Chapter 11: Cool Kids, Cold Case – Part 6: Sex
"Machaira, have you ever had sex with girls?" Adaine froze at the question, piece of elven whey bread halfway to her mouth. She glanced over at the tabaxi on her right, who had likewise frozen mid-chew. Machaira frowned, staring at Kristen for a moment before glancing about the table. It was about a week after the disaster with Saraih and her gang. They had met up at the Gukgak residence for dinner. Sklonda was at work, so they had the apartment to themselves. Kristen had dropped that very personal bombshell of a question without warning during a brief lull in a discussion about Porter. The rest of the party seemed to be equally blindsided by the abrupt shift in conversation. Fig snickered and took a sip from her flask, swirling her dead pet oyster around its putrid glass with her other hand. Machaira finally redirected her attention toward Kristen and swallowed.
"I mean, yeah," she answered.
"How do you, like, do it?" Machaira didn't have an eyebrow, but she arched the muscle above her left eye in a pretty good approximation.
"What?"
"Well, it's just that I, uh, was looking on some sites for new lesbians," Kristen opened. "And I was a little nervous and, uh, hoped you had some advice on, you know, that." Machaira maintained silent eye contact. "How do you have sex?" Kristen clarified. "Like how, how, how do you do that with girls?" The scout blinked once, twice. She looked around the table. Everyone was staring at her. To Machaira's credit, she didn't seem at all uncomfortable, merely surprised.
"Are we really doing this?" She asked mildly. "Is this a conversation we're going to have right now?"
"Yes, please," Kristen voted, raising her hand. Adaine giggled along with the rest of the party. Fabian started to protest, but Fig and Gorgug quickly voted over him, adding their hands to Kristen's. Riz just laughed and sank lower in his chair.
"Fuck it," Machaira sighed. "I'm not nearly drunk enough for this conversation, but sure, why not?" Fig offered her flask, and Machaira held up a clawed hand, shaking her head.
"Awesome," Kristen gushed, grinning hugely. "So, like, how do you, like, position yourself – "
"Going to stop you right there," the rogue cut her off just as Fabian and Adaine started to cringe. "I am not telling you anything mechanical. No, no, no, you have to figure that out on your own. Trust me," She spoke over the cleric's attempted interruption. "Better in the long run that you stay nervous and cautious and experiment for yourself at first. You want to be a little unsure and hesitant in the beginning."
"So, you're not going to explain anything?" Kristen clarified. "Come on, I have, like, so many questions."
"And I'll answer the important ones," Machaira countered. "Like how to get someone turned on, how to pick a good partner, how to ensure that you're a good lay for the other person – "
"Yes, that one," Kristen jumped in. "Teach me that one!" The human leaned over the table, eyes wide.
"Okay, Kristen, before I say anything, I need you to turn down the horniness," Machaira instructed. Fig lead another round of giggles. "Right now you're at like an eight, and I need you to go down to a three, maximum, alright?" The rogue mimed turning a dial. Kristen sat down and muttered an apology amid more laughter. Despite clear efforts to contain her enthusiasm, the cleric's huge eyes and lip-biting still screamed thirsty. Kristen never could hide her emotions. Machaira sighed, closed her eyes, and held out a hand toward Fig.
"I might need a sip after all," she admitted. Fig handed over her flask, smirking with evil glee. For some reason the tiefling glanced at Adaine before handing over the flask. The scout sniffed the drink, curled her lip, and took a small, cautious sip. Kristen shifted about impatiently as Machaira tossed the alcohol around her mouth a bit before swallowing and taking a second, equally small sip with a shrug.
"Alright," she sighed, handing the flask back to Fig and turning to Kristen. "First, I had to learn this through trial and error, mostly error. Second, your experience is going to be different from mine. But the most important thing you need to remember is that your lesbian status literally doesn't matter, not one tiny bit. Every humanoid in the world want the same things, whether gay or straight, male or female, human or elf, or anything in between. Sex is an expression of these desires and the emotions that come from them. People who are asexual or sex repressed still have these desires, but they don't express them through sex, which is fine. But if you're going to go looking for a good fuck, you need to know what you're looking for."
"Obviously, formalities out of the way, communicate, okay? I'm not talking about consent – although that is NECESSARY!" The tabaxi rushed. "Make sure you have consent before you do anything! But communication isn't limited to consent or even to words. It is entirely possible to have phenomenal, healthy sex without saying a word so long as you pay attention to the other person, respect their boundaries, etc. And, even before sex, make sure they're comfortable with what's going on. You have to both want to be there in the first place, so just keep it open, keep it honest, try to read their signals and body language and all of that. Sex is a dialogue. If you're not sure, ask, every time. Okay?" Machaira waited until everyone nodded along. "Alright, great, got that out of the way."
