all of them been planning this without me? Samira nods furiously. One thing I do wonder about is, why not just observe Nura and I? Why ask someone I barely know? Is it because she wants to observe me with another mermaid? Perhaps she knows Chantal a bit better? Does she figure I have a particular like or dislike for mermaids? Thoroughly confused, I continue to stare, thinking it rather inconvenient to voice my numerous questions with all of them here, and supporting this odd occasion. One thing though, I am sure of. That hint of desperation. That pleading edge to her voice. She needs this. I turn to Nura, and she simply says, “Go ahead. Please don’t hesitate on account of me. I’ll just leave the three of you alone for a bit.” There is a lingering sadness hidden in the depths of her eyes. Her haunting smile doesn’t reach her eyes, and in an instant she is gone. “So it’s settled then!” Chantal says, perhaps a bit too cheerfully. “Let’s find a place to get comfortable, relax, and maybe take it slowly. It’s all in good fun, so there’s no need to get tense about it.” That’s easy for her to say. We find a place to sit comfortably out of the water, and where we have something to lean our backs against. I pull my hair to the side, away from her, and Chantal sits next to me with her arms wrapped around one of my own, while Samira remains close by, with wide, curious eyes, but still far enough away to give us some room. Chantal looks quite eager to start, brushing her hand along my upper arm, those painted fingernails trailing along my sensitive skin. I guess thinking about ‘starting’ sex makes it harder for me to get into it. “So do you have sex often? Like casually I mean,” I ask her, for a lack of anything better to say. “Indeed. When there’s a need….” She rests a hand on my thigh, and strokes gently, coquettishly, seemingly enjoying the feeling of my newly smooth skin. “And I sense a need. Isn’t that right?” “I’d imagine all the way back at the ‘powdering,’ everyone sensed it quite clearly. That was very embarrassing.” She lets out a laugh, melodious like Samira’s, but deep with desire, then leans her head against my shoulder. Her long locks of peach and purple tumble down my shoulder, and arm, and tickle at the side of my bare breast. “Have you know Samira long?” she asks in a low voice into my ear. The sensation makes me want to squirm. “Um, not very,” I say. “She’s taken a liking to you, that’s for sure. I can tell, even if she’s evasive about it.” “Do the people here have sex very freely?” “Most do. When people get desires, they act on it. If someone declines, that’s not a big deal either. It need not carry any deeper meaning.” “Hmm, I see.” At that, she angles herself toward me, and tugs at my wrist with both of her hands. She brings my knuckles up to her lips, and gently kisses them. I instantly melt under her spell. She then pauses, teasing, “Why? Is that a problem?” I give her a look as I try to rein in my expression. She kisses between my fingers with a smile I can feel against those rarely touched patches of skin. “N-No problem,” I manage to croak. She pulls up her skirt and moves to straddle my right leg, letting the sheer fabric of her half-skirt drape past my knee and along my thigh, like an elegant demi-train gliding across a smooth waxed floor. I gulp, and try to position myself to let our bodies best fit together, my left leg up over hers, my hips tilted just so. Then suddenly I feel it. The warmth, the wetness, it is unmistakable. I feel the juices spread across my thigh. There is so much. Much more so than Samira did, and it’s so impossibly slick. I whimper pitifully. I feel the knuckles of her hand caress my left inner thigh, then her fingertips along my right inner thigh. Her smell intensifies, and I feel the warmth rising where our bodies touch. “Ah,” I let out as a wave of pleasure overcomes me. “When we get aroused, we mermaids get very wet,” she teases in an elegant drawl. Her voice makes me lose my balance. She seems so comfortable with having sex with me even though we are still newly acquainted. While bracing my shoulder with her right hand, she leans in, face getting close to mine, but angled to the side. Her shapely breasts, and the cascading lines of folded fabrics obscure my view of where her juices are leaking out. Then the curtain falls over my own midsection, their cool touch running up my belly. Her breasts press into mine, and I can feel her stiff nipples dig in through the fabric of her top, and into the skin of my sensitive breasts. My body makes desperately-stifled buckling motions as I shudder, and the motion seems to divert some of her juices to trickle down the sensitive part where my thigh connects to my hip. I moan a bit louder than I ought to, and I know that my own juices must have started to overflow too. “I heard from Samira,” she whispers breathily into my ear, “that you enjoy the feeling of sex with clothes on.” I feel my face warm even more. Samira said that? I don’t understand. “But I’m not—,” I begin to say. “Too late to put it back on. I want you,” she says in a deep sultry voice. A massive wave of pleasure wash over me as her words do. There’s something in her voice that ignites my senses. I see a wicked smile play across her face. She brings her hand up, carrying with it, her strong erotic smells, and the clear glistening of a thin strand between her pointer and middle fingers. There is a small bead of viscous fluid trying to roll down the length of her middle finger. Those fingers, I stare at them, entranced. Those purple nails look glossier than before. Those inviting fingers, the same fingers that had been dancing up and down my inner thigh. The same thigh she had delighted in leaking the slickest juices all over. With a small motion of that hand, and a look in her eyes, she urges me to clean them. I gulp. I can’t help but offer her a dumb nervous smile in return, as if hypnotized. I give her slick-covered, purple-nailed fingers a careful lick. Her eyes seem pleased as she feeds me more, letting her fingers play in my mouth, touching my insides, as I run my tongue all along her fingers obediently. Tingling sensations run all over my head, my neck, and my back. I nearly crumple, but she holds me still. I tilt my head slightly so that she can better reach under my tongue. Chantal withdraws her now thoroughly clean fingers, and runs them through my hair, along the cartilage of my ear, and resting lightly behind my neck. She leans her head forward a bit, and I do the same, edging closer, and closer, gazing into her deep bewitching eyes, lust-filled, playful, and expectant. Then she pushes me back into the hard surface with a giggle, shifting her weight onto me. A dull pain erupts, but I ignore it. Her hips start rocking against my thigh, first in light long glides, and then into a rough grinding motion. The fabric of clothing slides along our skin. I feel her fingers roaming. Her juices run down my thigh, mixing with my own, and I can feel it drip down even between my cheeks. A finger runs up my thigh, and across my delicate folds, causing me to gasp and shiver violently. She kisses my ear with ragged breaths blowing, and I feel her lips smile against the side of my face just as she gently slips it in. I moan loudly again. I need this. I fear her, but she so wildly turns me on. I slowly wrap my arms around her in acceptance. |
