The look that Errissa gives me from the doorway says all that she needs to to tease me. I blush to high heavens, realizing Zayzi has flipped onto their back in my lap again. But at least now they’re sitting up, and pulling on their shirt. There’s no rush to it, no shame, no obvious indication of any sort of emotional reaction to being seen shirtless in someone’s lap. I’m glad in some ways. In other ways, I’m horrified, because of how numb Zayzi seems. Zayzi simply walks around the room for a minute, leans awkwardly in several places, then apparently decides to cook themselves some sweets.
I’m about to ask if they want to share, for fun, when Zayzi dismisses me, “You can go now. Talk more when you’re back. Kill them tomorrow. Come back. Promise.”
A lump catches in my throat as tears continue along the ridges of my eyelids as I nod, acquiescing telepathically, “Y-glp-yeah. I promise. We can talk more when I come back tomorrow.”
I don’t think Zayzi will be responding to any further telepathic communication tonight. Errissa, seeing my eyes, points to her head, then points to Zayzi, but I usher her out into the hallway before explaining, “Zayzi’s really, really hurt. They asked me to promise to come back tomorrow, despite them seeming completely numb. It, glp, it was really touching. I’m a bit of an emotional train wreck, and I’m very sappy, emotional, and such.”
When Errissa indicates along the lines of, “I could tell,” I can’t help laughing while we’re walking down the hallway, her leading me ever so slightly. She insinuated that it was because of yesterday, without really bringing up the incident. Spymaster is wearing her full cloak, with its hood up, sparing me from the immediacy of my obsession with her. Still, her tease brought a smile to my face, and I enjoy her all the more for it.
We reach what might actually have been a broom closet, with a rickety wooden door. There are empty wood shelves built into the walls at knee, waist, and chest level on the right and left side of the narrow room within. There’s a single bench, situated longways into the room, with barely any room to walk around it on even just one side, let alone both, as it’s slightly off-center, and still taking up most of the width of the open space of the room. The most startling thing about this room is the intensity of the abundance of glow-lichen on its roof, in its corners, and under each shelf. This might be the brightest room in the whole of Mount Solace.
Errissa closes the door behind us, and makes a show of locking it, despite its frail nature. I raise my left eyebrow at this, but she deposits the skeleton-key in her cloak, and drops her cloak to the floor, revealing her beautiful slender form as she sashays the few steps from the door to me. Her tapered, smooth, whip-like tail is flicking cat-like back and forth, and my eyes try to follow and focus on it, rather than her amazing body within the supple, tight-fitted leathers that adorn her. I do not know if I have the willpower for even sixteen minutes of permanency enhancement enchantment, let alone trying to save S P by casting the bond slowly over twenty four minutes.
Gulping, I try to put my thoughts in order as I begin crafting the runes to cast the telepathic bond spell. I keep forcefully blinking frequently, trying to keep myself from submitting to the whammy, such that I’d be staring wide-eyed for the next forty minutes to accomplish my goal. Is, is she dancing against me? Holy crap. My heart is hammering and she oh hello—.
Her tail snakes about my waist and tugs gently, urging me to turn towards where she’d moved slightly to my side, so that our faces align. When I immediately yield, she kisses me softly, tenderly on the lips, tantalizingly leaving me aching for more. Instead of continuing, she sits on the bench, and slides smoothly across it, on those incredibly smooth, supple leathers that very well accentuate the firmness of her posterior. My eyes drift to hers, those startlingly beautiful silver orbs of dancing liquid mercury. My forced blinking keeps me from being caught in their gaze, but the yearning is drawn in the odd mixture of laxness and tenseness in my posture, my frequent gulping, and the hammering of my heart.
As Errissa pats the bench, she points away, indicating I should face away. I sit as I’m instructed, and it helps immensely, so I finally speak, “I’m, um, about twenty minutes from finishing crafting the runes for the telepathic bond, to put the spell up. Then I’ll need to dig out some gem paste, and have access to your cranium, and part of your torso, your back is fine, as long as I don’t make too many mistakes. I, oh. Um. There’s two choices, I’ll use my hands so that you can indicate which one.”
