She blinked at him, but then did as he asked. Scott lifted his left leg up with his foot touching the side of his right knee. After she copied him, Scott curled his fingers into fists and firmly placed those fists against his arm pits. His elbows jutted out to the side briefly, before he began to flap them up and down.
Flora stood on one leg and flapped her arms just as her master did. Scott told her to continue even after he stopped. For a short while, the beautiful flower girl continued her ridiculous pose while Scott looked on.
After a few minutes passed, she bit her lower lip a little and allowed her gaze to wander around the room. Just how long would her master have her do this ridiculous thing?
It was not long after she started to lose focus that Scott revealed something interesting. "Ah well, at least you did not pick the other punishment."
"What was the other punishment, Master?" she asked, while still flapping her arms like a chicken.
"Ah, nothing too creative," said Scott. He gestured toward the bed then said, "I was going to give you a spanking, a hot oil massage, and have you practice your sweet milk skill."
Flora's cheeks darkened considerably and she closed her eyes tight. She did not say anything for a while, but her eyes did slowly open after a time. Her gaze occasionally darted to the bed, or to her master. Eventually, she began to make cute little noises of discomfort.
Scott laughed a little. "OK, you can stop."
"Thank you, Master," said Flora in a slightly petulant tone.
"You're welcome, though I'm surprised you kept it up that long," he said.
"But you said!" exclaimed Flora. Her eyes widened and she puffed her cheeks out slightly.
He slipped his arms around her and pulled her close. "Flora, seriously..." Scott looked into her eyes then leaned forward and kissed her on the nose. "I'm not that sort of guy. If I ask you to do something stupid, it's alright to tell me it's stupid."
Flora shook her head. "Master, that's not supposed to be how it works..."
Scott sat down on the bed and patted the mattress. Flora joined him a moment later, a nervous look on her face.
"I'm a hunter. Right now we're getting to know each other and training a little. I hate to sound cliché, but I'm not like those other masters that you had," said Scott.
"Well..." said Flora softly before she bit her lower lip. Uncertain what to do with them, she place her hands in her lap and interlaced them.
"I don't do mean punishment, or anything like that. I may ask you to do something silly, but you can always say no," said Scott. "The worst that can happen will be that I will be disappointed because you aren't doing your best."
"I do not wish to disappoint you, Master," said Flora, her nostrils flaring slightly in the process.
Scott slipped his arm around her casually. "I know. You've done everything asked of you with little complaint."
He drew her close and leaned his head against hers. "We barely know each other. There are many ways our relationship can go, you know?"
"Relationship..." she said softly, a hint of curiosity in her tone.
"Well, yes. We could be friends, family.... even lovers," said Scott. He tilted his head to the side, "We could even just be team mates."
"I see," said Flora. "You've brought this up before..."
Scott nodded. "There's no reason to push things. I just want you to know that it's cool not to accept ridiculous requests... outside of a fight at least."
"I understand, Master," said Flora. Her cheeks darkened slightly. "What... What sort of relationship would you like with me?"
He smiled softly then reached over and squeezed her hand. "Whichever kind we develop naturally."
A small smile crossed her lips. "Do you, really...?"
The young hunter chuckled softly then reached up and lightly mussed her hair. Flora gasped and became flustered. "Master..."
"Flora, I know it will take a while before you can trust me. I get that," said Scott. "But someday I do hope that you will grant me that trust."
Her smile grew a little even as her cheeks darkened further. "As you say... Master."
They did not speak for a short while, but when they began to talk again it was of simple things. Scott spoke a little about his life. Flora, after a little prodding, did the same. Mostly she related tales of her former life with other masters.
Life as the pet of a human was strange for her. She was called out only for the purposes of training, sex, or restoring the health of other pet members. Flora was not a person, not really. During those times she was more of a useful tool.
"It must have been hard for you," said Scott. He tried to sound neutral, but it was hard not to carry a grudge toward such people. A Crystallim should not be treated like that. No one should.
Flora shrugged gently. "It is the life that I was raised to live."
"Raised... Were you born on a Crystallim commune?" asked Scott.
"Yes, nearly twenty years ago," she said simply.
He frowned darkly. Crystallim communes were not illegal. Most abided by the strict laws regarding the breeding and raising of Crystallim. Still, they did not sit right with him. In many ways, the girls born there were destined to be traded or sold.
The only saving grace was that such arrangements allowed for the development of strong abilities, and a general education. Though, the later was easily acquired through simple psychic bonding over the course of a few days. At least, to some extent it was possible.
"I'm not a fan of that system," said Scott.
"You're not?" asked Flora curiously.
Scott's frown deepened. "No, I'm not. There are a lot of nice girls living out in the wild who need a home. Raising someone with the knowledge that they will be sold..."
Flora blinked slowly then turned to look at Scott. She studied his face for a moment. His eyes were slightly out of focus, as though he were looking at some unseen object in the distance.
She felt him within her, his emotions were chaotic, heated. "Why does it upset you so much, Master?"
