Early Riser (private: Alec&Ginnie)
Eyes flashing open, Alec had a small moment of disorientation. This wasn't his bed...these sheets were all comfy and warm and smelled like lovemaking and citrus. And were occupied by their owner. Taking a huge, silent sigh of relief that it hadn't been all just the best dream of his life, he felt a bit greedy. A dream of this magnitude had to be more than he actually deserved...he must have done some pretty good things in his past lives to get to walk through the reality of it. Slipping slowly, silently, imperceptibly out from under Ginnie's trailing arm, he stood at the edge of the bed, staring.
She was real. He watched as she frowned slightly in her sleep at the Alec shaped gap in her bed. Sliding a pillow near her hand, she unconsciously gripped it and pulled it into the crook of her arm, her face returning to the sweet look of serenity she had been wearing as she fell asleep the morning before. Looking around a moment, he located where he'd dropped their clothes the night before and silently sorted them, laying them out. He slipped on his boxers and headed back into the living room.
Heading over to the couch, he started absentmindedly picking up kernels of popcorn, placing them back in the bowl. Smiling, he made a mental note of the popcorn's blast radius, wondering if they'd always make messes like this or if it was going to be a rarity. The spontenaiety appealed to him, but the cleanup could be difficult if they expanded to beverages or stainmaking materials. Plucking up the last of the kernels, he walked them over to the popper, unplugging it. He had no clue how to clean it, and water would make too much noise, anyway.
Remembering the mint from the night before, he walked over to where it sat, gleaming on the floor. Brushing it off, he popped it into his mouth, and looked around. Heading over to the table, he looked at the arrangement scheme. The fact of the matter is that he still did not know enough about her businesses to understand the arrangement. It looked like it was somewhat a hybrid between geographic location and priority, but he was still missing a component or two to sort out the design scheme. Shrugging, he glanced around the space, enjoying the layout that she'd selected and the grids she'd set up in the space.
The first grid, her workspace, was well laid out to facilitate personal business layouts and use of all of her flat surfaces. It also gave room with minor alteration to brief one or two people, though it was clearly not typically used for that.
The grid of her kitchen was fairly standard, but Alec liked kitchens in general. You always knew where everything was with a very limited number of deviations. There was also never anything to trip over when stalking through them in the dark. Not the standard reasons, grant you, but reasons all the same. Other than the popcorn bowl and popper, she ran a pretty tight ship here, too, which made him smile. Perhaps there would be other patterns for him to break in her life as well.
Turning back to the living room, this was the social hub of her home. It was well set up with both couch and chairs to facilitate both communication and movies. Pondering if she had pounced on others in her home theater space, he headed over and looked through the collection of titles he'd not seen. Pulling out the other Indiana Jones movies, and then Star Wars, he read over them. It seemed that Harrison Ford was a bit of an icon from the time. Multiple series, some single shot movies...a good blend of sci-fi, action and suspense it looked like. He'd have to try again with Indiana Jones...and if it worked out the same way it did last night, well, Alec wouldn't be too troubled by that. Smiling, he brushed a couple of missed crumbs off of the couch and returned to the bedroom.
As he started to look around the room, he found he couldn't. He was too distracted by the sweetness of the angelic face and the lines her body made beneath the blanket. Satisfied by the exploration for the time being, he dropped his boxers back to the floor by his now folded pants and prepared to do an Indiana Jones move of his own. Delicately setting himself on the bed, he slid himself back into place as he removed the pillow and placed it behind his head.
Running his hands through his hair, he made sure it wasn't any more unkempt than usual. Working slowly down under the blankets, he stopped when his face was level with hers. Watching her go through the final bits of her sleep cycle as she approached wakefulness, he smiled, wondering what the day would bring.
Ginnie's eyes opened slowly as the smile on her face broadened, as she looked up at the man next to her. She wiggled a bit so that she could press her lips lightly to his.
"Hi."
Hi.
Brushing his nose along her cheek, he kissed her in return.
