The tall doors were only ajar as Tieria approached. He took a moment before opening them to take a deep breath and steel his nerves. Tieria had timed his arrival to the compound with great precision so as to coincide with the party and thus had yet to see any of the Innovators. He could hear an undertow of conversation without quite distinguishing what they were saying.

Tieria had a moment of profound if very brief fear. The company of other Innovators hardly ever brought him any comfort and after an interval without them, albeit a short one, he felt less inclined than ever to meet them. But he could not delay this any longer. It was with a sense of decision that Tieria swung the doors open with as much aplomb as possible.

He kept the same attitude as he strode down the vast hall. Long before he reached the group clustered at the further end its members had turned to face him. Familiarity, habit, his being very much part and parcel of the whole, all had gone into eroding the sense of weirdness that the Innovators invoked. That Tieria usually only met with a couple of them, at most, at the same time also helped. But now that they were all here, all those pairs of borderline identical beings, all extremely regular features that seemed so artificial in comparison with the humans he had just left, the unconscious coordination in which they all swiveled their heads in his direction, a shiver of dismay ran down Tieria's spine.

Tieria immediately spotted Ribbons. Ribbons had been inspecting a massive mirror, presumably Revive's present but dropped this entirely, first to stare at Tieria in growing appreciation and then to make his way in Tieria's direction.

Tieria kept his attention firmly on Ribbons even as he registered others' position. Tieria made sure not to as much as glance in Regene's direction. He let the sudden silence sink in before breaking his stillness with a flourish.

"Happy birthday, Ribbons Almark."

Tieria handed him a book wrapped in shiny paper. But Ribbons, for once, barely noticed it. Instead, he stared at Tieria whose attire seemed tailor-made to make him salivate. Which was indeed the case.

Tieria stood tall in stilettos and a skimpy black number comprised of a tuxedo-like sleeveless vest, very short shorts and exaggerated cuffs to match the enlarged stiff tails of the vest. Said vest hugged his chest, leaving a generous slice of skin visible in the middle. While it seemed fairly simple it taken a lot to actually conceive and then produce.

"My, Tieria...so glad to have you back…"

Ribbons had yet to even take the book. Tieria readjusted himself slightly, just enough to let his hips sway a bit.

"I told you, didn't I? I wouldn't miss your birthday for the world."

Ribbons nodded automatically and did more mute staring. The silence grew deeper with expectation. For someone who normally was so fond of his own voice as Ribbons to be this silent was nothing short of unnerving. At the same time, even as Tieria was intent on monitoring Ribbons's every single reaction, no matter how minute, he was almost painfully aware of Regene's presence. So much so that Tieria could have found Regene blindfolded. And that played a role in what Tieria did next.

Instead of waiting for Ribbons to take the lead, as Tieria was used to doing, he leaned forward, slowly and while lightly touching Ribbons's cheek, kissed him fully on the mouth. For the briefest of moments, Ribbons hesitated. It was a mere flicker of a reaction and were Tieria not so attuned to anticipating Ribbons, in ways that ran so much deeper than any Drive, he would have missed it entirely. Because almost immediately he answered to the kiss, hands brushing down Tieria's body as to confirm its lines and shape anew. Tucked between their chests, the still wrapped book.

Tieria let himself be swept off his feet, literally, as Ribbons picked him up. In this manner Ribbons carried him. It was just the kind of gesture to match his aesthetics of chivalry. Tieria toyed with the frilly ribbons in Ribbons's 18th century like shirt.

They were about to board the elevator that led directly to Ribbons's quarters when he seemed to recall that there the other Innovators were still present. In the most offhand of manners, Ribbons tossed a,

"Carry on."

As the doors slid closed Tieria had a full if brief glimpse of the entire Innovator gang in varying degrees of surprise, dismay, and disbelief. The elevator made its way up. Ribbons's bedroom was not a place Tieria was that familiar with but he had no time to properly examine it. Aquamarine walls, mirrors a bit all over including in the ceiling and a massive bed into which Ribbons placed him.

A very private place for all the histrionics. That Ribbons had brought him here as opposed to simply having public sex as used to be fairly common was very telling. Tieria dangled the book, legs crossed.

"Aren't you going to check out your birthday present?"

"Ah. I got my present right here."

