Radiance Ch. 22

Chapter 22: Local Government.

Riss fidgeted in her seat as she watched Runs eating the bowl of stew that he had been given by Ven, it was obvious that he was still utterly perplexed by this whole idea of friendly non-humans but he was doing his best not to show them any fear as they had been kind to him but she could smell it on him easily, it was a rather bitter taste that hung in the air around him and it disturbed her slightly.

She wanted him to be happy and comfortable around them, around her.

Just like Gregory and Seven were, there was no taste of fear around those two when they were near their claws, if anything there was a much more spicy smell that she had come to realise was arousal and it was a most pleasant taste that seemed to sparkle and dance on her tongue when she was lucky enough to get close enough to snag a little taste of it.

Oh, how she wanted to have that flavour dancing on her tongue all the time, to not only be able to pluck it out of the air but to actually taste the source, to be able to coat those sensitive scent receptors in her tongue in it and overload her senses, to taste the human oils coating her tongue and have them spin her head into a whirlpool of blissful fog.

"Thank you for the meal and your kindness in preparing it for me, you are very generous" Runs said suddenly, snapping Riss out of her happy daydream as he handing the bowl back to Ven when he was finished.

"Glad you enjoyed it, I think I'm getting the hang of this cooking lark, pretty novel thing for us claws to eat cooked food as we usually eat it raw, but there is something to be said for the human method," Ven said happily as he took the bowl.

"Not the only human method you claws seem to enjoy now is it?' Wisp said playfully teasing the big male claw who chuckled at her words before drawing Gregory up into his lap and hugging him tightly against his broad chest.

"Not even close," he said nipping Gregory's ear and making him blush slightly as he squirmed a little in his big claw's grasp before conceding defeat and letting him nibble away happily.

"F-Forgive my ignorance, but can a creature like you can love a person?" Runs said making Riss baulk at his words but before Ven could open his mouth to respond Gregory got there first.

"Don't you dare call my proud claw boy a creature!!" he snapped so sharply it made them all jump, Ven included.

"I-I-I apologise I meant not to offend, I just do not know words to use," Runs said both apologetically and by the thickening taste in the air around him, fearfully.

Ven gently stroked the side of his human's face seeming to calm him down, "I'm sorry Runs I did not mean to yell at you I know you didn't mean to insult my beautiful claw but hearing him referred to as a creature boils my blood, he is not a creature he is a person just like you or me, he thinks, he feels, he loves and he hurts just like any human, so to me, he is no different from us so he should be treated no differently to any of us, this beautiful male right here showed me exactly what true loves feels like, what true acceptance looks like and what true happiness actually is" Gregory said.

Runs looked amazed by this, "But you are a man and he is a man?' he said more curiously than accusingly.

Gregory smiled at him brightly, "Good eyes, yes he is a man and a very beautiful one at that, plus yes I am a man as well, does that mean I can not love a man or that a man cannot love me? If you believe not then why not?" Gregory asked obviously feeling confident in the arms of his loving claw boy.

Runs looked conflicted here and Riss could see it, that's when Seven decided to wade in, "Let me ask you something Runs, do you think the fact that their love is a bad thing?" he asked.

"Well I umm don't know, I did not know a man can love a man" Runs said.

"Well then let ask you this, do you think a man should love a woman?" Seven asked.

"Well this is what I taught so yes," he said and Seven nodded.

"Well then Visa here is a woman and a whole lot of woman at that, so is it wrong that I love her and she loves me?" Seven asked and Runs looked up at Visa who was sat leaning against the desk looking out of the window but glancing back and forth between them.

"Well I umm yes I guess but she is not a human," he said questioningly and Seven nodded.

