By late afternoon, I was pretty hungry, and Kara was still asleep. I looked down and saw that she only had one arm around mine and wasn't holding on as tightly, so I carefully eased my arm over slightly and she didn't react. I moved it a little more, then a bit more. I pulled it free and before her arm flopped down because it was no longer holding onto mine, I caught it and laid it gently down on the bed.

“Mmm.” Kara moaned and crossed her arms as if hugging something.

I sighed mentally, because I had just escaped being caught again, and got out of bed. I changed silently, with the help of Presence containing and directing the sound away, and went to the kitchen. I had been making my own meals for quite a while now, and I had seen Emari do it for years, so I easily prepared a mix of both breakfast and lunch for two people. I wasn't sure if she would want to eat; but, it was better to have something ready for her than it was to make her wait.

I shook my head at that thought. Now I'm waiting on her and it's my own idea! I chuckled very softly and walked back into the bedroom and set the tray of food beside the bed, then used a bit of Presence to check her over. I could feel that a lot of the damage was healing and relaxed. The only major injury was her shin, and thanks to the med-pack, that was almost healed as well.

I sat down on the bed beside her and waited for almost twenty minutes, then I heard a distinct rumbling from Kara's stomach. “I guess I can wake you now and not feel guilty.” I said and reached over to comb her hair out of her face with my fingers. It revealed her face and that she was staring at me. “Good afternoon, sleepy-head.”

“U-Ullir.” Kara said my name like it was a dirty word. “What... where...”

“The what is you were hurt during our training yesterday and the med-bot gave you a sedative.” I said. “The where is you were cuddled up to me all night on my side of the bed.”

“No!” Kara gasped and tried to roll away. “That was just a dream!”

I caught her shoulder to stop her and held her still. “Easy, now. You need to relax and not exert yourself.” I said. “Med-bot orders, remember? No exercise for a day, no work for two days, and no fighting for three days.”

“But... but...” Kara looked at me with slight panic in her eyes.

“I made food.” I said and pointed. Her stomach asked to be fed again and I chuckled. “Look, your stomach agrees.”

Kara was surprised when I picked up both pillows and motioned to her back. She sighed and sat up, and I put them behind her. She leaned back and it put her in a proper sitting position, so I turned and picked up the tray and placed it on her lap.

“I wasn't sure if I should make breakfast or lunch for us, so I made a mixture of both.” I said and picked up a kind of bread roll and broke it in half, and Kara's stomach growled greedily. I chuckled and used a knife to spread a green paste over it, then handed her the bread roll.

“Why are you doing this?” Kara asked as she stared at my eyes and took the offered roll.

“I was honestly asking myself that.” I said and pointed to the roll. “Eat.”

Kara didn't stop staring at me as she raised the bun to her mouth and took a bite, and her eyes widened slightly at the taste. “What is that?”

“I have no idea what a lot of this stuff is.” I said and I saw the surprise on her face. “It comes in unlabelled jars.”

“Ullir! This could be worm food or even animal droppings!” Kara exclaimed and looked at it with disgust.

I laughed, and I missed her slight shiver. “Kara, I doubt my old guardian would have fed me worm food.” I said and did my own bun and took a bite. “If you can find me an animal that can poop this stuff out, I'll show you a credit-making machine!”

Kara snorted a laugh and I grinned at her.

“All I know for sure is that it tastes good, and that's all that matters.” I said and finished my bun, then I poured some yellow syrup-like substance over a waffle-like cake. “You have got to try this one.” I said and cut a piece off, speared it with a fork, and dipped it into the yellow syrup and held it out to her. “Go on, try it.”

“I've had Gramul Cake before.” Kara said and leaned forward to take it in her mouth, and she put a hand over her mouth to stop her gasp.

“It's good, right?” I asked, and she only nodded slightly as she chewed. I cut a piece off for myself and ate it. “I think my guardian was a foodie... someone who enjoys the different flavors and textures of great tasting food.”

