“Fine, untie her. But if you try anything with Daniel, so help me, Falla,” Triska threatened sternly. Falla chuckled and shook her head slightly.
“I’m not trying anything with anyone, I’m being a good girl here,” she replied innocently. Alyssa held in her scoff then waved her hand around, causing the ribbons around Falla’s wrists to unravel and drop onto the floor. Falla rubbed her wrists then gently held her hands to Squeak’s head, holding the ant girl in place while glancing to Daniel with a smirk.
“There, now then, what would you want to talk about with her?”
Chapter 9
Mutual Benefit
In the world of Eden, sometimes one may need help with a difficult or daunting task. They may require another’s expertise, bravery, fortitude, knowledge, or perhaps even their trust in order to complete their goal. When traveling through the outerlands however, finding help isn’t always an easy thing. Often times one may have to rely on strangers or those that appear deceitful, having no other choice but to trust them to help. Of course, a way of smoothing over any trust issues was to help with a problem they had in return, to offer your own skills or knowledge in exchange for theirs. Although this didn’t guarantee the second party would make good on their word, sometimes it was enough to form a temporary alliance with them.
And sometimes, in doing so, their goals may even become the same.
*****
Inside the caravan Daniel and Specca were trying to think of what to say, along with Triska and Alyssa who were sitting up front in the driver’s seat of the ride. Everyone was watching as Falla was kneeling down in front of Squeak, the butterfly girl gently holding the ant girl’s head still while their antennae were touching. Although the group was skeptical of Falla’s story about Luna and a human child missing together, they at least knew she wasn’t lying when she claimed that she could understand Squeak, which she proved by literally translating for the ant girl before their very eyes. With Falla offering to act as a mediatory between herself and Squeak, the group wondered what questions to ask now that they could actually communicate with the ant girl.
“I’m not sure what to say, anyone else have any ideas?” Triska asked.
“I’m not sure either, to be honest I never thought of what to actually ask her once we overcame the language barrier between us,” Specca said with a shrug.
“Well, let’s start with something simple. Squeak, how old are you?” Alyssa asked. Falla glanced to her with a raised eyebrow while Squeak just watched her since she couldn’t turn her head to look at her friends.
“Really? You can talk to her about anything, and you’re just wondering how old she is?” Falla asked dryly. Alyssa shrugged while the others just remained silent. Falla rolled her eyes then looked at Squeak, the ant girl squeaking at her before the butterfly girl glanced back over to Alyssa.
“She says she’s twenty years old. Anything else? Maybe her boot size?” Falla said flatly. Alyssa glared at her while Daniel looked down with a thoughtful expression.
“I have a question for her. Squeak, what was life like for you back in your nest?” he asked. Squeak glanced to him then looked up thoughtfully while Falla waited for her answer. After a moment she started squeaking something while the group watched curiously, with Falla just staring at the ant girl as Squeak continued to squeak again and again. After a while she finally stopped, with Falla looking at her for a moment before glancing over to Daniel.
“She says life was life for her. She worked in the tunnels, she slept with her sisters, she raped men for her queen, nothing special,” she said simply, with Daniel and the girls looking at Squeak with surprise from that. The ant girl jumped a bit then started squeaking quickly at Falla, the butterfly girl glancing to her with a raised eyebrow.
“Raping men, testing a man’s sexual prowess, is there a difference?” she asked. Squeak opened her mouth to squeak then looked down nervously. She bit her lip then glanced to Daniel, the boy then smiling weakly at her and shaking his head.
“It’s ok Squeak, we all know you… had your job back at your nest, you were just following your nature,” he reasoned. Squeak nodded slowly and looked down with remorse while the others watched her with sympathetic eyes. Triska looked down for a moment then to Squeak with a small smile.
“Say, Squeak, did you ever do anything else back home? You know, for fun?” she asked.
“She had sex with men every day, that doesn’t count?” Falla said dryly. Squeak huffed then squeaked at her sternly, the group watching as Falla just stared at the ant girl who was squeaking over and over again at her. After Squeak finished talking Falla just shook her head slightly.