"Yes correct she is not and do you know what I realised, it doesn't matter, it was hard for me to comprehend what I was feeling at first and yes it scared me, I mean look at her, she'd huge and built like a walking talking tank, she's an apex predator and here I am a little squishy human, why the hell would she even look at me and in essence why would I look at her, we are so completely different, right? But what I realised is it doesn't matter, so what if she's a different species, she thinks as I do, feels like I do, so other than the skin there is no difference, that's when I realised what my heart was screaming at me, no one can tell the heart what it wants and in the end, the heart always wins, so I took the plunge and let it guide me and lo and behold her heart was telling her the same thing, I have never felt like this and I have been happier, I love this incredible, proud, strong and amazing woman, so human or not it doesn't matter, love is love and it doesn't matter what shape, size, gender or even species the pair are, just look at them two right there, a male human and a male claw and they would utterly die for one another, they utterly adore one another so does anyone have the right to tell either of them that their love is wrong? The simple answer is no" Seven said gesturing to Gregory and Ven.

Runs seemed to think about this deeply, Riss actually found her heart beating rapidly in her chest as she began to worry about his answer, she could not deny to herself that she thought he was utterly beautiful because she did, his rich red skin was a pure treat for her eyes and she found it incredibly hard to tear them from him, it still made her hate herself in a way given what humans had put her through, but after spending time with Seven and Gregory and even Wisp she had really had her eyes opened to what humans really could be and she was silently praying that he would be like them and not like the ones who had hurt her.

"Well I can see you is not bad, Visa is not bad, Ven is not bad, Gregory and you are not bad even though you is white men, I was taught white men are all bad and will hurt and steal from us, but you risked your lives to save me, you free me, protect me and feed me so I must open my mind and spirit to see what the world really is," he said.

"Good and that is an enlightened attitude and I think you are starting to see that we are not so different, yes we might look different i mean look at this scaled Goddess standing right here, she couldn't be any different from me if she tried but its those differences that I utterly adore, she has horns i can stroke and kiss, she has scales I can revel in, she has a lush tail that i can lift to get at the treasures hidden underneath and she has muscles that make mine look like they are made from clay, she could snap me in half with a single squeeze of those carved thighs, she touches me like I'm made of glass, she would never ever hurt me, I can feel safe in her arms because she loves me and its the same for her, with me she feels safe and loved because she knows that I would never hurt her either emotionally or physically and don't believe for a second that I couldn't because I could, but instead I would die to ensure that no one ever ever harms a single scale on her beautiful body" Seven said lifting a little bust made of black marble off the table and crushing it to dust with his Telekinisis to prove a point.

Visa slunk up behind him and hoisted him up off his feet and turning him so she could kiss him deeply, "You got that right my beautiful little human" she said.

"Which part?" he asked.

"Every word of it, you are my male and I am your female and that's all the matters to me, no matter the threat we face or the road we walk we will do so side by side, together as one, as we should be," she said with a deep growl in her voice that spoke as many volumes as her words did as it was obvious she utterly adored him and worshipped the very air he breathed.

Runs looked between them and then he took a deep breath and nodded, "You is right, love is not wrong, you should not be ashamed to love, love is a good thing, possibly the only good thing we have, my dad always taught me and my sister to protect love, so you is right, love is love and it is most beautiful gift that the spirits give to us, so we should be happy and grateful that they choose to bless us with another soul to cherish, whatever they look like" he said.

"It makes me happy to hear to say that because at the end of the day what difference does it really make to anyone whose arms it is wrapped around you and hold you at night? What does it matter to anyone else whose body you crave or who you crave to share yours with? I am at my happiest when I am laid naked in the arms of my big claw girl listening to her heart beating after sharing myself with her in the most beautiful way and I'll be damned if I am ever made to feel ashamed about it because at the end of the day does it really matter if you choose to snuggle up with a human, a claw or a robogirl, or even a human loving Nightstalker girl at night because at the end of the day love is blind, its, as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder" Seven said causing Runs to shoot a somewhat surprised look at Riss.

"Human loving?" he asked with a surprising note in his voice.