"Everyone wants someone to think that they're beautiful, and by that I mean everyone wants someone who looks at them like they're special, who treats them as a unique entity. A person is beautiful when they are personally wonderful to look at, whether for their outer or interior qualities. Everyone wants to feel beautiful in some way, and that feeling can only be gratified by others, which is why it can be so dangerous to pursue. It is almost impossible to have consensual sex with someone you don't find beautiful. Outer beauty is the basis of attraction, that first initial step toward sex. But no relationship is healthy without a recognition of inner beauty. Before you even think about having sex, you need to figure out what you find beautiful and what the other person finds beautiful about you, both inside and out. Otherwise you are damning yourself to hurt later on, or maybe just a one-night stand. In short, everyone wants to be wanted."
Machaira paused to let that sink in and took a bite of chicken, whiskers twitching at the heavy oil in the fried food. For once, the party had settled down, listening closely to Machaira. Adaine was riveted. This was so much more complex than anything she might have expected. Not that she thought Machaira was dumb, but the tabaxi rarely dealt with intricacies, preferring a simple, direct approach to a situation. This was much more interesting than the expected explanation on mechanics.
"Second, everyone wants to be cared for. Even the most independent or stubborn person in the world wants to know that someone has their back and is concerned for their well-being. Now, caring for someone just means that you support them in some way. The flip side of that is that most healthy people want to care for someone else. There's a few outliers, but generally speaking people want to provide for someone else. That feeling you get when you make life better for someone you care about – that's a vital aspect of being a part of something larger than yourself, be it a society or a relationship. Both of these needs, being cared for and caring for another, are equally important. You have to know what your needs are, physical and emotional, that you want someone to fulfill and what is the extent of care that you can and want to provide for someone else. Obviously crucial to a stable relationship, but also very important for just having a good time. Most people don't want to have sex with someone who won't help them get off, and it's not fun to have sex with someone who doesn't want you to pleasure them either."
"Now, once you've figured that out, you've got to understand power." A touch of a growl crept into her voice on the last word. "Contrary to some rather nihilistic viewpoints, sex is not all about power, but understanding power dynamics is a major aspect to having a positive sexual experience. Everyone falls somewhere along a spectrum of dominant and submissive, and I'm not talking about the kinky bondage shit here." Kristen and Fig cackled. The boys, who'd been listening with interest up to this point, refused to look at each other and blushed furiously.
"Can we talk about that?" Kristen pleaded.
"We're not going to," Machaira asserted.
"I would like to," Kristen restated. Machaira shook her head no.
"This is just a basic social structure that develops when people have sex, and it can differ from the normal social hierarchy they have outside of sex. Dominance isn't inherently better than submission or vice versa. Everyone is some combination of the two and responds to them differently. Understanding how dominant or submissive you are relative to the other person helps you kind of guide the encounter along in a direction you both enjoy. Also, how do you express power? Either a dominant or submissive humanoid could express their feelings by working hard to give their partner pleasure. And, in most cases, people switch dominant and submissive positions at different points during sex. Generally speaking, one person is dominant for a majority of the time, but they do flip flop. And neither is right or wrong. It's sexy to have someone fall apart under your hands and beg for release. And it's exciting to have the person who's been following your lead suddenly flip you onto your back and take charge, as long as you're communicating and all of that. Just, figure yourself out and try to get a feel for how the other person compares, and the whole process will be smoother, okay?"
"Which are you?" Kristen asked hurriedly. Machaira's face fell into a flat 'unimpressed cat' expression as she slowly straightened her posture, ears pointing up and whiskers rotating forward.
"Pardon?" The rogue asked quietly. Kristen stiffened a bit, moistening her lips.
"Um, are you, uh, dominant or, ah, submissive," the cleric clarified, trailing away into a mumble. Yellow, unblinking eyes looked into Kristen's as Machaira slowly reclined in her chair, one arm thrown over the back. Her mane rose just a little.
"I am always the alpha female." Machaira informed Kristen evenly, growl adding a bass note to her accent. Adaine's jaw dropped. Kristen swallowed and nodded, seemingly unable to look away.
"You're always the alpha female?" Fig challenged, sitting up and thumping her oyster glass on the table, wafting the smell toward Adaine. The tabaxi slowly turned to face her, meeting the tiefling's belligerent expression with one of utter calm. Her eyes had lost most of their humanoid expression, hardening into cool, predatory assurance.
"Yep." Adaine quietly placed her hands in her lap at the single syllable.
"Okay," Fig sat back in her chair and took a sip of booze. Machaira smirked and giggled. The bard joined in a moment later. The boys, who had frozen fearfully throughout the exchange, laughed along a little nervously. Fabian seemed especially on edge. The rogue waved her hand through the air toward Fig as they snickered, dismissing her own power play. The weird thing was that Adaine recognized the alpha energy; Machaira exerted it all the time, but never before on a member of their party. Strangely, Adaine didn't find it threatening. Her friend was fairly easy going and quiet, usually allowing Adaine or another party member to take the lead without complaint. If she was honest, the high elf wanted to see a bit more of this side of her.
