[Mercy Merchant]

Friday, August 1st, 2076


Alyce had wakened at 0330, unable to really go to sleep.  It is now 0430 and the toy she is using on herself is well into doing its job.  The pillow had been deemed far too thin and so Alyce has added the spare pillow from the luggage rack, hoping that the two together are adequate to keeping the noise of her calling out his name during her orgasms.  Temporarily spent, Alyce removes the pillows from her face and lets her body quiver in the aftershocks of sexual satisfaction.  She gets up on shaky lags and cleans the vibrator before putting it away and stepping into the shower to wash off her sweat and the other evidence of her early morning activity.  Smiling to herself, she dresses in a short sundress and leaves a note on the table for Al to find before quietly leaving the room to go to the observation car and climbing to the domed room. 

The sun is just peeking onto the Cornish moor they are currently traveling through, but it is early enough that she has the place to herself.  She goes behind the bar and grabs a package of biscuits and finds a booth bench she can sit in, lifting her legs so that she can use it like a lounger.  She takes the time to go over every word that Al had said to her the evening before and smiles again.  He has as much said that he loves her and wants her.  There is something holding him back from making the leap from the words to taking her to bed and she hopes that he will be willing to discuss that sometime soon.  She also accepts that she has no real business in trying to pressure him on this and that it will be best for him to do it at his own pace.

She polishes off the biscuits and uses a damp finger to gather up all the crumbs to stuff in her mouth.  Smiling, she leans back against the outer wall and feels the rhythm of the train swaying as it travels through Cornwall to Land's End, the destination for later this morning.  The train will remain on a siding of the station for two days to give the people a chance to see the area.  Alyce has looked through the various tourist sights and read the visitor reviews posted in an attempt to get an idea of what to see.  Feeling a bit peckish, she goes to the bar and sneaks another package of biscuits and a couple bags of crisps.  By this time, two couples have come up to see the dawn over Cornwall and she nods to them as she makes her way back to the booth, waiting for Al to come along.

[adamu]

Friday, August 1st, 2076

Al woke late, feeling fairly good. He went straight from the bed to the shower, not having tried it yet. When he got out, he spotted the plastic bag with his change of clothes in a corner behind a chair, but he'd knotted the top, so he'd either have to fiddle with the knot, which might take thirty seconds, or else cut it off, which would ruin the bag and then he'd have to find a new one. All that was way too much to think about before noon, and with not even the first week gone by, changing into clean clothes now seemed a bit extravagant. So he put the clothes piled on the floor by the bed back on and went into the next room. Found Alyce's note and went up to find her where she'd said she'd be on the observation deck.

The breakfast buffet was laid out by then, so he waved at her then filled a plate before sitting down. It was a warm day, and the rail siding was on a rise overlooking one of the rocky cliffs that faced the ocean. There was a strong breeze whipping at Alyce's hair. Just over a mile out there was another rocky shoreline, a military gunboat running the strait between.

"Funny we should end up here, hey?" he said, nodding at the island opposite. "Right here spittin' distance from the real-world Lyonesse. Suffice ta say, ol' Al's got less'n zero interest in goin' over there, even if it warn't restricted. Other'n that, though, reckon we got two days ta kill here..."

[Mercy Merchant]

Friday, August 1st, 2076


Alyce already has a plate of food in front of her when Al comes up.  She can smell the soap and shampoo on him and smiles but the clothes are a different story and she shakes her head a bit.  As Al sits down, Alyce nods.  "Yes.  Two days.  I have been looking at the matrix brochures of what is available for tourists, but was thinking of seeing if we can find another Howard here and have him take us to the places tourists do not normally go see.  What do you think?"

[adamu]

Friday, August 1st, 2076

Al shrugged as he stuffed his face with pancake, maple syrump dribbling off his chin. He somehow ate with a cigarette in the corner of his mouth, and ashes occasionally fell into his food. He did not seem to notice.

