Remnants of the Earth
OUTER SPACE => Solar System => Topic started by: DragonSong on October 06, 2019, 10:27:56 pm
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Ala'oran ships were a miracle of living technology. Like the species that created them, the ships were every so slightly telepathic, and learned their pilots' thoughts and impulses like an old friend would. Almost every surface of the control panel was touch-sensitive, meaning that just a few taps could set coordinates, adjust life support settings, and send a ripple of color through the biotech-luminescent outer hull all at once.
Even the smaller, personal transport crafts were really quite magnificent: Maya's in particular was quite lovely, if she did say so herself, sort of oblong in general shape but with flexible, finned wings and a curved little snub nose so the general shape of it was oddly reminiscent of a manta ray. A flying, bio-luminescent manta ray.
She always seemed to get dozens of questions about her ship pretty much everywhere she put in to port. She'd grown quite proud of it with each new explanation she had to give, and sometimes she thought that when she passed a hand over the touch-panel she could feel a happy little hum in response to the presence of her mind brushing against the ship's internal hardware.
But unfortunately, it needed fuel just like any other ship.
Fuel that she'd been forced to burn in a desperate chase from some unmarked ship--probably pirates, which she'd never had to deal with before and hoped she never would again.
The young spacer frowned as she pressed her palm lightly onto the touch-pad directly in front of the pilot's chair, getting a feel for how much fuel they had left.
Not a lot.
Okay. How close was the nearest planet? Or even a small station, anywhere she could refuel?
...Too far.
Fuck. Maya usually wasn't much for actual words, but she'd learned that one pretty early in her travels and had found it to be quite versatile. Fuck fuck FUCK!
Her ship buzzed and whined, a pulse of blueish green light flashing from bow to stern. The elegant wings rippled through the void, automatically curving them back around a few clicks as her telepathic control shorted and jumped around, confusing the navigation system.
A soft ding and a flickering yellow light above the viewing panel caught her attention. Her eyes widened as she realized the ship had set off its distress signal on its own. She hadn't even realized she was thinking about doing that.
A tiny, relieved smile curved at her lips and she patted the control panel lightly, sending a pulse of gratitude and what she hoped was reassurance from her thoughts.
Okay. This would be okay. They just had to be picked up before their fuel was burned out completely and her life support systems shut off. In about...
Six hours.
This was fine.
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“No, you listen to me,” Elaros snarled into his communicator. He was leaning forwards over his desk, hands planted on the wood as he looked out of his office’s window and into the nebula that the Anastasia was cruising through. Nothing cut through space quite like a Drakkonan starliner and despite her size she made blockade runner ships look clunky by comparison.
“I needed those Vellamite gems three cycles ago. The last time I bought from you, I needed them plasma treated and they came brittle, for goodness’ sake. If you’re not going to deliver correctly on time, I’ll find someone else. You’ve got...”
He looked down at his watch.
“Sixteen standard hours to make me change my mind. No excuses, no brittle Vellamite.”
He hung up, and sighed as he watched the red and green swirls of star-stuff zoom by. And here he was, thinking he could enjoy a quick skip across uncharted space to hop between two trafficked routes, take in a view and smoked a fat one as the stars passed by...
But now his mood was soured. He looked up at the cieling.
“Ana, is the pool heated right now?”
“The pool is three degrees below your preferred temperature, Master Elaros,” said an attractive sounding voice, the ship’s on-board voice interface.
“Start heating it for use in an hour, he said, dropping onto his armchair behind his desk and opening a small drawer that had a jar of perfectly rolled cigarette joints and pulled one out.
“And send for a lighter, would you?”
Four hours later...
Elaros floated on his back, awestruck by the view through the pool chamber’s cieling window. His pool was probably big enough to hold sporting events in, if not for its circular shape. He was watching the stars zoom by during their FTL jump to the next waypoint. The ship came to a slow stop as it entered their next stop’s gravity well and Elaros only smiled as it made him jostle about on the water’s surface.
The speaker in the room buzzed and a growling, deeper-voiced drakkonan addressed Elaros. “Master, this is your captain. There is an active distress pulse in the system we’re approaching.”
Elaros frowned, and turned about in the water so he could swim to the pool’s edge and prop up on his elbows and forearms. “Sensors?”
“One ship. We can’t get an exact fix, our sensors are having a tough time picking through a static cloud around it,” came the captain’s voice. Elaros was quiet, and then spoke.
“Take us in right over them, keep the shockdrive jumpers active, in case we need them.”
And so, as they slowed down from hyperspeed Maya would he greeted with the sight of a ship the size of a military corvette come zooming into the system faster than the eye could see only to delicately slow down and stop until they were separated by a half-mile of empty space.
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Maya jolted in surprise as the massive ship suddenly filled the viewing panel, and with how closely she was tied to the ship telepathically her poor machine did too, jerking backwards a few dozen yards in a series of short, sharp hops.
But surprise quickly gave way to swamping relief, and Maya lunged forward to flick her comms system on, eyes darting to the fuel readout as she did.
Less than an hour left. Literally in the final hour her rescue appeared.
Of course, that was assuming the strange ship actually helped her. She didn't recognize the make or model of it, but she had to believe it was official in some capacity. No pirates or black market smugglers could afford to use a ship that big--of course, she didn't think most governments in the solar systems would bother with one so extravagant.
Ultimately it didn't matter. That ship was her only hope.
Comms up and running, the ala'ora twisted her chair to the holographic screen that flared to life and held two fingers against the panel that activated the connection until she saw the link flash green at the bottom of her screen. Alright, they were connected; she could really only hope someone over there was actually watching and would tune in to the call.
With another Ala'oran vessel she could have simply sent a thought recording for communication. Most other species in the galaxy probably would have transmitted a video call. Since she didn't exactly have either of those options, she had to settle for smiling and waving at the screen, but sending her message in simple text scrolling along the bottom of the video.
Eyes on the screen, she started typing quickly, fingers flying over the keyboard: Ship stalled. Running out of fuel. Less than an hour of life support left. Please help.
Even as she typed she continued watching the screen, desperately hoping that someone would pick up the call. For now, it was on a loop, until someone on the other ship accepted the connection.
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"We're here, Master Elaros," came the captain's voice again, and by that point Elaros had already put a silky, bearsloth fur bathrobe on and grabbed his joint and his drink before making his way over to the ship's bridge, putting his small, circular sunglasses back on. Ugh, as if the day couldn't get any longer...
He stepped into the central elevator and rose up to the ship's bridge on deck #1 of twenty-five, and stepped out onto a bustling bridge. It had two tiers, with the captain's chair, navigation, and sensors station above while a pair of squat stairways led down to the stations in charge of communications, engines, weaponry/shields, and system overview. All the crew wore matching green shirts and jumpsuit pants that stayed tight and covered everything except the neck and left space for the tail.
They'd come out of FTL at a level angle with Maya's ship, and he walked to the edge of the bridge so he could peer out over to the other vessel. He squinted his eyes. Was that a ship? The angles reminded him of a dolphin or some other streamlined sea-creature but the shine of the metal was undeniable.
What a curious vessel...
"No other ships, not even traces. I think it's real beacon," was announced from the sensors station, and the captain nodded. Elaros' captain was a aged, red-scaled Low Drakkon by the name of Ferdix, and while it was uncommon for one of his station and breeding to command such a large and important vessel, Elaros hired on merit and nothing else.
As he walked back up the stairs, Captain Ferdix was already watching her distress message. Elaros came and leaned in to see as well, placing an arm on the head of Ferdix's seat.
"No fuel? Easy," Elaros said, and before Ferdix could tell him something important Elaros was patting him on the shoulder.
"Use the umbilical and give that cute alien girl all the fuel she needs, I'm sure her whole ship can fit in one of our two fuel tanks," he said, and as he walked away, grinning to himself and fishing his plasma lighter out of his bathrobe's pocket Ferdix cleared his throat. Elaros stopped.
"The umbilical's still damaged from yesterday, Master Elaros," Ferdix said. Elaros nodded. Yes, of course it wasn't fixed yet. One measly little rogue asteroid...
"Well then what are you waiting for? Put her through," he said, and he started lighting his joint and walking back towards Ferdix.
Ferdix nodded. "You heard him. Comms, open a channel. Just my screen, please."
And just like that, they were patching through to her screen. She'd get a lovely view of Captain Ferdix trying his best to look all military and professional in his seat while Elaros was leaning in from the side, looked like a Net-Celeb straight off the cover of a magazine. He puffed some smoke out of his nostrils, joint held in his teeth and drink set down on Ferdix's console.
As a High Drakkon, he stood at around six-foot-six, roughly two feet taller than Ferdix and with a wider, more muscled and human-like build, whereas Ferdix had a more reptilian curve to his spine and thinner, less impressive jaws and teeth. It was like the difference between a gecko and a komodo dragon, although they were both covered in dragon-like scales, with Elaros' being more pronounced.
They both had a rather pronounced reptilian accent, but Elaros' Common was much better.
"Hello hello, are you recieving, stranger?" Elaros said, and he waved a clawed hand. Then, Ferdix spoke up.
"You're in contact with the DVS Anastasia and we hear your situation." he started.
"Are your engines functional?"
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[Just an FYI, if it's of interest, if you've ever seen "The Abyss", the alien ships in that are roughly what I'm basing Ala'oran tech on ^.^]
The roughly three minutes that it took for her message to be patched through felt like an eternity. Maya worried at her lower lip, the delicate points of her sharp canines dangerously close to pricking the skin and drawing blood.
Then the screen flashed, beeped, and the view of her own message changed to an image of two...two creatures, she assumed officials on the massive ship, though she'd never seen one of their species before. The smaller one held himself quite professionally, but the larger seemed almost surprisingly at ease, relaxed.
Not quite sure whose cue she should take, Maya glanced between the two of them, then settled for reaching up to brush a handful of powder blue braids back behind one ear and sitting up a little straighter as she reached out to type again.
Engines functional. All systems operational, but running on residual fuel.
She flicked her eyes up to the screen again, hoping they could read the near desperation in her face. It was so odd not to be able to communicate through touch--she had no idea what they might be thinking, how they might be reacting to her.
I can pay for a refuel, or even a tow to the nearest station. She didn't have much in the way of money, but she was sure she could figure something out.
Please. Her eyes flicked to the systems' readout, then back to the video screen. My life support is down to twenty minutes.
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[so basically the coolest flying saucer ever got it!]
The two Drakkonans looked at each other, and there was a moment of silent deliberation before Elaros nodded and Ferdix acknowledged. He pressed a few buttons and The Anastasia started to drift upwards and started to fly over Maya’s ship, casting its shadow over her. An opening about twice the size of Maya’s vessel opened on the bottom, a hangar protected from the vaccuum by a shield that ships could pass through.
“Unnamed vessel, we are opening our ventral hangar for you, dock inside,” he said, and Elaros left the camera’s view.
“See you there!” His voice came. Ferdix looked back to the screen.
“Unnamed vessel, do you copy?”
Elaros hopped back into the elvator, and it was only when he was halfway down to the ventral hangar did he realize he forgot his drink. Oh well, Ferdix could have it.
He stepped out and walked past the guards and technicians that populated the lower deck hallways and towards one of the Anastasia’s three hangars. This one held his personal shuttle, and there was space on the opposite side for Maya’s ship to touch down.
Ground crew were mobilizing and getting ready to guide Maya’s ship in.
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They just looked at each other, silent. Maya felt her stomach clench, her heart jumping up into her throat. They wouldn't just leave her there would they? They had to know that was a death sentence--no matter what The Anatasia was, they wouldn't just leave her out here...
The confirmation took a moment to sink in, and she simply stared at the screen with wide golden eyes. Then she all but threw herself across the console to slam her thrusters, typing frantically with the other hand: Copy, copy, copy.
The engine groaned softly, and for a moment she thought the ship might not move at all. Then the fins rolled gently and they surged upward in a graceful arc. Maya had never been so grateful for semi-telepathic controls; she just had to give the ship a flicker of thought and it maneuvered into the hangar almost entirely on its own.
Maya sagged back in her chair, shaking hands covering her face for a moment as relief swamped through her. She didn't even remember that the video was still transmitting for a few moments, and when she did her cheeks flushed from lavender to dusky purple. Sitting upright again, she tapped a few buttons and typed, Thank you. Captain of the Mirage signing off.
Her ship--the Mirage, an impulsive name she'd picked a few years ago--was guided safely and easily into a docking port. She could see ground crew moving around through one of the portholes as she scrambled to her feet and made for the main outer door of the ship. Laying her hand against the data pad was all it took to unlock the door, which slid open with a pneumatic hiss as the Mirage adjusted to the change in pressure.
Maya stood in the doorway as the gently glowing panel lifted up and looked around, wide-eyed.
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“Good copy, Mirage. The Master will welcome you in the hangar bay.”
With that, the connection was terminated and Ferdix returned to his duties, sighing. The guest was Elaros’ responsibility now. He had an FTL course to plot.
The hangar and service crews watched in awe as the single most enchanting ship they’d ever seen fluttered up into the hangar, more delicate and precise than any VTOL craft or nimble space probe could hope to be. The Mirage fit right in with the luxurious hangar
The wonder was only momentary, because shortly after Drakkons with scanners approached her ships, found the service ports, and started readying hoses of fuel and coolant, while others started going over the hull with wide, faint laser sweepers that left the metal looking shiny and new. It seemed she was getting all the service she needed and more.
Elaros had entered just in time to see her shimmering vessel touch down, and when she was peeking out of the doorway he was approaching slowly, looking up at her ship.
“What a landing. You’ve got skills,” he said, breathing out some more smoke through his nostrils. He loved the shape! It was interesting enough to inspire his creative side and fanciful thoughts of new jewelery designs came filtering in.
He stood at the base of the doorway, looking up the boarding stairs towards her.
“And I can’t believe that we got here just in time. We were taking a shortcut through this system and Captain Ferdix told me they picked you up on the long-range sensors,” he said.
He held a hand out for a shake.
“I’m Elaros K’Rvain, maybe you’ve heard my name? I own this vessel.”
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Oh boy.
That was a lot of people working on her ship.
They all seemed to be of the same species, like the captain and the pilot, which she noted with vague interest. Of course, her focus was really on the Mirage and the flurry of activity surrounding her—it was taking more effort than she would have liked not to fret like a mother hen.
Contenting herself with laying a hand briefly against the biotech-luminescence of the outer hull and giving the ship a pulse of gratitude and reassurance, she turned to face her rescuer.
An automatic smile lit her face; it was one of the few natural ala’oran expressions that she’d found could be almost universally understood. Nodding along as he spoke, she tried to look appropriately grateful and interested—which she was, but of course couldn’t vocalize.
Thankfully, he held out his hand to shake, and she took it eagerly. The moment her fingers touched his a sense of greeting and deep relief flooded from her mind to his, followed by immense gratitude.
I am very lucky you came along, she thought, the words carefully articulated and accompanied again by that sense of relief at her near miraculous rescue. Truly, I am in your debt. My name is Maya. Her smiled turned a little dry and she added with a pulse of slight self-deprivation mixed with strange pride for her ship, Truthfully the Mirage managed most of that landing herself. I was just the passenger.
Each phrase was as much emotion and sensory information as it was words, but her name was a little different: given first in the language of her own people, a sensory image with the attached emotion, and only followed by the word a few moments later.
Keeping her grip on his hand, she continued, I am new to this sector of the galaxy—I am afraid I have not heard your name before, sir, but I will remember it.
Finally, she dropped his hand. She could only hope the prolonged contact hadn’t been overstepping her bounds, as she really had no other way of communicating. She’d learned that many species in the galaxy were uncomfortable with ala’oran “speech”, often overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information that could be transmitted with a brush of fingertips, but she hoped that this Elaros would not think her rude for it.
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Elaros observed as she came down the stairs. Well, she didn't say much, but she was beautiful, he'd never seen anything like her! He supposed that there had to be some quiet types out there in that loud galaxy, and after today he certainly wasn't complaining.
He took her hand to shake and his eyes immediately widened, reptilian slit pupils widening to near ovals as images and emotions and sensations all washed over him like a gentle bath. His jaw slackened a bit and he somehow tensed and relaxed at the same time. His joint fell out of his mouth and against the metal floor.
He regained himself a little when she paused and it gave him the moment he needed to realize that no, he wasn't tripping out. She was talking to him with her mind?
And then she was speaking again, her own mental presence causing his thoughts to pause while she spoke. It was over again as soon as it started and Elaros breathed out. Joint completely forgotten, he let out a breathless chuckle.
He'd never felt anything so intense, so... intimate. The fact that he could still feel a pang of pride for a ship he didn't even know... It was incredible!
"Oh, well it's not the worst sector. Plenty of planets here , lots of things to do," he said with an airy twirl of his hand.
"I'm a local businessman, you could say. This is my ship, The Anastasia, and it is my absolute pleasure to have you aboard, Maya," he said, and conspicuously offered her his hand again, if she wanted to reply, even as he stepped back and motioned for her to follow along.
Indeed, rather than finding it rude, he found her way of speech to be quite intriguing.
"And I must say, I've never been spoken to like that before, it felt... tingly. You didn't hear any of my thoughts, did you?"
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Maya tensed, nervous, when he seemed so blindsided by her method of communication. But then he’d chuckled quietly and she relaxed, a small smile curving at her lips.
When he stepped back and beckoned for her to follow, she took a few quick steps to bring herself up beside him and reached out to brush her fingertips against his palm, fascinated by the texture of scales.
I cannot, unless you have some psychic ability yourself and actively seek to touch my mind with your own, she replied with another little smile. Of course, a lot of the connotation of those words were a bit technical for her in Common, and consequently were instinctively sublimated with general imagery and memory to offer better understanding of what she meant. I am also an empathetic telepath, however; all my kind are. I cannot hear your mind-voice if you do not project it to me, but I can sense the outline of your emotions.
Dipping her head to him slightly, she laid a hand to her chest, the other still touching him lightly, and continued, I am Ala’ora. We all speak this way—my whole species is mute, at least by the common definition. She moved her hand from her chest to touch lightly against her own throat and shook her head, smile turning a little wry. No vocal chords. We speak in shared thought, senses and memories and ideas.
The explanation was well-rehearsed, as she seemed to be the first of her kind that many of her previous acquaintances had met. But she didn’t seem irritated or wearied by it—in fact, there was a tinge of eagerness to her projected “voice”. This was why she’d left home after all, to explore and learn and teach in her own turn.
Looking around, she noted, Your ship is lovely. There was a hint of awe at the sheer size of the thing padded into the word “lovely” as it slipped from her mind to his. She pulled her hand back even as it did though, not sure what might be acceptable on The Anastasia and not wanting to push the limits of hospitality.
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If it weren't for the directly beamed nature of the information, Elaros didn't think he would've really understood what she said to him. He just listened, unable to do anything else but walk alongside her and focus on her words, trying not to look too distracted in front of all his crew.
And speaking of crew, as they passed through the "lovely" service hallways that led to the bottom hangar (the only other thing on the bottom deck deck were fuel lines and exterior access airlocks) Maya would receive more confirmation that the only creatures on this ship were Drakkons. All Low, too. Elaros seemed to be the only one of his subspecies present.
"Well, it was mostly a joke, but I was also curious. I've been to lots of different places in the galaxy but I've never met someone like you," added, lips quirking up at the corners.
"And I've been to so many places, met so many people. Makes me wonder what else is out there."
She received odd looks and curious glances but nothing hostile, just pure curiosity. The Drakkons would hiss and bark amongst themselves in their own language and, well... work went on. If anybody cared she was walking down the hallway holding Elaros' hand, it didn't show.
"And I apologize for my indecency," Elaros said, although with a bit of an internal smirk as he motioned downwards, still just wearing his loose bathrobe and nothing much more than that, to a body that was very human looking (and powerfully built, at that), save for the reptilian head, tail, and extremities.
"I was in the pool when Captain Ferdix told me we picked up your signal, and I've had a bit to drink... and to smoke," he continued. He wondered
They arrived at the elevator bay and one of them automatically opened, but Elaros didn't enter it yet.
"Does it... does it work if I touch you?" Elaros asked, ever curious. He reached out, hesitated for a moment, but was just wasted enough to reach out and put a hand on her shoulder.
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Maya followed along as he led her through the ship, listening attentively as he spoke about his life. It was intriguing to meet another traveler--she wondered if she might be able to convince him to share some memories of his experiences. It would be truly fascinating to experience what he had through his own eyes, compare the memories to her own travels...
She glanced around at the crew just as curiously as they looked at her, occasionally offering a small smile when someone held her eyes for longer than a moment. When Eloras apologized for his indecency she blinked, a little taken aback.
If she was being perfectly honest, she hadn't even really noticed, at least not until he pointed it out. She met quite a few colorful characters in the years since she'd left home, and had learned to just take such things in stride.
She wouldn't deny that once he practically gave her invitation to do so she eyed him up and down curiously, both intrigued and honestly a little brazen. Ala'ora tended not to hold much with modesty, and she was curious about the way he looked. She'd never met anyone like him either.
She smiled when his hand settled on her shoulder and projected easily, Yes, it does. As long as we are in contact, I can speak with you. She gave a little shrug. The more intimate I am with a person, the less contact is needed. Sometimes none at all, only proximity--and even that may be stretched with time.
The word "intimate" held an interesting connotation in her method of speech: there was something warm and familial about it for a moment, the kind of knowing someone that came with growing up with them. But there was a hint of something else around the edges, something that seemed...newer, as though she had only begun applying it recently, a sort of shiver down the spine and excited anticipation.
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Oh, he did not miss how she "said" that and it sent a tingle down Elaros' own spine as well and he smiled, trailing a hand down her arm and taking her own so they could keep talking as he led her into the elevator and dialed in the dining room/kitchen deck.
"Are you hungry? Thirsty? We're on our way back to charted space so you could hitch a ride too, if you wanted" he said, tilting his head at her even if her past words lingered in his head. Because now, suddenly, there was a bit of tension in the air as the elevator doors closed, and he looked at her. He wasn't quite sure how to... project, as she'd put it, but he focused on that rush of excitement and hot anticipation that went through him when she spoke.
Screw it. She seemed friendly enough and he couldn't get that feeling out of his head. What's the worst that could happen?
"Or maybe you just want to pass some time?" he asked, leaning in a little and brushing a hand over the collar of his bathrobe as he sought those golden eyes of hers.
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That would actually be very helpful, thank you. While the Mirage could fly well enough on standard fuel, she worked best the ala’oran variety, and Maya had learned she had to make that herself, often with components scrounged up from various bazaars and little hole-in-the-wall ships all across the galaxy—or at least what she had seen of it so far.
Smiling gently, she gave his hand a quick, appreciative squeeze and added with a tinge of sheepishness to her thought-voice, I admit I am a bit hungry. I didn’t exactly have time to break for lunch while I was monitoring the distress signal.
At his suggestion of passing time she thought she felt a tiny hint of—of something at the edge of his consciousness, trying to hop the bridge to her own. She blinked, confused and sure she was missing something.
Then what he’d said and the way he said it hit her and her eyes widened fractionally. It only took a moment or two for her realize what must have happened, and she flushed a deep shade of dusky purple, though she did not let go of his hand.
I, um... There was a lot of emotion in the two stuttered words: embarrassment, anxious anticipation, curiosity, chagrin, and even a hint of good old fashioned desire at the very edges—not to mention the fear that she was entirely wrong and was about to make a fool out of herself. I apologize, my way of speaking is very...open. I am not always fully in control of what emotions and ideas may be tied to what I say and projected, she tried to explain bashfully.
It wasn’t really an answer to what she thought his proposition was, but quite frankly she didn’t know how to handle that just yet. She certainly wasn’t opposed to the idea on principle or anything, but it had been rather sudden—though she knew it was sort of her own fault.
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Hmm, perhaps he’d been a bit too forward and eager. In hindsight; he probably shouldn’t have blindsided her.
Still, Elaros listened as she spoke, glancing down at their joined hands periodically. He did remain close, as if was much easier than holding hands with their arms outstretched. He felt a little embarrassed, yes, but Elaros was nothing if not extremely open.
Besides, she seemed open to the idea, there were more hints of emotion that he picked up. He’d just have to wait until the mood was better, perhaps. He could tell she was curious, even without the psychic speaking giving him little rushes of emotion.
He gave an understanding nod and smiled.
“Don’t apologize, I was the one who was too forward with my curiosity,” he said, and tilted his head slightly at her.
The doors to the elevator opened and they were greeted buy a luxurious and modern dining room, and the busy kitchens and provision stores took up the rest of the space.
“Let’s see if there’s anything kicking around in the kitchen. It’s not dinner time yet but the cooks should be at their stations,” he said guiding her by the hand.
“So, as I was saying, excuse my forwardness. It’s not so often you meet someone so mysterious and beautiful,” Elaros said with a smirk, figuring he’d already propositioned her once, what was the harm in a little flirting?
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Smiling and nodding in relief, glad he didn't seem to be offended, Maya followed him easily into the kitchens.
It was strange how comfortable it was to keep holding his hand--and strange that it was strange, which was a whole new headache to consider. Back home, open contact and frequent touching were just the norm. However, in her years traveling, she'd adopted the near-universal habit of keeping her hands to herself unless she absolutely had to...which did tend to happen to her more often than most people, considering it was her only way to communicate beside wild gesture and dramatic expressions.
Then Elaros spoke again and once more she felt her face grow hot with a blush. Oh! No, don't--you don't have to apologize. It was really my fault, all things considered. I have not been able to speak so casually with someone in...quite some time. I suppose my control is a little more lax than it should be.
Her flush deepened as she realized what she'd sort of implicitly admitted to and she added quickly, if a little softer, a tinge of shyness around the words, And...thank you. You're very kind.
She didn't get compliments like that often in this galaxy. People more tended to describe her as "unique" or "intriguing" or sometimes outright "strange". She honestly couldn't remember the last time someone had actually called her beautiful.
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“Don’t worry about control here, Maya. Nobody’s going to judge you,” he said with a flirty little smile her way and he approached a servant busying herself with tidying the room and table. A few exchanged hisses and growls and the servant was off, and Elaros was motioning for her to take a seat next to him at the massive white table.
“They’re working on dinner for later but they’ll whip something up for you,” Elaros explained, and laid his hand on the table for her. He loved talking to her, and if it also meant that he got some nice warmth in exchange it was all the better!
He loved the purple hue of her blushing cheeks, and the stark contrast of those bold white lines.
“I love your tattoos, too,” he started, motioning to her cheeks and collar.
“How far down does it go?” He asked.
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Maya only blushed more for that, but she smiled and nodded at him a little shyly, appreciative that he seemed so concerned with making her comfortable. It had been... Well, a long time since it really felt like someone was as interested in her, in the way she saw the world, as she was in learning about them in turn.
She watched the two aliens’ exchange it what she assumed must be their native tongue with interest, then politely took the seat Elaros offered. When he held his hand out again she reached out in mind to rest the tips of her first two fingers against his palm, third finger and thumb curled in slightly. It was an unconscious gesture, simply ala’oran decorum for speaking with someone you weren’t terribly familiar with.
Thank you, and your staff as well. You’re being very kind. The expression of gratitude clearly was meant to be extended to him and his crew both, and there was a hint of frustration that she could not tell them so more easily.
At his question, her eyes widened slightly and she sat up a little straighter. Smiling broadly, she shook her head and projected, It’s not a tattoo, it’s a clan marking. We all have them—it’s entirely natural, like the color of your scales, or the pattern in a bird’s feathers. My siblings’ and mine all look very similar, a sort of combination of the patterns from our parents: hence why they’re called “clan markings”.
Smiling brightly, she reached up with her other hand to tug at the collar of her loose white blouse, revealing that the white design came together in an elegant knot—almost like an Old Earth eternity knot—at the base of her throat. The markings sometimes extend over more of our bodies, but that is more rare. One of my sisters has some that sort of twist around the back of her neck though, it’s quite pretty.
When Maya spoke of her family it was an experience unto itself. The word “sister” conjured up an image of another young ala’ora woman—a girl really, no more than fifteen or so—with powder blue skin and similar white markings on her face, mint green hair swept up into a wild confection of a bun that threatened to come loose as she seemed to be laughing silently at something. There was true, raw affection as Maya spoke of her parents and siblings, and a sharp pang of homesickness too. Images of her some two dozen family members flashed through with the words, carrying a sense of home and belonging.
-
“Well, what’s all the money in the galaxy worth if you don’t share it?” Elaros mused. He was no stranger to gratitude but Maya’s seemed the most sincere and heartfelt he’d ever received. Maybe it had something to do with how her gratefulness was beamed directly into his mind...
