《Wisdom And Wolf》


 C1 - Thursday / {It Would Be Fun鈥? <Or> (The One Who Took A Key)

    The necessary shit. (If that sounded disdainful, it was.)


    This is a work of fiction. Any resemblances to actual events, characters, persons, alive or dead, or beings of Earth, parallel universes, or the multiverse, past, present or future, is purely coincidental. Unless, of course, I''m psychic. In which case this a work of non-fiction. But I highly doubt that, I''m not that attuned. I mean if I was, I¡¯d have won Powerball by now and been able to afford creative writing classes and a proofreader.


    Be forewarned, these writings, may trigger some issue, or issues, you have. Either by the language used or it¡¯s content in general. If you are one to get bothered by every little thing, just close it now and step away, from wherever the hell it is that you are reading this.


    All the participants are of legal age, in any state or country, in regards to the actions and experiences they have or go through.


    No animals were harmed in the making of this tale, except maybe a couple of Hominini of the Sapien variety, and, trust me, they had it coming.


    by Stonesoul


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    C1 - Thursday /


    {It Would Be Fun¡­} <Or> (The One Who Took A Key)


    ======================================================


    Everything was aglow in the gold of the late morning sun.


    It forged a sharpness in my mind as compared to the last few hours of my life. Which were mostly hazy. Spotted at best. A mix of half-sleep and blurred scenery, with only one or two pinpoints of salient clarity thrown into the mix.


    But now, I was finding myself... enthralled.


    I was standing in the lobby of a centuries-old inn, oblivious to the chaos around me. Encapsulated by the feel of this place.


    The aged oak and pine, of the floors and walls, had a vibrant, musky smokiness, that hinted at history. It awakened a sense in me. An appetite. An all-encompassing, adrenaline-driven surge, of perseverance, endurance, and a pulse rush called survival.


    I breathed this building''s character in, with one, long, slow, drawn out, sniff. I could taste the fermentation of the many decades of life, that filtered through this monument of grit and determination. It''s incense built on the back of my tongue. Coursing my blood.


    A primal headiness had stoked into my being. And I suddenly felt a deep-seated need to celebrate all of my air out. With a howl.


    It was an ancient invocation. Untamed, almost feral.


    It built enticingly in the base of my spine and tempted itself up quietly. Taunting me. Inciting me to send out that call. So, I just let it burst forth. From the bottom of my soul through the top of my head. Loud of spirit. But silent to the ear.


    It brought back memories.


    It felt like...


    Home.


    There were tables and chairs made of branches and rough-hewn wood. Five big picture windows framed a captivating view, of a distinctly Adirondack regional scene. Directly above them, lightly arched, four invocations, on stained glass, captured the essence of an early settlement''s lifestyle. From hunting and fishing to farming and harvest celebrations, it was all brought to life in a glorious, prismatic brilliance. The vibrant colors, diffused through the room, softly tinting upon the dust-speckled atmosphere, like stage lights shining on the disparate group of actors wandering aimlessly around me. Trophy mounts were scattered on the walls. A prized moose head, the centerpiece, displayed proudly over a massive stone fireplace.


    Those... were the first things that garnered my attention.


    The next¡­ was the chatter


    Or, to put it more accurately, the incessant drone of strangers thrust together in an attempt to fashion a familiarity.


    Forty, or so, individual souls, danced through a maze of bodies and chairs. Seeking a bond. Of one sort or another.


    It was a stark contrast to this place, that, by its very existence, was a testament, that bonds were not chosen or picked but were earned, forged, and fought for. Sometimes, in the unlikeliest combination of personalities.


    This cast had been sent here, by our prospective employer, as a kind of secondary job interview. The magazine, we all had applied to, had expanded its offices to the East Coast, bringing their new-age ideology of the Weird Coast with them.


    They had bused us up to this place, a colonial-born lodge, from New York City, and now WE were tasked with divvying up our own room assignments. Most of the cattle here were in their mid-twenties, barely out of college, and still wrapped up in their petty, insular bullshit. High School three point oh.


    And Yes. I was among the cattle.


    G&G save Me.


    Who was Me? Well, at the time, I was forty-three and had just left my job, at another magazine, where I photographed strippers.


    One evening, at the proof table, I got a tickle, that I had to follow. You see, I had found myself, for some time, doing nothing more than documenting young women with dreams wasting away into addictions and abuse. Changing their bodies because they didn''t live up. The money being tossed at them was dwindling. The audience''s attention had laxed. They weren''t exciting anymore. They weren''t new. Film at 11.


    And I had gotten tired of it.


    So, I went looking for something outdoorsy, more nature-based. Less commercial. Something, way outside the wheelhouse.


    Which! Is what led me to this.


    Now, why a photographer would need to be part of this little bit of weirdness, I don''t know. Most I''ve met, including myself, tended to be solitary observers. But the company execs liked my stage photos, and after inquiring about my work ethic, and finding it satisfactory, insisted I attend.


    "It would be fun." They said.


    I know! I know! Right about now Doctor Who would be staring at his sonic screwdriver with a look of trepidation, shouting just one command, "RUN!"


    But I didn''t.


    So, there I sat. On a time-worn, butt-smoothed bench. Watching the cliches and the cliques all finding each other. Separating themselves into little cabals.


    That''s when She took my notice, for the second time.


    She was sitting on a bench a few feet from me. At a slight angle to my vision. To my left, twenty, maybe thirty degrees. At my eleven o''clock, if you''re so inclined.


    She was a little taller than the other girls. Five eight, five nine. With an uncoordinated poise. A little thicker of build than most of the others.


    She sported lightly tinted, black-framed glasses. A touch nerdy. Without the tape.


    Her movements were purposeful and methodical.


    Her attire was all business. An oversized, white cotton, button-down, shirt. A black, mid-calf, Accordion skirt. Both of which had a subtle, elegant motion, when she turned or searched through her computer bag.


    Her glasses were down.


    She watched everyone around the room, casually. Sometimes she''d smile, a couple of times she grimaced. She was getting a feel for the place, and the people.


    When she had taken it all in, she put up her glasses, reached into her knapsack, and grabbed her laptop. She powered it up, summoned her personal space, and clicked away at the keys, getting lost in the ones and zeroes of her digital world.Stolen story; please report.


    Clear dark brown eyes.


    Full eyebrows.


    A rather interesting nose.


    A rather curious, intelligent gaze.


    Her hair was shifting in waves, just below her shoulders. Black, with a prismatic refraction to the sheen.


    She was beautiful, in a geeky, girl-next-door, kinda way.


    After some time, she pulled her attention away from the screen. Her back arched. She rolled the tension from her neck, broadened her vision, and let it stray. She found my eyes and connected with them. There was a softness, a sadness, and a strength beyond her years. It emanated from within those glistening amber orbs.


    They smiled, ''Hi''. Then, cordially, she turned their focus back to the screen.


    The first time I noticed her she was getting on the bus. She was quiet and reserved, looking to the ground, like she was in another thought. Or trying to remain undetected to some unseen force. Barely establishing eye contact with anyone. Til she sat. The couple of times I heard her talk she seemed to stutter. And that appeared to make the, barely adult aged, majority of the group edgy. Most stopped talking to her altogether, about fifteen minutes into the trip.


    She seemed like she was okay with that. Not like she was happy about it, more like it was her norm. She was used to it.


    Been there. Feel that.


    But, that was then.


    Now. She was sitting with a quiet intensity. The scrolling lines of code commanded her attention, drawing forth a creative flow of energy, that was palpable.


    The others? They were mindlessly mingling. Chit chatting. Finding a fit.


    I didn''t fit. And honestly, I didn''t want to. So, I just waited to see who was left to share a room with. Maybe I''d get lucky and get someone comfortable and quiet, or luckier and get one to myself. Or not, and get stuck with a shit brick.


    As time moved by, the chaff were pairing up and the room was steadily thinning out. Two by two they set off to their own destinies. The room grew quieter, the pulse waned.


    And then, the air grew thick and clammy.


    A narcissistic gust blew in. Introduced by the heralding scent of Axe. He strut on up to me, with this false air of importance. I think his name was Jeremy or Jaime or Jeffery... Whatever... He said it often, and loud. Loud enough that it sounded like you should have known him. It just made me, Not, want to pay attention.


    He walked right past the quiet girl on the bench, right through her field. His elbow barely missing her head, and he continued, peacocking, right up to me.


    Why, do they always pick me?


    She looked up intently, to see who had disturbed her zone, saw him, made a face, shadowed her personal space in a much darker aura, and went right back to doing her thing. Her eyes darted sporadically, between the scene I was now part of and the refuge of her screen. She walled herself off within her bags and black plastic tech fortress.


    He sauntered up and stopped, practically standing on my boots. He tilted his head back. "Yo. Wanna room up bro?"


    Now. Sometimes. In life. You gotta make a choice. And take your own luck, in your own hands. However, that dice may turn. And I got a nudge, a big one, and it said, ''Roll!.. NOW! Dummass''.


    "Sorry. I have need of a modicum of quiet around me. So, no. But thanks for asking... Brah."


    Yes. I can be an asshole at times too. I''d never deny that. It''s the human condition. And even if you are the most patient, kind, caring, most saintliest person on this ball of water and dirt, don''t deny it either. There will come, one of those days, when you find yourself with that label. Well earned or not, if even just for a minute. You don''t know. That''s the beauty of this thing we call life.


    The girl on the bench eyed our conversation and hooked my attention. Catching my perception with an anxious expression.


    I looked at her and nodded a request. She nodded back, an allayed mmhmm.


    I offered, "Joe."


    She accorded, "Emm-mily."


    Two words and it was sealed. Names have power.


    An adventure had begun. The quest, unknown. But whatever fate lay before us, it was of both of our choosing.


    I picked up my stuff and went to the front desk, retrieved two keys, made my way back and presented her with one. She looked at the key peculiarly, then took it as a matter of fact. Almost relieved. She gathered her things and stood up. I pointed at the biggest suitcase and held out my hand. She handed it to me with a surprised, but grateful look. We made our way passed the reception desk, to the left, down the hall, finally standing before the last room on the right.


    "I sleep nude."


    She looked humourously puzzled, but not put off, unlocked the door, and held it open for me.


    "I have shorts. For trips."


    "Mhmh," she shyly grinned, hiding her face away while shutting the door behind us. Closing that world away.


    Since this was the first day, of this week long curiosity, it was pretty much just settling in. There was nothing to do but take in the surroundings, get the lay of the land and make yourself home. So, I took quick stock of the room.


    It was a little more spacious than most of the hotels I had stayed in during my travels. And a whole lot cleaner, more cared for, than some. It had the same wood floors and walls as the lobby, except these walls were pickled in a mission-maple. A three foot high by eight foot wide window overlooked the mountains edge. You could just catch the sparkling ripples, of the far edge of the Hudson, and the street lines and buildings of the sporadic villages and towns in the country side beyond it.


    The bed situation was a bit odd. One was a single the other a double. They both had deep maple foot and headboards, down pillows and knit comforters. And, you could tell, plenty of stories.


    They had a certain creak.


    The bathroom was to the right, walking in. It''s door was at a complementary angle to the room. It was an odd shape, but I could see it in a future home.


    The decor was more of a country style bed and breakfast than that of a big box motel.


    It was the second time I felt positive about my decision to come to this place. It had that, after a hard days work, restful air to it. It was comfortable, warm, inviting.


    I was just about to ask which bed she wanted when I noticed her stuff on the single. ''Easy enough,'' I thought, as I placed her suitcase on the valet at the foot of her bed.


    "Thhhank yyyoou, Joe."


    "My pleasure, Em. You don''t mind being called that, do you?"


    "Nno. I llIike it. It''s," she softened, nostalgic to a memory, "fffammmiliar."


    I put my kit bag on the stand, by the wall near the double, tossed my duffle on the floor at the foot of the bed then turned to take in our view.


    And I see... Her... Looking out the window.


    The sunlight touched upon her face with softness. It chased the shadows from her neck and illuminated through her shirt, revealing the enticing curve and slope of a delightful set of breasts and the feminine fullness of a very smooth, sturdy stomach. She turned and caught me looking. Her expression didn''t change. It didn''t seem to me like it had registered what had caught my eye. She hesitated from breaking the contact. Then she coyed away, turning her eyes back to the glass, looking out with a genuine admiration.


    I turned my gaze out the window and I realized, a bit freudianly, "That sunrise! Is gonna be absolute tits."


    "Mmhmmm," She agreeably replied. A hint of amusement tittering her cadence.


    After a few, quiet, moments we let the enchantment fade and came back to our purpose, making ourselves at home and organizing our belongings, using our free time wisely. There was an orientation that started at eight. Til then, and after, we were on our own. Seven o''clock came and my stomach was rumbling.


    It had been four hours since I last ate, and that was just some beef jerky and a bag of chips shortly after we settled in, so I was starving.


    "You hungry, Em?"


    "A lll-ittle,"


    "Care to be my dinner date?"


    She gave me an odd look, nodded, with a slight tilt to the side, "Mmhmm."


    We went to the lobby and grabbed some food, from the team-builder''s table, took it outside and sat on a rock. We ate, more cordially than casual, sharing the view, listening to everything around us. The conversation was quiet and sparse. Mostly the getting to know each other banter. Without the first-date uneasiness. Or the empty need to impress. She was very well spoken despite the break in her speech. Her stutter was measured and lyrical. It was never unnerving, or off putting, to listen to. Interestingly enough, I found it had a cadence. A rhythm that made it a touch on the charming side. Enjoyable. Like it pleasurably, intermingled with my brain somehow. Kind of like when a certain, consistent, frequency of sound, like a stream or the cooing of a dove, sends a wave of calm through you.


    Her answers were short. Her questions, mostly just, "Yyyou?"


    Hums and eye movements were her real conversation. Her looks and shoulder gestures had a way of telling her story for her. She was warm, accepting and engaging.


    With a few minutes to spare we made our way to the orientation. After we found out what was planned for the week, no I''m not going to bore you with it, we left and headed on back to our room.


    I grabbed my camera bag and tripod, told her I was going for a walk and that if she cared to join me she was more than welcome. She gave me another probing glance. Not suspicious, but a bit puzzled. Then she picked herself up and got the door out.


    We walked to the end of the property, stopping by the head of a trail that seemed to fade out across the mountainside.


    I set my stuff up by an old rock wall, that looked like it could have been there since, well before, the Revolutionary War. She sat on the ledge. Her legs parted delicately, as much as the skirt would allow. Back turned sideways, looking out to the water, over her right shoulder. She looked like a woman with a lot on her mind.


    As the sky became more alive, in star speckled brilliance, the weight slowly lifted, the vision around her stole her focus. She was sitting perfectly still. Rapt in the scenery.


    I snapped some shots of the stars, the river, and the dotted town lights on the water''s other bank. I turned my camera in her direction and took some candids. Her silhouette, against the full force of a brilliant twilight sky.


    She noticed that I was taking her picture, blushed and shied away.


    "It was really nice imagery. The light up here just warms up the scenery. And you looked like you were at peace there. I''ll show them to you when we get back."


    "Ittts ohh-kay, I''m jjust nnot use, to theee the aaa-ttention."


    She didn''t hide, when I took a couple more. But she seemed to try and pretend it wasn''t really happening. Not in an uncomfortable way. Or even an, if I ignore it it will go away, way. More of an amused, why, sort of way. Intrigued, I guess you could say.


    We stayed in silence, while I gathered my equipment, then walked back toward our room. Stopping, to scent a name, or listen to a call.


    There was hickory, applewood and maple tones, coming from the kitchen, with a heavy pull of wood fired meat. There was lilac, a hint of mushroom and moss, the last remnants of rotting leaves, and the subtlest undertone of water weed.


    And the faintest hint of... horse shit.


    Owl. Frog. Deer. Bat. Cat. Coyote, maybe. No, that sounds more like somebody''s hound. "Hmm? That one sounded like... a cougar?"


    Hours had flown by without their normal beat and by the time we got back to our room it was late. We found our ways to bed and called it a day.


    "Joe."


    "Em."


    "Tthanks."


    "It was a pleasure. And, Thank You, too."


    "Mm-hmMM."

 C2 - Friday / {The Best Part Of waking up, Isnt鈥? <Or> (The One Who Made Herself Home)

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    C2 - Friday /


    {The Best Part Of waking up, Isn''t¡­} <Or> (The One Who Made Herself Home)


    ======================================================


    Karma is just fuel, it has no moral make up. It''s what you do with it that pushes it into the world as good or bad.


    Friday had come, rather easily. Pulling me from my slumber with a gentle tug.


    Emily''s bed was empty. The shower was running. Sunlight had started to chase the darkness and reawaken the shadows'' forms. I pulled on my shorts, stepped onto the hardwood, feeling its time worn warmth on the soles of my feet. I stretched and looked out the window to the east.


    A blinding arc, of shimmering, crimson brilliance, brought clarity to the once bleak horizon. Mist fleeted across the hills, dispersing slowly, undressing the world beneath. Golds, greens and blues reflected off the glistening water below. Painting the world, like the stained glass of the lobby painted the faces of my compatriots the day before, in shifting subtle tones.


    The curtain had risen. The play, was afoot.


    I heard a door open. Bare footsteps softly tread on the floor. I could feel her presence closing in. She stopped and stood next to me, near enough for me to feel the warmth of a fresh, hot shower emanating off her skin.


    "Hi."


    I turned to my left. "Morning to you too."


    Her eyes were partially closed to the brilliance outside. Her hair was tied back offering me a glimpse of her long, slender neck. It had a feline elegance and a swanlike grace. She stood right next to me in a long, white, plush robe. Her mouth slightly agape. We stood there in silent awe at the spectacle beyond the walls. Our arms brushed together and stayed touching until it was done.


    It was the only good part of the first half of the day.


    A day that was filled with games, and tests, and some, sharing exercises. It was boring as hell. And I still didn''t get what it had to do with anything but childish fun. This was summer camp crap. I did it as a kid. It just didn''t present the same glimmer of challenge any more. I looked at it, as one would a treadmill, you''re going nowhere, but at least your body''s moving. It was more than a chore to get through. Then, finally, after a few quick words from the coordinator, this endeavor was done.


    The rest of the day had begun.


    When I walked in our room, Emily was feet to the door, laptop in hand, glued to the screen with the same fiery eyes as the day before. She heard the door close and looked up.


    "Hi."


    "I see that look. Havin fun?"


    "Mmhm."


    "Well, don''t stop on my behalf."


    She smiled and went back to her hunt. She was tracking an evil, chaotic, demi-god of epic proportions. One misspelled word, one misplaced comma, one errant bracket, a colon instead of a semi. This prey was a shifty one and it liked to don many disguises. I know. I''ve tracked him a few times.


    My look though, was a bit colder. And, where I aimed to corner the demons with ice, she seemed to prefer to bring them to light, with fire.


    I was cleaning and polishing my third lens when she closed her laptop and stretched.


    "Joe."


    "Em."


    "Aare yYou hunngry?"


    "Forty five minutes after every meal."


    "Wowouuld Yyou..."


    "Yes."


    We made our way to the lobby, where the the Team Builders'' food cart was. It was pretty much just sandwich parts and Swedish meatballs. Just like the night before. The cold cuts were packaged, pre-sliced. The condiment packets told you exactly what was in them. Nothing more. Mustard, Mayo, Salt. Hot¡­ which wasn''t. I knew from yesterday. We wandered to the cafeteria and perused their wares. I bought a really tangy, very spicy sauce and a phenomenal fuckin mayo from the lodge''s dining room.


    Partway through my sandwich I seriously began to rethink my meal choice locations.


    "What do you think about grabbing lodge food tomorrow?"


    I was met with a very enthusiastic mouthful, "MMHmM."


    We ate with a quiet content until we were sated and stuffed. If they can make a simple seasoning that, when added to a beyond ordinarily bland meal, can make me actually enjoy it, I had to try their cooking.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    It seemed my partner in dine was of the very same mind.


    We went back to room 11 with a slightly more rural taste on our pallets. Time had sped passed us yet again and we found ourselves with nothing left to do but wind down and get ready to call it a night.


    I went to the bathroom, took a quick shower and slipped on my shorts. I guess she had changed real quick and hopped into bed. When I returned she was already under the covers. Lost in her laptop, with that intense, analytical glare. She was on another mission. You could feel it.


    I crawled under the sheets, took off my shorts and tucked them on the side. Then I opened up my laptop and sorted through the pictures, of my world, from the night before. I proofed through them fast.


    Just to see if anything caught my eye.


    Some were complete fucking garbage so I put them in the Flushables folder. Most weren''t bad. Some were Workables. Some were hmmm, I like that. One or two definitely made me smile. I looked to my right.


    She was locked in on that flickering screen, fierce. I decided not to derail that train. She appeared to be hot on the tail of her quarry. Showing her, could wait a little longer. Probably when something flicked me on the ear and said, ''Don''t you have a thing to do?''.


    After scrolling through the files, I decided an entertaining distraction was in order. I put a cd on the tray and settled in. I hit play and turned the volume low enough to greet my ears. I didn''t need to hear it, to know what was going on.


    A few minutes in, the theme song started to play.


    ''Take my love, take my land. Take me where I cannot stand.''


    I felt her perk up.


    ''I don''t care, I''m still free. You can''t take the sky from me.''


    She turned with a knowing, curious smile.


    "Fffffire-fly?"


    ''Take me out, to the black, Tell them I ain''t comin''...''


    "Yes Ma''am. I figured I had enough time this week to see it, and Serenity, one more time. Nothing chases boredom like some Big Damn Heroics. Not in my world anyway."


    "Cccan I wwwa-tch with, you?"


    "Mmhmm." (yes. I can speak it too, but it''s nicer to listen to coming from her.)


    She got out of bed. Stepped to the floor and stretched. And took my notice, yet again.


    She was wearing a white tank top and pink flannel shorts, both of which she filled out very nicely. Yes, she was a thicker girl, but there wasn''t an ounce of fat on her. She was more, warrior goddess thick. Drop Dead, Highlander, Farm Girl, Gorgeous, comes to mind. She had a presence with a softness and subtlety to her curves that drew me in. Her proportions were molded to a sculptor''s envy. What I guessed was a b-cup, under her oversized shirts, was a very nice, small, b-cup set of breasts. And they sat strong on her chest. Her nipples stretched the threads to fit their needs and shape. Her stomach was full, firm and flat, and her hips were pleasantly stalwart, giving way to enticingly, voluptuous legs.


    Even her toes were strong, long and lush.


    So were her fingers, but they were a little more toned and defined. There is beauty in many forms. And I''m one of those lucky bastards that doesn''t have a ''type''.


    She crossed the room and climbed onto the bed, unaware of the way she had my blood warming. I fluffed up the extra pillow and she leaned back against the headboard beside me. I went back to the menu hit start and turned the volume up a bit.


    During the first episode, with both of us reciting our favorite lines, she unconciously, casually, made herself a bit more comfortable. She settled lower. Her head made itself a home on my shoulder. Her stutter seemed to fade as the show went on. And when I noticed that, I also realized, she hadn''t stuttered once when she was reciting the lines.


    The wind outside slowly picked up in frequency, Sporadic rushes flexed the glass. The pressure all around us started to change. Mist formed patterns on the window. The air cooled. It started to rain.


    She twisted and stretched and I straightened out my arm. She rolled over a bit and curled into my chest. Her right leg, pressed easily over my thigh. My arm found its way around her back and over hers. My hand came to rest against her wrist.


    At the beginning of the second, two of my fingers stroked down her lower arm. She shivered and I felt her skin go bumpy.


    "Was that me or the cold?"


    "Mmmaybe a bbit of Bboth."


    I hit the pause icon, "Close your eyes."


    She gave me a look, studied me, then closed them tight. I slid from under the covers, got out of bed, grabbed her comforter, covered her with it, then made my way back to my side, and jostled under the sheets. She pulled the comforter over both of us. I hit play and continued the show.


    When the second episode came to a close, I got a flick, a nudge. I asked her if she wanted to see the pictures from the night before. She anxiously agreed. I started ACDSee, pulled up the photo folder and hit the view button. When we got to the ones that I had shot of her, she looked at me, and a smile hinted across her face. She asked if she could have copies, so I put them onto a cd and gave it to her. She placed it on the night stand and settled back onto me.


    "You know, you haven''t stuttered for close to an hour now."


    "Really?"


    "Yeah. Somewhere near the end of episode one it started to mellow. It was almost gone by the time that Mal brought the medicine¡­"


    (Spoiler Alert Check: needed, above nineteen. You rolled: a two, add Prof Mod: negative two?¡­ Seriously? Work on your stats. Sheesh)


    She smiled but stayed quiet. Studying her memories, recalling our conversation, putting together clues.


    I kissed the top of her head. I don''t know why. It just felt like the right thing to do at that moment. Like someone had put their fingers in my hair and gave me direction. And then scratched me behind the ear and said ''good boy''.


    If I had a tail you''d have heard a thump, thump, thump.


    She sighed, curled in closer pulling me tight. She was warm. So warm I could feel it make it''s way into my marrow.


    Funny, the things you remember.


    You could hear the leaves rustling with a slow build. Then quiet. A flash of light. A faraway thunder. More quiet. Another breezy chord. A screech. Raindrops. Heavy sprays against the glass.


    Her voice broke through the cacophony, resonating through my chest. "Can I get under the covers with you?"


    "You can. Want to hand me my shorts?"


    "Nnhnhn."


    Then, as if to even things up a little, she took off her tank top and climbed under the sheets. Nuzzling against me like this was her spot.


    Her body was soft, firm and calm. Her hair smelled like honey with a touch of green apple. She quietly hushed out a comfortable breath, then softly drifted. Her head nested under my chin. There was a short sigh of contentment. The cool trickle of what felt like a single moist droplet settled against my skin. Her breathing went steady and slow.


    I took her glasses off the top of her head, put them on the night stand, and watched her dream. Until this world slipped away from me, too. And the one she was already in, pulled me to it.

 C3 - Saturday / {The True Art Of War} <Or> (The One Who Took A Leap)

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    C3 - Saturday /


    {The True Art Of War} <Or> (The One Who Took A Leap)


    ======================================================


    The old west; was a priest with a pistol, and a nun with a hand gun.


    Sometime before Aurora rose, to herald her brother''s arrival, a shift of weight on the mattress charmed my eyes to open.


    She was looking down at me. Brushing the hair from my face. Her eyes were a deep dark brown with shining flecks of gold, that, even in this obscure ambiance, still had the presence to spark and flash. That was all that I could process, in the moment before the smile.


    "Hi.


    "Morning to you too. What time is it?"


    "Five fforty-five."


    I yawned and stretched. My whole spine cracked.


    Her eyes popped open.


    "What was that?"


    "Ungh. That. Is the spoils, of a very, misspent youth." And a rather tumultuous adulthood.


    "Do you nnNeed¡­ a mmmassage?" she asked shyly.


    "I would love one. Maybe tonight though. This early would make me drag all day. And only, if I could return the favor. I know what toiling over a computer can do¡­ Sound good?"


    She gave it a thought. A very quick thought.


    "Mmmhmm."


    I kissed her forehead. She shivered and lifted herself up higher, tempting me with both her stare and her breasts. Her areolae were a rich, dark chestnut color, between a quarter and a half dollar in diameter, with a slightly conical rise from her pale honey hued breasts. Her nipples were about as thick as my pinkie and at least a half inch in length. It was a deliciously visual combination of pleasing shapes and a savory, rich, hot chocolate desire. My mouth was watering.


    I reached to her face and she brushed her cheek into my palm and lowered herself closer. I raised my head. My lips were met halfway, with a hunger and a gasp. Our tongues danced. Our bodies melded and tempted a heat. I tested her boundaries and feathered a hand to her breast. She offered it back and teased my palm with her nipple. Pushing herself right into it. My other hand found a full, firm cheek. She drove herself into my leg harder. I felt her fingers stroke alongside my flesh and nervously wrap around me.


    Her eyes widened. She giggled.


    "It''s feels a lot bigger than it looked before."


    Then she realized that, not only had she said those words out loud, unbroken and perfectly clear, but, more importantly, that the object in question was undeniably obvious, and the blood began to rush. To her cheeks as well as what she was holding.


    I laughed. "That''s how mine works. I''m a grower not a shower¡­ Did you sneak a peak while I was sleeping?"


    "Nno."


    I got the feeling that she wasn''t lying.


    "I ssnuck a peak when you got the bblanket from my bed."


    I was right.


    Her cheeks flushed a deeper rouge but she didn''t look away. So, I returned the pleasure she had offered and pressed my lips back to hers. When the kiss reluctantly broke I looked into her deeply, "C''mon let''s go take a shower, we still got this... thing, to do today."


    "Gglad I''m not the only oOne who thinks this is¡­ mmm"


    "What the fuck were they thinking?"


    "Yeah, ththat too." she chuckled.


    It was the first time I heard her laugh, really laugh. Her face out welcomed the twilight outside with it''s sincerity and it''s warmth.


    We got out of bed. I turned her around, hugging her from behind while we watched the sunrise. She took my hands in hers and pulled one to her ribs, the other she held just under her breast.


    We took a nice, long, hot shower, pampering each other. We went and had breakfast. Sitting a little closer than the days before.


    Then we started the second day of, fun, games, and all the other things you did at these supposedly, productivity-enhancing-experiences.


    Those events ended at two. We had a couple hours, until the presentation, then we''d be on our own again. Thank G&G.


    Since we were on two different squads, I hadn''t seen much of her all day. She was already in our room by the time I returned. Her laptop was closed. She was back and shoulders to the footboard, looking out. Calm and gratified.


    I walked in, saw the clues and couldn''t help but smile.


    "You got it didn''t ya?"


    "Mmhmm."


    (Quest complete: One Demi-god has been dealt with. Brutally.)


    She seemed eager for some interaction, a celebration for fishing out a flaw in the code. So I decided to make a day of it. We had a late lunch, by the vegetable garden, with food purchased from the kitchen this time.


    The hamburger, actually tasted like it was once alive, and not dead on a shelf for weeks. I think there was a touch of venison in the mix.


    No more cart food for these two puppies. Hello, Granny May''s Kitchen. I made it almost two hours before I was hungry again. And that''s the difference between a chef, that pleases your palate, and a cook, that makes you widen your belt. The former, tries to garnish their reputation in taste and salt. The latter, fattens you up and satiates your hunger. With love.


    And this cook''s talent to sate, was serious.


    We walked around the property, exploring the places we hadn''t yet been. There were two barn like buildings, one medium, the other fairly big. There was a small house, whose porch faced the water. And a handful of trails that meandered their way in different directions through the wood. Picnic tables, fire pits, and even a few campsites were scattered around the grounds.


    I got a couple real nice shots of a turkey vulture sitting in a tree. They are ugly fucking birds. But they have a lot of character. Unlike their human counterparts, who are into death and pain and hatred, especially of their own making.


    Tucked behind the medium sized barn we found an indoor pool, housed in glass. It had shelves and shelves of flowers, plants and herbs, growing in troughs along the southern wall. It was warm to the point of humid. And it smelled absolutely incredible. She wanted to go swimming but she didn''t have anything to wear. As luck would have it the lodge had a small shop.


    So, we went shopping.


    Now, I can honestly say I really don''t get the whole, ''I''m stuck clothes shopping with the old lady'', bullshit. Watching someone, you think is stone cold fucking cute, put on an impromptu fashion show for you, because she wants to see your eyes before she buys. I always found there was something rather enjoyable and intimate to that.


    She nervously settled on a white two piece, with a wrap. I guess she liked the way my eyes widened as she held it up to her frame. It looked even better on her. She just gave it just the right fit, molding the threads to turn it into to something, native, enticing, imaginative.


    After a nice swim we laid out to get some sun. Then we grabbed a table out back and had some dinner. Coffee and Iced tea, fresh made, with a pinch of mint. Shepherd''s pie, Cobb salad, Fire roasted chicken, a slice of chocolate cake and a slab of apple pie. All of which was shared.


    I went to refill our drinks and when I returned, Jaime/Jeremy/Jiminy, whatever¡­ was in my seat.


    *Is he putting on the charm?* (that was my penis speaking. he has things to say in this, a couple of times. or more. and he makes a number of appearances, dependant on your contextual perspective, both physically, and just in my head.)


    I hesitated for about, half a second. I figured he was more her age, I was close to twice it. So¡­


    *No! Can that! Listen to your gut moron! Use your fucking eyes.*


    And, surprisingly, he wasn''t thinking with himself for a change, he was right. And we both agreed, this guy, was nowhere close to being the one. Eye contact can tell you an Odyssey.


    Her eyes, were withdrawn. Just like every other time she saw him.


    No, not quite right, not withdrawn, they were guarded. She was putting up her personal shadow. And this shroud was as black as she could muster.


    He asked her something quietly. I heard her stutter a return.


    "Em Emmm Emmmmily."


    His spine shook with a shiver of distaste. But that selfish, arrogant fuck kept on going.


    I walked closer to the table. It was time to put my back to the wall.


    She looked up. "HI."


    He puffed his chest.


    I smiled.


    Now, I don''t how it is that I somehow manage to come out with a win, on most occasions. I really don''t know where or even when I developed the patience. But I do it with a fairly decent percentage. When I have to come out with the tie, that''s where things get blurry. But it usually ends with them never wanting to come back. If they can still fucking walk. I refuse to fight fair, if someone decides to take it there. Especially if they''re twice my size.


    There''s only one rule. Survive. There''s only one way to get that win. And that''s to avoid it.


    "Hey. Thanks for keeping my seat warm and my company entertained."


    He whispered something to her and stood up. I sat down. He hovered. (so quaint)


    "Did you want a taste of the salad too? It''s pretty damn good you should try it." I took a bite. With a fork and a knife.


    She slid herself closer, slipped her arm around me and nuzzled her chin to my shoulder. I kissed her temple. She brought her lips closer to my ear.


    "Ththursday," she whispered, "he wwalked right by me and asked someone else to rrrRoom with him. Now he wwants to¡­ bbe with me?"


    I laughed. She looked perplexed.


    "Well, in his defense," I said, normal voiced, not hushed, "in this outfit, I want to fuck you,"


    Nothing, not a stir,


    "But then again, I kinda wanted to bang you when you first got on that bus."


    Now, I got the twitch. Her face went from perplexed, to shocked, and then morphed from curious into discerning.


    "What? There was just something about the way you made that nerdy, all business outfit move. It stirred me."


    She blushed and put her head in my chest. He finally caught the hint, and left.


    ''That''s a win, for Joe and a walk off win, even if he doesn''t know it, for Johnny/Jerrold/Jackass, whatever.''


    She mumbled something I didn''t quite hear.


    I gave her the same, ''What?'' eyes, that she gives me.


    "Do you, really want to?"


    "What?"


    "Do that."


    "Fuck you?"


    "Yes."


    "No¡­ Fucking is using someone like your hand. I just used that word to get under his skin. It''s what his kind understands. But I really, would love, to have sex with you."


    "Input required."


    "Define Parameters."


    "Why?"


    "Seriously?"


    "Yes."


    "You don''t know?"


    "No."


    "Because you''re a sweetheart, Em. You''re smart, you''re nice, you''re comfortable to be around. You talk with your face and your shoulders. And they are, incredibly, sexy shoulders. You''re warm and you smell wonderful. And, you know my favorite show probably better than I do."


    "I''ve never been with anyone that way."


    "Why not?"


    "Because I''m fat and ugly and I stutter." She cited them off like facts from a poll, one that was closed and tallied a long, long time ago.


    "Em, you are far from fat and you are very far from ugly. In fact you are quite pretty in a classically, timeless way. And even if you still stuttered around me, I''d be fine with that. I found it kind of endearing. I actually miss it a little."


    "But I am fat."


    "You''re not. At all. You''re a bigger girl. Full figured, but in a really nice way, a really solid way. A really healthy, sexy way. You, are a Dark Nordic, Druid Priestess from the Winterlands, with a propensity for fire magic."


    A squint.


    "I''ve watched you hunt your prey on that screen of yours."


    "Again, why?"


    "I''ll tell you what. Last time I had my camera, you sat for me. This time, walk with me. See yourself as my camera sees you. And I think you''ll be pleasantly surprised. And. If G&G see it, in their immortal sense of humor, to say, ''you can have, hmmmmmmmmmm, that one'', that''d be a bonus modifier."


    Another squint.


    I squinched back.


    "G&G?"


    "God and Goddess."


    "Input Received."


    "So what do you say?"


    "Walk through the woods. You take my picture¡­ Naked?"


    "Hmmmm."


    I thought about this seriously. Artistically. I''ve got somebody, built wonderfully, that''s willing to go through the chaos and the flow of it all. Curiously, I wanted to see, what second of time, I was lucky enough to capture. So, I was going for that capture.


    "How about... You leave this outfit on. No, leave the bottom half with the wrap, wear that white tank top, from last night. Put that black skirt and white blouse on top. We''ll start there. Then let me undress you along the way. If you''re uncomfortable let me know. We''ll stop¡­ I want you nude, not naked."


    "There''s a difference?"


    "Yes! A huge one. And it has very little to do with your state of dress."


    "Hmm? Explain please."


    "Okay. How''s this? You''ve been nudeish with me ever since the bench. Last night and this morning, when you were half undressed in bed with me, you were nudeisher."


    "They''re not real words."


    "You get the point."


    "Mmmhmm."


    "A few minutes ago, even with more clothes on, with shit brick over there, you were naked. He didn''t get that point."


    "So? uncomfortable: naked, and comfortable: nude?"


    "In the most basic sense, yes. But there''s more to it than that. It''s a mindset, a confidence, a nonchalance, a strength. If you''re naked you are bare to the world and vulnerable to it''s criticisms and judgments. It becomes a weight that eats at you. It''s a falsehood. But if you''re nude, well, that''s an art-form all of it''s own. So what do you say? When we get to our room, we catch a couple more episodes then we take a walk in the woods, have a little camera fun and see where this night takes us?"


    "Tonight?"


    "Why not. We''ll go to this presentation, just like we are. Then go back to our room and enjoy our evening. We did promise each other a massage."


    "I didn''t forget." she grinned.


    "Good. Oooh. Nude massage. How lucky am I?"


    "Will you be too?" She squinted.


    "Em, I will be nude as soon as we get back to the room, if you''d like.."


    "Can I undress you?"


    "I''d enjoy that."


    "Okay¡­ But can''t wwe get a little more dressed, bbbefore the presentation?"


    "Nah. Let''s go like this. Do your shadow scan thing. See how people react when you look to them the way you speak to me¡­ On the other hand, maybe we should¡­ They might not officially hire us if we show up like this. Might be too distracting. Or against some company policy bullshit."Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    "I''m not worried about that."


    "You''re not?"


    "Not really. I don''t like, this, much. You''ve bbeen the only one to get to know me, after hearing me speak. And this thing, is just¡­ silly. Do You?"


    "I haven''t really wanted to since they sprung this on me as a prerequisite. And a lot less after experiencing it and the school yard mentality most of these people share. If this is their idea of how a work place should flow. I might as well go back to cleaning toilets or painting houses. They were a lot more rewarding."


    "Then why did you come?"


    "I got a nudge. So I followed it. I figured I''d see what it was all about. I mean, what''s life, if not testing out new things, and experiencing what''s outside your wheelhouse? Besides, I knew the scenery up here was amazing. There''s more stars in the sky this far from the cities. And, if I wanted to bail, I have some friends up this way. The trip was free. The air is fresh. What''s to lose? Right now, I am really glad I listened."


    "Me too."


    "So, You wanna maybe, misbehave a little?"


    "Mhmh."


    When we arrived at the presentation most everyone was there. As it turned out, we weren''t the only ones in ''vacation by the sea'' attire either. I guess there wasn''t a memo. But we''d wait and see if there was one tomorrow. I scanned the room and just as I had surmised, many of the boys had a less than chivalrous gaze. Even some of the girls had looks. A handful with a hint of jealousy, one or two in flat out lust. Emily had started out with half her body pressed behind mine, incorporating me into a part of her shade, but by the time we all started to get seated, her posture was a little taller and her grip on my arm, a tad more sensual than supported.


    All because she took a key. And a big, motherfucking, leap.


    All I did, was give her a spot. And watch her take it.


    She kissed my shoulder and started massaging my back with her breast. I think she was spelling out thank you. I love her silent communications. I rubbed back a you''re welcome.


    I was learning¡­ As I went.


    The meeting? It was nothing more than a, "Look At How Great We Are", smoke show, than anything of real substance. Most of our fellow recruits seemed to eat it all up. It just made me, even Less excited about the prospect of working with them. I think Emily thought I was fading half way through. Which I probably was.


    No. Not old age.


    Boredom. Tedious, mind numbing boredom. Ennui.


    She grabbed my thigh and gave me a squeeze. I sat up, all attentive like, then leaned a little closer. THAT, caught the curiosity of a couple of the ring leaders on the podium. One in particular gave me ''the glare''. If only she knew. Honey, I''ve had knives at my throat, guns in my face. I''ve had bullets pass just a few feet over my head and lot''s of other, fun things, happen in my life. Your little facial display of superiority and contempt is... whimsical. To say the least.


    Thankfully, that shit show wrapped itself up earlier than planned. Since most of the people just ate this load of mind addling crap up the Q and A session was non existent.


    We left the meeting and walked back to our room pressed into each other, arms around each others back .


    "Well, that was boring as fuck."


    "Are all companies like this?"


    "Not in my day. Most of the places I worked for, told you things, about the direction they wanted to go, they asked you questions to see how you could help, or if you thought you''d be a fit for each other. There was a back and forth banter. This just seemed like they were bragging about, what a great place they are to work for and, how lucky YOU are to be the Chosen Few."


    Someone was standing by the front desk, at the corner that marked the beginning of our hall. Leaning against the wall of the office. Thinking. Watching everything. Her eyes strayed on us. They viewed us like we were a trailer for a new movie.


    Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You.