Gulping, I feel Errissa throw her right arm over my right shoulder, resting part of it against my bare chest, as her head rests on my right shoulder. Since she seems to not be moving all that much from that location, I start the first offer, while holding my arms down at my thighs, palms face up, offering, “So, there’s two ways to cement the subnetwork, one way, on my left hand, would be what I call the less intimate way—.”
Errissa’s tail immediately snakes along my right forearm, coils around the wrist, and taps my right palm, before dragging its tip along the inside of my palm, sending shivers up my spine. Gulping, I continue anyway, “The, the, glp, the less intimate way is just one where it’s easier to keep your emotions to yourself. The right hand, the more intimate way,” Errissa continues playfully flicking her tailtip into my upturned right palm, and dragging designs with it as I try to explain, “is, um, it, uh, it’s more emotive, you can sort of see and send expressions, and it’s a little harder to block your full outgoing emotions. Either way though, you can turn off your passive broadcast of your internal monologue, so that only active messages go through.”
As she continues to drape herself over my right shoulder, and continues flicking my right hand with her tail, she also points to my right hand, as if to say, “That’s the one I chose, just in case you didn’t notice the tail sensually playing with your palm.”
I quiver with delight, despite how stupid I feel as I nod shakily up and down, acknowledging her choice. She holds up two fingers, asking me what the second choice was, but I have a feeling I already know the answer. Coughing as I chuckle nervously, I state, “The, um, other choice, the left hand is if I apply the runic paste in as clinical a fashion as possible, no unnecessary touching. The right—,” though her tail had withdrawn for a second, it’s instantly back around my right wrist and palm, I gulp as she leans over and smiles directly into my eyes while pointing at my right hand.
Gulping, I still struggle to finish anyway, “The, um, right hand would mean you would prefer me to massage your scales. Either way, I’ll need, well, yes, I can see you chose the right hand, glp. I, uh, there was, I forget. Bare, um, need to—.”
There’s a rustling as Errissa retreats from draping herself over my shoulder, and my muscles untense. I didn’t realize the reason I was shaking was because I’d gone virtually stiff over every inch of my body. My muscles untense until there’s a sudden, soft, “fwmph,” and a very expertly tailored, supple leather tunic, and its undershirt appears on the floor in front of me, next to a cloak.
Okay, maybe I can’t do this. Maybe I can’t do this. She made a big deal about putting the key in the cloak, right? Was that to give me an out? To explain and show me that if I was getting uncomfortable, that I could leave easily? I— kind of want to stay even more now. I’m fairly positive my situational read is correct. She’s been remarkably considerate of my feelings the entire time, allowing me to not have to face the obsession any longer than necessary. I guess it also provides us a locked door, so that people couldn’t stumble in while we’re, um, doing, the thingy, with the enchanting stuff. Her enchanting, alluring, I mean, her enchantment. I rattle my skull quickly as I blush while nervously chuckling.
Errissa returns to her perch, draped about my right shoulder, and I almost crack, I almost turn to look her in the eyes to forget everything I’m doing here. Oh holy heck I was right. Her soft pectoral ridge is heavenly against my shoulderblade. My vision’s starting to go fuzzy, and tunnel in and out. I need to remember to breathe. There’s still like ten to fifteen minutes of runic-crafting to do to save S P! Maybe I should just, um, thingy, with the thing I can do, that does the stuff with the magicals. Her hands are magic as she caresses my back and chest simultaneously. Wait, no, stop, focus.
Trying to keep myself grounded, I offer up a running commentary, “So there’s about, um, nine or so minutes left on the runic crafting to finish the casting of the spell. I don’t want you to think I’m ignoring you, because you feel, erm, koff, I mean this feels friggin’ amazing. You eek, hi. Yes, um, right. So, I’ve been crafting this spell a lot today, and boy are my arms tired, hah, hah. Okay that joke falls flat, I don’t know why anyone ever uses it. Oh, but me talking about bad humor is funny, huh? You’re adorable. No really, I mean that, that’s not the whammy talking. I enjoy that you thought my commentary was funny. Um, anyway, yeah, so about eight minutes left, glp. An-anyways, the—,”
Her tail, which had been absent since she’d disrobed, scritches its tip along the inside of my left palm down my left wrist and I vibrate from the feel of it. My eyes roll around in their sockets momentarily before I get my bearings to try to continue, “The, koff, the permanency enhancement enchantment paste for me is getting ridiculously expensive with how many subnetwork enchantments I have layered on top of each other. It’s like multiply the density of the first paste exponentially per subnetwork. In not too many more, I might as well just be jabbing raw gems into me to draw the runes with. I’m only slightly exaggerating, and mostly because that wouldn’t work. Hm? Oh, yeah, about four minutes.”