"Sure, toots. Sounds good. Or else jist hire a car an' we tramp around findin' spots on our own." His head did a weird little bob, as though he were tallying points on two sides of a scoreboard. "Pros an' cons ta both, I reckon. Whatever you wanna do."

[Mercy Merchant]

Friday, August 1st, 2076


Alyce laughs.  "OK.  I am checking on hire cars now and both choices are available.  I rather prefer using one with a driver who knows the local area.  Brilliant!.  I have reserved a can and driver for two days.  Matrix bio says Grace was born and raised in the area and has a great knowledge of the local sites and places off the normal path for those willing to do a bit more than just see the grebes and the standing stones.  She is home on uni break and is available for short or extended trips into wonderful Cornwall.  She sounds interesting."

Alyce finishes her breakfast and lights a cigarette as she sits back and watches Al. 

[adamu]

Friday, August 1st, 2076

Al nodded as he blew his nose into his cloth napkin again - the effect of the copious amounts of chili sauce he'd splashed onto his eggs (over easy) was not dissimilar to having pepper-sprayed himself. Though by the way he was shoveling it in, his enjoyment was undisturbed. "Uni girl, huh? Might be easier on the eyes than that other old coot. Assumin' round ears that is. When do we leave?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Friday, August 1st, 207


Alyce stubs out the butt of her cigarette.  "Any time, Al.  She is waiting just off the platform for us.  I told her we were still eating breakfast and she said not to worry.  And, yes, she is a round ear and quite attractive, at least according to her bio pic.  Here, I am sending it over to your 'link."

Alyce sends Al the bio and photo of Grace Hill, uni student and hire car driver for the summers.  She is fairly attractive, about 5'6" and 125#, with short blonde hair. and a nice figure.

[adamu]

Friday, August 1st, 2076

Al nodded, but did not pick up his 'link. "Well, reckon I'm ready ta go when you are," he said, downing the last of his breakfast-beer.

"Got the car fer two days, huh? Brad was sayin' they's some nice country back the way we come, along the Lizard Heritage Coast. Easy day's drive to a berg called Falmouth, an' yup," he was glancing at his 'link now, "they got three rooms down ta The Oceanic Hotel. S'posed ta be real nice, an' I can hire a boat tomorrow mornin', git out onna water in somethin' lets us feel the swells a bit. Course I ain't certain which direction yer girl's secret sites is, so maybe we'd best touch base with her afore committin' ta anythin'."

[adamu]

Friday, August 1st, 2076

Alyce nods as she listens to Al.  “I think that the Falmouth idea is a good one.  We can check with Grace, but I would think that she will have no problem.  You mentioned three rooms, so I am assuming that you want one for each of us and for Grace?  We can make that happen.  Why don’t I take care of the rooms and you look into your boat?”

She stands and picks up her cigarette case and lighter, waiting for Al to come around the table and escort her below.

[adamu]

Friday, August 1st, 2076

"Well, hell yes we need three," Al replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Girl's workin' fer us, on us ta pervide 'er a place ta crash. Can't have the poor thing sleepin' inna car after a hard day o' drivin' and tourguidin'."

He pushed a last rasher of bacon into his mouth whole and took her arm, admiring the short sundress on her as the fabric rippled in the breeze. They went back to their compartments - Al didn't bother going into his, his boots were on is feet and his cards in his pocket - and while Alyce did whatever women do to prepare for an overnight trip (and he did appreciate that she'd done nothing at all to prepare for the last one), he hired a boat for the next day.

[Mercy Merchant]

Friday, August 1st, 2076


Alyce packs a few things in her smaller overnight bag and signals that she is ready.  As they leave the cabin, she makes the arrangements for the hotel and sends a copy of the reservation to Grace, who is waiting for them at the depot.  As the pair step on the platform, they see the woman from the bio waiting for them near a large sedan.  She smiles as Alyce and Al identify themselves and assists them into the car then places the bag in the boot.  Returning to the driver's seat, she looks over the front bench seat and lets her passengers know what is going on.  "I can get us to Falmouth in plenty of time to check in to your rooms.  I have to say that you have made a very nice choice and I am very grateful that you would think to put me up there as well.  If I may, the Ranch Steakhouse and Grill is superb, but there are several other fine places to eat in the area.  If I might recommend, I can take you to Falmouth via a scenic route and perhaps stop a couple of places on the way.  Then Falmouth to check into the hotel then some sightseeing.  I understand that you have some boat plans for tomorrow and then a return here in time to make the train departure.  I have checked on the schedule and the train will be here until half ten tomorrow night, so we have plenty of time.  Questions?"

