Iris looked down at her boots as she walked. The sound of them making the click-clack against the stone pavement was unsually pleasing to her ears. She was so busy looking at them that she hadn't noticed Sarah stopped walking and ran into her.
"Oof!" Iris nearly tripped over her.
"Careful, dear." Said Sarah as she smiled at Iris to let her know that all was well.

Today they were in the market getting supplies for the Inn; Ben stayed behind to keep things in order.
Jim was away for the day. Things were stirring up at head quarters with the pirates who were recently caught. Word was going around town that there were still more from the same crew that were lurking about. This was startling news to say the least and Iris tried not to listen to the chatter among the towns folk.
"Will you carry this for me?" Sarah asked as she reached a brown bag of flower out to Iris. "This basket of mine is getting heavy."
Iris took the bag of flower without complaint the two continued on with their shopping.

Jim sat in the council room with Admiral Black, Captain Amelia, Kate and others who were well experienced in the art of sailing. He was the only human among them.
"Jim Hawkins," Admiral Black started. "You mentioned before that when Iris gave you the list of names Captain Barlow's name was on it?"
Jim nodded. "Yes,"
"But he wasn't on the ship when you seized it." Kate said. She wasn't trying to poke fun, she was just stating a fact.
"It appeared that Captain Barlow and a few others fled the ship before things became really critical for them."
Amelia scoffed. "So much for a captain going down with his ship."
"Are there any possible leads to his whereabouts?" asked a man with shark-like features.
Jim thought for a moment. "Perhaps."
Kate raised a brow. "What does that mean?"
Jim rested his arms on the table and leaned forward. "Iris may know something."
"You mean she hasn't told you yet?" said an older woman who looked like a monkey.
Jim sighed. "No, lieutenant Keeting, she has not."
Admiral Blake thought for a moment. "Mr. Hawkins, it is very vital that we find out all we can before time runs out. The pirates from that ship are causing havoc."
"Not for long," said Kate. "We mean for them to be executed tomorrow morning." She then added, "What's taking you so long with Iris. I expected you to have gotten all the information out of her by now."
"Jesus, Kate," said Jim. "I'm not trying to interrogate the poor girl."
"Silence!" shouted Admiral Blake. "That is enough." He gave Jim a stern look. "You have one more week to get as much information out of her as possible. After that she will be sent to the camps where she will earn her citizenship like everyone else. Is that understood?"
Jim wanted to protest but he simply could not. "Yes, understood."

As Jim was making his way down the hall to leave head quaters Kate called out to him.
"Do you have a minute?" She asked him.
"What do you need?"
"I know I've been harsh on you the last couple of days, but you must understand that Iris has a job to do, and its up to you to see to it that she fullfills that job."
Jim faught back a grumble. "Is there anything else you need to tell me, or are you just wasting my time for the fun of it?"
"Please, Jim. Be serious for a moment." Kate begged.
Jim raised his voice a notch. "I am being serious. I know Iris the best—my mom second. You are by far the last person to tell me what she needs."
Kate crossed her arms. "And what does she need?"
"Trust," said Jim. "She wont open up eitherwise." He started to walk away. "Now if you'llexcuse me, I have shit to get done."
Kate clenched her fists. "Have you slept with her yet?" she said suddenly.
Jim stopped dead in his tracks. "Are you actually jealous of Iris?"
Kate said nothing.
Jim scoffed. "You left me, remember?" and he walked away.

That night Jim arrived back at the Inn it was late. When he walked inside eveything was neat and tidy. He took off his boots and left them at the door and then hung his jacket on the rack with the rest. However, Jim didn't exactly live at the Inn anymore. He had his own place in the really nice part of Montressor, but since Iris was staying here he thought it best that he do the same.

