They could be freaks in this world together.
He shopped with Uluula for quite some time, eventually picking up a few odds and ends. Jason had no idea how much his money was really worth without Mareen around. Uluula was surprisingly ignorant about money too, so every time Jason bought anything, he rested his hand on the pommel of his new sword, scowled, and hoped for the best.
After shopping, Jason took Uluula on a walk through the town's park. It was beginning to get dark, and it seemed like in no time at all, the moon had started to rise and some kind of large insects began making winking lights like fireflies.
As they headed back to the house the Jaguar Clan was renting out, Jason realized that Ludus had its problems but was really a beautiful planet too. As he appreciated the beautiful night, he felt the weight of his new sword on his hip and held the hand of the girl he liked. He decided not everything about being stuck on Ludus was bad.
That night, Uluula kissed him for the first time. It was just on the cheek, but Jason felt like it was huge progress. He was in such a good mood when he went to bed that he basically flopped down and was instantly asleep.
* * *
Henry walked next to Mareen and felt more nervous than he had about anything in years. If he were just on a date, that'd be one thing. However, he wasn't even sure if he was ready to date yet. He was on a foreign planet, he'd just survived almost certain death the day before, and Mareen was really fucking smoking hot. She was also ten years younger than him.
At first, he kept getting distracted by the Jaguar Clan guards following them at a respectable distance, but eventually he ignored them. He just had too much on his mind to think about the guards, and he was highly distracted by Mareen herself.
Henry had been trying to keep his eyes to himself for weeks, but he finally allowed himself to surreptitiously check her out. She was looking away, so it was the perfect time for him to get a good look.
Mareen's smooth, tan skin seemed to radiate the ambient light. Henry had no idea what ethnicity she was. Best he could guess, she was some mix of white, black, and Hispanic or Arab--maybe even Indian.
He couldn't see her face at the moment, but he knew her dark eyes were usually lively and expressive and her rosebud mouth flashed quick, almost-furtive smiles at random moments. Her high cheekbones made her look like she was hiding a smile even as she glared at someone, usually Henry.
She wore flowing white pants made from thin fabric. Her top was made of a similar material. The light wind made the clothing hug her curves in a way he appreciated, and the Ludus sun setting behind her allowed Henry to see hints of her underclothes.
Henry's assumption weeks ago that she had a curvy, athletic body had been accurate. In the light and the wind, Henry could clearly see the contours of her spine; her graceful shoulders; her generous, perky chest; and her very shapely, surprisingly-large ass. Definitely some junk in the trunk.
Her flat stomach wasn't muscled like Uluula's, but her entire body was firm. Henry had to be honest and admit the softness of Mareen's figure and face made her really cute.
He'd tried not to notice before, but he'd seen her nipping out in the past few weeks on cold mornings. Henry loved a nice set of nipples, and he had a feeling Mareen's were dark and quite impressive.
He dragged his eyes away from the beauty walking next to him. He didn't want her to catch him staring. If she wanted to play coy, he'd let her. He had to stay clearheaded. It frustrated him to admit it, but he couldn't focus when his small head was doing most of the thinking. Good Lord, she was gorgeous, though.
Henry wasn't sure what he wanted. He obviously desired Mareen physically, and he liked her personality. He respected her. They'd been travelling together for a while, and even though he'd thought she was interested in Jason for a long time, he'd have to have been blind not to know she was a hell of a catch.
And for some reason, she liked him. A lot. Enough to directly confess her feelings in front of other people.
Henry wasn't exactly unaccustomed to women being interested in him. He didn't get it, but he'd just learned to accept it. However, somehow Mareen's attraction seemed more pure to him; there was no uncertainty, selfishness, or deceit. The feeling actually made him a little bit nervous. Why does she like me this much?
Even though he'd been angry before, he had to admit he thought her temper could be cute. Of course, it could be scary too...
Suddenly Mareen said, "You know, I'm not an idiot. I know you've been looking at me."
Unfazed, Henry responded, "Just like I know you've probably been letting me. There is no way the tree you've been staring at for like five fucking minutes is that interesting."
