Chapter 6
An older male fairy straddled to the back of the head of a very large garden snake made his way towards them.
Wolowix smoked back into the bow gun as the male fairy's snake slithered to a stop, its tongue darted into the air as the fairy dismounted his reptile steed. The fairy wore a Roman style helmet with the fluff of a dandelion seed as a Mohawk. The fairy had red and white striped war paint on each of his cheeks and he gripped a spear with a cat's claw as a point. The fairy was only inches taller than Penelope as he approached her and stopped a few feet from her. He stomped down the spear's pole to the ground and spoke with a deep Russian accent, "Privet moy prekrasnyy, Penelope."
Penelope smiled, "Privet, urodlivyy."
The Russian laughed and took her into a hug. She 'oofed' as he pulled her into the hug and she grinned, "Long time no see, Dimitri. Staying out of trouble, I hope."
He let her go and laughed, "When have I ever promised to stay out of trouble?" He looked over at Sheldor, who was fidgeting uncomfortably, and looked back at Penelope with a sneer, "Who's this?"
She smiled over at Sheldor, "That is Sheldor of Galstire…"
Sheldor cleared his throat and cut her off, "SIR Sheldor if you please. I was knighted after much strain on my part so I would like for it to not have been in vain."
Penelope tilted her head curiously as Dimitri gave a hearty laugh, "Well, Sir Sheldor of Galstire, I am Dimitri of the Rellistherapy Clan… I am head of the Defenders. I'm glad to see that someone besides a witch has taken a liking to her."
Penelope rolled her eyes and gave Sheldor a wink. Sheldor, in turn, shrugged, uttering, "Alright then."
Dimitri looked at Penelope and sighed, "Nice to see you finally got your heart back and not sleeping around and killing men." He turned and mounted his snake as Penelope seemed awfully uncomfortable with the fairy's last utterance. Dimitri grumbled, "Follow me… I'll show you to your room."
Sheldor shook his head and made long strides to catch up to Penelope. They were ascending the meticulously carved spiral that towered up the entire length of the tree's insides. There were doors crafted from skilled hands almost every 6 paces. They went up another spiral and he could see two arch shaped holes where many fairies were 'shopping' inside. He shook his head at the wonder of such a well oiled machine of this fairy kingdom. He turned his head and yelled at the Russian fairy upon his snake, "Excuse me… I would like to see Onar or at least get an update on his current status."
The fairy scoffed and stopped the snake, "Your friend was dead when he arrived, but the wound seemed to have been trying to heal. Progress of healing someone from their grave takes time and concentration on the healer's part. The best thing you can do for your friend is to rest and wait for his full recovery. Now… as I was saying… follow me."
Sheldor spoke again, irritating the Russian, "Also… I couldn't help but wonder… didn't you mean… rooms… with an S… signifying two or more rooms."
The Russian looked over his shoulder with a bit of malice in his tone, "Outsiders are not permitted to be without a companion. Instead of forcing one of our own to deal with you, we stationed Penelope as your watcher. Be grateful it wasn't ME who was chosen… you would have this spear in your belly already."
The Russian turned around in a huff and Sheldor ignored the man's threat as he blushed. He dared not to look over at Penelope, "But… but no one is allowed in my room."
The Russian laughed and shook his head, "yeblya devstvennista! You have nothing to fear. She's the best bed companion you could hope for. You can't even get her pregnant… be thankful it's her and not Mrs. Willowitz… She'd take up the whole damn room." The Russian moved his snake and gave a huge laugh. Sheldor looked over at Penelope before she moved to follow and saw pain and embarrassment written all over her face. He didn't understand her facial expression.
Wasn't the Russian giving her a compliment?
They followed the long snake in silence for only a few steps. Sheldor took a long stride to walk side by side with the blonde and he spoke in a volume that only they could hear, "I'm curious to know a few things. One, what have you accomplished to be so well accepted by this clan? Two, what, pray tell, is a 'Bed Companion'? And three…"
The Russian cut him off with a loud, "There is your room. Do not wander around too much. We will contact you when your friend is in full recovery. No weapons are allowed outside of your room, so… best to keep it under your pillow for now. Do svidaniya." Before Sheldor could yell in complaint, the Russian and his snake were off.
