Pride x Familiar

by Albert Ruckholdt

  I saw a calculating gleam in her eye. “You don’t have confidence in your skills and training?”

  “Not really. Not against an opponent I can’t see.”

  “You mean you don’t have an all seeing third eye.”

  “Countess, I’m serious here—”

  I stopped abruptly. Her arms had slipped around me waist. It wasn’t just her breath I could feel on my face. Now her enormous breasts were pressed tightly against my chest.

  In one move she made me forget all about the differences between Aventis, Regulars and Familiars. That was the effect her glorious body had on me.

  “Countess?” I croaked out, trying to shift my body so that she wouldn’t notice my body reacting to her. “What are you doing?”

  “Tell me, Caelum.”

  “Huh? Tell you what?” I squeaked.

  She pressed her body even tighter. “Tell me what I need to do.”

  “Huh? What?”

  Damn, there was no hiding it now. There was no way she wouldn’t feel my body saluting her.

  But I couldn’t deny those breasts felt good. Firm and well balanced. I could almost picture their shape and disposition just by contact alone. They pushed into me with every breath she took.

  My thoughts fell into complete disarray, but I found myself looking into her azure eyes and suddenly asked, “Were you born an Aventis?”

  She hesitated, then nodded very faintly. “Yes. I inherited the Symbiote strain from my mother.”

  “Oh. That probably explains why….”

  “Hmm, what does that explain?” she asked with a playful smile.

  “Why you’re so beautiful….”

  At first her eyes widened, then they narrowed. “The Symbiote may have ‘helped’ in my development, but it all comes down to good genes. At my age my mother was far prettier than I am. And my elder sister uses her beauty to rip through men like tissue paper. I have nothing on either of them.”

  I said what came to mind, and regretted it afterwards. “So you’re living in their shadow?”

  Simone stopped pressing her body into mine but did not move away. “I make my own shadow.”

  I guess I’d succeeded annoying her. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you—ah!”

  She squeezed herself tightly against me anew.

  I was rapidly approaching the limit of my self-control. The sensation of her heavenly bosom pressed into my chest was seriously impeding my sound judgment.

  The scent of her hair, the perfume on her skin, was an intoxicating concoction that further addled my brain.

  All my senses were being completely overwhelmed by her.

  At this point I’d agree to anything she asked of me. I was slipping helplessly and completely into her control.

  My voice fell to a hoarse whisper. “Countess…I’m begging you…please stop.”

  “Ara ara, you really are a little boy.”

  “Yes…guilty…as charged.”

  “Never been hugged by a girl?”

  “No…just my sister…when I was little.”

  “I see. You ever kissed a girl?”

  My eyes widened and I involuntarily turned away.

  “Ara ara, so you have kissed a girl.”

  I breathed out heavily, regaining a fraction of my composure. “I’m not sure if you can call it a kiss. There was a lot happening at the time.”

  “Would you like to kiss me?”

  My voice almost failed me. “Huh? What?”

  Wearing her three inch high heels – definitely non-regulation footwear – she was only a couple of inches shorter than me. But it was a negligible difference in height, and all I needed to do was bend my neck down just a little and our lips would definitely meet.

  Her gaze caught mine and I couldn’t tear it away.

  Then she giggled girlishly and stepped back, releasing me from her embrace.

  I felt the last of my strength desert me, and almost slid to the floor. The shelves at my back kept me upright but only barely.

  “What was the point of that?” I whispered, unable to hide either my relief and disappointed.

  “Payback, for making me compare myself to my mother and sister. I hate doing that.”

  I sighed inwardly. I was right. I had offended her. “I said I was sorry.”

  “Apology accepted.”

  “Isn’t that a little late?”

  Before she could respond, we heard footsteps enter the room, and a girl’s voice asked, “Hello, is anyone in here? The door was open so—oh, Vice-President.”

  Simone had stepped out into the aisle between the shelves.