"I'm an orphan. I was raised by the system," said Scott with a shrug. "I wanted for nothing physically, but the one thing I missed out on was ever getting close to anyone."
Her eyes widened a little. She'd heard it before, but this time it was different somehow. His words touched her deeply. "That's... How it was for me, too."
"Did... You ever find someone?" she asked him after a time.
"Not until I was tossed out of the system," said Scott.
"Oh?" Flora gently tucked her hair behind her ear then looked away, a complicated expression on her face. "So, you care about someone?"
At this point most guys would probably say something silly about how Flora was the only one for them, or something to that effect. Scott, however, was a brutally honest sort of person. "Yes. I was assigned to work with someone wonderful during my tenure with the army. I love her very much. I also met a small family that sort of took me in as an honorary member."
Flora closed her eyes then took a deep breath. "T-that's good. I am glad to hear that, Master."
"Have you never been close to anyone, Flora?" asked Scott. Considering her backstory, he highly doubted that she had anyone in her life. Still, it felt proper to ask.
"No... I have no one," she replied gently.
Scott kissed her warmly on the top of the head. "It's really too bad..."
"What is, Master?" asked Flora, her voice.
He kissed her on the side of the nose. "You won't be able to say that bit about not having anyone anymore. Right?"
She did not open her eyes, but shook her head from side to side. In response, Scott reached his other arm around her and embraced her warmly. A soft snort and a slight murmur was her response. A moment later she sighed softly then snuggled into his embrace.
"Yes, Master," she said in a soft, tremulous voice.
"Cool," said Scott. He then whispered into her ear. "So, how many babies do you want?"
Flora's eyes widened suddenly even
as she cried out in surprise. "Master!"
Scott laughed at her look of absolute shock. "Something I said?"
She snorted again then pouted, "Don't tease me..."
He leaned in and kissed her softly on her soft pouty lips. "Request denied."
Flora's cheeks darkened once more, followed by a slight smile. "As you say, Master..."
After another short rousing session of training their skills, Flora opted to rest. Scott, left to his own devices, remembered something that he promised to do. He immediately opened his connections list and selected friends.
<<< Message >>>
[Hey, Alexis. This is Scott. Do you remember me?]
<<< * >>>
After sending the message, he looked through information windows while trying to determine the next best move in his current plan. The American National Park was their destination tomorrow. After further experience transference, and the hour of professional training time that Flora would take on soon, she would be more than ready to tackle such a tame location.
"The park has a few hundred miles of real estate to explore, but the lake is our best bet to find low-level water Crystallim." Scott rubbed his chin lightly for a moment then grinned. He called up the GTN menu to see if he could find a few fun items. The city park was still within the city. Full access to such menus still existed. Once out of the actual city, only basic messaging services worked.
Scott grinned like a moron as he looked through a selection of items that would help with the location and capture of water Crystallim. Though, that sort of item also drew in wild life that were close to Crystallim in nature, but not quite the same thing. Either way, it would be good exercise for his team.
Not long after he finalized his purchases, a message screen appeared before him. Scott chuckled softly at what he received.
<<< Message >>>
[Nope. Never heard of him. Clearly, this Scott person is someone I've never met. The people I meet tend to keep in touch with me.]
<<< * >>>
Scott decided to be a little cheeky. She was playing it cool? So would he.
<<< Message >>>
[My mistake. I planned to ask if she would be available to meet up late tomorrow afternoon. Ah well, all this penis must remain forever alone.]
<<< * >>>
Scott barely had a moment to consider his actions before she replied. Her response made him laugh out loud.
<<< Message >>>
[Penis, you say? Please tell me more of this strange and interesting concept.]
<<< * >>>
Scott thought about his response for a moment then grinned. He looked through the network to find a proper photo, and then sent it to her along with a caption. The photo was of a large rooster wearing a thong. The caption read, My Big Sexy Cock.
She did not respond for a while. For a moment he wondered whether she was angry or not, but eventually shrugged his shoulders and went back to planning for the trip tomorrow.
Alexis was hot, but he was embarking on a journey to find beautiful Crystallim to be his best friends and battle companions. Hot girls were nice, but he would not be losing out on much at this point if Alexis was not interested. They still barely knew each other, after all.
However, after another few minutes she did respond. She sent him a picture of a cat lying on her back with her paws stretched out wide. She wore a kitty-sized silk robe, but the front was open and revealed her furry kitty belly. The caption read, My Sexy Pussy.
They played picture send ass-grab for a while. Many humorous photos were sent back and forth, before they got back to the original topic. Scott told her about how he planned to take Flora to the park tomorrow. Alexis told him about how Ginger was a little jealous of the new girl. She then asked to see a picture of Flora. It was just out of curiosity, of course.
Scott loaded up a few images from memory then sent them to her. They were all innocent shots of Flora going about her business, or when she tried to look tough and ready to battle. He avoided sending anything lewd, as that was no one else's business but their own.