    She was on my team but as of yet we hadn''t really had any social interaction. She narrowed her focus. She knew we could feel her looking. But she watched anyway.


    "It was a lilittle cultish. Wasn''t it?"


    "Just a touch."


    "Still, I can see the appeal, for sssome people my age. Fantasy video games, She-ra and He-man. Transss-formers. World of Warcraft. Most people I''ve been around, have a very self entitled view of things."


    "Yes! More and more of them think they have a destiny that they don''t need to prove themselves to acquire. But, Em, you grew up with the same and you seem to have a foothold in reality. I grew up with Tolkien, Brooks, Greco-Roman Mythologies, Judeo-Christianity, The Gods and Goddesses of Egypt, Star Wars, Star Trek, Dungeons and Dragons."


    "You played D&D?"


    "Since it first came out. Still do on occasion. Now more than then actually."


    "And yet, the appeal of being chosen doesn''t pique your interest?"


    "Look, If I went around saying I was Emperor, because some moistened bint lobbed a scimitar at me, they''d put me away."


    "Oh. You Did Not," her eyes perked up, she got a mischievous look, "How do you know so much about swallows?"


    "Well, you have to know these things when you''re a king, you know."


    We got to our door laughing. She caressed herself around me, put her back to the door and gently leaned me into her.


    I brushed my forehead along hers.


    The red haired girl down the hall was still watching.


    "And there''s another reason to add to that list, of why I really want to have sex with you."


    "Ni." She smiled brighter.


    "Tease."


    She slid her hands up my waist, around my back, up to my shoulders, and pulled me in tighter. Her kiss was passionate, tender, giving. I slid my hands under her bikini bottom and grabbed two handfuls of flesh. Her ass was warm and firm and homey. She breathed in deep with a start and her skin went bumpy. She arched her back, and pressed her abdomen into my crotch. I found my key, mid buss, and pressed it to the lock. With a twist the door opened and we sidled inside. The teaser, our watcher was enjoying, came to a close. The curtain drawing shut as the door swung slowly behind us.


    Thunkclick.


    Now, my back was against the door.


    She had me trapped.


    There was no escaping her.


    She backed away a few inches and put her fingers to my waist band and hesitated. I pulled at the string and undid the knot. Slowly and anxiously she slid the shorts down my leg, enjoying every inch of bared skin with anticipation. When she got them to my knees she let them drop, eyeing my half hard flesh, with curiosity and want.


    "Can I?"


    "I''ll tell you what, why don''t we pretend like we''ve been lovers forever, and not ask, just do."


    "Mmmhm."


    She gripped my shaft and raised it straight up then pressed her face up to it, barely brushing her lips against the edge. I twitched. She absorbed the input with a surprised giggle and an investigative hum. She was studying it. Watching it react to her fingers and touch. Learning a different kind of keyboard and the way this new system operated.


    Her lips were soft and hot. I felt the moist, warmth of her breath on my base. A coolness shivered through me when she exhaled. She stuck out her tongue and tasted me.


    Tiny, testing licks teased just under the crown. A warm, wet, encompassing friction surrounded it''s entirety and slowly slid down. She stopped and watched my eyes. The corners of hers rose. She slid up, then back again, further.


    I motioned to her with my fingers in her hair and gently invited her away and up.


    "We have all night to enjoy that. Let''s make it fun. C''mon. There''s another two episodes to get through."


    We sat on my bed, my back to a pillow against the headboard. Our legs under the covers. She nestled between mine using them like armrests. I teased her neck with my teeth, she teased me back with her ass.


    Halfway through the second episode of the night, my hand tickled it''s way up her inner thigh and slid along the cloth covering her mound. It was humid and hot in that sensitive place. Her thighs parted and she pushed back, into my touch.


    She moaned as I slid my hand through the fabric, pressing it enticingly into her slit. She sucked at the air when I grabbed her breast. Pushing herself into my palm.


    When the show finished, I put away my laptop, threw on a pair of jeans and an almost see through Bike Week tee. That fucker was faded and worn, but was as comfortable as all the years we had seen together.


    I helped her put on that oversized shirt, one button done, right between her breasts, the bottom pulled around and buttoned in the back. The black skirt, unzipped down the side, tied at the bottom, around her left ankle. Cutting a dark, angular swatch, slightly askew, across both her legs and the white wrap. This was the same exact outfit she wore the first day. Only now, all she needed was a sword and a bow to claim her rightful place in Themiscyria. I grabbed my camera and we went out side.


    We found a path along the western ridge and followed it to the top. There was a small clearing with flowering trees and bushes. The sun was soon to be perfect. I got out my equipment and sat in the grass.


    While I was setting up she leaned on a rock, the size of a sleeping bear. Propped up by her elbows. Getting lost in a scene that you could walk for days. She told me about all the things she was seeing. A wasp and a spider engaged in combat. An eagle carrying a fish, a deer, cars across the water. Sail boats winding their way through the river. Tugs hauling cargo.


    And somethings, yet to be defined.


    "What''s this?"


    "What''s it look like."


    "It''s colorful, shiny, it has a long, thin, metallic looking body, it''s a stunning shade of shiny metallic green, with blues and reds. Four long, transparent wings and huge eyes, on a very big head."


    "Sounds like a Dragon fly."


    "Pretty. Do they sting?"


    "Sting. No. They don''t have a stinger. They''re pretty much harmless. They might bite, if you really piss them off, but even if they did, you''d barely feel it."


    She held out her hand. It flew away, hovered, darted left to right, then it felt and sought out her warmth, and landed on her thumb. She studied it until it spied another of it''s kind and flew away.


    While she was watching the sky and checking out the fauna, I snuck a couple shots of her. I unbuttoned her shirt and repeated the sneak. By the time that I had removed her skirt she had caught on to me. But she just kept enjoying the view and ignored the lens and attention. Even when she was looking right at me while we talked, she looked through the lens right into my eyes. She was a little nervous, when I took off her top, leaving her breasts exposed. But we were fairly hidden. Besides the sticks and leaves would give us ample warning of anyone approaching. Especially city kids.


    After a few minutes the sun crossed that threshold. The Golden Hour had arrived.


    The shadows and filtering of colors, through leaf and limb, created a surreal landscape on her skin. Tinting her in green and gold. I walked over to her and poised her against a tree, then knelt before her and slowly teased her panties off. Leaving the wrap. The waning sunlight glistened off her wetness. She gasped when I blew on her exposed, dark, pink flesh. I breathed her in and felt myself stir, getting uncomfortably harder.


    She was intoxicating.


    I slid my hand up the back of her leg and put a firm suckling kiss right on her hooded flesh. She bucked up and into my mouth. I looked up to her face and her smile was bright, framed in flush. Her eyes were watered with desire and delicious anticipation.


    I backed up and pointed out some flowers on some trees. Then I sat back and watched her experience the beauty all around her. Snapping a few more candids until the sunlight was gone. I dressed her slowly. Worshiping her body with my lips and fingers. Her essence was embedded in my skin and my senses long before I was finished.


    She put her hand down the back pocket of my jeans and we walked back to the lodge.


    We went to the front desk, got a menu and ordered room service. I got an ear itch and borrowed their phone. Paid the five bucks and made a couple calls.


    "Checking up on things at home?"


    "Nah. Like I mentioned before I have some... friends... up here. Since, the next couple of days we''re pretty much done by four, I thought I''d see if I could borrow a means of exploring the area. There''s a waterfall, not far from here and a nice swimming hole too. I figured we could enjoy some time away from these confines. If you''d like to join me."


    "Can we get one of those cheap barbecues and have a cook out?"


    "We can do that. Or we can do something better."


    The old lady, that handled room service, was knocking at our door, just as we came around the corner. She was grandmotherly kind, and countrified nice. We chatted a bit, then she said her good byes, with the hope that we enjoyed our meals. We pushed the cart inside, then slowly undressed each other and sat down on our bed to eat.


    We had fresh brewed iced tea and coffee with country fried steaks and hash browns. It was delicious decadence, in creamy, thick gravied richness. I can still feel the way it worked through my soul.


    When the meal was finished we freshened up with a shower. Washing each other, under the warm spray, like we were paying homage to our very own deities.


    I flopped on the bed, face down, and waited. She knew what I was after, so she just climbed over me and straddled my upper legs.


    Her hands worked a much needed respite into my back, and down. There was a caring to her touch, that soothed it''s way into my knots and burned them away. She had me roll over and worked her way up. Smiling when I flexed because she hit upon a pleasurable nerve. When she was done I pulled her down to me, and we kissed and groped and turned things up higher. Until I got my strength back.


    "Your turn."


    I rolled out from underneath her. She relaxed. Face down, right into the warmth where I had just been.


    I repeated the course she had done to me. A little slower and a bit more practiced. When I got to her ankles. I had her roll over and proceeded to massage her right foot. Somewhere along the line I hit a spot that caused her to gasp. So I pressed again. A little firmer. Her legs spread a little wider and her butt rolled into the mattress.


    ''This could be fun,'' I thought.


    Once more and her back rose, her eyes went wide. I kept teasing it and kneading it. Her breath became labored. Her face got a strange, almost panicked look.


    "Can someone??? Uh Joe? I think I''m gonna... Oh shit Joe!"


    I decided, right then and there, to do something I''d never done before. But I figured, what the hell, she''s enjoying this, let''s see if we can add to the pleasure. And it was THERE, looking like it wanted it. So, I took her big toe in my teeth. And gave it a nibble. Just as I pressed both my thumbs into that nerve that was giving her so much chaos.


    I pushed in, right were the arch and the ball meet, then up, deep and slow.


    She let out a long, low moan and her body started to twist. Her lips grew thicker, shinier and parted. I could see a translucent line slink it''s way down the inner curve of her ass. The more I teased with my teeth and thumbs, the more she contorted and the wetter she got. She pushed herself up by her elbows, her hands balled up in the sheets. She was moaning and shaking. Her eyes were glued to mine. One more tease and her head rolled back. And she came.


    Fucking Hard.


    Her body went taut, her other leg shook and trembled. Even the one I was holding with both hands threatened to break free from my grip. The wetness between her legs was undeniably growing. Her stomach rippled and her breathing stopped. She gasped once more then pleaded, "No more¡­ Too much."


    I pressed a couple more times but lighter. She jumped and twisted and squealed and giggled, then I stopped and gave her her peace. Her breath was laboured. Her entire body had a pinker hue, her forehead and neck were a bright, rich red. She laid there, just staring at me with wide wild eyes. And very sweat glistened skin.


    I moved up to her.


    "You okay in there?"


    She grabbed me and threw me on my back, kissing me with a hungry fire.


    I could feel the slickness of her lips and the bump of her clit grinding against my steeled flesh. Her tongue sucked the breath right out of me. I felt her hand grip me. Sizing up my metal. Her breasts rubbed my chest as her ass rose up, she angled me to her and brushed me between her folds. Her heat encompassed my head. Then with one solid thrust she pushed herself around me.


    Her eyes got wide and she grimaced. Her body tensed and those soulful brown eyes watered up.


    She settled herself against my stomach.


    I reached up and brushed a drop from her cheek. She smiled, brought her lips to mine, and just stayed there. I held her until the pain subsided. She started kissing me softly. Then slowly, with a need, she ground her hooded nub into my skin. The circular grind soon became a back and forth urgency. She was purring and growling in my mouth.


    (the growling might have been me. all the sounds felt like they were coming from one throat)


    I could feel her tightness milking at my core. Everything around me was hot, wet and flexing. Her fingers dug into my back and my ribs.


    She was hovering.


    And tensing.


    Her movements became purposeful, passionate and rhythmic. Soft hungry lips left my mouth and found their way to my neck. Her teeth gently bit into a tender spot at the back of my jaw. She was finding spots and waking them up.


    I rolled us over and she wrapped herself tightly around me. I leaned in and pulled her butt up to my thighs, feeling my abdomen against the swell of her sex. Her bushiness entangled with mine. I pulled out to the edge and slowly teased in.


    She rolled herself up and took me. Deeper.


    "Oh frack Joe, I think¡­ I''m gonna...."


    I increased my speed. Her whole body surrounded me, in. A warm wetness smoothed its way down my legs. Her body shook. Her fingers tightened their grip.


    "...cumming."


    That was all I needed. I just let it all go.


    I quickened my pace and her body vibrated through me, around me, as she tightened her grip on my back and lost control. I pulsed and drove hard. Exploding inside her as she shook and moaned and found my mouth again. I collapsed on top of her.


    Re-energized, yet totally spent.


    Every single one of my nerves was on alert. We laid there, exhausted and disheveled. Connected. Until the last of my blood was returned to the rest of me. As I slipped from inside her we both gasped. I rolled off her and she curled over and onto me.


    After a couple of minutes, of heavy breathing and sighs, we finally recovered our wits.


    Sort of.


    "Holy fuck," I gasped.


    She giggled. I looked into her eyes and we both burst into laughter.


    "I haven''t cum that fast, or that hard, in a long time."


    "Well we have kinda been teasing each other since last night."


    "True. Still that was hmmm. I need a drink. Water?"


    "Yes, please."


    I went to get up. My legs weren''t having it.


    "Gimme a couple, I''m still a bit..."


    "Wobbly?"


    "Yeah, that definition will more than suffice."


    She pulled me up to her breast, took my hand and held it against my stomach. She kissed the top of my head.


    "Thank you."


    "For what?"


    "Making my first time special and fun. And enlightening."


    "Enlightening?"


    "Mmhmm. I didn''t know a foot rub could do that."


    "Neither did I and I''ve given a few."


    "I could tell. You have firm, patient, and very caring hands."


    "Practice, practice, practice."


    "Lot of women?"


    "No not really. When I was teens early twenties, I tried banging everything I could. But I learned fast that, being with someone you actually give a shit about, made everything so much more enjoyable. So unless I liked you, and wanted to spend time with you, it wasn''t any better than jerking off. And it wasn''t worth the emptiness, or the shit feeling that I used someone for my pleasure, afterwards. Since then, there''s only been a handful of relationships. Even so, only two of them enjoyed, and needed, foot massages. One was a ballerina, the other a bartender."


    "That''s it? Just two?"


    "Hmm? Oh. No. You do know how I got this job don''t you?"


    "Yes! You were a photographer for another magazine."


    "I photographed strippers, stage shots mostly."


    "Input received."


    "That''s were I got most of the practice. It started, I guess, because I wasn''t like most of the ''professionals'' those girls had met. My boss used to get complaints about the other photographer, her partner. And the two that came before me. But I was friendly, without being a completely selfish douche-bag. I joked, I teased but I wasn''t there to get laid. If it was offered and I really liked her, I wouldn''t have turned it down. But for the most part, I just did my shit and moved on. I was working, not in a bar cruising for pussy. Because of that, the girls didn''t mind shooting with me again. On a return shoot, when they switched clubs and I happened to have a gig there, or if they became headliners and needed an ad, or even for their own portfolio or publicity stuff. And I became familiar to a few. A respected acquaintance of sorts. One day one of them told me, her feet were killing her, so I offered, she accepted and¡­ shit."


    "Shit?"


    "Yes, shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! I just had a revelation. I could have made a decent second income on all the times that followed. Oh well. Hindsight."


    "I know I would have paid for that. Even without the orgasm."


    "Thank you. So, that really was your first time?"


    "Mmhmm."


    "Well, I am honored. Did I do a passable job?"


    "Mmmmhmm."


    "Nice." I kissed her chin, "How are you feeling, down there?"


    "A little sore. It burns. A lot, where it tore. But it also feels good, around it."


    "Well if it still hurts later I can kiss it, to try and make it feel better."


    "I''m going to hold you to that."


    "Please do. I love the way you taste."


    She turned beet and kissed my cheek.


    I gathered my strength, put on some clothes, and went down to the cafeteria, to get us some water and juice.


    She was napping when I got back.


    Comfortably on her stomach. Over the covers. Facing away from me. Her left leg was straight, her right bent outwards slightly and curved back inwards. Her left arm was arched under one pillow above her head and her right was stretched out over another where my chest had been. Her right breast was pressing out from under her ribs, tucked in the space beyond her side and the pillows edge. I got my camera and took some shots from different angles, got undressed and crawled into bed with her.


    She stirred and hummed.


    "Mmmmm," a stretch, "Hi."


    "Sorry, didn''t mean to wake you."


    She rolled onto her back, "Mmmm, that''s okay I just needed a nap."


    "I got some water and orange juice."


    "Orange juice sounds great, if you wanna share."


    "I would happily, but I got two of each, re-energize and re-hydrate."


    "How long was I out?" she asked in between sips.


    "Half hour maybe. Let''s see. About five, ten minutes to get dressed, go to the cafeteria and come back, then about fifteen, twenty minutes of camera fun, so yeah about that."


    "Mmmh, this is good¡­ What did you take pictures of?"


    "You¡­ Yeah it is."


    "You took pics, of me sleeping?"


    "Yep. Wanna see them? Oh shit! We still haven''t seen the ones from outside yet."


    "We did get a little distracted."


    "Just a little."


    I pulled the card from my camera, slipped it into the USB adapter, connected it to my laptop and pulled up the folder. I found the first pic from earlier.


    "Now, seriously, try and look at these like you''re looking at ''this girl''s'' portfolio. It''s not you, just some model," then I turned the laptop to her view.


    She studied them in quiet. Smiling now and then, "You''re pretty good, they have an Ancient Grecian feel."


    "Thanks. It helps when the model is beautiful, and even more so, when she''s comfortable and beautiful."


    "I''m not beautiful."


    "Really? Hold on a sec. Let''s compare. Let me find¡­"


    I scrolled through the next few pics, taking my time doing it. "...Where is, she?¡­" Then I got to one of her totally undressed. It was in the first group of the shots by a tree with a flower. The eighth shot in the Goldielocks zone. She was completely disrobed. Her body was complimentarily askew. Her hands where above her head. Her back was bent to the right as she stretched to the sky, with both hands barely touching. She was relaxed. Sighing a breeze into her limbs. Feeling that cool release down her spine. Just as a breath was starting to leave. "¡­ There. Here''s someone I shot very recently. Close your eyes."


    She did and I turned the screen towards her.


    "Take a look and tell me what you think of her."


    This was a completely different composition to the images before. Dark rocks and boulders in clarity, became trees and colors in leafy brushstrokes and patterned lines. Everything looked different even she looked different.


    She looked the image up and down, even traced the lines of her ass on the screen. "She''s very..."


    She just stared at the face, and studied it hard. Like she was trying to convince herself, it wasn''t, it couldn''t be. When she turned to me, she had a softness and tears in her eyes.


    "Keep going."


    She went pic by pic studying everyone with a different eye. Then, she got to the ones on the bed. Lines of emotion slicked their way down her cheek, ending with a single drop falling from her chin. Only to be replaced, slowly, by another.


    She turned and looked in my face.


    "They''re beautiful."


    "Yeah you are. And Now, you see you as I do."


    She stared back at the screen.


    "Thank you."


    "No. Thank you! That''s some of the best imagery, I have ever, had the pleasure to capture."


    She put the lap top on the night table and leaned back into me, staring at the photo on the screen. Letting it sink in. Until the screen went dark.


    She turned to me and kissed me with beholden lips. They were soft and sweet, salty and passionate.


    We wrapped each other up and drifted off. Together.

 C4 - Sunday / {How boring is your fucking day, if鈥? <Or> (You Requested A Cook Out?)

    ======================================================


    C4 - Sunday /


    {How boring is your fucking day, if¡­} <Or> (You Requested A Cook Out?)


    ======================================================


    Might makes right - Only when the right are the mighty.


    I woke up the next morning to pink. Everything was pink. The thought, ''Mini stroke'', came to mind. For a second or two.


    Have you ever heard the phrase, ''Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky at morning, sailors warning.''? Well, that only holds true, IF you are traveling toward the east, AND all the storms, you''d ever encounter, were traveling west. That''s not the way life works. Everything swirls and twirls and spirals. It''s all vortexes and waves. The only thing that runs a straight line, is our perception of time. And even that can get¡­ Fuzzy, here and there.


    Especially the late seventies, early eighties, but all I hear I missed was disco.


    Now how''s that for a trainload of thoughts first thing in the morning?


    And then, I became aware, that dawn had entered the day.


    I could feel the thunder brewing in the distance. And another pressure growing in very close proximity. There was a warm, wet, pressure, around a very hard member of my immediate family.


    I looked down and saw dark hair, draped across the sides of my stomach. It was flowing, like black water on my skin. Gliding up and back as her head rose up and then slipping back down as she took me back in. She felt me stir and looked up. Those flecks in her irises sparkled with a different light. Their normal gold flicker struck me with the subtle hue of Black Hills'' Rose.


    She smiled with her eyes. It was a devious sight.


    Watching myself, slick in and out of her mouth while she hungrily teased, was a very, very, very, nice wake-up call. She kissed her way up my body to my lips.


    "Hi."


    I didn''t get the reply out before her mouth was on mine.


    When she finally came up for air I greeted her back. "Morning, to you too."


    "I hope you don''t mind."


    "Mind? If I had gotten up first, you''d have been on the receiving end of that."


    "Hmmm, I may have to sleep in late tomorrow."


    "What time is it anyway?"


    "Time to take a shower and go do the silliness."


    "Fuck me."


    We were a little late to the festivities. A shower, that should have taken less time than it would take for two to shower separately, ended up a little longer than the combination of our norms. Thankfully, others were later than we were, so nobody gave us any shit. Yay us. She was actually the first one for her crew to arrive. I was second to last for mine.


    And still, this day was just as fucking boring as the last two. But you knew that, by the way that this was going.


    The only fun I had was with Pamela. The girl that watched us walk down the hall after the presentation. She was this stringy little strawberry blonde. She was borderline anorexic, but toned. And she filled out her shirt, rather disproportionately. Almost comically.


    I was bound with her for the three-legged race. We devastated the competition. We took our time, taking big steps, with her calling out a cadence of ''outside, inside''. It wasn''t even fair. The closest pair, in any of our races, wasn''t even at the last turnaround when we looked back over the finish line.


    *How boring is your fucking day, if you''re bragging about winning a family-funday race?*


    Emily, that poor girl got paired with a meathead. He tried dragging her through the course. I felt sorry for her. But her spirit seemed untarnished at the end of it all.


    After we got back to our room we sponge bathed and teased each other for a bit. I took out my lenses and popped on my frames.


    Think Wild Thing Ricky Vaughn, without the skulls¡­ Yet.


    "Why are you wearing glasses?"


    "You. Are about to find out."


    "Contacts?"


    "Yeah. They work better for the camera. And they don''t give life that fishbowl feel."


    "I can''t wear them. Something about my irises. But I only need correction for real far away. That''s why these are always on my head when I''m reading or working."


    "Have you got jeans?"


    "Mmhmm."


    "You might wanna wear em."


    (Suspiciously Eyeballed: Achievement - Unlocked)


    A few minutes later we arrived outside at the front of the hotel. About half the others were there waiting for the lodge shuttle to go to the general store. We were almost in the lot when I heard the sweet sound that I was waiting for. Half a minute later three Harleys and a beat-to-shit van, with a trailer on the back, pulled up and came to a stop.


    Emily looked at me with ''what the fuck'' eyes when I took her by the waist and made a casual beeline.


    The others backed away from the din. Some with trepidation, others with full-on fright. When the bikes shut down, you could have heard a feather hit the grass.


    The biggest, ugliest, one of the group looked at me and just grunted. "Wolf."


    "Tank."


    He rose up off the bike, and kept rising.


    "Tank, Emily. Emily, Tank. That''s Meat and Wifey over there, and that''s Big Frank. Big? Is that a sporty? What happened to the wing?"


    "Goldie''s fine. You were right though. These things get great mileage and are so much better on the tight windies than the goldie. She''s still my touring ride, but locally this girl is just fine." He leaned to his right, "And she likes the way it sits. Beccah, Wolf and..."


    "Emily."


    "Hi."


    "Nice to meet," I looked at Tank, "Dude, you''re stepmom''s gonna be half your age."


    "Mmmphf," Tank took a step forward and grabbed me like a rag doll, "Missed you fucker."


    "Missed you too Sasquatch. Where''s Thundera?"


    "Chaser."


    The door to the beater opened and one cowboy boot slipped into view. Then another. And then the door closed. And there she was. Thor''s, motherfuckin, twin sister. Six feet of cut and sculpted density, in jean shorts and a cut-off tee, A shirt that I kinda felt sorry for and wouldn''t mind having been at the very same time.


    "Well, if it isn''t the Skinny Scary Wolf."


    "Little Red. You''re still with the gargoyle eh?"


    "Yeah you know how it is with stray dogs, they follow you home, you feed em and clean em and¡­"


    "The next thing you know, they''re sleeping on your bed," we both mused.


    She wrapped me up and my head almost disappeared in her chest.


    "Sam as much as I would love to die right here, you''re breaking my ribs."


    "Oh please you love it. Who''s this? She''s cute."


    "Em, Sam. Sam, Em."


    "Nice to meet you Em."


    "Nnice to mmeet yyou too, Sam. Ggorgeous."


    Emily''s face, rushed.


    "You''re a bit of beauty yourself."


    "Wolf, what''s with the civs?" Meat chimed.


    "Team Building Excursion."


    "Seriously?"


    "Yepper."


    "Come on let''s get outta here," Sam chuckled, "these kids look like they''ll need a diaper change we hang out any longer."


    She led us around to the back of the van and sitting on the trailer was a slightly chopped sporty, with a fat bob tank and baby apes. It was polished flat black, with black cut off pipes, and a deep brown, leather king and queen seat, that ended in a mid-back, padded rest. The scroll work in gold, resembled a horse, birthing out of a fire.


    "?That''s Taz''s ride. I thought I was getting Tricks old beast."


    Meat handed me the keys, "Trick''s riding around Can-ayda, Taz is in Kuwait, three months left in his tour. We all take turns keeping her from dying from loneliness. As per his request. Its your turn, mother fucker."


    "Who dinged the fender?"


    "His dummass little brother. Which is why, we''ve been given this quest, to keep it out of his hands."


    After the bike was rolled off the trailer Meat handed me a helmet then handed Emily hers.


    "I''m-m ga-going onn thhhthat?"


    "Yes ma''am," Meat replied.


    "Bbbut I dow-nt know hahow to."


    "For you. It''s easy. All milady has to do, is keep her back straight, and not fall off." He said it with a flourish.


    "You still doing that renaissance gig?"


    "Hell yeah bro, the pays good, the times are good, and the women are fine."


    "And they don''t mind showing some titty at the end of the day." Wifey chimed.


    "Still a bit of a perv eh Lane?"


    "A bit? Don''t insult me. I was a paid professional. Just like you. Get your skinny ass over here and give me a hug, Fuzznuts."


    "Love it when you talk dirty Lane."


    After the last hug broke and the final introductions given, I saddled in and kicked up the stand, turned the fuel flow on, turned the key, twisted the throttle and hit the button. So did the other three. The crack and rumble, that resounded when all four bikes started up, shook the windows at the lodge''s entrance. I''m pretty sure it filled up some of those hypothetical diapers too.


    Emily, hesitantly, slid into the seat behind me.


    "He''s right you know. All you need to do, is hold onto me. And make like your back, is part of the bike. Don''t lean, or make sudden movements, just relax, hold on, and go with it. If you don''t like it, I''ll pull over, you can ride with Sam."


    (anybody, who has ever conversed with someone else on a motorcycle that was running, especially a harley or an indian, just read that, a little bit louder, than you who have not)


    "Okay." she timidly replied.


    I could still feel her shaking, so I gave her a quick kiss.


    "Lean forward a bit. Stick your crotch in the seat."


    She did and I revved the engine.


    Her eyes went wide, "Oh."


    "Yeah, if you get nervous, just do that, til it passes," I said. With the same devious look she had sported first thing that morning.


    I pulled in the clutch lever, kicked the sporty down into first, eased the throttle and released the clutch, in a slow, smooth, motion. I felt the grab. She rolled onto the black top like a breeze on the water. A few more feet, Ahhh, there''s her balance.


    God, I missed that.


    Forty two minutes later we pulled up this dirt road, that broke into a clearing by a pond.


    Emily had this calm yet energized look in her eyes. She stretched and breathed in deep. Her arms wrapped snugly around me.


    "When you said you were getting us transportation for a couple days. This was Not what I expected, at all."


    "How''d you like it?"


    "Scary. But amazing."


    "Yeah it is. And if your really, really lucky, it never fucking changes."


    Sam pulled in with the chase truck and we unloaded the grill and the coolers.


    "You asked for a cook out. This good enough?"


    "Mmmhmm."


    Once the fire was started and all the prep work finished, we all stripped down to nothing and jumped into the


    "Ice!


    Mother!


    Fucking!


    Cold!"


    water,


    "Fuck! A warning woulda been nice. The last time I was here this pond was almost warm."


    "Shit bro. The last time you were here we didn''t have the same winter. And it was midsummer. This year was a cluster fuck. There''s still snow in the pile up in my yard. And some on the ridge by the falls."


    Emily had been hesitant at first, but when she realized that it was natural for this crew, she joined right in. When she broke the surface she was in shock. Her nipples looked painfully taut. They were about a quarter inch longer than their excited state and their skin had an overstretched sheen. Her arms were wrapped around herself so tight, I swore her hands touched at her spine.


    "Fa fa fa fareezing."


    She had goosebumps everywhere, but then again we all did. She wasn''t the only one stuttering either. She suffered through it though. And she looked like she enjoyed it as well.


    When we had enough, of this uncomfortably, energizing refreshment, we made our way back to the towels and the heat. We put our pants on, grabbed some beers and warmed up by the grill. The sun was warm so nobody bothered with shirts, not even Em. The steaks and potatoes smelled like heaven on that apple-wood fire.


    They tasted even better on the tongue.


    After we ate we took the coals from the grill and put them in the pit, amidst some scattered logs we had foraged by the treeline. The fire was warm enough that we had to sit five feet away, by the time the sun was even thinking about setting. Emily was stretched up against me, her bare back against my chest, staring at the twi-night sky. Her hair smelled like spring water and wind.


    We caught each other up and joked and talked about the future. We reminisced and planned and remembered those that we lost, to some cause or another. When the boys got up to load up the truck, I joined them. The girls stayed behind to chit chat.


    Samantha took my spot next to Emily on a log.


    "So how did you meet Joe?"


    "We mamet on Thhursday at this ss sstupid thing."


    Meat gave me a look, while we tore down the grill, "My sister stutters like that."


    "Still?"


    "Yeah."


    Travis'' sister was nine years old when her innocence was stripped from her, along with the propensity for steady speech. If watching her best friend get hit by a car wasn''t bad enough, she also had to lay witness as the driver got out, grabbed the girls lifeless body like a rag doll, and tossed it out of the street, into the catch water, like it was garbage. Then he screamed at her in a murderous rage and threw something at her before he left. It was a chunk of the other girls hair, with flesh and bone.


    Yes! There are scumbags in this world like that.


    "I don''t know why she does. I figure if she wants to tell me she will."


    "I noticed she doesn''t stutter when she talks to you though."


    "I kind of miss it."


    He quirked a look.


    "I found it cute, refreshing, oddly calming. Sue me. Give her a bit more time. I think she''s warming up to you guys. It''s faded already if you hadn''t noticed. I think most of it now, is not having practice anyway."


    He nodded, "I get that."


    Meanwhile, back at the fire.


    "Thursday?" Sam asked in typical Sam tone. Booming. Not so much in volume, as in presence


    "Mmmhmm."


    "Damn. Really?"


    My black haired companion then told them, pretty much, everything that lead up to this exact moment. In a condensed version. Keeping her sentences short. Not to be cold or aloof. That''s the impression some get of her, that she''s cold and aloof. But it''s more, to suffer you less at the stagger in her speech. She doesn''t like causing people discomfort. So she tries to minimize their aversion to her speech. And everybody here, in this field, understood that. And they loved her for it.


    Even though, what she was protecting them from, didn''t bother them one fucking bit.


    "Mmmhmm. How ddid you mmMeet him?"


    "Funny story that..." Big Frank piped in.


    You know what? I didn''t make introductions. Not really. Sorry about that. I''m not inhospitable, just slow to the calling sometimes. And this is the perfect time for it anyways. Let''s say I got a nudge.


    So here goes.


    Big Frank, was in his eighties, he was a barrel of a man who looked no older than fifty and acted no older than twenty-five. He was about five foot four, five five. Gruff and stumpy. And he loved to listen to himself talk. But only if it was in his experience. Unless, no one was there to give a firsthand. And then, only if he knew the truth of it.


    Tank, his son, in contrast, was a fucking behemoth. He stood at six foot eleven and weighed in about three twenty. He wasn''t muscular. But the boy could carry an engine block across a four car garage, like you were taking a grocery bag to your house. I know, I watched him do it. He was in his early fifties. A quiet giant, that was as smart as Tesla and as strong as Bunyan. He acted like he was three hundred years old, and fifteen, at the very same time.


    Meat, was just Meat. His given name was Travis. He worked as a barbarian or a knight, depending on the script, in one of those medieval tourist traps, and he and Lane did ren-faires, whenever they came around. He was good with his hands mechanically, as is almost anybody that rides as a major part of their life, and he was pretty crafty. Artisanal when it came to leather. He was also one of the few people I played D&D with. His crew always allowed me to jump in a game, whenever I came up to visit. He was slow to temper, but fucking explosive if you set him off. He was six foot even, around one eighty and built like a brick fucking wall.


    Lani or Wifey as we all called her, was Meat''s wife. In the eyes of the law and G&G. But she nagged us all like only a wife can. She was also Meat''s pseudo-step sister. I''ll let you ponder that for a sec.


    Or Two.


    It''s not as salacious as it seems. It''s rather pretty amusing. His mother and her father met at their wedding, and they married eight months later.


    Anyway, Lanie, Wifey, born Lanora, was a petite little waif, with a fire. Her hair was light brown, shaved off the sides and braided from her forehead to well below her ass. She had done some porn in her younger days. But decided to go into advertising and marketing, instead of getting her tits done. She was sharp as a tack, cunning as a fox and, when she put her mind to it, she could charm a leopard out of his, or her, spots. And she was really fucking good with a cross bow. Both, in-game and out. She was part of the D&D crew too.


    Those two were the youngest of the old bunch. Maxing out around thirty five.


    Beccah. Whom I''d just met. Seemed to be early thirties, late twenties. She was quiet, and cute. A little goth, a little punk. She was tall and slender with an innocent air. But there was something, in her ice green eyes, that let you know her life before, was Not, all glamour and glory.


    Then there was Sam, the thunder goddess. She had a confidence and a truth to her. She took no shit from anyone. She wasn''t a bitch, in the nasty form of that term, but she was in the protective term. And if you drew her ire you''d wake up in a world of hurt. She had legs for miles, a tight ripped stomach and c-cup breasts, that sat proud on her chest. Even at forty-five plus years of age. Her hair was long and a rich, deep red, strawberry blonde, that framed bright grey eyes. Eyes that like Beccah''s, had a look of ''survived it'' but unlike Beccah''s, had a look of ''I survived it''.


    Now back to Frank. He''s still talking. I''ll skip ahead to the part where I arrive in this diatribe. That''s about two days, four meals, one police stop, and four hundred fifty miles after this story started. If you ever met the man you''d be thanking me, profusely. You might even name your first born after me.


    "...I was about twenty, thirty miles from North Carolina. Just about to that South of the Border place. And I hear this rumbling, pulling up next to me. I look to my right and see This, skinny, long haired, little shit, with no helmet, on a gloss black sporty. It''s got dark metallic gray to silver-tip flames on a peanut tank. It''s a two gallon tank, and he''s loaded for bear. There''s  saddle bags, tool pouch, a tent, a sleeping roll, an old army duffle, and I''m pretty sure the kitchen sink was strapped to that bitch bar too. He just nods and stays right beside me. A few miles up, I wave, tap my tank and point at the exit sign, to tell him I''m pulling off. Adios. He follows me up to the rest stop, gets some gas and asks if I''m hungry. I said, yeah what the hell. Well, we get to talking and he says he''s heading back to NY, helped a friend out in N''arlens, did the panhandle run to hit bike week. Now it''s time to get back to the grind. He saw my plates and figured, why don''t we ride up together. Turns out we both pretty much ride long trips solo, just because no one else can make the time. But neither of us has an aversion to riding with others. So we headed back north. A few stops and a sleep later we get to Maryland and he says he needs to stop in, to see a few people that helped him when he wrecked a couple years back. We end up getting invited to this, back woods, mud puddle, cluster fuck of a drag race. And we have ourselves a time. I had more fun at that little shin dig, than the big boys'' in Daytona.


    Anywho, we cross the NY border two days later and I ask him if he feels like riding some more. He just says, what the hell, more wind, more miles. By the way, how many miles did you end up with on that sporty?"


    "A hundred and fifty thousand before I did the top end rebuild. That was fun. Then we got about one seventy five before the bottom end got sloppy and I had to tear her down. Before I committed suicide by stupidity."


    "Damn. She served you well."


    "Oh she ain''t done. She''s in a few pieces in the basement. I had the crankshaft done, a couple years ago. Would have loved to do that myself too, but nobody wanted to let me use their toys. Then life kicked in, and the cycle of windmills took over."


    "The cycle of windmills?" Em asked.


    I didn''t need to answer. She was met with a chorus. "When you got the time, you ain''t got the money. When you got the money, you ain''t got the time!"


    "Oh," she smiled, "Okay, bbut why windmills?"


    "The propeller spins but that ship goes nowhere." I offered.


    She just chuckled.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    And! Back to Frank¡­


    "So. We pull into town, a little before midnight. I know my son is out doin his thing, so we head over to his favorite watering hole. We shoot some pool and drink some beer. I pull out around one, to dig out a cot, so Fuzznuts can crash at my place."


    "That cot? Seriously? You had to include the cot?"


    "What was wrong with the cot?"


    "What wasn''t wrong? With any of em!"


    "Kept ya off the floor didn''t it? "


    "NO! It didn''t."


    He chuckled, right into, "I''m not three streets away when the cops go whipping by me, in the other direction. Did you ever just get one of those feelings?"


    "Mmmhmm."


    "Well I followed it that night and headed back. It seems my son''s new girlfriend, had an ex. An ex that thought of her as property¡­ You know what, Meat was there, let him go from here. Meat."


    "You know the story ole man just tell it."


    "Nah. You know I don''t like hearsay."


    "No, but you do love to hear yourself orate."


    "Just tell the story, Meatball."


    "Yeah yeah. Grumpy old gnome¡­ Okay, So, me and Trevor, that''s my brother, Trevor..."


    (Insight Check: You rolled a fifteen, good enough no modifier needed, here''s what you get: Meat aka Travis¡­ Yes, he rides a Harley. Yes, he''s a barbarian/knight. Yes, he does Ren-faires. Yes, he plays D&D and LARPs. And yes, the huzzahs and miladys often break into his regular day to day jargon. But for some reason, when he has to tell a story, something takes a strange turn and he gets all, Western Sidekick Travis, as soon as he starts recounting.)


    "...are in the back of the saloon, shooting darts. When we hear this ruckus. We missed the start up and we have no idea what''s been brewing. So we get a little closer. All of a sudden we see, this body, flying in the air from the bar. And it slams into the biggest one of the bunch,"


    "Mmmmphf."


    "That wasn''t Tank sized. And yanks him. Right off Tank''s back. Two seconds later we see that same body getting lifted off the ground in a choke hold. And then we see legs, up in the air, and then they disappear. And something goes crack. There was a scream. A loud terrified scream. You would have thought, whoever was screaming, got a rough cut two by four shoved up his ass, the way he..."


    "He''d know what that sounded like." Tank put out there.


    It took a silent step. Maybe two.


    Then,


    "Touche motherfucker."


    Then a little more laughter and a few steps of the second hand more.


    Almost.


    Wait for it,


    "Assholes."


    There it is.


    He turned his attention back to Em.


    "Anyway, the little dude''s now standing up, and out of the choke hold, and he turns. Now we can see who it is. It''s the guy Big Frank rode in with. He squares up and punches¡­ What the hell was his name again?"


    "Jester." Sam spits out.


    "Jester. That''s right. The Fool. Fitting. I never realized how fitting til now. Anyway he punches this fool right in the throat, Hard. Then, he gets hit with a bar stool. Splinters of wood go flying everywhere. And the little fucker don''t flinch. He howls."


    "Lucky for me those seats had Tank ass on em for years, so they weren''t in great shape. And we''re talking years. He''s old," I interrupted, giving Em a grin.


    Tank looked up and pondered my words. Then he pursed his mouth, scrunched his brow, looked into space and nodded. Like, that was a reasonable explanation as to how I survived. And then...


    "Asshole."


    "Maybe. And yes he is. Still, like I said he don''t flinch. Now, we were in it. The bartender was in it, the kitchen staff was in it, our bar mates were in it. Hell, I think even the Easter bunny was in it. The bar staff was tossing people and this little fuck right here, is going for the new guy. And now me and Trevor are hysterical, because Tanks got him by the collar and the belt, and THAT little fucker is dragging THAT mountainous monstrosity, while he''s heading toward his prey. I wish I had a camcorder that night just for that."


    I looked at Emily, "The human body produces roughly the same amount of adrenaline no matter your size, imagine all that juice, in this frame."


    "Is that a fact? I don''t think that''s a fact." Meat states.


    "So you guys, won?"


    "Oh hell no," both me and Tank blurt out, "we got our asses kicked."


    We just look at each other and laughed.


    Then Tank looks Emily right in the face, "The only way you win is to not let it start. But if it starts, you best be ready to do what you gotta do, or die. Surviving it, is the only righteous out come. Averting it, is always the preference, the win."


    "Damn Tank, you get a job at Hallmark''s Art of War division?"


    "Do they have that?"


    And Meat points to me, "His left eye was a grapefruit, his right hand looked like Popeye''s and he had a black and green welt across both shoulder blades."