Alyce shakes her head and smiles as she looks to Al.

[adamu]

Friday, August 1st, 2076

"All sounds good," said Al. "I rarely turn down a good steak." He silently congratulated himself on the subtlety of his wordplay.

The car was air-conditioned, which was a good thing. The Lizard Peninsula was the warmest place in Britain, and what better day to demonstrate that than the first day of August? Al had his coat off as they got into the car. Grace had offered to stow it in the trunk (boot, she'd called it - these charming Brits and their crazy way of talking) along with Alyce's bag (which Al had carried), but he wouldn't part with it, keeping it on his seat beside him or in his hand the entire journey. The mid-morning sun when he'd gotten up had caused him to pick a frayed wifebeater up off the floor instead of the T-shirt that had been crumpled alongside it. Without the jacket, Grace could see the fetishes he kept on leather thongs around his neck and upper left arm, along with the hodgepodge of tattoos on his arms and the periphery of the work on his back. Tufts of hair threatened to run riot from the low collar. The muscles on his upper body were not large, but rippled visibly under skin that showed the slackness that age and years of illness will bring.

For her part, young Grace was professionally groomed, but dressed for the heat, with a new-looking white tank top and khaki shorts finished off by hiking boots. She was slender and muscular, the brevity of her trousers revealing thighs that spoke to a good diet of sport or hiking. Unlike a lot of very fit girls, however, she was well enough endowed to challenge her tank top's attempts to protect her modesty. She wore no make-up, that Al could see, and her blond hair was long enough not to look butch, but short enough she was getting away with not having done much with it. She didn't have any ink - at least not that Al could see - which matched her scrubbed, country girl look.

Alyce was still in her fetching little sundress, the light fabric dancing daintily with every dash of breeze, its colors matching her dark hair and somehow not clashing with the funky shades. Where did a blind chick get that sort of fashion sense? Maybe she hired shoppers. More likely, he imagined, she had her entire wardrobe replicated in some hot-sim VR host, allowing her to perfectly coordinate her look in her little headware bit of unreality before wearing everything to such shimmering effect among the meatbound. As the light cloth whipped around her upper thighs, he remembered he hadn't watched her dress this morning, and couldn't help wondering what, if anything, was between her and the ground.

They got into the car and Grace got her first strike, politely explaining that the car service did not allow smoking in its vehicles. Al figured it wasn't her fault, so he didn't give her a hard time, simply saying, "Well I hope we's makin' a lot o' sightseein' stops." Which elicited a smile and an assurance they could stop at any time. Al figured if the Good Lord hadn't meant for people to smoke, he wouldn't have given them lungs.

And so they set off, Al and Alyce nestled into the comfortable rear seat, his scarred hand a rough presence on the silky skin of her leg, Grace pointing the car up the A30 towards Penzance.

Al couldn't help but hope they ran into some pirates.

[adamu]

Friday, August 1st, 2076

Alyce likes Grace’s professional attitude and she really enjoys the way she is dressed.  She is a bit disappointed by the no smoking in the car rule, but she appreciates the polite yet no-nonsense manner in which Grace had informed them.  She nods at Al’s comment and instinctively reaches for her pack of Lucky Strikes before stopping herself.

