[adamu]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076

Alyce freezes in place, glad for a moment of silence as Al looks out the window again.  She replays in her head every word he has just said.  Twice.  Three times.  Her knees buckle just a bit and she reaches a hand out to support herself against the small table she is standing near.  This is her Al all over again, talking as if there were still a chance of them being together.  Why would he want to know about her if he was not interested.  There was no reason he would be so cruel as to say such words to her and not mean them.  Al can be many things, but he has never really been cruel to her and there is no reason to think he has changed that much.  Is there?

She gathers her mental and physical strength before speaking.  “Thank you, Al.  I really appreciate the compliments.  I thought that you wanted me to dress naughty for you when we came out.”  She takes his hand in her slightly shaking one and leads him out the sliding glass door onto the wrap around deck, feeling the crisp Channel breeze blow through her hair and her skimpy clothing.  They walked along the wide deck to what Judith had pointed out as the overlook.  And that is indeed an apt name, for the decking widens at that point so that it extends over the cliff and one is looking straight down into the cleft leading seaward to meet the English Channel.  A set of substantial-looking stone steps leads from the overlook down to the bottom of the cliff, where a small boathouse sits next to a small two bedroom house nestled snug against the cliff above the high tide mark.  Just off to the side of the stairway is a small lift that can take people up and down to the rocky shore below if they do not fancy the hike on the stairs.  Alyce does not wish to go down at this time, but is certainly interested in the house.  Smiling, she takes Al’s arm again and finishes the tour of the deck, ending up back at the main entrance where Judith is waiting for them.

The estate agent smiles at Alyce and holds the door open for them to enter back into the house.  “What do you think, Miss Lysander?  Enough house for you?”

Alyce smiles.  “It certainly is, Judith.  And please call me Robyn.”

The other woman positively preens at that.  “And now the big question.  What do I need to do to put you living here?”

After laughing, Alyce nods.  “The place has practically sold itself.  It must be fate that it was waiting here for me to find it.  I tell you what.  Contact your seller and tell him that if he will come down another 10,000 and throw in the furniture I will take it.  Here are the com codes that you can use to contact me and here is the one for my solicitor in London.  He will want to look over the paperwork for the legalities, you know.  This is the code for my personal assistant, who will supervise moving me in and will be my direct representative.  I may not be down here right away, as I have things to take care of but will certainly be looking to hire local staff.  Can you help me in that regard, for a finder’s fee, of course?  I will fill positions with people from London for those that go wanting here.”

Judith practically chokes but recovers nicely.  “I think….um….think that we can make this happen.  I will contact the seller and try to get him to agree to the lesser price, but I think he will be happy and I know that he does not want the furniture.  He considers it too old fashioned for his tastes.  Now, if you could just sign a note of intent here and here, and initial here and here, please.  This will take the house off the market temporarily until the banks can make sure that everything is all in order.”  Her smile stretches across her face.  “And I can certainly assist you with finding local people who might be willing to help staff the house.  Leave that to me.”

All being taken care of to the best way possible for the time being, all three pile back into Judith’s car for the drive back to the village.  Judith uses the opportunity to say more about the local area and is still talking when she stops outside her office.  A few more papers are signed and she sees them out the door, still talking.

Alyce puts an arm through one of Al’s and walks with him back to the train station.  “Thank you for coming to see the house, Al.  I think I could be happy there.  I like the area and I think that I could fit in, even if I have to dress a bit more appropriately for any outings into the village.”

As they wait on the platform for just a bit, a young girl of about eight comes up to Alyce and tugs on her pants to get her attention.  Alyce has been aware of her as soon as she came into range of her ultrasound sensors but pretends not to notice her until she pulls on her trousers.  The girl has a small handful of yellow flowers that she offers up to Alyce, who bends over to take them.  “These are beautiful.  What is your name?”

The little girl does a close approximation of a curtsey and says, “Amanda, Miss Lysander.”

