Author's Note: Basically nothing to note except the usual THANK YOU! Please continue to favorite and comment and save the story so can come back for the next chapter with greater ease! I appreciate it grealty!
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Chapter 6:
Hard Conversations:
I rubbed my jaw, looking up at the sky as I walked towards the garage. Breakfast had been quiet as I had mulled over my reaction to Miramae's choice of clothing and more specifically, her existence. I didn't exactly want to spend my entire time traveling with her on edge, but it seemed when I let myself relax I wasn't able to ward off the affect she was having on me.
It had been a long time, a very long time, since I had worried about being distracted by a woman, let alone a female Dread. My visit to Azzerai had made me practically invulnerable to being frazzled by beauty. Another six years of training in martial combat underneath Madam Candalissa 'Candy' Elvera had taught me how to control my responses to touch and smell. How to separate desire and directive.
'Liss' was the kind of a woman that most people would kill for. I think that was half the reason she was the combat instructor at Damoria, the other half being that she was the best swordsman to emerge in the last century.
More men than women found their way into service as Greymen, and learning how to deal with a woman of near irresistible form and charm came in surprisingly handy in the occupation. Many Dreads were lustful, lecherous creatures, so it paid to be capable of thinking with the right head at all times. As of the current moment, I felt that I was not. I was likely being over critical of my current state of mind, but that didn't mean it was nothing to worry about.
A brief image of Elvera filled my mind's eye, and I begrudgingly thought of our last conversation. The tall, muscular, orange haired woman was a stern individual, but she had been soft in that moment. Vulnerable.
I had let her down.
I suddenly felt an intense desire slam my skull against the closest wall. I had managed to work myself into a truly foul mood over the course of the morning. It was useless to dwell on such things.
Clicking the leftmost button on the garage opener, I watched as the closest of the three doors begin to rise. I crossed my arms, tempted to look over my shoulder at the girl following behind me. I could smell her Dread essence as the morning air wafted into my nostrils. The smoke and strawberry fusion made me scrunch my nose in distaste.
It was not an unappealing aroma by any means, but I had a long history with those that bear it and it was not a pleasant one. It did momentarily help to alleviate my troubled brain, but, somehow, it quickly made it worse all over again.
The sounds of metal and gears grinding ceased, and I realized the garage's entry had opened fully. I loped forward, stepping into the shadows of the long storage building. There were three vehicles inside, each well kept but with heavy differences in their design. The closest was a van, its dark grey exterior both wide and blockish. It was a newer model, and it had plenty of space. I glanced at the car next to it.
The truck was lifted on large wheels and adorned with several other modifications to accommodate someone who enjoyed partaking in off-roading or mudding. It would be helpful if we needed to venture away from maintained roads, but I didn't necessarily think we'd be traversing across massive hills or dunes any time soon. It was a tad overkill.
The last vehicle suffered from the same problem, but in the opposite direction. The slim, low riding sports car was definitely the most attractive of the lineup, but if we had to go anywhere that had potholes deeper than a few inches the vehicle would suffer for it, and so would we.
I positioned myself between the van and truck, thinking about which was the better choice.
"So, um, what's the problem?" Miramae said quietly from the corner of the garage to my left.
"No problem. Just deciding."
"Oh."
I glanced back at her, momentarily curious.
"Have you ever ridden in a car?"
She shook her head.
"Just a bus, once." She said after.
I nodded. She had only been here for four months by her own approximation. It made me wonder where she had even emerged from the Ba'rau. Somewhere close it would seem. Likely within the state.
I pointed towards the van, glad to be solving a problem rather than worrying about the woman's tits and how they made me feel.
*God, I really am just a horny teenager all over again...*
"They're both fine, but this has more room. Not that we really need it. The trucks probably going to have worse gas mileage too, but not by much." I said both to myself and the Dread.
Miramae walked closer towards me and the van, placing her hand on a window and peering inside.
"Looks comfy." She said with a shrug. "The bus was not."
I snorted in agreement. Buses could be fine, but it really depended on the city, and most of the time they were awful.
"We'll be traveling a ways. If needed we can sleep in this thing." I said it absentmindedly, but was definitely another perk the van had over the truck.
We could certainly sleep in the truck bed, but that was just a worse option all around.
Miramae walked a little further around the van, stopping at the side door and pulling a few times at the handle. She frowned, then looked at me with a befuddled expression. The sight of her standing there with her hand on her hip and mildly frustrated sent an unwanted tingle up my skin. Her tits bobbed angrily in solidarity with her aggrieved expression.
I was immediately annoyed that I had even noticed the subtle jiggling.
The Vermyr continued staring at me, but her confused glare began to give way to a sly smile as her eyes trailed down towards my lower body. I was more than a little aware of why.
"Fuck." I basically spat the word, walking away from her towards the other side of vehicle.
"You're cranky this morning." She said in a mumble as I passed her.
"Yes I am." I said with annoyed acceptance.
"Why?"
I didn't respond immediately, walking past the hood of the van and coming to a stop at the driver side door.
"I don't like the level of distraction you bring." I said the words honestly, tapping my finger on the door's lock, "Escrossa." I muttered, and the lock clicked.
"I put on clothes..." The vermyr said in a low voice.
"And it somehow how made things worse."
I retorted.
I opened the door, searching angrily for a set of keys. I hadn't seen any on the hangar by the door or in any of the bowls in the entry way.
"That seems like a 'you' problem." The Dread said in a low grumble.
I snorted, leaning back out of the door, and risked a glance at her. She was currently staring huffily in my direction. Her arms were crossed, gently raising and pushing her assets togethers.