YummyLunchesFeb 13, 2015 3:33 AM
| ## Chapter 26 - Asymmetry - Part the Second “Welcome back,” says Aminah with her ornate fan by the cauldron, tending the fire. She is wearing a dark hooded cloak with gold trim, and looks somewhat like a mystic sitting by the fire. This time, the cauldron is full, with some dark liquid at a lazy boil. Its smell is deep and earthen, with a distinct aroma that reminds me slightly of freshly ground coffee, and not too out of place in a land of fire. “Enjoy yourselves?” she asks with a grin as she stirs the contents. When she looks at me, amusement fills her face immediately. “My, you must be easily marked up,” she teases, looking me over. I look at her questioningly, and then glance at the others. “Yes, it was delightful.” Chantal was the first to answer with an easy laugh. Nura and Samira stifle vague giggles as they look at my neck. Ah. I feel a tingling sensation between my thighs as I remember how Chantal sucked very hard against my neck repeatedly, and how incredible that felt. My neck must be completely covered in love bites. Around the cauldron at a slight distance, Agaue the salamander, and Pacifica the undine nod in greeting, and Ylva the amazon holds out a clay bowl as Aminah pours a scoop of the dark liquid into it. “Thank you, but no thanks,” Pacifica begins. “With no disrespect on my part, I cannot accept this drink. If you must know, it is because the dark rich color, no doubt a highly prized aspect in any other circumstance, would bring ruin to my fine complexion. As a highly sophisticated and delicate being, I must be ever careful—.” Pacifica’s mouth gapes wide open and makes a haughty head-turn as Agaue’s laughter interrupts the undine’s rant. “Care for some charcoal tea, human? And the others?” asks Aminah. I look to the others, and see no obvious objection in their expressions. “It’s good, you should try it,” says Ylva, raising her bowl. “Alright then, I’ll try it.” The others agree too, and soon we are all seated. I receive my bowl in anticipation, with the dull sensation of heat at my fingertips, and the pleasant smells wafting toward me. Peering into the bowl, I see that it is dark and inky, like an over-brown pigment with a light glossy sheen over it. Being unfamiliar with any sort of etiquette associated with the beverage, I decide to wait until everyone else drinks before I take my first sip. Hopefully it would give me some time for any requisite mental preparations. The others seem fairly casual about going ahead and drinking, so I follow in their stead, albeit with slightly more caution. The bowl has a rustic feel upon my lips, and steam washes over me, deep and seductive. I am always careful with hot beverages, as I seem to scald easier than most I know. Curious. It is much more subtle than I expected. It is bitter in the way that tea is, but fragrant and creamy almost, with a bit of savoriness to it. Strange, but I decide that I like it. I let out a contented sigh, and turn to look over the cliff and at the glowing tower, and the people gathered around it. “Can you tell me about the tower? And why people meditate there?” I ask. “Let me tell you a story then, human,” says Aminah with a cryptic look. “It may not directly answer your question, but it may bring you closer to an answer.” I bring my eyes to hers, and watch her form a slow smile. “Okay.” “It is a story of the world,” she begins. “And also of the sun and the moon. Long long ago, in a long forgotten time, there lived a girl named Misa. She was a bright and outgoing girl, and also very charming. Many loved her, and when she came of age, many wished to court her. So when it came the time for her to choose a lover, she couldn’t possibly decide. After thinking long and hard, she decided that she ought to meet, and get to know every one of them, and then she could choose. So one by one, she spent time with every one of them. By comparing how much she liked one when compared to another, she was able to eliminate one, and keep the other, and by repeating the process over and over, she she was able to slowly lower the number of her potential lovers. She kept doing so until she was left with two. But then she had a problem. With the last two, she couldn’t determine who she liked more. “One was the warrior Lyria, who was always hot with passion, being the most passionate person, and the best at sex, while being the second best conversationalist. The other was the witch Sura, who was the wisest, and the wittiest, being the best conversationalist, and the second best at sex. One day, Sura and Lyria had a secret meeting to decide what to do, because they couldn’t stand watching Misa agonize over the decision anymore. They eventually decided they would both become Misa’s lovers. “And that was how Misa came to have two lovers, and for a while, everyone was happy. Misa would spend days conversing with Sura, and nights having sex with Lyria. But over time, Lyria’s passion repeatedly rekindled Misa’s, making her burn up more and more, and causing her to crave sex more and more, and over time, she started to run out of things to talk about with Sura. Eventually Misa spent time with Lyria not only during night, but during days also, because she was the best at sex, and both of their passions ran hotter and hotter. As this went on, Sura started to become jealous. “One day Sura became so jealous she cast a spell on Lyria, one that striped her of her fire, and her passion, so that it was there sometimes, and gone the other times in a predictable cycle. That way Misa could spend some time with her, and not always spend time only with Lyria, and Misa could still see Lyria sometimes. Because the spell worked so strongly, though, Lyria’s passion is reduced so much that it can never reach beyond a dim glow even at its strongest. This made Misa very sad, and she cried out in despair over what had happened between her two lovers. So she wrapped herself in a cloak to stamp out her passion, and then wrapped herself in more and more cloaks until they formed a hard shell around her, and more and more until that shell grew bigger and bigger. With no passion anymore, she cannot love, and then she secluded herself, never to see anyone again. “Greatly saddened by this, Sura and Lyria continued to visit Misa every day without fail, Sura during the day, and Lyria during the