Chapter 97: 97: Stories of Earth

Catherine

I wandered into the women’s common room within Ryn’s tree at some time near midnight, having spent all afternoon planting various hormone producing vegetation. Not only that, but we also had a few test samples for the basic painkillers that Professor Rivas had designed.

It was kind of funny really, but in an odd turn of events it seemed that herbal medicine would be a legit thing. Not that it hadn’t been in the past, but there was a difference between a tea that could help with headaches and ibuprofen. One would soothe it, the other would nuke that malevolent fuckstain back into the hole that it came from. I had opinions on headaches.

The nice and neat arrangement of furniture had long since been abandoned. Now there were sofas, armchairs, coffee tables, desks, and all sorts all strewn randomly across the room. It was kind of nice really, it gave the place a lived-in feeling.

Ryn was already there, asleep on top of Grace on one of the couches off to the side. Grace was idly browsing through her phone, the harsh light of the screen illuminating the otherwise dark corner they had set up camp in.

Kelsey and Melody were nowhere to be seen, and since their door was closed I assumed they had already gone to bed.

Grace looked up when I came in and gave me a little wave before going back to her phone. Choosing not to disturb them, I grabbed the book I’d been reading over the past few days and shuffled off into another nook on the other side of the large room. I liked my privacy when I was reading, and it felt like it would be a massive invasion of theirs if I were to go sit with them.

The book I was reading was an older one about some assassin dude who reunited with his prince best friend after years. It was one of those stories that had that wow moment where the previously mediocre main character reveals their true power. Cliche, I know, but I was a sucker for the trope.

The dude was just learning how to use his special shadow powers when the sofa shifted underneath me. I glanced up to find Mer had dumped herself into the opposite corner.

Almost instantly, my eyes basked in the sight of her. She wore loose fitting slacks and a crop top, and that was it. Her abs were on full display and it was hard not to gawk.

Then I noticed her inhuman features. Soft, short and silky fur lined her sides and what I could see of her back. Intellectually I knew that the fur covered most of her body, leaving only her stomach, breasts, groin, and inner thighs exposed.

Right then though, I wasn't thinking with all that much intelligence. Instead, my crotch had gained a heartbeat. Oh god, she was so impressively gorgeous. Especially with her large horns that sprang from her forehead and curved upward before dipping down to almost meet behind her head.

"Long time no see," she winked. "That's the phrase, right?"

She was speaking in english, albeit with an accent. All the obrec were getting reasonably fluent, their alien minds uniquely suited to learning languages. The accent just made my problems worse, because it was a really hot accent.

"That's the phrase, yes," I said quietly, trying to keep my eyes on hers. That proved to be a problem too, since they were seriously deep and intriguing ones. 

Her smile made me feel like she'd just trailed a feather up the inside of one of my thighs. “What are you reading?” she asked, motioning down to the book that had fallen unceremoniously into my lap when she’d arrived.

“Oh, just a fantasy novel,” I shrugged, placing my bookmark carefully back between its aging paper pages.

Her curiosity wasn’t dampened by my shrug, and she shuffled softly across the sofa and reached for the book. Before her hand touched it though, she stopped and looked up at me. “May I?”

“Um, yeah,” I nodded, feeling far too muddled and tongue tied to say no, even if I’d wanted to. She always had this effect on me. The moment she came near, it was like my powers of speech up and went on vacation.

She stared at the stylised silhouette of a hooded assassin on the cover with raised eyebrows, then flipped it over to look at the blurb. A moment later and the book was carefully deposited back in my lap and she was giving me a wry smile. “I should learn how to read english properly. I cannot read more than a few words on the back of that. What does it say?”

I felt a smile pull at my lips and I ducked my head slightly out of shyness. “It’s… yes. I mean, uh… that writing on the back describes the general plot of the book. It’s called a blurb and it’s meant to sell the book. I mean, because back on earth we had um… yeah. It’s a story, a made up one… um, fiction. People write them and then sell them as entertainment and… yeah.”

She gave an amused chuckle, reaching out with a hand to touch my shoulder. “I am familiar with the concept, Catherine. No need to worry.”

Hearing her say my new name sent spikes of red hot euphoria up my spine that in turn disturbed several butterflies within my stomach. I had to carefully school my features to keep her from seeing just how much the name and her touch had affected me.

