Disclaimer: This story takes place in the universe of EVE, which obviously is not owned by me. However, nearly every character in the story will be my creation as I mostly wanted to borrow the extended lore of the universe and thought it would provide fertile grounds for an epic story, complete with all the (not so) good things in life: love, war, tragedy and epic conflicts. The main characters are original, though, although in some instances loosely based around themes I enjoyed seeing/reading in other fictitious works. But in those cases, I mostly used the general archetype, and filled in the specifics with my own creativity.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to email me at mbuitendijk@gmail.com!
Chapter 2: Connection
I awakened early the next morning to the sounds of my favorite music, the harmonious tones gently piercing through the shroud of my near dreamless sleep. A rather pleasant ache suffused my muscles all throughout my body.
Pulling myself up into a sitting position with my abdominal muscles I felt the slightest soreness there; I was glad my frequent exercises had strengthened those sufficiently. Very few things were as annoying as having extremely sore abdominal muscles, and I had certainly given them a workout yesterday.
The thought of it alone sent a pleasant clench deep into the center of my belly, and I shook my head, amused at myself. Evelynne... down, girl. We certainly don't have time for a repeat of that! I grinned at my internal monologue. I swear, sometimes I was truly insatiable. Really quite distracting when you wanted to get stuff done, that was for sure.
I luxuriously stretched myself and took a moment to admire the lushness of my figure. The soft curves I knew hid a deceptive amount of strength, a testament to the many hours I spent in some of the university training rooms. It was nearly all I did apart from studying and going to class, as I firmly believed it was important to stay in good shape.
It certainly helped after a few hours of exercise like last night, as I was confident within a few minutes of actually getting up, I would feel as good as new. I certainly couldn't remember the last time I slept that well. Probably whenever I last pleasured myself that well, I imagined.
I let the smirk stay on my lips as I slid out of bed in a smooth motion, and keyed in a double-strength coffee. I slipped into some comfortable clothes suitable for several long days of travel and waiting in the many checkpoints that littered the space stations of the Gallente Federation; a snug polyester shirt that closely traced the contours of my body and a pair of pants that was loose enough to allow me plenty of freedom of movement.
I was practical enough to plan for a possible headlong dash towards the shuttle should I get held back by some bureaucratic tangle. They were certainly a fact of life, and I had to try hard to hold back the soft snickers that threatened to spill from my lips when I thought of how terribly impractically some people dressed. But I was certainly not naming any, I added with a grin twitching at the corners of my mouth.
Lifting the steaming mug of coffee to my lips, I took a sip and immediately felt more alert and awake as the near scalding liquid flowed down my throat. I need to stop drinking so much of this stuff. I knew the caffeine couldn't possibly work that quickly, and it was more a matter of my body recognizing the habit and being well-conditioned to expect the pleasant boost in performance my favorite drug of choice provided. Still, it was not much of a vice, as far as vice went in this day and age. I definitely would never pass for one of the risque, cool kids. Not that I cared, but just saying.
With a grimace conjured by the expectation of my soon to be produced breakfast, I told the little device to make a pale approximation of scrambled eggs. I supposed the protein was important to keep my muscles nice and strong, and I did not want to be too tempted later on by the far too expensive food that was sold on spaceports and space stations alike.
To be honest, my dreary personal chef probably made food that was just as edible, which was really quite the sad reflection on the food available in public places such as that. Well, one day when I was ruler of the universe I'd certainly change that. Heh.
When my breakfast finished dripping out of the machine I spent a few agonizing minutes shoveling it into my throat. Some days, I could pretend it was like eating a rather flavorless gelatin dessert. Today was not one of those, and I barely kept myself from regurgitating it.
Steeling myself, I managed to keep what I had already eaten down and disposed of the rest of it. I could certainly ignore a bit of unpleasant rumbling in my stomach. I had done that on a regular enough basis that I could almost pretend the slight contractions of my stomach were just a figment of my imagination.
And I would make up for some lost food very easily when I finally got home. My parents certainly weren't wealthy by any definition of the word, but they did know how to make delicious food out of the most modest ingredients.
I rummaged through my clothes drawer quickly and located a warm verdant green sweatshirt that would add some modesty to my appearance. I certainly liked the feel of my shirts, and how they made my breasts look amazing, for that matter , I mentally added, but I really didn't care to have half the hormonally challenged students of the University of Caille campus leering at them.
I definitely could do without that today. Or any day. Although, you wouldn't mind it if Alecto spent a few minutes (or hours, days) drooling over them... the dark corners of my mind added. Alecto was a really cute girl who worked part of the time at the enormous library, but I had never worked up the courage to do anything more than talk to her in a friendly manner. Mostly we talked about books or our studies.
She definitely did know a lot about those, and there were few things in existence that were more of a turn-on for my nerdy brain than that . Alas, I had not really had time, at all, to pursue any relationships while attending my studies here. Possibly now that I had finally graduated it would be an option.
Maybe I would stop by the library for a few minutes after returning my graduation robes for a refund, it certainly couldn't hurt anything to see if Alecto was there. She really was a very nice person from what I could tell, and it'd be good to stay in contact with her whatever else would happen. I had few enough good friends as it was.