    "Oddly enough my neck felt better. Has ever since. I did have to sleep on my stomach with my head cocked. For over a week. The ride home the next day was absolute hell. But it was nothing, compared to that, fucking cot."


    "Builds character." Frank chuckled.


    "Asshole." I replied.


    Travis points to the Grizzly Adams looking mother fucker, "Tank had two broken ribs and a hairline fracture to the jaw. The cops showed up, the meat wagon showed up, there were pretty lights and stretchers and all types of fun stuff. They arrested all of them cum buckets for parole violations. Good times."


    "That wasn''t good times Travis." Tank interrupted, "If you all didn''t step in we''d have been in the shit."


    "I''ll tell you what was good times," Sam chimed, bumping Em with her shoulder, "Wolfie here, comes up for Big franks birthday. He comes with, to help me pick up the food that we catered. And who do you think is sitting at the bar?"


    Everyone is smiling, except Emily and Beccah.


    And me.


    I''m clueless.


    You see, I remember this about that part of the trip. I had just enjoyed a very nice ride. Light traffic, warm breeze, no cops. Just a nice easy ride. I was mellow, very mellow. Even before I had a hit of weed and a couple of beers, since I was crashing there. I remember Tank, drunkenly, telling me about, how much he loves Hula-girl jeans. I remember, a little while later, going up steps, to a bar, to get the food. And I see, white threads fading off denim. Two strips a little longer than the rest. A shape of white vertical stripes, filled in by blue, light-blue and white, crisscrossing diagonal lines, against a cafe latte tinted background. It had a symmetry. A form. It was eerily similar to one of those hula girl bobbleheads that people used to put on their dashboards. The strings were wiggling, just this certain way. It looked like a dance. It was mesmerizing¡­ Then I remember getting the food and leaving. I have no clue of any drama, in my brain. It''s nothing but happy times in there.


    "Jester," she continues.


    Still, notafuckin-clue.


    "He sees me, gets all big and tough, and it looked like he was gonna limp on over and try and... I don''t know what that asshole was thinking of doing¡­ As I''m reaching for a mug to smash him with, he sees that one behind me, and his face goes white, and his crotch gets all dark."


    "He pissed himself?" Beccah asks.


    "Pissed himself and took off like he saw the incarnation of the Horseman of Sleepy Hollow. Hobble, hobble, stumble, bang, right out the back exit. Like the piece of shit he was."


    "How come you never told me that." I asked.


    "You didn''t know? You were there."


    "Nope. But then again, I might have been too busy checking out your ass. Those Daisy Dukes are still etched in my brain. The way that Hula girl just shook that skirt."


    Sam turned red, Tank burst out laughing and everyone else ensued.


    Except Beccah, she looked shocked. Stunned actually. Her mouth pursed a couple of times before the words formed.


    "I''ve never seen you turn that color before."


    And the laughter got louder.


    "Assholes."


    The banter continued and Emily''s stutter drifted away. Meat gave me a look when he realized it. It was like he had passed some test. He was proud. Fuck, we all were. I felt lucky. Just to have witnessed this. And wistfully thankful that I was her first. Her first person to speak ''normal'' to. Yeah, okay, that first too. Definitely that first. I still missed it though. It was like listening to some Celestial language. One I had no need to decode. It sunk it''s roots in me.


    The conversation faded as the time passed. The friendly conversations turned to more intimate times. Me and Em went to the pond, only thigh deep, and we slow danced in the water, tongue to tongue.


    We wrapped up for the night. Said our, ''til nexts'' and ''good sees''. Tank asked me about something, something during the week. And we all tried to shore up plans for the last day. The day, I had to fulfill the third, and final parameter of my quest. And hand off Taz''s ride.


    Em and I arrived back at the lodge, somewhere after eleven, so I shut the bike off at the entrance and wheeled it up the drive, to the door beside our room. I took the saddle-bags off and put them on my shoulder.


    We were walking around to the front doors.


    "You have fun?"


    "Yes. They''re very nice."


    "Don''t let that get around. People will think you''re weird."


    "People already think I''m weird."


    "You are weird. That''s why those crazy bastards love you."


    "So what does that say about you?"


    "Around you and them, It says ''I''m home''. So what would you like to do? Been a while since I heard the wind like that. I''m kinda pumped from that ride."


    "Me too. Hmm¡­ I would like to take a walk down that trail we saw yesterday, but I''m kind of cold."


    "Sorry about that. If I had known it was going to be this late, I''d have bought a jacket for ya."


    "You''re not cold?"


    "Nah. My bike was all I had for five years. In New York. I could ride in the winter with just a flannel shirt and be comfortable. Most of the time. Let''s go. I need to stop by the front desk first. Do you have a sweater?"


    "No. I packed like an idiot. I thought business - casual."


    "Well, I packed some flannel shirts in the duffle somewhere."


    "Thanks."


    "No worries."


    "Joe?"


    "Em."


    "Was, there anything, you, wanted to do?"


    "I''m tactical, A walk sounds nice. But¡­ maybe, when we get back, how would you feel about... letting me eat your pussy, until you pull my fucking ears off."


    The woman at the front counter lifted her head up at that last comment. She was the same one who brought us our dinner the night before. I felt kind of bad and then I saw her twinkle.


    "Oh sorry, I didn''t hear you guys come in."


    "Yeah. Sorry if we broke the peace this afternoon, or if that, was a little offensive."


    "Oh no need, I''m used to it. On both fronts. There''s a couple races and conventions up the road every spring and fall. We don''t mind the rumble. Besides we still have our old Vincent. We heard em coming in, so we were ready for the leavin."


    "Ya know, I once had the pleasure of pushing a 1950 Black Shadow up a street one day. And the terrifying pleasure of tearing off down that same street, a few hours later. This world''s, a completely different place over one forty five. That is a scary, scary, scary piece of machinery."


    "She still purrs like a jaguar. What can I do you for?"


    "I have a bit of a dilemma."


    "Go on."


    "I need a safe spot to store my buddy''s ride. Somewhere away from prying eyes and thoughtless backsides. Mostly the backsides. Can I maybe store it in the equipment barn? I''d be happy to pay rent for her."


    "Yeah, people don''t know their butts from a toadstool sometimes. Do they?" She turned around and disappeared into the office, sporting a self amused, shake of the head. A couple seconds later she returned and handed me a key, with a giggle, "It took til I was eighty three, but I finally heard a bit of my mother, come out. You''re at the end of the hall, right?"


    "Yes, Ma''am."


    "This, opens the side door from the outside, it locks automatically when you close it. Just wheel it in your room, I''ll get you a tarp, to park it on."


    I smiled, "Between this kind of hospitality and your cooking, I can see why they''d come back here. Thank you."


    "Thank you and your welcome. Some of em are like family. And if a local lent you one of ours¡­ Did you walk ''er in?"


    "Yeah. I didn''t want to disturb the guests."


    "Thank you, for that considerate gesture. But between you and me, most of these kids are nothing but snot nosed brats. And if they don''t like my house rules, fuck em. Great, now I have to put a quarter in the jar."


    Emily chuckled. The old lady just winked.


    She brought the tarp to our room and, after looking at the unused single and the more than disheveled double, the panties under a black faded tee and the swim top laying next to a pair of swim shorts, she put her detective skills to work and had the night guy come and take the single away.


    Turns out she owned the place, with her husband. They''ve had it since they first married. At first business was good all year round, then the times changed, people changed, highways changed and things started to slow. Her husband decided to open to a market that was not wanted by most. Since he rode, he knew what events were coming within riding distance, and advertised in biker rags accordingly.


    Then the summer business, as a vacation spot, was fading. Everyone wanted the beach and the tropics and the theme parks. The ''family in nature'' thing was not ''cool'' anymore. It was her grandson that gave them the idea to get into the convention/corporate market. Between those two divergent groups alone they could keep their staff full all year long.


    Winter ski season, was all a big bonus.


    After Granny Hicks left, I grabbed Em a flannel from my travel bag. It fit her snug. It looked, alluring. There''s just something about a girl in your shirt that radiates a familiar fondness. That and your shorts, or your jeans, or your tank tops. Especially the tank tops. Even if they don''t fit you quite right anymore, it brings back some memorable imagery. Like that soft arcing shadow that starts somewhere near her armpit and slopes it''s way under the hem. Forming the fabric to its curve and it''s breadth.


    Sorry. My brains like a leaky bucket sometimes.


    Where were we? Oh. Right¡­


    We walked down the trail under a brilliant night sky. It was crystal clear. So clean it had a bite. The moon was rising, almost full. It glistened upon the water, bathing us in strobes of rippling light.


    We came to a clearing, a stone outcropping of sorts, that overlooked the water and was covered in moss. Nice thick, spongey moss. It was the one thing I always searched for when setting up camp. A natural bed, to rest my soul. I laid down, with a shirt for a pillow, she laid down beside me nuzzling her head on my stomach.


    The heavens?


    They were putting on a festival.


    "I''ve never seen this many stars. It''s almost dizzying."


    "Now you know why I didn''t mind taking this trip."


    "Mhmmm."


    I teased my right hand down her belly and sneaked it in between her jeans and her skin.


    "Lyrids?"


    "The light show?''


    "Mmmhmm."


    "The Perseids I know, but they''re in August, the other names, I do not. But it could be."


    My fingers stalked through her bush, hunting for her clit. It was already pushing back her hood when they found it. She ground herself up and into the pressure.


    "Mmmm. We really don''t see anything in the cities do we?"


    "Too bright, too domed in haze. It makes it hard to see what''s beyond itself."


    I played there for a while. Eliciting sounds and movements of a certain, pleasurable, connection. She took my left hand, pulled it to her chest, and held it there. Her hand on top. Her fingers locked with mine and intertwined.


    Her head pushed back into my chest and she rolled like she was waking up. I heard her hum an enchantment. She guided my hand out, brought it up to her mouth, and kissed the back, then the palm.


    She stood up, undid the snaps and teased herself out of her jeans. Simple, white panties faded away behind the tartan. A triangle of white, stood calling, under interwoven rectangles of blue and black stripes.


    She started unbuttoning her shirt. Watching me, watch her.


    I rose up to my knees and kissed her, just above the waistband. I put my nose to the cotton fiber.


    She breathed in deep and hushed out the air, "Everything here, smells so¡­ Shiny."


    Tingles riled up my neck, "Yeah it does."


    I slowly slid my thumbs into the waistband of her panties. My fingers gently teased and tickled her cheeks, as I slipped the cloth over the curve of her ass with a feathery touch. Down the back of her legs. Passed her thighs to her knees. Taking my time.


    The white cotton slipped itself over her calves to the moss. She raised a foot and stepped out of them. Parting her legs, offering herself up to me. I rubbed my mouth into her luxurious bush and took her scent in deeper. It made me hungry. It steeled my spine.


    My right hand found the slope of her back and held her firmly. My left, felt it''s way skyward, starting behind her knee, then up, over and across her thigh, until it finally found that soft warm flesh and palmed her heat. I kissed her clit and sucked it gently, flitting my tongue side to side across its sensitive flesh.


    Her hands gripped my hair and tempted me closer.


    Prodding fingers played in the folds of her sex, gathering her wetness on their tips. I licked her hood and nibbled on the straining nub underneath. She groaned, through hurried breath. I slid a finger inside her and reveled in her response. My tongue slipped between her lips and up, inspired by her taste for more.


    She opened her legs inviting me deeper.


    I cupped her ass and gave a good squeeze. My thumb rubbed inside the gap, found her tighter opening and tested. She jerked at the intrusion but offered me no sign to stop. Her breath became strained and staggered and vibrato. With a firm but gentle push, my thumb probed into the tight, little bud between her plump round cheeks. She gasped and pushed forwards, sliding her pussy deeper around my fingers. I slid them in a little more.


    I felt her stiffen, grimace and sneer. She sucked the air in deep, through clenched teeth.


    ''No warm fuzzy place for you tonight,'' I silently informed, my restlessly stiff friend.


    *Kinda figured that. I mean she tore herself the fuck up on me.*


    ''I know. I was there.''


    *All I''m sayin is she''s got to be hurtin.*


    ''So you get it?''


    *Yeah, I get it, I mean I wouldn''t want you bangin me around if I was hurting like that.*


    ''So your cool with this?''


    *Yeah. I liked being inside her. She''s totally worth the wait.*


    ''Yeah she is. So? A unanimous decision?''


    *The ayes have it.*


    ''We should run for congress.''


    *FUCK THAT!*


    My thumb, followed her cues and soon found this¡­ fluid motion. A slow and methodical in and out. Feeding on her reactions and going with her persuasions. I tasted between her folds and a long slow pleasurable thrumming emanated from her diaphragm and bekoned from her throat.


    My spine turned voracious, snaking and flexing, it made me wanna bay. Her honey, melted on my tongue.


    When I touched across her sensitive pearl again, it was taut and smooth and stone. A passionate suck, a gentle nibble and a flick. Her knees started shaking, her body began to sway. When I palmed her sex, spreading her lips, and sucked at the hardness under her hood, she ground into me and moaned a long, drawn out, desire.


    I felt that same calling from miles inside me. The first minute I walked into this place. I put it out into the world, silently, with eyes closed. And here she was, answering that call. With the same primal hunger. Now, I had to answer for it.


    And I, was quite okay with that.


    She encouraged herself into my mouth, kissing me back with her musky lips, and trembled. Her manna flowed down my chin. There was a sudden intake of air, then silence. Her hands grasped at my hair. Then the flood gates opened,


    "Joe." Was all I heard before she tensed, shook, and slowly, tumultuously collapsed to her knees before me. I held her fondly, softening her way down.


    We were brow to brow. Nose tip to nose tip, our lips just barely touching.


    I twitched my thumb and her eyes went wide. She kissed me tasting herself on my face. Slowly and carefully I removed my intruding digit from inside her. It was released with a gasp and a sigh and a ripple. Her body trembled with waves that taxed the last of her strength. She settled into me, resting her head on my shoulder.


    I laid her down, tenderly, on the moss.


    She pulled me down with her and hugged me tight.


    Her body relaxed, the afterglow faded, and she started to shiver. I put her panties back on, gathered our belongings, then picked her up and carried her back to our room and placed her delicately back onto our bed.


    She was half sitting up, unbuttoning the rest of her shirt, "Joe?"


    "Yes Em."


    "Where are my pants and shoes?"


    "They''re over by your suitcase."


    "Oh."


    "You just noticed now?"


    "I''ve been¡­"


    "Wobbly?"


    "Mmmhmm."


    I helped her undress and laid down beside her, pulling the covers up and over us both. She reached for me under the sheets and stroked me.


    I felt her lips, plant little kisses on my neck, as she purposefully worked her way down my throat. Kissing my collarbone and nibbling the flesh below it. She sucked a nipple and sent shivers up my shaft. My stomach tightened from her breath.


    A sudden temperate change, a gentle tug. Warm, slender fingers, worked their way up and down me. For me and for herself.


    And I, was definitely, quite alright with that.


    Patiently, she tasted at my flesh, her strokes were getting me closer and she knew it.


    I felt that energy building, deep inside as her mouth slowly surrounded my head. A warm wet touch lapped at the dew that presented itself, causing my body to present her with more. She ground her sex on my knee as she sucked and raged me on.


    I felt her moan. A tremble from her throat that undulated around my shaft.


    I tensed her hair in my fingers and smoothed into her face. Slowly. Painstakingly, slowly. The motions and pressure on my leg and my cock increased.


    She groaned, tightened and pulled her lips from around me. Never breaking the gaze. Never losing that smile in her eyes.


    "Are you?"


    "Close?"


    "Mmmhmm."


    "Oh yeah."


    "Me too."


    "Together?"


    "Yes."


    Then a tempo took over her. A desperate hurried tempo.


    Her hand and mouth followed the same allegro measure that her hips conducted against my leg. I felt her release on my thigh, I jerked up and froze. Then I flooded her mouth with my own. She drank and swallowed and drank some more.


    I let her go until it was just too much.


    I pulled her off and up. She sensed my intention.


    She slid her arms under my shoulders, brought her face up to meet mine and, lovingly, kissed the air back into me.


    She let out one long breath on my ear. "I love this, Joe."


    "Me too, Em. Me too."


    A calmness and a quiet filled the room and surrounded us. For quite a few minutes all one could hear was the breathing.


    Then a hint of anxious energy brought the silence to bear.


    She shifted a little, rubbing her head against my chest, as if the sound of her hair, rustling between her face and my skin, would somehow yield an answer to a question she hadn''t, as of yet, fully formed. The silence that followed, sounded like thought. Deep, personal, conflicted thought.


    Her hand traced circles on my chest.


    I brushed the hair back and away from her eyes.


    "What''s buzzing in your brain?"


    "They offered me a job."


    "Isn''t that why we''re here?"


    "Not these guys¡­ Lani and Sam."


    "That''s a good thing. Why do you sound sad?"


    "You''re not mad?"


    "Why would I be?"


    "Because they asked¡­ me?"


    "Oh, My sweet, beautiful, wonderful Em. You''re too cute. No! I''m not mad¡­ Some friendships, shouldn''t become work relationships. I will quit a job to help them through a rough patch. Again. If they needed it. But they know, I''m too¡­ flighty. I''m a night creature. Hell, the only reason I''m half awake during this shit show is you."


    "Me? Why? How?"


    "Yes, you. You give me a reason to, want to. You occupy my brain, you invoke a better part of me and you settle me in with your warmth and your charm. Besides a week or twenty, of this, I could handle. But I also know, from experience, my body would retaliate in six, or seven months."


    "Really? I find, I can handle different shifts... But I haven''t done midnight. Maybe that''s my bane. Nine to five really gets to you?"


    "Oh Yeah. All the day jobs I ever had, even the ones I really enjoyed doing, never broke a year, not even close. But any noon to eight or four to twelve, or midnight, even the boring, grinding, dragging ones, they all went well passed. Hell I even went two years doing twelve to sixteen hour days, six or seven days a week. And the only reason I left any of them was because I found a better one. Not because, I could barely get out of bed for a week or two and lost them. Oddly enough though, take me camping and I''m up with the sun, gone with the wind. What do they want to do?"


    "They want to start an internet service. A database kind of thing for parts suppliers and mechanics to swap, barter and buy."


    "Well, they do that now, locally¡­ Expand on it, get a broader spectrum of customers and suppliers. At the very least they''d have easier access to their data and inventory."


    "That''s pretty much how they explained it to me. Is there good money in it though? Enough to get a small house, up here, maybe?"


    "First off you, could buy a nice, quaint little house up here for the cost of a new car in some places. And have a very decent sized yard. And don''t let that chaser van fool ya. Mechanically, Iris is a beast. You''ll get an idea how good they do when you see Sam and Tank''s house, and Lani and Meat''s place."


    "You mean if?"


    "No, I mean when. We''re stopping by Tank''s somewhere along the line. Maybe when we visit the falls. He asked me to stop by for something. That''s if you still want to go, that is."


    "MMHMM. Welding."


    "Welding? Hmm. Thanks. And that''s good. Because, I don''t wanna be the only one leafless on the rocks."


    "How did she get that scar on her back?"


    "Sam?"


    "Mmmhmm."


    "She didn''t tell you? She''s not shy about it."


    "I didn''t ask. But she did say, if there was anything I wanted to know, to ask you. I think she caught me gawking."


    "Even her silence is loud... Well it''s not a secret. And if I don''t tell you Big Frank will. So, I''ll spare you that. You remember the bar fight story?"


    "MMhm."


    "That fiasco, started a few months before. This was before I met them, by the way, so I''m going to be piecemealing. But like I was saying, a few months before that brawl, Sam met this guy, Jester, and they started seeing each other. That shit stain, ran with a bunch of complete dicks. He was a possessive, obsessive, arrogant douche bag. She didn''t see it, until it was too late to keep herself from getting, deep enough to be in the shit. And then she found herself, almost too far in it, to break away clean, without it becoming... uncivilized. One night he took her for a ride, and they ended up at a skank bar, two towns north from here. After a while she wanted to leave, he didn''t. He got abusive, hauled off and cheap shot her. Full fisted right to the jaw. Then he told her, she was going to fuck his buddy, in the back room, to pay off a bet that HE lost. They struggled, he hit her again. She was dragged into the back room and said ''buddy'' started to rip her clothes off."


    "I don''t think that I wanna hear anymore."


    "That''s the worst of it. Except for the scar. Promise."


    "Okay."


    "He tore her shirt to shreds, had her arms tangled up in her bra and was fighting with her jeans. She saw an opening and bit the guys head and ripped. Scalped the fucker with her teeth. Then she stabbed him in the neck with a pencil. Broke his nose with a piston he used for a paper weight and jumped out the back room window. She got carved up by the glass on her way out."


    "That''s¡­ frack."


    "Yeah it is. Anyway, She made her way down the hill through the woods to another bar. One she barely ever went to. She was pretty fucked up by then. She got to the parking lot, half naked. Her pants were ripped, her bra gone, she was stumbling, dizzy and covered in blood. The next thing she knew there was a body in front of her, she pushed him away, went gray, and when she regained her focus, he had her in his arms like a baby. He''d torn his tee shirt into strips, and wrapped them around her like a bandage, and she was wearing a leather vest. He had carried her to his truck and was sliding her into the passenger seat. She had lost a lot of blood and had no fight left. So she just gave in to the inevitable. She talked him into taking her to her house,"


    "Her own house? Why?"


    "That''s what I asked her. She said she was fucked, and she figured, if he was gonna rape her and dump her dead body somewhere he''d do it. No stopping it. But on the chance that he actually meant to help her, home was quicker. Her house guest was a childhood friend. A field medic, home on leave from one war torn shit hole, getting ready to head out for another. And it was a lot closer than the nearest emergency room. She figured, shit hits the fan, home turf advantage, they had weapons and they both knew how to use em. And if it was instead, an act of kindness, she could patch her up quicker, while they waited for the ambulance. The trip there was worth it in her mind. He ended up being the chivalrous type. He got her home, carried her up the stairs, kicked at the door and helped Jolie sew her up."


    "She''s lucky."


    "Yeah she was. You remember what she said about stray dogs?"


    "A bit."


    "They follow you home, you clean em, you feed em, and the next thing you know¡­"


    "They''re sleeping on your bed."


    "Exactly. Well technically, it was Jolie who cleaned him up and fed him that night, but that guy was already a goner for Sam."


    "Tank?"


    "Who else do you think could carry that Amazonian across a parking lot, never mind, two stories up a set of stairs?"


    "She''s not that big."


    "Never said she was. But she is made of something, really fucking dense. After that, Tank hung around and helped take care of her. Jolie was called back. So that oversized lap bear stuck around. He went shopping for her, cooked, changed her bandages, helped her wash. Lost a good job because of it. But, he found a love. Born of blood and kindness¡­ Or he found a chick stumbling through a parking lot and hooked up. Take your pick. I prefer the former."


    "Me too," she smiled. "So, that bar fight story was true?"


    "For the most part. I honestly don''t remember dragging Tank across the floor. Or howling. It was probably a bray of pain if anything, My shoulders were destroyed and I really fucked my hand up in that disaster. Luckily it was my brake hand and not my clutch or I wouldn''t have made it home in time to go back to work. I don''t really recall anything, after getting my air back and punching that... dick. But Sam was there and she gave me my nickname that night."


    "Wolf?"


    "Fuzznuts."


    She laughed, "Fuzznuts?"


    "I''m fuzzy and I''m nuts¡­ I do remember being two feet off the ground though. Staring at Tank''s gruesome mug, and hearing something that I swore was in Primordial, somehow translating into, ''Calm dude. It''s finished''¡­ With blood, pouring down his face. That face. I had nightmares for three days."


    "Hah, hmmh, that''s mean."


    "He loves it. Makes him feel like Chewy."


    "So you don''t remember the second guy."


    "Nope, I kind of blanked between the bar stool and the beer breath. And before I forget. Don''t let his humility fool ya. I''ve seen that over stuffed teddy bear in action. He''d have been good, even if nobody jumped in. I, on the other hand, got my ass kicked and I thank G&G that those other fuckers stepped in when they did, or I might not be telling you this story right now. That being said. Was it worth the damage I did and the damage I got? In this case... Fuck yeah. And I survived it, which is a plus in my book. It may not be a win, but at least it wasn''t a total loss."


    She sat quiet for a minute.


    She kissed my shoulder.


    "So you think I should consider it?"


    "You could do a lot worse than get in with them. There''s very few things I would die to protect. What they all have together, how they are with those they love, their strength. Their warmth. Their acceptance. It''s a precious rarity."


    "You''re talking me into it, you know."


    "Good. Good people should be with good people. And rarities should find a safe and warm and loving home."


    She cuddled up blanketing me with half her body. Her fingers went back to tracing patterns on my chest.


    "Joe?"


    "Em."


    "Would you make love to me?"


    "I haven''t stopped since our eyes met in the lobby on Thursday. But I had a long talk with my dick."


    "Input, definitely, required." She smiled.


    "Okay, this is what we came up with. We take it slow. We touch and tease when we can during the day. Then we nibble and taste and please any chance we get. Until you heal up a bit. Then when you''re not sore anymore and can enjoy it, with out any discomfort, then, we''ll make love that way, together, again. He feels bad you tore yourself up on him and he wouldn''t want to be manhandled if he was hurt. I mean just my finger going too deep hurt you before and I don''t want that. Neither does he. Besides I have no problem with this kind of intimacy. Sometimes, it''s more true than the sex could ever be. And, I like it. I Pity the man that doesn''t like to cuddle."


    She propped herself up and studied me. Then she just smiled and put her head back on my chest, "Mmmmm."


    "Oh! I meant to tell you sorry for the butt thing earlier. I should have asked."


    "No. It''s okay, We did kind of agree to not ask, just do."


    "Yeah, but that''s a spot some people get cringey over. I should have at least hinted at it, before diving right in."


    "It''s okay, just do. I kind of enjoyed it. I don''t know if I''d want anything¡­ bigger¡­ down there, but that was, oddly, kind of nice. And I know you would have stopped, if I asked you tooooo-ammmm."


    "Good."

 C5 - Sunday: Rev. Because it wasnt quite frelling Monday / {That Fucking Cat} <Or> (Hearts & Scars)

    ======================================================


    C5 - Sunday: Revisited. Because it wasn''t quite frelling Monday /


    {That Fucking Cat} <Or> (Hearts And Scars)


    ======================================================


    "What do you hear?"


    ''Nothing but the rain.''


    "Then grab your gun and bring the cat in."


    ''Boom, boom, boom.''


    I stared into the dark-gray space around me. Knowing, only, that I was awake.


    Something annoying had pulled me back from the embrace of a really good muse. I''d have been pissed, if I didn''t find myself right next to a different kind of fancy. I tried shifting without disturbing the girl who was covering me like a quilt. She was warm and soft and engaged in her own dreams. And I didn''t want them to end for her too. She looked like she was having fun there.


    I failed.


    Emily stretched beside me. Wiggled her boobs against my ribs and nuzzled in tighter.


    "Mmmmmnh. Hi."


    "Hi. Oof. Roll up a bit, my arm''s asleep."


    "Sorry."


    "Don''t ever be sorry for that. If it means I woke up, with you draped across me. It''s so fuckin worth it."


    And¡­ It was a knock at the door¡­ That woke me.


    And now, it had caught both of our attentions.


    "Hold on."


    "It''s Suzzanne from team builders."


    "Giveasec." (giveasec: undercommon. pronounced; give a sec. translation: Hold your horses and let me get my pants on)


    I crawled out from under the covers and slipped on my jeans. I heard Emily start to rise behind me.


    I kissed her and pulled the blankets back over her.


    "Floors cold. I''ll invite her in. One of us has to keep this bed toasty."


    I opened the door. The sudden intrusion of the light from the hallway caused my eyes to blink away the brightness. When the focus came back, I saw the face that was at the podium speaking when I got that glare, from the woman seated behind her.


    "What''s up?"


    "Hi, sorry to wake you, but we have a bit of a problem."


    "Come on in. Suze."


    "It''s Suzzanne."


    She was blonde. Naturally blonde. She came off, as the type of blonde that thinks, that because she''s blonde, skinny and has boobs, you should worship in her brilliance and bow before her radiance. Because that''s what she''s been told to be.


    California Uber Alles.


    She was wearing the team building company''s, navy blue polo, black khakis and completely, impractical shoes. Pumps, that probably cost more than the entire wardrobe I had up here. Possibly my entire wardrobe, complete. With boots. Her finger nails were the same color as her shirt. The exact same color. I looked up, and for a microscopic moment in time, there was no facade.


    How can I describe her eyes and get anything close to the point across? I don''t quite know. But I''ll try.


    Okay. How''s this? You know how some people have different colored eyes? Heterochromia I think it''s called. Well, you know how that, one eye, feels like it has a pull? Either because it''s so dark it feels like a black hole to your vision. Or it''s so much lighter, it grabs you, calls to you. And no matter how much you look at one eye, that other one is there. Almost uncomfortably there. Pulling you, drawing you in. I kinda like that feeling. People call it a condition. I call it fucking awesome. It''s mystical¡­ Well, THAT sensation. Was both of hers. At the same time. In Hazel Green. The only problem was, she kept trying to muzzle it.


    The corporate mannequin took control again and shut it off. And it got cold.


    My stomping grounds.


    "Okay. ''Suzzanne''. What''s up?"


    "Joseph, right?"


    "Joe is fine."


    "And you''re Emily?"


    "Mmhmm. But you can call me Em, if you''d like, or Emily, whatever makes you happy."


    "O-kayy, Emily... Didn''t you have a stutter?"


    "Mmmhmmm."


    She looked confused. Life altering circumstances, confused.


    "Good sex. It knocked it right out of her."


    I felt the fingers before the pinch.


    "Oww. Jeez Em, that''s gonna leave a mark."


    Suzzanne got flustered and turned up that corporate dignity.


    Then Em turned up the heat.


    "I''ll kiss it and make it feel better later."


    "I''m holding you to that." And then Joe brings the cold to a whole new level. "So, Suze-Anne, what''s the problem?"


    "We''re missing someone." straight faced, annoyed.


    "Did you call the cops?"


    "Yes." The contempt was real. Toward me, not the cops, "But they can''t do anything, with out proof that he didn''t just leave to go to town. His stuffs still here. And there''s no sign of any problem." Okay. Maybe a little towards the cops.


    "Who is it?"


    "Paul, from red squad."


    "My partner in the race yesterday?" Emily asked.


    "Yes, that''s him. When did you last see him?"


    "After the race, we left. So, I guess, around the race was the last time."


    "How about you?"


    "I think he was out in the parking lot, waiting for the bus when we split."


    "Not at all after that?"


    "Nope. We went for a ride. Didn''t get back until after eleven."


    "Joseph?"


    "Yes, Emily"


    "Can you grab my robe? Please."


    I grabbed her robe from her suit case, It was then that Suzzanne saw the bike, sitting where the single bed used to be.


    "Why is there a motorcycle in your room?" She didn''t seem pissed. Nor was she disgusted. She seemed, honestly curious.


    "We didn''t want her to get lonely. All by herself. Out in the cold." Em joked.


    "And, she," I nodded in Em''s direction, "is a bit of a voyeur."


    Suzzanne choked back something she really needed to get out. I almost felt bad. No, I didn''t. There was something so much better inside there, you could just about see it, but she just pushed against it. But, this, wasn''t her. So, I did not feel bad in the least.


    I could feel the word form in her mind. It was right there, on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to say it, scream it actually, really bad. But not yet. She''s stoic. Meeting a professional corporate standard.


    But I think we nicked the shell.


    She turned and started for the door, deadpan and calm---


    "I have to go gather some of the other people. Can you meet up in the lobby?"


    "I''m there."


    "Mmmhmm."


    She turned to the door and fumbled with the knob. It closed behind her. Her clipboard clanked as it bounced off the floor of the hallway just outside our room.


    ---ish.


    "Assholes."


    And there it was. That indescribable sound of a baby bird''s beak chipping it''s keratin womb.


    On our side of the door, the conversation was a little more jovial, "Welcome to the family, Suzzanne... That girl really needs to get laid."


    "So does this one."


    "Oh! Cheeky."


    "Mmmmhmmm."


    "But you know you have some coming. How you feeling in there by the way?"


    "Much better. Still a bit sore. Not really painful anymore. Just kind of itchy, itchy."


    "Well, if it''s only feeling itchy tonight, maybe I''ll have to scratch it for ya."


    "Promise?"


    "Consider me your personal itch reliever."


    She turned to face me and her robe fell open. I held her at arms length.


    "G&G did a great job bringing your parents together."


    "Thanks." She said softly.


    "Sorry. Bad memories?"


    "It''s... Just..."


    In a single deep breath her resolve became rock and she got, her look. The same one she gets when she''s found the tweak.


    It starts with the sense of something brewing. The pieces of the puzzle start to fit into place. Then she gets that,


    '':If?


    That, shouldn''t be if.


    That.. should be case (when):'', smile.


    "I''ll tell you later." Then she grabbed my ass with both hands, pulling us into each other.


    "Wanna see if we can help?"


    "Mhmhm."


    When we got to the lobby it was three, fifteen or thirty, in the morning. There was about eight, half sleepy, people sitting around in a daze. Pamela was the only one who looked conscious enough to speak.


    So we walked on over.


    "Any word on what the hell is going on?"


    "Not a clue. The cops woke me and Carol up over an hour ago, asking if we heard him leave or saw anything suspicious."


    "So he came back on the bus?"


    "He never got on it. But he was here when we got back. He told his roommate he was going to take a nap, but he wasn''t there when Chris went to change at eight."


    "He''s probably just off sucking cock somewhere." (shit. that came out. there are things I''ve seen. and what I''m about to tell them ain''t any of it)


    "He''s gay?"


    "Oh! I don''t know, I just got a feeling about him yesterday."


    "You psychic?"


    "Hah. No. Psychotic maybe, sociopathic quite possibly, but nobody can label me psychic¡­"


    Pamela tried holding back a laugh, due to the circumstances of our discussion''s cause, but she couldn''t help giggle a bit. I didn''t think it was all that funny. We are All psychotic. To the last human being on the face of this planet. It''s our legacy, it''s inherent. All we can do is channel it into something useful. Oh! By the by. when a mental health professional says, ''you''re normal'', what they''re really saying is, ''You''re the same kind of crazy as the majority of the population''.


    "You remember the three legged race?"


    "Yeah."


    "Well. You didn''t like getting partnered with me. And I had no like for you either. I tend to stand off. Til I get a read. That''s just the way it is. That''s me. And you, kinda came off like a slutty J dude."


    "OK. If we''re going to be honest. True. I thought you were a scary psycho looking mother fucker. But J dude? Really?"


    "Yes."


    "Ouch. Sorry for that. You may continue."


    "Thank you kindly, Ma''am¡­ Even though we didn''t like each other, we found a way to work together. I didn''t dislike you, just because you were female and you didn''t dislike me, just because I was a guy. We just had untested attitudes, colloquialisms and lifestyles."


    "The age gap didn''t help either."If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "True, but that''s where the colloquialisms came into play. Anyway. The one thing we had in common was, neither one of us wanted to be the reason we lost. I had an idea and you improved on it. We had fun with it. And we kicked some ass out there. Pamillasaur."


    "Yeah we did. It was a major butt banging. But you''re losing me."


    "I watched Em''s race, he was her partner. And he had a disdain."


    "Yeah. I know. Been on the receiving end."


    "You''re standing, you survived it. All''s good, chalk it up as an only made me tougher win. Like I was saying, he took control, and practically dragged her through the mud. So I watched him for a bit and noticed, that it wasn''t her specifically he had disdain for, it was her sex. He treated all the girls with distaste, but all the guys were met with friendly banter, and, a little too much, hands on communication."


    "But he''s a football player. He might just be used to that type of¡­ uhhh,."


    Suzzanne came up, clip board in hand, looking anything but confident. She looked worried, perplexed, and out of options. Still, she kept some control. She''d seen us talking and closed the distance. Her cohort, Darren, looked even less sure of himself.


    "Camaraderie."


    "Yes."


    "True. Like I said it was just a feeling. It could be he just got fucked over by a girlfriend so bad that he''s putting all of you in her ranks. I don''t know. Maybe he found someone to hate fuck. Or just decided he needed to be alone. Who knows. Either way. It doesn''t matter. This isn''t the suburbs. Up here, there''s things that hunt for life and if he''s alone that''s dangerous. Besides that, IF, he''s hurt, or hurting someone, or someone''s hurting him, he needs to be found. If he''s not, then at least we can all get back to bed. I was comfy."


    "I''ll bet you were."


    Just then Suzzanne spoke up, "So you guys are thinking he just hooked up with somebody or just left unannounced?"


    (ahhh, suze-anne, where is the other half of your brain, you missed the important half of the conversation)


    "Could be," Emily interjected, "we did."


    "True! But you guys came back, and EVERYONE knew, you left. You definitely made an exit."


    "It was that obvious huh?" I asked, rather sarcastically.


    "Yes."


    "How many people heard us come back?''


    "A couple."


    "Saw us or heard us?"


    "I don''t know, I didn''t hear you, so saw, I guess."


    "Okay. An offer of peace of mind. If you and Darren are really, and I mean really worried, I might have a way of helping out. I just don''t want to take the favor for this. So go talk it over with him and if you both decide, this needs resolving tonight, come back and let me know and I''ll see if I can help¡­ Beyond, running through the woods with flashlights, screaming his name, in the middle of the night, around really big cliffs, with eight other people. And bear. And coyote."


    "And snakes."


    "Thanks Em."


    "Mmhmmm."


    "And snakes, And, now I hear¡­ Mountain Lions?"


    With that, she shuffled off to confer with her partner. I stopped paying attention when Darren ran his hands through his hair. I didn''t need to watch the guy make himself bald. That''s what helmets are for.


    "Oh. Manners¡­"


    There''s this here too. They''re a more fun distraction.


    "...Em, Pam. Pamela, Em or Emily, take your pick."


    "Nice to meet you Emily."


    "Nice, to meet you too - Pamela."


    "It''s just Pam or Pammy."


    "Em, is fine."


    "I like Emily, it has a womanly quality. So? You''re stuck in the same room with this guy huh?"


    "Worse," She said, "I''m stuck in the same bed with him."


    A body entered our space and stood there. Patiently.


    "Hah. I''ve seen you two together. That doesn''t surprise me. In the least."


    "Excuse me. Joe," Suzzanne interrupted, "how exactly can you help?"


    "Are you guys that worried about him?"


    "Yes."


    "And you want this resolved?"


    "Yes."


    "Alright then¡­ Because I was probably gonna do this anyway."


    ''He would have held this over my head, like a banner forever.''


    *But now we have someone else to blame.*


    *''Thanks Suzzanne''*


    I went to the front desk and borrowed their phone, again. I slid a five across the counter and Grampa Hicks just shuffled it back and waved it off, "I''ll put it on their tab."


    "Thanks."


    I dialed the number and waited.


    "Am I getting torches while you gather the posse?"


    The phone rang about fifteen times.


    "Hopefully something a whole lot quicker and safer for everyone."


    Sixteen times.


    Then,


    "WHAT?"


    "Hey, ya Cranky bastard, Sorry to wake you."


    "Hey Fuzznuts, you didn''t wake us... hold on¡­ What??? It''s Joe... Wolf, Yeah... What? If you want to¡­ then just keep... he can''t see, Bec¡­ So! What''s up?"


    "Now I''m even sorrier old man."


    "Yeah, yeah, get to it peckerhead."


    (that''s his way of saying you''re thinking with your dick and your wrong. which I was, on both counts. how could I not be. he is having sex with her, just not this second. she, was actually making presents for everyone. I know, because I got mine, and the story, later. frank started the story with himself fixing breakfast, and no, she doesn''t think you can see through the phone, yet. she''s just really shy, hmmm, paranoid around it. for good reason. no. it''s not my story to tell. this one is)


    "Does Bob still have those hunting dogs."


    "Yeah. Why?"


    "Seems they lost one of the participants over here. And local ain''t bein locals."


    "Shit. He''s out of town. I''ll see if¡­ hmmm, lemme call you back."


    Click.


    Doooooooooooommmmmm


    I should have listened to that hmmm before the tone a little closer. But I didn''t. The disconnect tone itself should have been forewarning.


    Five minutes later the front desk rang.


    "The Lodge On the River, William speaking.... Oh! Hey Sarge, how''s things... They''re good here too, thanks... Sure... Next Sunday at seven.... Mabe would love that... Yep... Look forward to it¡­" then he handed me the phone, "It''s for you, Peckerhead."


    "Thanks. Gramps¡­ Yeah, Crankshaft."


    "You''re lucky."


    "Been living that my whole life."


    "Haven''t we all. See you in half an hour."


    "Thanks, see you then."


    At four twenty five a brand new, dark blue pick up, pulled in the lot. That should have given me a clue. A second clue.


    Big Frank was in the passenger seat with Beccah on his lap, her feet out the window, barefoot, drinking a beer. Waving.


    The drivers door opened and a medium height, skinny, bald, black dude stepped out. And it clicked.


    Frank''s idea of a good practical joke. Make you sleep on the shittiest cot he has, while your banged up, after getting into a tussle alongside his son, because it''s going to fall apart on you, it always does, and you''re gonna go, boom, badda big boom, and he''s gonna giggle. Like a mother fucker. Or, He''s going to bring two people, who haven''t seen each other in a very long while, together, and surprise both of em.


    He''s a very strange man.


    The blackish dude saw the whitish dude walking toward the truck, as he was turning around to go to the back. He took two steps, stopped, and turned back around. With a squint. And a shoulda seen this coming eye. "Wolf?"


    "The Nigerian. Fucking. Nightmare. Of course. Heya Jag. How the fuck are ya?"


    "Ha ha ha, Frank you sneaky bastard." That was Nim. Jag. My other brother, from another continent''s mother.


    "Touche, mother fucker." That was me, at Frank.


