Floret's Insect Experiences

Our jumbojet lands, and we make our way through the airport to collect our bags, a challenging task when strange lettering covers all signs. Thankfully, Latin letter explanations are also included. The only one of us who can go without the English text is Gloria, who seems quite versed in Arabic despite claiming to be rusty. Apparently, she learned many languages in her time studying to be a language teacher, that being her second choice if Biology didn't work out.

We successfully find our bags, sparing us from having to curse our airline for losing them, and with Gloria's language skills, make it to the hotel easily with a taxi.

I didn't realize it before, but she seems to be quite the traveler, she's in her element, navigating us from A to B. Or perhaps that's just her teacher instincts, herding us like students who would go missing if her attention from us lapsed even for a moment.

"You did book us a fine hotel indeed, Jed," Gloria is the last to get out of the taxi, Jed's waiting for her with an extended hand.

"It's why you keep me around, hotel booker and food burner extraordinaire, that's me." Jed wears cool black sunglasses and a vibrant light-blue flower-printed holiday shirt. Gloria smiles and is about to take his hand.

"Oh, you're much more than that, you give yourself too little credit," Mary laughs.

"Hmph," Gloria slaps Jed's hand aside and gets up herself, her hair's loose vertical bun brushes the cab's roof as she gets out. She drops the slim, top-rimmed sunglasses onto her eyes and struts past him.

Jed's hand brushes over his short blond hair, confused at what just happened.

"Don't worry, Jed, she must just be stressed from the long flight." Mary grins, and her fingers dance over Jed's bare arm as she passes.

"Right... if you say so."

Iris and I look at each other, both of us undoubtedly experiencing a sense of deja vu, feeling like little kids watching their parents not getting along on a trip. I'd almost forgotten about the holiday both of our families made way back when to a cottage on the shore of a lake.

That was still when we used to bathe in the same bathtub and swim without swimwear. We were just kids back then, of course. I wonder if Iris remembers those days, too, when we had fun fishing, building sand castles, exploring the forest, and collecting berries. Every time we'd come back from our exploration trips, we'd find our parents shouting and fighting about a different thing each time: how the campfire was built all wrong, about the order to enter the rowboat, and who had the best food supplies with them.

Perhaps that's why me and Iris spent the whole week basically just the two of us, our kid's instincts making us avoid the troublesome parents.

I didn't realize it at the time, but that was the last joint trip our families did, only a few years later did we move out of Perennial Bloom.

I wonder if that's a part of why my parents wanted to move, apart from my father's job.

...

I hope this trip won't become a repeat of the past...

In the hotel's lobby, the five of us gather at the reception.

"Welcome to Hathor's Sunrise Hotel. Do you have a reservation?" A black-haired woman greets with a charming smile.

"Yes, three rooms, all paid in full, should be under the name Jed Garcia."

"Very good." A brief typing of the keyboard later, "That's correct, three rooms, 2 two-person rooms and 1 one-person room."

"How are we dividing the rooms?" Mary asks.

"Tsk. That's obvious, isn't it?" Gloria says without looking at her. "Me and Jed, Floret, and Iris take the two-person rooms."

"Aww, alright, it was worth a try."

"Yes, I believe that to be most prudent," Iris says in a voice like she's a world-renowned expert on the subject of room distribution. All she needed was glasses on her nose to adjust.

I jab her with my elbow, seeing through her motives.

"Ouch!"

"Very well, here are your keys. Please, have a pleasant stay." The receptionist hands the three keycards to Jed, who then hands Me and Mary ours.

As we begin our climb up the staircase of the hotel, we see the Pyramids in the distance through the large windows. The scenery couldn't be much more different from Perennial Bloom, only if we had traveled somewhere with steep mountain ranges, to shivering glaciers or the ocean depths could come close. A barren desert with ancient structures versus our lush forests and green grass as far as the eye could see.

And still, even here, it's the same sun, setting beyond the horizon, painting the sky in the familiar colors. No matter how far from home, there's always something familiar.

"Are you excited to go there tomorrow?" Gloria asks me; it sounds a bit forced.

"Yeah, sure. I love nothing more than sand and old stone structures." Though, her tone doesn't even compare to my make-believe.

"It's getting late, and I'm deathly tired. Let's discuss tomorrow's plans... tomorrow." Jed drags his feet alongside his wheeled luggage.

