The Ashlanders - Chapter 6: The Blind Man's Last Gambit (Closed, Started)

[Fappy]

"I err, I heard Blondie, left, shame she isn't here, I would have liked to see her drunk, seems like the type to get a bit handsie."

Sprout laughed at that.

You 'ave no idea...

"Have you heard anything from her? Gale was only gone a few hours, and I was worried sick."

"No," Sprout replied with a frown. "I 'aven't heard shit from her or Ma'. I guess it's ta' be expected. This is a serious operation, after all. Don' let this stuff fool ya'." He gestured at the party decorations. "Bein' a Maiden is dangerous. We spend a lot'a time fussin' over each other. Worryin' 'bout each other. If you stay long enough, yer gonna lose people. There's no way 'round that. It sucks, but... it is what it is. I'm used to it now."

Looking past Allie, his gaze was distant. "Lilith will come back though," he muttered. "She 'as to. She'd never leave me behind."

He wasn't sure who he was trying to convince.

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************

Bennie cocked his eyebrow when Whiskey started shaking her booty.

"If you go this slow the entire night, I might fall asleep,"

"I thought you said 'clean'," the big man joked. "Alright, I see how it is." Stepping up to the plate, Bennie closed the minuscule gap between them and pressed his chest against her back. Starting just under her armpits, he slid his hands down her sides while he gyrated his hips along with her. Once around her pelvis, he held them there, his thumbs resting just above her glutes and his fingers lingering dangerously close to her crotch.

Her body was awesome.

His head bowed slightly, Bennie whispered into Whiskey's ear. "How'd you learn to dance like this, girl?" he asked. "You're actually making me try."

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************

"I've been replaying it over and over, trying to figure out if there was anything I could have done, in the moment, to keep things under control. I can't come up with anything, but even so, I feel like such an idiot for just standing there... How long did it take you, before you felt like you had a handle on all this stuff?"

Tallahassee stood there patiently, waiting for her to finish before he started laughing suddenly. "You fuckin' kidding me?" he asked rhetorically. "I ain't ever had a handle on any'a this shit! Half'a bein' a Maiden is learin' how ta' work around the Monroes. What happened in Pebblebrook was some classic fuckin' Pixie-shit. That kid's becomin' more and more like his mom everyday." She didn't look all that pleased with his answer. Smiling slightly, he put a hand on her shoulder. "Don' worry about it too much, Sandra. You'll figure it out eventually. There's inherent danger in hittin' the dirt with these folks, but I wouldn' trade it fer anything in the world."

He shrugged. "Maiden life is short for some, but most would say it's worth it," he told her. "Not many people get to live like this. You jus' gotta figure out if it's the kind of life fer you is all."

 

[Dogmatic99]

"Not feeling it? C'mon, how much punch have you guzzled?"

"I don't guzzle." Gale held the cup close, all defensive like. "I savor the fruity zest before calmly slamming it back."

How did Jesse always seem so cool with shit? Even when he was down for a sec it seemed like it only took him a few secs to bounce right back. A super enviable way of living if Gale didn't say so herself. Unless he was faking, he was supposed to be a sales guy after all.

"Guess booming base just isn't my thing." Gale would have mumbled it while bashfully looking at her fidgeting hands but the volume meant that she had to pretty much yell it in Jesse's ear to be heard. That was the problem with scenes like this, couldn't even hear yourself think. But that wasn't really the point of parties like this.
=========================================

And the crowd went wild!

Well... they were pretty pleased. It was a good afternoon.

Florian was still pacing around the upper level, anxiously fighting the urge to rush down there and straight to Lilith. She was at the bar right now as White eye and Bleach plied her with pre-lunch alcohol, the former doing his best to talk his way into her pants while the other went from staring into his brightly coloured cocktail to staring into Lilith's eyes. Something Florian generally expected from them, something he'd found entertaining in the past when the three of them had hung out and they'd shown him great nights out on the town and hit on girls like there was no tomorrow. So of course they'd try that same magic on Lil...

'Pair of pricks.'

Eventually the business was done and he could ask Alexei to go get her. no way could he go down there with people he knew for sure would recognise him. To think Florian would find himself missing being dolled up in makeup. Alexei made it to the bar but things went far from plan as the two of them greeted him with a rowdy cheer. "LEXIIIEEEE!" And he was trapped in their arms too.

'Damn booze hounds.'

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"I ain't ever had a handle on any'a this shit! Half'a bein' a Maiden is learin' how ta' work around the Monroes."

'At least you did something.' Sandra thought to herself 'It might have become a stand-off if it weren't for the warning shots you fired.

"Don' worry about it too much, Sandra. You'll figure it out eventually.

Sandra smiled.

"You can call me Sandy, if you like."

"Not many people get to live like this. You jus' gotta figure out if it's the kind of life fer you is all."

"You know..." Sandra replied. "If you'd asked me to give up a life of whoreing in that shit-pile of a town, and run away to be a bandit a couple off weeks ago, I might not even have stopped to pack my things." She laughed "Now though... I mean don't get me wrong, most of the people I've met here are great, and I'm sure I'll get my shit together with a little practice; it's just... urgh! It sounds stupid, but, I guess I'm just not used to going to bed alone. Kind of a weird thing for someone like me to miss, huh?"

There was sadness in her eyes, when she looked up at the older Maiden.

"That asshole Austin thought he was saving me from that place, but I felt alone every second in his 'family', and then he went and took my best friend away from me. Is it really so bad, after all that, just to want to have someone hold me again?"

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Completely oblivious to the two men flirting with her in their own special way, Lilith was chucking back free drinks like nobody's business.

"LEXIIIEEEE!"

"Lexie's here?!" The girl gasped as she swivelled in her stool. Quite clumsily in fact, since it appeared the booze was already having an effect on her. "LEXIIIE!" The girl shouted, wrapping her arms tightly around the man's neck in an embrace. "Lexie, where's my boy, you know who I'm talking about, where's C-captain Handsome." She held a finger to her lips, hushing with a slur before giggling. "Don't tell him I s-s-said that." She shook her head. "Or do tell him." She shrugged her shoulders. "I'mma still fuck him either way." She turned to face Scar Face, who introduced himself as White Eye, mostly likely because he had an eye that was white, or something. "'Cos I'm the champ! And champs get to fuck whoever they want, ain't that right p-pretty boy." The girl playfully nudged White Eye before raising a bottle to her lips.

===================

"She 'as to. She'd never leave me behind."

Allie's eyes softened. For all his attempts at being macho, he couldn't hide the concern in his eyes, the slight lip tremble. "Hey." The girl punched Sprout hard on the arm. "Dinnae be getting all sentimental on me now." She grinned widely. "She can take care of herself, she's been a Maiden for like forever right?" The girl tilted her head. "You dinnae think she has a thing or two up her sleeve?" She stuffed her hands in her pockets, swaying on the spot slightly. "She'll be back in no time, you'll see, and then you'll be all like. 'Gee Allie, you sure are amazing and right all the time.'"

 

[Terratina.]

"I savor the fruity zest before calmly slamming it back."

"How ladylike." 'Jesse' quipped with a skeptical look. Everyone knew how wild women could get.

"Guess booming base just isn't my thing."

If that didn't scream "take me out of here", then Astor had learnt nothing about the fairer sex. He couldn't help but smirk even more as he looked around, making sure there was not one to ruin this - he'd had plenty of that already. Afterwards, Astor turned around, stroking the patches of stubble which had still remained unshaven.

"So," He started, "Wanna ditch this scene... together?"

***​

"Let's go check out this party I've heard so much about. I might even ask you to dance."