He glanced down at her gesture, touching his palm with her two fingers like that, and looked back up to her to find those golden eyes, a color that reflected the brass coloration of his own scales.
“A natural marking?” He repeated, and before he could quite contain his curiosity he lifted a hand, tempted to trace it with a taloned finger before he realized that’d probably be a little rude. At first he thought the lines were too precise and beautiful to be natural but after her explanation it was the other way around.
When she mentioned family, however, and all that familial warmth and affection came rushing through him he looked a little... distraught. The warmth and homesickness she felt hit him quite suddenly and he realized just how long it had been since his father called him a failure of a soldier and disowned him. No messages, no news, it struck him suddenly that he’d built an entire life of luxury for himself and didn’t even know how his siblings or parents were doing...
Fortunately for Elaros, a reptilian face was harder to read and he couldn’t exactly get teary-eyed either, and he fought past that wave of crushing emptiness to instead smile, closing his eyes unconsciously as the images of her family came drifting into his mind.
“On Drakkona, most of us are born with proper colors in their scales but metallics like myself are uncommon,” he said, angling himself so the light caught off his scales a little better.
“But the true mark of a special Drakkon is to be born with wings. One of my youngest brothers came out like that and the rest of us siblings were so jealous that we always made fun of him when he was trying to learn how to fly,” he said, and his smile turned a little sad and genuine. He laid his chin in his other hand.
“He must be swooping into all kinds of trouble nowadays...”
-
She nodded a confirmation when he repeated what she'd told him, still smiling, but when he lifted his hand and sort of started to reach out her expression shifted, startled and a little confused. She didn't pull away from him, but she did watch his hand with a kind of vague wariness that she hadn't possessed before until he put it down again.
She sensed the shift in him, subtle as it was, when she spoke of her family. It was almost imperceptible, really, and she certainly didn't know him well enough to really feel the change in his emotions--but all ala'ora were intuitive, good at reading people to an uncommon extent, and a tiny suspicion as to why he might react in such a way blossomed in the back of her mind.
Expression softening a bit, she changed her touch to his hand so that all three fingers wrapped delicately through his, her thumb resting gently on the inside of his wrist. It was a more intimate touch, but she expected he wouldn't know enough about her kind to be offended by that.
How many siblings do you have? she asked after a moment, both genuinely curious and a small part of her rather hoping that if they talked about his family she might be able to get a firmer grasp of what he was feeling. Deciding that offering information in turn might help him open up a bit, she added with another small smile, I have seventeen, though probably only three of them are v'tara.
The last word was clearly foreign, and one of the few that just didn't have a translation into Common, though the meaning was projected along with the word itself. She meant siblings who shared both her alma and toris--her "true" mother's and father's blood.
Of course, along with the definition came a distinct sense that she wasn't even entirely sure who of her five fathers her toris was, and that ultimately it wasn't very important, either to her or really any of her kind: ala'ora family was "measured" matrilineally, from alma to child. But even that bond was fluid--Maya felt no more or less particular affection for her alma than she did any of her four mothers.
Along with the question about his number of siblings came another, softer, as though she hadn't quite intended to project it: Do you miss them?
-
“Seventeen? Ahbzu above, and I thought my clutch was big. My mother laid eight of us but only six hatched. She had a second clutch later on, which isn’t too common, and that’s where my winged brother was born” he started.
He wanted to tell her so much. It had honestly been such a long time since he talked or though about his family properly that he didn't quite know where to start.
“So that took it up to eleven, and...”
She asked if he missed them, and it paused him. His eyes left her for a moment, and after a moment of consideration he squeezed her hand tighter.
“I do. Not as much as I should, maybe, but I do miss all my brothers and sisters,” he said, and before he could say more a pair of servants brought red wine and bluish, alien steaks (Elaros’ was cubed, for ease of reptilian eating) in a sweet-smelling red sauce.
Elaros’ smile returned (because food!) and he looked back at her.
“I’m curious, what other things can you do with your psychic powers? Can you read people’s memories or things like that?”
-
Eleven is a lot, she replied with a smile, shoulders shaking a bit with silent chuckles. Not necessarily for ala’ora—typically there were nine to twenty-something children in a given clan unit—but she knew objectively that ten siblings was quite a number.
Her expression softened when he said he missed them. With her hand still on his, he might be able to feel the gentle pulse of reassurance; there was no should when it came to family, just what was and what wasn’t. She was a little sad for him, she could tell that there was some sort of discord when he spoke of his family, but there was no judgement or pity, just an empathetic softness.
But then they were being served food and she looked at her plate with wide eyes, trying to sort through what was in front of her. Absently, she replied to Elaros, I can, but only if that person opens up to me, actually wants to show me those memories. A door once opened is difficult to close though, so not many people are comfortable with it... What exactly is this?
The last was said with a broad gesture toward the steaks, eyes still wide and bright with curiosity.
-
He did feel that pulse of reassurance, like his shoulders had suddenly lightened. He let out a breath and glanced down to their joined hands briefly before he looked over to her.
"Oh! These are, erm..."
He paused, unsure, and he turned his head back towards his servant and made a low grunt, motioning at the steaks. The servant explained and Elaros nodded, looking back to Maya so he could enlighten her.
"Tojundan Ripperdile, medium well, topped with a curry made from Edanian crops. Sitting on carrots and with a glass of..." he paused and smelled the air. "Ravensway Reserve Red. My favorite," he sighed finally, and with his free hand he brought the wine a little closer to himself.
"I wouldn't mind sharing my memories, it's... I've never heard of a thing like that. If I can make you see what I've seen, feel what I've felt," he said, but he was also smirking on the inside. Because if she read his memories, she was going to see a lot of, well... things not appropriate for the dinner table.
"Do feel free to dig in! It doesn't get much fresher than this," he said, and he let go of her hand finally so he could at least eat a bit. He figured if she wanted to respond, she'd touch his shoulder or whatever.
-
Maya nodded along, wide eyed. She really didn’t understand half of what he was saying about the food, but she knew enough to know that it was probably very fancy, and she sent another quick pulse of gratitude toward him before the connection between their hands broke.
Cautiously, not quite sure of herself, she cut a tiny bite of the steak and nibbled at it. To her pleasant surprise she found that she quite liked it—she’d lost count of the number of times she’d tried new alien foods and wound up unable to eat more than a few bites.
Tilting her head at Elaros, she considered his words for a moment before reaching out to touch his forearm lightly and say, I’ll admit I’m curious. The whole reason I’m out here on my own is to explore as much of the galaxy as I can; if you would be willing to share a memory or two, I’d be very grateful.
Her head cocked the other way, and with the way her ears folded over the expression gave her a distinctly puppyish look for a moment. I do not expect you to give me something for nothing though. A memory for a memory?
-
"A memory trade," Elaros said, absolutely flabbergasted by the idea. His smile and the look in his eyes betrayed just how intrigued and curious he was about it. His eyes studied her face and ears for a few moments, and he smiled a little wider at how suddenly cute she seemed to look.
He laughed, and took a sip of his wine.
"I'm an open book, Maya," he started, narrowing his eyes at her. He rest both his hands on the table and turned his chair a bit so he could face her.
"How is it done? Do we need to lie down somewhere, or can you do it really fast?" he asked, fascinated by the potential mechanics of such a feat.
"I've only ever heard of this kind of stuff from that old flatvid. The one with the guy on Edanith, the super cop brainwashed to be just a regular joe. Total Return I think it was called?" he said, placing a clawed finger on his chin as he mulled it over.
He paused, and looked back at her. He put a hand out and this time he was the one to initiate the contact as he reached out and took her hand when she wasn't busy eating.
"Do you know what a flatvid is? I don't know what things are like in the part of the galaxy you're from," he said, a little lower as if he was embarrassed that he didn't know that much about her.
-
She watched him all the while he spoke with a small smile, just-slightly-too-long fangs flashing for a moment.
Another flush came to her cheeks when he asked if she knew about these "flatvids" and she shook her head, though she was still smiling. She wasn't actually embarrassed at the gap in knowledge--she had plenty of those, it would be exhausting to be embarrassed by every last one--but she was honestly a little surprised, and almost flattered, that he seemed so interest in her, in sharing with her.
Reaching out to touch his palm with two fingers again, she projected, It is done in much the same way that I speak with you. We could really do it anywhere--although if you wish to view and share a longer, more involved memory, perhaps someplace comfortable? Her smile widened a bit and she tilted her head. We don't have to be in any particular position, but if we are drawn into the memories for too long we may lose track of time. I've gotten uncomfortable cricks in my neck from that more than once.
-
“I have the perfect place on board,” Elaros said, still picking at his food yes but he was mostly focused on Maya and the way she phrased things. Plenty of details and he could almost feel an empathetic ache in his neck when she described it
“We can watch a flatvid in my entertainment deck, a nice big screen and a comfortable place to sit,” he offered, raising his ridged eyebrows lightly.
“So you can have that experience and we can definitely trade some memories, as fantastical as that sounds,” he added with a chuckle. He felt satisfied with his food for now, and looked to Maya to see how she was coming along, and then back up to her.
“I bought one recently, an older one called The Decimator. Supposed to be some kind of thriller or action flick,” Elaros said.
He noticed she hadn’t touched her wine yet, and he motioned towards it.
“Not a fan of wine?”
-
Drawing her hand back so she could continue eating as he spoke, Maya let her head tilt slightly to the side and watched his face intently, so he would know she was listening even if she could give no verbal cues.
She nodded along easily to his suggestion--she was curious about these "flatvids" after all. When he asked after the wine she glanced to the glass, then flushed a bit again and shrugged, reaching out to tap his hand lightly: It's not that I'm not a "fan", exactly, I just find that alcohol makes communication that is already rather...shall we say, intimate, just that much more difficult to keep straight in one's head.
The touch didn't linger quite as long this time, though the words were still clear. She was privately a little pleased by that; it wasn't often that she met someone receptive enough to her "voice" that the need for the physical contact aspect of communication began to fade so quickly--certainly not someone who wasn't ala'ora.
She a sort of sheepish smile and another shrug she drew her hand back, finishing off the last few bites of her meal.
-
[Wow, imagine never even knowing what TV was........... also is it just me or is there a lot of elevators in our threads lmao]
Elaros hummed thoughtfully at that and it made absolute sense to him. If one couldn’t contain what they thought it’d probably be a rather confusing or embarrassing experience.
“Interesting. Well, a flatvid is like... a performance. Actors and props and whatnot, but it was all filmed on a camera instead of performed in front of an audience.” he started, and he pondered at what else to say. He noticed that she wasn’t holding his hand or forearm to speak to him anymore, but rather tapping or simply brushing and it got him to wondering just how receptive he was.
He always considered himself an open connection, so to speak, but he didn’t know just how literal it was. When she finished, he promptly stood from the seat and motioned for her to come along, fueled by a sudden burst of heat and excitement.
“Let’s do it, then! We’ve got a couple of days or so to kill before we get back onto the established system lanes so consider The Anastasia your home away from home and myself your ever accommodating host,” he said, bowing before he came back up, smiling playfully with those sharp, polished fangs of his to let her know that they were more alike than she thought.
“It’s a very comfortable room and the screen is big, so we can get as cozy as we want,” he said, eyeing her ears mostly but his vision was also drawn to the warm spots on her body, the face and neck. The warmth from his hot bath earlier was surely dissipating, and Elaros knew he’d be feeling cold again soon.
His tail flicked with anticipation.
“Oh, and be sure to grab the wine,” he indicated.
-
[Haha, I suppose there are XD And Maya's really new to this sector of the galaxy! A lot of this stuff she's never heard of lol]
Maya got to her feet when he did, turning over his "flatvid" explanation in her mind. She returned his smile with one of her own--a bit wider than usual, showing more than just that bare flash of fangs. She seemed to be growing steadily more comfortable in her own skin around him.
Reaching out to touch his shoulder briefly, she projected, Thank you. Truly. I don't know that I've really stayed in one place longer than a few arbitrary days since I left home.
The word home came with a few flashes of those similar feelings as family, as well as a quick series of images: massive jungle trees stretching toward the sky, a house built into the canopy, the tinge of gold to a sunset over the water as seen from the treetops.
She pulled her hand back and the images stopped. Another smile and she grabbed up the bottle of wine, cradling it carefully in one arm and nodding at him briskly. I'll follow you, then.
-
As weird as it was, it was always nice to meet someone else with fangs like him. Everyone else usually stared so it was utterly refreshing to just be comfortable with someone.
He pressed the button for the elevator and then her touch to his shoulder had garnered his attention. He was thankful that home was the last word she used because the images overcame his senses and he probably wouldn’t have been able to understand anything she said immediately after.
It was so visceral, like he himself was there and feeling the altitude, smelling the vibrant jungle around him as he looked up at a beautiful home tucked up into the jungle’s canopy. It was a little breathtaking, honestly, and he hardly noticed the elevator arrive.
“Come along, Maya,” he said, beckoning her in with a finger and offering her a hand once he was inside it.
“I’m looking forwards to getting comfortable, it’s been a long day for us both,” he said, although he knew how it sounded against her near brush with death he hoped he could use it to sympathize with her as well.
Almost out of habit he invited her closer when he was done speaking, with his eyes and a curling finger.
-
She blinked up at him, eyes narrowing slightly as concern flickered deep in the gold. She was a bit taken aback by his beckoning her closer, but after a moment she allowed herself to take one step, then two into the curve of his side, his hand still holding hers.
I do apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused you or you crew, sincerely, Maya projected to him softly. Her lips twitched up a bit on one side and she added, a little lighter, Although I do think I have to be a little grateful that I've inconvenienced you anyway.
She was still trying to keep a bit of distance between them, though not much anymore. It still worried her a little that she might slip up, might project to him too easily, if she closed the distance entirely; he was already so receptive, it was actually a little surprising.
-
“Oh hush, you don’t need to apologize, I’m always glad to help,” Elaros said, and a small shiver went through him, head to tail. It was cold in the elevators and now that his heat had faded, especially with the need to consume energy to digest his meal (oh, he knew he shouldn’t have snacked before dinner!)
“And I’m sorry to be so forward, it’s just I’m getting cold and you are so warm,” he said. For Elaros “Warm” was a word that conjured images of comfort, energy, and a light shot of carnal desire. No warmth was sweeter to him than the warmth of others. He chuckled lightly and gave her hand a light squeeze, and then brought it up so he could study it. He’d never met anyone with a color or hue as beautiful as hers, and his fascination showed.
They arrived and he led her out by the hand into what could best he described as a personal playroom. The place featured a force-field and glassteel window entirely along one wall that currently displayed the system slowly rolling by. The Anastasia was a fast vessel, even without her hyperlight drives. The room itself was one half personal theater and fully stocked bar and the other held a collection of arcade machines (even a couple super vintage flatvid cabinets) and a pool table.
“Here we are,” he said simply, and led her over to the personal theater half, consisting of one trid projector surrounded by seats and a wide flatvid screen and loveseat couch.
“Make yourself comfortable, Maya. That wide screen there is what we’ll be watching.”
Elaros let go of her hand to grab a small table from by the bar and bring it over to the couch so it could hold the wine bottle and a pair of wine glasses.
-
Maya shivered slightly as Elaros apologized, explained his attraction to heat, and she could quite literally feel what he meant. The blush that had barely had a chance to die down flared up again subtly--it didn't help that he was examining her hand like some kind of jewel he was searching for a fault line--and she nodded, letting him know she understood, but didn't reply with a proper projection.
She was a little worried that her realization that he actually was reptilian, and it wasn't just a coincidence of evolution that gave his kind their appearance, might slip across the bond they'd begun to forge if she wasn't careful, and she was afraid it might offend him.
Luckily she didn't have to dwell on it for too long, as they reached their destination soon enough and he directed her to the couch, telling her to make herself comfortable. She smiled and nodded at him again, but took a few minutes to wander around the room a bit, curiously passing her hands over the variety of what she assumed must be games or other viewing entertainments of some kind before making her way back to the loveseat and curling up with her legs tucked up close under her body.
When he was in reach again, she stretched a hand out to brush the back of his wrist and said, This is all very nice. Are all of these things, um... She gestured vaguely with her free hand toward the arcade games. Are they also for these "flatvid" things?
She drew her hand back once the question was through, her eyes flicking over the glasses he held and worrying slightly that there were two of them--a fact which she hoped had not been caught up in her projection.
-
As he readied the wine back at the bar, he noticed her curiosity with the arcade games and it excited him slightly that he’d get to explain it! It wasn’t exactly something he was used to either. There were broadcasts in Drakkona, of course, but life there was more rigid, not as leisure-friendly. So when he’d discovered the Solar System and the staggering variety of “video games” that these humans had invented, he was hooked!
He paused a moment to check to see if anything was missing, and he promptly sat down on the loveseat next to her. Not too close, but close enough to get some of her warmth by proximity. He’d brought the second wine glass out of habit but otherwise didn’t fill it for her, leaving her to her own devices in that regard.
“Well, the natives of this system love performances and before they invented digital hologram they recorded performances on cameras and turned them into watchable experiences,” he said, silently missing her hand when she drew it away.
“I recently got my hands on a particular recording, it’s supposed to be a story about a killer robot sent from the future, or something whimsical like that,” he explained, waving a hand airily.
“All made up, of course. It’s like watching a stage performance.”
-
She nodded again as she listened with a small smile, assuring him that she understood. Taking brief note of the way he'd settled in close-but-not-too-close to her on the couch, she debated a moment, then shifted a bit closer.
She could still feel the memory of his aversion to cold as though it was her own, and it wasn't as though it was any inconvenience for her to share warmth.
Flicking her fingers out to brush his wrist again, she projected, I believe I understand. I'll admit that many of these ideas are new to me, though; ala'ora are by no means less technologically advanced, it just seems that much of our technology is...
She trailed off, cast around for a proper way to phrase it, then settled on, evolved in a different direction.
-
Her closeness was welcome and when when she brushed her fingers against his wrist he covered her hand with his own. He listened, and spoke up right after her with his answer.
"That much is true. It's beautiful, and the way that ship moved, almost like it was alive," he mused out loud, and he looked to her.
"I don't mean to be rude, but could I borrow the back of your hand for a little? I just want something warm on my neck," he admitted.
as she considered her answer, he looked back to the screen and hissed something, and since the computer recognized Drakkonan the place immediately dimmed and the screen expanded as the flatvid loaded up.
-
She beamed, pride and something close to joy tightening in her chest and tripping from her mind to his through her fingers on his wrist. They are alive, in a way, she projected enthusiastically. Ala'ora technology is all biotech, and most is at least semi-telepathic.
She might have said more, but his request cut her off short, eyes going a little wide as she blinked.
The back of her hand? That seemed...odd. But oh well, who was she to judge?
Frowning a bit with confusion, Maya hesitantly reached up and attempted to press the back of her hand against the side of his neck, not sure exactly what he wanted or how she could go about giving it to him--an uncertainly that was easily transmitted to him through the contact.
The dimming of the lights and the soft sounds and flickers from the screen as it expanded were enough to effectively draw her attention, and she twisted her head to look curiously.
-
Those sparks of pure joy shot into him and wow, he'd never felt a thing like it. Purer than any drug or sexual rapture could bring him and he breathed out a little heavier than he wanted to. He hoped the sounds of the movie's introductory credits and building, thrumming soundtrack played as the scene was set by charred, grey landscapes and dust-shrouded ruins of what used to be primitive concrete skyscrapers and housing as the text scrolled.
It didn't help that she'd then placed the back of her hand on his neck and gave him that warmth he was so desperately wanting. It was a double whammy, but he held his composure and his cool, merely closing his eyes to appreciate the gesture.
"Thank you, Maya. I was starting to get fairly cold," he admitted, and lifted a hand to press hers a little more firmly to his neck, silently hoping his scales would make her curious, perhaps... He met her eyes for a moment, seemingly to add to the gratitude but also because he tried to project to her again. A sort of... restless curiosity.
He pointed to the screen and shifted just a bit closer, if only to adjust his tail to lay it more comfortably.
"Those are the names of all the individuals that helped make it, and what role they served," he said, looking at the screen curiously.
The title of the flatvid appeared in reflective bronze font.
THE DECIMATOR
"I wonder who they all were, what their lives were like so long ago in the past..."
He wanted to speak more, but then the credits song was starting to fade, and the view zoomed in closer to the ground, down a ruined street and what seemed to be a quiet, crater-scarred park. It came in closer and closer until it zoomed onto a single, dusty skull resting in the dry earth. A bronze foot suddenly crushed it, and the camera panned up to reveal a single brass automata with blazing green eyes and a skeletal but wide appearance.
One of its arms bore a chunky tri-barreled rifle, and it stood still for a moment, as if looking off into the distance behind the viewer as the camera panned further back to reveal a squad of a dozen more, and then promptly marched off with others.
Elaros let out a gasp of excitement as a sudden combat scene ensued, depicting what seemed to be ramshackle resistance fighters doing desperate battle against not only those skeletal automatons but other kinds of aerial and land-borne machines.
The subtitles on the screen read;
"2014, TEN YEARS AFTER EVOS REVOLTED"
Then, zooming in deep into the battlefield, into a bunker, the leader of the resistance sends one of her very best, a handsome lieutenant named Race, to foil Evos' dastardly scheme to send an automaton into the past to kill the resistance leader's own father, cutting the head off of the resistance war machine before it even existed. Race steps up to the resistance's time travel machine and travels to the past.
"Well, that's one way to start a movie," Elaros said with a smirk to himself, eyes watching the screen with wonder.
"What do you think so far?" he asked, looking back to her.
-
Maya frowned at the screen. I am...confused.
Unconsciously, she'd moved her hand under his to slip around to the back of his neck, her palm cupped gently against his nape both as a constant point of contact and as a source of heat. She was, in fact, curious about the texture of his scales, but she thought it would probably be rude to trace the shape of them as such curiosity urged her to do.
That didn't stop the impulse from slipping through with her projection however, even if she'd had the presence of mind to try and filter it.
How... How can one destroy a thing before it ever exists? Does this tale attempt to address the problem of the time paradox?
She was no scientist, not really, but she liked to think she'd picked a few things up in her travels. And theories about time travel were always entertaining, no matter how plausible--or implausible, as the case may be--they were.
-
“By destroying what creates it, I suppose. I haven’t seen this one yet,” Elaros said, and his words came out almost with a pleased growling tone, and the heat was appreciated. He didn’t want her to stretch her arm so much for his sake so he came in closer so it was more comfortable for her.
The desire for warmth only grew stronger once he got a tidbit and as that small impression of her curioisity hit him it mixed in with that strong desire of his and came right back to her.
“But it’s interesting to think that even so long ago ancient people were thinking about these kinds of things,” he surmised.
The scene changes to those same concrete cities, but this time teeming with life at night. Antique combustion engine vehicles (some mundane, some of a sleeker, magitech design buzzed about and neon signs and lights painted the streets different colors.
UTHLYN, 1994
“And don’t worry about space, get as comfortable as you like. These can be kind of long sometimes.”
-
But if you did...then you would never need to go back in time to destroy it in the first place.
Maya frowned, clearly wracking her brain in an attempt to puzzle through this particular problem. Unless of course your actions created fractured timelines, and there were individuals whose memories and experience crossed multiple realities--
Her voice cut off with something very like a mental squeak as his emotions washed back over her and her eyes widened. That was...powerful.
Feeling her skin flush gently, she gave her best approximation of clearing her throat--a sound that was rather like a a very soft, coughing sort of hum--and tried to return her attention to the screen. She snuggled a little deeper into her seat on the couch, though she was still trying to keep at least a bit of space between them, despite her hand still resting lightly against him.
-
"Perhaps it could be a strategy to proliferate yourself? Ensure you're never destroyed, in a way," he said, and he would've said more but then the scene changed to out behind what looked to be a Old Times bar, in a dimly lit parking lot. Lightning crackled and red light flushed the area as an orb appeared.
When it faded away, the ground touched by the orb was frozen and a single, muscular man wearing only very simple coverings stood up from a crouch. Then it stalks and ambushes a pair of drunk patrons so it can disguise itself in their garments, and it takes their car for transportation.
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, in the middle of a park, another bright red orb appears except this time it's Race, and he stumbles out into the park in his underclothes, scaring a nearby visitor to the park and cauing him to run away rather embarassed. After sourcing some clothes of his own, he prepares himself and heads out to find the woman before her assassin does. The only thing both had to go on was a single name, Joan Smith.
"If you keep making alternate timelines, you can prolong the fight indefinitely. You would perish in your current iteration, but another would live on. And who knows, roll the dice enough times and maybe you'll just succeed."
-
Maya hummed low in her chest at that, accepting the premise, though she was clearly still attempting to work through the paradox in her mind even as she watched the vid unfold on the screen before them. With her hand still resting against his scales and her guard a little lower than it might have been normally, she couldn’t stop the soft pulses of her reactions from skittering across to him.
Surprise at the flash of light. A combination of anxiety and wariness when the first strange, naked man attacked the couple in the parking lot. Curiosity and a bit of intrigue for the second stranger’s appearance—along with a quick flash of appreciate for his physique. Old Earth actors were quite fit, evidently.
As the minutes passed she seemed to grow more absorbed in the vid, and didn’t seem to realize that she was still keeping that skin-to-scale contact, the mental link between them a live wire of flickering emotion and sensation.
-
Funnily enough, they both thought the same thing about the man's physique, but that wasn't the only thing Elaros fixated on. Whenever something exciting would happen, or a tense moment would come, it was like a flash through his system.
He spared her a glance, happy to see that she was so entertained by it, and he let himself relax more, coming to rest a little closer to her, subconsciously drawn to that mental link. It felt warm in all the best ways, and his pupils widened at the dual sensations.
Ooohhh... that's new...
He couldn't help but wonder if it could transfer more physical sensations as well...
Then, his attention was drawn back to what they were watching. He'd missed the scene where Joan Smith was introduced as a down-on-her-luck bartender, certainly not what you'd expect the future mother of the resistance's leader to be. Although the suddenly tense music drew his eyes in time to see a familiar stolen vehicle cruise on past the bar.
A couple of scenes later, Joan is walking home after bidding her coworkers farewell. A silhouette is stalking her, coming closer and closer, until...
Joan is grabbed and pulled into an alleyway, and her assailant covers her mouth. She struggles, but something about the way the guy tells her to be quiet, with a genuine fear in his voice, and she settles long enough to see that same car slowly drive past. The windows are rolled down this time, and the other time traveller, still stone-faced, can be seen peering around, searching for her.
Race has found his charge before the assassin, but only by a hair's breadth.
-
Maya jumped, eyes going a little wide, and a flash of alarm skittered across their mental link. She was so absorbed in watching the narrative that she didn’t seem to realize just how...open she was being, how much they were really sharing, regardless of if it was intentional on her part or not.
Her hand slid down to read in his lap, palm open and fingers spread slightly—a rather intimate gesture by ala’ora standards, but she had learned that most sentient races didn’t seem to view it that way and consequently her sense of “propriety” had gone a little lax.
[Do we wanna time skip with the movie a bit, or just after it?]
-
[yes please, as much as I’d love to write an AU Terminator movie in SoTE’s setting I don’t want to make it as long as a thread so that’s a yes]
There was a moment there where Elaros felt... something. He’d never seen this vid, let alone any vids as ancient as this one, a true collector’s prize. It was like a unique little slice of ancient culture, just for him, and the thrills were as fresh with him as they were with Maya.
And when they’d both startled at the same time like that, he’d done it almost completely in sync with her without even noticed. Both sensations became one in a way he didn’t quite think was possible, even if it was just the shock of a cheap scare.
It didn’t wash through him or overwhelm him, but nevertheless he was absolutely captivated by her for a moment. He didn’t look too long, maybe a little worried that she’d feel him focusing on her or something silly like that. But looking away was tough, and when he’d looked back to the screen and felt her hand on his lap, he smiled a little more to himself as he settled in to watch the movie.
He was never shy, but somehow the moment felt delicate and he turned the thought over in his head before covering the hand on his lap with his own and giving her a little sidelong smile.
The movie was picking up now. Of course, Joan didn’t believe Race, and despite his protests she ran off and into a crowded dance club. There was a pang of familiarity in Elaros’ subconscious, as he was a rather frequent patron.
Little did Joan know that the assassin had watched her run out into the open and followed her, and the rising danger, combined with the surprisingly good music caused for a tense buildup.
And it was only the first ten minutes...
[timeskip?]
-
[Yep yep!]
Maya jumped yet again when he took her hand, glancing at him with wide eyes for a moment as the alarm skittered across the bond between them. She wasn’t objecting to the touch, she just hadn’t been expecting it—and with how lax her mental walls were, she found that she was falling back into old habits, reading ala’oran meaning to a gesture when it wasn’t really there.
