by GrandMoff
Disclaimer: This story is intended only as entertainment for adults. It contains graphic sex between women, as well as vulgar/profane language. This is a fan story; I do not own Queen's Blade.
This is a yuri lemon; please do not read it if you are underage or offended by lesbian relationships.
Note: This chapter was really tough to write! I hope the next one will be easier. As always, comments, criticisms, etc. more than welcome!
Chapter XII: Brewing trials
Echidna leads me toward a hilly corner of Oth-osilwiem. It looks like an ancient block of large residential dwellings, yet she says to me, "They call this the 'New Quarter.' It's changed a lot since I was a kid, and most of the city hasn't, so I suppose the name fits. We'll be staying in a house my family owns. Also, if Nae'ish's in town, we'll probably be sharing the kitchen and the common rooms with her at times."
"But we know Nae'ish is here," I say, voicing my confusion.
Echidna squeezes my hand. "Right, I forgot to tell you: my older sister's name's Nae'ish; Nae'ish VI, actually."
I say, "'The Sixth!' Are you nobility, handing down names?"
"Nah, it's just a custom for some families. They name firstborn daughters or sons the same names as their moms or dads. Seems slightly vain to me, so I'm glad I was the second daughter."
"In Hinomoto, that custom applies to males only."
Echidna says, "Yeah, I know, and among many humans of the mainland, too. Proves that their men've got fragile egos, far as I'm concerned." She and I laugh.
"By the way, if you do meet Nae'ish, don't mention 'Sixth' unless you don't mind being on her bad side. When we were little, I always teased her: 'You got a number 'stead of a name!' Even though we've laughed about it since, it's still kind of a sore spot for her."
I smile at the thought of an impish Echidna as a young child, getting on her sister's nerves. "What about your other siblings' names?" I ask.
"My brother's a bit younger'n I am; his name's Koala. Then my other sister-she's the baby of the family-is Tethnessen. Everyone calls her Te'ss'n."
We reach a lot that's bordered with wild grasses and olive trees. In the middle of the lot stands a collection of cylindrical towers, each at least eight meters tall. There appear to be four of them, but from this vantage, I can't tell if there are one or two more hiding behind the first mass of towers. The towers appear to be made of cream-colored brick-except for the widest tower, which is made of a porous dark red stone. As we draw closer, I see that veins of soft green run through the red stone. There are no visible windows. Every now and then, parts of this odd building gleam, leading me to believe that what I see is just a facade.
Echidna fishes a small silver disc from one of her pouches. She rubs her fingers along the edges of the large sapphire in its center. Then she turns to me. "Make sure you enter the house at the same point I do," she says.
"All right," I say, though I am a little confused. But things make a bit more sense to me when she approaches the West-facing facet of the northern tower and walks toward its blank wall. I stay close on her heels. She vanishes into the tower as though she had stepped through a beaded curtain! I carefully follow and I find myself inside the house. "So there is no door?"
"There is, but it changes location. There're rarely burglaries or intrusions in elven communities. But 12 or 13 hundred years ago (long before I was born) the city was smaller and nearby human settlements were larger. There'd be bandit raids from time to time. To thwart them, the elves devised these magical entries. Try getting into a house incorrectly, you'll get paralyzed for your trouble! No forced entry's been successful since."
"People here still use this system even after the raids have ceased?"
My lover waves her hand nonchalantly. "It's not dangerous; the paralysis is basically suspended animation and the owner can release the person who got hit with it. Besides, a lot of people liked the looks of houses that had no obvious doors or windows. Looked more like trees or rock spires that way-most elves are quite fond of nature's designs."
I'm looking all around me, not paying complete attention to Echidna. The interior of this place is so strange! Rooms seem to be defined by different colors, not by walls or panels or curtains. Clearly, there are rooms above us, but I see no stairs or ladders. For that matter, the room we're in doesn't have a ceiling and the rooms above don't have floors; I can look right through the six or seven different hues and see clouds in the sky, far above our heads. However, some lights seem to interfere with others (I vaguely remember Ymir or some other engineering expert telling me something about "polarization" while I was on the mainland; I suspect that is at work here) so that the interiors of many rooms can't be seen from where we are.
Echidna squeezes my backside. I yelp and jump about a meter in the air. "Got your attention! Want to have a look around?" she offers, laughing.