"Whoa there." Maria replied in mock shock, "You don't know what you're about to unleash. Caution is advised."

 

[The Funslinger]

"How'd you learn to dance like this, girl?" he asked. "You're actually making me try."

"I did it to annoy Eddie. Big guy hated it when I made him dance," she replied, turning on her heel before bowing around, her ass passing daringly close to Bennie's crotch, before she stepped behind him and put her hands on his shoulders, and her lips to his ear and whispered, "but he did it anyway, because it meant he got to dance with me," before dancing away.

======================================

"If they do, the other person has to drink that glass. Now, your mom probably wouldn't like me getting you to drink beer, but if you like, you can throw the ball for me."

"Yeah!" Millie exclaimed, immediately jumping an an alarming height, onto Amy's back, and twining her wrists loosely under Amy's neck. "PLLLLAY BALL!" she yelled, like an announcer at the top of her lungs. Truth be told, she'd had quite a few of those blue sodas, and was wired like a generator.

======================================

"You don't know what you're about to unleash. Caution is advised."

"Hey, I'm the ship's wrench monkey, but I ain't too shabby myself," Ruffles said. "Be with ya in a sec."

Crossing to the other side of the workshop, he opened the door to his room, and slipped inside. Once there, he pulled off the grey jumpsuit, revealing today's T-shirt that read 'Black By Popular Demand', pulling on some jeans. Stepping back out into the workshop, he said, "okay, let's go!"

 

[Fappy]

Spoiler: Initiate Hol Horse

"... It sounds stupid, but, I guess I'm just not used to going to bed alone. Kind of a weird thing for someone like me to miss, huh?"

Tallahassee cocked an eyebrow.

"... Is it really so bad, after all that, just to want to have someone hold me again?"

The cowboy adjusted his posture before looking the girl up-and-down. She was a looker, that was for sure. It had been exactly thirty-four days since he'd last gotten any action. Yes, he kept track. He was very malicious about that sort of thing. Emotional health and all that.

"No, I don' reckon it is," he agreed. "Even the hardest mother fuckers 'round here need some good ol' fashioned cuddlin' every now an' then. It's good fer the soul." Glancing over to Brock, who was still flirting with the same two girls, Tallahassee scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Thinks he's so smooth." He muttered with a grin.

Looking back towards Sandra, the cowboy took a sip from his drink and gestured towards the hall. "Want to play hooky with me?" the smooth blonde suggested. "I feel like a fuckin' chaperon here. Can't really relax. I've got booze in my room."

********************************************************************************************************************************************************

"She'll be back in no time, you'll see, and then you'll be all like. 'Gee Allie, you sure are amazing and right all the time.'"

Sprout couldn't help but laugh. He was actually beginning to like her. Or maybe it was just the booze talking. "I hope yer right, Allie," he told her. Looking towards the 'refreshments', Sprout's lips curled into a mischievous grin. "I don' reckon the others ar' lettin' ya' drink yet, are they? Whadda ya' say? Wan' me ta' hook you up? I won' tell anyone. It'll be ar' lil' secret."

It was cool being the older kid for once.

********************************************************************************************************************************************************

"I did it to annoy Eddie. Big guy hated it when I made him dance, but he did it anyway, because it meant he got to dance with me..."

Whiskey really was something else. Bennie couldn't get enough of her. Grinning like an idiot, the big man watched her as she sauntered away.

Dat ass.

Before she got too far, Bennie followed after her, taking off his ties as he went. "Hey," he called out to her. When she turned to look at him he smiled at her and tossed his tie over his shoulder. He held out his hand to her. "Warm up's over. What do you say we tear this place a new one."

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"I've got booze in my room."

"Well now." Sandra smiled, a twinkle in her eye "I was on the fence before, but now you've gone and played a wild card like that..."

Brazenly, she snatched the drink Talahassee had been nursing out of his hand, and drained its remnants in one gulp.

"Lead the way." she told him, taking hold of his hand.

===========================================================================================================================

The Maiden at the other end of the table slowly forced down his last glass of beer, with a pained expression that clearly read 'How? How the fuck did I just lose to a six year old?!', as he looked across to Amy, who'd only been forced to drink three of her nine. As he set the glass down, he wobbled. Then, he teetered, and the he collapsed, falling into the arms of his friends, who busied themselves with finding him somewhere he could lie down.

"We have a winner!" Amy announced triumphantly to the crowd, pointing up to where Millie clung to her shoulders. "Up high!" she said, holding up her hand to the little girl.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"I don' reckon the others ar' lettin' ya' drink yet, are they? Whadda ya' say? Wan' me ta' hook you up? I won' tell anyone. It'll be ar' lil' secret."

"I dunno, I mean, I gotta fix that drive modulator, and I shouldn't really..." Allie trailed off as she looked up at the boy, her reluctant pout slowly turned into a warm smile. "Okay." She nodded once. "I reckon I can let you hang around with me for a while, might make the others think more highly of you." She crossed her arms nonchalantly, as she looked at Sprout from the corner of her eye. "I'm nice that way.

 

[Terratina.]

"okay, let's go!"

"Alrighty!" Maria chimed in as she threw off her lab coat and left it in the workshop. She wasn't wearing anything fancy, but she was sure it would do just fine for a Maiden party. Christ, that took Maria back to the ladies' night in Feroxi with Lilith and Elizabeth. Things had shifted so much since then, hopefully they were both still okay.

Well, they had be to be - it was time to party!

 

[The Funslinger]

Once they were at the mess hall, Ruffles' first stop was the drinks table. Grabbing a pitcher, he poured in several shots of rum, a shot of vodka, and a shot of lemon juice, filling it out with two bottles of blue soda, and some ice from a bucket. Pouring out a couple of glasses, he passed one to Maria. "A little home cocktail," he said. "Oh, and one more thing."

Lining up several shot glasses, he filled them from the bottle of Valhalla sitting at the back of the table, and began knocking them back. "Gotta catch up," he said, grunting as the alcohol hit him.

==================================================

"Up high!"

"Yeah!" said Millie, high fiving Amy as hard as she could. "I'm awesome!"

==================================================

"Warm up's over. What do you say we tear this place a new one."

"Whatever you say," Whiskey replied, taking Bennie's hand. "But then it's time for drinks, son!"

 

[Fappy]

Despite everything that happened earlier, Pixie was still wide awake. She had learned a long time ago that trying to sleep when she was depressed was a futile effort. Carlos had already gone to sleep, leaving the bandit queen alone in the living room, basking in the moonlight of the waning twilight. It would be dusk soon, and she'd be running on fumes for the rest of the day at this rate.

Nothing new, really. A good night's sleep was a luxury she rarely knew.

"Hey," a soft voice suddenly disturbed the stillness of the room. Looking for the source of the voice, Pixie spotted Cameron peaking her head out of the bedroom door. "You still awake, Pixie?"

Smiling slightly, Pixie shrugged. "Reckon I am," she said.

"You okay?"

Pixie looked away. "I'm fine, sweetheart," she lied. "Go back ta' sleep."

Cam rolled her eyes and smiled. "Oh, you," she said, stepping out into the living room before closing the door behind her. Once in the moonlight, Pixie noticed she was topless. Yeah, she had definitely slept with Aesop. Sitting down next to her captain, the bubbly brunette draped an arm around Pixie's shoulder and squeezed. "I heard some shouting earlier. Woke both of us up. You want to talk about it?"

"I dunno," Pixie replied, shrugging her shoulders once more. "You 'ave any regrets, Cam?"

"Sure, plenty of them."

Pixie met Cam's gaze. "What do you do about it?" she asked. "What do ya' do ta' make it right?"