night, in the hopes of rekindling Misa’s passion. Years go by without success, and Misa would never see anyone again. Over time, Sura and Lyria learned to love each other too, but they never forgot their love toward Misa, so they continued to visit her, keeping to the same schedule as always. One day Sura decided to perform one last spell, and Lyria agreed to this also. Together, they created the first children to love Misa, and to keep her company, for when she eventually comes out of her shell. They all carried a fire in their hearts that glow brightly with passion like Sura, and grew stronger and weaker like Lyria, in a predictable cycle. Sura became an orange ball and went to the sky, and Lyria became a silver ball and went to the sky also. They continue to visit, Sura during the day, and Lyria during the night. Sura’s passion glows brightly, now being the one with the greatest passion out of all. Lyria’s passion glows a cool silver, and it comes and goes in a predictable cycle. And underneath the layers and layers of shells surrounding Misa, a fire still burns somewhere, a fire of passion.” I let the story sink in, and run it over a few times in my mind, then I ask her, “What does the story mean exactly? And not everyone’s passions follow that pattern, right?” To that, she gives me an amused laugh. “Don’t worry about it; it’s just a story,” says Aminah with a grin. “And don’t forget to drink your charcoal tea, or else it’ll become cold.” I look down at my bowl and see that they’re still in my hands, lifted up halfway to my mouth, suspended in midair. I give her a sheepish smile, and continue drinking. I look over again to the glowing tower, and the meditators. Then a thought comes into my mind. “Say, Aminah.” “Yes?” Amusement plays in her eyes. “Would you be willing to pierce my earlobes?” She raises an eyebrow. Samira quickly looks my way, face full of disbelief, and then concern, then realization, and then what? Her eyes are wide as they flit about my face. “I think that’s a great idea,” she says finally, with a genuine smile. Chantal seems pretty enthusiastic about this also. Before long, I’m sporting two new piercings on my earlobes, one on each side, the most innocuous piercings one could get, and ones that open up a fair amount of possibilities. For the time being, however, both jewelry are small studs, though with a small clear gem dotting each piece as Samira so insisted on. I distinctly remember having lobe piercings back then, in the other world, or previous life, or however it is best to describe it, and find it odd that they had disappeared. And with that, we get ready to sleep, Nura, Samira, Chantal, and I. The others decide to wait until later. There is an area where everyone gathers to sleep with mats and blankets and whatnot, similar to how things were in the previous area by Neena’s. Here, it happens to be around the rings of people meditating by the glowing pillar of psychedelic amorphous blobs, and so we make our way down the long steps that encircle the grand space. Since we are all quite fatigued by the day’s events, slumber finds us uneventfully. I’m sure if I had been less tired, I’d have been unnerved by all the people, and that ominous tower. ---- Curious scenes play in my dreams that seem all too real. I stumble hazily, and with urgency through labyrinthine tunnels, and chambers of worn, but exquisitely crafted stone walls. I reach for the reins to my body time and time again, but there are none. I feel stranded. It is indeed my body, but my mind is plucked from the helm, helpless but to simply observe as the unknown other compels me to my fate. And then suddenly I am hiding in the shadows, knees drawn to my chest, with arms wrapped around, and one wrapped in bandages, silently shivering someplace. And then bright blinding lights. I recoil and hiss, not liking the light, loathing the light. The darkness gives me comfort, and something wet slides down my thighs, wraps around my legs, and I feel all around. The darkness is a playground. And then suddenly I am chained, throat burning, suffocating, and my thighs pulled wide apart so strongly they may split. A jolt of pain shoots through my spine, and then everything is gone. I wake up with a start, slick with an abnormal amount of sweat about my body, and eyes frantically searching. The alien landscape before me somehow allows me to ground myself appropriately, and the lingering thoughts from the nightmare mist away by the absurdity of reality. Samira rouses from sleep, as her head, having been resting upon my breasts, had been stirred by a sufficiently violent heaving of my chest, as a result of my panicked state. “Hey, are you okay?” she asks, with concern evident in her eyes. “Sorry, I had a bad dream,” I say, blinking wildly. “Shall we take a walk?” Samira says with a smile. I take a look around and see that things are fairly quiet, as most are still sleeping. “Yeah, that sounds good, or perhaps we can take a dip?” “Oh, that sounds even better,” she says happily. As we walk up the steps, I turn to look back once more at the piles of sleeping bodies, with Nura and Chantal among them. I spot Agaue, Pacifica, and Ylva among them also. I ask Samira about the tower, and she doesn’t know, agreeing that it is an odd thing for so many to gather around it. At the very least, it is somewhat nice to look at, and the symbols around it give off a mysterious charm. When we continue up the steps, I unconsciously start humming. Samira catches me, and gives me a questioning look, while I look away, embarrassed. “Is there a name to that melody?” she asks with a sort of wide-eyed curiosity. I feel so out of it that I need a couple moments simply to remember what I had just been doing. Oh, that song. Unfortunately I’m not able to recall the name, or who it’s by. I’m not sure if I ever really looked into that, or not. “Um,” I start to say, and I feel quite dumb in saying it. “It’s the song that plays when Utena walks up the—.” She stares at me blankly. “Uh, it’s something from my previous life.” “Okay,” she says simply. I can tell in her eyes that she would like to hear more about it. Maybe one day, when I can explain in a way that would make sense to her, I will. Maybe some day, I can tell the people here about the other world, in a way that makes sense to them. I don’t know how, but I feel like I ought to keep that in mind at the very least. I had expected her to inquire further, and I feel almost disappointed that she didn’t. She seems to have something on her mind that she’s preparing for, and is therefore distracted. I can only wait, and see. Once we are nearing the market, Samira suggests taking the time to peruse when crowds are thin. Though I am hesitant at first, the sight of it convinces me that it would be a prime opportunity to, at the very least, browse the various oddments, and pretty little