    "That''s cheating." That was Frank, at me.


    "Not in this case, Cranky." That was me, back to Frank.


    "Holy shit man. Come here let me look at you." And that was Nimbuwe, to me.


    I closed the gap between us. Two hands, bigger than the frame would suggest, grabbed my elbows. He looked me over. "Voice works. Still got your hair. A little more salt than I remember. Still got the rest of your teeth, both arms, legs work fine. Fingers work?"


    I flexed them. "So far."


    "Be nice if you remembered how to dial a phone with em."


    "Goes both ways."


    "The only thing I miss up here, is good reception."


    Then I was wrapped up in a firm embrace.


    "It''s not much better down by us. Missed you too, Nim."


    "Olofi smiles on us today."


    "Seems like it. I thought you and Bob were training birders."


    "We expanded to Search and Rescue. Have five in the field. Come, help me get my Liffa."


    Now most people you''d refer to as black aren''t really.


    I''ve been a lot of places and I haven''t met a ''black'' or a ''white'' one yet. It would be really fucking cool to meet someone with actual black skin, and it would be just as cool to meet someone who was actually white. They don''t exist, as far as I know. ''Black'' people are somewhere between a light cafe mocha and a very burnt umber. It''s really a beautiful spectrum. The skin we humans bare. From a milky cream to a deep dark brown and a whole array of wonderful tones, with different hues, mixed in between.


    Nimbuwe, was the color of a really charred wood, not quite black, but about as close as you could get with out actually being there. He stood about five foot seven and weighed all of a hundred twenty, thirty, pounds. He had scars, on a good portion of his body. Some cuts, some burns, even a couple bullet holes. Here and there. And there. His left shoulder had so many lines across it you''d swear it was tribal art. Done with some ritualistic purpose.


    The place he was born, was to say the least, a tough place to live. Luckily he was adopted, along with his sister, and gotten the hell out of there. He never lost faith in his childhood religion. Even if, as he admits, the only thing he really knows, is that, His Olofi, is a messenger between heaven and earth. And he likes that idea. For many reasons. And much to the character of the people that adopted him, they didn''t fight it out of him. They figured he was a good soul, and this Olofi was a good influence on him, so they just let it be.


    I met him when we were both seventeen and we became brothers from, somewhere along the line. Not quite from the moment we first met. But definitely shortly after. Or maybe in passed lives, or from a moment somewhere in between lives, before we even met in this one. Who knows.


    When Frank''s neighbor, Bob, said he was looking for help, training hounds for hunting, I introduced them. My friend had a natural gift that fastly became a well honed talent. He was a rarity of heart and spirit. He''s been up here ever since.


    "You named the dog after your sister."


    "Yes. About time I get to boss her around. Don''t tell her I said that. She''d have my hide."


    "She''d tie you by your ankles and beat you like a pinata."


    "That too. But that might be fun. Even if she is my sister¡­ Don''t tell her that either."


    We brought Liffa to Paul''s room and gave her his scent. Socks. Fifteen minutes later she tracked to the medium barn and sat. With her tail thumping. I looked in the window, shook my head and turned away.


    "Come on, let''s head back."


    "Bad track?"


    "Nope. Good track. He''s here, he just... Hijacked a donut."


    "Ahh, found a nice little place to let the snake burrow."


    "You could say that."


    "Ha ha."


    (yes. we''re in our forties, and still, the silly shit of our youth, keeps us laughing, and keeps us humble.)


    Emily met us on the landing, along with a dozen or so curious faces.


    Suzzanne gave me the ''well?'' look. (think judge smails from caddyshack)


    "He''s fine. Just needed some alone time."


    I couldn''t tell if the air produced, from the crowd, was one born of relief. Or, Ah Shit! No one died.


    Yeah, that would have been nice. (that was sarcastic)


    The vultures dispersed to their rooms rather quickly. Mumbling shit about why they got out of bed in the first place.


    ''no fresh kill for you tonight''


    Pam was not a vulture. She seemed to have had a little more curiosity than the rest. In a completely different and very particular interest with regards to a certain someone''s sexuality. And a newer one too. It seemed.


    Emily gathered me in close and squeezed.


    "Double N, this is Em and that''s Pamela. Guys, this is Nimbuwe."


    "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Em, Pamela." he said, with a bow, to both. But he was definitely eyeing up the strawberry blonde.


    Yeah. Just wait for it.


    Emily shook his hand, "Nice to meet you too." She bent down and pet Liffa on the head.


    The big, two toned, black and brown dog, practically knocked her on her butt, pushing in for more affection.


    Pamela just eyed my dark friend up and down, reading his scars like a romance novel, "Pam is fine," she looked to the dog. "that''s not a Shepard, is it?"


    "Malionois, Belgian not German."


    "She''s very, very, pretty. Aren''t you girl?"


    Thump, thump, thump.


    "Tough, spirited and loyal too. You, may be kindred in that as well?" (Hook. Right where you want it)


    "Me? Tough? No. Not me. You look like, You, survived some things though." (Uh oh. He could be in trouble)


    "Ha. I survived nothing. I lived through things. Yes. But the promise of a sunrise as fair as what I see before me. That is what''s kept me alive to this day." (Line. Right where it should be)


    "Charmer aren''t you."


    "Only. When I am charmed, myself. Maybe, you would like to share some wine, under this wondrous sky, and ask, what you want to ask." (Sinker)


    (Now, let''s see, if she decides to pull HIM in.)


    "I think I''d like that. Let me get my coat." She did. He''s done. And off she went.


    "You never cease to amaze me."


    "When you look like this¡­"


    "You better know how to charm the earth."


    We made our way to the truck and waited for Pam. Frank and Beccah were fast asleep. I never thought I''d ever hear myself say this but, Frank... looked, happy? and kinda cute? In a really old, gnomish way. The way he held Beccah in her sleep. He looked strong. And she looked, Loved, Safe, Alive¡­ And Protective.


    I played with Liffa tossing sticks. Em, stayed by the truck with Nim.


    "Joe tells me you''ve been friends for a while."


    "Twenty-six years almost to the day."


    "Mind talking about those?"


    "They are remnants of war and hate and deception. Nothing that needs glorifying."


    "They look like they hurt."


    "Not anymore. Paper cuts hurt me more now, than even the memories of these. Besides, everyone has them. Some more than others. Some on the inside. I''m thinking you have a few too. On the inside."


    The first thing I loved about Nim was his heart, it''s purpose. The second was his intonation. He just had a different way of coloring his words. They came out lyrical and warm.


    "Why would you say that?"


    "Him. He likes you."


    She narrowed her eye''s, "Input required."


    "I see his look. He loves scarred people. The ones who still have their heart anyway. Sees the beauty in them. Sees their grace. Sees their strength. Sees their struggle. Sees himself a little."


    "He does have a few too doesn''t he?"


    "More than you can see. He''s resilient. Most have faded. But yes, he''s eyed a few in the mirror."


    Em saw me walking up to the spot were they sat in pow wow, she spread her legs for me to sit, "Hi."


    "That dog tired me out, brother."


    That''s not true really. Voices carry this time of night¡­ morning¡­ whatever¡­ and I was just starting to feel, a little¡­ outed. Not in that way.


    Getting too old for this shit, maybe.


    But, not that way. Whatever makes you fly, though.


    Like a sparrow. Not a Vulture.


    I sat, she wrapped me up and put her head over my shoulder. I brushed my scruff against her ear.


    "What are you two chatting about?"


    "Wisdom and the Wolf." he said, with that nightmarish grin.


    "Hearts and scars," Em said, with a hug.


    Pam came walking up the path and finally asked about the other curiosity she wanted the answer to.


    "Did you guys really find Paul?"


    "Liffa found Paul."


    "And?"


    "And what?"


    "Were you right?"


    "He was sleeping."


    "Riiiiight¡­ Oh well." She displayed the bottle of wine in both her hands, "Ready? My dark prince charming."


    "Olofi smiles. We''ll get together before you go. The pond?"


    "Sounds good."


    "Have fun."


    "You as well my friend, tell Frank sweet dreams for me. And Thanks."


    "Franks living the sweet dream, my brother. Believe it or not she is very good for him and he is very good for her as well. She''s a tuff-ass. She takes care of him as much as he does her."


    The truck doors closed, the engine started.


    "She did, quiet him down a bit. That''s something."


    "Yes. Yes it is."


    "What do we owe you?"


    "Tell them no charge¡­ It was fun."


    "Wisdom and the Wolf, huh?"


    "It would be nice."


    "That it would be¡­ Thanks."


    "My pleasure."


    We went back to the lodge. Found Suzzanne in the atrium and told her not to wake us. She asked how much they owed for the search. I told her not to worry about it. He chalked it up as a training exercise.


    She promised to buy us dinner and asked what he liked to drink.


    "Whiskey."


    "And wine."


    "Thanks, Em."


    "Mmmhmm."


    Then she said her good nights. "I need sleep."


    "Oh Suzzanne, before I forget. If someone reports ''Pamela'' missing. She''s... well let''s just say she''s catching the sunrise."


    "That sounds like a euphemism for something."


    "A euphemism? Hmm. No. I think taking a ride on the dark comet would be a euphemism."


    "I didn''t wanna know that."


    "Yeah you did."


    "Asshole."


    She took a couple steps, then turned, with a much more genuine aura, "Thank you for the help. I''m going to bed. Night all."


    Darren turned to me and told me something to the effect of, "That was mean."


    "Only because she thinks she can''t have a sense of humor, to live up to somebody else''s expectation. She''s channeled herself into a tool that other people can use to better their pockets with. Kinda like you in that aspect. She looks down on others and all things, her superiors, consider ''distasteful'', without even knowing it. There''s a caring there, like a big sister. It''s a strength that''s been molded into something colder though. She just really needs to lighten up. Especially since she''s family now."


    "Didn''t you kind of look down on her just now?"


    "Me? Nah. I''m just being me. I can be an asshole at times. Especially Tuesdays. No doubt. But I have a do unto others policy. I treat everyone as an equal and how I want to be treated. And that includes, If I''m being a stuck up cunt then I''d want you to beat it out of me. I''m just tapping at the shell, giving her a place to push."


    He just shook his head, "Thanks for the help. Have a good night."


    "Already had one. Sleep well"


    "Me too. Sweet dreams." Em smiled and stretched.


    We started the walk back to a nice warm nest.


    "Nimmy seems nice."


    "It''s the vocal chords they just resonate it. But yeah, all kidding aside, Nimmy is one of the finest people you''ll ever meet on this fantastical rock. Especially when it goes into, ''You Wanted Adventure!'' mode."


    We barely got each other undressed before we flopped into bed, falling asleep with both of our feets, firmly on the floor. (there''s two sets of feet that''s plural)


    "Just humor him. He''s tired"


    "Thanks Em."


    "Mmhmm."

 C6 - Monday: Its fuckin Monday. Proper like/ {Earth and The Jaguar} <Or> (Karma? Yeah She Bites)

    ====================================================


    C6 - Monday: This time its really fuckin Monday. Proper like/


    {Earth and The Jaguar} <Or> (Karma? Yeah She Bites)


    ======================================================


    In fifty years, on that burned spot, the trees will be back. And so will we.


    We woke up at ten.


    I should clarify. I, woke up at ten. Emily woke up about six, seven minutes later, gripping my hair and grinding her crotch in my face, shaking like an over loaded washing machine.


    "Frack that tongue is good."


    "It''s all this pussy''s doing. It''s just so fucking tasty."


    We showered without haste, and dried each other even slower. She put on one of my black, Harley muscle tees and a pair of nice fitting black pants. She would have been right at home, on a stage with Lita Ford.


    ''I went to a party, last Saturday night, I didn''t get laid, I got in a fight¡­ uh huh, it ain''t no big thing.''


    That shirt would never fit me quite right again. But It sacrificed itself for the better good. And was now an indelible fondness etched in my heart.


    We took a quick ride, to a place William said was cozy. Ate. Took a less quick ride back. Then went to our room and crawled straight into bed.


    We didn''t get out from under the covers again, until episode twelve was rolling credits. We had a little catching up to do.


    We stumbled on Mr. And Mrs. Hicks out by their garden, so we pulled weeds and discussed technology and life. They decided they''d bandy about the possibility of a web page, but right now, they were good.


    Then we got a taste of the history between these two. The firsts they saw. The things they''ve lived through. The sacrifices they''d made and seen. His stints in WWII and a return as a DI after the Korean War. To get them through financials. It''s funny, most of the, most endured love stories from history, are ended in tragedy. Or betrayal. Or both.


    I''m glad I heard the one that these two were in.


    Darren came walking by, half dazed, as was his usual look, since even before last night''s debacle. So I called him over and teased him into getting his hands dirty. He took to it rather quick. It seemed more, memory recall, than first attempt. He was a lot more grounded when we were brushing the earth and the spice off our hands.


    Granny Hicks treated us to some of the best homemade ice cream, I''d ever tasted. I know that''s cliche. But let me ask you this, if at a later date, another ice cream will be presented, that''s even better, does it make it any more cliche then? Does it make it less true now? By the look on my companions faces, it seemed to be the same experience for them too. There''s really something different between mechanically mixed, and humanly fashioned, that changes the feel of the flavor. When someone does it with desire, it gives it, an ardor.


    "Granny Mabe?"


    "Yes?"


    "Would y''all mind, if we used that fire pit out by the picnic area?"


    "Not at all. If you promise, not to burn my house down."


    "I''m not going for a homecoming bonfire, just something a little comfortable and warding."


    "Feel free. There''s wood behind your room a little further down. Bill can show ya where the sand and hose are."


    "You guys are welcome to join us."


    "That''s kind of you to ask. And before you insist. It''s Monday, phone calls with the grandkids, a nice quiet dinner and our favorite TV shows."


    "That Sam Winchester really primes her wheel."


    "But you''re the one that grinds my grain."


    "I definitely married the right sister, the younger ones a real shit brick."


    "William Hicks. Quarter¡­ Jar."


    Emily laughed. Darren tried to hide it. I just shook my head, "Ahhh, to be old, and in whatever it is, you two are in."


    Gramps, Gunny or Bill, as he insisted that we call him¡­ "Grandpa Hicks makes me sound like a character in one of those Wilder novels." ¡­helped us set up the fire. Then he left us, to our own devices. And went off to something¡­ Supernatural?


    *That was super horrible.*


    ''Well, you''re a dick, you don''t get puns.''


    *Yes, yes I am. But you''re wrong. I do get em. You just suck at em.*


    Darren came walking up a few minutes later, with a tray full of pitchers. Filled with beer, soda, and a juice mix, along with a bottle of wine, and some glasses, in a plastic bag. There was three of us. Might be low on the juice. Ya can never be too prepared.


    He set it all up on a stump and proceeded to play bartender.


    "Emily?"


    "Juice for me please."


    "Joe?"


    "Juice¡­ Please."


    (that little pause, after juice, that''s how long it takes, for a mom to say, ''what do you say?''. I know, I timed it. it''s called, checking yourself)


    Just as he was handing us our drinks Pamela and Suzzanne came waltzing up.


    "I''ve got beer, wine, OJ with cranberry, and Coke."


    Suzeanne took a wine and sat on the log next to Em.


    Pam grabbed a beer and sat down on my other side.


    Darren poured himself a brew and plopped in next to Suzzanne.


    "You know we shouldn''t be doing this," She halfheartedly intoned, "If one of these kids is actually with home corp, we''re fucked." She shook her head and tittered a fruitlessness, "This is so fucking stupid¡­ Why am I fucking here?"


    "About that. I don''t know if I''m going to be with this company too much longer."


    "What? Why not? What happened?"


    "Nothing bad. I just realized, I''m just doing this job for the bank. I haven''t really been happy since our second session and this is what? Twenty nine?."


    "Twenty seven."


    "Feels like fifty."


    "I hear you... So? Why now?"


    "Gardening."


    "Gardening?"


    "Gardening. Mud tosses. Life lessons. I used to help my mom out in hers. We''d laugh, talk about our day. She had me count the seeds to help me with my math. Then she got sick and we moved to the city and that stopped. Today I was reminded just how much I missed that. Miss her. It felt like she was just across the row. And I felt like I was, right where I need to be. For me. Maybe it''s time I follow this feeling."


    "So what are you going to do?"


    "I might stay here. They offered me a place."


    "Really?"


    "Yeah. Mabel¡­ Granny Hicks¡­ The lady that owns this place¡­ She saw me staring at the garden, while I was waiting for the drinks. She offered me an ear and I told her what I just told you, and more. A lot more. They''re really good listeners up here. She told me that they were looking for someone to help William with the grounds-keeping. So, I think I might have to settle on being content, rather than being rich. I like this place, and the people. They''re honest."


    "Okay. I kinda get it. Good for you." she sighed.


    She held her drink in both hands and watched the legs drip down the inside of her glass.


    Pam cheered, "Olofi smiles on this day."


    "He just might be at that," I returned.


    She winked.


    "Speaking of changes of the heart," my race partner continued, "I don''t think I''ll be heading back with you all either."


    Then she bumped into me.


    "Thank you."


    "For what?"


    "Introducing me to my dark prince."


    "You''re welcome?"


    "He''s going to Vermont, to pick up a couple of pups, with his sister. He gets back Friday night. This ends on Thursday. I have the keys, now I just need the ride. Luckily I don''t have much, so a taxi will do."


    "Hold on¡­ first, I can get you a ride, not an issue. But more importantly. He gave you the keys?"


    "Yes."


    "To his house?"


    "Yes."


    "You''re serious?"


    "As a train wreck. We hit it off real well, and he had me work with Liffa and she took to me, so he asked me if I''d like to stay up here, with him."


    "Your talking about the dog, not his sister, right?"


    "Dummass."


    I got up off my seat, got on my knees and genuflected.


    "Oh queen of queens, who came on the rains, and with her beauty and might, tamed the proud, mighty jaguar."


    I bowed. With a flourish, just to overact. Cause it''s fun.


    "I bow before thee. Oh lady of improbabilities."


    She hid back a blush, with everything but her eyes. She bore a presence into me.


    "Are you always like this?"


    "Me?"


    "Yes you."


    "Yes."


    "Thank you then, I guess."


    "That was me, Thanking you."


    The coloring won out, all across her face.


    A shadow moved against the light of the rooms behind us, pulling our attention. A friendly visage, in white cloth on amber skin, with these, big, dark, cow eyes. She walked up from the kitchen side of the lodge. Bearing gifts. Most wondrous gifts. Coffee, chunks of meat on a stick, that she arranged by the fire, and fry bread, with a bowl of honey.


    Darren introduced her as Marisol. She was, what they used to refer to as, a spitfire. She laughed a lot, she joked hard. Her smile was probably listed with the CDC. She was a splendid mix of American genetics. There was some Asian, some African, some Iroquois, and some Welch. You could say, she was the ultimate, All American girl. Shy two or three continents. She pulled the skewers from the heat and made an offering, to all. We accepted, happily. Gratefully. She sat next to Darren, in a familiar proximity.


    The meat, just melted on your tongue. The onion was sweet. The green pepper bit you back with bitter teeth. The cherry tomatoes rinsed your pallet, in a tangy rush of juicy pulp, readying you for the next wave of,


    "Mmmmm."


    "Mmhmm."


    "What is this? It''s so fucking, meaty." Pam drooled.


    "I think it''s bear." I''d had it before, not my favorite, but it is up there.


    "Good call. One of our neighbors up the road shot him when he was going after his chickens. Then he divvied up the spoils. And we''re on his list." Marisol gleamed.


    Everyone went quiet in sweet honey dipped nirvana. There''s just something about a good fry bread that gives me pause. Not the the frybread you get at the busy time of powwows, the ones you get after, when the clean ups done and the elders are cooking.


    Marisol and Darren started speaking in whispers. While the rest of us devoured our tasty, greasy treats. Suddenly, she smiled real bright, kissed his cheek and stood up. He took the hand she offered and followed. They said their good nights and walked off hand in hand.


    "Contentment before riches." I imbued.


    Suzzanne grunted, and groaned, "This is not going to look good on my report."


    Em, Pam and I all gave her a, "Why?" Two with words, one with a look.


    "Because, I lost a potential AND a partner, and we''re not even half way through this fiasco. Why are adults so much worse than kids?"


    Pamela laughed, "Isn''t that what your supposed to do on these things? Weed out the fodder?"


    "I guess. I have no idea what I''m supposed to be doing on these things anymore, if I ever did. But losing an employee of, Our Company, I don''t think is a part of it."


    "So? Maybe it should be. If you write your end report the right way, you might come out with a new position."


    "What if I don''t really want a new position? What if I don''t know, if I even want to continue with the position I have?"


    "Go talk to Carol, my roommate, she''s really, really good at wording things, and working things out. She''ll help you."


    "I''ll ask her tomorrow."


    "She''s still up, will be for hours. She loves to help people sort out their stuff. And I think she''ll be pleasantly surprised. To see you at the door. With something she can help you with."


    "You think so?"


    "I know so. She''s a great people problemer. Tell her I sent you as a gift. Bring her this puzzle. Go ahead. She loves a little word play challenge. Here, you can bring her a Snickers. She''ll be at your beck and call."


    "Maybe, what the hell. Thanks. Goodnight All. And you two still need to collect on that dinner."


    "How about breakfast one morning, instead?"


    "Sure."


    "Only if you join us." Emily added.


    She hesitated, but agreed, and off she went, in her typical hurried, if somewhat less serious, step.


    Pamela was happy with herself. Proudly amused would be more accurate. Like she was both halves of an inside joke.


    "I don''t know what Carol sees in that one. She''s, just so fucking, stiff."


    "Did you say, bring her knickers?"


    "Ha, ha, no. That''s funny though, that would work, for that one, too."


    "So Carol''s a sapph?"


    "Totally. And she gets wet just at the mention of that girls name."


    "She won''t get mad at you if Suzzanne doesn''t feel the same?" Em inquired.


    "Oh hell no. She''ll be happy. Just to have had her alone, for finger fodder later. Just one whiff of her hair and she''ll be primed for a night. Or two¡­ CRAP. I just realized. If they hit it off, I need to find other sleeping arrangements. Grrrr. Fuck meee¡­ Sometimes I''m too much of a smart ass for my own good. Karma is a bitch."This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "Been there done that. And YES, she is." I laughed.


    I felt a bump, and turned to see two big brown eyes questioning mine, with a sparkle. I just sure''d my head in Pam''s direction, and leaned back.


    Em, leaned passed me, and looked at the room-less girl, with the ''I just fucked myself, but it''s so worth it'' smile, and offered, "You could stay in our room, if you''d like."


    "Really? And I won''t be interrupting any, festivities?"


    Why she looked at me for the answer, I haven''t a clue. "Nope, but we''ll try to be quiet and covered. Unless you want to watch¡­ That''s two."


    "I''ll make that feel better later, too."


    "You''re going to be busy for a week at this rate. The triage alone may take hours."


    "Mmmhmm."


    I couldn''t help but kiss her head, she''s just too cute when she''s mischievous.


    "So how will you know if they''re¡­ occupied?"


    "The old sock on a knob. In this case it''ll be a yellow hair bow. But I''ll listen for a minute, just to be sure."


    "Joe."


    "Em."


    "I just remembered, we don''t have an extra bed anymore."


    "Hah. I heard you guys had a shiny metal roommate"


    "Why does that not surprise me. That''s, notta problem. I''m pretty sure we can wrangle a cot, or we can get the old bed back."


    "Thanks guys."


    "No worries."


    "Mmmhmm."


    We stayed around the fire until it was embers. About an hour by a fire is like three days of meditation. So we had a good four or five days of relaxation in the bones. I got the hose from the spigot and drowned down the coals. Emily and Pam were chatting away. Pam reached up and inspected Emily''s hair, and the dark haired girl blushed, at whatever the light strawberry blond had said. They traded laughs and sorority. The dark haired girl, whispered, waited and smiled, and you couldn''t tell anymore, where the strawberry blonde''s hair ended and her face began.


    When I was sure I had drowned out the fire completely, I grabbed three sand buckets and covered the mush. The three of us picked up the mess and walked arm in arm to the front desk.


    "I really do thank you for introducing me to Nimbuwe."


    "You guys introduced yourselves, I just got the names out of the way. Actually, you can blame Big for that, he''s the one that got him here. I can''t believe he invited you home. He''s a very, very, very, wary man."


    "We barely had any of the wine, so I can''t blame that. We just seemed to¡­ magnetize? On some level, but it was like we didn''t have to?"


    "Good. Just make sure the gears stay oiled."


    "Oh my gears get oiled just looking at the man."


    "Ha ha." in tandem.


    "Oh shit. I didn''t mean that the way it sounded."


    "Yeah, Yeah."


    "I didn''t, I mean¡­ Alright, that gets me started, but it''s his voice that makes me wet."


    The kid at the front desk looked like a deer in headlights, "What can I do for you." But he maintained a professionalism, quite well.


    "Be right back, don''t start without me." Pamela took off to see if Carol had scored. With a big cheeky grin, she skipped away.


    "We might need a cot. Her room might need one less occupant tonight."


    He caught the gist, but not the situation, "What room do you need the cot for?"


    "Eleven. I''m Joe by the way, this is Em, and that was Pam"


    "Steve¡­ Room eleven? That has a single and a double, why don''t the girls just crash¡­ oh¡­ wait, you''re the ones with the motorcycle. I took the single out for ya."


    "Yep."


    "Pretty ride. I saw her over by the door."


    "She is, but she''s not mine. She''s the Quest."


    "I''m thinking of getting one, any suggestions."


    "For riding around here?"


    "Yeah."


    "A sporty if you can, but then again I''m prejudiced. Get something simple, get a Honda or anything good on the turns. It all really depends on your comfort and needs. If you want to lean forward or lay back. Speed or comfort? Test drive em."


    "I''ve never ridden before."


    "Then get yourself a sporty, It''s what I learned on. They''re pretty forgiving as long as you don''t get too far ahead of yourself. They''re a harder bike to stand up in their weight range. But that just gives you incentive, to keep her shiny side up."


    Pamela bounced up to the counter, looking like the cat that ate the canary.


    "Yellow bow?" Emily asked.


    "Nope. Some undies too tiny to be Carol''s."


    Steve tried pretending to ignore that, but the blood in his cheeks gave him away, "Soooooo a cot then?" But I couldn''t tell if it was from embarrassment or holding back a laugh. There was the hint of tears, so, I''m going with laughter.


    "Looks like it."


    "Okay. I''ll meet you there."


    When we turned the corner, to go down the hallway, the office door opened and out came a wheeled, fold up, with a mattress.


    I got chills.


    Pam got something else entirely, "Oh thank God, it''s not an army cot"


    "Nope," Steve said, "These are actually pretty comfortable. They do squeak a little, if you toss and turn though, but it''s not bad. I could get you an army¡­"


    "NO. This will do nicely thank you."


    We put the cot in our room and Steve kept eyeing the sporty. So I told him to have a seat and see how it felt. I even held the back, so he could test the balance and the feel of it with his feet on the pegs. He was like a kid on one of those quarter pony ride machines. Taz would do the same, and it was part of the extras line. My task in this quest was almost complete and I could bring her back knowing I got the Bonus EXP. I was waiting to hear a vroom vroom but he held back. Cost me the Extra Bonus EXP. But he left happy.


    Pam went to the bathroom to change. Stopped by the door and her arms drooped.


    "I''ve got nothing to wear. All my clothes, are in my room."


    "That blue shirt is clean if you want it."


    She grabbed the flannel from my stack, and fidgetted through my jeans looking not too happy with the selection.


    "Big suitcase, on top," Emily offered, "They''re all clean."


    "Thanks. Hmm. Ooh! These match," the redhead announced, pulling a pair of pajama pants from Em''s luggage, "Nice. Thank you¡­ Thank you."


    "No worries."


    "Mmhmmm."


    By the time she got back Em and I were under the covers, our clothes in a pile by the side of the bed. I had my laptop out, thinking we''d watch an episode or two. Until Pam crashed. Or, what inevitably was going to happen, sleep fell upon us all.


    She came into the room doing a little bouncy jig, snuggling the borrowed clothes. The shirt, unbuttoned, tied just under her boobs.


    "You good?"


    "Soft and toasty. Thanks." She settled into the cot and wiggled. "Hmm. This might be one of the more comfortable things I''ve crashed on. I might have to steal it for the rest of the week. What are you guys watching?"


    "Firefly." Em answered.


    "What''s that?"


    "A space western."


    "A what?"


    "Probably one of the most accurate portrayals, of humans in space. So far."


    "Can I watch with you?"


    I looked at Em, she cracked a smile and nodded, and pointed at the computer with her chin.


    "If you want we can start episode one. The episode that should have been first anyway."


    "You wouldn''t mind?"


    "It''s a Browncoat''s Quest to recruit new troops." Emily replied. Then she got all giddy and quick pecked me on the cheek.


    Pam crossed the room and started pulling up the covers. "We''re nude." I warned.


    "I''m dressed." She laughed and crawled in next to me.


    We watched the first episode over again. Reciting our favorite lines, again. Pam was thoroughly amused. By the two of us and the show. She was upset when we didn''t start episode two. That is, until I told her, that the Nightmare had the collection, and would be more than happy to continue her basic training. She seemed quite pleased with that prospect.


    (Quest complete. Convert Acquired. Both Joe and Em share the points.)


    Pam said she saw me outside taking pictures, and asked if she could see them. I flipped through some landscapes and the star shots. She critiqued a couple, in a negative light. On this one in particular, she was kind of brutal. I didn''t blame her. It was an attempt that failed. Horribly. I didn''t know half the art school terminology shit she threw around. All I knew was that it sucked, and she thought so too.


    "Sorry. I didn''t mean to hurt your feelings"


    "You didn''t. That was actually tame compared to what came out of my mind. I could actually add to that. A shit ton. I love constructive criticism. Even just downright rude comments. Most of which are my own. If you can explain why, and aren''t just being a dick, I''m fine. And, if you''re just being a dick, I see were it''s coming from and take it as a compliment. Everybody has their own taste. And if I can learn your taste and show you one you like, or even better, connect with, well that''s the satisfactory conclusion."


    "I''ve already seen some I like."


    "Thanks. But none of them really moved you. And the ones that were the worst according to your taste. Maybe even both of ours, technically or artistically. Well they''re the ones, if you can tell me why, then I can head that way. And if it still doesn''t tickle your fancy and you can further me along and tweak me in the right direction, I''ll tweak until I get there. It''s the journey AND the destination. Don''t let anybody tell you it''s one or the other."


    "Nobody''s convinced me yet."


    "I didn''t think it was either of them. Until I was standing nude in an ice cold pond and loving it." Em happily pondered.


    "What do you think now?"


    "I can see the way and I can see where I want to be. I mean I''ve always seen where I want to be, but now I think it really is where I want to be. Alive, happy and living, out side my wheelhouse," I felt a bump, "whether I''m alone, or among others. What did Darren say? Contentment before riches?"


    "Summarily."


    I whispered a question in Emily''s ear.


    She just nodded.


    "You Sure?"


    "Mmmhmm," she kissed my cheek.


    I scrolled through the more celestial photos. There were a couple she liked, one she really liked, but nothing ''jumped her'', as she put it. I clicked to the pics of Emily on the rock.


    Her shirt was undone. Eye''s closed. Touching the air, like she was touching a line of code on her laptop. She had Gotya smile. Pam was silent. I looked at Emily. She was watching the screen and Pam''s face. Then I clicked on one, a few later in the order. My second favorite.


    Em was completely nude. Not the borderline naked, comfortable to some degree, she was in the few before. No. This was something much different.


    She was not on full tip toe, just about halfway there. Inspecting a flower, on a branch, about two feet over her head. Pulling the limb down til it almost touched her nose. Giving it a smell. You could see the fragrance filling her eyes. She looked, like she belonged, just like that, forever. She was home. And her home was herself and everything around her.


    "That''s beautiful. The way you captured the shadows like they were bred into her skin. The way her face is¡­" there was a long pause, "Em!"


    Emily buried her head into me.


    "Wow! Joe¡­"


    "By throwing enough rocks, even a monkey can write a poem. That''s all her. I''m just the lucky bastard that bore witness and clicked."


    I felt a cool trickle make its way down my side.


    I scrolled through a few more. Then I got to the ones of Emily sleeping.


    "Mmmmm. I''m beginning to see what Carol is liking."


    "You mean licking."


    "Yeah. That too¡­ Hopefully¡­ For her. I''m going to bed now." And she got up and went to her cot and just sat there. Propped up on her elbows looking out our window.


    "You know you can adjust that thing like a lounge chair."


    "Really?" She turned and looked at the side of the cot, caught the idea of it and locked both sides, and herself, into a semi upright position. "Oh. This is... Hmmm."


    "You''re going to fodder aren''t you."


    "Fuck yes, and on Friday night I''m going to fodder the shit out of that friend of yours."


    "Have fun. Try and keep the noise to a minimum, will ya. The neighbors are light sleepers."


    I brushed back Emily''s hair. My chest was as wet as her cheek. She pulled herself up and softly spoke, "I want you inside me."


    "I picked up some condoms."


    "I can''t get pregnant and don''t say your sorry, cause your not, and you shouldn''t be. I just want you inside me. I know you''re hard. I can feel him in my palm."


    "You''re better down there?"


    "It''s still itchy and you promised you''d get in there and scratch it. And I know he wants to help."


    "Okay. But, only if we do it the way I wanted to on Saturday."


    "Mmhm."


    "You remember what to do if you got nervous?"


    "On the bike?"


    "Yeah."


    "Mmmhmm."


    "Then. Slip into your seat. And take your time this time. I can last a while, don''t worry about me. Be devious."


    She straddled over me and just touched her lips to mine. She teased the hell out of herself. And me. I took in her grace and grit it all down.


    She palmed me, and pushed my shaft against her sex, closed her eyes and felt herself along. She smoothed her way to my balls then slowly back up again. Smiling. Getting wetter every pass.


    A moan beckoned to us, from across the room. Light strands of rusty gold, curved over a shoulder and between her cleavage. Pam had one hand down her pants, her other was cupping a breast under her shirt. She caught me looking.


    And the bitch gave me a wink.


    Emily turned to see what I was looking at and smiled. Pam returned the expression with a lustful leer. Then she got a little verbally thoughtful.


    "I left that Heavens Gate meeting, on Saturday, a couple minutes early. Wondering why I was here. People started marching out. Every one of them, drunk on the kool aid. And then I saw you two. Stone cold sober. Half in this world, half in your own." Her eyes grew wide. Her hand pressed deeper between her thighs. "As you walked by, both your worlds pulled me in. I watched you guys walk down the hall, laughing, kissing by your door. I couldn''t turn my eyes away. I wanted to sneak up to your window and watch."


    Pam had her pants almost all the way down. She got frustrated when the hem bound on her ankle, and started kicking her feet to try and get them off. It was¡­ sexy? in a comical way. Emily chortled and took me in, unexpectedly, just about an inch. She gasped, and pulled off.


    "Still sore?"


    "Not there. Definitely, not there. I just want to explore."


    "It''s your expedition. Lead on! Ma''am."


    She pulled me up and scooted me back to the wall. Then threw two pillows to the corner of the bed, inviting the masturbating girl, on the cot, to come over. That one, didn''t need to be asked twice. She practically bounded to the bed, propped the pillows up and settled in against the footboard. Emily turned and watched me watching. She kissed my temple, and turned back to the view of the splayed out voyeur. Pressing an ear to mine. Pam was just staring into our eyes. Grinding her hand against her crotch. Emily pressed her nose to my ear and started teasing again.


    Pam had the shroud of someone who was engrossed in a thought. A thought too deep to be soley animal in nature. There was something she needed to know, or get out. I couldn''t quite tell.


    I felt the head pop passed Emily''s entrance. Then out, and back in again. I turned to her and got lost in her countenance. Her eyes closed, every time I was released and her muscles tensed shut, grazing across my crown. They widened, as she pushed and tempted herself open. Even more when she saw mine smiling back at her. Her head rolled back when she constricted beyond my ridge, clamping tightly around my shaft, gliding herself a little further down.


    Pam''s thoughts finally took shape and came out sounding, something like, "Mmmmmmmm. I had that¡­ This morning. I''d love that. Tonight."


    She noticed her wording was a tiny bit, off?


    "Not yours though! No offense."


    "None taken."


    "I meant I¡­ felt like both of you... look, like you feel right now¡­ Myself¡­ Us¡­."


    Emily slid inching her way down, slowly, back up, back down, a little bit further with each set. Feeling out the moment. And then she stopped, her eyes scrunched tight, a relieved, almost satisfied, smile beemed toward the ceiling, "Ahhh yes there''s the spot. That itchy, itchy spot."


    "...physically¡­"


    "Oh yes right there, to the right, just a bit, ooongh¡­ Aahhhhh."


    I worked into her with slow movements, changing my angle. Right, left, up and back. Scratching at the place that once bled.


    "A little more left, oh yeah mmmmhhhmmm. Oh that, that, that, yes, Mmmmm," she teethed at my ear, "You are so frelling good for me." The blanket drifted down her back. She threw it to the side.


    "... and hmmmm emotionally. besides I DON"T¡­ think he''d mind¡­ especially since he''s¡­ in my mind. With me."


    "He won''t. Especially if you tell him¡­" Emily sank down taking the rest of me in with one slow, hungry, swallow. Her whole weight pressed into me, "¡­oh fuck, Em¡­"


    "Mmmhmmmmm."


    Her tongue took the rest of my speech. Then her teeth found their way to the muscle behind my jaw.


    "¡­Trust me, just tell him, and show him¡­ mmmm¡­ Preferably at the same, tiiime."


    "Oh that sounds¡­ yes¡­"


    All our words gave way to passionate sounds and more primal callings. My beautiful geek rose up and fell on me, staring into my eyes, getting close so she could, focus. Her glasses on her head, holding her hair out of her face. Eyes filled, with passion and wonder.


    We both turned towards a trumpeted, "I''m."


    Pam''s shirt had fallen. Down around her elbows. Her left hand was holding an exposed breast in a very ardent grip. Her moans picked up speed. The fingers on her right hand slipped between her lips with vigor. Steady and passionate. Their counterparts pinched at her nipple with ambition. Her back tightened and lifted off the bed. She grabbed a pillow and stuffed it in her mouth and shook. Her forehead went crimson. Then her face followed.


    Emily put her forehead to mine and purr-growled as she ground into me. Pam went stiff and froze. Her legs straightened, and her foot pressed hard into my ankle, twitching. I took one of Em''s nipples in my teeth and teased it with my tongue with a flick.


    She bit into my ear, "I''mmhmm."


    I rolled her onto her back and pulled her up.


    Her legs and arms pulled me in, crushing me down in to her. She rocked with my tempo. When her fingernails found purchase and her mouth found mine, she shuddered. Pam''s toes traced down the back of my foot. I felt fingers, dig into a whole bunch of buttons with just the right pressure. I jerked, and my seed flowed into Emily, as her orgasm flowed around mine. She held me inside her, kissing me softly and slowly.


    I could feel her heartbeat, pounding around mine, inside her. Every pulse, a tingling on all of our nerves. We trembled together. Her glasses were cocked on her head. I took them off, and laid them on the stand, and just stared. Her body relented and unwillingly released me. I rolled onto my back. She washed her body over me and brushed my face with the back of her fingers.


    Muffled words caused us to turn and look at our voyeuristic guest.


    "What?" we laughed.


    Pamela was laying comfortably on her side, half propped up on one elbow. Both her feet were wiggling toes, between Emily''s and mine. She lifted up her chin, pushed the pillow to her chest and smiled.


    "That was fucking hot. Between the sights, the sounds, the scent, and the memory of this morning, hmmmm."


    "Just remember to share it with Nim."


    "Oh. I plan on it. You don''t think he''d maybe like to watch too, do you?"


    "Oh. I know he would. If it was you and another chick, definitely. If it was you and him watching two girls, no doubt. But a guy and a girl? I don''t know."


    "What about you two?"


    "Possibly. Maybe, in separate beds. Under the covers. With the lights low. Real low. Off preferably. Neither of us likes the look of guy parts. And we played roller hockey together. I''ve seen him nude, it''s not a pretty sight."


    "Hey! He''s beautiful."


    "In your eyes. Yes. Don''t get me wrong, it''s not his scars. Despite or because of them all, he is a handsome-ish dude. Prettier than me. But he''s got an, Ugly. Fucking. Dick. There''s no way, I''d enjoy seeing that aardvark''s snout bouncing around, anywhere. Not even, in and out of you."


    "Hmm, I guess I get that." There was a contemplative pause and a change in her aura, "You know, It''s funny¡­ I''ve been with a couple more guys than I care to admit. Not that many, but enough. And I just realized right now, the only two dicks I could identify soft, are yours and that beautiful man''s. I also realized, all my sex life has ever been. Is, he''s hard, he''s in, he''s done, he''s off, he''s gone¡­ Until the other night. And now, that I''ve actually seen two of them soft, looking at you, and how he is when he''s soft, it''s surprising that you''re both about the same size when your hard¡­ How''s that work?"


    "He''s a shower, I''m a grower."


    "Yeah you are. If he grew like you do, proportionally, I think you''d be visiting me in the hospital right now."


    Emily chuckled, made herself more comfortable against me and kissed the muscle she tenderized with her teeth. The one right behind the jaw under the ear.


    "I think it''s cute. The first time I felt it hard, it kinda, scared me. The only thing I ever had in me was two fingers, and that''s a lot more, than two fingers. I know that they''re made to go in there, but still¡­ I love, the way it grows. It''s like, Jack and the Beanstalk. Literally. It''s stimulating to watch happen."


    "She likes it, I''m happy. She''s the only person it needs to please, besides me, and it''s always done me, just fine in that department."


    Pam locked the toes of her left foot in mine and took Emily''s with her right. She stretched and yawned. A shiver rippled through her. She rolled her head into a pillow, "Mmmm, You guys don''t mind if I just, pass out right here, do you?"