Hi there, starshine. Sleep well?
Curling his arms around her, he brushed back the covers a bit to provide him with a bit more freedom of movement.
"So how shall we fill the next two hours?"
Ok...just making sure I wasn't still asleep and dreaming. Well, if you'd have asked me that earlier, I'd have said that we might want to clean up the mess we've made in the various areas of the house, but I already took care of the popcorn and found all of our clothes.
Thinking for a moment, Alec went through the list he'd already compiled for the day. Ticking off on his fingers at each item, he stated
Ok...things remaining on my list for today are cuddling with Ginnie, bathing, perhaps with Ginnie if space allows it, getting dressed, reading some files so I do not disappoint my boss on my first day of work, getting fed, committing crime in a new way, pulling down praise for a job well done and getting off of work early so that I can come home early to spend more time with Ginnie.
Plopping back down on his side next to her, he continued.
Well, that's a pretty full day. I'd better get started. How about you?
Scooting back close to her, he pulled the blankets back up around them.
"Yes, that is a very full day. Let's see if my schedule fits in with that." She held her hands up and pretended to tap on a hand held computer screen with a stylus.
"Cuddle with Alec, then a nice long bath, fresh clothes, research, sustenance, crime, giving praise in new and interesting ways to the new guy, and quality time with Alec. Mmmm yep, it's all there."
She laughed at herself and snuggled in close, running her fingers over the parts of him she could reach
"We definitely need to get started."
Yes ma'am!
before vanishing quickly beneath the covers and pressing his face into her stomach. Blowing out hard before she could really figure out what he was all about, the raspberry sound was well-formed, if slightly juicy.
Finding out where she was ticklish wasn't something that had been on the list when he'd made it, but it seemed pretty important in the moment.
"Hey! That's not fair!"
Her fingers found the sensitive area under is arms and attacked with tickling vigor. She wasn't one to lay back and be tickled, if a tickle fight was what he wanted she would be more than happy to oblige.
Well, that didn't go according to plan! I guess we'll go back to the list.
Untangling himself, he left the blankets behind and slid back onto the bed in front of her.
"I think that's a good idea slick." She touched a finger to the tip of his nose and smiled at him
"Well you've proven you can't snuggle with out tickling, so it's bath time." She stretched her toes out and gave a moan of anticipation. "Nice hot bath, mmmmm."
I'll let you get started there since I don't know how you like your water...I'll make the bed and come watch you bathe...er...I mean help out! Help out...when I'm all done here.
Leaning into her, he kissed her softly and said
See you in a second.
Leaning over the tub, she was glad for yet another reason that she had chosen the large garden tub, Alec would be able to fit in nicely with her. She put the temperature, just this side of scalding and added a lovely lemon grass bubble bath and let it run.
She stepped over to the sink and pulled a set of enameled chopsticks from a drawer and twisted her hair up so that it wouldn't trail in the water and make her cold. When finished she returned to the tub and perched on the side, her back to the door.
Spreading the sheets out, he neatly started spreading the sheets flat over the bed before tucking them neatly, but not too tightly into the bed, folding over the tops just a bit. Draping the burgundy bedspread over the finished base product, he rearranged the pillows, having put a couple in the wrong layer. Satisfied with the final product after the alteration, he walked quietly into the bathroom.
Standing in the door, he silently stared a bit at her enjoying the heat from the water seeping into her system, savoring the satisfaction in her smile. He was, however, greeted with quite a dilemma. He'd no recollection on taking a bath in a tub, let alone in a tub with another person, so he wasn't quite sure how to proceed. Shrugging, he walked forward and squatted beside her.
So...I'm not too sure I've ever taken a bath before. Any trick to it?
"Nope. You just get in." She sat up and slid forward in the tub a bit.
Auhhh ah whoawhoa that's hot.
Stepping his second leg in a bit more slowly, he eased himself down.
Ah! Ah! Ooooooshhh...mmmmm. Oh...this is where you get that part of your scent.
