What it Takes Pt. 02

Jack was quiet for uncomfortably long after this simple fact had made his life more complicated. His freshly gained girlfriend is actually an alien. There were a ton of romance novels fantasizing about this and yet real life did not conform with such ideas. Eva was still across the table, expression uncertain. Both of them were naked in the hotel room and yet that was a mere fact.

"Say something!" She practically pleaded.

"Just trying to gather my thoughts. I've got... like a million questions now!"

"Well, ask one! Come on... if you're gonna be quiet I can only assume the worst. You don't hate me or anything, do you?"

"For being from the empire? No... just trying to get the size of it. So... you're from over there?"

"Grew up on Athuras, yeah. Mom and Dad are still there." Eva tried to take this bit by bit.

"And you... did it with everyone?"

The attitude towards casual sex of the empire was infamous. Some had sought them out for such particular reasons, yet soon enough they proved that the aliens were not just free whores. Incest and more was downright acceptable to them, but they had a way to work.

"Since I was old enough, yeah... did it with everyone. Mom, dad, sister.... Teachers, friends. Still wasn't romance. Not this."

Jack had an interest in the aliens mostly for the controversial subject. Eventually some notions were at least explained to people who listened. They did not pursue casual sex in ignorance of established relationships, but in respect for them. And in retrospect, she had the attitude. Though it was relatively possible to achieve such a perspective here. The aliens were developing a fan club.

"This is gonna sound a bit offensive, but... you got anything to prove it? I mean... you could just be saying that."

"Nah, I get it. And I do."

Finger held up as her cigarette was put out and the girl walked over to her discarded clothes to fish out something. The boy expected so much more, yet the first glance was disappointing. Eva put on the table something that resembled, felt and very much could be assumed to be a simple button from a coat. Black, plastic and as small as a coin.

"That is a button. Unless it can do something more."

A smile given as she took her seat again and two fingers set on top of the item to... pull it apart. It stretched out until Jack was staring at a phone-sized and shaped lump of black plastic.

"That is a phone. I assume. Okay, is this one of those things you guys have that can just change shape?"

"Yeah, it's a link. Our version of smartphone. Can go small or big. Something to do with quantum storage. I don't know the exact science." A press on it made it light up and... yep, that was something to make all the computers on earth look like they ran on stone age tech. You could run Crysis twice on it. No further need of it for now.

"Why didn't you say this all from the start? We know you guys have a better attitude."

"Sounds like I'd be fishing for attention. But... it's my job." Eva did not hide anything.

"You mentioned that. So you going out to give good guys a bit of casual sex is your job here?"

"Sorta. Part of a conversion effort. Trying to put out good examples, shame the bad... call people out. We got guys and girls everywhere. Mostly girls."

"Just to make sure... you are human, right?" Jack might be only mildly surprised if his girlfriend was a synth.

"Yeah." A chuckle. "Sure, we got these disguise things, but you can FEEL the difference. If we're gonna fuck, people notice. Tan actually have really different skin texture and Zox feel like actual plants. Even Synth feel off to people after too much interaction."

"I'll be honest. You didn't feel off at all. Could swear you grew up here."

"We had a good training regimen. All the culture we need to know to fit in. What people think, what they know. You remember the cake is a lie?"

"That one's practically ancient! And fitting."

"All the single ladies and such others. Took them in well. We actually fit in better than most."

"So... nobody else knows you guys are here?"

Jack was trying to form the picture. Smokes were needed. His girlfriend clearly was so much more. But his interest came more out of wanting to make sure he could help. Clearly this was that stuff down there he could still notice when having sex.

"Governments know. But we try to not clue in the other people. The point is to try and give the idea that people are changing. You guys seem to be holding onto old ideas, so we're trying to lead by good example."

"Be the girl that you want other girls to be. Starve them of simps and such."

She gave a girlish chuckle at his phrase. But that was indeed a point. Women of high demands and low returns have had some fierce competition... and when men find easier work for better pay... they go there. They might keep their word if a relationship was already established, but if they were refused, one had no right to demand they be loyal to one who is not.