Mmmnf! Nope, nope, don’t think about what she just did with her teeth. My neck is okay, it’s, eye-rollingly pleasant, but don’t think about it, don’t latch onto it, or what she’s doing with her ton--, glp. Three minutes. I offer up, “So, uh, earlier, like I was saying about my friend. They’re carrying around some pretty heavy trauma, and I can totally empathize, you know? I feel like, maybe you do too? You’ve been amazingly compassionate to me, which, by the way, has endeared you to me even more than the whammy. I just get the sense, of, well, don’t, um, don’t feel obligated, to try to explain or think about it or anything, if you do. I just want you to know, that if you’re, um, ever in need, I mean, we’ll have a freakin’ psychic bond in a little bit, so, uh. Like, literally if you ever need someone to talk to, about just-about anything, I’m a thought away.”
I’d like my vision to focus now please. I’m going to be having to craft runes on her back any moment now. Cracker crunch crispy holy crap. Huff, okay, breathe. A few more seconds, and we’ll be connected mentally. If I can survive the permanency enhancement enchantment process, it’ll be for life.
A voiceless voice sends text into my mind, “For life?”
Blinking momentarily, I can’t help as I turn to look Errissa in the eye to nod while answering, “Yeah, I mean, permanency, you know?”
Somehow without a voice, the words evince humor as she jokes, “I’m not sure I’m ready for that kind of commitment Schism,” while outwardly she holds her delicate right hand to her mouth as her beautifully shale-grey scaled chest heaves several times while she titters with mirth.
The teasing somehow sets me at ease, I haven’t even put up the passive-outgoing broadcast walls, but I happily tease back, “Little late for that now, don’t ya think?”
There’s a devious grin upon Errissa’s face as she asks, “Why do you think I gave you the location of the key? Either of us can back out at any time. Not that I’m going to back down. Are you?”
I can’t fight the grin as I respond, “Oh? Is that a challenge Miss Spymaster?”
Cheekily, the voiceless voice requests, “Please, call me Errissa. All my friends do. The one I have. You.”
Laughter almost started burbling up from within me during her obvious reference, but then it got a bit heartwarming, while also being a bit saddening. I apologize to Errissa, “We ah, we should probably get started on the permanency part, with you first, because mine could take a while to mix up, and you won’t need to sit through that. The spell has a duration, so, I, um, hell. I am enjoying the hell out of talking to you, and I’m pretty sure I’d get distracted and let the whole hour and a half time pass by before remembering to get the enchantment up on either of us. I’m not sure if that would bugger the spell or not.”
I almost can’t believe someone making no sound could produce the utter cheek of the voice as it faux-gasps, “Buggering? Surely not? We wouldn’t want that now, would we?”
Choking on my own tongue, I cough for moment. I’d sort of forgotten that that word had an actual meaning, other than an epithet. Are all the people I’ve fallen in love with going to tease me like this?
Before I can even say anything actually addressed to her, the voice queries, “Fallen in love with? Are you including me because of the teasing? Is that your whammy-thing talking?”
The questions sound genuine, so I address them, “Yes, yes, and no, in that order. I’m, uh, more than infatuated. I fall fast and hard, apparently it’s a trait of Changeling Fae, which is my, um, species? I guess? Not that I’m blaming it. You’re amazing on dozens of levels. Yeah, go ahead and lie face-down please. Since there’s no room in here, is it okay if I straddle you?”
My heart skips a beat or two as the voiceless text teases, “Please do, I insist.”