I carefully folded my robes over my arm and left the apartment, the soft click of the door locking behind my heels sounding rather loud in my ears in the absolute silence that reigned this early in the morning. It was still only barely past dawn, and I wouldn't be too surprised if a good portion of the graduating class was nursing serious hangovers.
The first rays of the sun reaching out from afar made the entire horizon light up in a blueish glow. Supposedly other planets' suns looked quite different, but I had gotten used to the colors produced by the different composition of the atmosphere on Bourynes VI. I forgot what made the rays of light turn that color this time of day, though. It wasn't exactly my area of expertise, after all, and atmospheric sciences were not nearly as interesting as disciplines that applied to interstellar travel. But then again I am a little bit biased , I added with a grin.
After a few minutes of walking I reached the store. Most places on the university campus were open all day, every day. There were classes going on every single one of the 27 hours that each day held on Bourynes, and it made sense that a lot of the supporting services were, too. At least in my mind.
Besides, for this particular errand I really didn't need to interact with any human beings, which was nice this early in the morning. I rather despised small talk with the random person on the street. Such a waste of time.
I walked into the small store and went over to the returns counter in the back. Each of the robes had been imprinted with a digitized bar code, so it was a simple matter of rubbing a finger over the sensor and subsequently holding the garment up to the same scanner. The money then would be automatically credited to my universal account.
Long ago the empires had done away with using their own currencies, which made long-distance travel much more convenient. Because no one sovereign controlled the digital printing presses, so to speak, there wasn't much currency manipulation going on. CONCORD had some method for making sure that people didn't do that; how I had no idea, as I also wasn't an economist. Interesting stuff, though.
I rubbed my finger over the sensor, the abrasive surface shaving a minuscule amount of skin that could then be sequenced for enough individually unique combinations of genetic markers that no two people would have the same readout. It was a fairly fool-proof system, unless somebody managed to steal your clone and paraded it around campus. But then, that was a whole lot of effort for raiding my rather modest credit accounts, so I wasn't too worried about it.
Still... note to self: when insanely rich, store all clones safely at all times. I managed to slightly suppress my gleeful cackle at that, and grinned instead at my own antics. This, too, Evelynne, is why you don't have any dates. You're positively too disturbingly weird. I thought to myself, before adding. And, these frequent internal conversations probably aren't making the eligible bachelors line up, either. That was fine, though, it did make my life a lot more amusing. Worth the trade-off, in my mind.
I scanned the robe next, and deposited into a small container that had opened up in the wall. It vanished with a soft noise, and I checked my holopad for the credit transaction.
200 ISK, huh? I scoffed a little, considering I had paid about four times that amount two days ago. But still, there wasn't much to be done about that, and I supposed I should be happy with getting at least some money back for it. I sighed.
Having 1178 ISK in your account wasn't a particularly glowing feeling. I needed a job, badly, that was for sure. That amount would maybe pay for the basic necessities for a month, so it didn't really give me much room to play with.
I turned around and left the store again, heading towards the enormous engineering library near my dorms. I could only stay for a few minutes before I'd have to go back and pack for my trip. Still, it would be worth seeing if Alecto was there, just to say hi for a few minutes and exchange contact information.
I think she had mentioned in the past that she still had another year to go before she graduated, but you never knew whether we'd end up working close enough together, location-wise, to see about developing a good friendship. Stop overthinking it, though, I chastised myself. We'll see what happens when we get there.
I managed to somewhat calm my slightly elevated heartbeat, but not as much as I had wanted to. So by the time I arrived at the library I was quite nervous, the queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach definitely not helping matters.
As I clenched my fingers into a fist and relaxed them again to release some of my built-up tension I felt a slight dampness on the insides of my palms. I rubbed them on the soft material of my pants to at least get some semblance of control. It certainly wouldn't do to give clear evidence to Alecto of the fact that I was extremely nervous about talking to her. I doubt she'd miss me being nervous, but I can at least avoid the really obvious tell-tale signs.
The library door sensors recognized my movement and opened the heavy wooden doors. I did so love these kinds of traditions. It added a nice, old-fashioned touch to a library, I thought. I'd seen pictures of centuries old libraries like that, and it did gave them a certain charm.
Walking through the opening, I entered the foyer of the library and saw the vast interior displayed before my eyes. My gaze was instantly drawn to the far left section, where I knew Alecto worked during the mornings and evenings.
I skipped down the steps of one of the staircases that went to the lower level where many of the applied sciences could be found. Somehow, actually being here part of my nervousness had drained away and replaced itself with a strange sense of elation. It was quite odd, really. I never skip. What is wrong with me? I had to shake my head at myself. My emotional states could be quite drastically different, even changing withing short amounts of time on occasions such as this.
It seemed only moments before I had crossed the hundreds of feet that separated the entrance from the starship engineering section of the library.
I glanced around, excitedly, but failed to see the person I was looking for. I could feel my heart sink somewhere into the black depths of despair that had become my stomach. Hmm, maybe she is in one of the side rooms. I suppose it's worth checking... I thought, with a sigh.