Kara wasn't sure what to say to that.

“I guess she kind of made me one, too.” I said with a chuckle. “Once a week she would treat me and share her favorite dessert.”

“Oh? What one was it?” Kara asked and looked at the various dishes on the tray.

“It's a dessert. It wouldn't be on the meal tray.”

“Will you be feeding me dessert after this?” Kara asked, and I could swear that she sounded eager.

“It depends on how much of this we can eat.” I said and motioned to the tray.

“Do we have to eat it all?” Kara asked, doubt in her voice.

I chuckled. “No. I wasn't sure what you would like, so I made a bunch of things.”

Kara almost sighed in relief. “Okay, I'll try everything and see what I like.”

Kara and I ate quite a bit of the food on the tray, then she sat back and put a hand on her belly.

“I think I'm done.” Kara said. “It was all good and I couldn't decide what one was the best.” She put a hand on my arm and gave it a squeeze. “Thank you.”

“You haven't had dessert yet.” I said.

“I don't know if I can eat any more.” Kara said.

“Oh, you'll want to eat this.” I said and picked up the tray and left the bedroom. I quickly cleaned it off and prepared the special dessert that Emari enjoyed so much, put it on the clean tray, and went back into the bedroom.

“What is that?” Kara asked as I put the tray down in front of her.

“According to Emari, it's enjoyment in solid form.” I said and put my hand on the top part. “Are you ready?”

“I... don't know.” Kara said.

I grinned at her and lifted the top of the orange-like fruit and the smell of the creamy center flowed over her. Kara caught her breath at the delicious smell and she blinked her eyes several times before she managed to speak.

“What is it?”

“I've been buying them from a vendor for years and I still don't know the name of it.” I said and dipped my finger into the cream. “I doubt I could pronounce it, even if I did know.” I held my finger out to her. “Try it.”

“Don't you have a spoon or something?” Kara asked.

“This is how you're supposed to eat it.” I said. “Go ahead.”

Kara looked from my finger to my face. “You're not playing a joke on me, are you?”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“I swear to god I'm not.” I said, and she stared at my face for a moment, then leaned forward slightly and took as small of a lick as she could. I saw her face light up and her eyes widen as she swallowed, then she grabbed my hand with both of hers and gave my finger a real lick.

Kara let the flavor fill her mouth and she closed her eyes as she swallowed. “By the Goddess.” She whispered. “Ullir, it's... I've never...”

“I know.” Ullir said. “I had the same reaction the first time Emari fed me it like this.”

Kara still had a hold of my hand, so she leaned forward again. Instead of licking my finger, she slipped it into her mouth and sucked off the rest of the cream. Her whole body shivered at the large dose of the flavor, and she slowly slid my finger out and kept her lips closed as she did so.

“That's so good.” Kara said and licked her lips. She took several deep breaths and dipped her own finger into it and scooped some out. She didn't do what I thought she was going to do, though. She held it out to me instead. “Your turn.”

“But...”

“You said we were sharing this food and that this is how you're supposed to eat it.” Kara said. “I know you didn't lie and you said it wasn't a joke.”

“It's not, but...”

“Go ahead.” Kara said.

I thought about saying no. If I did, she would probably get angry at me for not reciprocating. I held in my sigh and took a small lick.

“Don't you like it, too?” Kara asked, a little confused.

I did sigh this time and took her whole finger into my mouth like she did for mine, and she nodded slightly. When I started to suck on her finger, her face slowly turned red. She eased her hand back and pulled her finger from my mouth, and it was as clean of cream as mine had been.

Neither of us said anything and just stared at each other for a full minute.

“Um... Ullir.” Kara managed to say through her embarrassment.

“Y-yes?” I asked, and my voice wavered slightly.

“I... I...”

I expected her to tell me to take it away and reached for the tray.

“I'd like some more.” Kara said, her face still red.

