Ch 36 The Kiss

I woke up to the same warm feeling twice, now. This time I was aware of my situation. I felt like I was in a cuddle cocoon and did not want to leave. I felt Riksa's breathing change.

"Are you awake?"

I pulled her closer to me. Her body reacted to my face, nuzzling her soft underbelly.

"Yeah."

"Do you... like this? Sleeping next to me?"

"Mmm-hmmm."

Her hand gently began to caress the hair on my head. I was pretty sure it was morning already. I would have to open my eyes to confirm, or...

"Is it light out yet?"

"Yes."

Her hand moved down my back. She began to drag her claw up and down my back. The touch was so light. She was simply scratching my back. It reminded me of something my grandmother used to do.

"You are weird."

She stopped. I squeezed her again.

"All of the other lizard-men won't bother with you. Yet, you can still be so caring like this. Others in a similar position would probably give up on life."

"To be honest, I almost did."

I heard her voice shudder.

"I've only known you for a couple of days. Still, I'm happy that I met you."

She began to sob a bit. Her grip on me tightened. She forgot what position her hand was in and began to impale my back with her claw.

"Ow, ow, ow!"

She quickly let go and pulled away.

"OH! I'm sorry! I forgot ..."

I smiled at her.

"It's okay. I'll heal up in no time."

I winked. She still had some streams from the tears on her cheek. She was smiling though.

"Let's go ahead and find Wab. He wants to take me to the Guru. I decided. I want to get Sophie before I go there."

"Why do you want her to come with you?"

"She has been alone for a few days now. I left her alone for a long time before that. I don't want her to worry."

Riksa had a slightly annoyed face on her. I got dressed, as did Riksa. When I exited the hut, only one lizard was waiting outside.

"I remember you. You guided me back to the village last time. Thank you, again."

He bowed.

"My pleasure."

"What is your name?"

"I am called Zeebu."

Riksa exited the hut behind me. Zeebu was visibly bothered by it.

"Surely, you jest? Her again? I figured, since you were ignorant of this place, you would have learned your lessons about her already."

My facial expression did not stray from my upbeat smile. I did not have to look back at Riksa to know that that was a shitty greeting. Maybe this is why she did not follow me last time.

"Ya know Zeebu, my opinion of you has changed. Those things can happen you know. If my opinion can change about you, why can't yours change about her? Don't follow us. Don't bother greeting me again either. Your attitude toward her is a burden. For her, and therefore, me."

I turned to Riksa and grabbed her hand. I began dragging her toward the village. She quickly caught up to speed with me. Her right hand in my left. Her head leaned onto my left shoulder.

"Thank you."

"He was just a simple someone who can't see the forest through the trees."

We took our time strolling through the desert. When Wab's hut was within view, Riksa sped up a bit.

"I want to say hi to my brother. I'm going on ahead."

She waved and I did the same. She hopped and took off running at full speed. She had to have been faster than the other lizards during the hunt. How is she supposedly 'weak?'

I arrived at my destination after a few minutes. Wab and Riksa were waiting for me. Wab threw a sack of coins at me.

"For helping with the hunt. No casualties and you did most of the work this time. You deserve it."

Wab wrapped his arm around my shoulder and began to whisper.

"So, you seem to be getting along with my sister. She is fairly enamored with you. Are you really okay with this?"

"Of course."

My answer was quick and simple.

"Haha!"

He slapped my back. Is Kidj showing that to everyone?

"You are alright. If I ever fall in battle, I want you to take care of her."

"Are you about to go to war?"

"No, no. Just a... will, of sorts."

His arm slid off my shoulder and he returned to his seat at his work desk.

"Riksa tells me you want to do one more thing before you see the Guru."

"Yes. I have a companion that I left behind to keep safe. I had no idea what the lizard-men would do once I got here."

"A wise choice. Go ahead and bring him. Now that we know who you are, you won't have the same greeting. Especially if Riksa is with you."

I had not planned on bringing Riksa. This may be a good opportunity for Sophie to get familiar with the lizard-people before she gets here. Riksa would also be good protection for her if I am incapacitated for any reason.

"You ready to go, Riksa?"

She looked surprised. She must have expected me to say no.

"I... okay."

She nodded her head.

"If you need to get anything, we can stop by your hut."

She shook her head.

"I don't need anything."