Leaning back into the tub, he vined his legs around her and scootched down a bit, wrapping his arms around her as she leaned back onto his chest.
Mmm....I could get used to baths. I have one here in the Domicile, but nothing like this. Ah, the one at my house is pretty big, though...but in New Orleans I didn't have anything even approximating a tub...
Kissing her on the neck, just behind her jawbone, he added
Of course, I'm not sure this qualifies as an objective test, with you here...not that I'm complaining in the least, mind you. Just saying.
Kissing her on the back of her neck, he then leaned back all the way, resting his head on the back of the tub, savoring the closeness and the warmth.
"It seems very objective to me."
She swished her hand through the water, before resting it on his thigh and gave a sigh of content.
"I feel like we should have some kind of meaningful conversation where we get to know each other."
Well, you'll have a lot more talking to do than I will. Having only around 4 years of memory, I might be able to get through everything of import in a couple of days...on the other hand, it'll take some years to get through even the Reader's Digest version of your story. Luckily, we've got time. Immortality is awfully convenient, that way.
Smiling happily, Alec inhaled deeply the scent of her hair, savoring the complexity in the background to the scented bathwater. Smells would be as good a place as any to start, he supposed...how does one even begin to sum up the events of one's life? The things of importance? Chronology? Or events that made them who they are...especially if they can't remember al of their life's events, can't remember those who helped shape them? Taking a different tack, he decided to go from a more comfortable vector for him...instinct.
Hm. I guess the biggest quirk is that I really am a creature of darkness. I don't have a single memory of any of my creators, be they parents or the person who granted me this current existence. I can't remember ever seeing the sun, or feeling its rays. On an instinctual level, I feel that I was once human...but it is all gone. My mind remembers only being born a predator, so I guess I might look at things differently.
Chuckling a bit, Alec continued. In fact, last night underlined that. I'm missing some pretty normal instincts, like blinking and good respiratory control...but I can recall things about security systems I've never seen. It is like my mind and my instincts were all shaken together and I got a new random assortment. I've spent most of my four years studying humanity to make sure I can blend in with them...to have that camouflage the rest of our kind takes for granted.
But the other side is that I can't remember what uncontrolled senses at a constant rate are like. I don't know what the world is supposed to look like, or that some people can't hear the ways sound interact to create their own stories. The things I take for granted are things entirely different from even our kind...and figuring out how to communicate all of that is my biggest problem.
As far as defining events...obviously, being somewhat of a social outcast in New Orleans helped shape aspects of me. It increased my self-reliance while dehumanizing me further. I managed to keep my humor, and that's always helpful, I've found. People don't want to kill you quite so much if you are weird and funny than when you're just weird. Real important lesson, that one. It also taught me just how horrible a past can be - when you don't know what all is coming for you and merely have to react to it, things take on a whole new level of meaning.
I had very few people I'd associate with there...my fence, who also doubled as my shrink, in a way...closest thing I had to a friend, but he was an aging human, so there was a lot we couldn't talk about. A couple of our kind that weren't actively antagonistic to me...but more like work associates than friends, with maybe one exception as well. I think Odessa might have gone to bat for me, but she skipped town before I did...it was hard being an outcast there.
Thought I'd try it here.
Nipping her softly on the shoulder, he continued.
Nachton's already given me more than I'd dreamt possible, and I've only been here a few short months. And it seems to get better and better. My first night here I made friends...me. All awkward and tentative, but I decided, what the hell...new 'burg, let's try to be more friendly. I thought that they'd think I was crazy, but it turns out they were, too. They being Nova, Jan and Amberelle. Fresh off the boat and I've met some people crazy like me. I thought that was a pretty good sign. Moving in, land acquisition, item procurement...it all seemed to come so much more easily here. It was like I was waking up to new possibilities.
Well, then I met the new boss and made a horrible shambles of things in public...at a formal dance no less, but she decided to introduce me to this really great girl who teaches me things about bathwater and 80's movies. And blows up my brain for fun, sometimes several times in an evening. I'd talk more about her, but I think you probably know her better than I do...