“Well, Amanda, thank you.”  Alyce looks around, using her sensors to see who is interested in the child.  “Where are your parents?”

“With God.  They died a year ago.  I live at the church, now.”

“How did you know who I am?”

 “That is your name, right?”

 “Yes, but how did you know?”

The girl shrugs her shoulders.  “I just do.  I know lots of things.  Bring your dog next time.  You miss him a lot and I think he would like it here.  Ta.”

Alyce has her mouth open to ask another question but has to hold it as the girl races off down the village street.  She stands and faces Al.  “Well, that was interesting.  Interesting and a bit creepy.  Why don’t we board the train and get ready to eat.  Are we eating in the room so the poor porters can argue over which three get to deliver dinner or do we get everyone hot and bothered in the dining car tonight?”

[adamu]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076

Alyce's question about dinner put Al in mind of their short time alone in the house....

"I thought that you wanted me to dress naughty for you when we came out,” she'd said in response to his muddled rambling about one of the things that was troubling him.

"Yup, I'll allow as I do. Jist since we started this trip, seems. Question ol' Al's lookin' fer help on is the why of it."

But before she could venture an answer, Judith had rejoined them. Then he hadn't thought about it too much as Alyce went ahead and bought an insanely expensive house she'd just seen an hour ago.

But now her question about dinner, distracting him from the weird little girl from the Gothic horror story..."Reckon the dinin' car. Safer there."

As he helped her up the steps to the train, he added, "Ya gotta lose them knickers, though."

Once they returned to her compartment, he plopped down into a chair, lit a cigarette, and asked, "So, ya jist bought a danged house like ya was shoppin' fer collard greens. Exactly how loaded are ya, woman?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076


Once in the cabin, Alyce stripped and began dressing for dinner, putting on a set of green silk trousers and a matching blouse.  At Al's request, she left her knickers in the drawer of the small bureau in the cabin.  Once dressed, she takes a cigarette from the pack and bends over to light it from his, giving him an opportunity to see what others will be looking at.  She sits on the bed and looks at Al while she takes a few drags.  Finally she says, "I have a lot of money, Al.  My father invented a lot of things for EVO and they paid him a lot of money and company stock.  He was a smart man and his investments did very well.  When he.......when he was murdered, I inherited it all in a trust fund.  I generally live off of the interest from that fund, but can take some of the principal for certain reasons.  I also make a good bit when asked to perform with the orchestra or assist at the hospital.  I also am very well paid for my trips with expeditions into the wilds.  I make more than I spend and can afford to buy things like this house when I wish to."

She stands and stubs her cigarette out, lighting another.  "Dinner?"

The two walk down to the dining car, Alyce allowing her ass to sway almost hypnotically in front of Al as the traverse the narrow corridor.  Once at the table, she is again presented with the Braille menu and makes a selection from the Southeast Asia section.  Alyce is apparently unaware of the looks she is getting from others in the dining room.  If she is aware, she ignores them, focusing on Al, making the meal pleasant by saying as little as possible since Al seems to like her quiet more than nattering.  Again, she shares a bit of her meal and tastes his.  All in all, the meal is very pleasant, just as she had hoped it would be.  If this is her last meal with him, it should be nice, so that he at least carries pleasant memories of her with him when she goes.