I raised my eyebrows slightly at her boldness and changed my reaching hand to dip my finger into the cream, then held it out for her. She didn't bother trying to lick it this time and just put it into her mouth and sucked on it. After a moment, she dipped her finger into the cream and held it out to me. I couldn't refuse, not with my finger still in her mouth, so I sucked on her finger, too. We repeated this several times, and by the time we had finished off the dessert, both of our faces were bright red.

Neither of us said anything as I cleared away the dessert and offered her a cloth to wipe herself off. She cleaned off her finger and then wiped her mouth and handed it back. She watched as I deftly folded the cloth the other way to the clean side and did the same thing, then I took the tray and the empty dessert to the kitchen. When I came back to the bedroom, she had a hand on her knee below the blanket.

“Ullir...”

“The med-bot gave me something to help.” I said and took the vial out of my pocket. “This will let you sleep.”

“Thank you.” Kara said, and I stepped close to the bed. “How long?”

“Up to twelve hours.” I said, and she nodded as she took it and poured it all into her mouth. I felt her pull Presence to herself as she closed her eyes, and she folded her hands over her stomach as she used Presence hand to move one of the pillows out of the way. I quickly turned the other one for her to lay her head on.

“U-Ullir.” Kara mumbled.

“Yes?”

“S-stay... w-with... foooo.” Kara let out a long breath of air and fell asleep.

“Well, I guess I'm not going anywhere.” I whispered with a chuckle, created a box of energy and made it solid with Presence, sat on it in the lotus position, and entered a meditative state to practice some mental techniques and kept an eye on her.

Kara didn't wake up after twelve hours, and since it was the middle of the night, I figured she was actually asleep without the help of the drugs. A quick check with some Presence confirmed my assumption, so I changed for bed and thought about climbing onto her side of the bed. There was a lot more room on that side; but, I knew if I did that, she would be angry that I had crossed onto her side and violated her private space.

I chuckled mentally at that, because in her mind, it was okay for her to do that and not me. I climbed into bed on my side, and with her in the middle of the bed, it didn't leave me a lot of room. I made do with what I had and once again, entered a meditative state and went into a light sleep, in case she needed me for something.

She didn't.

Kara woke up the next morning and as far as I could tell, she felt great. She took off the med-pack from her shin and saw the gash was gone and relaxed. She asked for breakfast, so I made it for her and served it to her in bed. She tried to protest, so I reminded her that the med-bot told her to rest. It had only been a day, despite how long it felt, and she still had the day off of work.

“You're not going to let me get out of bed, are you?” Kara asked me, and I shook my head.

“You just rest and take it easy. You can worry about things starting tomorrow when you have to go back to work with those idiots.”

“The council members are not idiots.” Kara said, sternly.

“We'll have to agree to disagree on that.” I said. “I can't ignore the long history of their policies, all of the lives they've taken, and all of the families they've destroyed.”

“Ullir...”

“I'm not going to debate it against all the 'good' they've done, because you are completely biased for them.”

“Why not? You're completely biased against them.” Kara countered.

“Yeah, I am.” I said. “Where are your parents?”

“They live on a lush green planet in the Ersatz sector.”

“Have you seen them lately?”

“No.” Kara said. “I've been too busy...”

“...working for The Order.” I finished for her. “So, when was the last time you saw them? It's been years, right?”

Kara didn't respond, and I chuckled.

“It doesn't bother you at all to have left them behind? Do they message you? Do you message them? Is that even allowed?”

Kara stayed quiet, and I sighed.

“Look, I hate to burst your bubble like this. The Order is not an organization that's made with sunshine and rainbows. It's made from blood and death and on the backs of innocent people.”

“No, it isn't.” Kara said and glared at me.

“You can deny their acts until you're blue in the face, which will clash with your pink hair by the way; but, it won't change the facts. Despite what you believe are good intentions, The Order does horrific things.”

Kara closed her eyes to try and bring an end to our unpleasant conversation. “I order you to never speak of this again.”

“That's what every member of The Order says to everyone, and no one ever raises their voice against them... more than once.” I said. “Then they are declared rogues and hunted down.”

