Cooking with Adja

Mostly in blur, despite the invention of high definition cameras, because you were photographing through the parts of the Veil that had naturally worn thin, over time.

Adja did have a bad habit of reaching for magic when she was supremely pissed off, like her mother before her. Which put a strain on the wellspring.

The well on her farm wasn't just a water source. It was where both she and the Veil drew their magic from. Steal too much magic, and risk the thing going dry. Get hit by a drought? Expect problems with the Veil, that you'd have to blame on dehydrated delerium.

"Adi!"

She looked up through her grumpy thoughts to see the scientist sitting on the fence around her deck that overhung the valley. The woman was waving to her, whilst holding an inflated balloon in the other.

She perked up, waving back awkwardly, hands full.

It still took her a couple more minutes to make her way up the stairs. When she'd rounded the top, she found Iniya had deployed her latest sensor array, but had tied it to the deck.

A long cable stretched down from the balloon to a laptop, and Iniya was sipping at a mug of something. A clay mug proudly featuring a bear dipping his hand into a honeypot.

Adja walked over slowly, hoping not to distract or interrupt the scientist's work. Which, she did have to guiltily admit that she didn't really know what it was. The entire gist she had was that it was something to do with the weather.

"Just my scheduled readings." Iniya waved her over, and turning the screen to show off some graphs. "You wouldn't believe how normal they are! It's like the whole island is always at a perfect average."

"That's... Interesting?"

"It's almost impossible, for starters. Nothing ever dips or jumps outside of the exact average. Which, isn't completely impossible... But doesn't make any sense! Especially this far from the equatorn" Iniya said with a grin, whilst Adja got a sinking feeling and an urge to go kick a certain fey so that they'd add a teensy bit of variety to the island's protection spells.

She held out one warm mug to the woman, "Morning tea."

"You're sweet... The farm thing, or the town hall?" Iniya said knowingly.

Adja sighed and sat down into her lap, "Both? Jono accused you of being a witch. Apparently making me like women was a sign that you cursed me. So I probably ruined Astrid's day by telling him that she and I had a teensy one night stand..."

She trailed off as Iniya made and tried to hide a pained look.

Adja winced, "Small island. Um... Cards on the table? There's three other people in the community I've kissed. Two, I've slept with. Astrid and Casey. Neither more than once. You have no one to be jealous of."

The woman kissed her cheek, "Sorry. I... Would not be able to be friends, after I broke up with someone. City living makes it easy to... Leave a life behind."

"I've had a sum total of three relationships before you. Which hurts you, because I still know them. But, on the other hand... How many priors will you not be telling me about?" Adja grinned.

Iniya went bright red, and looked down, "N-none?"

"None!?" Adja stared in horror, "I... I was your first!?"

"Yes...?"

"Holy shit, you have the natural skill of a succubus or something." Adja shook her head, "I... I am the luckiest woman in the whole damn world! That... Last night... Was you, before you learnt how to... Wow."

Iniya gave an embarassed laugh, "Like you've got much to go on..."

"Astrid's the town slut. She sleeps with all the fly-in guys. Who... I might have kissed one or two of." Adja shook her head, "You made Astrid seem like an idiot. Speaking of... Morning tea was just sort of an excuse to see you."

The woman hugged her waist briefly, "Today is not a good day, for us to be discovering our balance, is it? Work, mayor of... Dickness... And quite cold. Shall we go indoors?"

Adja jumped to her feet, and kissed the woman's cheek, again, "Chose my shirt for you. My work clothes are festering in the my entranceway."

"The soup is actually nice. Even if you're uninterested in it." Iniya commented as they started walking towards the log shack that was the research centre.

"Good. Made that with you in mind, as well. It should keep warm until after I've left. I'm not just a horny git."

Iniya grabbed her hand, "I appreciate it. I'm not..."

"My plan was to eat you. Tis okay. You weren't misreading my absolute horniness." Adja grinned without a trace of shame. "But... We don't have that long. So it's just a present. Though... You're allowed to say no. We can cuddle and be romantic for the ten minutes I have, instead."

"No, Adi!" Iniya moaned, "Now, I have to choose? They're both what it is, that I want."

"Mmm... Wanna make you cum. Especially after Mayor Dickness called you a witch." Adja said stiffly. "My proof that I love my entirely rational scientist."

