[adamu]

“Yeah, I do hope that, or I wouldn’t be here. An’ yeah, we’s goin’ on that train, hell or high water, toots. Listen…” She was being straight with him. She always was. And while he never lied to her, there was a lot he didn’t say. And he knew it frustrated her. If nothing else, she was a dear friend, and he needed to help her out. But…”…I know….shit, like I said, we got three weeks o’ sittin’ easy, no one tryin’ ta kill us, lookin’ all peaceful-like at rollin’ green fields an’ quaint villages. I will talk to ya then. I will.”

He got up and left some cash on the table. “i respect yer views on the whole compromise an’ sharin’ thing, even if they ain’t my own. I still think you should go ta yer shindig. Reckon ya would if not fer me, an’ wish ya’d go fer yerself. And…can’t put my finger on the why of it yet, but reckon I’ll be disappointed myself if’n ya don’t. But I won’t say no more about it. I’ll be inna city that evenin’ anyhoo, so ya text me that night with the where an’ the when, I’ll collect ya forthwith. Don’t tell me now. Surprise me.”

He opened the door for her. “Best we got you home. Talk more inna car if ya want."

[adamu]

Alyce takes Al's arm and lets him take her to the auto.  She has said her piece for now and anything more would probably not help, so she just enjoys the ride home in silence, enjoying what he is willing to give.  She turns to him after he helps her from the auto.  "Thank you again for a marvelous time.  It was simply brilliant.  I will call you Saturday to let you know when and where to pick me up."

[adamu]

"Groovy." Behind him, the car door was still up, the engine running. "An' by the way, " he said, lacing his scarred fingers through the hair at the back of her head, pulling her down and close, "this ain't our first date. "

[adamu]

Alyce melts into the strong man and feels his heart beat against her chest.  She lifts her mouth to his in anticipation........

[adamu]

Al paused for a tiny moment right before his chapped lips met her high-end red lipstick, just to torture her a little. Then he mashed his mouth fiercely, painfully against hers, his own desperation for her touch apparent in the way he gripped her hair and in the heat she felt against the center of her new tattoo.

Short and sharp, their tongues embraced and then he was gone, biting her lip on his way out.

“Saturday. Make me wait.”

And he got into his car and drove away without looking back.

[adamu]

Alyce stands on the curb for several minutes after Al drives off, savoring that kiss.  It wasn't everything she wanted, but it was enough for now.  Turning, she enters her shop, wishing the sales staff a very happy morning before heading over to where Al is waiting for her.  Alyce kneels at the side of the huge Hell Hound and scratches his head before taking him up the stairs to her suite to find that Stephanie has been alerted of her arrival and is waiting, along with Mae.

Mae helps Alyce undress as Stephanie fills her in on the day's events.  She tells both of them that she will be away on a train trip for three weeks, starting Monday coming then collapses in bed for a six hour sleep. Waking, she showers and dresses before going down to the book shop to deal with business there.

Alyce eats dinner alone at her table in the restaurant next door; well, alone except for the hound at her side.  Her mind is caught on what to pack for the trip.  Her gut tells her that Al is almost certainly a minimalist when it comes to this sort of thing and she decides that one case and an overnight bag will be enough for her needs.  After all, she has packed for rough before and can easily get everything she needs into the two bags.

That settled in her mind, she and Al finish eating and catch a taxi back out to the tattoo shop.  Solange smiles when she sees Alyce but frowns at the Hell Hound.  Alyce introduces the two of them, explaining that Al is her registered service animal and will cause no problems unless her life is in danger.  She explains what she wants done and Solange smiles, motioning for Alyce to strip and lay down on the table.  The work takes several hours, but now Alyce can wirelessly make the tat fade away or be visible.  The physical attraction the two felt the evening before is still very much present and with no other outside influence, Alyce goes home with the attractive tattoo artist and spends the rest of the night enjoying the sort of sexual activity that two women can experience together.

Returning to her suite in the morning, Alyce changes clothes and throws herself into the work involved in running the shop.  She quits early to go upstairs to see to packing for her trip.  That accomplished, she dresses for the night.  Leaving Al behind, Alyce takes a taxi to the location of the sharing party, where she thoroughly enjoys a night of passion and sex with as many partners as possible.  The party is scheduled to continue all weekend, but Alyce leaves early on Saturday afternoon, heading to a mid-range hotel to shower away the evidence of the past twenty hours.  Finished, she sends a text to Al, letting him know that she will be waiting for him in the lobby of the Belvedere at 1700.