"Didn't you sleep most of the plane trip?" Mary wonders.

"Yeah, but still..."

"See you tomorrow," Gloria says, and we divide to find our rooms on the fifth floor.

Iris and I find our room, it's rather large, with pleasant dark-red walls and tapestries depicting ancient Egyptian gods hanging on them. There is also a TV stand with an old television, because what hotel room would be complete without one? The TV faces the lavish queen bed, which looks heavenly right about now.

Oh, right... it's a two-person room. Of course, it'd have a queen bed.

Iris dashes to the window, decorated with two silky sky-blue curtains.

"Aww... No pyramids."

Our room is on the wrong side, and we just have a street view, along with the walls and balconies of other hotels facing us.

"That's too bad. I'm sure we'll get to see enough of them tomorrow."

I roll my luggage next to the bed and throw myself onto the sheets, letting out a big sigh.

Iris follows suit, flinging onto her side of the bed.

"I didn't mention it before, but... thanks for coming to get me. It gave me the courage to stand up to my dad, to... take the leap."

"I'm glad I could help." I stare at the ceiling, the lights are too blinding to look at directly. "So... after the trip... are you going to-?"

"Let's not talk about this now... I just wanted to thank you, for that, and for asking me to come."

"Of course, why wouldn't I ask my best friend to join me?"

"Right, why wouldn't you..."

"Anyway, I'm gonna take a shower before bed." Floret gets up.

Iris sits up.

"Alone."

Iris smacks herself back on the bed.

"I think I'll shower in the morning..."

***

Floret gets up, walks into the bathroom fully clothed, and locks the door. The sound of running water starts soon enough.

What am I doing here? Of course, I want to spend time with my "best friend" but...

One moment I'm accepting of our current relationship, and the next I'm trying to act on my desires, disrespecting our boundaries...

Asking for Floret's used panties, or suggesting to shower with her isn't suddenly going to change anything. Even if she was desperate enough for touch and affection, it'd just be... sex, her love for me has to come from herself...

Though, it doesn't mean I can't try and help her realize those feelings.

Iris gets up from the bed, opens her large travel suitcase, and finds a small plastic bag. Hidden inside it, her secret stash for desperate measures. Lace string panties, garter belts, thin see-through stockings, and a fishnet bra with a lace finish.

Floret is still in the shower, she would have plenty of time to slip into this alluring outfit, dim the lights, and lay on her side, wait for Floret to come out.

But, as much as Iris fantasizes about the scenario, she can't see a single realistic outcome that'd result in anything else than her feeling embarrassed for trying something like this.

Floret is probably really tired too... I mean, I'm as well, I just got a second wind from this plan...

Perhaps, for now, words are better than drastic actions.

I will wait, I will bide my time for the opportune moment to strike.

To make her see the truth, make her... mine.

Iris takes out a loose nightshirt and comfortable panties she used at night, switches into them, and tucks into her side of the bed. Listening to the sound of falling rain in the small room, picturing Floret's naked body ruffling her hair full of shampoo, slathering each nook and cranny of her body with soap, washing it away by running her hands along her curves. How in the steamy shower her cheeks get red from the heat, how the water runs over her body...

Then Floret would turn around, act surprised, giggle into her hand, and ask if she wanted to join her.

Iris awakes from her shallow sleep to Floret opening the bathroom door.

"Ah, that was great, I feel so clean again." Floret comes out with her clothes on her arms, wearing nothing but a towel. She looks at Iris. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Yeah, but it's fine."

"Sorry..." Floret yawns in a large motion. "I'll join you soon enough."

She puts her clothes on the floor and sits on the bed. She leans over its side, holding a small slip of paper in her hands. Floret stares at it unnaturally intently.

"What is that?" Iris asks.

"Oh, it's... have you thought about what you're going to do tomorrow?"

"Me? I thought

we

'd do something before the Pyramid tour?"

"I'm sorry, Iris, but there's something I've gotta do first. Alone."

Alone...?

"You can't tell me?"

"I... No... I promise we'll still get to spend time together on this vacation after."

"Okay. Do what you've got to do." Iris crosses her hands underneath her head.

"You know, this isn't a real two-person bed, it's just two single beds pushed together. If you'd like, we can separate them for the night."

