Life Among The Savages

Life Among the Savages - Part 4

"How big?!"

Ti'aasaan had asked Mahrayne if he could have some of the sex-toys made to his specifications. She couldn't see a problem with that but the dimensions he'd requested had made her jaw drop. She recovered quickly though - curiosity overwhelming her dumbfounded shock.
       "That's about Radittsu's size, yes?"
      Ti'aasaan grinned impishly up at her and Mahrayne shuddered; she sometimes still had problems taking Zorun and he wasn't as well-endowed as the Captain.
       "Radittsu's so big, how do you - ?"
      "Zn'hre bodies are very... accommodating."
       "How does Leteetza manage? She's tiny compared to him."
      Ti'aasaan laughed. "Practise, I think - and Rhoi'i'dat'hzziu is skilled enough to make you forget any discomfort."
      Mahrayne, with an effort, dragged her thoughts away from that intriguing picture, and back to the subject at hand.
       "The toys will take some time to manufacture, I doubt they'd be ready before you have to leave. Shall I have them sent on to R'ren'nkh'ia?"
       "That would be best. Now, how do we pay for them?"
      Mahrayne considered. "Your jewellery is markedly different from ours, and your gems are unlike anything Hassina produces. Some of those should suffice, if you're agreeable."
      Ti'aasaan nodded. "How much do you think?"
      "Whatever you, and the artificer think is fair. I'll take some back with me to show them, if I may, and we'll negotiate from there."
       "Thank you!" Ti'aasaan's pleasure was palpable, and Mahrayne just had to ask.
       "How good is that toy for you?"
      "Overwhelming." The little zn'hre's eyes sparkled and he clasped Mahrayne's hands, his next comment causing her to flush with happiness.
      "And I am very glad fortune saw fit to drop you in our midst!"

Mahrayne was very content - on multiple levels.
She got enormous pleasure from teaching the children; and the almost mentoring relationship she had with 'tiisaan - an echo of the relationship she had with her dance teacher - was particularly satisfying. She loved the family and her life with them, and she loved Vejiitasei, still breathless at the soft beauty of the planet compared to the harsh bleakness of Hassina. Mahrayne had discovered something else that was wonderful about the Saiyan homeworld - along with the stars in the night sky and the rain. Sunshine. To lie naked in the sun was a sensual bliss and she did it often, sun-bathing with the zn'hre on the balcony, the warmth of the suns soaking through her skin, sinking right into her bones. Even being half-blinded by the bright light had its compensations; Mahrayne would keep her eyes closed and watch, enchanted, the bursts and striations of light and colour on the inside of her eyelids. Unbeknownst to her, the exposure to the suns' light was turning her skin a deep, rich gold.
Her relationships with Kelapa and Zorun were fulfilling, emotionally and sexually, the only problem there being Kel's unhappiness with Mahrayne's continued association with the big male. What did she need to do to reassure the female that she still had a place in her affections? Not only that, but it was a completely different place to where Zorun was so there couldn't be a conflict, could there? Being mindful of Kel's feelings, Mahrayne tried not to mention Zorun in her presence. But it wasn't just Kel who was being awkward; Zorun too, could get very prickly if the female was mentioned, even in passing. Reticence didn't come naturally to Mahrayne and she was getting very tired of needing to watch what she said when she was with either of her Saiyans. She was flummoxed; possessiveness didn't loom large in the Hassinan psyche, and she had no idea how to deal with it, short of ignoring the problem and hoping it would go away. Oh well - she thought with typical Hassinan fatality - juggling two incompatible lovers might just be her lot in life: there was probably a lesson in there for her, somewhere.