things. Naturally we end up with a couple articles of clothing for me, a pair of thin strappy sandals of mermaid make, and some other supplies, and I am very grateful for her generous attitude toward me. Apparently it’s not too common to find footwear that fit human feet, and even less common if they’re not from the mermaids, as it’s the mermaids that use footwear the most, and in greatest numbers to protect their delicate feet when on land. Several communities of seemingly humanoid-descended like the amazon, and kunoichi also make and wear shoes, but they aren’t much in wide circulation. She informs me that when we have a chance to visit the cities under the waves, in other words, mermaid cities, that the clothing selections there will be very much more fashionable. I believe I detect just the smallest hint of pride in her voice. Thinking back to Chantal’s outfit, if that can be any indication, then I am inclined to believe her. When I have the time, I must ask her more about the mermaids. When we are done with the market, Samira suggests we have our bath, to which I agree with much enthusiasm. Even though the mermaid had helped to relieve some of my soreness yesterday, that soreness still lingers. I notice however, that Samira carries with her an air of agitation that was not there in the market. We make our way to the pool of two halves in tense silence, and as I had expected, very few are there. Samira turns to me, and she has the look of one who has something important to say, and can hardly contain it. Making good use of her hesitation, I say, “Let’s get in the water.” She nods simply, and we set our things to the side with a measured pace, and then enter the pool with hands nervously by our sides. “Hey, I’d like to talk about last time,” says Samira finally. “When we did it, if you don’t mind,” she says. I snap out of my trance to see Samira sit next to me. Seeing my confusion, she adds, “Um, when we had sex, before arriving at Fire Heart, I mean.” “Oh, alright.” “I’ve been thinking about my feelings. There are still things I don’t understand. There are things other people feel toward each other, but it all seems so foreign to me.” Samira furrows her brows as if in deep thought. From the looks of it, she must have spent a lot of time thinking about this. I am glad though, that she seems willing to share now. “Foreign how?” I ask cautiously. “Well um…,” she begins, and turns her face, looking uncomfortable. “I’m not sure what I feel, but I think I can, um, infer what others are feeling. I think. I don’t want to assume that I understand. They seem to feel what they should feel.” Her expression seems to become more and more confused. “Okay,” I reply. “What are people supposed to feel? We can start with that, and then maybe compare that with what you feel. See how it differs?” She nods. “Um, this may sound a bit stupid, but don’t laugh, okay?” She licks her lips nervously. I hold onto her hand, hopefully in a comforting way. She seems to calm down very slightly, and then she continues. “People feel things for other people, right?” She looks at me expectantly, and I give her a quick nod for her vague statement. “People feel attraction toward each other beyond simply, um, friendship, correct?” “Yes.” I’m not entirely sure where this is going. She bites her lip a bit. “When they like each other that way, then they want to be together. Then they want to do things with each other. Sexual things, right? I mean they want to do sexual things together, very strongly. They have a burning passion, and can’t help but to touch each other all over, including, um, sex, right?” “Yeah, but only if they find someone they like—.” “I know, I know. But if they like someone like that, then they will naturally do sexual things together, right? I mean, people already like to do sexual things with each other, but that’s not the same. They’re doing it because they like the sex, not because it’s that person that makes them want to have sex with that person. Does that make any sense?” “Mmm.” I take a moment to sort through the confusing jumble. “People here like having sex a lot, but if they like each other, then they feel compelled to have even more sex, just with each other, you mean?” “Well, sort of,” she responds hurriedly. “What I mean is, that sex comes naturally out of liking someone, right?” “I suppose that’s true,” I say. Samira draws her lips in a tight line, and looks down at the water nodding. “So, do you feel differently?” I ask. “Um,” she says, still looking down, unsure of herself. She turns to me, and places her other hand on top of mine, which was already holding onto hers. She looks straight into my eyes. Bold and striking are her eyes, her previous insecurity all but dissipated. I find myself lost again. “I like you,” she says. “I think,” she adds hastily. I can feel the flush rise up my cheeks as I watch it mirrored upon hers. It seems beyond question just what manner of like she meant. I give her hand a gentle squeeze, and she returns it in kind. Our smiles form in unison. We’re being so sickeningly cute that it’s creepy. “You see, that’s the thing,” she says. “I’m still confused, but it feels right when saying it aloud. I’m drawn to you, Amelia. Attracted. I want you to be happy, and that makes me happy. And listen.” She frees both of her hands to reach around my neck, showering my shoulders with a stream of water, which seems cool now. She gently urges me to lower with her fingers along the back of my neck, and in my hair, pulling my head down to her chest, giving it a light turn to press my ear between her breasts, or sort of mashed between them somehow, which is what it actually feels like. I can feel her heart thumping so clearly, and so unmistakably. “Can you feel my passion?” she whispers into my ear. I nod, which turns into a nuzzle against the softness. “But—,” she says sharply, and her breath seems to hitch. I bring my head up to look at her face again, seeing it so full of sadness. “What’s the matter?” I ask, binging my hands up to brace both her upper arms. She strokes my cheeks, her lips wavering as she mouths silent syllables, her cryptic sadness never abating. “That’s where it’s different,” she says, and pauses, looking frustrated. She seems to come up with a different way to approach it, and says, ”I’ve never felt the same things others seem to feel, the sexual ones, even now. So what I’m feeling, is that really love? I’m confused. I don’t understand.” “That’s okay,” I blurt out absentmindedly. “Is it? Everyone else can be so sure. Their feelings seem so clear. When their passions rise, they naturally seek sexual pleasure.” “What happened when you came to me that time? When you, um, offered yourself to me. I could have sworn that was, and sorry if it seems presumptuous, but I thought you wanted to have sex, but was unsure of whether you wanted something