"Jerk!" I say, lightly slapping the back of her hand. "You should excuse me; I've never seen a building like this one." Then I rub her hand for a moment before taking it in mine. "Lead on."
She gives my cheek a quick smooch, then proceeds toward a large rose-colored area. "Let's start with the gathering room," she says.
My tall, lovely guide and I take off our shoes and leave them in the entry corridor. We proceed into the wide, oval room. It's a startling transition. The gathering room has all the smells and sounds-even the breezes-of the outside world. "Only because the weather's good now," Echidna says, anticipating my thought. "And because no one's trying to get work done in here. We've set up the house's environmental magic to 'adjust walls and ceilings' when it starts raining, for example. We can manually change it too. Say it was really windy and I was trying to read in here? I'd tone down the permeability of the walls."
For the next several minutes, Echidna shows me the features of the ground floor of this remarkable dwelling. One of the most important things I learn is that magic is part of everyday life for elves-even for those who don't practice it themselves. This house is infused with energy, as are most of the other private buildings of Oth-osilwiem. The public buildings don't use as much, for many reasons, but even they have magically enhanced lighting and ventilation, as well as emergency evacuation systems.
Now Echidna guides me to a little nook that has emerald green lighting with deep blue flashes. "Next level," she says.
When she and I stand in the nook, a solid but invisible plate under us begins moving upward in a slow spiral. The motion is so unexpected that I clamp onto Echidna when we start moving. She, of course, takes the opportunity to chuckle in her sexy way and wind her arms around my body. "Just our version of a stairway, love," she says.
"Just my version of a hug," I say dryly; we both know I was startled. "So far, your house amazes me."
"It's just partly mine," she reminds me. "But it's fun showing it to you! You're so cute."
Even as she's saying those words, we reach the next level and the circular corridor on the second floor.
Speaking of the floor, my jaw hits it.
Standing not two meters from us is an elf. She's a centimeter or two shorter than Echidna, with a slightly smaller chest. The family resemblance is strong; she is obviously Echidna's sister. Her short hair is almost exactly the same silvery-grey as Echidna's, but it has a hint of honey blonde as well. Her lips are red and voluptuous, shaped exactly the way Echidna's are. Behind her crystal-rimmed spectacles, her clear blue eyes are the same shape as Echidna's too. The muscles of her abdomen, calves, thighs, and buttocks are strong, formed the way Echidna's are.
I can tell all this because the only items she's wearing that are opaque enough to hide any part of her body are accessories: two thick bronze-and-ebony armlets on her biceps. She's wearing just one garment. It's a short, long-sleeved, high-necked tunic woven of a flimsy amber material that shimmers when she moves. It's sheer. I can clearly see every millimeter of her smooth, pale skin, including the black pearl stud in her navel...and her pussy mound with its short-trimmed triangle of silver hair.
"Echidna!" the elf woman cries happily. She jumps forward, hugging her sister.
"Te'ss'n!" Echidna says, no less glad. "It's great to see you. No one told me you'd be here!"
"I wasn't planning on it," she answers. "I was on a job that wrapped up sooner'n I expected-hey, who's this?"
"Tomoe, my lover and my Intended," Echidna says, proudly putting her arm around my shoulders. My heart races with pleasure at her introduction of me.
"Pleased to meet you," I say, hoping my cheeks haven't turned too pink. I hold out my hand and she puts hers in mine, shaking it firmly. I keep my eyes awkwardly locked onto her face. I don't want to stare at her lush body.
"I'm Tethnessen, but you can call me Te'ss'n," she says. She giggles suddenly. "Not familiar with elven fashions? Sorry, I didn't know I'd meet a human today." To Echidna, she says with another laugh, "Guess I'll go put on something less comfortable!"
Echidna and I glance at each other. "There's no need," Echidna tells her little sister. "Tomoe's not from the mainland; she wasn't used to popular human fashions either for a while."
"You shouldn't have to change clothes for me, especially in your own house!" I add. "Echidna's right; I was uncomfortable with mainland garments too, but I got used to them." (Silently, my guilty mind scolds me, because part of me really enjoys seeing this statuesque "young" elf woman essentially naked. Part of me remembers my first glimpse of Echidna herself: her barely covered loins and sweaty, exposed abs, her glistening muscles and damp hair...)
"Good!" She shoots me a wink. "But I get the feeling I interrupted something just now?"
"I was showing Tomoe the place," says Echidna. "After that, we were going to relax a bit and then meet Nae'ish at Smaea's for some dinner. 'Bout an hour after sundown is the plan. You should come too!"
