With the sun disappearing beyond the horizon, the cold winds of the coast gained more territory in David's Hollow, flooding the small city with waves of uncomfortable chills. While the many tall buildings did their best to slow down the breeze, open areas like the spaceport with its square miles of landing pads stood unprotected. Rail shuttles moved around, bringing pilots and crews to and from their ships. Smaller hover vessels hauled containers, autonomous drones fought corrosion with rains of sparks and sizzling noise.
A row of vending machines, one of many, just waited for the occasional customer to give in and pay too much for any kind of drink. The soft buzzing from long light bulbs and other cheap electronics droned out of several of these rectangles. Levan's eyes scanned the intimidatingly rich assortment for the energy drink he knew Madeleine liked. His thin fingers tapped against the polyplastic window as his head tilted more and more downward, his in the neon light discolored eyes unable to find the target.
Releasing a silent sigh, he noticed how his warm breath created slight condensation on the window, and without thinking about it, guided by pure subconsciousness, his index finger drew two dots and an arc beneath the dots. For a few seconds, maybe even minutes, this would be the happiest vending machine in the area.
Eventually, the young man gave up, simply going with a gut feeling for what other refreshment could be acceptable to his entourage. Credit chip inserted, his nimble digits pressed the button for one of the more stylishly decorated cans, and his gaze idly followed the robotic arm retrieving the can from the shelf. With the utmost precision, the can ended up in the dispenser tray, only to be grabbed by the same nimble fingers.
≫Levan≪
That one good?
The boy handed the energy drink to the only marginally less slender, yet an entire head taller woman just arriving next to him. For a fraction of a second, she frowned, but quickly hid the slight disappointment as she accepted the can.
≫Madeleine≪
No Blast?
≫Levan≪
Nope.
≫Madeleine≪
Sucks.
She moved closer, checking the vending machine assortment herself. Levan, turning around and leaning with his back against the neighboring machine, glanced over to the gunboat on the platform near them. Small drones danced around it, cleaning the hull with precision lasers and the occasional spray of cleaning chemicals.
≫Levan≪
You know, if there was any Blast in there, I am sure I would have found it.
≫Madeleine≪
Let a girl dream, Levan. I'm always happy to prove you wrong, and then mock you for it for an hour.
One of the most satisfying sounds occurred at the tip of Madeleine's index finger as she pulled the lid open, carbonated liquid reacting almost violently to the exchange of preserving gases and the air outside the can. Tiny droplets of fizzing and sparkling liquid shot out of the opening, and without much hesitation the young woman with the orange dyed hair led the can right to her similarly orange lips, the glossy lipstick leaving a smudge of color on the metal. The wind all around was audible, yet the vending machines provided cover.
≫Madeleine≪
Yup, tastes like ass.
≫Levan≪
Could have gotten that for free, too.
≫Madeleine≪
Maybe I'll take you up on that offer later.
The boy returned an awkward smile, hoping it was really just a joke. Madeleine moved right to his side, touching shoulders, following his eyes to the gunboat. Another shuttle bus moved past them, heading for the spaceport terminal. Some paper scraps rolled and floated over the concrete, pushed and pulled by the gust of wind created by the vehicle.
≫Madeleine≪
By the way, what did you get Kimberly for tomorrow?
≫Levan≪
Uhm, tomorrow?
≫Madeleine≪
Her birthday, Levan?
≫Levan≪
Uhm...
Seconds of silence, followed by Levan producing his PDA from the pocket of his leather jacket. Madeleine moaned in frustration, understanding he did not know about the birthday of one of his few quote-unquote employees. Yet his NNstagram profile reminded him of it right upon opening his status screen, along with a few hundred other notifications.
Primarily ads.
≫Levan≪
Any idea what she likes?
≫Madeleine≪
I bought her a wellness pack.
≫Levan≪
Is that really a thing women are happy about, Madeleine? If someone gifted me shampoo and makeup, I would take it as a hint of being smelly and ugly.