I must have said something, because she gave a nod and withdrew the hand. “Yes, it is a thriving industry within the Empire of Ghraiga. I’m afraid that what you have seen thus far of the ring is… well, a barbaric backwater by many standards. Even the great halls of my people pale in comparison to what lies to the east.”

“Really?” I asked, forgetting my shyness for a moment as the chance for more ringworld lore caught my attention. “How so? So far everything has been fairly impressive.”

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“Well, you know of the bigots to the north, along with the valley and its squabbling, petty kingdoms. To the east though, that is where the true cultures and empires of the region reside,” she explained as I leaned in.

“I want to see it all, it seems so amazing,” I sighed, flopping sideways so my face was partly smooshed against the couch. Getting even more comfy, I pulled my legs up and tucked them under myself, giving her a sheepish smile in the process. “Sorry if that’s like… weird or whatever. It’s just that our world was so boring and mundane compared to the ring. That book I just put down? It would be considered less fantastical and outlandish than the ring actually is. I’m living in a storybook and it’s a constant source of amazement.”

She gave a little chuckle and copied my position, leaving only a foot and a half of space between our faces. My eyes flicked to her hooves and the way she curled them like I would my toes. It was really cute.

“I would say the same if I were in your world,” she said with a smile. “What little I have seen of Avonside, plus what you have told me… now that seems fantastical.”

My heart fluttered as I watched her huge brown eyes looking into mine, and for a moment I forgot what she’d said. “Y-yeah,” I said, eyes turning downcast. “It was a utopia compared to most of the ring. It had so many problems… but they pale in comparison to the wars and disease that ravage this land on a daily basis.”

“You did get something rather amazing out of this savage world of ours though,” she said, reaching out towards me.

Her hand hovered next to my cheek for a few moments, as though she were trying to decide if she should touch me or not. I think my heart had stopped, or was it my breathing? Probably both.

She apparently decided against touching my cheek, but her smile didn’t waver. She must have seen a question in my eyes though, because she clarified, “You had not given permission. We may be immersed in your culture, but in mine… well it wouldn’t be appropriate.”

“I swear you’ve touched me before,” I frowned, confused now and maybe a little disappointed. “You touched my shoulder!”

“That’s different,” she laughed. “I’m not going to attempt to explain why. It would get awkward, and I am quite enjoying myself in this moment.”

“Oh…” I mumbled, feeling myself blush again. Quick! Change the subject… uh, what had we been talking about? Oh right! “Ah… um, I… yes. This new body, magic… it’s more than I could have hoped for. I like it.”

“I can tell,” she said gently, shifting slightly so that her long fluffy ear wasn’t crushed against the back of the sofa. “Tell me something. Tell me about a random event or interesting fact from your world. Something I won’t have heard.”

I blinked, surprised by her request. Why did she care? I mean I guess it was interesting but, that’s about it.

“U-um,” I mumbled, diving into my mental bin of useless knowledge. “Oh! I know! Back on earth, scientists built a huge circular tunnel under the earth. Can you guess why?”

Her eyebrows rose, but she humoured me, “To hit themselves in the back of the head with an echo?”

A giggle bubbled up and out of me and I shook my head. “Nope, but that’s a pretty funny thought. No, they did it so they could smash tiny particles of matter together at massive speeds. Just to see what happens. Well, and to write it down and think about it a bit.”

Mer let out another one of her funny little chuckles and rolled her eyes in amusement. With a teasing tone dancing through her voice, she commented, “This is what happens when you give people too much safety, eh? They go looking for dramatic explosions.”

“Yeah,” I nodded, trying and failing to keep a straight face. “Defin—“ I didn’t get to finish the word because a massive, eye watering yawn rushed out of me.

“Time to go to sleep, eh?” she said, before stifling a yawn of her own. “Yup, definitely time to sleep. I have a hard day of running and training humans to use swords.”

“You’re helping Troy?” I asked in surprise.

She winced and raised her hand to wiggle it in a so-so gesture. “Attempting to, my dear Cat, attempting to. Unfortunately, I am much more proficient with heavier and less… artful methods of combat.”

“You do like maces,” I agreed, not moving an inch despite the recent agreement about bedtime.

“I really like maces,” she said with a crinkle-eyed smile. “But we can talk about that tomorrow. For now, let us retire before we both fall asleep where we sit.”

QuietValerie

That's all again for now, going to do a run of Trouble chapters. Won't be too long before I'm writing this again though don't worry.

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