[This chapter contains mentions of sexual assault, but no descriptions. Proceed with caution. This chapter also contains graphic violence and gore.]
Sheptilah surrendered to his kiss, parting her lips just enough to allow his tongue to pass over hers. She stepped back, taking him with her, until she was up against the rough bark of a tree. The warmth of her body was inviting. A familiar and not entirely unwelcome feeling pooled in his groin.
Ivo pushed into her just enough for her to feel it but not enough to alarm her. She moaned quietly, hugging him tighter.
She moved her lips to his cheek and whispered her consent.
He paused.
She genuinely liked him but he wanted little more than to chain her to a wall and systematically drain her magic for his own purposes, and here she was offering up her body in an entirely different way.
His stomach twisted and he suddenly felt nauseous, guilt washing over him. Ivo knew full well what it was like to be on the receiving end of that kind of relationship. He would never abuse someone in that way, especially not someone who trusted him so completely.
"Tilly," he pulled away from her, "I'm sorry, but I need to get back to work."
"Oh..." She sounded disappointed.
"Come back to the lair with me."
"Oh?"
"I want you to meet Metal Sonic." He smoothed his mustache back into place.
"Sure… " She took a cue from him and ran her fingers through her hair to make it neater. "What about all this stuff?"
Eggman looked around at it. "I guess leave it."
"Nah, I'll pack it up and bring it back to Amy." She pushed her hair behind her ear and began to put everything away before opening up a portal to Amy's house to drop the stuff at her doorstep.
"Tearing holes in space really comes in handy, huh?" He chuckled awkwardly. "I'll see you at the lair. Come in uniform."
"Ivo?" She looked at him over her shoulder.
"Yeah?"
"Forget that the kiss happened." She turned back to her work.
"Sure…" He walked back to his home feeling conflicted. He didn't necessarily feel the same way toward her but at the same time he felt guilty for wanting to hurt someone that saw the good in him; as deep down as it was.
He wondered what he was going to do next.
SHEPTILAH DOSSIER … last updated 3 / 3
Well, she kissed me. It seems that I can't pretend to not know how she feels anymore. I must admit it was nice to be shown affection in that way but I can't forget my goals:
Build the Syzygy Canon (big sister to Eclipse)
Destroy the wiccaphages
Get a sufficient amount of Sheptilah's blood for analyzing
Build a cage to keep her in
Figure out how to extract the magic from the stone
Gain immortality from the healing capabilities of said magic
I may not be able to beat that hedgehog but I will try to outlive him.
Sheptilah admired how sleek Metal Sonic is. "You've got your father's eyes." She joked. The robot couldn't understand her so he ignored her. She lightly ran her ungloved hand over the top of his head.
"Don't pet him; he's a war machine not a toy." Eggman scolded her. He was agitated with having to call for Katella's help given their history but found Sheptilah's and Metal's presence a comfort.
"Sir?" Cubot got Eggman's attention. "Katella is here."
"Here we go…" He huffed. "Metal, stay here. Sheptilah, let's go greet our guest. I don't want her in my lair." I hope she's cooled down, he thought.
They walked side-by-side to the front door. Eggman grabbed Sheptilah's arm and leaned in to her.
"Do not under any circumstances tell Katella you are the last of your kind; do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Good." He let go of her arm and they exited the lair.
Katella descended the steps of her golden boomerang-shaped spaceship which floated just above the edge of the volcanic outcrop.
Katella wore the same clothes, hairstyle and carried herself in much the same way as Eggman remembered. The only difference was the laser gun she had holstered at her thigh and the fine lines starting to form at the corner of her eyes.
"Eggy-weggy peachie poo!" She cooed. "And friend." she said flatly.
The witch crossed her arms. "I'm Sheptilah, the Egg Boss of this island."
"You never made me an Egg Boss," she feigned being hurt, "That's okay, though. You are still as grotesque as ever." She sighed wistfully. "I missed you."
"You're here on a job." Eggman reminded her.
"Can't I have a little fun?" Katella shrugged and shook her head in such a way that her hair swished like a supermodel's. "Or is that what this Egg Boss is for?" The redhead was a little jealous.
Sheptilah looked down her nose at the rude woman, her lip slightly curled in a snarl.
"Touched a nerve?" The huntress smirked.
"Katella, focus." Eggman was losing patience. "You will be monetarily compensated for your work."
"I don't want your money; you know this!" Katella pushed out her sizeable chest. "I just want you." She walked up to him and pointed at his heart. "Why did you dump me again?"
"I didn't dump you; It was a restraining order because you broke my arm in three places," Ivo grumbled, "I evicted you with great prejudice."
"It was one lovemaking session gone wrong a decade ago," the woman shrugged, "I apologized, didn't I?"
"That's not what it was; I never wanted that." He stopped himself from talking further.
