Once Mack brought Detour home, I promptly apologized to him in front of everyone. The human grudgingly accepted. Olyame then pulled me aside to talk.
“Now, wasn’t that easy?” she asked with a smile.
“Yeah, it wasn’t too bad. I did it mostly for you, though. That’s what made it easy.”
“You’d do anything for me, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes, I would.”
“You’re sweet.” She then kissed me on the corner of my mouth then hurried upstairs to her room.
(Hardware)
*Sigh* Kids these days. Never seem to know what they want. I’d been keeping a close eye on Olyame ever since she got here. I noticed she’s taken a liking to Reggie over time. He was pretty nice to her, and quite protective. He always went out of his way to make sure she was taken care of. He’s a descent kid, just gets a bit carried away at times. Then there’s Ranito. If anyone gets too carried away a lot it’s him. Olyame seems to have her sights set on him too. I really hope she doesn’t plan on playing Queen of Hearts with those two guys. Things would definitely get ugly. Can’t blame her for wanting to play the field though. She had it pretty rough on Mars from what she told me. Now that’s she’s getting all this attention from guys, she probably doesn’t know how to act. I’ll just have to keep a close eye on all three of them before someone really gets hurt. And I’m not talking about just broken bones either.
Re: Love and Laughter: Double Time
"I think there's hope for him." Lynei commented.
"huh?" I was too busy worrying about the resident lovestruck pups to pay any attention.
"Ranito, he appears to have matured some since pulling that stunt, but I still need to discipline him."
"Oh! Oh yea, definetely. Kid needs some guidance in his life."
"Yes, he does."
"Lynei, there's something I need to talk to you about."
"Go ahead."
"I know you can be a tough broad, but when it comes to girls like Olyame, you seem so soft."
"Soft?"
"Like you have feelings. Usually, you never seem to have any feelings."
"Sure I do, I just hide them good."
"I'll say. Do you think...that you and me...could talk more about feelings, say...over dinner?"
"Despite my calm and cool exterior, I experience many feelings. Love and those of a romantic nature aren't it." Then she just walked away to get Ranito. When they left, I knew I let one heart get broken today. Mine.
That summer in Chicago was turning out to be so much fun! I was starting to show and Mack had taken me to the doctor for a check-up. I got to hear the baby’s heartbeat and see the sonogram. The doctor said the baby was growing at a healthy rate for a Martian. I was really surprised to find out there were Martian doctors here on Earth. I guess with the increased immigration from Mars made it necessary. Of course, they also had to have knowledge of Terran physiology as well as other species. After my check-up was complete Mack took me back home. I had told Ranito in advance that I would be going to the doctor that day for my sonogram. He said he wanted to see it as soon as I got home. We sat on the couch together as he looked at the images.
“So, is it a boy or girl?” Ranito asked.
“They don’t know yet. The way the baby is positioned made it impossible for them to see its genitals.”
“What would you like it to be?”
“It doesn’t matter to me, as long as I don’t have to raise my child on Mars.”
Ranito looked at me and smiled as he laid a hand on my belly.
“Ranito, do you think I’ll make a good mother?”
“No, I think you’ll make an outstanding mother,” he replied as he kissed my cheek.
Ranito always seems to think so highly of me. Makes me feel really special.
Edited by: Detia1 at: 6/30/02 7:18:33 pm
Re: Love and Laughter: Double Time
"Oh, I think it kicked!"
"Really? Wow...I think the baby likes you, Ranito?"
"Who doesn't?" he joked. That made me laugh.
(Hardware)
So far, Olyame and Ranito are getting along great. It really looks like they'll be an item anytime soon. Reggie wasn't too pleased with it, but he figured if Olyame's happy with Ranito, there's no reason to interfere. That's one problem out of the way, for the moment. Now, to concentrate on my own romantic problem. I was growing fond of Lynei to the point where it drove me crazy. But everytime I try to ask her out, she readily rebuffs me. Now I understand why Ranito gave up on her; a surprise he lasted as long as he did. But I wasn't one to give up quite that easily and I really did care about her. If only she could see that. I tried asking Ranito why she doesn't seem to like romantic feelings towards her. All he said was that he had assumed something happened to her before she joined the Hav'Throth. It was a good theory he had. What it was, he didn't know. But the only one who would answer my questions was Lenaria, and asking her was easier said than done. Being dead doesn't help matters. So, next visit, I did the only thing I could do; ask Lynei straight up.