I checked the first little study room and found it empty. The second room had a pair of students in it, but no Alecto. The third empty yet again. I had to walk over to the opposite side of the section to find the last trio of study rooms. Room four and five were both empty, probably because of the hour.
But as I walked far enough down the tiny hallway to see into the last room, my breath caught in my throat as I finally saw her. Alecto ... Okay, so maybe I do have a little bit of a crush on her. I almost imperceptibly shook my head at myself. But can you blame me? Honestly?
She was using one of the small access ports to the library data system. The way she was standing, bent over forward, standing rather than sitting, really showed off her figure. And definitely to her advantage.
My eyes were drawn to her gorgeous hair, first, as it was one of my favorite things about her by far. That, and her entire facial structure. But her hair... It was a shiny platinum blond color, almost pure white in its virtual absence of color, and looked as fine as if it was made out of the thinnest strands of spidersilk alloy in existence. She was wearing it in a short but exquisitely complex braid that reached down to her shoulder blades. The braid looked like it formed a geometrical pattern on the back of her head where the different strands came together. It suited her. Very much so, actually.
Her clothes were hued a dark burgundy, and fit her slender body closely. From this angle, I could barely discern the gentle swell of firm breasts. They were not nearly as large as my own, but they suited her frame perfectly. My gaze traveled lower, following her curves down and resting quite a bit longer than absolutely necessary on her wonderfully shaped behind. Just rounded enough to give it shape. A mouthwatering amount, to be exact.
I felt my face heat, as well as other parts of my anatomy for that matter. Evie, stop looking at the girl like she's a meal and you haven't eaten for a month. My blush deepened. I couldn't really help it that she looked so utterly divine to my eyes. I had always had a strong appreciation for the female form, that was for sure.
I gathered my resolve and tore my eyes away from her for a brief moment, stepping the last few meters to the entrance of the room. I paused for a breath or two before knocking gently on the frame of the door opening.
Alecto turned around at that, only somewhat startled to be disturbed like that. I couldn't help but smile warmly as she did. A smile that was instantly met by its sister on her face. And what a smile she has, too. My inner voice decided to pile some additional compliments on top.
Her face lit up almost from within when she smiled like that, and it burned brightly with a radiance I had rarely seen on any human being. Even from several meters away I could see that it easily reached her eyes, as they shone with mirth and a spark of inquisitive intelligence that was very much attractive in my mind.
“Hi.” I spoke much too softly as my voice failed me. I rallied, and repeated my greeting more firmly. “Hi, Alecto!”
She cocked her head to the side ever so slightly, in apparent amusement. I could barely make out the slight creases around her eyes and mouth from what I assumed was her favorite expression. “Hey, Evelynne. You're here earlier than normal.” A barely visible grin touched her lips. “Were you missing my company that badly?”
I felt more blood flow towards my cheeks, slightly embarrassed. Deciding honesty was probably the best course of action, I figured I'd go for it. “Ah, well, somewhat.” I stumbled a bit over my words. “I mean, yes. Yes I did. Miss you.” I shook my head at myself. “Ugh, look at me babbling over here.”
Alecto laughed, the sound like music in my ears. “Oh, don't worry about that... I like it when you're all flustered like that.” She looked at my face for a moment, studying. “The blush matches your hair quite nicely.”
I scowled at that. “Ha ha. Very funny, making fun of my hair.” I shook my head in mock sadness, now. “And here I was, trying to be nice to you, and honest, and open. And you torture me like that.” I grasped my hands to my chest. “Oh, my heart will never survive the insult that was done to it today...”
Alecto grinned back at me. “You're cute, Evelynne. Too much so for your own good.” There was a definite twinkle in her eye now. “But you didn't just come here to tell me that, right?”
I nodded, biting my lip as I did. “Well, yes. I just graduated, and I'm about to leave this world to go home and visit my family.” Her face fell a little, even though she tried to hide it. “And well, I have always very much enjoyed coming here. And not a small part of that was because of, well, you.”
I blushed for real now, but pressed on regardless. I really wanted to get this off my mind before she responded. I could tell by the, rather adorable , expression on her face that she was listening raptly to what I was saying, though, and this made me feel almost infinitely better. “I don't really know how to say this... I have certainly never been very good with words.”
Alecto's eyes softened yet more as I said that. When I paused, she spoke only a few beats of my erratically contracting heart later, her voice warm and gentle. “Oh, Evelynne. You really don't have to worry so much. I have no desire whatsoever within the very depths of my being to cause you pain, and there's absolutely no need for you to be concerned for my response. I really do promise I won't bite.” Another twinkle, followed by a slight wink. “Unless you want me to, of course.”
She had moved closer as she spoke, and we were only hand's breadths apart now. Close enough that I could have counted the almost invisibly fine lashes that framed her piercing green eyes. Their color reminded me strongly of the seas of grass near my home on Vylade, though they were slightly darker now than I remembered? But I had never been this close to her, either, so it could very well have been a trick of the light.
