[Fiction] Conversations at Night [Complete]

[z-Silvestru]

This fiction picks up the evening after the first day of this fiction, Living in Neverland.

Sylvan sighed and stretched, feeling her sleek, nova muscles expand and contract as she moved. She rose to her feet, feeling that same, easy, gliding motion and walked into her house. It was strange to think, but she hadn't really explored her body, not since working out with Kevin.

So in the privacy of her own house, she reached down and touched her toes, amazed at the ease of her movement. Straightening, she leaned her body backwards while gradually letting her knees fold. She didn't manage it quick right, and with an "Ow," and a thud, she landed on her back. With a grim expression, she tried again, this time managing to get into a back arch.

"Cool," she grinned, then carefully lowered herself to the ground. Once again, she did it wrong, and another "Ow," and thud rang through the house. Now, for the ultimate test - she carefully let her legs slid apart until her pelvis was flat against the floor. "Wow," she muttered, "this body is better than I thought."

She rolled onto her back and pulled a knee up. Grasping her ankle, she slowly pulled her foot higher, waiting for her body to complain. It did before she got her foot behind her ear, but it had gotten higher than she had thought possible.

With a proud little smile, she sat up. A shadow caught her eye and she shrieked in surprise before she recognized the shape. "Satyr! Damnit, you scared me!" She was still smiling as she rose to her feet and hugged him. "What are you doing here? Aren't you giving Polymath the grand tour?"

[Satyr]

Satyr returned the hug warmly, bending at the knees slightly to pick her up and kiss her. Chloe was slightly caught off guard by the affection but she didn't complain. "Aye, I made so'e vague excuse aboot needing ta take care of me mos' important client." He gave Chloe a smirk. She blushed shyly.

He sent her down gently on the balls of her feet; her hand carressed his face, she was glad he was here. "I'm sorry, I shouldna ha'e jus' let meself in, but I wante' ta see ye." He said as she led him to the couch. Her leading him by the hand to various parts of the house had become something of a private joke between them. "Don't be silly. You know you're welcome here. You don't need to apologize."

Something that Satyr noted about Chloe which few others did was that she was probably the strongest person he knew. Chloe's life had been turned upside-down and inside-out since she erupted. She had her entire world-view challenged, she had been kidnapped, and she had killed family in self-defense. Yes, it weighed upon her some days, but she still managed somehow despite all these odds against her.

There was a moment of quiet as they sat on the couch. Chloe half-expected Satyr to take her right there on the couch; to be honest Satyr half-expected it too. Instead he spoke. "I was all ta aware tha' somethin' was botherin' ye tonight." He still held her hand in his he turned it palm up as he spoke and began running his fingertips across her palm, sending little tingles of pleasure up her arm. "Ye dinnae ha'e ta tell me, bu'... " He gave her a wide grin. "... I di' come all th' way back here."

Satyr wanted to connect with Chloe. Every other time he'd ever tried to communicate with almost any other living being it had somehow involved sex. Satyr would be lying if sex was totally absent from this intercourse, but he was making the effort to talk with Chloe instead of fucking their problems away. That fact was not lost on Chloe. It was the first time that Satyr could recall initiating a serious conversation, but then that was part of the reason he had come back.

[z-Silvestru]

Chloe was startled by Satyr's question; it went beyond the "are you alright' that he had always asked before. He wasn't asking if she was okay as a prelude to sex or even because he wanted to know; he wanted to help her with whatever was troubling her.

Suddenly, she was scared. What did this mean about him? And about them? He was the Satyr - he didn't talk unless a bit of chit-chat was a requirement for sex. But even that assessment wasn't entirely fair; he'd often been over here and had not pressed her for sex. But that meant that he wanted more than sex, and that was terrifying.

She reached up and caressed that too-handsome face, as always a little in awe of his beauty. And as wrong as it was to describe a man that way, that was the word she had for it - beauty. His thick, curly hair that fell just so over his smooth brow, and those brown eyes that sparkled with life - it all worked together so perfectly on him.

She almost used his own ploy on him; she almost turned to the physical to distract him - no, to distract both of them. But Chloe had always been loath to use sex as a tool or a weapon with Josh, and she restrained herself now. "I'm not sure I want to talk about what's wrong," she said softly, knotting her fingers together anxiously. "I'm doing fine not talking about it."

[Satyr]

Satyr remembered well what had first given her pause during the conversation with Polymath. "Well, I came all this way, t'would be a shame ta waste thi' time together." He smiled a rueful grin as he returned the gesture and caressed her face.

"We don'na ha'e ta talk aboot anything if it makes ye uncomfort'ble." Satyr knew she would talk about it when she was ready. It was true that Satyr also had a bit on his mind, but he found it more easy than Chloe did to sweep it under the rug, particularlly when he had a beautiful woman before him. If she didn't want to talk about her own problems, why would she want to talk about his? "Besides, I can think'a better ways ta pass th' time."