"No, it's fine. Don't misunderstand, I do still trust you, Iris." Floret says with a voice sounding angelic, but Iris is not sure if she's the devil instead as she throws her towel onto the backrest of a chair, and tucks in to sleep naked.

"O-oh... right. Thanks."

***

Me and Iris wake up early like we had agreed with the others and make our way downstairs. We've changed our usual attires to our holiday selection.

Iris wears a fetching deep v-neck cut dress, which consists of two separate cloths, which intersect on her chest and are then fastened at her waist with a cloth strip of the same material and pattern. The base color is white, with stripes of deep blue, going along the direction of the fabric. The split hem extends a bit below her knees, the dress was perhaps designed for somebody a bit taller or more endowed, but it still suited her well and she'd managed to wrap it around her modest curves.

Meanwhile, I also wear stripes, but my dress is looser, widening below the chest, funneling down into a delightfully freeing and loose dress. The hem is narrow enough that even if I'd spin, it wouldn't climb all the way up even if it did billow. The light green stripes go straight down along the dress, narrow and numerous, unlike Iris' angled stripes. Another difference between our outfits is that my dress' white base color is rather just white stripes due to the spacing and the v-neck cut is more moderate than Iris', stopping right before my breasts. The long hem goes all the way to my calves, and its stripes are vertical instead of horizontal.

I consider it to be my best dress, if only for the fact that it has no floral patterns.

We meet up with the others for breakfast. The buffet is quite a traditional hotel breakfast with lots of salad and fresh fruits, bread that looks local and different than I'm used to, and marmalade to go with it. Coffee, juice, tea, lots of different sorts of treats, cookies, and pastries, there's a lot to choose from. I'm glad I'm not allergic to anything, as Gloria has to ask around for the ingredients, but at least she's well suited to it.

We all sit down with our abundant offerings around one round table.

"So, what do you have planned?" Mary jams up a steaming slice of toast. "Your mandatory archaeological studies tour of the Pyramids is in the afternoon, so there's still plenty of time." She looks at me and Iris.

"Certainly you won't stay cooped up in your hotel room?"

"Well, I thought we could have toured the place and found some restaurants and souvenirs with Floret, but apparently she's got something better to do..." Iris says and stabs a knife through a bun with some sort of seeds sprinkled on top.

Gloria and Mary glance at each other knowingly, while Jed looks thoroughly out of the loop.

"Is that so?" Gloria says uninterested without expecting an answer.

"You can look for a restaurant for us to eat at once I'm done with my... business, Iris. I'm sure it won't take too long."

"Alright, but you better tell me what this all was about."

"It's a deal." I offer up a biscuit to Iris, and we crack it in half. She's overjoyed at the gesture as it's another habit from our childhood. We eat our halves of the promise and I direct my attention back to the others.

"What are you going to do today? Are you really not going to join us at the Pyramids?"

"We were thinking of just relaxing and taking in the atmosphere of the city together," Jed answers.

"And even if we joined a public tour, it's not like we'd likely even see you guys there," Gloria adds.

Mary eats the toast slowly, the jam gradually dripping off the tilted toast, she dreamily stares at a wall behind us.

"Mary, what about you?"

"Huh? Oh, me? I... I thought I'd go around the shops, looking for some... well, um, clothes. Yeah." As soon as she gets that awkward explanation out, she seems to tune out from the conversation again.

Me and Iris raise our eyebrows at each other and smile, enjoying our little secret regarding our Nurse's preferences. If her house was anything to go by, she's probably here looking for some special stores relating to her hobby.

We finish eating the lavish and filling breakfast, gather what we need from our rooms, and meet at the lobby.

"Gloria, can you help me get to... where I need to go?" I ask her.

"Are you sure you'll be alright going alone?"

"I'll be fine. I was thinking of taking a taxi there, I just... wanted you to help with the eh- language barrier first."

"Okay. Make sure to take a taxi back as well, alright? And Iris-"

She's already leaving. Our words cause her to look back momentarily and flex a dainty bicep at us like it's supposed to make us less worried.

If anything happens to her because we split up...

No, she'll be okay. Violence for her is more of a first solution than a last resort.

Too bad she's not a part of the Swim Club too, I think she'd get along with Kloe.

Gloria escorts me out of the hotel and hails a cab for me. She talks with the driver holding my note with the address of Jasmine's house.