As he walked up the creaking stairs he noticed a dim light coming from the bottom door of the lounging room. Curious to know who was still up at this hour Jim peeked his head inside and saw Iris kneeling near the fire.
"You're still up? It's almost one in the morning." He yawned and walked inside, closing the door quietly.
"Can't sleep." Said Iris.
Jim sat down next to her. "Why not?" He found himself asking her this a lot lately. Just when he thought she wouldn't respond, what came out of her mouth shocked him.
"I want to—no, I need to kill Barlow."
"You and I have that in common. Captain Barlow isn't a good man. He's kill hundreds of innocent people. Can you tell me more about him? You are one of the very few people to have been abducted by him and live to tell about it."
Iris was silent for a moment. "I envy those who have died."
Jim turned Iris's head to look at him. "Don't ever say that." He told her. "You are lucky to be alive. Go on, tell yourself that. I want to hear you say it."
Iris stayed silent.
"Say it," Jim said.
"I'm lucky to be alive." She said it but there wasn't a single trace of her meaning it.
Jim let go of her face and sighed. "I'm going to be honest with you: today at head quarters they told me I have a week left with you. In that time I need you to tell me as much as you can about Captain Barlow and his crew. Anything helps. And the sooner that happens the sooner I can get you home."
"And if I don't?" Iris asked.
"You have to go to the camps." He regretfully told her.
"The camps are bad places?" She asked.
Jim shrugged. "They can be."
Iris sighed and reached for the pike to stoke the fire. "I miss the ocean." She suddenly said. "And putting my toes in the sand."
Jim smiled. "Tell me about your planet."
Iris took in a deep breath, preping herself. She told him that the ocean was so clear that you could see the bottom, even if it was a hundred feet deep. It made fishing easy, too. She also told him that there was a giant mountain in the middle of the island where she lived. It reached past the clouds and around it was a lucious green forest with hundreds of differents kinds of animals and thousands of plants and flowers.
The crops that grew there were generous in size and the rivers and lakes tasted like heaven. But most importantly were the crystals that littered the ocean floor and also at the base of the mountain and some of the surrounding areas. The crystals acted as a life source to the island, to the planet.
"You see," said Iris. "It's very important that I make it back home. My village needs me."
"When you say your village needs you, do you mean you rule over them?"
Iris shrugged. "I don't, no yet anyway. Before Barlow killed my papa, he was the chief. Now it is my mama, and she is waiting for me."
This was a lot for Jim to take in. "You say the crystals act as a life source. What do you mean by that?"
"Each crystal is part of us. Its what makes us whole. When we die and our bodies return to the land the crystal is left behind. Its engery from ones soul seeps into the ground to make it richer than the last who departed before them."
If Jim was tired before this he wasn't anymore. What Iris was telling him sounded like a safe haven; a paradise. "The crystals are a part of you? Can you elabrate on that?"
Iris looked to the floor to think for a moment and then slipped her nightgown off her shoulders until she exposed the crystal that rested on her chest. It sat inbetween her breasts and she was careful as to not fully expose herself, but there was enough there to see to give Jim a guess image as to what she might looked like underneath.
Jim wiped his sweaty palms on his pants before reached one hand toward her crystal. "May I?" he asked.
Iris nodded.
Jim touched the crystal. It was warm and smooth and he felt a small electicity at the tips of his fingers. "Amazing." He said.
Irish pulled her nightgown back over her shoulders. "I wasn't sure at first if I could tell you. You see, that's why Barlow kidnapped me and so many of my friends. We all have these crystals—all of them unique colors." She took a breath before continuing. "Barlow will not stop until every crystal from that island is gone. That's why he took me and my friends. He was going to sell us at a place called The Black Space Market. I know he will return to my home, that's why I must return and help my people fight. If we fail and Barlow get's what he wants the island will die without those crystals. If that happens the planet will die and the neighboring planets will suffer the side effects—and so on."
This was very serious and Jim was listening to every word she was saying carefully. "Like dominos." He said.
A puzzled look spread across Iris's face. "What are dominos?"
Jim shook his head. "Its a figure of speech, but basically what I'm saying is that if your planets dies it could potentially wipe out others?"
Iris nodded.

It was silent between the two for a moment.
Jim looked over at the auburn beauty sitting beside him, her attention fixed on the fire. Suddenly, he rested his hand on top of hers. "Iris,"
Iris turned her gaze toward Jim's hand and then looked up at him; he was looking at her, his usual dark blue eyes looked emerald from the glow of the fire. Her heart skipped a beat.
Jim took his other hand and caressed her cheek. He slowly brought her face closer to his. "Iris,"
Iris closed her eyes; she could feel his breath on her now.
Jim closed his eyes next. He was going to do it: he was going to kiss her. He wanted to taste her lips, feel them against his. And then he stopped. Have you slept with her yet? Kate's voice echoed in his mind. Damn it, he thought as he opened his eyes to see Iris still had hers closed. "It's late." He said standing up and walking to the door. "There is some place I would like to take you tomorrow, so please get some rest. Goodnight, Iris." and he closed the door behind him.
"Goonight." Iris whispered, touching her lips.

The next day Iris was sitting a medium sized boat, sailing across the ocean space to a nearby planet. It was small but it looked clean and beautiful.
When they decended through the clouds Iris was leaning against the edge of the boat, excited to see what was hidden underneath. And when the clouds faded and the view of a beach came into view Iris was ecstatic. There were huts scattered about the small island and a small forest lay in the middle. From way up top Iris could see trails and a waterfall resting very close to the middle.
Jim wanted to take her somewhere special, seeing how she had one more week before she would be sent to the camps...probably. Jim would fight with the council to ensure that never happened. Iris was too valuable to be tossed away like that. Besides, after hearing about her home, this was the next best thing for her; at least that's what Jim was thinking.