"Satisfying. But I do mean it that we hit it off. I spent the last week just going over it thinking I'm just getting some odd feeling... It's not. And if you want me to stop, I will."

"Thank you for saying that... but you don't have to. After all... you fucked a bunch of people before me and behaved. You're not leaving a boyfriend for me or anything, right?"

"Nah. No one hit it off before. I wasn't looking much, tho. Just... wandering around. We have girls here with boyfriends and such back home or around but... we take our promises seriously."

"Damn, so not the first one to seduce an alien either?" Jack was half-joking.

Another laugh from her. There was this grand desire to be special above all else. One did not need to overachieve, just achieve enough.

"Pffft! We had one falling in a week from the start! Nah, but it does not make it any less special. Or you any less special to me. You really are... Guh..." She gestured with no clear idea how to express herself. "Can't really word the entirety of it in just a sentence. You're a good guy I can feel safe with and more."

"And you just said you can't word it all." Jack smiled as the girl contradicted herself.

"Because that's not all!" She teased back. "But I mean it. Really hit me hard. Been going back and forth to make sure it was for real. I wanted you to give me some reason to back off." A sigh. "Then I realized I would just take those things to be challenges to face. And I've been doing this for months."

"Man can feel special that you went through them and found no reason to settle. Too much, too little?"

"Maybe just not what I was looking for... or needed. But, I do mean it. And I'm not some common whore to say next week that a guy got me better. We're sticking with it unless it shows we got it wrong and even then we'll try to work it."

"Uh, just to make sure... we didn't get married or something according to the traditions of your people or anything, right?"

"Oh no, we'd need our parents to come and participate, pee on us as we make love in front of 50 people." Her smile showed it was merely a tease. "Nah, but for real... you have to agree to it, right? It's a contract. What kind of fucking predatory contract has you sign it without knowing?"

"Well, I can name many. But, alright. Just girlfriend and boyfriend. Nice... yay me." Beat. "Uh... so should we keep your situation a secret or...?"

"If you want me to continue working, works best in secret. Kinda loses the idea if people know. I can tell you just about anything, you can talk with the others in my community. Heck, you can join it!"

"Uh, join in doing this sort of thing?"

A breath taken before she had to clarify.

"No, dummy... you sort of officially join the community. Means you want to help out people in there and they help you back. Don't need to... they might help to help me, but... they'd like it more if we both were sorta in."

"Sounds like a cult. Or the mob."

"And we have cameras everywhere back home, and a thousand things you seem to be afraid of on principle! Yeah, it might be... but it's for the good of the people inside. Don't want to leave you all alone out here. And you can leave if you want. I can leave if I want. But I don't want to. The guys actually help." Eva sounded tired of explaining it.

"Alright. Maybe. I'll have to meet the others." Beat. "We're kinda ruining the night."

That made her chuckle again. An honest smile. Then she stood up to give him an uncensored look at her body before stepping closer to plant a kiss on his lips. Light one before stepping back.

"No. We're handling ourselves. This is a relationship. Not just the fun and light feeling of butterflies and cock inside pussy. If we want that, stay friends."

"Well, I made my choice." And he very much enjoyed that kiss. It showed there was no bad blood between them. Just two people sorting out their baskets.

"So did I. Well, we got all night. More questions or go back to cuddling?"

"We could do both, but maybe keep like this for now. How did this start?"

Another cigarette was lit. She was gonna blow through the whole pack at this rate. He was tempted for one as well. If only the place had a minibar. Nowhere open around at this hour.

"After things calmed down we agreed on a sort of return of favor. Ten thousand of our random people would come over here. The trip was a bit more secret. So they show us the real world and such. Not trying to look their best. And not as random because we were offered to sign up. Then they picked from those."

A year ago, such a trip was given to the Earthlings. Most chose to stay after seeing just how utopian the empire was. Many on Earth still complained that they can't just go over there and give up on this planet. The delegates had a royal treatment. These ones... saw the real world.

"I assume it was far from a pleasure trip."

