#and we could not explain to her properly apparently that shed get it off regardless and we werent doing anything different than we had b4

[kawaiianimeredhead]

On the one hand I really enjoy having someone like my coworker Miranda in my life right now because she is very different from others in my life currently and before and I think it's great

On the other hand I am so glad I did not meet her sooner because she can be exhausting 5o be around sometimes

[efrmellifer]

Acta Diurna

“Deep breath for me,” the midwife cooed. “Now hold it.”

Etien held her breath, biting her lip to keep air stilled in her lungs.

“Good,” came the soothing voice. “Excellent. And let the breath out.”

Now Etien exhaled, settling back against her pillows again. “Did it sound good?”

“It did! I heard multiple heartbeats, but they were so closely synchronized that I couldn’t count how many exactly. However, if you were having triplets or more, I think you’d be more overtly carrying at this point.”

“So twins?” Aymeric asked, finding his voice and looking up at the midwife from where he was sitting.

“That would be my best guess, though be ready for a surprise when the delivery day comes.”

Etien cleared her throat softly. “And am I still free to travel for some time?”

“For now,” the midwife replied, the way she dragged it out signaling that there was a caveat coming. “Though anything risky should be probably be cut out now, rather than any later.”

“So no Diadem,” Aymeric murmured, coming to Etien’s side and taking her hand. “I’m sorry, dearest.”

Though her expression betrayed that she was put out, she just shrugged. “It was bound to happen eventually.”

“Speaking of eventualities…” The midwife looked between the two of them. “I’d say you have about a moon left before you’ll need to be on bed rest. Light bed rest, to begin with. Walking around the forums occasionally would be good for you, I think. But staying close to home and seated or lying down primarily is the goal. As you progress, we’ll see how things settle and if you’ll need to be under stricter rules, but you’re strong and you seem healthy. So I think you should be all right.”

Etien smiled, her nose crinkling a little bit with the gesture.

Aymeric watched tiredness starting to seep into Etien’s expression, and hurried to get things wrapped up. “Thank you very much, I’rixa,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound like he was trying to usher her out. “Is there anything else we need to keep in mind at the present moment?”

“You both need to get enough sleep. You look tired, ser. She may be undergoing the physical process, but you’re experiencing a lot of change, too. Moreover, you can’t take care of her if you’re exhausted.”

“True,” he conceded. “Wonderful, thank you again. I can show you out.”

“I’ll be back in another moon and a half,” she reminded them both, then followed Aymeric out the door and down the hall.

When he returned, he sighed, leaning against the door frame.

Etien was rubbing her temple.

“Have you a headache again?”

As she turned her head, she dropped her hand back to the covers on the bed. “No. I don’t, fortunately.” She shook her head. Then she sighed. “We need to tell the Scions.” It came out in the same tone as any other groan she’d offer up when she had to do something she didn’t want to.

“Ah. That we do. I must admit, I’m surprised they didn’t find out from the Alliance.”

Etien had gone back to rubbing her head in a vain attempt to self-soothe, but she stopped abruptly. “Gods, you don’t think they did, do you? It is odd that they haven’t asked after me—”

“I have never taken Merlwyb for a blabbermouth, nor Raubahn and the Sultana. Kan-E-Senna, I would imagine, has only told the leadership of the Adders, since you cannot do Serpent errands either.”

“I would never speak ill of the Alliance leaders, but that certainly is a lot of trust to place in them.”

Aymeric looked at Etien and remained silent for perhaps a beat too long as he thought. “Etien. The same as you wouldn’t speak against the Alliance, I won’t speak against the Scions. That being said, I do think that if they had caught even a whiff of what’s been going on, they would have marched right into the manor and been interrogating you as if you had returned from Garlemald.”

Etien coughed.

“Well. You know what I mean,” Aymeric corrected, looking away. “Fury help me, the midwife was right. I do need more sleep.”

With a silent grin, Etien patted the open side of the mattress next to her.

“I slept the day away last time I had a day off. And you were much more capable of taking care of yourself back then.”

“I’m still capable of taking care of myself!” She couldn’t help but sound just a touch indignant. Though if pressed, even she wouldn’t have been able to explain why. It wasn’t like she wanted to force herself into not relying on Aymeric, especially when he was offering himself to be relied upon.

“I—that was a poor choice of words, and not what I meant.” He admitted. “What I had been trying to say was, the last time I had a day off like this, where Lucia took over for me so I could be with you and do with the hours what I willed, I was entirely selfish and slept. But now, it would be better if I were to give you the attention you may require, and for that, I would need to stay awake.”

“All right, darling, but I am asking you to get into bed with me. You don’t need to do anything but lie down.”

“And how many times have I heard that?”

Etien clicked her tongue. “This, and I still invite you into bed.”

He settled under the covers when she lifted them for him, and curled himself around her immediately, head near her belly and arms around her hips.

“I find it strange how slow the change is, and yet one day, it will all be unmissable.”

“And it’s not even your body,” she replied. “It certainly is weird.” She blinked slowly, her drowsiness becoming apparent again. “What are we going to tell the Scions?”

“Perhaps the same words we gave Estinien.”

“Hardly seems fair to Estinien,” Etien mused, letting her arm settle around Aymeric’s shoulders. “We’ve taken him for a lover. He should have something so momentous to himself, don’t you think?”

“I do; you raise an excellent point.”Aymeric thought. “As of this moment, what do you want to say to them?”

“Well. Something to the tune of ‘While the road does go ever onward, and I know I cannot—and so I will not—refuse to walk it, I have taken a detour. I am to be a mother, and so I’ll need time, while the kits develop and after they’re born, to hang up the mantle of Warrior of Light. I can’t bear the weight of the star on my back and the weight of my children on my hips.’”

“Well said. How do you propose to tell them this, o will-worker of the star?”

She huffed. “Sounds too much like Minfilia. And I do not want to be compared to her. Though maybe that’s harsh.” She shook her head to clear it. “Regardless. A letter is all wrong. And using the linkpearl is laughable. Nothing for it. I’ll have to go to the Rising Stones and speak to them in person.”

“Dear-heart, please don’t go to Mor Dhona. Think of it—the gloom. The wildlife. Everyone and their brother seeking an adventurer. It’s too dangerous for you right now.”

“What else can I do?” she asked, sounding resigned but genuinely pleading for his guidance.

Aymeric sighed. “I’ll write a letter. In it, I will ask for one of them. They can choose whom to send.”

“Oh Aymeric, do you think that will go well?”

“How could it go poorly? They know and admire you.”

“If they send Alphinaud, he’ll lose his head, Alisaie might just get angry that I’m letting her win, Urianger will load me down with tomes about pregnancy and cross-bred infants, Y’shtola will laugh me all the way out to Falcon’s Nest, and Thancred will be Thancred.”

“What about Tataru?”

“Oh. She’d tut and pat my hand and start sending food over. Maybe shed a tear about how it was only yesterday she made my bridal gown and now she’ll need to make baby clothing.”

“Do you want me send for Tataru specifically?”

Etien was silent for a long time. “No, but I will write her a personal letter about all this.”

When they received word that one of the Scions was on their way, they’d held their breath waiting.

But when the Scion envoy arrived on the Borel doorstep, Etien realized they had forgotten one important variable.

G’raha Tia.

_

G’raha couldn’t deny that he was a little hesitant as he followed the servant down the hall to the sitting room. He’d seen Etien seated here once or twice when he’d peeked in on the Source before (and once, caught her in a nap), but it was odd to now be sitting there with her.

Fighting alongside his hero when she needed his help was one thing. Resting himself in a chair in her sitting room was a whole different matter. It was like he was seated on a live wire, not quite comfortable, even in a plush, well-built chair.

But the room wasn’t really the issue—it could have been part of any Ishgardian noble’s house. It was the still shockingly young woman seated within it opposite that was unsettling him slightly.

He had never noticed how young Etien still looked. But then, it made sense, didn’t it? She was only 25 now, her 26th nameday coming up in the next moon of Halone. Just after Starlight and Heavensturn.

He knew all this by rote, of course. The Tale of Etien: Left home at 19, adventured in the three city-states for nearly three years, ended the Dragonsong War in Ishgard, liberated Ala Mhigo and Doma, and then… well,  he knew all about what came after that. He’d lived through the last year with her.

He hadn’t gotten to properly celebrate her nameday when he would have had the chance, while she was on the First. Because she hadn’t been. She’d slipped home for Starlight, and then stayed. A little hiccup in the time running parallel had her only gone for a week on the First, though she’d spent three on the Source. But G’raha couldn’t then and couldn’t now find it in himself to be upset that she’d gone home to celebrate.

But all that was in the past now. Marked indelibly on time’s surface, and immutable. They’d all come home, and he was in hers, completely too quiet as she looked at him.

“Hello, G’raha?”

She looked well, and he commented as much.

“Thank you. I suppose I should be grateful I still have my appearance, when it’s been a rough last handful of years.” She laughed. “Anyroad. Do you know why you’re here?”

“The Lord Commander—er, Lord Speaker?—Ser Aymeric sent a letter saying that you and he required the attendance of one Scion of the Seventh Dawn to receive and bear a message back to the others at the Rising Stones. Etien, is everything all right with you?”

“I am healthy and happy. But whether the message you take back following that is good news, well, that is where our opinions may diverge about all things being well.”

G’raha tipped his head, ears bobbing with the motion. “How could any news be bad news, if you’re doing well? I don’t think any of us could blame you for wanting a break. Even the most devoted of the rest of us have had days we put our feet up and called for tea to be brought.”

As he said that, a pot of tea was indeed brought, placed next to Etien alongside a dish laden down with a croissant split down the middle, one half smeared with a nut paste and the other with fruit preserves.

“A bit late and light for a lunch, isn’t it?” he asked.

She laughed. “Oh, I had my lunch. This is so I can keep my energy up. And the tea—rooibos tea, if you were wondering—is for the soothing sensation of the warmth. Not to mention, it’s a habit I would be hard-pressed to kick, so we modify it that I may still indulge safely.”

G’raha laughed at the formality of her diction. “You sound like you’ve become quite the noblewoman in the, I’d say, close to four moons you’ve spent here again?”

She snorted. “In my defense, I was quoting Whitecape.”

“A capable chirurgeon.”

“Very much so.” Etien sighed, crossing her legs at the ankles in front of her. “But we didn’t call you here to talk about the head chirurgeon, or to pick apart my changing speech patterns.”

“I didn’t mean to--”

“Shh, put it out of your mind. I was only teasing. In any case, this break will be longer than just a day spent reading in bed. I’m about to be under medical supervision while I stay in Ishgard. I don’t need a vacation; I’m taking maternity leave.”

“But you’re the Warrior of Light!”

He watched something darken in her expression, looking much the way clouds passing in front of the sun did.

“G’raha, I ask this with all the love in my heart. Are you aware that I’m a real person?”

“I—what? Aye, I do. My referencing the stories was not because I thought they were in any way made up—”

“No, that’s the problem. You heard the stories, all that time ago, before we met and all that. You read Edmont’s memoirs, didn’t you?”

“I did!”

“So you knew, the day you met me outside the Sentinels, what was waiting for me. Knew already how I was going to bleed and spit and cry, and—I don’t think I wanted you to warn me, that’s not what I’m saying. You know that for all I’ve done on Hydaelyn’s pillar with the star on my shoulders that I’m just a scared little girl?”

“You never seemed that way to me. You’ve always been able to rise to the occasion, always been a hero. My hero.”

“I’m not asking you. I’m telling you you had me afraid that I was about to be very much alone, my companions frozen in a sleeping deathlessness, you dragged me away from my husband mere weeks after our wedding, and you almost got me killed by Zenos so you could have me help the First. Not to mention edging on a Lightwarden when I got there.”

“Oh,” G’raha murmured, seeing the way Etien clutched her handkerchief, the way her tail flicked on the seat, next to her leg.

“I can’t imagine how you managed to do that,” she said, quiet suddenly. “How you never—” her jaw clenched, then relaxed, “—never asked any questions. No, that makes sense now.”

He reached out, and she let him lay his hand on hers.

But she ignored it, and kept talking. “Mine has never been to question, unfortunately. Which you know, having heard the tales of me. You’ve always known me, always been one step ahead of me even as you threw yourself to the foreign country of the past. Knew everything about me before I got to discover it about myself. So you didn’t need to ask anything. Not even if I was willing to help you.” She looked up at him, blinking placidly. It was eerie, how she was usually so animated—had always been—but now she was quiet, movements and voice understated as she explicated. “It’s disappointing. That and painful, that your respect for me would go deeper than the average Eorzean’s, because you knew the whole story root to leaf, and yet you couldn’t help acting just like them. Making me your first and last idea to solve any problem, because I would never fail, not when it all hung in the balance. I had to transcend this body—its pain, its hunger, its exhaustion—because Hydaelyn entrusted me with this curse of a blessing.”

