Welldark B1 Ch. 03

Nobody asked the browsing and decisively calm Esther what had been up with her this morning. I thought I had it figured out and wanted to keep the surprise, Willt wasn't built to confront somebody he barely knew that way, and Arlethia, despite her poking fun at me, was being a wonderful wingwoman at the moment.

"We forgot to buy washing detergent," I said when back in the kitchen, having put on the machine anyway. "Not exactly important for the first wash, just pointing it out." All I wanted was to get the industry out of my new clothes, they weren't actually dirty.

"Right," Willt got a word out, much quieter than he would have been when he was just with us. "We'll get that then. We're heading back into the city, right?"

Those words caused Esther to push her Ashod into its portable shape and pick up her tricorne. "If you do, I will accompany you," the raven-haired woman stated. After a moment, she added, "If you do not mind."

"We don't mind at all!" My answer was a bit too eager. Her asking to come along by her own accord meant that she was still interested in some capacity. This was the best opportunity I would have to get things back on track. All I needed was to try and get her to talk to me some more.

And try I did. The entire way to the city. With limited success. The train ride was the worst part. The four of us stuck in a relatively small room together felt quite awkward, at least for me. Willt was still inside his shell and kept quiet, while Esther remained disinterested in prolonging any conversation topic for whatever reason. That led to me and Arlethia dominating the talks, which, while entertaining, wasn't the goal.

I was somewhat confused about how difficult a time I seemed to have to keep Esther entertained. She clearly didn't mind talking, not even in front of hundreds of people. Did I imagine all of the chemistry I felt yesterday or was she just a woman of even fewer words than I initially thought? I wanted to say all evidence pointed to the latter. Telling myself I was boring her would have been a hefty dent in my eagerness to carry on.

Once we arrived at the city, she suddenly turned to me and asked, "Karitas, did you already have your uniform restored?" I quickly confirmed with a nod. "Would you show me where?"

That simple question reinvigorated my hope completely. This was info she could get in three minutes with her Ashod, yet she wanted me to guide her there. 'Alright, we'll just continue to assume she is interested until she explodes in my face again,'' I thought, seeing no value in further doubt. "It would be my pleasure," I bowed dramatically and all four of us proceeded in the direction of the mall.

While I would never earnestly complain about my friends, their presence was quickly turning into a hindrance. I needed to divert my attention between Esther and them. One because they were my friends and it just kind of happened that I included them in many of the topics and two because I would have looked like a dick if I just ignored them because Esther was around. Willt's shyness certainly didn't help.

Arlethia was quick to prove her worth as a wingwoman once more. "Let's split up," she announced, when we barely had sat foot inside the building. "We're going to get that detergent. You go take care of the uniform business." Winking in my direction with a cute mixture of mischief and gracefulness, as if bestowing me with a gift, she added, "We'll meet again here."

I couldn't have asked for a better set-up.

Either she missed the obvious signal or she didn't care, either way Esther nodded and our group separated into two pairs. Conveniently, the tailor and the supermarket were in opposite directions. We had only walked for about twenty seconds when the Ashod on my belt vibrated. Checking it cautiously, I read the message.

Arlethia: In case you need an excuse later, we got halted by some advertisers. Don't wait for us :P

Hastily, I wrote back.

Karitas: I owe you!

My Ashod wandered back into the slot on my belt, not giving Esther the opportunity to accidentally read it. It was just the two of us now and there was a wealth of places to explore with her. If there was any time to repair the damage from this morning, it was now.

I had to engage in a few white lies in order to make all of this look natural. We exchanged her uniform for a new one and then went back to the agreed spot. After a couple of minutes, I checked my Ashod again, faked a surprised noise, and broke the 'situation' to Esther. "I see," was her simple response. "Would they be annoyed if we carried on without them?"

"They'll survive," I jokingly responded, happy this little play worked as intended. Would it have been better if I had just been upfront with her? Perhaps. Certainly on a moral level. As the wisest men had been saying for generations, however, all was allowed in love and war.

