"And this, is the last escape route there is, big enough for any of us to escape." I explained. In one hand, I have my holo-pendant, showing my partners in crime the 3D structure of a manor, one that we will attack soon. The green color represent the building and the several different lights represent points and areas of interest.
"Any questions?" I ask, thinking that it is a stupid question. The moment I ask, both Jet and I look at the albatross, or rather, elefant in the room. Seriously, even the color match.
He looked nervous, knowing well what he did wrong. "Ummm, Could you repeat?" He asked, apologetic. Jet and I facepalm. Seriously, why do we even try? It is the same thing over and over!
"Damnit Storm." I snap.
"Wave. From the top, one more time." Jet interrupted. I sigh, but chose to obey him. Seriously, this is everytime we go into a mission. No matter how simple I try to explain to this imbecile, he never gets it.
"This is Mr. Fancy mannor." I repeat. With a touch of my finger, the different color lights disappear, only the general structure remains with its green color. "This is a five stories building, each floor about half the area of a soccer field. We must search the entire structure, hoping to find the sacred stones." Suddenly, the manor structure disappears and an egg shaped, jewel, at real size scale, meaning it is at least the size of an apple.
"The party he will be hosting is on the first two floors, so if we get spotted on the upper floors, there'll be trouble. Even if we make up a good excuse, the security might get tighter and maybe even cancel the party in hopes to prevent the criminals from stealing." I explained. Then, several lights pooped up, yellow colored. Some small points littered the first floor while the upper three were completely yellow.
"Yellow means unauthorized areas. These are even in floors like the original, mainly because..." Just at that second, blue dots appear. "The blue areas represent safe rooms and vaults."
Next, purple lines that ran between floors appeared. "He is a paranoid, even making shafts and routes strong enough to hold a person's weight, meant to help him escape if something bad happens. These are protected with laser security, but nothing I can't prepare for."
Finally, red points appear in the structure. "The red points represent escape routes, big enough for any of us to escape without the need to cause damage. Remember, if the security sees any of us alone, they will tighten the security and our chances of getting the treasure back are gone." I say with fatality.
"Any...questions?" I ask, pressing my teeth.
If you asked me, Storm looked as clueless as before. He was about to say something, but I thank Jet for putting a hand on his mouth and stopped him.
"No questions." Jet said. "Now, let's go blow some steam before getting out of here." Oh no, Jet, you aren't leaving just yet.
"Wait Jet. We need clothing for both of you."
Jet chuckled. "We are perfectly fine."
"Sorry, but it is a fancy party. Either we go there wearing appropriately or we forget about even entering there." I explained. "So, you need..." I start, but Jet interrupts me.
"Don't you finish that sentence!"
I lift an eyelid. I seriously question from time to time what is on his mind sometimes. "You say it as if I don't say it, you would be able to get away without wearing..."
"I am serious!" He screams again, interrupting me.
I lift both my hands in signal of surrender. "Ok, Ok, geez. Sorry." As you probably imagine, I am not sorry.
"...Ok." He says
"Tuxedo." I sang.
Jet froze for a bit blinking twice, not nearly freaked out. I know why... tuxedo is not the thing he was thinking about."Huh, well that is not remotely as..."
"And feather gel." I said next.
"Gah." He lets go and I can't help but giggle. Hey, he might be the boss, but he still is the youngest, and somehow, the most socially awkward of the three. That is saying something if Storm is included in anything but fighting. "C'mon guys, you would not do something so... evil to me. Right?"
"Jet..." I begin. Before continuing, I search for something to stand up on. A small wood settle is what I find and use to stand up a little taller than them. I also touch my holo pendant, a inspiring music started.
"We are the descendants of the Babylonians, and ancient advance civilization lost to time. Any piece of technology, any stone, any scroll, anything really that leads us to preserve their findings, their discoveries. We must do it, as the heirs of that civilization, it is our duty to go any lengths to get them, to be sure they are truly studied and well protected, instead of being catching dust in the manor of some rich snob who bought them because they were shining. We are the Babylon Rogues and that is our mission." I end. Even if I say so myself, I think that came up well. However, I know my peers don't care nearly as much as I do.
They both looked bored and unimpressed. I sigh and turn off the music. Admittedly, I have said similar speeches all the time through our years of partnership, but they never cared for them, and maybe even frustrate them, not that different from my frustration at Storm. Except mine have actual beneficial purposes but I digress.