    "You''re just gonna lay down there? Like a well trained pooch."


    "I don''t have the energy to go back all the way, over there. As much as I''d love to." She rolled her head off the bed and stared upside down at the cot. "I am definitely going to see if I can get that thing in my room tomorrow. It''s cuddly, seriously, best thing I''ve ever laid on. Well, second best thing I ever laid on, best bed, let''s call it that."


    Emily nudged me and slid closer to the wall. I slid next to her and adjusted the blankets. Pam slinked up to our invitation, twisted and settled in beside us. She wiggled a spot and tucked us all in.


    "And suppose Suzie decides to sleep over again?"


    "Mmmm, Maybe they''ll let me watch, Maybe they''d let me join em. Could be nice."


    "Thinking of exploring your wild side are you?"


    "Maybe. If they''re as sensual and sexy as this one over here, then hell yeah," she reached over me and stroked Emily''s arm. "Or, maybe we could explore together?"


    Emily took her hand in hers and locked fingers, "I might, like that."


    Pam pushed her head into my shoulder. Her hand was holding Emily''s, like a sisters, across my stomach, "I think I would tooooayyuhmmm."


    Pam''s breathing shallowed and Em''s was quick to follow. It had been a long, fucking weird day after all. So it wasn''t any wonder that the culmination of the acts we had just performed, mixed in with the coziness of our current situation, would prompt us all to slip into something, refreshing.


    It was a sleep, very well earned. In a bed both lovingly and rather chaotically made.

 C7 - Tuesday / {Earth Reveals Her True Self} <Or> (The One Who Found The Code)

    ======================================================


    C7 - Tuesday /


    {Earth Reveals Her True Self} <Or> (The One Who Found The Code)


    ======================================================


    Kyrie Eleison.


    The world around me materialized into view. Without any need for my eyes to adjust to a change in luminance. It was all just different shades of dark. It felt like five o''clock. The sun was almost highlighting the atmosphere. It was the last few minutes before twilight and, If you strained to look, there was just enough ambiance, coming through the window, to distinguish shadows and shapes. And the subtle movements of the girl sitting up, stretching, to my right.


    Pam''s silhouette was pushing upwards to the ceiling. Her back against the headboard, arched slightly. Swaying left to right. It wasn''t just off the cuff, this seemed proficient, exercised, practised. Yoga like.


    Full C-cups, pushed up and away. Her eyes were half closed, surrounded in a veil of reverie. Her hair flowed off of her head, down her back, like a cowl. Texturally glowing in waves of a loftier, silkier gray. Palms up to the sky. She serpentined her neck and let out a light content sigh.


    "Morning," I offered.


    "Yeah, it is." She blithely replied.


    Emily''s voice muffled softly off my chest, "You have a cute snore."


    Pam tilted her head down, looking to her left, "I snore?"


    "Mmmhmm. But it¡¯s really cute. Soothing."


    She looked to me for confirmation. "It''s more of a himnnnnnnnnnnn than a snore."


    "With an mmmmhhh at the end," Em dreamily added.


    "What time is it?" I half laughed.


    "A little after seven."


    "Seriously? Why is it so damn dark?"


    "There''s a really bad storm on the other side of the river, the clouds are black," she said, then she leaned down, put her arms around us and kissed us both on the forehead. With a hum, she blissfully rose up and out of the bed. Turned to the window and stretched in a vigor. "Really black¡­ It looks like Armageddon over there. What are you guys doing today?"


    "I was thinking of grabbing some breakfast, then coming back and catching up on our show, then maybe going for a ride down to that cafe. If the storm stays over that way. Unless Em has anything she''d like to do."


    "Nnhhnn. That sounds nice. I do want to work on my program, though. There''s another gremlin that I may have cornered." She mumbled into my chest.


    "Bring your laptop, I''ll bring my camera. I love watching you chase dragons. What about you, Pamillasaurus Chest?"


    "I''m going to wheel this cot to my room and interrogate Carol, before the day starts. Then maybe I''ll join you guys for coffee, so I can gossip. Then, I''ll go back to my room and read. Nimmy gave me a book. All his research on the types of dog training techniques and the different needs depending on service type¡­ I do want to do the confidence course at two though. That looks like fun."


    "Is that what they were setting up on the other side of the field?"


    "Yeah. Looks like a blast. Finally, something challenging."


    "Em? What do you think? A two o''clock date with a rope wall and some mud?"


    "Mmmhmm." she perked.


    Pam was looking out the window, wiggling into her team shorts. She turned and caught Emily watching, "You keep looking at me like that and I''m going to have to hide a wet spot walking back to my room."


    Em just smiled.


    "Oh! Before I go,", buttoning up her shirt, "I was wondering?" She hit shift on the keyboard, the screen lit up, she scrolled back a few frames, "can I have a copy of that?" The monitor turned in our direction. To the picture of Emily and the flower. I looked at Em. She nodded against my chest. I got a paper and pen, ''dcim four three zero seven''.


    "Write down your e-mail, I''ll copy all these to a cd and Em can send it to you."


    "You don''t need a cd, I have an sd card slot on the side."


    "Seriously?"


    Mmmhmm."


    "Might be time for an upgrade. One less adaptor to worry about losing."


    "You wouldn''t mind if I had it printed and framed would you?"


    I looked at Em. She approved.


    "All yours."


    "Yes! Thanks. And thank you both, for a very, wonderful evening," she sighed, then skipped to the door, pulling the cot behind her.


    The door shut, behind the bounce in her hips, muffling the sound of one squeaky wheel chirping down the hall.


    "Do you think they have a laundry room here?"


    "Maybe. If not I''m sure we can find a place to do wash. No better way to meet the locals. You low on clothes?"


    "Mmhmm. Jeans. I only brought two. Didn''t plan on needing more."


    "We could just stay in this bed for the rest of the week. Then we wouldn''t have to worry about it."


    "That would be nice too. Hungry?"


    "Yes, Ma''am. You?"


    "Mmmhmm."


    We showered and dressed and gathered ourselves together. A few minutes later we were sitting at a table ordering food.


    Pam met us at the dining room, a short time after we sat down. We were already lost in the delectable world of short cakes and bacon when she came in. Bouncing. With a sly grin plastered completely across her face. I''d seen that look before, in many a mischievous eye. Usually, just before someone else said, ''touche'', or ''asshole''. I nudged Em.


    "Cheshire Cat''s been naughty."


    She caught my sight line and watched Pam strut up to our table.


    "You''ve got canary feathers on your cheek there. Feel like spitting the poor bird out?"


    "Coffee first." She impishly replied.


    I poured her a cup. She swirled the sugar and milk with purpose, took a big sip and put the cup down.


    "Ahhhhhhh. I''m gonna be coming here a lot. And not just for this coffee, they have some of the best food I''ve ever scarfed."


    Emily, kept an expectant leer¡­


    "Yeah they do. I almost forgot what real food was like myself."


    ¡­for about a second¡­


    "I''ve eaten at some of the best restaurants in the city. Even the sandwiches here put them to shame."


    ¡­and a half. Her brown eyes scrunched coyly. She curiously queried, "What did you do?"


    "Me? Nothing¡­ Really! I walked in nice and quiet¡­ Honestly¡­ I was actually expecting Suzzanne to be gone. And Carol up and getting ready. That''s how it always worked in college. But, they weren''t gone, or anywhere near ready. They were still cuddled up, like cute little kittens, fast asleep. Their own little litter of two. I pulled the cot into the room and bumped into the night stand and Suzie woke up. She saw me, and damn near shit. She may have farted." Pam chuckled, "She stood up, taking the blanket with her, leaving Carol naked as a jay bird. Carol opened her eyes, saw Suzie''s ass and smiled. Then she looked at me and gave me wooohoo face. I pushed Suzzanne back into bed and told them, they had a few minutes, stay warm. Then I pushed her over, and I pulled us into nice and cozy girl cuddle. Haven''t had one of those since junior high. After a few minutes Carol said, ''This is nice.'' I agreed. Suzzanne actually hummed. Then I kissed them both on the forehead, got out of bed and told them, they had five minutes to get ready for the first event. They scrambled in a panic and were dressed and out the door in two. Suzzanne did get Carol in a bear hug with a big kiss before they left though. That was cute. Then I took a quick shower and came here."


    "You do realize everyone is going to smell the sex on them, all day?" I inquired.


    "I realized that when I was walking in here. Hence, the shit eating grin."


    We laughed, and talked until Em and I were done eating, then we went our separate ways. Pam went to ''read''. (just kidding) Em and I went and caught up to speed on our show.


    Around eleven o''clock we went for a quick ride. I snapped some shots of the boats on the water and some of Em, doing battle with that demon in her code. We made it back early enough to don our groups colors and not be late meeting Pam on the field. Mine was light grey, Em''s was red. The shorts looked good on her though, real good.


    We met up with a light grey Pam and studied the netting before us. A couple of kids bowed out and just walked away. After picturing their bodies broken on the other side of that, twenty-five foot tall, construction.


    There''s worse things to fall off of.


    (just take my word for that, don''t try it yourself)


    But these two. At my left. They were intent on working out their own strategies. Em was steady, working out the code. Pam, I don''t know what she was thinking. And I honestly don''t think she should have been.


    I made it over the wall of netting in one shot, quicker than I had thought I would.


    (shocked the shit out of me too)


    But, I''d done this before. A long while back. Lost a bit of the speed but the muscle mechanics were¡­ fluid enough. Surprisingly.


    (that shocked the hell out of me even more)


    Em, took it slow and steady, with a, first run of the code, anticipation. Climbing and getting her footing. Letting the next line of command propel her on. Half way up, her tongue peeked out in concentration.


    No, I didn''t have my camera. Some moments are only meant to be seen in the cinema of your soul anyway. They''re private, that''s what makes them special, personal.


    She made it over the top and slowly climbed down the back end. Landing at my feet with a big hug and a happy kiss. One: The Code Worked smile; complete with glow, radiated off her face


    Pam stumbled a couple of times. At the bottom none the less. You could see the frustration build in the corner of her eyes. And then, she stopped thinking. She studied some of the others, patiently. Until she saw Paul, scramble up and over.


    Then all you heard was, "Fuck! That!" and the girl, cracked her neck, and broke even my speed, rolling herself over the bar and two handing her way down the back side, like a seasoned fucking SEAL. Thirteen years of gymnastics, finally paid off. Not surprising, considering it was mixed with a healthy dose of, Hell hath no fury.


    "That makes an old Grunt nostalgic." We heard from behind, and turned to see, William, with a look of admiration on his face, "Nicely done Missy, nicely done indeed." Then he turned and walked away with a single, "Ooorah."


    Pam did a little twirling dance with a bounce, "That was fuuuuun. Yes."


    I think she''s part Tigger, she bounces everywhere.


    The next fifteen minutes was spent running through obstacles, crawling in the mud and scrambling under, and over, logs and short walls. By the time we crossed the line we were sweaty, muddy, exhausted, and laying on the floor. Making generous contributions to global CO2 levels. Some laughing like school kids, others taking stock in ourselves.


    Suzzanne and Carol came stumble running through the finish and plopped down beside us gasping for air. It was the first time I saw Suzzanne participate, and not just judge. She rolled on her back and stared at the clouds, "Holy shit! That was harder than I remember. I''m done."


    Carol leaned over her and wiped some dirt from her face, "I hope you''re not too done, Suze. I''ve got plans for you later."


    "So Suze is it now?" I laughed.


    "Suze, Suzie, Sue, Sweet Ums, Sugar Britches, I really don''t give a crap anymore."


    "Good for you."


    "Somehow I feel, I have you three, to blame for last night."


    "Us?" I asked.


    "Yeah, You! Girl Cuddle! And the shy one with her hand in your shorts."


    "Not me and shy girl. Not immediately, anyway. Maybe, as co-conspirators. After the fact. Sound about right, Em?"


    "Mmmhmm."


    "See. Wasn''t us. You can blame that all on the broomstick with the big boobs. She''s the devious mastermind of that sordid plot. She even primed you up with candy from a stranger."


    She stretched her hand out to Pam''s and took it with a squeeze. Then she pulled Carol down with her other, and gave herself up to the brunette''s full lips, and more than willing tongue. All the while holding a thankful grip on the hand of the girl who had sent her there.


    Darren came up limping, pushing hard on one leg. He half dove across what was left of the white chalk line, many steps ahead of the once missing football player. Paul was pissed.


    Darren had a slightly swelling cut on his shin. He sat up and looked at the scene before him and just shook his head and flopped back to the ground. We were a mess of humanity and the pile kept getting bigger.


    I personally hadn''t run that hard since I got chased through the woods by a pissed off buck. He obviously didn''t want his doe''s picture taken. He could have asked nicely. But that''s not how G&G programmed it to work.


    Paul finally calmed, sat up and looked at Darren, "Good win. You''re pretty damn fast for a desk jock."


    "I played Hockey and Lacrosse all through high school and college. Still go for a run every morning."


    "Now I don''t feel so bad. What time you run?"


    "Six AM."


    "Can I join you?"


    "Sure. Meet me by the trail out back in the morning."


    "See you then."


    Paul looked at me, all serious. A calm, contemplative serious. "Can I talk to you a sec?"


    "Sure." I turned and gave Emily a kiss, "Take a walk?"


    "MMhmm."


    Before we were out of earshot I heard Darren ask, "Is this bad?"


    Then I heard Pamela''s answer, "For Paul, maybe."


    When we got far enough away, from prying ears, the defensive end looked at me with a hint of guilt and said, "I hear I caused quite a disturbance the other night."


    "You could say that. You could have just told your roommate you''d be back in the morning, or left a note. Out in places like this, you make sure to cover your own ass, there''s lots of things out here that can really fuck you up."


    "Yeah. I should have let someone know I had¡­ was fine. But dogs? Really?"


    "One dog. But yeah, they were really freaked. And honestly, if I had gone for a walk and took a tumble, or got attacked by something or someone, I''d want some one to do that for me¡­ And if you were hurt, and I didn''t do anything, I''d feel like somebody that I Really, don''t want to be."


    "I see your point. Anyway, that''s not why I wanted to... I heard you were the one that found me."


    "Liffa found you."


    "But you saw."


    "Enough."


    "And yet you didn''t¡­"


    "Why the fuck would I? We were tasked to find you. And we did. All they needed to know was whether you were alive, hurt or dead. And that''s all they got."


    "Well, Thank You. Seriously. If there''s anything I can do for you just ask."


    "That''s okay there big guy, she''s got that covered." I kissed Em on the cheek.


    He looked at Em. Caught the twist in my words and stammered, "Oh that''s not¡­ what I¡­" And then he saw that look on my face and he stopped. "Asshole."


    I gave him a grin, "There is something you can do for me, though."


    "Name it."


    "Stop treating women like they ALL did you wrong."


    "It''s that obvious?"


    "Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles could sing a duet about it."


    Em laughed. Her, you''re such an ass, laugh.


    Paul just shook his head, "Shit. I guess I have to put that at the top of my training regimen."


    "You do that."


    "I think there''s some one wanting to talk to you." Emily noticed.


    He tracked her sight line and looked to a picnic table with a sole body looking our way. "Yeah. Thanks. See you guys."


    "Mmmhmm."


    "Hey."


    He stopped and half turned.


    "There''s a nice cafe down the road. The foods good, there''s tables out back with a nice view. The people that own the place seem like pretty decent folk. It''s worth the walk. Welcome to the family."


    "Thanks."


    We walked back to the little gathering. All eyes were on us.


    "What?"


    "What was that all about?" Suzie asked.


    "He just wanted to say he was sorry for causing so much fuss, and thank us for looking out."


    "Mmhmm."


    "He looked awful serious for gratitude." Pam chimed. The girl, just wouldn''t let go of that bone.


    "I think he realized that he fucked up, by just going off alone and not telling anyone. And had he been hurt, he''d be happy that someone came lookin for him. Enough of that¡­ You! You said, ''For Paul, Maybe''. Sooo, what tales did my umber brother fill your head with?"


    "Me? None, really, he just said you had all the brains of George Milton and the stupid strength¡­"


    "of Lennie Small. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And people wonder why, I call him The Nigerian Nightmare."


    "Same reason he calls you The Calabrian Calamity."


    "Hah. Haven''t heard that in awhile."


    "He did tell me how you guys met and one story of a hockey game."


    "Oh? Good Times? And which hockey escapade was this?"


    "When some guy three times your size hit one of your players from behind and you tossed him over the boards into the¡­ penalty box?"


    "Ah. It was his bench. Not one of my proudest moments. And he was only like twice my size, maybe one and a half. Top that off I was already riled up, because he ran me twice. Once in my crease. And nothing was called either time. I don''t remember him running her over. He had just elbowed me square in the head. But I heard a grunt and I saw her laying on the floor. She was my best defense man."


    "She?" Darren questioned.


    "The girl had great hands, and she was awesome blocking shots. She wasn''t afraid to bang it up in the corners and she almost always came out with the puck. Even in a game we lost by ten she managed to come out plus two. I really wished she would have been more than a tournament buddy. My regular team could have learned a lot."


    "Was she hurt bad?" Emily asked. Looking up from my lap.


    "A little banged up. She went to the locker room to assess herself, came back on the ice a couple minutes later. Blocked a bunch of shots and got an assist."


    "Seriously? She was that good?"


    "Darren. The girl quit playing women''s hockey in college and joined the men''s club team, because she missed the grinding. She had seven brothers. Five older. She could have made the Olympic team if she could have just learned, to stop fuckin checking. But, that wasn''t her style."


    "One of the ''Where Are They Nows?'', huh?" he quipped.


    "Oh no. Anyone who knows her, knows where she is. A small backwoods town tucked into a nice little resort, by the Canukian border, coaching college kids and NHL players. She''s doing quite alright for herself. And having all kinds of fun, knocking around the guys you see on TV getting the big bucks. She''s happy."


    Gunny Hicks entered our disaster area, with some plastic cups, a couple of pitchers of water and juice, and some ice packs. I took two. And a juice. He sat the rest of the stuff down in the middle of the mess, of muddy flesh, that we were.


    "Hey Bill. Thanks for all this. And for your service."


    "It wasn''t like I had a choice. Family and friends you know. But your welcome, and thanks for the mention."


    "What time you got?"


    "A tad after three I think."


    "You think we could borrow your shuttle?"


    "Can you handle three on the tree?"


    "Oddly enough, yes,"


    (I learned that the same time I learned the nuances of bike riding, from the same person)


    "Been a while, but it should come back."


    "Just don''t grind her too much. I''ll get you the keys, but you gotta have her back by eight."


    "Thank you kindly, Sir. Suzie Sweet Britches, you''re time keeper. Okay, kids, get your swim suits, or not, it''s clothing optional, be back here in ten."


    "Ummm. I really shouldn''t leave," Suzie argued. But the look on Carol''s face told me it was one debate she was gonna lose. Suzie knew it too. "If they find out I took off they''ll can me for sure, after this fiasco. And¡­ why am I time keeper?"Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    "Because you''re the one who organized all this team building crap. This, is your penance. And we have a schedule to keep. So! Since you''re in charge, You''re in charge."


    "Hey blondie," Gramps grunted, "If those guys put a bee in your bonnet, you call me. My daughter in law runs a party planning service in NYC. I''ve seen your organizational work around here, seen the way you treat my family and look out for these people, I got your six."


    Carol leaned over and whispered something in the girl''s ear that made her shiver.


    "Lemme go wash up."


    "You don''t need to. That''s what the pond''s for."


    Darren said he''d be right back and hobbled off towards the lodge.


    A few minutes later Bill rode back with the shuttle. He gave me the keys and told me about Edith''s quirks and her load out. Darren strolled up with Marisol in tow. William looked at them and just grinned.


    "You done for the day Missy?"


    "I have a little left, but Auntie said it''d be okay, Darren said he''d help me finish when we got back."


    "Well go on then, and don''t do nothing I wouldn''t do."


    "Well that leaves me open to a whole world of trouble don''t it. Is that really the right way to say that?" she gibed back.


    "You definitely got the good sister''s genes. Thank God. Have fun, Spark Plug."


    "Thanks, Gruncle Bill." She said with a quick peck.


    Fifteen minutes later we pulled up to the pond. The seven of us, strangers until six days ago, stripped down to whatever we were comfortable with. Suzie left her panties on, something about something.


    "Fish."


    "Thanks Em."


    "Mmmhmm."


    Carol was going to just wear her bra, because she hated the way her boobs bounced in water. But then she left her panties on too, because of Suzie''s, said, ''fish''. Darren left his shorts on. Marisol was right there with, me, Emily, and Pam, in all of our glory.


    The water was warmer than it was the other day, but was still chilly enough to be exhilarating. When we got out of the crisp, fresh pool, that''s when every one realized,


    "We ee faforgot ttto babring tatowels," Carol shivered.


    "We''re good."


    I walked back to the van, opened the door, and grabbed everyone a blanket and a towel. Marisol followed me up and helped me pull out the cooler.


    "Gruncle stocked us up, before he brought it around."


    Marisol looked up from beside me, "You better not."


    "Oh I think I will."


    "You''ve got balls."


    "And you don''t."


    "Touche."


    "Spark plug."


    "Asshole."


    "Well, it is Tuesday."


    "Oh god. What are you like the other six day''s?"


    "A really mellow, slightly sarcastic, now you''re stuck with me, motherfucker."


    "Shit! You''re from that branch of the family."


    "Aren''t we all."


    "One can only hope."


    Marisol opened the cooler and set out sandwiches, water, a handful of beers and a nice thermos of coffee. We tossed the blankets around and laid out in the late afternoon sun, scarfing down some, competitively seasoned, deliciousness, with all the fixins you ever really need. Friendship, a task completed and a good muscle burn.


    The sun was well passed it''s apex, but the day had warmed nicely and, without a breeze, the rays were hot and deep in your skin. Marisol was wearing Darren''s shirt. It was muddy and sweaty but that girl just didn''t mind. Her butt kept peaking out beneath it while they played Frisbee. Not my usual muse. But style wise, it had a natural, innocent athleticism and she had a Dark Elven beauty to her. One could see the charm.


    And no I didn''t have my camera. Like I said, some moments, are only meant to be kept on the edges of your mind. So when they spark a memory, you smile for no reason. Making people wonder what you''re up to.


    Darren, still had his shorts on. The two of them played their way to the water. Sat on a stump, dipping their toes into the pond. Talking. Sometimes serious, sometimes laughing.


    They looked strong in a future together.


    Carol had stripped off her bra and panties as soon as the blanket was unfurled. She laid on her stomach next to an equally nude Suzie. Whom she took great pleasure into helping undress and¡­ unwind. The two of them chatted away, stealing a kiss every now and then. Coming back to earth only when they felt it''s pull. Which to them was, when everyone stared. For five minutes or more. Which is what we were starting to do now.


    Pamela sat on her blanket, looking at the scenery. She occasionally glanced at all the couples and smiled, a distant smile. I held out my hand and she came over and took it. She sat, propped up by my side on her elbows. My hand slid down Emily''s back. She shivered and adjusted her pose. Pam took my arm and pulled it around her. Then she put her head on my chest and just watched Emily sleep.


    She reached out and brushed the hair from Em''s face, "She''s so beautiful. You''re very lucky."


    "Pam. I''m the luckiest mother fucker alive. I''ve got a spunky, little sister on one arm and a beautiful, intelligent, sweetheart, of a lover on the other and I''m surrounded, by life and warmth¡­" Carol and Suzie giggled. "¡­and joy."


    "It doesn''t get better than this, does it?"


    "Yeah it does, if you let it."


    "You know you still haven''t explained to me, why you seemed so shocked that Nim asked me to stay up here with him."


    "Wow, you get a bone it doesn''t make it to burying does it?"


    "Nope. I grind it to pulp. And swallow."


    "Funny, haven''t pushed about Paul since the obstacle course."


    "That ones already pulp, I watched were he went after you three talked. So."


    "Alright, if it''s like that. Honestly Pam, I''m not shocked. I had a feeling just around the time you guys left. Something about your banter. I''ve known Nim a very long time. Almost longer than you''ve been alive. He''s a very cautious sole, when it comes to that level of trust. Things happened to him, when he was a kid, that made him extremely leery of people, especially women."


    "Yes he told me about his older brother and, that person, who sold him out for money."


    "He told you that huh?"


    "Yeah."


    "It was to secure her family''s safety too, that was the main part. He holds no grudge against her for that. But it did give him pause. And that issue is really just a small part, of everything else. A very small part. I mean most of the things he saw affected people he barely knew. But he saw them. More importantly, he felt for them, because he was going through it too. He still feels for them."


    "Yeah, I got that feeling."


    "You know? You''re the first woman, ever, to talk with me about that. I''ve never heard him tell that story, to anyone else, besides me¡­ And the only reason he told me, was because, that night, we were drunk and stoned to bejesus, after skydiving. Our first try at not crashing ourselves home, and we lived¡­ Ahh, The Cuervo Gold, The fine Columbian."


    "Make, tonight, a wonderful thing."


    "You can''t know that song."


    "Can. Do. And Love. He told me about his mother and father too."


    "Hmm. You know, you''re the first lighter skinned girl I''ve ever seen him take a liking to."


    "He''s the first black guy I''ve ever been attracted to. His skin is velvety and so dark and he tastes like¡­."


    "Pam!"


    "really deli¡­"


    "Pam!"


    "Yeah."


    "I really don''t wanna know what he tastes like."


    "Oh! Sorry. Afraid you''ll get a taste for it."


    "Not at all."


    "You don''t know what your missing."


    "I''ve eaten a Prairie Oyster, I''m good, no need to explore that any further."


    She brushed her fingers down Emily''s arm and back up, "I never had a sister, or a brother. I''ve kept people at a distance for a long time. But this one, she just¡­"


    "Opens a good book?"


    "And tucks you in with it."


    "You know you can stay with us for as long as you want. If you''d like¡­" I looked towards Em, her eyes were closed, she was breathing softly, " ¡­I think she''d enjoy that too."


    "I don''t know. I''d like to, but I''d be tempted too much to join. And I''m not¡­ don''t get me wrong here, if I didn''t spend the kind of time I had with Nimmy, I''d have been all over the two of you last night. You''re not a bad looking guy, a girl could do worse. Hmmph, I just realized, you three are the first people I ever woke up in bed with¡­ after sex. But I''m, not like that."


    Her fingers were tracing the curves of Emily''s thigh. Goosebumps rippled down the napping girl''s leg.


    "If that night you had with Jag didn''t happen, last night wouldn''t have either. You wouldn''t have been there. And I don''t mean that offensively either."


    "Thanks."


    "It may have happened at a later time. If it was in the dice, or in a wave of possibility. I mean if it didn''t happen with Nim, you might have hooked up with Suze or Carol. That''s the way things play out sometimes. Now, If you''re worrying about me, don''t. I''m a one woman, or two women who are together with me, atta time, kinda guy. I like spiritually, and physically, committed intimacy. It gives it something more. That being said, if she wanted to experience that with you. I''d be thrilled that she had that chance. With you. Especially you. I like you. Even if I wasn''t there for that first time. But especially if I got to watch her explore."


    "But you wouldn''t join in?"


    "When, I joined in. It would be her, I''d be kissing, and touching, and feeling around me. Not you. This one here. She''s, my world, completely. "


    I felt a coolness drip down from my chest, over my ribs and settle to my back. Emily raised up and kissed me deeply. She tasted like sea water and life. She pulled Pam in close. Suzie piped up, rising to her official capacity.


    "Listen up! It''s almost seven thirty, let''s wrap this."


    The summer camp counselor, has returned. Welcome back Suze.


    "Fuck. Just when it was getting to the good part." Pam sat up on her feet, "If you''re so rigid like that, how come you wouldn''t be jealous of me and her."


    "How could I be? I can smell the two of you together, and it''s a very nice mix. You guys are cute and comfortable with each other, caring, and I can''t be jealous of parts I don''t have."


    "You''re weird."


    "Thank you. And what''s that make you?"


    "Good point."


    We gathered the towels and blankets, picked up our trash, packed up the shuttle, got dressed and left. We pulled into the lodge with seven minutes to spare. I love good organization. The way it suaves it way through the pandemonium and arrives you at a destination, a little before you''re fucking up somebody else''s plans.


    But even that, is a toss of the dice. Only in this case, that die has infinite sides. And your not rolling it, just making choices, reactions and experiencing where it lands you.


    We made it back with plenty of time to clean Edith''s interior of the mud and dirt.


    Emily was helping me carry the cooler inside. She looked at me with a curious brow.


    "Wasn''t that trip longer the other day?"


    "We took the long way the other day, more wind, more rumble, more miles."


    "Oh. I thought it might have been a bike, car thing"


    "It is. Car, boring, get there quicker, bike, fun, enjoy an elongated ride."


    "Hmm. That''s not the way I was thinking though."


    "Were you thinking along the lines of, whether the wind and the openness around you caused a time slip, or at the very least a perceived one?"


    "Mmhmm."


    "You might be right there too. I haven''t figured it out yet."


    Pam and Suze were separating the trash. Future compost in one bin, garbage in another. Marisol showed me where to air out the cooler and helped Em put the blankets in the washer. Em asked Sparkie if she could do a load of clothes, later.


    Darren was hanging the towels on a line.


    "Hey Joe?"


    "Yeah Dar."


    "Thanks for showing us that place. Can we just go there anytime?"


    "As far as I know. I think it''s mostly empty during the week and maybe for a couple more week ends. Once the summer kicks in, the week ends get a few people. Mostly local kids but they keep to themselves. At least when we''re there. Marisol, you must have been there a time or two."


    "Nope. I was just telling Darren, I didn''t even know it existed. I''m usually only up here for T-Day, the occassional Swap and Christmas break. That''s the best. Gruncle Bill strings this place up in white lights, a tree takes up most of that window up front, and he always bags some fresh wild turkey. And Auntie Mabel, well you had a taste."


    "Yeah we did. That woman has some love in her spice rack."


    "Yeah she does. I just started working here a few months ago. I would have loved to have started right after high school but my parents insisted on, at least, ''two years of higher education''."


    "She earned a four year degree in two and a half." Darren boasted for the girl.


    "Well it''s easier, when you got money behind you," the amber skinned girl continued, " And you don''t fall into the secondary high school party brain. My parents were, what some of my friends called strict. We called it Pioneer Bumpkin Camp. They let us date, as long as it didn''t interfere. We were allowed one date and three phone calls a week. Cost me two boyfriends, but fuck them if they couldn''t see I was worth the wait. They gave me that too. They taught us to feel good in the accomplishment, without being an ass about it. To learn from our disappointments. To always have a back up plan. And basically to just do what you need to do. Even if you didn''t know how it would fit in to your life''s outcome. There''s not much call for dressing down a deer in a corporate meeting, but it does give you the stomach to handle certain situations."


    "Mine sheltered me to a point. I was skinny and sickly. But when I got a little better they pushed me outside my comfort zone. They let me get hurt just to show me that it healed. The one thing they gave me, through it all though, was the ability to learn that same lesson, yours taught you, from life itself. It took me a lot longer to learn, than you did. We don''t have this level of nature, to absorb first-hand life-lessons from. I''m just happy it eventually broke through my thick skull. Hey! Don''t you still have work to finish?"


    "Oh crap. Yes. Thank you."


    I looked at Em.


    She lifted her head and smiled, "Mmmhmm."


    "Lead on! We''ll give you a hand."


    "No, no, you don''t have too."


    "I do. Ever since I stopped going to this¡­ thing, I''ve added more work for this place. And your family has been real good, to everyone. So it''s only right, to me, for me to earn my keep."


    "Well since you put it that way, how can I argue. I''d get a self inflicted butt kickin for not doing the same. Come on."


    I was washing dishes. Yes, I was washing dishes. I did it for a living as a kid. And sometimes in my travels, along with other things. There''s a surprising number of people out there that will let you learn a little of their world, or work, for nothing more than some companionship and interest. I paid for many a meal by washing dishes. Gotten a handful of gas fill-ups for helping out at garages. And I didn''t even need to do that. I had the money. It was just, fun.


    Emily was drying and stacking.


    Darren was Marisol''s extra two hands.


    Pamela was filling salt and pepper shakers. Ironical, I know.


    Carol and Suze, were over by the prep table, that they should have been cleaning, making sure all their body parts were still in the right places.


    "You know OSHA hears about that, you''re in a world of hurt."


    That was Suze giving me the finger.


    The other five decided to take a breather and just watch this, rather, tempestuous scene play out.


    "Ahh, young, woman love," Marisol voice-overed, "the ultimate exploration of self. Figuratively and somewhat literally. A time, when innocent youths, find out how they want love to be, AND how they want to be loved. It sets a ground work for a search, and a target, for their hunt."


    "I think this hunt is hanging on a wall over a fireplace already."


    "Yeah. That looks a lot deeper than when my roommate and her friend dabbled. But they were just doing it between guys."


    "If life gives you lemons, don''t go making lemonade, just eat it, right out of the rind."


    Pam looked over, "I like that. I''m stealing that."


    "You would like it! It''s the Nightmare''s. Mine''s a little more colorful. You''ll have to steal that one from him."


    "If that''s the case, there''s no theft necessary. What''s mine is his, what''s his is mine. I''m all in with this one. I''m tired of the playing pretend. Time to really enjoy something, that will require, no, fucking, effort."


    "And there it is."


    "What?"


    "The thing."


    "And that is?"


    "A true self confidence, a real self trust, a grateful sense of self, and an honest pure sense of your own morality and mortality. That, and maybe a little belief that, ''When life shows you the ass, you can wait for it to sit. Or. You can grab it by the hips and scare the fuck out of it.''."


    "I''m stealin that too."


    "It''s yours."


    "Thanks. You know? You''re my favoritest, scary lookin'', old guy, ever."


    "And you''re my favoritest, skinny little, crazy slut, ever."


    "Would it make you feel bad If I told you, you were my second favourite?"


    "Skinny little crazy slut? Not in the least. Just don''t tell him he''s my second favorite, now."


    "Ha Ha ha! Good, our secret." She put an arm around my back, reached across my torso and took Emily''s hand.


    Marisol leaned back into Darren, "I''ve seen octopus fights that weren''t that entangled."


    "School?"


    "Yeah, Animal Husbandry. Well, Zoology major, Animal husbandry minor."


    "In two and a half years?"


    "Yes, sir."


    "God and Goddess bless you, whatever you believe that to be."


    "Oh! My guardian spirit held my hand through the whole thirty months."


    It was about five minutes later when Carol and Suzie realized it was quiet. They stopped kissing and slowly turned to look around the kitchen. They saw the five of us just watching. Then Suzie started laughing and we all remembered earth, and went back to work.


    Carol and Suzie started cleaning the table they had just desecrated. Marisol watched them work for a minute, then she stared at the table and sighed, "You know eating there in the morning, isn''t going to be the same anymore. At least not until this imagery fades."


    "A shame they can''t clean it and leave that scent behind."


    "Yeah¡­ OH! NO. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I''d never finish breakfast, my panties would be a wreck¡­ Oomph¡­ There''s something about the scent of two women together, that just¡­ lingers. I''d come back to my room to study after those two were going at it, I''d have to go hit the library to get anything done. No, no, no, can''t have that. You know what? We''re finished! And I''m going to do something I never got a chance to do in college. I''m going to go do something, about this. Soooooooo..." She walked up to Darren, spoke right up against his ear, and wrapped herself around him. He braced her up and started stepping to the door, "NIGHT all."


    Everybody gave her their own personal adieu.


    Darren''s mouth was preoccupied. So he just waved, ''See ya''.


    While we were tidying up the last bits, Carol asked Pam if she was going back to their room. It was Emily that answered.


    "She''s shiny."


    Pam didn''t dispute, "Just to get my cot." Then she just bit her own lip.


    We walked back to our rooms getting a few looks, from a handful of participants in the lobby. We were, pretty fucking loud. Not quite Bob Seger after party loud. But louder than casual. It was the lack of inside attire that caused most of the looks. And two of us were a little more physically demonstrative with each other than the rest. Take a guess.


    When we got to Carol''s and Pam''s room, scratch that, Carol''s and Suzie''s room, Pam gave us a, "Be right out," and followed the other two in.


    I don''t think the door had shut all the way, before Pam reopened it and ushered us in. "Do you know how long that took?" She said, pointing at the two bodies, completely nude, entangled in hair and legs and pre-orgasmic grunts. "I made it to the bathroom, grabbed my stuff, put it in my suitcase and zipped it up. And when I turned around¡­ That! I think they''re on orgasm two already."


    "Well. They have been teasing the shit out of each other for the last six hours." I thought out loud.


    "Not to mention, absolutely molesting each other for a good forty five minutes." Em added to the equation, looking on with an unabashed curiosity. "Can you???" she queried Pam.


    "No. And I don''t think I want to try, I''d throw my hip out."


    "Me neither. But, it looks¡­ erotic."


    "Mmm, Yeah it does. Too bad cranky here doesn''t have his camera."


    The two, if you could still call them separate entities¡­ I mean they were connected, in more places, and wrapped around each other so tight, you could probably classify them as one being¡­


    Sorry! Got lost there a sec.


    The two girls, were so embroiled in each other, that for the second time, since we got back, they had no sense at all, that they were both, the centers of a philosophical discussion, and an anatomical debate, between the two intrigued women flanking me.


    "How?"


    "I have no Idea."


    "She''s really flexible for a big girl."


    "She''s flexible for an Invertebrate."


    The body, that they were, was slick and fevered. It got quiet. And then a ripple grew. It started on the blonde''s half and flowed across the brunette''s. Then back. It got loud. Then repeated. It got quiet. And repeated. There was a tension. A quake. A few quakes. Then with one last trembling shudder, they collapsed in a heap of spent flesh. Sweating, glowing, blushed, post-orgasmic, spent flesh. They were breathing heavy and deep. Coming back down from the apex they had ascended to.


    The gasps subsided and a tenderness returned.


    And so did the notion, that they weren''t alone.


    Suzie giggled and hid her head in Carol''s breasts. Carol''s face was radiating a peaceful bliss. "Take a picture, it''ll last longer."


    "I''ll go get Nika and be right back," I half joked.


    She looked at Suzie, got a smile, then back at me, "Hmm. Later. But only if we get copies."


    "You can have the originals. But I may grab a copy of one or three of em."


    She looked at Suze.


    "Deal."


    Pam and Emily were looking at each other, with an exceedingly, heightened interest. They both turned and looked right at me. Pam pulled me down and kissed my forehead. Em kissed me tenderly on the lips. Their heads brushed together and their mouths almost met.


    "You wanna?"


    "Mmhm."


    "Me too."


    They tested and tasted and tendered. When the quick pecks and busses finally broke, they both put their hands around my back and escorted me to the hall.


    Pam had the cot in tow, for the second time today. I wondered, how many people thought of her as the crazy cot lady, besides myself. As we turned to head on we heard them, their affirmations softening, behind the closing door.


    Other sounds quickly took their place. Continuing, down the hall as we walked. Nervous, anxious, titters, that promised something fun between the two chaperoning me to our room. It echoed from their hearts, joyously off the walls.


    The door clicked closed behind us.


    They hugged and kissed and undressed each other slowly. I watched from the bathroom as I adjusted the heat to the shower. They were easy, in revealing the things they had already seen, already bared to each other, more than once. Anticipation and wonder seemed to have blinded their memory of that fact. They were patient with each other, unhurried and accepting.


    The shower was perfectly passed warm, almost too hot. I undressed and stepped into the stream. Closed my eyes, and let the water burn the years.


    I was fingering the shampoo through my hair when I felt two hands slick up against my back, pressing a lather with a friendly touch. Two more found my chest, a little more sensually. I opened my eyes to see Emily. Burning. That look. That face. That force of life. We washed each other slowly and methodically.


    When the last of the suds flowed off Emily''s toes, we stepped out of the shower and wrapped ourselves up in one big, terrycloth bundle. Walking awkwardly back into the room, we bumped into the bed but managed to stay upright. Emily''s hand gripped around my hardness, as she kissed Pam, slowly, down to the sheets. She nuzzled herself, into a neatly trimmed, almost rose colored bush, and breathed in deep. Then she turned her attention and took me knowingly, wantingly, with her mouth.


    Pam watched, with a passionate, transcendental, diligence, adjusting her position to get a closer view. She reached out, with her right hand, and brushed Emily''s hair from her face. Bunching it up behind her neck. She kissed her on the jawline and ear, and cupped a breast in her left. Watching and teasing.


    Whispering.


    Emily turned and kissed her and was gathered in anxious arms. I stepped back and watched them recline.


    I slipped on my jeans, got my duffle and settled it on the passenger seat, up against the sissy bar. Retrieved my camera and a new card. Then I settled on the bike with my bare feet over the handle bars and my back pressed comfortably against the green canvas bag. I watched, and snapped the shutter on a chance. They didn''t seem to mind. Or maybe, they were so wrapped up they didn''t even notice.


    They were attentive and tender. Gentle and inquisitive. They touched each other with words and tasted each other with an artisan''s passion.


    "I like to tease myself this way."


    "Ooh that''s nice too. I like this."


    "Oh shit, oh, mmm. That is nice. Hmm. Have you ever touched yourself here?"


    "HUH. Mmmm, no, but he did. Ooooohmmm."


    "Yeah, I like it too. I love the way your eyes sparkle gold when I touch you."


    "I love your breasts. They''re just so full. How do you like these played with?"


    "THAT''s nice, Ooh that felt¡­ hmm hm hmm You can definitely do that again."


    They teased and tasted and nibbled and explored. Sometimes wrapped so tight you couldn''t tell one from the other. Other times touching, only at the oddest spots. Knee to knee, toe to toe, hair to hair. They quietly took each other in, strategizing another onslaught.


    "Whooo. Was that your tongue?"


    "Mmhmm."


    "Oh! You''re a naughty girl."


    "Uh hu."