[adamu]

In her hotel room, Alyce checks her internal chronometer for what must be the hundredth time.  She has been ready to go since 1645 but Al had very clearly told her to keep him waiting.  She shakes her head and checks her face once again.  The drone on her shoulder helps her make sure that her minimal makeup is on right.  Standing, she smooths the dress against her form and smiles.  The body hugging dress clings to all the right places, emphasizing her impressive curves without showing her skin.  All in all, it's an impressive example of a well-known tailor's skill.  Her handbag and shoes are perfect matches for the dress and all of it brings out the color of her hair.

At 1720 precisely, Alyce steps out of the elevator and into the lobby of the Belvedere.  Her senses, assisted by her drone and her scanners pick up Al's location almost immediately and she walks over to him. She is aware of the eyes of others in the lobby watching her walk, but she belongs to Al and is not interested in the other men.  Alyce comes up to Al and leans into him slightly.  "I am sorry for keeping you waiting.  I hope that you think it is worth it."

[adamu]

Saturday, July 26th, 2076

Al drove home and slept like a baby. He had been since he’d started calling on Alyce formally. Which he scolded himself for, since she was bewitching him here in London as badly as she had back in Cambodia.

No, he corrected himself, she was bewitching his memory of the man he used to be. Giant demon killing had made him haughty, like a Jerusalem harlot all aflounce in ringlets and wimples, whatever the hell a wimple was. Made him forget his truths.

And he’d promised to talk to her on the train ride. Suddenly it didn’t sound like such a fun trip anymore. Well, there was still this Saturday. But that…well that confused him even more.

Why couldn’t he just have all the good parts with none of the bad parts? But he knew the answer: because then she wouldn’t be her. He congratulated himself on his unerring sense of human nature.

He had a hell of a lot to do before the weekend. He read his new Red Samurai book. Practiced his card tricks. And tried to teach some new tricks to Spike, but the mangy animal was either too stupid or too lazy or both, and it was hopeless. Mostly, though, he’d accumulated a righteous lot of car parts over the past few days, and that meant a righteous lot of work to do between beers and naps.

Saturday rolled around and he was in no hurry, confident that he wouldn’t hear from her until the wee hours, at which point she’d likely be exhausted. Still, he had some vague ideas about hitting the Prospect and a few other watering holes around the Isle of Dogs. Maybe drop by and see the Vicar. And there were a few leads to follow up on some rumours he’d heard about an SK Prime ordnance shipment gone missing….

So he was only on the outskirts of the Smoke when he got the damned woman’s text at around half-four. He was momentarily delighted at the idea of seeing her a bit sooner, but mostly he was awash in a peculiar feeling of relief and disappointment at the choice she’d made. Whatever, he’d said he’d be there. It wasn’t her place though…he slapped this Belvedere joint into his nav and it took some very serious driving but he flashed his security code to a pimply-faced valet at two minutes till and trotted across the rotary to the lobby entrance, skidding to a calm-as-can-be saunter as he crossed the threshold. A quick look around showed him he hadn’t kept her waiting, so he settled down into an overstuffed chair and smoked. Until some geezer came over and told him not to, and not knowing Alyce’s relationship with this place he didn’t make a stink.

And she still wasn’t there. But when she finally emerged from the elevator, he reckoned he knew why. She just kept looking better and better. He near to melted when she leant into him and breathed her greeting. Saucy whore.

“Yeah, it was worth it. What ya hungry for?"

[adamu]

Saturday, July 26th, 2076

Alyce smiles and runs her face up and down his body.  "Al, if you had to ask that then I have not been very clear in my long range goals.  If you are talking about food, I haven't eaten since late morning so could eat almost anything.  How about a nosh any place you want then maybe a tour of some bars?  And a fag.  I could kill for one of those so can we stop at a newsstand and pick some up?"