"Sometimes you can't, Merry," Cam told her. "Sometimes you can't fix something no matter how hard you try. That doesn't mean you can't do something though."

"What do ya' mean?"

Cam pursed her lips, smirking slightly in the corner of her mouth. "Vow not to make the same mistake twice," she said. "Learn from it and move on."

Pixie sighed. "I don' know if that's good enough for me," she admitted.

"You spend way too much time moping, you know that?" Cam remarked. "Makes me forget you're an unstoppable badass sometimes." She chuckled quietly.

"Yeah," Pixie agreed with a wry grin. "I need ta' stop doin' that. Don' reckon it's that easy though."

"Anything I can do to help?"

Pixie wrapped her arm around Cam's back and shook her slightly. "Yer helpin' plenty already, darlin'," she assured her.

Cam gave her friend a knowing look and Pixie cocked an eyebrow in response. Snickering, Cam lightly tapped the redhead's lips with her pointer finger. "I could do more," she teased.

"Nah, I don' know about that, Cam," Pixie retorted, understanding immediately what Cam was insinuating. "I mean, me an' Amy never really formally... ya' know?"

"Please," Cam groaned, "you saw it written all over her face. She was livid when you left. As far as she was concerned, you skipping town was as good as a break up. I wouldn't doubt she has three or four cocks in her as we speak!"

Pixie winced. "It's the principle," she countered.

Cam gave her an incredulous look. "'Principles'? You? Don't make me laugh," she said with a chuckle. "Whoops, too late!" Pixie averted her gaze and pouted. "Look, I know why you're doing this. It's Bennie."

"Bennie's got nothing to do with this," Pixie mumbled.

"I ain't blind, Merry," Cam said. Holding her face in one hand, Cam forced Pixie's eye on hers. "I know what you intend to do when you get back to the Maiden."

"If I get back," Pixie corrected her.

Cam pursed her lips. "Exactly, we may not be returning from this clusterfuck in one piece," she pointed out. "You really want to live out your remaining days as a sterile shadow of your former self."

Pixie chuckled, her eye searching Cam's. "Cruel words," she said. "How dare you speak that way ta' yer superior officer!"

Spoiler: So that happened

"Then punish me, Captain," Cam said before spreading her fingers out across Pixie's cheek and pulling her in for a deep, warm kiss. Pixie relented immediately. Bringing both hands around the back of Cam's head, Pixie held the back of her neck with one hand and the top of her head with the other. Both women shifted their position on the sofa as Cam took the lead, forcing the smaller woman's back against the cushions. With her freehand Cam reached forward and groped her partner. "No bra, just how I like it." She giggled. "So thoughtful."

Pixie forced their lips together for a moment before parting them once more. "You talk like I planned this," she remarked through ragged breaths.

"Maybe you should have," Cam pointed out. "It's been way too long since it was just the two of us, you know. I've been itching for that little peach a' yours." As she said this Cam trailed her hand down from Pixie's breast, across her abs, and slipped it into her bright blue shorts. Pixie's whole body trembled. "No underwear either."

"Fuckin' tease," Pixie spat as she writhed involuntarily under Cam's spry fingers. Cam took offense to this and enacted her retribution swiftly. As her other hand worked its magic, she pulled Pixie's tank-top up enough to kiss her breast. "Fuckin' slut!" Pixie continued. "Bangin' f-f-fuckin' everyone you set yer eyes o-o-o-on---f-f-f-f-fuuuuck, yeah l-like th-that! G-g-god damn fuckin' bendin' over fer Bennie an' Aesop an' probably like f-fuckin' the whole Maiden---"

Cam cocked an eyebrow, pulled away and redoubled the efforts on the Southern flank. A cruel grin shown on her face as she watched Pixie's expression twist in reluctant ecstasy. "You know me, Captain, I don't like being tied down," she told her. "I'm still young, after all!"

"Sh-sh-shut the fuck up an' get down there already!" Pixie shouted between moans. Grasping the back of Cam's head firmly, she forced her head down. Clearly she couldn't hold out any longer.

"Yes, sir!" Cam said with a mock salute before grabbing her nose and imitating a diver jumping into the ocean. It didn't take long for Pixie's curses and insults to be replaced by deep, loud moans. This was always Cam's favorite part about being with Pixie. She was so easy to please. So enthusiastic, even when she pretended not to be.

She had to make this count. If Pixie returned to the Maiden and got back together with Bennie it was likely she'd never get to play with the crazy pirate ever again. Pixie and Bennie were getting older after all, and Pixie's libido was not at all what it used to be. Soon it'd just be her and Bennie. Sure she was a bit disappointed, but if it meant Pixie was happy then she'd gladly swallow that bitter pill.

She'd just have to make this a night to remember.

After several minutes of squirming around and pulling Cam's hair, Pixie had had enough. Grabbing the sides of her friend's face, she pulled her up into a sitting position and forced her tongue down the brunette's throat. This continued until Pixie was on-top. As if driven by some kind of twisted, sexy form of vengeance, Pixie grabbed at the woman violently and began leaving not-so-subtle hickies all over the side of her neck and chest.

"Oh, don't leave any marks Merry!" Cam squealed. "What if mother sees?!"

Pixie rolled her eye and continued her rough work. "Shut the fuck up," she demanded. Kissing a trail down Cam's naked form, she eventually came upon her underwear which she tore off with frightening force and efficiency. As she went to work, Cam started laughing hysterically. "Wow, I-I-I-I never thought I'd s-s-see the day," she said with a half-moan, half-chortle. "The sex god P-P-Pixie Monroe gettin' Aesop's sloppy s-s-s-seconds!"

"Oh fuck, yer right!" Pixie whined, pulling away from Cam's favorite erogenous zone. Resting her forehead against the brunette's pelvis, Pixie started cracking up. "What the fuck is my life right now?!"

After the fun had run its course, the two women fell asleep in a naked, tangled heap on the sofa for a groggy Aesop to find later. Despite all the doom and gloom, Pixie ended the night on a high note.

She slept like a baby late into the afternoon.

 

[Dogmatic99]

"Wanna ditch this scene... together?"

'I kinda just wanna ditch this scene.' But then again, Gale had basically said she'd be up for a talk with the little bragger earlier. And she didn't really feel like being alone right now.

"Sure, my place aint far." She nodded. Gale made sure to snatch one of the six packs that hadn't been claimed by the dancing peoples yet. "Takin' these though." And with that she let Jesse follow her back to her room.
=========================================================

"'Cos I'm the champ! And champs get to fuck whoever they want, ain't that right p-pretty boy."

"That's nice, hun, that's very nice but it might be time to get going now." Alexei smiled awkwardly as he got pressed into the throng of people. How did this chick get drunk so fast? No wonder Florian liked her.

White Eye wasn't a big fan of this for obvious reasons. "Awe come on Lexei! Thought you liked to party, come on man, be a cool guy." And the next round of drinks arrived. Perfect.

Apparently Lilith's new friends had just forgotten about their boss and were doing their own thing now. The two of them had set their minds to partying and didn't give two shits for any disapproving look Alexei could shoot them, if they even noticed. The only person he was having any luck fending off was some random chick behind the bar who seemed to be eyeing Lilith up, and not as a potential big spender if Alexei's impeccable horniness radar was to be trusted. What was it with girls and duel winners?

"Maybe you can tell him yourself? Y'know he saw the whole thing right?"

'Come on, hun, take the hint. The champ's prize is waiting for the taking.'

"L-lexei." Lilith whispered loudly as she leaned in towards the man, wrapping an arm around his neck and pulling him in close. "Lexei, is that lady checking me out?" Lilith nodded her head over towards a voluptuous woman standing behind the bar. "'C-cos it looks like she's checking me out me out."