"Just be here two hours before we have to go to the party."
"Woohoo!" Jet and Storm shouted at the unison before running away. I know they won't be here in time, if I don't do something about it.
Hours later
"You said two hours!" Jet is screaming at me, while shaking wildly. I don't pay him any attention. We are three hours away from the party, and I know very well that. If I want Jet and me to be ready, I will need the extra hour.
Right now, we are entering to his room. He is still riding his extreme gear, not by his choice, his arms wrapped up with a rope. I have the other loose end of the rope, pulling him and the board softly. If you are wondering what happened, it is simple: The extreme gears we use are all my creations, so I have fail safes if my siblings want to bail at their responsibilities... or annoy me too much. Storm knows I am not easy to deal with.
To be more specific, Jet cannot move his legs, as they are stuck to the board. He also doesn't have any control over the object, reason why I easily drag him into an undesired situation. However, he could use his arms to break free, even if that means damaging the board: He did it before, so the rope is also necessary.
Without much effort, I take the board away and get him into the room. Leaving him standing up for a while as I grab the tuxedo, still packed in a plastic bag. "Ready Jet?" I tell him. For some reason, he looked away. Really Jet, getting difficult now of all times? "What now?"
"Y-you know, I can't start changing clothes with a girl around." He says. I squint my eyes. Really Jet? This is sad.
"You are always nude." I tell him, not even angry. Just, very disappointed. "Seriously, do not pull a Storm. God knows we have enough with one of him." I continue.
'Aaaachooooo!' And that was Storm sneeze that, while being at the other side of the ship, and we heard it clearly. It even shook the entire blimp. Always forget to not mention the guy out loud.
Without much more complains from my leader, he took each piece of the clothing and put them on: Black pants, a soft purple shirt and the black blazer. "There, ready." Jet said, already about to leave the room, when I sneak attack him, one hand full of transparent gel, while, with the free arm I try to hold him by the neck. "Gah." He exclaims, obviously not expecting me. I use the opportunity and smack him with the hand with the substance, maybe a little too hard since he lowered his head and screamed ouch, but, heh, I am here to do my job. So, the gel is now on place. I quickly grab a comb I have near by and... Jet already left the room. I follow him, knowing that he isn't fast enough to escape me. We are now running the hallway.
"Jet, don't be petty and come."
"Never!" He exclaimed back, looking back. Then, Storm opened a door to come out of it and, accidentally, Jet crashed against it. I use the opportunity, grab him again and start combing his feathers. Jet squirmed for a bit, but soon gave up. And if you are asking, this is more common than you might expect. Usually about studies when he doesn't want to practice, but I won't let him get away with not studying: As I said, I don't want a second Storm. Thought usually, it isn't that easy.
So, most of his back quills, which normally look wild, were put with the rest, looking rather ordered. However, it with his head that I try to give him a kind of good boy hairstyle, with a little wave on the front and neat lines above and the sides of the head. I know he doesn't like it, but it is the only hairstyle I can give him. "There, happy?" He complains.
"That is fine." I answer. Then I notice Storm coming up. I am relieved to announce that he was wearing his tuxedo with little issue, a black one too with a yellow shirt and even fixed his feathers himself. I have to admit, while he is an idiot, he handles this kind of stuff better than Jet. And here he comes with the ties, something that I actually don't know how to do.
"I will change into my clothing and fix my hair." I tell them, the main reason why I needed so much time. "If you remove the garments, change your hairstyle, damage any of them or do all of the above, I will kill Storm." I threatened.
"W-why me?!" Storm said, reasonably freaked out.
I smile, enjoying it a bit. But seriously, it is more likely for me to harm Storm than Jet, even if he is not guilty of my anger. Guess it is the older sister or motherly side or something. Don't really know.
Either way, I get to my room, alone. While I don't think they are perverts, I would rather not let them notice. So, my dress for the night is rather simple: a purple dress, somewhat darker than my feathers that covers most of my body somewhat tightly but not that uncomfortable, to make me look a little more attractive to the common man: that could come useful, although it could also back fire if I am not careful. It had a single shoulder piece to hold, with my other shoulder exposed and a rombo shaped hole, exposing my tummy.
Finally, I grab my feather braids and twisted them, turning into a single long and big braid. I think I look rather good. So I get out and... Both Jet and Storm fell asleep. Weird. I then look the clock and... Goddammit! Two hours went away!? While I was just dressing up! I waste no time waking these idiots up.