    Giggles mixed with moans and sighs, emerging into loving declarations. Sweat became scent and flooded the room, in Venus''s aphrodisia.


    The volume increased with every toss and every turn.


    "Shit Em. You''re gonna¡­ oh God yes right¡­"


    "Mmmmph mmmm mm mppph¡­"


    "What?"


    "I''m gonna¡­ Oh! Mmmph.""


    "Oh right, there, yes. Oh shit, shit, shit."


    In a sensual struggle, of softness and fury, two feminine beings wrestled to find purchase on the edge. Clinging to it, as if not to let it end. Until the other relinquished her hold.


    The Goddesses of Olympus, were having a competition.


    Each contestant trying to work the other, passed that break first. Mouths opened in silence. And then, the grip was gone. They fell together and just kept pushing, until one last surge took their strength and gave them solace. And laughter. Quiet laughter. Soft declarations of, "Mmmhmm."


    Fingers twirled in black and rusty strands and brushed knowingly across widely grinning, flush, faces. A kiss. And then another. And then a softer one. A whisper and another soft echo of bliss. Four eyes turned and looked at me, with a satiated light, just as the shutter clicked, one last time, for the night.


    I put the camera down and crossed the wooden floor. Sat on the bed and leaned back to the headboard. Emily rose up, slowly, a glow on her face, and a smile in her eyes. She narrowed the distance and kissed me.


    "She tastes good on your lips."


    "She tastes good on hers too."


    Pam sneaked a little closer, "You guys are making me feel like a fruit platter."


    "You''re more like Granny Hick''s cheesecake, with apples, and a hint of clove." Emily teased, playing with the tab on my zipper, "Need input: Why do you have your pants on?"


    "No reason in particular. Other than, bare ass and someone else''s ride."


    "Input received: No bare ass on friends seat, it''s impolite. If it''s not yours, no ass on seat. It''s not nice."


    "and could be hazardous to your health."


    "Input Amended."


    Pam fluffed her landing strip.


    Emily looked down at her own bush and pulled the hairs up, "Do you think I should trim mine like that?"


    "Not for me. I love that full bush of yours."


    "Me too," the lighter haired girl pondered, "I might even grow mine back a little."


    "I think I might trim it, a little. I think that looks fancier."


    "I think mine looks childish. Yours just looks so, womanly and it''s nice, warm and tidy. And I love the way it feels against my cheeks."


    I pulled Emily up against me, put my chin on her shoulder and looked down passed her breast. I grabbed a handful of her curly hairs, and gave them tug, to the right and up, "I love it, just the way it is."


    "Mmmm. That''s surprisingly relaxing. Hmmm, that''s nice."


    Then I did circles.


    "Hell. You could stop shaving under your arms and legs and I wouldn''t care. It''s kind of a turn on actually?"


    "Really? You think so?"


    "A little wild or nice and tidy, yeah."


    "I don''t shave my legs, the hair never grew there."


    "Lucky you." Pam offered.


    "Why''s that?"


    "It''s a chore and a half."


    "Well, I always felt like I was missing out on some weird rite of passage."


    "If I never had to pick up a razor again. That would be a happy day."


    "Happy day to you then." I smiled, " Nim''s surprisingly of the same mind as me on that topic. So if you like your legs hairy go for it."


    "Seriously?"


    "As a blow out on I ninety five."


    "This day just keeps getting better."


    I pulled Emily tight and let my fingers dip between her legs. She was still wet with a mixture of her own sex and Pamela''s tongue. I cupped a breast and bit her shoulder. She ground her ass to my crotch, stroking me between the top of her cheeks through my jeans. She hummed and gazed into space as I kissed her behind her jaw. I smoothed her forward, kissed my way down her spine and started kneading her shoulders.


    "You know? I never did get to finish giving you that massage. Hell. I never even got to your other foot."


    She rolled her head on her neck slowly as I pushed my thumbs into her skin. "I don''t recall having minded. I did kind of molest you, after you did what you did down there." Emily turned her attention to the blonde, who was attentively taking everything in, with her chin in her hands and her feet pressed up against her butt. "Did you know you could come from someone rubbing your feet?"


    "No."


    "Neither did we."


    She relaxed out her breath as I gently pressed into her ribs and spine, pushing her a little more forward. I pushed my self flush with her and put my face next to hers. She rubbed her cheek against my scruff.


    "You two are really, peaceful, together." Pam sighed, positioning herself up against the wall, to get a more comfortable view.


    "You look rather at home your self."


    "Quite. Thank you."


    "Mmmhmm."


    "You know, it''s funny, or sad, depending on your view, but I''ve had more and better conversation with you two, in bed, than all other times combined,"


    I slid my hands up Em''s sides, raising her hands above her head, guiding her forward. She turned her face toward the girl against the wall, and watched her touch her own sensitive places. Her hair flowed to the mattress like slinky black strands of lam¨¦. I kissed my way down her back and let my tongue lead me, from her tailbone to her slit. She tensed, when the tip lightly grazed across her star. And again when it crossed that ridge of flesh below. And again when it slipped between her lips. She looked back at me and caught me, staring from behind. Then she curved and kissed up the blonde''s thin, muscular legs. I rose up, lowered my jeans and slid myself inside her, just as she buried her face between the athletic girls thighs.


    The quite around us was greeted by three harmonious grunts.


    I slid into Emily with long, slow strokes, as she suckled on her friend''s wanting clit. Pamela caught my eye and she gave me a smile. She was twirling her fingers through Emily''s hair. I felt a warmth as she locked the others with mine, around Emily''s breast. She leaned forward and our foreheads touched. The tempo increased. Em''s hand reached up, grabbed Pam''s breast and squeezed. A pinch of a nipple. Her eyes went wide and glazed, her chin hit my shoulder.


    "Fuck," was the last intelligible word I heard.


    Pam found herself back to the wall, and trembling. Holding tight to my hand and the full mound of flesh held in it. One last lick sent her up the wall and scrambling. She pulled Em up and kissed her.


    Emily grunted and pushed back into me.


    She raised up and back and twisted her torso, and kissed me, with her first shutter. Her breath filled my lungs. She grabbed at my hip, pulling me deeper, and came.


    My orgasm, was pulled right into her.


    She leaned back into me. Kissed my chin. Turned, pushing me down to the mattress, covering me completely with her form. She took Pam''s hand and pulled her to us. Pam grabbed the blankets and cuddled us in.


    A few minutes later Pam started humming.


    It really was kind of soothing.

 C8 - Wednesday / C8.1 Wednesday Night

    ======================================================


    C8 - Wednesday /


    {Breakfast At Suzies} <Or> (The One Who Grinds)


    ======================================================


    Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel light. Let''s hunt some Orc.


    An apologetic tapping emanated from across the room, coursing through the quiet, resounding in my ears.


    Emily was still pressed over me, blanketing me in a silky warmth. On my left side, there was, what felt like, a bony elbow pressed into my ribs. I opened my eyes. Red locks filled my vision.


    Pam was half asleep, half awake, playing walk about on Emily''s butt with her fingers.


    We were bathed in pinks and purples.


    I kissed Em''s forehead and she looked up, with half closed eyes, giggling as Pamila tickled down her thigh.


    "I think we have company." I said, glancing toward the door.


    I rolled myself upright and out of bed. Emily rolled back and under and Pam was there to surround her as soon as she was clear.


    I got out of bed and realized I had passed out with my pants half on. Now I knew why my legs had felt like they were on fire. But, it made the trip to the door quicker. All I had to do was lift, zip and button. Easy enough. I didn''t even bother with the belt.


    I walked to the door and opened it with a yawn, "Oh hey, Steve."


    "Hey Joe, I have a note for you from the team builders lady."


    "Cool. Thanks. You done for the day?"


    "Yeah. Sorry if I woke ya."


    "No worries. Anything planned?"


    "Sleep."


    "Well enjoy that."


    "I will. Have a good one."


    I looked back at the two bodies huddled up, fast asleep.


    "Already have. Hope you have a good one too."


    I climbed back into bed and both girls stretched, Emily gave Pam a kiss, and they separated. Then she turned her lips attention to mine.


    "What do you have there?"


    "A note, from Suze."


    "Enquiring."


    "She wants to buy us breakfast in a half hour. You wanna join us Pamila?"


    "Nah. I''m not much on breakfast. This early anyway. I might just set the cot up and stare out the window and read. You know, enjoy a nice lazy day in bed for a change. If you guys don''t mind that is. The view is so much nicer in this room than my old one."


    "My room is your crash pad. It''s your room now too, anyway. Em?"


    "Mmhmm."


    I got up and showered, Emily helped Pam set up some space.


    They were just getting into the shower together when I left.


    I entered the eating hall and spied Suze, her back to me, sitting at the table by the window where Em and I usually ate. I grabbed a coffee from the nook and made my way over, stopping just on the edge of her periphery. She was sporting a completely different look than her usually serious, hard-nosed countenance.


    It wasn''t love requited, or even lust fulfilled. It was more like, something she had already possessed had reawakened from a long dormant absence. A sense of a purpose, a sense of herself. Or, maybe just an amused taste of the chaos and flow that''s around us every moment. She was staring at the window. Like it was a backdrop for her thoughts to take shape on.


    She felt a presence and her attention fell on it, "Hey, Joseph."


    "Suze."


    "You know. I used to hate that name. It always sounded, like a ditzy fuck toy''s name to me. Or one of those Barbie dolls you''d see on a screen test line. All, look at me, look at me. Ain''t I pretty. Worship in my stunning fucking radiance."


    "You know. That''s how you came off the first time we met. ''Suzzanne''."


    "Really?"


    "Oh, Yeah. Stiff, Holier than thou. Almost arrogant. With a touch of condescension."


    "And here I thought I was just maintaining a professional attitude. God. Why do people feel like we have to change to fit a position."


    "Especially considering that, that you, is probably what got you there in the first place. It''s a question that I don''t think has one correct answer. So what changed your mind?"


    "I found out¡­ I like, being somebody''s, ditzy fuck toy."


    "Can I tell you something about that?"


    "I guess. As long as you''re not gonna creep me out."


    "Touche. I''m still up by six though."


    "Asshole."


    "Back to seven."


    "You can be such an ass sometimes."


    "Won''t deny that. It comes with the mileage."


    Three plates arrived with bacon and eggs and pancakes and hash browns and sausage and biscuits with fresh butter and homemade fucking jellies and another pot of that wonderful, caffeinated elixir.


    Marisol put the plates on our table with a really weird smile. She looked at Suzie, chuckled and turned away.


    "Good morning Sparkie?" I jibed.


    "Yes." and she was gone.


    "That was odd. What''s up with her this morning?"


    "I guess her breakfast was, interesting. Reflectively speaking." I was met with really confused eyes, "She eats at the table where you and Carol¡­ You were there, put it together. Anyway, what I wanted to say was, What you guys did last night, was far, far, far, from fucking. It was a spiritual awakening, wrapped up in a, wild abandon, with a side order of massive temporal distortion. And a lot of love, not lust, love."


    She perked up. The light bulb flashed and she remembered she had had an audience.


    "That girl makes me forget there''s a world outside her arms. I''m¡­ hmmmph."


    She looked up to the cloud line with a grin.


    "Temporal Distortion. So, what''s up?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "Well you look like you were heavy in thought. Not in a bad way. More like an amused at the prankish flow of life kind of way."


    "You know, you''re a lot more intuitive than your persona suggests."


    "Forged from being on the outside looking in, as a youth, and refined by being on the outside looking further in, and further out, as an adult."


    "Oh you''re an adult, huh."


    "Don''t let my Ivy League boyish charms fool ya."


    "Ha. It''s nice meeting someone that doesn''t take themself seriously."


    "If you pay attention to life, she''ll knock that right out of ya. If you''re lucky."


    "Or throw you on a bed and strip you of it." She joked.


    My attention was pulled to the entryway. "That too." I heartily agreed, watching a girl, in a black skirt and white tank top, sweep into my view and grab a coffee from the self serve.


    Suze caught my eye, followed it and grinned, "She really got you huh?"


    "When a being, from another universe, crosses over and materializes half inside you."


    She mused, "I hear that. Something about, This Place?"


    "If you consider, everywhere you happen to be, as This Place. Then yeah, This Place."


    Emily turned and saw us chat watching. She made her way across the floor and joined us.


    "God, I love the way she makes that skirt glide."


    "She does have a certain grace doesn''t she? I noticed it when she was getting on the bus. Wow! That just flashed in my head. Man, was my head up my ass."


    "Took a look, got a sense, but pushed the nudge away instead of seeing where it leads?"


    "Yes."


    "Yeah, Don''t do that anymore. You''ll be fine."


    "One can only hope."


    "Thank you. For doing it this time though."


    "I wouldn''t have it any other way right now. So, I guess we''re both welcome."


    "It''s amazing how one tiny decision can effect so many lives. Even if it''s just offering someone a candy bar."


    She shot me a look with an honest smile radiating through the blush.


    Emily sat on my lap sideways, "Hi," she faced the thought filled blonde, "You look¡­ different, this morning."


    "Is it, THAT! Out there?"


    "We were just getting to the source of that. Maybe," I shared with my seat mate, then I turned back to Suze, "So! What is going on? In that ditzy fuck toy, brain of yours?"


    "Jack ass¡­ Are you always like this?"


    "Only on Tuesdays, Sweet Ums."


    "But today''s¡­ Nevermind.


    We each took bites of our breakfast. And the conversation stopped. Dead. Until the last piece of grease was on the last piece of toast and the coffee was chasing it down.


    "That, I''m gonna miss." Suze declared, "I think I gained ten pounds since we got here."


    I looked her up and down, "Where?"


    "In my ass."


    "And her upper back."


    "You sound happy about that."


    "I am. I miss my sport weight. I looked good, I felt good. This. Isn''t me. As much as people tell me I should love the way I look, I don''t. I looked so much better the other way. In my opinion. Felt better too¡­ That might have been a part of why I came across as a cold-hearted bitch. I had no self esteem any more. And I was lost in something I didn''t believe in."


    "So what, besides the obvious, changed?"


    "I went walking into a room, to see if I could get my life back on something that resembles a track¡­ And this girl, this strange girl, with the same athletic body I used to love on me, is smiling. She''s flirting and I''m wondering why? Why me? I wasn''t even thinking why is this girl flirting with me, another girl. I''m thinking, why is she flirting with ME. I''m not pretty, she''s pretty, she''s beautiful¡­ And... she''s honestly trying to help me with my problems. And I was comfortable, right there. But why? And then we start talking about our lives. And we''re laughing. I''m laughing. For the first time in a long time I''m really, honestly, laughing¡­ And then. We stroll down memory lane. And we''re baring our selves to each other. She get''s her laptop and we scroll to my old summer camp''s memory page. And there I am in my volleyball gear. You know the cheesy ball under the arm pic? Big smile, big smile."


    "Mmhmm."


    "Taken a few."


    "Well, I saw that, and I felt¡­ loss. The next thing I know, she''s looking at me, deep and then... I''m¡­ undone. Derailed, enmeshed in scents and limbs and loving it. My flesh is alive, my heart''s pounding, and I''m really just waking up. It honestly did feel like that. But I remember everything that led to it. Her hair, her touch, her taste, her nipples digging into mine. Her eyes, her love, her warmth. Her voice on my ear. She fed me and consumed me."


    Emily watched Suzies face with a half-cocked head.


    Suze came back to earth. "What?"


    "Temporal Displacement flashback." I offered.


    "Shit."


    "Act One, Scene One. We were there for Act Two, Scene One and Scene Two. But thanks for catching us up." Em casually offered.


    "What she said. Seconded."


    "Oh right, I keep forgetting that part. That''s not what you wanted to know¡­ Shit. Okay¡­ You were there, when Mister Hicks told me about his daughter-in-law, right?"


    "Finally! Thank you Em."


    "Mmhhhm."


    "Yes. Catering company in the city. I think Carol got the info from him while he was telling me Edith''s quirks."


    "Yeah. Well, it turns out her office is three blocks away from Carol''s apartment. She''s walked passed it a few times going to her favorite Italian place."


    "And?"


    "And. Bill saw me in the lobby, about an hour and a half ago, rumbling through thoughts of my future. I still smelled like her. She just surrounds me¡­ I''m so FUCKED¡­"


    "In a very good way." Em completed.


    "Yeah¡­ Hmm. Anyway, he chatted me up some. Then he called her up. She interviewed me on the phone and hired me. It''s probationary but I have a start. She even has a spot for Carol if she wants. That girl, may have saved my life."


    "Man, you are really bad at this team-building shit, aren''t you."


    "Nnnnn. Yeah. I don''t know what I was thinking with this. I ran a sports summer camp for kids and this, seemed like a step in the ''mature'' direction. Question mark. Big question mark. It just isn''t¡­ as fulfilling."


    Emily was staring at a deer outside the window, listening to Suzie''s future plans. I pulled a strand of hair back from her face and kissed her temple. She sighed, wiggled in, and got more comfy.


    "You guys are cute. The age between you gets lost when you''re together and¡­ there''s such openness."


    "We''ve been told. But you do know, girls mature faster than boys, right? I figure, we''re on about the same level. She''s got me in some ways."


    "And he''s more practiced in others."


    "So we fit."


    "Hmm. Well, I would love to stay here and chat. But I need to go wake someone up and tell her the news. Then get on with whatever, this, is¡­ Ahh, just a couple more days Suzanne, Just a couple more days. If you see her higher than ten feet off the ground later, give her a rope. Please. I don''t want that one floating away."


    She kissed my cheek and shivered, then she scrunched her fingers through my scruff, "That tickles. She''s gotta grow that bush back."


    She gave Em a quick kiss. Emily grabbed her by the hand before she could rise, "Wake her up with your head between her legs. It''s a really nice way to get lulled from your sleep."


    "I''ll¡­ Hmmm¡­ You guys are... Now I really have to go. Have a great day you two."


    "You too, Suze."


    "It already is and I think, it just might get better." She laughed as she walked away.


    "I''ll get my camera and see you in a few."


    "Tonight. I''ll leave the curtains open."


    "I''ll sell tickets."


    "Ha. You do that. I could use the money for the movers." And just like that she vanished around the proverbial corner.


    "Did she just shake her ass at us?"


    "Yes, I think she did." Emily got up, turned, and straddled me. She put her arms around me and cuddled in, "You know. Good things seem to follow in your wake."


    "Better things seem to follow in yours. Personally, I don''t see it quite like that. It''s more like, I''m lucky enough to be where the good things are, or are about to happen. And if bad things abound, I just happened to be blessed with a desire to want to see them made better, and a surprising knack to somehow get them there¡­ Some times. My save percentage isn''t Vezina level, but it''s a good deal above average."


    "Hmmm. I think, even if it was only one out of a hundred, it''d still be worth it. There''s always a chance the next will be number two."


    "One can only hope. C''mon. We have some wind to grab."


    We finished up our coffees, then took a quick scoot to The Gen. She had to pull her skirt up and do a tuck but it was just a few miles. And I was in no hurry.


    Now! How can I give you a taste of The Gen?


    Hm!


    The Gen.


    Mountain Top General, to be formal.


    It''s stone and logs and windows without glass. Only screens. It has seven fold-up storm shutters, that when down make display tables, held aloft by chains that went through the walls. There are four on the left, three on the right. or the other way around. Don''t quote me on those details. It has a concrete slab to the left of the porch with ten parking spots, each three feet wide. Motorcycles only. Which, is where I was parked. In Big''s spot. Yes! Frank had his own spot reserved. I''m pretty sure if Bill rode there, more than drove, he''d have one too. There''s a hitching post and a water trough to the right. Enough for five or six horses. Depending on their temperament. It had a big, still usable, wagon bay, with sunken access to do undercarriage work. Under ''horse and carriage'' work. But I had at one time changed an exhaust manifold on my old E150 there. Her tires had three inches to spare on the inside. Lining her up was thrilling. The rest of the parking lot was modest sized, with spaces for maybe fifteen pick ups. And a loading zone for a big truck or two.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The inside smelled like leather and spices and fertilizer and jerky and coffee and hay and¡­ pickled something. Lots and lots of pickled somethings. It was stocked with food stuffs, rifles, bows, ammo, fishing supplies, garden and farm implements, and almost every other damn thing you might need to survive. Or build a homestead. Including clothes. Which jumped the spectrum from jeans and work shirts, right up to country style chic. A lot of which were hand crafted, sold on commission. It was also the main Post Office, a Western Union branch, hunting and fishing license registry and notary, and¡­ something else.


    "Gas station."


    "Thanks Em."


    "Mmhmm."


    Gas! And not just for vehicles or implements. Oxygen, propane, acetylene¡­ All kinds of it. And I mean that, even in the most biologic of ways.


    "I was wondering who had the balls to park in Big''s space," Sarah greeted with a smile.


    "Em, Sarah. Sarah, Em. How''s the fam?"


    "Ducky. Charlie''s ripe with number seven. Dad''s on half days driving mom crazy."


    While we caught up, Emily searched through the racks for her size. It didn''t take long for her to find a healthy fit. It was the norm up this way. Hard lives live stout. She picked out a couple pairs of jeans and a pair of boots, brown, cowboyish but simple. Round toed as opposed to pointy. Sarah escorted her to the try-on room. So I wandered around checking out the wares.


    This nice, medium to light brown, marbled leather vest grabbed my attention. It had decorative stitching and some nice buffalo-horn toggles. It was sloped, a bit longer in the back than the front. Laces crossed the spine, from shoulder to waist, adding some flair and adjustability. It looked like it was made for horse riding. I paid for the stuff then made my way to the try-on room and handed Emily the bag with the vest. Passing it through the door while she changed. A couple minutes later I felt a hand grab my shoulder and spin me around.


    She was standing there in jeans, undone, and the vest, unbuttoned. Sans bra and shirt. Like a cowgirl out on the range, just chillin after a long hard day. She kissed me hard and fast, then bounced back in.


    No camera. That''s picture''s mine. Be happy you got a description at all.


    I took the bag with the stuff she no longer needed to wear and took it outside to put it in the saddlebags. I was buckling it up when the front door hinges squeaked.


    She walked out, sniffing the leather all the way over. My flannel shirt tied around her waist. A thin white tank top, stretched, underneath her nose''s new fancy. She moved like, I love this. And she greeted me the same.


    We got back on the bike and took the long winding road to the next town over. About forty-five minutes later we ended our trip, at the top of a decent sized driveway, in front of a modest, one story home. The screen door closed and the lady of the house boomed out.


    To greet us, "I''ve got to meet Lanie at the bank real quick. You guys''ll be here when I get back?", and then to leave us.


    "More than likely."


    "Good." She stepped back from her hug and held Emily at arms length, "Yeah. That''s you. I have a pair of chaps that''ll match that vest wonderfully. I''ll fish em out when I get home."


    "You don''t have too."


    The car door slammed.


    "They haven''t fit me since I was your size, half way through high-school. They''re broken in, comfortable, but far from worn, and they''re just sitting in a chest, being lonely. Might be a bit tight. But tight is good, for more reasons than not. It''s time they got a new home. And I think those legs will be a nice one for em. Gotta run. He''s out back in the shed, gates open," and Thundera, was¡­


    (I was gonna say quiet, but we could still hear her at the end of the driveway. I swear I heard her yelling at the bank teller somewhere down the line.)


    We opened the side gate and stepped into the backyard, through a fence that was flush with the back of the house. The view opened up into a wide open field, about eight times as long as it was wide. And it was pretty wide.


    A cobblestone patio sleeked to the left and encircled a fifteen by twenty foot, rectangular pool. Heated. Sunken. A waterfall, maybe five feet high and eight feet in length, looking like it just sprout up there, emptied it''s waters over the far corner of the pool, in a steamy soothing reunion.


    "It''s Wow." Em said, in her best Leeloooooo Dallllass, mooooltiiii pass. (If you don''t get it, that''s your loss)


    "Thanks, Miss Emily."


    "Mmmhmm."


    "It''s nothing like I pictured it when you told me the plans, that''s fucken tits brother."


    "It''s nothing like we pictured it either. Sam tears up almost every time she walks out the slider."


    "I love the way the water looks like it just appears."


    "Like it materializes, in a ball right above the big stone. I''m taking pics this week. Em? Care to take your clothes off under that."


    "If you take them off me."


    "It''s a deal. Damn! Those meatheads did good."


    "This! Is All Beccah. Bro. Those fucknuts flaked and left us with a ton of materials in a heap. She put all this together. She saw all this stuff just waiting to become something, got an idea in her head and just did it. She even tied the pumping system into the pool''s heat and filtration. That''s why you get that nice bit of mist, on days like this. It''s all her vision. Dad and Travis helped her with the rock work. Trevor helped her with the wiring and plumbing. Me and Sam came home to this. In a weekend¡­ You''re early, she''s gonna think we''re up to something."


    "She just left for the bank to meet Wifey."


    "Should be enough time."


    "We''ll hang for a while, just so she thinks we came for a visit. One thing though. Why exactly do you need me to weld? You''re the one that taught me."


    He held out his hands, "These mitts won''t fit in some spots. And she''d be happy that you put something into it. She''ll be even happier that I thought about askin ya. You too, Miss Em."


    "Good enough reasons for me. Let''s make some sparks."


    We went to the work-shed. It was actually a prefab hanger, one of two. It was big enough for two single-engine planes and a mechanics area. The four bikes barely took up any room. It was decorated with lifts and stands, work benches and tools. With an honest to god Ye Olde Americana type forge, tucked into the far left corner. Complete with leather bellows.


    I finished the more hard to get to welds and ground down any of their imperfections.


    Emily was tasked with softening up the rough edges with the rotary.


    "I''ve never used power tools."


    "Just find your tempo." Tank encouraged, hooking hoses to a couple cylinders.


    "That red switch there controls the speed. Adjust it up and down until it matches your hand speed and pressure. You''ll know it, when you see an even line behind the bit and you feel the flow." I offered.


    She gave an understanding nod and tested away. Working on the base to get a feel. When she found that flow, she got a gleam.


    Another code was learned.


    "This has been a week, to say the least." She amused.


    Tank was still setting up the torch, "How so?"


    "Hmmm? Where to start? First time a stranger understood my eye language,"


    She stopped, smiled, and gave me a very happy kiss, then she gave me a look, like she was trying to figure out if I ''knew'' something.


    The eyeballing faded, "First time someone offered to carry my suitcase¡­ First dinner date, First time having my picture taken, other than school and parents. First time I woke up in bed with someone. First kiss¡­ First time someone touched me, that way¡­ First time someone showered with me. First time on a motorcycle. First time at a party. First time I''ve been nake¡­ nudish, in front of anyone, First time skinny dipping. First time I haven''t stuttered since I was eight. First time with a boy. First time with a girl. First time with a boy and a girl, First leather vest. First time with power tools."


    "And the adventure is just beginning."


    "Mmmhmm."


    "Not many people know this but Sam¡­"


    "Everybody knows this Squatch."


    "Okay, so a couple of people know this. Sam. Was actually my first. Not my first kiss. But my first anything beyond groping."


    "Really? But you''re¡­"


    "Older than Moses? More ancient than dirt?"


    "Hmmm."


    "Asshole. And yes Miss Em, I''m up there in years. I was a chubby kid. Not exactly the pick of the litter. Then I got fat. I read a lot. My dad kept me active with work, but I was a bookworm in my spare time. Then I got really fat. High school came and the spurt hit. I was laid up in bed, and in seven months, I went from four foot nothin to this."


    "Ouch," Emily squirmed.


    "Big ouch." I agreed.


    "If getting a bar stool broken on your back is big ouch. Then yeah, that, everywhere. I was lucky I had put on so much weight or I would never have made it. I was hospitalized twice. ICU for three days one time. I went back to school having to duck into the rooms. Needless to say the women weren''t exactly flocking. But by then I had gotten used to it and occupied myself with things I enjoyed. Dad gave me his old Panhead, Elizabeth, and she became my world. Then there was Sam. Fuzznuts. You tell her how I met, Thundera?"


    "Yeah. Sam  caught her gawking. Told her to ask me how she got the scar. In her quiet way."


    "Good, saved her from Dad''s rambling. He starts that story before breakfast."


    "He starts every story around breakfast."


    "True. Anyway. I was at Packards Mill and decided to shoot some pool. I went to my truck to get my cue, I see this body stumbling into the lot from the woods. She looked fucked up. Half naked, pale. Wet red everywhere. Half dead. I went to go help her and she pushed me, knocking me back about two feet. ME. She''s filled with defiance. Seething with a need to survive. And still fighting. Then she fell towards me and fainted. I did what I could for the wounds, got her in my truck buckled her up, slid in behind the wheel and she asked me to take her home. I took one look at her in the dome light and for the first time, in my life, I felt like I had missed out on something."


    "You know squatch that''s probably the most eloquent I''ve ever heard you. Didn''t know you had it in ya."


    "Laugh it up fuzznuts. I tone down my rhetoric around you, so you can com, pre, hend."


    "Touche."


    "You know what that gruff, cranky, oratorial old man had to say, when I told him we were getting a house together?"


    "I can''t begin to, but I''m guessing it was a half hour long."


    "No! That''s just it. The only thing he said was, ''Took me four tries to get it right, you got it right on the very first woman, never thought I''d ever see the day. You got me. Junior! Now don''t fuck it up!"


    There was a click and a scrape of flint on steel and the blow torch fired to life. Tank heated the entire project up with an oxy-acetylene, flame thrower. When it had an all around red glow he dipped it into a vat of fifty weight.


    (Oh, this was outside, way way way outside.)


    When the blue smoke settled and the oil stopped bubbling he pulled that creation out of the drum. A two dimensional tree, a thin rod-form rendering of Yggdrasil, separated a pegasus, rearing up with wings expanded, and a phoenix, rising from it''s own fire, facing away from each other. In three dimensional wire frame. It''s color was a deep blue, almost gun blue, with a noticeable prismatic sheen. And temper marks, in varied blues, greens and reds. The man has skills.


    "Thanks for the help you two. Sam''s been making quite the collection of earrings, they''ll look tits, hanging on this at swap."


    When Sam returned, she found us in the back, laughing it up at the archery range. She grabbed Emily and disappeared into the house.


    They came back out a short while later with beer and soda and juice. Emily was donning a new set of leg wear. They caressed her shape nicely and they matched the vest like they were made as a set. It even had the same style lacing going down the back of the legs that the vest had going down the spine.


    The four of us laid back in recliners. Emily and Sam discussed possible future business plans. Me and Tank were just their seat cushions. Staring into the night without a care.


    "When you coming back up?"


    "I don''t know. I might stay a few days after this thing. I miss this. I need a refill bad, Tankie. One of the people we met, Pam, needs a ride to Nim''s. And I''m not going back with that bunch anyway. You haven''t met Pam yet have you?"


    "Nope."


    "You''re in for a treat. Reminds me of Lanora. Her idle is a little more advanced, but she''s real. She''s got Nim''s keys."


    "Seriously?"


    "I wouldn''t shit you about that. He wants to meet at the pond this week."


    "And what about you."


    "I''m... all in¡­"


    Sam got loud and Emily started laughing.


    "...I do have to get back downstate eventually. Settle some things, and do the logistics. We''ll see where things fly or fall. I''ll definitely be this way come the fourth. Come hell or high water."


    Sam broke our conversation, "Hey Frank, why don''t you show Joe the newest addition to the family."


    "Meet me by the firing line. Sam got us a new fifty cal," he said, with a shit eating grin. It was a very unsettling look if you didn''t know the man. Think crazed bear, with a, how sweet, fresh meat, leer.


    Five very loud rounds later.


    "Damn bro. I feel like I''m the only goalie at a slap shot contest. This monster has a kick."


    "At least you stayed up. Meat and Big both went on their asses. That''s a scary grouping. Practicing?"


    "Never. Ever since I first picked up a rifle in Boy Scouts, it''s just something that felt, innate. I think I was a sniper in a past life."


    "I hear that. I''m the same with the recurve."


    A few more shots later and Tank broke the stillness in our conversation. "So. About what we were discussing before."


    "Yeah?"


    "All in huh?"


    "You know? I always knew it would be different than what I experienced before. But I didn''t know how much different. How much more solid and strong a foundation it would be. But here it is. So, Fuck yeah."


    "About damn time."


    "Thanks."


    The ladies came walking up with drinks. "Suffice it to say. I''d go through it all over again, to meet that man. It wasn''t love at first sight, but it was love at first sight with opened eyes."


    "It was a bit different for me. It was like a moment that I realized I was still me and I had been the whole time. It wasn''t like he changed or completed me or even made me shine. It was like, he saw that shine, like he grew out of me, like¡­ "


    "You and he, were always there, together, just idling?"


    "Mmmhmm. Yeah, something like that."


    Emily handed me a cola. I gave her a kiss and took a big draw, "Thanks. What are you two chattin'' bout?"


    "Things, boys don''t understand."


    "Oh. We understand. We just pretend not to."


    "Cause we like to hear you girls explain it," Tank added.


    "You guys staying over?" Sam asked.


    "Not tonight. Maybe after I bring the beast back. Speaking of which it''s getting late and I don''t want to cause anymore of a disturbance than we already have."


    We finished our drinks, shot a few more rounds off. That fucker was loud. And kicked like a construction cone to the chest at fifty miles an hour.


    (trust me on that one too)


    Then we headed off, back into the hills.


    ======================================================


    C8.1 Chaos Factor /


    {WTF Is That Light?} <Or> (A Simple Thank You)


    ======================================================


    "God cannot take your call at this moment. He''s handling an emergency in another universe. The Goddess? Ooohf, she''s sleeping right now... and you know what happened the last time you woke her! Sorry, but you''re on your own there, Buckwheat."


    "Wellllll... Shit."


    We were half way back to the lodge, just crossing over a rise, when flashing red lights broke the darkness in strobe. I slowed, passed a pick up with it''s hazards on and caught another flash of light reflecting off something shiny, in a shallow ravine, on the other side of the road. Something was spinning. I pulled to the shoulder, put the bike on it''s stand, told Emily I''d be right back and then hurried across the street.


    I came to a stop, next to a guy looking at an upturned Jeep Wagoneer. That''s all. Just looking. The tires were what were spinning. The engine was running and gas was dripping down the side. It wasn''t a flood, but it was wet. Steam was billowing from under the hood.


    And this guy, was just standing there.


    "Is anyone inside?"


    "Yes." His voice was shaky.


    "You call for help?"


    "I don''t have a phone."


    "There''s a house back there on the left get them to call. Tell them we need a firetruck and an ambulance."


    He finally got the gravity of the situation and nervously hurried away.


    I took a quick look around. All the windows were still intact. Not a crack. So I ran to the back grabbing all the handles on the way, even the tailgate didn''t budge. I gave a quick search for a rock or anything that could possibly break in. Nothing. So I sat on the ground and kicked at the glass. All I managed to do was push myself away. After the third try, I was about to¡­ Honestly, I don''t know what the fuck I was about to do. Still don''t. But it seemed I didn''t need to find another recourse, because I felt a body press against my back. A flash of long black hair caught my peripheral. I heard heels kick into the dirt. The body pushed against me like a brace. I gave another kick and the rear window shattered. I pointed to the gas. Gave her a kiss and garnered my courage.


    Sharp, tiny shards of safety glass bit into my skin as I crawled on my back through the wreck. I got to the front, turned the ignition and the lights off and checked her pulse. I could see her chest rise and fall slowly. I tapped the suspended face awake. She woke up in a panic. Somehow, I got her to focus and calm. She stared at me with glazed and confused eyes.


    "Listen. We need to get you out of here. I need you to tell me if anything hurts or if you can''t feel where I''m touching."


    She nodded her head and tried to focus. "My knee throbs a little and I have a headache."


    "Okay, I''m going to touch you now, I''ll try to be gentle, just let me know if there''s pain."


    I did a quick assessment of her limbs and torso, her knee was swollen but not too bad, her ribs were tender on the right side. She had a small gash on her left shoulder. There were napkins in the car so I shoved them under her shirt and used her bra strap to hold em in place.


    She kept mumbling about her mother.


    After I judged her condition, I decided it was more than worth the risk to move her. All we needed was an errant spark, lightning, a cigarette from a passing car or that oil on the engine to flash, and¡­ You know what? I would rather not relive those visions. I unlocked her door and pushed it open. It stuck against the ravines rise and refused to budge. So I crawled some more and unlocked the passenger door, it thankfully obliged. Enough to let us out anyway.


    "Alright, I am going to prop you up, with my back against your thighs, and undo your belt. When you''re free, try and help me lower you down."


    I pushed my shoulder blades up against her and undid her seat belt, then I cautiously lowered her to the roof. She managed to push enough, with her good arm, so I could crawl back and out of her way. I got her halfway out of the car and two more hands reached in to help me. Then two more showed up, to help me out.


    She stood up, saw the guy, in the cops headlights by the road, and went to him. She hugged him.


    Emily grabbed my waist and the cop asked us to wait by the bike.


    "She''s gonna need an ambulance, possible broken ribs, a pretty banged up knee, her left shoulder is gonna need stitches and there''s a good possibility she has a concussion."


    "It''s on it''s way, along with fire and rescue, Thanks, I''ll radio that info on."


    We walked back in the direction it looked like she drove from.


    "Where are we going?" Em asked.


    "She said her mother was in the car with her. She also said that her mother was driving, but just to be on the safe side, let''s give a look and a listen."


    "Do you think she flew out of the car? That would be horrible."


    "No. I don''t think anyone was in the car with her. There''s no sign of that. And I''ve heard people say that, ''someone took the wheel'', or they felt like they were being carried, when they were asked, ''how the hell did you survive, that''. I''ve even felt a presence guide me, one or two, hundred times. My guardian angel better be getting a good paycheck, with all the overtime she puts up with from me. Maybe this one has a long gone relative that looks just like her mom."


    "Hmm. I¡­ I understand. Not too many people get it though. They give you weird looks just for thinking like that."


    "Oh! They get it. They just don''t want to admit it. Cause, then they''d need to check themselves."


    We got up to the top of the rise. Nothing. The ambulance pulled up and there was no more sense to listening anymore. So we walked back to the bike and sat in the grass.


    "You''re bleeding."


    "Where?"


    "Your shoulder."


    I took a look, "I''ve had worse."


    She shook her head, kissed mine and went to the meat wagon. She came back with some alcohol, saline, tape and gauze. I took the alcohol and poured it on my shoulder. And cringed. I think I may have even peed a little.


    "That was to clean her blood off, not your wound," she chided as she gingerly blotted and blew at the cuts. Washing them out with saline. Okay, that was a lot better. Still, alcohol kills everything.


    And cuts? They were more like bramble bites. Or irritated thorn scratches. Nothing more. But after I poured the alcohol on them, it was like paper cut with a nitrous boost. I think my eyes were close to bleeding.


    Fire and Rescue and two tow trucks pulled up. The ambulance drove away. That guy, got back in his truck and followed.


    Red and orange lights flashed circles over head.


    Footsteps grew louder against the gravel.


    "Sorry to keep you waiting." The officer coughed.


    We broke our kiss, but not the hug.


    "Before you ask, We can''t help. All we saw was hazard lights and spinning tires."


    He handed me a bundle,


    "What''s this?"


    "A tee shirt, and a bag for yours."


    "Is my shirt evidence now?"


    "No. You smell like the 76."


    "Hmm. Thanks. Still, I got here and that guy already had his flashers on."


    While I swapped my old Spartanburg Harley tee for a County Sheriff''s short sleeve, with a pocket (I hate pockets, and sleeves, but it''s better than bursting into flames lighting a cigarette) the conversation continued.


    "Yeah I figured. You two already helped, above and beyond. But I need to ask. Did you see any sign of anybody else having been in the car with her?"


    "I did not. All the windows were intact when we got here. All the doors were locked. No extra pocketbook, no shoes. Nothing. I tried keeping an ear out when we walked up the road. Nada. I don''t think anyone was in the car with her. But if you have an extra flashlight I''ll gladly help you take a look."


    The radio chattered from his car. "That might not be necessary. Can you hold on a bit longer just in case?"


    "Em?"


    "I''m fine."


    "She''s fine, I''m fine."


    He went to the car and pulled the mic to his face. A few words later and he made his way back, "False alarm."


    "And, mom''s fine."


    "Been home all night."


    "I had a hunch."


    "You look familiar. From around here?"


    "Nah, I do come up now and then, to see some¡­ family, though."


    "Anybody I might know? I''ve lived here a long time."


    "Maybe. Big Frank and Tank, Sam and¡­"


    "Stop. It just clicked."


    "Yeah?"


    "Big Frank''s, fourth, twentieth birthday."


    "Yeah! I survived that."


    "Me too. Barely."


    "Great, now I''m having hangover flashback."


    Emily laughed and smoothed the tape out.


    "Ugh don''t remind me¡­ You know, I''ve know Sam since we where both knee high. She told me what you did to Douglas."


    "Douglas?"


    "Jester."


    "Figures he''d be a Douglas. Why do parents name their kids, Douglas. Am I to assume the position now?"


    "Hah. NO! He''s lucky I wasn''t on duty that night. That weasley prick would have ''escaped my custody'' and gotten lost in pieces in the landfill." he leaned past and looked at Em, "Sorry for the language, ma''am."


    "No offense taken, Sir. I''ve heard worse." She pulled the shirt over the bandage and tenderly worked it down.


    "Whatever happened to pencil neck? I never gave him much thought til I was telling her the story."


    "He took eighty stitches and a skin graft, lost his voice and half the use of his right arm. She caught him just right. He was waiting trial, when corrections officers found him in an empty cell, with his pants around his ankles and his face deep in a toilet."


    "That''s a shame."


    "What?"


    "Look, I don''t believe people need to die, for their to be positive change. Most people anyway. But if G&G saw fit, that he be removed from the planet¡­ it''s a shame that nobody had the courtesy to flush."


    "Ha ha ha. Oh shit¡­ Fuck. I needed that... He wouldn''t have ever gotten out anyway. His dads in for life because of that night, his brothers and quite a number of their friends too. Including Douglas."