Taking control of the situation, I put an arm around her shoulder and picked a direction to walk into. With only a minimal amount of initial resistance, she came along with me. The separation of our two couples had been a success. Now my task was to make this date entertaining.

"Do you want to go anywhere?" That was the first base I needed to cover. Knowing what I did about her, it would only cause frustration if I kept her from something she needed to do, no matter how fun the alternative may have been. We had taken care of her uniform, but I doubted that was the only thing she had wanted to go to the city for.

"I require a number of things," Esther's answer was as measured as always. I almost didn't hear her words over the seductive tone of her voice. That may have been a load of nonsense, but as I listened to the smooth, melodic tones that her lips so effortlessly formed, it was doubtlessly true. Somehow, I made out the essentials. "...Primarily, I require food for the coming days and clothes for sport. Flexible items for athletics, and swimwear."

Nodding, I showed my enthusiastic agreement. "Good idea, I should get some swimming trunks too," I said, a bit stilted. My mind was too eagerly imagining the possibility of seeing her try on swimsuits. I had already revealed to her that I was more than a bit interested in her body, so I decided to show that I had a practical mindset as well. "I suggest we do the clothes shopping first - that shop is closer," I changed direction and Esther, relying on me to find things, fluidly pulled along. I still got to keep my arm around her shoulder, which was a boon in and of itself. "We should buy the groceries last, in case you buy something that needs cooling ASAP."

"ASAP?" Esther asked, raising a finely swung eyebrow. "Explain to me the meaning of those letters."

'Huh... she must have done very little chatting in her life?' It fit with the image I had of her so far. Still, that was one of the most common acronyms. To not even know that spoke to a peculiar kind of sheltering (or isolation). "It means 'as soon as possible'," I told her in a casual, friendly tone. A better friend, I would have teased.

"Ah," she made her understanding known. Amber eyes wandered from me to the clothing store appearing before us. "It appears you order things well, good Karitas." She looked back to me, as our steps quickened in the approach of our first goal, "You're attentive."

"Only if I like someone," I joked, taking my arm off her shoulder and hastily walking a few steps ahead. The automatic doors of the shop slid open, while I made an inviting gesture, "After you, my lady." My most charming smile accompanied those words. It was the usual 'gentlemanly' ploy of getting to look at her round butt as she went ahead.

It worked like a charm. Esther followed the invitation without a word, a tiny smile showing on her gorgeous face. I followed afterI had gotten all of the rearview I conceivably could in such a short timeframe. Only when we were both inside, orienting ourselves, did she continue the conversation, "It has been a while since I was addressed with that title - yesterday aside."

"My lady?" I asked, just to be sure. That particular kind of addressing a woman had gotten somewhat out of fashion due to overuse. Admittedly, I could get away with it because I wasn't an exceedingly 'nice guy' with body issues.

"Indeed," she answered while reading a store sign that laid out what could be found on which floor. "Even those that called me a lady seldomly stood with me..." She pulled her shoulders back.

Her voice went quieter with each word and then she ceased talking altogether. Whatever she just recalled must have been highly unpleasant or even painful. In an odd way, I was happy about that. Even alluding to something like that was a sign of growing trust, even if she didn't share the details. I decided my best course of action was to keep quiet and just stand close. Closer than a stranger, closer than a regular friend even. I had to keep walking the tightrope between making my intentions known and not pushing her further than she wanted to be pushed.

I managed and my reward was almost a tiny gesture. Compared to the amount of body contact we had managed to have in the span of less than 48 hours, it seemed almost insignificant. She simply raised her hand and rested it on my arm for a moment. "You are an unusual one, Karitas," Esther said, her tone neutral, and her hand retreating after a little tap. Nevertheless, it felt like a compliment. Firmly, she added, "Let us continue, time is finite."

"You have more of it than I do," I dared to joke, trying to relax the situation a bit.

"As a resource, you are technically correct," Esther responded fluidly. Given how hard it was to keep her talking, I was satisfied with that. "Treating my Artefact's abilities as anything more than an advantage in battle would be inaccurate, however. I merely meddle with the relative truth of time when it comes to my location in the flow. I cannot stop time. Neither can I actually travel through it."