"See ya, Wab. I'll be back as soon as I can."

He waved at us as we left. Riksa and I made it halfway through the village before I had a thought.

"Are there any general shops around here? I would like to get a few supplies."

"Mmm-Hmm."

She pointed towards the same direction we were walking. She showed me the shop and I made a few purchases. I started with a travel bag and filled it with various small things. It was full before I was satisfied.

"Okay. I think that's all I want."

"What is all that stuff for?"

"I want to bring a few things for the house that we found. Decorations and a few necessities."

"You found a house?"

"It's pretty cool. Though I would prefer if you kept it secret too."

She looked a bit lost in thought. We went onward to our destination.

After we passed the ambush point where I was captured by the lizard-men, Riksa poked my shoulder.

"We should be out of earshot by now. Can you tell me about Earth while we walk?"

"I don't see why not."

She was so excited. She had a thousand questions. I answered as many as I could. How electricity and batteries work. Numerous different objects, that use electricity and their purposes. Housing normalities. Transport. Entertainment of many varieties. She seemed to be holding onto most of what I said quite well.

It was near dark when I saw the mountain in the distance.

"There!"

She could hear the excitement in my voice.

"That's just a small mountain rock. What's so exciting about that?"

I found her hand and led her to the foot of the tiny mountain.

"There is a little climbing. We are almost there, though."

She gave me a look as though I was crazy.

I found the keyhole. I traced the line of the door down to the lower-left corner. I found what I was looking for. I pulled on the string a few times. Just for safe measure, I pulled it another two times. A minute or two passed.

"Sooo."

Riksa was getting impatient.

"Just another few moments."

We heard a clink. The door began to move backward, then up.

I was standing before the door as it lifted. About halfway up, I heard Sophie.

"Lake?"

"Yeah, I'm here"

I responded. Riksa nearly pushed me to the side as she examined the door. At the same time, the door was high enough to allow Sophie to crouch under. She obliviously leaped into Riksa's arms.

Sophie kissed Riksa on the lips.

Full contact. Riksa had a very confused look on her. I could tell, Sophie was ignorant of the situation.

"Might want to look before you leap, next time."

Sophie heard my voice to her side. She looked in my direction without releasing her lip lock. She then looked forward. She backed away and gasped.

"What did I... Who are..."

She lost her words. Riksa was no different. They both stared at each other.

"I see how it is, Sophie. I haven't seen you in a few days and you started to take an interest in women?"

I felt like teasing her. She looked at me with concern.

"We haven't even kissed yet. You just went ahead and kissed a stranger in front of me? Are you trying to make me jealous?"

"Wait, but... I saw your shoes and pants. I saw you standing on the other side of the door. I thought it was you!"

"Haha. Riksa, here, pushed me out of the way to check out the door and..."

I felt the wind blow. I had a terrible memory that comes with the wind.

"Inside, now. Close the door, Sophie. NOW."

All three of us went inside and the door closed behind me. Sophie pulled Gleamour back out of the keyhole.

"What's wrong?"

Sophie asked. I listened but heard nothing.

"The wind."

"The wind?"

Riksa repeated.

"One of my powers. From what I understand, my laughter can make lesser spirits angry. If there were lesser wind spirits out there, that wind may have been caused by them. I was having fun teasing you Sophie. Sorry."

"What is so bad about wind. Also, we had a lot of fun in Onala. Why was it okay then?"

I placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

"The last time I really let loose, it was like daggers of wind pierced the building I was in. It was not a pretty sight. Regarding the lesser spirits, I asked Kidj. He said there are none on the entire peninsula. Let's go to the house."

As we walked, the view of the hidden grotto house slowly came into view. Riksa was speechless. I could see the wonder on her face. She rushed down the steps into the open.

"This is beautiful! How is this place possible?!"

She ran over to one of the fruit trees. She took one off the stem and bit into it. The look on her face revealed just how delicious she found it to be.

"I think she likes it here."

Sophie tugged on my shirt.

"You said her name was, Riksa? Who is she?"

"She is the sister of a village leader. She and I got along quite well. It seems like she is a kind of black sheep."

"A what?"

"Uh, It's a saying where I am from. It means that she is different from the rest of her family. Sometimes it's not a bad thing. In her case, she was very lonely. Her brother seems to be one of the few who talk to her. She and I connected. She kinda latched on and does not want to let go, though. I don't mind. She has a good heart."

