ĂsdĂsâs antennae twitched as she ducked her head slightly, avoiding the cowgirlâs friendly gaze. Her cheeks still felt hot, and she regretted horribly bringing up cowgirlâŠ
lactate
. She didnât know what had come over her.
Luckily, Aura didnât seem at all offended. If anything, her host barely seemed to notice ĂsdĂsâs embarrassment. ĂsdĂs kept her attention firmly on her porridge anyways.
To her relief, Aura was happy to fill the silence now. "Your homeland sounds fascinating," she said, leaning over the table to watch ĂsdĂs intently. "I wish I could visit, but Iâm really quite in love with the badlands."
"Mm-hm?" ĂsdĂs nodded, licking her lips and making sure to meet Auraâs gaze while she spoke. Gods, Aura was a wonderful cook. Then again, ĂsdĂs was close to starving. Then again, even starving, she was sure sheâd never tasted anything so delectable and creamy, so subtle in its flavors.
"Oh, and then thereâs my garden." Aura pouted. "It needs to be watered regularly, the poor thing. Always needing to be taken care of. The badlands can really wreak havoc on delicate things." She smiled slyly at ĂsdĂs. "But you know that."
"... Mm-hm!" ĂsdĂs nodded. She ducked her head to conceal her reddening face, and tried to focus on the way Auraâs fingers fidgeted and played along the tableâs surface. Such long, delicate fingers.
"Of course you do!" Aura sounded pleased, and ĂsdĂs squirmed a little. "And I love taking care of my garden, of course. Itâs nice to be needed." The fingers danced, tapped. Aura leaned over slightly.
"Mm-hm?" Auraâs voice was nice to listen to, too, ĂsdĂs reflected. Sweet. Gentle. A little spice of mischief. Creamy and silky...
"Itâs not just about the results," Aura said softly. "Iâve always liked⊠tending to things. And people." Her fingers toyed idly with each other. She reached up briefly to adjust the strap. Her fingers seemed to slide down, crawling along her lovely sky-blue dress, and ĂsdĂs couldn't help but admire her full, gorgeous figureâthose massive, round breasts catching the rosy light and positively shining, the deep shadows of her cleavage... "I have the su⊠the sunset strawberries, of course, but I also grow a few annual plants. Some flowers, a vegetable or twoâŠ"
Idly, ĂsdĂs wondered if Aura really grew enough food to sustain herself out here, much less always have porridge ready for visitors. But the porridge tasted good, and she was so hungry, and sheâd already been talking a lot. It felt nice to just listen to Auraâs voice as she ate. It seemed a shame to interrupt. "MmâŠ"
"Yes," Aura said with a little giggle, which ĂsdĂs mirrored without thinking, "Itâs very tasty, isnât it? I always have some cereals growing. You just have to know how to manage the seasons, and being this far north, itâs not too difficult, dear."
"Mm-hmâŠ" Auraâs breasts jiggled when she laughed. ĂsdĂs swallowed another addictive spoonful of syrupy porridge, nodding distantly.
"This particular porridge is steppe ricegrass, which I grew last⊠last spring, I should think." Aura put a finger to her lipsâthose luscious magenta-red lips, almost as plump and pillowy as her plump, pillowy, bouncy⊠"And of course, the cake I have in the oven is entirely from what I harvested last month. Thatâs why the garden was so empty, aside from the sucâthe strawberries."
"MmâŠ" ĂsdĂs blinked. Wait, cake? She was curious, but didnât want to interrupt. Had Aura put something in the oven earlier? Where had Aura gotten the eggs to bake?
"Those berries are honestly more for appearance, to be honest." Aura laughed. "After all, theyâre not very good for eating, are they?" ĂsdĂs shook her head, "Not at all, ĂsdĂs. But they look pretty, donât they?" ĂsdĂs nodded. "Thatâs right, ĂsdĂs, they're lovely. And I like to keep pretty things around my home.
"You like pretty things, donât you?"
ĂsdĂs nodded.
"Good girl!"
"Uh-huh." ĂsdĂs wasnât so much listening to the words anymore. She was trying to, but Auraâs voice seemed perfectly designed to send her to sleep, and she was starting to feel fullâthough still awfully thirstyâand drowsy from all the eating. Sheâs basically devoured the second bowlâs contents already.
