Chapter 7:
"Do you see that? A wall of flames incinerating our city.... *sigh* ... Appropriate isn't it? Our mastery of fire was what originally set us apart from the other animals. Well my friend, I'll see you on the other side." Unknown speaker. Recording found in the ruins of Portsmouth, Former United Kingdom. Evidence suggests the city was destroyed by AS-10G "Earth Scorcher" Missiles.
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"Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn...."
The words repeated themselves in Private White's mind. A meaningless mantra that staved off every other thought. Curses they might have been at some point, but now they were just a white noise that calmed his nerves.
And what was it that shook the battle hardened soldier so deeply? A new enemy? Some great weapon of the previous era? Or perhaps another battle for his very life.
No, it was none of these.
The cause of his dread was a small young woman... There was nothing threatening about her. She was a tiny, delicate creature, that practically exuded innocence. Every now and then she would sneak a shy glance back at the warrior, but that was all. No weapons, no ill intent, not even a single word being spoken. So why was his heart beating so madly and his palms growing slick with sweat?
It was because he had a secret.
It was not like he would ever be found out. Why would anyone even suspect? Every few nights he would have to weave a little white lie of course, but he had almost perfected the art of deception.
You had to always keep the story simple, not make it too detailed or overcomplicated. Make sure it was easy to remember, but add a little spice to it every now and then. As for the appropriate emotions and facial expressions, you had to make yourself actually feel them, not just try to imitate them. The fact that embellishment was expected only made it that much easier.
His methods had served him well for years... But honestly, he had never expected to be in such a situation. He was a soldier away on almost constant tours of duty. What girl could possibly want to live with that? In all likelihood he would be dead before he even reached his twenty-fifth birthday.
Damn it all... Why couldn't he have been born a couple decades before the war? He had heard great stories about that time. Being able to travel to other countries without needing a fully armed division at your back. No fear of radiation clouds floating over your home. And more women than men... Certainly if he had been alive back then he would not be burdened with this problem.... But for all the stories he had told, and all his technical knowledge, there was no escaping the truth...
He was a virgin.
Sure, he could talk a mean game. Hell, he had even fooled all his comrades into believing it. But he had never really been with a girl. That's part of the reason he had been so quick to accept the dream he had of Annabel. For a moment he had thought that instinct had finally kicked in and his subconscious would tell him what it was like. In hindsight, the idea did not make much sense, but one can not exactly think straight in a dream.
So there was his problem. The most beautiful girl that he had ever laid eyes upon walked before him, and she had... expectations. Expectations that he was almost certain he could not fulfill. He hoped something would save him. Perhaps an attack on the house, or maybe the Sergeant changing his mind and barging in. Then he could.... What? He couldn't exactly ask for tips from his friends, not after all those stories. They would never let him live it down. Shit, if they started up then Annabel would have to hear them at some point. No way would she even think of giving him another chance. The young soldier's thoughts spiraled into ever more unlikely outcomes. His fears not slowing down for such petty things as sense and logic.
He was not the only one though.
The young beauty that held his hand was filled with her own apprehensions. After all, she was even less knowledgeable than her Master. Where he had access to all the carnal knowledge of humanity through their various data networks. All she had to go on were whispered innuendo and bawdy songs heard in the less reputable areas of her home.
Yes, she had seen her Sister... making the acquaintances of various women, of both the demonic and angelic classes, but she had never dared take up such a practice. What would her Master think of her? And of course, she could not ask her Sister about her dalliances. That would be extremely inappropriate...
Inwardly she sighed. She would have to rely on her Master once more. She dearly hoped he would not think less of her. In the short time that they had known each other she was already deep in his debt. And she saw no hope of changing that imbalance. This world was just so strange to her, nothing was as it should be...
But for now she had to sort what little knowledge she did have. She knew the.. physical... difference between men and women of course. All those vulgar demons running about in naught a stitch of clothing made certain of that. Occasionally, they would even rut in the streets... The audacity! ...She did harbor a bit of regret that she had not examined their couplings more closely though. They would have undoubtedly provided many hints as to what she was to do. She simply could never bring herself to look. Even now she could feel a blush forming at the thought.
But inspiration struck her. Perhaps she did not know, but she had a way of finding out. Something in her immediately rebelled though. This was her Master she was thinking about. It would be such a terrible invasion of his privacy. And when he were to find out, what would he do? It was certainly a question of when, not if. She would have to tell him at some point... But she had to know. Perhaps he would even forgive her. After all, she was doing it for his benefit... Wasn't she?
She quickly decided that there was no other choice and would have to go on with her new plan. Her insides seemed to squirm about in protest, but she had too. What was that old saying her Sister had? Ah yes... It is easier to ask forgiveness than it is to ask permission... She hoped it was true...