I may as well let her know that I’m not a biological entity. Well, I guess I don’t have to now, since my passive outgoing broadcast to her is on.
Confusion manifests as she asks, “What does it mean to be non-biologic as an entity?”
Gnawing on the inside of my cheek while I think, and carefully massage her soft, smooth, gorgeous slate-gray scaled back, it takes me a moment to ponder. Having difficulty finding a succinct answer, I respond, “I don’t have a lot of organs, I have digital constructs, or nothing at all in place of them. I think the only things in my chest are my heart and lungs. Digital constructs are sort of like mana constructs, only mine aren’t on this plane of existence, or something. Like food teleports somewhere after entering my esphoagus. I don’t have any reproductive organs, or, erm, koff, genitalia. You can obviously see I’ve got no nipples, though I don’t know how common knowledge their existence would be if there aren’t a lot of dragons walking around shirtless in human form.”
There’s a pout to the voiceless text that asks, “So wait, no full on mating? None of the payoff? Can you not even, y’know?”
I know exactly to what she is referring, and I nod, answering, “Yeah, I can’t, none of that. As a digital being, I don’t have any of it. As a changeling, I could maybe create a facsimile, but that just seems a gross misuse of abilities that I’ve never really practiced with anyway. Plus, I have nerve damage, all my nerves are basically just cored-out tunnels at this point. I sort of technically don’t feel anything, but I set up a kind of spell-like thing in the back of my mind, that uses an internal lightning storm to mimic the effects. You saw me with the sparks on my arms. That’s how I’m able to function at all.”
Errissa doesn’t respond for a long while, and I’m worried I’ve offended or upset her somehow. So, I simply finish up the rest of her permanency enhancement enchantment wordlessly, trying not to focus on how ravishing her slender frame is, or any of the other details of her physical appearance that might be construed as being because of the whammy. I mean, the whammy only has my brain spouting true stuff, like the entrancing nature of her beautiful, tapered, whip-like tail, or the way it’s situated perfectly, *perfectly* at the nape of her back, above her pert posterior that’s emphasized all the more by her tight-fitted supple leathers and oh crap I’m doing it right now.
There’s a slight heaving of her chest to indicate that Errissa giggled at my train of thought. Oh, I suppose I could put up the passive blockade if maybe it would make her more comfor— the voiceless voice demands, “Don’t you dare. Do you know how rare it is to hear a compliment for my physical appearance in this line of work?”
Oh, in that case, I could literally go on forever, drinking in the sight of you, tracing the edge of each of your scales with my eyes, casting about all of my senses to take in the full of you. Ahem, yeah. I’d, uh, better get working on my own gem-dust paste. I’d prefer to keep this enchantment up. Unless you want me to drop it?
There’s simply a frown across the mental wavelength. I’ll take that as a no, which sort of makes my heart flutter. I know part of me is running away with the implication that Errissa actually wants to have my crazy train of brain to listen to, but the logical part of me is saying she’s upset that I might disobey Kinzul, or cause her to have disobeyed Kinzul, by not finishing the enchantment.
There’s a squint coming from the mental wavelength, and an incredulous eyeroll. I, um. I take it that that means the answer *should* be obvious. Woah my vision’s going out again. Dizzy.
Seemingly out of nowhere, the voice queries, “Are the few organs you have in the usual places for a humanoid?”
After my vision stops focusing and unfocusing, so that I can ponder the question, I feel my torso from the outside. I also send sparks about my inside, confirming that yes, they appear to be. I’m about to respond to her, but she already knows, because my passive broadcasting is going. Should I let her know that she can also block out my passive broadcast at her own leisure? Did I forget to at least imply that if not outright say it? I forget.
I feel a bit bad as we continue to sit in silence while I finish up my own permanency enchantment. Out loud, verbally I try, “I’d like to apologize if I made you uncomfortable or anything. I do really, really like you. Thank you for sticking around while I finished off the enchantment. I do enjoy your presence. A few more seconds on this last rune.”
The voiceless voice intimates a few things by stating, “I was trying to not distract you, so you could finish faster. Now, look this way and tell me more about me.”