G’raha’s ears had long past gone flat, now utterly downturned. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry isn’t going to give me the ages of nineteen to twenty-five back.” She sighed. “That’s cruel, I apologize. Do the books—not Edmont’s, he was busy telling everyone of the Etien he knew and was living with—do they tell of my grief? That I had finally grasped freedom from my life in the Shroud, to be beholden to the needs of the city-states and the agenda of the Scions? That when I was coming into my own as a woman and a weapon, I was accused of crimes far beyond my most sinister thoughts? That I was shuffled from ushering in fragile peace to being the wedge of war for liberation so quickly I— no, they wouldn’t, would they? They tell of my actions, not my feelings.” She laughed. “Or there would be tomes solely dedicated to me and Aymeric.”

G’raha resolved to show her such tomes—they did exist—another time. But for now, she seemed to be running out of steam.

“I wish you’d asked, G’raha. Asked me what being me was like, when we gathered Aethersand. Asked me if I would join you on the First. I would have told you anything you wanted to know. I would have said yes. Instead, you commanded me because you’d made a giant of a terrified girl who hadn’t been living for herself for six years.”

“And I can only offer my deepest apologies,” he responded, trying to abandon the tone he’d always struck as the Exarch. He realized now that he would never fully divorce himself from that position, to her mind. The damage had been done, the bridge burned. They could only step across the charred remains together.

Etien sighed, closing her eyes, then gave him a smile as she opened them. “I can’t say ‘it’s all right,’ but I accept your apology. Someone needed to do the things I had to do, and I choose not to fault you for ensuring I did them.”

“You… choose not to?”

“If I resented everyone who had ever put pressure on me to be The Warrior of Light and not a living, feeling being, I would be holding a grudge against at least half of Eorzea.”

“Fair enough,” he mumbled, ears drooping again.

“Now, I digressed very far afield from my point. I asked you that not to question your belief in me or the stories you heard. The heart of it is that I’d like to have a family, and frankly, every chance I didn’t take before now was risking never being able to. Whether that was because I died or was rendered incapable of having children. Unfit to parent, I mean, above all.”

“Right.”

“So, do you think you and the others can make like the residents of the First and be Warriors of Light for a while, until I can come back? I’m not turning my back on Eorzea. I’m just doing what I haven’t in six years—living my life.”

“I can tell the Scions. You’re in a delicate state and can’t leave Ishgard.”

“Do you think they’ll deduce your meaning?”

“What kind of delicate state could someone like you be in, other than that?”

Etien laughed. “A fair point. Come, I can walk you out.”

_

The flood of letters from everyone came soon after that.

Tataru’s, full of the well wishes Etien had known were coming (had really hoped for, and kept returning to, between all the other letters that had much more flustered tones).

Alphinaud’s and Alisaie’s, jammed into one envelope, where Alphinaud started fretting from afar and Alisaie demanded to be an aunt.

Urianger’s, packed to the gills with advice—as Etien had expected—though a good amount of it was much more useful than anticipated. Y’shtola’s, Thancred’s, F’lhaminn’s, Mother Miounne’s, for the gods’ sake, all were just as she’d thought they would be, though there was one surprise, delivered by falcon, apparently.

“Congratulations and wishes of continued good health to mother, father, and baby (babies?). Hopefully the parcel of clothing arrives equally safely to this letter. We did not want to burden the falcon unnecessarily with both deliveries at once.  We hope to hear from you soon! With love from Doma, Rin and Hien.”

Etien smiled wide as she read that one. Though as she folded it back up, she was startled by a shout in the streets, a darkening of the sky, and the low thud and rumble of a landing dragon.

She glanced out the window just in time to see a red eye peering in.

Etien stepped outside, eager to greet her Dravanian visitor.

“Vidofnir!”

“Ah, my friend, how long it hath been since I have gotten to speak with thee. A Scion did come unto me bearing news of thy return, and thy subsequent confinement to the city?”

She nodded. “For my health, and the health of my children,” she gestured vaguely toward her abdomen, “I have to stay close to home. The Forelands might be a bit too risky for me, even.”

“A shame. I would have liked to celebrate with thee, had the chance arisen.”

Etien smiled, tilting her head back to meet Vidofnir’s eyes. “And we will! After the kits are born. Then, we can celebrate twice as many occasions.”

“Ah. ‘Tis good to see thee in such high spirits about the matter. I feared the worst when I received word.”

“I appreciate your concern.”

“I know not what succor I can offer thee in these times, but know that if thou hast need of me, thy call is all I require.”

Etien bowed without thinking. “I will certainly keep you in my mind and heart.”

“Then I wish thee well until we meet again, Warrior of Warriors.”

She waved as Vidofnir took to the skies again, the dragon miraculously lifting off the stones even with so little room between one building and another to flap.

And then she returned inside, neither dressed for the cold wind blowing down the street, nor prepared in any other way to remain outdoors.

It had been a long few days. She was going to nap, and get back to the letters later. If, Fury willing, Aymeric would help her sort through them and formulate appropriate responses, that was.

And while she had the time, early though it may have been, she wanted to think of names.

[admiralty-xfd]

the exorcism of mulder and scully

 A few folks asked for a continuation of the Plus One story I posted yesterday. This may not be precisely what you’re looking for, but I’m sharing a casefic I wrote that takes place directly after Plus One and before TLAOFS. It’s M/S undercover as a married couple, lots of MSR, spooky stuff, and deals specifically with what went down between them in Plus One. I’ll post the first chapter here but please click the link at the bottom to read the entire story!

                                                        Prologue

THE EXCELSIOR KEYS HOTEL

KEY WEST, FLORIDA

AUGUST 24, 1991 7:31 PM

His eyes opened slowly and there was only blackness and terror. He was afraid. He wasn’t sure exactly why, or of what, but the terror was real, and it was familiar.

He knew he must be in the hotel. He had to be; it was the only place that could create such fear within him. Ever since he began working here a couple years ago he’d felt it.

Cal Hodges had worked at many other establishments before, but none that were most definitely haunted. He’d never believed in ghosts before he and his wife moved to the Keys, but now… he’d seen things. He couldn’t deny the way he felt; the oppressive dread that coursed through his body whenever he was inside these walls. Outside it was better: he could think properly when he tended the lawn or replanted the petunias. But whenever he got a call to replace a doorknob or fix a leaking faucet, the fear returned.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness they darted around the room. He was lying on a bed, somewhere. His wrists were tied behind him and his feet were tied below and while he and his wife occasionally enjoyed an adventurous romp this wasn’t anything he recalled consenting to.

He could smell a faint odor of… something. It was hard to place, but somewhat familiar. Like herbs, musty and organic. He saw a silhouette approach him and a multitude of possibilities went through his mind, horrific possibilities but not one of them was what actually happened when the voice began speaking.

“From all evil, deliver us, o Lord. From all sin, from your wrath, from sudden and unprovided death, from the snares of the devil, we sinners, we beg you to hear us.”

Hodges felt water splash his face as the man drew nearer. He’d never been much of a churchgoer, but he recognized what was going on here. And he recognized the voice. His terror grew.

“Let me go!” Hodges cried. He tugged at the restraints.

“Just relax, I’m here to help you,” the voice said gently. “I’m the only one who can help you.”

“Help me with what?” Hodges asked, desperate. He hadn’t asked for help, had he? What was going on?

The man came up close to his ear.

“You got the demons,” he said. “You got ‘em in you.”

Demons?

His eyes widened in fear. Was any of this real? Is this what explained how he’d been feeling? The omnipresent shroud that seemed to cloak him every time he stepped foot inside this hotel?

The man put his hand on his shoulder, pressing him back, but he fought. Hodges pulled at his restraints, and either they weren’t very tight, or he was very lucky, but one of his wrists got free and he punched the man in the face. With a grunt, he went over the side of the bed, groaning pitifully.

The man didn’t get back up right away, as either age or weight precluded, and Hodges went to work on the other restraints. With a hand free, he made quick work of it, and was off the bed and out the door before the other man had even gotten up.

He hated this place, but he knew it like the back of his hand, and he tore through the hallways to the stairs, through the lobby and out the front door. There were no guests along the way, the hour the most likely reason.

He ran like his life depended upon it.

***

This fucking place again.

The young officer pulled his police cruiser up to the front curb of the old hotel. He’d only been on the job a few months but he was starting to learn this particular establishment was a running problem for the Key West police department. He'd definitely been called out here more times than he'd like.

The place wasn’t enormous but still had a definite sense of foreboding, and he was unnerved regardless of his skepticism when it came to ghosts and spirits. He’d moved to the Keys only recently but had already seen enough weirdness to last a lifetime.

The 911 dispatcher had informed him the caller had been a panicked woman, saying her husband had been killed, but she’d hung up before giving any more information.

He stepped out of the car and started to approach the front door when he began to hear music coming from outside the building. He changed direction, heading towards the source.

To the left of the hotel stood a small maintenance shed and he could hear what sounded like the plucking mandolin strings of R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion,” but it was somewhat distorted. As he drew closer he could see it sounded that way because the radio from which the song emanated had been smashed on the ground.

He pulled out his flashlight and peered inside the shed. As he entered he noticed a drastic change in temperature; it was August in Florida and this tiny shed had no right to be so fucking cold. A chill went through his body, from the top of his head to the ends of his toes. And just when he thought he was imagining things he saw the very thing he’d come for.

He tore across back the lawn to his car and picked up his radio, frantically dialing.

“This is Officer Myers responding to a 911 call at the Excelsior Keys. Sir…“ his eyes darted back to the shed, then to the hotel. “Sir, we’ve got another one.”

                                                    Chapter One

SOMEWHERE ALONG I-95

11:49 AM

PRESENT DAY

The landscape of I-95 flew by in a whir, and Scully shifted a bit in the passenger seat of the rented Explorer. Everything was moving so fast, too fast, not mind-numbingly slow, which was how she’d always been accustomed to things with Mulder.

They’d deposited the second rental car back in Henrico County and climbed into Mulder’s. His insistence (and her acquiescence) that they not further pollute the planet was the only thing keeping them from driving home in separate cars and avoiding their current situation entirely. Although they were doing a fine job of that anyway, sitting together now, mere inches away from one another, not uttering a word.

Road trip, business trip, X File, whatever they wanted to call it, at least it was the two of them again, doing what they did best. Our bread and butter, Mulder had called it. It felt nice and familiar.

Only it had been quite some time since they’d done it with the smell of sex lingering in the car, stolen furtive glances at every mile marker, the air thick with the kind of tension they’d much sooner ignore than address. That was most certainly the Mulder and Scully she remembered. That was their real bread and butter.

She closed her eyes and laid back against the headrest, allowing her mind to wander to last night. And, to this morning.

And, to again this morning.

It was hard not to do, impossible really, now that sex had become something she and Mulder were apparently doing again. She should have known once it happened once, the floodgates would open and she’d want to do it again and again.

He gripped the steering wheel and stared straight ahead, his sleeves rolled up to the crooks of his elbows in that way he used to back when she first fell for him; that way that drove her absolutely crazy. His inescapable Mulder scent snaked around the car and underneath her nostrils, her body responding in all kinds of inconvenient ways. She felt like Pepé le Pew, the horniest cartoon character ever thrust upon polite society, and it was all she could do not to tell him to pull the car over right now.

The sex had been amazing; of course it was. And in the moment it felt like the right thing to do. But as they drew closer and closer to Washington D.C., towards the safe boundary of home, she felt less and less like it had been the right call.

What would happen when they stopped the car? Could they just get out and pretend everything was normal like they always did, even though they both knew it wasn’t? There were too many things between them, twenty five years of stuff, a lot of it bad stuff that they had never confronted. She didn’t blame Mulder for that, not really; she blamed herself. She hadn’t wanted to look into the darkness anymore, so she simply stopped. Even if it meant turning her back on things they needed to discuss; things like their son, things like Mulder’s depression.

Things like their fundamental inability to communicate about any of it.

Now that they’d crossed this particular line, she worried what would happen next. What if they just continued to have sex without talking? They did that the first time around, and she regretted it. So much time lost, so much unnecessary heartache, and for what? Because they couldn’t tell each other the truth; that they’d been in love with each other for years and couldn’t speak of it out of fear, or some kind of misguided obligation?

She was afraid again, but this time it wasn’t because she feared he didn’t love her. This time she was afraid because she knew he did.

“Are you hungry, Scully? Because I sure am.”

His voice came from nowhere, an assault on her senses. That voice could do things to her she never dreamed possible; could make her do things she never dreamed possible. It was a timbre he had, a specific cadence, some intonation that had the power to burrow deep inside her psyche, convincing her of almost anything. Robert Patrick Modell had nothing on Mulder.

“Yeah, I could eat,” she admitted.