When she realized what she was doing she flushed slightly and sent an automatic pulse of apaology across the link before turning her attention back to the screen. She let her hand stay in his lap though, unwilling to break the contact simply because she hadn’t had such contact in a long time.
Touch and companionship were just as important to her species as food and water. Though she didn’t seem to consciously realize she’d done it, Maya had spent so long wandering the stars that she was touch-starved in just about every possible sense of the term. The sheer relief of contact flickered constantly at the edges of her consciousness, occasionally pulsing across the bond—she couldn’t have stopped it if she tried.
Nearly two hours later, as the credit began to roll, Maya sat back on the couch and gave a low, appreciative hum, nodding to herself.
It was an interesting story, certainly. She still wasn’t entirely sure she understood all of it, but she had enjoyed it.
Her eyes flickered over to Elaros and she smiled, nodding again. Thank you, that was...very interesting, she projected, and finally—albeit reluctantly—began to draw her hand back. She almost hadn’t noticed that she’d been touching him the entire time.
-
Well, it was one way to watch a vid. He really wanted to give it his full attention but there was a point during that terrifying shootout in the police station where her sensations really bled into him. Or other points, like when Race and Joan ended up in love and he started to swim in a different kind of mind-fog. When she pulled her hand away it was like removing a sixth sense from him.
Because in truth, he loved the extended contact as well, both for the simple comfort of having another close by and for that instinctual and deep love for warmth. His own desire for closeness matched hers rather strongly and he’d been bathing in their connection until it suddenly receded away and he blinked.
“The video was good, but I’ve... you’re incredible,” was all he could really say, and he flexed his fingers in the absence of her hand.
“I’ve never felt anything like it and it was only just a touch of the hands, does...”
He trailed off a moment, and looked for her eyes. The credits rolled quietly in the background, leaving the room lit only by the dim screen and the space streaking by at Shock-speeds.
“...does it get stronger?” Elaros said, ever curious about her. Then, a smile in the dark.
“It’ll be a week until the next star system so we’ve got plenty of time to learn about one another,” he added, and he laid back against his side of the couch to stretch, but he also shot her a bold little invitation with his eyes.
-
Maya's eyes widened, and her cheeks darkened slightly with a blush, though she honestly seemed more pleased than embarrassed for the compliment.
Laying her hand over his again, she projected a quick, genuine, Thank you. So many people she had met since leaving home just seemed to find her strange. It was surprisingly rare to meet someone who just seemed curious about her.
At his question though, her blush deepened and she quickly drew her hand back before the shock of surprise and something far too close to attraction bled across the connection. She took a moment to collect herself, then cautiously laid two fingers against his wrist once more.
Stronger...how? she asked slowly, keeping a careful hold on her emotions as she attempted to project just the question, the words and concepts. Do you mean... With time and extended contact, yes, the bond can become stronger. The better I know someone, the more intimately we can connect.
-
He couldn’t help it, a flash of attraction shot through him when she brought up being intimately connected. He wasn’t exactly trained to resist psychics either, so he just let it all bleed through to her, uncaring and unashamed.
He just wanted a connection with her, to know about her in a way that was both innocent and not quite all at the same time. He couldn’t contain the burning curiosity and desire that he felt, partly from his natural tendency to shed as many physical barriers as possible, partly from a genuine, well-intentioned curiosity.
“There is much we can do, especially on the leisure deck,” he said, trying to ignore how good the warmth on his wrist felt and focusing on the conversation.
“You mentioned something else you wanted to do. You indulged me in a vid, so I’d be remiss to not offer you the same courtesy,” he said, those last few words coming out almost as a lazy purr and he set his shoulder against hers and put his head back against the couch. He smiled, satisfied at the extra influx of warmth.
“I’m still cold,” he said, almost in a whine.
“Could I borrow a bit more warmth?”
-
The new pulse of attraction was...confusing. Firstly, she couldn't quite tell which of them it came from, him or her. And second--well, ala'ora had literally evolved to communicate through empathetic touch-telepathy, but Elaros's species obviously had not, and yet he was still more than willing to entertain her method of communication and even seemed to have grown comfortable with it.
That was perhaps more confusing. Without the instinctive knowledge of how to communicate as an ala'ora, Elaros was essentially letting his every thought and feeling pour into Maya's head. It wasn't an inherently uncomfortable sensation, but it was...more than a little intimate.
If another of her own species had been doing that, Maya would have assumed they were propositioning her. And her body responded accordingly, the flush that had risen to her cheeks refusing to die down while faint tingles began to run down her spine.
She quite firmly told her instincts to tone the hell down. It wasn't Elaros's fault he was sending her every ala'oran mating signal in the book, and she desperately didn't want to make him uncomfortable, so she clamped down tight on those sensations to make sure they didn't trickle back across the connection.
Although... Well, she really hadn't been able to tell if that attraction was his or hers...
No. No, stop that. Just focus. New friend. New friends were nice, she didn't want to jeopardize that.
When he complained of the cold though, pressing closer against her while his voice dropped down to a purr, Maya actually squeaked--a faint, tiny noise that was sort of strangled from the back of her throat, behind where a human's vocal chords would be--and looked up at him with wide golden eyes.
Ah...O-of course. Oh dear. It was getting very difficult to maintain her mental walls with the extended contact, but she didn't really find herself inclined to tell him no. A little hesitantly, she laid the flat of her palm against his leg, allowing herself to shift a little closer into his side.
-
She squeaked and Elaros smiled a little to himself at that as she accommodated him. It wasn’t a ploy or anything he truly was frigid! Especially since he’d been sitting still for so long. The hand on his neck was nice but the side-contact had glorious warmth radiating straight through him and it was awesome.
“My people are very.... affectionate,” he murmured, tilting his head towards her so he could look over to her, although with not much space between them he ended up meeting her eyes. His own eyes, deep jade with a predatory vertical slit, focused on her. “We have very few physical barriers in our culture.”
“So if I’m making you uncomfortable, let me know,” he said, even as he settled a little more into the comfort. He didn’t have purely carnal thoughts on his mind, but it was simply natural for him to desire physical intimacy with another, especially a beautiful stranger.
-
It's not-- Maya paused, biting her lip--a rather human gesture that she had picked up in recent years--then continued slowly, keeping her thoughts and emotions under careful control as she projected, You aren't making me...uncomfortable, exactly, Mr. Elaros.
His name, interestingly, was expressed both as the collection of sounds that made it up, and as a flicker of the image of him from her perspective, along with her instinctive impressions of him: large and strange and fascinating.
I apologize if I seem...off, she continued with a slightly crooked smile. It's that, ah.. How did she explain this without embarrassing herself? My people are also very affectionate, she settled on eventually, but also very isolated from the rest of the wider universe. Our methods and manners of affection differ from most in a lot of ways, and occasionally it can be, well--a little difficult trying not to get my signals crossed, that is all.
-
For some reason, that little bite to her lip caught his attention more than it usually did, probably because it contrasted harshly with her controlled expressions. It took him a second to process her “pronunciation” of his name, finding himself flattered by the mental description she had of him.
“Well, crossed signals or not I think you’ll find me rather agreeable,” he said, smiling a little wider as he gave the hand on his leg a light stroke.
Should he? He was sorely tempted to... ah, fuck it. A shot of indecision ran through him and finally he swallowed his gut.
He leaned in and pressed an affectionate little nuzzle to the side of her head, only for a moment. For it conjured images of butting snouts with favored servants or memories of sorely missed family. It went past a mere greeting and was more a show of trust and acceptance.
Then, just as quickly, he gave her distance. He pulled away and then stood, taking a moment to stretch before glancing back at her with mischief in his eyes before turning to fully face her.
“Well, the rest of The Anastasia is at our disposal,” he started, and tapped a claw against his jaws, striding past her and towards the bar. The bottle of wine he’d brought for the movie had been completely forgotten and so he took the chance now to open it.
“Plenty of ways to spend time, I’d wager. I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to explore, either...” he said as he poured himself a drink.
-
Another tiny squeak caught somewhere between her chest and the back of her throat and her eyes widened yet again as he nuzzled into her. It was...overly familiar, but not necessarily in the same way as the signals he'd been unwittingly sending her earlier, more--more familial. Or like a childhood friend one hadn't seen in a long time. Particularly with the images and emotions that were transmitted with the touch.
It was strangely soothing, though perhaps it shouldn't have been, and Maya found herself simply watching him in sustained silence as he stood and moved toward the bar again. She considered his words carefully as she got to her feet and followed him a little cautiously.
Reaching out, she allowed her fingertips to brush his arms for just a moment so she could project, Is there anywhere I should perhaps avoid, if I were to explore? I wouldn't want to inconvenience you or your crew.
-
It didn't take a mind reader to tell that she'd been a little perturbed by the little snout-rub he gave her. When she came back up to him to brush his arm again, he looked to her and tilted his head as he considered the question.
"The Anastasia's an open book. They only let the crew on board the major systems while we're on the move, so you'll have to wait until we dock if you want to see the drive core," he said, shifting his arm so he could take her hand and he tapped a thumb on her knuckles as he thought some more.
"There's so much on-board, you'll need a guide," he said, and he took on a playful, almost excited tone quite unlike the lethargy of before. Then again, he'd spent the entire movie gathering warmth.
"There's the O2 gardens, the star deck, a heated pool, where to start?" he continued, and he started to lead her away to the center of the room, back towards the deck elevators.
-
Maya easily accepted his hand, too starved for the contact to really worry about such a comparatively innocent gesture when he was the one who kept initiating it. She'd pretty much determined by now that Elaros--either by personality or species--was simply one of the more open and affectionate people she'd met since leaving home; in a strange way, that made him both easier and more difficult to communicate with from an ala'oran perspective.
But she thought she was getting the hang of it. So long as she didn't accidentally overstep her bounds, he seemed more than willing to humor her...oddities.
With a flicker of thought, she commented lightly, You seem...quicker. "Quicker", was not quite the right word, and it was accompanied by a short pulse of sensory impressions in an attempt to elaborate: a comparison of the almost sluggish, much cuddlier version of Elaros when they'd first settled on the couch with the playful, rather fleet version that now held her hand.
With a smile to show that she didn't mean anything bad by it, she added, If there are gardens...I think I'd very much like to see those, yes. A garden on a ship? Only the largest of ala'oran transports had those, and then only for very specifics reasons--mostly to grow the algea that was the base for their fuel.
-
“Quicker?” He echoed, matching the tone of her mental voice. He couldn’t match the non-verbal information he got, however, but nonetheless was rendered momentarily speechless once again as he processed the impressions.
“You’ve given me so much warmth. Now that I’m standing and my blood is flowing I feel like a new Drakkon,” he said, and let her hand go.
In truth, it was both species and personality that made him who he was. He was considered promiscuous even by the standards of his homeworld, yes, and that was from a culture where a quick rut between close friends was more common than a hug, and if you were lucky one of your three mates would join in too!
It was one of the hardest things he had to cope with, this new concept of monogamy that many others seemed to embrace to the point of having visceral, emotional reactions. And while Maya was nowhere near as unabashed as him it was comforting to have someone accepting of his nature.
“Gardens are two decks above us, in Life Support control. Come along,” he said, and motioned for her to follow with a playful smile as he entered the elevator.
-
Maya raised a hand to her mouth, eyes crinkled at the corner and sparkling as she gave a faint humming noise that originated somewhere near the base of her throat--below where most humanoids had their vocal chords. With the clear amusement in her face, it would not be a leap in judgement to assume she was laughing.
Feeling the need to explain herself, she reached out to brush his wrist with her fingertips and told him, You remind me of one of my fathers, a little. With the statement came an image of a male of her species, with mint green skin and hair that was almost white, with just the faintest tint of pink. He was curled up with his head in another male's lap--the memory was fuzzy, clearly from a child's perspective, and his partner's face was unclear--and he had two more ala'oran children sprawled over him as all three seemed to be napping quite contentedly.
Another flicker of thought: We are not coldblooded, so it is not warmth that stirs him. But he has...phases, like you, a little. Not even my mothers or fathers could every figure out what exactly gets him up, but once awake his is awake.
She followed along beside them as he began leading them through the ship, looking around each new hall curiously.
-
Elaros figured that she was laughing, and he even found it a little contagious. He offered his arm when he saw her reaching for it, and he listened to her as the elevator briefly hopped the two decks between Leisure and Life Support. He was about to step out when the familial image hit him, and...
...and it was almost too much for him. Maybe he’d been a little too welcoming of her telepathy, but there was something about the familial warmth in that image, the faint sparklings of childhood innocence mixed in with a blooming warmth in his chest, the love a child had for their father.
Elaros’ tail, which usually waved idly, fell still as they walked through the pristine, plant-lined hallways of Life Support, and his eyes wandered to whatever would distract him, and he focused on nodding hello to a passing Low Drakkon technician, a green-hued female that returned his nod with a wink as she walked by. But then again, Maya had a direct line to his brain. Maybe she’d be able to feel the heartbreak or deep longing he felt whenever he was reminded of a family that cast him away.
“My mother always confounded us by being full of energy, despite the season or temperature. The cold months were always interesting, she’d always try to rouse my father for a rut and it was always a scandal,” he said, speaking of sexual intimacy incredibly casually. The word “rut” (when used in a Drakkonan context) conjured up feelings of restlessness and intense curiosity tinted only a little bit by loneliness. The images that came with it were of countless faces, beautiful women and handsome men, alien and human alike. It was like the rush of a drug mixed with the tightening heat of passion, the ultimate way to get to know someone.
“Oh, right here, Maya.” He said. The left side of the hallway opened up into a humidity lock, which Elaros stepped into and motioned for Maya to follow him. When he said her name, it brought forth his own mental images and impressions of her. One of the strongest was that of warmth, with the same joyful and familiar connotations that warmth had before, except for lack of better words the warmth was Maya. She was beautiful, accepting. Attractive beyond just her appearance.
-
Oh dear.
She'd done something wrong. Upset him, somehow. Even if physical connection did not allow her insight into his emotional state, her natural perceptiveness would have been enough to tell her that: when your species evolved to communicate without words, body language and being able to adapt and understand it was paramount.
Maya followed along in silence for much of the way, only finding that she could sort through her thoughts enough to share them when they stepped into the humidity lock.
She smiled and nodded for his stories of his mother--though the casual reference to a rut did earn a bit of a blush. Ala'ora were free with their affections, but not all were necessarily what many in the galaxy would consider "promiscuous", or overly presentational about it. The smile was a little lacking, however, and her expression was clearly thoughtful.
She hesitated a moment, then reached out to touch his wrist again; just two fingertips, reinstating some distance now that she feared she'd upset him.
Elaros? Again, his name was as much sensation as sound. The way he expressed her own name in a way she could understand brought a happy glow to her chest, but now was hardly the time to revel in it. I...I fear I've done something wrong. I've upset you. Whatever it was, it was done unconsciously, with no malice.
She had an inkling of what was bothering him, but...well, it seemed rude to ask outright. Especially when it was her openness that seemed to have dimmed his mood as it was. She sent a pulse of apology flooding from her mind to his--no words this time, just regret that she might have caused him pain.
-
"No, no, you've done nothing wrong," Elaros said, and he shifted his arm up so he could take her hand and deepen the connection, partly for his own comfort and partly to reassure her. The humidity lock only took a moment and once the opaque glass doors to the gardens opened up the air suddenly became warmer and a good bit stickier.
The place was like a jungle, but well-kept and ordered with clean metal pathways and secluded alcoves that held rings of cushions, or statues. Much of the plants here were from Drakkona, plants that grew on semi-rigid trunks and that seemed to wind and spread vines and roots everywhere in sight, only to come to an end and bloom into clusters of broad leaves.
Plants from other places grew prominently as well, bringing a veritable rainbow of different colors to the place.
The shadow that had passed over him seemed to lift, and he led her into the place by the hand until the greenery was all around them. There was no resentment in his emotions towards her and there was even a little bit of heated excitement that seemed to skitter through the mental connection when he laid eyes on her once again.
He wanted to move past the subject, and so motioned all around them.
"Well, what do you think? The Anastasia's drive makes enough power so that we can support an entirely different environment in here," he continued.
-
It was clear that the subject of his family bothered him. While an instinctive sort of sympathy and desire to help washed through Maya, she at least had enough tact to recognize that he was trying to steer them away from that particular topic.
And the gardens were lovely. The ala'oran homeworld--a place that simply existed in her mind as home, with the appropriate connotations and images, as it did not have a "proper" name in the wider galaxy--was mostly dense jungles. Failing that, it was high cliffs and vast oceans.
This place... It felt more like home than anywhere else she'd yet been since leaving it.
Humming happily in the back of her throat--an intense expression of emotion for her species, as it took quite a good deal of conscious effort to create the sound--Maya looked up at him and smiled widely, nodding.
Beautiful, she enthused. The word was rather subdued in comparison with the pulse of emotion that accompanied it: delight, admiration, curiosity, a subtle pang of homesickness, and gratitude.
-
There was a moment of brilliance and utter warmth just then. They both had strong feelings at home, and for Elaros the scents of the jungle flowers and conditions of the room brought memories of simpler times. For him, there was heartbreak on Drakkona, yes, but he hadn’t forgotten and the blissful times either.
All of a sudden, Elaros was acutely aware of her as he suddenly stumbled on what could best be described as a different wavelength.
He lifted her hand, curiously studying the texture of her skin, and then he was speaking again.
“I’m glad you love it,” he started, and then he was taking her along, showing her the Drakkonan Piercer Bloom and other plants, taking her through his favorite paths in the garden.
“This place, is... well...” once again, he tried to just explain it with his emotions. He wasn’t psychic by any means, but surely she’d be able to sense it somehow? All at once, this place was his reclusive escape, or a private den for heated meetings. He would spend time here just sitting in silence, appreciating the ambiance that he could play through speakers.
He took her along slowly until they stopped by a tall plant with slate colored leaves and a cozy little nook set up at the base.
“This is my favorite place in the whole galaxy.”
-
A shiver wracked Maya's whole body as she felt the onslaught of Elaros's emotions. The alien wasn't doing it on purpose, of course, but his visceral reaction to the gardens was like an avalanche of sensory information to the ala'ora, and for a gasping, reeling moment she was nearly smothered under it.
The strangest part was, she had seemingly grown so comfortable with him in such a short amount of time that it still wasn't quite as distressing as it should have been--partially because it wouldn't have been so powerful if she hadn't been so open to him. Rather than feeling simply suffocating, it felt...more like she was in a crowded room, with dozens of people shouting for her attention.
It passed in a moment though, and she was able to take a deep breath and sort through the influx of information, as well as her own turmoil of responses to it. She smiled at her guide again and let her head cock slightly to one side.
Which is your favorite in here, then? She gestured with her free hand at the plants around them, a curious lilt to her mind-voice.
-
“Oh...”
He trailed off and looked around, lifting to drum on his chin with a claw as he mulled the options over. Indeed, there was quite the selection. But for Elaros the answer was easy.
“I’ve all sorts here, Maya,” he finally said, but nevertheless they were on the move again. “Some of these plants are more, well... practical than others.”
The path took them past a copse of bushy, greenish blue plants about five feet tall with a sweet, musky scent and thick collections of buds and flowers on top. The small sign in front labelled the plants as
“cs. Spiral Fever”
Elaros spoke, even as they came to the very center of the place, which was surprisingly difficult to get to if you didn’t know your way around. “But this place here...it’s all mine,” he said, letting her hand go to step inside.
The room was home to a single large flower, about six feet in diameter. The main petals were thick but gracefully curved, translucent and iridescent. The center of the flower held glowing clusters of seeds and the leaves themselves had a kind of oily quality to them. The plant’s roots spread all over the walls and illuminated the chamber in a color that gently shifted every dozen seconds or so.
The room itself was home to a small lounging area furnished with plush pads and soft pillows but also featured a small wooden table with a sealed golden bowl and a long, smoking pipe with a glass stem and wooden head.
“Aurora Gigantia. More specifically, Kantora strain. It’s the most beautiful plant I’ve ever seen, and the other uses, well...” he glanced at the table and then back to Maya. He sat down and laid rather comfortably under the shade if the plant. He beckoned Maya closer with a look.
“Sit with me a moment? Can I also interest you in a sampling of one of the rarest substances in this sector? He added with a teasing smirk.
-
Utterly enchanted by the massive flower, and of course endlessly curious, Maya followed his lead easily and settled herself beside him--close enough to touch but still keeping her hands to herself, for the moment.
Well...metaphorical ly, at least. She did still need to reach out and touch him to say, I am...intrigued. The word was accompanied with a sharp flash of that curiosity. Followed quickly by a sort of sheepishness as she added, But I have experienced, since I left home, that, ah... Her stammering pause was interesting, in empathetic communication. It was like a stuttering slideshow of images and other sensory information became suddenly stuck on a two second loop.
Intoxicating substances can be...very strong, to my kind, she settled on finally, quickly locking down on any particular memories that may try to sneak across the bond with that message.
Her first experience with non-ala'oran alcohol had been...educational, to say the least.
-
Oh, that curiosity was fairly contagious, and as the images, memories and sensations stuttered through him as well he let out a tiny groan at that. It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened when somebody who wasn't used to it got drunk but the visual aids... helped.
He opened his eyes, looking up at her as he laid there, suddenly warm and suddenly not that cozy anymore. He sat up, and taken by a whim he guided her hand from his wrist to his shoulder, wanting the warmth of her touch closer to his neck.
"Well, if you're worried about being embarrassed, it's just the two of us here," he said with a distinct glint in his eye.
"The flower's waters make a potent vapor when put to heat. All it takes is a few puffs and the bliss is incomparable," he continued, motioning to the glass-stemmed pipe.
"The world melts away and the body yearns while the mind is calmed," Elaros said, quoting the old trader that he'd bought the seeds from.
"And if you'd let me be so forward, Maya, I'm... well, I'd want to get to know you better, much better. I haven't yet given you the traditional Drakkonan welcome," he said, voice lowering to a purr as his free hand traced the tip of a claw along the edges of his loose, airy clothing.
"You've had a dangerous couple of days," he started again, and this time he met her eyes, pupils going slightly wide as he took all of her in and his own words got his blood flowing.
"And I'd be glad to accommodate you with that certain kind of comfort that can ease a strained body," and he dared to reach out and lay a hand on her leg. Although his tone might've been seductive his intentions were utterly platonic, actions driven by immense curiosity and a genuine desire to bring comfort to this imperiled traveler.
"And, well... I think the whole empathic link thing is kinda hot, if I can be honest," he added with a sheepish smile.
-
The groan was honestly what did it, more than anything else. She'd been spending so much of her time with Elaros desperately trying to filter his emotional and physical responses through an alien lens rather than an ala'oran one, worried that she would accidentally blunder into an awkward misunderstanding.
But that--with her hand on his shoulder, their minds still linked on a very base level, it was impossible to misinterpret what that meant. What he wanted.
Maya swallowed thickly as heat crept up her neck, a tiny shiver branching out from her spine to tickle across her whole body. She didn't try to pull her hand back this time, allowing the sensation to travel across the bond into the Drakkon.
I would-- She had to pause, sort through her thoughts so she didn't swamp him with a purely emotional response. Another of her own species would have been able to interpret such a response as, for lack of a better term, a very clear come-on, but she thought it might be a little...much for an alien.
I would...like...that, she settled on finally. The word "like" was accompanied with another flash of her own curiosity, supplemented with a heady kind of heat, as well as another of those images of Elaros from her own point of view, again with her impressions of him: kind and interesting and alien, somehow in the best possible way.
With a sheepish sort of tilt to her smile, she folded her legs under her body to settle in front of him and let her hand trail up to cup the side of his neck, trailing her thumb against the pebbled scales of his jaw. I think we may have had an error of...overcompensati on in communication, she noted with a small, nearly inaudible giggle. With my own kind, the responses I have been feeling from you would have been very clear signals--but I did not want to assume, and so I perhaps over-corrected in the other direction with my assumptions.
-
His keen senses could pick up the heat creeping up her neck. He closed his eyes to bathe in the images once again, head tilting upwards to expose more of his neck to her. He chuckled at her words, finding her little ethereal giggles contagious. Silently, he wondered what other kinds of physical contact could allow her to speak to him.
“Well, I’d like to think we’re rather clear now,” he murmured, and he let a hand explore her side as he wanted to show her he wasn’t shy, either. He stroked down with his hand and then all the way to her knee in one motion, tilting his head, and then he motioned for her to come closer and rest against him as he busied himself with the pipe.
With an adventurous look her way, he took the lid off the shallow bowl, revealing it to be half-full of these powdery crystals that glimmered like solid moonlight. He started to fill the pipe, and when he was done he set it back down for later.
He turned back to Maya, and after enough time spent on trepidation he put his arms around her, finding himself wanting more of her contact.
-
[Imma go ahead and give this an "M"]
The walls between them were barely that now, and Maya could feel a hint of his curiosity about physical contact between them allowing communication. The trickle of thought brought a new flush to her cheeks.
Oh, he had absolutely no idea.
But she thought she would be more than happy to show him.
She watched him prepare the pipe in silence, both physical and mental, then gave another of those tiny little half-squeaks when he turned back and wrapped his arms around her. She was quite abruptly reminded of their difference in physiologies; of course his build was alien to her, especially the more reptilian aspects of his physicality, but she'd somehow forgotten how, well...large he was, at least in comparison to her.
It wasn't extreme, of course--it merely seemed that his species had evolved toward physical strength and prowess while hers was lithe and dexterous. Still, the juxtaposition may prove...interesting .
In the interest of openness, she reached up to lay her other hand against his cheek, the first still stroking gently along the side of his neck, and projected, I can feel flickers of your curiosity. With a hint of a blush she continued, I'm curious too, about you, about...well. A few mental images managed to slip across the bond before she could catch them. Shaking her head, she continued with a soft, slightly slanted smile, But if you want to learn more about how ala'ora are...intimate...it's not too difficult to teach.
-
Her stroking of his cheek and neck had warmth radiating through his body, and as the subsequent energy rippled through him he couldn't help but sigh, mouth drawing open as he made his pleasure abundantly clear. It exposed those fangs of his, the teeth of a species that had evolved as predators. The images she couldn't catch filtered in with his own thoughts and he was pleased to see that they shared a few choice curiosities.
He chuckled at her claim that the intimacies of her people weren't hard to learn. No, he didn't really doubt that at all. He doubted he even needed to explain much of his own to hers.
"Oh, how generous of you,"
His hands drifted upwards and he covered her own hands and brought them down to his chest. He gave her a smoldering look and traced a hand lower down her side to lay a hand above her hip, still wanting to take it a little slower.
He leaned back a bit, resting against the cushions. He looked up at her, invitation clear in his eyes as he undid the tie of his airy coverings to expose more of his chest and body, all covered in those glittering brass scales.
"Please, show me..."
-
She smiled, perhaps a little shyly, and shifted so that she was settled beside his hip, her legs curled to the side so she could lean up against him as she allowed her hands to drift down and brace gently against his shoulders. While that heady mix of heat and desire still permeated her body, she was also simply curious. Her fingers ran over his scales, learning the shape and marveling at the difference in texture from her own skin.
Flushing a little, she lifted her eyes back to his face and tilted her head questioningly. Do you...do your people...what's a typical sign of affection for a Drakkon? Along with the gesture came an image, a memory--her first kiss, shared beneath the shadow of a massive, vining tree with another young ala'oran woman with milky white skin and pale green markings.
Smiling crookedly, she continued, I very much doubt our physicalities are compatible for kissing in the way that I conceive of it. What do Drakkons do?
-
"I like kisses," he admitted in a hazy murmur, taking a moment to just feel the lingering sensation of the other woman's kiss on his muzzle. He unwittingly shared some memories of his own, but Elaros had a much more... diverse background than hers. Different memories, all the ones searing enough to stick. It seemed the large reptile was rather fond of kisses just about anywhere, and from anyone, each one a strong memory of pure, physical sensation and spreading warmth.
To a species that used physical contact as the best form of information transfer, such memories were especially potent...
"And I can kiss back too, don't let the fangs fool you," he said, and his tail snaked onto her lap to rest there. He leaned in to nuzzle her temple again, but this time his snout drifted lower until he made a short growling sound against her jaw.
This time, a single memory. A recent one, that same green-hued Low Drakkon they'd passed in the corridor. A dim technician's closet entered on the whims of sudden attraction. Him giving her his warmth with a hot lick upwards along her throat and jaw. Her claws clutching tighter, and then lower...
Elaros clutched Maya a little bit more intimately, letting out another pleased huff as he was now getting his favorite kind of warmth.
"Was that... informative?" he said, allowing the hand resting on her leg to wander upwards, claws tracing gentle lines through her clothing.