Penelope smiled sadly at the thick, magically crafted door, and spoke, "When I was ten, I found Stephinaria badly hurt on the ground. She was still in small fairy form and I scooped her out of the dirt. She told me her entire clan was in trouble and I agreed to help her. Lumber jacks from my village, Omashire, were going to chop down their tree, so… I strapped myself to the tree trunk and stayed there for two weeks straight. Stephinaria gave me food and water when I needed it and I used the bathroom as close to the tree as possible. In the end, the men stopped coming and left the tree alone. Stephinaria's father, Goldfarb, leader of the Rellistherapy clan made me a permanent member as their savior."
Sheldor watched her as she opened the door before her. She looked over and said, "A bed companion is a saying used for a person who… joins another… in that person's bed."
Sheldor shook his head, not getting the subtle tries of the woman, and Wolowix groaned and ghosted himself beside Sheldor, "Oh My God! Really Shelly? Look… a bed companion was the fairy's way of calling her a 'Whore'… He was insinuating that you two were going to engage in coitus… but you missed a very vital part in the Russian's sentence…"
Sheldor held up his hand and motioned towards Penelope and Wolowix fell quiet. Penelope's head was bowed and she seemed almost brought to tears just as Sheldor spoke softly so that no one but the people in the vicinity could hear, "I can most assuredly say that I did not miss anything that, that ill-spoken fairy let spill out of his mouth. You are unable to procreate… unable to bear a child… that isn't uncommon. He insulted you deeply with that negligent statement, I can tell, but know this… it doesn't make you any less of a woman, Penelope."
Wolowix looked over at Sheldor with shock and pride before grinning and smoking out. Penelope turned to look at Sheldor. It was a strange look… a mixture of sadness with a hint of wonder. She slowly gave a heartwarming smile before she looked down, gave a small 'thank you', and entered the room. His heart nearly took flight and he calmed himself before following her. That little smile was quite possible the most dangerous thing in the whole universe. It nearly brings him to his knees every time he sees it.
The room was painfully mundane for a room inside a fairy kingdom. There were absolutely no windows, no closets, not even a bathroom… just a Queen sized bed looked to be made from an amateur carpenter and a bed-side table with an old oil lantern. Sheldor shook his head, "Curiouser and Curiouser… this seems more like a prisoner's cell than a vistor's room."
Penelope smiled and pulled her arm across her chest to grip the other, "Yeah… it does have that 'What Would You Like For a Final Meal' kinda feeling to it." She stared at the bed before taking in a deep sigh and turning to him with a grin, "Would… would you mind coming with me somewhere?"
He studied her face. She looked eager and looked to be begging him with her eyes. He looked around the room and gave a mock sigh of derision, "I don't know… I wouldn't want to miss all the fun in here."
She gave a laugh, "Sarcasm?"
He looked at her, "I thought I was the only one who had trouble distinguishing that."
She shook her head, "Well? Will you accompany me, Sir Sheldor of Galstire?"
He grinned, "Of course."
She gave a happy noise then did a small little dance, "Great!" She stepped towards him and gave a sympathetic look, "Sorry Wolowix, but you'll have to stay here. Weapons aren't allowed in the city."
Wolowix ghosted out to the side with a mocking sad face, "Awwww…"
She smiled at the ghost as Sheldor took the bow gun off his side and tossed it on the bed with worry. He wasn't too keen on going anywhere without a weapon, but… he was a man that believed rules were in place for a reason, so there was no point in questioning the authority of the place that granted him sanction.
He felt his hat's weight lift off his head and he nearly yelp like a girl. He snapped his eyes over to watch Penelope smile as she pinched the natural crease in the crown of the hat and place the hat upon the bed. She moved slightly to be in front of him and connected her gaze with his. He swallowed, not understanding the new yearning in her eyes. She took in her lips and pressed down then released them and she stretched out her arms. She snaked her hands into his jacket against his two layered covered ribs and upwards upon his shoulders. Her nose bumped his and he turned into a statue. His eyes were wide and his breathing became erratic. Did… did she intend on engaging in coitus? He thought they were going someplace… he… he was not prepared on this onslaught of his persons. He swallowed as she slid off the magical jacket.
