Everyone turned toward her, but nobody was surprised by the snarky remark. It was well known that Angin’s greatest life pleasure lay in teasing her daughter. That very daughter scowled in irritation.
“Those who aren’t willing to help should just be quiet.”
This made the mother snicker again, but she didn’t proffer anything further. I spoke next.
“Is that all you needed me for?”
“No. Everyone, let’s take a break. I need to talk to him.”
This also wasn’t unusual, and Geola’s higher officials left their seats, exiting the tent temporarily. Crali addressed me when they were gone.
“Ocateir is requesting some more vaccines. About a hundred. Can you get them for us?”
“No problem. Same price as usual. One gold each.”
I started charging them for it since the second delivery because it wasn’t free for me either.
“You’re totally ripping us off, aren’t you?”
“That’s how expensive they are inside the domes. Aren’t you the one who said people’s lives were priceless?”
“You’re so annoying. Everyone’s so bothersome today. Argh, I want to quit this job!”
Angin took this opportunity to speak.
“Tila. Do you want to rule Geola?”
“Sure.”
“You’re hired. Crali, you’re fired.”
She said this with a laugh while her daughter looked horrified.
“Mom! What are you saying? You’re crazy!”
“You just said you didn’t want to do it.”
“I was joking! You’d give the position to a stranger, someone coming from inside the domes too? That’s ridiculous!”
“What’s ridiculous is how you handle your work.”
“That’s because you never help me!”
“Pathetic.”
It was the usual banter between them and I patiently waited until they were done. As soon as there was a lull in the argument, I inserted myself in between them.
“So, when do I start the job?”
Crali became all red and shouted at me.
“You be quiet! Ugh, I can’t take this anymore! I’m out!”
She left the tent, leaving me alone with Angin, who was still lying down on the sofa. It was the first time we were together without anyone else and I had no idea what to talk about. To be precise, it was usually better to leave people who were in “vacation” mode alone if possible, at least until they sought to interact with you. This came from my personal experience.
Instead, I admired her slumped form. She was slim but with curves in all the right places, her dotted orange fur looking shiny and healthy. Her long tail was lazily resting next to her butt in a similar fashion to the rest of her body. Her small triangular ears were standing up on her head, looking like they would feel good to caress. I vaguely wondered how it would be to have an intimate encounter with someone like her, even though this probably wasn’t something recommended to try.
When my thought reached that point, her nose moved slightly and she glanced my way.
“I can smell your lust from here, young man.”
This startled me. I had no idea such a thing was possible.
“Forgive me, my Lady. I had no bad intention.”
“I don’t mind. I’m more curious about it. Are there other species than humans in the domes?”
“There aren’t.”
“You’ve only seen others of your species your whole life, yet you feel lust for another species? Isn’t that odd?”
“I’m the open-minded type.”
This made her smile.
“Indeed. What did you feel when you saw other species for the first time?”
“Shocked, and amazed.”
“What about when you entered Geola’s delight for the first time?”
“…Do I need to answer that?”
“No, I’m simply curious.”
“Well… I felt excited and aroused.”
“How interesting. You were looking at my ears, weren’t you? Are you interested in them?”
“I am.”
“You can touch them since you answered me trustfully.”
This sounded like a trap but I didn’t feel any such intentions coming from her. It felt more like an older person indulging a child, or something in that vein.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Then… Thank you.”
I came closer until I was right in front of the sofa. From that distance, I smelled her pleasant smell, raw and powerful but also soft and sweet. I extended my hand toward her head and touched her ears. The sensation was as satisfying as I imagined, a mix of softness and warmth, together with the hardness of her skin under it. I wasn’t sure how to caress them correctly and just moved my hand randomly, enjoying the feeling while it lasted. Angin watched me doing my thing expressionlessly, seemingly not bothered by a stranger like me touching her.
“What the heck are you doing!”
We were interrupted by a cry from Crali, who had come back inside the tent. She watched us, shocked. Her face morphed into pure anger and she suddenly took her rapier out of its scabbard.
“Die!”
She rushed me, thrusting her weapon filled with sel at me without hesitation. As expected of a wind sorceress, her attack was swift and precise. I wasn’t worried in the least, though, considering she was lower ranked than me and wouldn’t be able to pierce my spatial shield, but still prepared myself to avoid her strike.
This proved unnecessary. Angin stood up, extended a finger toward the tip of the blade, and blocked the assault effortlessly. With a simple shove, she pushed her daughter in the other direction, forcing her several steps back.
“What are you doing, Mom!”
“I should be the one asking this. Didn’t I always tell you to keep your head cool and think before acting?”
“But he was touching you!”
“So what?”
“How could you let him do that?”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“You can’t let strangers approach you! It’s wrong!”
There was a moment of pause before Angin answered.
“Hmm… I’m indeed a bit dissatisfied.”
Her daughter nodded as if her point finally came across while Angin looked back at me.
“Tila, you’re terrible at caressing felines. Here, let me show you.”
She took my hand in hers and placed it again on her head. There, she moved it in a specific manner, caressing her ear fur in one direction, followed by another, switching the movements and force depending on the location.
Crali watched us, dumbfounded, her mouth open in a stupor at the scene in front of her.