He pulled off the turnpike to a roadside diner, and she felt her stomach turn in reluctant anticipation of the greasy offerings in store for her. Such an activity had been so commonplace for them over the years she felt a sensation of dejà vú come over her.

He parked the car and the silence within was deafening. She could sense his discomfort; it matched hers perfectly. He sighed loudly, then turned to her and spoke.

“Look, Scully, I know this is awkward. But you haven’t said a word to me since we checked out.”

She shifted again, unbuckling her seatbelt. Truthfully, she’d been mortified by the side-eye the motel manager had given them. They weren’t exactly quiet last night, all night, she thought with a clandestine smile. But it only further demonstrated how powerless she’d been to her urges, how uninhibited she was when she was with Mulder.

Suddenly a greasy burger sounded like the best thing in the world. Anything to get them out of this car.

“I’m sorry, I, uh-”

“It’s me, Scully.” He looked at her with raw emotion and her only thought was how much she’d missed those eyes. “Don’t let this become another thing for us that just… happened. Please.”

For some reason her memory flashed to that night in her apartment years ago when she’d given in to those same eyes, only to realize it hadn’t really been him. It was Eddie Van BlundHt who wanted her that night, not Mulder. The realization of that in the moment left her feeling betrayed and confused about her own feelings. Things settled down after that and they both knew exactly what had happened, but neither ever acknowledged it. It was just… something that happened. It was the way they always dealt with their feelings for each other. It hadn’t been enough to push them forward. It never was.

They sat in silence for a minute, and her eyes met his, earnest and inquisitive. They communicated with hers in a way that said don’t shut me out, not this time.

She wasn’t an idiot, she knew what would happen if they didn’t talk. Something that just happened was exactly what this would become. She didn’t want that either, and it surprised her that he was being so forthcoming.

“It isn’t something that just happened, Mulder,” she sighed. “That’s what I’m afraid of, to be honest.”

There it was: brutal honesty. It was refreshing.

Mulder looked taken aback, but impressed. It was as if he’d been waiting for permission to reveal a little bit, too.

“Okay, then. That’s a start.”

He looked at her for a moment and she could tell he wasn’t struggling with this the same way she was. He appeared confident, sure of what he was saying. And he didn’t want her to get away with her usual brand of silence. It was so unlike him, so new. She liked it, but she wasn’t prepared for any of this. She hadn’t planned to sleep with him, but it happened all the same.

“What are you afraid of, Scully?”

She paused, then spoke. “I’m afraid… of this tidal wave I can see in the distance, coming for me fast, and taking me out. And I’m afraid I’m not ready for it, Mulder.”

It was the most honest she’d been with him in a while. She wasn’t sure what she wanted. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to get back together with him. She didn’t know if things would be better this time around, she honestly didn’t. And she was terrified of hurting him, of breaking his heart again. But she also knew deep down that being apart from him wasn’t right, either. She felt the connection to him still, in her bones. It had never gone away.

He nodded, looking right at her, like he could see into her soul. Like he always did, no matter which particular high or low they were riding. He reached over and took her hand, which wasn’t typically a big deal for them, and especially shouldn’t feel big after what they’d done mere hours ago.

Three times.

“Okay, I get it. A wave.” He covered her hand with his other one. “Is it too much for me to ask... that you at least don’t run this time?”

She looked at him with affection, surprised by his maturity. Who was this Fox Mulder sitting next to her, pleading with her to give them a second chance? Where was he years ago, when she needed him?

She shook her head, slowly. “No, it’s not too much to ask.”

“So… let’s just regroup, okay? Can we do that?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I think that would be good.”

“What happens in the field stays in the field?” he grinned, an eyebrow rising up high.

She smiled, accepting these terms he seemed to be laying out. Maybe some rules were a good idea. “Yeah, I think that’s probably wise.”

His lips curved into the smile that was her moon, her stars, her truth; everything they’d ever searched for together. Maybe he’d always be looking for something but she’d found it in him a long time ago. She was done looking. She couldn’t help but wonder if that was their whole problem in the first place.

She found herself falling back into that smile, the way she always had. She was powerless to his effect on her, and part of her hated herself for that. She knew it was the reason she kept her distance from him all these years. But the other part of her could only respond to the effect. She was still human, after all.

“Hey, Mulder.” She put her hand on his thigh to stop him as he went for the car door.

“Yeah?”

“We’re… technically still in the field, aren’t we?”

He pulled his hand away from the door, looking intently at her. She searched his eyes and saw the desire within them; she wouldn’t have expected otherwise. But this was new territory for them as a couple, or non-couple, or whatever the fuck they were anymore. Seeking permission, sending and reading signals. They hadn’t done this in ages.

Her eyes told him what she wanted, though, and his eyes said the same, and suddenly they were entwined again, a console between them the only wall in this moment left to break down. His lips met hers with the hunger he’d recently expressed, only instead of greasy food they devoured her, again, and despite her apprehensions she let him in, again.

Inside a rental car in broad daylight wasn’t an ideal sexual scenario but her need for him had been reawakened, and just as it was before everything went to shit, she felt the same feeling, the same magnetism that drew them together from the day they entered each other’s lives. It was a truth she couldn’t deny, and certainly wouldn’t now, her tongue gliding along his bottom lip, his hands delving underneath her shirt.

She was out of her own body, like the evil twin she’d seen mere hours ago. The twin was back, thinking and doing things she knew she shouldn’t be, and it felt so real she wondered if in fact she’d given that particular paranormal possibility enough consideration.

She decided to go with it. Blaming her evil twin sounded like a great way to fuck Mulder whenever she felt like it.

He lowered the seat until it laid flat, this particular routine perfected while they’d spent all those months on the run years and years ago. It felt like another lifetime, another Mulder, another Scully. But it made her feel alive again, remembering how intense those times had been, how much they’d relied on one another. When there was literally nothing else in her life that mattered the way he did.

There wasn’t anyone in the parking lot and the car was situated around the corner of the restaurant. No one witnessed the tryst taking place just outside an establishment with a single cash register, tattered vinyl booths and a twenty year old grill. Broken down and worn out, it had seen its share of shit, but still nowhere near what Agents Mulder and Scully had been through.

Pushing his chest backwards, she unzipped his pants, inside them seeking the relief she craved. And as she felt him fill her for the fourth time in about as many hours she wanted to cry, she missed this so much.

This is fine, this is okay, she tried to convince herself as she rocked against him, her desire for him only increasing with each time they gave in. We aren’t home yet.

We aren’t home yet.

They weren’t, not even close. But she wanted to go home, she wanted to, desperately.

She threw her head back and moaned his name, a plaintive cry of yearning she’d suppressed for years, now erupting with abandon in the hollow shell of this rented SUV. He pulled her in again, whispering her own name roughly in her ear, his hands entangling in her hair, disappearing along with their inhibitions.

After she came and he came and the moment was over, she laid spent across his chest, sweat dripping everywhere. She felt an untenable sense of guilt and shame for some reason. She wished it away but it remained. Several minutes seemed to go by and they said nothing, only their breathing audible. She was keenly aware he was waiting for her to speak, so she did.

“Mulder, I-”

“It’s okay, Scully… I get it.” He held her against him and she felt his heart beating through his chest, his hand softly stroking her hair, his lips pressing a chaste kiss to her crown.

She wondered if he really did get it, if he got how much she fucking loved him, how much she wanted this to work out. How hard she’d tried when he hadn’t seemed to try at all. She wondered if he was really ready to try again. And she wondered if this was all a terrible mistake.

His phone buzzed in the cup holder and he reached down to look at it.

“Shit. We have a new case. Meeting with Skinner at 1:30.”

“Are we even going to have time to go home first?” she asked, concerned. Then again, it was their own fault they hadn’t checked out on time. Skinner wasn’t privy to their activities. He probably assumed they were back by now.

“Probably not, no thanks to you,” he grinned, giving her backside a soft slap.

She knew he was just being playful but it occurred to her all the sex that took place over the past few hours she had been the one to initiate. She suddenly felt embarrassed of how unable she was to control her own impulses around him. Sitting up on his lap, she started buttoning her shirt, looking around the parking lot for onlookers, finding none, thankfully.

“Let’s go eat, Mulder.”

“Scully, I was kidding.”

“I know,” she interjected sharply, not wanting him to have the upper hand anymore. “Let’s go eat.”

The sooner they got out of this car the sooner she could refocus on pretending nothing happened in the first place.

Thanks for reading! This one is a ride. For their meeting with Skinner and the rest of the story, click here for Chapter Two.

[maree-ff]

Epilogue: It’s Our Anniversary PII

ANDRE

“Right here?” I asked looking around but before I knew it she pushed me on the couch and pulled my pants down enough to get what she needs. I watched in utter amazement as she licked her lips and put it in her mouth not saying a word or hesitating.

Moaning quietly at how far down her throat I was touching I smirked at the sight of her rings. The dim lighting hit her rings at the perfect time making them look extra flashy. It’s nice a feeling to be married. And not just to anybody but my best friend. Cam didn’t lose a second of concentration while she tied her hair up.

“You been picking up tricks from somebody?” I groaned, relaxing into the seat and palmed the back of her head.

“Never..” She mumbled causing her lips to make the loudest sucking noise as she removed me from her mouth. She spit on the tip and swallowed my dick teasingly slow. I felt a chill run down my spine feeling her tongue wrap itself around one of my balls.

“Oh God, I’ve missed you..” Biting my lip I leaned forward to snatch the bottle up. I opened it and put the bottle to my mouth. Once I felt my throat slightly burn I turned my head down and set the Bacardi on the table. Camila freed her right hands of its rings so she was able to beat my dick while gargling my sack like a pro.

Exhaling sharply I shivered from the sudden draft and sat up a little to grab her ponytail. With the hair in my grip I pushed her face down listening to her gag a little.

“You ok?” I hissed trying to sound genuine with my concern for her comfortability. I know her mouth is full so instead she rubbed my thigh softly. Camila so graciously let me fuck her face for a good six or seven minutes which had me so close to tears. She made me feel so good inside as she let me stroke it anyway I wanted. Of course I was gentle because my intentions when we make love or fool around is never to hurt her. I busted a mean nut in her mouth and even shed that tear I was holding in.

My chest heaved up and down as I breathed for air with my mouth halfway open, with a grin tugging at my lips. “I’m gonna be honest..” Pausing for some of her water and gave it back feeling like I could breathe properly. “If this situation was a bit different then you would be very pregnant right now. No questions asked.” Looking over at her I felt my breathing return to normal. She’s so breathtaking yet she just gave me mine back. Perfection I swear.

She tucked her hair behind her ear and let that little smile grow to a big one. “Oh I don’t doubt you on that one. You didn’t think I would do it did you?” She giggled, sitting back and crossing her legs.

“I was conflicted but you surprised me. You talk to my mama today?” I suddenly asked just thinking of my kids.

“Yeah I did. They miss us so much. Especially Ali. Your mother sent me this video of him watching tv with that elephant that my dad got him for Christmas. And she told me he’s been spending a lot of time with my dad. Apparently our little boy has taken an interest in my side of the family. According to him, Jorden is really getting the hang of his lessons.” She smirked. The look of pride on her face told me everything I needed to know without asking the question.

“Are you serious?” I gasped, sitting up against the back of the seat.

Camila nodded with such a pure smile over news that Jorden is progressing in the biggest ways. A few tears escaped her pretty brown eyes the longing our staring match continued. “I don’t have the words to explain the feeling I have. We’ve been waiting for so long and it’s finally happening.” She cried happily.

Sitting up straight I pulled her into me and instantly kissed her. I felt the wetness on her cheeks rub off on me as she lazily flung her arms around my neck. I don’t have the words either to be truthful. Ever since Jorden could talk we’ve been hoping and praying that one day he would make a breath through. Jo is no doubt a smart ass kid but it takes him a long time to grasp certain concepts in life. Like his language comprehension for both the English and Spanish languages for example. Cam, myself, and all of our family has shown the greatest support to help him get this far. Jo has some dope ass parental figures in his life. And I owe it all his mother. Regardless of how Jorden turns out I’m blessed to be his father and without my wife there is no him.

“I need you..” She mumbled lowly. Her urgency to be overwhelmed from the news subsided and is now replaced with hunger. And that hunger being for me is making me so horny.

Lifting her onto my lap, she knew what time it was. Her legs separated so I could fit between her, I reached up and took the ponytail out of her hair setting it free. Her dark brown hair cascaded down her frame like a curtain to hide us. The softness and smell of it all drove me wild! Letting my hands go to her head I ran my fingers through it all smoothing it out. My hands slid down to her ass which was slowly but surely rising the further she nestled into my groin. Not caring at all about anyone possibly walking in on us I lifted the material up over her ass meeting her baby soft skin.

“Let's go home.” I suggested, allowing our tongues one final dance before she backed away and ran her palms down my chest.

