The Girl With Pink Hair: Pt. 02

Both arms of humanity were remarkably unobservant, glossing over the unexpected, pasting in more acceptable narratives to fit. But then that applied to basic techniques for disguise too. The power of obfuscation was less like concealment, and more like an attitude, 'move along, nothing to see here.' Jess couldn't move her cheekbones, but hats worked well for her.

Privately, Elena wondered if people that could sense witchy powers would be at an evolutionary advantage, even if they couldn't actually use those powers. It was interesting that it was concentrated in women. A skill in managing and navigating social groups would have been very handy during Homo's hunter-gatherer phase. Elena brought her speculations up short; any competent anthropologist would pull her lazy assumptions to pieces. Still, it might be interesting to check out some matriarchal societies, get some pointers on how the Folk might operate.

***

In a break in the cleaning ritual, over a cup of tea, Jess taught Elena how it felt when her mind was being tampered with.

"Okay, I'm going to meddle with your feelings and if you say, 'Can You Feel The Force!', I will throttle you, Elena Kowalski!"

Elena looked demure but Jess could feel mischief fizzing in her head. She pushed back on the mischief, damping it down.

Elena's eyes widened. "Fuck me!" she exclaimed. "That is so weird!"

"Okay, Doctor, what was I doing?"

"I was kind of excited and then I could feel myself becoming calmer. Was that you?"

Jess nodded and Elena looked troubled.

"What is it, love?" Jess asked, gently.

"Will I ever be able to trust my feelings again?"

"Remember what I told you, an emotion just dumped into your brain will feel fake. I'll show you in a minute. The most effective manipulation is to heighten or lower existing ones. Take the heat out of a fight or ramp up someone's enjoyment." She stopped at Elena's quirked eyebrow.

"Ramp up the enjoyment?"

"Um, yeah. I could do that." Jess said, defensively, avoiding Elena's gaze.

Elena folded her arms.

Jess rolled her eyes. "Oh, there it is, the severe look. Okay, I admit it, sometimes I try to make it so that we come together."

"Very well, you're forgiven. And now I formally give you permission, which I'm guessing you should have asked for beforehand?"

Jess took a deep breath. "Yes, you're right and I'm sorry. Sort of. Anyway, here's crude mind manipulation 101: get ready, here it comes."

Jess planted anger in Elena and her lover frowned, then laughed and Jess could feel the faux emotion draining away.

"That was even weirder! I suddenly felt angry but there wasn't anything to be angry about! I see what you mean about it feeling fake." She suddenly sobered. "Is that what happened last night? You know, when there was that... thing."

Jess' forehead creased. "I don't know. Nothing like that has ever happened to me before."

"So it's not just because I'm not one of the Folk?"

Jess shook her head. "I've had plenty of sex with Folk and... non-Folk. And by plenty I don't mean I'm an easy lay. That's almost an impossibility for us."

"Non-Folk?" Elena laughed. "That doesn't work! I bet you have some derogatory word for us second-raters. Come on, spill it!"

Heaving a huge sigh and going slightly pink, Jess muttered, "Mundanes. And you're not second-raters, you're the dominant species, remember?"

Her girlfriend hooted with laughter. "Mundanes!" Sobering, Elena chuckled, "I don't mind being your mundane."

***

Dr Kowalski's plus one was still in the bathroom.

"What's taking so long?" shouted Elena. "You've been in there over an hour!"

"Try and put a lid on it, I can't concentrate when your feelings are so loud." Jess retorted.

Elena harrumphed and threw herself on to the sofa. Picking up the iPad, she scrolled through Jess's Twitter feed. So many angry people, shouting at each other.

Some minutes later, Jess emerged from behind the screens. Elena looked up and her jaw dropped. Jess had trained her hair into a set of big ringlets woven into each other on top of her head. A teal-green silk dress hugged her figure, and the neckline revealed a daring amount of cleavage. Her lips were a glossy coral and she'd touched her lashes with a little mascara.

"Is it okay?" said Jess, shyly.

"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," murmured Elena. "It's not a glamour, is it?"

Jess shook her head, "I wanted to be real for you."

Elena's expression was fierce. "Take my arm, Miss Calamar, we are going to a ball. We are going to dance; we are going to schmooze, and I am going to make everyone green with envy. And when we come home, I am going to take you to bed. Any objections?"

Jess looked up at her from beneath her eyelashes and gave the tiniest tilt of her head in acquiescence. Elena's heart swelled with pride.