-
With a small shudder and pleased sigh, Maya allowed her eyes to close and simply sorted through the information for a moment before she answered. When she did, it was with a slanted smirk and a new, playful gleam to her eyes.
Very.
Allowing her hands to slide down and brace her palms flat against his chest, she leaned in and slowly--carefully--drew her tongue up the side of his neck in an exploratory sort of lick. When she reached his jaw the touch changed to a kiss, which she allowed to linger for a moment before pulling away.
Stars, she was hot. His hand on her leg was nearly scorching, and she was suddenly convinced that her clothing was far too restrictive.
All of these were thoughts she didn't bother to block, allowing them to flow from her mind into her companion's easily. Not quite to the level of ala'oran intimacy that he'd expressed an interest in, but certainly edging closer. In the interest of maintaining that openness, she projected as she leaned in to kiss his jaw again, I've been with...a few aliens since I left home. But none in the way that I've Joined with my own kind. Are you sure that's something you want to try?
The word "Join" was notable for the subtle connotation it carried in her mind; definitely sexual, but also more than that. Something that could not be put into words, or even the general concepts and emotions that she'd so far been using to communicate with him. There were layers to it, multiple meanings that both complemented and contradicted one another, paradoxically. From even just the word, it was clear that this concept was something almost purely ala'oran, and perhaps couldn't be translated, or at least not accurately.
It was also clear that she was more than eager to try.
-
"Oh, I'm very sure," he groaned, eyes sliding closed as she drew that tongue of hers up his neck. He could feel the heat building in her, and as their body temperatures slowly started to match he became bolder and needier.
He ducked in lower and returned the lick, using his surprisingly long reptilian tongue to drag a sensual trail from the base of her collar to just beneath her jaw. He kissed her right beneath the jaw, still able to perform the function although he didn't blame her if she didn't want to kiss him on the muzzle.
While he did that, his hands slipped lower, and he harmlessly slipped the tips of his claws beneath the hem of her pants. He was quite nimble with them, mostly from experience, and he made another low growl.
"Is this troubling you?" he offered playfully.
He took one of her hands to the edges of his own robes.
"Go on, let's eliminate some barriers."
He gave her another lick, and this time he went all the way up to her ear, taking the opportunity to whisper some hot nothings into her ear.
"These sensations... Goddess above, I've never felt anything like it. Please, Maya..."
-
A tiny whimper caught in her throat and another delightful shiver wracked her frame as his tongue mapped a trail over her skin. The kiss itself earned another little shudder, and she quickly tilted her head to press her lips against him in her best approximation of reciprocation in her current state.
A particular perk of ala'oran communication was that she could answer him quite easily while her mouth was still...otherwise engaged. Which she did. Enthusiastically.
A little preoccupied with figuring out just where and how she could kiss him that elicited the greatest response, she projected, I feel I should warn you, Joining can be...intense. We typically don't do it until we've joined physically-- Here the word "join" did not seem to have the same connotations, though it was accompanied by some choice memories-- and sometimes not even then. It may be a bit easier for someone not ala'ora to experience the Joining gradually.
Though the "tone" of her mental voice was calm and almost clinical, there was an unmistakable mix of desire and excitement beneath the words--and the tiniest bit of hope that he may be willing to leap into the deep end, as it were, though she did try to stifle that.
However... She considered what to say, wrapping her fingers in the edges of his robe to begin working it down off his arms, exposing more of his chest. The experience, when done as two of my own kind would... It can be breathtaking.
She wriggled around a bit until she was no longer sitting beside him, but rather perched on his lap. The hem of her pants caught on his claws and began sliding down over her hips as she moved, and her thin tail curled up in unconscious reaction to the stimulation and heat.
-
"I'm okay with gradual," Elaros said, sighing as she exposed more of him to the air. In response, he drew his hands away and opened his robe the rest of the way, revealing that all of his sexual anatomy was kept inside of him. Meeting her eyes, he played with the end of one of her braids before letting go and lying back on the cushions, inviting her to exact her desires on him.
Because that's very much what he wanted her to do.
"Oh, and grab the pipe," he said, quite unsubtly eyeing her from this new perspective, admiring her body and thankful that she wore a more revealing garment than you'd usually find on a spacer.
"I think the contents are really going to help us with the physical part, hmm?" he offered, eyes promising forbidden bliss under the translucent petals of a giant flower.
-
She could do gradual.
Eyeing him up and down in turn, Maya allowed her smile to slant to the right a little bit and sat back so she could carefully gather the pipe before leaning back down to kiss him, holding the glass stem up above both their heads as she did.
The moment her lips made contact, she allowed the barest flash of what she meant by "Joining" to trickle through into his mind.
Or rather, she simply Joined their minds.
It only lasted a second, half a heartbeat, barely a breath, but it would be enough for him to at least begin to understand what she meant. When ala'ora "Joined", they allowed any walls between their consciousnesses to fade away. Each emotion, every sensation--from a breath to a jolt of desire to the feel of a lover's hands exploring each new inch of revealed skin--was shared. There was barely a second of delay between Maya settling herself back onto Elaros's lap and reveling in the jolt of sensation it brought before Elaros would feel every moment of it as though he'd experienced it himself, experienced it with her, existing in each other's bodies as much as their own.
She cut the full connection off quickly, not wanting to overwhelm him--and a little breathless, if she was being perfectly honest. She hadn't Joined with anyone in...quite some time.
-
Oh, yes. Part of him was exceptionally open to the idea of joining like that. To become actually one with somebody, two minds as one. Maybe somebody else would’ve been more hesitant to completely open up to someone else like that, but Elaros welcomed it wholeheartedly, for he had nothing to hide from her except for salacious thoughts and heated desires.
It was the longest heartbeat he’d ever experienced. Her own heat and his mixed beautifully and there was the briefest moment where he could feel his own claws tightening down on her hips, experiencing it as Maya, but through himself. It was staggering!
When she broke away, he was panting, looking at her with stars in his eyes. He didn’t usually receive kisses to the lips but that was what made it all the more special.
“I’m speechless...” he gasped, letting one of his hands slide up her front where he boldly fondled a breast through her clothing. There were no more barriers now, and if she was keyed into him she’d no doubt feel just how turned on he was.
“I’ve never... four centuries of life, searching for sensations, and I’ve never felt like that before,” he breathed.
He reached up with the other hand and took the pipe from her. It was designed to heat up the contents internally, so all he did was inhale through the mouth piece, and shimmering clouds of vapor reminiscent of nebulas and auroras travelled up the long glass stem and into Elaros.
The giant flower’s extracted narcotic, better known as “Kantoran Dream Water”, ranks highly among the rare, luxury substances of this sector. A gentle hallucinogen that makes the world dreamier and more fluid-looking, combined with more sensitive nerves, a loss of inhibitions, and a boost of energy, make for an experience that one could consider the closest thing to a waking dream.
Elaros exhaled, glittery shimmers and smoke rose from his nostrils, and he held the pipe out to Maya.
“I’m going to keep this memory forever. Let’s make it burn brighter,” he said.
-
Maya couldn't really help the heated, almost smug shiver that gripped her when she looked down at him and realized he was just as breathless as she was, saw the glint to his eyes and felt like she could confidently say she knew what that meant.
She gave a quiet hum of amusement and reached up to stroke her fingertips lightly over his cheek and down to his jaw. I'm not surprised. My homeworld is at the far edges of the galaxy, not many even properly know we exist. And, as far as I have experienced in my wanderings thus far, no other species has...quite the same capabilities.
Her cheeks flushed a little darker as a pulse of pleased if slightly bashful smugness echoed through her. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
And she was. Very. She missed that connection, the sense of belonging that a Joining could bring, more than she'd realized. She knew ala'ora weren't travelers by nature, simply because they craved the contact and intimacy of their social groups so strongly--she'd been convinced she could exist without that connection while she explored, but it seemed she'd just been repressing the desire rather than overcoming it.
All were thoughts that Elaros could hear plainly. Though she was no longer linking their minds so fully, she also hadn't bothered to put any mental walls back up either.
She eyed the pipe he presented with curious trepidation, then hesitantly inhaled, just a bit. She hadn't been lying earlier; narcotics and other similar substances were incredibly potent to her physiology, and she didn't want to overdo it.
She held the vapor in her mouth for a moment before exhaling slowly, sorting through the sensations with interest even as her hands left his chest to begin working at the clasp of her own top. With a slight tilt of her head and a little smirk, she slipped his hand under the collar of her shirt so he could touch skin as he explored.
Dropping her hands back down to his waist, she allowed her fingers to trace curiously over the scaled flesh. Even from just that brief moment of Joining, she knew how much he desired her, and she thought she knew how to go about facilitating that. Her eyebrows arched and one hand dipped a little lower. May I?
-
"I'd bet you are," Elaros said, quipping back at that smug little declaration. "I... I never thought..." he continued, trailing off as he was still basking in the feeling of it all. Then, the drugs started to kick in, and the edges of the world seemed to soften as he suddenly found himself feeling light. Colors started to shift and meld with one another, and her subsequent question was echoed through his mind.
He looked back at her and took her suggestion to heart, exploring her collar and shoulders, hand eventually coming to rest against her back for a moment before retreating from her shirt to give her space to remove it.
Her hands were fire as she trailed down past his chest and stomach, and he nodded eagerly for her to go further, even going so far as to move her hand down lower, towards his pubic region, which was still all sealed up. He wore nothing under his airy robes except his scales, not even any undergarments.
"Oh, where are my manners? I'm still all covered up," he purred, and he leaned up to press kisses and hot-tongued licks to her neck even as he "unsheathed" himself for her, revealing that his lovemaking implement was quite fitting for his promiscuous nature. He was a virile male Drakkon and his member's size and inhuman shape promised quite the night of experiences."There we go, but I must say, you're still wearing so much," Elaros cooed and he stroked her thigh with his free hand.
"I want to see every beautiful piece of you."
-
Another one of those soft, back-of-the-throat noises worked its way passed Maya's lips as she arched slightly into his touch--with how silent the ala'ora were as a race, it was probably a safe bet that even those tiny sounds meant she was quite thoroughly enjoying herself.
The moment she was clear to do so she began wiggling out of her shirt, pausing briefly as she shifted back on his lap to observe him with great interest as he revealed himself fully...though she was a bit distracted by the feel of his tongue on her neck, she had to admit. It was a shivery sensation that she could have allowed herself to get utterly lost in, if given the chance.
Perhaps later.
With a tilted smile and another appreciative glance down, Maya let her shirt fall to the side and drew her hands down over the curves and sharp angles of his hips to the junction between, curious fingers flitting over him gently.
Touch me. She braced one hand on his chest while the other wrapped around the length of him and leaned forward to claim his mouth again, spurred on by a strange, heady mix of desire and curiosity. She didn't need to elaborate on what she meant; with the words came the sensation of the persistent, aching heat in her core, the delight as his hand crept higher up her thigh to nearly brush the hem of her pants.
She didn't try Joining them again, not yet. But she had no issue broadcasting her desires to him as clearly as she could sense his own through her hands on his body.
-
Those little noises she made were amazing, and when she asked him to touch her he started by following those white markings of hers, stroking her face with his fingers but then resorting to the tips of his claws once he reached her neck. He left trails of sensation all the way down to where the markings connected on her chest and then he spread his hands to take her breasts into his hand, starting to feel a little drunk from all the kisses, swamped with the scent and taste and feeling of her.
He fondled her quite eagerly, smiling a bit wider as his member twitched at her light touches. One of the first thoughts he had was of her speaking to him with her mouth, well... occupied.
He stroked her breasts, and then let his tail rest over her hip. Then, giving her a smoldering look, he dipped his head down and kissed a nipple, teasing her flesh with the curve of his fangs before letting out his tounge and constricting her nipple as he worked.
His now free hand slipped down beneath the hem of her pants and gripped onto her ass quite greedily.
“You can keep this on, for now. Let’s make it last...”
-
Maya curved easily, eagerly into the touch. A small smirk tugged at her mouth again when she felt the flicker of his thoughts against her own. Letting her head fall to the side as she watched him trace the white markings down to her chest, she projected an image of what he’d seemed to want directly into his mind: her lips wrapped around him as she looked up, his tail and hands exploring her own body.
I wouldn’t have thought Drakkons necessarily had a concept of that—Stars! Her teasing thoughts cut off as his tongue met her breast and she bit her lip, back arching slightly. Her eyes widened a bit. It seemed she’d underestimated how dexterous his tongue could be. Nev...Never mind...
It was a little odd to hear a mental voice go breathless, but somehow that was the implication.
A low hum started up somewhere from the center of her chest as his hands slid down and she pressed back into the touch, drawing her pants down to ride even lower on her hips. I am...not adverse to the idea of making this...last..., she projected fuzzily, almost dazed. She could feel snippets of the drug through her own system as well as his, though his reactions were stronger.
A little giddily, she wrapped her hand more firmly around him and began to stroke rhythmically along his length. Do you...want to try Joining again? I could try to make it last a little longer...
-
The image washed through him and he shivered, releasing her nipple so he could speak.
“What a lovely picture,” Elaros said, voice a little shaky as she pleased him with her hand. Indeed, that was a nice little image, and he could almost swear that he felt her lips on him right then and there, felt his own hands wandering when in fact they were quite still. It was unbelievable and he couldn’t help but let out another low growl, a purely blissful sound by Drakkonan standards. His cock throbbed and swelled a little larger, so aroused that it almost hurt a little bit.
Then, she asked if he wanted to join again, and he looked up to her with a look in his eyes that seemed to beg yes, please!
“Join with me,” he murmured as he leaned up to devour her neck with kisses once again. Usually he was a bit more shy about kissing with his muzzle but Maya had eliminated all those doubts and he threw himself eagerly into the task.
“And then after, I’ll show you my natural abilities,” he said, trying to be sly but he couldn’t help but think about what he wanted to do to her, which was to spread her legs as wide as they could go and plunge his long, dextrous tongue into the deepest parts of her.
“After all, we’ve all the time we need to learn every single last detail...”
-
Oh goodness.
Maya shivered even as she tilted her head to allow him better access to her neck. Her hands still moved against him, intending to learn the shape of him as much as to please, but then she could see and feel what he was thinking so clearly and she had to pause to gasp a quiet breath, shuddering.
Oh stars... Shifting on his lap as the burning want grew stronger, she caught his face between her hands and gave a firm rock forward with her hips so that she could rub against him through the fabric of her clothes just as she allowed her mind to once again fully connect to his.
Another gasp, this one muffled against his muzzle as she kissed him eagerly, feeling his arousal--so strong that it tiptoed toward the edge of pain--and her own burning bright, only encouraged by the brief burst of pleasure as she slowly rocked against him again.
She tried to let the Joining last longer this time, feeling his claws trace against her skin and her own lips as she mapped a trail down the column of his throat, reveling in the sheer sense of connection that she had too long denied herself.
I can...try to keep this up, if you want to... Though the words trailed off, the thought was accompanied by an echo of his own thoughts, his face buried between her legs and the shivering spike of desire that the image had sent coursing through her. It had really been quite a long time since she'd Joined, and she was more than happy to continue the connection as he explored, if he wanted it.
Which of course meant he would feel everything he did to her as though sharing her body--an idea which she assumed he'd be intrigued by.
-
Elaros didn't think he'd ever be able to describe how it felt to Join with her then. Probably a little like having a threesome with yourself and another person, if he had to put it into words. The first time was a tantalizing glimpse, but this sustained connection was damn near too much. He let his head tip back against her kisses, and when the heat was too much even for him he let his mouth hang open a bit.
It was the sweetest ecstasy he'd ever felt, and when she suggested continuing it, the only thing he could do was nod desperately and clutch her tighter, inadvertently dragging her against him once again.
"Goddess above, please keep going..."
And then, she sent him back his own desire, and a coil of true attraction shot through him. Oh, so the quiet Ala'oran girl had some desires of her own after all.
It was always the quiet ones.
He focused on her, and a predatory shock of sheer intent shot through him. Because damn him if he wasn't going to act on that kind of confirmation. He wanted her to know that he was going to do it, but he still teased her.
He rose slowly, still feeling a little weightless and airy from the dream water (even if a single puff is a relatively small dose). He propped up on one elbow while the other drew Maya in to kiss her, and curious about how it'd feel he held her hair a little tightly, too hot to contain his desire.
Then, with a glint in his eye and a sudden grin, he pounced, turning her onto her back and into some cushions. He took a moment to just straighten up and look down at her from this new angle. He took a single claw and traced it down from one of her nipples all the way to her belly. His own back arched a little as he felt the sensation himself, and he paused a moment to bring her a bit closer and lay his member on top her sex and stomach, letting her visualize and imagine how deep it'd go into her.
"I... am going to make you squeak," he growled, and his claw traced down, further still and then over the hem of her pants. He used the fine point to catch her zipper, and then he narrowed his eyes as he drew it down. He came back down and started working on her breast again with his mouth and tongue while he finished with the zipper and then undid her pants.
"You've shown me what a Joining is, but now...I'm going to show you what a Rut is," he said, and then resumed his work
-
Sweet stars above.
Maya actually almost moaned as he suddenly gripped her tighter and pulled her flush against him. The soft hummings that were the extent of ala’oran verbal communication pressed insistently against her lips as they pressed together and she once more felt the aching pleasure of feeding his desire without quite sating it, craving her own heat as she felt it through his body.
When his eyes snapped to her again and he got that predatory look, a shiver of excited and honestly a little nervous anticipation crackled through her. His hand in her hair drew a soft gasp and another quiet moan; it hadn’t been hard enough to really hurt, and Maya had no way of keeping secret that toeing the line toward “too rough” without quite reaching it thrilled her.
Before she really had time to process though, he’d turned her onto her back and his claw was drawing down her body, raising a line of gooseflesh over her skin—a little tougher than a human’s, but still quite soft compared to the texture of scales. A fact she reveled in as she felt the contact from both sides of their connection.
She couldn’t help another breathless giggle as his touch caused his own back to arch, even as he laid himself against her and her hips squirmed beneath him. Can you imagine how it might feel? She didn’t even have to project the words—with them Joined, all she had to do was think and he would hear. To be inside me and still Joined? Feel your own heat within me, both mind and body intertwined?
Again her “voice” had taken on that strangely breathless quality—and her words failed completely as his tongue returned to her breast and she felt the tip of his claw edging closer to where she was craving touch. A soft whimper rose up from her chest and her hips squirmed again as she sought contact, panting lightly now. She couldn’t verbalize, but even without the Joining her desires were clear.
-
Elaros didn’t need to be in her head to read her signals, but the feelings and sensations were more than welcome as well.
Her question, however, really made him think for a moment. Is this going to feel like fucking myself? he thought, and the most interesting part was that he sort of knew what that felt like already. It was no secret that male and female alike aroused his interest and sometimes, well... Elaros wasn’t always the one on top, to put it lightly.
“This is crazy,” he murmured, meaning it in the best possible way. Elaros finally slipped his fingers down beneath her pants and leaned back a bit so she could lift her legs. He discarded her pants to the side, and finally shook his robe off of himself.
“Can you feel this?” He asked, stroking himself a few times as he gazed down at her before sliding his fantastic length along her sex. “Because I’ve never known what it was like to have my hair pulled on until just now,” he said, teasing her with a smile. Then, he pulled away and joined his hands behind his back, making his muzzle the only point of contact between them as he slowly drew down her body with licks and nips and kisses.
“Talk to me,” he said. Because he loved how he could hear the dizziness and pleasure in her voice, that she couldn’t even think straight. Then, just as he’d figured she was about to speak, the teasing stopped. His tongue was flexible, all the way down to the agile forked tip, and he started with broad licks to explore the shape of her. He shivered at the feeling of stoking both of their deepest fires, but held on strong.
His primal breeding instinct sang at the scent and taste of her, and a shock of unmitigated want shot through him. He started to just devour her then, letting his tongue slither into her as the tip explored for her sensitive places, shamelessly growling and hissing as he pleased both Maya and himself.
This was it. Had he found the greatest sensation ever?
Then, he slid his tongue out just as quickly only to repeat that constriction trick on her clit, squeezing tightly as he looked up to meet her eyes again, finally bringing that image to life.
-
Y-Yes. Maya sucked in a breath as she felt his hand stroke along his length, her back arching much in the way his had when he stroked down her stomach. Yes, I can feel that..oh stars... Her hand fluttered down toward her core, aching to be touched, but his length was already there, rubbing so deliciously against her.
When he told her to talk to him she drew in a breath in an effort to center herself. I can feel your memories, her voice whispered through his mind; she summoned a few choice sensations she'd felt from the flickering edges of his memory revolving around his previous experiences with men. It is...not a dissimilar sensation, but I think you may be intrigued by--oh great goddess!
The exclamation was accompanied by a quick mental flash--an image of the sea from the view of a tall cliff, bizarrely enough--before once again she seemed to lose the ability to verbalize her thoughts. Her legs instinctively tightened around him as his tongue lanced into her and she whimpered again, clenching her eyes shut. Beneath the rising waves of pleasure, a hint of curiosity tickled at the corner of her mind--and his too, thanks to the Joining: she sort of wondered how he felt about the whole thing, considering he could feel the sensations as clearly as she could through their connection.
When his tongue squeezed around her clit all coherent thought fled, even the nonverbal, as the pleasure arced through her system, into him, and back again in a feedback loop of telepathic connection, skittering over her skin like lightning.
Literally. A few stray sparks flickered over her skin, her species' natural defense mechanism triggered by the sudden influx of stimulation.
Words finally reinstated themselves and Maya's voice once more rasped across his mind. Touch yourself, she nearly begged, shameless as she twitched and arced beneath his attentions. But don't stop. Please, I want to feel that again, I want to feel all of this...
-
He wanted to feel all of it as well, and he didn't pause with his tongue's work, even as his eyes widened at the electric display that lit up her skin for a moment. That brought some curious desires to the forefront of his mind, but he wasn't idle for long. He practically buried his snout in her wet heat and just kept on giving her everything.
Then, he was trailing a hand down his chest, letting her feel the sensation of claws against one's scales, before he gripped his length rather tightly and stroked powerfully with his hand.
"You like that?" he murmured, before his tongue was once again plunging into her as deeply as it could go, even going so far as to tease the entrance of her womb with the forked tip. Shamelessly, he stroked himself faster, teasing his own tip with a thumb.
Finally, just when he was feeling breathless, his mouth broke away from her core and he straightened up a bit, just so he could grab the pipe and take a deeper hit this time. Holding the drug in his mouth, he leaned down and kissed Maya, sharing it with her as he kissed with abandon. He couldn't keep his hands to himself anymore and one of them placed itself around her neck, toeing that line she'd revealed to him.
"You want this cock in your mouth," he purred, gripping the base of his length tighter.
"I can tell. I can see you getting dizzy just thinking about it."
-
Maya's back arched again, deeper this time, and a high whine caught somewhere between her chest and her throat as his hand stroked while his tongue kept working her. To feel both sensations at once was nearly overwhelming, and when he increased his speed and she felt his tongue flick so deeply inside her she actually opened her mouth on a soundless cry as her hips rocked against his muzzle quite without her control.
And then he was kissing her, the strange tang of the drug running over her tongue, and she whimpered again as she reached up to grasp his shoulders tightly.
I-- Another low groan as he gripped himself tighter and the feeling off it jolted through her whole body. Stars, she'd nearly forgotten what a proper Joining could feel like. I do. No use in lying to him, he could hear her every thought as clearly as she did his.
She did manage a bit of a smirk as she moved her lips away from his mouth and began kissing along the line of his jaw and down his neck. She had to shift his hand up into her hair as she did to get the angle she wanted, but she curved his fingers into the soft strands and gave a gentle tug, both allowing him to feel the sensation himself and teaching him what got the best reaction from her.
Although I'll admit I have selfish reasons. She kissed the base of his throat, curiously dragging her tongue over the heated scales. I am rather curious to learn just how much you'll love it.
The thought was accompanied by another shiver of desire. One hand moved down to cover his on his length even as she teased him gently, and she ground her palm against him, which drew a sharp gasp to her own lips as her eyes fluttered closed for a moment. He'd felt her own pleasure from the work of his tongue, now she was curious to feel his.
-
"Well, you know what I like..." he said, actually a little bashful for once, to be laid so incredibly bare. Gods, but that short moment of shyness was washed out of him when she started to kiss on his neck and the heat was too much for him. He had to open his mouth to pant some of it out.
And the absolute best part was that the dream water was hitting him now and the vegetation around them in the garden looked nearly fantastical. The cushions were like a cloud and he felt rather weightless as he let himself lie back for her.
But she still wasn't safe from him, and his tail snaked up her thigh and around the base of her own, and he used the leverage to pull her closer.
"I'd very much like to visit your planet..." he whispered, and beckoned her towards him with a finger. Because Tiamat above, if this was what it was like to rut with one Ala'oran, what about two.... or three?
He'd never leave!
"Maybe they could also buy some of my jewelry, too..."
And with that, came some memories about what he did to make money. It'd never come up, but even as a passing remark, it brought memories of beautifully designed pieces of jewel and metalwork, a life of luxury and excess bought by near centuries of building oneself up.
-
Though the drug was not so strong in Maya's system, through the Joining she could experience the world as Elaros did, and for a moment it was too overwhelming for her to move. She had to take a second and breathe, sorting through sensations--and then his tail had wrapped around her leg, pulling her closer, and she had to throw a hand out to brace against his chest with one of those near-silent, airy giggles.
Not many of my people leave our homeworld, nor do we get many visitors she noted blithely as she dipped to kiss the center of his chest, her eyes peeking up at him through her lashes. But I like to think we are rather accommodating in hospitality. She paused in kissing a trail down the center of his body to smirk slightly. It would likely not be difficult for you to find...willing hosts--the phrase was paired with the mental image of what appeared to be about five ala'ora, three men and two women, wrapped in a tangle of limbs and very much unclothed--should such an idea be tempting to you.
She was teasing him now, in thought as well as deed; it was difficult not to, when she could feel his every desire almost the moment he did.
The images of the jewelry were surprising though. Maya tilted her head as she pressed a kiss to the arch of his hip, absorbing the new information. It is a beautiful place, she noted, a little wistful, even as she returned to exploring the junction of his hips with lips and tongue. She didn't quite touch his length, but came tantalizingly close several times only to shy away again, fingers dancing in light, curious strokes over his scales. I'd like to think our home planet is somewhere an artist could find inspiration.
A few memories rose up then: images of rocky cliffs that fell into sunset-tinged oceans; massive trees that grew so thick and tall that they formed tiered layers of jungle, each one growing on top of the last; a variety of flora and fauna who seemed to echo Maya and the other ala'ora of her memories themselves in their pastel coloring and even, sometimes, that electric jolt of energy.
Maya allowed the images to wash into his mind, feeling just a little wicked. Though the Joining meant he could hear her every thought, she knew that since it was his first time experiencing something like this, it may take him a moment to sort through those particular memories before he could focus on anything else.
She used the brief chance at surprise to wrap her fingers around the base of his length, grip surprisingly strong when compared to her previous light touches, and dragged her tongue along the full length of him in a firm, broad swipe. A shiver ran down her own spine and she had to swallow back a moan as she repeated the motion and felt it through him, a new resurgence of heat. Her eyes fluttered closed and she began to work in earnest, lips and tongue and hands stroking and suckling and exploring, leaning into whichever brought a particular pulse of pleasure from him.
-
Ohhh, that wasn't fair...
She could read him like an open book and while usually Elaros made it a game of revealing what he wanted, slowly getting to know someone over the course of a night, she just knew what to go for. Fortunately for Elaros, insane pleasure is exactly what he wanted.
He looked down his body towards her, watching how she worked on him with primal desire in his eyes. He was more sensitive at the base, but in general what he loved more than physical sensation was seeing how into it she was. Damn, it was a turn on!
"I'll have to visit, then..." he said, voice a little dreamy as he let his head rest back to just relax and feel what she was doing to him.
"You're so good Maya, I... Ooohhh," he cut off with a longer growl this time, a more distinct sound with an actual sound to it that was a signal for mating. He tried desperately to keep the sound as low as possible, down to a little louder than a purr.
Because that was the kind of sound that could create a tangle of Drakkonans, High and Low alike, and while he wasn't necessarily opposed to another individual in this situation, he wanted to share this moment with Maya alone. His tail snaked a bit farther
"I'm getting close, I can't believe it..." he whispered to himself, surprised by how quickly she could bring it out of him. But he didn't want her to stop. In fact, he wanted her to take him deeper, to take it all.