“Yeah.” She agreed, climbing off my lap and pulling her dress down. Grabbing the bottle I took another swig before putting the cap back on and followed Maree out of the lounge.

I followed her out of the club with the bottle tucked in my jacket. I got my car from valet and helped her in. “Aye man..that’s a bad bitch” He piped up giving me head nod.

Respectfully I gave him a nod back. “Appreciate it bruh.” I said back dipping into the driver's seat. Placing the bottle in my lap I made sure Camila was straight before pulling off. Quickly snapping the seatbelt I stepped on the gas feeling this shit boost to sixty. This car is fast as fuck and it’s all mine. We rode in silence but I still felt that tension building us two. Glancing at the clock I read 1:46 hinting that I’ve got hours to make up for.

We reached the house and sat in the car for minutes not speaking. Moving the bottle of liquor to the middle console and set it inside. The minute she looked at me it was on. With her heels off she relaxed into my lap with my face in her hands. My tongue was shoved down her throat as I unzipped her dress and and pulled the material down her frame. While she moved to my jaw and neck I quickly got some background noise set up. I doubt this car can muffle screams and I’d hate for neighbors to think I’m killing my wife. By chance the sound of Keith Sweat blared through the speakers all over the car.

“Dre..” She moaned forcefully grabbing my shoulder and positioning me in front of her.

With my eyebrow raised at how aggressive she came off I freed the top of her body and briefly admired her. I’ve never been this horny before. She’s mine and she’s in my lap yet I’m craving her day in and day out. Gripping my hips I let my hands find themselves in between her legs. With her panties to the side I got my fingers wet making me break out in chills. I felt those chills on my face that was pressed up against her skin, warming her up for what’s about to come. I’m feenin’ for my wife right now and with the liquor in my system, I’m turned all the way up.

“I’ve missed you.” She breathed clutching the back of my neck as I continued to mark my territory.

Caressing her back I felt my dick straining itself against my pants and I can’t wait any longer. We should’ve been going half on a baby by now.

“Lift up baby.” I swallowed hard and hurriedly unbuckled my pants and tugged on my zipper. Once I felt air hitting my dick I pushed her down on me. Both of us let out a string of curse words at the feeling.

“Breaking in the new car huh?” She smirked, easing herself all the way down to the base. Her hair covered almost half of her face as she looked at me with so much lust in her eyes.

“Most definitely..” I nodded. I locked her in place and saw the LED lights quickly illuminate the car. With this car only being but so big it’s hard for me to really give it to her the way I want but I trust she’ll take good care of her man. I’ve improved so much when it comes to getting it in because of how many places we take a chance at. There have been interesting trips to the grocery store, shopping, running errands, taking the kids to school and on the way to work. Cam and I have become quite creative at making time for another.

She’s small so she easily found a way to get a good rhythm going without bumping her head. I felt my legs shake as her hair tickled my skin while she she bounced and up in my lap like we had all the space in the world. I had to catch her before she hit the steering wheel and blew the fucking horn. My hands were pressed to her back as I buried my face in her chest feeling a light sheet of sweat coat her upper half.

I busted a very unexpected nut that had us both looking at each other with wide eyes.

“That’s never happened before..” She pointed out while pushing her hair back and removing a random strand from her lips.

“Yeah I know. Pussy had me feeling like a virgin. Ready to go inside? I got something for you.” Running my hands over my hair I shut everything off and the lights, turning the engine over last. Before we go in we had to put her dress back on and fix my pants so we looked semi decent once that door opens.

“You and these gifts today. Don’t forget about all the stuff you got me earlier.” She said. I pushed the door open and allowed her to climb out first. We got the bags from the trunk and went in the side door. Together we ventured through the house and towards the stairs to go up.

“It hasn’t been this quiet in so long. Brix and Blu are only loud when the kids are around.” Cam chuckled, walking front of me up the steps. Being below her gives me a free pass to watch her ass switch back and forth in this tight ass dress that she has on.

“You ain’t lying. Feels like we’re in a dream.” I stated, just as we reached the top. Following her into our kitchen I whistled loud enough for our system to hear me and the boys. They came down the hall looking like they just woke up. “What’s up..y’all looking like y’all had a hard day at work.” I joked. I love my dogs equally but it’s something about Blu that hits a very soft spot in my heart. I think it’s because he reminds of Kleio when she was just a puppy.

“They do look tired.” Camila agreed. With the room lit up I kicked my shoes off and my jacket. Camila did the same, calling out how good it feels to be barefoot again. Suddenly I remembered that I had one last gift for her.

Mil walked to the fridge and opened it pulling out a Fiji bottle. She unscrewed the top and brought the drink to her lips. She demolished that water in a minute impressing me by how thirsty she must have been.

“You good?” I airily laughed walking over to her. She nodded and set the bottle down to reach out for me.

“I’m fine baby. What is it that you wanted to show me?” She rubbed my abdomen while I turned around to lead her to a room in the house I’ve kept her locked out of.

“So..this is something that I’ve been working on for at least four months. I wanted this to be perfect for you and I kept going at it until I achieved perfection. Now try not cry but be honest about how you feel.”

I pulled the keys from my pocket and unlocked the door that housed the one gift that would blow her away. Pushing the door back I stepped in and hit the lights revealing the surprise. Looking down at her to see her eyes wide and her mouth covered by her left hand I felt stiff. I don’t know how she’ll react. There’s something about myself I’ve been keeping from her because I’m honestly very sensitive about this hidden talent. When I was really young I liked to paint. According to mother I used to paint every chance I could. I grew up with so much love for the craft but as time carried on, I sheltered this hobby from everyone. Painting is the one thing I’ve gotten away from that eased my mind. However I was itching to really surprise Camila with a sentimental gift, so I went and stocked up on the best paint supplies I could get my hands on.

Brix walked in curious as to what we were up to. He looked at the painting with his head tilted to the side. “You good baby? Say something please..” I plead.

“When..how..why? How did you do this?” She gasped looking at me.

“I made this for you baby girl. I’ve never told anyone aside from my brother and mom that I actually enjoy painting. I know you still lock yourself in Jorden’s room when you need to weep over your mother. Everyday I feel horrible that I can’t bring her back for you. It hurts me to know that this is a pain I cannot fix. I can do everything but completely heal you from her loss and I’m sorry that I can’t fix it. I hate seeing you down but I understand all in the same too.” I explained seeing her walk further into the room that had been my late night home since March. “You can tell me if you don’t like baby.” I said sadly hoping that’s not the reaction I get.

She turned around and shook her head. I gave her a moment to study the portrait wanting her to get a good look at it. She must have walked around the easel what five times with Blu following her every move. When she walked back over to me she gave me a hug.

“I absolutely love it . I love it so much and because you painted that it means more than the world to me. I’m so very lucky to have you be mine until I’m not longer breathing. Muchas gracias mi amor..es una pintura tan hermosa.” She beamed pushing her hair back.

“Really? Like you really, really like it? We don’t keep secrets in this house so keep it real if you don’t.” I warned sternly, hitting the lights and going back to the kitchen.

“Yeah I’m serious. I wouldn’t lie to you especially about something serious like this. But I’m curious to know why you kept this from me. Did you not feel comfortable telling me that you knew how to paint?” She asked. 

“Nah it’s not like that. That’s just the one piece of my life I wanted to selfishly keep to myself. It’s not about keeping it from you specifically.” My sights instantly closed in on the baskets of already clean fruit in the refrigerator. Taking out an apple, a pear, some peaches, and a bowl of cherries.

Setting it all out on the counter I unzipped my shirt, and pulled it off of me. Pairing that with my jacket I went to wash my hands. We didn’t speak as we sat in the kitchen eating what I took out. Camila started to get cold so I threw some more wood in the fireplace and lit a match. Tossing it in I welcomed the blazing fire and the warmth it brought to me.

“Hi my sweet baby. Are you being good for grandma?” Turning around I saw Camila eating the cherries and on the phone. Going over to her I took her phone and smiled at the sight of Jorden.

“Daddy..” He waved to me took a hold of I’m guessing my mother’s phone.

“What’s up mini me, you okay?” I questioned seeing Cam pulled me back where she proceeded to wrap her arms around my neck.

“Yeah. Papa teach me new words today.” He confessed, scratching his little chin.

“I heard. What else did you do today?” I asked again leaning into Camila’s body.

“Went to the park with grandma and my sisters. Then we got ice cream. And then papa come here and we watching movies now.” He said sliding off the couch and running towards somewhere. I accepted a cherry from Maree and ate it whilst watching Jorden run to an unknown destination.  

“Hold this please..” He plead to someone.

“Jo you wanted to call mom and dad but you’re handing me grandma's phone. No entiendo..” Kenja’s sassy voice invaded our ears as she accepted the phone.

“Kenny, por favor! Me tengo que ir ahora!” He recited with perfection. I shook my head in disbelief. Hearing my son finally speak a little clearer and in another language is a major milestone for him. He’s doing so well in school although he hates it. I always get the biggest crack out of hearing Jorden complain about how annoying the other kids in his class are. But nonetheless he’s learning just fine, as I knew in my heart that he would.

I heard Cam sniffling as I knew she was super proud that she finally had the green light to be the person to teach our son another language. Camila has been saying for years how she wants to be the one to teach Jo about the other half of his family and now she can.

“Go ahead, go.” Jorden disappeared and now we saw her face instead. “Hi mom..hi papi.” She smiled.

“Hey baby girl. You okay? Where’s Zo?” I rambled on watching her take a seat by the stairs. She laid down across the chair and put the camera right in front of her face.

“I’m okay and Zoe is with grandma. She let us stay up for movies. How’s your special day?” She asked glancing to her left.

It’s so weird to see my oldest daughter changing and becoming closer to womanhood. It’s insane and very fucking scary. But nonetheless I’m happy to watch her grow into such a caring, smart and very loving girl. She takes after her mom greatly.

“It’s been very long and very exciting. Your dad is super nice after all.” Mil joked around, lightly pushing my head aside.

“Man get out of here. Don’t listen to her Kenny I promise I’m nice to her all the time.” I defended myself with a slight frown.

“I know you are..” She looked away again before handing the phone back to Jorden. She helped him sit on her lap so they could both be in the camera.

“You straight now Jo?” I asked watching him roll his sleeves back down.

Nodding to my words he leaned against Kenja, toying with her bracelet.

“Jorden, your mom and I want you know we are so proud of you son for what you accomplished today. Learning a new language is a big deal and we’re happy you’re getting the hang of it. Just know that okay?” I preached watching him cheese and pull at his hair.

“Thanks daddy. I miss you and mommy. When am I going to see you again?” He groaned making me do the same. Jo loves to be under us. We move and he’s nearby shortly after. He’s our shadow.

“Aw baby you’ll see us soon. Papi and I just need some time for ourselves but we miss you guys so much. Be good for grandma okay baby?” Camila laid her chin on my shoulder with her hair falling over it and flowing down my chest.

Picking up a small section I placed it between my nose and mouth. I love playing with her hair. It brings me comfort.

“Well alright. Te amo mami.” He mumbled, turning to wrap his little body around Kenja’s. She took the phone and shook her head at him. She held the camera back on Jo’s face. He was sad and I couldn’t help but fight the urge to drive over to my moms and see him. I hate being away from my little boy. He’s my pride and joy. It’s like looking back at myself at his age, ready to prevent him from making any of my mistakes.

“Oh, te amo demasiado dulce guisante.” Mil gushed blowing him a kiss.

“What about me?” I spoke up watching him make direct eye contact with me.

“I love you too daddy.” He put up a smile just for me making me feel really good.

“I love you Jo so much and don’t ever forget that. Mommy and I have to go but we’ll call you soon, deal?” I held my pinky out waiting for him to copy me.

“It’s a deal. Goodnight.” He held his little pinky up, waved at us as Kenny stood up and began walking. She put her face in the view as little man wrapped his arms around her neck.

“He’s really sleepy. But he’s been fighting to stay up to see you and talk to you guys. I’m gonna go bathe him and lay down with him to try and get him to bed. Buenas noches mis amores.” We each said a round of ‘I love you’s before we were looking at Camila’s wallpaper of me and Jorden. It was the first time he ever spoke and he said my name. All he knows me by is ‘daddy’ but still it made me feel high as a kite listening to him say his first words.

Camila broke down in tears and I did too. I’m not even gonna flex that shit had me crying tears of joy. Jorden is a safe haven for my dark thoughts when I’m really, really down. Every now and then I’ll have a day where I check out mentally and my youngest child is the only person that keeps from going the fuck off. He’s my world. All of my girls do too but that little boy earned a very deep part of me that no one else touches.

“Oh I miss his bad ass so much right now. I can just see him running from his bathroom to his bed to jump around naked like the proudest male to all. He’s so fucking beautiful, ugh I really miss him.” Camila fanned her face and tilted her head back for a second.