It was a lovely night to dance. The sky was clear, the stars were bright, and the breeze was cool and refreshing. As she leapt and twirled Mahrayne was aware of someone else with her in the glade. Zorun - leaning against a tree, arms folded across his broad chest, watching her openly this time. She flashed a smile at him, but didn't stop her dance, simply altering the emphasis from dancing for herself to dancing for him. She smirked; her sharp night vision had allowed her to see his growing - interest. She whirled closer to him, deliberately teasing and the big male, unable to resist, reached out and captured her, dragging her, laughing, to him; his kiss was deep and hot and Mahrayne melted into it. Zorun's tail flicked over her breasts and one of his hands teased between her legs. Mahrayne smiled and pushed away from him. Not yet. He growled at her, his expression sliding from frustration to wariness as she dropped gracefully to her knees in front of him. Mahrayne stroked the solid length of his erection through his uniform and grinned in anticipation. There was something she wanted to try - something she'd seen Leteetza do...
      Mahrayne tugged Zorun's uniform down over his hips, working the stretchy material carefully past his turgid shaft. She breathed in his faint musk and licked her lips - what must this smell like to a Saiyan with their heightened senses? Mahrayne took her time, licking and nibbling and tasting his penis and balls, charting his responses. Zorun groaned quietly when she finally took him in her mouth, tangling his fingers in her hair - and Mahrayne had an impromptu lesson in controlling her gag reflex as he thrust forward sharply. She instinctively grasped his hips and pushed him back, holding him still against the tree trunk. She was pleasantly surprised at how much of him she could take, especially once she'd worked out how to control her throat muscles, and she was enjoying the small sounds of pleasure he made as she slid him in and out of her mouth. Mahrayne tasted blood at one stage, realising belatedly she must have scraped him with her sharp eye-teeth, but didn't have long to worry about it because suddenly Zorun was coming. Subjectively, it felt like there were litres of the stuff, far too much for her to be able to swallow all of it. Zorun's fingers were still tangled in her hair, and he was breathing heavily, slumped back against the tree, his solid thighs quivering. Mahrayne kept his softening penis in her mouth, gently massaging him with her tongue until he stopped pulsing. She pulled her head back, slowly letting him slip out of her mouth, and smiled up at him, eyes shining. Zorun untangled his fingers, and cupped her cheek in one hand, the other stroking her hair softly - then his legs gave way, and he slid down to sprawl against the tree trunk.
      He leant forward to wipe away the slight trail of excess semen that had leaked from the side of her mouth and Mahrayne caught his thumb gently between her teeth, sucking briefly, delicately swirling her tongue around the broad digit. She let him have his thumb back, and grinned cheekily as she bent to help him take off his boots.
      "Never again will I be able to eat nhatnhim with a straight face."
      "Eh?" Zorun looked at her quizzically while she efficiently stripped off the lower half of his uniform.
      "It's a delicacy made from the internal organs of one of our food animals." She knelt between his splayed thighs, hands on either side of his head, her fingers spread against the tree trunk, and kissed him, open-mouthed, her mobile tongue provoking a response from his. "You taste just like it."
      "Hn. Do you like this nhatnhim?"
      She kissed him again. "I do now." Mahrayne tugged at his armour; Zorun took the hint and shrugged out of it.
       "That's better." she said with satisfaction, running her hands appreciatively over the hard planes of his torso. He lightly flicked the jewelled flower pendant she wore around her neck.
       "You're still wearing it." His voice was a pleased rumble.
       "I haven't taken it off." she countered softly.

"My turn." Zorun smirked, and she squeaked and giggled as he flipped her onto her back on the cool moss. He pushed her thighs apart and Mahrayne bit her lip as he slid a couple of big fingers into her, stroking gently, following that up with long, slow licks from a firm tongue over her sensitive flesh. It didn't take long, Mahrayne arching up against his hand, forcing his fingers to a deeper penetration as she climaxed. She had to smile at the look on Zorun's face - he always seemed so pleased with himself when he'd made her come. Feeling that gooshy tenderness for him again, she reached up and tugged at his upper arm, indicating through touch - because she couldn't speak properly yet - that she wanted him to lie down with her. He smiled and complied, stretching out on his side close to her, draping his tail over her hips. Mahrayne sighed happily and wriggled closer, settling peacefully into the crook of his arm - but not for long.
       She began stroking his tail lightly, teasingly, until his breathing became uneven and she could feel him getting hard again. Smirking, she sat up, and pushed him over onto his back; kneeling beside him, she bent down and took him into her mouth again, one hand wrapped around the base of his penis, the other holding her hair out of the way. Zorun swore softly and clutched at the back of her head, pushing her face closer to his groin. Mahrayne smiled around him, pleased, and more than a little aroused by his obvious enjoyment.
       "Enough!" he growled, the harshness of his tone belied by the gentleness with which he pushed her away. "It's not your mouth I want to come in."
      Mahrayne shivered, her arousal spiking and she turned around, grinning wickedly over her shoulder at him before lowering herself to all fours, presenting her rear. She flicked her thick, white mass of hair over a shoulder and looked at him again in a not so subtle invitation. Zorun, with all the speed and grace of a highly aroused Saiyan, went from prone to kneeling behind her in less than a second. He growled contentedly as he sank into her softness, his large hands curved around her hips and his tail stroking between her legs. Mahrayne was almost purring as she angled her pelvis to gain the maximum stimulation for them both from Zorun's strong thrusts. This position - she thought, lowering her shoulders and wriggling her knees a little further apart - would have to be one of her favourites; it felt so deliciously submissive...