Wolowix, hovering over the bed where the bow gun sat, wolf-whistled and laughed, "You are one cruel mistress, Miss Penelope. I think you may have broken him? Hey, Shelly, I think you have a bit of drool on your chin there."
She folded the jacket with an amused grin as Sheldor turned his head and scowled at the ghost. Penelope clapped her hands, "I didn't want you to ruin your hat or jacket at where we're going. They'll all be safe here, I promise. You said you trusted me, remember?" Her brows were raised as Sheldor slumped in defeat.
They both kicked off their shoes and socks. That left Sheldor in a knitted cotton shirt of gray and white stitching underneath a smoothed furred vest made from the hide of a Minotaur and his dark khaki tailor made pants and Penelope in her black body suit.
They exited the room cautiously. Sheldor followed a confidant blonde down the wide corridors. Fairies in their homes stared oddly as they passed. Sheldor watched in awe as fairies swooped down with their wings elegantly sweeping them to a graceful landing and jogging to their homes. Random male fairies on the backs of geckos, newts, beetles, small mammals, and small birds would casually pass them. Those must be some of the Defenders, very interesting.
Penelope led them to a back wall almost hidden away from the fairy kind. They pressed their backs to the wall of polished wood as they crossed a narrow ledge. Falling would plummet them into a thick darkness below that Sheldor could not see the bottom of. He swallowed in horror until he saw the ledge get thicker and Penelope side-stepped and paused until he could catch up. He stepped beside her and stared at a very creepy, ominously dark tunnel and he almost whimpered. She smiled and looked at him, "Almost there."
He faked a smile until she lurched forward then his smile grimaced and whispered to himself very cynically, "Where? To our DOOM?"
Penelope kept a very experienced pace while Sheldor stepped carefully and kept whining to himself. He actually screamed when one of the stalagmites dripped on his shoulder. Penelope just gave a laugh, "Not. Funny. Do you know that cyanobacteria can be found in almost every terrestrial and aquatic habitat: in oceans, fresh water, even bare rock and soil in caverns such as this? They form motile filaments, called hormogonia, that travel away from the main biomass to bud and form new colonies elsewhere in an explosive manner. They produce toxins, called cyanotoxins, which can adversely affect function of the developing and mature nervous tissue, cause liver damage, cause necrosis of healthy cells in the body, and further the decline of the immune system to where the bacteria will eventually kill its host. So, one little drop is all it needs to contaminate my persons. Laugh all you want, but when you have to drag my dead body from this horrid tunnel, we'll see who has this 'last laugh'."
Penelope rolled her eyes and shook her head, "We're almost there… and I'm pretty sure it isn't going to INSTANTLY kill you. Now, hush…"
He groaned and just kept moving forward, still clasping his arms to his body looking back and forth at the walls as if they were disgusting. He took a few more long steps until he saw Penelope standing at an opening with an eerie white glow around her. He finally made it to her at the large opening and she gave a sarcastic gasp, "You… you're still ALIVE! It's a miracle!"
He scowled, "I'm glad my legitimate phobia can amuse you."
She reached up and patted his cheek, "I'll make it up to you… right now!" She gestured her arm in a waving manner to usher him into the opening. His brows touched until he the scenery of where she had led them hit his sight. There was a mirror clear pond encompassed within the ceiling of a wide variety of macrocrystalline. He could distinct the Amethyst, Smoky and Milky quartz, and a little of Citrine. It was absolutely beautiful, but the thing that made the whole site breathtaking was the waterfall in the center of the body of water that came from nowhere and it barely even moved the water below. He looked over at Penelope and could the pool reflecting in the profile of her eyes. She was reminiscent of this place and it seemed to be one of her good memories.
Penelope snapped out of her trance and looked over at Sheldor and smiled, "This is probably my favorite place in the whole wide world. It's called 'Maji ni ya Muda' or 'The Water of Time'. It was forged by the great Caillek, the Veiled One, so the fairies of this clan could replenish their strength after a great battle, but her assistant, Balbh, mixed up the potions and instead of the pool that regenerated time… it actually just… SHOWS you time. It's the most damnedest thing."