The walk back to the cabin is leisurely and pleasant.  As Al takes a seat on the chair at the small table, Alyce takes her case from the luggage rack and places it on the bed, opening it.  She moves to the closet and remove her extra trousers from their hangers, folding and placing them in the bag.  Done, she leaves the case open and turns to face Al, taking a deep breath and doing her best to not cry just now.  "Alright, Al, this is your chance, but I want to talk first.  This is me trying hard to not be emotional but I have something to say and I wish for you to hear it before you say anything.  There should be no doubt in your mind that I love you.  I want to be with you always, to live with you, to cry with you, to care for you, to fight with you, but always to be able to look at you and say that I love you.  I do not know or understand what is happening to you.......to us right now.  You have been obstinate and grumpy.  You have acted completely out of character and pushed me away when I have wanted to help you.  I do not know how men treat women on this Mountain of yours; I do not know if you were brought up to treat your mother or sister or lover like that, but I have to tell you that it hurts.  It honestly hurts.  Someone looking at us from above would say that you are trying to push me away, to get me to leave so that you do not have to be the one to say it.  So I have resolved to let you win this, if that is what you want.  But I want to give you the chance to tell me that I have misinterpreted your words and your actions.  I will stay and continue trying to work out what you want of me if you tell me to.  If you really want me to stay and are willing to at least discuss what you want.  But I will finish packing and depart the train at its next stop if you either tell me to go or say nothing to stop me.  I am not being emotional, I am not screaming, and I am not blaming anyone.  Sometimes, things do not work out as one person would like and this might be one of those times.  I love you, Al.  I love you more than all the stars God has put in the heavens.  My love will survive anything, even you sending me away or you leaving me.  But I have hurt enough already in your presence and staying here if you do not want me is only causing me more pain every day.  You made it quite clear eight years ago that you did not want me but I had hoped that had changed.  This time, I just want an honest answer from you.  A basic , honest answer.  I am not expecting you to leap into my arms and profess undying love because you are not the sort of man to do that.  But I do expect that we will talk about our feelings and work to see if this is worth taking to another level."

She pauses for an instant.  "So here is your chance to send me away or to keep me around and see how far love can take us."  She shuts up and waits for Al to answer or do something that will let her know if she needs to continue packing or if she can unpack her pants and put the case away.

[adamu]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076

“Woman…what in blue blazes…?” Al chuckled softly, and then quickly held up a hand “…sorry – ol’ Al don’t take no pleasure in yer distress.”

He took a breath. Where to even start?

“Listen, fer someone’s supposed ta have this Mutant-X Memory Power, ya sure do seem ta fergit a lot. Fer starters, ya done got yerself so worked up, ya fergot the dress code we got in here.” His gravel-pit travesty of a voice was mockingly stern, but patient. “Now I will allow that I been a mite irregular on a point or three. An’ I’ll concede that do bear discussion. But what the hell good is it fer me ta git all chatty if’n yer gon’ plumb fergit half the damned things I say? Or worse, color ‘em over with a surfeit o’ feminine imaginations?”

It was dark out now, the lights from isolated farmhouses islands of shimmer in the inky black outside the windows.

His previously gentle tone then became a bit more severe. “Now I said I’d talk to ya, but reckon I’ll do it in my own time, an’ no one else’s. An’ sure as hell not with a half-packed suitcase aimed at my head. So I ain’t sayin’ another word ‘till ya git that there dramatic device ya done laid out on the bed back inna damn closet. An’ you, toots, not a single peep – not a damned word – gon’ come outta that pretty mouth a yours long as ya got a stitch o’ clothes left on that tarty little keeb physique.”

[Mercy Merchant]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076


Alyce feels like her head is going to explode, followed by the rest of her body.  A sharp retort bubbles up from inside only to die against clenched teeth and a closed mouth.Her hands curl into fists and her knuckles go white as she resists the urge to throw the suitcase at Al.  She ignores the pain of her fingernails cutting into the flesh of her palms as her arm muscles lock in place in absolute anger.  She fights against the emotions boiling up inside of her and almost loses control of herself.  Almost.  Her anger seethes for a few seconds that seem like minutes to her before she regains control of herself and begins to calm down.  When she is back to the point where she is breathing again, she calmly takes the trousers she had folded and hangs them back in the closet before putting the case back on the rack.  Turning to Al, she removes her clothing, carefully hanging the blouse and trousers in the closet as well.  Now naked, she goes to sit on the bed and looks at him, still unwilling to open her mouth to let the anger out.