I could faintly smell her breath. I couldn't quite place what its smell reminded me of, but it smelled good, better than good, and I was starting to feel somewhat lightheaded. Swallowing convulsively, I tried to recapture my earlier train of thought. Her last teasing comment had completely derailed that train, and sent it into a wormhole to k-space. It is ridiculous how much of an effect her proximity has on me. This cannot be normal, right? I was glad my face had already achieved its maximum blush intensity. At least, I hoped so for the sake of what shreds remained of my already exhausted dignity.
After a few more seconds of mental flailing I managed to find the fraying threads of my earlier thoughts. “Ah, umm, no thanks. I don't think that will be necessary right now.” I somehow managed a smile, that I very much hoped didn't look like a maniacal grimace. I didn't quite trust myself right now, that was a fact.
I paused for a moment again to gasp in some fresh air, restore some badly needed oxygen to my brain. “Now hush, Alecto,” I added with a smile, “You're making this even harder. It's really quite diabolical. But I digress. Again.” Then, in a mumble. “You do have that effect on me, distracting me...” I shook my head again.
“What I wanted to say, though, is that I am leaving here later today, and I very much like you. As a person, and a friend.” And possibly more, I added mentally. Almost out loud, too, but I did retain enough of my senses not to cross that line today. “You're amazingly intelligent, and I always loved talking to you, hearing you tell little anecdotes you had heard or read about, or reference some obscure manuscript nobody in their right mind would know about.” That brought a soft smile to my lips just thinking about it.
“It really has meant a lot to me these past few years, to see you here every day and talk a bit here and there. And I just wanted to tell you that, before I left... That I really valued you and didn't want to lose you as a friend.” I paused only a moment, to catch my breath. My eyes wanted to lower themselves, to look at my hands, or anywhere else but her face. But I found I really couldn't look away, and my resolve to try was rapidly fading as she held my gaze with her own. From the twenty or so centimeters distance that still separated us I could almost see her mind at work within the depths of her eyes, processing and deliberating on what I was saying. It was both incredibly scary, and extremely attractive.
My hand unconsciously went to my face, the tips of my fingers rubbing the skin of my scalp like I often did when my mind was deeply engaged. “So really,” I continued, “I was hoping to talk to you for a bit today, and make sure we knew how to contact one another to keep in touch. If you want that, too, that is...” My voice trailed off at that, hopefully yet nervously.
I could see some shadow passing over her eyes for the barest of moments, but it was gone before I could even really consciously acknowledge its existence. It was replaced by a small sparkle, which was then accompanied by one of the most lovely smiles I had yet seen from her. It was enough to cause my heartrate to increase yet more, and I could barely hear myself think over the thundering rush of blood in my head.
She reached out with both hands, then, and ran warm fingers in small circles over my forearms. The touch sent shivers of delight up my arms, and I could feel my eyelids flutter a bit in response to the sensation. “Of course.” She smiled. “There is nothing I would like more than the very thing you just proposed. I wasn't quite sure when you would be leaving here, but I do admit being quite distraught that I might never see you again. And not knowing where you lived, it was hard to, shall we say, force the issue from my side.”
Her right hand reached up and she quite tenderly brushed the back of her fingers up my freckle-covered cheekbone. “And I must say, what you just did...” She paused. “Was really quite courageous, and it must not...” She swallowed the rest of her sentence. “I'm so very glad you did.”
She raised herself on her toes ever so slightly, then, to make up for the 5 centimeters she was shy of my 169 centimeters in length, our faces even closer now. Alecto's soft, silky smooth skin was so close that I could feel the heat her body was generating, and my eyes had trouble focusing clearly she was so close. Is she going to kiss me? Am I going to kiss her? My mind was racing everywhere, and I settled for just waiting, for now.
My breaths were shallow, fast. I could tell that hers were somewhat more controlled, although not by much if any objective observers had been present. They weren't, so I supposed it was a rather moot distinction. Shut up, mind. Where is an off button when you want one? I grumbled mentally. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her tongue, dark red and delicious, leave her mouth, slathering her lips in a thin coating of saliva.
I couldn't help but whimper at that sight, as I definitely did not need the mental connections that particular act brought with. Part of me felt like I really should act, but it was like I was absolutely paralyzed with sensory overload. All I could think about, consider, process, was Alecto. Her warmth that wrapped me in an almost physical embrace, her intoxicating smell... The soft feel of her skin on mine, and the way she looked right now.
Words failed me to properly convey the many specific things that made her inordinately beautiful to me. All I knew right now was that I could never again think of Beauty in my mind without picturing the way her fair lashes fluttered around dilated pupils, a warm and intelligent light still reflected to me in her eyes, the soft flush that suffused her cheeks with life and vitality, though nowhere near as much as the physical manifestation of red that I must currently be. Alecto's skin was several tones darker than mine and masked the additional flow of blood through her facial capillaries much more effectively.
She was just looking at me, now. Her eyes pinning mine as surely as if they had been shot by a large caliber railgun, she looked for something in my face for an indeterminate moment. I couldn't have told you how long it was that we stood like that, whether ten seconds or fifteen minutes. My vision had receded until I could literally not make out anything but her, a thin strand of her pale hair framing the left side of her face marking the outer boundary of my narrowed field of vision on that end.