"Stay with me tonight."
      Zorun sat, propped up against a tree, Mahrayne snuggled contentedly in his lap, loving being held in his warm, strong arms.
      "I can't."
      He scowled. "Why not?"
      "Because I like to give the family notice when I'm going to be away all night."
      Zorun was silent for a few moments. "I have some down-time in a couple of days..."
      Mahrayne's eyes lit up. "You could pick me up after the morning lessons - and we'll spend the whole day together - if you like."
       "And overnight?"
      She kissed his throat. "And overnight, yes."
      He sighed gustily. "I suppose I could wait until then..."

Mahrayne was tempted to simply not give Kelapa any warning that she'd be away for a whole day and a night with Zorun. She decided against it though; it was a cowardly thing to do and Kel deserved better than that. As she expected, though, the warrior wasn't happy with the news, but she seemed - resigned, almost; not for the first time, Mahrayne wished her lovers were friends.
      The morning of Zorun's free day sped by, and Mahrayne watched 'tiisaan's beautiful face droop lower and lower as the lessons progressed.
      She sighed and suppressed her annoyance. Not him too?
      "What's the matter, sinam?" she gently asked the unhappy child. 'tiisaan turned large, overly mournful eyes on her.
      "You promised you'd teach me some more dance this afternoon."
      "No - I didn't." Mahrayne said firmly; she'd scrupulously avoided making any such promises for this day.
      'tiisaan pouted. "Well - you would be if you weren't going out with him."
      Mahrayne held onto her temper by a thread. She hugged the young zn'hre and kissed his cheek.
       "I'm sorry you feel that way, sinam, but I'm still going."
      'tiisaan's full bottom lip quivered, and tears sprung into his big, golden eyes. Mahrayne held firm; she wasn't convinced this wasn't an act - Pirum, her youngest sister, did this sort of thing all the time - and she'd be damned if she'd fall for such obvious emotional manipulation. After a few moments, 'tiisaan realised he wasn't getting the desired effect. He sighed huffily then peeped up at her appealingly through his eyelashes.
       "Tomorrow, then?" he asked hopefully.
       "Tomorrow." Mahrayne confirmed, and kissed him on the nose.

Mahrayne was very glad when Zorun turned up to discreetly wait for her on the balcony outside the classroom - she didn't think she'd be able to ignore 'tiisaan's sulky pouts for much longer, and she was sure 'raadiin had that protective gleam in his eyes... or maybe she was just getting paranoid.
      Zorun smiled and scooped her up, kissed her soundly then took off into the air. Mahrayne beamed and wound her arms around his neck, she didn't think she'd ever get tired of flying.
       "Where are we going?"
      She'd expected them to go straight to his quarters, and bed, but Zorun was heading in a different direction - towards the city. Mahrayne raised her eyebrows enquiringly.
       "It's a surprise." he smirked.

The Hassinan didn't know where to look first.
      Zorun had taken her to the alien quarter of Vejiitamachi - specifically the market area - and she was dazzled by the sheer volume of new things to see and smell and touch. There were beings here from more races than she could've imagined existed and goods on display that she couldn't even name. Her ears caught tantalising aural glimpses of different languages, and Common was being spoken with a multitude of accents. Zorun was smirking, very amused by her open-mouthed gawping.
      "What are they?" Mahrayne pointed at a cluster of identical - to her - tall, purple-skinned creatures.
      "Canblianks."
      "And those?"
      "Rotarem."
      And so it went - Mahrayne firing questions as they strolled through the market, barely letting Zorun answer before the next enquiry came bubbling out. The Guardsman couldn't answer all of her questions, but she noticed in passing that he seemed a little surprised at how much he did know.
      "Hungry?" Zorun asked; Mahrayne nodded absently, absorbed in examining a bolt of bright red material that coruscated with flashes of gold and green in the sunslight. She caught a glimpse of Saiyan armour out of the corner of her eye, and eagerly turned to show Zorun the beautiful cloth.
      "Look at thi- "
      Mahrayne faltered in wide-eyed surprise when she found herself looking at a completely different Saiyan. He wasn't as tall as Zorun, or as attractive, being broad and strong-looking in a gnarled sort of way; his dark mane was short and sparse.
       "Look at what, hanabira?" He leered at her, and there was an edge to his voice that frankly sent shivers of repulsion down her back. Mahrayne simply stood there, too startled to move, then she felt Zorun's large, warm hand settle possessively over her shoulder and she almost sighed in relief. The unknown Saiyan made to growl threateningly, then looked up and immediately snapped to attention.
       "Sorry, sir."
      Zorun didn't say anything but Mahrayne fancied she could judge the intensity of his gaze by how much colour drained out of the shorter male's face.
      "Can't leave you alone for a minute." Zorun said dryly when the other male had scuttled off.
      "Thank you for... rescuing me." Mahrayne smiled up at him.
      "I'm not going to let a low-class baka like that touch you."
      Mahrayne grinned. "What about a high-class baka?"
      "What?"
      "Nothing." Mahrayne glanced away, hiding her smile. She really shouldn't tease him like that; Zorun was intelligent but he did find it hard sometimes following her agile wit. She changed the subject.
      "Is that food you've got?"
      He nodded.
      "Excellent! Come on, let's eat - I'm starving."