She wasnât listening to the words. Just the voice, and the emotions the voice carried. They were nice emotions, she thought, watching Aura lean in slightly, watching the tits bounce forward, so barely contained in the pretty blue dress. Kindness. Affection. Playfulness. Expectation. Praise.
It was a nice voice.
"Oh, dear," Aura said softly, and ĂsdĂs gave a slight start as the cowgirl leaned in further - and reached towards her. "Come here, dear, you haveâŠ"
"H-Huh?" ĂsdĂsâs heart suddenly lurched as she realized
she was staring at Auraâs tits
, and she jerked her head upright from the lazy position sheâd taken resting between her palms sheâd slumped intoâwith a dumb, brainless beaming smile, no lessâand looked up with rising mortification into Auraâs pretty hazel eyes.
But as instructed, she instinctively leaned in.
"Good girl," Aura said sweetly, as she took ĂsdĂsâs napkin from her unresisting hand and dabbed at the corner of ĂsdĂsâs mouth with it.
And ĂsdĂs felt her face melt into a volcanic boil as she realized she had been staring, slack-jawed, at Auraâs titsâand a bit of porridge had gotten on her, and Aura was now cleaning her likeâlikeâ
"I-Iâm sorry," she stammered, reaching for the napkin.
"No, dear," Aura cooed, shooing her hand away and continuing to clean ĂsdĂs up, "allow me."
"B-Butâ" ĂsdĂs blinked rapidly, heart racing, barely able to breathe, desperate to recover some dignityâ
"Stay still, sweetie," Aura said sweetly, and ĂsdĂs stopped squirming. After a long moment of ĂsdĂs not quite breathing in new air, the cowgirl pulled back, smiling happily. "Good girl!"
"Th-Thank you," ĂsdĂs mumbled, still blushing brilliantly. She noticed Aura hadnât given her the napkin back, and gulped.
This felt somewhat beyond what a normal host would do for their guest.
But⊠ĂsdĂs had never left her village before. She bit her lip. How could she be sure?
"Anyways," Aura went on, her expression casual, innocent, as if totally oblivious to ĂsdĂsâs mumbling, blushing, squirming state, "my garden
is
worth the trouble, of course."
"I-It is?" ĂsdĂs brushed some hair from her eyes, trying to calm her racing heart.
"Of
course
," Aura purred. "It attracts such
cute
visitors, after all!"
"Mm?" ĂsdĂsâs eyes widened, and she briefly made eye contact with Aura and saw the cowgirl smiling. She felt her face go beet red, and she quickly retreated back down to staring at her meal.
"Of course!" Aura went on, and ĂsdĂs could hear the smugness in her voice, that knowing amusement that made ĂsdĂs squirm. "Though itâs very rare I encounter travelers so bewitchingly
adorable
."
"Mm!" ĂsdĂs protested, squirming under the praise.
But Aura was merciless. "Oh, Iâve met dopterines," she went on silkily, "but I didnât know, oh⊠that their wings could sparkle so prettily."
"Mm!" ĂsdĂs shook her head desperately, stunned. She kept eating, now frantic to have an excuse to not speak.
"Or that their eyes came in such
vivid
colors!"
"Mm-mm!" ĂsdĂs pleaded, swallowing her last spoonful of porridge. She shifted, staring nervously down. She felt about ready to melt into her own porridge bowl.
"Or so
curvy
and
buxom
..."
"
Mmm!
"
"Or that their cheeks could blush
quite
so lovely a shade of sunset."
"Nn!" ĂsdĂsâs voice was positively a whine as she covered her face in her hands.
"Oh? Is something the matter, ĂsdĂs, dear?"
"I-Iâ" ĂsdĂs looked up at Aura, her own eyes wideâAuraâs heavy-lidded beneath thick, fluttering lashes to decorate a sly smile. "I, um. N-No? I meanâthank you, butâwellâ"
"What is it, dear?" Auraâs eyebrows arched. "If something is bothering you, Iâll stop!"
"Nothing," ĂsdĂs whimpered after a long pause. "No. I-Itâs fine."