"Our ride's here. Let's go."

***

Elena tottered down the steps in front of the house in her heels, swearing terribly under her breath.

The taxi driver's eyes widened as he caught sight of them in his mirror and he struggled out of his cab to open the door for them.

"Ladies!" he said, appreciatively.

Jess chuckled and Elena frowned.

His expression faltered. "Just saying!" he mumbled, and coloured.

"Give the poor man a break, love. We're dolled up to the nines and you can't expect him not to notice." Jess slipped her arm round her partner's waist and kissed Elena on the cheek while holding the driver's eyes. "Even if we are off the menu,"              she murmured, archly.

He went even redder and abruptly turned to get back into the driver's seat.

Elena suppressed a snort and elbowed Jess in the ribs. "Behave!" she whispered.

***

Malvern Hall

There were lots of beautiful people already in the hall. Nevertheless, they turned a few heads as they made their way in.

"I wish you wouldn't smile like that," Elena murmured.

"Like what?" Jess whispered back, inclining her head to Elena.

"Like the cat that's got the cream."

Jess' smile grew wider.

After securing drinks, to Elena's great satisfaction, they ran into the Unholy Trinity: Sanjay, Alison and Merry. The three of them stared at Jess with their mouths open.

Elena swept a bow. "Hello, boys and girls. May I introduce my partner, Jessica Calamar.

Gratifyingly, their heads continued to switch between Elena and Jess. Elena watched them with a slight smile for a second or two, then clapped her hands and was immensely pleased when their eyes snapped back to her.

"Oh, Elena!" Merry breathed.

Introductions were made. "Sanjay is studying pure math; Alison is doing organic chemistry and Merry is into astrophysics like me," Elena said.

Merry took her hands and gasped, "She's only fucking gorgeous, you lucky cow!"

Jess put her hand to her mouth, "Are they talking about me, love?"

Allison and Merry clutched each other and squealed; Sanjay sighed. "I must apologise for my companions, Miss Calamar, they are uneducated in the ways of civilised society," he said, and shook his head.

They repaired to a table.

"What do you study, Jess?" asked Alison.

Jess laughed, "I'm not part of your intelligentsia, I'm a waitress." She caught Elena's eye and a little pulse of wry amusement manifested itself in Elena's head. Elena pursed her lips and tried not to laugh.

"Never!" exclaimed Merry.

"Indeed," said Elena, "my girlfriend is what we scientists call 'normal', typical of the vast majority unfamiliar with anti-de Sitter/conformal field theory or the effects of photodissociation at the quantum level." She acknowledged Sanjay and Alison in turn with a nod of the head.

"I love it when she talks dirty," murmured Jess.

"Your hair is phenomenal, Jess!" Alison said, admiring the ringlets in shades of pink through mauve and violet.

Over the course of the next hour, Elena came to appreciate that her girlfriend was at least as smart as their companions, the conversation sprawling over everything from popular culture through science to politics and back, Jess easily holding her own. She relaxed and rested her hand on Jess' shoulder and tried to direct a profound feeling of contentment to her. To her surprise, Jess stiffened and cast a swift glance at her before turning back to engage in the conversation.

"How long have you been together?" Jess asked.

"Over a year, now," Merry replied, glancing at the other two.

"We got a shared house together, near the cemetery. It's lovely and quiet." Sanjay said.

"We can sunbathe topless in the garden!"

"And other things!" The girls looked at each other delightedly.

He put his head in his hands. "I am never going to be able to explain this to my parents."

"We're his guilty secret!" Merry laughed

***

"I don't suppose you dance?" Jess asked as she surveyed the floor where the glittering creatures turned and swayed.

"Not in these heels, no," Elena admitted.

"So take them off."

"Barefoot?"

Jess gestured to the dancefloor. "There's two or three have done the same. And I promise not to tread on your feet."

Elena looked doubtful, there were lots of colleagues and staff present and she was suddenly shy about her new relationship, no matter that they'd walked in arm in arm.

Jess looked at her in amusement. "Having second thoughts?"

Elena groaned. "You can read me like a book, can't you?"

"It's a privilege, takes out a lot of the guesswork."

Aware that Merry was looking between them, Elena sought to deflect her curiosity.

"It's just that, you know, I've not had a girlfriend here."

Merry grinned. "Don't worry. Me and her are quite shameless, and no one turns a hair. It's all part of being a forward thinking institution."