[adamu]

Saturday, July 26th, 2076

"Toots, ya know ol' Al ain't but rarely without," he answered, handing her a Lucky Strike under the watchful eye of the hotel's tobacco Nazi. As he lit it for her, he said, "Well, if yer that peckish I'd say the hotel restaurant, but they got a few hang ups..." He took her arm and escorted her out, asking in a voice loud enough to be heard by their new staff shadow, "Whatcha doin' throwin' yer cred away in a damned smoke-free hotel anyhoo?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Saturday July 26th 2076


Alyce links her arm to Al's and lets him walk her to his auto.  "I was only here long enough to grab some sleep and dress for you, Al.  I didn't really care if the bloody place allowed me to smoke.  Besides, I was out.  But, yeah, best not try the eatery here.  By the way, the answer to your question is yes,  I shagged Solange after she redid the ink and I went to the party last night."

[adamu]

Saturday, July 26th, 2076

Al was shocked. Alyce's announcement, coming right out of the blue, nearly bowled him over, highlighting the deep differences between them. Didn't care if the place allowed her to smoke?!? He was silent as they got into the car, contemplating the enormity of it. On reflection, however, he decided maybe it was a good thing. After all, he cared about her, and he had heard some crazy rumors about smoking not being as good for your health as he'd thought.

That blip behind them, Al drove to a nearby Thai place and they enjoyed a lovely dinner together talking about nothing in particular. Al was forced to admit - to his terror - that even minor details about Alyce's life were of borderline interest to him, and as the meal was cleared away he grilled her on the mechanics of running a book store and the finer points of death hippie fashion. As she'd suggested, they followed dinner with a circuit through a number of pubs ranging from cancerous dives to fern-ridden wage-slave retreats, during which crawl Al subjected Alyce to an episodic account of his years in the Sahara and then the Saudi Peninsula. Then, as they strolled a late-night promenade around St. James' Park, he related to her the travails of installing an advanced life-support system, an endeavor that had dominated the better part of his weekend so far. It was warm and they sat on a park bench with a view of the pond. "So that's my weekend so far. Anything innerestin' fer you, or jist another coupla days inna life o' yer typical, run-o'-the-mill doctor-musician-entrepreneur-hacker-mobster?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Saturday July 26th 2076


Alyce thoroughly enjoys the dinner, followed by the stories.  She lets Al do most of the talking, but intersperses some of her own adventures into the conversation.  Both have great fun and Alyce learns a great deal about the man she loves.

When on the bench, Alyce holds Al's hand in one of hers.  "You know, I can hold a wrench with the best of assisstant mechanics, and would be quite happy to help you with your project.  Perhaps I can help by diagramming it out in the matrix to make it easier.  I can dress a bit rough, and I hear that a little grease on the nose is considered sexy by some."

At his question, Alyce grips his hand a bit harder.  "My weekend?  You know that I was at a sharing party.  How much detail do you want?  I can't give names, but I can tell you what I did."

[adamu]

Saturday, July 26th, 2076

Although not bothered by Alyce's predilections and habits - having accepted that they were a part of the whole that made her who she was - it was a truth that knowing where she'd been earlier today raised a variety of questions in Al's mind. He hadn't pried out of respect for her privacy and a desire to put her at ease - even if he didn't think it was a good idea, he was aware of how much effect his disapprobation might have on her decisions, and sought to avoid any hint of such. He knew he'd never change anything about himself for her, and wanted to ensure she not do anything of the sort herself.

But he also hadn't asked any questions because he was honestly unsure of how the answers might affect him. He cared about her more and more with each passing day, and hearing the gory details of her sexploits could send his thoughts in any number of directions, most bad, a few good. And she was a confusing enough proposition as it was.

The smart play was therefore to simply decline her offer. So of course he smled and said, "Sure toots, I wanna hear ever'thin'. Paint ol' Al a picture."

[Mercy Merchant]

Saturday July 26th 2076


Alyce turns her face to Al, a bit surprised at his response.  Realizing that he will have to know sooner or later, she launches into a detailed description of her activities of the previous night and this morning, starting with stripping and putting a mask on and finishing with the trio of lovelies she had cavorted with just before leaving.  She does not go step by step, but she leaves little to the imagination and it is clear that she has no shame in describing the various acts of sexual pleasure she had participated in.  When finished, she relaxes her grip on Al's hand, giving him the option to run away from her if he likes.