Project X [18+] [Fanfiction]

Chapter XI: The Alley

As part of an effort to keep an ear to the street, the headmistress had sent us to various districts of Taipei to spend the night. Shifter and I again were given the West side of the city, and though the matter at hand was serious, the headmistress was also sure to encourage each of us to spend time amongst the local culture. It was a recommendation not entirely founded in a desire for us to enjoy ourselves; only by spending time out of our hotel rooms would we uncover any leads that might be waiting to be turned up.

Shifter and I walked together down one of Taipei's streets, and I admit I did not find it to be as I expected. While the streets were busy they were by no means crowded shoulder to shoulder, and it had the feel of a bustling town without the frantic, panicked pace of a metropolis. English speaking people were at a rarity so we mostly kept to ourselves, observers in a world that was pleasant yet new.

"We should go see some of the sights." Shifter finally spoke up, looking over at me with a smirk. "When are we ever going to be here again?"

"If The Vixen has anything to say about it?" I asked as I looked over, my expression sour. As was so often the case, I had a difficult time letting go of my caution. Even amidst the pleasant atmosphere of Taipei, the memory of three college students forced into mutation nagged at the back of my mind. Something dangerous was coming, and we knew so very, very little.

Thankfully, I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by those that knew best how to break my tendencies. Shifter moved a hand down to take my own, and without a word he started to dart forward, dragging me along. With most other people my eyes would be darting around to determine just where I was being led, if my hand itself was not trying to pull free. With him however, I had learned to simply go along with things. They were usually pleasant surprises.

I was not sure just what Shifter had in mind when he pulled me down one of Taipei's alleys, and we drifted in between wooden pallets belonging to the two stores adjacent to each other. When we made it halfway down the alley, he suddenly turned to me, grinning as he leaned back against the wall.

"Stakeout." He explained as he arched an eye, releasing my hand so he could get comfortable against the wall. It only took a second or two before he gave a small laugh, likely reading my deadpan, serious expression. "Well...kind of. We don't know where the next clue will turn up, so I was thinking we could...you know. To pass the time?"

I blinked, the realization suddenly striking me. I turned my head to the side, gazing down the alley to the busy street below. Scooters passed on the street with fair regularity, and foot traffic was a constant. My eyes shot back to Shifter, my cheeks burning red from the implication before I even managed to speak.

"Here?!" I asked, disbelief running through my voice. "We have a hotel room! Together! The headmistress has seen to that!"

Shifter just continued to lean against the wall with a smile on his features, knowing that my resolve was breaking from the very second he spoke. It was a short devolution of my argument; even when I mentioned our hotel room my head was darting around from side to side, checking the possibility that we would get caught. By the time any rational woman would have flat out refused, I was already moving down to my knees.

"Just try to be inconspicuous." I warned him as my knees settled into the ground. For our casual walk through Taipei we had both been dressed in civilian clothes; Shifter in a pair of blue jeans and a loose fitting tee, and myself in a tight-fitting gray muscle shirt that led into a black skirt that went to my knees. My arms and legs were wrapped in fishnet, the fabric covering my arms ending just as my wrist began. I drew my bare hands forward and pressed my palms to his crotch through his jeans, rubbing at the growing mound of flesh that was waiting for me within.