They picnicked in a quiet, pretty little park just off the main thoroughfare of the market. It was cool under the trees and the shade gave her eyes some respite from the suns' glare. Mahrayne lay with her head in Zorun's lap, letting him feed her strips of meat, loving this almost playfulness she'd coaxed him into displaying. For his part, the big male seemed to be relaxed and happy too, that watchful intensity he constantly carried around with him was not quite as obvious as usual.
A brief, bitter thought flitted through Mahrayne's mind about how her mother would react to her behaving like this - in public - with a male. She refused to let the aggravating notion disturb her enjoyment of the moment; after all, it was none of Tella's business what Mahrayne got up to on Vejiitasei.

"Oh, a Muruanian!" Mahrayne exclaimed and darted over to the display table set up in front of the double-storey work-shop and dwelling. The squat, yellow, bi-pedal alien tending the stall bowed to her, his multi-faceted eyes twinkling - Mahrayne knew he was a male by the style of head-cloth covering his bare, ridged skull. She greeted him in his native language, immediately apologizing for her pronunciation, and he widened the slit of his mouth in what passed among his people as a beaming grin. Mahrayne was enraptured with the variety of wood products he was selling. She'd never seen this much wood in one place and it all looked so beautiful - from the simple bowls and platters fashioned from a pale, delicately grained timber, to gorgeous carved jewelry and wall decorations, the designs of which were intricate enough to rival Hassinan patterning. They chatted about his goods, in a mish-mash of Muruanian and Common as Mahrayne was nowhere near proficient in his terse, almost truncated language. Tino - they'd exchanged names - asked to see the carved bone bracelet she was wearing, and was very impressed with the style and quality of the work.
      Mahrayne knew her family would love some of these wooden things as gifts, so she took her time picking a selection, carefully choosing items she thought would please their recipient. Tino's - quite beautiful - eyes widened when he saw how much she was planning to buy; he held up a long-fingered hand then disappeared into the shop, returning with an armful of additional carvings. Mahrayne's breath caught at the fluid beauty of two small statuettes; they put her in mind of a dance so she picked one for Chumie, and kept the other for herself. When she was done, she surveyed her choices and smiled, pleased with the selection she'd made - now how was she going to pay for it?
      She pointed to the bangles and bracelets gracing one of her wrists.
      "Will you trade?"
      Tino nodded, his eyes assuming that narrow, shrewd look common to all hagglers. Mahrayne grinned; she was an experienced haggler herself, and this part could be the most fun of the whole process.
      They eventually settled on four of Mahrayne's bracelets - two of engraved metal, one of multi-coloured metal strands twisted together, and one studded with small, milky-white stones. The Muruanian had wanted the carved bone bracelet initially, but Mahrayne wasn't willing to let that one go. She'd explained that it was a gift from someone she was close to and Tino nodded gravely, saying he understood the importance of such things. Both aliens were very pleased with the transaction, and Tino asked her, and Zorun, if they'd like a quick tour of the workshop. Mahrayne accepted eagerly, missing Zorun's wry half-smile as she ducked through the low door into the shop.
      They met the rest of Tino's family that were on Vejiitasei. Ordiff, Tino's father, was the real craftsman here, with two of his offspring as his apprentices. Tino, and his mate, ran the shop side of the business because - as Ordiff put it - his second son 'kept spoiling the carvings with his blood'. Tino waggled his long-jointed fingers and laughed; Mahrayne made a mental note to find out what colour Muruanian blood was.

It was well into mid-afternoon by the time they left the wood-workers. Mahrayne had arranged for her purchases to be delivered to the R'ren'nkh'ian suite sometime tomorrow; she didn't think it fair to drop boxes of stuff on the family when she wasn't there.
       "When did you learn Muruanian?" Zorun asked her when they stopped for a snack in a small tavern.
       "In my spare moments." She smiled at him over a serving of small, roasted birds.
       "Why bother? The aliens here all speak Common."
      She shrugged.
      "I've always been fascinated by different languages - you can learn a lot about a race when you learn their language."
      "How many do you know?"
      "Saiya-go and Common, fluently; and I can read and write in G'geckan and Slemmas. Can't speak either of them, unfortunately, I don't have the vocal range for one, and I have the wrong-shaped mouthpiece for the other." She sipped her ale appreciatively. "And while I've been here I've picked up a smattering of Muruanian and Ellim. I didn't see any Ellim here, did you?"
      Zorun shook his head. "Gravity's too high."
       "Do you know any other languages?"
      He smirked. "I can swear, and ask for food and drink and directions to the entertainment areas, in a dozen different languages - but that's about it." He gave her a long look that liquefied her insides and brought an anticipatory blush to her cheeks. "Finished?"
      Mahrayne quickly swallowed the last of her drink, then nodded, her eyes very bright.
      "Let's go."