more?” My mind goes back to that time, and that unforgettable look of reluctance upon Samira’s expression. Had she been forcing herself to have sex with me even though she wasn’t much up for it? Why would she do that? It pains me to even think of it. “I wanted to confirm my feelings, to see if I could like you that way,” she says softly. My chest tightens, and I am overwhelmed by dread. I feel like, in misinterpreting that previous encounter, I must’ve been the absolute worst. “Y-You don’t have to want sex to like someone,” I croak. “Really?” She looks confused. “At least to my knowledge, people like each other in all different sorts of ways. It’s a personal thing. They sort of figure it out as they go, and decide on something that works for them. Some people are interested in sex, and some aren’t. And that’s okay.” “Everyone I’ve met eventually gets those urges, without fail. Maybe there’s something wrong with me. Maybe I haven’t really found a person that I like yet, in that way.” “I can’t tell you what you’re feeling, but I can say for certain that romantic feelings, and sexual feelings aren’t necessarily tied together. From what you’ve told me, it sounds like you’ve never felt the urge to do sexual things or fantasized about such things towards anyone before? Do you help yourself out? What about when you approached me last time? Was there no feeling at all?” “I don’t think so. When others start getting those urges, it’s fairly obvious. It’s like they’re possessed. They have to do it, because someone tempts them so, just by being there, but that’s never happened to me before. Does that make sense?” “Do sexual things make you feel uncomfortable, or disgust you?” I ask. “No, no, it doesn’t disgust me. I do, um, help myself out from time to time. Not because I feel like I need to, but um, because I wanted to see if I could. To see if maybe it would help me be more like the others.” She looks so dejectedly into the water, with flashes of frustration, embarrassment, and shame in her expressive eyes. I lean in and pull her close, feeling her quiet shudders against the nook between my neck and shoulder. “You don’t have to force yourself,” I say in a low voice. “If you feel up to trying anything out, or if you want me to back off from anything you’re not comfortable with, just tell me, okay?” She nods into my shoulder. We relax in the warmth of the pool in a comfortable silence, and watch the soft glow of the ember-fish swim back and forth across the water-fire divide as if it were of no consequence. When we are done, we return to join our group, and find them awake when we arrive. We all make our preparations before heading out, and Ylva says she wants to come with us, or with me specifically, and we agree with mild reluctance. Just as there is a path of archways leading to the little gathering area known as Fire Heart, there is a path of archways leading out, and to the surface. “If you’d like, I can carry you up those steps, just like I carried you last time to the caves,” teases the shrine-maiden outfitted Nura as she watches me gape at the seemingly unending stairway, dotted with arches, and leading up to the faraway surface, some invisible place off in the distance. Agaue, Pacifica, Ylva, Chantal, and Samira all look to us with varying degrees of amusement. “It would be quicker to take the waterways,” suggests Pacifica. “Yeah, let’s take the waterways.” |
YummyLunchesFeb 13, 2015 3:43 AM
| to fanboy or not to fanboy :/ welp YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA MFKING NEW YUMMY CHAPTER and super long too o/ you've secured your place as a goddess of idk what once again, like seriously it's amazing, it doesn't feel like I'm reading something unprofessional at all. The whole atmosphere/setting/environment is awesomely described/sent, the place feels incredibly magical and ancient. The new characters are presented super well too, be it the clothing details (jewelry *.*, colors *.*, fire *.* yuri *.*) or the personalities. ;) I liked the h-scene and sexual tension/presence spread through the chapter, the arousal and sexiness or the embarrassment and sadness was really believable and well affecting? (you get it)(eventually) I'm not sure what else to say hm I enjoyed the plot progression with the addition of the tower, new characters and the relationship between the main characters as well and the direction in which it's going. plis keep writing more chapters for you loyal servants *bows down* :3 (either im getting better at commenting or just no one has been willing to tell me it sucked yet ¯_(ツ)_/¯) yeaa only 44 mins new record |
| Only found this corner of the internet a couple of weeks ago. Started your story yesterday evening and got hooked to it. Love it, hope more follows soon. |
| welcome then :3 we're nice and some even fluffy |
| Thank you very much for your warm comments. They keep me sane. Sorta. |
| ## Chapter 27 - Scramble “I told you already, your bag is dry!” cries Pacifica, as Ylva sets her things down, and checks them one by one. She pulls out little bottles and containers of herbs and who knows what, out of her large pack of things, and sets them on the clean grass around her. “As a medicine girl, I need to make sure,” she replies simply, her focus on her things. “I can assure you that keeping your things dry is really a simple matter for one such as myself!” Pacifica had wrapped herself around Agaue and Ylva, with the rest of us behind, when we made our way through the waterways. I had swam with two mermaids beside me, and Nura was wherever she wanted to be, which happened to be close by. It had been a bit difficult for me to keep up, but I imagine it was much better than if we walked up all those stairs. At least it felt like my swimming was improving. I slowly pull myself onto the shore, much less gracefully than I’d like, and dripping water everywhere on grassy ground. I’m still a bit sore from all the swimming I’ve been doing lately, and I’m afraid it will be getting worse for a little while longer. My breathing also seems to be improving, even though I don’t need to hold my breath anymore. At least it is bright and sunny outside, which is something I haven’t seen in a while. It’s quite a refreshing sight, and I take a moment to enjoy the sunshine as I adjust. Agaue and Ylva look dry thanks to Pacifica’s help during traveling. Nura is dry due to her ghostly abilities, and Samira and Chantal are wet like me, but the water seems to glide along their skin. Although obviously changed, somehow their appearances don’t seem to be much spoiled by the entering and exiting of water. It must be something to do with the way they’re styled, the nature of their clothing, or the products they use. Or perhaps I just don’t know how to carry myself so that being drenched appears natural to me, and doesn’t detract from how I look. For the time