"At any rate," Machaira continued, returning her attention to Kristen. "That's what you think about before you even try to fuck. Next, you need to think about what exactly you're looking for from the other person. Biggest life lesson: start small, especially in the beginning. It's better to start with lighter stuff, helps foster a stronger relationship. If you always jump straight to fucking, it messes with your head. There's going to be times when you just want to get fucked, but never start there. Make sure you actually like the other person first. Also, keep in mind that everyone is a bad lay their first few times. Everyone has misconceptions on what they think sex is going to be like. So, take your first few opportunities to just make out, feel each other up, maybe grind a bit. It really helps get a better idea about how you personally like to do it. Remember, sex is a dialogue, so consider how loud you have to make the message. If you want to make a strong statement about how you feel, maybe cuddling and foreplay will do it. If it's your first big statement to someone, trying to fuck might do more harm than good."
Fabian and Riz shifted about uncomfortably. They didn't want to leave, but they also couldn't look directly at Machaira. Gorgug and Fig listened quietly, occasionally nodding along and passing Fig's flask between them. Kristen was staring at the scout with huge eyes, drinking in everything she said. The cleric would slowly lean over the table toward Machaira, realize what she was doing, and straighten up before beginning to lean forward again. For her part, Machaira seemed completely at ease, gesturing with her hands as she calmly advised the human. For the first time, Adaine realized the tabaxi was profoundly mature for her age. Machaira really knew what she was talking about here, and Adaine's vague, nervous, uncertain ideas about sex felt childish by comparison. This was so much better than the stiff, uncomfortable, hypothetical lecture her parents had rattled off.
"If you're looking for a one-night stand, the situation is a bit looser," Machaira swept on. "Everyone needs to, ah, scratch an itch now and again." Fig snorted with laughter, and the rogue smirked. Adaine blushed. She'd never seen Machaira like this before, and the high elf was fascinated by it. "But the best sex is with someone you know and respect and who respects you in turn. A good partner should be able to read when you want further contact and when you don't. A good partner doesn't necessarily want the same things as you but can communicate their desires while respecting your boundaries and insecurities. Patience is key because it's never going to go perfectly: someone's going to slip off the bed, or fart, or get scared and need a second to breathe and reconsider. If you can't be patient and wait for your partner to be comfortable, you shouldn't have sex period. The best sex is with someone who is concerned about you and with whom you share an intimate bond outside of the bedroom, or wherever you want to do it."
"Have you ever had that?" Fig asked. Machaira's smirk got a little sad.
"Most of the people I had sex with were bastards," she reminded them. "I was using them as much as they were using me. It was super unhealthy all the way around, which is why I stopped. But it wasn't all bad. There were one or two I thought I shared something special with. There was this aasimar boy…" Machaira trailed off, eyes glazing over slightly. Her expression was caught somewhere between the affectionate smile Adaine had come to adore and wistful longing that made the wizard want to hug her.
"What happened?" Kristen demanded. "Did you guys, you know, do it?" The rogue nodded. "Why did you split up?" Machaira sighed.
"When I met him, we'd been raiding the same marauding orc army and decided to work together. We made a pretty good team. And he was just gorgeous. He was a little older than I was but only by a year or two. He had a way of making me laugh even when I didn't want to, but he took our job seriously. Night after night we attacked the horde, thinking we could take down the whole army one orc at a time. Gods, we were naïve. After a few weeks, the orcs razed a little town nestled in a valley. We were powerless to do anything more than watch the smoke. By the time it was safe for us to investigate, the town didn't exist anymore and the army was long gone. Afterward we just kind of drifted into the next village. We rented a room together at the first inn we found. He kissed me on the head and promised everything would be better in the morning. He walked into the bathroom just before bed, and after a minute I heard a thud. He had killed himself. He couldn't live with what we had witnessed, and I wasn't enough to keep him grounded. I ran out into the woods in a panic. "
Kristen's eager grin turned to horrified distress. Gorgug, Riz, and Fabian, who'd been wincing from the beginning of the story, stilled and stared between each other, discomfort deepened to shock. Fig slowly offered Machaira her flask, but the tabaxi waved it away. Adaine reached out and took her hand.
"It's been a long time, guys," she told them quietly. "I'm at peace with what happened. At the time I was devastated, of course, but life moves on. I could spend my whole life grieving, or I can let the dead lie." She smiled that affectionate smile again, a little less sad than before. "I've found other people worth loving, and there is no such thing as a soulmate, of that I am certain." Adaine followed the curve of her lips, riveted as they uncurled from their thin, feline position to resemble a more humanoid shape.
"Did you love him?" Adaine asked quietly. Machaira weaved her muzzle back and forth a bit.
