Nobody's Servant 1.0

Breathe In [vore]

We spend longer in Tensar than either of us want to, not for lack of trying. The first two days go by just waiting out the rain, and we spend most of the third searching for any ship willing to take us to the mainland. I waste its remainder taking the edge off, not without Suraokh's disapproval.

"Opportunity could emerge any moment," he scolds. "Therefore, keep your senses sharp." The doll cranes over me, arms extended to plant his hands into the mattress in that way better reserved for lovers.

"We'll see a ship coming, we've got a great view of the harbor," I say. "Why can't we just get our own boat and go? Someone will probably sell one for less than whatever I've got left in my battery."

"We go nowhere without protection," he replies. "Lest we forget the submarine. Resist adopting my abandoned overconfidence."

I shrug, reaching for the inhaler of dragonbreath somewhere in the blankets. He finds it first and snatches it up before its warped bone and polymer casing can kiss me again. "Fine, help yourself," I invite with a dreamy giggle. "It's nice that this stuff works for me again, but it's not hitting like it used to, I think my regeneration is counteracting it."

He sets it down on the long, narrow table across from the bed with no intention of partaking. "Please take this seriously, Merion," he implores.

"Give me a little time to grieve," I protest, my voice rising into a halfhearted yowl. "I don't even know the totally— fuck. The totality of what I've lost yet."

Then he's back over me as before, placing all of what little weight he has onto the bed. "I do sympathize with you. But you embarrass yourself again." He clicks fingers near my ear as if it will center me. Instead, the sound ripples through my brain across multiple senses; electricity on my skin, waves behind my closed eyes.

I crack one open to look at him. Any fear he usually instills in me isn't quite taking either, but that's one of the effects. All these sensations but a survival instinct is nowhere to be found. This was a bad idea no matter how irresistible. And yet, I can feel myself having another one. A lopsided grin paints itself over my face instead of the sneer of derision I might have had with more clarity. "Suraaaokh," I lilt, "if you're going to loom over me like that and not even offer to rub my belly then we're going to have to have a talk about personal space." My fingers curl into the violet hem of my new shirt to roll it up, exposing a little bit of a pleasantly rounded midriff. At this moment I probably wouldn't even mind if he took it as an invitation but my bet is otherwise.

"Hopefully sooner rather than later," he agrees, uprighting himself immediately and backing off. "If this is grieving, proceed. I will keep searching alone." He throws on his new poncho on his way to the door, but he stops mid-stride as if taking a moment to reorder his thoughts. Then he wheels around on the ball of a foot to grab the macuahuitl I had taken out earlier. I meant to continue my work but I never got around to it.

"Where are you going with that?" I ask, moving to sit up but feeling vertigo hit no slower than the time it takes to lift my head. I'm in no position to stop him.

"I would prefer the protection. You are staying right here. You do not need this." He turns to go again.

"Neither do you, come onnnnn," I call down the short hallway out. "I've seen you, you're–" Slam. "...really scary."

Moments pass, and before another coherent thought can bumble its way into my head, he enters again, stopping himself on the table as he leans over it to take the inhaler as well. "You have had enough today. No more dragonbreath right now."

"That's fine," I agree. It will be easier just to let him have it. He leaves again, with no further amendments. I turn myself over to lie face-down where my mind will not invent patterns in the Foszar plastimber support beams spanning the ceiling.