Sheptilah frowned; Eggman was extremely uncomfortable and she could sense It. Her eyebrow twitched slightly but she wanted to maintain composure. In times of war sometimes you had to form uneasy alliances.
"Oh please; you liked it up until that point." Katella put her hair behind her ear with a finger.
"You never asked and you never took no for an answer. You just did what you wanted and it took my arm hanging on by a thread for you to stop."
Sheptilah was wide-eyed. She involuntarily let out a low growl and balled her fists. She finally understood .
"So what's the deal with these witch-eating things anyhow?" Katella pulled out a mini computer from a hidden pocket and opened it.
Eggman took out his phone and sent Katella the dossier on the wiccaphages. "I have Ulala looking out at the oceans. I just need your skills finding them on land. This is very serious-" He was cut off.
Katella took a running start and knocked Eggman to the ground with a very violent tackle. She rubbed her cheek against his and giggled. "I missed you so much; I'll be gentle this time." She planted many kisses on his face before he could push her off.
Sheptilah reached down and grabbed the woman by the roots of her hair and threw her into the side of the building.
The witch took off her pink coat and let it drop to the ground. "Are you okay, Ivo?"
Eggman sat up. "I'm fine." He rubbed his throbbing temples. "Don't further engage her."
Katella stood up and balled her hands into fists, seemingly unhurt by the heavy impact. "Hey! How dare you touch me!"
Sheptilah stepped between her and Eggman. "Lay a hand on him again and I will decapitate you." She smirked. "It's my job as an Egg Boss to protect him."
"What did I just say!?" Eggman stood.
"Who are you?" Katella was sizing up the woman as all good hunters do.
"I'm the resident witch." She put her hand on her hip and looked Katella over.
"More like the resident corpse." She pulled her gun from its holster and fired it at Sheptilah. The beam was too fast to dodge completely so Tilly was merely grazed at the shoulder.
"Stop!" Eggman yelled, but it fell on deaf ears.
Sheptilah ran in a zig-zag motion like GUN had taught her with her hair growing to absurd lengths as she did so. In a flash Katella was being crushed by the silvery tendrils. She dropped the gun and it hit the ground with a clatter. The huntress was always prepared and managed to cut herself free with a pocketknife.
She lunged at the surprised witch and sliced at her face.
Sheptilah grabbed her by the wrist before the knife could be plunged into her eye and flipped Katella onto her back. The witch straddled her and punched at the redhead's face. Katella hissed and made several cuts to Sheptilah's arms with the knife.
"We need your help!" Sheptilah winced at the burning cuts. "So stop fucking around."
Katella threw her weight and rolled over on top of Sheptilah. The witch let up a tendril of hair and pulled the knife away from the other woman and threw it into the ocean.
"I should beat the life out of you and sell your remains to the highest bidder." Katella grimaced. She pummeled at the witch's face with her bare fists. "Animals like you belong in a cage."
"I'll show you an animal!" She howled. Sheptilah shapeshifted her teeth into many rows of razor sharp fangs. Katella was mid-punch when the transformation took place that it connected her fist directly into the maw and cut up her knuckles so badly her fingers were hanging on by the thinnest of tendons.
"What the fuck...?" Katella scrambled back, holding the wrist of her shredded hand. "What are you!?" Blood poured freely out of her destroyed limb.
Sheptilah spat out Katella's finger. "I'm your worst fucking nightmare." Her face further contorted to where the grotesque lamprey mouth took up her entire face, skin twisting around it like it was being sucked into a vortex. Sheptilah sat up and crawled on all fours slowly toward the other Overlander.
"Tilly, stop!" Eggman yelled.
The witch looked over at him when he called to her and the distraction was enough for Katella to kick the woman in the jaw. Sheptilah rolled across the outcrop and yelped in pain.
Eggman ran behind Katella and squeezed her with his mighty arms. "Stop this right now!"
"I like when you play rough!" The redhead smiled. She kicked him in the shin with her heel causing him to drop her.
Before Katella could do any further damage Sheptilah impaled her with her hair curled into a long, deadly lance; the tip of which was inches from Ivo's chest. The huntress wanted to scream but punctured lungs made that impossible and instead the smallest of anguished breaths gurgled from her throat like a death rattle.
The witch panted heavily, sweat coating her brow. "Remember this moment, Katella." The lance was now holding her dying body up several feet off the ground. Sheptilah picked up the severed finger and carried it to the woman. She pulled the hair from the woman's torso and wrapped it around her to heal her. The finger was reattached and Katella freed.
The huntress was mortified.
"You don't deserve mercy." Sheptilah tried to steady her breath. "Lay one finger on him again and I will kill you and bind your soul to the smallest stone and drop it into the deepest ocean so that you cannot ever find peace in the afterlife."
Katella backed up.