≫Madeleine≪
It's expensive stuff. Which means your gift should be even more expensive, as you are her boss.
≫Levan≪
The shops are already closed and tomorrow is Sunday. I do not think I can get her something nice now. Dammit.
≫Madeleine≪
Sometimes the answer is right in front of your nose, Levan.
He looked up from his PDA, right at her. His eyes searched for the solution, mostly in her face, before going lower. With questionable determination, his hand reached for the piece of cloth covering her neck.
≫Levan≪
Uhm, your scarf?
≫Madeleine≪
... Your ship, you idiot.
They both looked over to the gunboat in question. He tilted his head in disbelief.
≫Levan≪
I think gifting my gunboat might be a bit of an overkill.
≫Madeleine≪
Levan, I am telling you to fly her around in it, not to gift it to her. Take her to space, show her Denver from orbit, maybe even Manhattan. And maybe go shopping with her. Manhattan probably has more to offer for her goth loli style.
The boy put his PDA back in the pocket of his jacket and exhaled audibly.
≫Levan≪
And I take it you just happen to accompany us during said shopping tour, so Mr. Harlow covers your expenses, too?
≫Madeleine≪
I'm not setting a foot on this death trap. Besides, I have the slight suspicion she would appreciate it more if it was just you and her.
≫Levan≪
Uhm!
≫Madeleine≪
Naturally, if you were to take her on a shopping trip here on Denver, Monique and I could tag alo-
≫Levan≪
Manhattan it is, then!
≫Madeleine≪
Good boy.
Her subtle grin vanished behind her energy drink as she took another sip. With her other hand, she patted him on his beanie, which rewarded her with a very unimpressed expression in return, followed by a sharp finger poking through her oversized hoodie right into her belly button. Gagging, she spat out some of the energy drink, almost hitting Levan with it. Luck, however, was on his side, blowing the involuntarily released load of drink onto her boots, and partially, her orange-white striped tights and her black skirt. Chuckling, Levan moved a few steps back, watching Madeleine realize the damage to her otherwise pristine outfit. He then gained more distance as a wise precautionary measure as the girl took aim. Her target: Levan Harlow, the cute boy she lived with.
Compared to how the apartment looked when Levan bought it and how it looked now, there was barely any resemblance. Back several years ago, it was just a standard living unit in a building with about a dozen floors. At that time he had already made a fortune, all thanks to a chaotic chain of events set in motion by a singular OSC Barge pilot handing out a very generous gift. While the boy's sudden sirius-wide popularity had for the most part faded away, it certainly changed his local lifestyle. Young people from David's Hollow and the surrounding areas found their ways to hang out with him, spending time at the apartment, ensuring it was almost never without a few guests. It got nicknamed "The Den", and not knowing how to put an end to the endless party, Levan simply embraced it.
First Madeleine, a living poker face, became a permanent guest, and later Monique, best described as a party girl. The latter ended up taking care of the Den whenever Levan left the planet to have adventures in space, thereby willfully securing herself a somewhat paid job as housekeeper. And when Kimberly arrived a few years later, she hired her as housekeeping assistant. As a maid, as everyone else called it. Whenever Madeleine and Monique weren't around, she was in charge, and certainly used that privilege to turn the Den from an apartment into something more akin to a mini nightclub.
Levan didn't mind that at all. It looked cool. Dark walls, neon lights, stylish furniture. With a respect for the efforts put into everything, most guests took greater care of their surroundings. No more broken glass tables, burned spots on the couches from misplaced cigarettes, fewer pizza stains, fewer sticky floors from spilled alcohol, less vomit, blood, dropped pills, just all in all much nicer. And fewer visits from LPI.
Only the lower floor remained available to guests, while the upper floor was where Levan had his bedroom, shared with Madeleine and Monique, as well as some reserved guest rooms, just in case Aspen or Kristoff ever showed up again. Not that he really expected anything to ever come from them ever again. Chapters closed, new chapters opened.