Here was the expected cheesiness. Ribbons placed the book on the bedside table without breaking eye contact. Tieria pulled him in, flipping him so that Ribbons ended up sitting with Tieria straddling him. Tieria rested his forearms on Ribbons's shoulders and this time Ribbons took the lead in the kiss that followed.

Sex with Ribbons tended to be a highly mediated matter: Ribbons would talk throughout most of it. There were several reasons for this, most of which Tieria had never bothered to consider until he was forced to. Part of it was simply Ribbons being Ribbons, someone who was ever so enamored with his own voice. Hardly any telepathy here, Ribbons would verbalize, be it commands or simply whatever struck his fancy. The more basic element of dirty talk surely also played a role although probably not as big as one as it might seem at first glance.

Deeper than all this, there remained a sense of performance that was Ribbons's way of enacting his ego. It placed a firm barrier between himself and his partner, namely, Tieria. More than dominance, it was this need to keep himself apart that drove Ribbons into engaging with a simulation of communication.

In this it differed radically from sex with Regene that flowed with barely any verbal interaction in a kind of exchange of information in the form of stimuli.

Tieria was aware of all this but at the moment, it was a background program against which played out the action of kissing, being kissed, undressing, being undressed. And all this without a single word exchanged.

In fact, it was Tieria who broke the spell. Ribbons produced a condom from a drawer, ripping it open with his teeth.

"A condom? I haven't seen one in ages."

Ribbons granted him a self-depreciating smile.

"It's been a while since I saw you...wouldn't want to let you down."

Tieria took the condom and dangled it.

"You're not supposed to use your teeth to open this, you know."

"Oh well. It's not needed, just there to make sure I last."

This was new. Ribbons was not usually one to admit shortcomings, not in any serious way, at least. Tieria dangled the condom some more.

"Thanks?"

"Anytime, Tieria."

Tieria took his time applying the condom with his mouth before slowly climbing back and slowly riding Ribbons. While he had planned this with the same deliberate care he had put into conceiving and creating the outfit, Tieria could not exactly be unaffected by such close contact. There was no need to fake a moan as he swayed, picking up a rhythm, while Ribbons steadied him.

Barring traumatic circumstances, none of which were even close to Tieria's current state of mind which was being consumed by bolts of pleasure careering through his whole body, sex between Innovators led to a synchronicity. Levels were arousal became even, until all partners were locked into an upward momentum toward maximum input.

Tieria fully counted on this to tide him over. Even during his long period of mental hibernation, as he saw it, Tieria had been marginally aware of the phenomenon. As things now stood, he was keenly aware of it and eager to explore just how to use it to his advantage.

But by its very nature, this meant that for Tieria there was no escaping the overwhelming rush that had him swaying, skin glistening with sweat, his whole body captured in moving as fast possible. Just as he could feel the irresistible buildup about to explode, Tieria forced himself to establish eye contact with Ribbons.

An intermittent golden red glimmer sparkled in Ribbons's eyes. Tieria had a moment of lucidity, it must surely be an unconscious Veda connection working its way through Ribbons- and odds are the same was happening to Tieria himself- and then everything disappeared in a blaze of ecstasy. Aftershocks were still shooting through his nerves when Ribbons added to them by reaching his own climax. Here too, the synchronicity went a ways into optimizing a partner's pleasure into something shared. While Tieria did not quite feel Ribbons's orgasm as his own, the jet of hot liquid being released inside him still made him squirm, stealing his breath into a gasp, firing his already sizzling sense perception.

They shared a moment of quiet, borderline intimacy. The afterglow consisted of evening breath, Tieria leaning his forehead against Ribbons's shoulder while Ribbons held him. Tieria was almost tempted to enjoy it a bit longer but decided against it.

He disengaged himself from Ribbons and climbed down, lifting an eyebrow in mock annoyance at the ruptured condom still fastened to Ribbons. A trail of semen- or what passed for it- slid down Tieria's thigh.

"So much for the condom, huh?"

Ribbons shrugged.

"Don't blame me. Condoms were made for human use."

"And you're just so much...potent than humans?"

Ribbons's look on giddy happiness was priceless. In some things Ribbons was ever so easy to manipulate and not even Tieria's snarky tone did anything to dampen his spirit. Then again, if anything, it only made Ribbons more pleased with himself.