What does that matter?" He asked incredulously.

"L-Le-Lexei." Lilith whispered, inching closer to the poor man's ear. "I t-think she's trying to get into my pants. S-see how she's looking at me?" Lilith glanced up at the woman, who was quite frankly, stacked for days. Waving an arm, Lilith called over to the woman. "Hello, yes, privet!" The girl chuckled.

"Aw for f-" Alexei cut himself off with a snort. It was like dealing with a vag packing Erik. No way did anyone have the patience to deal with that. Lucky for him he had past experience. "Well you've got plenty of friends here then. Me and the fella can go win some duels of our own, I know some better places than here anyway." He goaded her shamelessly.

"Ah get out of here you kill joy!" White Eye waved him off, enjoying the prospect of the show that was about to kick off right here.

"Don't be like that Lexei." Lilith pouted as she pulled the man into a hug. "Don't be like that-OH SHIT!" She pushed the man away, brushing herself down as the woman from behind the bar began walking towards the group. "Be cool guys, be cool, I got this." Lilith casually lit a cigarette, snapping the lighter closed as she rested an elbow on the bar, the cigarette hanging loosely from her lips. "S'up." She nodded her head slightly.

"Hey there." The barmaid smiled just as sweetly as the drink she was pouring. "You know most girls would get a guy to buy her drinks a little differently." She looked between Lil and her newly conquered bros.

Alexei was half expecting Florian to swoop in there and then. At least just to egg her on.

"Oh, you saw that did you?" Lilith shrugged her shoulders as she blew smoke from the corner of her mouth. "My boy White Eye there put up quite a fight." She winked at the man, smiling slyly. Turning her attention back to the barmaid, Lilith tilted her head curiously. "Which bit was your favorite?"

While Lilith continued to play at Casanova with her new admirer, Florian had finally managed to get the ear piece working again, thanks to hitting it hard enough and was staring in disbelief as it looked like Lilith was trying to put the moves on her barmaid. Apparently she was getting drunk on victory as well as booze.

'What is she doing? Why is she staying there? Why is she acting like Sprout!?' One of the lad was enough. Never mind the primal voice in the back of Florian's brain who thought this was the coolest thing ever and they should totally join in. The longer he stayed the more of a chance there was that the two bandits she'd befriended would recognise him.

"Lil, can you hear me? What are you doing there?" He hissed into his mic. Meanwhile his libedo cried out, 'Come on guys just be cool!

Meanwhile the barmaid was leaning on the counter and throwing light flirtations Lil's way. "So I know I haven't seen you round here before."

Lilith rested her other elbow on the counter, resting her chin on top of her laced fingers. "I'm from out of town." the girl smiled. "Waaaaaaay South." She chuckled, taking a swig from her glass of scotch. "Here with a friend, as well as Lexei here." She gently elbowed the man in the ribs. "Soon as he wraps up what he's doing, we're gonna go have some fun." She grinned as thoughts of what she wanted to do to Florian filled her head.

"You mean like how we're done now?" Alexei elbowed her right back. And then White Eye elbowed him for blocking his possible threesome. And then got an elbow in return and their little group threatened to turn into a really lame mosh pit.

"Lex- Lexei- no Lexei!" The pair slapped at each other's hands as the man tried to pull the girl from her stool. "ALEXEI!" Lilith laughed as she finally got the man in a headlock. Glancing up at the barmaid, Lilith winked playfully. "See what I have to put up with?"

"Oh for Christ's sake!" Florian gave up as he took in the childish slap fight and without looking slammed his elbow into the fire alarm. The club filled with the blare of alarms and downpour of the sprinklers. The people inside were not well pleased.

As everyone in the immediate vicinity began to get soaked, Lilith frowned as the barmaid scurried away. "I'm not into chicks but I thank you for the interest in my body!" the girl called after the woman. Sighing in defeat, as she slumped her shoulders, Lilith stroked Lexei's head gently, still stuck in Lilith's grip. "This water is really cold." The girl whimpered as her hair soaked through.

"Come on" Alexei did his little best to try and drag Lilith off to the back exit where Florian was waiting.

"Hey come on! Do we at least get your name, kid?" White Eye called after her, water bouncing off his shaved head like crazy.

Turning as her former rival and his friend headed off in the other direction, Lilith spun on her heel. "Lilith!" The girl grinned, bowing dramatically before blowing the pair a kiss. "See you some other time!" Turning around, Lilith thrust her fists into the air as he water pounded down on her shoulders. "Valentine out!"

Scurrying over to the exit, a significantly drier Florian was waiting for them. "Hey!" Lilith cooed, wrapping her arms around the man in a soggy embrace.

Florian grimaced as he was met by a Lilith shaped wall of icy cold dampness. This wasn't as good as the last time they'd done it. "What the hell were you doing back there?" He asked her, reluctantly returning her hug as he tried to keep his arms dry.

"You were right!" Lilith grinned as she clasped Florian's face, pulling him towards her's as she kissed him deeply. "Winning duels gets you all the girls!" She kissed the man again.

 

[The Funslinger]

Together, Bennie and Whiskey dominated the dancefloor. In an attempt to one-up eachother, they'd managed to attract the attention of just about everyone in the room. Neither Maiden held back, and by the time they were finished both of them were drenched in sweat. Laughing, Bennie slapped Whiskey's shoulder as she struggled to catch her breath. "How about those drinks?" he asked her.

"I thought you'd never ask," replied Whiskey, as they wandered off of the dance floor to one of the mess benches. Reaching into her jeans pocket, she produced a red and brown tin that read 'DEAD EYE premium hand rolling tobacco' in a stylized font. From it, she took a plastic pouch of tobacco, papers and a tube of filters, and began rolling a cigarette. She'd seen a vendor selling it during the Maiden's last shopping trip, and felt nostalgic. It'd always been Eddie's preferred brand.

As she began cobbling together a couple of cigarettes, she said, "be a gentleman and get me a beer, will ya?"

"Yes ma'am," Bennie replied enthusiastically. Walking over to one of the kegs Brock had tapped earlier, the big man filled up two cups and brought them back over to Whiskey. "Rolling it yourself? Most smokers I know are too lazy for that sort of thing. Lilith, especially."

"Ah, it's always more satisfying, smoking one you made yourself," Whiskey replied. "Besides..." she pointed to the tin's logo, a grizzled cowboy sighting down the barrel of a revolver. "It totally advertises my skillset!"

"As does Lily's," Bennie remarked. "Fuckin' 'Ace of Spades'. That shit is awful." Pointing to the cigarette she just finished rolling, he grinned at her. "They any good?"

"Smoother than a virgin's thighs," Whiskey replied, sliding the finished cigarette across the table along with her lighter, before starting on her own.

Bennie picked up the cigarette. "Thanks," he said as he held it to his lips, lit it and took a drag. He let the smoke stew for a minute before exhaling. "Not bad, Whiskey. Not bad at all." Before taking another drag he glanced over at Amy and Millie. "You try to hide it from her at all?"

"Not really," she said, lighting her own. "I mean I try not to do it around her. Smoke's reall bad for a kid, and all. But she's a clever girl. If she starts smoking when she's older, that's her choice." she pointed at the cigarette. "I can't exactly judge."

Bennie shrugged. "I understand the necessity, and I ain't one to judge, but..." he took another drag as he gathered his thoughts. "This really isn't the kind of environment to raise a family, Whiskey. A real family. Sprout's a good kid and I love him, but he's really fucked up. Pixie did the best she could with what she had, but if you can find a way out of all this... you should take it. I won't stop you."