She giggled.

"You have the most unusual taste. I'm thankful for that, Lake."

She pulled on the collar of my shirt until we were face to face.

"Welcome home."

She pressed her lips to mine. I missed this feeling. This kind of connection with someone. I brought my hand up and wrapped it around the back of her neck. It felt like we had this contact for endless minutes. When it did end, It was a bitter-sweet feeling. I wanted it to last so much longer.

"Glad to be home."

We smiled at each other. My eyes focused on the lack of movement behind Sophie. Riksa was watching us. Her face told me she was bothered by what she saw. She was attempting to crush the pit of the fruit she was previously enjoying. To my surprise, her hands crushed the pit with ease. That was a little scary.

I remembered my traveling pack.

"Hey, Sophie! I got some stuff for the house before I came back. Let's go inside and I can show you what I got."

"Really? What kind of things?"

I walked ahead and motioned for her to follow. I found Riksa on the porch.

"Have fun checking this place out. I really like it here. I'm gonna show Sophie some of the stuff I got."

She didn't look at me.

"Okay..."

I figured she was still shocked by the kiss that I shared with Sophie. I think I'll talk with her later if she still hasn't cooled off.

I went inside with Sophie and placed the pack on the corner table. I opened it and began to pull things out.

"I found some things that could be nice decorations. Some seasonings and spices for food and a few other odds and ends."

I finished pulling out all of the small stuff. I began arranging the things to make them easy to see on the table. Sophie noticed that the pack still had a lot of space taken up in it.

"What else is in there? It's definitely not empty."

"The best part."

I began removing a large blanket from the pack.

"I left it on the bottom to cushion the other things. It's a super soft and warm blanket. I know it gets cold here sometimes. This should make those nights so much warmer."

She reached out and felt the texture with her hand. It wasn't long before she pulled it to her face.

"You like it?"

"You were not kidding when you said it was soft. This is amazing. Can we use it tonight?"

"Absolutely."

I heard Riksa scream. I ran outside and found her still on the porch.

"HE IS SOOOO CUUUUUTE!"

Riksa met Goby. To be honest, I almost forgot about him since he was not there when the door opened.

"Where did you find him?! I never thought I would see one in my lifetime!"

She was clearly impressed with the little two-tailed fox. Though I had no idea why.

"You seem to know more about him than us. We found Goby near the path on the way here. I fed him a little and he started following us. He is a great little guy."

"Goby? Is that his name?"

I nodded.

"Hello, Goby. You are soo cute. Awww."

She scratched his side until he rolled onto his back and she continued scratching his belly.

"These creatures are incredibly rare. The one-tailed fox is simple-minded and violent. The two-tailed fox is said to be loyal and intelligent. Because of these differences, the two-tailed babies are shunned by the parents. They are left to die or sometimes eaten by the parents. If he hadn't followed you, he would probably be dead by now. They are said to bring incredible luck to those that befriend them."

"I fought a large one-tailed fox a few days after we found Goby. When I killed it, Goby bit the neck and was shaking it violently. I thought he was just being protective. Do you think it was one of his parents that shunned him?"

"Very possible."

Goby hopped up and ran over to me. He clawed his way up to my shoulder and nuzzled my face. I reached up and pat him.

"Hey, Goby. Long time no see."

Riksa approached.

"It's clear that he likes you. Keep him close, and you will have luck throughout your life."

"Well, that luck has already been working. I got the two of you here with me."

"HEY! I was with you before Goby!"

Sophie retaliated with a smack on my shoulder.

"And you were still here when I got back. I was happy to see you were okay."

I began to smell something.

"Oh, is there food cooking?"

Sophie threw up her hands and tossed the blanket over to the bed. She walked quickly outside. I followed and found her cooking a stew behind the house. It smelled good.

"Is there enough for three? If not, I can skip a meal."

"There is more than enough. Don't worry about that."

She began stirring the cooking pot. Riksa found us and discovered the source of the smell. She was excited for the food yet to come.

As the night dragged on, the hot dinner was welcomed. It was a nice sight to see Riksa and Sophie getting along. They were talking and laughing together. Goby would take the attention when one or the other was distracted. Before long, I saw them yawning more and more frequently.