Elena guffawed and Jess looked at her in bafflement.

"Forward looking? This place? It's barely made it out of the 19^th century," Elena said, acidly. "Some of the older professors think that giving women the vote was a mistake,"

"So?" retorted Jess. "You've got your doctorate. Let's rub their noses in it."

"Attagirl!" Alison said, and Sanjay groaned again.

***

To Elena's immense surprise, beyond a few raised eyebrows, Jess' presence as her date caused no earthquakes, no howls of outrage. There were a few chagrined looks from some of the men, some surprising individuals among them. Elena had never realised she was a romantic prospect in the department. Came from having your nose buried in the distant universe she thought. When your eyes are on the stars - specifically galaxies with z>5 she reminded herself - then mundane concerns, she huffed a brief laugh, and Jess raised her eyebrows in query.

Elena took her by the waist and leaned in, her expression impish. "Just thinking 'mundane' thoughts."

Jess stiffened. "Don't bandy it around. It's not considered polite." At Elena's raised eyebrow she looked sheepish. "But yes, some factions do use it in a derogatory way."

Factions, eh? Elena filed that away for future reference. Of course the Folk would have politics and she bet that it would be as tangled and nasty as its mundane counterpart. She wondered if it overlapped and decided that of course it did, even if the mundane side of it didn't realise. But then again, she couldn't be the only one in on the secret.

However, they were dancing, and Elena's eyes drifted up her partner, from her feet through the gentle sway of her hips in the skin-tight teal green dress, to the enticing cleavage between those spectacular breasts, to her ohmigod-ohmigod-ohmigod blue eyes. Jess was so beautiful that it stopped Elena in her tracks. And this was the real Jess.

Jess inspected her for a second, and the corner of her mouth ticked up. "Dance, love."

Elena shook herself, and tried to remember what to do with her hands and feet.

***

Much later they reconvened with the Unholy Trinity. Drinks were procured and they settled at a table.

"It's official. Jess is the Belle of the Ball," Alison said, waving a hand in Jess' direction.

"Why, thank you!" Jess smiled back.

Merry quirked an eyebrow at Elena and Sanjay grinned. Elena blushed.

"Also official, Doctor Kowalski is smitten!" Merry pronounced.

Elena's blush deepened, but she issued no denial. Jess' eyes shone.

Jess turned to Sanjay. "What will you do about your parents?"

His gaze flicked to Alison and Merry across the table, sitting hand in hand, and his jaw firmed. "I consider myself fortunate to share my life with two remarkable women, and it is my intention to continue to do so."

The women in question beamed at him and they all sat a little straighter. Elena had said that it was rumoured Sanjay was descended from Mughal aristocracy, and at that moment Jess could quite believe it. His aura was steely blue determination and it blended perfectly with Alison's playfulness and Merry's optimism, complementary colours of yellow and apple green, all set in the rich gold of their bond.

***

The loft

Late in the evening, after the dance and back at... home, Elena smiled to herself. She already felt more at home here than anywhere she'd lived since she came to college. She'd only met Jess four days ago and now her whole world had been upended.

After yet more love making, they lay deep into a post-coital doze. Jess asked Elena a question that initially didn't register, and Elena struggled to parse what had been said.

"Pardon?"

"Would you like to move in?" Jess asked. "If you want to, you know. I know it's a bit soon."

Elena rolled her head sideways on the pillow to give her lover a sardonic look, "Oh no, let me away to my overcrowded HMO, where my housemates nick the milk and leave the front door open to ne'er-do-wells."

She got to her feet to pace the mezzanine floor. Time to be realistic. "It is a bit soon. What with everything last night and all."

Jess sat forward on the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms around herself. "Yeah, I know. I've just been looking forward to this for so long and now I've got you in my clutches I don't want to let you out of my sight." She paused. "That does sound a bit creepy," she admitted.

Elena gave Jess one of her severe looks and pulled her to her feet. "Let's talk. I could do with a cup of tea. You?"

Jess looked downcast. "Okay. Is it going to be one of your specials?"

"It'll be nice, I promise. Something to make up for putting you down in the dumps."

Jess was quiet after that, feeling that she had overstepped the mark again. She wanted Elena to feel comfortable with her, not to feel, however gently, coerced. Something, it had to be admitted, that the Folk found second nature.