Things were going pretty well with Olyame. She and her unborn child were doing very well. It’s a good thin I sent her to be with Mack because I’ve heard horror stories about what goes on in the homes for unwed pregnant women on Mars. Ranito was also behaving himself, which is a pleasant surprise. I don’t know how she did it, but somehow Olyame was able to get him to mellow out. It’s safe to say the girl is amazing. I can see why Ranito is so smitten with her.
During one of my visits, an excited Olyame ran up to me with something in her hand.
“Miss Lynei! I got the sonogram! You should see the baby! It’s growing so fast!”
“It? You don’t know it’s sex yet?”
“No. The baby’s position made it difficult for the doctor to tell. I think it’s a boy, though.”
“Really? Why do you think that?”
“I just have a feeling,” she replied with a smile.
Re: Love and Laughter: Double Time
"Okay. I see you and Ranito are getting along."
"He's been such a sweetie! So charming and such."
"I see." Part of me was glad Ranito had found someone to love, but another part was concerned. We were still wanted by the law, and if Ranito was ever caught with Olyame with him, she would be accused as an accompliance. I wasn't sure I could risk it. I doubt Ranito would; even when he was an immature flirt, he never endangered anyone he dated, whether it was a one-night time or a small series of dates.
"If you're looking for Mack, he's upstairs." Olyame told me. "Says it's important he talk to you."
"All right." I went upstairs, preparing a small ice blade just in case. Experience has taught me to be prepared, no matter what.
Re: Love and Laughter: Double Time
I found Mack in his office sitting at his desk. He looked like he was working on some sort of plans for a new machine. A weapon perhaps. We didn’t turn around or look up from his work when I entered the room, so I thought he hadn’t noticed my entrance.
“Have a seat, Lynei,” he stated, startling me a bit since he hadn’t looked up from his work yet.
“Look, Mack, I don’t have a lot of…”
“I said, have a seat.”
“Ok.” I did as I was told. “What’s this all about Mack?”
He slowly set his pencil down and swiveled his chair to face me. He had this look on his face I couldn’t quite read.
“Lynei, I’m going to ask you something, and I want you to be as open an honest with me as you can.”
“All right…”
“Could you explain to me why you feel the way you do about love and romance? I mean there’s gotta be a reason.”
Re: Love and Laughter: Double Time
"Simple. Love and romance are nothing more than fairy tales."
"That's it?"
"That's it. There's more, but it's personal."
"oh..." He looked so dissapointed. "So, in other words, I have a snowball's chance on Brim Star with you."
"Correction. You and every other male have no chance with me. Ever." I immediately could tell that he was not thrilled, but what did he expect? That I throw myself at him? I'd rather get myself skewered by my own ice blades than have intimacy with someone, especially a male.
That evening Lynei and Ranito stayed for dinner. I noticed Mack was kind of quiet. He looked kind of sad, too. I wondered what was wrong and if I could cheer him up somehow. I started by making goofy jokes at the dinner table. I had just about everyone at the table laughing their heads off. I even got a chuckle out of Lynei. Now that’s amazing. However, Mack wouldn’t laugh at all and sometimes he would shoot quick glances at Lynei, who was avoiding eye contact with him. I figured something was going on, or not going on, between them.
After dinner, Ranito and I went up to my room to play vid games. It was a spy game called The Syndicate. Ranito was getting caught by the enemy way too much so he asked me to consult the strategy guide to help him finish the level. While I looked up the information, I struck up a conversation about what happened at the dinner table.
Edited by: Detia1 at: 7/4/02 9:15:20 am
Re: Love and Laughter: Double Time
"I don't know about you," Ranito said. "But I think Mack has a crush on Lynei and she's brushing him off."
"Oh?!" I replied. "Why the hell would she do that? Mack's a nice fella."
"Unfortunately, when it comes to romance, Lynei Tarin has the coldest attitude towards it."
"Why is that?"
"I don't know, exactly. I just have a theory that something happened to her before the Hav'Throth that caused her to look at romance for her with great disdain."
"Oh my..."
"So, about that information? Normal mercenaries are just as good as spies, but I was merely a scout, distractor and weapons expert."
I thought it was so sad that Lynei wouldn’t open her heart to someone who cared about her. I could tell the mack cared about her. And I knew Lynei was able to care about someone because she cared about me. Mack cared about me too. So why couldn’t two people who cared so much care about each other? Sometimes I don’t understand grown-ups. They can make things seem so complicated.