Mareen glanced over and flashed a quick, guilty grin before looking away again. "I think that's one thing I like about you. You're so rough around the edges, but if you're backed into a corner, you're honest and you speak your mind. You do what you think is right even if you know it's stupid. I am not that way, and it's something I admire."
"What are you talking about? You became an indentured servant for ten years just because you thought me and Jason got a raw deal."
Mareen shook her head, her long, dark hair shimmering in a wave down her back. "No, I didn't really have a choice. You probably don't understand. However, I did have a choice to tell you about how I felt or not. I know you're probably going to reject me, but I had to do this anyway. I didn't want to live the rest of my life with awkwardness or regrets."
"Huh? I still can't even get rid of you for like ten years because of this, right?" Henry pointed at the grey ring on his finger, its twin around Mareen's neck under the lace choker she wore.
"No, I am a coward and didn't know that I'd be able to speak my heart song even with ten years to do so. However, I almost died yesterday. I know how fleeting life can be." Mareen's voice caught.
Henry was quiet and just kept walking with her. He knew she'd say more when she was ready. After a time, she began speaking again. "Like I said, I'm not stupid. I know you probably aren't interested, especially now that I was almost... raped."
To Henry, that was the most retarded thing he'd ever heard, but fortunately, he knew not to say so. All he said was, "What happened?"
"I was trying to find a place to shoot my bow during the battle yesterday. I'm not very good at aiming, but I thought from an elevated position, I could help at least a little bit. While I was heading to a tower through the woods, Jeth jumped on me. He held me down. He hurt me. He was going to kill me. I've never been so afraid or nauseated in my life."
When Henry heard the restrained sob, he stopped. He slowly turned and gently took Mareen's shoulders in his hands. She resisted slightly at first but then accepted the embrace, hugging him tightly, almost burrowing into his chest.
"Why do you feel like any of this changes anything about you?"
"Because I was helpless. I was... attacked. Horrible things almost happened to me, and nobody... nobody could save me."
"No, a horrible thing did happen to you. You escaped by yourself then?"
"Yes. I ki... I killed him. I tricked him into kissing me and used my magic acid attack through the roof of his mouth."
Henry couldn't help it. His sudden barked laughter caused Mareen's body to relax and pull away in surprise. Her eyes were wide; her face was a mess with tears.
Henry's grim laughter continued, and he said, "Served that little fucker right."
"He stabbed me. He groped me. He told me I was worthless. I was almost violated and nearly bled out on the forest floor. How can you laugh? Aren't you disgusted?"
"Why would I be? What happened to you wasn't your fault, not in the slightest, and more importantly, you offed the fucking slimeball to save yourself. I'm actually really impressed. That took strength. You saved yourself and proved that you are one hell of a woman. I think you're extremely sexy."
"Sexy? You mean..." Mareen didn't finish the thought.
"When you were looking away, what do you think I was looking at? Your
shoes? No, you have a fantastic ass and curves in all the right places. I'd rip your clothes off and try to throw your back out if you were my girlfriend. I've always thought you were impressive. You're smart, you're educated, you're brave, and you have a huge heart.
"I'm just not sure I'm in the right place to start anything with anyone, much less someone so much younger than me. I'm not even from your world, I have issues from my divorce, and I'm not in the habit of breaking pretty girls' hearts."
Mareen cocked her head before narrowing her eyes. She pushed Henry out at arm's length and said, "You really are rotting stupid, aren't you? You've been acting like you didn't even want to talk to me at all. So you were attracted to me, both my body and mind. You desired me, a young, very available, verysmitten, awkward, pure-hearted girl. You ignored me... all to spare my feelings?"
Mareen's eyes flashed, and Henry felt a chill in his spine. Uh oh.
"Well, I--"
"What is wrong with--" Mareen held a hand up. Absently, Henry noticed it was starting to get dark and there were giant, freaky firefly things buzzing around. He and Mareen were next to a park, and there were tons of the things all over the place. Hope they don't bite.