As they stepped inside, and dumped shoes before walking onto the bearskin rug, Iniya commenting quietly, "Well... Not entirely rational? I have things I believe without... Total proof."

"I believe that the sun will rise tomorrow. Despite that not being guaranteed." Adja shrugged, trying to steer away from that particular conversation. She was not nearly deep enough in this relationship to explain she was an actual, verifiable, witch. Or what the difference between a witch and Wiccan was.

Even if it felt that deep.

She added to the distraction, by lifting up her jumper and revealing the slimming black shirt. Sleeves buttoned neatly in place around her wrists, and the waist tucked into her mostly clean jeans, apart from the ankles, but she had walked here.

Iniya stammered for a moment, flushing and carefully putting down her soup, "I... Wow... Uh... I was trying to say... Um... Wow..."

She walked up and hooked her hands around the back of Iniya's neck. "Even if you were Wiccan, full on, I really wouldn't give a damn. Well, maybe if you killed chickens and didn't eat them afterwards. But... Religion isn't going to get between us. Only evil mayors."

"He made me so... Angry." Iniya winced, not quite buying into the moment, "But... This is important, Adi. Something... I need to admit."

Adja looked at her with concern, "Okay. I'm listening."

"I... Shouldn't go to Paul's." Iniya looked utterly ashamed, "He knows and tries to discourage me. Water things down, trying not to embarass me..."

"Oh." She said in shock. "Gotta say... Did not see that coming."

"D-dealbreaker?"

Adja kissed her hard and fast, tongue going straight in. As she found the other woman's, she dropped to slow and teasing. Hugging them together with as much gentle and tender as she could. One hand moving down to rest just above the waist, the other holding where it had been against the back of the woman's neck.

Her tongue prickled at the barest taste of spice, proving that Iniya really had tasted the soup, softly followed by the subtelest hint of cauliflower.

She lost herself in the moment. The birds chirping and calling lightly in the trees outside. The whistle and smell of the gusts from the beach that rolled across the island. The hum of the nearby electric heater fighting nature and failing.

It took a minute for Iniya to melt into it, as surprised by Adja's acceptance, as she had been to find out that her girlfriend was an addict. A couple date ideas involving her vines evaporated, and she wondered what the hell to do with the wine fermenting in her basement.

A complicated conversation, for later.

She also should probably have an awkward conversation with Paul. Whole island socialised at his bar, but all that temptation would burn. Neither he, nor Iniya, deserved to take a hit because of it. Some kind of alcohol-free zone, that was still fun for all the adults...? Not Adja's area of expertise.

Publicly drawing her girlfriend onto a dancefloor in front of everyone, after that particular town hall meeting where not one person stood up for last night's lesbian couple, did not sound like fun.

Public anything didn't sound fun.

Adja broke the kiss, looking at Iniya sadly, who was not reflecting the same chaotic storm of emotions. The woman's eyes flashed from deep and loving straight to terrified, as she saw Adja. "Please tell me that were not goodbye."

"No." Adja shook her head, "I... Was trying to make you feel, what ya did. It's... I just realised we can't do... That kind of kiss... In the town square, right now. Bastards are... Unsafe. Backwards fucking -"

"Ah." Iniya said knowingly and kissed her forehead, "I am afraid I agree. But if we still have a moment, might we raise our middle fingers at their misinformed opinions?"

She grinned, "Yes! Love, not being pissed off. That's what it should be about. Love."

"You... Do love me, do you not?" Iniya said with a little amazement, "Flaws and all."

Adja sank to her knees, kissing briefly at the hidden bellybutton as she went by, "Flaws and all. And... Well... I'm bad at this, Iniya. Too fast, too soon. I probably feel more than I should."

"I do... The same." Iniya shivered, goosebumps popping on her skin.

She played around for a moment or two, fumbling at the button on the pants, on purpose. Tingles running through her cold fingers in anticipation of what was coming. She wanted, but didn't dare, to look up at Iniya with a cute sort of face. Problem was, that wasn't really a skill in her wheelhouse.

Attempting to take a full ten seconds to slide the zipper down completely failed. The thing was only eight centimeters long, there's only so much that you can stretch out a moment. Especially with cold and shaking hands.

Iniya helped to get her jeans over her hips, before Adja tore them down to the ground. Followed by both of them laughing as they utterly failed to get the tight things off the woman's ankles.

Adja took advantage of the interlude to drag Iniya over to her office seat, sitting her down in it, before spreading her legs wide and sitting over the other woman and kissing her hungrily, again.