being, however, I hunch self-consciously, with my arms drawn in, shivering despite the warmth of the day. The mermaid moisturizer works its magic, though, and the water seems to clear off quicker than usual. I don’t notice as much wrinkling of the fingers either. With the sunshine, I think I’m warming up already. Samira fishes in her bag for something, and quickly brings it out. It looks like a bundle of fabric. She pulls it over her head, and reveals it to be something like a loose knitted top with long sleeves, and a big area cut out along her back, which shows off her shoulders and the straps of her top underneath. It gives a decent amount of coverage, while looking like it’s pretty cool to wear due to its thinness, and has many holes between the weaves, so that one can see her skin and the colored fabric of her top underneath quite clearly as well. It gives off an effect disturbingly similar to that of a fishnet, but is otherwise pretty nice looking. Her little skirt peaks out the bottom of the garment for a little splash of color there, and the sparkle of her silvery jewelry can be seen through the holes too. “Wow, looks nice,” I say. “Thanks,” she replies with a happy smile. She gives a little twirl to show off the features at the back, and spreads her arms out to the side. The cuteness blindsides me, and I barely refrain from clapping. I end up with my hands clasped in front of my chest. “This is where I’ll take my leave,” says Chantal, as she hoists her bag by the strap on her shoulder for emphasis. “Oh, already?” I blurt out. “Yes, unfortunately. My people need me,” replies Chantal, holding gently onto my hand, and stroking my wrist in a comforting fashion. She turns to Samira, who looks to have something else to add. “Remember the things I told you,” says Samira, and the two exchange hugs. “Yes, indeed, I will,” replies Chantal, then it’s my turn to hug, and she gives me a quick peck on the corner of my lips, then steps back with a cheerful wave. She looks me in the eyes, gives me a playful wink, and then dives backwards into the water. She pops her head up to wave and blow me a kiss, and then she quickly disappears as a fast-moving blur under the waves. “Since this seems to be the time for it, I should be getting back to Fire Heart,” says Agaue. “Oh, you too? Are you sure? Since we just came from there…,” I say. “Yeah, I just came to bring Puddles home after all.” “Hey! I’m not a puddle!” says Pacifica. “Does that mean you’re going to take those stairs all the say down?” I ask. “It’s really no matter to me. I’ll be fine, ha!” “I see.” “So then, good bye everyone. Good bye Puddles.” And with that, Agaue is gone too. ---- “Amyaa!” I look to the sudden voice, and before me stands a familiar wibbon wearing a plain dress that looks somewhat like a sack. “Amyaa! What are you doing here? How did you get here? Wow, that’s so cool that you’re here!” she says one after another in rapid succession. “Um, through the waterways.” “Are you here for the mans?” The little Simi raises her wings up in exclamation. “Uh, not exactly. No.” “People say there’s a mans somewhere, and someone saw her in the woods, but they said she was too fast to catch,” she says, still really fast such that her words nearly stumble over one another. There are so many things wrong with what she said, but I decide against any meaningful commenting. “I-I see.” “So are you here to catch her?!” “Uh, no, I’m not.” “Then what are you here for?” she asks with a dramatic head tilt. “I believe I’m just passing by.” I watch helplessly as Simi hops to me with little flaps of her wings, and butts her head into my tummy. “Raaaaawr!” she cries, rubbing her hair vigorously against me. Startled, I try to back away slightly, being unsure of how to handle this kid, and her strange mannerisms. She remains stuck to me, so I decide on cautiously petting her in the head, which she thankfully responds to with a playful nuzzle into my palm. A cute smile peeks out from between my fingers. “Say, have you grown since we last met?” I ask. “That was really fast.” She looks at me weirdly, and tilts her head again, now the opposite side as she did last time. “I don’t know. No one else told me that before.” She looks a bit confused. “Oh.” “Yeah. Oh yeah, meet my friend Nydia. Hey Nydia!” she says, turning her head back to shout energetically. She need not have shouted because it appears Nydia had been standing right beside her all along. I never even noticed until now, despite her fairly loud appearance. “Heeeeey!” says the girl of roughly Simi’s height, with shocking pink hair and plumage, and with bird wings instead of arms. She greets me cooly, then raises a wing, and flashes me a lazy smile. She’s also wearing a similar sack to Simi’s. “Um, hello,” I reply sheepishly. She gives Simi a look, and then hops on one clawed foot, raising the other up towards me, and waves her wings around for balance. How does she bend her legs like that? She must be super flexible. “This is how humans do it, right?” she asks with a smile. I look at her, hopefully with an expression that isn’t too suspicious-looking, or confused. “Sure,” I say, reaching my hand out to shake her claw-foot. I hope I’m doing this correctly. Suddenly, something cold and slimy plops upon my palm. I look to see her talons wrapped around my hand, and some sloppy mud squished in between. The girl bursts into laughter. “Ugh.” I do nothing to hide my displeasure, as the little devil flashes a wide smile at her friend Simi. “I thought you were gonna do the shocky thing,” says Simi, with her wings a-waving. “I thought I did the shocky thing,” replies Nydia. “Did she do the shocky thing?” Simi asks me. “I felt no shocky thing.” “It must be the mud,” says Nydia, flapping her own wings. “You gotta do the shocky thing,” says Simi with excitement. “Do you want the shocky thing?” Nydia asks me. “I want no such thing,” I reply. “She doesn’t want the shocky thing,” Nydia repeats to Simi. “I’m right here, you know?” I exclaim. “Do the shocky thing anyway!” says Simi, raising her wings dramatically. Nydia looks to me, and raises her clawed foot for me to shake again with that same smile. “Ugh.” ---- The lake is massive, and I can barely see the other side of it, only because of the many trees that mark the end of the lake. It is clear as glass, and light even ripples run along its surface in an orderly pattern like the steady beating of a relaxed heart. The glistening sheen rolls softly to the pattern. Floating above it, way up in the sky, is a large mountain, severed from the land, and veiled in the clouds. A loose trail of stones float, and spin slowly underneath the bottom point of the diamond-shaped land mass, the whole thing casting reflections in the lake overlaid over some structures in the water that I’m not able to see too clearly. To the side, it opens to large plains with