<<< Message >>>
You have formed a tenuous bond with an Alraune owned by the Global Trade Network. If you wish to continue building upon this bond, you should complete your transaction with the current owner. Failure to do so will result in stiff penalties and possible loss of your Hunter’s license.
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Scott quickly accepted Flora as his choice, officially, and his trade ticket was accepted as payment. A new screen popped up. It asked him to choose a piece of equipment for her placement.
Crystallim need to remain in contact with their master in order for the special bond that they shared to continue to grow. They also need to keep their core in close proximity so that the master could utilize their passive and active bonuses. Special equipment was designed for this purpose.
He pulled up his inventory screen and checked the various items available. He chose to equip his titanium bracer. It was low-end defensive gear, but it was designed with three Crystallim slots.
Flora was equipped to the middle slot on his bracer. A light green pattern of lights streamed down along the surface of the specially prepared device to show that she was now active. The effect gave off the visual representation of circuitry made of light.
“Alright! I officially have my first partner as a hunter,” said Scott with excitement.
A soft feminine giggle echoed inside his mind. His new companion seemed happy as well.
He checked to see if his passive and active gifts were available then smiled. Everything was working properly.
It was time to take a closer look at the beautiful future in store for him. Scott raised his hand into the air, his forearm facing forward. “Flora!”
The green light from before flared brightly for a moment, and then a beam of light shot outward from the Crystallim core. The light beam stopped a few feet from Scott’s position. A sphere of energy formed then elongated into a humanoid shape. Soon the shape formed into a beautiful Alraune girl whose face offered him a curious, but happy expression.
“Hello, Scott,” said the plant girl.
He smiled at her. Technically, he could have her refer to him as master and she no doubt would do so. He saw no need for that, however. He did not hate the word master, but he also did not want to force his partners to refer to him in a specific manner. He would do the same for them. He'd call them by name instead of by their breed name like many people did. “Hello, Flora. Are you feeling well?”
“Better than I have in a while.” She walked toward him then held open her arms.
Scott recognized her invitation. They had both previously sent images related to hugging and cuddling. She wanted to get started apparently.
He walked over to her then gently wrapped his arms around her. They held each other close for a time, simply enjoyed the warmth of their embrace. It was a slow start to their new relationship, but things would no doubt escalate quickly. They always did when a human and a Crystallim were brought together by mutual choice.
Sex was not an absolute necessity for a proper bond to form, but it did often result from the intimacy shared between human and Crystallim. There were many types of relationships, however. Some were more of a father and daughter relationship. Other bonds formed in a manner similar to friendly coworkers or siblings. Human women frequently formed groups of Crystallim girlfriends who went out with her to look for men to seduce. It really was a wild and varied lifestyle when Crystallim were involved, and a great time to be alive.
The embrace continued for quite some time. Soon, a shy little vine slipped from her flower bud and began to creep down her back. It tentatively slipped around his calf then curled around his leg a little.
Scott's smile grew slightly as he held his new partner. Some Alraune were called clinging vine Crystallim because they liked to wrap their partners in their vines as a sign of growing closeness. Of course, some humans just thought of them as clingy in general.
One of his hands slipped down to lightly caress her bountiful booty eliciting a sigh from the girl. She snuggled in as closely as possible and allowed him to get a feel for her. However, that was as far as the intimate caresses went for now. Neither of them knew the other well enough to know if they wanted more.
On a purely primal level, Scott would have jumped at the chance for more, but this situation was not about his libido. His duty as a hunter was to seek out the best possible situation for the Crystallim he encountered.
Pouncing on Flora would no doubt be fun, but it could lead to poor bond development. It would not be in her best interest, and that was the most important aspect of his job. Even hunting down Nightmares and abominations was in service to those interests. In many ways, he was like a goodwill ambassador for humanity. Hunters were rarely allowed to graduate if they could not at least show solid empathy for some Crystallim.
"So, what now?" she asked softly, while tugging on him slightly with her vine.
"We have a lifetime to figure that out, Flora," said Scott in a warm and confident tone. He rubbed the small of her back then pressed his cheek to the side of her head.
The color of her cheeks darkened slightly, and her nostrils flared. "If you say so."
It was unsettling, the way that she said those four simple words. Unfortunately, it was easy to discern why she did not believe that they would be together for a long time. The Crystallim in the trade network were often traded several times before they found their sexy forever home.
Ultimately, it was a good thing since it allowed them a chance to find the best situation possible. However, it could be quite sad for some of those girls. They would bounce around from partner to partner for quite a while.
Scott reached down and took her hand in his. "Would you like to go for a walk with me?"
She nodded her head slightly then squeezed his hand. Scott smiled at her then asked, "Would you like some clothes to wear?"
"Do I have to?" she asked softly.
"Not if you don't want to wear any," he said.
"I'd prefer not for now," she said.
Scott squeezed her hand once more then smiled. "Sounds good."