  I chose to edge away from the corner, and hoped to remain hidden from the newcomer.

  “I’m sorry,” Simone said. “I was looking for something.”

  “Oh, is there something I can help you with, Vice-President?”

  “Actually, can you tell me why you’re not in class?”

  “I was sent to pick up these items.”

  “Oh, I know where those are, but they’re not in this storage room. You’ll have to try the storage room on the third floor.”

  “Oh, I see. Thank you. I’ll be off then.”

  “Take care. Don’t run in the hallways.”

  The sound of the girl’s footsteps faded as she left the room.

  I peeked at Simone. “Countess?”

  She stepped out of sight for a short while. When she reappeared she gave me a mischievous smile and winked. “She never suspected a thing. Doesn’t that make you feel naughty?”

  I pointed vaguely in the direction of her chest. “Actually, she might have noticed your blouse popped a few buttons.”

  Simone looked down. “Oh, they didn’t pop. I unbuttoned them when we first came into the room.”

  “Huh?” I couldn’t help staring at her in disbelief.

  She giggled again and stepped up to me. “Want to do them up?”

  “Uh, no. I don’t think it would be safe for me to do so.”

  “Caelum…button up my blouse.”

  My brain missed a gear. She wasn’t serious was she? “Countess…?”

  She raised her delicate eyebrows at me. “Caelum, you’ll be very late for class if you don’t.”

  Then her eyes widened and she smiled coyly.

  With her hands behind her back, she slowly rocked her hips from side to side. “Ara ara, could it be you want to play a little more?”

  I regarded her for a long moment, wondering if I should just put my foot down and resist her attempts at seduction.

  Ah, what the Hell. It’s just her blouse, right?

  I inhaled wearily. “Buttons. Just the buttons….”

  Buttoning up her blouse was easier said than done. My fingers trembled so much it took almost five attempts per button. Plus, I could tell she was pushing up her chest, making it impossible to ignore the white, lacy bra she wore under her uniform. I noticed the light sprinkling of freckles on her cleavage, like chocolate powder on creamy white skin.

  “Caelum? Caelum!”

  “What?”

  “Buttons.”

  “Oh, sorry.”

  Damn it, she was smiling mischievously at my distraction.

  I was relieved when I finally dealt with the last button.

  I leaned against a shelf, breathing heavily in exhaustion.

  As such, I was completely unprepared for what happened next.

  She leaned forward and kissed my cheek. Not a peck, but a real kiss. Her lips felt warm, moist and very soft.

  Then she stepped back.

  “That’s a good boy. Now let’s get you back to class.”

  I don’t remember the trip to my classroom. I just remember arriving at the door where I waited for the Countess to finish speaking to the teacher. Afterwards, I was allowed to attend the rest of the lecture. I felt the eyes of my classmates follow me as I walked to my table and seat.

  Huh, why are the girls looking at me funny? And the guys are glaring at me. All I did was arrive late. Why is t
hat such a problem? Were they enjoying the lecture that much?

  I sat down at my smart desk, and instructed it out of standby mode.

  Caprice’s eyes glared at me though her face was perfectly emotionless.

  Then she did a double take, and her emotionless mask slipped away.

  My mind felt so fuzzy I didn’t think much of her reaction, but then I noticed my classmates were still giving me a variety of looks.

  I accidently met Haruka’s gaze.

  She was staring at me in shock, and turned away in a hurry.

  Suddenly a paper napkin was shoved into my face.

  “Here,” Caprice growled. “Use it.”

  I took it and asked, “To do what?”

  “To wipe the lipstick off your face!”

  It was the closest I’d heard her come to a shout. It didn’t just shock me, but a number of my classmates too.

  Then my brain finally kicked back into gear. “Lipstick?”

  Caprice’s face grew unreadable again, but her eyes burned angrily. “Wipe it off now.”

  I applied the napkin to my cheeks and saw that it came away stained a lavender color.

  I heard our teacher speak from the front of the classroom. “Mr. Desanto, are you settled in?”

