Generalia Specialibus non Derogant (Closed)

[Rajura]

The comment on his hair color did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. His smile grew and he had the good graces to blush himself at the compliment.
“Thank you. I’m glad you approve. I have to say that your coloring is striking. What I wouldn’t give for that natural luster. You are so very lucky,” Sikke retorted, his smiling lingering all the time. Her tone was the thing that threw him off, belonging to a mature female and not the adolescent she appeared at first glance. The more he looked at her though the more he could finally see it, if not in her physical form then in her bright eyes. They bespoke of an intellect far beyond the reach of a teenager. The twinkling light there was also rather fetching, he wondered if the energy levels were typical of her kind or if she had imbibed copious amounts of some stimulant before meeting him.

The accent was something else as well. He had heard it before, that undeniable ‘twang’ that peppered their speech. It was endearing, in a backwater kind of way. She obvious took great pains to disguise it, so mentioning it in any way would no doubt undermine all the work she had put into it. Best just smile and keep that one to yourself, though Sikke couldn’t help but silently applaud the young woman for trying to better herself.

If only either one knew what was truly going on behind their respective gazes. Sikke couldn’t imagine what this curious creature was truly thinking; the way she looked at him was troubling. He wasn’t sure if she just playing nice, or perhaps she was taking an interest in him. He took her gloved hand, shaking it firmly before she offered a greeting of her own. The way she paused and added his name only made him smile brighter. A fluting titter overtook him as he shook his head, sending silken strands playing across his shoulders.

“Please. Call me Sikke. We are to work closely together, are we not? No need for formalities among colleagues. I’m sure we’ll get to know each other very well in the coming months,” He sounded very sure of that comment. But she was being forward herself, the way she said his name spoke volumes, didn’t it? Or so he thought, as brilliant of a mind as he may be, this was his first time interacting with a Dynamis in such a capacity. Of course he had met with them before on many occasions, but always with others in tow and never leading the conversation. This was a very unique experience, one that a man in his profession couldn’t help but relish. Still, he saw that little twitch of her lips. Another part of his profession, he couldn’t help but notice such things. He felt like laughing at that, though he easily kept himself busy by ushering them along into the dining room. Once more Maban displayed some curious emotions, particularly when he offered her a seat at the table. He so wanted to ask why, though he had a base idea as to her natural reactions. Her society was so very different from his own, somewhat stagnated and backwards thinking. It was truly a shame that someone as gifted and intelligent as her was so severely handicapped by the savagery and idiocy of her own people.
The thought was short lived as the focus on their conversation quickly turned to the Ioun Stones. Sikke offered a silent nod as he eyed her with curious intent. Her flair for the dramatics was impressive, though as she withdrew the bag and withdrew the two gleaming gems Sikke let out an audible gasp. He had to agree that they were works of art, he had no understanding of their properties, magic was, of course, something that he had no understanding of. They were simple gems, beautiful by all means, but just gems. Or so they should be. How was it this freckled girl could weave some kind of unexplained energy into the crystal itself. The idea of using them as a battery should have been obvious; Sikke silently chastised himself for not seeing it sooner. He listened; enraptured by each word she spoke, lilac eyes wide and expressive. His slender digits slid out as she offered the stone to him, which he took and gingerly moved about in his palm. He saw the subtle pulse of light within the stone itself, which seemed to match his pulse. Oh yes, it was truly doing just that! He saw it slowly quicken as he brought it to eye level, a resounding chortle escaping him at the realization.

“Most impressive,” He commented lightly as she finished, his gaze easily meeting hers as she leaned in a crinkled her nose up in a rather adorable fashion. “You know your eyes are just ravishing when you are excited.” He couldn’t help but comment but the sparkle within those green depths was just, well, rather beautiful. Sikke wasn’t above finding beauty in most things. Sure, the Dynamis as a whole were animals, barely smart enough to keep themselves fed while not dying of some disease that hadn’t been heard of in the Commonwealth for centuries. Once more he felt a twang of pity in his breast for this girl. If only she had been born in the Commonwealth, perhaps even migrated as a refugee when she was young. Unfortunately it was too late her for her now, no doubt that insufferable pride for the stain of a country ran deep in her veins. He had yet to meet a Dynamis that wasn’t.