Whiskey nodded. "Yeah, I know. Honestly, before all this, her grandma used to take care of her more than I did. I worked, running security and tracking down fugitives for nobles with the scratch to pay, and Payton made sure Millie and my mom never needed anything." She hesitated. "If Millie's turned out so great, it's 'cause of mom, not me."

"Fuck that," Bennie said. "She loves you and trusts you. Anyone here can see that. You've been a good mom."

Whiskey shrugged. "Maybe. Either way, I'm way too sober for this conversation right now."

Bennie tapped the brim of her cup and chuckled. "We can fix that," he told her. Then his expression softened. "Sorry, I'll drop it. I've just been... you know what, it's nothing. Let's get drunk."

"Sounds like a plan, Captain," Whiskey replied with a smirk.

 

[Terratina.]

Geez, the Maidens didn't hold back when it came to alcohol, did they?

Maria downed the homemade concoction, Ruffles's cocktail was certainly an experience. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Whiskey and Bennie showed the Maidens how to dance. Nevertheless, Maria turned back to Ruffles and shook her glass.

"This thing got a name?" She teased.

***​

'Jesse' was in.

There was no one apart from him, Gale and a pack of beer - a winning combination. He took a can and eagerly opened it, almost making it froth up. It was a shame the thumping bass could still be heard but there wouldn't be anything interrupting their little chat.

"Pardon me for asking but why did you join the Maidens?" Astor asked, "Can't be that different from going 'round in a caravan, so, why?"

Had to started the small talk ball rolling and all.

 

[Dogmatic99]

"Winning duels gets you all the girls!"

"Yeah I said tha-mmph."

Florian got cut off - ooh another kiss. Well who was he to complain about kisses? 'No! Now is not the time for sweet Lilith kisses! Now is business time, and stealth, and backstabbing. Of course his higher brain functions were correct, that didn't stop them being total nerds but whatever. Never mind that she was pressing herself right up against him in soaking wet clothes, he shouldn't have been focusing on that. 'Focus on how cold she is, that's not great. Look, she's got goose pimples all over her arms and - oh, no bra, forgot about that.'

Well there went his focus again.

"You know there's a lot of people suddenly crowding the streets."

"Right, right." Florian snapped himself out of it, taking note of Alexei's impatience. "Come on, drunky. Let's get you out of here and warmed up."

Florian pulled up his hood as the three of them sneaked back onto the street, everyone was too busy complaining about their sudden dampness to really care about them. Florian wasn't taking the chance with familiar faces around though, leaving Alexei to wrap his long coat around Lil's shoulder's in a basic attempt to stop her from catching her death of cold. Lucky for them Erik's place was near here.

["The fuck is this shit?"] Erik was thoroughly unamused to find a shady looking man, his under-dressed lover and a damp drunk chick knocking on his door. He didn't look any happier as she tracked water in over the carpet. Unlike Irena, Erik preferred a more homely touch to his place and was very house proud.

["Sorry, we need a place to regroup and sober her up."] Florian did his best to try and guide Lilith into the bathroom. ["You can spare a shirt, right?"]

["I don't like sharing my things, Florian!"] Erik yelled after them. They didn't seem to be listening, or at least weren't bothering to reply. ["She gets one of the old ones! She walks out wearing anything nice and I will freaking kick off."]

Bloody kids!
================================================================
Gale found herself a crashing point in the big ol' pile of pillows on the floor by the foot of the bunk bed, the same one she'd pilfered for game night. No one had come to claim them so they'd made their home all over the room. Martin the guitar was nearby and Gale set about tuning him right, she'd fight that rancid bass line her own way. Jesse could make himself comfy.

"Pardon me for asking but why did you join the Maidens? Can't be that different from going 'round in a caravan, so, why?"

Gale scoffed a little. "You'd be surprised!" The filth some boys in the caravan could try would make Jesse blush. And then maybe throw up in his mouth a little maybe.

"But the reason's a pretty easy one. I want to go back to the caravan some day, be someone of standing and help... well... y'know, lead an shit. Even got apprenticed to Mama Colburn, she's kinda like, well she's not the chief, I guess the closest thing to her I've seen here is Whiskey. So yeah I wanna be that when I get back. But if you want to hold sway with traveler folks you need to prove you got the balls to do it. So this is my test, I gotta go out on my own, make my way in the world and bring back something of value to the caravan. More the better!"

Gale said all this a little absentmindedly as she tested out the tune of each string. With her task quickly done she strummed out a few lazy chords.

"And damned if the winds didn't point me this way." Gale helped herself to her own foamy beer, awkwardly leaning around her guitar as she tried to avoid any unkind spillages. "How 'bout you, what brought a fancy fella like yourself to throw in with this band'ah rogues?"

 

[Terratina.]

"...So this is my test, I gotta go out on my own, make my way in the world and bring back something of value to the caravan. More the better!"

"How noble." Astor remarked, chuckling at the hollow irony.

"How 'bout you, what brought a fancy fella like yourself to throw in with this band'ah rogues?"

There was another laugh, the runaway noble could hardly call himself fancy now. The clothes he had worn for the past few weeks were far too mundane, and he didn't have a girl on each shoulder. Well, at least the adjustment period was over. Hopefully. Regardless, Astor had suffered such a fall from grace; when you expect your pride to be beaten up by others and without any hope of someone taking your side, that is when a noble cannot call themselves noble. A thousand lectures about how nobles were different - and better - than the commoners had repeated themselves in his mind a thousand times. Thankfully, the boy wasn't one for lectures. Right now, 'Jesse' was next to a beautiful lady and that was all that mattered.

Not his past, just his present.

'Jesse' shifted about in the pile of pillows, trying to get comfortable. Not that he was uncomfortable with lying to Gale. No sir. He scratched his head as he gave his answer.

"Well, it's definitely not as fancy as your reason. Yuteni got hit, y'know, I got caught up in that along with my pa. I figured we weren't gonna reunite anytime soon so I joined up. Somewhere to sleep, eat and - strangely enough - feel like I'm among family more that I ever did with my real one."

At least there was some truth there among the lies.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Spoiler

"I reckon I can let you hang around with me for a while, might make the others think more highly of you. I'm nice that way."

"I reckon Jesse needs more help in that department," Sprout said with a chuckle. Looking towards the punch bowl, he grinned wickedly. "Brace yerself, Allie."

"Pfft, whatever." Despite her outwardly cool demeanour, Allie was actually quite nervous.

"Be right back with yer drink 'madam'," he joked. Hopping over to the punch bowl, Sprout poured two cups as discreetly as possible. In truth, he didn't really have anything to worry about. Even if they knew what he was up to, there was no one on the ship who would stop him.

Took the fun out of it, really.

Returning to Allie's side, the scruffy bandit gave her one of the cups. "It may look like regural punch, but one whiff'a that shit an' you'll know otherwise," he told her. "Should be diluted enough fer a first timer, but it'll prolly still sting'a bit. Jus' take yer time."

By the time Sprout had finished warning her, Allie had already downed the entire cup. "Ach, tastes like battery acid." The girl scrunched her face is distaste.

Sprout nearly spat his own drink out while suppressing a fit of laughter. "Christ kid, you ain't gotta prove anythin'," giving her the rest of his, he turned back towards the punch bowl. "I'll get us some more." He was still snickering as he walked off.

"Shut up ye pansy." Allie smiled before downing the second cup. "It ain't so bad once it melts off your taste buds." The girl chuckled.

She didn't see what all the big fuss was about.

