"Allen."
"Mmm?" he mumbled, swatting at the air. "Who is it?"
"Val. It's getting into the afternoon. I suggest you wake up."
"Huh?" Allen opened his eyes, attention landing on the form of Val standing over him, nudging him awake. He squinted, adjusting to the light in the room. "Hey. What time is it?"
He raised his upper body, getting a good look at the clock in order to answer his own question. Noon.
That was one hell of a rest. And before it...
Flopping back into the bed, Allen smiled at the memory. That was not a night he'd soon forget, if ever. Val played his body like a flute until it had no music left to give.
Suddenly being woken up by the beauty looking over him didn't seem so bad. Throwing the covers off, he swung his feet off the bed, finding himself completely naked. Of course, so soon after waking he couldn't give too much effort to caring other than a blush in front of Val. She smirked at seeing his cheeks redden.
"You do know I've seen it all before. Much more than seen, in fact."
"Gah, you'll ruin my morning, lady!" Allen stumbled to the closet, throwing on some underwear and pants. It was starting off so well, too.
"Ruin? How so?" Her tone played with him like a cat would a ball of string.
"Sass has no place in the morning, and that seems like when you're most full of it."
"Oh, you love it. And besides, it's not technically morning any more."
"On a Saturday? Yes, noon is still in the morning." Allen walked over to the window, peeking outside. The sun broke through the shades like an unwelcome guest, making Allen squint and look away. "Fine, then, sun. Screw you, too." He'd get a look outside later.
Walking into the kitchen, Allen grabbed his thermos, hoping his Friday self had left him some coffee. Unfortunately, he'd really needed it yesterday, so there was hardly more than a swallow left. Shrugging, he downed the rest. Could be worse.
"So tell me, what is it you do on the weekends?" asked Val, leaning on the doorway to the kitchen.
"Depends. Most of my recent weekends involved a lot of reading and cross-referencing and other nerd-like things. I spent a lot of time looking for that jewel—the Binding Stone, was it?—and when I got close to finding it, I became a little obsessed." He looked away from Val, rinsing off the thermos, fighting to keep from saying anything more. He still wasn't sure if he forgave her for taking it. He understood why, but that didn't extinguish the part of him that wanted his due compensation.
"Anything else? Surely you have hobbies?" She stepped behind him, laying four hands on his shoulders with a light rub.
"Didn't you read this stuff from my head?"
"No. As I said earlier, I only tried to take what information I absolutely needed. I strayed away from more personal memories."
Allen wished he could believe that, but Val was smart enough to know how to play it right, how to fake knowing less than she did. He slammed the thermos down with a bit more force than he intended. Val had been nothing but kind so far. Why was he still doubting her?
He needed some fresh air.
"Let's go for a walk."
"A walk?"
"Yes. A walk. You know what a walk is, don't you?"
Val slapped him in the shoulder, crossing several of her arms. "Of course I do. And I thought sass wasn't allowed in the morning."
Allen grinned. "Only when it's not coming from me. Now get some proper clothes on and hide those extra arms. We're going to a park."
"That sounds wonderful. I've been cooped up here too long, and all those years as a statue did little for my joints."
They seemed to work fine last night
.
Walking back to the closet, Allen put on a t-shirt and glanced at himself in the mirror. His short brown hair was starting to get away from him, partially because he was overdo for a cut, but also because he was too lazy to keep it nice. 'Presentable' had a vague definition.
"Is this acceptable?" asked Val.
Allen turned and at the sight of Val, tried to give a low whistle. He failed, but that didn't make the sight any less impressive. Val had adorned a red dress, one that sparkled in the subtle shifts in light. It hugged her curves wonderfully, almost as if it had been made exactly to her specifications. It ended just low enough to cover everything and a bit of her upper legs, but high enough to get any man's gears churning. Her shoulders and a small portion of her arms were covered, revealing part of her biceps that usually lay hidden beneath her golden brown skin. Not skimping on cleavage, her dress showed off her assets as much as possible while still staying legal for public wear. It was a dress true to Val's personality and her station.
"Hot damn, Val. If I was a cop, I'd arrest you for looking too good."