"Ride over here was what we were used to, also the training to blend in. Then we slipped out and had things given to get us started. The uncensored Earth experience, as any other here has it." Beat. "It fucking sucks."

It was Jack's turn to laugh. Compared to that place, this planet might as well be hell.

"How many quit in just a couple of days?"

"Very few. Most of us wanted to show this place it won't break us. But it sure tried to. We started forming our little communities away from the others. A lot more time to settle in. Worked at a fast food place for a while, rented a crap apartment and fucking got nothing unless I sold myself to some guy who wanted to use me. This place makes me feel alone."

"Why not go back home? You can do that, right?" At this point this seemed the simple solution.

"Because it's giving up. Most of us want to prove a point that we can do better, that we aren't coddled babies who never had the real world. So here I am. Settled in, can probably do this for longer. Doesn't mean I don't fucking miss trusting people, decent service and so on."

"Been hard, hasn't it? But you seem to be holding together."

She had to sigh. The conversation felt like a real date. She needed some drinks.

"But this place is taking something from me more and more... or putting stuff in that I don't want to have. Been so fucking frustrated for months. Feels like this place is just full of idiots. To say nothing of what I find on the internet."

"Yeah, internet is not a good place. People really let loose on their stupidity in there."

"And I hear so many stories of people being idiots. Just wondering how the shit can these fuckers function? HOW?! This is why people are alcoholics around here. We barely have the notion of it."

"Sounds a lot better over there. But how did you get with the job of doing this?" Jack steered them back on point. It was fun to stare at her tits, but right now he was giving his girlfriend some time to rant.

"Well, about a month in we got called by one of ours asking if we wanted a job to make the place better. Not everyone took it, but the point was clear. Make it better. I was so angry at this world that I wanted to take it apart piece by piece. So, fuck yeah I'm gonna take a job to basically shame whores and players. And give nice boys and girls a treat."

"Aw... just like santa." It was an unflattering comparison, especially after the celebration was banned in light of last year's events.

"Hey, we work on the idea that good deeds that help the community need to be rewarded. And people who are bastards need to be called out. Because yeah... some guys are a bit off, but guys like you... you're what hope this place has. Maybe we can also educate women." A guilty smile. "We've been doing a lot more that you haven't noticed."

"Up until this point I thought I might never meet an alien unless I go to one of those churches you built here."

"Homes. And they had to move those since people don't want to be seen going in. Seems there's still a bit of hate around."

"Prejudice. They still think casual sex means degeneracy. Yeah, we're trying to get rid of the whole cancel culture idea."

"Well, it can have a use, just do it against people who actually deserve it instead of flailing it at everyone who stops you from being an asshole. But... we're really going on tangents. I could fucking rage for hours about the stupidity of this planet."

"You don't have to pay it mind, you know."

"Yes I DO! Because if people ignore it, they are just gonna think it's fine to do. We gotta fight back!" Her anger was not directed at him. "So that's what we're doing. Canceling these people."

"And what else are you doing?" He remembered that point.

"Bet you saw less and less of those whining videos online. Let's just say those people are having a harder time shouting over the internet and the decent people are getting pushed to the front."

"Sensation sells, and outrage against them usually gets more clicks."

"Yeah, at the expense of my fucking blood pressure! And everyone else's. None of you guys consider the real cost of things. God damn, I wish we just fucking conquered this place!"

By now everyone was aware that one guy made a choice for purge rather than war or abstaining. People were obviously divided on their opinion. Few knew who made the choice.

"Maybe we should let this aside. You can spill it over some beer. A lot of beer. We're too sober for this." Beat. "So, gonna start being all cutesy and stuff from now on? Do I have to send you flowers or such?"

He got a slap on the shoulder... playful but still a sign to cut that off.

"I sure know if you start treating me like some princess I will get upset. But... nice to talk honestly with someone. Apart from the guys. Someone to just... listen. Sometimes I just wanna scream, you know." A shy expression. "I might not look like it, but I am enjoying this."