“So very glad.” She whispered, almost inaudibly. I could not have heard it if she had been any further away, and even now I almost didn't know if I had simply imagined it. Finally, after a seeming eternity she came to some conclusion. I could tell by the way determination filled the liquid green of her eyes, and I swallowed reflexively once more.
The corners of her generous mouth curved up ever so slightly, bending her lips into another smile, continuous yet distinct from the one gracing her lips before. “I am going to kiss you now,” she murmured, and did.
Soft, wet, slippery warmth was the first thing I felt, and it was accompanied by a strong, distinct flavor that I somehow categorized as Alecto in the corners of my mind. Her warm lips on mine felt better than anything I could remember feeling or doing to myself, because it wasn't just me doing it. Her kisses were tentative, yet exploratory and slightly probing, little nips on my upper or lower lip that made my eyes close and roll up in their sockets with undisguised pleasure. I felt the slightest flick of her tongue brushing against my lips, then, and my lips parted for it, knowing what she sought.
I could feel her hands snaking around my head, fingers tangling themselves in the shorter hair on the back of my head, her nails sending shivers through my scalp, electrifying the nervous endings that were so very abundant there. In return, I wrapped both arms around her lithe frame, gently caressing her back through the shirt she wore. One hand happened to find the bare skin near the bottom where her shirt had ridden up ever so slightly, and my fingertips tentatively grazed over it, feeling goosebumps form in their wake.
I moaned into her mouth for real, then, thankful the sound was inaudible or I would for sure have made a spectacle of us. My tongue gingerly met her probing appendage, testing it for a miniscule fraction of a second before acceding dominance. Alecto deepened and intensified the kiss, then, pressing herself into me completely, her tongue now freely exploring the interior of my mouth. Just the way it teasingly danced over my gums, or the roof of my mouth felt utterly divine, and I never wanted that to end.
I could feel the hard points of her nipples against the softness of my breasts as one of her long legs slid in between mine, and I couldn't control another shiver of delight that went straight downstairs, where I imagined I was now getting very worked up. I could feel, rather than hear, little gasps coming from Alecto's mouth, too, which made me pull her into me even more. Now feeling her entire body against me, surrounding me, fed even more fuel to my inflamed senses and I felt like I was drowning in her.
I vaguely thought that I hadn't had time to draw a breath, but that hardly seemed to matter much compared to how fucking good it felt, to be here, kiss her. My chest heaved, though, as my lungs struggled to gasp in air, yet all that did was suck in huge mouths full of her scent, further intoxicating me.
We stood there like that for what seemed ever, just kissing and acquainting ourselves with each other's taste, feel, smell and presence. And I never wanted that to end. But sadly, after many more moments I really did begin to feel blackish spots intruding upon what was left of my vision, however blurry it currently was, and I had to break our kiss to gasp in a huge, agonizingly Alecto-less gulp of air.
“I'm sorry.” I whispered then. “Ran out of air.”
Her eyes were almost black such a dark shade of green they were, and her pupils had fully dilated showing a tiny ring of color around them. “That's okay. I was getting a little carried away with you, myself, us, there.” Her breaths that I could feel through the expansion and contraction of her breasts against my own were ragged, uneven. “I have never...” Her voice trailed off, tinged with wonder. “You are an amazing kisser. And kissee, for that matter.” Her smile was back, teasing as always.
I blushed, although you probably couldn't tell right now with how flush I was with arousal. “Ah, you're quite excellent yourself, Alecto. I have never done that before, but it felt really quite natural. To me. To do that, I mean.” I truly turned scarlet now, and lowered my face into the crook of her neck. It felt amazingly warm, as the rest of her, and remarkably comfortable.
I felt, rather than saw her grin. “Hiding, are we? Well, that's okay. The color does suit you, as I may have mentioned before.”
A laugh rumbled in my throat, and I peered up at her. It was a bit unusual for me to look up at her face, rather than slightly down as I normally did. Unusual, but good, in a way. It really didn't bother me when she teased me, though I hated it very much generally. I could just tell that she didn't really mean it, that it was something she really liked, actually, and that made all the difference. At least, that was my explanation, and I was sticking to it.
“You have, just a few times.” My eyes sparkled back at her. “And I think that answered my question...” I paused for effect. “Very eloquently, I might add. You have a gifted tongue. It really is quite persuasive, I must say.”
She scowled at me playfully, then. “Quite talented, too.” Her eyes fixed on mine, shredding any mental defenses I may have otherwise tried to summon. Not that that was altogether necessary as resistance to her advances was the furthest from my mind right now. Her warm breath mingled with mine. “It can't wait to taste more of you.” Her lips closed on my jawline, nibbling. “More of all of you.” The fleetest touch of her tongue on my earlobe made me moan.
I could see her eyes, darkened as they were with passion. For me. My heart almost literally made a back flip at that realization, that she really desired me that much. Her voice, barely audible in my ear, added playfully. “You cannot begin to imagine.” She nipped my ear. “How many times I have wanted.” Another kiss. “To do this, and taste you, and explore your body with any means I have available to me.” Her hand slipped down underneath my shirt, caressing my upper back between the shoulders. “With my fingers, and mouth.”