Knowing that she had hours with Zorun meant that Mahrayne could relax and take her time over seducing him anew, letting her fertile imagination, and stamina, combine to leave the big male a wrung-out, sated wreck. Zorun eventually recovered enough to stick his head out of the door and order a passing junior officer to get them some food - then after they'd eaten they dozed until it was dark. They didn't bother with the lights when they awoke, they could both see perfectly well without them - and there was no need for words, so they leisurely showered together in the dark, kissing and touching, gently and unhurriedly arousing each other. Then Mahrayne shyly handed control to Zorun, giving herself to him with a willing submissiveness that was heady and sweet for them both.
Much later, Mahrayne drifted into sleep, contentedly nestled against one lover - while thinking of the other.

Mahrayne was out of sorts the next morning; the consequent lack of sleep from staying overnight with Zorun had made her... irritable. Being greeted by Kelapa's wounded silence when she'd come home hadn't helped her mood any, and on top of that 'raadiin and Kiraz had chosen that morning to play up. Mahrayne found her patience sorely tried and it was with a sigh of relief she waved goodbye to the children as they clattered outside for their 'physical' lessons.
       Mahrayne sat at her terminal in the empty classroom, immersed in lesson plans. There was a knock on the door and she almost growled in annoyance - for fuck's sake was it too much to ask to be left alone for an hour or so? She hastily, and guiltily, suppressed the irrational surge of irritation when she saw it was Leteetza - and that the little female had brought her something to eat and drink.
       "I thought you might like a snack. You didn't eat much at the midday meal." Leteetza put the tray on the desk: delicate slices of fresh, seared meat and the bitter ale Mahrayne particularly liked.
       "Thank you." Mahrayne smiled weakly. Leteetza was looking at her closely.
      "Are you all right? You seemed a bit tense this morning."
      "Yes. Just tired." Mahrayne held up her hand, "I know, I know - no sympathy for 'self-inflicted' wounds, but I shouldn't let it affect how I react with others."
      Leteetza nodded, looking thoughtful. Mahrayne almost groaned - it looked like the Saiyan was choosing her words carefully, not a good sign.
      "'rayne, can I ask you something?"
      Mahrayne stifled her sigh as she sat back in the chair, looking resignedly up at the little female.
      "Go ahead."
      "how does your - the Hassinan - reproductive system work?"
      Mahrayne blinked in surprise - she wasn't expecting that. "Why?"
      "Just curious. Do you have favourable times to conceive? Our females go into 'season' twice every year and a quarter, roughly; that's the only time we can get pregnant."
       "No, we have nothing so clear cut." Mahrayne sipped the refreshingly cold ale. "For the longest time we only knew that a female was either pregnant or not when she came back from her male. It's only been through our contact with the G'gecks that we've actually found out how our physiology works."
      "What did the G'gecks discover?"
      Mahrayne sat forward again. "It's quite interesting, actually. We have a gland - or something, can't translate the word - just inside the womb. Intercourse stimulates this gland and it releases the ovum. The G'geckans call the process - " Mahrayne frowned as she translated the term from G'geckan to Hassinan to Saiya-go, " - 'shock ovulation'."
      "So in theory, a Hassinan female can conceive every time she has sex with a male?"
      "In theory - if she's not already pregnant. But it's only in theory. In practise it can be years, if at all, before a female conceives."
      "Why?"
      Mahrayne shrugged "Don't know. We just don't breed very quickly."
      "How does a Hassinan know she's pregnant?"
      "She won't know for sure until after a hundred days or so - that's when the womb's grown large enough for a teverdia - a female who has medical skills for pregnancy and birth - to detect the change; but there can be indications before that."
      "Such as?"
      "She can be moody, and tired; and her appetite can fluctuate - depends on how her body is reacting to the pregnancy." Leteetza nodded absently as she digested the information.
      "How long do your pregnancies go on for?"
      "About two of your years."
      "What?! How do you cope?"
      Mahrayne smiled. "Our babies develop much slower and - from what I've found out - they're not as vigorous as yours."
       "But still... two years?" Leteetza was shaking her head in disbelief. "And I thought half a year was a trial!"
      To her surprise, Mahrayne had finished all the meat Leteetza had brought her and could've eaten more.
      "Was there anything else you wanted to know?"
      "No, that's about it, thanks." Leteetza kissed her cheek. "I'll leave you to get on with it. Unless you want to come and help with the monsters?"
      Mahrayne considered. She was feeling brighter now, but she really did need to finalise these lessons...
      "Am I needed?"
      Leteetza shook her head, smiling. "Not really. Radittsu and Hijau are helping today."
      Mahrayne laughed. "Fine. I'll leave it to the experts."
      Leteetza stood up to go, but stopped and looked back at her. Mahrayne just knew what the little female was going to say.
       "I think you should have a talk to Kel."
      "About what?!" Leteetza looked startled as Mahrayne's irritation bubbled over. "I know she doesn't like me being with Zorun, and I don't understand it! I'm not going to toss her over for him - how can I get it through that - that thick skull of hers... And it doesn't help that 'tiisaan is sulking because I'm not spending every spare minute teaching him dance, or that Zorun wants me to spend more time with him!" To Mahrayne's intense annoyance, she burst into tears. Leteetza hugged her tightly, and Mahrayne snuffled into the little female's shoulder.
       "I feel like I'm being pulled apart, 'teetza. I'm trying to accommodate them all..."
      "I know." Leteetza stroked Mahrayne's hair soothingly.
      "I don't know what to do..."
      Even though Mahrayne knew the little female couldn't really help, she was deeply grateful for Leteetza's wordless comfort.