subtle rolling hills, and a tree line can also be seen in the distance. “That is where we’re going,” says Nura, pointing up at the island in the sky. “How are we going to get onto that?!” I ask incredulously, bending my head all the way back just to be able to see it. “In the lake, is its entrance,” answers Pacifica. “Obviously.” I give her a look, as it didn’t seem obvious to me at all. I bend down by the shore to wash the mud off my hand, and I feel a bit bad to do so in a lake that looks so clean, though I know it should be quite insignificant a dirtying. Looking down, I see that it goes a far ways down in the water, even so close to the land. “Here, let’s put on some more moisturizer,” says Samira as she settles down beside me, pulling out a little container of the smooth, waxy thing. “Thanks,” I say, and I begin to rub a slick layer over my arms and legs. “This thing is really convenient,” I add. Samira gives me a smile, and combs a little bit of it into her long hair using her fingers until she comes across a snag at the very back. “Here, let me try,” I say. She sits herself down, turning herself slightly so that I can reach her back. She then takes off her sandals, and dips her bare feet into the water, and brings her hands neatly into her lap. I remain kneeling, and shuffle over to her, studying the waves of her hair, and spotting the tangle. They don’t appear the least bit weathered, and they feel silky smooth as I run my fingers along them. The tangle seems to ease itself easily enough. At the the sound of whispering among grass, I turn to see Nura kneeling beside me, studying the two of us. When she sees me, her expression relaxes back into its elegant ways. “It’s been a long time since I’ve worried about things like that,” she says in wistful voice. “Does being a ghost take care of those things for you?” I ask. “Yes. Yes, it does. But sometimes it makes me feel a bit disconnected from the rest of you. In a way.” “Oh, that makes sense,” I say. Samira turns her head to face me, holding out a decorated comb, and a hopeful expression. I give her a smile, and take the comb, proceeding to run it gently through her hair. My cheeks color slightly as her fragrance wafts to me from her hair. “Perhaps there’s something else we could do,” I say to Nura. “So you don’t feel left out.” “What kind of things?” she asks me. “Um, I’m not exactly sure.” “Maybe we could do your hair, or dress you up,” suggests Samira. “Do you ever wear anything other than those robes?” she asks in a way that is not unkind. Nura looks troubled. She stares down at her outfit, and feels it over with her hands as if she’s never seen it before. Samira reaches out with her hand, and lightly touches Nura in the shoulder. She relaxes immediately, and I find the gesture quite profound. “I… it seems like I’ve worn this for as long as I remember, but I feel it wasn’t always like this. I must have worn other things. I just can’t remember those times.” We have a small moment of silence after that. ---- “Hey Samira. Looks like you have some new friends,” someone calls out from the water. “Hey Terhi,” Samira says, looking in her direction. I give her shoulder muscles a last few good squeezes before dropping my hands. “Mmm,” she lets out as she rotates her shoulders a few times after the massage I had given her. “Have I told you how wonderful your fingers are?” she asks me with a sideways look, but an innocent expression. “Uh, I don’t remember you doing so. Though my fingers have been complimented a few times by others in the past.” I can’t help but avoid looking at her directly when I say this. The girl who Samira called Terhi lets out a clear laugh from the waters. She is clad in a tight wrap dress, and she has long dark-blueish hair with orange highlights, and a distinctive fascinator adorning it, with lace ruffles shaped like a starburst, thin wispy plumes, strings of pearls draped over her hair on one side, and a silky web-looking veil dropping over one eye, giving her an air of mystique. A think lace choker wraps around her neck. Her mermaid tail waves back and forth under the water as she keeps herself upright, with her torso above the surface effortlessly. I stare at the big net dangling under the water by her tail, with a strap connected to it, and looped around her shoulder. It is difficult to see what it may be from my position. “I haven’t seen you around much these days, and I’ve been wondering if you’re okay. So have you been playing with the sky people lately? Having fun, I assume?” she asks Samira with a playful teasing in her voice. Samira introduces us, and it appears that Nura is more cheerful now. The mermaid Terhi likes to laugh a smooth silky laugh, and she also likes to wave the pretty fins by her hips in the water as she talks and reacts, making elegant gestures with them as she speaks. I eventually decide to investigate the group of people gathered by the lake, but within a short walking distance from us. Nura and Samira agree to this, and we start to walk, with Terhi following us in the water. Ylva wasn’t with us earlier, but I get the feeling she’s around, and aware of our actions. My instincts were right, and Ylva greets us as we approach the group. I see all around us, many girls who are also horses, and cows, and sheep. Some are washing up by the water, some drinking, some eating out of bowls, some cleaning and maintaining their bows and other equipment. I see a few tents littered around the area, but nothing particularly built up. There seems to be a big pile of tents that haven’t been set up. This must be a temporary settlement. I see a centaur milking a cow-girl, as the cow-girl masturbates. A few of the centaurs are galloping a fair distance away, as if on the lookout. I notice a couple of sheep-girls napping in the grass, and one sitting in the grass, making a wreath out of wild flowers. A cow-girl sits alone, looking dazed as she watches some insect fly around her head. Several of the centaurs look like they are about to head out, perhaps to scout someplace. I see a centaur with her legs folded up in the same way that a horse would, kneeling by the water, with her little tail waving left and right. She recoils in surprise as she notices a distinctive fascinator peeping out of the water. A centaur who had been speaking to Ylva turns to us and bows her head. She’s wearing something like a loose peasant dress with a tight colorful waistband around it, and a necklace with lots of feathers and beads strung in it. Her hair is tied up, and woven in a lot of little braids. Long feathers stick from her hair, and she looks a bit more decorated than the others. “Welcome to our band, fair human. I am Denika. You are just in time, because we are preparing for the hunt.” “I’m Amelia,” I say, bowing awkwardly. “What are you to hunt?” I ask, feeling a bit dumb. “Surely you jest. You must