The flight back to the carrier was filled with finalizing the details of the plan, discussing weaknesses, and preparing a few contingencies for when the plan would invariably change. By the time they had landed, everyone knew their assigned missions and roles. They quickly dispersed to inform the other players of what parts they were soon going to play as well. Reece was one of the last to leave, strolling down the ramp with Shenfu and Pasha. Turning to the brilliant pilot, he got a bad feeling, like he wasn’t going to see her again.
“Are you sure you’re up to flying them to Korea?” asked Reece. “We have no idea what they’ll be walking into.”
“Of course, I’m ready to go,” stated Pasha before smiling cheekily. “I’m basically immortal. Besides, Aika and the rest will protect me. I’ll be fine. You don’t need to worry.”
“Hey,” Reece asserted.
Pasha turned; her face questioning him. Reece gently but firmly grabbed her shoulders and leaned into her, placing his lips on her forehead. Kissing her gently, he pulled back and looked into her eyes.
“We’ve been through a lot,” said Reece. “You’ve saved us, saved me, more times than I can count. You watch your ass out there. I love you. You know that, right?”
“Oh, what will all your other girls think?” teased Pasha, flipping her hair back in a gesture of mock vanity.
“Like a sister, stupid,” clarified Reece, smiling at Pasha’s antics. Still, he couldn’t help but smack her on the ass. “Now, be good.”
“Hey, at least I’m not sleeping in your bed every night,” replied Pasha, a mischievous look on her face.
“What do you mean?” asked Reece, concern creeping into his voice.
“Taela’s moved into your quarters,” giggled Pasha. “She mentioned something about your scent. Hey, don’t ask me, bud. I just work here.”
“Neptune’s low-hanging fruit… just what I need right now,” cursed Reece, shaking the complication from his mind. “Whatever. You just take care of yourself and our friends, okay?”
Pasha pretended to pout before finally smiling and sighing loudly. “Oh, fine. I’ll be careful, Daddy.”
“Hey, don’t make me spank you again,” retorted Reece.
“Promises, promises,” teased Pasha as she walked away, shaking her ass and smiling coyly over her shoulder.
Shenfu looked up at Reece, his eyes half-lidded, his expression showing a complete lack of amusement.
“What?” complained Reece. “Not you too?”
“Oh,” came Shenfu’s voice in his head. “I was just thinking how little things have changed with you humans and your interactions over the centuries.”
“Yeah,” replied Reece skeptically. “I’ll bet you were.”
“True,” acknowledged Shenfu. “It hasn’t changed as much as your craftsmanship. When I was a pup, gunpowder had just begun to grow in popularity. Now, I just flew in a metal bird and am now standing on an island built to move. Your race’s ingenuity truly amazes me.”
“Thanks,” replied Reece. “This island is mostly metal, and it’s called an aircraft carrier. Those metal birds are called aircraft. This carrier was designed for vertical flight aircraft, like the Phoenix. By the way, Phoenix is a designation, a nickname given to the type of aircraft that it is.”
“Ahh, I see,” said Shenfu’s voice. “Thank you for the lesson.”
“Anytime,” said Reece. “For now, I think it’s time for us to grab something to eat and get some sleep. I, ah… you do eat, right?”
“I do,” replied Shenfu, a touch of mirth in the gravelly voice in Reece’s head.
Shenfu followed Reece to the galley and made short work of several halibut steaks before the chef on duty started giving Reece dirty looks. Reece enjoyed one himself and they spoke silently to each other as they ate.
“So, what can you tell me about your kind?” asked Reece.
“Well, no two Qilin look exactly the same, much like your own species,” answered Shenfu. “We can also fly on small clouds and can phase through solid matter, both things you have already witnessed.”
“Well, I didn’t notice the cloud, but I was a little preoccupied at the time,” chuckled Reece.
“Hah, that you were. Well, in addition… we can also discern the nature of a person, whether they are inherently kind and benevolent or self-centered and greedy,” replied Shenfu. “We also have a sense of a person’s destiny…”
“Wait, I always thought we made our own destiny,” cut in Reece. “You know, free will… such as it is.”
“Oh, you do,” clarified Shenfu. “But even so, things are overwhelmingly likely to occur or not occur. For example, we can be confident that if we dive into the ocean, we will get wet… or that if we want to heal the earth, there are a whole lot of undead beings that we’ll have to find a way of dealing with. Most things are much less certain, but prophecy works on probability and as such, can only hint at the future.”
“Ah, that makes sense,” said Reece. “Thank you, Shenfu.”
“You welcome, Reece Danielson of the Inanna-dine,” replied Shenfu.
The Qilin had given Reece a great deal to think about. It was an interesting dinner conversation and quite enlightening, especially considering the whole thing took place in his head. Reece considered it quite efficient that they could have such a pleasant conversation with their mouths full all the while.