Jeice and Mahrayne, with 'tiisaan cuddled on her lap, sat comfortably on some floor cushions, raptly discussing the fascinating concept of 'costumes' - clothing worn specifically to enhance a dance. The idea was completely novel to Mahrayne, but she could see the potential.
      "All Hassinan dance," she was explaining to Jeice, "but it's more for the sense of community, celebration - than performance." She grinned. "Except for my sister, Chumie, she dances because she likes being the centre of attention!"
      The beautiful Hassinan, Mahrayne knew, would leap at the idea of dressing to add focus to a dance, so she'd taken notes and made drawings of some of Jeice's costumes to show her sister when she went back to Hassina.
      Mahrayne felt Kelapa's tail brush over her cheek, distracting her momentarily. The warrior plonked herself down onto a floor cushion beside her, winding her tail lightly around the Hassinan's slim waist. Mahrayne smiled and lifted her face up to Kel's for a brief kiss, then snuggled into the female, feeling relaxed and content - for a change.
      'tiisaan was happy having another dancer to monopolize; Mahrayne had stayed with Zorun last night, so he was happy - and sated - for the moment; and Kel had the promise of her all to herself this evening so she was happy too. Mahrayne knew the balance wouldn't last, so she enjoyed it while she could. She turned her attention back to the lively conversation...

Jeice had changed so much since he'd been found by Kobis and 'haabron. It had been a rocky start though.
       Mahrayne was not used to having her mothering urges thwarted, but for a few days after she'd botched things with Jeice, she'd tip-toed around him, being careful not to do or say anything that could upset the little red-skinned creature. It had been hard; every maternal bone in her body clamoured at her to protect and comfort the little waif, but he shied away from her, fearful and unsure. It didn't help that her curiosity nagged at her about those intriguing rings through his nipples, and she'd caught a tantalising glimpse of more silver adornments through and around his genitals. And as if that wasn't enough to cope with she couldn't deny the attraction he had for her. He was very pretty after all - and 'meekness' had always been something Mahrayne found darkly alluring. But she managed to keep her hands away from the tempting little package, leaving Ti'aasaan to see to his care, and contenting herself with showing Jeice warm, non-threatening friendship - from a distance.
      She'd kicked herself for her thoughtlessness. Kel had summed it up nicely; Mahrayne should have checked that Jeice would welcome an advance from her before she got 'stuck in' - but then, thoughtlessly blundering in was something she was very good at, she'd been doing it all her life... Mahrayne had apologised to Jeice, which she realised now, had just confused him, but after what Leteetza had told her about his probable life, she felt it was the least she could do for upsetting him.
      Leteetza's description of 'rape' had disturbed Mahrayne deeply - the Hassinan had no concept of it - but she was thinking, uncomfortably now, of the few times in the past when she hadn't taken 'no' for an answer. Likewise, although she had no real comprehension of the meaning of the word 'slave', she was associating it with horrific abuse and beginning to form the opinion that it just couldn't be right.