Turning around I set her phone in the nearby basket along with mine. I lifted her off the counter and carried her over to the family room. We have this massive rug that’s super soft and that’s where I want to start. Sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace I hugged her close. Her arms went around my head as she adjusted herself to be comfortable.

“Thank you Camila for giving me that baby. I can’t express how blessed I am to have watched you bear another child just for me. And to think..” Pausing as I didn’t have the words I leaned back from her to watch her gaze at me.

“You’re welcome. It feels good to have a little piece of you and I molded into one human. He’s the most precious thing in the world. I told you no matter what I would’ve been proud to have your babies.” She sighed. Finger combing through her hair where then started to braid it all the way down.

“Once we really got serious I began to hope that I’d live to see the day you carry my child. You’ve had me creating fantasies about what we could be for such a long time. I just never said anything.” I confessed seeing her giggle. Reaching down I unbuttoned my pants and tugged then off along with my boxers.

“I can say the same about you. I knew our situation started off on a semi negative way. But I’m so happy to still have you with me.” She shrugged, blushing just a little.

“You’re so damn sexy like it’s unbelievable that I’m the one fucking the shit outta you at the end of the day.” Reaching for the zipper on her dress I tugged it downward freeing her from the material. She pulled her arms out and let me pull it over her head.

She did not hesitate to rotate her hips to ease her way on down my dick. Biting on my lip as I had to control my urges to just beat it up in less than ten. She swallowed me up and that’s when I forgot about her thong still being on. Ripping that shit off I pushed it away and opened my legs a little and laying back on the rug. I won’t  bust quick. We’re home in private with all the free space in the world to do whatever we please.  

“This is going to be a very long night.” She breathed as some loose strands slipped from her braid.

“Oh baby you have no idea.” And here’s to a real round one.

CAMILA

Andre had my back against the kitchen counter while he ate me with so much hunger. We’re now on round three and it’s three-thirty in the morning. I don’t know what it is about today that has us acting like savages when it comes to sex. I’ve been craving his body and mouth all day yet he’s right here. Feeling my feet go numb at how long they’ve been curled up on his shoulders, I let out a very loud gasp. I’m so drunk off love that I’m excited to go round for round.

“This my pussy right baby?” He asked for the hundredth time. I didn’t care. I felt so prideful in giving the same ‘of course it is’.

Caressing behind his ears with the pads of my thumb I relaxed my feet and legs. “Of course baby,” I whined feeling the urge to cry. “It’s all yours..” Capturing my lip in my teeth I swirled my hips onto his face. He groaned and smacked my thigh roughly.

“Then fucking act like it..” He got a bit loud and just as I thought our boys would come making an entrance they did not. Our dogs are too smart. It’s like they know when to make an entrance and when not to.

“I’m almost there Kayden..so fucking close.” The fireplace set a warm environment for us to go toe to toe trying to please one another. My hair has began to sweat out and turn wavy at the roots and body. My torso is currently the warmest part of my body and my pussy has never been wetter than it is right now.

“Let all that shit go Maree. I need it all..” his thick tongue found its way deeper into my box sending me over the edge.

“Help me, daddy...” I plead completely in a trance. His mouth was doing some very nasty things to my lady parts as I tried so hard not to run due to how overwhelming this pleasure is.

Andre gave me the biggest boost of energy. I leaked all over his lips like a faulty water pipe. He licked up everything not before diving back in for one last taste. Freeing my braid from under the weight of my shoulder I lowered my legs and sat up. Leaning back on my hands I dropped my head and took a deep breath.

“It never fails me to turn me on every time you call me that shit. Thirsty?” He asked sliding me a new bottle of water. We uncapped our drinks at the same time drinking in unison too.

“Very.” I nodded.

“I’ma ask you something that I haven’t in a very long time.” He began, leaning on the corner. “You wanna smoke? I know how you feel about it but today is special. I didn’t have much to drink at the club and I haven’t touched my stash today because I didn’t want you thinking I need drugs to make you feel good.” He explained standing tall and beginning to unpeel a banana and break it in half. He crushed the entire thing in less than a minute.

“Dre don’t feel like you have to hide your new method of self therapy. You don’t have to explain yourself either. When it comes to your health and happiness don’t let me or anyone hinder you to heal yourself. You are a grown man who knows exactly what he’s getting himself into.” Hopping off the counter I followed him down the hall to our room. Walking in the room after him I headed for our bed and dived on it. “Mmm..I’ve missed these sheets.” Inhaling the scent I wrapped myself up watching Dre remove his infamous orange box from the top shelf on the wall. He sat down on the bed and opened it up revealing his secret stash that no one but me knows about. Inside houses his three wooden grinders, an orange blunt cutter, empty and half full blunt spray bottles. There is a ton of empty berry and java fusion cigarillo packs, those are his favorites. The rest of the box is filled with old incense packs. As of eight months ago, Andre has taken on a new and very heavy form of in-home therapy. He’s taught me about the substance because he felt guilty for trying to hide it from me.

While he tended to that I studied him from a weird angle like I always do. I tend to reflect a lot when I’m just watching him get lost in different activities. Our past, my struggles, where we’ll be in the future, the parts of his life that I wasn’t around for, things like that.

“I got something for you to put on. It’s in the bathroom. Go try it on while I finish this.” He said, not breaking his concentration. Getting out of bed I walked to the bathroom and flipped the switch for the lights, seeing a pink bag on the sink.

I shut the door and went to see what was inside. I stuck my hand in, pulling out a powder blue crotchless, lace g-string. The back looks like the shape of the letter T but the bottom line is split open. I’ve collected a large quantity of lingerie over the course of this relationship but I don’t have anything like this. Eager to see how it fits, I hurriedly washed up and put my new panties on.

“Wow..” I gasped. That’s my first thought as I twirled slowly for myself and turned in different directions just to get a good look at myself. A crotchless thong. Not a bad fit for something I had no say so in getting. He gets points for this. Going back inside the bag I lifted out a matching colored bra made of soft, thin lace. The bra has absolutely no lining and that’s what made me excited to try this on.

“Whew, this is gonna be my new favorite bra oh my gosh..” The comforting feel of being supported by a bra that’s meant to enhance sex appeal is amazing. Only at rare times will I find a bra that I really, really love and I’m so happy that I’ve found my dream bra. A lingerie piece that gives me what I need and what I want.

With the items on and adjusted to my desire, I looked at my hair, thinking back to when I died it red. That bold change in color was simply as impulsive move. I’d never colored my hair out of comfort zone but during my pregnancy and after Jorden arrived I was craving a change in look. I let it rock for a long time until I missed my dark hair. I went back dark on St. Patrick’s Day of this year I’m back brown and loving my normal more than ever. My hair is still braided just a lot messier than how I first had it. Changing my lifestyle and breastfeeding really improved the growth of hair. It’s now all the way down my back and thicker than ever before. Smiling at the hickies I had covering different spots on my body I removed the rings I got this morning and left on my usual two.

“You still alive in there?” He asked from the bedroom. I forgot why I came in here to begin with. Pulling the door back I met his stare and gave him a slight nod.

“You are a genius. This?” I pointed to the bra. “Is the most comfortable bra I have ever tried on. I couldn’t find anything like this before I got pregnant with Kenja while I was pregnant with her, and after that. And the same story with Jo. But somehow you managed to find this and I didn’t know anything about it. Where did you get this from?” I quizzed, turning the light off and leaving the bathroom.

Shaking his head Andre lit the blunt he rolled. “Don’t worry about that.” He said, waving me over. We sat in silence passing the blunt back and forth until I could no longer hold it due to its small size. Once he ashed the roach and put his box back on the shelf we were going at it. He had my legs pressed up against his chest while I held onto the sheets trying to control my noise level.

“Oh Maree..don’t be running from this dick.” He grunted, bringing my foot close to his mouth. No thought was put into what he did next. Dre was sucking on my toes like they’re the best thing he’s ever had. “I’m about nut...” He mumbled, kissing the sole of my foot.

I closed my eyes to concentrate on the pleasure, just building myself up every minute. Shortly after some very rough pumps I felt myself releasing the very orgasm I’d been holding in. He followed through shortly after me.

“What’s this?” I heard him question. When I looked at him he nodded downward. My eyes traveled to the little tattoo I forgot about. “How did I not see this earlier?” He asked with big eyes. He pulled out of me and laid down to get a good look at the ink.

I propped myself up on my elbows waiting for a reaction. His fingers grazed over the cursive font ‘A’ I got in honor of him.

“Is this for me?” He spoke up, lifting himself up and pulling the skin in various directions to see if the ink would smudge.

Nodding like an obedient woman I reached down to my opening and glided my fingers through the aftermath of our session. Bringing my hand up to my mouth I sucked my finger clean tasting him and myself in one moment. “Mm..” I hummed, cleaning my fingers thoroughly.

“You got my name tatted on you. That’s serious Camila. You’re not gonna regret it are you?” He lifted my chin so we were looking at one another.

“Sweetie, I’m fine with my decision. Why would I not be? It means a lot to me and I put it in a very intimate spot because you mean a lot to me.” I explained.

ANDRE

Walking down the steps with a blunt in my mouth I shoved one hand in the pocket of my sweats, looking for her. It’s going on five in the morning and we’re still going match for match. Blowing out a little smoke I deeply inhaled the rest feeling my throat warmup and cool back down. Coming up to the front of the house I saw her on seated in the chair. She’s sitting quietly with her hands bound together with one of Kenja’s least favorite ribbons. She had the same blue ribbon wrapped around her eyes so she couldn’t see. Approaching her carefully I freed a hand to glide down her face.

“You okay baby?” I asked, puffing on my blunt before holding it out in mid air just to let it burn.

“Yes.” She answered obediently and nodded with hair swinging a bit.

“You’re going to do what I tell you to right?” Putting the blunt to my lips I inhaled for a good fifteen seconds, dragging it away from me I breathed it all in feeling my knees shake. My boy Tariq gave me the best herb I’ve had in a long time. I’m high as a mother fucker this morning and I can’t help feel more than happy to be alive right now.

Seeing that Camila got the first letter to my name forever marked on her body made me feel so special. We’ve never even touched on the topic of whether or not we would tattoo each other’s names on our bodies. It never even crossed my mind. I recently got Jorden’s portrait tattooed on my back next to Zoe’s and Kenja’s. I’d put Camila’s name on my body in a heartbeat and now that she’s already done that, it’s time for me to do the same.

“Yes.” She answered quickly. Holding the blunt in between my lips I pulled my sweats down and took them off to throw them aside.

Stroking her ponytail in one hand I gripped my dick in my other hand. “You know what to do.” I said puffing on this blunt hanging out of my mouth. Camila put a smile on her face and tilted her head upwards. I looked at her realizing she couldn’t see anything. “What’s wrong?” I asked, poking her lip with the tip.

“Can I have some?” She mumbled, licking her lips and crossing ankles over each other.

Pulling it from my mouth I held it out for her to take as many hits as she wanted to. She’s beyond breastfeeding so neither of us have to worry about traces of weed being in her system. Ever since I tried and failed to hide my stash from her I chose to teach her almost everything I know. There’s some stuff she doesn’t know just because I don’t want to fully rope her into knowing too much about the substance.

Cam took a couple hits and inhaled deeply. Her chest rose and fell while I reverted back to my previous position. She blew out the smoke and I watched as her body shivered the minute her lips touched the tip.

“Hmm..” I groaned staring at the front door. Seeing my wife naked, tied up, and at my complete mercy makes me want to do some crazy shit. My dick was stuffed down her throat for fifteen minutes straight and when is time for me bust, she let me put it on her face. It was an interesting sight to see half of her face covered in cum but it turned me on in different way.

Taking out a bottle of Hennessy I removed the cap. Pouring four shots I set the bottle aside and downed my two, then I went to go find her once again.

“Camila?” I called out walking into our room.

“Venga buscarme..” She moaned loudly.

I heard water running in the bathroom so that’s where I ended up. You wouldn’t believe the sight I had in front of me. Candles lit on the vanity and the lights dimmed just enough to set a nice vibe. And then there’s my wife. She’s in the bathtub with the water running, bubbles practically overflowing, and her legs spread. I couldn’t really see much from this angle so I walked closer to see her eyes closed, arm in the water hidden by bubbles. I knew she was playing with herself because the muscles in her upper arm were slightly flexing.

The sex faces she was making did more than turn me on. If anything they made me wish I could replace my hand with hers. Walking over to the tub I sat on the rim and dragged my hand over her collarbone. I watched the expression she had on her face transform into a smile the longer I kept touching her. Staying mute I traveled on down sinking my hand into the water. Reaching over me I twisted the knob to stop the water from running any further. Standing up I jogged to the kitchen and grabbed the other shots. I brought them back to the bathroom and stood behind her.