Ribbons scooped a dollop of semen from his chest and tasted it.

"Hmm...well, you did not seem to mind it too much, now did you?"

It was Tieria's turn to shrug.

"What do you suppose it even is? Given it can't exactly be semen."

Ribbons thoughtfully licked some more then sighed.

"I have no idea. Do tell me you don't want to have it analyzed?"

"As a matter fact, I do."

Ribbons sighed again.

"How can someone be so sexy one moment than then become so unsexy the next?"

It might be the same kind of phenomenon that made Ribbons so susceptible to flattery in certain circumstances and yet a master manipulator who had literally taken over the entire known universe. Once again Tieria could not help wondering whether, for all that, Ribbons would have succeeded if not for Regene's help. The question nearly bubbled over his lips and out into the open.

Tieria stretched, at length, looping his fingers together above his head, allowing his body to be on full display.

"So sorry, Master Ribbons. I'll be taking my leave, then."

Tieria slowly spun around and bent down, making as if to gather his clothes. In no time Ribbons had glued himself to his back, arms around him, hands folded over Tieria's navel. Tieria found himself leaning into the embrace. The warmth was oddly comforting. Tieria closed his eyes and sighed despite himself.

"Now, now. I want you to stay."

Ribbons broke the spell by talking and then nibbling Tieria's earlobe. Tieria was greatly relieved. This was territory he was familiar with.

"Don't you have a party to go back to?"

Ribbons tilted Tieria's face so as to taste his lips.

"It's my birthday so it's my call, don't you think?"

Of course, it was not his birthday but everything was always Ribbons's call. Tieria thought this over. Ribbons appreciated a bit of friction and too much submissiveness bored him. So Tieria might very well risk a bit of snark.

"It's not your birthday, you were never born. And it's always your call because you're Master Ribbons Almark."

Ribbons held him even closer. Tieria's back was glued to Ribbons's chest, every breath Tieria took registering as a kind of body length caress that while very low key, was apparently enough as Tieria could feel Ribbons hardening. Ribbons drew circles around Tieria's bellybutton.

"Correction, we were never born. This is just decoration. Pretty decoration...but decoration for all all that."

Ribbons softly poked Tieria's bellybutton.

"So is this, for that matter."

Tieria lowered Ribbons's hand, placing it over his own budding erection.

"Ah. It serves the purpose perfectly."

Tieria swayed his hips from side to side, very slowly. Ribbons matched his pace in pumping him.

"Innovators are an existence that is purposeful by definition."

It was one of Ribbons's lines that Tieria now fed back to him. This was the kind of thing Ribbons absolutely loved, after all. Tieria could feel Ribbons's breath on his neck, hot and eager.

"'We', Tieria. 'We'. The way you say it, it's like you're not an Innovator yourself."

There was no disputing that, as much as it still pained Tieria to accept it. He now lilted, his half-lidded as he swayed in a kind of daze,

"We are an existence that is purposeful by definition."

But what this purpose even supposed to be, Tieria had no idea. Ribbons led Tieria to bed, sitting him down before getting on his knees, casting a sly smile upward as he did so. Tieria waited with baited breath as Ribbons took his own sweet time parting Tieria's legs, tracing the merest ghost of a caress from knee all the way to the hips, at which point he stopped before slowly making his way to the inner thighs. The buildup was deliberate and quite successful: Tieria could feel a simmering heat just underneath his skin.

Tieria almost missed the annoying banter. Ribbons took to toying with Tieria's downy pubic hair- Tieria wondering briefly why they were equipped with such things in the first place- before tracing Tieria's by now aching erection. The teasing was not unusual but the silence was. It had an innervating quality that did not, quite, dampen Tieria's arousal. If anything, it intensified it which might very well be the whole point. Tieria would like to interrupt it but was unwilling to quite do so. Something told him that it would backfire. Tieria knew Ribbons well enough to be all too aware that he was immensely volatile and that trusting the mood between them to hold was foolhardy.

And perhaps as a reward for his compliance, Ribbons next ran the tip of his tongue over the hardened flesh. Tieria held his breath as Ribbons teased out the trickle by now oozing, playfully licking the shaft. As tempted to close his eyes as he was, Tieria glanced down and sure enough Ribbons was smirking his way. Tieria could feel the contour of the smile against his heated skin.