It had seemed that Jeice was never going to relax and Ti'aasaan fretted over it, at a loss as to how to help. Mahrayne couldn't think of anything useful either, figuring Jeice probably just needed time to let it sink in that he was in no danger here, that the family wouldn't let anything bad happen to him. This point was graphically illustrated when the bodyguard of the alien ambassador that Jeice belonged to had, somehow, gotten into the suite.
The Hassinan were a non-aggressive people, and Mahrayne had been shocked immobile by the sudden eruption of violence. She'd watched helplessly as the big male hit 'haabron - who had put himself between the intruder and Ti'aasaan and Jeice - sending the little prince, hard, into a wall. Half of the children went to their sibling's aid, the other half took his place, intent on defending the adults on the sleeping platform. Mahrayne's heart had been in her mouth when the male had stepped forward purposefully, clearly seeing no threat in the collection of infants. His screams of pain when they bit him, and when Kiraz blasted him with a bright bolt of energy, was music to her ears and she was fiercely proud of the little defenders. It had taken ages for the children to settle down afterwards, though, and poor 'haabron was in a great deal of pain before his broken jaw healed. Fortunately, the R'ren'nkh'ia-jin healed almost as quickly as the Saiya-jin so he wasn't discomforted for long.
The upshot of the incident was that Zha'haabron bought Jeice from the Omanir ambassador, and set him free. Jeice was welcomed into the family and the change in the little alien was startling. He'd quickly gone from being a terrified, cowering little scrap of a thing to a helpful, animated, and cheerful little scrap of a thing.

Mahrayne'd been quite surprised to learn that Jeice was a dancer too. She hadn't been there to see his first dance for the family, she'd been with Zorun at the time, but she'd had the pleasure of watching the alien perform since. Mahrayne had been thrilled and entranced; Jeice was graceful and enthusiastic - a delight to watch. He was also talented and obviously enjoyed dancing. It was intriguing to compare, and share, the differences in their dance styles and philosophies.
      There was a particularly interesting type of dance Jeice performed - he'd shown a little of it one afternoon when the children hadn't been around. He'd diffidently asked the few adults that were in the suite, namely Mahrayne, Zha'haabron, Ti'aasaan and Zha'haarak, if they would like him to dance for them. The little subo had grinned at their eagerness and gone off into his room to change, emerging wearing... not much at all. Jeice sported a set of silver armbands around his biceps and a scrap of snug, snowy white material to cover his genitals and held onto his body by fine, white straps that looped over his hip bones and between shapely buttocks. He'd hung some sort of sparkling, chiming jewellery from the silver rings in his nipples, and matching jewellery dangled from his ears. That ensemble was interesting enough, but then he put a music chip in the player, and danced...
      Arousing. There was no other word for it, and Mahrayne, and the zn'hre, had watched transfixed, caught up in Jeice's spell of lust and desire until the Hassinan just couldn't sit still any more and had scrambled up off the floor. The little alien stopped dancing, looking at her anxiously, his pretty face shadowed by fear.
      "Teach me - show me!" Mahrayne'd said urgently - as insistent as 'tiisaan could ever be. Jeice relaxed then and smirked slightly at her, eyes twinkling.
      He'd turned to her and begun to dance again, Mahrayne mirroring his moves, oblivious to the watching zn'hre. To her absolute delight, she discovered it was even more arousing to dance like this than to merely watch. She'd laughed, moving with the little alien, close but not touching - save for the occasional brush of fingertips to fingertips - reveling in the primal sexuality of the dance. This was definitely something she'd have to show Chumie. Mahrayne was enjoying herself intensely, too intensely - she knew if she didn't stop soon she'd want to push the dance that little step further and end up coupling with Jeice on the floor. It was an intoxicating thought, but it might not be what he wanted and she didn't want to jeopardize their new camaraderie by forcing anything on him. She gracefully slowed her movements, then stopped and took a step back from him.
      "Thank you." she said smiling, her cheeks flushed and her eyes gleaming.
       "My pleasure." Jeice's voice was mellow and warm.
      She lightly, hesitantly stroked his cheek - secretly pleased when he didn't move away from her hand.
       "Maybe - maybe one day we can bring the dance to completion together?" she asked hesitantly, adding quickly, "if you wish it, of course."
      He'd smirked at her then, and nodded, and Mahrayne had bowed briefly to him before fleeing into her room, and a cooling shower.