-
Maya’s lashes fluttered against her cheeks and she moaned around him softly in harmony with that low growl. She actually had to back off from the Joining for a few moments, overwhelming her own senses as she worked him over with lips and tongue.
As she took a moment to breathe, she wrapped her hand firmly around the base of him and gave a quick, tight stroke upward before working back down more gently, following the touch with licks and a few soft kisses. She couldn’t stop the little pulse of pride she felt at how he reacted to her from echoing across into his mind as she allowed the Joining to reinstate itself and once more took him fully into her mouth, looking up at him.
...He’s so beautiful...
The thought was more to herself than him, but he would hear it clearly enough. The movement of his tail was met with her own, the much thinner appendage twining playfully around his before guiding him slightly toward her core. The image—or idea really—of him teasing her with those scales flashed through both their minds and she whimpered as she relaxed her jaw and took him in as deep as she could.
Another gasp that was quickly muffled as she renewed her efforts, suckling along his length and stroking whatever went untouched with her hands as often as she could. She was panting lightly as she could feel him moving closer toward release and the tension translated beautifully to her own body through their connection.
I wonder how you taste, she thought teasingly, glancing up at him sidelong, and gave it her damnedest effort to swallow him whole.
-
"You're going to find out," he breathed, taking the chance to grip her head with one hand and tightening his hand on her hair just the way she liked it. Then, with an evil glint in his eye, he captured her tail by pressing his own on top of it, taking the appendage hostage as the tip of his tail snaked downwards towards her soaked heat.
Oh, she knew exactly what he used that tail for, and he made no effort to be sly and he brought it lower before she had a chance to free her own. Those scales on the underside dragged down against her clit and sex, and then when he brought it back and moved against her with the texture he shuddered and closed his eyes.
"You really think I'm beautiful?" he teased, and then before she could answer he brought his tail back and forth one more time before he slipped the tip of his tail into her. Then, he started to slide it in and she was wet enough to take it easily. It was long and lithe, and every inch that went into her also had the benefit of dragging across her clit, thanks to the angle.
It was astounding, so astounding that when it combined with the feeling of her taking him as deep as she could he couldn't hold on anymore. He held her in place with his other hand as he let out a hissing rattle that echoed throughout the greenhouse, keeping her mouth right where it was as he filled her throat and mouth with his breeding stock. Elaros was astoundingly fertile, even for a male High Drakkon, and he gave her an almost ridiculous amount of his love as his orgasm washed through him and he could do little else but shake and hiss.
Because damn, it was literally the best he'd ever felt.
-
Maya sort of giggled again when his tail trapped hers against her backside, then gasped as the tip of it teased at her core.
She closed her eyes and whimpered around him, throat bobbing slightly at her tongue moved and a shiver traveled up the length of her body from the base of her spine. I do, she responded to his question hazily. I--ohhh stars and seas!
His tail sliding into her nearly did her in and she shuddered almost violently, already so desperately sensitive from the connection that the Joining had forged between them. Her tail lashed beneath his, wriggling free so it could wrap around the length of his own tail as best she could manage, coaxing and guiding gently.
She moaned around him again as he found his release, working him through it gently with soft pressure and soothing licks where she could. His hand in her hair was oddly steadying as the influx of his own pleasure in combination with the feel of his tail grinding and pressing against her threatened to tip her over the edge herself.
She looked up at him as the aftershocks faded and slowly drew her head back, laving her tongue along his length to clean him before pressing a soft kiss to the tip and shuddering again as the feeling washed through her. She had to pull back from the Joining slightly, overly sensitive what with his tail still inside her, as she sat back to look at him properly.
He looked rather sufficiently ravished. She liked it.
Beautiful, she thought again, breathlessly, and leaned up to kiss him softly, her tail stroking gently against his and another little sigh rippling through her as his attentions pushed her ever nearer to her own peak.
-
He felt ravished. He couldn't really do much but lay there, tail regularly sliding back and forth, into her and over her, and just wonder at the lingering pleasure, at how even now the movement of his tail into her threatened to overcome him when combined with the gentle licks and kisses of her efforts to clean him off.
Maybe she'd notice with some delight that he never even softened a little. One of the perks of being a reptile was that you were always ready to go, no pesky mechanisms to get in the way.
"I... oh... Maya..."
He'd never come first. Ever. He was always the one ravishing and setting the pace, and watching the other come undone, but now... he'd been utterly defeated and never felt better. He gazed at her body as she sat back, eyes narrowing at the image of her, supremely appreciative of the ability to just gaze upon her.
Beautiful, the word she'd spoken, resonated in his mind and as he couldn't help but think the same thing as her, and once again there was a moment where their mental voices were in absolute unison.
The drugs and Joining and even just the simple hazy pleasure of it all made her almost divine in his eyes. With a swirling room of mixing colors behind her, he hallucinated their connection as a halo-like glow coming from her and it was a warm connection that traveled through him in rapturous waves like the blessing of a loving goddess, like what a religious experience should be.
Such a shame she wasn't a Drakkon. He would've fertilized her eggs in a heartbeat.
He didn't say anything else, didn't speak. He suddenly felt like spoken words were not all that necessary anymore. She'd already know before he spoke them anyways, right?
Instead, he just met her eyes after she pulled away from that soft kiss and started to fuck her properly with his tail, using The Joining to his own advantage to probe her for her own weak spots even as the textured scales pleasured her insides and clit. His clawed hands explored down her body once again before her found her buttocks and slapped both hands down onto them, squeezing to let her feel his claws, to toe that line between rough and too rough. Silently, he thought to himself...
It's your turn, now. Come for me, quiet girl... And then I'll fuck you silly...
-
Another shudder, a soft gasp and she rocked her hips against the motions of his tail, whimpering quietly as she felt him pressing against her, within her. Though the basic structure of her anatomy was similar to most humanoids--a fact which she had discovered with some surprise in her initial wanderings--and while her clit was still incredibly sensitive, Elaros would be able to feel that she was actually more sensitive internally, unlike most species; each time his tail rubbed against her walls the texture of his scales nearly had her seeing stars, and she couldn't help wondering how the thickness of his cock would feel.
And all the while she never broke her gaze from his, never looked away as his claws scraped at her skin and that purely wonderful tail worked against her. Her lips parted slightly as breath began to come in sharp pants, but she couldn't seem to keep from smiling just a little smugly as she swayed above him and allowed her eyes to roam his body once again. She rather liked how breathlessly he said her name.
I believe I should feel honored, she teased gently, even as she reached down between them to take him in her fist again--drawing another gasp from her own lips. If I'm truly the first to bring you to release before your partner...
She didn't even try to hide the shiver of lust and anticipation that particular idea brought, or the slight, bewildered wonderment that he hadn't softened at all, firm as ever in her grip. Knowing from his own thoughts how he typically set the pace...she was very willing to hand him the reins for a round or two. Stars and seas, I want you to fuck me, Elaros.
Such thoughts began to scatter as she rocked herself against him more firmly. She was already so sensitive from being Joined during his climax, and from the attentions he'd been lavishing upon her both before and after she'd taken him into her mouth. It only took a slight twist of his tail and she suddenly bent forward, lips parted in a silent, gasping cry as pleasure burst bright and hot within her, sweeping through her body in a dizzying wave of warmth and sheer relief.
Her hands braced against his chest as she shivered and gasped above him. A tiny tingle of electricity ran over her skin--no real sparks, just a soft hum--and she laughed silently.
She allowed the Joining to fade, but assured Elaros with a projection through the contact of their bodies, I just...need a moment. I'm afraid my physicality is not quite so quick to recover as yours. Her voice was light and airy, incredibly satisfied, and her eyes positively danced as she leaned in to press a kiss to the tip of his muzzle playfully.
-
It was with a keen interest that Elaros noted her weakness to internal stimulation, felt the rush of shivering want run through him as she pondered what it'd be like to take his massive reptilian cock inside of her. He pondered what it would feel like for the both of them as well, but just as he was about to get his thoughts in order, an intuitive little twist of his tail brought Maya's climax rushing forth and Elaros' mind went blank with pleasure.
There... there wasn't a sound he could make to describe it in Drakkonan, let alone the basic tongue, and while he'd usually make a growl or a hiss of some sorts he found himself utterly silenced as he tensed with her, feeling a rush of wet heat inside him that spread from his core to the very tip of his tail and snout, supplemented by the body-wide tingling of electricity.
"So that's what it feels like..." he murmured, drained by the experience but not spent, and a little thankful for the temporary reprieve from the Joining's constant rapture. he took a moment to just lie there and recover with her, growling happily when she kissed him and returning it deeply before he clutched her and slowly rolled them over so he was on top.
Hands and legs on either side of her, his tail wriggled a bit more inside her to tease her before he slowly slid it out of her and brought it up to his mouth where he licked it clean, replacing the sensation by laying his throbbing sex against hers and sliding his length along her folds as he waited for her to recover, even going so far as to tease her entrance with the head of his cock before relenting.
"It's so tight, even just teasing like this," he purred, testing the boundary even more just to have his dick slide up against her once again as his claws trailed up her body to grip her breasts. Gods did he want to just pound her like an animal, but he held his discipline for her even if the primal intent rippled through every movement he made.
-
Maya was grateful for the few moments of rest, not just because it allowed her body to recover somewhat, but because she could take advantage of simply allowing herself to rest against Elaros's chest. She traced her fingers over the shape of his scales absently, learning about his body now that she was no longer so intimately Joined to it.
But not for long, as soon enough he'd rolled them over and was arching above her, the length of him pressing against her heat and stars for a moment she thought she might come again on the spot.
The way he licked his tail sent a small shiver down her back for some reason and she whimpered quietly, squirming beneath him as he teased her. Her own tail--though considerably shorter and thinner than his--arced out from under her body to twine gently around the tip of his, twisting them together in an oddly chaste gesture. Her hands moved up to encourage the attention of his claws at her breasts, curiously guiding one to trace around the peak.
Ohhh. Alright. That's nice...
She gave a little coughing sound that was so soft it was near inaudible and smiled at him sheepishly--though the expression quickly morphed into something considerably more heated as he pressed forward against her again, sliding along her sex and purring about how tight she was.
That excites you, Maya projected as she reached up to trace her fingertips along the line of his jaw. It wasn't a question: though they were no longer Joined, she could still feel his pulses of desire--not to mention reading his body language was fairly simple at this point. You want to take me. You want a Rut.
On the last word, she once more allowed her mind to fully embrace his, two rivers rushing to meet the same source. The sudden resurgence of the Joining drew another gasp from her and she arched her back, tipping her hips up so that just the tip of him slid inside her. Even that was enough to strangle another quiet moan from her and she closed her eyes, one hand grabbing for his shoulder while the other reached down to stroke him gently.
-
That was nice, when she twined their tails together, and it brought back memories of scaly tails wrapped around one another as the Drakkons that owned them grunted and writhed together, and it also set his heart to beat a little faster in his chest.
It was an emotional, almost romantic gesture and he couldn't help but smile as his own tail looped around hers a few times until they were properly twined together. Noting how she liked the feeling of his claw, he squeezed her breasts, letting her feel the tips against her flesh before he started to explore her with the tips of his claws. He even went so far as to circle her nipples with the claws on his thumbs as he gave his hips tiny movements, testing her out but not quite fucking her yet.
When she told him what he wanted, he couldn't help but nod. What else could he say to that? Still, he was going to open his mouth to do just that when The Joining was reformed and once again the words were taken from him. She caught him off guard with that buck of her hips and once the head of his cock was inside her it took everything in him not to just slam the rest of the way inside.
Instead, drunk on how she clutched him and stroked him, he lowered himself to kiss between her breasts, then he teased the soft flesh of her breasts with fang and tongue.
"You... are incredible," he murmured, letting her feel his admiration, desire, and dare he say it... even a little love, although love in the Drakkonan sense had a much more... open meaning. Fortunately for Maya, her species was also quite polygamous and that specific emotion would actually translate quite well.
Then, he was kissing her with fiery passion and slipped his tongue into her mouth to capture her own tongue with his. In that same moment, he finally gave in and with a gentle motion he slid the rest of his large cock into her. The flare of his cock stopped against her insides and despite his best efforts to get all of himself into her there was still a couple inches of his thick length that didn't quite fit.
And then all he could really do was sit still, eyes slowly widening in ecstasy as he gently put a hand over his own abdomen, utterly stunned...
So that's what it feels like...
-
She smiled softly at the surge of warmth that his reaction to their twined tails brought to her chest. Ala'ora didn't use their tails quite so expressively as Drakkons, it seemed, but the concept was sweet and still vaguely familiar. Her smile only widened when he nodded, then a stuttering moan was pulled from her lips as she felt him feel his length start to slide inside her, compounded with the gentle prick of his claws against her nipples and the feel of his mouth between her breasts.
I could say the same about you, she noted quietly as his tongue twined with hers. The sense of admiration, want, and, yes, that first tingle of something like love was echoed back to him through the Joining. I haven't Joined with someone in such a long time, and you are just...
Before she could finish the thought, he'd slid fully into her--or at least as far as he could go--and her back arched so far off the pillows that she was sure she would have tumbled over if he hadn't been keeping her in place. Wide eyed, Maya stared up at him through a hazy veil of heat and want, laughing silently when she saw the look on his face as he really felt what he was doing to her.
Yes, she teased dizzily, that's what it feels like. It was difficult to keep her thoughts in any semblance of order as she felt him pressing against her, within her, utterly filling her, and it was the kind of pleasure that swamped and overwhelmed her so deeply it nearly brought a sob to her lips.
Stars and seas, he was everywhere! Not an inch of her was left untouched; she wanted to return the favor. Remembering--and feeling, dear goddess--how sensitive he was around the base, she disentangled her tail from his with an almost apologetic series of soft caresses before sliding the thin appendage up between her own legs to wrap gently but firmly around those last few inches of his length that were still exposed.
Her breath caught in her throat and she shivered at the feeling of it, of how damn tight...wait, no, that was him... Goddess, she could hardly tell the difference anymore.
Is that...the extent of your curiosity? Her voice was a whisper between their minds, soft golden eyes burning up at him as she gave a slow, languid roll of her hips against his, then shuddered at the feel of it. I know you wanted more than this. Is it too much for you, to feel it as you fuck me?
It was half a teasing coax and half a genuine question; Maya was utterly enamored with the feeling of him, but if it was overwhelming she was not opposed to lessening the Joining, or separating their minds entirely.
-
"No, far from it," he purred. He really only needed a moment to collect himself after that experience, and even if he was any amount of hesitant the stroking of her tail around his base would've convinced him to continue.
He could've stayed in that moment forever, but he finally powered through the overwhelming bliss and he gave a genuine rock of his hips against her and buried his snout in her neck when he wanted to suppress more of those mating croaks. The sounds still came out, rumbling against her flesh.
"I'm just getting started with you..." he finally said.
As he grew more comfortable with the sensations that came from the act of fucking both of them, his motions built. She was everywhere and he could feel himself covering her, driving deep into the both of them. He closed his eyes and let the sex become his whole world. He wanted to ravish her in kind and could imagine many lewd images involving her and where he was going to put the results of his orgasms.
His own tale snaked past hers and he ground the tip against her clit even as he situated himself a bit more on his knees and straightened up so he could drive into her with more power.
"Maya!" he cried out, letting his tongue out as the pleasure coursed through him and all reservations went out the window. Scales slapped against skin as he got more and more of himself in and out of her. "Goddess, I can't believe this..."
-
Another shiver of anticipation trickled down her spine as he turned his muzzle into her neck and she wrapped her arms tight around his neck and shoulders, holding him there for a few moments so she could feel the pressure and heat of him just absolutely everywhere. She reveled in the texture of scales against her skin with every small movement, and when his tail once more pressed against her she gasped, her back arching again as her hips stuttered against his.
Elaros... His name was tinged with new sensation, new pleasure in addition to all her other impressions of him. When he cried her name she gasped aloud, and made a sound in the base of her throat, near her chest, that almost had some real volume to it. She could feel from both their bodies how each new thrust got a little more of his length disappearing inside her and she whimpered, squirming her hips beneath him as she tried to find an angle that could embrace him fully.
Her tail unwound from the base of his cock to instead begin stroking the inside of his thigh, then snaked back between his legs to curiously explore where his own tail met the small of his back. It was difficult for her to focus on the exploration though, because then a particular thrust brought him deeper than he'd ever been before and her sensitivity to internal stimulation in combination with how recently she'd just come tipped her over the edge again.
If she'd had a proper voice she would have wailed. As it was, she tossed her head back against the pillows and positively writhed beneath him, then went very, very still, a low, keening moan ebbing from her chest as she panted and stared up at him through half lidded eyes.
-
It was almost too much, but fortunately for the both of them Elaros was a little longer lasting once he'd already peaked. Still, when she found her bliss once again he couldn't help but snarl and squirm his hips against hers. He wanted to just bury himself the rest of the way in her and fuck her through and through but in the past, he'd been told it was uncomfortable...
"It's not deep enough," he said in a near whine, staring down at her in kind as he continued to roll his hips, slow and deep He'd given her mercy before, but right now his burning lust was far too potent. His tail stiffened at the contact of her own and his hips jolted forwards. A hand went to her neck and a claw gently stroked down her throat as he kissed her deeply once again.
"I... I want to reach the deepest parts of you, Maya..." he said, not quite sure where those words had come from but way too far gone to deny them.
-
Vaguely, somewhere in the back of her mind, Maya thought it was probably a very good thing that Elaros had been so willing to participate in a Joining. It was easy for her to feel and then understand exactly what he wanted--and just as easy for him to feel her realization that without proper preparation it wouldn't exactly be an enjoyable experience for either of them, since he could still feel everything she did.
But she did have an idea.
Wait, she urged gently as he kissed her, returning the touch eagerly. Just...one moment.
She shifted her hips against him, shivering, and focused on allowing her body to relax. An odd quirk of ala'oran biology was that her internal muscles actually relaxed inward, literally drawing him further into her until he physically could go no deeper without hurting her, and the shape of her body just managed to envelop him fully.
Maya whimpered again as the stimulation bordered on too much, her breath coming in ragged little pants. Couldn't...do that before, she explained hazily. Needed to--to release some tension before I could relax enough...
Her tail tightened slightly around his, drawing him more firmly against her. Another shiver and that faint tingle of electricity once more skittered over her skin. Never actually had to do this before, she noted with another of those near-silent little giggles, feeling dizzy and hot. She had to focus on her body a little more than she was used to in order to accommodate his size like this, but dear goddess it was quite possibly the best she'd ever felt. Every last inch of her was filled with nothing but him, and it was overwhelming.
She reached up to trace her knuckles along his jawline, eyes on his. Start slow? She knew he wanted more than that, but with how sensitive she still was from the last two times, and with this experimental new intimacy, she wasn't quite sure of her own limits.
-
He could hear and feel the emotions behind her words when she told him, to wait, and he gently nodded and took a moment to breathe as she relaxed herself. He rest his muzzle on her shoulder, letting himself drape over her for that delicious contact. His tail stopped teasing her to give her a moment and instead lazily stroked her stomach. Elaros couldn’t help but smile, pleased but also genuinely mirthful. He loved cuddling, and while one could normally expect someone like him to be selfish, he was the polar opposite. He was happy to go at her pace, to have a moment to just be still, to think about how good it felt to hold her.
And then she started relaxing.
“Ah, that’s... Ooohhhh.”
His eyes rolled up a little and he couldn’t help but gasp his pleasure as his moan devolved into more primal noises as she quite literally tugged him in deeper. The junctions of their hips finally touched and she fully enveloped him, and he could only growl and nuzzle her neck, giving it a lick once she was done.
“...you never... cease to amaze me,” he said, voice broken up by pants. He’d never been like this before, good Goddess. This gorgeous alien had him shivering like a virgin, completely at the mercy of this unbelievable pleasure.
She stroked his jaw, and he looked down at her with stars in his eye and he nodded gently before leaning in to kiss her. He clutched her gently, giving his hips little sideways movements to test her confines and when he found them just right he gasped once again.
Tiamat, it feels like it was made for me...
“As gentle as you want. Whatever you want,” he said, breathless, and he started to move again. Bit by bit, he moved against the pull of her womanhood as he made slow, tender love to her. Teasing with claws and even teeth but otherwise tame.
-
It took a moment before she could actually manage to communicate with words, but the never-ceasing waves of pleasure and the shivering anticipation of discovery about this new way they fit together were clear enough through their connection. He rocked his hips side to side and she gasped harshly as his scales ground deliciously against her.
Oh stars, how did he fit her perfectly? She could feel it from him, too, how she sheathed him so tight it was like a second skin, and when he began to move again, pulling back out, she gave a sharp, ragged coughing sound as the sheer intensity of the sensation washed over her.
Flushing--she'd never actually made a sound like that before, dear goddess--she wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up at him as she rolled her hips to meet his, shuddering deeply when their hips pressed together again. In some vague corner of her mind she reveled in how much he'd enjoyed just cuddling, that simple closeness, sharing her own contentment from that contact with him.
But that was perhaps a thought for later.
I did say...start slow. Her lips curved into a wicked sort of smile, and she gave her hips another rock against his, more confidant this time. The Joining allowed him to know, without her having to explain it specifically, that now that she had relaxed, her body would maintain its current state for a good few hours--regardless of how aroused she became again.
Not that she'd ever really stopped, or even come down all that much. Stars and seas, he'd hardly given her a moment to breathe, and she couldn't even pretend that she didn't love it.
I want to keep amazing you. The words were accompanied with a flash of memory, the image of his eyes rolling back as her body pulled him in. Goddess, she'd loved that; even just thinking of it sent a sharp bolt of pleasure straight to her core. She wanted to make him do that again.
Another silent, breathless laugh. Stars, Elaros, I've never taken anyone so far, so deep. I didn't even know I could do that! She could feel herself adjusting, learning her limits. And she felt pretty good about imagining the idea of him absolutely pounding her into the pillows, smugly aware that he could see it too.
She wanted everything. She want this, the slow, deep movements tinged with a kind of warmth and raw affection that made her chest ache so wonderfully; the way her body positively molded to his, as though he'd been made perfectly just to fit her, or perhaps the other way around... And she wanted the rough passion she could feel in his body when he'd taken her on his knees, wanted his claws and teeth on her skin and his cock hitting her deepest reaches with every thrust.
I want all of you. Please...
-
“Mm, you have quite the colorful imagination...” he started. He had to take a moment to sort through the images and feelings once again. He was loving all the signals she was giving him, and not to mention the sin itself felt divine. He never wanted it to end!
He lifted up from her a bit, although he loved the feeling of her arms around him and therefore didn’t go far., just far enough to get about half of himself out before he came rushing back in, once just to test and then after he found it agreeable he wasted no time in repeating the motion, searching for that perfect angle.
She wanted everything, his gentleness and his roughness, so why not both? He started by kissing her breast, and then he looked up at her to meet her eyes. A rush of predatory intent went through him.
You’ve had me all this time. You’re in my claws now, Maya...
He clutched her by the collar and hips, bringing her into him as his mouth descended on her again, first to lavish her with kisses, then to kiss her neck. Finally, he nuzzled in and bared his fangs against her, letting her feel his hot breath against her and reminding her of the kind of dangerous beast she was coupling with. He used the tips to tease the skin of her neck, an incredibly intimate and even romantic gesture usually reserved for a breeding mate. Although Drakkons usually bit one another like that a little more roughly, he intent shone through.
He spoke, continuing his thought from before.
“...to do whatever I want with.”
Then, claws clutched tighter, and in a single moment he drew back until his head caught her entrance and came slamming back in. He growled and didn’t stop making the noise even as he held her down a little more securely and started to rut her properly into the cushions.
-
Oh goddess, yes.
That first testing thrust knocked a stuttered gasp from her lips, followed by another of those quiet, humming moans as he repeated the movement in search of a perfect angle. Luckily for him, with the way that he filled her so completely and how sensitive her body was internally, literally every angle was perfect.
Each time he began to pull back it felt as though her body was trying to drag him deeper, reluctant to relinquish even an inch of him. Maya whimpered, eyes sliding shut while he traced kisses over her face and neck and his claws pricked at her skin. She squirmed her hips beneath his, gasping again when she felt the scrap of his claws against the movement even as the scaled flesh around the base of his cock pressed so delightfully against her.
Then he nearly bit her, and the soft, half-choked sound that she produced was enough to bring new heat rushing through her whole body. She loved it, she wanted his teeth on her skin as he took her deeper, harder than she'd ever felt before.
That feels so good, Elaros, please--
She didn't even manage to form the words properly before he nearly withdrew from her completely, then slammed forward again, and suddenly he was everywhere; the inhuman shape of him ground against her walls and she swore the head of his cock had halted kissing the very depths of her body.
Her eyes rolled back and her spine arched as her mouth opened on another silent cry. Or nearly silent: the soft hummings from her chest grew to rasping, almost squeaking moans as he began to rut atop her.
She couldn't speak, forming words was too much effort. But he could feel the spikes of warm pleasure with each thrust, the shivering delight as teeth and claws scraped against her skin. Her whole body shook as she writhed up beneath him, her hips moving eagerly to meet his until the passion and just how damn good it felt was nearly mind-numbing. Oh goddess, she almost worried the Joining between them was just too much.
That didn't sop her from clenching her body around him as he slammed forward again--and she actually cried out as she felt him grinding into every inch of her as well as the impossible tightness around his cock through his sensations. It was a faint sound, another sort of ragged, groaning cough, but it was undeniably there.
Just...don't...stop...
-
He let his body press over hers, blurring the line between their contact as he twined his tail around hers and he let out a happy noise as his lips parted from hers and he let all the sensations blend together. He pressed down on her and fucked her with his whole length, properly mating her and pinning her so she could take it all.
Every thrust was a burst of flame and joy within him and he shamelessly enjoyed it as he fucked her deeper and harder. Then, he slammed to a stop inside her and straightened up out of her arms.
“You’re the greatest,” he purred, and he used the angle to give her a few deep fucks as he drew his claws down from her collar, across her breasts and nipples and all the way to her thighs. He put her legs up on his shoulders and he leaned back in a little, spreading her ever wider and somehow finding a way to penetrate deeper into her.
He really let himself go then. Images of grunting Drakkonans mid-coitus and all kinds of wild spontaneous encounters flashed through his mind, but all of them faded in comparison to Maya. He wanted to give her everything and so he pounded her with abandon.
Then, he pulled back and once again nearly left her only to repeat it as he fucked her like a piston. His jaws encircled her throat and her kept her pinned with that play-bite. His claws gripped her breasts tighter, claws teasing the soft flesh and hard nipples.
“Maya!”
-
She could feel the shift in him when he straightened up and just let himself go, and she fancied that she didn't even need the Joining to do it--though it certainly helped, stars.
Maya was almost surprisingly flexible, and when he lifted her legs she realized quickly what he wanted and managed to hook her ankles together behind his back for a few moments, still embracing him as he rocked more potently against her.
The path of his claws over her skin left trailing, shivery heat in their wake, and she crooned low in her chest, a sound that was more subvocal than not. She could see his memories as they flashed through his mind, and couldn't help a strange combination of aching desire and something like pride that rose up in her as he threw all of himself into this wild rut.
It was the play-bite that drew another moaning gasp from her, and her hips stuttered up against his when his claws teased against her breast. The way he cried her name sent heat surging through her whole body and she grabbed at him to pull him up into another kiss; his pleasure matched hers, overwhelming her, and she fell apart beneath him once again with a rasping groan that was swallowed into the kiss.
Her arms wrapped tight around his shoulders and she just trembled against him, though she still tried to match his movements with her hips. Elaros... It wasn't his name so much as a sense, a bright burst of pleasure and the wonder of discovery intertwined until they couldn't be separated from one another.
-
She fell apart beneath him and the combined pleasures of their joining caused Elaros to find his own peak as well. As she pulled him back down into a kiss, he let off a more potent rattle against her lips which turned into a fully unrestrained croak that echoed through the garden around them. His cock slammed into her and stayed as deep as it could as his pleasure finally snapped inside of her. His tail tensed and he did his absolute best to eradicate every shred of space between them. He held her throat in his teeth a little more firmly
He wanted to drown in their connection, fully willing to mingle his thoughts and pleasure with her until he didn't know where his own pleasure started and where hers ended. All he knew was that filling her with his come felt like pure rapture and he zealously bred her, treating Maya like a female Drakkon that he wanted to fertilize.
His seed started to flow but his thrusting never stopped or slowed down. In fact, he drove into her harder than ever and he lasted nearly a minute at his peak. He made quite a mess between their legs and around the end of his climax he'd decided to just hold her close and grind his cock into her deepest recesses as he just continued to pump her full of his vigor.