“Oh I whole heartedly agree, my dear Maban. What you’ve come up with is simply superb. I admit the fundementals are beyond my current capacity of understanding. But hopefully in time I will understand. Now,” He put pointedly, his turn to display a rather prideful smile of his own. It was the first time he let the arrogance slip through his mask of manners. How could he resist though when they were playing show and tell? Maban had brought out such a wonderful toy! Now it was his turn. He held up his hand before him with one finger extended in the universal sign to wait. He all but danced off towards the nearby countertop which held the metallic briefcase he had strategically placed there. His flair for the dramatics was on equal with her own, he slid the case onto the desk and flipped open the locks, hesitating for just a moment before he flung the top open and exposed the contents. Inside the padded case were two cylindrical shaped objects. They looked like metallic icecream cones, though they had a interesting curve around the whole that was reminiscent of a screw.

“I believe that these will compliment your stones nicely. I worried that perhaps physical contact with their anatomy might be…detrimental to their overall health.” He kept his tone pleasant, even if he called into question just how safe her stones really were. He went on to explain the technical workings of his inventions, the way they attacked to the body and acted in a certain sense a buffer for the energy that could be potentially gathered and used. The device itself would relay information just like the stones, though in a fashion that Aperions would find acceptable.

The next hours passed by in the blink of an eye. It had started causally enough with one another showing the other their contribution to the project. One thing had lead to another, a harmless comment, then another and before long both were furiously debating on how to improve their creations. Sikke couldn’t recall the last time he had such a lively, yet polite conversation. They both had their opinions but kept themselves respectful. Maban was certainly a shrewd woman. This was going to be more interesting than he first thought.


_________________________


Jack was lost to the world, oblivious to anything and everything. He hadn’t slept this hard, this soundly in ages. The bed was beyond comfortable, combined that with the tender embrace he had shared with the lovely frame of Regulus, well, it wasn’t hard to see how Jack could lose himself so completely. He had barely moved an inch the entire time they slept, indeed, only as Regulus began to stir did he move. With a low grunt he rolled onto his back, arms flung out on either side of the bed. His head lolled to the side, crooked oddly with his mouth partially open. Sprawled there on his back like that, it wasn’t long before Jack began to issue a rattling snore from the back of his throat.

Not until Regulus touched him did Jack stir, though only slightly. He felt the pressure on his hip, a soft jostling that made him jiggle on the bed. It wasn’t that bad, well, at least until the contents of his stomach started to slosh around. Jack’s brow furrowed and with a loud snort he jolted awake. There was no gentle awakening for Jack, not today. He had been sleeping so hard that he had lost track of his surroundings. There was no sense of time or space for a few moments, the light blinding as it stabbed into his eyesockets. There was a sudden sense of panic as his eyes shot open and he pushed up onto his elbows with another snort.

“Whadda—“ He started, the look of a frightened animal on his face. The room, the scents, even the sounds were all unfamiliar. He was in a giant, spacious building, in a room that was far too big to be a simple bedroom. Yet he was on a bed, the sheets crumbled about him said as much. Jack’s brain tried to assimilate the data, though it was doing a piss poor job of it, which was evident from the blank look he gave as he looked around. Of course that was just for a moment, there was no way he could miss the figure sitting at the foot of the bed. It was a shocking sight, Jack instinctively flinched and looked away at the sight of that lovely, but completely naked body.

“Oh shit…what the fuck-“ He started, his legs kicking out as he tried to push himself up into a sitting position. That movement was enough to make him groan in sweet agony. His muscles ached and burned, it felt like someone had kicked the shit out of his junk and the surrounding area. He had muscles hurting where he didn’t even know he had muscles. The realization was slowly drawing across his face, along with the burn came the undeniable feeling of dried liquids clinging to his lower body.