It was not too rare for Levan to stay in bed with Madeleine and Monique for a little longer on a Sunday. There was no rush to leave. No reason to. If anything, the two girls had their ways of maintaining their lasting claim on their territory. However, when the boy remembered that today was Kimberly's birthday, despite all reasons to stay under the warm blanket, between two warm bodies, he managed to escape and got ready for the day.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, now showered, styled and clothed, he kept doomscrolling through the news. Another day without headlines about the situation between Liberty and Kusari. Hopefully it would stay this way, he thought. If the situation with Kusari got any worse, Denver would be the first world to suffer the consequences.
Two slender arms wrapped around his midriff from behind as Madeleine had snuck up on him, silently leaning her face against his back, eyes closed. If Denver was ever endangered, he figured he would ditch the Den and take Madeleine and Monique to some other planet. But that would just be the start, he thought, as Monique would surely want her family to escape, too. And then there was Durga, his new bodyguard, who also lived here at the Den and had no other place to go.
Trying not to think about it, Levan left the bedroom, walking down the stairs. Some unmemorable club music was already playing, some familiar faces already hanging out, talking, playing video games on the big screen, a couple lounging on a couch, smokers on the balcony, two guys in the kitchen. It had turned into some cursed ritual where especially the newcomers would try to be respectful and wish Levan a good morning, while others just yelled a Heeeeeeey! at him and some simply ignored him. Something he preferred, if he was honest.
Two girls used pumps to inflate balloons, and looking at the ceiling, the boy noticed a layer of helium-filled balloons of various colors. It certainly was a bit much for his liking, but it was for the birthday party. Ironically, the birthday girl was already present, about to climb on a ladder to attach decorations to the wall. Right next to her was a guy with blond hair. Levan remembered him. Brian? Low-key pervert, macho, always hitting on the ladies. Given the daring outfit Kimberly donned today, it was no surprise he was near.
In fact, her outfit was considerably more daring today. Kimberly was known as the local goth lolita, preferring dresses of that kind. It was cute, but not something that caught Levan's attention. For the most part, he simply found it a bit weird. But then again, the average person probably considered his own leather-based style a bit eccentric. To each their own.
Today, however, she was a lot more revealing, with a suspiciously well-fitting black leather dress. Definitely an eye catcher, and connecting the dots, Levan quickly understood why Brian was next to her, holding the ladder, as she was seconds away from climbing it. Wearing a dress.
≫Levan≪
Heeeeeey!
Just as she had stepped on the first step of the ladder, the boy arrived at her side, arms wide open for a birthday hug. Excited, Kimberly got off the ladder and accepted.
≫Kimberly≪
Levan!
≫Levan≪
Happy Birthday! You, uhm, look stunning!
≫Kimberly≪
Thank you so much!
It got a little awkward as she did not seem to plan to let go anytime soon, so he double-tapped her back multiple times.
≫Kimberly≪
Mhmm, you smell so good...
≫Levan≪
Uh, thanks! I, eh, just showered!
Creating a certain olfactory flavor definitely was something he enjoyed when it resulted in such a reaction. The neon lights covered it, yet both seemed to get slightly rosy cheeks. After one more squeeze, Kimberly let go of him and immediately turned back to the ladder, intending to go up.
≫Levan≪
Hey, uh, Kimberly? Let me do that for you. It is your birthday, after all.
She certainly seemed oblivious to Brian holding the ladder for her for a reason. Without hesitation, she kept going up the ladder.
≫Kimberly≪
No, no, no need to, Levan. I can do that just fine!
≫Levan≪
Well, uhm, let me hold the ladder, then.
≫Brian≪
I got it, no worries!
≫Levan≪
I take it from here. Maybe you can help decorate the kitchen?
≫Brian≪
Nah, man, I love helping Kimby!
She was at the top of the ladder. Levan and Brian locked their eyes onto another, as Brian understood Levan did not want him to look up. Despite Levan being a head shorter than Brian, a sudden change in his demeanor convinced the blond guy to let go of the ladder.
≫Brian≪
Oh damn, I forgot my, eh, thing in the kitchen. You got her, right?