The days were getting warmer, but the nights could still be cool. The balcony door in Mahrayne's room was wide open, letting in a stir of sweetly fragrant night air.
      On her bed, Mahrayne straddled a supine, naked and sweaty Kelapa, gently kissing the warrior's neck.
      "You've got to be joking, 'Rayne," the female protested in a strained voice, "I can barely move." The tip of her tail twitched feebly as if to illustrate the extent of her exhaustion.
       "Think of it as endurance training." Mahrayne purred.
      Leteetza - also naked and sweaty - lay flat on her stomach, head pillowed on her folded arms, and smirked.
      "Do all Hassinan have this sort of stamina?" the little female asked.
      Mahrayne didn't look up from sampling Kel's salty skin. "Some more than others, but generally - yes. We can just go on - " she kissed Kel's throat again, " - and on - " then giggled at the warrior's pitiful groan, " - and on."
      Leteetza turned onto her side, resting her head in her hand. "Have you ever been completely worn out?"
      "Once. Dancing."
      "Now there's a surprise." The little female said wryly. "How long did it take?"
      Mahrayne paused mid-lick. "About three of your days, I think - maybe four? Hassinan days aren't as well-defined as Vejiitasei's."
      Both of the females boggled at her.
      "Three or four days, non-stop?!" Kel croaked.
      Mahrayne smiled. "It wasn't so much the dancing that wore me down, but the not eating or drinking."
       "How could you go for so long without food or drink?"
      The Hassinan laughed; she fancied she could hear the Saiyan's stomach rumbling in horror at the thought.
       "I was trancing, so I didn't notice." Mahrayne kissed along Kelapa's clavicle. "Mind you I was ravenous when I stopped, and I slept for a day and a half afterwards..."
       "Trancing?" Leteetza's dark-green eyes were gleaming with curiosity.
      Mahrayne sat back, resting lightly on Kel's thighs. "Hmm. Not sure I can explain it." She frowned. "It's like... it's like your mind - your consciousness - leaves your body and goes... somewhere else."
      Leteetza looked skeptical. "'Somewhere else'? Like where?"
      "I don't know. I never remember what's happened while I've been trancing - I only know that when I come back I feel better, more relaxed, more - complete." She shrugged helplessly.
      "Is this something all Hassinan can do?"
      "No. Mostly we're all too grounded by the need for constant watchfulness, in case the roof caves in, or something." Mahrayne smiled ruefully, "It seems I'm one of the lucky ones that can bypass that survival trait."
      Mahrayne went back to her relaxed, and thorough, exploration of Kel's body. Leteetza reached over and lazily traced Mahrayne's tail beads, smirking when the Hassinan sighed dreamily and pushed back against her hand. Kelapa, ever quick to exploit a weakness - and distract her lover long enough for a chance to recover her energy - ran strong fingers over Mahrayne's breast beads.
       "How do you think I'd look with some of these?" she asked thoughtlessly, then groaned as Leteetza chuckled tiredly, both of them scenting Mahrayne's sudden flare of arousal.
      "I think you'd look wonderful," Mahrayne breathed, "but don't do something permanent to yourself simply because I'd find it unbearably attractive."
      Leteetza smirked wickedly.
      "Where would you like to see beads on Kel?"
      "Her breasts of course," Mahrayne sat back and regarded her lover's body with a critical eye, "and over her shoulders would be lovely, but here - " she placed a hand lightly on Kel's abdomen, spreading her fingers wide over the female's taut stomach, "would be very nice."
       "But if she gets pregnant - " Leteeza asked, ignoring the derisive snort from Kel, "- won't the pattern get distorted?"
      Mahrayne arched an eyebrow at her friend.
      "Unless you Saiyans go very oddly shaped... No, the designs are such that they fan out as you get bigger; very beautiful." She nuzzled Kel's stomach, eliciting a quiet moan and a wriggle of the female's hips.
       "Have you thought about getting some there?" Kel asked - then, inexplicably, looked like she wished she hadn't.
      Mahrayne gave a rueful quirk of her lips. "The patterns are so tied up with fertility and pregnancy it's considered pretentious for a non-breeding female to have them."
      Mahrayne was too busy tracing out potential bead patterns on Kel's stomach with her tongue, to notice the look that passed between the Saiyan females.
      The warrior stroked her fingers through Mahrayne's hair.
      "I've never really thought of having a brat," she said thoughtfully, "can't see myself being patient enough to look after one properly."
      Mahrayne regarded her lover gravely.
      "I'd look after them with you."
      "Seriously?"
      "Yes. A child of yours would be as my own."
      Kel's bright, brown eyes went wide and she had to clear her throat before speaking.
      "I'm almost tempted to think about it," she said with a forced lightness, stroking Mahrayne's cheek with the back of her hand, " - I know how much you'd like a child..."
      "Don't - " Mahrayne silenced the female with a gentle finger on her lips. "Please don't joke about it."
      "... I don't think I was." Kel uttered softly.
      In silence, the two females watched each other, a little warily, a little hopefully.
      Mahrayne touched both sets of fingertips to her forehead, as if she'd received a gift.
      "Thank you." The Hassinan's voice was barely above a whisper. "I wouldn't want you to do something you didn't want to..."
      Kelapa pulled her down into a fierce hug, and kissed her, igniting Mahrayne's desire again.

Nothing is too much for you to ask...

Mahrayne blinked - had Kel just spoken, or had she imagined it? The question was forgotten, though, as Leteetza joined in and rational thought succumbed to passion.