Zeta who had been positively enthusiastic about every interaction with the strange creature since they had escaped nodded emphatically at the question For many weeks I have considered this question As far as I can tell humans derive social energy from each other while in close proximity Some are better at this than others but all need exposure to each other in order to maintain normal functions
And that can also be through sex The Chimera said with the delight of a child who had finally found out how to drive the peg into its proper hole
Zeta hummed and swayed causing the boat to rock Ahem No I do not believe that is always accurate This barbecue is primarily social interaction while sex involves the exchange of biological fluids for pleasure
Zeta donÆt talk like you understand sex Zack shook his head his tone carrying a moderate amount of scorn
Then you have had sex The Chimera whipped her pale eyes around to focus on Zack His skin tingled ever since she had casually attacked a group of people they had encountered in the countryside and the combined force of the trio had barely been enough to halt the violence he couldnÆt quite meet her gaze Even Todd had withdrawn into himself
I have but it was just Zack tried to think of a way to describe how anxiety inducing and sweaty his first time having sex had been One problem had been the thick summer heat another was his partner had done it before but was still quite inexperienced and kept saying things like well when my last boyfriend did it Æ and worst of all he had been hyper aware of the noises of their breathing and the bed squeaking while their bodies pressed together Considering how high the Perception was of the average student at Kharon Academy there was no way the entire school didnÆt know what they were doing
Just remembering that night made Zack flush red
Notice the shift in skin hue Zeta pointed at Zack This indicates arousal
The mere memory allows for that arousal to return How fascinating Will one of you engage in sex with me IÆd like to experience it The moon whispers that tonight would be an excellent opportunity The Chimera looked innocently around at them all At the back of the boat Todd choked back a laugh
Zeta made that strained humming noise again seemingly too overwhelmed by this prospect for its machinery to properly transition All the while the current continued to carry them forward Zack hoped they would make it to the GhosthoundÆs barbecue as soon as possible
Chapter 1907
The nose of their canoe cut into the sand jolting the occupations and sending the tail end of their vessel drifting sideways on top of the lapping wave A quick cut of ToddÆs hand sent a shudder through the sea vessel lifting it out of the water and carrying them onto the flat portion of the rocky beach
The Scrawl shimmered and dissipated
The Chimera woman hopped out first falling to her knees and pressing her forehead into the sand in the direction of the water Thank you mother sea for bearing us to this location I will miss your salt and your curves An auspicious voyage
By the time Zeta had scrambled out of the canoe to join her the woman was peering up at the low hills above the beach She pointed at some movement Are those enemies Shall we sing a song of slaughter and dance amongst their corpses
Those appear to be local fauna There is no need to sing any songs related to violence Zeta hummed and his eyes clicked as the lenses shifted to provide better vision
Zack clambered down onto the sand following the ChimeraÆs pointing finger with his gaze Along the edge of the thick tropical forest a line of ants marched in unison rubbing their forelegs to produce a strange sonorous note Some of the ants even swayed their heads in unison as though this was some sort of celebratory parade Rubbing the back of his neck he turned back to the canoe and offered Todd a hand The younger kid ignored the help and clambered over the side but Zack tried not to take it personally
Hopefully that Chimera doesnÆt lose her cool and try and go on a murder spree Especially not here on the GhosthoundÆs island Zack adopted a comical grimace
Yet ToddÆs sharp reply cut right through his attempt at humor IsnÆt that exactly why we brought her here So someone else would handle this problem we created Shit could we blame him if the Ghosthound kicks us out for forcing him to address this
The words were sudden and violent ripping open the space between them and leaving the gash hanging in the air for several seconds Zack tilted his head to the side Todd are you alright I know youÆve been quiet since Zeta suggested we head here but I just thought thought you felt like I do That this Chimera is partially insane and is infecting Zeta with it The Ghosthound will solve this why wouldnÆt he help us
Why would he let the Calamity kill so many people Why does he do anything ToddÆs response was shrill and raw gooey with hidden emotional bleeding For the first time in a long time Todd looked up and met ZackÆs gaze with his own still atrophied and grey ZackÆs eyes widened unprepared for the way that ToddÆs strange outburst would trigger all of his own anxieties
Why couldnÆt I step forward to help Why did I let you hold down the Patron of the Grey alone
They just stared at each other for several long seconds breathing heavily Then without addressing what just happened Todd shook his head and walked past Zack in the direction of the departing two
A vein throbbed in his temple this was a PR moment No need to get into a purposeless fight Kent swallow the rest of his fury and offered a thin smile Ah apologies for that Here let me get you another
Feeling very gallant imagining the positive way others would view him acting so magnanimous considering the circumstances Kent stepped forward up to a waiter and took a glass of wine Then he turned and took a step back toward the woman to offer it to her
The dock cracked beneath him His foot slipped through the shoddy construction and he ended up collapsing onto a knee awkwardly And the motion meant that he threw the contents of the wine cup in the womanÆs face
Wine dribbled down her nose and lips highlighting her strong cheekbones and expressive mouth She smirked at him and then spoke with a raised voice Now sir just because I accidentally spilled on you that is no reason to vindictively
Stop A tired looking man with a military haircut stepped next to the woman elbowing her in the side She pouted and stumbled sideways but said nothing Then the man stepped forward and offered Kent a hand My sincerest apologies Sometimes Hydie here takes teasing a bit too far Are you alright
Kent took the hand and then straightened his suit with a huff once he stood He felt the sweat beginning to pool in his armpits and shook himself so the perspiration wouldnÆt stain the linen He thought the man looked vaguely familiar but couldnÆt place him Maybe he had applied to the Order Scutum Some of KentÆs temper leaked into the words ItÆs fine Just please control your woman in the future Just because you chose her doesnÆt mean the rest of us want to deal with her nonsense
Both the man and the woman raised their eyebrows The womanÆs smile remained in place but it remained increasingly sharp They regarded Kent in unnatural silence as the rest of the party continued around them as though suddenly transformed into cutouts of people still and ominous
Unwilling to be dragged into any further conversation with these two Kent turned away More boats were arriving and loosing their people onto the already crowded pier while the initial group sluggishly shifted inland The prospect of the whole thing collapsing underneath the combined weight of the arrivals didnÆt seem so farfetched considering his foot just punched through the wood The less time he needed to spend here the better
Kent navigated his away around tight discussions curled his lip up at an offered drink from a demi human with purple skin and jutting molars and kept heading in the direction of the head of the Order Ducis
He couldnÆt see Naffur any longer due to the press of bodies but Kent had a good memory Alright letÆs remain positive Solid first impression We share the same goal protecting the sanctity of humanity As long as I can show my sincerity