She returned his smile with a tentative one of her own. Scott called for an exit, and they left the room. Soon, they were on the street.
Flora murmured loudly then stretched beautifully. "Feels good..."
Scott glanced at the girl by his side. In the bright light of day, she looked even more beautiful. Sunlight agreed with her, as it did with all Alraune. It was her main source of sustenance when manifested.
The physical existence of a Crystallim was a strange, hypocritical, concept. Their bodies required food and rest, but if they released the manifestation they required neither unless emotionally stressed. It was considered to be a sign of their deep attachment to their humanoid manifestations.
The psychological connection required them to act in a manner somewhat similar to a human. They were all heavily invested in the process, to the extent that a Crystallim could even starve to the point of falling unconscious if she refused to release her manifestation.
Nightmares in the wild often lived like normal flesh and blood creatures, despite their supernatural nature. Most that had a physical manifestation could not release that manifestation. It was part of the madness brought on by their lack of emotional connection.
She noticed Scott's stare. "Is there something on my face?"
Scott nodded. "Yes."
Flora pouted then wiped at her face a little. "Did I get it?"
"Not yet," he said.
"How about now?" she asked softly, after wiping at her face for a moment.
"No..." he said lightly.
Flora snorted quietly then asked, "What is it?"
Scott leaned in and gently kissed her on the cheek. "A kiss, I think."
She snorted again, this time with a bit more volume. Her eyes closed partially, and a small smile rose upon her lips. "You're silly."
"Agreed. I am silly," said Scott, before granting her a smile of his own. "Still,
score one for me."
"We're keeping score?" she asked curiously.
"Yes, and I'm winning," he said.
They started walking after that, but only managed to go a few steps before she mumbled something. Scott asked, "What's that?"
"Nothing..." she said while looking down at the ground.
"Flora, it's OK to talk to me," said Scott.
She shook her head. "It's fine."
A brief moment passed between them, and then Scott squeezed her hand gently. "Alright. If you don't want to talk about it, I won't try to make you."
Flora bit her lower lip a little and nodded slightly. They began to stroll down the sidewalk once more, a difficult prospect in the crowded streets of America.
She soaked in the sun while they both soaked up the local color. People from all walks of life strolled by them. Crystallim of many different breeds were scattered among the crowd. There were rules about the number of them to be escorted around town at any given time, but that was less of a race issue and more of a space issue. If everyone in town coaxed their Crystallim friends into manifestation, it would be impossible to move.
They walked past a centaur carrying a young boy on her back. She wore a simple button up shirt on her human half, and a pretty saddle for her rider.
Scott and Flora watched them for a moment. The young boy was not yet a teenager, but old enough to wander around with supervision. Excited to be out with his friend, the boy pointed to interesting things that he saw. His centaur guardian laughed sweetly and wandered around with him on her back. She took up a lot of space, but the people nearby indulged them. It was nice to see such a happy duo.
As Scott and Flora continued on, they saw the boy lean forward and give his guardian a warm hug. "I love you, Applejax."
"I love you too, sweety," she replied warmly, while her tail swished back and forth in emphasis.
Flora squeezed Scott's hand, while a sweet smile formed on her lips. He squeezed her hand as well, a smile of his own forming. It was nice to see a human and a Crystallim get along so well. Like a sign of things to come in the future, the newly minted partners held fast to each other and continued their stroll.
The gentle scent of fresh green grass and wildflowers permeated the air. An aromatic perfume that filled the senses and calmed the mind, it was the natural fragrance of the Alraune known as Flora.
In preparation to move from his old barracks room, and into his new life, Scott rented a room on the outskirts of America. The outskirts of town was the best place for him. It allowed him the easiest access to the wall, and the world immediately outside of town. The new room was nothing fancy, but it did possess the basic furniture package that came with most rented rooms.
Flora sipped water from her cup, and thought of many things. Her old life, her new one, and the master who would be the center of it all. Scott was currently in the bathroom attending to certain functions unique to the human condition. There were many things that a girl such as Flora did not need to do that a human did. At least, many things she need not do unless she continued to manifest her body for days on end.
Crystallim needed to eat and drink during the time that they are manifest in their dream forms. The actual food and drink differed from one girl to the next, and by breed. Flora needed only water, sunlight, a multi-vitamin, and love. She could eat normal human food, but it was not entirely necessary.
However, she did not need to use the facilities that her master used, as she was a plant type Crystallim. She would simply create complex sugars, or release gases and water in small amounts. Simple sweat and her gentle aroma accomplished all of the waste removal that her dream form required. One could say that her gas did not smell like a rose, but it did smell of wildflowers on a nice spring day.
“I wonder what he does in there?” Flora looked toward the door. It was a temporary structure created using the power of human technology. When her master finished his business, the entire room and its contents would shimmer out of existence. His business in that tiny room would remain a mystery to the girl. It was quite curious. All humans used such rooms, but none of them ever explained what they did in there. At least they did not tell her using details that made sense.