Time later
"Ouch." I say, while crashing against a random man. Unlike before, I am wearing a large brown garment, nowhere near as well pretty as the one I had before, covering my braid too. We were in a hurry, running around the party area, but I accidentally crashed against him. He turned around, looking at me. He is still not wearing a mask, so I can say he is rather good looking, but the way he looks at me screams condescending: He looks at me like I am dirt or something not worth his time. He is accompanied by a fancy looking cat lady, with a little too much make up if you ask me. He turns back to look clearly where he was. At that moment, Storm and Jet pass right at his side, grazing him a bit. They are also covered in brown clothing.
"Hey, careful where you go." He tells us.
"You didn't even bother to help her!" Jet said.
He chuckled, obviously condescending. God, how much I want to smack him. "Please, you are in the place you belong to. You should be thanking me for putting you there. You don't want to mess with me." I clench my fists and bit my tongue, refraining me from escalating this.
"Now, dear. They are not worth our time. Even with our all money, they are not worth using it. Come on, we got a celebration to enjoy." The cat lady said. I see Jet and Storm growl at them, wishing to hit them as much as I do. They turn around and Jet and I felt like it was too much and were ready to jump at them, but Storm grabbed both of us and stopped us in place.
He shook his head, telling us not to do it. We don't want to, but we obey. I clean myself up, slapping the dust off. Look, don't you hate those rich guys who think they are so much better than everyone else? Doesn't help that we had to get everything we own by dirtying our own hands with work to have anything. I, in particular, built a lot of stuff from scraps. I admit, that gets me, just as much as Jet. Storm is a little more forgiving in that regard... and some others, if we are being fair. Guess being stupid makes you calmer? Maybe, you know what they say about ignorance and bliss. However, that doesn't mean we aren't going to get them.
"Did you get it?" I ask and Jet pulls out the invitation. "Perfect." I say with a smile.
We were on time for the party, obviously, but we didn't have an invitation. I mean, who would invite thieves to their party. So, we have to steal it from any of the real guests. However, we had to be careful about our choice. It had to be a rather unguarded, young man, maybe even a show-off that would have the invitation relatively unprotected. And we choose that loser. We remove the brown clothing revealing our real party gear, although I use my holo pendant to look at myself and I think my braids got a little messed up.
However, we break formation, disappearing from the visible areas, but still close by. I am not supposed to, but I get close to the doors of the manor, with guards checking the guests. As expected, the couple we stole the invitation are violently searching their pockets and bags for the invitation, but they can't find a thing. They try to get in, probably spouting nonsense about how rich they are, but the guards easily push them to the floor. God, it is so perfect! And, now that they are on the floor, the woman smacked him on the face, probably pissed about the fact that she could not enter to the party. Well, serves you right!
Once that is done, we go to the meeting area, put our masks on and enter the party. We show the invitation and the guards let us pass, though I feel they eyes boring on us. I hope they are like that to every guest. Either way, once in, we nod to each other and then split up, knowing that this way we would cover more area. I really hope Jet managed to explain the simple plan to Storm, before he messes up. Sometimes, I do think they are playing me up, just to bother me.
Anyway, I make a small journey to the first vault area, in this floor. I make sure it isn't a straight line, because that would likely be strange and suspicious. So, I move around and engage in conversation with the other guests. Of course, I can't act like myself with this people: that might also be a red flag. I try to remain polite and maybe a little quirky, with a speck of mysterious (at least I hope so), as well of making my voice higher than normal all the time. I hope it is enough to hide my identity.
And, it is harder than it looks. I already mentioned my general distaste for these kind of people, so every interaction brings a bit of anger in me, unable, at times, to fully maintain the character I am personifying. While, now that they think I am a snob or at their same 'level', they are not that disrespectful, but instead, they bore me to dead with their speeches about how much money they have, about their boring enterprises and about all their families and such. They probably think they are so amazing, but they put me to sleep so easily.
And some of them don't hide their desires or intentions in the slightest. Some of the bunch can't keep their eyes away from the girls boobs or their butts. One in particular actually slapped my butt when I wasn't looking.
I made a movement, like trying to get as far away from whatever hit me. From what I can see, it is another fancy looking old man, drunk already.