“Did we…” He started, though he answered his own question. He recalled just what happened. She had been an absolute bitch and Jack responded in kind. For some reason he thought he was one upping her by jumping into the bath. But that ended with him forcing himself into her. Oh yeah…he remembered that moment, then the next when she had her lips wrapped around his…

“Wait wait wait,” He started, one hand slipping into his dark hair, smoothing it back from his face as he groaned. “I don’t get. I mean….Thal’s Balls!” He exclaimed and did something unexpected: he laughed. The moment was absurd, never before did Jack think he would wake up to this. He had bred a beautiful woman, an Aperion…twice! Oh yes, he remembered that too, how couldn’t he? The wide, rather stupid smile that spread across his lips just screamed the fact. He gathered himself up into a sitting position, his legs folding in front of him and his hands upon his knees. He peered at the woman at the edge of the bed. She looked guilty, or sad, or…was it angry? He wasn’t really sure. Her name came to his lips though; he had screamed it enough that it was already etched into his memory.

“Reggie…er…Lus…Regulus,” He used all her names; not really knowing which one would least set her off.

“I’m uh…not sure what uh…happened there. I uh…heh…” He found himself starting to apologize, but for what? He wasn’t sure, honestly. But she had that look on her face that made it seem someone needed to apologize.

“I’m not sure what I said that was yer trigger…but. Fuck. I mean…Wow. Do you fuck everyone that way? Cuz if you do I think this war would be over in an instant…” He blurted out without thinking. In the distance he thought he heard even the cleaning robot groan in a high trill. Balls…

 

[Apollo Wilde]

She kept her perch on the foot of the bed, somewhat precariously. She’d had more than one student who was a soldier, and she knew that loud noises and sudden movements were not the best way them, nor were they they best way to react. So, while he gathered his bearings, she sat quietly, looking down at her hands.

And then he spoke.

Her head jerked up and she looked at him with an expression of clear horror. Well, truthfully, “horror” was just one of the expressions. The clearest, at least. There was also a fair dash of shame, embarrassment, and sorrow, as if she was on the verge of tears. It took a significant amount of schooling of her features before she could seem like she was just…moderately chastened. Clearing her throat, she looked back at the taper lengths of her fingers, then back to him with a deep breath. It’d be too easy -and immature, and not at all befitting- to rise to the bait he’d just thrown at her.

“I…I’m not certain what you mean,” she said, with a soft sniff, daring to look at him for a moment before looking out of the window. Her shoulders, once set high and proud, sagged under an invisible weight as she turned to face him. There would be no running away from this. Her golden eyes were lucid, clear - but conflicted, as she searched for the right words. “I’m sorry,” she blurted. “I was completely out of line last night, and my behavior was inexcusable. I never should have reacted the way that I did. I couldn’t have expected a Dyanmis to understand the subtleties or the freedoms that Aperions take for granted.”

She trailed off; then reached down beside her. At some point in her trek out of the bathroom, she’d thought to collect a robe. Now, she handed it to him, the plush material dully shining in the morning light. “Here. I know Dyanmis are uncomfortable with nudity.” She gave him a self-conscious smile, looking all the world like a guilty child. “I will…try to do better to cover myself up.” Part of her was indignant at having to say such a thing; she had, after all, no hang ups about anyone’s body, hers or his. And judging by the scratch marks on his chest and the bruises that circled her waist, they’d clearly gotten quite familiar with each other the night before. Modesty, at this point, seemed silly. But had he not looked away when he first saw her? And could she not stop looking at him? Though she was far more subtle about it than he was, more than once, since they’d started “talking,” she’d helped herself to gaze at his body. And fought the troubling desire for wanting more of it. It was almost enough to leave a bad taste in her mouth - she was in better control of her desires than that. In fact, she rarely, if ever, wanted for anything. The impulse to push him back and cover his lips with her own was new, startling, and thoroughly unnerving.

Taking a corner of the blanket, she haphazardly wrapped it around her torso as an afterthought. The gesture, however, simply magnified her nudity rather than hid it. As the thick fabric slid across her body, she found her mind wandering, wishing he’d take it from her, let his fingers trail over her skin…

Wow. Okay. That had to stop. Right now.