"That sounds good. I'm about to go to the market to get a couple of items repaired, but I'll see you at the restaurant." She turns from us, but only takes half a step before she looks back. "Again, nice meeting you, Tomoe," she says.
"Yes, see you soon," I answer the lithe elf.
I put my hand in Echidna's and we go right, toward the living quarters that she often uses as her bedroom when she's in the city. "Do many people dress that way around here?" I ask after a moment. There's no sense pretending I wasn't taken aback. I believe Echidna wants to talk about it too.
My tall, beloved partner flashes me a reassuring smile. "On the streets or in government buildings, it's uncommon. But in other public buildings-as well as in houses-it's up to individuals to dress the way they see fit. Most elves don't connect clothing to morality; that's a human trait. We care about fashion, but also about comfort and function. During the heat of the summer, you'll see plenty of people doing things nude or underdressed.
"But were you just being polite back there? You don't need to be, if you were. If that kind of exposure's too much, Te'ss'n won't mind toning it down."
"No, it's fine," I tell her. "By the way, do you dress like that sometimes?"
Echidna leers down at me. "I've been known to. This body needs to be displayed sometimes!" She runs her hands over the generous swells of her hips and breasts. "Y'know, I have a similar garment or two you can borrow while you stay here..."
"I'm not prepared to flaunt myself that much yet!" I say, exaggerating my reaction.
She takes the bait and gives me more innuendo, of course. "Hm-that's not totally a bad thing. I kind of like the idea that I alone'll have the privilege of seeing your fine ass."
"Keep talking that way and even you won't have the privilege," I warn her, starting to feel a bit embarrassed. My libido pings, reminding me that I want to be naked around Echidna as much as possible.
My beautiful companion reads the hunger in my eyes and smirks slightly. "I can hardly wait to go to our bedroom with you tonight, little snapdragon," she purrs. Oh, that arrogant confidence! So irritating, so irresistible! For a minute, we lock eyes, silently communicating how much we desire each other.
We start walking along the corridor again. "Back to the present, though: I don't know how long she's going to be staying with us, but Te'ss'n always takes that room in the North corner when she's in town. I don't think she'll be coming in drunk in the wee hours, but if she does, that shouldn't bother us. The enviro-magic of our bedroom won't let loud noises get in while we're sleeping."
"What about Nae'ish?" I ask.
"The room in the West corner. But I doubt we'll see much of her. She might be in the city, but she tends to spend her nights at one of her bivouac sites. She likes studying great creatures, like gryphons, chimerae, and lamias. Not many of them in the city," says Echidna.
My peripheral vision spots motion from downstairs. Echidna notices too, after a moment. "Nae'ish has arrived. Since dusk isn't far off, she probably won't be staying here for more'n a few minutes. Would you like to meet her right now?"
"Sure," I say, though I silently hope that this meeting will be less shocking than the first.
We descend to the ground floor and approach Nae'ish as she is hanging up her travel cloak. "Hi Nae'ish; it's great to see you," Echidna says.
"Oh, hi Echidna," says Nae'ish. The elf woman is the same height as Te'ss'n, but slimmer than either of her sisters. She's got fairly broad hips, but her chest, arms, and legs are thin. Her hair is pale yellow and her eyes are pale blue, like her mother's. She seems pre-occupied. "It's nice to see you. I'm sorry that I don't have much time to talk."
"You have time to be introduced, don't you?"
Nae'ish looks at me. She is appraising, just as the elder Nae'ish did an hour or two before. "Of course," she says, letting her eyes open a bit wider as she examines me.
Echidna says, "This is my older sister Nae'ish, Tomoe. Nae'ish, Tomoe is my lover and my Intended."
The lithe elf takes my hand. Her grip is much softer than Echidna's or Te'ss'n's. "Pleased to meet you. 'Intended?' There must be more to you than your beauty, Tomoe. My sister has never called a human her 'Intended' before," she says bluntly.
Her words have pushed me off balance, but I say, "I am pleased to meet you, Nae'ish. Thank you for the kind words."
She says, "I hope they are 'kind.' You have an aura of vitality about you, but I can tell that you have seen much violence in your short life. Vitality is not a blessing if it merely allows you to suffer more than others."