  I gave our teacher a polite nod. “Yes sir. Very sorry sir.”

  He cleared his throat loudly, and resumed with the lecture.

  I held back a heavy sigh, and did my best to follow the lecture material.

  Slipping on the visor and headset, I dialed up the concentration aid to maximum output. In a short while, my mind settled into ‘learning mode’ and I was able to absorb the material being taught completely devoid of distracting thoughts.

  All hail the wonders of the modern classroom.

  I’d given up long ago wondering if the learning aids were subjecting us to subliminal brainwashing.

  #

  (Haruka)

  I needed to talk with Caelum, and it had nothing to do with him joining the class while sporting lipstick on his cheek.

  No, this matter was entirely something else.

  It was the rumor I’d heard from Siobhan and Alistair.

  A rumor that the Princess of the Third Year student body had taken an interest in Caelum.

  I couldn’t think of why she would. Caelum was a Familiar affiliated with the Lanfears. He had nothing to do with the Raynars.

  The problem was I knew very little about the Princess. What I did know came from rumor and gossip and female speculation, most of it overheard in the girls’ toilets.

  I had the impression that few students at Galatea knew the Princess very well.

  I had the impression much of the student body wanted to stay well clear of her.

  At best she had acquaintances, and the four girls that followed her around were more like ladies-in-waiting than friends.

  When those four weren’t around, there was one other girl that shadowed the Princess almost like a bodyguard. I had seen that girl around, and she was second year high-schooler but I didn’t know what class she was in.

  I knew the Ventiss Family was well placed in the medical community, owning a number of hospitals and medical centers within Pharos. But I’d also heard that being part of the Raynar Pride, the Ventiss were also involved in the security of the colony.

  And like the Lanfears they had Familiars in their ‘employ’.

  Is that why Prissila Ventiss was expressing an interest in Caelum?

  And why the Hell did he have lipstick on his face?

  Wait—wasn’t the Vice-President wearing lavender lipstick? Could it be hers?

  No, it couldn’t be! But what if it was? Did she kiss him? Why would she kiss him?

  Oh no—wasn’t the Vice-President a Raynar as well?

  Ah, I can’t think straight.

  I dialed up the concentration setting on my visor and headset.

  Those distracting thoughts were slowly but surely suppressed into the back of my mind by the lesson material.

  But when each class ended, those worries came charging right back at me.

  I was glad when school for the day came to a close.

  Seated at my smart desk, I peeked over my right shoulder at Caelum. I saw Caprice rise from her table while Caelum remained seated.

  I had two choices. Speak to him directly, or pass word along to the only girl in school who wasn’t bothered to be seen in his company.

  Should I decide by flipping a coin? Wait, I had no coins. Physical currency was no longer used and hadn’t been used in centuries.

  I frowned. Did they just ignore each other?

  Caprice actually looks angry. I didn’t know she could make such a face.

  Ah, this wasn’t good. Not good at all!

  I held my head in my hands.

  No choice. I’d have to muster the courage to speak to him. The problem was finding the right moment to approach him. Should I send him a message via school information network? No, he’d probably ignore it. He’d been ignoring me for the whole week.

  This had to be done face to face to ensure he’d at least listen to me.

  I ran my fingers through my hair. “Ah, what the Hell should I do?”

  I felt a tap on my shoulder and jumped up and out of my chair in fright.

  Caelum was standing beside my table.

  I screamed. “Ca—Caelum?”

  He looked shocked by my reaction and retreated a step.

  I swallowed quickly and said, “Sorry. You just surprised me. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

  He nodded slowly, then straightened as though on guard. “Haruka…can we talk?”

  Talk? Did he say talk? Yes, of course. This was good. No, this was perfect. I just needed to slip a warning into the conversation.

  I noticed I was biting a nail.

  Caelum noticed too. He gave me a really concerned look.

  If I kept acting nervous I was going to drive him away.