Ribbons was clearly having fun by having Tieria teetering between pleasure and frustration by thoroughly coating the whole length then blowing ever so gently, the wetness increasing Tieria's sensitive and drawing an involuntary moan from him.

Tieria was about to go ahead and ask Ribbons to go ahead and get to it already when he found himself locked in such a frantic kiss that he was not even sure how he ended up on his back with Ribbons on top.

Tieria knew the rules of the game, having taken control the first round, he should now allow Ribbons to be in charge. Still, a little cooperation on his part could not make things worse- unless, of course, Ribbons was in a mood to be forceful but Tieria was by now very much attuned to Ribbons's whims and sensed his mood did not swing in that direction.

So Tieria spread himself as invitingly as possible, propping his lower body with a cushion. Tieria let his hands rest, half-curled in a gesture of symbolic surrender and invitation, framing his head along with the somewhat disheveled hair now pooling on the spotlessly white sheets.

"Let it never be said I can't take a hint, Tieria."

"Indeed, Master Ribbons."

Tieria's tone was flippant. Ribbons laughed at it. Ribbons's mood veered on the exultant as he penetrated Tieria. And it only improved. Ribbons settled for a steady rhythm that while not quite quite slow, was still not quite what Tieria wanted. Tieria made him know this by breathing out,

"Faster,"

"Ah, no can do. I am going for romantic love making here."

Tieria rolled his eyes. He never much cared for Ribbons's relapses into this kind of talk but during sex it could be nothing short of annoying. Tieria did not have time to express his feelings on this because just then Ribbons hit his weak spot, causing Tieria's whole body to jolt. Tieria wrapped his legs around Ribbons in order to keep him locked in place.

True to his word, Ribbons took the hint and picked up speed. Ribbons muffled the string of moans with a kiss in which the edge of a bite was there just below the surface. Just as Tieria was almost entirely lost in the tangle of limbs, his nerves running riot, he was suddenly invaded by an overwhelming connection straight into his brain. Ribbons's awareness burst into him: it was through Ribbons's eyes that he saw himself- Tieria's eyes iridescent in that telltale golden red molten glow- and through Ribbons' synapses that he felt the rush of emotion- elation, pride, pleasure radiating from a core of something Tieria did not want to to contemplate- and it was Ribbons's climax that Tieria felt.

It lasted but a few moments: Tieria was returned to his own senses just time to feel his own orgasm tearing through him. He barely knew where- or who- he was. All he could perceive was Ribbons's face above hims, features for once softened into an expression Tieria was not familiar with. Tieria let himself be rolled into a hug and bask in the afterglow. The need to process what had happened was already a pressure at the edges of his mind but for now Tieria wanted to simply float in a careless stupor. "And how was that for you, my dear?"

Tieria disliked being the term of endearment as Riboons well knew. That was the whole point.

"I am sure you know."

"Perfect exchange of stimuli across individuals. No human can ever achieve that."

Apparently it was some kind of competition to Ribbons. Not at all surprising. Tieria was just relieved to be back in his own body, listening to his own heartbeat evening out, breathing in, breathing out.

Ribbons sketched a caress on Tieria's cheek.

"And being an Innovator is the absolute best?"

Ribbons brightened up like a little boy.

"Exactly! There is no need to bewail who you are."

Tieria nearly corrected him, "no 'who', 'what'" but he was not in the mood for argumentation. Fortunately Ribbons was also not keen on talking. Without a word Ribbons carried Tieria to the massive bathroom where they both lounged on sprawling, lake-like bath. Under a waterfall they once again brought their bodies together, the water an added caress to the tantalizing pressure. The quickie momentarily exhausted Tieria and he was very glad to be back in bed where the sheets had been replaced by clean ones by robots.

Ribbons presented Tieria with a marine blue nightgown, slipped into silky pajamas of the same color. Only now did Tieria hesitated. He was clearly expected to just join Ribbons for the night, Ribbons was already pulling open the covers next to him but Tieria was unsure whether he wanted to. Then again, Tieria had put so much effort into this night and this was precisely what he had aimed at from the start. It was foolish to turn back now.

So Tieria cuddled next to Ribbons who fortunately fell asleep right away without being his obnoxious self. Tieria would rather not spend too much time looking at Ribbons's sleeping figure. It was too hopelessly vulnerable and helplessly innocent. It was also a lie.