“That’s the same thing,” she argued. Squeak put her hands at her hips and squeaked with a stern expression before Falla rolled her eyes.
“Masturbating counts the same as having sex,” she pointed out. Squeak looked at her curiously then glanced to Specca, the nixie nodding slowly while the group watched Squeak with troubled expressions.
“Um, I believe she has a point, pleasuring yourself would fall into the same category as having sex with men,” Specca agreed. Squeak blinked then looked up thoughtfully.
“Wasn’t there anything else you did back home?” Daniel asked with concern. Squeak thought for a while then looked down with remorse, shaking her head slowly.
“So sleeping, eating, digging, and having sex, that was your entire life?” Triska asked with wonder. Squeak nodded once before squeaking some more and closing her eyes. Falla listened to her then glanced to Daniel.
“She says that was all she knew,” she relayed. Daniel looked at Squeak with a mixture of wonder and concern, stunned to hear that the only thing Squeak grew up doing was digging and having sex with men. She literally had nothing else in her life to do, nothing else that she thought she could do.
“Oh, Squeak, I’m sorry,” Daniel said softly. Squeak shook her head and started squeaking again, with Falla listening to her while the group watched curiously. After the speech was done Falla glanced to Daniel with a blank expression.
“She says don’t be sorry, it wasn’t a bad life, she was treated very well by her family, but she enjoys being out in the world with you much more. She just hopes that you won’t see her any differently now knowing she was a whore,” she said calmly. Squeak jumped with a squeak then slapped Falla with a scowl on her face, the butterfly girl recoiling before growling at the ant girl with annoyance.
“What? You were, I’m just paraphrasing,” she snapped. Squeak shook her head then grabbed Falla’s and held her close so their antennae touched again, the ant girl then squeaking sternly while Falla was trying to get the strong girl to ease up with holding her head.
“Fine, she meant knowing she was just an innocent tester for her royal que- oh c’mon, innocent? You were fucking men every day, how does that make you innocent?” Falla barked out while trying to get the ant girl to loosen her grip, with Squeak shaking her head and squeaking more while applying pressure with her hands. Daniel and the others watched with weak expressions as Falla and Squeak began arguing back and forth, with Falla speaking normal words while Squeak merely squeaked hers.
“Ow! Knock it off, I’m just telling them the truth!” Falla barked out.
Squeak shook the girl’s head while squeaking at her with frustration.
“It’s the truth whether you want to admit it or not, if you were fucking men every day for your whole life then you really fucked a lot- OW! Let go, you’re hurting me!” Falla shouted out as she tried to pry the ant girl’s hands off of her head. Squeak kept squeaking frantically at her while tears were forming in her eyes, with Daniel and Specca watching with concern as the ant girl was starting to break down.
“Don’t get mad at me just because you were doing what monsters do, there’s nothing to be ashamed about- OWWW! Stop it, you’re crushing my head!” Falla yelled out with a cringe. Squeak threw her back then held herself while looking down with watery eyes, squeaking and shaking her head while Fa
lla groaned while holding her own head which was aching. Squeak looked to Daniel for a moment then quickly curled up into her ball, hiding her face as she trembled while crying and squeaking to herself. Daniel and Specca looked at her with remorse then to the others, with Alyssa and Triska watching Squeak with concern as they saw how upset their friend was. Alyssa looked back ahead and helped turn Lucky onto the right path at a crossroads then looked down with a sigh, knowing how Squeak felt about having a history with using men against their will. Triska went back into the cabin and sat next to Squeak, gently brushing a hand through the ant girl’s hair while watching her with sympathetic eyes. Falla growled then sat up while rubbing her head, glaring at Squeak with a scowl on her face.
“What the hell was that for, I was just telling them what you told me!” she yelled out. Squeak shook her head while hiding in her ball, the sounds of her squeaking and sobbing causing her friends to look at her with concern.