Maybe they should use Ranito and me as an example or how two people who care about each other should behave. I know that sounds kind of arrogant, but Ranito and I are very happy together. It’s safe to say that I love him. I haven’t told him yet, but I will soon. I really and truly hope he feels the same way about me.
(Ranito)
I love spending quiet evenings like this with Olyame. She loves it when we play strategy games together. We would take turns playing each level. Turns out she’s very good at these types of games and rarely uses the strategy guide. I don’t use it much either unless I’m absolutely stuck, but using common sense usually does the trick. As I completed Level 8 of The Syndicate, I was distracted by something touching my thigh. When I looked down I saw Olyame’s bare foot rubbing on my thigh. She has such pretty little feet. I smiled at her expression of affection and continued to play. While I was saving my game data, I felt her squeeze my thigh with her toes. When I looked over at her she had a sweet little smile on her face and her eyes were half closed. When she realized she had my attention, she smiled even broader as she uncrossed her legs. I got the feeling she was trying to tell me something without saying it. When she scooted a little closer to me, put her foot in my lap and did something very interesting with her toes, the message became very clear to me.
Edited by: Detia1 at: 7/4/02 7:46:55 pm
Re: Love and Laughter: Double Time
"You know, you could've just told me you were trying to seduce me."
"And why would I do that? It's unacceptable for a woman to be agressive."
"On Mars, yes, but you're on Earth now, so you have no need to worry."
"Oh, so I should do this then?" Then she suddenly pulled off my shirt! Oh, Goddess, when she did that, I grabbed her in an embrace so she wouldn't see my back. But when her hands moved from my chest to my back, I could feel her exploring it to see that she was feeling it right. Alas, I could not describe her face when she saw the multiple scars on my back.
"Oh my goodness!" she gasped.
"It's nothing, really." I told her. "I'll understand if you do not like what you see..."
"It's not that. Not that at all. I just...got surprised. How...?"
"I used to get beaten when I was younger."
"Your parents?"
"My step M'Tah. For some reason, she had an overbearing hatred towards me and P'Tah never noticed. She specifically used a leather whip on me whenever she pleased, when she wasn't yelling at me or putting me down or that stuff. As soon as I was old enough, I ran away, met Waetar, who taught me how to stand on my own two feet and eventually, we met Lenaria and Lynei. The rest, you can sorta piece together. I haven't see my family since before I left. I really don't want to see them, really."
"That's terrible! And no one did a thing about it?"
"Nope. She said if I leaked it out, she'd kill me. Oh, well. She can't do a thing to me now."
Re: Love and Laughter: Double Time
You know, my family didn’t treat me too great either. My father said I was useless and no one would even want to make a slave out of a homely girl like me. In spite of my unattractiveness, my mother saw fit to train me to please my mate or my master. It’s said on Mars what you lack in beauty, make up for it in the bed chambers.”
“By the Goddess, that makes it sound as if you’re good for nothing but to be used!”
“Well, that’s the way things are on Mars. At least among the indigenous people. I didn’t know life could be any different for me until I met Keedra, who told me about Earth.”
“Keedra? Is that the father of your unborn child?”
“Yes.”
“Olyame, you don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to, but how did he die?”
“Suicide.” I started to ask he something else but she stopped me. “I really don’t want to talk about that any more, ok?”
“I understand.”
We decided to talk about more pleasant things as we cuddled under the sheets. For the first time I heard Olyame say she loved me. I noticed she hesitated when she said it, and I asked her why.
“Because I wasn’t sure if you felt the same way, and I don’t want to scare you away.”
Re: Love and Laughter: Double Time
"Scare me? No, my dear, you could never scare me. Believe me, nothing scared me since I left home."
"Nothing?"
"Nothing. I vowed that I wouldn't be weak like my P'Tah." Olyame was surprised when I said that. Well, I certainly meant it. He could've raised me himself after M'Tah died, but no!!! He had to marry that bitch, Sarisa Teoa, shortly after her funeral! It shamed and dissapointed me when I realized he was nothing but a weak, submissive creature. Sarisa ran every aspect of his life, and always lashed out at me. Well, she does hate me, especially since I refused to take her name after the wedding. I never wanted to see any of them again. Waetar has been kind to me, even offered to use the Irreversables on them, but I refused. Despite what others think, Waetar knows a lot about the Forbidden Arts, especially the Irreversables. He just only uses Astral Projection because it was the easiest. Things like Time, Space and Dimensonal Manipulation require a lot of energy and magic. My mind went back to Olyame.