Auraâs smirk widened, and ĂsdĂs felt like molten putty. She squirmed. Gods, when had she⊠when had she started feeling soâŠ
"Anyways, as I was saying." Aura straightened, and ĂsdĂs forced her eyes away from those breasts. "I adore helping travelers like you! Itâs quite a difficult life, after all. You deserve all the help you can get."
"Y-Yes?" ĂsdĂs swallowed. Her mouth was dry again, and she sorely regretted drinking her second glass of milk so quickly. She was loath to seem greedy by asking for more after sheâd already eaten and drank so much of Auraâs personal supplies.
"Itâs a difficult life, as a traveler, isnât it?" Aura frowned sympathetically. "This journey is a dangerous one for a dopterine on her own."
ĂsdĂs hesitated. Part of her wanted to put on a show and act like no, actually, this was easyâbut she was still too flustered to act tough. So she just nodded.
"Itâs hard, isnât it?" Auraâs voice broke with empathy. She reached forward to pat ĂsdĂsâs hand. "And lonely?"
"A little," ĂsdĂs admitted. She let Aura pat her hand, and even extended dhe rhand a little across the table for easier access. The contact was nice.
"The days in the badlands are just blazing, arenât they? Sweltering." Aura sighed. "Without a shelter, without something to drink⊠it can be deadly."
"Yeah." ĂsdĂs swallowed. "Itâs⊠I-I mean, I know what Iâm doing, but I donât⊠I donât know the badlands as well, MâAura."
"Of course you donât!" Aura stroked ĂsdĂsâs hand, almost like a little...
reward
for ĂsdĂsâs honesty. ĂsdĂs felt little fuzzy pins and needles climbing up her arm at the affectionate touch. "Itâs lucky you found my home, honestly. Donât you agree?"
ĂsdĂs nodded shyly.
"Dear?"
"Yes, Aura." ĂsdĂs bit her lip. "I mean, like⊠like, yeah, I donât know what I was gonna do." Her pride rumbled unhappily at the implication, and she opened her mouth to amend thisâshe would have been
fine
, sheâd been well on her wayâ
But Aura cut her off with more handpetting, more soothing, musical melody words. "Of course you donât, dear! Iâm
so
glad you made it here. Iâm so glad I found you, dear."
"B-But, umâŠ" ĂsdĂs wiped her mouth self-consciously with her sleeve, though sheâd been cleaned up perfectly. "I-I mean, I⊠I couldâve, umâŠ"
"Yes, ĂsdĂs?" Aura smiled down at her. "What is it, dear?"
ĂsdĂs squirmed. Suddenly, staring back into Auraâs pretty hazel eyes, she wasnât so sure of anything.
"Sweetie?" Auraâs eyebrow raised. "Tell me."
"N-Nothing," ĂsdĂs whined, feeling her cheeks blazing. "I-Itâs⊠fine. Youâre⊠youâre right." She ducked her head. "I-IâŠ"
"Youâre glad I found you?" Aura offered sweetly.
ĂsdĂs gulped. "Mm-hm."
"Yes?" Aura giggled. "Was that a âyesâ, dear?"
ĂsdĂs giggled, too, and squirmed. Gods, she was starting to feel⊠Her whole face was probably as red as the sunset as she forced the thought down and moved the bowl into her lap. "Y-Yes," she managed.
"Yes, what?" Auraâs smile was as innocent as sunrain. "Iâm sorry, sweetie, youâll have to speak more clearly."
"I-Iâm glad I found you, MâAura," ĂsdĂs whimpered. Oh, gods, surely Aura had no idea the effect this was having on her. She wanted to bury her face in her hands. She wanted to be thrown into the sea!
"Aw, is that so?" Aura beamed. "Iâm so glad you feel that way!"
ĂsdĂs bit her lip to hold in a little forbidden sound. Despite herself, the tiniest little, "
Yes, Aura,"
escaped her quivering lips.
"Good girl."
ĂsdĂs shivered. Oh⊠oh, those two words⊠why did they make her feel soâŠ
"Aww." Aura put a finger to her lips, as if only half-trying to conceal her smile. "And as hot as the days are, Iâm sure youâve noticed how