“Drink this.” I ordered holding the first shot to her lips. She obeyed and tipped her head back letting me pour the liquor in her mouth. We repeated the steps until both glasses were empty.

“You joining me?” She asked softly, reaching up to touch my chest.

“You want me to?” I rebutted kissing her wet fingers.

Camila stood up and turned around to face me. Soap, bubbles and water ran down her frame as she slicked her hair back. There have been three other times I thought she was the sexiest woman I have ever seen in my entire life. I feel like that on a regular basis but these particular three moments take the cake. One, the first time she shared herself with me at the beach house. The very first time! Two, was our first night together after I was released. That shit was heavenly. Cause at that time we were deep into our relationship and her being pregnant with our son at the time was out of this world. Three, the day I married her. And I say all that because I slept around pretty heavy back in the day meaning I’ve been with every kind of woman there is. Or was. Camila is a special kind of woman that I’m not sure I deserve but somehow she’s everything I need.

“Of course I do. My baths are never complete without you.” She shrugged going to wring her hair out before reaching for her hairbrush. She stood with grace and confidence to complete such a simple task done in an intimate way. She’s the prime example of too beautiful for the world.

“Never? I think I like the sound of that. So that means I’ll never find you stepping out if I never got in with you right?” I argued seeing her move to the rim and proceed to step out once her hand was in mine. She’s so short and she doesn’t want to admit it that she needs a little help getting out of our tub.

“Nunca..” She said closing the distance between the two of us. My hands pulled her to me so I could feel her skin on mine regardless of her being wet.

“I’m so glad it was you when we met that night. So glad. Had she been any other girl I wouldn’t have tried so hard. Like I said earlier, you had me wide the fuck open.” Camila stood up on her toes to kiss me softly. When she was flat on her feet again she laid her head on my chest with me just watching her invade all of my personal space.

“Hazme el amor..” Camila spoke out proudly turning to give me eye contact.

“Meaning?” I mumbled, kissing her forehead.

“I want you to make love to me. I don’t want to walk for a few days. Can you do that for me?” She requested, creating space between us. She grabbed my hands and walked me towards the room not losing my eyes once.

“Your wish is my command.” I said seriously.

CAMILA

Looking back I chuckled repeatedly watching Dre holding the small jar of honey upside down. I tensed up feeling the thick, cold substance drizzling over my ass on down to my legs. When he was done, he set the jar down and supported his body weight with one arm as he cleaned up the mess. He started at my ankles and worked his way up to my behind. I bit my lip at the sight of him marking my body with more hickies along my side and lower back. I felt a little of the honey slide down between my legs.

“Bailey..you missed a spot..” I said, then hissing from half of his face already where it needs to be. Picking my leg up and exposing myself for easier taking I let my head fall onto the pillow when he started doing what I wanted. “Te quiero..” I groaned feeling that lump form in my throat.

“Put that ass up.” He ordered strong and clear. I quickly tucked my hands under my face and pushed the lower half of my body upward. He got back to it and snuck in two fingers, pumping in and out my wetness relentlessly.  

My eyes rolled back to the back of my head as he made me feel so full. I think Dre seeing his initial tattooed on my body gave him some sort of ego boost but man is it working in my favor. Clamping my teeth down on my lip I pushed myself up using my arms and reached behind me to cup the back of his head. That inspired him to bring his hand across my ass from far back. I know so because the sting from his slap was crucial but in a satisfying way.

Dre grabbed my arm and pinned it to my back where he held me down. His mouth was replaced with his dick which was now sliding in and out of me. He got a hold of my other arm that I used to prop myself up and held that one down too. Now I’m forced to stay up.

“Take this dick Maree..take all this shit.” Dre’s grunts and moans were a result of how high he is and the liquor just now settling in his system. The weed makes his voice deeper. He always sounds like he just woke up after he smokes. Liquor tends to give him encouragement to be louder than he normally is. And the two weapons combined are a force like you’ve never seen before.

Turning my head to the side and closing my eyes, I felt my hair get freed from the bun I put it in an hour ago. He switched up on me. His hand wrapped around my hair and gently pulled my head back whilst keeping a tight hold on my wrists. He assisted me into sitting up causing our skin to make contact. The penetration was exactly what I wanted and what I like.

“Oh my god baby..right there!” I screamed feeling my throat tickle.

“That’s what I want to hear. There’s nobody here but us so scream all you want.” He encouraged. He loosened his grip on my hair and pumped into me a little slower, a little bit more concentrated on making me feel oh so good. He always hit the right spots. What he’s declared as my “sweetest spots”.

“Come get this dick Maree..” He mumbled, letting go of my hair altogether. It all fell around my face and down my shoulders. The coldness of my it all gave me chills.

Obeying his command I pulled myself together and gave him what he asked for. My ring was poking my finger telling me it’s twisted. Not caring to fix that right now I laid my head back against his chest feeling my entire body shake from a pleasure overload.

“Ay dios mio, no se detenga.” I plead, leaning over.

“Not now. Not ever. I’ll never stop loving you either.”  He vowed.

ANDRE

Holding arms above her head I stuffed my face in her neck, kissing, licking and sucking up every drop of chocolate on her soft skin. I told her she had no idea what she was in for and I meant that shit. When we got to the house she and I both knew what time it was.

Cam’s nails were sinking into the skin on my back as she squirmed and writhed underneath me. Her hair is all over the place, her skin is sticky and she smells like me. Trailing my lips down to her chest I gave her two more hickies on both breasts.

“Necesito mas, please..” She moaned in my ear.

Getting on my hands and knees I continued on with cleaning the syrup from her body. When I made it down to her waistline and I saw that initial on her body I lost myself. I’m still in shock. The first letter to my name is permanently marked on my wife’s beautiful  body which gave me a huge ego boost by the way. And she knows that.

Deciding to finally grant her this wish I pushed her legs apart and nestled myself in between them. Keeping my focus on her face which was glowing under the light from the fireplace I pushed the tip of my dick in. I don’t want to wait. I need her now.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” She mumbled softly, lifting her left hand to smooth out my eyebrows.

“I just can't believe you’re all mine. You’re so beautiful and kind hearted. I wish I could marry you everyday.” I confessed truthfully, picking a slow and steady pump.

Camila’s cheeks turned rosy and her eyes began to water. She pressed her hand to the side of my face and stroked my cheek with her thumb. I enjoy the tickling sensation of her nails against my body. She used to never get her nails done like this. I didn’t think having long fingernails were her style but over the years of being a wife, she’s evolved into a much more feminine woman. Picking up her left hand I studied her nails loving the simplicity of her new color. Nude I think they call it. Her wedding ring sitting pretty on her fingers boosts my confidence as a man, a father and her husband.

“We do. In the simplest ways.” She whispered, with a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. Her pretty, white teeth were up for display as she leaned in to kiss me.

After all these rounds and years and she still gets soaking wet for me. Not to mention she never gets lazy. I get one hundred percent of her effort and loving year round. Picking up one of her legs I held it over my back feeling myself touch all the spots I’ve created. I was digging all up in her shit not feeling an ounce of exhaustion. I could tell the sun was rising from behind the curtains but the room is still very dark due to our curtains being dark grey.

The flames were making their own noise and so were as we rolled around on the floor of our living room. A little while ago I heard Blu make his way downstairs where he likes to sit in front of the door. Brix tends to scale the house, making sure all is good. As weird as it may seem to some I trained my boys not to intervene in Camila’s and mine affairs. They ignore us now and never fail to give us the privacy I instilled in them to give us. I lifted myself up supporting my body with just my hands.

“Ah, damn girl, goddamn..” Groaning and shuddering at how much deeper this position allowed me to go I licked over my bottom lip, watching myself work.

My vision traveled to the tattoo again somehow making me hard as fuck.

“Give me another baby,” I blurted out slowing down completely to really show her that I’m serious about what I just said. I’ve been giving my baby savage dick hoping that one of these nuts will get her pregnant. So far, no luck.

“Wait..what did you say?” She questioned in soft yet raspy voice. She held me still searching my eyes frantically. “What did you just say?” She repeated.

Reluctantly looking her in the eye I just kept it real with her. “I want to get you pregnant one more time. Lately I’ve been go beyond the mile hoping that it might actually work. Camila, I feel deep regret for missing out on the beginning of our daughter’s life and for missing out on your pregnancy. When I found out Zoe was my daughter and you and I were testing the waters of a relationship, I made a promise. I promised myself to never let you go through what she did. Because whether you believe it or not I was really falling for you before I even told you I loved you.” I admitted for the first time out loud.

“Why have you never told me this?” She asks.

“I don’t know. I just knew I wanted to make you mine for weeks before we got into that fight. It was just two weeks after we came back from Corona. And now after all this time, after these years, and hell even last night..I still can’t get enough of you.” I said as her toes poked the back of my knee.

“You better hope you put another little boy in me..” She muttered, catching me way off guard.

“Really?” I gasped, peering into her eyes.

“I’d be honored to have another baby by you. Now get back to knocking me up.” She smirked.

And I think you know how the rest went down right?

Two Days Later......

A ring let off in my ear waking me up out of my sleep. I couldn't tell what the sound was coming from but once I found the noise I silenced it in seconds. Falling face first in my pillow I let out a deep and hoarse groan. Reality smacked the fuck out of me and when I sat myself up against the headboard to look around the room I found my phone smashed on the floor.

“Not again..” Smacking my lips obnoxiously I looked to my right to see Camila’s head peeking out from under the covers.

“Baby girl..” I called out, reaching down to pull the covers back. Her long ass hair was set into its natural pattern which is oddly enough has transformed over time. Before it used to be slightly wavy now it’s wavy and curly all over. Her lips look swollen and super plump since she’s sleeping. She slept with her left arm over her arm, ring facing ward.

“You’ll never understand just how beautiful you are to me.” I mumbled leaning down to kiss her chest in various spots.

“Dejame en paz..” She moaned wiggling around a bit. Her soft hand caressed the back of my neck while I tried to wake her up.

“Check your phone. Someone was calling me but I didn’t find out who. I smashed my phone..” I explained feeling her sit up. Moving with her I sat back on my elbow laying horizontal across the bed.

“Again? You go through phones like Ali goes through sneakers.” She chuckled softly and turned around to grab her phone off the dresser. Sitting back in her previous position with the phone next to her ear, she stay focused as the phone rang out. “Hello?” She muttered, rubbing her head and leaning back on one hand. “I’m sorry we’ve been sleeping for…” Camila pulled the phone away from her ear to look at the screen. Her eyes went wide for a second as she got back on the phone. “Yeah...we’ve been out for a long time. What’s he doing?” She looked down at her topless torso and shook her head at all the hickeys and scratches I gave her.

We locked eyes and all she could do was cover her mouth to prevent herself from laughing too loud. Shrugging carelessly I laid back and thought over the last couple of days. The house is a mess. We’ve touched every corner of this house except the rooms of our kids’ and Brix and Blu’s. You say the place, we fucked there. Oh and I got to to hit it on the hood of my car. How we managed that one is another story in itself. This year definitely takes the cake on every anniversary we’ve ever had together.

“Kenja..reduzca la velocidad y respire hondo. Put him on the phone so he can talk to your dad.” Camila touching my arm brought me back to reality. “It’s Jo.” She slipped out of bed and walked to the bathroom where as I was left to save the day.

Putting the phone to my ear I was greeted with an angry Jorden who was rambling his life away. When he paused to breath I did the same.

“You done?” I groaned.

“Daddy?” He mumbled into the receiver.

“Yes buddy..what’s wrong? What you crying for boy?” I asked, hearing water running in the bathroom.

“I miss you and you left me here! I’m mad at you..” The hurt in his voice is evident that he’s cranky and hasn’t really been getting enough sleep. Now is the moment that is making me feel bad for leaving our kids with my brother for three days straight. Maree and I never planned to trap ourselves in the house for this long. It just sort of happened. At a time such as this, I wish I could explain to my son why he hasn’t seen me.

“Don’t be mad at me Jorden. I took mommy on a vacation but we’re back now. I’ll see you in a little bit.” I lied halfheartedly.

“Well okay..but I’m still mad at you. Come get me now.” His little demand was short lived by my brothers voice coming through. “It’s daddy..”  He said a little happier this time.

“Go let Auntie Jess get you dressed man..” Jorden and my brother talked briefly and soon I was listening to my brother talk his shit. “Really? Three whole days? Where the fuck have you been?” He fired off.

“You want the truth?” I began watching Maree come into view twisting her hair into a bun.

“Yeah, that’d be nice.” Matt sighed, trying to hide the irritation in his tone.

“I’ve been fucking the shit of your sister in law for the past three days.” I confessed seeing Cam shake her head and open the chest beginning to pick out some clothes.