This time, there was no hesitance before Iniya kissed her back, just as fiercely. This time, Adja was on the receiving end of a tongue probing her mouth, and it caused a very deep stirring warmth that made her sit straight down, instinctively.

She ground the front of herself against the other woman, taking short and sharp breaths through her nose. Feeling her cheeks and neck flushing, as she wanted more and more of the woman underneath her.

The zipper of her jeans was in just the right place for her clit, as she dry-humped herself against her perfect and selfless girlfriend. A woman whose courage showed no end. From speaking out at the town meeting, to admitting she had a tainted history.

Iniya's hands moved down her back hesitantly. Moving and pausing, creeping down little by little until they froze at her hips. She could feel the anxiety, wanting to grab her, feel her, but being terrified of taking the least liberty.

She leaned their noses together and took several gulping breaths, "Squeeze my ass or tits. Worst case, I tell you to stop. Best case, I cum. I'm your girl, now."

"Oh my." Iniya shivered, and her hands moved to ever-so-delicately cup her lower cheeks, even as the kiss resumed. Like the touch of a faery, so very easy to miss.

"Iniya, do you know you have a balloo..."

Adja shot her head around, glaring at the doctor standing in the doorway to the log cabin. Marie-Anne's jaw was somewhere on the floor, as she looked at the two women in front of her in utter disbelief.

She groaned in annoyance and slid back off her girlfriend, and subconsciously touched her hair.

Iniya took several deep and ragged breaths, before flushing red and asking, "Uh... What brings you by, doctor?"

"We... Had an... Appointment?" Anne-Marie cringed and looked like she wanted to get a brain enema.

The scientist blinked twice, "I... Do not recall that. Oh! Oh, for pity's sake. Now, I do. Darn it! I am so sorry, Anne-Marie. And also sorry that you came all this way to help and... Well, now you know why Jonathan was being such a bastard, this morning."

Adja didn't bother trying to fight the jeans back on, passing them to her girlfriend and kissing her forehead, "Well, you've got some doctoring to... Do? Happen? Something. This is awkward and I only had about twenty minutes, anyways. I need to head back to the farm."

"Oh, god." Anne-Marie flinched, "I am so sorry, you two. I should have knocked or... Something."

Adja shrugged, "I'll be back at lunch, Iniya. Mmm... I've got an idea for some wraps I wanna try out. So don't fill up too much on the soup. Doctor, you're fine. My check up is in a couple days, right?"

"Right."

"Adi!" Iniya said quickly, and stood up, "Anne-Marie is checking my liver, amongst other things."

"Good idea, considering last night." Adja shrugged, "It's sweet that you want to share, Iniya. The trust really is appreciated, but I really wasn't kidding about not having much time. Doc, you can blame her three Sunsets on me."

"Not... Really." Iniya shook her head, guiltily.

Anne-Marie sighed, "So, I take it that you've discussed your history, then, Iniya?"

"No, we have not. I simply told her, and then... That turned into... What it was that you interrupted." The woman decided to sit down again, and start struggling back into her pants, to reduce the awkwardness a little.

Adja shrugged, "It does raise some concerns for me, but mostly about being sensitive. Like, I've got a mini-winery. I have no idea what to do with that. Locking it would be a bad idea, make it more of a temptation. And probably just make everything harder for both of us. But, we can talk about that later, after I've escaped from the doctor who only just found out I'm bi."

Anne-Marie glanced back and forth between them, "I am going to die of cuteness overload. Um... We could reschedule this, Iniya."

"There doesn't seem to be a need. Just let me say goodbye... To my girlfriend." The scientist walked over to her, and kissed her. Adja felt a brief teasing at her teeth, and then Iniya pulled back and grinned. "Lunch?"

"Yes." Adja grinned and pecked her nose, before turning and half-running from the awkwardness building in the room.

---

She made it down about three of the annoying steps on the mountain before her ears popped and she had another heart attack. The goblin didn't even seem to notice, just grinning at her, "Miss Wit-"

Adja instantly crouched and clapped a hand over Dixon's mouth, shaking her head and glancing back to the log cabin. He nodded slowly, and then the two of them resumed walking down the dirt path.

The impatient and impulsive creature actually managed to make it all the way to the bottom before bursting out, "I know I said I went to get you a present... And I really meant to! It's just that when I got back over there I ran into... Doesn't matter. Um... Things aren't exactly peaceful, back home, Miss Witch. Things are... Really, really bad."