Her passion-filled gaze still held mine, piercing in its intensity. “You are absolutely perfect, Evelynne, and my greatest desire is to worship you. Mind and body both, as they are sublimely beautiful and one whole in my eyes.”
I gasped a little at her words, and the extremely vivid mental images they were producing. “I had no idea. You certainly masked it well enough. I mean, I knew you liked me well enough, but...” I knew I was rambling, but couldn't stop myself.
Alecto silenced me with the touch of her soft lips on mine. “Oh hush, you.” Her eyes smiled at me, warmly. “I do so love it when you're all flustered like that.” The pads of her thumbs caressed the soft skin of my face, rubbing small circles tenderly over my blushing skin. The gesture touched me, made me feel at ease, and seemed to ever so slightly soothe a longing I had rarely acknowledged within my self. “No, I have wanted to do this for nearly four years...” Her voice trailed off before continuing, more softly now. “I didn't for two reasons. First, I wanted to know you exceedingly well, really learn who you truly are, what you are like, before I convinced myself that I wanted this.” Her eyes flicked between the two of us. “Second, I could tell that you needed to focus on your studies, and I did not want to place you in a position where you felt conflicted. I know how terribly hard you worked to be here, and how much it meant to you, and I thought the best way to show you that I cared for you was to support you in that.” Her voice skipped a little at her admission. “Because I really do. Care about you, I mean. You've become quite special to me, and I cannot begin to tell you how distraught I would have been if you had not come here today...”
She looked so vulnerable right then that it summoned a powerful need and want to cradle and protect that part of her, to shelter her. Tightening my embrace of her slender body, I placed a few soft kisses on her high cheekbones, rubbing soothing circles on her back and neck. “Oh, Alecto, I had not before just now dared to hope that your feelings towards me were that powerful. And rest assured, they are mirrored in my own, as I have never met anyone who is more beautiful in character, mind and body as you are, or as funny and intelligent. There was a reason I spent so many hours down here, rather than studying on my own in my room.”
I hesitated, only for a moment. “And you were right, I think. I am not sure if I had been ready for something such as this a few years ago. I, for one, loved having the chance to learn of who you are inside over such an extended period of time. It has really impressed upon me what a remarkable person you are, and it makes me desire you, all of you, that much more strongly.”
I used my nails to lightly scratch the sensitive skin of her scalp right underneath her braid, delighting in the way it made her shiver. A blush returned to my face. “I hope that you enjoyed our kiss, though it seemed you did. I have never really...”
Her warm voice cut me off. “Hush, Evie. You have nothing to be uncertain about. That was, by far, the best kiss I have ever experienced.” She whispered, then. “It made me so aroused that I almost made a puddle on the floor here.” Her fingers stroked along my jaw. “It was beyond intense, and I can't wait to do it again. And more. I have wanted to see the exquisite form you hide under these sweaters of yours forever.” She smiled at the last statement, disarmingly.
I nodded back at her, only somewhat embarrassed. I did feel much more at ease around Alecto's teasing compared to anyone else, except possibly my family. Though not about these particular matters. That'd be quite awkward... “And I yours.” My eyes raked down her lithe body, drinking in her slender curves. “How do you even get into those clothes? They look poured on you, I swear.” I grinned. I quite obviously didn't mind too much.
I shifted my legs a little, and instantly turned beet red at the soft squish that could be heard from below as the slight movement released a rather prodigious amount of my juices, completely soaking my underwear and making the tiniest movement of my currently quite inflamed nether lips quite audible. Shit, kill me now. Please. I groaned in mortification and buried my face in the crook of Alecto's neck once again. I could get used to this, though , I thought to myself, absently.
Alecto chuckled at that and patted me on the back in a comforting manner. “I'm glad I have that effect on you, Evie. It is a rather wonderful compliment that your body has paid me.” She lowered her head and rubbed her cheek against my temple in gentle affection. “Though we probably should calm ourselves a little, considering the location. It is very early so there is barely anyone here, but still.” She grinned at me. “I'd rather not get, shall we say, interrupted.”
She once again laced her fingers through my short hair, and I had to close my eyes at how good that simple gesture felt. I really hadn't been touched very much these past few years, even though I normally craved the closeness very much. The longing for that had faded over time, but as I was realizing now only temporarily. And it came back with a vengeance, apparently.
I was still staring into her eyes, and she in mine. I could lose myself in those green orbs of hers, as I had lost myself to her embrace moments before. When we looked at each other that intensely it just felt like everything else ceased to pale in comparison to the magnitude of that connection, almost as if I could see her living mind right behind the darkness of her still-dilated pupils. Her warm nature, curiosity and intelligence almost seemed to me to be physically manifest in her gaze, although that may have been one conclusion that wasn't warranted by the facts. Right now, I didn't quite care as I knew for a fact that she possessed every one of those qualities in spades.
I smiled warmly at her, then, and pressed my lips to hers for once. Her kisses had caught me somewhat off guard at first, and I wanted to show her that I was not at all hesitant about doing this wonderful act. Alecto moaned softly against my lips as they placed gentle nibbles and licks upon hers.