The car is air conditioned, which is a helpful relief from the August heat of this part of Britain.  Grace shows her expertise by anticipating the needs of her passengers to smoke and pulls the car over frequently to show them some scenic sight of the Cornish coast or the lands to the interior.  It does not take long outside the car at any stop to have the clothes plastered to the bodies of Grace and her passengers, making the return to the car inviting.  Before long, Al is able to get a clear view of the breasts of both women as their tops cling to every curve, but of course he is too much of a gentleman to point out the obvious in order to not embarrass anyone.

Alyce brings up the famous opera when they pass Penzance, bringing a response from Grace.  “Ah, yes.  Very famous, that.  But the truth is a bit more interesting.  The Cornish coast was home to some very real pirates, although most were on the north coast, due to its closeness to Wales and Ireland and the trade routes between them and the Continent.  Many were simply wreckers, some of whom rigged false lights and lured unsuspecting vessels to their doom.  Others were more of the sort to take advantage of ships that were tossed onto the shore by storms.  Since no survivors meant that the locals could keep whatever washed ashore form such wrecks, there were seldom any survivors.  Two of the more infamous female pirates of the 1500s were from Falmouth.  Mary Killigrew was the daughter of a pirate and married a pirate who was made an admiral by Elizabeth I.  She would go out with a crew and raid ships along the coast when her husband was out with the fleet.  There is some question as to whether her husband and the queen knew, but it is thought that both turned a blind eye to her activities as long as she raided Spanish, French, and German ships.  She was eventually caught but served only a short sentence before returning to Falmouth where she gave up seagoing piracy for another sort and became a fence for the goods recovered by various breakers.  Elizabeth was the wife of Mary’s son and took to piracy in her own right.  She, too, was eventually caught and pardoned by Elizabeth I to return to the Falmouth area.  Besides the wreckers and pirates, the rugged coves and inlets have provided havens for smugglers for centuries.”

“Oh, and there is a well known rugby team here named the Cornish Pirates.  Very good, actually.”

[adamu]

Friday, August 1st, 2076

Al listened with interest, but occasionally grumbled something audible but unintelligible, upon which he refused to elaborate when prodded by the ladies, changing the subject and making comments about his breakfast. Alyce seemed to like this girl - hardly a surprise - and Al didn’t want to be rude. The stories were historical, hundreds of years ago.

But he’d faced pirates more than once, and there’d been nothing glamorous or romantic or admirable in any way about them. The parts of the story about - wink, wink - ensuring the shipwrecks had no survivors, bunch of hard-working sailing men, just wanted to get home to their wives and kids, and then all the royal damned pardons for a bunch of bloodthirsty murderers.

His mind drifted to the thoughts of sailors - one sailor, anyway - just wanting to get home to his kids.

He was glad when the girl-child changed the subject to rugby.

[adamu]

Friday, August 1st, 2076

Grace keeps up a running commentary of the area and seems to know it quite well, telling a lot of stories and jokes about the Cornish coast.  She is pleasant to talk to and pleasant on the eyes.  At each stop on the trek, she takes pains to point out some little thing about the area then steps back if there are no questions, so as to give her clients some privacy.  During one of the earlier stops, a slight breeze comes in off the coastal cliff Al and Alyce are standing on, ruffling Alyce’s sundress and letting Al know for sure that she is not wearing knickers today.  From where he is standing, he sees from the corner of his eye that Grace has observed the incident and is standing quite still and wide eyed.  The girl licks her lips once and smiles before turning to look at something in the distance.

Between stops, Alyce asks Grace what she is studying.  “I am up at Cambridge, studying law.”

Alyce beams.  “Cambridge?  My daughter is there studying for medicine.  Her name is Gemima Lysander, but she mostly goes by Gem.  I think that the two of you might get along famously.  May I send her your com code?”

“Absolutely.  This is brilliant.  I have been pretty busy up there with studies and have not had time for many friends.  Thank you very much.  Oh, wait, you’re that cellist.  From London.  Not that I want to interfere with your holiday, and you probably get this a lot, but I play a bit and was wondering……….”

“Of course.  Let’s talk when it won’t bore poor Al.”  Grace looks in the rear-view mirror and smiles at Alyce and something else passes between them at the same time.