“Hey, hey, guys,” cut in the high-pitched voice of Chippo. “Hey, Shenfu… are you gonna tell him the rest, huh?”
“Of course, impatient one,” grumbled Shenfu. The Qilin took a long pause before resuming. “What the Furdian is alluding to is that we are also here to help you fight the evil that has infested this world. To do that, we’ll need to free my brothers and sisters from their stony prisons below ground. We also can teleport anywhere in the world. However, those things can wait for now. There simply isn’t enough latent mana around to power that many active Qilin. Freeing them isn’t a given. It will depend on the choices you make on this journey. And Reece… remember that. It will help you make the correct decision when the time comes, should it come at all.”
“Good, good,” added Chippo. “Now we can finish the Regenesis orb and unlock it.”
“Whoa, don’t get ahead of yourself,” cautioned Reece. “We can burn that bridge when we get to it.”
“Hah, burn that bridge, funny, funny, Reece,” the voice of Chippo giggled. “Chippo’s funny too, yes, yes. Hey, where did Montezuma go to college?”
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“Huh, no idea,” replied Reece, confused by the Furdian’s question.
“Az tech!” blurted out Chippo, giggling hysterically.
Reece groaned inwardly at the bad joke but couldn’t help but chuckle at the Furdian’s humor. Looking up, he saw that the chef was looking at him like he’d gone insane. That just made him chuckle harder. The chef just shook his head and went about his business.
“Oh, and Reece,” added Chippo once his telepathic giggling had died down. “You can trust Shenfu’s judgment. He’s over fifteen hundred years old and has been the advisor of four different Emperors of China. He’s very wise, oh yes, very wise indeed.”
“I also served in Thailand and Japan,” added Shenfu. “Most people of the region look to us for guidance.”
“Well then,” replied Reece. “I’ll take all the advice I can get, if you’re willing to give it, of course.”
“You have but to ask, Reece Danielson,” replied Shenfu. “Though maybe not pure, you are the best hope of our world. We could certainly do worse.”
“Uh, thanks, I think,” replied Reece, not sure if he had just received a compliment or an insult. He decided not to think too deeply about it.
“Well, back to rest,” said Chippo. “I need to save my mana up. With enough, I can start manipulating objects, though only for a short time. Good luck, funny Reece and wise Shenfu, and adios!”
“Where did Chippo learn ‘adios’ from?” thought Reece after a long moment of quiet.
“I think he heard it from your friend, Angel, earlier,” answered Shenfu.
“Oh crap,” thought Reece, raising his eyes in surprise. “For a second, I forgot you were still in here too. Well, we’d better get some rest too.”
The chef was eyeballing him again and muttered under his breath at Reece’s odd antics. After finishing up the meal, Reece bussed their table before walking up to the chef.
“Thank you, the food was delicious,” he said.
The chef just nodded back with a worried expression on his face. Reece realized what he must seem like, having a seemingly one-sided conversation with the voices in his head. For a second, Reece thought about using his power to persuade the chef to like him regardless of his strange behavior. The moment he thought about it, he quickly dismissed it. He didn’t like tampering with people’s free will. Besides, he found it kind of funny. Reece chuckled to himself while he and Shenfu left the galley for Reece’s sleeping quarters. It had been a long day and he was exhausted, especially now that he was digesting the rather large dinner he had eaten so late.
Upon entering his room, he was shocked to discover that Taela, the Adaron princess, was already in his bed. Pasha wasn’t joking. From the look of his room, she had been sleeping there for the entire time he had been gone. Pasha also mentioned something about his smell. Taela was clearly smitten. So much for his suggestion before the Lok Toduure. Luckily, she had rolled to the inside in her sleep and was pressed against the wall, gurgling softly, like a watery snore. Reece found it quite cute, but that didn’t change his mind. Despite all outward appearances, he wasn’t trying to build a harem of beautiful women.
Not wanting to cause drama that would keep him awake any longer, he removed his boots and jacket and climbed into bed, careful not to disturb the sleeping princess. The moment he got comfortable, Taela rolled over in bed and draped her arm and leg over him, pressing her body against his. Reece was about to yell at her when he noticed she was still asleep.
Shenfu just snuffled at the pair and lay down on the room’s only rug. Reece reached out and gave the Qilin a friendly head scratch before settling in. Shenfu seemed to enjoy the simple attention. Turning his thoughts away from the Qilin and towards the seaborn girl, Reece couldn’t help but feel a need to protect the naive young lady. Sighing in defeat, he gingerly placed his arm around her sleeping form, eliciting a low gurgling purr from her as she tried to bury herself inside of him. He had to admit, she was moojie to sleep with. And that’s exactly what he did, the warm blackness of unconsciousness sneaking up on him and swathing him in blissful ignorance.