Riss took a deep breath and then she nodded, "Yessss I am attracted to human malesssss, thisss issss my curssse, I wassss tortured and hurt by humanssss, they did vile experimentsss upon me and for a great long time I hated them with every fibre of my ssssoul and in truth, I sssstill hate them for it, but I have realisssed that not all humanssss are bad, there are good humanssss like these here, humanssss who do not ssssee otherssss who are different from them assss monssssterssss to be dessstroyed or feared, but assss people like themsssselvesss, it issss a human-like thissss that I sssseek becausssse to my sssshame I cannot help but find the form of human malesssss assss beautiful" she said with her heart beating in her throat.

Runs looked her up and down with those soft milky brown eyes that made her heart flutter, "You should not feel shame for this, I guess that even spirits cannot help what their hearts desire" he said making her heart flutter again.

"I have ssssaid I am not a sssspirit, I am flesssh and blood just like you, here feel I am asss real as you are," Riss said offering him her hand for him to touch.

Runs looked nervous but he steeled himself and reached out and placed his shaking hand on hers, she just stayed as still as she could despite the fact she was shaking inside, but it seemed that as soon as he felt her soft fur his curiosity got the better of him, though she had to admit she was a little ashamed of her fur which wasn't as clean as she would have liked as she hadn't had chance to bathe but fortunately as it went it didn't seem to bother him.

He ran his hands all over her arm running his wonderful dexterous and nimble fingers through her fur sending an explosion of tingles right up her arm and into her core, it was so intense it made her tail begin to rattle and to her dismay Runs jumped back in alarm his eyes going wide with fear and surprise.

This made her heart lurch in fear she desperately didn't want him to be frightened of her, "I'm ssssorry I did not mean to sssscare you, m-m-my tail doessss that when I am either angry or happy" she said apologetically which seemed to calm him down a little but then he hung his head looking ashamed.

"I-I'm sorry I angered you I did not mean to," he said softly making Riss's heart lurch in fear again and she lunged forwards grabbing his shoulders making him jump and his eyes widen into dinner plates as well as his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish as he looked at her in fear.

"I am not angry! Pleassse do not think I am angry with you!!" she exclaimed hurriedly and Runs looked even more surprised and obviously did know what to do.

"R-Riss y-y-you is hurting me" he stammered a little fearfully making Riss's heart lurch once more.

Suddenly Seven appeared next to them and very gently pried the confused and startled looking Runs from her near-death grip on his shoulders as she'd utterly frozen up.

"Easy big girl," he said as he noticed she was shaking as the very real fear that she had hurt Runs and scared the pretty human boy hit her.

Then he turned to the confused Runs and smiled at him softly, "You'll have to forgive her Runs she's really not used to dealing with humans, she didn't mean to scare you and I think she scared herself" he said.

This seemed to calm Runs down and he looked at Riss who was nodding her head agreeing with what Seven was saying, infinitely grateful that Seven was there and that the pretty human mate of Visa was so good at reading non-humans, scarily good at it now she thought at it.

"Here let's try this" Seven said and he reached down and to her utter surprise he lifted her tail and the mere feeling of his human fingers on her sensitive scales sent little bolts of lightning down her tail and made her brain freeze up.

Seven turned and he reached out and taking the rather dumbfounded Runs's hand he placed her tail right in his hands, "There, see now? Nothing to be frightened of, here just stoke it a little, look how soft her scales are and if Riss is anything like Visa she'll just love having her tail stroked" Seven said in a voice that was like butter to Riss's ears oh Visa was such a lucky female, she could only imagine what this butter-soft voice must sound like in your ear moaning in pleasure and knowing you are the cause, it must feel divine, that's when she caught herself wondering what Runs's voice would sound like making joyful noises of pleasure and the mere thought sent a powerful shiver up her spine.

Though nowhere near as powerful as the shiver that went up it when Runs actually did what Seven told him to do and ran his hand right up the trunk of her tail and this instantly set her rattle going and Runs froze up.

"Easy there big guy just remember what she said, it rattles when she's either angry or happy, now you know Nightstalkers hence your name, so take a good long look at this pretty girl right here, does she look angry to you?" Seven said and Runs looked up at her with those milky brown eyes that looked so full of questions and emotions that they were practically brimming.

