"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...