“If you will accept my apology, we can get on with our scheduled day. Since we’re both up so…early, there will be plenty of time for you to bathe, dress, and eat, should you chose to.” She bit her tongue to keep herself from insisting that he bathe immediately to rid himself of the traces of the night before, and save her further embarrassment. Her tone wasn’t as cool as it had been when she was angry - it was still sonorous, but the undercurrent of shame kept it surprisingly human. True to Aperion high society, her apology was sincere, but purposely vague. It hadn’t occurred that the Dyanmis couldn’t read between the lines, or could have taken the vagueness of what she was saying as insulting. It was, after all, clear that she felt terribly about something.


“And it’s…it’s just Regulus,” she added, as a soft afterthought. “Or Deneb.” Gone was the playful overture of using her familiar nickname - it was down to either her first name or her family name. She hadn’t expected the gesture to sting; just to set the appropriate boundaries for them. Too little, too late, though, it could be argued. “Do you have a preference for breakfast?”

Ah, there she was again, trying to change the subject. To deflect. To ignore the elephant that’d run through the room and left them in the midst of quite the mess. “Let me know what you want, and I can get a serving robot in here shortly.” She fidgeted with the edge of the blanket wrapped around her, did her best to pull her airy cloud of hair away from her face into a more manageable style. “There are men’s clothing in the other closet,” she gestured to a door that had gone unnoticed the night before, “I’m sure there are Dyanmis appropriate clothing in there. I haven’t looked.”

 

[Rajura]

Jack had expected so many things at that moment but that look of absolute horror was not one of them. It was as if she had turned into a Banshee within the blink of an eye, ready to scream and turn his brain to gelatin. Nothing like that happened of course, even if Jack really thought it should, instead she sniffed and acted as if she had no idea what he was talking about. Something in her changed all too quickly and what turned to face him wasn't the woman that he had fought with and bedded the night before. He wasn't sure what he was looking at, some kind of pathetic creature riddled with guilt or shame. Probably both. He almost felt sorry for her, only for a brief moment before that apologize was issued and along with came the backhanded slap to his pride. He felt the familiar tension in his neck and shoulders as his muscles instinctively tightened. The cold burning of indignation slithered through his stomach and into his loins, replacing that satisfying dull ache he had woken up to.

Figures, he said to himself as his amber gaze began a slow and steady pace of narrowing upon Regulus. Of course he was too much of a dullard to understand her ways, that so called freedom was too elusive for his mind to comprehend. A robe was tossed in his direction from her place at the bed, which caught his attention. One hand slid out to grasp at the soft material, the sensation was rather pleasing but Jack couldn't let himself lose tract of the conversation. If he had notied her oogling what she could see of his frame he made no indication of such. Truth be told he completely missed any tact or subtly in that moment. He was groggy and aching from the start, the last thing he wanted was to have a conversation first thing in the morning. Who does that? Seriously!

“Can we just...not,” He started, but Regulus continued as if she hadn't heard. She probably didn't, no; she was too wrapped up in herself and the moment to truly pay attention to him. If she did she would see the familiar anger returning to his face, the way he set his jaw and how the tendons in his neck and shoulders twitched. She went on about things he could care very little about, namely bathing and dressing. While she thought that he would rather don a robe than stand naked before her, the moments for embarrassment had come and gone all too violently. They had both seen parts of the other that few ever witnessed, at least in Jack's case. After seeing a lady like that, well, there wasn't much point in modesty now was there?

“I...” Jack began, only to trail off and outwardly flinch. The verbal slap of her words stung harder than anything he had felt last night. The cold rage twisted in his gut like a knife and it was all Jack could do not to snap and punch her right in the throat. Instead, he laughed. That absurd laughter that he often did at the most inappropriate time. It was followed by a scoff and a causal toss of the robe onto the floor. He sat there for just a moment, hunched over himself as if he was going to rise. Instead, he just held that position and glared at Regulus as if she had said the vilest thing to him. She went on though, something about clothing, breakfast, robots or some horse shit. He couldn't give a flip about any of those things now.

“You know what?” Jack finally spoke, that absurd laughter returning once more. “Fuck you.”

He pushed up suddenly from the bed, kicking out his legs and landing beside the bed with surprising agility. His muscles burned from the movement, but his adrenaline was already pumping and Jack felt only one true sensation at the moment: anger.