"N-No s-s-shes smiling," he said as she flickered her tongue at him trying her best to give him her best smile without frightening him with her fangs.

"Well there you go, that means she's happy, so just keep stroking, that's right just like that" Seven said as Runs hands began to stroke back and forth along her rail making her rattle dance and play its happy tune.

"And you, humans are not chew toys, we're fragile and sensitive, its easy to hurt one of us if you are too rough with us, we don't like it because it scares us and hurts us, never forget how strong you are and that's alright, a strong girl is a good girl because that can be used to defend us or protect us and you want to do that right?" Seven said making Riss nod in agreement.

"Just look at Visa, she's as strong as they come, she could break me in half without any difficulty, but do you think she'd ever use that on me?" he said pointing at Visa who decided to emphasise her male's point by flexing her huge arms and making her biceps bunch up and showing off how incredibly well-muscled she was.

Riss shook her head, "Exactly, stronger than me yes, rough with me, no and that's the difference, she has all this strength but she's gentle, here let me show you" he said and with that, he moved forwards taking her arm and to her utter shock and surprise, he gently placed it around Runs broad and very solid shoulders.

Her heart was utterly hammering in her chest as she felt the utterly beautiful smoothness of Runs red-tinged skin, the warmth of it seemed to utterly permeate her soul let alone her flesh, she gently cupped the top of his right shoulder being careful with her claws as she did and gently pulling him closer so that his side was against hers letting their thighs touch.

Runs didn't even seem to notice as he was seemingly mesmerised by her tail and he was stroking it gently like it was a puppy or something, then he looked up from her tail and no sooner had their eyes met he broke.

To her pure dismay, she saw the tears beginning to run down his cheeks before he even seemed to notice they were there but when he did he broke down and began to cry, but this time thanks to the closeness that Seven had created between them her instincts knew exactly what to do and with no hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him against her.

"I-I-I is s-s-sorry R-R-Riss but I cannot stop, it hurts so much, I miss my sister so much" Runs sobbed softly.

"Do not be ssssorry Runssss, thisssss pain issss healthy and issss yourssss, you have losssst sssssomeone you love, it issss only natural to hurt like thissss" she said softly and he nodded softly before taking a leap of faith and gently pulling his head in to lean against her chest and it worked he reached in and hugged himself against her letting his heart pour out as his emotions overran his control.

Seven silently headed back over to Visa and climbed into her offered lap letting his big claw girl pull him and wrap him up in her love, Riss wanted this too, her instincts were screaming at her to pull this emotionally fragile and beautiful human male into her own lap and holding him tightly, she didn't feel it was in any way right to make a move on this emotionally fragile man as right now he was experiencing the deepest and intimate of pains that anyone could experience so it did not feel right to confuse his emotions by laying her heart on him like that.

But at the same time, she wanted to be there for him to prove to him that she was not a big scary monster but a living, thinking, feeling beings just like him and how she could be his support both physically and emotionally, then hopefully maybe just maybe he would look at her the way she was hoping he would.

So using a bit of her considerable strength she gently picked him up and placed him in her lap revelling in the feeling of his weight resting on her, then to her utter delight rather than freak out and jumping off her before running for the hills, instead he tightened his grip on her large core and pressed his face into her fur and just let her stoke his long soft fur while he gripped her.

After an hour or so of solid crying Runs ran himself out and to her delight, she felt him fall asleep, it was showing his blooming rust in her, he was letting her see his true vulnerability, he was trusting her to keep him safe and secure while protecting him.

Thats when it hit Riss like a sledgehammer, this was what she had truly been seeking her whole life, someone to trust and who trusts her, someone who opened up to her and showed her themselves and this was Runs as he truly was, he was a strong male, a powerful male and a good male, but he was not a stone, he was an emotional, thinking-feeling being but at the same time he was a man just like Seven.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Seven and Visa looked at each other before smiling at one another as they saw Riss gently lay down holding Runs in her arms as she laid on her back on the large leather sofa, it wasn't long before Riss had joined him in sleep and to Seven's joy, he could hear Riss gently hissing in her sleep.