"Hey *hic* sweaty *hic*. Come *hic* *hic* rrr." He said. I look around, trying to find and see if someone is going to do something about it, some companion or some guard, but people mostly look away and ignore him. Most be some very rich asshole, thinking he is bigger than life or something.
I want to slap his face across the room, but I can think of something better. I took his hand, delicately and as ladylike I can. "Would you like my company, gentleman?" Honestly, I know my facade is struggling to keep a straight smile, but he doesn't seem to notice or care.
He follows me for the time being, but I can feel that he wants to drag me to the bathrooms. Luckily, I manage to keep him in place for now. I take him to the spot I want him to be and tell him I will get us a drink. I keep an eye on him while I walk, hoping to avoid any more slaps.
So I pass through the dinning table, but, instead of grabbing any drink, I grab a solid cube of coconut, small but enough for what I want to do. It was supposed to be eaten, but I have other plans for it. I get closer, but still far enough that he won't see me and wait.
I didn't have to wait long, as a couple manages to come by the drunk man. I make a mental calculation and throw the fruit. It bounced behind the wall and hit the man, pushing him to the couple. I then look and walk away, but the screams and anger manages to tell me it went alright. I turn around, and see the drunk man on a woman and his mate looking reasonably pissed, specially because the drunk man's hand is on a sensible area of the woman.
I smile internally, knowing that will get some attention away, without risking the mission. So I snuck into one of the forbidden room and make my search. I check every object around, trying to find stuff of value. I take my time, hoping to find something. Perhaps too long.
"Who's there!?" Dammit, a guard. It will enter any moment. My first thought is trying to find any of the extra routes I showed Jet and Storm, but my first action was looking behind and discovered a big problem.
There is someone else in the room. I might be able to find a escape route, but if this guy is caught and sells me or causes the end of the party and the tightening of the security, I am in trouble.
I have a little solution to this problem, though it would never be my first choice. I crash against that random man and smack my beak into his muzzle.
I still have my eyes open and he is extremely surprised, not kissing back instantly or closing his. But soon, he closes his and kisses back.
From what I can feel, he is enjoying it, but he is shy, insecure. Probably doesn't get much action, if any at all. Perfect. He will probably be easier to manipulate. I will admit, the kiss is not half bad, despite being a little weird. Admittedly not my first time kissing someone that isn't of my same species, nor the best one. I however, notice a shy, shaking tongue with my own, just as ashamed and insecure as him. I wonder what will happen if I give him a little push...
I decided to wrap my tongue with his and I can feel him shaking with pleasure. It seems I did woke something on him, because his hands go wild over me, pressing and touching.
'Mmmm' I can't help but let go a moan. Look, I don't hate this, if I am being honest, but this is business. Only doing it because it is an emergency. Then, he puts a hand on my ass, half a slap, but it only makes me moan louder. I can feel him, trying to somehow kiss me more, despite our different mouths. I can feel him trying to hug me closer, although it was physically impossible.
I kinda like it, but that's it. This is not great. This is the kind of reaction we get because we were built this way, to love it. This is nothing special.
That's what I keep telling myself after my legs grew minds of their own, wrapping around his torso and generating even more pleasure.
I can feel my reason voice growing smaller by the moment, only thinking about how much I like it. I am so thankful that my lungs burn hard, asking for air, or who knows where we would be.
We separate, both gasping for air. And our eyes lock to each other. He has sweet blue eyes and there is something about the way he is looking at me. Like, I am something... precious. I don't like it. I don't like it.
"Ahem." We heard. And he stiffened, like a rock, probably too ashamed to react. What an idiot. Still, I am glad that I can take control of the situation.
"Upsy." I say, in a happier and higher tone than my normal. "Guess they caught us. Would you put me down sweetie?" I say, looking at the fox. He still looks troubled, but puts me down slowly. Good, I have not broken him completely. Now, I direct my eyes to the guard. "Sorry, you know how couples can be. We sometimes can't stop and we didn't want to show off at the party." Right now, I can only hope this is enough for him.
"OUT!" He screams, getting both of us out. When I make sure that the guard is out of sight, I take long steps away from the fox man, hoping to lose him by going to the crowd.
"Wave." I heard being called out and feel that someone grabbed my hand, softly yet firm. And my heart stops. Goddammit, this idiot is going to screw everything. I turn around and I am pretty sure it is the same guy from the dark room.