"Difficult question to answer," she admitted. "I liked him. We were certainly friends. There was respect between us, and joy, at least until the last few days. But I was so desperate for attention that I pretended lots of my early lovers liked me. It took me a long time to properly understand what love is. Our relationship was so focused on sex, it's hard to say if we could love without it. I guess that's one of my better takeaways from those early mistakes: the best lover is the one who's just happy to be there with you, the one who's as content to just sit and talk as they are to fuck." She shook her head slowly. "If I had a choice, I'd rather have any one of you in my life than him."
The tabaxi looked about the table with that smile so warm it seeped down to the soul. When she turned toward Adaine, Machaira squeezed her hand and released her. Her tail flicked up to wrap about the wizard's leg for a second before whisking away. Their little touches had become a welcome part of her day. When one of them was in a sour mood and didn't want to socialize, Adaine missed the physical contact terribly. The rogue was such a warm presence in her life, but the diviner hadn't considered that she might have shown such affection to someone else, perhaps even more freely. Adaine wasn't sure how that thought made her feel until she met that golden gaze properly. Machaira always meant what she said, and she'd just told Adaine that their party meant more to her than her old lover. Adaine relaxed and returned the smile.
Adaine swore that Kristen actively tried to kill the mood sometimes.
"How do I get a girl to come home with me?" she demanded bluntly. Fig and Riz burst into laughter. Machaira rolled her eyes and chuckled, turning back to the cleric to pick up the conversation.
"That depends on the girl," she answered. "Pickup lines can work sometimes, but I wouldn't suggest using them. Just be yourself and see if you click. Confidence is key. Oh, pro tip: when you want things to get steamy, don't go straight for the genitals or tits. The sexiest thing you can do is just touch someone all over. Rub along their arms and shoulders and legs and back, smooth and gentle. Kiss them a lot, and I mean actually kiss them, don't only make out. And once they relax and kind of get into it, kiss their neck. That, more than anything, is how you escalate the situation. As long as they can be sexually attracted to you, that will work. On that note, keep in mind some people just won't want to do it. People aren't all attracted to the same races and types, so sometimes it just won't happen, and you need to move on."
"How do you pick up girls?" Kristen asked. Fig snickered. Muffled laughter rose from under Riz's chair where the goblin had sunk to the floor to avoid the conversation. Fabian tried and failed to feign disinterest.
"That, ah, is, um, probably something I shouldn't tell you," Machaira mumbled, looking toward the ceiling. In her attempt to avoid eye contact, the tabaxi instead offered a great view of ruby blush blooming under her white throat fur. Though not a new sight, Adaine found the image strangely appealing right then. "I, uh, didn't exactly flirt with people. I kinda, just, seduced them or offered it on a platter. Again, not a healthy lifestyle."
"Teach me that," Kristen rushed, slamming her palms onto the table. Fabian and Gorgug started sliding under the table to join Riz while Adaine and Fig laughed.
"No," Machaira refused. "I know you don't want to hear this, but that is not how you should start a romance. And you should get a real relationship under your belt before you start having one night stands, or it'll mess you up." The boys peeked up over the table to make sure the conversation was safe before they took their seats again. Fig quickly stopped laughing and sat straight, studying Machaira carefully.
"Are you against having sex?" The tiefling asked. "Just for yourself, I mean, obviously not for others." The scout propped her muzzle on one hand, eyes narrowed in contemplation. The red darkened on her throat and traveled up to her cheeks. Adaine found herself following the spread of color a bit too closely and looked away, feeling her own face heat up.
"No, I'm not against sex," she decided after a bit. "I'm against the way I used to go about sex. I'm trying to avoid just, ah, fucking around with whoever because I feel like it. If I'm going to have sex, I want to feel good about it. I want to be with someone I trust. If I'm going to fuck someone, it needs to be someone I'm okay… letting down my walls around. I just… whenever I do get back in there, so to speak, I'm going to have a lot of pent up nerves and insecurity. I need to know that I'm safe, emotionally, to freak out a little. And I want my next time to be… a gift for a lover instead of a contract with a partner. I don't want to use someone to feel better, I want to show someone that I… well, I don't see that happening anytime soon." Machaira stared at the table, ears flat and tail swishing across the floor. Adaine bit her lip. She wanted to reach out and pat her friend on the shoulder, but something held her back. Adaine knew that she shouldn't be nervous to comfort her friend, but she was. Fig narrowed her eyes and nodded, glancing surreptitiously at the high elf.
"What's your favorite position?" Kristen blurted just as Fabian opened his mouth to speak. Machaira glanced over and arched an eyebrow. Fabian groaned, Riz and Fig laughed, and the serious moment was over once more.
"Lying on my back or straddling the other person while facing them," Machaira answered easily. "I used to like it from behind, but my back is badly scarred. I feel really exposed and uncomfortable with people staring at it, especially if I can't see their expression. I also like to hold and kiss my mate." Adaine instinctively tensed at the word mate.
"Let's do something else!" Fabian half yelled half pleaded.