≫Levan≪
Sure. Go get your... thing.
With the silent exchange over, Brian left. Some of the people here are hiding their rotten plans behind the widest smiles, Levan thought. Years of hosting all kinds of personalities in their early- and mid-twenties showed him examples of all kinds of people. Luckily, the worst ones didn't manage to stay for long without some kind of intervention. No hard drugs, no sexual assault. The Den was supposed to be a fun place to stay at, not a place to enable perverts.
Happy about thwarting Brian's plan, Levan mindlessly looked up to check on Kimberly, only to immediately stare at the floor again, realizing he had just accidentally done what he prevented that macho from doing. What a hero.
≫Kimberly≪
Is that straight?
Without looking up, he replied.
≫Levan≪
Yup!
≫Kimberly≪
Good!
She climbed down. Levan moved a step back to give her space. With her dress not allowing her to see her feet, she missed the last rung and clumsily "fell" off the ladder, backward bumping into Levan, hitting the back of her head against his nose. She immediately turned around, showing a mix of worry, embarrassment and appreciation for him catching her.
≫Levan≪
Ouch!
≫Kimberly≪
Oh god, Levan, are you okay?
He held his nose, feeling a momentary blurry pain.
≫Levan≪
Uhm, yeah, I am fine!
≫Kimberly≪
I'm so sorry, I missed the- Levan, your nose is bleeding!
It certainly was. Blood was oozing down his chin, dripping onto his white T-shirt and down onto the floor. He reflexively closed off his nostrils with thumb and index finger, which affected the sound of his voice.
≫Levan≪
Do not worry about that!
He quickly turned away to head to the stairs, but Kimberly followed him, staying at his side.
≫Kimberly≪
I'm so, so sorry, Levan!
≫Levan≪
Really, it is fine. I figured I would get a nosebleed from you, although I thought it would be because of that dress.
≫Kimberly≪
You have no idea how sorry I am!
≫Levan≪
No need to. It is a very cool outfit!
They made it upstairs, heading for the guest bathroom. Levan leaned over the sink, letting go of his nose. More blood oozed out, right into the white porcelain.
≫Kimberly≪
Does it hurt?
≫Levan≪
Not at all. It is just a popped blood vessel. Really, do not worry about it.
Cool water joined the red liquid in the sink, thinning it before vanishing down the drain. It did not take long for the bleeding to stop. Nevertheless, Kimberly felt visibly bad about it.
≫Levan≪
I got some on my T-shirt, can you get me a new one from the bedroom? Any will do.
≫Kimberly≪
Uh, okay! On it!
After cleaning nose and face, he took off his T-shirt, throwing it onto the toilet seat. He inspected his nose in the mirror, carefully prodding it with a finger. Nothing seemed broken. Just a popped blood vessel, which already appeared to have sealed. What a mess, though. Not the most ideal impression to make to the birthday girl.
Kimberly returned, not with one but five folded T-shirts, neatly stacked, sandwiched by her gentle hands. Her eyes immediately caught sight by his bare upper body. She knew about the many scars, and the pretty tribal tattoos somewhat concealing them, but this was a rare sight. And certainly an appealing one.
≫Kimberly≪
I didn't know what you liked, so I brought you a few!
≫Levan≪
Thank you.
He blindly grabbed the one ontop of the stack, and quickly put it on. She simply remained next to him, not hiding her curious looks.
≫Levan≪
Something wrong?
≫Kimberly≪
No, I was just, eh, wondering how expensive it was to get all those tattoos!
≫Levan≪
You like them? I actually got a good discount.
≫Kimberly≪
... Does that discount actually mean anything to you? You know, being rich and all that?
≫Levan≪
It is mostly about the gesture. Besides, you do not stay rich if you just throw your money out of the window without any thought.
≫Kimberly≪
True. Is your nose better?
≫Levan≪
I think so?
≫Kimberly≪
Let me see!
She stepped closer, stopping right in front of him, her face getting awkwardly close to his, just to peck the nose on the tip. Smirking, she took a step back. It baffled him.