"That would be a bit much anyway," I closed my eyes, concentrated for a moment and then opened them again. Between my fingers I held a flower that could be seen as a rose. It had no thorns, but the way its many petals layered reminded of that beautiful flower. The flower was made from silver, the surfaces a midnight blue under which sparkling dots shone like starlight. Jagged and smooth, the petals looked like polished glass. "I'm able to create things, sure," I said and ran a finger along the edge of the petals to show that they were soft, "but what I create is flawed, temporary, needs to remain close to me, and obvious in its origin." I offered the rose to Esther, who took it without hesitation.

She inspected my creation. In all the expected ways, at first. Turning it in her fingers, touching the petals, checking how it looked against the light, she tested its attributes. She smelled it and lightly tilted her head. Without oil to evaporate and create any pleasant fragrance, there was nothing to sense. Then, she fluidly ripped off one of the petals and held it between two fingers.

Isolated, the shard-like piece quickly dissipated, scattering into a bunch of particles that glowed like silver embers, before dimming into nothing.

"Hey, now I won't get that Astral Capacity back!" I complained with a good spirited smile on my lips.

Esther gave me a glance that I couldn't quite read. Perhaps she was reprimanding me for interrupting her experiments. I did notice that she also bowed her head a little bit, however. This raven-haired beauty seemed insistent on always standing as straight as possible for a humanoid with a spine. It was downright impossible for that to be a random gesture.

As we stepped onto an escalator, she handed the rose back to me. Once in my hand, the flower quickly lost its and then faded from existence, without any further visual effects. I had drawn all the power it still had back into me and left nothing to fizzle out. When it was gone, we had arrived on the next floor.

The swimwear area happened to be closer than the general sportswear area, so we went there first. Since we both needed things and shops had male and female sortiments separated, we decided to split for the moment. I did suggest that we meet again at the dressing area, to which she simply responded: "Alright."

Within two or three minutes, I had picked out basic swimming trunks and was headed to the cabin for testing. I wasn't all that concerned with the design, basic black was all that I needed, but the level of tightness was vital. I was, with no false shame, well-endowed. This was a boost for my ego, but came with its own set of problems. Having short girlfriends was actually difficult for me. A piece of porn logic was that women like having their wombs squashed by a large cock. I could personally attest that this was not the case - quite the opposite. Only a certain few species, usually of the short and stacked variety, had evolved with the possibility of being that deeply penetrated in mind. Everyone else, well, I had lost a sexual relationship to being too well hung. I was still happy with my size, but I would have been content if it was smaller as well. Just not too small. There was quite a gracious window in which dick sizes were actually adequate.

When it came to clothing (and sportswear in particular) there was also a set of issues. Trunks too tight could lead to a very uncomfortable general experience. If they were too loose, however, the constant dangling would get in the way of basically everything. Hydrodynamic efficiency was a lesser concern than the horrors of jogging, but it was still a concern.

Taking the quickly chosen article to a cubicle, I pulled the curtain to the side and then stripped down completely. Once naked, I put the swimwear on. I did all of that without care or shame. I wasn't an exhibitionist, but I also didn't care whatsoever about being seen naked. If it hadn't been for aforementioned dangling, skinny-dipping would have likely been my go to.

I looked at myself in the mirror and was pretty pleased with what I saw. Through a steady workout routine and body care, I had created a body I was happy to inhabit. Hairless from below the head and chiseled, I could call myself attractive in every physical sense without flattering myself. I wasn't inspecting myself for my self-esteem, however. I had a healthy dose of that. No, my goal was to make certain that I was able to impress Esther and every woman that looked in my direction.

After nodding to myself, I stepped out of the cubicle. Esther was standing there, waiting and quickly turning towards the sound of the opening curtain. Whether she had known I was in there or had been waiting in general, I didn't know. It hardly mattered anyway. "What do you think?" I asked, gesturing at myself.

If the tall woman of my wants was surprised, she hid it well. Not a single muscle in her face moved, but she flushed just a tiny bit red. Surprise was uncertain, but I got clear displays of another emotion.