"Hey, how about we get some sleep. If you two keep yawning like that, I might have to start doing that myself."

Sophie giggled.

"Sorry. I guess it is late. Uh... where will we all sleep?"

"There is enough room on the bed for two. I can find somewhere else to sleep."

I suggested. Riksa walked over and stood behind me in my chair.

"I will sleep wherever you are, Lake."

Sophie was dismayed. It looked like she had no idea what to do with Riksa's declaration.

"I... I want to..."

She was about to give up the argument. Riksa spoke up.

"Oh, that was easy. I love sleeping next to you, Lake. I guess I won't have to share you."

She was embellishing her argument on purpose. Like a big sister trying to push her little sister into not giving up.

"I'm sleeping next to Lake. Whenever we are together, I sleep next to him. That won't change now."

She had her familiar determined face equipped. It was cute.

"I suppose the only answer is to see if the bed can handle three people."

Both of the girls opened their mouths to speak. Nothing came out. They both gave up the argument. Finally, Riksa spoke up.

"I'll take the side against the wall."

"I'm on the open side."

Sophie called out. I guess that means I'm in the middle.

"Okay. Sleeping arrangements figured out. I think I'm about ready to hit the sack."

I began to wonder how the girls will dress with the other involved in bedtime. I decided to take the safe route and only removed, down to my underwear. I got under the freshly spread new blanket and moved over to the middle.

Sophie stripped down to her underwear and put on a large shirt with a softer material.

Riksa was shamelessly nude in seconds. I felt the blanket lift up near my feet. The bed began to move. I felt a tug on my underwear. They were pulled off of me quickly.

"We have slept nude together already. Why leave clothes on this time?"

She crawled up under the covers on my left side. I observed Sophie reassess her clothing choice. Riksa issued a challenge and Sophie was tempted to meet that challenge head-on.

"It's okay, Sophie. You don't have to..."

"No. I want to. I wanted to do this at some point. Why not now?"

She blew out the last candles and faced away to strip down. I could only tell from what little moonlight was shining through the holes in the celling of the cave. She backed up to the bed and got under the covers. Her back was to me. I placed my hand on her back and began to caress it. She hesitated to roll over. Her mind was made up soon after. She rolled over into my arm. Her chest was half on mine. Her face was so close. I was about to reach in to kiss her.

I was interrupted by a scaly hand, grabbing my chin and pulling my face to hers. Riksa stole my kiss away from Sophie. For a lizard, her lips were just as soft as Sophie's.

"Hey!"

...

Our kiss pulled apart. Riksa seemed out of breath.

"Sorry, Sophie. You had your kiss from him last time. This was my turn."

Riksa was satisfied for now. She cozied up to me for the long night. I turned my gaze back over to Sophie. She looked bothered by what she just witnessed.

"Sorry. I wasn't expecting that either."

I whispered to Sophie. I brought my forehead to hers and closed my eyes. I felt her move a little. She kissed me for the second time now. It felt just as amazing as the first kiss. When the time came, the end of the kiss was met with loathing. Why does something so simple have to end?

Sophie now had a satisfied look on her. She cozied up to me just as Riksa had, not long ago.

How did I end up like this? I feel like I am in the beginnings of a Harem. What guy does not want to be part of one? At the same time. I felt like Sophie could be someone I would consider for a life partner. Riksa is great too, I'm not sure how I feel about her romantically though. She just likes to push the adult theme on me so much more than Sophie. I just don't know how to feel about them both coming after me at the same time.

In a minute sense, I almost feel as though Riksa is invading what I have with Sophie. I almost worry that Riksa might do something to make Sophie hate me. And... I hate to admit it. The decisions I make with Riksa are what will get me in trouble. Should I backpedal with Riksa, some? If I do that, She might think...

The contrast between the two women on either side of me was a new feeling.

Skin on skin with Sophie felt great. The thought kept my mind awake. She was someone I cared about and her body was close to mine. I wanted to selfishly be near her.

The feel of Riksa's soft underbelly made me just want to cozy up to her and sleep. Do I think of her like a blanket or pillow? A semi amusing thought.

Roundabout thoughts won't get me anywhere. I should just try to get some sleep. I felt Goby hop up onto the blanket. He decided to rest near our feet.

The night felt long. Conciseness eventually left me within my sleep.