His story made her a little sad, but it also gave her a new respect for him and his abilities. She knew then that she would never have to worry about his loyalty or ability to do the jobs she gave him.
A shiver ran down her when his teeth scraped gently on her shoulder. 'Aw, Nova and Jan are good people,crazy as loons but good just the same. I don't have a clue who Amberelle is. I'd like to meet her.'
"Yes I know all about her. I can give you the short version if you'd like."
She chuckled and began to make circles on his thigh with her finger, the motion helped her think.
"hmm, Well you know the story of my turning, and the first twenty years of my life. Then I traveled Europe singing in taverns until the late 1800's. I did that until the Great War hit and I used the excuse of nursing our wounded to watch the bombs explode and watch the men make them in the field. I was hooked. After the second World War I knew I wanted to be the person that made those fires in the sky. So I found every book I could get my hands on and when the sixties and feminism rolled into play in America, I took myself to the Promise Land and obtained degrees. I found my little niche here in Tacharan that lets me pursue my crazy little schemes and blow things up.
Then one day I went to have dinner with friends, and got a call from this new guy that was supposed to be my recon guy. I had had this one run in with him at a big shindig and he thought it would be a good idea to knock me down and make me loose my shoe. Then I discovered he could knock me over with just a touch in the right place."
Moved by that she leaned to the side and looked up at him, and found herself suddenly lost him his eyes.
"Well, what do you know, he doesn't even need a touch."
Thinking that the life of the traveling minstrel sounded kind of nice, Alec paused. Did he have any musical talent? No clue...he knew he could dance, but that didn't necessarily mean he could produce the sounds. Perhaps he could now, with his improved ears?
Writing it off as something for another day, Ginnie started talking about the modern era and her file contents...education, more education, research and practical application. He simply couldn't conceive of...school. He understood doing something to get better at it, and natural talent, but learning through osmosis was a foreign concept to him. Something else to consider at another time...could he learn in that fashion? By reading and listening to others talk about books and their contents? It seemed somewhat cryptic to him.
Smiling at Ginnie's recollection of events, a blush spread across his cheeks at her mention of his touch. As she turned to look at him, he stared, mouth slightly open and still blushing a bit, the warmth radiating a bit more throughout his body. Inordinately pleased that she felt the same way, his world was spun around again at her follow up admission.
Well, what do you know, he doesn't even need a touch.
Mouth still hanging open a bit, he sat there staring at her a moment before hugging her fiercely, not knowing for the world what to say. How do you express things with words that are undefinable?
Recovering a bit, he decided to keep it simple.
I can't really express how much that means to me. Thank you.
Twisting a bit, he kissed her as tenderly as he knew how, hoping that maybe, somehow, his lips could explain more eloquently with actions than with words. Playing his lips delicately against her own, he kissed lightly at one and then the other before pressing his own together slightly into the line formed by her mouth, opening them softly when he relaxed his own pressure. Breathing her in, he kissed her more fully before disengaging to look her in the eyes again to see if his lips had done the job.
She wanted to show him that she understood and felt the same, her solution had an evil little grin curling her lips. It was going to be very messy, but very very fun.
She twisted until she was facing him, her knees to either side of his hips, the position pushing his legs together to give them enough room. Sitting back so that her backside rested on his thighs, she reached between them and gently grasped his manhood. She slid her hand gently up and down his length, patiently coaxing him to erection. The evil little grin, turned into a smile as she leaned forward over their joined flesh and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.
As she reached gently between his legs, the meaning in her evil smirk became completely clear. Gasping at both the sensation and at the rapidly changing paradigms of conversation, Alec twitched, his eyes shutting reflexively. Surprised, his neck lolled a bit to the side at the unexpected sensation and he savored the feeling of his blood very rapidly rerouting itself in acknowledgement of her soft, skilled caresses. Moaning softly, he felt her lips press to his, and he was lost in the moment. Clearly she would be leading this dance.