At first, all he saw was darkness. Soon, storm clouds rolled in, angry and violent as they filled the ashen sky, illuminated by a mysterious green glow. The land upon which he stood was steeped in blackness, the poor glow of the clouds unable to reach. A jagged crack of sizzling electricity split the sky and lit up the ground for the briefest of moments, revealing the silhouettes of several people. Two, three, then four flashes later, and Reece began to make them out. Aika, Karina, and the twins moved about menacingly. Every flash showed them another step closer. Soon, Reece could make out the malice in their eyes, but before they reached him, a massive black curtain dropped from the sky and hid them from his sight. Then the curtain came alive and swaddled him whole.
“Jupiter’s cock!” yelled Reece, waking with a start.
Taela was still curled up beside him, pressing her warm body to his. He started to move ad then realized that she had her hands down his pants. His eyes shot wide, and he realized she was slowly stroking his erection. Immediately pulling her arm from his waistband, he jumped out of bed and backed off a couple of steps for good measure.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded angrily.
“I thought you’d like a pleasant wake-up call,” she replied as she sat up in the bed, letting her loose tank top fall to the side, exposing her left breast, a light bluish-green topped with a perky dark blue nipple. She was an exquisite creature, with all smooth lines and gentle curves. “Why don’t you come back and let me finish, or maybe we can do something even better...”
Her implication gave him pause, but only for a moment. She was beautiful but also smart and kind. Still, he was already in love, and with two women no less. He couldn’t do this. While he had no explicit agreement with Aika or Karina, bringing another woman into the mix was just messed up and insensitive to their feelings. He could already tell that something was bothering Karina and he had no desire to add to her troubles.
“Please, cover yourself up,” Reece gently admonished the young woman. “You need to go.”
“Why?” demanded Taela. “Don’t you like me? Don’t you find me attractive? I’ve waited for you to return for six months. Surely that must mean something to you.”
“Of course, I do... to both your questions and I couldn’t help how long I was gone,” answered Reece. “But that doesn’t matter. I’m already in a complicated relationship. You understand, right?”
“Oh, I understand,” shouted Taela. “I understand that you’re seeing those four other girls, maybe more, but I don’t make the cut. Is that it?”
“No, no. That is not it,” replied Reece, frustration starting to show through. “Things were complicated, are complicated. I can’t do anything about that now. But for you, I can. There’s no need for you to be a part of this. You’re a princess and we’ll find you a suitable match, one less encumbered than me. What would your people say if you showed up with an outsider who has multiple lovers? You must see that it couldn’t possibly work. Your reputation would be sullied.”
“Okay, fine. Me choosing an outsider would be a concern,” she finally pouted, some of the wind sucked out of her sails, but she was relentless. “But there aren’t any good options for me, now. And we don’t share your people’s hang-ups on relationships. Most people in our culture are monogamous, but only about three-fifths, and that has more to do with economic concerns than any negative views on multiple relationships. You could just take me now if you wanted. I’d like to see if we’re as compatible as I think we are. I promise you’ll enjoy it.”
“I’m sure that I would,” replied Reece. “But I respect my current relationships too much for that. And for the record, I also respect you too much for that. We barely know each other. That’s more important than any sexual compatibility we might have.”
“Ugh, fine,” grumbled Taela as she roughly yanked her tank top back into place. “But, you should know, we could have got to know each other better over breakfast. Think on that!”
As she walked past Reece to leave, she touched his shoulder gently with her hand and looked into his eyes. He could see the hurt as he returned her gaze, both deep hurt and something akin to love. His heart hurt, an empathic reaction to what he knew he was putting this sweet young innocent woman through. Then she turned away and walked out of his quarters and around the corner. Reece leaned back against the wall and put his head down in shame for hurting the vulnerable female, but he hadn’t known what else to do in the moment. Now it was too late to come up with something better.
Cursing the fact that his suggestion hadn’t lasted, he jumped in the shower to try and wash his guilt away and prepare for the day. Things were moving quickly now, and time was of the essence. He sincerely hoped the girl would get over him quickly and move on. She needed someone to make her happy after everything that she and her people had been through...everything that the entire world had been through, really.
Finishing up, Reece put his now typical outfit back on. He had discovered early on that it was self-cleaning. He felt like he had the most convenient and comfortable outfit that the world had ever known, or close to it. At least, he knew that it was better than anything he’d ever worn before. That was good because he had a more important matter to worry about.
Traveling above deck by way of the galley, he grabbed a cashew-butter and persimmon jam sandwich to start the day. He could hear metal violently clashing against metal and ran out onto the deck to see what was happening. What he saw made him almost drop his sandwich before he had even taken a bite. Unconsciously, he did just that, barely noticing the sweet and salty taste of the impromptu breakfast as he watched the battle happening before him.