"Long life means more pain, one could argue. One could argue it also means more happiness. Tomoe and I'll face our troubles together, and share our good times," Echidna says forcefully. I can tell that she isn't angry with Nae'ish, but that she doesn't want her to keep talking about her personal misgivings.
"I wonder what you've planned..." the slight elf woman says to her stronger sister. "I may see you, for a few minutes here and there, if you're going to stay in the city for a while. If you do not mind discussing your plan, I might find it interesting."
"Would you come to dinner with us and your mother and youngest sister?" I ask impulsively. Echidna glances at me with approval.
"Ah, you have Nae'ish involved; you must have spellcraft in mind. I must decline the invitation, unfortunately," the younger Nae'ish says. Her lip twitches as if I've amused her. "I will be here just long enough to bathe and have a quick meal. Yet I hope to see both of you soon. You already seem more interesting than most humans, Tomoe."
With that, she heads down the hall, toward the large bathing room that Echidna showed me earlier. Echidna and I go back upstairs and straight to her room.
My lover sighs. "I've never understood Nae'ish the way I'd've liked. She makes the oddest choices about what to say and what to keep hidden."
"She's called me interesting, but I was thinking the same of her," I say. "She's also the only one of your family who isn't built like a warrior."
"Koala isn't either," says Echidna. "He and Nae'ish look very much like sister-and-brother."
I take the opportunity to look around the room. It's clear that Echidna likes reading and exercise: there is a tall library. Climbing the wall appears the quickest way to get to most of the books. The shelves-which are very much like tree limbs, sometimes horizontal, sometimes diagonal, sometimes twisting and curving-are formed from the stone of the walls, as are the irregular spots that can serve as toeholds and handholds. There isn't much furniture in the room: the bed and a large storage chest that doubles as a padded bench are the only obvious pieces. There is a decent-sized closet, and it's half-empty. The room is magically 'open' to the environment outside, yet I'm certain-remembering what the building looked like from below-that although I can see the town around me, the town cannot see us. "This room feels like yours," I tell my partner.
"Thanks, my sisters and brother've been good about not changing things around, even though I'm gone more often'n I'm here. It's nice to know that there's a place that feels like home, even if you can't get to it.
"Anyway, we haven't got too much time to get ready for going to Smaea's," Echidna says. "Let's find something for you to wear."
"I can't wear what I have on?" I ask.
"You'll look like a tourist if you do. You'll attract plenty of attention as it is!"
I wish she hadn't said that. My black hair and small, round ears are dead giveaways; I'm a human in an elven land. I sometimes get nervous when I'm under pressure (like when I'm having my first meal with my lover's family) and now Echidna's reminded me that I'll have not only her siblings and her mother, but also a lot of strangers watching me! "Oof, maybe we shouldn't go," I moan, only half-joking.
"Have some guts!" Echidna says with a laugh. She grabs my shoulders and marches me to her closet. "I take pride in my fashion sense; you'll be able to find something in here that'll suit your taste and make you feel comfortable."
In short order, I select from her closet four or five outfits that I find appealing. Quickly, my lovely host has me stripped to underclothes, trying on various items.
When I slip into a sleeveless pale yellow one-piece dress and low-heeled bright yellow sandals, Echidna whistles with approval. "Looks better on you'n it does on me! That'll be perfect for a semi-casual night out," she says. "Try this, too." She hands me a wide red belt of silk.
"Very fetching," the elven mercencary purrs as she shows me a mirror.
"Thanks-I like these," I tell her, although my cheeks are a bit pink when I consider how far above the knee the dress's hem rises. "I'm still a little nervous. Will I be the only human there?"
"Yeah, I think so," says Echidna, and her eyes soften with understanding. "If we hide most of your gorgeous black hair under a couple of ornaments or something, people'll notice you less."
As she begins rummaging through a couple of drawers that are cleverly built into the wall of her closet, I notice a wide, fringed scarf of fiery orange silk. I fold it and tie it partly over my hair, as I've seen some human girls from the desert do. "How's that?"
Echidna looks at me. "Yes, that's great!" She approaches and adjusts the scarf here and there, then steps back. "Okay, you're ready to go."
"What about you?" I ask.
"I was thinking this," she answers, holding up a short pink sleeveless blouse and brief red vest, as well as a shimmering scarlet skirt with lavender pleats.
"That's pretty; show me how it looks on you," I say.