"Darling, I'm not sure if I should take you in your condition." I said. "I've never been with a woman before, you see, and I don't want to hurt you or the child."
"Ranito, you have nothing to worry about."
"I want to show you something that my people do." I cupped her head and leaned towards mine so that our foreheads were touching. I then summoned some of my energy to create a space linking our minds. The next thing we knew, we were in a place that transcended space and time.
"What is this place?" she asked.
"A link between our minds." I explained. "When Mykari long for intimacy, they sometimes use their magics to create a link between them and engage what we call intimate telepathy (IT)."
"Intimate telepathy??"
"It's like our minds are bonded, and engaging in intimacy. Very useful if you don't want to get someone pregnant. It probably won't be as satisfying as actual intercourse, but it'll do."
"Are you sure this is safe?"
"I wouldn't attempt it if it wasn't. It's been known that Mykari have engaged in IT with other species. So far, there have been no side effects, except perhaps extra sensitivity in the humans, which is beneficial for the pleasure."
Re: Love and Laughter: Double Time
She gave me a shy nod. I could tell she was both excited and a little nervous, and not sure what to expect.
“Don’t worry. There’s nothing to be afraid of. I promise you will enjoy this.”
Olyame was quite responsive to my touch. She seemed a little startled at first, but she got used to it quickly. Pretty soon she had the hang of things and was giving as much as she received. It was like we knew exactly what the other wanted without having to say a word.
(Olyame)
This intimate telepathy stuff is quite an experience! I was a little nervous about it at first, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly. It wasn’t hard to figure out what Ranito liked. I’ve found that males tend to be basically the same, especially humanoids and other bipeds. The center of their manhood seems to be the center of most of their pleasure. I enjoyed everything Ranito did to me. Just being with him was a thrill in itself. His lack of experience didn’t seem to make a difference. We definitely let each other know when the other was doing something right. After doing things Ranito’s way, I convinced him to try things my way. Although we didn’t go all the way, so to speak, I did get to show him a few things I’d learned. We spent most of the night toughing each other and caressing under the sheets. I took things as far as he would let me. He knew what I wanted, but he didn’t want to take it that far. Said he wasn’t ready. I was disappointed, but I was still willing to wait. I’m sure he won’t make me wait forever.
Things were going wonderfully between Ranito and I, in spite of Detour’s jealousy. However, things were far from good between Mack and Lynei. Everyone could see they would make a good couple, but for some reason, Lynei was giving Mack the cold shoulder. I figured maybe Mistress Tarin and I needed to have a woman to woman talk about love and lust. Edited by: Detia1 at: 7/15/02 7:40:21 pm
Re: Love and Laughter: Double Time
During one of her visits, I confronted her about the subject of Mack and romance. She simply said she didn't want to talk about it.
"As far as I am concerned," she finished. "Love and lust are the same thing."
"But why do you think that?" I asked.
"Because I have learned it so."
"How?"
"That's personal."
"Please tell me. I won't repeat it, I promise."
"Olyame, I don't make a habit of gabbing about my past to others."
"Lynei,"
"Look, as far as I am concerned, males only want one thing and one thing only; to stick themselves into weakened females. I am not weak, nor will I choose to be. If you can't handle that, tough."
"You're being so mean to Mack!"
"Too bad."
"I'll never understand you, no matter how much time I spend with you. It seems everytime a male comes to grant you affection, you drop them like they were rocks. You lead men to a doom of the heart, like a siren of old Ter--" Before I could finish my sentence, Lynei pinned me to the wall by my throat. She had this disgusted and frightened look in her eyes, the likes which I've never seen before.
"Call me what you will, my dear." she hissed. "A murderer, a shame, a criminal, and on certain occasions, a whore, slut, tramp. But don't you EVER call me a siren." She then let me go and rushed off, muttering something in her own tongue. What happened to her to cause that reaction?
Re: Love and Laughter: Double Time
“Mistress Tarin, if you keep this up you’ll be a lonely, sad old woman who never truly knew what love is! I’ve been through some sh*tty stuff in my past and seen unspeakable horrors committed by males everyday of my life on Mars, but I didn’t let it cause me to give up on love! If I had your attitude, I would have aborted this baby boy and told Ranito to go to hell! What would you have thought of me then? Well, let me tell you! An attitude like that is ugly, unattractive, and counterproductive! How dare you judge Mack by the men in your past! I happen to know he cares about you ver much and admires you, and that had nothing to do with sex!”
By this time she had turned around and was looking at me with wide eyes and a slack jaw. She must have been shocked by how loud I had gotten.