“Where do you get off actin’ like that? Regulus? Deneb? We back to square one now? You insult me, my Country, kiss me, fuck me, and now we’re going to act civil? Like none of this happened?” He flung his arm out sharply over the bed, needlessly pointing at the heap of a mess atop it.

“The last thing I'm gonna do is listen to your bullshit. You feel guilty for fucking a dirty Dynamis wardog? Tough shit. Next time keep it in yer pants, sister.” Jack's words came past his lips with a snarl. The words came out without thought, pure instinct and far more brutal than he had intended. It was a defense mechanism, plain and simple. Her verbal slap to his ego stung of rejection, a feeling he had little experience with, at least in this case. Sure, his partners in the breeding program carried little for the smart ass Stud, but none had treated him like Regulus had and so callously tossed him aside. He expected it in that situation, but after last night this was the last thing he thought would come from her lips. Though what did he really expect? That was the rub, again, he had no true idea what he was expecting. All he knew it wasn't this.

“Have a pity party on yer own damn time,” Jack snorted derisively, ending the conversation then and there. He stormed off, his bare feet smacking loudly against the tile with each step. He headed straight for the bathroom, though he wasn’t exactly sure why. It wasn’t as if he really wanted to take a shower, what he really wanted to do was scream and punch something. Instead, he emerged into the spacious bathroom and was at a loss. It didn’t look like any bathroom he had seen, odd that he hadn’t actually taken a good look last night. Well, not really, he was pretty distracted. His amber gaze fell to the tub and he felt the twisting of his stomach tighten. Fuck, he hated her. But at the same time he couldn’t help recalling the way she sat on the edge of the tub, the sound she made when he pushed inside her. A low, frustrated growl made his lips part, his teeth clench and his hands ball into fists. He had never wanted to both punch and kiss anyone before at the same time. How was that even possible?

“And where the fuck is the shower?!” He bellowed, venting his frustration vocally as he searched for anything reminiscent of a showerhead.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

Okay, she deserved that.

If he was expecting a fight (which it seemed like he didn’t care, either way), he wasn’t going to get one. She bore his outburst with a stoicism that seemed inhuman. It wasn’t that it didn’t sting; far from it. Call it another quirk of Aperion culture - one at which she’d failed at the night before, and that had landed them in this mess to begin with.

But yet, here she was, making the same mistake. Again. She’d assumed (Blue BLAZES) that he’d know that she hadn’t meant to insult him; that she was apologizing for acting like a complete boor the night before. But, as she scoffed to herself, how would a savage like him understand? No, no - she couldn’t think like that. She couldn’t just write him off as a savage, even though he was acting like one. And in the face of an extremely gracious apology. And there she was, getting her pride wounded, and before she could lose control of her emotions again, he was gone; stomped off to the bathroom.

Once she was sure, positively sure that he was out of the room, she let out the breath she’d been holding. His words stung - but he misunderstood. Seemed to be a strong suit of his. And from his actions the night before, screaming and lowering herself to his level wasn’t going to get them any closer to what needed to happen. And, above all, she had to make sure that the Project worked; personal feelings be damned.

It also didn’t help that the entire time he snarled at her, she wanted to shove him back on the bed and shut him up in a more…pleasurable fashion.

And what was with THAT, anyway?

Aperions didn’t experience “desire” in the sense that others might assume; the emotion was moot when you could have everything that you wanted. To long for, or to chase after, wasn’t a part of their “mating rituals”, so to speak. You were honest with the one you found physically pleasing, and if they felt the same way, you went to bed and that was it. A fun time had by all. But endless pursuit? This jerking of emotions? This lack of control? Unheard of. And for her, of all people to be caught into it…

His bellow broke through her thoughts, and shattered her calm. And before she knew it, she was on her feet, striding purposefully to the bathroom. Throwing the door open, she stood in the doorway, silhouetted from behind.

“You are an absolute child.” And despite the fierceness of her words, they were said with the same emotion that she would use to describe the color of the sky. She walked towards him now, standing scant inches away from his face. At this distance, she could feel the heat radiating off of his body, and it tugged her towards him. Standing so that her nipples brushed against his bare chest, she looked up into his face, those golden eyes stern, hardly able to contain the smoldering passion that threatened to ruin her composure. Not this time. Not again.