"Bless you." I answer, smiling the best I can. He seems confused about my answer. Great, he is clueless, so much that he has yet to let go of my hand. Guess I better spell it to him. "Would you mind unhanding me, sweetie?" I say, managing, barely, to be in character. He lets go of me and I can't walk fast enough to get away from him. But he is following me, I know it. God, I kissed a stalker that knows who I am. What have I gotten myself into?
"Wave." He repeats, a little laughter and close. For the love of Chaos, shut up!
"Bless you." I mechanically turned around and repeat, unable to hide my growl. I walk again as fast as I can.
And, he grabs my hand again. I swear, I will kick his teeth out. "Wave, I know..." That's it. I grab the guy by the tie and drag him into an utility closet, which I knew was nearby. I crash him against the wall, with be being on top. No, don't you dare think dirty about that!
"Chaos dammit, are you stupid or what!? What is the point of a mask if you are going to tell my name to everybody?!" There was nothing to hide and I didn't want to. This guy was really getting on my nerves.
"Sorry, not my intention." He says. Yeah, right, not your intention at all. Then, we accidentally lock eyes again, and he freezes in place. Shit, maybe I spoke too soon about breaking him.
Then, light came as the door of the closet opened. "Will I have to follow you around all night?" The guard complained.
"Sorry." I say, dragging him away, to what he does not voice any complains. I take him to a somewhat private area, without many guest that might eavesdrop us. "Who are you and what do you want?" I cross my arms, trying to sound demanding. And this guy still has his heart in his sleeve: I can tell he is worried about my question, even if he has the mask on.
"... I am your fan." He says. I hope he realize my stare is not convinced with that, or else he is as much of an idiot as Storm. Maybe more.
"HA, HA. I don't mean like that clown. I mean a real name since you know mine. It is only fair." I reply and wait for a second and half for his reply.
"... I am Miles." Yeah, right.
"As in, I am the only thing in miles that matters to you? Or you counted the miles you had to travel to find me? Or that your love reaches further than all the miles of the universe?" I let out. I am probably being to hard on him, but I can't help it. I have heard one too much names that lead to puns and pick up lines. I am taking none of that today.
He winces but then replied. "Geez, a wave of insults. I didn't expect them to be so hard to swallow!" Huh, not the reply I was expecting. Not that bad either, honestly.
"Hardy Har. I am serious. What is your name?" I ask again, without any sound of amusement. But he looks at me with confusion.
"My name is Miles. Miles Prower."
I blink twice when he says that. "It wasn't a pick up line? Or meant to turn into one?" I ask. Seriously, I didn't even consider he was serious about his name. And... Miles Prower... Miles Prower... MILES FUCKING PER HOUR!
I try to repress a laughter but I can't.
"Seriously what were your folks thinking when they named you that? Did they thought it was funny?" I joke. I imagined this guy is not amused by this like I am. What I was not expecting was that his angry stare made me feel afraid of him. I mean, he is bigger than me, gives a needed vibe, a fox which is a predator and I have being pushing him around a bit. I don't know what kind of person he might really be, so who know how dangerous he really was. But there was something else, something different bothering me that the stare caused.
"I would like to know too." He says, somber and walks away.
OK, there. He has finally let you alone. You should go back to you mind your own business and leave him to his. I think all of that while the rest of my body is in some kind of shock, not able to move at once and with my heart rate to the roof. I keep processing our little exchange and finally realized what had bothering me. I felt bad that I treated him like that.
Don't look at me like I am an alien! Of course I feel guilt. But... never for a stranger, or someone just passing by. It is usually someone I know and I have been particularly mean.
But... Why him? Do I know him? The name doesn't ring any bells. But I do feel he is hiding something. Was he more than a stalker? I mean, probably not? He was playing with his heart on his sleeve. Or was he?
I grab my head, thinking it was a little too chaotic in there. Only one thing was sure up there though... I need to meet that guy again.
It doesn't take me long to find, eating something from the table. I go there and sit right next to him. And I can feel he doesn't want me nearby.
"I didn't mean it." I say. I hope he realizes how hard that was. His face of absolute confusion and surprise tells me otherwise. Like he can't believe I am apologizing. "Look, just because of whatever you might have seen or heard about me, doesn't mean it is truth. I might be harsh, but I am not heartless." I reply, thinking right away that I should tone it down.
"I didn't mean it either." He answers, perfectly in control. And I realize that I am now the one with her heart on her sleeve. Better tone it down.
