As spring once again rolled around and Calli departed the Tradewind for the wasteland she felt that , at 42, her life had fallen into a groove. A strange, convoluted, dangerous groove perhaps, but one all the same. She was growing restless. Even as the spring gave way to the dry, dusty heat of mid-summer Calli became increasingly restless and irritable. Hawk first noticed the change in her scent just two days before the Tradewind was due. He was glad it was coming in so Jack could handle her for a while. He needed a break.
Calli strode through the gathering dusk onto the deck, radiating nervous energy. She growled in return to the men's greetings. They watched her warily as she stormed into her cabin. Aaron looked a question at Hawk who just shrugged. Jack frowned.
"Can you take over, Aaron?", he asked, and strode after Calli without waiting for an answer. Aaron stepped up to the controls and took over, wondering what was wrong with her.
The door slammed as Jack entered the room. Calli was sitting on the bed pulling off her second legging. The first one lay on the floor. It looked like she had hurled her boots against the wall. Her helmet lay crookedly on the bed. She was usually so meticulous with her armor. She was dressed now only in the breast and back plates of her heavy leather armor and the camisole she wore beneath.
"What do you want?", she growled. Jack frowned at her.
"What's up with you, Calli?", he asked. "What's happened?" Calli breathed heavily, glaring at him.
"I don't know.", she snarled. Suddenly she leapt to her feet and swiftly covered the few feet between them. She grabbed the front of his shirt and jerked him to her, lifting herself to plant a demanding, hard kiss.
Lust slammed through him as her scent, spicy and musty, swept over him. His temper erupted as suddenly as hers had, his golden eyes flaring with a feral light. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved her hard against the wall with a savage punishing kiss. Her hands clutched his shoulders, her legs separating around him, pulling up to plant her feet flat on the wall for support as he held her against the wall with his tight body.
He reached up and released the catches of her armor at her shoulders. One hand reached down to free himself from the loose seaman's garb. Excitement swelled through Calli. Lust rose in her, but it wasn't going to be that easy! He had to earn it. She shoved with all the strength in her legs against the wall.
The fall shook the cabin as they crashed to the floor, Jack flung onto his back, still clutching her to him. The armor bit into him as he took her full weight, knocking the breath from him and loosening his grip. Calli reared up, flinging the loose armor from her. It hit the door with a loud thud.
Aaron and Hawk were passing the cabin toward the control room when they were arrested by the loud thud of something heavy hitting the floor, followed by the crash of an object slamming into the door. Growls and snarls issued from the cabin along with the sound of items crashing. Aaron looked toward the cabin with some concern. Hawk caught his look.
"Mutants", he muttered, half grinning. Aaron turned back to his duty. It really wasn't any of his business and he knew they would never hurt each other seriously.
Jack was holding Calli lightly, still lying on the floor. "Now, what was that all about?", he asked softly, their feral lust sated for the moment. She gently traced the bruises beginning to appear on his chest from her breastplate where he had taken their weight as they hit the floor. The armor now lay at the base of the door where it had landed when Calli flung it from her.
"I don't know. It just happened. I just felt like I had to, I don't know, test your strength or something." She seemed genuinely puzzled. "Do you think we could get off the floor now?", she asked. He laughed, getting up and holding out his hand to lift her. They looked around at the cabin. A small table had somehow been cleared of its items in the melee and the cabin looked like it had been ransacked.
"We'll clean it up tomorrow.", he said. "Let's go to bed."
"All right. I didn't see Aileen when I came in. Is she still in Baton Rouge with your mother? How is she doing?", Calli asked, inspecting a bruise on her thigh. She didn't know she had gotten that.
"Mom's better. I think Aileen is getting anxious to get back to sea. She doesn't like being stuck on land, you know, and Brent was pretty upset when I left.", he said, shaking out the bedding.
"I know. They love the ship.", Calli said, snuggling down with him. "I can't wait to see her. She hasn't been around for months now. I'm glad your mom's better.", Calli said sleepily.
Calli grew increasingly agitated and sexually demanding. Before breakfast, when they went to bed, anytime she could get him alone. Jack was keeping up but after three days he was beginning to wonder if something was wrong with them.
"Calli.", he groaned after the second time that night. "I don't know what's happening here but if this keeps up we may as well not even get out of bed."
"I know. Look, we're docking at the Island tomorrow. I think I'll go visit Marguerite and let you get some work done.", she answered. She slept fitfully and got up before dawn. She would have to run a gamut of dangers to see her friend, who would have moonshine ready for her. A few good battles might take off the edge of her aggressive behavior.
Hawk had left the ship at Rivet City. He was glad of the chance to take a break from Calli's irritability. She had decided she wanted to sail the circuit to Baton Rouge and back, so he decided to go visit his wife at the Settlement for the three weeks she would be gone. He would run the trade routes and check on their business ventures as well, so he wouldn't be idle the whole time. There would be questions but he was well known and could handle the trades and business transactions when he chose to.
Calli paced the floor in her friend's house. "You're making me nervous, Calli," Marguerite said. "You've got to be tired after trekking in here. Why don't you sit down? The 'shine's ready for you."
"Thanks.", Cali said, agitatedly perching on the edge of the chair. She looked at her friend miserably. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't seem to calm down. And I can't get enough sex! I've about worn Jack down. I just don't know what to do."
"Hmmph.", Marguerite replied. "If I had a man like that I'd probably wear him down too. Here, have a glass of moonshine, maybe it'll calm your nerves." Calli accepted the drink and sipped at the powerful brew.
"How much you got to trade?", she asked.
They completed their trading, and Calli loaded her purchases into her pack. The moonshine would bring a good price in Baton Rouge. "It's getting late.", Marguerite said. "Why don't you spend the night?"
"Can't.", Calli replied. "The Tradewind is scheduled to leave at dawn. Jack would hold her up for me, I'm sure, but I don't want to get her off schedule. It's not good for business." Marguerite grinned. She would also be away from Jack.
"Well you take care.", Marguerite said. "It's not safe out there at night."
Calli laughed. "It's not safe during the day either. I'll be all right. I can't sleep anyway." Her eyes glowed with an almost feral energy. Marguerite surveyed her silently. Like a guai in heat, she thought. She wondered.