“If you were such a great soldier, surely you’d find your way around a mere bathroom,” her breath caressed his lips as she slipped past him, the cloud of her hair tickling his nose as she walked a few paces in front of him. Though she was doing her best to deny that pull, the ache in her groin nearly made her scream. The desire wafted off of her, as palpable as walking through a sheer curtain, only to grow stronger as her gaze settled on the tub. Seeing the light reflected off of its glassy surface served to remind her of the clack of his teeth against hers, his hands pressing firm against her thighs, forcing them open…She bit her lower lip so hard for a handful of seconds, she thought she’d broken the skin. Touching her tongue to it, she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to orient herself. This was absolute madness. Could he have cast some sort of enchantment on her, something that would constantly override her logic and make her as if she was in the midst of a rutting season? She bit her lip harder, drawing blood this time. Hot, metallic salt spilled across her tongue, and the sharpness of it helped steady her head.

Pacing a few steps in front of him, she carelessly looked over her shoulder with raised brows, tongue against her lower lip. As she spoke, a bead of crimson welled lazily from the split in her lip. “Shower.” She pointed to an elegantly curved metal “arm” that arched from the wall organically. It would have been easy to miss; it blended in with the rest of the “organic” technology of Lysander’s home. It was also tucked away in a “cubby” of the expansive bathroom. “Generally, we shower to get clean before we soak in the tub. The soaking is less about getting clean and more about enjoying the water.” Seemed silly to be giving him these cultural lessons, what, with him nearly frothing at the mouth in impotent rage, but it gave her something to focus on. He was going to learn something, even if she had to beat it into his head.

Turning to walk away from him, with an insolent, “I dare you to look” swing of her hips, she got a few feet away from him before turning to face him again, pivoting with all of the grace she could muster. “And for the record, I believe it was you that had a problem with, what was it, ‘keeping it in your pants.’” Because of course she wasn’t going to let him get off that easy. Yes, she’d deserved his anger, but she wasn’t going to let him re-write history, either. “You were the one that intruded on my bath and kissed me first. I merely reciprocated. And I shouldn’t have.” And there was that defiant upward tilt of her chin and set of her mouth. If he was going to be a storm, she was just going to have to show him that even the strongest of maelstroms couldn’t topple a mountain.

 

[Rajura]

The way she spoke threw Jack for a loop, quelling his anger if only for a few moments as a general confusion settled in. The feeling caused his brows to furrow and perhaps at any other moment the look on his face would be considered comical. Surely it was an insult directed at him, being called a child was just as much of a slap to the face in both cultures, but the way she said it made it seem like it was nothing at all. By The Twelve this woman was vexing, it was a wonder that Aperion males could stand to be around their opposites long enough to pass their seed. Jack had nothing to base that sudden thought since Regulus has been the only Aperion female he had prolonged contact with. The rest were usually trying to splatter his gray matter out the back of his skull. Instead of snapping back a snarling retort, Jack just stood there and took the sting. He still wasn't sure how to react, that much was written all over his face as she moved in, flashing those beautiful gold eyes in a way that both aroused and annoyed him.

Her next response wasn't so easily misinterpreted. He knew all too well he was suppose to feel the bite of those words, yet as she spoke them she did something he wasn't expecting. There was no denying the sensation of her breasts barely carressing his chest, those pert nipples making contact even as she held his gaze and seemed to lean in. He thought for a second she was going to kiss him, or at least slap him. But instead of feeling the soft caress of her lips, the wisps of her hair flicked out under his nose as she passed. Regulus had come and gone all too quickly, leaving Jack rubbing the back of his hand against the underside of his nose, resisting the urge to snort and sneeze.