    "How so?"


    "They tried pinning it on her as a robbery. Family names you know. But I ''know'' Sam. So did half the other cops. We knew what she''d been through as a kid. We grew up with her. How she managed to stay righteous¡­ I''ll never know. She''s a sweet heart and an ass buster, if she didn''t earn it, it isn''t hers. Theft, just isn''t her way. So instead of finding her, we got warrants for the bar. It was the location of the robbery, and we needed to investigate. Those scum bags didn''t even consider covering their tracks. They were more worried about keeping their bread and butter from dying. Probable cause was a broken pencil and torn women''s clothes. Blood, a broken window, three pounds of coke, right on the desk, meth, and a ledger that lead to human trafficking and kiddie porn charges. I''m surprised you didn''t read it in the papers."


    "I just like the pictures. Not a big reader when it comes to the news."


    "Can''t blame ya. Alright, I kept you guys long enough and I have to write this mess up. Oh, I''m Henry by the way, my friends call me Hank."


    "She''s Em, I''m Joe. You be safe Hank, good meeting ya. Againish."


    "Nice to meet you Em. Good seeing you too¡­ Wolf. You guys have a safe ride home. Shiny side up. Thanks for looking out."


    "Not a problem, brother. Rubber side down."


    We pulled up to the lodge and shut the bike down. It was two in the morning and the place was dark. We walked the bike up the drive, through the door and into our room, and carefully rolled it to the tarp. Trying our best, not to wake our sleeping guest. She was curled up on her cot like a little bunny in it''s burrow, over the covers, wearing nothing but her book. We grabbed the extra blankets and tucked her in. Took a hot, hot shower and crawled into bed, still damp.


    "Thanks for the help tonight. I was at a loss."


    "It was the least I could do. I''ve seen a look like that before. And I needed to be there."


    "What look?''


    "Like a part of you was about to die."


    She crawled over me and kissed me. Then she put her nose to mine. I felt her fingers whisper through my hair pushing it passed my ear.


    "She didn''t even thank you did she."


    "She was banged up. I doubt she¡­"


    She shut me up, with a well placed hand, and an even better placed set of lips, "I''ll say thank you for her."


    "If it wasn''t for you, that might have turned out much different, so it''s only fair, I share the gratitude back. Thank you."


    "Mmmmhmm."


    She rode me through three orgasms. When her fourth one came it pulled me with it. We fell asleep damper than when we crawled into bed.


    She was still around me.

 C9 - Thursday, the second time around / {Crazy Cot Lady} <Or> (The One Who Dared)

    ======================================================


    C9 - Thursday, the second time around /


    {Crazy Cot Lady} <Or> (The One Who Dared)


    ======================================================


    So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause.


    I was somewhere in that morning mist, still shrouded in the lingering visions of the other consciousness.


    I could just sense what felt like a cheek and a cold nose using my chest like a scratching pad. Pam was nestled beside me, tucked under my arm, her long silky hair cascading across my ribs. But I knew that before I pried opened my eyes. She was staring, passed my chin, at Emily.


    She loved to watch her sleep.


    "She''s so beautiful, so present, so content."


    "You ain''t half bad yourself this morning. You look like you had a very pleasant night."


    "Yeah. That thing is really comfortable and I love falling asleep with a good book, even if it is just a text book. Waking up, in the middle of a dream, to a very nice show, was kinda nice too," she winked, "You think they''d let me buy it?"


    "The cot? They have them at The Gen, down the road."


    "Good to know. But I really want that one. It has¡­ memories. And it''s already broken in."


    "If it''s so comfortable then why are you in this lumpy thing?"


    "I wanted a little more warmth," she jostled against my side for emphasis. "Thanks, for tucking me in last night."


    "No worries."


    "You''re welcommhmmmm." Emily stretched, pulling the covers tighter.


    "What do you have planned for the day?"


    "I''m going to slip into something stringy and sit outside on the lounge, get some sun and do some reading. That book is very informative. That man can write. How about you?"


    Emily twisted and got more comfortable, "Mr. Hicks, extra days." she reminded me.


    "Good call. I''ll be right back and let you know."


    I sat up and Emily followed, she pulled off the bandage and checked out my shoulder then gave it a kiss and flopped back into the warm pile of bedding. She was soon consumed in our bed-mate''s arms and legs.


    I threw on some jeans and an old Lynyrd Skynyrd tee and went out the door, barefoot.


    Gramps shot me a look as I stepped to the counter, "Good Mornin. Nice to see you''re finally comfortable here. What can I do for?"


    "Yes it is, since day one and I hope yours is too."


    "Standin, breathin and nobody''s shootin at me. What you need?"


    "I was wondering about the possibility of staying a few more days."


    "Shit. We''re kinda booked up this week end. Next week we only have a handful of guests. Should be planning on bringing the horses over to thin out the grass and resupply some fertilizer. Let''s see. You could have the bunkhouse. It''s gotta pot belly, an icebox and a bathroom, with a tub though, no shower. We only use it these days for the kids, when they come up around the holidays."


    "And you wouldn''t mind?"


    "I''ll have Marisol set you up with blankets and the like."


    "A week?"


    "As long as you need. Mare''s taken a liking. And, You seem like you''re at a bit of a crossroads. So."


    "Funny. It feels like more of a round-a-bout, that''s been heading in a straight line."


    "Ha Ha Ha. I hope you never lose that."


    "Me too."


    "If you want you can move your stuff in there tonight. I''ll grab the keys for the room later."


    "Nah. We''re comfortable for now, besides we don''t want to leave our roommate hanging."


    "That feisty little filly from the rope wall? Don''t worry about her, there''s a ton of room in there, you''ll all fit. That girls got what my dad used to call gumption. She beat my best time hands down."


    "That she does. She got me too. Speaking of. She may want to take a certain item of interest away from here. Is there anyway we can barter on that cot?"


    "That''s one of the oddest requests I''ve had in a long time. Maybe ever. I''ll tell you what. I''ll ring up The Gen and tell em you guys are going to pick up my order, you can take the shuttle, and I''ll add one cot to the list. She can have it, or that one, for doing me that service. That''ll free me up to take Miss May for a night out."


    "I''ll let her know. And make sure you leave me a list of chores. No good deed you know."


    "I''ll post em on the chalkboard in the mud room. You need transportation? Or are you keeping my Godson''s bike a little longer?"


    "Ha. I thought I sensed a spark of recognition when you saw that ride. I might. As much as I''d like to hold on to that beautiful beast, I''ve been lucky so far, I''d hate to ding her."


    "Well, there''s an old Triumph in the shed, may need a little grease to fire up. She doesn''t have the rumble and she''s a bit faded, but you''re welcome to her. The plates are legal, at least they were. And a few more scratches would just add to her character."


    "Faded is completely fine in my book. Enjoy your night on the town. Much appreciated, Gruncle."


    The old man shot me an eye, "Don''t mention it," then he chuckled, "Fuzznuts,"


    When I got back to the room my roommates were in the cot together, checking the pics on Em''s laptop. "How''d it go?"


    "Good. Real good actually. We have a week, or more if we want. We have a new ride, a new place to crash and some purpose to fill our days."


    "You guys are staying here?" Pam asked, excitedly.


    "Yep. You remember that big guy that came with the bikes."


    "How could I not. I thought someone trained a Yeti to ride a motorcycle."


    "Sasquatch actually and he''s gonna come and pick you up and take you to Nimbuwe''s and get you the lay of the land. Then he''s gonna come get us, where we''re dropping the bike off. And then he''s going to bring us all back here. You can stay with us in the bunkhouse, have our room to yourself, or stay at Nim''s."


    "You guys! Bunkhouse! Perfect! Thanks."


    There were kisses and hugs and a lot of twirling and bouncing, before I got a chance to respond.


    "Not a problem little sister. You don''t have a problem shoveling a bit of horse shit, do ya Em?"


    "I.. don''t.. think I would. I don''t know. Never done it. Horses? Where?"


    "They''re bringing them up on Monday or Tuesday, turns out they used to have trail rides, until the insurance went through the roof."


    "You think we could ride them?"


    "I don''t know. We''ll have to ask Sparkie later. And before I forget, somewhere along the line, we ALL need to go down to The Gen, to pick up an order, as barter for somebody''s cot. We''ll ask her when we drop off the supplies."


    "No fucking way. I get to keep this one though? Right?"


    "If you want. You could try out the new one..."


    "No need," she kissed the mattress, just as enthusiastically as she kissed us ten seconds ago, "She''s mine. She''s all mine. Aren''t you? My comfy wumfy bundle of cozy wozy joy¡­ "


    After Pam was done celebrating the newest addition to her life, we all jumped in the shower and washed each other up. There was nothing sexual about it. It was just innocent, good natured, caring, fun.


    Pam put on a swimsuit and skipped out to the deck. She called it a swimsuit, but I swear it was just a few pieces of string, tied somewhat strategically to resemble one. Sorta? But she looked happy with it as she Tiggered out the door.


    Shortly after Pam left, Emily and I went to grab some breakfast. We spied Carol and Suzie feeding each other cupcakes at, what had fastly become, our favorite table by the window.


    They saw us at the coffee nook and Carol waved us over.


    "How are my two favorite rug munchers today?"


    Carol had a mouth full of food, that I swear was just a tickle away from spraying out across the floor. Her eyes were huge.


    Suze looked a little sad, "She''s the only rug muncher here, I don''t get to enjoy that, tickley, fuzzy feeling."


    Carol managed to swallow. "Yet," she chimed, shoving a bite of chocolatey covered devil''s food in Suze''s mouth.


    Suze perked up. "Yemmph. Youff knuwff¡­" she swallowed, "You know, I know you''re trying to fatten me up Carebear, but if you want THAT old body, back on THESE bones, we''re gonna need something healthier than cupcakes and Twinkies."


    "Shall I get a cheesecake?"


    Coffee, damn near came out of my nose. My three companions laughed so loud, people leaned back to get a better look.


    After the curiosity and the merriment waned, Carol whispered in Suzie''s ear.


    Suzie shrugged, "They already know Care, they kind of knew before you. Sorry."


    "That''s okay, I''m actually flattered that you felt like sharing."


    "I was really trying to let you know first, but they were just¡­"


    "Pains in the ass?" I offered.


    "I was thinking relentless, but that''ll do too."


    A few more minutes passed, and Pam pranced in and joined us.


    "I thought you weren''t an eat in the morning gal."


    "It''s twelve fifteen."


    "Hmm. Go figure."


    "You guys are still here from this morning?"


    "Mmmhmm," Emily hummed, pulling Pam to her lap, "Bacon?"


    "There some left?"


    There wasn''t, so we ordered another round of breakfast. Pam ordered breakfast and a big lunch. She caught me eyeing her up as she started in on her second burger. Her eyes went taut, she kept on chewing. I couldn''t help but laugh. I''ve felt that look on my face once or twice. She swallowed, "Hey, I''ve watched you put down a good portion too, old man."


    "I have a retarded metabolism."


    "Me too."


    "I tried that no eating breakfast trick. Sounds plausible in theory. No food in the AM, metabolism slows for the day, gain weight. But it doesn''t work."


    "I know. I know. Nothing works. I can pound down a cow," she gestured at her shape, " and not an ounce."


    "They used to tell me, ''wait until you hit thirty, then you''ll be sorry''. That came and went, and still. I can eat five, six, meals a day, and nothing."


    "How old, are you?"


    "Same age as Nim. Three hundred and one, in dog years, About seventeen menta-motionally. I''m curious though. If you can pound it down, then why not pound down breakfast too?"


    "Divide by seven is forty¡­ Hmmm¡­ What? Oh! Why no breakfast¡­ Because, by lunch time, I''m famished. I''m, energized hungry. The food tastes better and I can eat like a beast. Tearing into my food like a lioness after a good kill. I love it."


    "I can see that, it''s all over your face. All over it."


    She just grinned and took another bite, "Mmmmmphf."


    "I''m more of the four or five, take your time savoring it, meals a day, kinda guy."


    "I get that too. Dinner is usually that way. A long, slow, meditative, relax and enjoy experience. And then there''s dessert, ohh."


    "Especially here. Even more so when it''s shared, off someone," I nodded at our two lesbian friends kissing the maple syrup away.


    "Such a perv."


    "I''ll never deny that. But to clarify, I, am a reflective perv."


    "A what?"


    "A reflective perv. See this girl right here?" Emily perked. "You''ve seen her, You''ve felt her."


    "Yeah she has." Em grinned.


    "She likes vanilla, mechanically speaking, but she''s full blown jalapeno passionately. She just rides me and enjoys me, and she let''s me love, touching and tasting all those places that make her shiver and warm all at once. We''re soft, together. Quiet and passionate. And I''m home with that. Really home. It''s like I''m the windows and she''s the doors. Like she''s the fireplace and I''m the firewood and together we''re the warmth and the crackle of the hearth. But let''s say you and I were together, and you¡­ liked being spanked. Because you liked the tingle, the jolt. Well then, I''d be into spanking. As long as it doesn''t turn me off, and there are things that turn me off, both physically and mentally, I''m in. As long as you''re likin it. Hell, even if you wanted me to pee on you, because you liked the feel of the warmth and wet rolling down your stomach, or your back. Then I would enjoy the way that golden hued liquid, smoothed down your skin, reflecting the light off your spine, watching you move like I was washing away your stre¡­" I was interrupted, by the slightest most sensual nibble on my ear.


    Pam had stopped chewing. She had a been there, twinkle.


    Carol and Suzie appeared to be having the same discussion as Em and I were.


    But whereas, Emily tweaked me an eye and I wrinkled my forehead, to which she wiggled her butt, and I just nodded a ''sure'', and then she eyed me a ''really?'' and I eyed back an ''if you want'', and then she kissed me.


    Their conversation was a little, well let''s just say less subtle.


    No. Let''s say what it really was, oblivious. Oblivious to their time and their space in this world.


    "What?", low, but not quite, hushed.


    Puppy dog eyes.


    "Really?", not as quiet.


    "Yeah. It might be fun, a little..." Puppy dog eyes, round two.


    "It could be¡­ visually, stimulating, to¡­ Okay. But only if you¡­ wan¡­"


    Both set of eyes smoothed across the table, mid sentence.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    I looked at Suze.


    "Temporal Displacement?"


    "Yes. See what I mean? I am SO fucking screwed."


    "If it''s any consolation, you seem to have that effect on her too."


    "I don''t know about that. I think she knows there''s a world out here that can see us, but she just doesn''t care. Because she really likes the attention."


    They bumped heads and continued their discussion closer. After a few hushed words, they kissed an agreement.


    I don''t know, if it was about their own little world, or if there''d be some spanking or water sport in their near future. Or if it was just, that Carol really did like the attention. Or all three. Probably all three. But it was definitely at least one or two of those three. Unless I missed something. And frankly I don''t care. Whatever puts wind under your wing and helps you fly.


    Like an eagle.


    Not a vulture.


    A Sequoia walked into a bar, and pulled up a table. (badump dum chih)


    "Fuzznuts."


    "Sasquatch."


    "Miss Emily."


    "Heya Tankie."


    "So? Which one of these ladies is going to be regaling me with tales on how she charmed a Jaguar?"


    "That''d be the one on Em''s lap."


    "Nice to meet you, Pam."


    "Nice to meet you, Tankie."


    "Francis Paul! Get your butt off my table."


    "Sorry Mabel. Didn''t want to break your tiny chairs."


    "How you? Dad? Beccah? Sam?"


    "Good, good, good, and good with a bit of a quand''ry. She''s going to the swap, she could use some Granny May. You all?"


    "Good. Everybody''s peachy. She Okay?"


    "Yeah, It''s just one of those things I could probably wrap my head around, but would not fully empathize with. Wrong physical makeup."


    "Francis. That girl is as lucky to have you, as you are to have her."


    "I''m luckier, she''s got me with pretty though."


    "A mangy raccoon has you with pretty."


    I was slapped with a menu. Hard.


    Granny has an arm.


    I guess the agreement was officially sealed and Suzie perked up. "Damn!!! Big!!! Fucking Huuge¡­ Sorry¡­ It''s just¡­ Wow! They weren''t kidding."


    "That''s Suze and the other one who just got her consciousness rerooted back down to this temporal realm, is Carol."


    "Good meet."


    "Don''t run. That''s meet with an e, not an a."


    Carol and Suzie laughed. Tank grunted, "Touche, mother fucker."


    All we heard from Granny Hicks was, "Francis Paul! Quarter, jar¡­ Shit. I really am turning into my mother."


    We took that moment of lucidity to say our good days. Before the other two got lost in the ether. Again.


    We hit the road, to drop off Reba, Taz''s bike, at it''s next destination. Finishing our final part of this quest.


    We went the intermediary way. I didn''t want to head right back. But, I also didn''t want to push my luck. Too much. I had promised Em a trip to the falls. And this seemed like the perfect time.


    Tank and Pam departed right behind us. They waved as they split away at the crossroads. Em and I road a few more miles up the winding mountain blacktop, then we traded the paved roads for a grass dotted trail and meandered our way to the falls. We parked. Undressed. And jumped into the pooling pond at the cataract''s feet.


    (Holy Fuck!)


    I''m saying that, screaming that actually, to you with my brain, because literally, there is no voice. Nothing, outside of Primal, could bridge the gap between brain and vocal chords at this point in time. It bellowed out like a severely wounded Kraken. It may have sounded like Holy fuck, in my head, but I know it didn''t come out like that. For the, maybe, forty-three hundredths of a second that something did come out, it sounded more Draconic, or Abyssal, than Terran. Remind me again why I learned... Undercommon?


    The world was... bright. A pure blinding shade of reddish-white.


    We stood up, staring at each other in total shock. I mean we both had a taste of the crispness that was the pond, but this was, Arctic. Borderline vacuum of space. Emily threw herself at me grabbing for warmth, wrapping her arms and legs around me as if to slide under my skin.


    She didn''t find it.


    "Fffrack! You''re fffreezzzing."


    "Ssssays the Ssssnow Cc-coone."


    We stood there, shaking, sputtering, teeth chattering. Hugging each other for dear life.


    Then I heard just two words.


    Two daring, delicious words.


    "Once more?"


    "Together?"


    "Always."


    And down we went. Back into the frigid abyss.


    And up we came. And out we went. Like Shaggy and Scooby with a ghost on their tails. I think I may have left some skin behind on a rock. I don''t think my balls have dropped all the way again since. They''re trying to hide right now, just at the writing of this.


    "My nipples are screaming at me."


    "Want I kiss em and make em feel better?"


    "MMhMM, please."


    We scrambled, briskly rubbing each other to friction up some kind of... anything but cold, as we made our way for our clothes and their promise of warmth.


    It was somewhere between my belt being buckled and getting my shirt turned right side out that I took in the vista. I looked up to the top of the falls and, yes, there was snow. Sporadic piles of it jotted the ledge. But there was also something, a tiny bit more, interesting. Something my friend had ''accidentally'' omitted about the scene.


    A block of Ice. A huge, glacier like, blindingly bluish-white, block of ice. Jutting out, from the cascade, about two feet down, camouflaged, almost to the bottom. And every drop of water, that fell from that cliff, went over, around, or through it. Like whiskey through an elegant ice scuplture.


    ''Asshole.''


    (I might have said that out loud. It''s debatable.)


    By the time we got to our final destination we were, nearing, dry. Our hair was still damp, as were our butts, but for the most part, our clothes were dryer than they were when we left the falls. But you could tell they were a touch damper than when we first embarked on this journey. By the way they hung and clung.


    Meat was at his workbench, by the entrance of his four car garage. The same garage that a certain Yowie carried a slant six engine from a crumbling table to a mounting stand, on the other side of the room, like he was cradling a newborn baby.


    Travis was working on a two by two and a half foot leather case. "Merry meet Miss Em, Wolf. You wet? Raining over the hill?"


    "Merry meet, Sir Travis."


    "Meat. No! No. Not rain. We stopped by the falls."


    "Oh." He grinned, a sneaky, sarcastic, shit eating display, "Nice dip?"


    "Asshole."


    (this one was definitely out loud, no debate necessary)


    "Heh heh."


    "What you got there?"


    "A little something for Lane."


    He held up his project. A weave of light brown leather and a deep dark suede. Three inches deep. With a gold dolphin in the upper left corner. It had a strap, that looked long enough to hang the bag beside the opposite hip to the shoulder it was over. It was...


    "Damn. Nice fucking work."


    Emily fingered the seams.


    "This is pretty. Makes me wish I was the pocketbook type."


    "Thank you, Em."


    "Isn''t her birthday in the fall?"


    "You are correct my liege. She''s been meeting with some of the town council lately. The ladies are the type that have to have the latest designer handbag. The guys, the most expensive portfolios. I figured I''d make her a one of a kind they could drool over."


    "Are these solid gold dolphin clasps and buckles?" Emily inspected.


    "Yes Ma''am. Sixteen carat, for strength. Sam threw them together for me. The dolphins separate with a twist. She can turn the strap into a back pack or a handle. It''s got a section for her laptop, a place for paperwork, and three compartments for her wallet and anything else she wants to carry with her."


    "?I didn''t think Lani was the pocket book type, or materially competitive?"


    "She''s not," he smirked, "but you know I am. Especially when it comes to her. I had to make her a wallet, and a wallet pocket in her vest, so she didn''t get shot reaching for her license in her shoulder holster. This is more, a portfolio, laptop, attache case. That, she can get behind. And I know, she''d just love to give those old, stuffy bints a rise. Just for the points."


    "Yeah, because a one of a kind Meat bag trumps a Gucci any day."


    "Asshole."


    "That was for the waterfall."


    "Touche then." He put the bag in a box and placed it on the shelf.


    "You know! I may have to come up here and have you help me make new saddle bags. After I get Roh back on the road. You want anything Em?"


    "A backpack maybe, to match my vest and chaps."


    "Awesome. We''ll make a weekend of it." The barbarian offered, slinging a leather pack on his shoulder, "Sorry I can''t hang. Work called. Just park Reba next to Falh¨®fnir. We''ll meet when we meet."


    "Here for at least another week."


    "Well met."


    "G''day, Travis."


    "Well met. Em"


    "The switch is over there, just make sure you''re in the ready position before you hit it. And duck, a lot lower than you think you have to. It''s being temperamental lately. Take Em for the tour, the dryer is up the stairs to the left if you need it."


    The truck door slammed and the leather crafting barbarian made his way to a portal. A mystical gateway that he would walk through, exiting the other side in a completely different realm, to spend the next four hours of his life as Sir Sivart, of the Peaks. (he went to work at that medieval place. the guy originally playing sivart was sick)


    We stripped ourselves of the lingering dampness and tossed our clothes in the dryer to chase the last of it away. While they were tumbling, round and round, I gave Em the quick tour of the house.


    "This is the armory."


    "Frell, that''s a lot of stuff."


    "Most of it is break away, for faires and work, but there''s quite a few pieces over here that''ll ruin your month. Over through this door, is the entertainment room."


    "Oh. This is..."


    "A time travelers wet dream?"


    The floor was tiled in dark blue stone. Polished to a slight sheen. The walls were aged stucco with more of a Venitian plaster finish. There were columns of concrete in a Greco-Roman style with a faux marble finish. There was a ten by twenty foot rug in the middle of the room, a replica of a tapestry from the Fifteenth century. With knights, horses and mythological creatures in deep, rich colors. An interspersed mahogany and ebony, butcher-block style gaming table sat on the rug, with eight high-back chairs. Many a die had been cast on it''s hard polished surface. There were also light sabres, laser pistols, and other galactic looking implements, on futuristic metal shelves or stored inside blue backlit wall cases. An R2 unit that held beer and snacks and doubled as a big screen projector sat quietly beside a full set of Valkyrie like armor. Over them, across the expanse of the wall, crossbows, the looks of which ranged from ancient clunky medieval chunks of wood to a certain Wookie''s laser bolt firing firearm.


    "Yeah." Emily mused, "It''s like an Arthurian berzerker was shot off to the future and took up interior design."


    "That about sums Meat up to a tee. C''mon. One more quick stop."


    We walked up the stairs, through the kitchen, and headed out the sliding door to the deck. Emily took one step outside, stopped cold and looked around.


    The deck was all cedar. It went the length of the house, about forty five feet, and away from it around twenty. It had banners, for shade, garden boxes, full of spices and flowers, a smoker, a wood fired barbecue, benches and tables and archways around the railing with hanging lanterns. But that wasn''t what took Emily''s breath. That culprit was the yard. Eight feet down, seventy five feet wide by three hundred and fifty feet deep. It was a clear patch of beautiful lawn, bordered by trees on all sides. There was a fountain and rock gardens, a horse shoe pit to the side and more than enough room, for volleyball, or a friendly game of football, both American rules and the rest of the worlds.


    She just stood there, mouth agape and wide eyed. I let her have a few minutes to just enjoy.


    "So. Now that you''ve seen Meat''s and Tank''s place. Think you could live up here on what they make?"


    "Very nicely."


    "See that rocky ridge all the way back there passed the tree line?"


    "Yeah."


    "That''s almost the end of the property line. It goes another hundred or so down the other slope."


    "Shit."


    "Yeah. He''s been wanting to get back there and put a gazebo on the other side. Looks like I may have time to give him a hand finishing the trail out."


    "That sounds beautiful."


    "The view is as spectacular as the one at the lodge."


    "Think we should get dressed, You know in case someone comes home."


    "If anyone came home they''d join us. Lanie would probably be halfway to Godiva before she realized we were here. But Tank''s probably on his way and our clothes should be dry by know, so let''s suit up."


    We retrieved our clothes, dressed, locked up and waited for our ride. He wasn''t kidding about the ducking and the garage door either. I practically barrel rolled to Emily''s feet to avoid getting crushed.


    Tank and Pam found us laid out on the lawn and beeped. Pam bounded out, grabbed Em by the hand and they slid into the bench seat in the back.


    I hopped in the front and gave a look around.


    "Finished the interior I see. Looks great."


    "Yep. Remember ole Bessy?"


    "How could I forget her, I lived in her for a week."


    "Well, the backrest of the bench seat the girls are on pushes forward and down, and the whole thing slides up on a track. And that fold out you made for Bess, fits nicely behind it. And between the two, it makes an excellent crash pad."


    "Did you say Squatch Pad?


    "I''m keeping that one."


    "What?"


    "Yes! Where to?"


    "You got time to hit The Gen?"


    "Gen, it is."


    The girls were chatting away in the back. About the waterfall and Pam''s new digs. Tank gave me the grand tour of the 350.


    Leather head liner, oak trim, outlets for a hot plate or a heater. Or anything else you''d need power for. Brown exterior carpet on the floors. A crystal clear moon roof, three feet long and wide. Deer hide and oak panels on the side walls. The van wasn''t tricked out by any means. It was just simple, functional and elegant.


    We went to The Gen, picked up the supplies and then met Marisol back behind the lodge. She helped us unload and pack everything away. Including one new fold up bed on wheels. Tank took off for the rest of his day. And the four of us went back to our room to bring our stuff to the bunkhouse.


    We left room 11 at a wistful pace. Even though it was a short trip, to the house we''d be calling home for awhile, there were memories being left behind, so the mood was a touch somber. Marisol helped carry Pam''s bags. Pam, happily, guided her loyal cot behind.


    *A few more weeks of training like this and that cot might heel on his own.*


    When we got to the bunkhouse we stood in regard. You could feel the stories, the generations it had seen. The place was Prairie Home Companion plain. Homey. Utilitarian, with a lived in feel.


    The front door swept open into a modest expanse. Specks of dust casually flittered to life on the intruding light. The steadfast aroma, of baked breads and time, breathed into our heads. A slight tinge of must, not so much a little open window wouldn''t rid. And there were quite a few of them scattered around the open space.


    There was warmth here. Familial and historical.


    Just off to the right of the door was a big red carpet, a table, made of butcher block, and six cushioned chairs. An old teal-blue fridge, set off to the far right wall, with a counter, a farm sink and cabinets to it''s left. A pot belly stove sat, regally, atop a blue stone base, in the near left corner. Four rough cut chairs and a padded bench faced it in a semicircular arrangement. A full bathroom, complete with a claw foot tub, supported one third of an overhead loft. A ladder, of logs and slabs, providing access from just before the bathroom. About two thirds of the way down the left.


    Three bunk-beds were pushed up tight against the loft wall. A double bed took up a good portion of the remaining platform, yet there was more than enough space, between it and the wardrobe, to put Pam''s cot.


    Now we just had to muscle it up there.


    Later.


    Seems my strawberry-blonde friend had other thoughts for the now.


    I stepped inside and was greeted by that same primal feeling I had in the lobby that very first day.


    Marisol followed us to the top of the ladder and sat on the edge, entertaining us with the home''s history, as we happily settled in.


    "This was Auntie and Gruncle''s first home together. They lived in here for five years, while they fixed up and expanded the lodge. It was a trade route inn, going back two centuries, give or take a few decades. So you can guess how much work that took. Two of their kids were born in here. My grandmother was born right there, by that stove, during a snowed in Thanksgiving visit."


    It was never stayed in by anybody famous. That anybody knows of. It was just one of those shelters for merchants of the road. And maybe one or two people who may, or may not, have kept an eye out for British ships sailing up the river, down below. If one could just read the memories of these walls.


    When we had everything in order, she dragged us out back, to the smaller of the two barns. She called it a shed, but a shed it was not. It was the same place a dog tracked a lost jock to, a couple nights back. Marisol said something about the ''damn kids''. And I couldn''t help but chuckle, when she picked up the mattress and put it back on the stack. Pam quirked an eyebrow at me and smiled. She had dug out that bone herself. The amber skinned girl then proceeded to lift a horse blanket off a pile, revealing a well used, well cared for, old bike. A two cylinder Bonnie, with short rise bars, in faded sea green and white, with a sway back seat.


    I checked the filter, fluids, tires and cables. Then found an old wire coat hanger and snaked the pipes for nests. Mice love making homes in tight little spaces.


    "How long since she''s been started?"


    "I don''t know. Gruncle says she fires. I''ve tried a few times. She sounds like she wants to catch, but I don''t think I have the weight."


    I pulled the plugs and gave them a cleaning, found a gapper in the tool box and searched the shelves for a manual.


    "What ya lookin for?" Marisol offered.


    "Gap Specs."


    "Nine millimeters."


    I gave her a look.


    "No! I''m not a genius¡­ ''An immediately handy access to intel, is always your best friend''¡­" she intoned, in a gruff that sounded suspiciously like a certain old marine, "...Pioneer Bumpkin Camp, William and Steven Hicks, Founders... It''s on the blackboard by the tractor."


    I looked up and in white chalk on dark blue slate was a whole bunch of gaps, fuel to oil ratios, timing marks and torques, for a lot of the equipment in the room.


    "Yeah, it is."


    After the plugs were re-installed and the fuel swapped out, I adjusted the choke, gave the throttle a twist, priming her up with a couple of short kicks. I turned the key and laid into it. She fired up on the third kick. Without so much as a hiccup. She sounded strong.


    I took her out for a quick spin, to check the brakes and suspension, then I handed her off. To a girl with anticipating eyes. Marisol sparked a grin as she spirited on the seat. She tested the clutch, wiggled the front wheel, then let it rise.


    She settled her down, about ten feet away, and rode off out of sight.


    About a minute later we heard the bike get louder, saw the headlight bouncing. But all we could see, of it''s petite rider, were her teeth through all that mud.


    "Gah, That was fun. Pffft. But now I need a shower and blech a change before my shift. I may need to brush my teeth with lysol."


    "Nah, you''ll be fine, horseshit''s good for the soul."


    She looked herself up and down, gave herself a sniff.


    "Then, I, am, reborn." "Have fun all." were her last words, before she sprinted towards a more cleansing ritual.


    Pam, who had set up her cot on the porch by the swing, retrieved her book and lounged out to read. Me and Emily went and sat in a nice hot tub.


    It took awhile, but we finally chased the last of the chill from our bones. Somewhere after the second fill.


    The ambient light was fading when Pam came in to check on us. She stood in the doorway eyeing us up.


    "How is it?"


    "It''s borderline hot, this is fill number two."


    "There''s room," Emily teased, "if you wanna hop in."


    She was stripping her clothes off before the sentence was finished. In her typical fashion she bounced barefoot across the floor and unashamedly stepped in. Emily stopped her mid sit, washed her legs and her butt, then she pulled her down and sponged her back. Pam washed her own arms and chest. But that didn''t stop Em from rinsing her off.


    "You guys are gonna be all pruney."


    "My feet already are."


    "Mine too."


    "Hmmmmm, a girl could get used to this," Pam intoned, as she settled against the dark haired girls chest.


    "Mmmhmm."


    "So can this guy."


    I just laid there, staring, between black and red strands. The shadows of the leaves, on the window, danced across the panes with the breeze.


    I closed my eyes and just breathed it all in.

 C10 - Thursday, After the Calm & The Week E That Followed / {Laurel, Lug and Ed} <Or> (War Stories)

    ======================================================


    C10 - Thursday, After the calm & The Week End That Followed /


    {Laurel, Lug and Ed} <Or> (War Stories)


    ======================================================


    Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy''s resistance without fighting.


    The rest of the day, and the next few to follow, would go by in a flash. As time seems to do when you have a purpose without a deadline.


    We cut dead branches over the trails, set up a corral and a temporary stable, pulled bird nests from under the eaves and we even managed to re-stain and shellac the window frames of the lodge.


    With a few instructions from Gruncle, Darren took to the chainsaw like a pro.


    Wait, I''m getting ahead of myself, let''s start this over.


    Later that first night, spent in our new abode, we wrestled Pam''s cot up the ladder. She arranged it perpendicular to our bed and watched, until she drifted off. Yet, somehow, we found her, once again, under our covers come morning.


    The bus pulled up early on Friday. Paul helped one of the girls put her bags in the side compartment. And he didn''t seem at all, pissy. He gave us a nod and followed up the steps. Darren helped the others pack away their gear while Carol joined Suzie checking off the list. They exchanged contacts with us and left side by side. Darren made his way back to the kitchen.


    The Greyhound knock off departed. Minus four passengers. With two of those on board embarking on a much different course from which they had started.


    A few hours later Nimbuwe showed up and helped Pam load her stuff in his truck. He wasn''t even surprised when he saw her trailing a cot up the drive, like a puppy on a leash. We all have our thing. And besides, It wasn''t the first time he had seen someone with their whole world in their arms either.


    A few hours later the cars started rolling in.


    The week end had arrived and the lodge was soon packed with couples and families. Most of whom were there for the antique flea market and auction.


    We helped set up rooms, make beds and clean the kitchen. We weeded the garden, shored up a rock wall and even built a bridge across a storm shifted stream. It was exhausting work, but well worth the effort.


    And the pay off.


    A good roof, a full belly, a knowing heart, something worth doing to do. And a few more bucks in the pocket than there was the day before. I was more than happy with the room, work and board. But they insisted.


    Three horses arrived, bright and early on Monday. They went right to work nibbling the grass. And shitting. Everywhere.


    Marisol taught Emily and I how to ride. I really only needed a refresher but the girl knew so much I just had to pay attention. Darren rode bitch behind her. Scared witless, with a huge smile on his face.


    We rode down to The Gen on Wednesday. I was on Rocket, Emily rode Bramble, Darren sat next to Marisol on the wagon pulled by Trixie. I didn''t name them. If I had, it would have been, Laurel, Lug and Ed. They weren''t the smartest horses in the world but they seemed okay with that.


    We stocked up on hay, oats and the lodge''s supplies then casually made our way back.


    After storing everything away, I took some pictures of Emily, in her jeans, vest and chaps, sans tank top and bra, sitting happily on the Calico, Lug. The horse was actually quite photogenic. He was a bit of a ham though.


    The night found us tired, but eager. It was a warm, gentle evening, with a light breeze and more of a late spring scent. That being more floral than winter decay. So we grabbed some blankets and made love in the woods off the front porch.


    We were basking in the after effects when Em got melancholy and quiet. It felt like one of those times you should just shut up and be there. So that''s exactly what I did. Pulling her a bit closer in a more comfortable hug.


    "My mother was killed. When I was six. I saw it happen."


    I kissed her head.


    "Mmm." She sighed and softened. "We were in town. Shopping I think. I had ice cream. She had just strapped me in and the next thing I knew there was a strange guy in the car, and she was bleeding. He was screaming and¡­"


    She went solemn once more. All I could, do was tighten the embrace.


    "He stabbed her and drove. I tried¡­ but he hit me. When I woke up, we were stopped and he was¡­ the fucking piece of shit was raping her¡­ Right in front of me..."


    A deep breath.


    "Mom saw me wake up and screamed at me to run."


    Emily sat up and looked in my face. Her eyes were pools of sadness, anger and frustration. Then she brushed her hand to my face. And bore her gaze into mine.


    "She had that same look you did, at the car accident. Like if she could just¡­ not see me hurt¡­ If she could just, find a way to keep me alive, keep me safe."


    I hugged her softly and she laid back, putting her head next to mine, staring straight up to the stars.


    "He went to grab me and she bit him and hit him, and kicked him and... He started banging her head on the window. She yelled at me to run. And I ran. Screaming at the top of my lungs, in the middle of nowhere. I heard her voice hushing me, guiding me, telling me where to hide. I felt her hugging me and rocking me. Soothing me for what felt like forever. After awhile I heard sirens and loud angry voices. Then I heard her say, you''re safe now. But I couldn''t move. I was frozen, numb, lost. Then it felt like someone stood me up and I felt myself start walking. It was her touch, her hands moving me. I could hear people talking. Footsteps came closer. I saw the car and her¡­ She told me not too look, but I did... That''s why I understood what you were saying about a relative who might have looked like that girl''s mom."The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "I don''t get why people can''t believe. Hell sometimes it feels they make up things so they don''t have too. Like chemical imbalance of the brain, oxygen deprivation, defense mechanisms or traumatic hallucinations. Suppose that''s what it takes to break down that barrier between realms?"


    "There does seem to be a thousand times the effort to debunk than there is to prove. But I lived because of her. Whether it was her will or her spirit or my mind being her for me, I don''t know, but it was something that was her. Not my ''Healthy Imagination''... Anyway, The cops came and asked if I was hurt. I had no voice. The words were in my head, they wanted to come out, they just didn''t. For two years. When they finally came back they were rattled and distorted. Broken."


    "I wish you didn''t have to go through that. But I''m glad you did and fought your way back. It sucks that there''s people out there that harbor that kind of evil, that kind of selfish scumbaggery."


    "That''s not a word either."


    "Probably not."


    "It''s not far off though."


    She adjusted herself so she was speaking right into my neck.


    "The cruelest and hardest part was the people afterwards. Everybody changed. They were always reminding me. The pity. The uneasy silences. The questions. I felt ostracized. I got lost in my computer because it didn''t ridicule me. There was no, hey look it''s Emmmmmmm mmmm emily."


    "Kids can be little fucks sometimes."


    "Kids?" She propped herself up so I could see her face. "That happened in college. Here too. I''m pretty sure I heard J-Dog refer to me as that. I know I heard him call me the retarded girl. I mean, I know by the time I got out of high school I had wrapped myself up in a fortress, and social interactions were a bad taste in my psyche by then, but I never hurt anyone. Why would you do that? Joe, I gained weight eating my hormones away. I sheltered myself in textbooks and libraries... But I found a love for scripting... The same words, that broke in my mouth, made things happen on the screen. Made them move and live and be beautiful. Like my mother was. Like I wished I could be."


    "I caught a glimpse of you the first night. Lost in a world of ones and zeroes. Hunting for a stray bracket or an errant semi-colon. Every time I see you typing away, you get that same intensity. And when you triumph over some little tweak, you shine, and purr-growl."


    "Then there''s that... One day, there was this guy. He was just sitting on a bench. And then he offered me a hand, his hand. He listened to me. He was comfortable, with himself and me. He let me be me. He shared time with me. He even let me sit with him enjoying my favorite show. I spent more time with him, shared more intimacy with him in hours than I did with some people I''ve known for years. And then, he kisses the top of my head and¡­ I felt¡­ free. I felt accepted. I felt loved. And I felt like my mother was tucking me in. Right there with him, and it felt like a part of me, had been¡­"


    "Re-united? Like you and he, were always there, together, just idling?"


    "Yes... And I felt beautiful, like my mother was. Like I always was. Does that make any sense?"


    "When I was a kid. I had asthma. I was allergic to damn near everything. I was probably one more syringe away from being tossed in a bubble. I was pushed outside and marginalized as that weak, skinny kid. It was the playground equivalent of the ancient Greeks taking a sick newborn to the woods to die. I was the target for every kid that had something to prove. The only interaction I had were with those that hit me. Or bullied me. Then I started playing sports. Some, I didn''t want to at first but my dad said, ''try a season of them all, find one or two you love''. So I tried out, and even though I was sometimes the last picked, I was never the first or last cut. Even in football. And I found something out about this body I was gifted, It could take a hit, a good hit. It could take that hit and love it, then, get up and give it right back. Harder. It could be hurting real bad and move, right through it. I was the guy, girls dared other girls to kiss. I was the guy that some prick had a girl kiss, because she lost a wager. As a prank. And then had the balls to belittle me, he doesn''t want ''trash'' in the house, and he pushes me out. And I''m good. I''m walking away. Until he pushes his girlfriend for sticking up for me¡­ When I calmed, everyone was looking at me differently¡­ You ever hear something that goes ''Better they fear you than despise you?''."


    "I''ve heard, ''Better to be feared than loved, if you can not be both.''."


    "Machiavelli. The Prince. Good quote. I always new I read a similar sentiment somewhere. But I never connected the dots. I''d take love though, I''m an idiot that way. Thanks."


    "Mmmhmm. I''d take love too."