[adamu]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076

Al grinned, cigarette clenched between yellow teeth. “Ain’t never managed ta rile ya afore, though it’s possible I may’ve tried a time or two, jist tryin’ ta shake up yer niceness-tree. What I ain’t never done is try pushin’ ya away without ownin’ it. Ol’ Al wants ya gone, I’ll tell ya to yer face. Sure as hell wouldn’t sign on fer three weeks on a damned train with ya. An’ wouldn’t ask ya straight out not ta give up on me or this little courtship project, as I did a couple nights back.”

Then he sighed, and the scold went out of his voice. “All that’s onna one hand. Onna other hand, well, reckon if yer antsy ‘bout my intentions, that’s on me fer disappearin’ on ya eight years back. I may’ve misunderstood ya some then, but it ain’t no excuse fer never gittin’ in touch. Count it pretty high up on my Top Ten Sins list, that. And, as I said, well, I ain’t oblivious ta the fact that I ain’t exactly been yer average Joe. That I ain’t bedded ya yet, well, that can’t be reassurin’, not with regard ta either my feelin’s nor even my gen’ral state o’ mental health. Suffice ta say I got my reasons, some or all o’ which I’m set on runnin’ by ya…in my own time.”

The train was passing a town now, and things were a bit brighter outside the window in the real world. He heaved another great, resigned sigh.

“So like I said earlier today, right after gittin’ off Her little magic carpet ride, reckoned tonight we’d git rollin’ on some o’ that. An’ here you did indeed jump start it some, which I’ll allow could be a good thing, cuz ol’ Al has been known ta procrasternate a bit from time ta time. But afore I say anything else, reckon we need some ground rules. What I’m thinkin’s this: ya been plain how ya feel. Well, reckon I ain’t far behind ya. So whatever does or doesn’t work out in terms of, um, logistics, what say we dispense with all o’ this all-or-nothin’ bullshit. If’n we care ‘bout each other, an’ each trust the one not ta hurt t’other, then can’t we jist agree here an’ now ta stay friends, dear friends, no matter what else we find works or don’t between us? Cuz I can see some rough nights ahead in terms of woman-talk, an’ I don’t need the threat o’ my fav’rite person in the world up an’ exitin’ stage left on me if things don’t come out all Big Rock Candy Lollipop Land.”

[adamu]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076

Alyce feels drained.  She has experienced such rage only once before in her life and that had been directed at the man who had arranged the deaths of her parents, murdered her fiancée, and left her for dead after blinding her.  That she had been so angry at Al is not only uncharacteristic, but it shows her that she had been very close to losing the sort of control that has stood her in good stead for many years.  Now under control again, she feels pain in her hands and realizes that she had cut herself with her nails when she had clenched her fists so hard.  She opens her hands to let the air reach the small cuts then places her hands palm up on her legs.
 
Alyce nods even before she can speak calmly, letting the anger bleed away into nothing.  She smiles, letting the warmth of that smile center her emotions, and looks at Al across the table, not sure if he can see her hands from his angle.  “Yes, I can agree to that.  I will never give up on you, Al.  If I was going to do that, I would have stopped looking for you years ago.  My heart is completely yours and that will never change.  The suitcase was not for my benefit, but yours.  Some of your words and actions have not been particularly kind and I was giving you the opportunity to call this off if you had wanted to, because I certainly do not want to leave.  There is no way to adequately express my joy that you do not want me to leave.  I will remain your friend until the end of time, no matter what happens here over the next couple of weeks.  And I have to admit that I do not know your reference to Big Rock Candy Lollipop Land.”
 
She goes quiet, waiting for Al.

[adamu]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076

"Yeah, never mind the reference. Listen, if ever' time ol' Al gits a mood on yer gon' head fer the hills...no, toots, that dog won't hunt. We ain't all as perfectly even-tempered as yerself. Anyhoo, done apologized fer cursin' at ya last night, and told ya it were Her doin', so no need ta take it personal."

He dragged his chair around the table, settling it against the bed directly facing her. Took both her hands in his, gently kissed the trickles of blood from them.