He furrowed his brow as she spoke then waited till she was finished, "Poppycock!"
She looked over at him with an amused but shocked face, "You doubt me… well then, smarty pants… go in and find out for yourself."
He went rigid at this and Penelope noticed, she bent her body over to look at his face. He cleared his throat and tried to regain his composure before explaining, "I… I cannot swim."
She nodded and moved out of his view and he took a breath of relief. Her voice carried on behind him, "You really don't have to worry about that. No matter where you stand in the pond, it is always the same. You will always be submerged from your shoulders down. Even when you're standing beside someone of unequal height. That's the magic of the pool."
Sheldor's brows furrowed again and he spun, "Poppy…"
He stopped on a dime as he watched the woman get completely undressed. He yelped unmanly-like and spun away from her with his cheeks burning, "Penelope! What are you doing?"
She laughed behind him, "Well, I wasn't planning on just looking at the water."
He shook his head vehemently, "That is not what I was addressing!"
She gave another chuckle, "Whack-a-doodle… I'm not swimming in the only clothes I have with me. Take it easy… it's not like you haven't seen a naked woman before."
He swallowed and closed his eyes tightly, "I have never seen a bare, unfettered woman before."
Penelope's voice was sad, "How is that even possible? You've never fallen in love? You've never… kissed anyone?"
He shook his head, keeping his eyes shut tightly as her voice got closer, "No. Love is a hindrance when you're trying to save the world… and my… idiosyncrasies do not get 'the ladies a'runnin''."
Her voice was right beside him when she spoke. It was calm and cool like the water of the pond looked, "Don't be so hard on yourself, Shelly… Maybe you just haven't met the right girl, yet."He opened his eyes to watch the glorious tanned and toned body of the blonde sashay to the water. His eyes fall to her buttocks where a small symbol of an arrow, with a Triquetra as the arrow head, was inked upon her right cheek. She looked over her shoulder and he jolted and closed his eyes as fast as he could.
She chuckled and he could hear her
speak, "My daddy always said that the hero always peeks." He opened his eyes back to meet hers and she gave him a luscious smile and a wink before diving into the water.
He knew by the way his heart was fluttering that he was blushing as well. Her beauty was nothing compared to her utter disregard of conformity. She was a sprig of chaos that refused to stop entangling around his being and he found that he didn't want her to stop. He hated how she could confound him without even trying. He pursed her lips, still staring at where she dove in, when her voice cut through to his subconscious, "Are you coming in or what?"
He crossed his arms with his eyes narrowed, "I'm afraid I cannot comply with your invitation. Grant it, I will not have a fear of drowning; there is still the issue of bacteria that is sure to be swarming within that magical cesspool."
Her laugh plagued him, "Bacteria? Oh Sweetie… just get in! It's a magical cesspool of time and space… I thought it would be right up your alley!"
She gave a pout that he found he could not resist. He hated that she had this… enchantment… over him, but it seemed to lighten his spirit. He sighed, "Fine! I will concede to your… magical pool… but you have to look away while I undress."
She held up three fingers, "I promise."
He narrowed his eyes, "Promise… what is it that you promise?"
She groaned, "I promise to not look at your cute little tush as you undress."
He blushed at her description of his buttocks and cleared his throat. He swirled his finger around in a circle and she smiled and complied. She spun around and swam to the waterfall and he quickly began to take off his clothing. He folded his garments neatly and placed them beside her carelessly discarded heap. The site made his body almost convulse, so he picked her clothes up and folded them and put them beside his. He went to the water's edge and his eyes flicked up to see Penelope under the waterfall, staring right at his full frontal display with a smirk on her face. He yelped and attempted to dive into the water, but his foot slipped and he belly flopped onto the pool.
Underneath the water, Sheldor started to panic and flopped his arms around.