He leaned in to her and began kissing and nibbling her neck. His hand moved around to her back and gently began massaging her muscles. His mouth moved up next her ear and whispered to her. "Wha' are yer thoughts on how ta pass th' time?"

[z-Silvestru]

As always, his hands threatened to brush everything else away, and Chloe almost let him. With a sigh, she leaned forward and rested her head against his chest, letting her eyes droop shut as he urged her muscles to relax.

But all too soon, her conscience began to nag at her. She lifted her head, nearly bumping her head into the satyr's nose. "Wait, you came here to talk to me, just talk?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion.

Satyr nodded at her, and she said, "But if I won't talk, then maybe I'll fuck, huh?"

[Satyr]

"No, i's no’ abou’ that." Satyr was slow to switch gears and gave her one more quick peck on the lips, but looked troubled. "I jus’ donnae know..." He didn't lose his train of thought so much as change his mind about finishing the sentence. "What, Satyr?" Chloe asked, pulling his chin up with her hand. "Just... say it." She gave him a dazzling smile.

Satyr returned the smile. "How abou’ we both share." It was a dirty trick; he knew it. "Maybe we coulda help eachother." Chloe got very quiet. "I'm keeping all of this tightly bottled away," she whispered, her brown eyes dark with half-revealed pain. "I mean, I've done a lot of thinking, but I've tried not to think about a lot of things."

"Ye can talk ta me, ye know." He smirked. "If ye donnae trust me, I understand." He furrowed his brow. "There be some things I've kept bottl’d away for too long, an’ now I have to deal wit’ them." Chloe calmed herself looking deep into Satyr’s eyes. "If... if I let these things out... Satyr, I don't know... what will come out," she said. "I... may lash out at you, even. This is why I want to wait. After the trial. I'll come unhinged then... but now... I don't know." She leaned against him. "I just don't know."

"I know ye be strong." Satyr tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Jus’ know tha’ I'm here." He picked up her hand and brought it to his chest. "I'm no’ worried abou’ ye lashing outta me. That's wha’… friends are for." Satyr’s words were heartfelt, as such Chloe’s response surprised him.

"Stop it!" Chloe insisted, wrenching her hand away from him. "I don't want to talk about my... killing... I don't want to think about it!" She was almost shouting. "I'm sorry, Chloe. I didna mean ta... " his instinctual reaction was to attempt to soothe her, but he stopped himself. "I just.. I just care abou’ ye; I ha’e trouble showin’ it." His look was one of pain. In almost a whisper, "I'm sorry, I wa’ trying ta help."

"I... know," she said. "I'm just... afraid." Her lip quivered.

"Ach, I understand, but ye ha’e not’ing ta be worried aboot. I know ye feel guilty." Satyr waved a dismissive hand. "We donne need ta talk abou’ that." He smiled at her warmly trying to allay her fears. "Then... what did you want to talk about?" she asked, her voice soft again, but shaky. She forced a chuckle as she said, "Unless you're holding to that trade."

[z-Silvestru]

Satyr's eyes immediately dropped to the floor almost shyly. "Ah uh... do ye remember when ye asked to be with 'The Satyr'?" His question brought up memories their first night together. “How anything less would be a lie."

"Yeah," she said softly. She frowned. "Was that wrong?"

"Nay, far from it." He looked back to her with a slight smile. "Ah just donna know what the lie is, this face or another hidden under it. Ah've neglected my life before my eruption for far ta long. Ah don't know anything about who Ah was, if Ah want to be honest with you and myself, Ah should find out."

"Well... wow." Chloe looked uncertain. "What can I do to help?"

"Ah have no idea. Given me 'teletransportational' and shapeshifting abilities, Ah coulda have been anyone from anywhere." He looked slightly defeated already.

"Can you dorm?" she asked.

"Nay..." He gestured to his wooly goat's legs. "This be the norm for me."

“Have you ever tried?" Chloe asked softly, trying not to push too hard.

"Of course not, Ah wouldn't even know how ta try." He looked a bit frightened by the prospect.

"What's wrong?" Chloe asked softly.

"C- Can ye imagine being cut off from yer quantum abilities? It would be like being handicapped, blind, deaf... " He held out an arm. "Ye may as well hack off a limb."

"It's temporary," Chloe said softly, "or so I've heard. And you can shut it off again." She rubbed his outstretched arm gently. "And just long enough to see what you looked like as a baseline, to see who you were."

"But who would that 'baseline' be?"

"Then you'd have to find out," Chloe said softly. She smiled a little. "If you waited long enough, it would be 'we'd' have to find out."

Satyr smiled wider than Chloe had ever seen before, he quickly tried to cover it. "Will ye come with me then, after ye trial?" He caressed her face.

"If it goes my way, then... yes," she said softly. She gave him a shy smile.

"Thank ye." was all that the Pan-like nova could muster. He leaned and gently brushed his lips against hers. "Ye have no idea what that means to me."