Sprout returned with more. "I'd tell you ta' slow down, but I doubt you'll listen," he said as he sipped his punch. "At this rate I'll be spendin' the rest of the night rubbin' yer back while yer keeled over a toilet." He looked across the room at Amy and sighed.

"Stop looking for yer lovely lady." Allie scoffed as she elbowed Sprout in the ribs. "You're spending time with me now, no takesies backsies. I cannae see Gale anywhere, so you're the lucky git who gets to spend the night with me." She grinned.

Sprout glanced around the room and furrowed his brow. "I don' see Jesse either," he muttered. "I reckon he's probably tryin' ta' get in 'er pants as we speak."

"Eh?" Allie looked around. "Nooo, she wouldn't go for a guy like Jesse." She looked up at Sprout, her brow creasing with concern. "Would she?"

Admittedly, she was very bad at this kind of thing.

"Fuck no," Sprout said with a laugh. "He ain't got a chance in hell. Gale seems like she's got way too much self respect fer someone like Jesse." Looking down into his cup, it appeared he'd finished his second drink without even realizing it. Weirdly he wasn't feeling anything yet.

"Are ye sure this has alcohol in it?" Allie shrugged her shoulders as she looked down at her cup. "Maybe the punch just tastes like shite."

"Maybe," Sprout groaned slightly. "Fuck this shit! You wanna get drunk? I'll get you drunk. Follow me." He started for the hallway. "I know where we can find some real booze."

The only other person who knew about Pixie's secret stash was Lilith. Though it may have been considered sacred at some point, Sprout figured he could make an exception for Allie. Afterall, once Ruffles was gone who else would be left to show Allie the ropes? Just like Lilith had before him, Sprout would bring Allie into the fold.

She would become the newest member of the 'Underage Premium Liquor Club'.

"Aww yes!" Allie grabbed the back of Sprout's shirt as he led her away. "All aboard the booze train, woo woo!"



She was doing it, she was finally bonding with someone who wasn't Gale. Now she'd make all the friends.

The two mischief makers found their way to the Captain's quarters without any difficulty. Once inside, Sprout hopped into the bathroom and removed the mirror from above the sink to reveal a small safe. "Don't tell anyone about this, okay? Not even Bennie. This is privileged information," he instructed. "Now, turn around. Only senior members of the booze club get ta' know the combo."

"Aye aye!" The young girl's head bobbed as she quickly stood to attention and saluted, before spinning on her heels and turning her back to Sprout.

"I shall keep a look out for troublemakers." Allie snickered she held her hands to her eyes like binoculars.

"You do that," Sprout replied with a small chuckle. Spinning the dial slowly and deliberately, Sprout got the safe open in one go, despite only ever opening it once himself. Lilith usually did most of the delicate work when they were lifting his mother's goods. The safe was deeper than it looked on the outside and contained within it a small fortune in vintage and premium liquors. Grabbing two bottles at random, Sprout put them under his armpit, closed the safe and put the mirror back where it belonged. "Got the goods. Let's get the fuck outta sight."

Rushing over to the door, Allie slammed her back against the wall before cracking open the door and peeking out into the corridor. "I think the cost is clear." She whispered. "Let's fucking scarper."

"Go!" Sprout commanded as he burst through the door. The two of them booked it down the hall, skidded around a few corners and stopped outside the hangar. "Make sure there ain't no one in there."

"On it." Stuffing her hands into her pockets, Allie began whistling as she casually strolled into the hangar. Taking comically large strides, the girl glanced around the huge space, her whistles echoing throughout. Spinning on her heel, she clicked her tongue before a grin sped across her face. "The coast is clear!"

Sprout met her inside and handed her one of the bottles. "Alright, let's set up back behind the crawlers somewhere," he pointed across the hangar. Following Sprout's lead, they shimmied between two crawlers and plopped down on the steel floor behind them. Gripping the cap of his bottle tight, the boy twisted it off and took a quick swig. Sprout chuckled as he winced in apparent pain. "Alright, now we're in fuckin' business."

"Yeah?" Snatching the bottle from Sprout's grasp, Allie took a swig from the bottle. "Jesus Christ!" The girl coughed. "Smooooooooooth." She squinted slightly as the booze peeled the back of her throat away.

"You down this shit an' yer gonna be in fer a world of hurt," he told her with a wink.

"I come from a long line of alcoholics." Allie said almost proudly as she took another swig from the bottle, coughing a little less this time. "Or so my nan used to tell me." She raised her eyebrows, looking at Sprout smugly. "I think I can handle this."


-------------------------------------

Lilith was shivering uncontrollably by the time they reached Erik's house, yet her cheery drunkenness seemed undiminished by the onset of minor hypothermia. "E-e-erik!" The girl's teeth chattered as she went to hug the man, but was hastily pulled away by Florian at the last moment as he lead her towards the bathroom. "B-yyye Erik!"

"Come on, you. You need to warm up and get dry before Erik decides to eat you." He threw her a towel he'd scooped up from Erik's laundry pile. The thing smelled like flowers. He never could get over how fancy Erik could be.

Instead of drying her hair like a normal person, Lilith simply draped the towel over her head. "Mmmm, smells nice." She giggled as she held out her arms. "Florian! I can't see!"

Spoiler

'This is what I've been missing out on isn't it? This is what people doing romance do.'

"Alright ,then." He shook his head smiling as he stepped into Lilith's arms and started scruffing up her hair with the towel. "And here I thought Maidens could hold their drink." He teased her. "Should have joined me and Aesop in coco corner."

"Hmmmm" Lilith wrapped her arms around Florian's waist, pressing herself against him as he dried her hair. "I'm cold." She pouted. "Warm me up." She slid her hands up the back of Florian's shirt. She looked up at the man and gave him the sad eyes, sticking out her bottom lip. "S-s-so c-c-c-cold."

She may have been putting it on for sympathy.

"Aaw poor thing." Florian cooed in mock pity.

This was quickly turning into a repeat of the last night. None of their friends' showers would be safe. "I should find you some dry clothes." Despite what he said, Florian didn't seem to be in a big hurry to leave as he leaned down and gave Lilith a peck on the forehead.

"No." Lilith pouted as she sneakily began unbuttoning Florian's shirt. "No clothes. Clothes bad."

"That's not fair, you know I'm a weak, weak man now." He still didn't do anything to stop her. "And you're pretty drunk." There was probably a point. It would have been different if they were both drunk, probably. If he was being honest, Florian was still wrapping his head around getting... intimate with people after so long. Much less Lil.

"Very drunk." Lilith nodded her head as she continued to unbutton Florian's shirt. "Hmm, so considerate." The girl smiled warmly as she looked up at the man. "I won't take advantage of you, I promise" She winked as she pushed herself gently away from him and began peeling off her own sodden clothes as she made her way over to shower, fumbling with the settings, she swore under her breath until she finally got the thing working.

"See?" Lilith held her hands under the stream of water as it quickly began to warm up. "Nothing sordid about this."

Florian groaned quietly to himself as he watched Lilith back off and strip down. One hand reached up to his tacky bright shirt, torn between doing it up again or pulling it away. That wasn't fair. Not fair at all. She was just fighting dirty now. Getting naked was just straight up cheating, who did Lilith think she was, the other Maiden women? Hell no, they got naked so much he was desensitised to it by now. Not her though!

And he'd never spent the night with them. "I think it might be. I don't think I can trust us around showers."

"Fine then." Lilith sighed disappointedly as she peeled down her underwear, clumsily kicking the item of clothing across the room and against the door. "Guess I'll just have to hold myself." She pouted, raising her nose as she stepped into the shower. "Hmph!"