"Listen, Tarin. I know for a fact love and lust are not the same thing. Trust me...please."
Re: Love and Laughter: Double Time
"If you actually went through the horrors I did," she simply whispered. "You'd have a hard time believeing that love and lust are not the same thing."
"What horrors? Old boyfriends who abuse you?" I asked.
"Something like that."
"Then what did you go through that caused you to behave like this?"
"If I tell you, will you promise not to repeat it to anyone?"
"You have my word."
"Okay. When I was 14, a mutant slave trader by the name of Wyndel slaughtered my family. I was spared, but only because he thought I'd make a good product. He raped me, then stuffed me into one of his foreign brothels. I couldn't use magic to escape; Wyndel had placed a neuralizer on my skull gem and I was powerless. Everyday since then, millions of men paid to have me, once known as the Ice Siren, to give them pleasure and love. If I did not live up to certain standards, Wyndel raped and beat me. This went on a lot. I was scared and helpless."
"How did you escape? And what did age have to do with anything?"
"A Mykari reaches puberty at 14, Olyame. I didn't escape for a long time. Three years later, Qubo, wanting to get rid of a difficult product and sold her to Wyndel. She was a Mykari..."
"Lenaria?"
"Yes. She taught me to hide my emotions and to be unresponsive to the customers. I got beaten more often, but it was worth not feeling the pain I went through earlier. Two years after Lenaria's arrival, her neuralizer went out, and she dissapeared. I then knew her Element was Shadow, and that she was incredibly powerful. Shortly after she dissapeared, she pulled me through to the metaphysical realm and destroyed my neuralizer. We fled to the Mykari homeworld to turn Wyndel in, but they dismissed our charges. They assumed we were prostitutes and tried to have us executed, but we fled them immediately."
"Why?"
"I assumed Wyndel paid some of the officials, or has an insider in the upper society. Anyways, when that plan failed, we went to the alleys and met Ranito and Waetar. We also met one of our first customers, a private citizen of Plunn-Dar who wanted us to get rid of an evil slave trader. That trader was Wyndel, and I made sure he died very slowly for the pain he caused me. Since then, we were assassins for a price, and I learned never to allow myself to be with any male; they're nothing more than insolent parasites. I know not every male is like that, especially not Mack, but I can't take the chance of being hurt again. Call me a coward if you will, but I won't let myself get hurt again." I stood there, taking all of this in. In the corner of my eye, I saw Mack. Did he hear what Lynei just told me?
I’d heard every word, but I didn’t let on that I had been standing there the whole time. I had come down to the kitchen to get a drink, so that’s what I did. Lynei and Olyame were staring at me the whole time.
“Evening, ladies. How’s it going?” I asked while taking a sip of scotch on the rocks. I love how it kind of burns on the way down. They just kind of nodded and shrugged at me. I offered Lynei a drink.
“No thanks,” came her terse reply.
“Don’t want to drink before you shadow port, huh? That’s good I guess. Safety first, I always say.”
Lynei just snorted and left the kitchen. I assumed she was going to get Ranito. Olyame followed. Guess she wanted to say good bye to her boyfriend. Those two seemed to have things so easy. I envied them.
Re: Love and Laughter: Double Time
As soon as they left, I began to think about what I had overheard. Now I understood why Lynei believed love and lust were the same thing; Wyndel taught her that when he had her. Yes, I knew the slime, and not on good terms either. Some of his prostitues produce half of the illegits on the homeworld. Heck, some of them were illegits. I know this because a friend of mine, Tara, was one of them. We knew each other since childhood; after she was orphaned, Wyndel offered her a job and she became one of his best women. She was also Rakuna's mother. Wyndel didn't like his women getting pregnant, especially if they were having boys. Girls, at least, he could train as future prostitutes. But Rakuna was born, regardless, and he was placed in my care to save him from Wyndel. No, I am not the father, if that's what you're thinking! If I was (or if Rakuna had looked more like his mother), I would've married Tara and Rakuna would've been a normal Plunn-Darian child. But I suspect Wyndel was the father; Rakuna has a striking resemblence to him...
Enough of memory lane! I gotta figure out a way to convince Lynei that I'm nothing like Wyndel or any of the other bastards she had to deal with. With her having been a sex slave since she was a teenager, it's not gonna be easy, especially since she's so damn stubborn! Ah well, what can I expect? No home, no family--unless you count the Hav'Throth--and having to deal with the crap she's been through. This is not going to be easy...
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