A fang, clearly sharper than on a regular human, pulled on the left side of her lower lip as she bit it softly and took an audible breath. As she exhaled, she leaned ever so slightly forwards. I could feel her mustering gaze travel down my chest, my arms, my abs and further down still. Letting her objectify me for a minute was fine by me. Visuals were an important part of attraction, no matter how much people tried to convince themselves otherwise.

When it came to looking manly, I would say I was the middle of the road. I had a body that was neither slim nor broad. I wasn't extremely tall, but neither was I short by any measure. My face was neither overly masculine nor was it androgynous. To say I was bland looking because I didn't go to any extreme would have been dreadfully wrong, however.

White hair and blue eyes were a rare and eye-catching combination. My skin, on the paler side of things but still of a healthy complexion, stretched smoothly over shifting muscles. I had the body of an athlete and for once Esther couldn't stop staring at ME. Validation for the many hours I spent training every week.

Finally, Esther realized how blatantly and quietly she had been staring and cleared her throat. "Your aesthetics are rather..." she stopped for a moment, her gaze naturally drawn to a bulge that I could, honestly, do nothing about, "...enticing."

Already in, essentially, my underwear, I could be a bit more aggressive than usual. Using the stunning effect I had on her, I bridged the little distance between us with a few firm steps and placed my hands on her hips. Only her clothes were between us now. "You can do more than just look."

Her one free hand, the other holding her own swimwear, took that offer instinctively. Once more, her hand was on my upper arm, this time squeezing my biceps testing the firmness. All girls I had been with in the past, that one crazy aside, would have stopped there and told me to change again. Esther kept going. Her hand explored my shoulder, neck and went down my chest.

Needless to say I was also more than a bit flushed at this point. Excitement stirred within me, knowing that at the very least my physical interest in her was mirrored. I leaned towards her. Kissing her lips was off-limits, I barely managed to reason that much. When I bowed down to her neck and tasted her sweet aroma, Esther had a single reaction.

She moaned.

Not softly, not quietly, just one clear, sexually charged exhale to be heard clearly for everyone in this segment of the store. I was ready to push her against the wall and take this as far as was decent in public. Admittedly, we were at least two steps beyond that already, but my mental facilities were confusing common social standards with the parts of Hell were succubae made up the majority of the population.

Esther was more grounded. The hand that had very slowly been brushing down my abs now became a firmly pushing force and I backed off. As little mind I paid to social standards, I did respect the boundaries of potential partners.. "I..." the raven-haired woman swallowed, "...I have to ask that we cease here. Your advances make me feel... pleasant. However, this is too daring. There are new experiences here that I will need time to think about."

On one hand, the phrase 'time to think about' was raw poison, in my experience. On the other, I had successfully pushed her to the border of where she was comfortable with me at this time. Backing off now and trying again later was the proper strategy. I didn't want to just bully her into a relationship. Not that Esther struck me as the kind of woman I even could bully into doing anything for me.

"Alright," I stated, noting that her hand lingered on my chest after she stopped pushing me. I definitely had gotten this back on the right track. "I don't want to force you into anything you don't enjoy."

"Your assertiveness is welcome, somehow. As stated, you are an odd one, Karitas." The blunt statement put things into perspective and reinforced my current joy with the situation. She touched the spot of her neck where my lips had rested, just above the red collar of her shirt. "This was the first time a man's lips touched me. A privilege you claimed forcefully, yet I do not feel annoyed in the slightest."

"I mean, there clearly is something between u- wait, first time?" My brain needed a moment to process the implication of this. Doing something as harmless as kissing skin was something usually done at a much earlier point in life and preceded, either directly or in simple chronological order, a much more depraved act. It took several more seconds for the logical chain to come to its conclusion.

Esther was a virgin.

And the immediate question that rose to my mind was: 'How?' Were eyes a rare commodity in this world? Did everyone have theirs closed? Statistically speaking, mine were open wider than most, but her being gorgeous wasn't the kind of observation that required deeper knowledge about the machinations of the universe and the Dimensional Truth. Just being an average man (or lesbian leaning woman) with a sex drive would be enough.