Groaning gently as the hot water began combating the cold, Lilith slicked her hair back as she glanced over her shoulder at Florian, silently biting her bottom lip as a smirk curled the corner of her mouth.

"That's mean. You're mean." Florian met her flirtatious look with a stoic stare of his own. "I'm saving my shirt this time."

He walked over to the door and placed his hand on the knob, before turning the key and locking out any unwanted interruptions, he would learn from Lilith's mistake. And with that done Florian stripped down with peak efficiency and quickly stepped in after Lilith, placing his hands on her waist.

"You're still not taking advantage of me though." He stated plainly as he pressed himself against her back and ground his hips against her.

"Of course not" The girl closed her eyes as Florian held her, leaning back into his embrace. "I am a gentleman." She tilted her head back and gently brushed her lips against the side of Florian's jaw.

Won a duel, pleasantly drunk, and now she was having a nice hot shower with a nice hot man. What else could she possibly need?

["Blondie looked like she was in a pretty bad state, I've got some spare carbon lying about the place, maybe we could send Florian out and get her some fresh threads or something."] Erik mused as he joined Alexei in the living room.

["You really don't want to lend out your clothes do you?"]

["I have nice things! And they wouldn't fit her anyway, let the boy look after his own friend if they're so close. Where is he anyway?"] Erik crossed his arms over his chest moodily.

["He's in there helping her get dry."] Alexei smirked.

["But I can hear the shower running."] Erik looked a little confused until Alexei's smirk got bigger. ["Wait... awgoddamnit!"] Was this the how they made Irena feel all the time? ["Oh Christ the two of them are gunna be squirting all over my nice clean bathroom!"] He didn't even care who could hear him now. ["You two put your fluids away right the fuck now!"]

Erik's voice easily carried through the apartment as a firm muffled shout through the sound of the shower's running water. Not that Florian cared about that. He was too busy kissing Lilith's neck. It was a damn fine neck.

Lilith moaned gently, running her hand through Florian's hair as he kissed her neck. "I didn't worry you did I?" she asked, placing her other hand where Florian was holding her by the hips.

"Of course you did." Florian said quietly, his lips still brushing her skin. Florian paused for a moment, not sure what to say. He raised his head up a little and pressed his cheek against hers. "Scared me like crazy seeing you stuck in a circle with those two and not knowing what to do"

Lilith nuzzled Florian's cheek. "I'm sorry." She mumbled. The woman hoped everything could have resolved itself before Florian even knew what was going on. "I didn't mean to." She turned in the man's embrace, wrapped her arms around Florian's neck as she looked up at his eyes. "They called me a cheater." She sighed as she rested her forehead against his. "I hate being called a cheater." She smiled weakly, closing her eyes.

"Well at least you kicked his ass good." Florian ran his hands up Lilith's side as the two of them held each other.

There was no sense in making her feel guilty about it. He knew full well that Lilith could look after herself and how often her life called her to use the skills she'd acquired. This was just something he'd have to get used to. Next time he'd be there though, backing her up, whatever she was facing.

"I did, didn't I?" A small chuckle escaped the woman's lips as she held Florian closer. She wasn't sure what she expected, maybe that he'd reprimand her? Told how reckless she was? Instead he was here, holding her, making her feel like the safest person in the world.

For the first time in her life, she knew exactly where she was needed.

"I love you, Florian." She whispered into the man's ear as she nuzzled his neck. "Can we just stay like this?"

Florian slowly swayed there with Lilith, his arms wrapped around her as he closed his eyes and breathed easy as he felt all the stress from before just melt away. He twitched his head a little as Lilith's breath tickled his ear again and then... and then his eyes snapped open in sheer surprise.

'Did she... has she just- what?' Why was his heart pounding in his chest?

"Did you just say you love me?"

Lilith opened her eyes wide. "What?" Looking up at the man, she furrowed her brow. "Me? No, who says that? I didn't say that. I said..." Lilith looked off to the side slightly.

'Oh god, did I just fucking say that? We literally just slept with each other, who the fuck am I? Sprout?'

"I said..." The girl furrowed her brow as she did her best to sell it. "I said 'I would do, Florian.'" She nodded her head. "As in, I would... think that I kicked that guy's ass, back at the club, remember?" She head butted him gently. "Remember that, we were talking about how badass, I am? Remember?"

'Smoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooth.'

"Really because, it sounded... a lot like- not that that's a bad thing - your feelings are your own. They are always valid." Each word came out in a torturingly awkward stilting line. 'What are you doing? WHAT. ARE. You doing? You used to be cool!'

It was okay, nothing was wrong so far. They were naked, and holding each other sexily. He could save this right? He'd gotten out of stuff like this before, granted, last time it lead to him committing a minor act of arson. 'Oh crap I'm in the shower, fire can't save me this time.'

Lilith averted her eyes downwards as her face began to flush. 'Oh, my face is on fire again, that's just lovely.'

"I..." The girl glanced up at Florian, she was clearly embarrassed. "I'm sorry."


"Whoah wait, that's stupid. Why should you apologise for me being emotionally... stupid? If anyone's apologising here, it's guna be me!" Florian raised his voice, seeming oddly indignant about this.

No way was she going to be the one walking away from this feeling like an idiot, he'd already made a habit of bursting in on her in the shower, that was way weirder than possible confessions of love.

Smiling awkwardly, Lilith pulled herself away from the man. "I'm still a bit drunk, just..." She turned and held her arms under the water stream. "Pretend I never said anything." She mumbled to herself, her cheeks still flushed red.

'How are you processing them emotions Lily, like an adult? No? Didn't think so.'

He could do that. He'd done it before, in fact he'd run from far worse things. War, responsibility, guilt, his family. 'And that worked out so well in the past didn't it?'

Here Florian was, with a fantastic woman, who he'd pursued and longed for from afar for so long and what was he doing? Acting like an immature idiot. He still felt awkward but seeing Lilith turn away from him like that, well that just felt terrible. After all she'd done for him, not even here but for all the time he'd known her.

"Well... well maybe I don't want to." He rubbed at his arm self consciously, very aware that he was naked now. But this was good, right? He'd said before, he was done running from things. He was going to be a man and step up. Never mind the blind panic!


Turning back around, Lilith's head hung low as she looked up Florian, "No?" Reaching out, she grabbed one of the man's hands, holding it between her's for a few moments. "I..." Clenching her jaw, the girl turned over her lover's hand, gently circling his palm with her finger.

'Come on Lily, use your words.'

"I've never felt this way about anybody." She grinned shyly. "It's like I'm drunk." She rolled her eyes. "Well, I mean, I am a little bit drunk, but like..." She raised Florian's hand and cupped it against her cheek. "You make me feel amazing, like I can do anything." She averted her eyes. "Part of the reason I started trying to learn Northern was just so I could be around you, see that look in your eyes." She turned her head gently, kissing the side of Florian's hand before her eyes found his. "Like the one you have now."

'Okay, okay this is good, we're talking. We're being open about things. We're being adults.'

He let himself be moved around by her, his chest swelling with what might have been pride or just plain happiness as Lil looked up at him. A stupid smile tried to force its way onto Florian's face through all the nervousness. Once Lil was done opening up... well he guessed it was his turn.

"You... I..." His voice cracked a little as Florian's breath seemed to betray him. "Wait." he pulled his hand away from her face.

'Be a man damn it, stop cracking up and face this! Get rolling, punch the wall if you have to!' "I'm not good at this so bear with me-" Florian rambled out before turning and punching the wall and got himself amped up and immediately regretted punching the wall. 'Aw fuck, my hand!' He grimaced and turned back to her. He could do this.