She rolled her eyes. "I know just enough to realize how corny that was." A grin broke through her irked expression. "But thank you." She offered an arm. "Will you be my partner in crime?"
"Goddamn. Yes, I would. As much as it pains me to say it, though, that might not be the best for walking in. Dresses like that are for formal stuff, like a nice dinner or ball."
"So I should change out of this?"
Allen bit his lower lip. He'd love nothing more than to parade Val around like that, but her height would already grab enough attention. Wearing that dress in the park would be like announcing their presence with a megaphone. He didn't want to take any more risks with Lust on the loose.
"Yeah. A skirt or pants and a shirt would do the trick."
As the dazzling dress faded away, another outfit slowly taking form, Allen sighed.
Maybe later...
"When you change like that, where do the clothes come from? And shouldn't the sleeves be wider so they could fit your other arms?"
"Oh, no," said Val, watching her body to ensure the clothes formed correctly. "The clothes are an illusion. The only thing I've ever worn are the small silk garments over my breasts and waist. My arms are still hugging my stomach and chest, as to avoid accidentally bumping into things, but they come through this 'dress' just fine without larger sleeves."
"That's a neat trick."
Val now stood in a much more practical outfit: a basic pair of pants that hugged her legs and a button-up shirt with rolled-up sleeves. Not as nice as the dress, but it would have to do. Allen scrunched his lips, analyzing the outfit a moment before stepping up to Val.
One little adjustment.
He unbuttoned a few buttons from her shirt, revealing just enough of her cleavage to make him smile. "That's better."
Val snuck out a hand, grabbing the back of Allen's head and thrusting it into her tits. He struggled only a second, holding his breath and enjoying the motorboat while it lasted. Once free, Val smirked and said, "Better get that out of your system first."
Allen wasn't complaining.
The trip to the park went quick. Allen's apartment thankfully wasn't far from one, though being a Saturday they were far from the only people there. Val still commented on her nervousness of riding in a car, but Allen was able to calm her down easier this time. He hadn't made a real habit of going to parks as he usually found more stress than enjoyment at them. Maybe a couple would be walking on a trail and not paying attention, then he'd have to swerve to avoid them and the encounter would ring sour. Or there'd be kids whose parents decided to ignore their ruckus. Sometimes Allen would go off to find a private spot, only to have it constantly intruded upon by loud groups or the horns of far-off cars.
Today, though, the refreshing outdoors was exactly what he needed. Val, too. As they got out of the car, Val stretched, looking over the cozy park. There were several trails over the area, most covered in gravel and the more commonly-used ones paved. Some went off to the woods, others meandered through open fields and around the park lake. Allen spotted some pets and families out enjoying the weather. He almost felt envy before remembering what trouble a pet or a kid would be. He walked around the car to stand next to Val as she observed.
"I'd prefer a walk in the woods. You can ask me about whatever while we walk," he said.
"Excellent. I have quite a few built up." She clasped her two visible hands together, smiling at Allen.
He grinned back.
I did put myself up to this.
Waving for her to follow, he headed off toward one of the paths leading into the forest.
Val wasn't lying when she said she had questions. For the next hour she grilled him about almost everything. Quirks of society, history (what Allen could remember, at least), advances in science, recent events, famous people, sports, even Allen's favorite TV shows. Every now and then she would tend toward more personal questions, trying to delve into Allen's past, but he deflected them. As much as he had come to learn about Val in the past couple days, he still wasn't comfortable in divulging such things. Didn't see the use in it, either. Val seemed content with his choice, never nagging him about specifics.
For a short while, Allen turned off his mind and enjoyed himself. The questions still rained down on him, but most were benign or easy to explain. He listened to nature; the birds chirping, an occasional rustling of branches in the wind, the thud of footsteps on the ground. Val's voice made a soothing backdrop to it all, a light, whimsical yet collected tone that massaged his ears.
"Sports?"
"Huh?" said Allen, looking away from the trees to her.
"Favorite sports. I liked the sound of football."
Allen chuckled. "Well, I can't say that's the most, uh, feminine sport, but with a little work you could certainly have the build to play it. As for me, I like baseball."