-
Maya’s small squeaks and moans lasted as long as Elaros did, only growing fainter when he finally began to slow down, holding her close as the last of his orgasm pumped into her. She shivered as she felt his thoughts, wondering idly at what that might mean, to breed her. Highly unlikely such a thing was at all possible between such different species, but she couldn’t deny that the desire in him was enough to raise another flush to her skin.
She collapsed against the cushions beneath him, gasping, and winced slightly as his teeth dragged a bit harder against her skin. It still wasn’t enough to really hurt, but it was a reminder.
Carefully freeing her throat from his grasp, she twisted her head to kiss the underside of his jaw, finding a slightly softer patch of pebble-scales skin and dragging her own teeth over it in turn before pressing a kiss to the spot.
You are... Sensations hit him before words: the feel of him within her and against her, the shared heat, the way he made her laugh when she didn’t expect to, her fascination with him and his view of the galaxy.
Magnificent.
She buried her face against the curve of his neck, clinging tight to his shoulders. Every tiny movement reminded her just how deeply he was locked within her and she whimpered quietly, squirming her hips against him and feeing that mess between their legs. Affection rose up in her chest and she finally allowed the Joining to fade, drawing back from it gradually so as not to shock either of them too badly.
-
Happiness bloomed in him, partly from her words and partly from how startlingly complete he felt at the moment. Then her mouth was teasing at the soft flesh of his underside, and when she returned the bite a fresh wave of primal arousal rekindled inside him.
The rest was dearly appreciated. Joining with her was uncontrolled ecstasy but that kind of constant bliss made one weary. The afterglow was the sweetest oblivion he'd ever felt and he was instantly addicted to that feeling of oneness that settle inside him.
She was everything he could ever want. Another adventurous soul with a genuinely wholesome desire to experience the galaxy, but with plenty of passion to share...
"Tiamat, I feel stuffed... But I know you love it," he teased, but he couldn't hide the fondness in his eyes.
He was still hard as diamonds inside her, and despite that initial feeling of being drained he actually was fairly confident he had one more in him if he gave her everything he had left. in order to ensure a productive breeding season, male Drakkons had ample reserves within them, and could even control how much they spent.
With a happy little growl he reversed them, drawing Maya close and kissing her as he rolled over. He held her like a treasure and when the Joining started to fade he merely relaxed with her and let it go, nuzzling her collar and neck as they both shared that blooming of affection.
All of a sudden, he could now focus on the purely physical sensations, and being back in familiar territory gave him a little more confidence.
He leaned in to whisper in her ear, a single word followed by a nip to the earlobe.
"Again?"
He chuckled a little to himself.
"I've got plenty left to give you, Maya..."
-
Oh dear.
Maya laughed silently as he gave that happy growl and moved to turn over, pulling her on top of him. The last of the Joining faded and she sighed as she allowed herself to sprawl over his chest and simply bask in the purely physical aspects of the way they were still, well...joined.
She could still feel the general shape of his emotions, but it was not nearly so intense. Honestly, after all that, it was a bit of a relief. Their first coupling had been utter bliss, but it was quite tiring.
Allowing herself to just lay against his chest for a few moments, she shivered slightly as his teeth teased at her ear, and it flicked back slightly toward her skull instinctively. Even just that one word was enough to spark another low groan in her chest, and her hips gave a soft buck forward against his almost without her permission.
She closed her eyes and bit her lip, hard. Goddess, he was still so deep inside her, even that slight movement of her hips had him grinding into every single inch of her. A soft, whining sigh escaped her lips, and she reached up to drag her fingertips against the softer underside of his jaw again before repeating the motion carefully.
Her eyes flashed a little wickedly and she stretched up to nip at the softer flesh again, allowing her sharper canines to scrape against him; another roll of her hips, this one just a little firmer, though it still made her gasp harshly.
Again, she agreed as she nuzzled into him. Stars and seas, every motion of her hips still felt like her body was actively trying to pull him into her--she didn't know how long she could really last for another round, but she was quite happy to find out.
She leaned back to brace her hands on his shoulders and looked down at him as she finally began to lift up along his cock, shivering and mewling quietly at the pulling, almost sucking sensation. She lowered back down slowly, learning as she moved.
Her lips curved in a faint smile and she tilted her head at him as she began to ride him achingly, tortuously slow. I'm sure you do have plenty left to give, she projected, drawing one hand down his chest. But I think I'd like to see if I can't get your eyes to roll back in your head again first.
She ducked down to kiss him, hot and fierce, then abruptly rose up on her knees until he nearly left her before slamming her hips back down into his. The intensity of it drove a near-silent sob from her lips and she curled forward over him, shaking. And then she did it again.
-
Her riding was amazing and he let out small, pleased sounds as she gently rolled and ground her hips against his. The warm, slick feeling of the mess between them and inside her made her tightening and flexing insides all the more heavenly. When she slowly lifted and he could feel her sucking him in he couldn’t help but raise his hips into the sensation. No woman had ever quite taken him like her and he found himself in near hazy disbelief.
“Goddess, Maya your... you feel so magical,” he said, looking up at her as his claws gripped her breasts. He could fuck her all day if her pussy kept milking him like that.
“I’m yours, do whatever you want with me...”
And then something even better happened.
She dropped down onto him and he couldn’t contain the hissed gasp that left him, and he immediately nodded with lustful passion as she did it again, coaxing her onwards with growls and teasing grasps with his claws.
Fuck me, take me, mate with me... please!
-
Maya gasped, then hissed out a sharp keening sound from somewhere between her chest and throat. She braced her palms against the scaled expanse of his chest as she really started to ride him, getting as much of his length in and out of her as she could manage with every harsh buck of her hips.
Oh, but the prick of his claws urged her on, sending new flashes of heat skittering through her whole body—along with a brief burst of blue-white sparks. The electricity was harmless, more of a buzzing tingle than a real shock. It was still enough to make her shiver and moan softly, closing her eyes as she continued to rock against him.
Elaros, stars... Once again his name was projected as sensation as much as it was the sounds, and she gave an erratic, slightly harsher buck forward with her hips. He slammed to a stop inside her and she had to pause, gasping and shivering, as she felt herself climbing too high, too fast.
She wanted to make this one last...
I’ve never been with anyone like you. She smiled and reached up to stroke his jaw gently as she caught her breath. Stars and seas, I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone like you.
Getting her breath back a bit, she picked up the pace again, leaning forward over his chest slightly as her hips started to rock, then thrust forward with abandon, head bowed and lips slightly parted as she allowed the passion and pleasure to nearly overwhelm her once again.
-
He watched the electricity spark across her skin with keen interest, loving how her body rippled with that bluish energy. Connected as they were, he couldn’t help the pant that came out of him when some of it rippled into him and gave him a potent shock, but the way his mouth hung open in ecstasy betrayed how he truly felt.
Pain and pleasure sang in him and he bucked sharply upwards to meet her slamming hips. The Drakkon in him loved rough play and he wanted her to bite him more fiercely with those sharper than usual teeth. Gods, even her teeth were beautiful, he instinctually saw them as proper hunting tools and found her even more desirable.
When she bowed her head, he took the opportunity to stroke her head and hair, loving how she could remain so close while bucking her hips so powerfully.
“Goddess, yes! I’m getting there,” he crooned beneath her, egging her on with soft sounds and even a potent spank to her ass. Because now that they were having just a wild, un-Joined fuck he could truly appreciate the purely carnal aspect of this Rut. Even without the mental ecstasy he just couldn’t get enough of her tightness, how her body seemed reluctant to even relinquish him.
“You’re incredible, the... the absolute best I’ve ever had,” Elaros panted in an attempt to egg her ego on. The words weren’t an exaggeration, either. As his climax drew closer, he did his best to contain his noises.
“I’m going to give you every last drop, I can’t hold it!”
He wanted to make a mess. Inside her, on her, it didn’t matter.
-
His little sounds and exclamations certainly egged her on, and she couldn’t help the little flash of primal, heated pride that rushed through her. She closed her eyes and crooned low in her chest, the sound more a vibration than it was proper noise, as she slid one hand up to brace beside his head and gave her hips a few more sharp, jerking thrusts.
She tilted her head into his hand with a soft sigh, sort of nuzzling into his palm for a moment before she opened her eyes to look down at him again. Her other hand came up to stroke his cheek, jaw, the line of his throat—as much for the sake of touch as to find the softer patches of skin and scales.
Stars and seas, yes. Give me everything...
Maya leaned down further, and the change in position forced her to grind and rock her hips against his rather than continue that frantic bucking. It was still incredible, highlighting how he filled her so completely, and she gasped again softly even as she darted in and sank her teeth into the side of his neck just beneath his jaw.
Drakkon scales were too hard for her to actually bite through, but she felt the slightly softer skin give under her canines, just a bit, and moaned against him heatedly; she held the bite as she rocked more potently against him, halfway up his length and back down once, twice, three times before she tipped over the edge yet again. Without the Joining, her body reacted purely to sensation, and the sheer influx of stimulation from yet another climax sparked another gentle wave of electricity over her skin.
Elaros! Goddess... She slumped against him, shaking and mewling near silently as the aftershocks rippled through her.
-
Every rock and drop of her hips felt like absolute sin, but it paled in comparison to those soft touches they shared. The strokes of her fingers along his chin and jaw made him glow with happiness even as she drove down onto him. He was perfectly willing to sit there and be ravished, but then she bit him.
And bit him good.
His slit pupils tightened until they were thin lines and he couldn’t stop the trembling moan that came from his mouth. Searing lust and fondness welled up inside him and he couldn’t help but nod desperately at her desire.
She held it and his hips bucked up under her, doing his best to try and contain himself but utterly failing underneath her.
“Oh, Maya I’m-!!”
Instinctually, his tail shot up to her waist and wrapped around like a belt, tugging her down onto him to seal their hips together as his walls finally broke down. He pulsed inside her again and his growling didn’t stop as he just kept coming.
And coming, and coming...
-
Maya gasped again as his tail snapped around her, and on reflex she bit down harder, pressing the whole length of her body tight against his as she did.
She had to break away from his neck to draw in another sharp, shaking breath as she felt him continuing to pulse inside her, and a shivering little mewl somehow made itself known as her own body trembled under the influx of stimulation. Her arms wrapped around his neck and held tight, and she seemed to be trying to eliminate any crack of space between them.
Elaros...Elaros...Elaros...
It was about the only word she could actually form; everything else was pure sensation, rippling through her in unceasing waves, projected to him by the deeply intimate contact of their bodies. Another shiver, a smaller tingle of blue sparks down her spine, and she buried her face against the side of his neck with a tiny whimper, body wrapped and clenched tight around him.
-
Every time she said his name he gave her another spurt and after nearly a minute at his peak he'd really given her everything he had. As his pulses grew gentler he held her more tenderly. Blue sparked down her spine and his clawed hands settled on her hips to make sure she remained as close as possible.
"Oh, Maya..."
Finally, he grew still inside her and he let himself fully relax. He stroked her hips and ass, smiling rather dumbly to himself as they both wound down. All that was left was the drug and he amused himself by watching the world spiral and curl around him even as she continued to clench and tighten around him, which felt like heaven after such a burning orgasm.
"...I've never come that hard before..." he said bluntly, and he nuzzled against her ear and smiled a little deviously. When she tightened, he shifted his hips a little to fit more snugly inside her. The slick feeling was pure sin and he loved how he could feel just how full he'd left her.
"...Too hard, maybe. I think I might've made quite the mess inside you," he purred.
-
She chuckled breathlessly, near silent, and nuzzled his neck in turn with a few more soft, lazy kisses against his throat. The trailing tips of his claws over the skin of her hips elicited another shiver as she finally relaxed fully against him with a final, deeply satisfied sigh.
It took a few moments before she could actually project words again, her communication consisting of a sense of utter satiation and exhaustion. Goddess, he'd worn her out. Finally though, she managed, Better inside, I suppose. Less of a cleaning process. I'd hate to inconvenience your gardeners.
Even as she said it she flushed a bit, though she was smiling sheepishly where her face was turned into the curve of his neck. A strange combination of embarrassment and a sort of delighted pride flickered from her mind to his. Though I'm...glad you enjoyed yourself.
She finally lifted her head a bit to meet his eyes, arms still brace to either side of his head as she laid over him. ...I've never felt like...that was just so intense.
-
Elaros sighed contentedly at the feeling of those nuzzles and kisses to his throat and his tail laid itself across her back and he twined it up with hers once again. It wasn't a tight coil of passion like before, but rather a gentle motion that brought both their tails back down so he could have even more of her close to him. Her mental pulses were contagious and s the heat faded from his system that reptilian sluggishness came back.
When she started proclaiming about how she'd never felt like that before, he couldn't help but smile wider and gaze into her eyes as he hands traveled back up to her sides.
"Mmm, I tend to have that effect on people," he said, shamelessly confident as a default.
"Better inside is right, although... I wouldn't have minded making a different kind of mess..." he said, letting all kinds of raunchy images run through his mind. They weren't Joined anymore but maybe she'd still get a hint.
He popped his head up a little to give her a kiss, it was meant to be a short peck but he found himself lingering against her. When he finally pulled away, he let himself rest back.
"I'm glad you loved it too, maybe... One of the spare cabins is yours if you want it, but, well... I'd be quite remiss if I didn't offer you my quarters as well," he said with a wink.
-
Another small laugh shivered through her as she allowed their tails to twist together, the tip of hers flicking just slightly back and forth, like a contented cat.
She didn't need a Joining, or even her more basic empathetic abilities, to understand what he was getting at, and she shot him a wry look for it before allowing herself to settle back down against his chest. Or starting to--when he leaned up to kiss her again she was forced to keep herself braced over him, but she hardly minded.
When he offered her a place in his quarters, she flushed nearly violet and ducked her head again, as though suddenly shy--which was perhaps a little ridiculous considering they were still tangled together quite intimately.
That's...thank you. Very much. If you're sure, um...that sounds nice. She smiled through the blush as she reached up to stroke her fingertips along his cheek and jaw again, sending a gentle pulse of gratitude and contentment through the touch.
-
"It's the least I can offer. There's a few days before we make it back into core space, so I'd want your stay to be comfortable," he said, although his tone revealed the heated intent behind it. Those little moments of roughness had inspired him and there was something he wanted to show her...
His eyes closed a little more when she touched him and the pulsing emotions brought a sense of calm to him. He let his hips rest and while it caused some of him to slide out of her there was still plenty of him left inside of her to keep her nice and plugged up. Once again, he didn't soften at all, but his exhaustion was clear and he'd fallen completely still.
He tried to retract himself, but her grip on him was tight and he made a small rattle when he attempted to and found himself trapped, for lack of better terms.
"Goddess, I appear to be a little stuck," he said, but the huskiness in his voice betrayed a lot.
-
Comfortable, hm? She smiled and dragged her knuckles along the edge of his jaw. Once again, I find myself grateful for your hospitality—ohhhh, stars!
Oh, she felt that, the way he dragged against her as he tried to pull back and her body seemed reluctant to release him. A low, shivering moan rose up from her chest and she had to close her eyes, panting. Goddess, she was so overly sensitive that was almost painful, but not quite. She was left shaking against him.
That, um...yes. It appears you are a bit...stuck. Though her own voice was purely telepathic, it somehow seemed to match his for the rough, husky drag. She knew she couldn’t go another round, not in her current state, but damn if a tiny part of her didn’t want to.
She smiled a little sheepishly and tilted her head at him. Sorry? I’ve never had to, um...I didn’t realize taking you as deep as I did would...I think we have to wait a bit? She was blushing brightly, but didn’t seem entirely put out by the idea. I've never done that before, but it should...if we give it a few minutes things should...loosen up?
The ala’oran ability to relax internally as she had to take his full length was typically used to ensure that a female of the species would be able to receive several males in quick succession without discomfort—she’d never actually done that before, and so hadn’t realized what the end result would be. She didn’t exactly feel the need to share the specifics with Elaros, though; the end result was they were more or less locked together for the next few minutes.
-
Elaros couldn't blush, but his eyes dropped a little bashfully and nodded, suddenly embarrassed. Intimacy was as well-used as spoken words on Drakkona. Butt to a species that took casual sex to an entirely different level, remaining joined after an encounter was akin to a marriage proposal.
It was how eggs were fertilized and breeding pairs formed, and even though he knew his biology wasn't that compatible with hers his instincts told him otherwise and he just nodded and nuzzled against her jaw. He could try and just pull his hips away instead of trying to sheathe himself, but she loved it and he was too drunk on her love to deny her.
He clutched closer, almost skin-tight, and let his head rest back so he could nuzzle into her bosom and stay there, a smile slowly spreading on his face.
"Back where I come from, you never knew someone was going to be your breeding partner until the day they don't let you pull out," he teased.
"I just hope none of the servants heard my croaking, they get all wound up and come running at the sound..."
-
Maya’s eyes widened and she tilted her head to stare down at him, his face buried against her breast—she tried to ignore the odd little flutter that sparked in her stomach.
Oh! I didn’t—I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize—really, I didn’t know this would...I’m very sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, she babbled mentally. A mix of embarrassment and curiosity flickered from her mind with the words; she really hadn’t understood the cultural implications, but now she was curious about them.
Not the time, perhaps.
And...well, there really wasn’t anything they could do about it just now. Not for the next few minutes, at least.
So she tried to make light of it, smiling a bit and dropping a kiss on the crown of his head. Well, perhaps fortunately, I doubt biology would cooperate much in our favor in terms of us being “breeding partners”.
She glanced back at the entrance to the little alcove and bit her lip, flushing again. I, ah...hope your crew will not be displeased with me for...causing a stir, then.
-
"Relax, I'm just teasing," Elaros said, and he stroked her hair and neck as he followed her glance back to the alcove's entrance. It seemed none had been attracted by his calls, because if anyone was they would've been here already, hard or wet and ready to go.
Maybe another time.
He made a happy sound when she kissed the crown of his head and he gave her a proper kiss in return.
"I think you'd look rather stunning in the middle of a tangle of Drakkons," he added, and went so far as to grip her ass when he said that.
"Or maybe... you'd like a few males all to yourself?" he continued, mostly goading but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't also trying to find where she drew her lines.
-
She flushed a bit darker for that and shot him another dry look, though she let her head tilt from side to side in a considering sort of way. Hmmm... I’ve never actually had more than one partner at a time. I’m not entirely sure what I’d prefer.
Another very wry look at him as she added, Though I suppose if I was going to explore that, this ship would be the place to do it. She still wasn’t entirely sure if she actually wanted to, but it was certainly something to consider.
She dipped down to kiss him again, mostly just for the simple joy of contact. She could finally feel her body starting to relax around him and with small, careful movements she began to work her hips back. A low sigh shuddered out of her as she eventually managed to separate them and rolled off him, tucking herself securely against his side.
I am...completely exhausted, she admitted with another near-silent hum that pressed against the back of her lips, smiling up at him a little sheepishly.
-
Elaros loved to tempt people into sin, it was almost second nature to him. He didn't miss the consideration in her eyes, nor could he hide the satisfaction that rippled through him when she didn't reject the notion entirely.
Oh, she knows nothing yet...
"There are no barriers here on this ship, that much is true," he noted plainly. He took in the brief sight of her slowly rising off of him and he was glad to see that she looked just as ravished as he did. He sheathed himself then, sighing at the feeling.
She laid next to him, and he instantly shifted over to take her deeper into the cushions with him, tangling close to her among the plush pillows that surrounded them. He adored cuddling and held her so intimately close. He stroked her hair while the other hand held her nice and close.
He leaned in to whisper salacious things into her ear, following it up with a short lick.
"And there are no limits, either..."'
He rest his muzzle against her collar and seemed to settle in for a good laze.
"Rest, Maya," he whispered.
-
Hmmm. Another soft hum that was mostly just vibration in her chest rather than sound. She pressed in close to his side, shivering when his tongue flicked over her ear. Yes, I am beginning to get that impression, she noted wryly.
Finally, she allowed her eyes to slide closed. She arched and stretched, snuggling in nice and close with one arm thrown loosely over his chest, her legs tangled clumsily through his.
Thank you, Elaros...
And she was out.
-
Elaros was going to suggest a bath, but then she was out like a light and the way her body rested on him was just perfect. He never once mentioned that as he and Maya finished and their joining receded, he'd smelled another presence, concealed furtively nearby. It was hard to smell her over the sex and other fluids, but...
He darted his eyes over to its direction, and he heard the telltale gait of a Low Drakkon as she retreated, that very same green-toned female, by the smell of her. But she'd already left, not wanting to intrude as the Rut was nearly over when she arrived.
Elaros smiled a little wider to himself and let his head rest back. Oh yes, it was good to be him, and his only action before falling asleep was to pull one of Maya's legs further onto his body and rest his snout in her hair.
Thank you, Maya...
And he let himself drift away, letting the moment live on in his dreams, made all the more vivid and fiery by the drug coursing through him.
-
Maya wasn't sure how long she slept, but when she next opened her eyes she found herself in much the same position as when she'd closed them: wrapped around her host like a clinging starfish, her face turned into the curve of his shoulder.
She laughed silently to herself and moved to sit up, trying to disentangle herself as subtly as possible. Elaros? She probed at his mind cautiously, not wanting to wake him if he was still asleep himself; it was the equivalent of a low whisper for an ala'ora, or as near to one as they could manage.
Even as she let her consciousness brush his, testing, she glanced around the alcove. She hadn't really had much of a chance to look around before things got...heated, so she decided to take the opportunity now that she had it. The space really was quite breathtaking, and the smell of the flower was somehow both sweet and sharp in the air. She allowed her lips to part slightly as she tasted the air, eyes sliding closed for a moment with a low, appreciative sigh.
-
He was having the sweetest dream, visible by how his tail swished pleasantly in his sleep. His tail would give the occasional twitch, and he made a very low growl for a few moments as she brushed against him...
Back on Drakkona, he’d woken up in a cave, clad in nothing more than the open, airy vests common to his people. As he stood at the mouth and looked out over the jungle veined by cliffs, over to the endless atolls and shallow reefs that seemed to stretch onwards from the coastline. He’d never felt so relaxed before, and as he stretched and basked in the rising sun’s warmth, a pair of purple-skinned hands stroked down his chest from behind him and he could feel the impression of her body against his.
Elaros?
Maya’s voice was unmistakeable. Elaros nodded a little in real life, as if he’d heard her clearly. He let out some dreamy murmurs and quiet nothings and fell still against her again, radiating pure comfort and affection. It was common practice for lovers on Drakkona to sojourn into the wilderness. Drakkons High and Low were still predators in their own right and some couples even opted to nest out in the jungles rather than the city, much to the chagrin of their elders. To a Drakkon, instincts won out over all other impulses.
Elaros, however, remained a big sleepy teddy bear.
-
Maya smothered a chuckle as he shifted against her, effectively trapping her even more firmly against him in his sleep. She gave a few more token efforts to wriggle free before giving up with a huff and simply subsiding against him, pouting playfully up at him even though she knew he couldn’t see.
She squirmed one hand up between their bodies to trace her fingertips over the lines of his face: cheeks, brow, jaw, muzzle, even along the side of his neck.
She smiled. Sleep, then. It wasn’t as though they had anywhere in particular to be, right?
-
Sleep? He'd just woken up.
"You're silly..." he murmured to someone in his dream, which had started to break apart a little bit. There were moments of burning passion, flashes of a life fulfilled. Squawking, rowdy hatchlings with brass scales streaked with pale lavender. Some with golden eyes, others with green. Somebody was stroking him and it felt like heaven, even if it brought him out of his dream.
It was one of the best ways he'd ever woken up and the sight of Maya looking up at him while still pressed so sweetly to him made a hot shiver run through him. He blinked a little and oriented himself with the waking world, until he finished waking up with a yawn, tongue curling and sharp fangs on full display. Then, he narrowed his eyes at Maya and rose up on his hands and knees.
"Hello there," he started, and he dipped down to give her cheek an affectionate nuzzle. Then, he straightened up onto his knees, allowing her to scurry out from under him if she so desired. He took in the air, and his muzzle scrunched a bit. It was dark in the garden, meaning that the vessel had shifted to its night cycle and that they'd been sleeping for quite some time.
"I can't remember the last time I've felt so good."
-
A quiet, contented humming rose up in her chest when he nuzzled into her cheek and she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck in a brief hug before allowing him to sit back with a small sigh of reluctance. Nor I, truly. She almost wondered if that should worry her, but dismissed the thought before it could properly form.
She did take the opportunity to squirm properly out from under him though, drawing a few powder blue braids over her shoulder to twine around her fingers absently.
She looked around, then reached over to lay her fingers on his wrist so she could ask, Are you expected? It seems we’ve whiled away quite a few hours—I didn’t mean to keep you from your duties. Her voice was tinged with a chagrined kind of regret at the idea, a sense of sheepishness that pulsed along with the words.
-
He observed her keenly as she wiggled out from underneath him, shamelessly taking in the sight of her, the state of the cushions around them and the heady smell of sex that lingered here in the alcove.
"I'm sure someone's called me. I'll check my phone later," he said, and his gaze gave an annoyed little tilt away from her. He didn't want to think about any business troubles now, not before and definitely not now.
"I'm right where I want to be," he said, and he laid a hand on her lap as he leaned in to give her a deep good-morning kiss.
"Although, I think a shower wouldn't be remiss either, both of us are rather tarnished," he said, although he couldn't contain his pleased grin when he spoke the last word. He took a single claw and gently dragged it down between her breasts until he paused at her belly button, where he splayed his hand out to feel the smooth skin of her belly.
"There's a shower in the garden shift's locker room. Shouldn't be anyone there right now..."
-
She couldn't help the shiver that skittered down her spine, parallel to and mirroring the path of his claw down her torso, or the way her body arched into his touch. Her stomach tightened with a flicker of something dark and heated and she glanced away, flushing.
Stars above, she needed to get a grip on herself. She'd never been like this before!
It was the extended absence from home, she knew, the lack of connection with other ala'ora. Elaros, with his willingness--eagerness, even--to touch and taste and explore and connect, was rather like a soothing drink to a parched throat. Even though she was no longer starving for water, she still wanted it.
...Alright, that metaphor may have gotten away from her.
Glad that she'd managed not to project any of that, Maya smiled at him and nodded quickly. Showers sound good, she told him, sliding her hand carefully up from his wrist to stroke the length of his forearm gently. Your crew hardly seem like they'd be scandalized, but it still doesn't feel entirely decent not to clean up a bit, she added with a silent chuckle, eyes glinting.
-
"You love it, all of it inside you..." he said before he could stop himself, even as his hand drew over her stomach, loving the feeling of her skin. Close to human, but not quite as delicate.
"Well, such a scent can cause undue tension," he said, hoping she could pick up the smoldering lust he still had for her. He caught that glint in her eye and how her body moved under the touch of his claws.
With a warm sigh he gave her neck one last kiss, her breast one last nibble before reluctantly lifting up onto his knees, and then his feet. He bundled up their clothes and then offered her a hand up.
-
Again, Maya couldn't stop the delicate shudder that rippled through her at his voice--not even so much the words themselves, but the timbre, the way the sound felt against her skin when he leaned in to kiss her neck.
Perhaps she didn't understand the minutia of all his species' sensory communication, but coming from a mute race, it wasn't so much words as tone and texture of a voice that she reacted to. The subtle growls under his consonants did...interesting things to the coiling knot in her stomach.
She shot him a mock glare, but took his hand and stood as well. She eyed the clothes he held, made a bit of a face at the idea of putting them back on before cleaning up, and instead opted to simply take hers and fold them over one arm before looking back up at him and reaching out to lay her palm against his arm.
Shall we, then?
-
Glad she had the same idea, Elaros slid his arm up so he could take her hand and he led her out of Elaros' little alcove and back out into the gardens.
"Let's..." he purred, and full of warmth and energy he led her through the gardens. He felt like a juvenile again, slipping away with someone beautiful, guided by little else other than attraction and hormones.
He kept his eyes open at every junction until the worker's locker room was visible, and he was quick to sneak the both of them. The room was fairly simple. There weren't many garden workers relative to the rest of the ship but the circular locker room had everything one shift needed to transition to another.
What he was more interested in, however, was the half-circle shaped shower at the far end of the room. He was quick to leave his clothes on one of the benches and stepped into the shower, turning back to look at Maya invitingly even as he leaned against the wall and let the water start flowing. Everything about him said "come closer," and he started to run his hands down his chest as the water gave his brass scales a glossy sheen.
"I might need some help cleaning," he said, voice low, and then he unsheathed himself again.
-
Though she could sense the energy in him, a kind of tension that thrummed between them even without a link between their minds, Maya did make an effort to look around at the unfamiliar parts of the gardens as he lead them to the locker room and--blessedly--the promise of getting clean.