All these thoughts and fears flashed through their minds in the short time it took to reach the side of the bed. Once there, Annabel turned towards her Master. It was now or never, if she waited too long he would notice the difference. She was not sure how well it would work though. She had never used her gift on a Creator, let alone her very Master.
White no idea of what she was planning. He was busily examining her every movement and expression. It was not helping him one whit though. All those guides kept talking about how to understand what a woman wanted and when they wanted it. But how was he supposed to know when her pupils were dilated and all that other medical sounding crap?
As they moved closer to each other, Annabel forgot her plan. Her Master looked so very... masculine. All those muscles.... And so very firm... She blushed crimson. Her thoughts felt so deliciously wicked. But what would he think of her? She was throwing herself at him like a wanton harlot.
Looking down at her, White's thoughts could not have been farther from her fears. He had never seen any woman that could ever hope to compare with her. She was so delicate and graceful... and so soft and warm. He especially loved those big, expressive eyes of hers. They would always look up at him as if he could do anything. With those striking blue irises. They were a light blue, like the sky on a warm summer day. With little silver flecks in them in them as if you could still see the stars. Those flecks would move about in odd little patterns, then they would chase each other, racing around, and around, and around.....
There. Annabel was pretty certain that she had managed to hypnotize her Master. He had stopped moving and his breathing had slowed as if he were asleep. That was the easy part though. Now she had to wait and hope that she could attune herself well enough to understand his thoughts.
This technique was extremely awkward, but she was not about to delve into his mind. She could not even forgive
herself
for such a trespass, let alone hope her Master would. The way she was going about it was more like trying to find the scent of a particular flower in the middle of a field. The thoughts and emotions of everyone near her would waft past her and she had to follow the right fragrance. Few beings had the mental discipline to hide their thoughts, so they would all float about in this manner. Once she got into her trance the scents would change into voices. Instead of a field, now she was in a noisy tavern. It was like overhearing conversations all around her, but was much easier than following a vague scent Even without trances or hypnotizing though, she had the passive ability to feel the emotions of the people around her. It was even stronger with her Master. But she had to either delve into his mind or attune to his thoughts to learn more.
Annabel slowly began the process. With so many others in the house it was difficult to concentrate on just his thoughts. One by one she identified the mental voices of the soldiers and tuned them out. At one point she came upon the thoughts of her Sister and her sister's master. Annabel's crimson flush returned and her concentration nearly broke. She moved on quickly, but not fast enough. She had gotten a hefty dose of emotion from her Bond-Sister. The room suddenly seemed warmer and she noted a very embarrassing moistness between her legs.
Wide-eyed, she did her best to continue, finally coming upon her own Master's thoughts. As he was hypnotized, all she found were a jumble of images and snippets of his voice that came from his memory. Thankfully, most people thought in their own voices. It annoyed her no end when she found the rare case that thought in music or some other abstract way.
Now that she had attuned herself to him, she took a moment to sort through the pieces of information that he was sending out. First she tried the voices, but did not find much to work with. Many were indeed her Master's, but others belonged to the soldiers, her Sister, and even herself. She smiled at how clear he was keeping the memory of her voice. But this was not what she was looking for. They were just various memories of the day being filed and sorted. What she needed were his more recent thoughts.
So she turned to the images, and immediately her breath caught. They were all of her! And he made her look so very beautiful. His perceptions colored each one and made her out to be so much more than she could accept she really was. She held one of the floating memories still, and saw herself sleeping in his arms. His hand was resting lightly on her cheek as if he had been brushing away a stray strand of hair and had stopped mid-motion. In his mind, she practically glowed. Holding back a tear of joy at the affection she felt in this memory, she moved to another. This one was from just moments ago. She looked back at him shyly and bit her bottom lip. The arousal that permeated this image was undeniable She had not believed she could be so embarrassed, but she had just been proven wrong. It had not at all been her intention to look so....
fuckable
... Yes, that.... Wait, what?!
That word... had certainly not come from her! Panic rose in her as she looked for its source. Her Master had thought it. But he was hypnotized, how was that possible?! Cautiously, she brought up another image. She needed to test him and see if he really had that thought or if it was just a fluke. This next memory was from the march after they hade made it out of the forest, but it was a little odd. The focus did not seem quite right. Perhaps if she allowed it to play itself out.... Ah that was the problem, they were all moving in this memory. She continued to watch, but was a bit confused. He kept staring at the back of her skirt. And yet again she felt his arousal. She did not see anything wrong with her dress or anything to be inciting any interest, so what could he possibly be looking at?....
That ass