"Want a beer?" I ask.
"I am... not thirsty." That pause did not go unnoticed to me. I am not sure why though. Dammit, didn't think the mask would become a hindrance. But I know what to reply.
"Not after that kiss." I say playful and he blushed completely red. This is... No Wave, you are not enjoying this. You are not.
"Enjoying kicking someone down?" He tries to sound offended, but he has a smile across his face.
"It is not my fault you make it so easy." I answer.
"I am glad someone is enjoying the moment." He says, somewhat sad or bored, I am not sure. So he is here by obligation? This peaks my curiosity a little.
"So, you aren't here for the fun of the party either?" Careful Wave, don't give away more information.
"Nah, you could say I am here thanks to work." He replies.
"Ooh. Interesting. What kind of work? Taking polls? Observing the life of the rich?... Assassination?" I highly doubt he would tell me if he was going to do something bad, but I do it anyways. And he freaks out a bit.
"N-no!" He needed a moment to add something else. "I am babysitting."
Huh, doesn't sound like the kind of job I was expecting. Then again, he must be doing a lousy job, considering he doesn't have any kids around. "Shouldn't you be looking for the little kids?" I ask.
"Older siblings actually, ones that sometimes behave like kids."
Ewwwwww. "Eeeeewww." I wince when I say that. "As in plural? I have one of those and it can be hell on Earth." He chuckles at my answer.
"Don't worry, they aren't as dumb as Storm, they just don't know how to behave like adults." He says, but his gaze goes to the whole visible area, probably hoping to find any of them. He doesn't have any success from what I can tell.
"Either way, shouldn't you be looking for them?"
"Nah, I have faith they won't bring down the house." Bring down the house? What kind of people are we talking about? Although, maybe he is just exaggerating for effect. Or not? "What kind of job are you doing here?"
"You know me so well, so you probably have a gist of what I am doing. Let's leave it at that." OK, I know that I demanded him to tell me who he was and he told me what he was doing here, but I am not going to get into details into what I am doing.
"You know, I could be useful." He says, somewhat mysterious. I am actually not worried because it doesn't make me buy it.
"Useful? Like you getting us caught a minute earlier?" He winces at my reply. "Just tell me you want another kiss." And now he is red again. And I start telling myself to stop it and stop enjoying it, so I look away. "I don't care how much you want another kiss, you are not getting it."
There was a somewhat long silence after that before. "I know a bit about the Babylons." I can't stop a small movement, as my body gets on alert, my attention on him. "From ancient materials and powers that mimic the legends of 'the One and thousand nights', to extensive sky cities with power against gravity. I know you people have a heritage and I think that deserves to protected. Better on their predecessor's hands than some rich snob." Now I am really worried about what I might be getting myself into. The incidents with the extreme gear competitions where cataloged as caused by Eggman, so, to the public, we the rogues had nothing to do with the Black Hole in Meteo Tech or the apparition of Babylon Gardner. Must of the stuff that we spread are false legends, ridiculous stuff that some of our fans actually buy. Then, How does he know about that and our legacy?
Plus, the way he says it... He understands. Jet and Storm don't care enough for this, but him. He understand what I am trying to achieve. What I dream one day. Why this is so important. This only makes me even more cautious.
The only people who should know about that are... Team heroes? Dammit, I am really losing it here. I take a careful look at him.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" He gulps. I keep checking him out. The tail suggest he is a fox. Shorty? I mean, come on. There is no way he is... Or there is? I mean, it has been a few years since we saw each other. Maybe. Maybe he is using something to hide his true form, reason why he only has one tail? Not likely, after all we touched each other too intimately. I need more proof.
"As I said: I am a fan. And not like the crazy fans who can't even be bothered to remember a few things about their heroes." Nice try, but I got you.
"What the public knows about us are our racing careers and fake rumors we created. I repeat before I loose my patience: Do we know each other?" His facade breaks further, genuinely surprised. He did not see it coming.
"...Maybe I am better than you think at researching." That isn't enough and I don't even have to voice my opinion for him to realize this. "... Maybe in another lifetime."
What kind of answer is that? "Just that you know, saying nonsense is not the same than saying deep things." I joke, but I know there is more to it. But I might not get it if I don't act a little more approachable. I take his hand at that moment. "Come."