≫Kimberly≪
Did that hurt?
≫Levan≪
Uhm, not at all.
Kimberly chuckled awkwardly, then took another step back.
≫Kimberly≪
I will, eh, go back to decorating!
≫Levan≪
Oh, okay-
And with that, she left, leaving him with a silent, content smile.
The music grew louder and louder as the day turned to night. Bass transformed into vibrations, water into alcohol, acquaintances into friends and lovers. Almost all senses bordered their limits, fog machines thickened the air, lights produced holograms. Pizza and snacks in the kitchen barely contributed to the scents of perfumes, sweat, drinks and unidentifiable smells. It was busier and noisier than usual, and more people than normal had gathered to celebrate Kimberly's birthday - despite it being a Sunday evening.
Levan was certainly glad to have Durga around for occasions like these. The bulky giantess didn't bother with arguments. Her no-bullshit-approach to handling troublemakers ensured a smooth progression of the party. At one point she kicked out a girl who tried to spike someone's drink, and a guy who arrived to the party with a particularly aggressive demeanor. Her expertise as former security officer on Ames Research Station helped in quickly identifying issues and dealing with them, maybe not entirely without violence but without casualties.
Apart from everyone drenching themselves in sweat from non-stop dancing as well as the obligatory tampon bottle fishing game, one of the highlights of the evening was a spontaneously created game of spin the bottle. Except it was only dare, resulting in kisses, one suspiciously long lasting make-out session, a few rejections, spanked rears, a face slapping contest, the creation of a drink mixed from several other drinks and mustard, and a pool of vomit just outside the balcony.
In all cases, there was plenty of laughter.
Kimberly took in her surroundings. It was a great party, probably the best she ever had. Great location, great people, many gifts, much fun. It was fun to dance to the beat. She took a sip from her energy drink, glancing over at Monique and Durga chatting. Monique was obviously fairly intoxicated already, hugging the incredibly muscular, sober and slightly uncomfortable woman.
In the corner with the bean bags was Madeleine, talking with a bunch of her friends while snacking on popcorn. Just in that moment she laughed and threw a handful at one of her friends, which resulted in a disproportionate response of popcorn raining back at her. Innocent fun.
Idling in thought for a moment, she realized two things: Levan was nowhere to be seen, and Brian was heading in her direction. Trying to avoid eye contact, she moved toward the stairs, past the holograms of a person in a koi fish costume dancing interactively to the music. Looking up, she saw Levan upstairs, alone, leaning on the railing, watching over the party, illuminated only by the orange glow of the hologram. She smirked at him, but he seemed to be lost in thought, not reacting. Instead, he left the railing and disappeared into his bedroom.
The boy sat down at the edge of the bed and produced his PDA from the pocket of his jacket. No new messages, just notifications from NNstagram. PizzaMon.Sta (Monique) posted 14 new images! NothingMatters (Madeleine) posted 3 new images! Unsurprisingly, the people downstairs wanted to share these images of them having a great time on the neural net. Mostly just group selfies, photobombing and pictures of the snacks, the tower of pizza boxes, the confused delivery boy surrounded by girls and a circle of shoes. All tagged with names. Levan was in a few of them, too.
≫Kimberly≪
Hey Levan. Can I come in?
Greeting him with a soft smile, Kimberly peeked around the door frame into the room.
≫Levan≪
Uhm, sure!
The birthday girl quickly entered and without much hesitation closed the door behind her. Not only that but she also locked it. Turning back to Levan, she exhaled in relief. Levan gave her a lopsided look, surprised.
≫Kimberly≪
Eh, so... what are you doing up here, all alone?
≫Levan≪
Just having a few minutes for myself. And you? Apart from locking me in with you?
≫Kimberly≪
Eh! Well, eh, basically the same? Trying to... get away from Brian, if I am honest.
≫Levan≪
Is he drunk?
≫Kimberly≪
No, don't think so. Or maybe, yes. Don't know. I'm definitely a bit tipsy, and I know he is on the prowl tonight.