The answer was usually something about a call of nature, or dropping children off at the pool. She never saw the aforementioned children enter the room, but sometimes a master might speak as though someone was in there with him. Once or twice she had heard an appeal to a deity, however. It was possible that the room was used for religious purposes, but in the end it would remain a mystery.
Scott exited the bathroom and sighed loudly. The room and its contents shimmered then faded from sight. “Well, that’s taken care of...”
Flora smiled at her master softly then opened her arms to him once more. He could not resist her sweet request. He sat down on the bed next to her and slipped his arms around her slim waist.
She leaned against him. From the corners of her back-bud, twin vines slipped out then crawled along the bed. They curled around him and held the man tight.
“So warm,” whispered the girl.
Scott leaned his head against the top of hers and allowed her to enjoy her tender moment. It was important to treat your Crystallim well, and to support them in becoming emotionally strong. They would always be dependent on humans to aid in their emotional stability. However, a well-adjusted Crystallim was generally happy and made those around her happy as well.
Some people thought that the key to keeping the Crystallim in their life happy was copious amounts of frisky sexual debauchery. That was not true. That sort of overall excitement occurred because the girl was happy. The more a Crystallim grew to like their human master, the friskier they became. Prior to human puberty that connection and friskiness came in the form of rough housing and gentle play. After puberty there was a different sort of rough housing that often occurred.
Flora held her master close and nuzzled her chin against his shoulder. It felt nice, warm. Her core began to pulsate gently, an approximation of a human heart beating faster.
The first day with a new Crystallim could lead to many different types of interactions. It could be exciting and frenetic, or it could be gentle and sweet. Sometimes it might be terrifying, and at other times it could be thought provoking. The bond formed between master and Crystallim caused many changes on the psychological level, and not just for the Crystallim. Human psychology was resistant to rapid changes, but subtle things did occur. Sensations such as tenderness and a desire to be near your bond-partners arose quickly.
“Master...?” asked Flora.
“Yes, Flora?” Scott answered with her name because he felt it was important to gently remind her of their names.
“Do you really like me?” asked the girl in a soft, almost timid voice.
Scott rubbed the top of her head with his cheek. “I chose you out of all the others. What does that tell you?”
She shook her head a little. “I don’t know. What should it tell me?”
Scott leaned away slightly. She immediately whimpered in response. Flora turned her head and looked at him with a gentle, vulnerable, expression.
He smiled at her then said, “It means that I like you, and I want to know you better.”
Flora shared a sweet smile with him. “I’m glad. You seem nice, master.”
“You seem nice too, Flora,” said Scott.
The light green skin of her face shifted to a darker tinge and her smile widened a little. “Do I?”
“Yes, you do. Would you like to tell me a little about yourself?” asked the hunter.
She tilted her head to the side a little then leaned forward slightly. She peered curiously into his eyes. “What would you like to know, master?”
He considered her question. What did he want to know? He had many questions. Her status only included basic information. Why not start with something basic? “Have you had many masters?”
Flora closed her eyes then slowly opened them. “I’ve
had two other masters since I awakened from my version of the nightmare. I thought that I liked them, but later I realized that I did not.”
“Really? Why is that?” asked Scott.
The Alraune shrugged. “They told me that they liked me, but when they found a stronger Crystallim they abandoned me. I have been sold three times now.”
Scott reached out and gently gripped the girl’s shoulder. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It is, fine. I already like you more than either of my old masters,” said the girl. She smiled at Scott then tugged on him with her vines.
He pulled her closer in response then said, “Really? Why is that?”
Flora giggled softly then leaned in and kissed him on the nose. “You actually talk to me instead of telling me to do things.”
Scott frowned. What kind of losers was she with before? Somehow he doubted they were actual hunters. The teachers who trained them would have had their hides. Trades and sales were one thing, but the job entailed far more than just fighting and sex.
Everyone knew that Crystallim needed to interact frequently on an emotional basis with their master to remain Lucid. “Feel free to talk with me any time that you like, OK?”
Soft green lips gently pressed against his chin. Her nose brushed against his nose, and then she caressed the side of his face with the side of hers. “You are so sweet to me. Thank you, master.”
“Flora, you can call me Scott. You do know that, right?” asked the man.
The Alraune kissed him gently on the cheek then softly whispered into his ear. “Yes, master.”
Scott fought down his immediate desire to giggle like a school boy when she blew into his ear. He nearly lost that battle when she kissed him on the ear lobe. “You’re certainly energetic when you want to be,” he said.
She smiled at him then nodded. “Oh, I can be. If I’m handled with care...”
“I’m pretty sure, I want to handle you any way that I can get you,” said Scott.
“Only pretty sure? Are you trying to make me cry?” asked the girl. She pouted at him in a cutesy manner then smiled.
“Maybe. I could be a jerk who gets off on making pretty girls cry, you know,” said Scott.
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