“You have my permission to leave my side for the rest of the day.” Kara said and kept her eyes closed.

“All right, I'll go.” I said and walked to the bedroom door. “I already have lunch and dinner prepared. You only need to warm them up for a few seconds.”

Kara nodded without looking at me, and I left the bedroom and then the apartment.

With nothing else to do, I left the building and ran towards the East Forest Glade. I always felt better with all the Presence around me, and it enhanced my abilities past what I could normally do. I covered myself in Presence and ran as fast as I could and went back to my spot by the stream. I came to a stop and saw a cute pink pixie as she sat on my favorite rock.

“You know, you'll never stay on her good side if you keep making her angry.” Lashina said and turned to face me.

“Even after tending to her for two days?” I asked, and she chuckled.

“Ullir.” Lashina jumped off of the rock and floated to the ground, then she strode over to me and barely touched the ground. “Women like to be treated like queens.”

Or princesses. I thought.

“Yes, like Princesses.” Lashina grinned at me and took my hand. “I haven't seen you in a while.”

“I'd like to say that was on purpose.” I said to make her laugh, and she did. “I'm under orders to never leave Kara's side, unless she orders me to do something for her.”

“Oh, poo.” Lashina said and lifted my hand to her face, then she pressed my palm to her forehead. “Go ahead and check me.”

“Again?” I asked, and she nodded slightly. “I don't know why you keep asking me to do this.” I said and gathered Presence to my hand and then sent it into her. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths as my Presence flowed through her. “I still can't find anything wrong.”

“K-keep... checking.” Lashina said and didn't let my hand go. “Can you... use a little more?”

“We're in the East Forest Glade.” I said. “I can add a lot to it if you want.”

“Please.”

I put my other hand on the side of her face and held it tenderly, then closed my own eyes and saw the flow of Presence without my eyes. I pulled a pile of it into myself and directed it to my hands, then eased it into her. She caught her breath as I used the pile of Presence I had gathered and checked all of her at once. Her whole body glowed as my Presence filled her and I saw her shiver.

“Are you okay? I'm not using too much, am I?”

“N-no, it... it's perfect.” Lashina said. “Just perfect.”

“I can see all of you now, and I can't detect anything wrong.” I said a few minutes later.

“Hm? Oh.” Lashina opened her eyes and looked at me. “I guess it's all in my mind.”

I opened my eyes and chuckled as I stopped using Presence to check her, and she sighed. “Maybe you should go to bed and rest for a while.”

“Will you tend to me like you did for Master Moor?”

“Kara said I had the rest of the day off.” I said. “So, I'm not busy.”

“Goody!” Lashina said and took my hand. “If we run, we can be back at my place in no time.”

“I haven't run holding hands before.” I said.

“It's the same as doing it alone or holding someone, except I'm strong enough that I can share it with you.” Lashina said.

“Wow, really?” I asked and covered myself in Presence. Lashina's hand tightened in mine as she felt it, and she covered herself in a much stronger flow of Presence and our hands glowed brighter because our energies mixed together. “Well, look at that.” I said and held our hands up. “It's working.”

“Now concentrate on us running together and not on you running alone.”

“How do I do that?” I asked. “I'm a foot taller than you. You have to take more steps, don't you?”

Lashina chuckled. “Not once we get going.” She said. “We will run together, our strides with match, and we will touch the ground at the same time with our feet.”

“This I have to see.” I said. “Do I guide you or...”

“Let me do all the hard work, and you can see how it's done.”

“Okay.” I said and used a quick mental technique to calm down and set myself to learn something new.

“Very good.” Lashina said, impressed. “Now send me your Presence.”

I nodded slightly and her four foot tall body glowed. She stood there for only a moment, bent over slightly and my body did the same. She wasn't controlling me, it was more like her body strongly suggested that I follow hers. I did so as I mimicked hers. She smiled at me and I smiled back.

Then we ran.