She rubbed her eyes with exhaustion, "Well, fuck me. Can anything else screw with my fucking day!?"

"Uh... Don't you have, like, a girlfriend?"

"Yes. I was not speaking literally. It was figurative." She said tightly, "Sorry. I forget how literal your people can be. It was insensitive of me. So, Master Goblin, how are you adding to the ruins of this shitty day?"

He almost tripped as he stared at the ground, and his ears pulled back nervously. "Please, don't hate me? I don't deserve to be cursed! I'm just telling you what I found out. I can't be to blame for it!"

"When have I ever cursed anyone? Well, apart from chicken jokes." Adja rolled her eyes. "Dix. This is me, that we're talking about. I might get upset and curse machinery, but the guy who fixes those damned things for me, that's another thing entirely. So... What's happening on the other side of the Veil?"

"You've never technically damned anything. I don't even know if I can go to hell. I mean, my great-uncle claims he has some kind of backdoor that..." Dixon trailed off as he saw her look and swallowed, "Uh... Right. The Veil. Are you really sure that you're not going to blame me?"

"Human's have limited patience, and it's a lot less than a goblin's." She reminded him.

Dixon nodded, and didn't seem to get the tone, "Well, I went back across the Veil to find you a present. You see, I had this idea that I could make things up to you if I made it rain for a couple days. That's actually really easy to do, just need to toss up some magic powder into the atmosphere, with the right electrical charge. Not a lot different than cloud seeding, except it actually works and isn't going to kill anyone with misunderstood science."

Adja thought through the scraps she had left in her fridge. She knew she had some wraps there, that was the easy part. The hard part was thinking through something balanced that she could make, that Iniya would like. Having no more yoghurt was a serious buzzkill, on that front.

"I get that you humans think that you've figured out cloud seeding, but half of you still seem like you're in denial about the whole climate change thing, so I really doubt you have a real grasp of all the little things that messing about with the weather can really do." Dixon continued, "I mean, my family has been doing it for ten generations, and Zurin still gets annoyed at me, every time she discovers that I've made it rain to help out your crops."

She knew she still had potatoes and carrots. They were a decent base for the entire universe of food. But for what was she going to put with them, she'd need to check the plants in her fields.

"Zurin is downright furious, right now, too. It's not just me that's worried!" The goblin delved back into his ever present land of anxiety.

Fields that really didn't need any more magical rain to go with all the water that was already suffocating the roots. The pump breaking down had really screwed everything over, the fucking thing. Not that she really blamed Dixon for the lightning.

"Zurin is always so scary when she gets in a mood. She really makes you remember that she's a serious Fey, you know? I mean, goblins are Fey, and some of us are serious, but we're not serious fey. We just like being helpful and keeping things together. Working out how things work."

He might be the literal cause of her pump dying. However, Adja really didn't blame him at all. She was used to things from the less normal parts of her life exploding into chaos at just the worst possible moments. That was how it was, to be born a witch.

"Apparently Zurin was scrying on me, when I was talking to you. She does that a lot! I don't like it, but you try telling a flame spirit that you think she needs to respect your privacy..." Dixon hesitated, glancing around anxiously, "Not that... I think Zurin is a bad person or anything... She's not! But, when she was scrying, she also noticed that your mayor kinda had a... Glow? To him."

Adja winced, "Oh, god. Please... I don't need his acting out to be magically related..."

"Sorry." Dixon stared at the ground, before taking a deep and calming breath, "He um... He found a locket on the beach. Gave it to his secretary."

She blinked, and thought back quickly, "Astrid had a new necklace... Oh shit. A locket? In the shape of a heart. There's not really a lot of those that are actually... Magic."

"It's a djinn's prison." Dixon kicked a pinecone, looking absolutely defeated.

"Fuck. There goes my day." Adja groaned and rubbed at her face, "Well... Um... Thanks. I suppose instead of fixing my pump, or trying to save the rest of my harvest, I'm off to steal something cute from Astrid."

Dixon disappeared with a pop, instantly.

---

Astrid was only really the mayor's secretary, on technicality.

For all intents and purposes, the perpetually-exhausted blonde was the mayor. She was the one that made most of Jonathan's crazy ideas into reality. She was also usually the one who decided if they'd fail or succeed.