be here to aid in the efforts to secure the wild man who has been said to be roaming the woods. With your aid, a human female on our side, and our collaboration with the amazons, we are sure to have an advantage against the wild man. It is our intent to capture him safely.” I can’t believe what I am hearing, and I also don’t much like being told by a stranger who I am to be helping, and at what endeavor. I look to my companions for help, and they appear to be at least a slight bit uneased at what the centaur said, which is a bit of a relief for me. “Are you sure you’re hunting a human, and not some kind of trick?” I say. “You have so many, and he is just one. Surely you’re more than well prepared to catch one human.” “Oh, you humble us with your words,” says Ylva. “We amazons know that you humans have a tradition of being excellent trackers. We have much to learn from you.” She turns to us, and her expression is unreadable. By now, a few of the centaurs have gathered around us, a bit too closely for my comfort. While their expressions seem merely curious, and perhaps a little bit amused, I can’t help feeling I’m about to be trapped. I can feel the tension rising. I gaze around at the small crowd starting to form. Is it a trick of my eyes, or do some carry a menacing glint in their eyes? I look to my companions again, and they seem to be feeling the same way as I. Without thinking too much more about it, for fear of hesitating too long, I quickly scramble into the water. Nura and Samira follow right after me, never missing a beat. The water splash thunders as one cohesive clap as we break the surface. The three of us have some sort of connection after all, at least for this moment. It is much calmer under the cover of the waters, and an eerie sort of quiet washes over me, so that I can hear the panic pump through my body. I can also hear the shouting from inland, and it doesn’t sound very friendly. Through the waters, I see a couple of the centaurs reach for their bows, and Ylva waving her arms around to stop them from firing. A few curious sheep come nearer, and a centaur gestures for them to stay back. I continue to distance myself from the shore, feeling ever so safer as I do. I push upward with my hands to bring myself deeper below the surface, further insulating myself from the chaos. “What’s going on?!” asks Terhi. “I don’t know, but I think we need to get away from them. The atmosphere was getting a bit uncomfortable,” answers Samira with some urgency. “It’s dangerous to stick around,” says Nura. “It is not safe for a human to be around some types.” I try to speak, but it only comes out as a soft whimper. I forgot that I can’t speak in the water, but at least sound came out, voiced sound. Maybe it’s not impossible for me after all. “What happens now?” asks Samira, looking very worried. “I guess we keep moving forward, toward the temple, where we came here to visit in the first place,” says Nura reassuringly. |
| After leaving the world of Yu's mind, this story shown quite few impressive and certainly majestic location, first Fire Hearth, then that mountain in clouds. I would like to know where those are (if they are indeed physical locations on the island). Especially the mountain which probably isn't intentionally hidden. First I thought it is the central one, but that one isn't (or wasn't last time I looked) surrounded by lake so large you can't see the other bank. |
| Signature removed. It was too good for this cruel world. |
| Should be in the top left forested area like before. And the story has always been about what the people around have been doing, so I don't know why you keep referring to it that way. |
YummyLunches said: And the story has always been about what the people around have been doing, so I don't know why you keep referring to it that way. Because your story is unique, it is (or at least was) only story which has been purely psychological entirely focused on how your character feels and thinks, majestic locations you described may be also an allegory for some of your feelings and not the physical locations, so I had to ask. I apologize if I misunderstood it. |
| Signature removed. It was too good for this cruel world. |
| Yay a new chapter :3 and four fluffy beds all for me to read it on :3 And hurray for ghost dress-up o/ though I think I missed something in these lines somewhere hmm And another encounter with a group of MGs, I have to say I'm a fan of the whole confusion and feeling of foreignness/mindset gap you're portraying at occasions such as that one above or the scene in the onsen back earlier on the story. Though the aggressiveness and readiness they showed to attack made me ponder the chances of the finding of the man not turning into a fight(or bloodbath depending on how you imagined them :P) for possession. As our great loli overlord said above, another great location :D your time spent in Fire Heart makes me impatient for the next chapter(s?) On phone so fluffeh are hard to send but here are all the imaginary fluffed I have the mental strength to telepathically send you :3 |
OcuFeb 24, 2015 2:29 PM
| Well, the map is missing all sorts of things that could indeed exist. We're still working on some of the specifics of location and all. I think just about all of this could fit near the northish side of the central mountain in Kioko's realm. (just shooting from the hip) As to the story, this is simply fantastic as always. You have a unique voice, among everything else, and I quite enjoy the descriptions that spill forth as a result. I also like the construction of potential myths and legends that was done in the construction of lost-ish ruin-y stuff and an interesting story. Hope to see more soon =) |
| Read it ^^ You have a real way with inventing fascinating locations and interesting characters. The detail with which you describe each scene paints a vivid image, its always a treat when we get an update from you. |
|
| I can add nothing that others haven't already said. I especially love the characterization. I eagerly await the next installment. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
| After I've read the few most active stories of this club I decided to go through the older or less active ones, picking this one randomly. Now I caught up on this one and I am glad I did. It's intriguing story much different through others thanks to the heavy focus on psychological heavy drama and generally feelings of main character. While others deal mostly with adventure with more or less pleasant events, depending on general mood, this story deals solely with main character's feelings and her own issues with herself. With exception of last two chapters, it also cast down usual fantasy setting used by others. So distinctive and very unique, I love it. Keep it up. I love it! |
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