Mareen slowly asked, "So let me get this straight. You find me attractive."
"Yes."
"You like my personality."
"Yes."
"You are single, and you know I am single."
"Yes."
She squeezed her eyes shut tightly. "You can't even articulate the reasons you're holding back?"
"Well, I guess not."
Mareen crossed her arms over her chest and stomped her foot in frustration. Tears freely ran down her face again. "You have saved my life twice. You helped me know who I really was, helped me find myself, helped me find the strength to survive the worst experience of my life.
"I felt disgusting, soiled, like I was less of a person last night, and in one conversation, you've made me feel beautiful and strong again."
She choked and continued, "I'm sorry your ex-wife hurt you, but I am not her. Why won't you give me a chance? Why won't you give yourself a rotting chance? What the fuck are you waiting for?" Mareen wailed the last sentence in English.
Henry's mind went blank for a second. He realized that this was a critical moment in his life. He had to be honest, not only for his own sake but for the sake of another. He thought about Mareen's smile, her bravery, how hard she worked.
Henry thought about how his stupidity had almost gotten himself and Jason killed when they first got to Mirana. He thought about his own resistance to Mareen's obvious interest. The past had hurt him, but he was tired of running from it.
Lastly, he thought about how it looked when Mareen's nipples poked through the fabric of her dress.
Henry was finally honest with himself and acknowledged that his groin and his heart were actually in agreement. He grabbed Mareen's shoulder and the back of her head, bent her backwards, and gave her the longest, hardest kiss he could manage.
Mareen didn't even hesitate. She hungrily returned the kiss, and Henry felt her tears on his face. Instead of cooling his ardor, it actually turned him on. Point of no return now. Guess it's time to just roll with it.
Henry reached down and grabbed a handful of Mareen's firm, curvy ass. He slipped a hand up the back of her top, and the next couple minutes was a flurry of kissing and touching as the two moved deeper into the park.
Henry wasn't sure which of them started tugging at the other's clothing first, but before long, he wasn't thinking about much else other than exploring her body. He quickly learned that while inexperienced, the girl was an eager study.
Time didn't seem to flow normally for a while, and Henry was lost in the passion of the moment. However, after his third time with Mareen, her normal shy demeanor slipped. She nipped his ear and whispered, "Gotcha." Like everything else she did, it was a turn on, but suddenly Henry felt like the hunted, not the hunter.
Oh well, this isn't so bad. Henry buried his hand in Mareen's hair, and she gasped as he traced the outside of her scarred ear with kisses. It was going to be a long night.
* * *
The next morning, Jason assumed he was the last person out of bed. He didn't see anyone else sleeping, and he was the only person in the house. He got ready, double-checked that he wasn't leaving anything behind, and headed to the airship.
The airship itself was a bit underwhelming. It actually looked just like a schooner floating in midair. Jason had been hoping it would look more magical or something. He climbed a long staircase, part of the structure the airship was moored to, and ascended to the wooden deck.
He glanced around and saw most of the people he was expecting to see. Uluula smiled and walked over. "Sleep well?"
"Yeah. Aren't we supposed to be leaving soon? Is everyone here?"
"No, Henry and Mareen aren't. I thought they were with you..."
Jason blinked and said, "I'll keep an eye out for them." It was really out of character for Henry to be late to anything, much less something important like the ship leaving.
Jason waited another half hour and started to get irritated. He'd already asked around, and Henry's guards from the previous day had reported that nothing dangerous had happened. The two female guards had strange expressions when Jason asked them if Henry was safe. He wondered what they weren't saying. It looked suspiciously like the Jaguar Clan guards were holding in smiles; their ears and whiskers twitched.
Jason stood on the bridge of the skyship, looking down at Rohs, and felt the weight of the spirit stone in his pocket. He still needed to talk to Henry about it.
In fact, he knew their flight back to Mirana was going to take a few hours since the Jaguar Clan would conserve power during the return trip. It was a perfect time to plan the next move for Delvers, LLC. Everyone would be present, and nothing was pressing. He wanted to get started with a group chat immediately, but Henry and Mareen were still missing!