    "There''s a truth to it though. I didn''t mind being feared. Not one bit. It gave me a peace, to find me. One day, a few years later, I''m sitting on a overlook two hundred feet above the river. This same river right here, but further south and a little east. The sun was about to break. The horizon had just started to get that flush. I heard a shuffle of leaves, footsteps on the rock and then there was a body next to me. Just chillin. Both of us were propped up on our elbows, waiting for the world to awaken. The sun rose, not one of the best, but nice enough. I laid back. He laid back. No words, nothing. Time passed and we heard a scream and we both jumped up and ran towards it. Then we hear, pain. And growls. I catch the sight of two coyotes bearing down a trail in our direction. I hear ''The one on the left, is mine'' and he bolts. I see a guy, holding his leg, he''s ashen with fear and pain. The furry bastard on the right sees me and hauls up, staring. He''s boring into me. Sidling his way in closer. Eyeing me up, sizing me, measuring me. Teeth bared. I ask the guy if he''s bit. He says no. I relay that to my¡­ partner, for lack of a better term. And my coyote is glaring at me. Testing my resolve.


    And all I can think is, ''Okay!!! The trial of a Roman Gladiator it is!!!'' and I guess I said it out loud, because the next thing I hear is, ''This is Thursday, where I''m from.''.


    And I laughed.


    And the coyote that was staring me down, sneering, sizing me up, and muscling his way in, he froze. Then, he started backing away. So I stepped to him and hit him with a stick I didn''t even realize I picked up. And he took off, yipping. Then I hear a thud, a yelp and a whimper and number two goes running. My cohort in this... adventure, looks at me curiously and¡­


    Em, we''re not 20 miles from Manhattan. There hadn''t been coyote''s around there in years¡­


    And he says, ''This, I did not expect today.''


    Then he went and got the Parkies.


    I splinted the guy up, the best I could, and when they had the guy on a travois, we went back to that spot were we started our day. And just sat.


    Until I heard. ''Nimbuwe.'' and I said ''Nimbuwe to you too.'' And he laughed and said, "That''s my name, Nimbuwe." And then I laughed and said, ''Joe, nice to meet you.'' We shook hands. Went back to a few minutes of silence. And then, these timeless words crossed my ears,


    ''Joe, Did you ever hear the story of the hyena and the gazelle.''


    ''Nope. But I have a funny feeling I''m gonna learn something new everyday from now on.''


    Then I heard it, the only line that''s ever meant shit to me.


    ''One can only hope''."


    She lifted up her leg and traced a semicircular pinkness on her calf, about the size of a fist, "He was going after my next door neighbor''s kid. I got that when I kicked him. He never came on our side of the street again."


    "So. It''s official. We''ve traded war stories.


    "Does that make us, Zoe and Wash? Or Zoe and Mal?"


    "I think that makes us Em and Joe."


    "I can live with that."


    "So can I."


    "So where was I?"


    "Nimbuwe. First meet."


    "Man, it''s so nice having the other half of my brain awake. Okay¡­ Twenty six years later, shy a couple months, I was sitting on a bus. There was this girl. Lithely moving through the crowd. She got bumped a few times, but she pushed right on. With an ''excuse me.'' Even if it was clearly the other persons fault, or purpose. I watched her interact with the others a bit and I see a gentleness to her eyes and the way her shoulders and face offer answers she can''t speak. More to the point, doesn''t want to. Then I see her again. Alone, on a bench. She catches me looking, says hi with her eyes, smiles and goes back to her work. A couple minutes later, she''s pulling my attention. And there''s a silent communication, like we can read each others thoughts and both of them are saying, ''Dear God, please don''t make me have to room with, ''The J Dog''¡­"


    "YES. That''s¡­. Hmmmm, Ha. Mmmmhm."


    "The next time I see this girl, she''s looking out of a window, and the sun is showing me visions. Really wonderful visions. Then she''s crossing the floor, slipping into my bed to watch an old TV show. She''s warm and she''s calm. She smells like honey and apples and myrrh. She''s beautiful and sweet and charming. And from the moment she slid next to me, it was like she was always there. Like it was her space, her domain. The night slips away and I''m having a really good dream. And when I wake up, she''s over me. Smiling. Claiming¡­ Me. Moving right into her spot. And I feel her warmth in my soul. Then her lips touched mine. And it was like a door, I had seen a hundred thousand times, but never really paid attention to, just opened, and another piece of me finally woke up."


    "Mmhmm."

 C11 - Friday / {Shit! Its Friday?} <Or> (The Swap)

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    C11 - Friday /


    {Shit! It''s Friday?} <Or> (The Swap)


    ======================================================


    A thousand years from now, and in some ways even now, when you get right down to the root of it all, we will find, we are all nothing but space-dust bunnies, hopping, on the wind.


    Friday''s to do list had just four items.


    <hr>


    Miss Emily/Fuzznuts:


    1: ''Mabel went to swap. I need to pick some stuff up from the stables. Can you pick her up with the shuttle if she needs a hand? If you can, let me or spark plug know.''


    2: ''Dark Shadow called - Be at the pond around nine tonight.''


    3: ''Don''t do anything I wouldn''t do.''


    4:


    <hr>


    We went to the kitchen and found Marisol fidgeting around. We made breakfast and told her our plans so she''d know where to find us, if Mabel needed those extra hands. Darren was out, buying work clothes and tools at the tractor supply, then he had a few stops for William, he was gonna be back late. We talked Marisol into joining us for lunch while we did some laundry.


    Then me and Em settled in for a nice hot bath. It was around a quarter passed three when Marisol knocked on the bunkhouse door. We hailed her it was open.


    She popped into the bathroom and leaned up against the door jamb. Have you ever noticed how many people like to put themselves in a frame as they look across a room?


    "Hey."


    "How''s you?"


    "Relaxed. Not as relaxed as you two look right now. But it was a nice, mellow day. Thanks for helping with the laundry."


    "Mm-hmMM."


    "Notta problem."


    "I love this tub." Emily exclaimed.


    "Me too. I miss The Beast. When we were little, all us kids would be piled up in there, laughing and making a mess."


    "Are you just here to reminisce, you gonna join us, or are we going for a ride?"


    "I wish. I''d love to jump in there with you guys and just chill, maybe next time. But not today, Auntie needs a pick up."


    "You coming for the ride?"


    "Hell yeah! I love the Swap. Haven''t been to it in a couple of years. I ain''t missin this one."


    She grabbed two towels off the rack. Emily stepped out of the bath and Marisol spun her around, dried her back and then wrapped her tight in it. I stepped out and she offered me the same. I turned, she pat my back dry then tucked the towel around my waist.


    We got dressed while exchanging our plans for the night.


    "We''re going to the pond later, to meet up with my friend and the Crazy Cot Lady, you and D wanna join us."


    "Hah, I''ve been calling her Squeaky Cot Lady for a week now. That''s funny."


    "Yeah it is."


    "Sorry though, as much fun as that sounds, I have a four-d date night. Dinner, Demo Derby and Dancing. One of the cooks is driving this year. And D already got the tickets or we totally would."


    We got to the shuttle and pulled the back two rows of seats out. I asked her if she wanted to drive. She declined, seems her legs were to short to push the clutch pedal down. So I found myself behind Edith''s steering wheel again. She only had one real quirk. When going into second, You had to push the stick in and hold it, until you totally engaged the clutch. Other than that she was a steady ole girl. My two road partners shared the passenger seat.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    I was given step by step directions via Spark''Nav. After a long slow descent through the trees, the two lane street forked into one way roads. An entrance and an exit.


    We bore right, to the parking area.


    "Holy shit. I''ve seen county fairs smaller than this."


    "Me too."


    "Not ours."


    The Swap, as they called it, was a giant flea market, slash, estate sale, slash, swap meet, slash, alfresco museum. There was everything thing you could want or need, even some things you never knew anyone would need. Just think of the weirdest shit you could think was ever invented, or to your knowledge not yet invented. If it was, it was here. Somewhere. Good luck with finding it.


    From old muzzle loaders and hand cranked washers to canned fruit and handmade clothes, furniture and farming implements, old machinery, even some old Flathead v8 tractors, that you''d swear were assembled by Henry himself. There were booths and displays and tractor rides, food and drink, amusements for the kids. And people for miles.


    We stopped by Sam''s booth on the way to the load up. She thanked us so tightly the three of us practically merged.


    Then she caught eye of our company, "Marigold?"


    "Heya cuz, been a spell."


    "A spell? Last time I saw you you were knee high."


    "I''m still knee high to you, Samarella."


    We left those two to hug and catch each other up and made our way to get a ticket for the load. Yes, there was a line to pick up the big stuff. And our wait was just over an hour and a half.


    We made our way back, with Mabel, to Sam''s tent. Granny Hicks stayed behind with Sam. Marisol dragged us to her favorite booths. Then we all went our separate ways. Promising to meet at the pick-up area when the fun was done.


    The girls seemed to have a purpose. The boy, just mindlessly wandering.


    I stumbled across a smoker stand and bought five one-pound bags of jerky. Bison, venison, moose, gator and bear. Listed in order of my preference.


    (I don''t know why I like gator better than bear. to be honest, I don''t dwell on it much. it would just give me a headache)


    If I had a million dollars, I could see myself spending half of it here, in a day. I bought a vest, black, real leather, heavy. Thick enough to be a flack jacket. I got a nice suede brown jacket and some tank tops for Em. They had more of a feminine cut. And I even managed to bag a case of William''s and Mabel''s favourite wine. I met Emily and Sparkie at the Tack table. Buying saddle soaps, brushes and other necessities. The three of us made it to the load out and started packing away Mabel''s finds. She met us just as we were tying down an old roll top desk. It was probably as old as the lodge itself. One more strap buckled and we were ready for the road.


    Mabel rode up front with me. Emily and Marisol squeezed in the back, the latter on the former''s lap. Sitting on a crate of canning supplies with a couple of horse blankets for a cushion. Showing each other their finds, swapping stories of auctions or raffles that got away.


    Granny Hicks, was unusually quiet.


    "You chat with Sam?"


    "Yes."


    "She okay?"


    "I''m sure she''ll be fine."


    "Are you okay?"


    "Me? Oh don''t mind me, I¡¯m just waxing nostalgic."


    She looked out the window with a smile on her face. I just had to ask.


    "She''s pregnant isn''t she?"


    She just gave me a discerning look, not like I was wrong, more like, odd child.


    "Her shoulders. They''ve displayed a bit. A lot of women I''ve known, not all mind you, but a few, that''s the first thing I sense, before I hear the words. And hers are getting a little rounder, fuller. More motherly."


    "Mine did too. Let''s keep that between us."


    "No worries. So I''m not far off."


    "I hope not. You did put another stitch in the quilt though. I noticed a little, softer sparkle. A radiance. Beyond her typical¡­ Sam."


    "Mmmm. We call it The Boom."


    "The Boom. I might start using that."


    "Good for them. If any humans could raise a Thor, it would be those two."


    "Hmmmmm¡­ Francis is going to shit himself."


    We laughed all the way up the drive. William looked at us with a conspiratorial eye. He was opening the door for Mabel when she grabbed his sleeve and gave it a tug. He just followed her right back from where he came. Not like he had much choice, it was that or ruin a perfectly good shirt.


    Marisol caught an itch.


    "Uh oh. I hope Gruncle is in Monday mode," then I became the target of her curiosity, "What were you and Maybelle talking bout up there?"


    "Nothing. We were just shooting the shit."


    "Then why does Auntie M have her feisty eyes?"


    "Maybe she found the dirty picture booth or sampled some exotic spices."


    "Oh, is that how it is?"


    "Yep. You''ll find out soon enough. It''s not my place to say."


    "She made you do the silent promise didn''t she?"


    "Nope. She just asked me nicely."


    "That''s even worse."


    "I feel like I got off lucky."


    "I''ll find out soon, huh?"


    "Yep."


    "Since it''s a surprise. I''ll let you off the hook."


    "Thanks."


    Em looked over and smiled, she figured it out half way through the conversation. I was getting pretty good at her Silent Speak, and she was getting really good at reading mine.


    As we unloaded the truck, Darren found us and gave us a hand. Getting the roll top on to the back porch was a bit of a feat. Then we helped the ladies restocking the pantry, with some down home goodness in bell jars and masking tape labeled cans. I wrapped the box of wine up with a bow and slipped it next to their last bottle.


    Marisol put up some coffee and strawberry cheesecake and we sat, four abreast, on the porch swing. In complete delicious silence.


    They took off for their date and we hopped on the Bonnie, with brand new helmets, and headed on out for the pond.


    We had stories to catch. And others to give life to.


    There was a fire with our names on it, after all.

 C12 - Friday Nightfall / {Wolf, Wisdom, Jaguar, Earth} <Or> (The One Who Said Hi)

    ======================================================


    C12 - Friday Nightfall /


    {Wolf, Wisdom, Jaguar, Earth} <Or> (The One Who Said Hi)


    ======================================================


    Everything around us, everything we''re made of, everything we make, everything here, is made from stuff from space. Everything, on this planet, is extraterrestrial in origin. EVERYTHING.


    The Bonnie had a different heartbeat than I was used to. It was a little less throaty, with a slightly faster, tiny bit steadier pulse. But she was smooth and sprightly. For an old Brit.


    She took to the turns with an ease and a grace. We took the longer of the two routes and sometime around five minutes to nine we veered right and met up with a familiar dirt road. It was the same path I took, to escort a woman, to her very first Skinny Dippin'' Cook Out. Set to Polar Bear mode.


    "It Felt Quicker Than The Shuttle This Time."


    "Temporal Distortion? Or. Lost In The ride?"


    "Maybe, A Little Of Both." She mused.


    "It Is For Me."


    We could just see a flicker of firelight through the trees. The trail curved left, and we could see the fire. A distant antonym to the darkness around it. Guiding us out of this vortex of browns and greens and grays. Heralding, "Come. Let us rejoice."


    Shadows danced in the void where the stream broke the pines. The pond was silent and still. Mirroring the image of the sky above. A thin billow of smoke, rising, tempted our eyes up toward the treeline. A turbulence shifted across a crisp night sky. As if two different fronts were touching, like long lost loves. The stars were out in mesmerizing force. Bewildering in their numbers.


    A wave of discordant temperatures and pressures pulsed with a brilliance. Fluctuating in a crystal-clear liquid shimmer. They found a balance. Then they rippled away.


    Stronger now, the fire called us onward. Two distant figures, emboldened by its charm, waved us, fervently, toward their glow.


    I felt her arms around me.


    In a cross, over my chest.


    Her chin on my right shoulder.


    Funny, the things you remember. Like how, even with her helmet on, she is soft and warm and here.


    We pulled up next to an all to familiar blue pick up, saddled down, and walked to greet.


    An ice bucket. A bottle of champagne, opened. Four empty glasses on a stump. Two huge blankets spread out side by side. A gentle thump, thump. A head pops up, mouth open, tongue hanging. Thump, thump, thump. Scratch, scratch, "Heya Girl," Thump, thump. Back to her bone.


    The warm embrace of a friend, until recently, long unseen.


    "Olofi smiles."


    "He just might be, at that."


    We raised our glasses and toasted to the chaos.


    A cop car pulled up. Two cops got out. They saw the bike, the truck, and the champagne, in that order. They looked at the two old guys and the two younger ladies. Their interest was peeked.


    Then one of them spied something, and pointed it out to his partner.


    "You''re camping?"


    "Yes, sir."


    "We are?" A pair of voices rang in surprise. Then we caught the glimpse of what they were looking at. "Hmmh, I guess we are."


    They stayed for a few, probably just to size the situation up. Can you blame them. Nimbuwe offered them jerky. They declined.


    Lucky me. They didn''t know what they were missing. Give this Nigerian spices and meats, and the Nightmare¡­ just continues. In a delightfully heated, mouthwatering decadence.


    "I''d offer you guys some donuts but the Park Rangers ate em all."


    And with that, they bid their adieus.


    (insert canary eating grin here)


    Of course, they departed with the usual, you know, clean up, make sure that fires out, blah, blah, blah, bullshit. I mean, who the fuck, over the age of five, needs to be told that?


    Their taillights vanished at the treeline and we found ourselves. Once more.


    The moon had risen, further on it''s hunt. The air was fighting between warm and cool. Sounds escaped through the shadows and light. Life moved on in the trees around us.


    Two bodies touched tenderly, in flickering, flame touched, frames.


    The fire popped. Breaking the silence.


    "She told me you know?"


    "About her watching, and exploring?"


    "That too."


    I took out my tobacco and papers and twisted one up. "Did she give you a re-enactment?"


    "Yes. She did. I''ll tell ya Joe, I don''t know what I did, for her to find me, but if it meant all these scars, doubled, it would be worth every one."


    "They have a great thing with each other don''t they?"


    "It''s friendly, it''s fun. It''s sensual."


    I licked the glue and I finished the roll. "It''s expeditionary, and down right amatory. You got a light?"


    He reached in his pocket and tossed me some matches. "There''s a spirit there too."


    I fired up my cigarette and took a long slow drag, "There''s a lot of spirit there, brother. But did you notice? Even though they''re in their own little thing, enmeshed in it actually, they still give us two old fucks a look."


    "The thank you for being here look?"


    "Mmm. And the, I hope you''re having fun too look"


    "That one might be my favorite. But that''s not what I was talking about before. I meant the oath. The ode. The vow."


    "I know... And?"


    "Yes."


    "Payback''s a bitch. Ain''t it?¡­ They really do love teasing the hell out of each other, don''t they?"


    "They could teach any man, a thing or two, this one included."


    "Yeah, I''m learning a few tricks here myself. What is it they say, a happy wife¡­"


    "and both halves of me are happy."


    "Sounds about right. If not we should canon it."


    The two creatures before us stood up. They ran down to the water and danced. Splashing and washing each other. They kissed and teased all the way back. Then more tender, more intimate tendencies took hold.


    "Jag. Lemme ask you something. Because¡­ I''m real curious."


    "She was quiet."


    "Your sister. Was quiet?"


    "Yes."


    "Bringing Pam back? Or all the way up?"


    "Dropping her off. And a few more miles."


    "Wow. I''d have paid Pam to take the whole damn trip. Don''t tell Lee I said that."


    "Ha!"


    The vision before us had bokeh. The way it moved. The way it swelled. The way it swayed. The way it built itself up, only to slow down again. It was a palette of warm skin and pale flesh, tinted in red and yellow and shadow. Something flicked my ear. I had something to get out there.


    "I kinda paraphrased it you know."


    "What?"


    "The Ode. It was just a teaser. Kinda like you and that ''hint'' by your truck the other night. But I didn''t need it."


    "This is good. Neither did I."


    "When did you know?"


    "Just before our first kiss. You?"


    "When she wrapped herself around me during Firefly."


    "Yeah. That would have done it for me too."


    We sat in silent reverie, absorbed in the passionate display before us. The stars pulsed as translucent waves of pressure sped across the night sky. Gathering cloud seeds in their passing.


    "You know. Sometime tonight, I think I''m going to take that one, with the long black hair and the other half of my soul, down to the pond. And wash her feet. Real slow. Really, really, fucking slow. Then I''m going to sweep her off to bed. Wrap her up in a bundle. And rub her toes, one by one. Until she rapes me."


    Their trembles had subsided. Their sounds were forming sentences again. Sentences, you could put on a page, without looking like you fell asleep on the keyboard. They were pressed nose to nose. But they weren''t kissing.


    They were talking.


    Mouth to mouth,Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    And giggling.


    Occasionally, giving us the eye.


    "What do you think they''re conspiring, my friend?"


    "I dunno. But I''m thinking it''s probably devious. We should run. Fast"


    "Ha ha ha¡­" he paused just to enjoy the view. Then I felt his head lean in and a serious spirit came with it, "So! We''re doing this!"


    "Why, The Fuck Not?"


    The spirit lightened. Then flittered away.


    The fire flared.


    "Olofi truly smiles on this day."


    "He just might be at that, my friend. He just might be at that."


    A silhouette rose, from that impassioned canvas, and smoothed, seductively, across the grass. She had a sway. A grace, she didn''t even know she possessed. Her eyes were sparked with gold, and flames. Her skin was red from the touch, the rush and the firelight.


    She settled down between my legs, fingered my zipper and played with the pull, "Input required."


    "Define parameters."


    "Why are your pants still on?"


    "Mosquito netting." - ''"It''s comfortable."''


    I sat up and she leaned back.


    She turned herself to brace against me. "Comfortable I get, but Mosquito netting?" She wiggled her butt up against my crotch. "Ow."


    "I keep telling ya. You''ve gotta be more careful with your toys."


    "Mmmmhn."


    She slipped the pull back under the denim flap, smoothed it back down, wiggled back again and hummed.


    I grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around us like a yurt, "Mosquito netting."


    "Hmmmmm. This is nice."


    She eyed the man beside me, "You see that girl over there? She requests the presence, of a certain, Dark Prince''s company."


    "Then without sorrow, I shall part and deliver him."


    "Have fun. See you in a few."


    "I shall await your presence."


    He walked across the divide with purpose. Looking back over his shoulder in my general direction. I nodded an affirmation. He smiled and walked away.


    I shifted my position to Emily''s side and slipped my arm under her knees. She cradled her arm around my neck and kissed me.


    Pam wrapped an arm around her lover''s shoulders and bit into his jaw. He scooped her up and strode down to the water, where he slowly placed her in the shallows.


    I stood up, lifting Emily with me, "We have witness to bear." and I carried her, til I was shin deep. She studied my eyes curiously, even when her feet touched the cold, crisp water.


    I stepped back, took both her hands in mine and looked her in the eyes.


    I took a breath. Then I spoke words I never thought I would, "Within these waters."


    I heard a voice addressing from my left. "Upon the air."


    "On terra firma, solid and true."


    "Beneath these heavens, bright and mysterious."


    We held out our hands, to the other''s companion. They took them, eccentrically.


    We let our own companion''s free, to the other''s offering.


    I went down to both knees and looked into Pam''s eyes, "Queen of Water and Earth."


    I put my head to her knees, "I bow to thee."


    Then I straightened, and watched her cheeks turn up and go redder, "You, who came on a storm of calm, to tame the wild jaguar. I bid thee welcome. My sister. Lady of Improbabilities."


    Another voice solemned out, with grateful regard, "Queen of Wind and Fire."


    Emily watched him, with bright eyed amusement, he placed his head to her legs.


    "I bow to thee."


    She looked at me with interest then looked down and caught his gaze.


    "You, who came in a tempest of warmth, to free the wolf''s solitary heart. I bid thee welcome. My sister. Lady of Wonder."


    We stood up and offered them our hands. They took them, with wonderfully curious, anticipating smiles. We turned and offered their hands back to each other, and offered ours to them. They took accord and gave themselves away.


    What was once freed, had now come home, with soft laughter and happy eyes.


    I got down on one knee, Emily''s hand touched my cheek, "Queen of Wisdom, I bow to thee." I bent my head, chin to chest.


    Her fingers gingerly brushed through my hair.


    I looked up. Right into her smile. "She who came, with timeless grace, to unlock the final bond of my mind, and awakened, within me. I bid thee welcome. My Beautiful Dream."


    Pamela was quiet, stoic, and welcoming. And very, very bouncy.


    She rushed red when his words colored the darkness.


    "Queen of Truth. I bow to thee. She who came, with open heart, to cut loose the chains of my pain, and awakened, within me. I bid thee welcome. My Beautiful Sea."


    There was a stillness. A comfortable, contemplative pause.


    Emily followed the tracing of her fingertips on my face. She lowered herself to me and smiled, "Mmmhmm." Then she soothed with me down to the water, "Hi."


    We heard a splash and Pam''s voice loud and clear. "Yes. Oh! Fuck yes."


    Under the witness of the stars above, it was done.


    "You guys are such fucking goofballs."


    "Mmhmm. But they''re our fracking goofballs."


    "A girl, could really get used to this."


    "This one, already has."


    We collected ourselves and went back to the blankets, wearing our laughter like a robe. Nimbuwe went to his truck. Emily stripped me of my jeans and put them on a stick by the fire, to dry. My war forged friend returned, with a pile of comforters, furs and pillows. We nested them up and settled in.


    A toast raised our glasses to¡­ "Life, and all it''s tumultuous wonders." Under billions of twinkling eyes.


    "Olofi smiles on this day." Pam endued.


    "He just might be at that." The dark scarred man replied.


    "Here''s to hope." I toasted, "May God and Goddess, find their spark, a little bit more rekindled tonight."


    "Not too much though." Emily joked, "We wouldn''t want a big bang to ruin a perfectly fine evening."


    "Depends, on where it takes us."


    "Hmmm. Good point."


    We celebrated our providence and those misfortunes that shaped us, as clouds gathered up in the sky.


    "All the pain seen, All the trespasses faced, All the hate and apathy we''ve borne witness to. I wouldn''t change a thing. Not in any of our lives."


    Lips pressed to my face. Warm arms pulled me in tighter. Logs settled and embers shot up to the stars. Swirling in a dizzying spiral toward a new home.


    "That sounds cold and heartless," The Queen of Wisdom spoke, "But I agree. As much as I would like to chase one day from my life, all I can do is be thankful, that that burden was mine, and not someone else''s."


    "And as much as I would like to go back in time and change that one day for you, I can''t." The Wolf King replied, "And even if I could, I wouldn''t. It''s the marble and the chisel, that you used, to sculpt everything you''ve become. An to ruin that, would be unforgivable in my eyes."


    "Not one scar, I would shed, and not have this night." The King of Jaguars intoned.


    "All the times I spread my legs and let someone use me, to maybe feel a rush, a connection. Only to wake up to a heart, emptier than my bed. I''d shed those tears again, for just one sunrise, complete and whole." The Queen of Truth reconciled.


    The Lyrids burned in streaks across the sky. Even the heavens were celebrating with us. The moon peaked out, behind a tuft of glowing white billow.


    Pam sat up and breathed in deep. A heavy sigh, soon to be exhaled.


    "My mother used to say those were angels, flying across the sky to give someone a miracle, moving so fast their wings trailed fire."


    "Maybe some are. Or Maybe it''s just shift change."


    "Hmm." she grinned.


    "I''ve read a lot of mythologies and religious texts. The oldest versions are epic tales of adventure, filled with imagery and wonders and puzzles to unravel. Then some guys got together and made a living from them. They changed the words, changed the function and wielded it like a whip. And it was their truth, their words, their control. Not God''s or Goddess''s but theirs. And they forced people away from the two things they should totally embrace. The two creators in all this have only One Command really."


    "And what''s that?"


    "Nim."


    "With pleasure. Don''t, Be, A, Dick."


    Emily laughed, "You know? That makes perfect sense. If you see someone hurting who needs help, don''t be a dick, help em."


    "And if someone is hurting you, or worse yet, going after someone you love or someone weak or someone innocent, don¡¯t be a dick, grab them by the short hairs and twist."


    "You know most people are shaving their pubes these days."


    "Then just reach in deeper and pull the root."


    "Ow."


    Wisdom turned toward Truth, "Speaking of¡­ Yours is looking a little fuller these days."


    "Mmmhmm, I can''t wait til it''s as bushy as yours."


    "I await the pleasure of a jungle to roam myself," Nim grinned.


    "So Wolf?"


    "Yes Truth."


    "God and Goddess?"


    "My Queen."


    "With pleasure, My King¡­ Up and down, positive and negative, vacuum and pressure, north and south, infinitely outward and infinitely inward, masculine and feminine, dark and light, love and hate, one and zero, on and off, moral and immoral, Everything, has it''s opposite."


    "It''s that simple. Huh. But what about us then? If that were true, shouldn''t I be with Joe and you be with Nimmy."


    "Sometimes those opposites are just two halves of a whole, split a different way." I offered.


    Have you ever heard the story of The Air and The Wood?


    Have a funny feeling you''re goin to? :)


    "One is solid, the other not, but you cannot have a fire if they are not one." Nim chimed.


    "Yeah. What Nim just said. If you look at the four of us. We are quiet, you two, are a little less subtle. Em''s the chain to my rock, you two, are the ship and the sail. Together, we don''t stop the tide, but we also don''t drift into more terrible seas."


    The clouds slowly built.


    The air warmed and tingled.


    You could smell the ozone brewing around you.


    Pam rested back and stretched, "You know. I never ever saw myself like this. I''ve fantasized what it would be like, to live in a world with dragons and orcs, or even like a Robin Hood. But I never pictured myself, Actually, on a pile of deer and bear skins, under a fucking awesome sky, having fun with a¡­ sister, while her man and mine watched. Listening to painted words, as a campfire blazes. Celebrating my wedding night, in a campsite by a pond. Delighting in the thought that we all fought the same dragon, in one way or another. Feeling the strength and the warmth of kindred spirits. Realizing, every day can be like this, if you just look hard enough to see it."


    "What is the difference between, saving someone, from getting trampled by a run away wagon, in the old west. Or. Pulling them out of the way, of a hurried cab, in Times Square?"


    "Or taking on two coyotes, in the suburban woods, to help a stranger?" Pam jibed.


    "Or. Being the keystone, that allowed a boy to play hero." I said cocking my head in Em''s direction.


    She bit my shoulder and kissed my neck, "Or. Braving gasoline and glass, to get a girl out of a car."


    "Time. Time is the difference, that is all." Nimbuwe answered. "The future and the past get romanticized by their distance. But the present gets lost in it''s own familiarity. There''s no innocence, no newness, no wonder. Unless we see it."


    A herald of light flashed across the clouds. The silence broke with a crack, a flash, and a thunderous rumble. A drip and a sizzle. Then another. We gathered our things and shoved them in our tents. Liffa did circles on her nest of blankets. We covered her up. She thanked us with a thump, thump, thump.


    The christening came


    And we embraced it.


    When we were thoroughly soaked we bid each other good morrow. They split the canvas and stepped into the dry.


    I picked up my queen and I carried her to the water.


    Just as I had done but a few hours before.


    Except this time I sat her on a throne of stone rising out from the ripples. Took her feet in my hands and washed them in the rain. Then I offered her my neck and she took it. Offering me the bend of her leg in return. I carried her back to our tent, stepping gingerly through a face full of kisses. I settled her on top of a heap of quilts and furs, and wrapped her up snug.


    She eyed me with an expectant interest, smiling when I grabbed the foot, that I missed that fateful night, kissed it tenderly and started to rub.


    She smiled even bigger when I found a spot.


    "Oooh frakk yes, right there."


    And I rubbed. And I pushed. And I prodded. Her body was red, with a sheen. She was right on the edge and I bit once again.


    The blankets flew wide and I was thrown to my back. She shivered when she took my crown into her. Her body trembled as she took me inside, with one, long, ecstatic glide. She settled on my stomach, shook, and fell on me. I turned her over and was locked in her embrace.


    She gasped at every slow stroke. Her fingers unfurled and clenched, then they found a spot, right below the back of my neck. She pulled me down, kissed me, and tightened even more. I was on my way in when she gripped into that point, and finally pulled that trigger. Her body trembled.


    She took my seed with a gasp and a hold. She steeled herself around me and wouldn''t let go. Our skin was beat red. Our breathing labored. Every movement sent tingles across our nerves.


    Laughter replaced kisses.


    The kisses returned.


    We heard them, over a down pour. A return volley, of joviality, crept to our ears from one tent away.


    Emily yawned and stretched her arms over her head. "They sound like their having fun."


    I spied a tuft of short dark hair, growing in the shallows beside her breasts, in the valley where her arm met the top of her ribs. I playfully teased it. She tickled and wiggled. So I gave a little tug.


    Her eyes shot open with a curious grin.


    "Uhmmmm."


    "Really, Em?"


    I tugged a little more.


    Just to be sure.


    "Uh huh, hmmmm."


    "Enlightening?"


    "Mmhmm."


    "Oh. This, is gonna be fun."

 C13 - Friday / {Time Moves In Splinters} <Or> (The One Who Whispers With Her Eyes)

    ======================================================


    C13 - Friday - The Sixty-first one, or there about /


    {Time Moves In Splinters} <Or> (The One Who Whispers With Her Eyes)


    ======================================================


    Knowledge, is knowing that falling from great heights can kill you. Wisdom, is stepping away from the cliff.


    A howl of surprise called from across the field, quickly turning into a baby''s uncontrollable laughter. His father''s beard had tickled his bare belly.


    I was standing, in that same field, with a head on my shoulder and two warm arms holding mine, holding hers.


    There was a trellis of sticks and vines, intertwined in a gateway. There was Amico Crimson and white lace adorning its columns and arches. It bowed over a deep blue rug.


    Two rings, of gold rope, side by side, laid empty on the carpeting''s threads, in front of a podium, that was fashioned much like the arbor. The sun was heavy and warm. The bodies around me, had a welcoming pull.


    A reason to celebrate, in and of itself.


    I''ll catch you up to speed. Quick. So as not to bore you. This tale is almost at an end, or a beginning, or a middle or it could be off somewhere else completely. Probably somewhere else. I don''t know. That''s the beauty of it. But, my telling of this yarn, is pretty near done.


    Carol and Suze had moved into a nice little brownstone, about a month after they started, both, their new jobs. They visit the lodge, every chance they get, grabbing the same room and helping out where they can. They''re still not allowed near the kitchen though. Not when Marisol''s around anyway.


    Darren stayed at the lodge and loves every minute of, his content and simple lifestyle. Marisol is pregnant. Glowingly so. The two of them have mud fights in the garden, and toil away, side by side, doing the dishes at night. They are very strong together.


    Paul, was one of the few who actually went to work for the magazine. He moved to NYC. Carol and Suze helped him find an apartment. He does a column on getaways of a sport related nature and travels the country looking for regional oddities. Like pond hockey tournaments in Minnesota or snow mobile drag races in the Iowa mud.


    His little friend? He decided college was delayed long enough. So he packed himself up and Paul moved him right the hell in.


    Steve, bought a bike, an old 883. Gruncle and Marisol taught him the basics. Granny Hicks joins them for a ride, time to time.


    She''s ecstatic about becoming a Great, Great, Auntie by the way.


    Pamela and Nimbuwe? Well, what can I say about the Queen of Truth and the Jaguar, except, they haven''t missed a sunrise since he returned. Olofi smiles.


    And here we all were, in that same place, but in a different world than when we met, surrounded by more, than we ever knew we had.


    Trevor, Meat''s brother, was dressed as a warrior priest. Meat was regaled in his finest barbarian. Mabel and William donned their Sunday best, holding hands, around Marisol, on a very swollen tummy. Waiting to feel a mystery kick.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    "I wonder who''s inside there?" Emily puzzled, in her best River Tam. I just pulled her tighter to me and smiled.


    Art always imitates life. And life, somehow, always returns the favor. They just can''t help themselves.


    Sam stopped what she was doing, and watched a, wildly grinning, Sasquatch cradle a sleeping wonder, in one massive, protective paw. Lanie and Beccah were dressed up like Valkyrie, decorating flowers to the ground. Creating a path of multicolored pastels upon the greens of the grass and the reds of the earth.


    Big Frank, was just watching his grand kid sleep, with his feet up on a cooler, and a smile, cheek to cheek.


    And there were more, intermingled in some way, sharing a joy, within someone else''s dream. Like different spokes in a tapestry, brought together by the seers, of this thing we call life.


    We are the needles,


    time is the thread.


    Our choices the knots,


    the weavers hand led.


    Knit one line right,


    the flow we can ebb.


    Purl two lines tight,


    we strengthen the web.


    The din got quiet.


    Two bodies centered the attention around them.


    They walked the flowered path and stepped into the circles of gold at their feet. Carol was adorned in a white laced sundress. Without a stitch more underneath.


    Suzie was in black spandex shorts with a matching, mid riff top. She''d put on some weight and some muscle. And honestly, she looked fucking good. But maybe that was just how she felt about herself coming through. It didn''t matter, it worked for her. In a really sexy way.


    The ceremony was short and emotionally to the point. Suze had planned it, so it kinda had her style.


    Carol''s vows, were poetical and floral. Some people had tears.


    Suzie, pulled a slip of paper from her waist band, then ripped it up and handed the scraps to Trevor. She took Carol by the hand and looked her dead in the eyes.


    And then, she just, declared it.


    "I love you Care, with all my fucking soul. So if you want me, just take me like you did on our first night."


    Carol wrapped her up in a big hungry kiss, as Trevor declared the union forged, then she carried her all the way across the field to their promissory tent. We didn''t see them again until it was well passed nightfall. We heard them. A few times, but we didn''t see them.


    Well, that''s not wholly true, a couple of us did. I stopped by to see if they needed for food or drink, and to give them the sd card with their wedding pics. Scotty beamed them up somewhere around the kiss shots.


    Pam and Emily peeked in. And just made themselves home between my legs. Pam up front, Emily right behind her. Hugging tight. Rocking.


    I finally got around to taking the pics we had half-joked about at the lodge. I don''t think either of them has a spine, as we know it. Their just so, malleable and.. I mean some of the positions were just¡­ ouch.


    I''ll let the Queens give you the gist.


    "How does she¡­"


    "I don''t have a fucking clue."


    "Do you think they might be... Aliens?"


    "See that there? That! Still haunts me."


    "Oh. I hope you got a shot of that."


    "I think I did."


    "Good, I need to study that¡­ For scientific purposes."


    "Send me a copy too, I, don''t think I could do that justice, with words."


    "It looks like Tetris, gone wonky."


    "Oooh! That looks¡­ hmm."


    "Ooh. You wanna maybe, try that later?"


    "You''re on. But, Ummm, I think I need to go get my Prince on right now. Sooo. Love ya both!"


    I heard a big smooch, felt one on my jaw. The canvas broke and five became four.


    Fingers twirled in my hair, lips brushed against my ear, then a whisper, sent a shiver.


    "I''m kinda feeling naughty. I think I need a spanking."


    "Oh do you now?"


    "Mmhmm."


    I slipped the sd card out of my camera, right into my new laptop. I copied three files to the hard drive, then pulled the card out and put it with the other.


    We left the two lovers to their own happy time slip. And went to forge one of our own quilter''s making.

 C14 - July / {Straight on til鈥? <Or> (The King And The Queen, Once More)

    ======================================================


    C14 - July /


    {Straight on til¡­} <Or> (The King And The Queen, Once More)


    ======================================================


    There''s a fine line between ''good enough!'' and ''what the fuck were you thinking?''.


    Many moons have blessed the sky. Many miles have passed beneath these wheels. And still, even more miles lay before us.


    But our destination, this day, was just a few yards away.


    -


    A Rogue Ranger and a Brownvest Priestess sit atop a Warforged-horse, making their way through Cataclysm Forest. Smooth stones and uneven earth, pass beneath their feet in a blur. This horse is at a pace. Lush trees and gently sloping hills fill their periphery, in muted tones of greens and browns and yellows. But the closing horizon reveals, something, much different, lies ahead.


    A towering wall of jagged earth and stone, rises ominously over the vibrant green wood. A plume of light grey beckons beyond the treeline. They force their eyes to stay focused on the curving road ahead and the shadowed blinds on either side. They know the pull of this place. They''ve felt it''s draw, it''s promise. And they know the fate of all that have chanced their way to it.


    They feel an anxious twist just under their breast.


    They''ve been long gone, and their family is waiting.


    -


    We rode out through the trees into a clearing alongside a stream. The first thing we saw was a multicolored mist at the cascades feet, then the tendrils of vapor rising up from the creek. A solid mass of earth thirty feet tall, and hundreds of feet wide, pushed up to the sky by a force more powerful than our own. A billow of smoke from a bonfire. A caravan of steel, tents of leather and cloth, and horses of the same metal as the loyal steed that carried us aloft.


    "I love this, My King."Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "So do I, My Queen. So do I."


    -


    The Priestess hugged the Ranger to her breast, honed her focus, and smiled at the vision before them. She brushed her head alongside his chiseled cheek. He could feel the warmth of her skin against his and the way their energies traveled between. He couldn''t remember a moment of time that she wasn''t there.


    -


    I felt her arms around me.


    In a cross over my chest.


    Her chin, on my right shoulder.


    Funny, the things you remember.


    Like how, even with a helmet on, she is soft and warm and here.


    It was as if we were together for the first time, and all times. Just different rooms within ourselves, among the pictures on the walls.


    -


    There''s a flash of white, among the black waving strands. A reminder of the years and the journeys they''ve have shared. It makes the Ranger smile, when it enchants into his view. He''s watched it dance, while she''s donned her armor. He''s seen it sway, when she lustfully saunters towards him. He''s seen it wave, when she turns around, to catch his eye.


    The Priestess still blushes when she catches him beaming.


    It''s a flirtation that thaws the ache of an age and tempers the flow of the blood in his veins.


    -


    Her hair has gotten lighter. In a strip, along one side. It only enhances her mystique, framing the whispers of her eyes. A complement, to her brown, leather vest, faded chaps, and the backpack, that carries her world. She is weathered and warm, much like the man she holds on to.


    How could he not be, with that light beside him.


    The sunrise is alighting on the falls. Creating rainbows, in a dazzling display.


    Clouds are resting, along the rolling hills. With a wide open sky, in a band above. Then more clouds in an inverse gradient. It looked like snow, peaked every crest along the horizon. Then mirrored itself back, as if the heavens were a calm, clear sea.


    Nature, in all her waking glory. With a very unique twist, to how it usually displays.


    She ponders in my ear.


    "I wonder if God and Goddess are amused or insulted, when someone looks at a beautiful landscape and says, ''That looks just like a Bob Ross painting''."


    The trees looked happy.


    It hasn''t always been easy, but it isn''t meant to be.


    And even if we''re miles away, or many months apart, I know she''s here. And I know she found me.


    We rode out to the edge and stopped. Breathed deep and took it all in.


    "Em¡­ Have I ever told you, how much I love you."


    "From the moment you held out your hand and offered me a key. And you remind me, everywhere we go."


    She rubbed her chin into my shoulder.


    "Joe."


    "Em."


    "Once more?"


    "Together."


    "Always."


    -


    That''s the dream isn''t it?


    "Mmmhmmm."