Alexis was silent for a while. When she finally messaged him back, it was with a picture of herself in a cute outfit. She wore a white shirt with a pink jacket, and a cream colored skirt that stopped well above the knees. The caption read, Don't Forget About Me.
"Damn, who could forget something like that...?" Scott wondered for a brief moment if her inner-succubus was coming out. Though, the possibility that she was a little jealous of Flora was also something to consider. Why she would be jealous at this point was anyone's guess, but Flora was quite breathtaking.
He thanked her for the picture, and sent one of him striking a thoughtful pose. Afterward they both claimed that they would treasure their new photos forever. They also made plans to meet up later on the next afternoon.
One bit of business out of the way, Scott prepared to rouse Flora from her slumber. She could use the rest, but there was always something else to do. Unfortunately, he was distracted by a mildly annoying system message.
<<< Message >>>
[Greetings Valued Customer.
We at GTN are sorry to inform you that the training center that you booked for this afternoon is not functioning appropriately. It will not be repaired until well after your scheduled appointment. We will reschedule your training session for another time, if you wish. Further, you are allowed to choose the next available full-block of time if you so desire.
Thank you for your understanding.]
<<< * >>>
"Well damn... There goes the afternoon," Scott grumbled. He frowned once then waved the message away, and sent a reply. He would indeed take the next available full-block. Unfortunately, that was revealed to be two weeks away.
"Damn. So much for that idea as an early shortcut."
There was no point in waking Flora now, so he went outside to practice his active skill. It would take a while to raise his skill level, but every little bit helped. The rest of the evening was spent training skills, and in experience transference once Flora awoke.
The next morning they set out early for their destination. Well-rested, and more than a little giddy, they were quite ready to meet the events of the coming day.
The American National Park was a sprawling well-trafficked area that most local Crystallim hunters journeyed through during their first week of their careers. Scott visited a few times on training missions during hunter course work and field exercises. He knew the way well, but they took their time traveling to their destination so that they could enjoy each other's company.
“So, you’ve been here before, too?” asked Scott, once they were on the way to the closest transit point. Mildly surprised to hear that a pet owner took his Crystallim to the national park, Scott soon realized the purpose of those visits.
“Yes. My last two masters brought me here. One of them traded me for a fire type on the second day because he really wanted one,” said Flora. Her tone did not hold even a shred of regret. Though, her eyes told a slightly different story. They were closed, as though she were focused on a memory.
“I thought that you said you were sold three times?” asked Scott. "You only had two masters, though?"
“Yes, twice for money. The first and the last time were for money. The second time was for trade. It still counts as a sale," she said
"The last time was a sale to the Global Trade Network?" asked Scott. She nodded her head slowly.
"Either way, they decided they did not want me,” said Flora, sadness and a hint of anger laced her voice.
“Well, I have no plans to trade you. So, I guess you’re stuck with me,” said Scott with a smile.
Flora looked away for a moment. A vine slipped down from her floral bud, and she used it to gently swat her master on his rear-end. “As you say, Master...”
Scott yelped playfully then laughed. His absurd yelping caused her to laugh as well. It was a nice moment as far as he was concerned. Any moment where someone as nice as Flora could know joy
made him happy. There was far too much pessimism and casual disregard for people in the world as things stood.
However, there was a subject that he needed to broach with her. “We have about half a day to comb the park for Crystallim. I have someone I need to meet later.”
“Someone you need to meet? Got a hot date?” she asked. There was no hint of jealousy or anger in her tone. She was merely curious.
“Maybe. I’m not really sure. She’s another hunter,” said Scott.
“Will I get to meet her?” asked Flora, her eyes wide and her expression curious.
“If you want, though there may be naughty hijinks and stuff,” said Scott with a smile.
“Really? Those are the best kind,” she replied with a laugh. She grinned at him. Naughty hijinks sounded just lovely.
"You'd be fine with that?" he asked her curiously.
"I'd be a little less nervous if I was not the only Crystallim in your harem, yes." She looked at him curiously then continued, "That is what you meant? Yes?"
"Not necessarily, but it's a good answer. I'd like for you to get along with the other girls when they start to arrive," said Scott.
"I like other girls..." she said softly, her face darkening slightly, "It was my masters who never seemed to want me around for long.
“Works for me. Let’s kick a little ass then get to it,” he said, while avoiding the topic of her former masters. Continually telling her that he was better than them would be a sign of immaturity. It was also pointless. She would make that decision on her own, over the course of time.
Flora swayed her hips from side to side then nodded. She was ready for anything. Well, almost anything. Some things were just a little too sexy for her still.
Life in city of America held many common facets among the various people who lived there. One of the most prevalent was the need to stand in line. There was always a line of people for just about everything near the city.
Scott was used to it now, but sometimes he missed the orphanage. There were only a few hundred people in the area he grew up in, and there was rarely a line for anything. Most places outside of the capital cities were like that, actually. Humanity, even after a few hundred years, only actively controlled a small portion of the Mega-Earth sized planet known as Galataea.
Galataea Crystallim Core 1 Page 10