  I took a deep breath to calm my hammering heart. I noticed he had his carry-bag at his hip, with the straps over his right shoulder.

  “Going home?” I asked.

  “Yeah…but I’d…I’d like to talk to you first.”

  I looked around. The classroom was emptying pretty quickly of its students. Siobhan and Alistair were watching me from the front of the room. They had their carry-bags at their hips, but looked uncertain as to whether they should leave ahead of me, or wait for me.

  I turned to Caelum. “Could you give me a moment?”

  He nodded cautiously. “Sure….”

  Jeezes, he was acting like I was a bomb with a hair trigger fuse.

  I approached Siobhan and Alistair. “You guys go on ahead. I might be a while.”

  Siobhan eyed me suspiciously. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “I’ll be fine. Thanks for asking.”

  Alistair was staring at Caelum. “Just be careful, Haruka. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”

  “Alistair, he’s my childhood friend. I know exactly what he’s like.”

  She shook her head. “Haruka, he’s a Familiar now. You knew the old him. This is the new Caelum Desanto.”

  Siobhan added, “Just remember, Familiars are like vampires. Be careful around him.”

  I felt my stomach tighten.

  Siobhan was right. Familiars had the capacity to drink blood and draw strength from it. A Familiar that drank from an Aventis would draw strength from the Symbiote. But the fact they could do so was something that unnerved and frightened both Regulars and Aventis, though I’d heard that some Aventis actually found the act pleasurable.

  I swallowed, and nodded a little less confidently than I thought I would. “I’ll—I’ll be fine. I trust Caelum.”

  Siobhan and Alistair shared a look, then Siobhan faced me and said, “We’ll wait for you at the shoe lockers.”

  “Ah…okay. But I might be a while.”

  “We’ll wait,” Siobhan repeated firmly.

  I exhaled slowly. “Tha
nk you.”

  Alistair said, “Ask him about the lipstick.”

  I jerked back. “I can’t do that. No, no way. Now isn’t the time for that.”

  With a quick wave to my friends, I walked back in a hurry to my smart desk where Caelum was waiting and looking faintly uncomfortable.

  “Let’s go,” I said.

  “Uh, where to? The rooftop?”

  “No, the rooftop courtyard is automatically locked after lunch break.” I finished packing my carry-bag with my belongs, then slipped the straps over my right shoulder. “I know a place.”

  I led him to the southern courtyard, and to one of the two gardens that bordered it. During lunch break students would sit on the benches or the shaded grass and eat their lunches. But after class, I had noticed students tended to avoid this one garden. I had no idea why but it suited my purpose just fine.

  Caelum was looking around curiously. “You Aventis have it really good hear. Nothing like our old school for Regulars.”

  I stopped walking, turned and looked at him.

  I frowned inwardly at his words of distinction. “There are four gardens like this one. Two in the southern courtyard, and two in the northern one. There are also gardens around the club buildings on the south-west side of the school.”

  His mouth made a few odd shapes as he gazed at the garden surrounding us. “Is that so….”

  “Caelum?”

  He looked off into the distance for a long while. I was tempted to call out to him again, but I chose to give him a little more time.

  He swallowed noticeably. “Haruka, I’m sorry. I didn’t know about the lipstick.”

  “Eh? Ah, it’s okay. I don’t have a problem with it. You’re free to kiss whoever you like.”

  “No, I didn’t kiss anyone. She caught me by surprise—ah.”

  He stopped quickly, then started to run his fingers through his hair in a panic. Just as quickly his hands came to a stop and he looked at me.

  “Haruka, I’m sorry…sorry for running away.”

  I felt my throat grow a little tight as I realized what he was talking about.

  “Haruka, I’m sorry. I saw you and I didn’t know how to deal with you.”

  “Deal with me?”

  “I mean, I didn’t know what to do or say.”

  The tightness in my throat grew. I forced my voice through it. “Caelum, how long have known each other?”

  “Ah, ten years?”