"And I'm kinda enjoying it as well. You're cute when you're angry at things."

That made her have several expressions mixed together as the girl was a bit miffed, then smiling and then upset at herself because doing so just made her more so. But also it made her feel good that the guy liked her for... herself. He earned another kiss across the table for that.

"Hey, I got no regrets about this."

"I'm a bit troubled on the long term things." Jack was as usual thinking of the future.

"Like what happens when I'm done, if I leave and so on? Relax. Either you're coming with or I guess I'll fucking tolerate this shithole of a planet for you. Maybe leave it in better state than we found it in."

Mutual support. And promise. Might as well get married. But they needed time to make sure it was so.

"Don't know what I'd do over there."

"Same thing you do over here. What, you think I'm some chemical engineer or something? I served coffee over there as well. People need coffee. And links occasionally fuck up."

"Coffee and IT guys. The great needs of the universe."

A laughter was shared. Since the conversation was winding down, it was time to slip into bed to do that cuddling. And their hands were eager to hold the other. Eva rested her head on his chest in eager relaxation. A great place to just let go of the stupid world outside.

"Hey, next time... can we stay at one of our places?" Her words were half-muffled by his chest.

"Well, usually this is done at the guy's place. Or at the girl's after a date. For coffee."

"Eh. Though my place sucks. Cramped. We'd struggle to fit in my bed. But it can work if you want to be touching me constantly." Beat. "Though I'll let you know I can't cook for shit."

"Neither can I. And sounds like my place is better. Double bed and room to move around."

"Mmmmmm. Must have cost a fortune."

"Nah, but it's in the middle of nowhere."

"I almost want to move in just from that description. But... your call."

"We'll see."

A kiss to the top of her head. This moment was one the man had awaited for long. Clearly there would be challenges, but such was a relationship. He only worried about things breaking down. A long moment of silence as neither went to sleep.

"Kinda feel like saying something but I got nothing."

"Don't have to say anything. Just hold me. Mmmm... nice to relax a bit."

"Wish it was friday to not have to go to work tomorrow. Gonna have to head home in the morning."

"Wish we could fucking pick whenever we went to work like back home. And yeah, wanna spend tomorrow doing stuff." There were a million things to miss about Astoria.

"We have the weekend to relax."

And so they decided to spend the weekend over at his place. Sleep would come eventually. Jack still felt like his girlfriend was so much more than any he could see... but at the same time she was just another person. And he could help her. He wanted to. The man was mostly glad to be able to help her. For all her strength, she still needed support. And his lover had real strength, real defiance... and not just bitchiness that masquerades as it. A strong woman would need far less help... but she still needed it. One who is all demands clearly can handle none of those things.

For Eva... there was just a bit of uncertainty and more things she had that the boy did not ask about. There would be time for them later. But he was holding up to her expectations. Those were very simple... a guy to help her out with the world and like her as she is. Maybe some of the other guys did not really like her, but what she offered. Or they did not want to help. They did not have to. But this one seemed supportive from day one and her psyche could catch on it.

Sleep would be very comfy with a lover to hold.

*

One believes the stories of entitled people to be fiction created by other people for internet points. Until they experience such beings. Customer service is a special kind of hell on Earth, often having to deal with people who do not accept anyone right but themselves.

Eva had to hold back the desire for murder as this woman of thirty-five came in and started arguing about why she has to pay an extra 20% because it's saturday. Time for her boss, the almost rotund Frank to step in with his friendly expression to try and de-escalate things while the girl retreated to the back room to put away the tension with a smoke.

She was greeted inside by a much more pleasant woman of such age. Jasmine had a more tanned complexion and full figure that really pleased boys who were in need of a mommy. Her being one and having the attitude helped. Despite the two of them working here they could still enjoy a cup and now there was a moment for them to speak.

"I take it things went well?" There was just a bit of tease in her voice.

Eva had been practically glowing. It was noticeable and got her plenty of comments. Now it was the turn of this woman to give such praise and ask for the story AGAIN. She might almost hate it if it did not let her run over the event of two days ago.