Down in the kitchen, Elena set the kettle to boil and bustled about preparing their drinks. Handing one to Jess she leaned back against the sideboard. Jess sat in a kitchen chair nursing the big china mug with its chai, redolent of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, and thought hard.

"I know it's a lot," she started.

"Oh, you think?"

Jess sighed, "If you want some time to get your head around everything."

Elena interrupted her, "What do you think I've been doing since this morning?" She inspected Jess through the steam rising over her mug. "If I'm honest I'm happier here with you in this place than I have been in an age." There was the slightest curl at the corner of her mouth.

Jess' lips parted with unexpected hope and Elena grinned mischievously. "I think it's worth taking a chance."

Jess's eyes sparkled. "You can sleep in my bed!"

"Where will you sleep?" Elena asked, coyly.

"I'll sleep there too! It is my bed."

"So, we'll be sleeping together?"

"Unless you can think of something better to do..."

"I can think of something better to do." Elena murmured, putting her mug down and bending her head.

"Help! Help! I'm being molested by a throwback!" Jess whispered, as she arched up to accept Elena's embrace.

As they kissed, Elena slid her hands down the front of the sloppy tee shirt Jess slept in and cupped her full firm breasts, her thumbs rubbing the nipples to stiff points. Her nails lightly scratched the skin and Jess's arms came up around her. Elena leaned further forward, and Jess craned up but eventually the position got too contorted for either of them; and they broke apart in giggles.

Jess put her own mug down and pulled Elena round to kneel in front of her. Elena reached up to fondle Jess's breasts. "I may have already told you how much I admire your top shelf."

"You make me sound like a newsagent's!"

"This is better than anything you find there."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

They kissed again, tongues sliding against each other. Then she pulled at the loose collar of the tee until she could bend her head to take a stiff point in her mouth, rolling it with her tongue and nibbling it delicately.

"I don't know why I bother to wear clothes. You're taking them off me every minute!"

Jess's fingers threaded the hair on the back of Elena's head and her breathing started to get deeper, making the soft flesh push against Elena's mouth. Elena's hand dipped to stroke Jess's thigh and her lover started to hum as her legs slipped even wider apart.

Still sucking the nub, her fingers trailed lightly across Jess's mound and Jess moaned.

"Something wrong?" Elena asked, inspecting the areolae, shiny with saliva.

"You're a dreadful tease!"

Jess's hips urged, but Elena carried on lightly stroking, occasionally dipping a finger into the rapidly moistening cleft. She brought the finger to her lips and shuddered with raw desire as she inhaled the aroma of Jess's arousal.

She knelt and picked up one of Jess's feet.

"Not the toes!" Jess whispered, her head back and her hands limp by her sides.

Elena took each digit into her mouth and bathed it with her tongue as her lover's sighs intensified. A couple of their bouts of lovemaking had started from Elena's foot-rub and she'd quickly realised what a soft touch Jess was for having her feet, err... manipulated.

Finishing one foot, she placed it on her shoulder and attended to the other. Once that was in place opposite its partner, she kissed the smooth firm skin of Jess' thigh: slow liquid caresses that tracked upward. Before she reached the summit, she switched sides and repeated the process, kissing and licking.

"Oh, you bitch." Jess's voice trailed off in a long sigh.

Elena allowed her tongue to slip in between the swollen labia. Jess reached under her thighs and held herself open for her lover. Elena rewarded her by licking the tips of those fingers on her way from base to tip, long slow flat strokes, not quite reaching her clit.

Jess's head was rolling from side to side and her chest heaved, making her breasts bounce gently. Elena reached up and took hold of Jess' nipples at the same moment as she nibbled on her clit.

"Oh! Oh! Oh fuck! Oh fuck!" Jess forced out between gasps. Then she was clutching her ankles as she spasmed, the chair clattering on the floorboards as she bucked, Elena carried on rasping her clit, and she came again straight away, kicking her legs out, making Elena grab her thighs defensively.

Her lover let her down then, and Jess lay slumped in the chair while Elena rested her head on her thigh. Finally, her breathing slowed, and she peered down at the grey eyes watching her in amusement.

"You're going to have to allow me to sleep sometime."

"When you settle in for the marathon of a thesis you find that sleep is an optional extra." Elena paused, "There hasn't been any weirdness today. Thank goodness."

"I think that might only happen when I interfere," Jess said softly.

Elena reached out to cup her cheek, "Then perhaps just let things happen naturally?"

***

To be continued