It was with relief that Tieria abandoned himself to sleep.

"Good morning, Tieria."

Tieria woke up to Ribbons's singsong greeting. He had expected Ribbons to be long gone when he woke up but here they were, Ribbons presiding at a table absolutely packed with food and utensils. What a strange way of waking up.

"Good morning. That's a lot of food you got there, are the rest joining us?"

Ribbons frowned slightly. He was in the process of picking up a delicate, almost transparent teacup.

"No. Just you and me."

Tieria changed into the Innovator uniform, took a seat and surveyed the spread before him. On the very white towel everything seemed imbued with light. There was a silvery teapot with such a delicate bottom that it defied gravity, a pyramid of sugar cubes that ranged from darker to sparkly white, butter arranged in metal salvers to keep in cool, a tower of syrupy pancakes along with jars of said syrup, slices upon slices of thinly frilled bacon, small constructions of pastry stuffed with sweetness, milk pitchers of beaten silver, porridge steaming away, fragrant coffee beans ready to be ground in this artisan mill, a platter of fruit fanned out like a display, tiny round scones with a veneer alongside all sorts of jams, honeys and pâtés.

Tieria barely knew what to do with it all. Ribbons decided to make it easier for him.

"How about some tea? Will black do?"

"It's fine, thanks."

Ribbons poured him a cup of fragrant tea. Tieria sipped it, trying to read the room. Morning afters were not something he was familiar with. He was aware humans often found these very awkward and he could well see why. Something occurred to him. "You haven't checked out your present yet."

"I was waiting for you to wake up."

Ribbons produced the still wrapped parcel. Tieria had the uncomfortable feeling that Ribbons had spent an untoward amount of time watching him sleep. Ribbons unwrapped it to reveal a book. Ribbons gasped, stared at the cover, then glanced at Tieria, then stared at the cover some more. Tieria could not help smiling. "Dune...hardback edition. Where did you even find it?!"

"I have my secrets. I hope you'll like it."

"Like it? I love it! I don't think I ever even saw a physical copy in real life."

"Yes, I figured it'd be right up your alley."

Ribbons nodded gravely.

"I have a great fondness for classic sci-fi."

"None of us would exist in the Dune universe, you know."

Ribbons tilted his head then beamed.

"Innovators are thinking machines? Yes, I think you're right. Even if we aren't, Veda most definitely is a thinking machine."

"The Butlerian Jihad would wipe us all out."

Ribbons jumped to his feet with such suddenness that Tieria found himself also standing up.

"And that, Tieria, is precisely why I had to wipe out humanity first. I am so glad you are starting to see things my way."

Given Ribbons could literally force Tieria to see through Ribbons's eyes, this sounded even more chilling. More importantly, it did not bode well for what Tieria had been striving to accomplish. But now was not the time to correct Ribbons.

"Maybe we could pass for Mentats."

Ribbons took Tieria's hand and kissed it. There was truly no telling when Ribbons would burst into an effusion of romantic nonsense but that these could- and were very often- triggered by visions of mass destruction was probably not incidental.

"Ah, we can pass for many things. But the danger is to great. When humans are in charge, we end up at the vivesection table. Or at the brothel as things to be used. It is a matter of time, Tieria. Only a matter of time. No human will ever truly value you, understand you and love you."

All this may very well be true. In fact, in a way, Tieria had suspected something to this effect himself. There were exceptions- Ribbons could Stockholm Syndrom all he wanted, Tieria would never believe his crew would turn to slicing him alive- but humanity, as a whole, was unlikely to allow for Innovators to simply exist.

"Switching to another sci-fi classic, why do you think Aeolia Schenberg did not program us with something like the Laws of Robotics?"

Ribbons shrugged, clearly at a loss. Tieria knew Ribbons did not particularly like this line of thought but Tieria was genuinely curious.

"Who can tell? Oh, I know! Let's read Dune together."

Tieria had half a mind to tell him that if someone should know it would be the humanoid demigod whose brain had been enhanced to keep up with a quantum super computer but stopped himself at the very last moment. This proposal of reading the book together nearly made him frown.

"What do you mean?"

Ribbons pulled his chair so as to sit next to him, knees almost touching.

"We can take turns reading out loud, like they did in the 19th century."