She isn't modest in front of me: she sheds all her clothing except for Keltan-who I doubt would like being called clothing!-and puts on the outfit she's chosen. "Well?" She sways her wide hips and sets the skirt swishing and her navel gyrating in an enticing manner.
"Good enough," I say.
Just as she's about to pout, I leap forward and catch her in a kiss.
"Ravishing, I mean," I whisper to her, enjoying the feel of her bare back under my palms and forearms.
She kisses me back. She says, "That's more like it."
From the outside, Smaea's looks fanciful: bright and tall and organic, like thick reeds and bamboo.
The interior isn't bright, though; it's lit partly by torches and lamps but mainly by magical globes of aquamarine, turquoise, and jade green. Unlike restaurants in Hinomoto or the mainland, there is no smell of smoke-not tobacco, incense, whale oil, or cooking fires. My guess is that elves must not like smelling smoke while they're eating and have solved the problem with magic.
There are "staircases" like the one in Echidna's house all over the restaurant, and with good reason: each table seems to have its own level. The lowest is about a meter above the ground, but after that, the next is probably half a meter higher, the next 70 or 80 centimeters higher, etc. When Echidna and I present ourselves to the head waiter, she gestures to a "staircase" that goes to a table more than ten meters above where we stand!
Older Nae'ish is already there. She is by herself at present, but the table is large and set with six places; she must be waiting for others besides us.
As Echidna and I are getting seated, Te'ss'n arrives. She's wearing a tight silver-and-ultramarine one-piece with short sleeves and a knee-length skirt that has a high slit on the left side. Around her throat is a silver and pearl necklace, and she has matching earrings in her double-pierced ears. She and the elder Nae'ish greet each other warmly: I gather that Te'ss'n has only returned from her adventures that day and hasn't seen her mother yet.
Very shortly after Te'ss'n arrives, two more elves join our party: a couple of men who look about the same age as Echidna's mother-or maybe just a bit younger. As they both kiss Nae'ish pretty passionately on the mouth when they arrive, I suspect that they are both intimate with her...but that's far from certain. All I can tell for certain is that Nae'ish's daughters know-and seem comfortable with-both of them. (I know so little about elf culture! What are these relationships? For that matter, is one of the men Echidna's father?)
During the meal, I try to follow Echidna's lead and not screw up things too badly. Once we leave this dinner, I've got to ask her all sorts of questions.
Toward the end of this get-together, Echidna squeezes my hand and looks at me as though she's asking my permission. I smile and nod slightly. She and I rise and she tells her family that we intend to share our lives with each other. Then we sit and Echidna looks pointedly at Nae'ish.
Echidna's mom tells everyone briefly about our plan to link our life forces. I'm happy that she doesn't make mention of the name Badger Choeswyla until one of our companions asks. I can read doubt and shock on the faces of most of the people at our table when they hear that name, but the elder Nae'ish looks as though she isn't dubious anymore-a good sign, if I've understood what little Echidna has told me about the spell ceremony so far.
"Youth will bear even the greatest risks," murmurs the tall, tan-haired, brown-skinned elf male to Nae'ish's right. "My lore is less than yours, dear, but is this not an unnecessarily large gamble?"
"Hm, I haven't completed studying it, but the spell has so far looked both genuine and workable," Nae'ish says.
"I've studied it pretty thoroughly," says Echidna. "I think it'll deliver the desired effect if we perform well; and performing this spell'll be tough, sure-but not impossible."
"I'll help, if you need me," Te'ss'n says immediately. "But I do agree that it seems like you're both taking a big risk." Suddenly, she fastens her eyes on me. I'm startled to see the concern and fear she shows me.
"If anyone can make it work, we can," Echidna says. I put my arm around her shoulders and kiss her cheek in a show of support.
Maybe that was the wrong thing to do: it seems like everyone is trying to stifle laughter!
"...on the lips, it would've worked," Echidna explains while we ride back to her house. "It struck them as childish. Don't worry, though! They all know you're human, so they're not going to hold little mistakes like that one against you."
"That's aggravating. I know how much younger I am than your family; 'childish' is the last thing I wanted to appear!
"Oh well, too late to change what's done. In any case, those two men-Dwiek'toep and Lemure were their names, I think?-what relationship do they have to Nae'ish? Or is it too soon for me to ask about that?"
"They're her husbands. Polygyny and polygamy aren't common with elves, but they're not too rare, either. Guess you haven't seen polygyny before, have you?"