I really hope she's home...

It's the weekend, right?

If she's traveling somewhere else for the whole duration of our Egypt trip...

I don't even want to think about that.

Coming all the way here... for nothing.

"Alright, I already paid for your trip in advance, good luck, Floret." Gloria smiles and hands me the note. "Be sure to call us if anything comes up, okay?"

"Yeah." Gloria made me save her, Jed's, and Mary's numbers in my phone before she agreed to let me go alone. "Thanks."

She nods and gives me a thumbs-up. "I'm rooting for you." And closes the cab door.

Then I'm off, winding through the at times narrow, then wide streets and the overabundant traffic. The driver doesn't say a thing the whole way, and I mentally prepare myself to have to somehow debate myself out of not having to pay for the trip twice. Scamming and overcharging cab drivers abroad weren't uncommon, especially when you're clearly a tourist who doesn't speak the language or know the customs.

However, as we arrive at the destination, the man just says something I don't understand and nods at me via the rearview mirror. I get out of the taxi, at the front of a tall block of flats made of some sort of smooth stone or concrete, slightly yellow in color and curved and detailed in architecture.

Apparently, their apartment is on the first floor, and luckily their apartment is number four, which I had learned looks basically like a right-facing three in the Hindu-Arabic numeral system.

I venture inside with a strange anticipation in my chest and find the correct door with only the number that I can read.

This is it...

I sigh, let down my shoulders, and knock on the door.

The door opens into a slit just wide enough for a white, tanned man in his forties to see through. He wears sporty clothes and short shorts.

"U-uh, hello." I spout out something, having expected to face Jasmine.

"Who are you?" He scowls cold like the desert nights and looks at me along the bridge of his slender nose.

"I'm uh, Floret. Floret Loisleaf... I'm a friend of Jasmine, is she home?"

"How do you know her?"

His tone and demeanor are making it difficult to maintain eye contact and answer without wavering.

"I'm from Perennial Bloom, I was on the swim team with her."

"Oh!" A big smile dawns on his face as he looks me up and down. "I think she has mentioned you once or twice."

My heart leaps with joy and I cannot hide it on my face, but at least I keep myself from prying further.

"Y-yeah, I came to visit your fair country, and on a whim decided to come say hi to her as a surprise!"

"How wonderful, please, come in!" He opens the door wide and directs me inside with long arms, as I pass him, I notice that his left leg is amputated almost entirely. A robotic-like, prosthetic leg is in its place, with springs around a metal rod and hydraulics on the joints.

"T-thanks!"

"So, are you also making swimming your career? Are you here to ask for tips from Jasmine?"

"It's more of a hobby for me than anything else... I simply couldn't hope to match her impeccable technique and form."

"Ah, you do get it! She does train very diligently, in a few years, we'll see if anyone in the world can match her!"

He leads me to the kitchen where her mother sits, whose skin is a shade darker than Jasmine's.

"Hey, Isla, we've got visitors, it's Jasmine's friend from that flower town!"

"Hi!" I wave feeling a bit shy, I'm here meeting her parents... without her...

"Oh, what a nice surprise! Come on darling, please sit down, we were just about to have a brew!"

"That means coffee, or tea, if you'd like."

"Oh, shush! She knows what I mean!"

"That's very kind of you. But if I may ask, where's Jasmine?"

"Oh, she's up in her room, luv. I'm sure she'll be down in a jiffy." Her mother's accent and way of speaking catches me off guard.

"Well, I can go get her... If that's alright." I suggest.

"No need to trouble yourself so, J-!"

He starts to shout her down but is interrupted by Isla.

"Hazim! Floret clearly has something she wants to talk about with Jasmine first, am I right?" She smiles.

"Y-yeah..."

"See? What would you do without me!" She nods to her husband and gestures for him to sit down. "Go on, Dearie."

Hazim shrugs with a look that he's heard this one before and goes to sit down at the table with Isla.

"Oh, just take the stairs up, second door on the right." Isla smiles and pours tea for herself.

"Right, thanks."

I step up the wooden stairs, along the walls are framed pictures, a black and white pictures of a stadium with athletes running, some sort of more modern class portrait, and a picture of a squad of soldiers. Following the instructions, I find the door to her room, it's closed.

"Hello, it's me Floret," I say while knocking.