They weren't late yet, but they were cutting it close.
Suddenly, Jason saw Henry and Mareen jogging towards the stairs to the airship. They ran up, followed by a sheepish looking Jaguar Clan guard, and made it onto the deck with just minutes to spare. Kinwe-na-ibbi gave them all a flat look.
Jason noticed that Henry's shirt was buttoned wrong. Mareen's clothing was a mess too, and she had a leaf in her hair. Jason narrowed his eyes, suspicious about why his friends were almost late. When Mareen became visibly flustered, then blushed and giggled while glancing at Henry, Jason put two and two together.
Damn, Henry... and Mareen! Jason sighed. He wasn't sure if he should be happy or irritated with his friends. He ended up settling on amusement. He just hoped everything worked out. He'd had friends who'd dated before but never any with magic powers on a fantasy world.
* * *
Not much later, the skyship was cutting through the air on a beeline for Mirana. All the members of Delvers, LLC and Keeja were sitting in a cabin for a company meeting. Jason noticed that Henry and Mareen were sitting very close to each other and rolled his eyes. They'd ignored each other for months, gone on a walk, and now... this. Jason was feeling a bit underappreciated. Who'd told them to stop being so obtuse? He had.
He was about to start the meeting when Keeja slowly clapped her hands and drawled, "Congratulations to the new couple."
Mareen blushed, but her expression didn't otherwise change. Henry didn't react at all. Jason pinched the bridge of his nose for a second, but Uluula looked very, very confused.
"Was there an announcement that I missed? Who is the couple?" Uluula looked back and forth between the small number of people in the cabin. She turned to Jason and asked, "Did you find another candidate to consider courting in addition to me? That would be somewhat convenient, but I need to meet her and give my approval. Actually, now that I think about it, you would not have had time... can someone please explain?"
Mareen blushed more deeply. Henry's expression remained unchanged. Keeja grinned,
showing all her teeth, and put a hand on UIuula's shoulder. She whispered loudly, the sound carrying around the cabin, "It seems Henry and Mareen went and got carnal with one another."
Uluula shook her head and said, "But they have not announced any official interest nor even courted. To the best of my knowledge, they just stepped out together yesterday for the very first time. I think you are mistaken, Priestess Keeja."
Keeja just grinned wider. "Why don't you ask them?"
Uluula turned to Mareen and Henry. "Is this true? Why did you not announce you were courting? I am sure you are not truly carnal, right?"
Mareen tried calmly holding Uluula's eyes for all of two seconds before looking away and giggling. Henry kept his face entirely straight and slowly replied, "Not that it's any of your fucking business, but she's hot and I like her. So sue me. You weren't on the 'inform immediately' list. Next time I'll be sure to have someone paint a picture."
Uluula gasped, "How did this happen? Were you coerced? Henry, did she drug you?" Uluula's eyes narrowed in suspicion at Mareen.
"I was stone cold sober, chica. Do you not know how this sort of things works? Don't Areva learn about the birds and the bees?" Henry teased, "When two people love each other very much or both are horny or one person gets paid... actually, there can be more than two people involved, but I don't think you're quite ready for that conversation."
"Yes, I know that! I, uh, I don't really know what it... what I mean is why did you not start courting first? Were you actually courting before?" Uluula's eyes were huge.
Jason struggled to suppress a smile as he sat still and kept his mouth shut. This was a side of Uluula he hadn't seen before, and knowing Henry, her worldview probably wasn't done expanding yet. Henry had utterly no shame about pretty much anything.
"How did this happen? Are you okay with this?" Uluula looked like she was experiencing such profound culture shock that her brain was about to go on strike.
"Well," drawled Henry, "we went on a walk like Jason told us to. The longer we hung out and talked, the more we realized how well we really got along, and then when it started getting dark, we went to the park. The moon came up, and these large, freaky bugs with light-up butts started flying around. It was kind of pretty. We had a nice chat, and she attacked me!" Henry jerked his thumb at Mareen.
Delvers LLC: Welcome to Ludus Page 30