S.O.S. [Daglobster] [M]

[DragonSong]

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.

[Daglobster]

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.

[DragonSong]

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.

[Daglobster]

"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.

[DragonSong]

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.

[Daglobster]

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.”

[DragonSong]

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.

[Daglobster]

“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.

[DragonSong]

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.

[Daglobster]

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.

[DragonSong]

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.

[Daglobster]

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.

[DragonSong]

[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.

[Daglobster]

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..."

 

[DragonSong]

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?

[Daglobster]

"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.

[DragonSong]

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.

[Daglobster]

"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..."

[DragonSong]

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.

[Daglobster]

"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.