When they finally landed and made their way on to the beach Iris immediately took off her boots, her stockings following soon after. She then took off the sash and unbuttoned her dress, slipping it off her hips. Next came her corset. She had a bit of trouble fumbling around with the strings but with some effort she managed to take that off as well. She left her shift on and ran into the ocean, welcoming the shivering cold. It reminded her of home, although this water was salty whereas her ocean was a bit sweet.
All the while Jim was left to gather up all her belongings she had otherwise tossed aside. This he did not mind though. He stood at the base of the beach where the tide stopped a few feet short from him.
For now Jim would let Iris enjoy herself. She must have felt to caged being cooped up in the Inn for all those days. Come to think of it, this was the first time he had seen Iris run around with so much spirit. She was smiling and laughing as she let the tide chase her. He felt like he was seeing the real Iris for the first time. He liked this Iris...a lot.

While Jim was busy day dreaming Iris ran up to him, surprising him. "Join me." She said.
Jim shook his head. "I'm not dressed for it."
Iris rolled her eyes. "Then take off your clothes." She told him as she tried to remove his jacket. "Aren't you hot?"
"Not really," Jim told her. "Here, put your clothes back on. I made reservations for us. We need to get to our rooms to check in." He plopped her clothes into her arms. Even though Jim was extremelly tempted to join her he knew there were more important things to be done. He also enjoyed the sneak-peek of her breasts slightly showing through her shift, her crystal partially visible too. Beautiful, he thought.

Once checked in Jim took Iris around the island. He treated her to ice cream and other tastey pastries, and of course her favorite: chocolate. He happily trailed behind her as she skipped from one shop to the next, checking out all the tiny trinkets.
When night came lanterns were lit, lighting up certain parts of the island. Jim lay in his room uable to sleep. Iris was in the room next to his. He wondered what she was doing and forced himself to check on her. "She might need something." Jim said quietly to himself.
As he knocked on her door there was no responce. Maybe she was asleep. I should poke my head inside just to make sure, thought Jim. And when he did he found that Iris was not in her room at all. Instead the bedroom window was open.
Worried now Jim ran outside and into the forest where her opened window led. "Iris!" He whispered loudly, not wanting to wake the other guests sleeping. "Iris!" He could hear running water and made his way toward the sound.
It was the waterfall and he could see it clearly in the bright moonlight. Something—or rather, someone, jumped off the top and dived into the lake below. Jim watched with anticipation, taking a few steps forward and trying to get a better look. He soon realized that it was Iris he was looking at.
Iris let herself float, her crystal shimmering in the moonlight. The shadow outlined her fine body; her breasts plump and nipples perky.

Jim could feel himself getting hard and he tried desperately to calm his nerves. He took a breath seeing her get out. He was so transfixed on the water dripping off her body that he didn't realize that he was practially standing out in the open.
Iris eventually saw him and she picked up her shift and put it back on. "How long were you stanging there?" she asked him.
Jim's face flushed and he turned his gaze away. "Not long. I came to check up on you but you weren't in your room, so I came looking for you."
Iris rested her hands behind her back. "Oh, well as you can see I'm okay."
Jim didn't say anything and kept his head down.
Iris cleared her throat. "I'm not naked anymore, so you can look up now."
Jim lifted his head slowly. "I didn't mean to stare, I promise."
Iris chuckled. "Sure." She yawned then. "Well, I'm sleepy now, so I think I'll head back. Want to walk with me?" she asked as she started making her way back to the main part of the island. "Ouch!" she yelped as she stepped on pointy twig.
"Are you okay?" Jim asked.
Iris grumbled. "I stepped on a stupid twig. My feet have become soft since wearing boots."
Without anymore hesitation Jim picked her up bridal style. "I'll carry you the rest of the way back then."
Iris blushed. "What? Oh, there's no need."
Jim laughed a little. "Please, let me do this. Its the least I can do after everything you've told me."
Iris allowed herself to relax and felt herself drifting to sleep. She struggled to keep her eyes open as she stared up at Jim. Shadows danced about his face as he walked under the trees; the moonlight was so beautiful. And like that she fell asleep in his arms.

As Jim returned her to her room he slowly and carefully placed her on the bed. She moaned ever so slightly and breathed a heavy sigh. Jim couldn't help but look down at her, thinking about how innocent she looked—how sweet. He bent down, inching his face closer to hers. His heart was beating so fast he could hear it, and he feared that Iris would wake from it, and he didn't want that.
Very slowly and gently Jim pressed his lips against hers. He so wanted to suck on her lower lip, taste her, but again he did not want to wake her, so a simple kiss would have to suffice.
He soon tip-toed out of her room and retreated to his.

Not long after, Iris opened her eyes. She touched her lips, a faint smile spreading across her face.

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