"Agreed," Riz laughed.
"Seconded," Machaira chimed in, raising a hand.
"But I still have questions," Kristen objected. Everyone had a good chuckle as they settled in to watch a movie. Adaine sat next to Machaira, but she couldn't make herself look directly at the tabaxi. Arms crossed around her knees, the wizard felt hyper-sensitive to the rogue's presence next to her. Machaira didn't remark on her sudden defensiveness but didn't try to touch her either, which disappointed Adaine further. The feeling became exasperated when Fig grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around Fabian, Kristen, and herself, smushing them into a warm mound.
"Are you okay?" Machaira murmured lowly after about an hour. "You seem a little… uncomfortable. I'm sorry if the conversation early was, uh, awkward for you." Adaine glanced over to see Machaira's whiskers and ears held flat against her head. But the scout's eyes were soft with concern for her, and Adaine felt her pulse rise.
"I, um, I guess," she muttered. "It was really interesting though. I, um, learned a lot. Thanks for, you know, sharing. It, uh, couldn't have been super easy for you, either. Not that you, ah, looked, uh, at all uncomfortable." Her voice descended into mumbling as she shrank inward. Machaira studied her with a touch of hurt almost lost in worry. She whispered an apology and turned her attention back to the movie. Adaine reached out and took her hand. The tabaxi glanced over, surprised, and smiled, giving her a squeeze. Adaine's nerves drained away.
In minutes she was cocooned in Machaira's arms and legs, snuggled against her chest. The rogue patiently allowed her to play with the scales of her jacket, gently stroking Adaine's hair. Now that she was cozy, Adaine quietly basked in the attention. Her previous anxiousness seemed silly. Her friend was a complex person with new layers still waiting for the wizard to discover. Adaine realized she was looking forward to the next unexpected bout of sharing. She wanted to learn everything about the tabaxi. But for now, she would just enjoy her presence. Pushing aside the half-understood emotions from earlier, Adaine nestled against Machaira, content to let the murmurs of her friends blend with the movie sound, all of it underscored by the low, soothing rumble of a purr beneath her.
"No, you're her dad!" – Gorgug to Jawbone immediately after hearing Tracker call Jawbone her uncle.
Karaoke was Fig's idea, of course. Who else could possibly convince them to go back to the Black Pit? Though, in her defense, it turned out to be okay. While the main room of the Black Pit was still a cacophony of nightmare sounds, the Moon Room had forgone a band for karaoke night, so it was a bit quieter. Fig was on stage every second or third song and had become so popular among the audience that people would leave the main room just to hear her sing. Multiple tables bought her drinks until even the tiefling's super tolerance started to give way. While Fig was smart enough not to take a drink directly from someone, she had no problem doing six shots immediately after the bartender poured them. Kristen, who was very disappointed that Tracker wasn't here tonight, ordered something at random and got absolutely sloshed within half an hour. Gorgug and Riz took it upon themselves to watch over the girls, a task they were really, really bad at as Fig and Kristen literally climbed over them to stumble back to the mic and flirt with strangers. Gorgug was also hampered by Fig dragging him off to sing with her every other time she went on onstage.
Adaine snickered at the antics of the ungainly quartet, leaning back against Machaira. The tabaxi chuckled and put her arm around Adaine. The wizard was still afraid and uncomfortable and overwhelmed here, but her friends made excellent buffers when they weren't on a stressful mission. Twice people came up to harass Adaine or Fig, so Fabian and Machaira beat the shit out of them while onlookers cheered. The fuckers in the crowd got the message and backed off, leaving the somewhat less sleazy flirters to try their luck. But Machaira and Fabian were more than intimidating enough to keep them from being more than a nuisance, especially when Adaine cuddled up to the tabaxi so they had to go through her first.
Machaira had been weirdly distant for the past few days. She insisted that nothing was wrong but shied away when Adaine tried to touch her. While Machaira remained just as supportive and friendly and open as she always was, Adaine couldn't help but feel a bit hurt. There was some wall in the scout's head that she couldn't seem to get past, and the high elf hated it. When they got to the Pit, Adaine downed her first drink to try and drown her nerves, and a guy almost twice her age immediately tried to hit on her. The high elf couldn't seem to find a way to get the guy to understand the word 'no' until a growling Machaira stepped between them. Apparently last time they were here Machaira and Riz had earned some serious notoriety among the various thugs that came to the Pit to party, a reputation the rogue enforced when she knocked Adaine's creeper flat. The incident seemed to have broken down whatever wall Machaira had because she'd kept her tail around Adaine's waist ever since.
The high elf nursed her third drink of the night, nuzzling Machaira's shoulder with the back of her head. She had found that the overwhelming bombardment of noise and flashing lights was easier to endure when she was buzzed. It was also easier to enjoy cuddling with her tabaxi without caring who saw. A half-elf dude with a blue ponytail started swaggering up to their table, eyes fixed on Adaine. Machaira turned to face him and curled her lip, baring a few extra teeth. The dude stalled until one of his friends whispered something in his ear, and they both backed off. Machaira growled lowly and rested her jaw against Adaine's temple, rumble softening to a momentary purr as she tightened her one-arm hold on the elf. Adaine hummed happily.