"You are maybe the only woman on the Maiden who didn't grope the crap out of me." Good start. "You always treated me right and you always respected the things I couldn't do. You never tried to tempt me and... and that just ended up tempting me more." He chuckled out the words. "And you didn't even care about the person I used to be. You just keep reminding me of who I want to be."

He held her again, heart in his throat. This was good though, right? He didn't really have any healthy past relationships to compare this to, but it felt good.

Lilith nestled into the Florian's embraced, resting her hands on his chest. "You always listened, and you never judged, and..." The girl paused as she brushed her lips against his. "You put up with my stupid family." She chuckled slightly.

"They're my stupid family as well." The one they all made together. He pulled her close, kissing her like it was the first time all over again. The two of them stood there for a little while. "I think this means I love you too." Florian mumbled out in happy awkwardness.


"You better." Lilith mumbled happily. "Or I'll fucking kick your arse." She rubbed her nose against his before locking lips with him again. After a few silent moments of kissing, she panted slightly, smiling. "All these deep emotions are very sobering." She nuzzled Florian's cheek as she pushed herself against him. "If only there was something two people could do together, something that made both parties feel good and reinforced all those happy feelings." She looked at the man coyly.

"If only! Well, I'm sure we can think of something." Without looking away from her Florian reached out to the shower controls and turned off the water. They could always get dry in style.

Erik had a scowl like thunder as he utterly failed to tune out the bilingual grunting and moaning that was coming from his bathroom. He should have just kicked the door down and booted their horny asses out of there. But the last thing he needed was their damp hippy asses traipsing around his beautiful home.

"Okay, that's fine! You two be worst guests ever. I don't care! I can be having the sex as well!" He yelled through the door. ["Get in the bedroom, I want you naked in under a minute."] He ordered, turning to Alexei who was just fetching himself a scarf.

["That's just weird and sad, Erik. I'm going home. Call me when you guys are done acting like teenagers."] He let himself out.

Erik let out various grunts and mutterings of frustration. ["ARRGH why is everyone around me so shit!"]

 

[Dogmatic99]

Florian lay there on his side, still panting a little with one arm draped over Lilith as he kissed her wherever jumped to mind next. Taking liberal opportunities to kiss or massage her breasts... because... like hell if he wasn't going to! This was, honest to god, something he'd never get bored of. Ever. Buuut the real world was calling and the bathroom floor, towel mattress and all, wasn't that comfy. They needed to get their own place if they were going to keep this up.

With great reluctance Florian hauled himself off the bathroom floor and gathered up his clothes. He looked over Lilith, lying on the towel, all naked and alluring. Wearing clothes around her would never feel the same now. 'I am never going to get anything done, ever again.' Not that the thought could wipe the smile off his face. Unlike before this one took up his whole face, no more tired and sad eyes behind the mask here. It was good to really feel it again.

At least his clothes had survived this encounter, though the steam and condensation hadn't left them totally unscathed.

"I'll see how things are going out there. Give you your privacy." He smirked a little at that. This was the honeymoon period of the relationship wasn't it. 'Are we in a relationship? You just said you loved each other, idiot, of course you are.' They'd probably have to have a talk about that some time, make it formal or something. It was like Erik always said: There's a proper way to do things. No one had ever told Florian what the proper way was but he could work that out. Maybe do some research.

Erik was in the kitchen when Florian found him. Facing the counter, his back to the door.

"Hey there, sorry if we made some noise. Things kind of got a little... Ooooo-" Erik silently turned to face him. His expression said more than words ever could. "-oooo shit..."

The room fell silent as the wind rattled at the windows, howling like a forlorn animal. Florian was about to say something when Erik raised his hand, cutting him off with a hushed grunt. Florian tried again and again Erik cut him off. Once Florian settled down and gave up on getting the first word in Erik straightened his arm, holding it palm out in front of him. Florian looked at him uncertainly but Erik nodded his head, it was okay, they were all cool here. Hesitantly, Florian raised his own arm and lightly gave Erik a high-five.

"Aaayy." Erik gave a casual cheer.

"Ha." Florian gave an uncertain little laugh. But then Erik joined him and soon they were laughing together. Happy and casual, giving a playful shove or cheeky, knowing finger point. After all, Erik was a man of the world, he'd been around the block, gotten up to some antics of his own. He'd been a young man once, he could understand. They just two pals, yuckin' it up as one congratulated the other of finding the love of a good woman. A pair of bros having a good time.

Then Erik's hand darted out with snake like speed and slapped Florian right in the face, connecting with the bruise on his jaw from where Lilith had punched him.

Florian was sent staggering as he clutched at his bright red face and let out various noises of pain. ["Arrgh, ooh, aw fuck right in the mouth!"]

["I don't need the sordid details of your underage trysts. First you come back from the dead and now this! I hope for your sake that girl swallows 'cus I am not cleaning up what you did in there."] Erik turned back to the expensive steam spouting coffee machine he was waiting on before. ["Well done though, kid, that high-five was genuine."] He said over his shoulder.

Florian wasn't listening though. He was just finishing up screaming into his hands.
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Gale sipped on her tall can of flat beer as she listened to Jesse. So he was there when the attack went down? And... he wasn't reuniting with his pa anytime soon? Maybe she was reading too much into it but it seemed pretty clear to her. Though Jesse had kept his cards so close to his chest she couldn't be sure.

"Oh, Jess..." Gale looked at him so sadly, like he was some abandoned puppy. "I'm so sorry, did... did he not make it out?" She caught herself.

'Remember, gale, domers are a private sort and this is one hell of a touchy subject.'

"We don't have to talk about it - if you don't wanna." She turned towards him, moving a little closer as she did.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"I'll see how things are going out there. Give you your privacy."

"Hmmm, ta ta, handsome." Lilith sighed as she put her hands behind her head. The bathroom floor was hard and uncomfortable, and yet in her satiated state, it might as well have been a king sized bed with a feather down mattress. There was no way sex was supposed to be that good, how could the pair of them possibly get anything done with that as an alternative? 'When we get back to the Maiden, we'll just hang around in my room, and be naked, like, all of the time.' The girl giggled at the prospect.

She couldn't recall the last time she had ever felt so weightless, like there wasn't a problem in the world she couldn't just fuck away. Lilith knew that was a silly thought, that what they were doing in Frostfall was important, but she was glad to know that, failing all else, she had Florian to fall on, both literally and figuratively. Reaching for her damp jeans, Lilith fumbled with the pockets before she found her smokes and lighter, which were thankfully still dry. Lighting a cigarette, the girl lay back down, closing her eyes as she blew smoke towards the ceiling. "Fuck me, I could get used to this." She purred to herself.

After enjoying a long cigarette, Lilith reluctantly pushed herself from the floor, putting the stub of her cigarette under the tap, she wrapped it in toilet paper before tossing it into a small bin next to the sink. Sitting on the toilet, Lilith ran brushed her messy hair from her face as she chuckled. Fortunately for Erik, her's and Florian's lovemaking had been confined to the single towel they had laid upon. Flushing the toilet, Lilith rolled up the soiled towel and tossed it in the laundry bin before washing her hands. 'You stink of sex' She hadn't had a proper shower since before last night, and was feeling particularly ripe. Deciding now was probably the best chance she'd get, she stepped back into Erik's shower, making a proper job of it now, with no Florian to whisk her away, not that she wouldn't mind if he did.

'So this is love, huh?' Smiling shyly, Lilith's cheeks flushed slightly. "I like it."

Shortly after, Lilith left the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body and hair as she walked into the living room and casually plopping herself down on the couch. "That's better." She smiled cheekily as she crossed her arms over her chest.