He opened his eyes and screamed a glob of bubbles at the sight before him. He was floating in mid air above a huge city upon a cloud. Large, pointy building structures protruded from the fluffy white mass and looked to span over half of Pasadenia. It was improbable. He couldn't come up with a formula that could propel such a mass that high up in the air. Suddenly, from all around him, long dragon-like machines swarmed the city and began to fire beams of red light. Those red beams were absorbed by a white, translucent field. The red beams never made it through, but more were descending and their numbers were growing by the hundreds. His lungs began to burn, but he didn't want to miss this conflict. Hands from above decided that his life was worth more than his itching curiosity.
They pulled him up to the air filled cavern and he coughed up the water. He was met with concerned spinach green eyes and he flew into a fit of amazement, "There's a whole 'nother world down there. A city upon clouds that's guarded by air and metallic dragons that spit out bolts of light…" He was in a fit of childish fascination until he looked at her and huffed by to his regular self, "You almost killed me!"
Penelope's smile at his ramblings twisted to a spurning look, "ME? You're the one that overreacted and flailed into the water like a mad duck."
He furrowed his eyes and scowled as her face softened and she started laughing. He cleared his throat and tried to stand tall, but he was a bit taken unawares as to the fact that he was eye to eye with her despite him being fully upright. She did say this, but experiencing it was a bit strange. He stuttered as he realized that they were both naked and quite close, "Y… You… You, Madam, peeked at my body after giving me your word that you wouldn't."
She gave a sly smile, "I, technically, kept my word… I promised not to look at your cute little tush… I can honestly say that I didn't see any part of your butt!" She raised her eyebrows and gave a very peculiar smile and he blushed, madly, "Drat… well played, m'dear Penelope."
There was a small moment of silence between them until Sheldor had a moment of observation and inquiry, "Why do you have the Celtic symbol of the Triquetra on a stick inked upon your right buttock?"
She stared at him in shock and stuttered, "It… it's not a Triqu-whatever… it's the Zodiac sign for Sagittarius… an arrow."
Sheldor snorted, "Mmm Hmm… Well, I guess it would take the threat of being shot with an arrow for one to get a Triquetra branded upon ones buttocks."
Penelope just rolled her eyes, "I thought it was pretty."
Sheldor shook his head, "Penelope, Penelope, Penelope… you must learn to control your female dalliances once in a while."
They swam in a comfortable silence. Sheldor attempted to doggy paddle and was successful (with a little cheering on from Penelope). After a few minutes, Sheldor swam to the middle of the waterfall where Penelope was floating in the middle. He stopped and looked at her nude form being cupped by the clear water and he swallowed. He felt a tug at his lower abdomen and he stopped and turned his back to her. He had a question that was haunting his mind and he swallowed then blurted it out while not facing her, "How… How do you know that you are infertile?"
The question made her sink from the water's top and he just kept rambling, "What proof do you have that you cannot conceive, besides your obvious childlessness. You must have been used as a succubus for the witch for more than 10 years and you probably initiated intercourse with more than 30 male partners and still no signs of the fertilization and development of one or more offspring within your uterus. Still… being used as some 'last pleasure' for those men could also deter successful copulation yet… there is still no actual proof. The witch used you to lure young men to where man is at his weakest… underneath a woman. Then she would slit their throat… leaving you feeling like an inept woman…"
Penelope moved in front of him with watery eyes and barked, "SHELDOR! Enough…" She reached under the water and took his hand. He fought her pull, but allowed his arm to be guided. She placed her hand upon the top of his and guided it down her belly to a position below her bellybutton off to the left. He stared at her with sympathetic shock. It was a curse in the form of a symbol burned into her skin. It was a symbol of two snakes arching in different directions to where their heads met the other's tail. Inside the arch was a straight line with two triangles in the center and their points meeting making an hourglass symbol.