≫Levan≪
Just tell him you are not interested. Unless you are? The guest room is free, so if you-
≫Kimberly≪
No, I'm not! Not him, no. Too tall, too... desperate. Just not my type.
≫Levan≪
Well, if he gets on your nerves, just tell Durga and she will handle him.
≫Kimberly≪
If... it becomes necessary, then maybe.
Eyeing him, she idly let her black fingernails create hollow sounds by tapping them against the energy drink can, one after another. After some initial hesitation, Levan patted the spot next to him, inviting her to sit with him. Naturally, she took the invitation, leaving as little space between them as possible. As if to signal exhaustion, she leaned against his side, her eyes following his as he kept checking out the party pictures.
≫Kimberly≪
Oh hey, they are uploading already?
≫Levan≪
Of course. It would not be a party without half the people making sure everyone on the neural net knows they are having a good time.
≫Kimberly≪
Any good ones?
≫Levan≪
The first group picture looks good. When almost everyone was still sober.
≫Kimberly≪
Show me!
He scrolled through the images, showing them all to her, one after another.
≫Kimberly≪
There aren't any with both of us together, that's not okay!
≫Levan≪
Maybe there are some they did not upload yet.
≫Kimberly≪
I'm not taking chances on that! Come, we'll quickly take a few. But let's make them look really hot, okay?
≫Levan≪
... Okay ...?
Slightly intimidated, he switched to photo mode and held the PDA away from him with his left hand, gently placing his other hand on her other shoulder. She used his lack of defense to fully lean on him, pushing her chest against his side while placing her hand on his T-shirt, her finger tips disappearing under his jacket. Not really caring about it, he triggered the capture. One picture. Then another. Then another. Another one. She nuzzled his cheek in the next one. Then his neck in another. Her hand went lower. At some point she sat on his thigh. Another one. Another. And another.
≫Kimberly≪
... You smell so good...
≫Levan≪
A-alright, I think we took enough pictures.
≫Kimberly≪
Really?
≫Levan≪
Yeah. Hey, uhm. You like that stuff?
He pointed at the can of energy she had placed on the floor. She shook her head.
≫Kimberly≪
Eh, they ran out of Blast at the store, so I bought this. Tastes like ass, honestly.
≫Levan≪
Well, does it at least do the job?
≫Kimberly≪
As in, keeping me awake? Sort of. I'm kinda in that sweet spot between tipsy, in party mood and tired. Not sleepy, if that's what you mean.
≫Levan≪
Good. It is your party, after all. So, uhm, how about you go down?
≫Kimberly≪
... on... Oh, to the party? Yeah. No, I mean, I, eh. I'm fine staying here a little longer. It's nice. Hanging out with you, having some quiet.
A bit clumsily, she scooted off his thigh and leaned forward to get her can, emptying it in one go. After putting it down again, she let herself fall onto the bed, spread eagle.
≫Kimberly≪
It's so nice here. It's a bit like being in a celebrity's mansion. Just missing the holograms on the ceiling.
≫Levan≪
... I actually have those. Here.
Using his PDA to regulate the lights, he turned them off fully. For a moment, it was completely dark with the exception of the light from the PDA display. A few taps of his nimble finger later, and multiple holographic fish appeared above them, just a few inches beneath the ceiling. Many small ones, a few big ones, floating through the air, among some light motes and streams, all visualized by various shades of cyan.
Levan joined her on the bed, lying down on his back, right next to her. Both of them simply enjoyed the view. Especially Kimberly, with wide-eyed fascination.
≫Levan≪
I bought this on Noshima Freeport. The holographic displays downstairs, too. This one was considerably more expensive, so I installed it here.
≫Kimberly≪
It's... breathtaking. I love it. Levan, this is amazing!
She scooted to his side and placed her cheek on his shoulder. Once more her hand placed itself on his chest. Unintentionally, she was able to feel his heart beating this way.
≫Kimberly≪
Where is Noshima? Sounds like Kusari.