“Squeak, its ok,” Triska gently said.
“She’s right, we’ve always known you… well, had your role back in your nest for your queen. We don’t hold that against you,” Specca assured while shaking her head. Squeak shuddered with a loud squeak, with Triska watching her friend with gentle eyes before looking to Daniel. The boy slowly moved forward and rested his hand on the ant girl’s shoulder, with her peeking up to him with watery eyes.
“Squeak, I don’t think any differently of you, none of us do. You were following your nature, doing what all ant girls do to survive. You didn’t do anything wrong,” he said gently. Squeak shook her head and squeaked at him desperately, with the boy seeing her pained expression as tears dropped from her cheeks. She then stopped as she realized that her words were not getting through to him anymore then looked to Falla, the butterfly girl watching her with annoyance while rubbing the back of her neck.
“That’s what I get for trying to be nice for you, nearly getting my head crushed like a fruit,” she scoffed. Squeak quickly scrambled towards her before Falla grabbed her shoulders and held her back while leaning away from the girl.
“No way, I’m done being your communicator for them, not again,” Falla snapped. Squeak held her hands together with a pleading expression and squeaked at her, with Falla crossing her arms and shaking her head.
“I don’t want to hear it, you nearly broke my neck and skull a few seconds ago after I merely told them what you told me to say,” she scoffed. Squeak clung to the butterfly girl and squeaked while burying her face in her bosom, with Falla looking over her head with a dull expression as the ant girl squeaked into her breasts while crying still.
“Please, Falla, she wants to say something to us,” Daniel said with concern.
“I know she does, but last time I told you all what she said somebody tried to squash my head with her bare hands!” Falla barked out while trying to pry Squeak off of her. The ant girl leaned back and looked at her with worried eyes then down while slowly letting go of the butterfly.
“Come on, she’s sorry, please let her speak again, this is important,” Triska said while gesturing to Squeak. Falla rolled her eyes and looked away while Squeak watched her worriedly. After a moment Falla glanced to Squeak with a grunt.
“If I do this for you, you owe me, got it?” she demanded. Squeak nodded quickly with a few squeaks. Falla hesitated then moved towards her and held onto her head.
“Your hands stay down, if they come up again we’re done,” Falla warned. Squeak hastily put her hands back down on the floor next to her knees and nodded, with Falla then leaning closer and touching their antennae together. The group watched as Squeak started squeaking at the butterfly girl, with Falla just listening with a dull expression on her face. After the ant girl finished her speech Falla glanced to Daniel who watched with anticipation.
“She says she’s afraid you won’t see her as anything more than a whore now, that you won’t even give her a chance like you do with the others,” she said without any hint of interest. Squeak glanced to Daniel as the boy shook his head with a worried smile.
“Squeak, this doesn’t change anything between us, I promise. I know you had your duties to your queen, and that… well, you’re certainly more experienced with sex than I am by far, but I don’t think any differently of you for following your nature. You were just doing what you had to for your nest, the only thing you knew how to do, you can’t be blamed for that,” he reassured. Squeak started squeaking again while glancing at him with watery eyes, the group watching as the ant girl said something else before Falla looked down with a blank expression.
“She says if you choose her she’ll only have sex with you from now on, even if her queen doesn’t allow it. She only wants to be with you, nobody else, now that she knows what real love feels like,” she said simply. Daniel looked at Squeak curiously as the ant girl showed him a saddened smile, the boy then smiling a bit and shaking his head slightly.
“Squeak, I appreciate that thought, but-” he said before Squeak continued again, with Falla looking down with no interest for a while before snapping up to stare at her with surprise. After the ant girl finished she looked to Falla, waiting for her to translate, with the butterfly girl just watching her with wide eyes.
“Huh?” Falla said bewilderedly. Squeak spoke to her again while the others watched them curiously. Falla blinked then glanced to Daniel before looking at Squeak again with confusion.
“Wait, what?” she asked.