A minute later I had to pull back reluctantly to catch another ragged breath, whispering. “I just wanted to taste you again, and show you I desire this as much as you do.” I thought for a moment. “What hour of the day will you be done working?”
Alecto answered instantly. “About two hours from now. It's the one advantage of early morning shifts,” she added with a grin, “at least that is what I tell myself to get through them some days.” Her face got an adorable pout on it. “It will be so much more tedious once you're no longer here every day. Even the days we did not speak your presence was a comfort, and a sight for sore eyes.” She smiled at me, before adding. “You really are remarkably beautiful, you know. Especially so since you don't really seem to be aware of it all the time. It makes it more... honest? I guess? I'm not altogether sure, I just know it adds to your appeal that you don't seem to be trying at all to be.” A slight kiss. “So.” Another. “Very ravishing.”
I blushed again, absently noting that I must be setting a new record. Even for me this was a lot, although in my defense, I did not get my proverbial, and possibly literal, pants charmed off every day by a girl, no, woman , this attractive. “As are you.” I valiantly rebutted her compliments, trying to ignore my heated face.
Slender fingers felt her braid. “I do very much love the way you're wearing your hair today, Alecto. It definitely suits your features, and the simple elegance is very appealing.” I reveled in its softness, too. It really felt like touching the finest strands of platinum hued silk.
I slowly straightened myself, ruefully. “I suppose I should probably let you get back to work. I have quite a few hours before my shuttle leaves later this afternoon, though, and I would be delighted to spend some time with you when you're free. Perhaps we could eat something and drink a cup of good coffee together, make it a date?” I added a hopeful smile to that, and quite possibly made it the tiniest bit cuter than it needed to be. It certainly can't hurt, she seems to find me almost irresistible when I do that. I grinned mentally at the thought. No, I didn't really believe in playing fair when it came to issues such as this.
My internal grin must have showed through, as Alecto responded with an amused laugh. “Evelynne. You are such a troublemaker.” Her eyes sparkled. “There's really no need to try to be extra appealing to me, as there is no force in the universe that would make me say no to that. I have nothing of importance planned the rest of the day, and if you will have me I will spend the rest of it with you, until it is time for you to leave.”
I smiled happily at that. “That sounds utterly divine.” I rubbed my nose against hers lightly, in simple affection. “I know what I shall do now, then. I will return to my apartment and finish packing my belongings, so I do not have to waste any more of my day with trivialities. I certainly want to maximize the time I may spend with you.” I winked at her. “I am all for efficiency, you know.”
Alecto smiled warmly. “I know you are, and it's one of the things I most appreciate about you, Evie.” She grinned at me, then. “And stop talking like that, it makes me want to jump you again and we really do not need to be doing that here.” She shook her head slightly. “I don't know quite why it is so irresistibly attractive when you talk all precise and engineer-y like that, but it is.” She shrugged. “Doesn't really matter, though, and I doubt you'd complain a bit.” She raised her eyebrow at me, as if daring me to contradict her.
“Not at all!” I hastened to add, with a sparkle in my eye. “Well, I better get my things together, then, and allow you to finish your work shift.” I paused for a moment. “But first, I want another one of these.” And I pressed my lips to hers again, losing myself in the overwhelming sensation of her, of my Alecto, yet again. My entire perception reduced to her smell and taste, the soft velvet skin of her lips, the wetness of her tongue and the delicious little noises I felt rather than heard her make into my mouth.
My hands snaked around her back, holding her against me as I sought to provide her with the same overload of sensation that I was experiencing. As much as I was able to, though from what I could tell I was altogether more effective than I had dared hope. I'm a damn good kisser, if I do say so myself , I thought proudly.
After a minute I withdrew hesitantly, not really wanting our embrace to end but acceding to the burning need for air in my lungs. I grinned at her slightly disheveled face, which yet added more to her already significant beauty in the eyes of at least one beholder. “This is good practice for holding my breath. I shall be an expert diver in no time whatsoever if we continue doing this on a regular basis.” I chuckled a little, and Alecto joined me upon hearing my words. “Should be quite useful, no?”
“Oh, yeah. I'd definitely put that on my resume if I was you. Just hope they won't ask you exactly how you train for that. May not be the most, shall we say, appropriate topic during an interview.” Her arms hugged her slender frame to mine once more, before slowly releasing her hold on me. “I guess we should let go for now...” She frowned every so subtly, then brightened. “But it's only for two hours, and what are two hours in the span of a lifetime?”
I shook my head at her. “Right. And we'll have most of the rest of the day to spend together. I am already looking forward to our first real activity together, that will just be the two of us. A date.” I felt tingles travel along my skin at the thought. I was slightly nervous at the prospect; though, mostly at my inexperience with such activities rather than the fact that I was doing one with Alecto. “She'd never hurt me.” I mumbled softly, and instantly turned crimson when i realized I had really said that out loud, instead of in my head as I had meant to.
She just smiled at me more luminously than before, if that was possible, and whispered in reply. “I wouldn't, not intentionally and never permanently.” Her slender fingers lifted my chin until I once again met her gaze. “Evelynne, I really do not believe that it is altogether necessary, or inevitable, that we should hurt those we care for in this life. At least, I have lived my life that way and have tried, and will continue to try, my very hardest to avoid this.” Her gaze was solemn, like a vow.