“Yeah...well...I didn't have time to study Aperion architecture. It's...stupid,” Jack felt himself fumbling for his words, the last few moments robbing him of that rage he had clung so desperately to. The emotion was familiar and welcoming, without it Jack was very much aware he was standing naked before a very beautiful woman. His amber gaze followed her despite a considerable effort not to. Her hair swished about her, partially blocking the tempting curves, dips, and swells of her ravishing figure. He couldn't help thinking, for just a brief moment, that he should have this woman pushed up against the nearby wall, exploring an entirely new position as he buried himself deep within her yet again. He felt a familiar tingle of excitement at the thought, despite whatever his logical mind told him, he knew deep down inside he had enjoyed every minute of...whatever that was called. Mating? No, that seemed just too clinical. Letting himself get lost in that thought he almost missed her pointing out the shower. A hint of recognition drifted across his face and he offered a dumb nod without adding anything to her statement. There seemed an easy jab in there about bathing, something that he had infrequent experience with. But his mind was still trying to get a full grasp of what was going on, part of him felt she was just goading him, as she had the night before. Did she want him to snap and just take her now? Maybe that was part of her game, to stir something up and just watch him explode before they ended up a heated pile of sweaty flesh and lewd groans. It was hard to deny that he didn't want to give in and pin her against the wall as he had imagined previously, but something about the look she gave him, the way she moved as she strode towards the exit said something very different. Jack licked his dry lips and swallowed hard, his brows furrowing again as he tried to gain some semblance of focus.

Her words only helped throw him further off kilter, Jack felt himself drifting off coarse once more. He gave a visible shake of his head before his nostrils flared with a contemptuous snort. She simply and elegantly laid all the blame at his feet with a simple few sentences. There went her nose, flying high into the air as she gloated over her sudden triumph of turning everyone around and getting the last word. Jack felt the frustration grow, not one of pent up arousal but of being caught up in this blasted word game! He grunted his displeasure, his shoulders rolling even as he shook his head to disagree.

“Whoa! Hey! You were the one that went for my pants first. You werent' just lookin' for a friendly handshake down there...” Jack shot back before he could fully form the sentence. He quirked his brow, unsure if the last bit even made sense. He set his hands upon his sleek hips and returned fire with a stern glare of those molten amber eye. “You asked for it! S'ok...I know I'm incredibly hard to resist, Babe. But don't worry. That's the last time I'll have you singin' to High Heaven...”

Jack feigned understanding as he held his hands up at his sides, looking as if he were admitting defeat. Of course that stupid little smirk he wore said differently. The maelstrom couldn't bring down the mountain but it could surely chip away at its highest peaks. With that Jack turned on his heels and strode towards where she had indicated the shower was hiding. He found the ridiculous curvy arm tucked away in the massive expanse of the bathroom he didn't even know existed. The room seemed to go on for miles, the sheer size of the place beyond understanding. They could have fit enough shower heads and tanks in her to serve as the barracks bath house and still had room for a mess hall. He only slightly exaggerated the dimensions in his head. Jack fiddled with the handles for a few moments, succeeding in getting the water going. It took him a few more tries to get the water to an appropriate temperature. At first, he went for an ideal warmth that he rarely got to experience outside of the Capital. But as the steam began to rise his thoughts once more turned to Regulus. Vivid images of what they could do under the spray of gushing water caused his cheeks and loins to burn at the same time. All too quickly he reversed his thought process and as he stepped underneath the shower head the water was bitingly cold. He couldn't help the little hiss that escaped past clenched teeth as the frigid water hit his head, neck and shoulders. He shuddered as it trickled down over his frame, drawing with it the remains of last night's encounter. After a few tense moments Jack relented, giving a deep sigh of relief as the cold waters doused any flames that had been smoldering. He had a feeling that this wasn't going to be his last cold shower.

He washed up as best he could, that was after he found some soap to properly clean himself with. He wasn't entirely sure that it was soup, but it smelled fruity and got a good lather going when he rubbed it between his hands. The fact that he was left smelling like a perfumed whore from the Red Light District diluted the sense of relaxation that came from a good through cleaning. Jack used the sudsy stuff on his face and even in his hair, since he wasn't able to find anything with a proper label. He feared he might pour something more potent that flowery smelling soap onto his head; the last thing he needed was to show up with all the hair on his head and face melted off.