"Now, if'n I need savin' - an' I might - reckon I'll let ya know. If I don't, then it's fuck me fer keepin' my mouth shut - no need ta go martyrin' yerself without my say-so. I know ya got this notion sacrifice fer the sake o' love's some romantic ideal, an' it's an incorrect opinion yer entitled to, but I stand by what I said before - moment we start changin' fer each other, that's the beginnin' o' the end. Cuz then we stop bein' the people we thought we were ta each other. Becomes only on one person's terms at the expense o' t'other's, an' that surely won't fly."

He looked at her hands - the bleeding had stopped, the blood congealing nicely in the shallow abrasions. Leaned back in his chair and took in the sight of her.

"There. Hoooo-ee. That were a ride. Reckon I had some stuff on my agenda fer tonight, but woman, I got me a quota fer this sorta drama, an' we done filled it fer tonight an' then some. What I had, it'll wait a day or so. Ya got more ta say that can't wait, spit it out fast so we can git back ta this here vacation, leastways fer the night. Otherwise, howzabout ya tell ol' Al what the hell was up with that spooky little girl on the platform?"

[adamu]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076

Alyce bows her head and shakes it, speaking softly.  “No, Al.  No more drama tonight.  I think I have had quite enough of that for night as well.  I will do my best to not let my womanly emotions take charge of me again.  Thank you for being patient and thank you for telling me to stay.”
 
She looks up at him and wipes a couple of tears off of her face.  “I am not sure about the little girl.  At first I thought she was trying to pull some sort of scam on me.  After all, by that time probably the entire village knew my name and a quick matrix search would have brought up that I use a large seeing eye dog.  It would be easy to go from there to assuming I miss him, which is quite true.  But then she did not follow up the con with a request of any kind, so I am not sure what she was trying to do.  It was a bit creepy, though, wasn’t it?”
 
“So what next?  Dress and go to the observation car?  Order in and let the porters look at me some more?  I am a bit partial to going to the observation car and just sitting with you up there for a while.”

[adamu]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076

"Toots, yer partial ta goin' topside, then ol' Al ain't got no objections." He grabbed some beers from the minibar as she dressed and then there they were. It was a warm summer night out on the deck, and unlike their compartments or the house on the moor, there was no window offering a line of demarcation between Alyce-world and real-world. They were on a winding track along the south coast of the Penwith Peninsula, slow going, only used for luxury fares like this one, almost to Land's End. The salt breeze wafted over them and made Al restless for the sea.

Once they were settled together on one of the big all-weather loungers, beers opened and cigarettes lit, he resumed their earlier discussion. "Yeah, I'll allow creepy. Crazy world we's livin' in, ways an' means aplenty to explain the inexplicable, but...it warn't what she knew, nor what she did. Reckon there was a feel to 'er. Or maybe I jist been huntin' demons too long."

[Mercy Merchant]

Alyce takes the fag that Al offers her and take a couple of drags on it before replying.  “No, I don’t think it is just you, Al.  I got a distinctively odd vibe from her, too.  It wasn’t so much what she said, but how she said it.  I don’t know; it could have been some young kid showing off for her friends, but somehow I do not think so.”  She shivers a little.  “Creepy.”
 
After an hour alone, the sliding glass door from the domed observation area opens and Janet Collins comes out onto the exposed deck, followed by her husband, Brad.  Both have a drink in their hand and nod to Al and Alyce as they go to stand at the railing to look out at the countryside moving past the slowly moving train.  After a couple of minutes talking, Janet turns to Alyce.  “Nice night, eh?  I was just telling Brad that I am surprised at the slow pace of the train.”
 