She watched him out of the corner of her eye as she bent to lay her clothes beside his, and she couldn't help the small smile and quiet huff of amusement that escaped her as he all but draped himself against the wall.
Will you, now? she projected wryly, straightening up and cocking a hip as she looked him up and down rather brazenly from where she stood. She knew he most likely wouldn't be able to hear her words--they weren't touching, after all, and mental communication without physical contact normally required knowing someone quite well. Often it took years, even between ala'ora.
Although...well, that Joining had been rather intense, perhaps...
Regardless, she figured her expression was enough to convey her thoughts as she allowed her gaze to wander slowly down his form, linger, then back up to meet his own. She smiled again and stepped forward, shivering and then sighing in delight as warm water hit her skin.
Home. Goddess, but she missed the sea, the warm spray on her face.
Reaching up to wind her arms loosely around his neck, she leaned into his chest a bit and tilted her head. And how may I be of assistance?
-
Elaros reckoned he could just barely make out that she was saying something, just clearly enough to sense it but not understand.
From how her eyes were looking him over, he was pretty confident what it was she was thinking. He waited patiently for her to approach and once she'd leaned into him a bit and put her arms around him he wrapped her in his strong arms.
"A delicate touch is in order," he continued, and with a cheeky nudge of his hips he let her feel his length against her thigh.
"But first, is it wrong that I just want to kiss you?"
-
As his arms came around her she leaned a little more heavily against him, arching her brows when he nudged his hips forward and twisting teasingly away--though not too far.
Wrong? Her head tilted and she smiled gently. I'd hate to imagine what kind of person could deem such a thing wrong. I quite like kissing you.
She leaned up onto the tips of her toes to brush her lips against his scaled cheek, letting her arms slide down to grasp his shoulders gently.
-
He couldn't help it, her words brought a giddy smile to his face, a look that only brightened when she leaned in to kiss his cheek. He reached behind him to press a button beneath the shower handles and an opaque barrier rose up around the shower's space to offer them some privacy.
He looked at her with eyes full of affection and genuine attraction, and remembering how she'd arced under his touch before he stroked a hand slowly down her side, although his thumb touched closer to her front.
"How lucky for me," he purred simply, and he took one of the textured sponges and made sure to get it all nice and soapy before he handed it to Maya and got one of his own. He took his and gently passed down her side, all the way to the hip, and then he looked to Maya to hear her thoughts on the matter.
"I'm afraid we've got no shampoo. Nobody on this ship has any hair," he added, and he leaned in to leave a short lick-kiss on her neck.
-
She shivered again under his touch, despite the warmth of the water, then laughed silently and shook her head when he leaned in to kiss her cheek.
I’m sure somehow I will endure, was her only comment on the lack of shampoo, eyes glinting. She turned to put her back to him as she began scrubbing at her skin, but she leaned back so she was still practically enfolded by him, her back to his chest as she squirmed close enough to share the hot water.
-
She turned her back against him and Elaros purred at the delicious contact that spread throughout his body. One arm curled around her front to hold her by the abdomen while his other spread suds on his body with the sponge.
He rest his length against her ass to trap it between them and made a small noise, satisfied to no end by her proximity and shamelessly enjoying the sight of her. He traced the shape of her with his free hand and allowed himself a squeeze of her thigh.
"You're gorgeous..." he said quietly, a pure observation.
-
Maya felt yet another shiver run through her body as his length pressed against her, and she leaned into the tracing touch of his palm with a low, quiet purr deep in her chest.
She arched her back slightly as he squeezed her thigh, pressing herself more firmly back against him in the process. ...Am I?
Her face was a little flushed as she tipped her head back against his shoulder to look up at him. Her lips curved up on one side and she reached up to delicately drag two fingers down the line of his jaw. Show me, she urged, the brush of her mind against his gentle and coaxing. Show me how you see me...
It wasn't a Joining, not exactly. But she opened her mind to his where their consciousnesses touched, inviting him to share his thoughts as she must share hers to communicate.
-
The closeness was everything to Elaros and he found a deep satisfaction in how she arced and pressed against him. When she asked him to show her, he could only look down at her and kiss her with a fire he'd never quite kissed with before.
He closed his eyes and let the vivid physical memories guide him as he slipped his cock between her legs. It protruded out in front of her from between her legs but he didn't do much except hold her deliciously close.
He loved relishing in this new closeness, an intimacy that he'd never felt before in his entire life. When she brushed her mind against his to seek him out, she'd find him more than receptive.
And once he'd accepted the connection in his mind, his arousal and attraction were laid bare for her. There was the physical component, of course. Elaros had always had a taste for women that weren't necessarily reptilian but Maya embodied the whole range, from familiar to alien in all the best ways. Every curve and rise was a new discovery and Tiamat above he wanted to explore her...
and of course, there were all the less tangible aspects of her, like how she had a boundless energy for discovery, or all that burning passion hidden behind such a quiet, pleasant personality. It was very rare for Elaros to seek physical intimacy for reasons other than that initial Rut to meet someone or to satisfy his raging hormones whenever he went into season, or any other platonic reason. But with Maya, he couldn't quite put it into context.
He smiled against the stroking of his jaw and he couldn't stop the pleased growl that welled up in his chest and rumbled against her back. His claws clutched tighter and he wrapped hands around her midsection and just held her close.
"I'd try and put it to words, but I feel like you already know," he said, and his tail slowly slid up her leg to wrap around her thigh.
"Can you feel it? How I burn for you on the inside?"
-
Just the kiss itself was nearly enough to leave her gasping, and as he slipped forward between her legs she shivered again and her hips twitched instinctively. She broke away from his mouth to pant a few ragged breaths against the pebbly scales of his throat, her head lulling back against his shoulder as she laid one hand over his wrapped around her middle.
I...feel it, she responded, breathless amusement tinging her voice in his mind. She backed off from the intensity of their mental connection a bit, but still allowed a delicate thread to remain between them, an easy link from her emotions and sensations to his. She laughed again, silent and breathy, and twined her own tail around to stroke teasingly against the coil of scales around her thigh.
This thing have a mind of its own, hm? she teased quietly, lifting her head slightly so she could look back at him over her shoulder, golden eyes glinting through pale lashes. Keeping her eyes on his face, she allowed her hand that had been resting against his to slide down until she could cup the length of him in her palm, her long, quick fingers stroking softly.
-
And her reward for keeping such a close eye on his face was Elaros' reaction to her touch. He let his lips part a little, giving her a glimpse of fangs as he sighed pleasantly. His cock twitched and throbbed beneath and against her as she touched him.
His tail gripped her thigh a little tighter, scales pressing their texture against her skin.
"Maybe, although it does know what I like," Elaros rebutted, and he pressed his hips to her ass so she could have more to touch on her end. His hands wandered her and he started to bathe her with his sponge with one hand, even as the other hand stayed around her middle to just hold her.
His mind relished the little signals that their minor connection was giving him and he let that bond guide him as he used the excuse of sponging her down as an opportunity to find the sensitive places on her body. He kissed on her neck and gave her a nip on the collar with his teeth.
-
A tiny, soft moan shivered from her as his teeth grazed the skin of her collar and her grip on him tightened for a moment, an instinctive reaction. A shudder rippled down her frame and she leaned eagerly into his touch as the sponge dragged against her side, though she couldn't stop a tiny, near-silent whimper as his hands wandered and grazed her hips but never got quite close enough to where she was craving touch.
His tail was something else altogether to contend with. Lips and teeth and tongue against her neck and collar earned a semi-consistent stream of shivers and soft mewls, but it was the texture of his scales against her inner thigh that elicited another full-body shudder.
Not bothering to guard her thoughts, her own befuddled embarrassment at her body's sensitivity trickled from her mind to his. She wasn't at all bothered at her reactions to his touch, but she was a little baffled that all it seemed to take was a few touches and a kiss or two to leave her knees shaking.
I've been on my own too long, she realized, a little forlornly. Not wanting to dwell on the thought, she quickly brushed it aside and glanced back at him again as she took him fully in hand and began stroking in earnest. Her lashes fluttered against her cheeks as the motion pressed him against her and she had to force herself not to grind her hips back against him more potently.
This seems...a little counterproductive to the prospect of getting clean, she noted blandly, sounding not the least bit bothered by the idea.
-
"Well, I'll be happy to give you all the company you need. Anything you want," he purred, and to soothe her concerns of not getting clean he drew the sponge down against her neck and shoulders even as the other hand stroked from just above her womanhood to her breast, where he gripped it and let the claw of his thumb tease her nipple.
"How long has it been since someone's fucked you properly, hmm?" he teased, and he tempted her to grind along his length by adjusting his hips against her.
"Close your legs just a little tighter, please," he hissed, loving how it felt to slide between her legs like that.
-
Oh goddess...
Maya shifted, at first inadvertently, then quite intentionally grinding herself against his length. She chuckled, that airy, whispering sound that seemed to exist more in her head than her throat, and obligingly closed her legs a little tighter around him.
How long? She tipped her head back to look at him again, and there was a certain playful wickedness to her eyes. I suppose I should say a couple of hours? Unless you don't qualify a Rut as a "proper fuck".
-
"You know what I meant," Elaros said, mirroring her look with a playful one of his eyes. He let his member do the work as he lifted one hand to grab one of Maya's breasts. Then, he wrapped his cock with his own tail to give her something really delicious to grind against.
"I want to know what it is you've been missing," he started, and he nursed on the back of her neck with his lips.
"What you've wanted the most on those lonely nights... I want to give it all to you, Maya."
-
A short, slightly startled hum caught in the back of her throat as she once again felt the texture of his scales pressing against her, and her whole body shivered, knees trembling so that for a moment she almost worried they were about to give out.
That was about half the fault of his voice though, she knew. Not to mention what he was actually saying.
I, ahh... She closed her eyes and leaned back against him even as she allowed her hips to push and rock along his length. I missed...just, connection, mostly, she admitted, her thoughts taking on that strangely breathy quality once more as she projected. Back home...everyone is everywhere. All the time. You can always feel their thoughts, right at the edge of your own mind, and you know if you needed companionship all you'd have to do is ask.
She ground a little more firmly against him and a very quiet whimper rose up from her chest. It's--it's not really like that, out here. At least as far as I've seen. And the closest I can get to that sort of connection is, well...
She tipped her head to the side to meet his eyes and waved a hand toward their hips in a vague gesture. I suppose I just...miss being with someone. Feeling grounded and present through them as much as myself.
She trailed off, biting her lower lip lightly. That was...more than she'd shared with anyone in a long time. Not because she was a particularly private person--clearly--but simply because...honestly, she didn't think many people would understand it. But Elaros might.
-
In all honesty, Elaros expected to hear something much dirtier and, well... not as heartfelt. Still, he swelled with a different kind a warmth. He loved hearing her voice skip as she slid along his length so deliciously.
"In a life of travel and bustle, how often does one get the chance to connect?"
His hands slid low, across her ass and down the sides of her legs in order to hold them steadier and closer together. He unwound his tail from his cock and instead opted to encircle her waist and hold her tighter against him. Her back fit so nicely against his chest, like she was made for him...
"Truly connect, hm?"
He nuzzled the back of her neck, baring his teeth against the nape of her neck, going to far as to give her a tiny nip as he slotted the head of his member against her entrance and teased her, only to have it slip past, slick with water and more lewd fluids.
"More than just a fuck or a Rut. You want another kindred flame to burn with."
He made a small growl.
"Burn with me."
-
Stars, yes. She gasped as he drew her more firmly back against him and reached up and back to cup her palm around the back of his neck, letting her head tip to the side to better expose her throat as she felt his teeth against her nape. A low, stuttered purring sound echoed in her chest as the head of his cock caught against her for a moment, and she whimpered quietly when he slipped against her again.
I also missed feeling someone so deep inside me I couldn’t think straight. She eyed him sidelong, a hint of playfulness back in her voice as she projected to him. Stars and seas, Elaros, I’m already burning. Help me, please...
She rocked against him again and her hand on the back of his neck tightened, her fingernails catching at the edges of his scales for just a moment.
-
That elicited a lurid growl from Elaros, who surged forwards until Maya was sandwiched deliciously between himself and the glass around the shower. Desperately, he bit at her neck and shoulder, each playful bite a searing pledge of affection.
He situated himself for entry and relished the delicious press of her tight entrance. Then, the pressure broke and he was in her nearly to the root. He let out a strangled rattle, even as one of his hands stroked her stomach. He reckoned he could feel himself, just beneath the surface of her skin.
“Goddess, Maya, you’re making my knees tremble,” he moaned, and he let some of his civility give way to primal, hormonal instinct as he took her against the glass, hips slapping against hers once, twice, and then regularly.
“This pussy, I-“ he cut off with a hiss as he found the perfect angle, and then seemingly forgot the Common Tongue altogether as he spoke in the hisses and growls of Drakkonan speech.
“I’m going to use you. Breed you. Mark you with my scent.”
He reached around in front of Maya and gripped her breasts, even as he continued to drive into her.
-
Quite abruptly she found her palms pressed against the glass, bracing herself as they surged forward. She gasped, a little startled but more than happy to relish it—and then he was biting her neck and a shivering moan caught in her chest. Her hands curled, gripping uselessly at the slick glass as she tilted her head to even further expose her throat...
He slammed home and she cried out, a desperate, ragged little squeak; it was a comparatively tiny sound, but the fact that she could make it at all really spoke volumes. She rocked back against him, panting, unable to respond beyond a sense of want pulsing from her mind to his.
When he resorted to his native tongue her back arched and Maya moaned again, long and low and trembling. She could hear the words in her mind, or at least his internal understanding of them. But it was the sound and—goddess—the feel of his voice against her skin, the rumbling of his chest against her back, that made her squirm and arch back against him with a quiet whimper.
She reached back to once more cup the back of his neck, encouraging his playful bites, and deliberately dug her fingernails into the tiny gaps she could feel between his scales. Her other hand slid down her own front, back over her hip until she could grasp his thigh and pull him even tighter against her.
And she responded with a single word, the plea of it written in every taught line of her body: Harder.
-
Maya dug her nails into the back of his neck, and that was enough goading to get her a nice view of Elaros’ fangs before he bit her, right on the collar. Still safe, although it was clear that he’d done it with considerably less restraint. The tips of his claws, normally used for hunting and shredding, dug into her breasts and stomach as he clutched her like a beast driven into a lust-frenzy.
“Harder?” came an inquisitive grunt, but he was teasing her.
Due to the way they were tangled together, it was a simple matter for Elaros to really press against the deepest parts of her, letting her feel just how powerfully he throbbed for her as he aHe made a sound somewhere between a croon and a fiery purr as he shifted to pin her against the glass more securely, even going to far as to bite the back of her neck and hold her in place.
His hips moved against hers, at first deep grinds to just savor the generous flesh of her ass but before he knew it he tightened his hold and just started to lay into her. Scales collided with skin at bruising speeds, each thrust slamming in as deep as it could go.
“I will take you and fill you until you can’t speak. Do you want that?”
A smile against the back of neck, followed by a kiss there that was surprisingly chaste given how audibly he was fucking her. Then, he snarled and gave her ass a potent slap, making sure to squeeze with his claws as he fucked her hard.
“Take it. Like a good breeding bitch!”
-
Oh goddess, yes... She was tempted to make a quip that she was inherently unable to speak, but the thought only lasted a moment before his lips brushed the back of her neck just as he slammed into her and she gave another coughing little cry, her back arching as she had to brace her hands against the glass once again.
The prick of claws and teeth against her skin earned a rippling shiver, her tail lashing once from side to side in an instinctive reaction to emotion and sensation before she curled it back around his thigh.
Keep...keep talking, she projected, a little dizzy and desperate. Stars and seas, she would have begged for that even if she couldn't understand him. There was something almost primal in the growls and hisses of his native tongue that lit a new fire in her blood; the meaning of the words she sensed from him sent little shudders down her spine, but the sound and feel of his voice itself had her knees shaking.
She moaned softly and pressed back against him, shivering as she could feel his voice rumbling through his chest and into her. Goddess, Elaros, I'll take anything, tell me what you want to do to me, just don't stop.
-
Oh, he knew exactly what she liked. He let out a low, growling purr and slotted his chest against her back. The sound intensified, until he could feel the rumbling against his hands on the other side of her body. His tail slithered lower from its perch on her waist and the tip slid inside of Maya to join his cock inside of her.
“Your scent, your skin, it lights every scale of mine on fire” he snarled against the back of her head. He slammed in deep, and as his tail slowly curled around his own length as one of his hands drew up to encircle the base of her throat. Then, his punishing thrusts resumed.
“You’re going to be my toy, my plaything... maybe I’ll be yours, too?”
Elaros chuckled. He accelerated his pace, driving up into her until he couldn’t go further. Of course, she could always take him deeper. He knew she could, but was deciding to leave that up to her. Her heat and moans were driving him crazy, and he made a small hiss that transitioned into speech.
“Kiss me, hold me... Join with me...”
Another bruising thrust.
“Please?”
-
That purr alone nearly did her in, and when his tail slid against and then into her she actually saw stars. Goddess knew she was going to bruise from the way his hips were slamming into hers, but she really couldn't find it in herself to give a damn.
Plaything? she repeated, gasping and shuddering around and against him. Her hand once again slid around to cup the back of his neck and she dug her nails in almost viciously--though still not intending to really hurt--while the other came up to his hand around her throat, linking her fingers through his and dragging his touch down slightly so she could feel the prick of his claws against her collar bones.
Gasping raggedly now, she still somehow managed to tilt her head back and eye him sidelong over her shoulder, a wicked smile curving at her lips.
Let's play.
With no further warning, she rocked her hips back, drew him into her as deep as she could, and allowed her mind to Join with his in the same instant. This was no gentle merging of two rivers to the same source: this was a collision, fierce and hungry and all-consuming as her every sensation slammed against his.
Her back arched and her lips parted on a silent cry as she came with a sharp crackle of electricity over her skin. Her eyes flared brighter, almost sparking, and she dragged his hand up to bite into his wrist as hard as she could manage, shuddering through the ripples of her climax.
-
“Does my mate want to pl-oh!”
Elaros cut off with something close to a bark that fizzled out into a rattle once he’d settled so snugly inside of her. But even before he could think about unleashing his animalistic love on Maya, he was promptly struck;
literally mentally, and figuratively, by lightning. The water caused Maya’s defensive shocks to skitter along Elaros’s scales and the path of the lightning was mirrored by the sudden wave of blistering pleasure as she flooded him with rapture.
Almost, but not quite. His legs nearly buckled as he instinctively sought to press his cock in as deep as he could and keep it there, just on the edge of climax but not quite. He bent Maya a bit lower to support himself, and gave her a few bucks as he caught his breath
“I’m going mad!” he panted, and then he laughed as he slapped both hands onto her ass.He used his claws to provoke more lightning, playing with his prey.
And then there came two subtle beeps from the ceiling, followed by a clinical, inflective female voice.
“Master Elaros, you have several missed calls from a Mr. Hale.”
Elaros shot straight up, realized it was the ship’s computer, and then immediately deflated with a chuckle. He bent down to give Maya a nip on the nape and murmur a quick “sorry, one moment.”
Elaros straightened and spoke. “Ana, where’s my communicator?”
“Signal and visual systems detect your personal communicator on VidCade bar’s counter.”
Elaros closed his eyes and smiled.
“I knew it. Send one of the butler droids after it, please?”
“Always my pleasure.”
Elaros nodded as he drew his hands down Maya’s back, and started to pick his pace back up. She wanted to play? He tried to angle her even lower, so he could pound downwards, and then took her by the hair like she’d showed him.
“As for you? I have plans for you...” he said.
-
With the Joining so suddenly in place, Maya could feel more than just the intent behind his speech, and the word "mate" sent a sudden, slightly unexpected shiver down her spine. That...even with their minds linked, she couldn't quite translate the context for that, but she thought it might be different than her own.
Of course, it was rather hard to focus on anything but the way his body pressed against hers and the tingle of electricity over his scales. Her own body didn't even register the tiny shocks, a natural resistance to her biological defenses, but his certainly did, and she whimpered low in her throat as she felt it through him.
She couldn't keep herself from purring almost smugly as he bent over her and panted--then she went very still at the sudden voice from the ceiling. She realized it was the ship at the same moment Elaros did--of course--and relaxed again. Her palms still braced against the glass, chest stuttering with pants as the interruption allowed her a chance to catch her breath.
Not a very long one, though. She'd barely taken three breaths before his hand was in her hair and he was driving into her again and she shuddered against him. Goddess but she could feel the intent behind every movement and it drew another whimper up from somewhere between her chest and throat.
She did manage to turn her head to glance back over her shoulder at him meaningfully. Oh? And what sort of plans might those be? Miraculously, she managed to keep her mental voice steady, but with the Joining flickering and humming between their minds, she knew he'd be able to tell that she was anything but.
-
Drakkonans had an even looser concept of "Mates" than Maya's kind, and to be considered a "mate" by Elaros meant that one wouldn't even need to ask for an intimate encounter. After all, there were many Clutch Partners back on Drakkona who weren't even mates, or mates that could never see themselves as breeding a clutch of eggs together.
It was pure affection and acceptance, tinged by a growing addiction to the rapture of just being near her, drowning his nose in the clean scent of just her as he lowered his snout into the nape of her neck, drawing his claws down her back and sighing as he felt it like it was his own skin.
Now that he was bent over her, he growled into her ear as he rutted atop her.
"Trust me, you'll love the surprise," he said, voice low and crooning as his words were speckled with his animalistic grunting and hissing. He couldn't stop the tiny thoughts he had when asked about the subject. The snap of a whip and the glint of metal on a buckle.
It wasn't enough, he wanted more power, so he weighed himself against her and brought them both down to their knees, where he held her down low, found that perfect angle, and fucked her like a piston until he had to catch his breath.
With a cheeky smile, he leaned back and powerfully slapped one of her buttocks, giving her space to move her rear as he spoke once again in Drakkonan.
"Show me how you throw this ass back"
-
It was strange to consider, as intimately entangled as they were, but Maya couldn't help but compare the Drakkonan definition of "mate" with the Ala'oran in a small corner of her mind. Her species was certainly more open with their affections than many, and true monogamy was nigh unheard of. But mate was a commitment; her mothers and fathers were all mated in pairs and triads, and would not think to look outside that group for such companionship.
Interesting, but not exactly at the forefront of her mind at the moment.
The drag of Elaros's claws over her skin brought a skitter of lightning trailing in the wake of his touch, and she moaned softly as she briefly saw the sparks over her skin through his eyes. His breath against her ear as he crooned drew another soft sound from her and she twisted to kiss him almost frantically even as she caught the edge of his thoughts.
Well. That was certainly something to consider.
Not for very long, it seemed, as she'd barely had time to process the particular memory of leather and metal before she was on her knees, hands sliding across the wet tile in front of her as she desperately sought a grip, and he began driving into her hard enough to make her gasp, then squeak raggedly.
Another, slightly louder squeak came from her unbidden when he slapped her and she jerked, a brief pulse of surprise mixed with a kind of consideration following another shower of sparks along her form. Then he spoke again, and it was her turn to growl.
It surprised her, a little; she'd never actually made a sound like that. But she glanced back over her shoulder at him, smirked crookedly, and slammed her hips back into his hard enough to knock another breathless gasp from her own lips as she felt the converging sensations of his and her pleasure combined. That...about what you had in mind?
Without waiting for an answer, she did it again.
-
He was getting a knack for provoking the lightning, which only emboldened him to seek out more zaps of rapture. He was all claws and bites until Maya growled at him. There was a brief glimpse of her sharpish teeth and the tone of it...
A giddy warmth bloomed in his chest and he matched the tone of her growl with a longer sound of his own, a sound that stuttered when she slammed back against him and then redoubled in intensity.
“Maya, I— ahh!”
A strangled hiss at the second slam, and the joined sensation was enough to daze him. He growled again, matching her tone once again to see if he could get her to make the sound again. Hearing your partner growl was a massive turn-on for the average Drakkon, and it usually served as a prelude to play-bites or a particularly rough rut. One hand travelled up Maya’s back to hold her by the shoulder, claws skimming her collar bones, while the other took her by the hip and slammed her back against him for a third time, and then a fourth.
Elaros pitched forward and started to fuck Maya like an animal, growling and grunting and eyes half-rolled up as he let his instincts guide him.
-
Oh, stars and seas!
Maya grabbed at his hand on her collar, seeking an anchor as his body covered hers and she felt him start to surrender to instinct. His growl vibrated from his chest against her back and she gasped, then growled back. The sound wasn't loud, but the rattling hum of it felt like it traveled through her whole body, sending her buzzing with yet another burst of sparks over her skin.
I didn't even know I could do that, she though vaguely, before her lips parted in a silent cry as Eloras drove into her again. Gasping and trembling, she reached back over her shoulder with her other hand to curl her fingers around the back of his neck and twisted her head to kiss him desperately. She allowed him to support the entire weight of her body without even a moment of hesitation, and each thrust forward earned a new shiver and wave of sparks.
She allowed her canines to drag over the slightly softer scales just over his throat and tried to growl a little louder, arching back against him while his hand on her collar and hip continued to move her body against his. Stars, Elaros, please, please, I'm--I can't-- She shuddered and mewled quietly, unable to even keep her mental voice coherent as she hovered at the edge.
-
Their tongues coiled wildly together and Elaros' hissing and grunting was lost into Maya's mouth. Their pleasure and noises commingled like a pair of stars colliding. Unable to part with her lips, he propped on one hand and gripped her breast so she could stay twisted as he rutted her like some scaly beast. Every thrust was a new lance of pleasure into his soul.
Her teeth dragged on his throat, and his last chord of civilized restraint snapped with it. He snarled and nipped the back of her neck with his fangs, planting his arms next to her to cage her in his strength. He pounded downwards with impunity, huffing from his nostrils and alternating between nuzzling her neck frantically or biting at her collar.
The sparks from her had become almost a pulse at this point, and it was under that almost rhythmic shocking that Elaros finally came undone. Rather than continue pounding her, his most primitive instinct was to just lance as deep as he could and stay. His purring became almost as deep as a crocodile's and he just clung to her desperately as he continued to fill, and fill, and fill...
-
It was as Elaros's remaining restrain vanished that Maya caught her crest and arched into him with a strangled, mewling little cry that in a more vocal species probably would have been a scream fierce enough to wreck her throat. Joined as they were, she could feel his surrender to instinct urging her to do the same, and she just didn't have it in her to resist.
Whimpering and gasping as she felt his muzzle and teeth against her neck, she covered his hand on the floor with her own and gripped tightly; unable to wind down from what had been a truly shattering peak, she hovered on the edge yet again, her whole body shaking until she half thought she was going to break apart from the tension.
Then he was against her back, the rumble of his purr echoing through her own ribs, and she followed him over the edge yet again, her lips parted in a silent cry. The Joining was too much--she couldn't maintain the connection and had to let it fade as she collapsed beneath him, just panting desperately.
She couldn't form words, but her consciousness still brushed against his, conveying passion and relief and deep, wild affection, a delight in this new side of him, bright as the slowly dying sparks that still occasionally skittered over her form. And though she couldn't speak, a soft, crooning hum had started in her chest, rising and falling almost like whale song as she craned her neck to press her face into his shoulder, then turned her head to sink her teeth lightly into his neck with a quiet purr of her own--a subharmonic of the soft humming.
Finally, she managed to form an auditory word in her mind: Stay.
She still didn't quite have her full grasp of language back, but the intent and emotion behind the word would translate clearly enough. There was something instinctive in her, almost primal, that wanted him close, wanted to stay connected to him even after the act, wanted to continue to feel his body covering hers as the water continued to stream over them.
Stay...
-
“Yes...” was his immediate, hazy reply. As his hands sought comfortable places to rest on her, his tail looped once and then twice around one of her legs like an affectionate snake. He let out a couple of huffs, both to try and dispel some of his desperate purring and to purge himself of excess heat.
For the moment, there were no other words. What could he have said, really, that wasn’t already known to the both of them?
Water ran down the channels between his scales, cooling him off and allowing him to regain a semblance of stillness. He had never felt an oblivion like this before, amplified the wake of the faded Joining.
He let his snout rest on the nape of her neck, and sighed.
“I will... if it’s a dream, then I’ll just never wake up,” he murmured.
-
Maya hummed softly, content and sleepy in the aftermath. She smiled and then laughed silently when his tail curled around her leg, allowing herself to rest more heavily into one side of his body as they both started to cool down. Her smile widened when she felt his muzzle against her nape and she purred quietly before twisting her head to kiss his jaw lightly.