Only after he turned the shower off did he permit himself to think upon what laid in store for them today. He knew whatever he was going to face it would be at her side. That thought chaffed him as much as the idea of not knowing what to expect. By now he should have expected it though, he chastised himself as he found a towel and dried off. It had been nothing but surprise after surprise since he first arrived here. Starting and ending with that infuriating woman. It dawned on him quickly enough, as he emerged from the bathroom, that he had no idea where she had gone too. He gave a quick look around, the familiar realization that the room was bigger than he remembered drifting over him. Another thought hit him just as suddenly; the realization he had no idea where he had left his underwear.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

Lysander’s home would have been remiss among other Aperions if the trashed room had been the only room and bathroom within the home. As things were, it was merely the fourth of six - a modest amount, really. Perfect for a country estate.

She hadn’t stayed to hear his last comments. If she had…they’d begin that whole cycle again. That…that…she didn’t know what it was. It was no graceful Loving, that, she had well established. What had that been? It was something raw, disgusting - but she’d enjoyed every moment of it. That close to each other, she’d wanted more, wanted his childish resolve to snap. She had been too prideful to outwardly ask what she wanted from him - another first for her. One that twisted her stomach. That Jack was a collection of emotions from her, and the fact that far too many of them were new to her in her long life made her bite her lip all the harder. When she’d made her grand exit, it was only when she was out into the hallway that she realized that she hadn’t had a clear destination in mind. She just needed to get away from him. From how he made her feel, from that inexplicable, damnable pull.

Jack wasn’t the only one who was taking a cold shower.

As the icy water poured in torrents over her neck, shoulders, through the thick cloud of her hair, she squeezed her eyes shut. All she was doing was making things worse. Every. Single. Time. She. Opened. Her. Mouth. She hissed in frustration, squeezed back the heat behind her lids, refusing to believe that she was growing weak enough to start crying. Why had she even thought that she could’ve reached him to begin with? Who was she trying to impress - herself, or the people that surrounded her? As a Deneb, no, as both a Deneb and an Al-Simak, she had a reputation to uphold. No, more than a reputation, a moral obligation. The war was wrong. There were no real differences in Dyanmis and Aperion; just differences in how life was lived. Surely her… “escapades” from the night before had proven that a Dyanmis male was still a male.

And WHAT a male.

Opening her eyes, she checked to see if the water got any colder.

_______

Stepping out of the bathroom what felt like an eternity later, shivering and covered with a film of goosebumps, she tiptoed out. In her rush to get away from Jack, the finer points of their living arrangements had slipped past her. Where were her clothes? Her things? Blue blazes; that’s right. They were to share the same living quarters - which meant that she had to go back up into that room. And back to him.

She groaned aloud, ran her hands through her dried hair. While she was in the bathroom below, she’d made full use of the facilities, including dousing herself in her favorite fragrance and blow-drying her clouds of hair to perfection. Not that the hair mattered much; she’d pulled it all back into a severe bun.

Which, to be fair, looked strikingly out of place with her nude form. Without him around, she’d quickly defaulted back to her Aperion roots, and roamed the house bare as the day she was born. Pacing down the hall, she stopped outside of the door of the room they were to share, and took a deep breath, steeling herself. If, no, when, she went back in, she knew she’d be stepping into a situation where the tension was ready to snap with the slightest breath.

She had this. She had to have it.
Opening the door with all of the stately manner of a queen, her golden eyes drifted over the room. Despite the confidence that she attempted to radiate, her gaze was…troubled. Skiddish. There was no prior preparation for her to handle his sassy mouth, and looking over the ruins of the room, the tangle of the sheets, the still faint smell of sex in the air was enough to shake her resolve. Closing her eyes, she let out a long sigh, tilting her head back.

The cold shower hadn’t been enough. In this quiet, she could hear his voice, husky hoarse, from the night before, feel his hands on her body.

She could’ve spent the better part of the day lost in that revelry, hell, if she had the time, if she felt that she wouldn’t be interrupted, she would have slid back into bed, and let her hands recreate the memories, the fanciful imaginings that raced through her head now. It was only with the sharp bite of her tongue that she came back to the real world.

And to the realization that things were rapidly falling out of her control.