“What’s she saying?” Specca asked. Squeak spoke again with a bunch of squeaks, with Falla just listening to her before showing a curious expression.
“Are… are you being serious?” she asked. Squeak nodded and squeaked something at her. Falla glanced to Daniel then back to her again.
“Really?” she asked. Squeak nodded with a squeak. Falla smiled a bit then looked to Daniel.
“What did she say?” Triska asked. Falla glanced to Squeak then to Daniel while the ant girl looked back to him with a timid smile.
“Well, she informed me that tonight is her turn with Daniel apparently, and that she would be alright if I join her,” Falla explained. The group looked at her with surprise while Alyssa yanked on Lucky’s reins from turning back to them with a jump, causing the horse to neigh and shift over on the path for a moment before the witch quickly corrected him. As the caravan rocked to the side on its wheels then back over again from the horse nearly causing it to flip over onto its side, the group stared at Squeak with surprise as the ant girl smiled and nodded at Daniel.
“Wait, what?” Triska asked with disbelief. Falla laughed and looked at Daniel with a coy smile.
“Yes, she wants me to be her translator all night, that way she and Daniel can talk about whatever they want to. And as thanks for doing so, and as an apology for nearly killing me a few moments ago, she said I can sleep with her and Daniel as well,” she explained. Daniel just stared at her with shock then at Squeak as the ant girl nodded again.
“What? Squeak, you… you want Falla to sleep next to Daniel tonight?” Specca asked while not being sure if she was more furious or shocked about it. Squeak merely nodded again while Falla had a smug grin on her face.
“You are not sleeping next to him tonight, no way!” Triska yelled out. Falla rolled her eyes then held out a hand to silence them.
“Before you all freak out-”
“Too late, we’re already freaked out!” Alyssa yelled back at her, having a stunned expression still as she tried to keep her eyes on the road. Falla paused for a moment then shook her head.
“Before you all freak out even more, Squeak said I could do so under one condition,” she mentioned.
“Condition? What condition could possibly justify us letting you sleep next to Daniel tonight? We’re already trying our best to let each other do this, but you? Why should we let you do that at all?” Triska yelled out with anger. Daniel just looked at Squeak with a stunned expression still, words failing him as he glanced from her to Falla as the butterfly sighed and smiled weakly at t
hem.
“Well, the catch is I have to be on my best behavior. She made it pretty clear that if I try to take Daniel’s seed tonight she wouldn’t stand for it,” she reasoned. The group looked at her curiously while Squeak showed a slick smile and glanced to her.
“And just how did she do that?” Specca asked. Falla glanced to see Squeak winking at her then looked up with a dull expression.
“If I try to have sex with Daniel she’ll take her pickaxe and dig it straight up into my ovaries,” she said dryly. The group looked at Squeak curiously as she nodded once with a smirk on her face. Falla looked around everybody then shrugged with a small smile.
“And since that would be very bad for me to say the least, I’ll be on my best behavior,” she reasoned.
“And we’re supposed to believe you when you say that?” Specca scoffed. Squeak slowly looked to Falla with a sharp smile, the butterfly girl looking up and nodding with a dull expression.
“Seeing as how my sister would flip out if I got my insides messed up like that, I won’t be doing anything bad with Daniel tonight, alright? I’m trying to be nice here, for crying out loud I’m asking you for help to save a little human girl, I’m not doing anything wrong,” she said expectantly. Squeak nodded then looked to Daniel with a squeak, the boy glancing to her curiously as she watched him with a timid smile.
“But you’re still going to be sleeping next to Daniel, I’m not ok with that at all,” Triska argued.
“Same here,” Specca agreed.
“Hell will freeze over before you sleep next to him, Falla!” Alyssa shouted back into the cabin.
“Hey, it’s not my choice, it’s hers,” Falla said looking to Squeak with a calm smile. The ant girl nodded and held her hands together in a pleading way for Daniel, the boy looking at her with concern then to Falla. The butterfly chuckled then shrugged.
Chronicles of Eden - Act 2 Page 28