"Go hunt those wiccaphages and do not return until you find something. Now!" Sheptilah pointed to the ship.
Katella was sHell-shocked and obeyed the demand. She ran to the safety of her ship and took off within a minute.
Sheptilah went to Eggman and healed his leg. "Are you alright?"
"Thanks. Thanks..." He was a little frazzled. He saw her cuts, though mostly superficial, weren't healing.
It must've been a steel blade, he thought. "Come inside, I'll clean you up."
Tilly sat topless on the kitchen counter holding a towel to her bare chest while Eggman cleaned her wounds and applied bandages to them. Metal stood by and supervised.
"I should've killed her." She stared at a spot on the wall.
"You showed considerable restraint." Eggman squeezed one of the wounds to check for any debris and to draw more blood for study later, but he did not let Sheptilah know this.
She winced in pain. "Ow..."
"I'm sorry." He wiped the blood away with some cotton balls, finished wrapping her arms up and then tended to the thin cut on her cheek.
"It'll be healed within the hour," she said, "You don't have to bother with that one."
"Nonsense." He applied a small bandage to her cheek. "It makes you look tough!"
She smiled shyly. "I'm sorry for everything."
"Don't be," his expression was bittersweet, "Thanks for sticking up for me."
"My pleasure, Doctor." She grinned. "It's my job to protect you."
"Alright, you're all done here." He felt turmoil churn in his stomach; guilt for wanting to drain her for all she's worth and for putting her in the situation with Katella in the first place.
Sheptilah pulled him in for a hug and laid her head in the crook of his neck. He realized she was trembling. She gripped his jacket, holding on for dear life.
This woman really, genuinely likes me, he thought. My only flesh-and-blood friend in this whole world.
"Tilly?" He kept his hands on the countertop.
"Had I known I wouldn't have been interested in her or joked about it."
"Listen." He stroked her hair with one hand. "It's okay."
"I should've known. I should've…" Her breath hitched.
"Come on. Don't cry on my leather jacket. It's dry-clean only!" He wrapped his other arm around her. "It's okay."
"I couldn't tell. I didn't know. We're bonded and I had no idea."
"Because I'm really good at hiding things, honey. It's just how I am."
Her heart skipped a beat when he called her that. Honey. Sweet, sticky honey.
"You didn't do anything wrong, Tilly."
She pulled back and looked at him with wet eyes. He let her rest her cheek against the palm of his hand, using his thumb to wipe away a tear.
Something overtook him and he pressed his lips to hers. She let her grip loosen before tightening around him again. She pulled him in closer with her legs wrapped around his hips.
He deepened the kiss, going so far as to gently push her onto the counter top. He ran his fingers through her hair, enjoying the scent of the herbs she brushed through it every morning. He recognized lavender and oranges, but little else.
He peppered her jaw with tender kisses, slowly moving to her neck.
"Mmn... Ivo…" Sheptilah huffed. "You're emotionally compromised. Maybe we shouldn't-" She was interrupted by him grinding his groin against hers.
"I promise I'll take care of you," he whispered hotly, "If you'll have me."
"You're all that I want."
He grabbed a corner of the towel and slowly pulled it down but didn't get very far.
Metal Sonic beeped to remind them he was present.
The sudden noise startled the woman. She broke into a fit of giggles.
"I'm sorry." Ivo returned the laughter and lifted her back up. "I forgot he was there."
"Unbelievable." MARI beeped from the gauntlet.
"I'm sorry, Sheptilah; I got carried away. It's too soon for... that."
"Don't apologize, you didn't do anything wrong." She smoothed down her hair and jumped down from the counter.
"Yeah..."
She snapped her fingers and was now back in her simple black dress. "I waited five thousand years to meet you; I am very patient. Thank you for patching me up." She handed him the towel. He wrapped the bloody cotton balls in it and put the bundle aside.
"Please stay the night," his mouth was a tight line, "I'm worried Katella might come back."
"Of course. I call dibs on the sofa!" She grinned.
"Well, I don't think I'm going to sleep tonight so we should just watch a little TV." He suggested.
He decided to throw the bloody cotton balls and towel away and the turmoil immediately eased.
For the next couple of hours they watched a few programs together in the dark. Although she couldn't understand most of it she still enjoyed the marvel that was moving pictures. They dozed off together somewhere between an infomercial for an egg cuber and a sponge that supposedly sucks up anything liquid.
Every once in a while she reached for his hand and loosely clasped on a few of his fingers. At first he didn't reciprocate but after a few tries he finally held her hand properly, fingers interlocked.
Soon after Tilly fell asleep with her head on his thigh and his hand on her shoulder.
Metal protectively stood in the corner and went into sleep mode. Orbot came in and saw the two humans were sleeping soundly. He turned off the TV and brought out a cozy blanket and threw it on them.
For the time being things remained peaceful.