I say, "No, but if a husband can have many wives, a wife ought to be allowed to have many husbands too. I take it that one of the two is your father, then?"
"I assume so," Echidna says lightly.
"...wow, that's quite an answer!" I reply after a moment. "You're not just joking with me, are you?"
"Nope. We elves stopped caring about that kind of thing a long time ago. Only the mother is obvious for a child. People can lie about the father. So the way we see it, the one who acts like the father (if anyone does) is the father."
"Which of them do you consider your father, then?" I say.
We dismount and let our horses wander toward their stabling. (In Oth-osilwiem, most neighborhoods have at least one community livery and stable.) "Both of them," says Echidna, leading me into the house. "I think Lemure's my biological dad, but they were both really loving and supportive while I was growing up. And in case you were wondering, I don't think they know which of us kids is whose biological offspring either. If you're going to go the polygyny route and you care about details like those, you'll find yourself divorcing pretty quick."
"Good point." We get into the house and take off our shoes. I hook my elbow around my elven girlfriend's arm. While we're walking along the hall, I notice how the night noises are barely audible and how the night breeze is subdued-the enviro-magic Echidna mentioned must be working.
"What'd you say to a bath?" Echidna asks.
I don't give her a verbal answer. I draw closer to her and kiss her ear, showing my approval.
She strips as she walks, laying each piece of clothing on a levitating disk that appears at her side. The disk leaves when she's done; I assume it's heading toward the laundry. I'm reminded again of how sexy Echidna is; my heart feels like it's trying to push through my ribs as she draws closer to total nudity. Finally, she even dismisses Keltan, who quickly slithers back the way we came.
When we reach the door to the bath, I expect that we'll go in, but Echidna stops me gently.
She puts her hands on my shoulders. I understand then that even the clothes have some magic in them! At her touch, the knotted belt around my waist unties and drops. The yellow one-piece dress unfastens itself, slides from my shoulders, and falls to the floor. Echidna's nimble fingers make short work of the soft muslin that binds my breasts. Finally, she coaxes my mainland-style bikini panties over my hips, and they too slip from my body.
She takes my hand and looks into my eyes. I look unabashed into her eyes and I step forward, out of the little pile of clothing. "You know what's beautiful about you?" she asks in a sultry tone of voice. "Your long legs, your firm tits, your prominent ribs, your strong hips, your powerful arms, your gorgeous ass, your sleek tummy-"
"-'All of you' too, love!" I say, stopping her rambling with a sweet, open-mouthed kiss.
The "tub" is more like a small pond, complete with hot springs on one end and a three-meter waterfall on the other. After we've washed on the cooler side, we sit next to each other and soak in the bubbles of the warm side. Together, we talk quietly about how the customs and folkways of the elves are different from what I'm used to.
Feeling quite soothed, the lovely elf mercenary and I get out of the bath. Echidna has towels ready for us. Once we're dry, the magical disk she'd used earlier reappears and carries away our towels.
"Time for bed!" Echidna says, taking my hand again.
"We need bathrobes or pajamas or something," I say firmly.
"Come on, it's just us. Besides, you wanted to do things the way the elves do them, right? We don't see the point of leaving the bath and putting clothes on our clean bodies when there's no need."
She's serious! "I did want to do things the elven way," I admit, though my cheeks are burning up. "But what if somebody sees?"
"Like I said, it's only a big deal for humans. Wearing a bathrobe in an elf's house-now that would be strange!"
I remember that younger Nae'ish is gone for the night, that Koala isn't in town, and that Te'ss'n is very unlikely to be back at the house so early.
It feels weird, walking through someone's house naked. It's exhilarating, but I'm not used to it, so I'm relieved when we get to Echidna's room.
She goes straight for the left side of her large bed. "We sleep naked too?" I ask wryly.
"Well, that's personal preference, not elven custom," she says. "If you're uncomfortable with it, go ahead and put on something; you won't sleep well if you're anxious. There's plenty around here that's alien to you. I'm not so insensitive that I can't see the toll it's taken on your nerves."
"Thanks," I say to my lover.
"I'll never push you too far," she says.
Her eyelids open farther when I grin and get into bed beside her. "I don't think being naked in bed with you will make me anxious," I say, chuckling a little. "It's a bit familiar, actually, and I hope it will be much more familiar soon."
"I'm not going to argue that," says my curvy partner.
Clearly, I must be exhausted; I barely put my arms around Echidna's waist before sleep takes me.