Matt gagged at my confession and instead laughed. “Well damn alright. I guess I should’ve seen that coming. You enjoy yourself Casanova?” He joked, closing something loudly.

“Man….I don’t even know where to begin. You see the car yet?” I boosted sitting up to go to piss.

“What car? You got a new car?” He questioned plainly.

“My dream car in my favorite colors. You’ll see when we slide through. I’ma get off here and get my shit together bro. I’ll hit you up when we on the way.” I let my brother say his bye and then ended the call to check and see who else called.

I saw my mother’s name, my aunt’s name a couple times, a few from Victor, and a bunch of messages from Jessica. Clearly the kids used Jess as a way to communicate with Camila since we pretty much went MIA on our family. Truth is we just wanted to spend some time alone. No one else around. Just us in our natural element, enjoying one another’s company.

“How mad was he?” Looking over to the door I found Camila walking in to turn the shower on.

“Pretty pissed. We’ll see how he acts once we get there. How you feeling?” I asked, flushing the toilet and stripping out of my shorts.

“My legs hurt so much and I still can feel the honey in spots you missed and there’s chocolate syrup in my belly button. How could you have missed that?” She chuckled, grabbing new towels and laying them across the bench outside the shower door.

Shrugging I jumped in first with her joining me right after. If all goes well then all my scheming to get Camila pregnant one more time, will have paid off. Aside from the time that I nut on her face and her mouth a few times, this girl might get pregnant before the month is up. Who knows. Either way, if we do have one more baby or not, I’m at peace with the way everything turned out for us.

[agelesslorddio-blog]

A Hollowed Bond, Chapter 3: Almost Had To Roast A Frog!

Hello, dear readers!

I altered the recent history of Halkeginia’s setting in order to make Charlotte/Tabitha the main character of this story, and incorporate some more elements of the Dark Souls universe into the world. The specific details of these changes will have some light shed on them later on in the story, but are only hinted at as of the most recent chapter... Assuming I’m any good at foreshadowing.

Also, I forgot to add the dividing lines to the last chapter, which is a mistake I just corrected. When uploading to Tumblr I have to add them in using underscores since the divider I use on the other sites/word document doesn’t get pasted on here.

The morning had come and Roland woke first as the sunlight streamed into the room. At first he was confused as he gazed up at the strange ceiling, but his mind soon started working properly as he sat up and looked around. He was in the corner of a girls' room, the girl, Charlotte, was still in bed. As he stood and stretched his stiff body she began stirring in her sleep, before finally sitting up groggily. Her eyes were closed as she blindly reached for her glasses and placed them on her face; she blinked a few times as she pulled the blanket off her and stood, her bright blue hair was messily tousled from her slumber, but her pajamas seemed undisturbed, almost like the only part of her that moved at all during her sleep was her head, as opposed to Roland, who didn't move at all.

She pointed to the door as she turned to face him, her face as expressionless as it had been the day before, but he could tell that she still wasn't fully awake by the way she stared at the wall three feet to his right with unfocused eyes, and the way she just barely suppressed the urge to yawn. She wanted him to step out so she could get ready for the day, and so he did, taking his club and shield with him, which earned him a confused, half-drowsy look from Charlotte.

It didn't take long for Charlotte to come meet him outside the room, now with freshly combed hair and fully dressed in her uniform with her catalyst in hand and some books under her arm. She regarded him, and his club and shield, but said nothing as she motioned for him to follow her down the tower.

"Where are we going?" Roland asked as he followed.

"Breakfast, then class."

"I'm allowed to attend?"

She nodded before speaking. "If you want to… I asked yesterday. You can attend, but can't participate" She looked down at what he was holding and added. "You might need to leave those outside the classroom."

Their exchange was short, but to the point. Neither of them said anything else as they walked over to the dining hall, an enormous room inside the central tower with three incredibly long tables parallel to each other running the length of the hall. Charlotte pointed Roland toward a single-seat, out-of-the-way table by the wall; it clearly didn't match anything else in the room, being far plainer than its larger-ornate cousins, before making her way to the nearby end of the center table.

It was still early in the morning when they arrived, so the food was still being passed out by the servants. When they'd made their way to the end of the center table and placed Charlottes' food in front of her, she stopped one of them and began talking, the exchange was short and ended when she gave them a portion of her food while pointing to Roland, which the servant then brought over to him with a similar meal to what he'd had the previous night.

He had debated whether he should eat the meal, or just leave it as is, but after a few minutes of sitting there he began to feel like he was being watched. When he looked over, he noticed that Charlotte had been staring at him from the corner of her eye as she ate, probably looking to see what he'd do. Roland let out a small sigh as he began eating. Though he didn't want to eat, he didn't want to invite anymore suspicion on him then there already was either, so he did his best to hide his discomfort as he ate again. Even if the texture of the food felt odd in his mouth and throat, he was at least thankful that it tasted better than the various plants and strange liquids he'd ingested in his travels, though, almost anything would taste better than those.

As he ate, he absentmindedly stared around the room as students came in and began eating, though the only people he recognized were Kirche, and of course, Charlotte. Kirche had arrived and sat by Charlotte, who'd already finished eating and was currently reading something, when she'd caught sight of her. He could see that Kirche was talking about something to the younger girl, but he couldn't make out what she was saying. Roland had good ears, but he still couldn't hear either of them over the cacophony of voices coming from the other students that had populated the hall, though he could see just fine that Charlotte nodded or shook her head, rather than said anything, in response more often than not.

It didn't take long after that for him to finish his meal, or for the two girls to finish their conversation and walk over to him. Kirche gave him an odd look before her face shifted back into a smile, probably still unsure of whether she should trust him. He paid her no mind as he stood to meet them.

"Class?" He asked the younger of the two girls.

"Class." She affirmed.

He debated internally whether he should come and risk being disarmed, or simply find something else to do. It was true that he wasn't defenseless without a weapon, but it definitely wasn't an ideal situation to be in, regardless of how safe this place seemed.

Another thing he had to consider was his total lack of knowledge on the world he was in. He wasn't capable of reading before he arrived, and he already knew he couldn't read their language with the help of Contract Familiar; when Charlotte showed him a map the night before he was unable to read the words in the map key or the names of the various territories on it, meaning that just reading about his new surroundings wasn't an option.

Still, he would have to learn about this world eventually, and the sooner he did the better, even if that meant being disarmed for a while. Additionally, no one knew he was Undead, so if he was attacked and killed, he could use that to his advantage and escape from wherever he ended up after death. There was also the possibility that he wouldn't be disarmed, after all, this was a magic school, so every student here had a far more dangerous weapon with them than his club.

Roland nodded to the girls and followed behind them on their way to class.

__________________________________________________

As they entered the class they could see that there were already a few students and familiars waiting for the professor to arrive. Charlotte walked over to one of the desks and began to organize her notes and textbooks, Roland, having not been directed elsewhere, sat next to her and placed his shield and club on his lap under the wide desk they shared. Kirche had gone over to another group of students, all males, after a brief farewell, but she continued to keep an eye on them from her seat.

All throughout the classroom conversations could be heard, and while most of the students were content with just shooting the breeze, others had started to joke insultingly about Roland and Charlotte. They spoke about how he was a "perverted slave", "foolish commoner", "idiot actor", and several other insults through barely hushed voices, though nothing they said offended him. After having died as many times as he had being insulted by a few children didn't have any sort of impact on him, though that wasn't the case for Charlotte.

A few of the students had been insulting her as well, calling her an "Empty headed failure", "worthless magician", and some other similar insults through comparably hushed voices, and while she pretended not to notice them, Roland, from his position next to her, could see she did. Her shoulders and elbows moved toward each other as she flipped through pages in one of her books, she slumped her back slightly, and squeezed her legs closely together, giving the impression that she was trying to shrink herself to avoid notice. He could also hear her chest rising and lowering as she breathed, and noticed how it seemed to get caught mid-breath whenever she heard certain insults.

Though, she also seemed to notice what she was doing, because after a few seconds she began to forcibly relax her arms and took up a slower, deliberate breathing pace as she straightened her back. This, her trying to shrink herself to avoid notice, then realizing what she was doing and trying to put up a neutral front, repeated several times before the professor arrived. It was unlikely that anyone besides Roland or herself noticed her actions, since he wouldn't have picked up on any of it if he wasn't sitting right next to her.

The arrival of the professor, a chubby woman wearing a purple mantle over a long-black robe, and a pointed-purple hat with a wide brim crowning her reddish-brown hair, signaled the end to the idle chatter and insults. As the woman walked over to the front of the classroom she began her introduction with a kind smile adorning her plump face. She called herself Chevreuse, and was apparently new to the school, but she didn't say much besides that before beginning her lecture.

To start, she gave a broad overview of the four elements, Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind, and what they were capable of, but only explained their basic spells. She made mention of a fifth element, Void, but didn't explain anything about it. After Professor Chevreuse finished with her explanations she began to go into more detail with how the magic of the Earth Element worked, and talked about some more of its uses as well as its impacts on their society.

Roland found everything she said about it fascinating. There were some tentative similarities between a few spells she explained and a few he knew, but he was far more interested in the differences, rather than their sparse similarities. The magic she described seemed to work in a fundamentally different way than the Sorceries he used, though they seemed to share a limited number of technical similarities, their uses were far different, and if the magic here was so different than what he knew of, then there must be other, even more intricate differences between this world and his own that existed alongside it. That thought alone gave him some minor spark of hope, just like he'd felt whenever he ended up someplace new.

When he defeated Gwyn the first time, he was filled with… complicated feelings. Roland could hardly remember it now, but he could still feel the shallow pangs of those emotions. How he felt when he looked at that Bonfire, he didn't want to die at that point, but he was afraid to let the fires fade as well. He felt that way when he woke up in the cell after his first time Linking the Flame as well, and continued to feel that way for many times after, either Linking the Flame or letting it die.

It took him innumerable iterations before he finally decided he truly wanted to die, and even then, when he ended up in Drangleic, he could feel himself filling with hope at the thought of being freed from his curse, though even that was a lie. Well, not entirely, but the freedom he gained wasn't the kind he wanted, it wouldn't allow him to finally die, and it didn't make any other kind of difference either, as he was still forced to repeat that contemptible cycle after achieving it.

His arrival in Lothric was no different. His new surroundings, coupled with what he'd learned in Drangleic and Lordran, had given him some hope that it might finally be an end for him, but that hope was extinguished even faster than it had been in Drangleic. At this point, that spark of hope he felt now might just extinguish itself before he died even once, but just like in every other place he'd been, a part of him struggled to hold onto that feeling.

Roland sighed as he returned his attention to Professor Chevreuse, she had written something on the board, but he couldn't read it. Charlotte, who'd heard his sigh had been looking at him for a few seconds, before deciding to move some of her textbooks out of the way and placed her notes between the two of them on the long-curved desk they shared, though Roland only responded by putting his hand up, palm facing her, signaling her to stop. She looked at him with a considerate expression before nodding, seemingly having come to some conclusion, though she didn't replace her notes or textbooks back in their previous position.

The class continued on with no more interaction between either of them, and by the end, Chevreuse had started calling some students up to attempt a basic Earth Element spell, Transmutation. She created several small rocks and demonstrated the spell herself before asking a few students to try, and as the students attempted the spell some were more successful than others, but everyone seemed to be able to turn the rocks into some other material. It was only when Charlotte was called up that the demeanor of the classroom changed. A few students snickered; earning them a glare from Kirche and Professor Chevreuse, but nobody said or did anything else.

Charlotte stood at the front of the class between the rocks and her peers, though Roland and most of the students on either side of the classroom could still see them, and began to chant the spell, holding her large-crooked catalyst towards the rocks. As she did, a few small specks of light started to appear around the rocks, before gathering on them, making them give off a light glow, but nothing else happened.

Chevreuse, who'd been watching from a few feet away reached out to touch one of the rocks, but as soon as her fingers grazed it, it shot out, resulting in a loud cracking noise as the rock broke into several smaller pieces against a wall. The professor immediately pulled her hand back in shock, and a few of the students started laughing a little louder than before, though Chevreuse merely dusted herself off, an action meant to allow her a few seconds to recollect her thoughts, before speaking.

"That's… an interesting spell. By any chance, did you add a Wind Element to your spell?" Chevreuse asked

Charlotte shook her head in response, but said nothing.

"Well, please try again, Miss Orléans… And remember, you only need the Earth Element for this spell." Chevreuse said, before creating a new rock to replace the one that shattered.

Charlotte recast the spell, but the results were the same, this repeated twice more before one of the students called out.

"Professor Chevreuse, you can't expect that Empty-headed girl to be able to cast even the simplest of spells!" The classmate who spoke was a plump boy, with a perfect-blonde curlicue adorning the center of his forehead. His sudden shout caused more of the students to break out into laughter, and Kirche began to stare daggers at the boy in response. Roland, on the other hand, was annoyed by the boys' voice rather than what he'd said, it was a hoarse voice that was similar to the sounds a certain demon he'd fought in Drangleic made, and it grated on his nerves severely.