This was a terrible idea and as usual Tieria could not refuse. Dune was hardly that long a tome, in Innovator terms it barely registered as any one of them could download it and have immediate access to every single line. But it reading those lines, out loud, would take plenty of time. Plenty of time spent with Ribbons. And a lot of it with no sex involved, Tieria had the sinking feeling Ribbons really did mean to actually read the whole book.

"Sounds fun."

"Great!"

At the back of his mind, Tieria could not help wondering if he could just let Regene take the bullet for once. Realistically, it was not worth it. Regene could impersonate Tieria with truly distressing accuracy but if Ribbons were as much as to suspect the switch, he would explode in a fit of anger that Tieria simply could not afford.

"Hey, did you finish your painting already?"

Ribbons clouded over. He played with a piece of toast, avoiding eye contact.

"Yes but it's not up to the standard I'd like,"

"Can I see it?"

Ribbons started. For a split second he looked so scared that it was almost cute. Tieria could tell Ribbons was about to turn him down, mustering all the gentleness he could, Tieria cradled Ribbons's face. "Please?"

"Well- if you insist,"

"I do insist."

Tieria took Ribbons's hand and half-dragged him away from the table. The painting was a wonderful excuse for waxing enthusiastic about something that would mean a lot to Ribbons. It would not involve spending an untold number of hours (as a manner of speaking, Tieria had already checked the audiobook's length: 21 hours and two minutes; but of course Ribbons would find ways of dragging it for much longer) reading out a book as if they were stuck in the time of bloody Charles Dickens (trust Ribbons to go for the anachronism). As soothing as Ribbons's voice was- and Tieria had to admit it truly was, if Ribbons would not slide into being, well, Ribbons, his voice was truly lovely- Tieria was not looking forward to these reading sessions. Not to mention Tieria himself was supposed to participate sos he could not just tune out either.

The painting itself had not entered into the calculations. Tieria enjoyed Ribbons's lame excuses and sheepishness but that was about it. Once arrived at the studio, Ribbons made a final attempt to keep Tieria from seeing it. Coming to a standstill before a covered canvas, he nearly twitched with unease.

"Tell you what, Tieria. How about I show you another time?"

Tieria was having none of that. Before Ribbons could protest, Tieria pulled the cover.

For a full minute, Tieria was entirely speechless. He was vaguely aware of Ribbons shuffling about and probably saying something but all Tieria could do was stare in sheer and absolute wonder. His first impression was that Ribbons had painted Regene instead of him. The soft, etheral beauty confronting him was not something Tieria associated with "Tieria Erde". Nor was it, at all, anything Tieria thought Ribbons could ever create.

For starters, it was not pornographic or even lewd. Tieria- a delicately drawn, lushly colored version of Tieria- floated against a dark space background. He held a translucent Earth complete with the continents and oceans reproduced systematic accuracy, the planet blocking out the lower part of this evanescent body that was all serene lines. The hair floated in a halo, which reinforced the connection to Regene, but it was the eyes and hands that arrested Tieria's attention. Deep crimson eyes held an expression Tieria could not quite read but seemed to match the protecting gesture in which the hands were arranged as they cradled the Earth. The Tieria on canvas gazed lovingly at the planet like a veritable protector deity.

"It's,"

What? Tieria could still find no words to express it. His bafflement was only accentuated when he heard Ribbons go,

"It's not a chicken."

Tieria blinked. The tone had been harsh, almost angry. Clearly Ribbons expected Tieria to mock him. Odds are Ribbons was angrier at himself for having exposed himself like this than at anyone else.

"It's absolutely beautiful."

It was Ribbons's time to blink.

"Do you mean that?"

Tieria nodded. He studied the painting some more. Whatever it was that moved him was still unclear but he suspected it had everything to do with the way in which Ribbons, for once, actually expressed himself.

"It sounds strange coming from me, I know. But it's as beautiful as Regene."

"No, it's you. Not Regene. You. Tieria Erde. Angel of the Earth."

This earnestness unbalanced Tieria. He hardly knew how to respond.

"Is that how you see me…?"

Ribbons shrugged.

"It's one of the ways I see you."

Tieria hesitated briefly before sending him, uncut, the bundle of emotions that presently his brain state. Ribbons took it, closed his eyes. "Thank you."