Adaine knew her friend's behavior was possessive, but she also knew that the rogue was putting on a display for the people around them. If these adult men wanted to harass the elf girl in tight jeans, they had to confront the tabaxi that killed three werewolves without a weapon last time she was here. And, honestly, she liked it. Machaira hadn't stepped in to stand up to Adaine's creeper until the wizard was teetering on a panic attack. She knew that if she asked, the rogue would back off immediately. But the diviner had zero desire to lose her living pillow and bastard shield. Adaine gulped half her drink, sighing as it pleasantly burned her throat on the way down. Machaira chuckled, and Adaine tilted her head back a bit to meet a yellow gaze that warmed her better than the alcohol did. Fig finished her sixth solo song to yet another round of thunderous applause led by the rest of the party. The bard bowed and staggered back to their table, the giggling girl shadowed by Gorgug's hulking figure.
"So, okay, okay," Fig began, slurring a bit and leaning heavily on the table with both hands. "So, so, there's another person who's, who's gonna sing a song, and then, an' then we go again. But not me this time." Fig reached out for her drink. Gorgug tried to pull it away, and she lunged over the table to grab the glass, pushing the half-orc aside even as she clung to his shirt for balance. The tiefling downed her drink and smacked her lips.
"I'm sorry, Fig, but I'm done for the night," Fabian groaned. "I'll stay if you want to sing, but you will not convince me to get back on stage."
"Not even, even for another duet with Riz?" Fig teased. The two boys hung their heads in mortification as the others laughed. That had to have been the best part of the night. While the boys had a lot of fun with it at the time, they deeply regretted acquiescing to Fig's request upon learning the bard recorded their performance. Adaine's off-key duet with Kristen hadn't been half as funny. The cleric in question mumbled something and snored on the table. Half an hour ago she had walked up to a hot dwarf, asked her what her name was, told the dwarf that god wasn't real, gotten embarrassed, and run off. Every few minutes Riz checked to make sure her pulse and breathing was normal, but the party had agreed to let her sleep off the alcohol and shame.
"I'm good, too," Adaine passed. "But you're really working the crowd, Fig."
"Thanks, I know," Fig preened, snickering. "But we still have one more person who needs to get on stage." Fig grinned evilly over Adaine's shoulder. The wizard looked up to see Machaira's face fall.
"Oh no," she refuted. "No, no, no. I am not going up there."
"Oh, come on," Fig pleaded. "You actually know the words to this one: I got them to hold your favorite song! Please, you're the only one that hasn't gone yet."
"That is true," Fabian agreed. "If we had to go up there, you should too."
"Sing!" Gorgug yelled, propping up Fig by one arm.
"What do you have to be nervous about?" The bard asked. "Half of the people here are werewolves, and they're all terrified that you're going to kill them. Besides, you need to get out of your comfort zone once in a while."
"Please," Adaine begged. "I wanna hear you sing, even if you're bad."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," the rogue sassed.
"You're welcome," she answered sincerely.
"I went up there, and they didn't boo me off the stage." Riz reminded her. "So, you'll be fine. Besides, you're outvoted."
"What happened to the friends that supported my cowardice," Machaira lamented.
"They never existed, and we're gonna peer pressure the shit outta you," Fig informed her, reaching over to grab Machaira by the hand and tug on her. "You're going up there!" Adaine sat up, and Machaira's eyes brightened with hope that turned to dismay as the wizard helped Fig pull her out of the booth.
"Traitor," she accused Adaine.
"Go sing." the high elf countered. Machaira growled. Adaine smiled. Fig giggled and gave her a little shove toward the stage just as the last song wrapped up. As the others sat back down, the rogue shot one last pleading look that did not earn their sympathy. Machaira closed her eyes, and at first Adaine thought she just wouldn't go. Then the tabaxi schooled her face, taking a few seconds to even out her breathing. When she opened her eyes and smirked, Adaine briefly wondered who this person was.
Machaira was normally quietly self-assured, but the expression she wore now was subtly different: not arrogant but sultry. It was a teasing grin blended with her anticipation of a fight. There was something dangerous but very much inviting about her current expression that made Adaine's breath quicken. When the scout turned and sauntered toward the stage, each step impossibly high for such a short girl, Adaine's gaze fixated on her legs. Why hadn't she noticed them before? Machaira didn't so much walk on stage as she ascended, coy grin tugging at her lips. She picked up the microphone and strode back to the middle of the stage, hips swaying and tail curling about behind her like a kite in the breeze. Adaine vaguely recognized the song that began to play, but the gleam in those familiar yellow eyes was new: predatory but pleased, powerful but playful. Machaira's tail rippled slowly behind her, waving in time with the instrumentals.