Chevreuse, surprised by the sudden outburst, hadn't thought to respond yet, allowing the boy time to continue.

"She's been like this since she's arrived here. This Empty little girl won't be able to cast even the simplest of spells!" A few other students yelled out affirmations to this while others laughed. Charlotte had been standing there quietly the whole time, still facing away from her classmates, but given how she'd been acting earlier, she probably wasn't taking it as well as she let on.

"Now that is enough." Professor Chevreuse called out as she raised her wand with a flick, causing the mouths of the laughing students to be filled with red clay. "You all should know better than to mock a fellow noble like that!"

"But Professor Chevreuse, it's true! She couldn't even cast Summon Familiar properly, and had to hire some naked commoner." The boy with the disturbing voice replied as he pointed toward Roland, flashing a mocking smile as he did.

"Would you-"

"Shut the Hel up, you damned frog!" Roland was about to speak, aggravated by the sound of the boys' voice, but Kirche yelled out angrily, continuing his sentence for him.

"Wha-!? How dare you talk to me like th-" The boy attempted to respond to her, but was cut off by another angry shout.

"I said shut up, you disgusting toad, or do I have to make you?" Kirche was standing intimidatingly at her desk as she stared over at him now. She hadn't reached for her wand yet, but if the situation escalated further she probably would have.

"That's enough out of both of you as well!" Chevreuse flicked her wand at the both of them, causing large clumps of red clay to appear in their mouths as well. "Mister Grandpré, Miss Zerbst, as I've just said, you shouldn't be insulting your classmates like that. If you both continue on this way I'll have to put you in detention after classes, WITH that clay in your mouths, do I make myself clear?"

They both were clearly still angry, but they begrudgingly nodded their heads.

Class ended shortly after that, and when Charlotte came back to the desk, Roland could see that her hands were shaking faintly. She was still upset by what happened, but she said nothing as she hastily gathered up her notes and textbooks for the next class.

The rest of the day was pretty calm in comparison. While a few students still made the occasional joke, no one insulted her directly like the Grandpré boy had, but that didn't stop Kirche from staring daggers at them. Some of them stopped altogether when she did, but a few kept on going. A few of the boys that were a part of Kirches' group began helping her stare down their mocking peers as well, but nobody started arguing like earlier.

Charlotte hadn't said anything to either Roland or Kirche until after classes were over for the day. All she did when she finally spoke was ask Kirche not to get involved like that again. This annoyed Kirche, but she kept a level tone and explained why she'd gotten involved, because she didn't like it when people insulted her friends, however she did promise to try to keep herself calm if a similar situation arose again, before reluctantly parting from them to go to a previously made engagement.

__________________________________________________

Charlotte had gone back to her room after Kirche left, and asked Roland to follow her, which he did, despite wanting to explore the towers on the school grounds. When they arrived, Charlotte put her textbooks and notes away and turned back to Roland, who had sat down by the window and placed his club and shield against the side of the bookcase. She seemed hesitant to speak, maybe because what happened earlier was still upsetting her, but she stood as tall as she could as she looked at him. He was curious about what she'd say, so he waited patiently for her to speak.

"You don't know how to read." She spoke after several seconds of silence, it was unclear if that was supposed to be a statement or a question. That wasn't what he expected her to say, but he nodded in response to her.

"I never learned." He vocalized his answer as he looked up at her, causing her to flash a considerate look at him before replying.

"I'll teach you… If you want."

Roland wasn't sure if she was trying to be nice by offering, or if she was just looking for anything to talk about besides what had happened earlier, but he supposed it didn't make a difference, he needed to learn more about this world, and being able to read would only help in that regard. Though, he also decided to avoid mentioning anything about what happened earlier in case she was just trying to avoid talking about it, it wouldn't do to upset her and cause her to rescind her offer.

Besides that, he'd secretly wanted to learn how to read for a long time now, though his reasons weren't the best. He'd seen how their research had driven Seath and Big Hat Logan mad, and had hoped that going mad might somehow lead to his own hollowing, barring that, he'd hoped that whatever he learned would teach him how to kill himself properly, but that option never presented itself, since no one was willing to teach him before.

He nodded in response to Charlotte, who seemed somewhat relieved at his answer. She quickly grabbed a book from the shelf and sat next to him as she began to explain the basics of their language, starting with the letters of the alphabet and their pronunciation, then explained the difference between short and long sounds, and began trying to develop his phonemic awareness. He didn't think she'd start right away, but he did his best to keep up with her sudden lesson, and tried to internalize the information as best as he could, but since he didn't know how to read before she summoned him, he couldn't rely on any of his previous knowledge to help him understand her lesson now.

The lesson went on for about two hours before Charlotte had decided it was time for a break after giving him a short quiz. She replaced the book in its spot on the shelf before turning back to him to speak.

"You did good, for a beginner." She spoke honestly, but that didn't mean much. Roland could recite the alphabet in its entirety, had a basic grasp of some of the phonemes she'd spoken of, and even understood what a phoneme was from her explanation, but he still wasn't sure how to decode some of the phonemes of letter combinations she hadn't explained. He let out a quiet groan as he stood to stretch his body, somehow those two hours had him feeling stiffer than the entire day of classes he'd sat through with her, and he wanted to go for a walk to loosen up his now rigid muscles, so he told his intentions to Charlotte as he picked up his club and shield, who nodded, and walked with him out the door.

She told him she needed to go to the library, so she'd accompany him part of the way before leaving him to his own devices, but asked that he return to her room when he was done, and was sure to give him directions back, just in case.

__________________________________________________

Three days had passed since Charlotte started teaching him to read, and while the progress was slower than the first lesson due to dealing with some more complex words and a few esoteric rules of the language, he was definitely getting better. This was partially due to the extra material that Charlotte had gotten from the library, a few books that were meant to teach beginners to read; and some extra notebooks that she gave to Roland for his own practice writing, since she didn't need them.

The classes that they attended together over the three days went by similarly to how they'd gone on the first day as well, though with no outbursts from the Grandpré boy, or any of the other students, for that matter. Some students still made jokes, but they made them amongst themselves and didn't start slinging insults directly, even if they still didn't bother to stifle their volume. The professors seemed to let this slide, so long as no one tried to do so during class, and taught about the various elements, except for Void, and their variety of uses. Some had done a few demonstrations using a few of the students, but none of the professors called on Charlotte for assistance since Professor Chevreuse' class.

After classes and reading lessons, Roland would usually begin exploring the school grounds, and became acutely familiar with most of the layout of five out of the six towers on the school grounds. He wasn't allowed entry to the tower without a cloister leading to it, and he wasn't familiar with the parts of the five other towers that were closed off to the general populace, but where he did go made getting around a lot easier.

It was on this day that he ran into one of the servants, literally, and after apologizing for bumping into her, realized that it was the black-haired maid who'd gotten him his clothes when he was first summoned, though apparently she had been looking for him for the since the previous day, and asked if he had enough time to follow her back to the servants' quarters for a few minutes, which he agreed to.

"Here. I figured you might need a few extra sets of clothes, so I asked around and got some for you." She said in an upbeat tone as she handed him the clothing. He was still holding onto his club and shield, so he put the clothing underneath one arm. It was only a few extra shirts and pants, but he appreciated it, and thanked her before going toward the door.

"Oh wait!" She called "My name's Siesta. Uhh, I was wondering if I could ask you something."

"Sure." He responded as he made eye contact with her. She still seemed nervous around him, but she was trying to put that aside and be friendly.

"I heard… Well, overheard that your name is Roland. Is that true?" He nodded in response to her question, which caused a small smile to appear on her face. "Well, would you mind if we talked for a bit…? I-I've already cleaned those clothes, but I can show you how to clean what you're wearing, if you'd like." He decided to accept her offer and nodded, it was a little odd that she was so keen on talking to him, but he decided to try and indulge whatever curiosity had been spurring her on as thanks for her assistance.

Before they made their way outside she suggested that he put on one of the other sets of clothes she'd gotten him so she could show him how to clean the set he'd been wearing, and said he could use the servants' quarters to change, which he did, before meeting her outside the room. All the clothing she'd gotten him looked fairly similar, the pants were all made of the same material, and the shirts were either white or off-white cotton with long sleeves.

Siesta had gotten a large bucket with some sort of strange board, as well as a few other things, inside it by the time Roland was done changing, and before she could react to his presence, Roland had placed the extra clothes in the bucket, picked it up and carried it for her. She tried to refuse his help, but he had already started carrying them, and declined to give them up, so she stopped trying to take them from him and began explaining what each item was used for as they made their way to the fountain. It was getting close to sundown, so not many people were in the courtyard as they entered it.

When Roland put the bucket down she began to pull things out of it and showed him their uses before moving out of the way for him to try.

"So… where are you from, Roland?" She asked as she watched him work. It was immediately clear to her that he wasn't used to doing laundry, but she said nothing about it after her initial explanation since he hadn't been doing anything wrong or damaging to the clothes, he was just doing the work awkwardly.

"I'm not really from anywhere. I've spent as long as I can remember traveling." He responded with a half-truth. He'd already had a similar conversation twice a few days ago, so he wasn't interested in repeating it a third time, only to be met with another confused stare. "And yourself?"

"I'm from a village up in the northwest of Tristain. It's called Tarbes." She sounded happy as she spoke of her home. "It's a pretty nice place to visit; a lot of my family still lives there as well. So did you travel with your family, or…?"

"Or." He said definitively. "I don't remember my family, nor do I remember traveling with anybody." His answer was blunt, and there was no sorrow in his tone, but that didn't stop Siesta from looking sad when she heard it.

"Oh… Sorry." She spoke as she toyed with the hem of the white apron she was wearing over her skirt.

"It's fine. I don't feel like I've missed anything from not knowing them." At one point, he might have felt lonely, or maybe even remembered them enough to miss them, but after so long, he simply didn't care about them.

"I see…" She spoke slowly, trying to decide what else to say. "Uhh, so what's it like… being Miss Orléans' Familiar?"

Roland took some time to consider her question. It was true that he'd only been her Familiar for four days, but he already noticed a few things about the girl. For starters, she was incredibly quiet, barely talking to anyone besides Kirche and himself, and even then, if she could express herself without words she would do that instead. Though, he wasn't sure if that was because she was afraid of being bullied more than she already was or if she was just uninterested in most people.

Charlotte was also a kind person, in his opinion. He had no doubt that if she summoned someone or something else, the way she'd gone out of her way to get him some proper bedding, shared her food, and offered to teach him how to read, along with a few other small acts of kindness she'd shown him, that whatever else she'd have summoned would have appreciated her treatment greatly. He'd seen how some of the other "Magicians" had taken care of their Familiars, and while some treated them decently, others treated them like slaves, or made shows of punishing them, which made their docile attitudes seem even more bizarre. That's not to say that he didn't appreciate how she treated him, he did, he just wasn't used to being treated that was so readily, it made him feel uneasy.

"Charlotte is… a nice girl." He concluded, causing a look of surprise to form on Siestas' face.

She was surprised by the way he'd used her first name, rather than use a title or honorific, though Roland merely shrugged in response. He told her that Charlotte had never told him to refer to her any specific way, so he didn't know of any other names or titles to call her by. This caused the conversation to turn from general small talk, to her talking about how odd it was that a noble would act so casually towards a commoner. Roland, having precious little information on the subject, asked her to explain what she meant, and she did, though not without a look of confusion due to his lack of knowledge.

Siesta explained how nobles were the ruling class of the human countries, and that they were all capable of using magic, whereas the commoners made up the bulk of the workforce and served the nobles. She continued on, talking about the various differences in responsibility between the social classes, about how either class was supposed to properly address the other, and many other things, though it was clear from her explanation that she knew more about commoners than nobles. Most of this information was new to him, as Charlotte hadn't really cared about enforcing her societies' class structure on him, and the classes he attended focused solely on the different uses of magic and magical theory.

As she continued her explanation, she didn't seem to notice that Roland had finished cleaning the shirt and pants he was wearing previously, and continued on for quite some time, with Roland voicing questions or responding to her every so often. After she was done with her explanation, which also branched into what little knowledge she had about the four Magician-run countries, she noticed that he was finished. Seeing this, she showed him how to dispose of the dirtied water, and where to rinse off the tools they'd used before showing him where to put them when they were done. Since it was only the one outfit that was cleaned, she showed him where he could hang it to dry, and then told him that she'd get it back to him after they were dry since it was getting late and she felt a little guilty for taking up more of his time than she meant to. He tried to refuse the offer, but she insisted.

With nothing left to do, Roland headed back to Charlottes' room for the night as he processed what he'd learned from Siesta.