Alyce motions with an arm.  “That is let us get a better view, at least in the daytime.  After all, they are soaking us for the tickets and they can bloody well let us see what we are passing by.  If we had wanted to speed to the destination, we could have booked an express, but this is so much more romantic, don’t you think so.  Alyce’s sensors were showing her that Janice had taken a page from her guide and was wearing something that could best be described as “showy” in that it showed off the woman’s cleavage and breasts to anyone who was interested enough to look at them.  They were certainly worth looking at and Alyce certainly licks her lips once in appreciation.  For his part, Brad seems entranced by Alyce’s figure, although it is demurely concealed in green silk.  The cool air from the ocean was enough to harden the nipples of both women.
 
Alyce invites the couple to join them and the four talk about the tour so far and Brad happens to have a good repertoire of bad jokes that he manages to tell in such a fashion that the others laugh anyway.  After an hour, Alyce stands up.  “I need to use the loo.  I am going to stop and get some crisps from the bar on my way back so any requests?”
 
Janet also stands.  “I will join you.”
 
The two women head off arm in arm, leaving the two men to talk.  Brad watches them walk away and turns to Al, shaking his head.  “Whoo.  It can get a bit uncomfortable sitting near that much beauty.  How do you manage it every day?”

[Mercy Merchant]

"Lifetime o' practice, kemo sabe. Long lifetime, lots an' lots o' practice. But I'll allow as this one's the peak. But hey, yer not doin' so bad yerself. Hell, if mine's a ten, then Janet there's at least a seven, hell, maybe even an eight." Al shrugged. "Never give a final score till I seen 'em nekkid." He congratulated himself on his generousity of phrase.

Brad clearly wasn't sure how to take Al's response. He was a tall guy, and broad. Probably played rugby or something in his university days, and obviously spending enough time in the gym now, ten years or so on, Al guessed, to keep himself from going to seed. In his satin slacks and tuxedo shirt, collar open, he presented a sharp contrast to the diminutive Al, who was wearing a yellowing T-shirt over filthy jeans, and had let himself go to seed decades ago.

"Yes, well...quite. I suppose we can agree they're both lovely ladies."

Al smiled. Brad had that public school way of talking that he liked. Probably used it a lot making the sort of money that let him take this train ride with his posh wife. But Al had stopped the poor guy's initial foray dead in its tracks. Be interesting to see if he got back on his feet in the fifteen minutes or so Al reckoned they had. Well, considering the quality of the prize, he might just be motivated enough to stay in the game.

Al defrosted the moment with a comment about the ass of one of the train crew, and they went on trading guy-talk about cars. Brad liked Italian, and Al told him at length about the work he'd been doing on his Ferrari. They spoke of women, and the trip, and he and Janet's plans to fill the time in the coming days. Finally, when it felt like the ladies must be about due back, Brad said, "So, um, Al, it's wonderful that we're hitting it off so well. Um, I'm sure the girls are as well. And I'm glad you think that Janet...well, I know she..."

Poor Brad lost his flow for just a small moment, but it was all the opening Al needed to offer, "Yes, Brad. Go ahead."

"Well," big winning smile that must be great in the boardroom, "I guess what I'm getting at is..." The smile again.

"Well, amigo, ol' Al ain't no mind-reader. Ya got somethin' ya wanna say, spit 'er out. Don't matter what it is. I mean, look at me, Brad. Take a good look." Al grinned wolfishly around his cigarette, then made Brad wait as he took a long swig of beer. "Don't I jist look like the very picture of open-minded an' progressive?"

Brad hesitated, pretty sure there was no safe answer.

"So jist come on out with it." Al leaned forward in his seat ever so slightly. "I mean, Brad, what's the very worst that could possibly happen?"

"Oh, well, it was nothing very momentous really." Quiet laugh that was meant to sound relaxed, but didn't quite. "I was just going to remark on that hula dancer on your arm there, inquire into his provenance."

"Yeah, Brad, I git a lot o' that." Blew two smoke rings, savoring the moment. "Look, she moves when I flex..."

"Hello boys." It was Janet, back with Alyce from their nose-powdering. "Al," she smiled in greeting. "How have you two been getting on?"