"At first I was afraid, I was afraid," Machaira began, putting her free hand delicately to her throat, the touch of a purr woven into the melody. "Down in the darkness I was crawling through this mortal race. I heard the voices through the dark, oh, oh-whoa-oh-oh-a-oh, so I beat my fist against my head against my heart." Machaira put her hand to her head and swung her skull back and forth before straightening. She struck her sternum and slowly bent her legs, shoulders and body swaying very slightly from side to side as she sank down.
"Hey-ho, hear the sound! We are the under-ground. Hey-ho, rising up! We're not afraid of fighting." Machaira leapt straight as she sang along, stance immediately changing to bold and open. Her boots pounded the stage along with the rhythm, unsheathed claws gleaming red in the flashing light as she spread the fingers on her free hand. Her voice no longer purred but growled, echoing through the Moon Room.
"I've finally found my place. I paint the war paint on my face, and I'm ready to give – whatever it takes. Standing at the edge of the fire! Fighting for the will to survive. I feel it burning under my skin. And I'm back on my feet again." Machaira slid both hands up and across her breasts before unfolding her arms down toward the party. She mimed trailing war paint from her brow down past her eyes and onto her cheeks. The scout leapt forward to dance on the very rim of the stage, legs jumping up to cross over each other in midair but landing akimbo, somehow maintaining an aggressive, dominant bearing on a space no more than five centimeters wide. Swaying in time with the music, Machaira lowered herself to a kneel, hands sliding enticingly over her sides until her fingers slid under the front of her waistband up to the knuckle. With her muzzle tipped back, they could only see a gleam of her eyes until the rogue leapt up and back on the last line and slammed her boot down with a bold stare, startling half the audience. During a brief delay of instrumental the tabaxi did a double spin in place, tail curling perfectly around her before continuing to tap out the beat. The tabaxi's belligerent, rhythmic stomping and wide stance were completely at odd with the way she drew her thighs together on each impossibly high step.
"This is the feeling. I can't believe it. My heart is bleeding out. Now, I'm dan-ger-ous." Machaira slowly slid one leg up along the other before taking a step back toward the front of the stage. She tossed her head back, hand coming up to fist in her jacket over her left breast. But, as she slunk down to her knees, her voice once again morphed to a sinister growl, eyes flashing with the anticipation before a fight.
"Feeding the fire, higher and higher, rising up, rising up. Now, I'm dan-ger-ous." Machaira swayed as she stood, palms sliding up her legs and over her chest, arms wrapping behind her head as she drove her fingers up through her ruff until her arms were entwined over her head, only to pull them down into a fighting stance on the last verse. Her eyes blazed like wildfires through the dim room, reflecting off of drink glasses dozens of times over around the audience. Claws unsheathed, mane cresting above her, ivory fangs bared, the tabaxi was a fearsome sight even for the rough patrons of the Black Pit. The tabaxi continued in this vein as the verses repeated themselves, strobe lights glinting off her eyes and teeth.
Honestly, Machaira couldn't even come close to matching Fig's magnetism, vocal skills, or rhythm, but then who could? Even so, Adaine was entranced. What Machaira lacked in musical ability, she made up for in presence. Every movement was a blend of seduction and dangerous power. She made herself inviting and threatening at the same time. The onlookers wanted to touch her but were scared to do so, and it made the rogue an object of fearful desire. The elf guessed this was an act her friend once used to lure pedophiles into her traps, but it also represented the tabaxi just as Adaine knew her, only more… sensual. As someone who was allowed and even encouraged to touch Machaira on a regular basis, the display was at once intimidating and spellbinding.
During a longer instrumental, Machaira turned her back on the audience, hips swaying dangerously as she prowled over to a wooden stool in the middle of the stage. She sat on the stool, tail curling around and to the side, almost beckoning. She crossed her legs, then uncrossed them, spreading her legs unnecessarily wide for the briefest moment as she swung them around to recross her legs. Claw tips barely parted the fine fur of her face and throat as she trailed her fingers down from her lips over her pulse, leaning back to push out her chest as she did so. Her keratin hooks caught the collar of her jacket and began to slowly pull it down, head tilting back, jaws barely parted. Adaine stopped breathing, zeroed in on the rogue's hand as her dark vision picked up the top of a collarbone.
Then the music picked up, and Machaira rolled backwards off of the stool, tail twisting to perform a full backflip midair. Before she finished landing, the scout swept out one foot and hooked a leg of the stool. She swung the stool behind her to skid all the way against the back wall with a clatter. The tabaxi prowled toward the audience during the last verses, eyes searing with a fire that Adaine longed to understand and partake in, a strength that was freely shared with her every day.