Directly below AND above the triangles were small diamonds with the line in the middle. From the corners of these diamonds; a looped line squiggled on each side. The ends of the middle line had a curved line; the bottom curving right and the top curving left. Emerging from behind the hourglass symbol was a small pair of black wings that would make the veve of Damballah Wedo that was within the center of the Sigil of Dei Aemth. That was all the proof he needed to know that she truly was cursed with infertility. He let his fingers stroke the brand and she pursed her lips and spoke, "You… you were right. I… I can never please a man without believing he'd die right after. It… it can really kill the mood. It's become one of MY phobias. Not sex… just Love, Romance, and even commitment have become something I shun for the fear that something will always go terribly wrong. I mean… all I can think of is when I'm about to climax… Ecck!" She makes a motion of cutting her throat with her thumb and Sheldor cringed a little. Penelope sighed and looked away as she spoke sadly, "I… I really have never experienced love… real, honest to God, love. So… you and I have that in common."
He got to see how much being a drone truly affected her. His eyes fell to her scarred chest and his thoughts swarmed around in his head. He sighed, "Touching your leg… back within the canyon… was the first time I have ever touched the flesh of a woman. I know it is nowhere near as traumatic as your events, but… I wanted you to know that… that it was quite thrilling for me, but… you must not FEAR that something will go wrong… something always does, but it's your strength of fighting through those fears… those hard times… that's what a relationship truly is."
She looked at him as if she had never seen him before. It was a brief gaze, but it was far too intense to stare at directly. He cleared his throat and swallowed, "About the canyons… after I healed you… you attempted to try and… and… and kiss me, but you stopped and seemed to be in a bit of pain… did the thought of kissing me… pain you that much?"
Her eyes went wide and she spoke with a furious passion, "NO… Oh no Sheldor… that wasn't it at all. The witch; she stopped me. She didn't want me to sway you… to 'corrupt' you."
She averted her gaze and he tilted his head, "Corrupt me? As in making me steal someone's cow out of malice? I can assure you that you would have no such luck. I mean… what would I do with a cow?" He shook his head and the nervous babbling began.
She rolled her eyes and cut him off, "Ummm… not THAT kind of corrupt… something a little more… personal. She was worried that I would try to take… your…" She blushed and mumbled something under her breath.
Sheldor tilted his head in confusion, "I'm sorry. I didn't quite hear that? My what?"
She backed a few paces and snorted before blurting out, "Your virginity. She thought that you would find me unbelievably attractive and try to… bed me… so she placed some kind of binding curse to where if I get to close… It would zap me."
Sheldor swallowed and turned his head from her, "Why would she want… THAT?"
Penelope gained a serious look and spoke as if she had been studying for this moment, "The witch said that with you being pure and untouched… your blood retains a strong magical entity that can surpass even the qualities of Dragon's Blood. She's going to use it to resurrect her Aunt, free her mother, and call upon Abaddon, the Demon of Destruction." Sheldor stared at the woman with disbelief as she took a pause, "She's going after the seal of Magic…"
Sheldor brought his hand up and pinched the bridge of his nose. The crystal clear water barely clinging to his skin and he sighed, "Because I've never engaged in coitus… my blood has retained a magic that no other can possess? That's utter hokum." He shook his head and looked at the blonde, "Hokum… that makes absolutely no sense… much like this body of water we're in."
There was a long, awkward pause between them and Sheldor turned his back to her and gave a loud groan of a sigh. A few moments later, he turned back… calmer and with an inquisitive look, "You… you said that the witch stopped you… did… did that mean you… wanted to kiss me?"
She was shocked by the suddenness of his question and stared into his eyes with widened, moss colored eyes. She slowly averted her eyes to the water's surface and nodded, "Y… yes."
His brows went up but a small smile hinted on his lips. His heart was in mid air doing loop-da-loops in his chest. He felt so childish… like he had just met his hero. He took in a breath and restrained the smile from getting too far out of hand. He cleared his throat and bowed his head, "I see…"
Penelope gave a smile, not fooled by his actions at all, and moved forward. The water hissed as she moved towards him and he looked up as stopped merely inches away. She licked her lips and looked him right in the eye, since the water kept them seemingly the same height, and she whispered to him, "I… I still do."
His breath hitched in his throat and swallowed as he licked his own lips, "You know… I have never known the flesh of a woman… this… this will not be as pleasant as you wish it to be. I excel at so many things, but even I have my limitations. I will be sloppy and skittish… my phobia will… mmph."