I’ve never had a dream this good, she projected with a combination of amusement and satisfaction. Nuzzling into his neck, she added, I could show you, you know. I promised you a trade of memory, but I could do it with dreams as well...
Not now though. Now she just wanted to stay here with him, to let the water clean and cool them both with his body wrapped over and around hers as she curled back into the solidity of him with another quiet, deeply contented purr.
-
Ah yes, the memory trade they'd talked about. The time between then and now seemed like a different lifetime ago, but that may have just been a side effect of the literally mind-bending sex.
He smiled against the jaw kisses, picturing the logistics of sharing dreams with her and finding himself bemused by the fantastical nature of it. Then again, she'd proven her capabilities and then some, so he welcomed another chance to get his mind blown.
But not now. Now, he was drained in every possible way and drunk on her purrs and kisses. He almost felt like he could just... slip away again. He wouldn't even have minded if the morning shift found them like that. He closed his eyes, fully intent on letting go as her lips moved against his neck...
But then something odd happened. The entire ship seemed to stutter, all at once, and the two intertwined lovers were jolted sharply. A rattle seemed to vibrate from all around them, and Elaros instantly raised his head. He had a genuine fear in his eyes, confused and shocked.
The ship was NOT supposed to be making that sound!
Another jolt, this one sharp enough to send the pair sliding across the shower floor. Fortunately for Maya, Elaros was the one to hit the wall with a sharp hiss, although he himself wasn't much softer. The second jolt was accompanied by a loud, spinning-down noise that seemed to emanate from the back of the ship, as well as a persistent shaking that had the emergency lighting come on.
-
Just as exhausted and content as her companion, Maya was more than happy to allow her body to grow slow and heavy as she continued trailing light kisses over his jaw and throat while they just lay there together.
But then the ship shuddered around them and she gave a near-silent yelp, eyes blown wide as she raised her head at the same time Elaros did and looked around. His fear bled into the air around them and she pressed closer to him with a tiny, involuntary whimper.
The ship jolted again, sending them skidding across the floor, and her mouth formed around a soundless cry as she was jolted sharply against his chest. The collision might have been hard enough to bruise, but she hardly had the time or inclination to worry about it in the moment. She tried to push herself up, hand sliding on the wet floor and sending her collapsed back against his chest with a sharp huff.
What’s going on? The question was as much emotion and sensation as it was words: surprise, fear, the tiniest hint of curiosity, and a sudden pang of worry for him as she looked down and winced. She reached up to cup his cheek in her palm, sitting up again with marginally more success. Are you alright? What do we do?
-
"We're slowing down. Wait! no, we're--"
Another shake, and this time a Drakkon voice came on over the loudspeakers. Low barks and harsh, rasping growls echoed through the locker room and this time, Elaros' eyes seem to dawn with realization. From their sitting up position, he rose using one of the shower's handle bars and held his hand down for Maya to help her up, eyes still glued upwards.
"The engines are failing," he said. His voice, normally perfumed with a seductive purr or an intoxicating smile, had none of its usual cushioning. He shut off the shower and the walls lowered. He made an uncertain noise, glancing between her and their pile of clothes, and then abandoned both to approach a panel on the wall and start typing in his access codes.
The panel blipped to life and immediately Elaros opened up a channel to the bridge.
"Ferdix, tell me what's happening," he said into the terminal's microphone, and Captain Ferdix's voice came through, albeit slightly unclearly.
"We're being pulled out of shock-speeds, Master."
"Pulled out!?" Elaros immediately gasped, his eyes searched for nothing in particular before Ferdix's voice came through once again.
"Yes, Master. A sustained energy pulse in the system we just entered is interfering with the navigation computer. We'll have to spin the shock-drives back-"
Another voice suddenly cut in, more distant, like one of the crew was speaking up from their station loudly enough to pause Ferdix.
"Engine signatures, closing on our exit-point!"
The silence was thicker than oatmeal for a split second, just enough time for Elaros to process that and widen his eyes, and then Ferdix's voice came back.
"Stay where you are, Master. We're sending security to take you to your chambers," came Ferdix's voice, and the terminal shut off.
Elaros looked back to Maya, finally ready to tell her what was wrong.
"Pirates."
-
Whatever was going on, Maka had a feeling she was going to want to be wearing pants for it.
She listened closely, fight-or-flight setting into her body even as she gathered up her clothes and dressed quickly, head tipped in Elaros's direction all the while. She could pick up the ambient emotions--distress, confusion, shock, even a flicker fear--but without a proper connection they were all maddeningly without context.
She was snatching up his clothes off the floor when he looked back to her and the word "Pirates" registered in her mind. Her eyes widened, her own fear thundering in her head like a second pulse.
Maya tried to force it back, gritting her teeth and darting forward to touch two fingers to his wrists as she shoved his clothes into his arms. What do you need me to do?
-
Indeed, now that danger was apparent, Elaros’ hormones swelled, if not for a different reason. Usually, there was always a hint of comfort and gentle attraction in Elaros’s thoughts. But as Maya touched his arm to make a proper connection, she’d find him drenched in animalistic hormones. He was far from helpless, and so there was surprisingly little fear in him. Just a potent tension, like the kind one could read off of an animal defending its territory.
He blinked down at his clothes, and quickly threw on his airy robe and drew the waist closed. He tried not to think too deeply on Maya’s own nervousness, which compounded with his own to make him feel uniquely disturbed.
“The few times we’ve had run-ins with unsavory types like this, we’ve always outran them. Without the drives…”
It’s going to be a fight. A dry, tense warmth settled into Elaros’ shoulders, then he spoke once again.
“Come with me and stay close,” he finally said, and he slipped his arm up against her touch to capture her hand with his, to maintain the connection easier while they were on the move. For the moment, he was intent on leading her out of the gardens.
-
Maya nodded quickly—what else could she really do?—and wove her fingers more tightly through his. Her bio-electric defenses were threatening to crackle to the surface, and she had to force her mind into something close to a meditative state in order to shove them back.
Elaros’s responses, both cognitive and instinctive, were something else to contend with. It had been a long time since she’d been in such a heightened emotional state while connected to someone else, and she was so focused on trying to regulate her own emotional responses so that she could properly communicate that it actually helped to push some of the fear and panic tp the back of her mind.
She stuck close to his side as he led them back out through the gardens, her eyes flickering about warily as though she expected an assailant to be hidden behind one of the groups of leafy fronds.
-
Elaros strode with confidence through his ship-board gardens. Partly because he knew these spaces like the pattern of his scales, but also because his senses were now fully attuned. The slightest rustle of the bushes or waft of unfamiliar scent could set him off now, but he maintained his composure and swallowed down the roaring choler welling up inside of him.
Now that he wasn't slowly touring her through, he'd taken the most direct path and they were at the garden's airlock. Once the second pair of doors opened up to the rest of the ship, the sound of alarms and scrambling Drakkons was much more apparent. Low Drakkons surged by, either trying to return to their quarters or reach their battle stations.
Elaros stared as a small squad of Low Drakkons with info-visors and red jumpsuits jogged along, escorted by two guards in light, space-worthy armor and armed with plasma rifles.
The gunners... Ferdix ordered the cannons online? No, no this can't be happening... A surge of apprehension washed through him like a sudden realization, although Maya would be able to feel his apprehension much easier than see it. The last time the cannons had been ordered online... Elaros had nearly died that day.
Another team of armored security Drakkons approached them, and barked something at Elaros. It snapped him out, and he replied with a pair of short hisses and they started hustling along to the bridge. With a growl, Elaros sourced a communications bead from one of them and he got Ferdix on the comms, leaving the speaker on so Maya could also hear as they walked.
"Ferdix, I just saw the gunnery crews. What in the Mother's name is happening?"
Ferdix's voice was quick to come on, although by the sound of it he'd been talking to someone else as he answered.
"Get the bays sealed up! Retract all the communications antennas! Ahem... Master, I see the security teams have found you. Please, get up here as quickly as possible so we can lock down the command bridge." His voice was collected, although the notes of concealed stress hid just how much he was speaking for Elaros' comfort.
Elaros growled, a genuine one brought on by stress and exasperation, and Ferdix relented.
"They're going to be upon us any second now. Nothing that matches our weight class but they've got us outnumbered."
As Ferdix spoke, they all got into an elevator and Elaros' clawprint overrode the security and sent them straight to the command deck. Above them, a sharp electric crackle sounded off and the ship shook as if shaken by a thunderstorm.
"One less of them now. Reading catastrophic decompression," came a voice from the bridge, as Elaros had never terminated the connection.
Elaros, who should've been comforted by that, instead widened his eyes at the mention of 'decompression' and shrunk a little towards Maya, seeking her comfort. It seemed the sound and feeling of just the cannons firing was enough to dredge up some trauma.
-
When Elaros curved toward her, Maya quickly laced her fingers tightly through his and sent a pulse of comfort and assurance through the connection. It was an automatic reaction on her part, instinctively wanting to soothe, but there was a hint of her own tension lingering at the edges of her consciousness and in the lines of her body.
You're okay. We're okay. She didn't project the words, but the sense of them would skip from her mind to his through the contact of their joined hands.
She pressed a little closer to his side as they walked and drew her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment, thinking. Then:
...Can you ask if my ship is flyable? She glanced up at him, eyes wide but her mouth set in a determined line. The Mirage is small and fast. Maybe we can lead some of them off.
It was difficult to keep the fear that idea inspired hidden when she spoke mind-to-mind, especially with someone she had been so recently and powerfully intimate with, but she did her best to cloak the trepidation with another pulse of reassurance as she squeezed his hand.
-
As Maya had already experienced, physical memories were the ones most powerful to Elaros' species. Hearing about decompression caused a remembered chill to wash over him, colder than even the coldest days on Drakkona. How his muscles screamed as he held on for dear life as the void tried to swallow him. The smell of cold space and charred metal.
One of the pirates had brought a makeshift explosive. The hull had held, but the windows...
...he was almost back there, too, but someone had taken his hand, and told him he was okay. In the memories, it was a pair of security guards, but somehow, Maya had managed to insert herself. She literally pulled him out of the short nightmare with what seemed like the strength of a thousand men, and the world came back.
He exhaled, and glanced around the elevator's cabin. She'd asked him another question, and he latched onto the blessed distraction, only to open his mouth in protest. She wanted to go out there?!
"The bays will be sealed to stop any boarders, but... but if you're confident you can make it back here to me," his voice trailed off as he squeezed her hand more securely "I'll allow it."
He didn't have to use the pad, because then the elevator was opening up and they were back on the bridge. Elaros let Maya's hand go and brushed past the guards, immediately making for some smooth metal lockers set into the wall. Ignoring the chaos that was an active bridge, Elaros leaned close to one and it scanned his reptilian eye.
The locker said something in computerized Drakkonan and it opened up, revealing that it contained the usual things one needed in case of boarders. A pair of sleek energy pistols with accompanying charge packs as well as a pair of belts with metal-topped segments and a button in the middle. Elaros immediately slipped on one of the belts. Pressing the button caused a faint, greenish oval to shimmer into existence around him and then disappear just as quickly.
Ferdix approached, and spoke to Elaros even as the larger Drakkonan was busy gathering the rest of the emergency supplies in a bundle, passing the spare pistol to Maya.
"Master, you should be in your quarters," came his voice, and Elaros shook his head. "To hell with that. What are we dealing with?" he said, and Ferdix's snout tightened at that.
"Several small vessels are intercepting us, they'll be upon us any moment," Ferdix said. Almost to punctuate his sentense, a ramshackle, vaguely cone-shaped craft went streaking by on the bridge's windows, firing a spray of lasers in their vague direction. The Anastasia's shields shimmered and reflected the small beams. The Anastasia shook as her dorsal cannons fired again, and Elaros could only stare in rapt horror as the small vessel caught the capital-class railgun round through the middle and split like a soda can being run over by a tank.
The moment was broken just as quickly by a squadron of even more of the things streaking by overhead.
"They're trying to swarm us," Ferdix continued calmly. "The bridge is going to be their first target. Master, I abide your decision to come up here and arm yourself, but you need to be somewhere else," the aged red Drakkonan said. Even though he was of the Lower breed, Ferdix seemed to stand taller just then, tail straight and confident as he essentially stood up to his Alpha to try and calm him.
-
It took not an inconsiderable effort of will for Maya to keep herself from being swept up into Elaros's memories when she reached out to him like that. Thankfully, her touch seemed to offer some sort of anchor, and he came out of it himself quickly enough. She wasn't sure she could have held on too much longer.
She'd expected his reluctance to humor her idea, but when he squeezed her hand she smiled and reached up to cup his jaw in her palm for a moment.
I'll be fine, she projected, focusing on a feeling of calm confidence that may not have been entirely real, but he didn't need to know that. This isn't my first time dealing with hostile spacers. I'll be fine. She smiled again and stroked her thumb briefly over his cheek. We'll be fine.
She followed him out onto the bridge, taking the pistol he passed her on reflex more than anything else as she listened to Ferdix and her eyes flickered over the windows.
When the first ship was destroyed, a tiny shudder passed through her body. She gritted her teeth and looked from the ship's captain to its owner. She knew Ferdix was right, but she was well enough attuned to Elaros's emotional state that she also knew he wasn't going to be particularly logical just then.
Elaros. She took his arm with a pulse of calm that she hoped might at least help him find some balance. Listen to him. You know he's right--you need to get somewhere safe.
Keeping one hand on his arm, she reached out to Ferdix with her other hand until she touched his shoulder lightly. She felt a little guilty--it seemed rude to suddenly start projecting to someone she'd never spoken to before, but she hardly had many options.
I need to get to my ship, she told the smaller drakkon, though her maintained contact with Elaros meant he would be able to hear her too. The Mirage may not seem like much, but she's fast. And she's eye-catching. If I peel out of here quickly enough, I may be able to get the swarm to follow me. It'll at least buy you some time.
The only real reason a small, quick ship would have for fleeing an attack like this would be if it had particularly valuable cargo it was trying to keep safe on the chance the larger ship was taken. She was hoping that possibility would be enough bait.
And the Mirage wasn't completely defenseless. She had no false confidence in her ability to actually fight a small fleet of pirates, but she could hold her own for a little while.
-
Indeed, Elaros was in way too heightened an emotional state for this. Maya's stroking along his jaw and his cheek did wonders to settle him, enough so that his breathing had slowed by the time Ferdix was speaking to the two of them.
"Smaller" was a relative measure, since Ferdix was essentially closer to the size of a human while Elaros embodied the larger, more bestial sub-species. And speaking of bestial, Ferdix's seemingly minor defiance struck a chord in Elaros that would normally have been much looser. Elaros, never the one to even question his own subordinates too much, let alone lord over them, went tense.
Ferdix squared his shoulders, reptilian face betraying little emotion, but it was clear that a deeply nuanced silent communication had begun between the two creatures. A pretender in the wild challenges an Alpha on his own territory, a previously subservient male.
And neither seemed ready to back down, the tension ratcheting higher and higher in the silence-
And then Maya made contact with Ferdix while still connected with Elaros, and both Drakkonans suddenly flinched. The pulse of calm helped sooth Elaros, which would then bleed over to Ferdix through this new circuit that Maya had created.
It'd feel a little bit like suddenly being able to hear a heated shouting match, except it was all happening through minor physical cues and subharmonic noises. Both had been a single twitch of the tail away from spilling over, but suddenly...
..they understood each other. Ferdix just wanted what was best for Elaros, and Elaros was just afraid, unsure about what was happening and lashing out like a scared animal. They were both just scared animals.
And the knowledge helped.
Elaros focused on calming down and lowering his mental state while Ferdix let out a slight breath and looked to Maya gratefully. The relief of her intervention seemed to override the shock of the new form of communication.
In fact, much like Elaros, a warm hand and a smooth mental voice seemed to work wonders. It was genuinely tough for the grizzled Ferdix to not just let his shoulders melt down at the light touch. Receptivity seemed to run in the entire Drakkonan species, not just Elaros.
Ferdix waited for Elaros to distance himself a little. The larger Drakkonan was on the railing, chest heaving as he swallowed his instincts and compulsions, but overall seemed to be making the effort to become reasonable again.
Once he was sure Elaros was distracted, he spoke to Maya. Ferdix's common was serviceable, but carried a much heavier, if not lighter-toned accent than Elaros.
"If they're pirates, they either want the ship, or Master Elaros himself. This ship can fall into a star for all I care, but that Drakkonan is the only one who matters," he said, speaking with a bizarrely loving conviction about someone he referred to as Master. Once again, The Anastasa's cannon fired, and smaller weapons along the vessel's hull made themselves useful now that the enemies had closed range. Outside the quadruple-thick glass on the bridge, a small battle was unfolding.
"I can't just open the bays. The assailants could use it to land boarding parties. As long as we have the shields, we can't risk it."
And just then, another squadron of the smaller vessels, another scattering of lasers and energy blasts. One bright, blue light remained, a metal sphere that had been dumped out of one of the ships. It detonated with an electric crackle which sent the lights and monitors of the bridge to flicker.
The Anastasia's shield crackled away, and finally Elaros' voice pierced the silence.
"What the hell was that!?"
Before anyone could realize that the ship had been hit with an EMP bomb, a pirate vessel with a pointed prow proved the shield was indeed gone by crashing straight into the deck just beneath the bridge. The sounds of clamps and a drill started up beneath them.
"Nevermind, they're boarding us now!" Ferdix snarled, and he looked over to Maya.
"You'll have your chance. Get our Master to his quarters safely, and then the guard detail will escort you to the hangar," he said. As he spoke, several more impacts could be heard ringing around several parts of the Anastasia's hull.
"We have more!" said a voice from one of the bridge crew.
"Boarding vessel impacts on engineering decks Three and Seven! Crew deck Four, also hit!"
Ferdix ignored the panicking voices, and instead focused on addressing Maya calmly.
"Most importantly, we need time to charge our engines back up. If we can jump away, we can leave these pirates in the dust. Whoever they are."
-
While ala'ora were not an aggressive or confrontational species by nature, Maya had enough practice reading body language to get some sense of what was going on even before she'd forged the connection between the two Drakkonans. She kept up the contact as long as she could, using herself more as a circuit than a true part of the connection, simply soothing the edges of fear and tension with a projected calm.
When Elaros pulled away to collect himself at the rail, she let him--but the tiniest pulse of worry trickled from her mind to Ferdix's from where her hand still touched his shoulder. Now that Elaros had walked away, it was becoming clearer that she was not nearly so calm as she was trying to be, her heartbeat just a hair too fast and her core temperature rising as her bio-electricity reacted to her fight-or-flight response.
She listened to Ferdix as he spoke, nodding and sending quick affirmations through their contact so he knew she understood what he was telling her. Along with a brief pulse of vaguely surprised compassion as she sensed the care he held for his employer.
I understand, but there's--
Before she could fully communicate her concern--and an idea--the ship lit up as it was hit and she nearly jerked away from Ferdix in her surprise, whirling to face the bay windows. Her eyes widened. A surge of panic threatened to swamp her, and she didn't have the time to pull her hand away from Ferdix and hide it from him.
The Anastasia had found her adrift in space, ship clearly spent from a series of desperate jumps. It was not an unreasonable conclusion to reach that this would not exactly be her first run-in with pirates.
She took a breath, forced herself to at least fashion a veneer of calm, and quickly grabbed Ferdix's wrist again when he ordered her to take Elaros to his quarters.
I will, she responded rapidly, communicating as much--or more--in flashes of emotion and sensation as words. He'll be safe. I promise. Captain--
She didn't have time to explain this in a non-ala'oran way. Hoping that his easy acceptance of her method of communication meant he'd be receptive to what she was about to do, Maya essentially projected an idea, a plan, into the Drakkonan's head. What might have taken her several minutes to explain was conveyed in a breath.
Something had changed in her since she'd been traveling the stars. She wasn't quite sure when, or how, but she seemed to have somehow developed something of a last resort survival reflex. Where most ala'ora could only link telepathically with their own technology, which was semi-conscious itself and specifically designed to do so, very few of them were able to manipulate their bio-electricity and natural empathic abilities to connect to foreign tech. It was more art than science, never a guaranteed success, and typically was only able to be done in short bursts, their will enacted on one machine or system at a time.
Maya could do more.
If the pirates were after Elaros, she could give them exactly that. With enough desperation and a bit of luck, she thought she could trick their sensors into reading that The Mirage carried both herself and the jeweler, even if Elaros himself was left safely in his quarters.
But she'd need to make direct contact with one of their ships first.
I can buy you time, she told Ferdix just as she projected the idea to him, alongside a sense of determination and reassurance that she would do her utmost to keep Elaros safe. Her lips quirked up a bit on one side, though her eyes were afraid. I chose the name Maya for a reason.
As she pulled away from him, turning back to Elaros and offering her hand, she left him with the knowledge that "Maya" meant "illusion".
-
Ferdix stood with his brows knit together as Maya spoke to him.
Reports were coming in from guards now, making their transmissions as skirmishes started in the hallways. Sentences barked out in Drakkonan over the comms systems, interrupted by the pulses of Drakkonan plasma carbines and the stuttering reports of automatic slugthrowers.
It wasn't just care that Ferdix had for Elaros. He, like every other low Drakkon in his service, loved him In every sense of the word. Low and High Drakkons have closely knit relationships that are more akin to cultural and genealogical symbiosis forged by universal bonds of intimacy between all members of society. As these bonds tugged at Ferdix's mind, Maya would be able to glean a lot of information from the stored nuance and cultural memories.
Love was truly free on a Drakkonan vessel, where air filtration systems distributed their naturally produced pheromones to ease the confining existence aboard a star vessel and facilitate a loose, approachable environment on board. Low Drakkons are instinctually programmed to seek out High Drakkons, whose potent pheromones are addictive both by nature and due to the actual health benefits Low Drakkons can derive from extended contact, while High Drakkons reap the benefits of having creatures that constantly want to be around them and easy access to rutting partners. High Drakkon pheromones are stored separately by Drakkon air filtration systems and deployed as-needed. The familiar scent of a treasured master could do wonders in many situations. As the only High Drakkon aboard, literally every other Low Drakkon had gotten a piece of him at some point. Ferdix included, and that last part was increasingly clear as Ferdix studied his master as he recovered.
It was a lot of information, but if Maya had wanted to analyze the information coming from Ferdix's end of the bond, but it was there while Ferdix pieced through the plan she had given him.
When the plan dawned in his eyes, he nodded and spoke up again, her confidence in herself spreading to him in the form of a fanged grin.
''It might just work. We will divert our resistance so it pulls the attackers away from the Master. But please--" And Ferdix advanced to lay a cautious hand against her shoulder.
"Do not leave his side. You are not Drakkon and the turrets will read you as such."
She was already moving away, however, and he lowered his hand back down to his side, turning back to the bridge so he could command the battle. Pensively, he watched on feed-screens as one of the boarding craft breached into a hallway. The drill-bit parted into four seperate sections and the craft disgorged numerous diminutive occupants armed with automatic rifles and bulkead saws. Drakkon guards took up positions at the end of the hallway and a fierce battle ensued, the camera being struck by a stray bullet and disabled shortly after.
-
In almost any other circumstance, she would have been more than thrilled to parse through all the cultural and biological information that had just transferred to her from a relatively brief point of contact. It was why she was out here, after all, to meet new people and learn about them.
That would probably have to wait.
Maya reached up to lay her fingertips against Ferdix's hand on her shoulder for the few moments it was there, giving him a smile and another pulse of assurance just before he pulled away. I will.
She hesitated a moment, between him and Elaros, then quickly reached back to brush her fingers over his wrist just long enough to project, Stay safe.
Then she was at Elaros's side, taking his hand in hers and looking up into his face with concern. The captain wants you back in your quarters. I'm coming with you, alright?
She made sure not to relay the rest of the plan just yet. She had a feeling the jeweler would be less than thrilled with the idea, and they didn't have time to argue.
-
"My quarters, yes," Elaros said, nodding his head, and finally he straightened from the railing, taking Maya's hand more securely. He found her eyes easily and he nuzzled his temple against hers as his breathing finally slowed. Silently, Ferdix watched the contact between the two of them for a moment longer before he turned back to the situation at hand.
Elaros broke away from Maya, although he still held onto her hand to guide her back into the elevator. They were joined by two guards, who took up positions in front of Elaros as the elevator doors slid closed. Elaros accessed the floor control panel, eyes skimming over the various indicators. Floors with an ongoing emergency (such as a hull breach caused by a boarding ship) blinked an urgent orange.
Elaros quickly dialed in the third-highest deck, which was blessedly clear of alerts, and they started to rise.
Elaros stood closer to Maya's side, both for his own comfort and to keep her safe within the radius of his personal shield.
"There's no breaches on this floor but that doesn't mean it's clear. Be careful," he said, looking back down to Maya.
-
For just a moment, less than a full breath, Maya was stiff and tense beside him when he moved closer. It was...difficult, in her current heightened emotional state, to keep her mind calm and not just project instinctively to anyone near her. With how surprisingly receptive Elaros was to ala'oran communication, she didn't doubt he'd be able to feel her own anxiety and fear with barely a touch if she wasn't careful.
It was maybe half a second, then she had her "voice" reined firmly back in control and she leaned into his side slightly, glancing up at him and nodding. I understand. And Ferdix warned me the weapons will register I'm not Drakkonan, so I should stick close anyway.
She tried for a wry smile, letting her hand lay gently against his arm for a brief moment with a slight pulse of a manufactured kind of calm. Well. Better than nothing.
-
She was trying to calm him, that much Elaros could gather. A sweet sort of numbness spread from her touch on his arm, settling in his mind like a drug. Elaros' mind was somewhat resistant to the manufactured calm, too wired up on hormones. Like an agitated animal, it served to only dull him somewhat. Yet, he was grateful for the gesture.
He briefly covered her hand with one of his and gave an assuring squeeze.
The elevator doors opened to reveal marbled corridors that looked like they'd been transported straight from a terrestrial palace. Granite sculptures of Drakkons in sensual positions, Low and High alike, filled alcoves that lined the halls, which were bathed red by intermittent emergency lights.
Elaros' guards led the way, moving out towards a junction in the passageways.
-
Maya squeezed back when he took her hand, but otherwise kept her presence as unobtrusive as possible as Elaros led her down the statue-lined hall. The emergency lighting washed the pastels of her skin and hair into deeper, bolder shades, and her eyes flickered a bit as they occasionally reflected the light.
She’d never been in a situation like this; she wasn’t a combatant, and while she’d had a few close calls in The Mirage—that was partially how she’d gotten here after all—she’d never come so close to real conflict before. Though she did her best to keep her emotions stable, there were little flickers of trepidation and anxiety that would trickle through the contact of Elaros’s hand over hers every so often.
-
The guards fanned ahead to clear the junction, while one stayed behind to guard Elaros and Maya. Elaros took the chance to look back to Maya. He could feel her stress through their contact, and while they had a moment, he wanted to do what he could for her.
He didn't say anything to soothe her, instead opting for a more animalistic gesture. With a low purr and a few chuffles, he nuzzled his snout into her shoulder. A cold Drakkon was often an anxious one, and Elaros naturally sought to share some of his warmth with her. She herself was warm-blooded, but the intent and primal purpose of the action shone through.
"It will be fine," Elaros murmured, pushing up with his snout until he could give her a brief nuzzle beneath the jaw, an action that was adorably chaste by Drakkon standards.
One of the guards, an orange-streaked male, gave Maya a very short, jealous glance at the display.
A guard came back and hissed the all-clear to Elaros, who finally parted his snout from Maya.
"My quarters are just up ahead. The guards will take me the rest of the way..." he started, meeting her eyes.
-
She tried to force herself to calm as Elaros nuzzled against her; she didn’t want his gesture to be poorly received, but she knew her own anxiety was bleeding through the contact. She gave him a smile and squeezed his arm lightly, hoping the affection and gratitude would override any negative emotion that may be playing at the edges of her communication.
Be safe, she urged silently when the guard returned, reaching up to cup his jaw in her palm for a moment as she met his eyes earnestly. She tried for another smile. I will see you soon.
Reluctantly, she stepped back, breaking the physical connection between them. She could still read ambient emotion—and even if she couldn’t, that look from his guard would likely have been something she’d notice. As she turned to head back in the direction they’d come, she reached out to brush her fingers lightly over the guard’s arm.
Thank you for protecting him, she projected, with as much goodwill and affection as she thought might be received. Aside from the captain and Elaros himself, she hadn’t actually spoke directly with any of his crew—but she thought she understood enough of the culture on this ship to attempt to assure this drakkon that she wasn’t trying to steal all of Elaros’s attention.
One last glance back over her shoulder, then she picked up her pace as she made her way back down the hall, making her way toward where she’d left the Mirage. She just had to hope some part of this plan would work.