"This is the feeling. I can't believe it. My heart is bleeding out. Now, I'm dan-ger-ous. Feeding the fire, higher and higher, rising up, rising up. Now, I'm dan-ger-ous. Rising up, rising up, now I'm dan-ger-ous." The last notes were growled so lowly that cocktails shivered in their glasses as Machaira smiled coyly, teeth gleaming in, what for many, had been a final warning. The tabaxi leapt off the stage and strode toward her party amid a hearty applause. A lanky drow in skintight black jeans reached out for her arm, and Machaira didn't even look sideways as she slashed him across the chest, tearing through his fake-leather jacket, unbuttoned button-up, and T-shirt to spray blood across a leering dwarf next to him. While a few onlookers stopped clapping and stiffened with fear, others hooted louder and cheered, though all drew back before the scout.
This was the power of self-confidence, and it made directly for Adaine with a sheepish smile and a violent shiver. The party whooped and praised Machaira just as they had for everyone else. Kristen snored and muttered something about a sexy corn.
"Gods, I can't believe I did that," Machaira rushed, reaching out to hold Adaine again. The elf started, flinched away, then dove back toward her friend when the rogue went to pull back, holding Machaira's arm in a secure wrap around her body. "You okay?" Machaira asked, smile giving way to concern. "You look a little flushed. Should I get you some water, maybe walk with you to the bathroom?"
"No, I, uh, I'm good," Adaine managed in a small voice. "I, um, liked your, uh, show. That was great." She smiled, and Machaira smirked back, glowing with pleasure at the little compliment.
"I haven't done anything like that in years," she admitted. "I could go the rest of my life without that kind of attention. But I don't mind putting on a show now and again for the right people." The tabaxi blushed and grinned just a bit. Adaine murmured something that could have been 'oh really' or 'thank you' or 'please'. She really wasn't sure which. The scout's smiled widened, and Adaine had to look down from Machaira's golden gaze. As much as the wizard liked the tabaxi's jacket, she wondered what the tabaxi would look like without it. Wow, okay, Machaira was right, she really was flushed.
They left not long after that. It was already late; as in, almost two a.m. late. Adaine had a high alcohol tolerance, but she was still a little unsteady and had to hold onto Machaira's waist for support. The elf didn't know why but she kept noticing how snuggly they fit together or how comforting Machaira's tail around her own waist felt, little things that she acknowledged on some level but had never really thought about. It took only a little bit of wheedling to convince Machaira to share a Lyft home, and even less to convince her that Adaine could in fact stay awake long enough to receive a 'safely home' text. As happy as she was to have the rogue with her a while longer, Adaine found it difficult to look her in the eyes and kept blushing when she did. Machaira was clearly worried but didn't pester her any further than a very direct, "Are you feeling okay?"
Adaine said yes but wasn't sure that it was true. Machaira's performance was engraved on her brain. The wizard mentally recalled every move and twist her body made, every shift on the spectrum from seductive to dangerous. All of it was sensual; all of it was predatory. But the girl who held her on the car ride home and place the back of her fingers along Adaine's brow to check her temperature wasn't rapacious. She was kind. When the front door shut behind her, Adaine felt cold seep through her lovely new outfit and the lingering burn of a strong drink down to her bones. She wanted to be warm again.
Adaine wanted her.
The thought dogged the high elf as she lay atop her sheets. It wasn't until tonight that she realized she had never really seen Machaira's body, that she knew nothing of her figure. It wasn't until tonight that she realized that she wanted to know. The tabaxi had been her best friend since she started Aguefort. She liked the bond between them, liked that Machaira didn't push too hard but was always ready to receive her again. Adaine loved the emotional support Machaira offered and the quiet, simple moments of companionship between them. She thrilled at each new discovery of the rogue's past and present, even those that left her sick with worry for the other girl. She'd learned to embrace touch as a simple expression of affection. But tonight… tonight she wasn't sure if what she felt was friendship.
Because before tonight she had never considered her friend sensual, much less sexy. She knew the scout had had sex, even knew about her heat cycle, but she had never considered her a sexual being before. She'd never wanted to see under the jacket before. She had never thought Machaira ugly, never thought her desirous. But… no, this had to be the alcohol talking, right? It was the alcohol that whispered that she was at least curious to see. It was the alcohol that put the thought in her head that Machaira's strength was alluring, that her perseverance was admirable, and that her affection was lovely. Three cocktails were responsible for the longing to keep Machaira closer, to peer deeper into this woman who had changed her life so wonderfully, to study the predator that would not harm her. Fig's influence led to the idea that she craved to deepen their intimacy, and the lingering flavor of a black-tie martini reminded her that her vague desire to touch what she had never seen wasn't her own.
But as she fell asleep (before Machaira texted – she hated to be wrong), the high elf couldn't help but draw parallels between her relationship with Machaira and their discussion about sex just under a week ago. While the thought didn't go any further, certainly not into any suggestive imagery, Adaine did consider how much happier she'd be coming home to the tabaxi welcoming her in with a purr.