≫Levan≪
In Shikoku, yeah. It is a big space casino, not too far away from the Ho... Hobo... from the Golden Dragon. It is very cool there, but a rough climate. People from all over Sirius go there, especially the people who are not allowed in Kusari.
≫Kimberly≪
Would love to see Shikoku myself. I heard it is the most beautiful system in Sirius.
≫Levan≪
It is quite pretty, yeah. Very colorful. Maybe someone will take you there someday.
≫Kimberly≪
That would be awesome...
For a while, they just remained in bed like this, just watching the holographic ocean above them. After a while, though, Levan realized she had fallen asleep. Sighing, he let her be like this for another few minutes before carefully moving her off his body. It didn't seem to wake her up, so he pulled her up to lay fully on the bed, and placed a blanket over her. Tonight, his bed would be hers, and hers alone.
The boy unlocked the door and stepped out, closing the door behind him again.
The next step was to explain Monique and Madeleine that they would need to share the guest bed.
Without a doubt the peak of nutrition engineering. Synth Foods' flagship product, despite being target of controversial opinions, has never been as popular as now in 835 AS. Covering all nutritional essentials, including Vitamin D and Omega-3 fatty acids, while coming in hundreds of different artificial flavors like fries, chocolate crêpe, fruit salad, squelom as well as more exotic ones like Magma Hammer and whatever umami is supposed to be, it is perfectly conserved and produces very little organic waste, thus being extremely popular among fighter pilots.
For space dwellers and non-terran worlds like Pittsburgh, Synth Paste was an absolute blessing. However, the prolonged monodiet showed a more sinister aspect of the product, as the body slowly but steadily adjusts to Synth Paste intake, making it harder and harder to process what most people consider to be "real" food. As a result, especially among spacers and workers on planets like Pittsburgh, the Synthivore Syndrome became a thing. Often misunderstood as an addiction to Synth products like Paste and Gel, it is less about addiction than necessity as the stomach unlearns how to produce the enzymes to digest other foods.
While it never completely forgets how to handle real foods, the process of acclimatization usually comes with many undesirable side effects, like diarrhea, constipation, violent oral expulsion, fever, general nausea and discomfort as well as all other symptoms of food poisoning. In the worst cases, even internal bleeding.
Naturally, Cryer Pharmaceuticals and lesser known sub-companies of the mega company saw this as a perfect market opportunity to flood the market with supplemental products like Omnigest. Tiny tablets filled with chemical compounds similar to enzymes, allowing any synthivore with the right amount of money to eat anything they want without horrible stomach aches.
The bubblegum-colored paste got squeezed right onto Levan's tongue, then savored for a moment as it spread and mixed with his saliva, only to wash down his gullet. Straight from the tube into his mouth. No mess, no utensils needed.
And that was also the entire ritual. No sitting down at a table, no cooking, nada. He merely watched as Madeleine cut her bread bun in half to clumsily throw a slice of cheese and another slice of ham onto it. Then she placed it onto the toaster and waited for a minute, watching the cheese slowly turn from cold and solid to slightly molten and sticky. She sat down at the tiny table by the window and took bite after bite. Chewing it all. Crumbs on her face, on the table, some on her T-shirt.
Levan frowned. It was his T-shirt. Maybe he should start stealing her clothes, too, he thought. But then again, her skirts tended to be a little too short for his liking. He certainly would be worried about tip slips.
Her piercing stare made him question why he was even thinking about it. Her stealing his clothes was a common occurrence for years now. It was just clothes. Pieces of fabric. Nothing to get mad about. She had an entire cabinet stuffed with outfits, and yet she stole his T-shirts and hoodies, his underwear, even his leather jackets. Why? Was it to force a reaction? Did she assert dominance over him this way? Both Madeleine and Monique had their ways of claiming their territory. Maybe stealing and wearing his clothes was a way of signaling to everyone else that he was hers? Monique occasionally stole his things, too.
But it was genuinely nothing to bother overthinking.