I simply nodded at her. “Thank you. Those are remarkably appealing words, and they ring true to my ears and mind. I will make sure to live up to that maxim, myself.” Adding with a serious tone of my own. “I think you deserve no less than that. It is only fair to repay such admirable principles with the same.” My fingers ran along the sides of her face, the touch light and tender.
I could see her close her eyes momentarily in simple bliss. It certainly seemed like Alecto wasn't used to being touched so much, either. Perhaps she was a bit like me in that respect, as she certainly seemed to enjoy it a great deal. At least, when I did it. It wasn't like I knew how she'd respond to anyone else. It was a bit hard to say, therefore, whether it was just how she was with me, or if it was a more general trait of hers that I was trying to identify and characterize. But you're digressing.... again. I scoffed at myself.
I stepped back then, releasing my light hold on her with a trailing touch of my fingers on the lightly tanned skin of her arms. My hand touched a strand of her platinum hair that had come loose from her braid during our passionate, heated series of kisses and placed it behind her ear. I smiled at Alecto. “You may have to freshen up a tad before you're spotted by anyone else.” I couldn't help the proud grin on my face, then. “You do look slightly mussy, though it is very appealing in my mind.”
She raised an eyebrow at me. “Well, you're hardly one to talk. You look like you just spent three hours in a passionate make-out session.” She grinned. “I got a bit carried away playing with your hair, and you're still quite flushed.” Alecto shook her head bemusedly. “How about you head over to the washrooms first, and freshen up a tad. I'll finish what I was doing before you interrupted me, and tidy up my appearance myself right after.”
I nodded that this was a good idea. “Alright, that sounds like a sound idea.” I checked my holopad quickly. “And I'll collect you from this place of oppression in about one hundred and twelve minutes?”
Alecto shook her head at me. “Silly engineers, always so precise with the time. But yes, that sounds good.” She tenderly kissed me now, much more chastely though with no less feeling. “Now go, and run your errands!”
I nodded. Touching her hand one last time as I turned around to leave, I felt a momentary pang of loss as our fingers came apart. I glanced over my shoulder, and my warm smile was met by one of Alecto's. The next few weeks are going to be insanely hard, I thought. But that's for another time to worry about, Evelynne. First, we completely and utterly enjoy the rest of our day. The actual trip is plenty long enough to miss Alecto, so we won't start it now.
I walked into the small washroom in this part of the library, gazing at my reflection for a moment, studying it curiously. Alecto was definitely right; while I had no experience with intimate encounters and couldn't tell you how one looked after one, per se... I imagined it should look exactly like I did, right now.
A faint sheen of perspiration clung to my skin, making it rather shiny. Added to the flush that still reddened my face and neck, and the state of my hair, and most people probably would guess what I had just been doing. I didn't particularly care, but I might as well clean up my appearance the slightest bit before heading out of here.
I splashed some cool water in my face, the feel of it soothing on my hot skin. I used one of the towels to wipe off the excess moisture, and dabbed my neck and throat for good measure. Not having any hair utensils with me, I couldn't do more than try and fix my unruly locks with my fingers, but that'd have to do for now. My hair was slightly longer on the right side, and shielded part of my face. Also quite useful for hiding when you blush...
And I did not need to touch myself to know that my underwear was absolutely drenched in my passion. I'd definitely need to shower quickly when I got back, as nothing was more annoying than walking around for two hours being that wet down there. Not to mention having people hear what Alecto did. I didn't care around her, and she didn't seem to, either... but I'd need a serious earthquake if anyone else heard that . And I hadn't quite mastered the art of summoning tectonic shifts at will. I grinned a little at myself, then. At least my nipples had softened enough by now that they weren't obviously poking through my sweater, visible for all to gaze upon. Really did not want that , either.
I had just about fixed all I could, here, and headed out of the washroom. Right before I left this area of the library, I spotted Alecto from afar and couldn't help the grin that lit up my face. I could see even from here that it was met by one of hers, and what looked like a slight wink. Before I knew what I was doing I had waved at her, and blushed again. I'm acting like a lovestruck teenager. I sighed a little at myself. Oh well, there really was not much to do about that. I wasn't one to be guided by my emotions, but I did trust mine enough in these types of matters to know that it was completely useless to talk yourself into how you should be feeling, instead of just accepting your feelings for what they were. I'd simply have to see what happened, and make the most of the situation. And so far, it was turning out magnificently.
A/N: I realize I can get fairly verbose... And writing this after I have written 2 full chapters already, I can say that the word count adds up fast, so it may turn out to be a giant story (those are my favorites, by the way, in case you could not tell already ;-) ).
Maybe I should add way-points later so the impatient among us can skip to where the action exists more heavily. I will probably do that if there's a few chapters of mostly romance/friendship/family stuff and mostly character development coming up. I do hope that some among you like reading the slower chapters, too. They aren't always easy to write, but I do enjoy them a lot as they shine much more light upon the motivations behind other actions. But I realize not everyone's cup of tea is exactly that, which is why I want to try and accommodate that diversity of interests as much as possible.