I take his hand and move to the dance area. We had being sitting there for a little too long, so I think we need to look a bit more natural. I put his hand on my hip and he jumped on his place. God, is this guy for real? Without any signal of my frustration I take his hand and we got into vals position.
"Three, two, one." I signal and we start dancing. I am little worried about this, but I know what to do. "You must be living the dream, considering that you have never been this closed to a woman." I say and he blushes. Dammit, why I enjoy every time that happens. Wave, lock your feelings. What matters now is to get him to look away, which happened. Good, keep him ashamed, while I look below, trying to not step him. "You must be living the dream, considering that you have never been this closed to a woman."
"You make it sound like you are constantly going out with guys. Like a... you know..." He tried to defend himself, but stopped short, probably to be correct. I wonder why he even bothers, he must know I don't care about that.
"Like a slut?" I suggest.
"L-like a flirterer." He answers. Really?
"You are so PC... and an idiot." I say. He doesn't reply, at least for a short while. I know this won't last so I try to think of another topic that might keep him ashamed.
"Is there a problem?" He asks and I half jump. I then look up, meeting eyes with him.
"Yes, I am fine!" I sound angrier than I intended. "Are you ready to continue eating me with your eyes or what?" I say. Dammit, he is not ashamed, he is confused, curious. And I can't help but look down at that moment. But then, he breaks free from one of my hands. "Oh, so you are..." I start, but the soft touch under my beak, the soft caress under it makes me look up, meeting his eyes again.
"I am not a vals expert or anything, but I know we are supposed to lock eyes." My heart makes a happy leap when he said that. God, this is more than I bargained for. To make things worse, a wrong step from my part ended in me stomping on his foot. Hard.
He lets go a deaf scream. "Sorry, sorry." In the time I say that, I stomp on him again and again. And I am only panicking further. I know he is trying to avoid my feet, as I am trying to avoid his, but we somehow keep meeting, my foot on his. I swear, this all is an accident. After a while, I just break free, ashamed. "Sorry." I repeat
I don't know how to dance vals well, OK? I know the basic, but I have never practiced it. That's why I was constantly looking down, to make sure I avoided this. But he had to take my eyes away from that. Now hell was let loose.
"I can take it." He says. It is actually more insulting than he thinks I want him to patronize me. And he still sounds hurt. I need to get out of the dancing room now. So I take his hand again and guide him.
"Come with me." I say. I have spent way too much time just fooling around. I take him to the restrooms and to a shortcut I know. When we are just in front of the door, I notice him stiffen. God, why is he so nervous? "Wait for me outside." I say and he nods. I enter on the bathroom, while trying to not think about what he is thinking. I don't like the idea of fueling a man's wet fantasies, but I need some help. Good, there are no people in here. I barely come out, just enough to grab him and drag him again. Without wasting a second I take him to one of the toilet cabins and close the door.
"Lift me." I say. But he remains frozen and getting redder and redder, even more than before. God, I don't need this! "Look there is a secret passage above this toilet. Lift me." I explain in a whisper, knowing I could not loose any time.
"...Huh?" God, he sounds disappointed. This is only getting more complicated by the second. However, he kneels to me, so I put a leg on his shoulder and stand up on him.
"Ready." I say. He then stood up, in a way that there was no risk for me to fall. I then tapped the tiles of the wall, finding the loose tile and making it come out. I then jump, there, while putting the tile back on its place, looking like nothing happened.
So, here I am, with a route to the other rooms and to what I know will be a safe room. I could move here, leave the guy and act like nothing happened. There, everything is perfect. But I never got the answer I wanted. And that was bothering me more than I wanted to admit.
"Ok, get out of here you..." I stiffened. Was I caught? Were they into me? Now what?
"Do you mind?!" I blinked twice. That was the fox. And apparently sounded assertive. Nice... Wait what? What am I thinking? "Get out of here before your patron finds out you are harassing one of his guests!" Huh, didn't think he had it in him. But if he has the confidence to say that, means he is a guest. A rich person or someone of importance. God, who is he?!
"F-forgive me." He replies and I hear a door close. Must have been a guard. I know I am asking for trouble... Ah, whatever!
"Someone need to release some stress." I say. "Not with me, though. Get a girlfriend." I then remove the tile and he is looking directly to it. "So, are you coming?" I ask, knowing I am putting everything I am doing here in jeopardy and not caring enough about it.
There was a good minute of silence before he said. "Sure." Well, whatever comes next, there is no turning back now.
To be continued?