Brad answered, "Oh, splendidly. Al has brilliant taste in autos, and he was just showing me how his tattoo moved."

"Oh, do show me," giggled Janet, as Alyce nestled into the lounger next to Al. 

Al set about displaying the dexterity of his bicep, and Alyce whispered in his ear, like she had a secret behind her words, "So how did your side of the conversation go?"

[adamu]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076

"Oh, me an' Brad, we's gittin' on like gangbusters," Al said in a boisterous tone. "An' what'd y'all lovelies git on about?"

Alyce smiled naughtily and continued to whisper into Al's ear.  “Janet wants to take you back to your room and shag you all night long.  I told her it was alright with me if you wanted to do that, but that it would be your choice.  It is alright with me, Al.  I think I know why you do not want to take me to bed and I am fine with that, but it is OK with me if you want to have fun with her…………..or anyone else, for that matter.  I would like to see your needs satisfied by someone.  Your call.”

[adamu]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076

Al couldn't help but notice that she'd made no mention of Brad's side of the equation, but that wasn't important for now. He'd had his fun with Brad, and he wasn't interested in making anyone feel bad. So he stood up and extended his mangled hand to the other man. As he accepted it, the bigger man's eyes were shifting nervously between the two women - it was clear he felt like the last to know what had been decided.

"Bradford, hell of an evenin'. An' Janet..." Al released Brad's hand and approached the other woman. Put his hands on her shoulders. She smelled good.To be fair, she was better than a seven. She was shorter than Alyce, but still a bit taller than Al. "...girl, ya ever done this sorta thing before?"

"No," she answered in a suddenly tiny voice, licking her lips. Overbrash and seemingly confident a few moments earlier, she was shaking now. It was almost enough to change Al's mind.

"Well, yer a tall glass o' water, that's fer damned sure," he said, tracing her cheek with the back of his hand, and letting it brush a hard nipple on the way down. "Reckon we got a long ride ahead of us, so you guys don't be strangers, ya hear?"

And he stepped back over to Alyce, took her hand, allowed her to say her own goodbyes, and led her back toward their compartments without further ado.

As they approached their doors, Al slapped Alyce's firm ass and laughed out loud. "Damn, woman, ya can throw a party. An' sorry to call time-out on it, but shit, this is the sort o' thing I was tryin' ta ask ya 'bout back at the house, only times eleven. Reckon ol' Al's head's spinnin' an' lots o' questions I done had about yer hippie love ways is frothin' ta the fore. Temptin' as that young lady was, all I wanted ta do was ask ya a million things all at once, an' warn't gon' do it in front o' them."

Unlocking the door, he added with a grin, "Ya ain't sleepy are ya?"

[adamu]

Thursday, July 31st, 2076

Alyce shrugs at Janet as she says good evening to both of them.  Her sensors and the drone in her hair catch the way Al lets his hand touch the other woman’s hard nipple and smiles to herself at Janet’s startled reaction, which, along with her admission that she has not slept away from the marital bed before, implies that the other woman might not be as ready for extramarital sex as she had thought she was.  Alyce considers the pleasures of initiating the couple into the fun of sharing and wonders if she will get the chance.
 
On the way back to her cabin, Alyce wiggles her ass a bit playfully and is rewarded for her actions when Al slaps it.  Yelping just enough to let Al know that she likes that sort of thing, she steps into the room and begins stripping her clothes off to hang them up as she ponders Al’s comments.  “I am glad that you find her tempting, Al.  There are a lot of beautiful women in the world that would be happy to have you between their legs and you should not have to feel that you are limited to only one.  I certainly do not mind if you look at other women or even if you have sex with them as long as you know in your heart of hearts just who really loves you and wants you even more than all the other women combined.”
 
Alyce takes a seat on the bed, where she sits in a position that gives Al the best possible view of her naked body.  “It sounds like you have some questions for me and I am willing to answer anything you want to ask me.  Straight truth and no drama.  Promise.”