She places the tips of her fingers right on top of his lips and shushed him, "You're babbling, Sweetie." She gave him a small smile and removes her hand. She looked down then back up into his eyes and spoke softly, "You still trust me?"
He closed his eyes and pursed his lips for a small moment before taking in a deep breath and opening his eyes again. He licked his lips again and spoke softly back to her, "I never stopped."
Her eyes watered slightly as she gave a blaringly gorgeous smile before taking in her own bottom lip and biting down on it gently. Her hands ran up his lean yet muscular sides, over his ribs, across his pecks, and over his shoulders to wrap around his neck. Her eyes never left his as she leaned forward. Their foreheads touched and Sheldor felt his breathing becoming erratic already. She gave him a gentle smile then closed her eyes and pressed her lips upon his.
It was the epitome of perfection. A chaste friction of creamy, nectarous collision that it had the thought of germs so far in the back of his mind… it was stuck behind the thoughts of Wolowix. This… this moment… it was unforeseeable… an incalculable error upon the white board of his mind. He did not detect the shift in their paradigm until she was right there… right here. She pecked at his lips once more before pulling away, but he pursued her. He wanted more… so much more… so he chased her… and to his delight… she met him halfway. His arms encircled under her extended arms and pressed her delicate flesh against his as they both shared a moan within the kiss.
He ran his hands down her back and stopped at the base of her bottom then back up slowly… cataloging every inch of skin. It was strange to be almost the same height at the normally shorter woman, but it was another thought that joined the germs in the back of the line just as his unclothed erection touched the softness of her inner thigh. He pulled out of the kiss with a jolt and a deep hum that rang from his throat. He pulled his pelvis away before something initiated that he couldn't stop and they both stared at each other with timid, but hungry eyes. She unwrapped her arms from around his neck and lapped at her own lips as she pressed her eyes closed and distanced herself from him. That caused him to release her from his embrace with aching confusion. She bowed her head, "I… I'm sorry."
He shook his head, "For… for what?"
She shook her head and averted her gaze, looking extremely embarrassed. He wasn't very inept in diffusing a situation, but his cursed Eidittik did come in handy at times. He recalled her 'phobia' and felt a tinge of sympathy; she thought she wasn't good enough.
He slid forward and caused the water to ripple and he stood inches away from her. Her face was cringed in pain as she looked up. Tears had formed and lifted a wet hand and brushed the fallen drops from her cheek. He was never good at this, but… he put forth an effort to comfort her, "Please do not cry. You are not useless, Penelope. You are a beautiful woman who can offer a man his every fantasy…" She looked at him with shocked eyes and he looked down, feeling quite foolish, but he kept speaking, "You… you are an unsolvable puzzle. You have far too many variables to calculate and you plague my very mind. You're irrationally pigheaded and infuriatingly unpredictable, yet you are a quintessence of social superiority. Please… Penelope… do not plummet into the pit of your own self-loathing… you are far too amiable for something so unnecessary."
Her tears were forming thicker as he found courage enough to bend down slightly to press his downy warm lips upon her mangled scar on her chest. He heard her gasp and felt her body jerk in surprise, but he just pressed a few more deep kisses upon her flesh. He wanted to show her how much he treasured her imperfections as his hand found the top of her left thigh then slid up to rest upon the cursed brand under her belly button. She whispered his name and her hands swooped underneath the water.
She cupped his jaw on either side of his face and pulled his head up to where it was level with her own. She stared into his eyes and gave a very meaningful whisper of "Thank you" before she kissed him passionately. It was a feeling he would never forget. It was a building ball of energy within his every inch of tissue upon his body and it was throbbing of a hunger that only intensified as she opened her mouth within the kiss and slithered the tip of her tongue across the crease of his closed mouth. That set off rumbles of bundled up moans within his chest and the two, once again, finding themselves beginning to delve into something heavy.
Just before the two began to press their flesh against one another… an enormously loud and heavy bang shook the entire space around them and they pulled away from each other swiftly. The quake happened again, just as loud and as deep as the last one. The two looked at each other with worrisome eyes just as a barrage of screams echoed from the darkened tunnel.