Madeleine took a sip from her energy drink, only to comment that it tasted like ass. Then she continued the devour her bun. She took her sweet time, only taking small bites. A bit of the molten cheese dripped onto the plate.
It can't be about scent. His clothes got washed frequently. Basically one of the few things in the household done by Monique. It also can't be about comfort. His T-shirts were rather tight, especially on Madeleine's body. After all, she had to stuff her B-cups in there, too. Maybe it was the material? Levan tended to go for high quality materials. He always wanted to look presentable. It also was a nice feeling when the materials were a bit heavier, with a certain thickness. But in the end, wondering about why his female companions stole his clothes was really nothing he bothered with. It was just clothing.
It was probably a dominance thing. Yeah, most likely. Madeleine and Monique definitely had enough clothes on their own. There was no real need for them to steal his. It had to be about dominance. Did he let them dominate him? Outside the bedroom, that is. He always thought their relationship was on equal basis. But them stealing his clothes, that was kind of tipping the balance. But then again, it was really just clothes. There was no need to worry about anything. Just his personal possessions. Taken from him. By the people he thought he could trust the most. It certainly goes without saying that trust was not an issue between them. Madeleine and Monique had their needs met. Especially their clothing needs. They had cabinets stuffed with their own clothes. There was no need for them to steal his. It was just a trust thing. He trusted them.
And it was just clothes, anyway.
Inexplicably, Levan's eyes had gotten a bit watery, so he blinked a few times to get rid of the moisture. The ever so attentive Madeleine gave him a confused look, just before Kimberly entered the kitchen. Not wearing her dress from last night, but another one of Levan's hoodies, and tracksuit pants - also his.
Merely an hour later, she was back in her dress, blindfolded, just outside the Den. Madeleine led her by hand to her Levan's hovercar, while he opened the car door for her. Taking over, he guided her to her seat, and apart from her bonking her head against the car frame, he did a good job at it. Sitting down right next to her in the back seats, he made sure she was safe and secure as Madeleine took the driver's seat.
It was a relatively short transit to the spaceport, but it felt like an eternity to the birthday girl, simply because she had no idea what this was all about. It was a surprise gift! She listened to him talk with Madeleine, pure small talk, and nothing that would reveal anything to her. All in all, they did a good job giving her nothing to work with.
Eventually, the hovercar stopped, and Levan unbuckled her from the seat. For a moment, she felt like a movie star getting out of a car, led by his guiding hand, until he got right in front of her to take the blindfold off. And there it was. Him, the spaceport, and one big gunboat.
The sight left her speechless, leaving her visibly in a state of processing thoughts. To ease it, Madeleine stepped right in.
≫Madeleine≪
Tadaaa! You won a personal space sightseeing tour with Captain Harlow!
≫Kimberly≪
No way, you're kidding, right?
≫Levan≪
Well, she did not fall for it, Madeleine, so I guess the plan failed.
≫Madeleine≪
It's your birthday present from Levan! You always said you wanted to go to space, so here we are. Almost as good as an Orbital Cruise, just without room service or dancers. Unless you want Levan to dance for you!
He did a shuffle, on the spot.
≫Kimberly≪
Right now? Are we going to space right now? Just the three of us?
≫Madeleine≪
Nope, just you two. I had my fill of space already. Turns out it's kinda empty. But that just means there is more of it for you two to enjoy!
≫Kimberly≪
I can't believe it... wait, I'm not prepared! I didn't bring a toiletry bag or... clothes! Don't I need-
≫Madeleine≪
Ah, don't worry, we got you covered. More or less. You can just steal his stuff.
Not entirely happy about Madeleine encouraging it, Levan went over to the trunk of the hovercar to retrieve a duffel bag and a backpack. With all the luggage on back and in hand, he gestured her to follow him to the gunboat.
≫Levan≪
Make sure the Den is still there when we come back!
≫Madeleine≪
Pink walls and everyone's going full denim! Have fun, you two!
Kimberly waved her a goodbye, then hurried over to Levan.
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